This is my Life

I don't know what I am doing!!!

2011-06-14T15:30:00.000-06:00

Well...here I am...almost 1 year later since I last posted. I have thought many times 'I should update my blog' and well, I just haven't done so. Today I have decided to do just that. I am really not very successful. I have found some great backgrounds, but then it changes my entire layout. Or my picture gets cut off. After about 3seperate attempts I finally decided just to write a post. I'll revisit the design thing a little later on. After all I have other things to do....like check on my children or finish the piles of laundry that I have waiting for me. So here is my post after about 362 days of hiatus and my blog looks a bit frazzled and out of control. And that is OK by me......for now anyways!!

~Joann

Cranky Pants!

2010-06-18T13:20:00.000-06:00

I've been feeling a wee bit cranky these past few days. Most likely due to being sick, not sleeping well and running around everywhere with all my little munchkins.

There have been times when it feels like it would be so great to just be mean. I mean what a relief that would be to just really say what first comes to your mind. Not that I would actually do this, but I'm just thinking how wonderful it might be to just say what really comes to mind...no filter, just say it. Of course this would be ideal if you could do it without actually being hurtful. Just a wee bit of a stress relief! I know people who very much do this and well, let me tell you it doesn't serve them well. They find themselves in predicaments that I could not/would not imagine being in. I have enough going on in my life I don't need to bring any more excitment or stress to it! I most definitely know that being mean is not the answer. And I have not been mean. I have just been thinking about what I want to say when I shouldn't. And then move on. So, what is the answer when you feel as though you do not have one ounce of patience left? When you don't think you can handle one more child crying (over stupid little things, that really have no life relevance!), when you do not feel like feeding one more mouth, when you do not want to find the 'blessing' or good things in life, when sometimes it would be nice to just be selfish?

This is me right now. Cranky, tired, desiring to be selfish. Yet still taking care of my children, my husband, all those wonderful things that I signed up for many years ago. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and keep on trucking along.

~Joann

Summer Days

2010-06-11T16:04:00.000-06:00

Here we are June 11, 2010 and I am just now checking in. I would swear that since 'summer' is here and school is over we appear to be busier than during school. Park adventures, playing outside until it is bedtime, VBB (vacation bible blast!), running errands, t-ball practice and games....and it goes on. All in all it has started off to a fun summer, only seems to be busy. This is apparent to me when it takes me almost the whole week just to get laundry done. We are either not home for a long enough to do it or there are a gazillion kids hanging around it just doesn't get done...not to mention the short cute little guy who still needs quite a bit of supervision while outside. So, needless to say I have several sorted piles of clothes in the middle of my family room waiting to be washed. Atleast I have folded them once they are done...that must count for something.

I have become un-inspired to cooking. Don't get me wrong I like to cook and bake, however I lost my zest, excitement, just plaine energy to come up with something EVERY night. At the end of May I started writing a menu for the first half of June. And that list is completely blank - except for the days of the week on it. How about some effort for trying??? Does that count? There is always tomorrow...

I have grass growing out front and some out back. I am quite excited at how it looks, especially since it was just mowed last night. Part weeds, part grass makes for nice greenness!! I also made a new flower bed in the back yard. Now I just need to get back to weeding it and put up a boarder around it and I'll be happy. Ok, as happy as one can be about slaving away at yard work.

My kids have been driving me nuts - and normally they don't (that much!) I have noticed them being mean and rude to one another....drives me bonkers!!!!! I still love them and wouldn't trade them for ANYTHING!! Or any other kid(s).

I still want to redo my Blog and blog more often. I suppose I should make myself a schedule then I would do it....probably not. It's not that I am all that poor at time management, I just don't have much time. When it comes to sitting and breathing for a few minutes in peace/quiet versus writing a blog - I usually pick that sitting quiet option.

Emily has started playing T-Ball. She is very cute at it, of course there isn't much she isn't cute at!!! She has fun with it. Although I must say that I am excited to have her back in dance. She loves that sooo much. Nathan has decided to not playing baseball this summer, which is fine by us!

I am slowly fading at focusing on writing this and have started thinking about how the house should be picked up and laundry tended to....so I am off for now.

~Joann

Days 5 - 10 of Summer Break

2010-05-31T22:26:00.001-06:00

Ok - here is a recap of our week - exciting I am sure you will find it to be - here goes:

Wed, Day 5 - Good ol' fashion, piddles around the house, play games, jump on the trampoline, run in the sprinklers, do nothing energy excerting type of day!!!

Thurs, Day 6 - Lazy morning, make picnic lunch, head to America the Beautiful park (forget the camera), take the neighbor girls with to the park, run around like monkeys, come home from park and eat popsicles on the patio, run thru more sprinklers, fun!

Fri, Day 7 - Drag all the kids on many errands - bank, bread store, sign up for VBS, Old Navy, Wal-Mart, treat the kids to McDonalds - nice torn cup holder spills 2 large drinks all over the passenger side of my suburban (Grrrr!!!), score many deals at Old Navy - this proves I should shop more often to find more deals!!! :) Ha Ha Ha. Head home to relax and let Ryan nap, drag kids back to Safeway to finish grocery shopping since it is a holiday weekend and I have no plans on going to the store over the weekend....for ANYTHING!!! Semi-bride my kids to buy tortilla chips since they don't want to go with me, back home and making Nachos for dinner....what's not to love about Nachos for dinner???

Sat, Day 8 - Lazily wake up (not really because I have a 15 month old who doesn't like to sleep past 7...ok who doesn't like to sleep past 630), treated the kids to donuts, got veggies together, made a brownie dessert, some fresh tomato bruschetta and got some other things together to take with to a friends house for lunch, head to friends house and stuff our faces all afternoon while our kids watch movies/video games and blow bubbles, had fun watching Ryan learn to say bubbles and get a soapy mess, home in the early evening to bathe and head to bed after a good afternoon of being in the nice warm sun!! Thankful that Jimmy helped put up their huge umbrella to shade us!!!

Sun, Day 9 - Actually slept in...until a bit after 730-ish!! YAY!! Kids slept way late, went to the 11 o'clock service (felt a bit weird to go to church at this time, but we didn't want to miss it!) Stopped at store on the way home to get a last minute dish idea - luckily we went to safeway where noone else was shopping!!!, headed home, baked a cake and brownies, started laundry (not really - more like putting the baskets by the washer if that counts???), had a late lunch and fruit for dinner, fell asleep so fast I barely remember getting ready for bed. Oh, wait I didn't get ready for bed I just crawled in bed and fell asleep!! weird!

Mon, Day 10 - Happy Memorial Day!!! Got up with a bang!! Started more laundry, caught up with the 4 loads that were washed and not folded, cleaned the bathrooms, hubby cleaned up outside, frosted the brownies and the cake, cut Jimmy and Nathans hair, went and got my haircut (still unsure if I like it or not, never really liked that 'just cut look' - you know the sharp angles and cuts) and bought some Sonic ice (the best and cheapest around!), finished picking up around the house and other little preperations for our BBQ, watched kids play in the sprinklers, eat a bunch of food, clean up from bbq - and now here I am ready to call it a day!!!

And on to Day 11.........tomorrow!!

~ Joann

Day Four of Summer Break - 2010

2010-05-25T14:48:00.000-06:00

I know it says day 4 - I am sure you are wondering what happened to day 3...well for those who are interested it still happened. Only thing is it was a typical Sunday around here. Actually it was quite the relaxing do nothing but hang out with the family sunday. We went to church (thought provoking and inspiring as always!) and then served in the nursery for the second service. Came home for a good leftover lunch and then just hung out around the house. Played some games, watered the yards, kids jumped on the trampoline...just fun stuff.

But, on to Day Four -

We started off going to the Dr. for Ryan's 15 month old check-up. He is doing smashingly well - growing and developing just fine. He is still on the lightweight side of his weight (20 lbs, 11.5 oz - 6%) but tall as a weed (33 inches - 77%). He impressed the Dr and got 3 of his shots. Poor little guy was a bit mad but quickly calmed down once the shots were done, his pants were on and mom was holding him. That is I am sure what he wanted more than anything at that moment.

Then we were off to our first Park adventure of the summer. I decided that each week of summer we would check out a new park in town. We can definitely go to more than one, but atleast one per week (a new one that we have never been to). Just for something different and to check out the city more. Sounds fun, doesn't it? At the end of the summer we shall see what turns out to be the best park.

This park is called Jared Jenson Park, it was built and named after a Colorado Springs Police Officer. He was killed in the line of duty a little over 4 years ago. So tragic and definitely hit home....I suppose that would be another post some other time. The park was real fun, very clean and nice, the kids had fun (except Ryan he was asleep while we played).

~ Joann

Day Two of Summer Break - 2010

2010-05-22T22:49:00.000-06:00

Another fun filled day at the Lowe house - had some friends over for a good part of the day (the ones that we watched and spent the night). Played outside, before the wind got really crazy!!!! We built a fort, that the kids are sleeping in tonight, except Ryan. The kids always like building forts, so today we rearranged a bit of the furniture to get the blankets to stay covering them up and make more room inside for them to sleep. They made it quite cozy inside - I almost slept in it. After our friends left the kids put on a little 'show'. They often do this. They come up with wild 'ideas' and things for us to do or to show us. Tonight was a raffle in which I won a bunch of books....yay!

After the show it was off to dinner. We treated our kids to McDonalds for dinner. I know so exciting, but it fit in our budget and our kids like to go there from time to time - so we treated them to dinner. Very nice since it gave me a break from cooking dinner. We headed home for an ice cream treat and then off to bed, in the fort.

And now off to bed.....until tomorrow...

~Joann

Day One of Summer Break - 2010

2010-05-21T23:56:00.000-06:00

Here we are - day one of summer break. Kids finished school yesterday with fun activities at school, cupcakes, movies, ice cream - all things that show end of school celebration and start of summer. If you have been following the weather here in Colorado Springs then you know that there has been absolutely no sign of summer around here. For that matter no sign of spring, really. Until this past week. The last few days have been beautiful. Comfortable. Not too hot, not too cold. Perfect!

Our day started with a BANG!!! Our youngest awoke at 545 am, our oldest shortly after around 630 am, and the other two close to 700 am. Seriously people!!! Why when they have the opportunity to sleep in they dont? This is what I forsee....I will spend the next month or so coaxing them into late slumber only to spend the month before school starts again begging them to get up early. Oh, the Joys!! The kids watched some cartoons, ate breakfast when they felt like it while I piddled around the house. Trying to get our internet to work (thanks to the car accident yesterday down the street!), cleaning the litter box, doing a load of laundry...you know the normal stuff that happens around here.

I gave the older three kids a composittion book for the summer. They can write what they want, about our adventures during the summer, how they are feeling, what they like or draw a picture. After getting the books all ready to be used we were off.....Ran a few errands. Dropped off a gift for Nates teacher (that I forgot to bring the day before...oopsy!), went to the Milk store - for Milk of course - stopped at home to grab some water bottles and get the milk in the fridge - then off to the park. We spent a good amount of time at the park, played with some friends from the kids school and enjoyed the nice warm weather.

Once we headed home we did some quiet time playing a game/watching a movie or if you are Ryan you took a nap. I finished planting my flowers I had purchased a few days ago and was able to get my flower bed in front weeded. Now if only the grass would grow a bit faster my yards would look fabulous!!!

Our dinner was a a team effort. All of the kids (with the exception of Ryan) helped make Macaroni & Cheese. They did a great job reading the directions, getting the ingredients together, and stirring the noodles. All while not complaining or arguing with each other. Yay!!!

After dinner our neighbor friends came over to play as well as some friends that are staying the night. Fun night of jumping on the trampoline and watching a movie.

I'm not sure if every day is going to be this exciting or busy....then again most of our days are busy like this to some point. Stay tuned for the next day of summer update!

~Joann

School Assignment

2010-05-06T23:14:00.000-06:00

I am currently taking an English class online. The last assignment is to submit an article/essay to a magazine, publisher, wikipedia or even a blog. So, here I am posting one of my assigments from my class. We read Frankenstein in the first half and were to write a Close-Analysis about a particular passage of our choice. Keep in mind it was informal, more like a free write to get our creative juices flowing...if you will.

Chapter 4 stands out as the start of his insatiable dedication into his studies. This appears to be the very beginning of Victor’s obsession with the human body. He spends hours upon hours pondering and studying the aspects of the human body. He researched how the human body works, and agonized over the start of life. His professors commended him on his new discoveries. To me there seems to possibly be a bit of jealousy from his teachers. Victor says himself that he poured his heart and soul into new discoveries. These discoveries will eventually take him into constructing a living creature. There is one sentence where Shelley writes ‘In other studies you go as far as others have gone before you, and there is nothing more to know; but in a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder.’ Victor had what seemed to be a semi-insatiable appetite with the human body and the life that is in it. He says the structure of the human frame is a phenomenon. He asked himself about the beginning of life and cause of it. And with the beginning of life he also was interested in the decay of the body. Victor throws himself into his studies. It consumes all his time and his passion for discovery grows. It consumes him so much that he allows 2 years to go by without visiting home. He seems to think about his home and at one point even considers moving back. Perhaps the main reason he is so focused and intent on his scientific findings is to compensate for the death of his mother. It was his way to not deal with that pain, and instead trying to find a way to reconstruct life or deconstruct life.

~Joann

The birds and the bees

2010-05-04T23:09:00.001-06:00

Earlier this evening I had the privilige of having "one of those talks" with my oldest. For the past few months I have been feeling the need to talk to her. Mainly to talk to her about her body, the changes to come in the next few years, and the sacredness of staying pure for her husband and only her husband. I wanted to make sure that the information she gets is from her parents, before she starts hearing things. That the information is accurate and to stay on the straight and narrow. Tonight was that night. The night of a world of information that was flooded into her little brain. It was not scary and I was not nervess; and neither was she. She came into my room asking a question and well it seemed like the most appropriate time to talk to her. I described all the female reproductive parts and what they all did - she asked questions. I explained the parts of a male and the purpose they serve in reproduction - she looked bewildered at times and asked questions. I stressed the importance and value of being pure and no sex prior to being married - she nodded her head. I further explained the value of marriage and God's desire for a man and woman to be able share themselves only with one another after they were married - she recalled her Uncle living with his wife before they got married - I agreed that was a big no-no! She asked questions about her Kidneys and I was a bit lost as to how or why she was concerned with kidneys, but I went with it. We ended on a good note open honest note. She promised that if she had any questions or heard anything different she would be sure to talk to me about it.

I'm not sure really what is going on in her head right now, but I feel a bit of relief. The door of communication between us has opened wide and prayerfully it will remain that way. By some of her reactions I know she didn't know too much. Which I thought was great! I had a sense of reassurance that you can in some way get to your child before the proverbial world gets to them. That you have the ability to share your beliefs and show your children that it is a lifestyle to be Christlike. To follow GOD and be pure and holy; in all aspects of your life.

What an honor to be able to share part of life with my little girl...who really is not as little anymore. I so look forward to her future and seeing her shine.

~Joann

Feeling Helpless

2010-05-02T22:17:00.008-06:00

What do you do when you are feeling helpless?
You know those moments when there is absolutely nothing in your physical power that you can do.
When you hear of a tragic accident on the news, when you read about little children (that you have never met!) and their illnesses, when you hear from an old friend the medical issues that their children have, when your husband had a bad day at work, when your child is so tired they can not be rational (not that all children are always rational in the first place!!), when you have no more to give yet so much to do, when your little baby doesn't feel good and can't tell you what will make him better, when you are driving down the street and are just blocks away from home and your kid has to go to the bathroom like his life depended on it, !when you forget about a birthday party you were invited to.....I could go on, really I could, but I am not going to. What I do when I feel as though I can do nothing...I pray! What better thing to do, but petition to our mighty GOD with your worries, your secret wishes, your absolute desire of your heart ~ PRAY

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who

In every situation there is always time for prayer, no matter how long, no matter how quick, prayer gives you peace in those moments of feeling helpless.

~Joann

To the little ones in my life

2010-04-23T14:55:00.001-06:00

To all the little children that live in my house and those who frequent this place often:

First of all, I love having you kids around. I love hearing you laugh and learn as you play. I do not however like the boogers that mysteriously appear on the bathroom mirror. I would appreciate if the toilet paper right behind you can be used to wipe your nose, instead of my clean mirror. And while you are in the bathroom could please be sure to use that nice shiny handle to flush the toilet. I appreciate your desire to conserve water, however leaving those smelly presents in the toilet do not need to be saved. I promise you that we don't need to keep that around our house.
Secondly, I really like listening to you playing, mainly playing nicely without any problems. I certainly can do without hearing the whining or the threats of 'telling' just to get your way. I know you all have voices (because I constantly hear them) so I would appreciate if you use those voices in a kind respectful way. Not a bossy and threatening way. Also, yelling to your sibling that they are not your brother/sister does not void that bond that will be with you FOREVER.
Thirdly, I think it is neat to see how much you love one another. Your giving hugs and kisses to one another makes my heart smile. Constantly picking up and smothering your baby brother most certainly causes my heart to frown. Really. If you want to carry a baby around just go find one of the many dolls we have in this place. Unless of course those said dolls were repeatedly left out and now suddenly missing. I guess that is a lesson learned to put your toys/trinkets/precious items away where they belong. I suppose that would be more fourth point. People have worked hard to get the gazillion toys that you have, you could show a bit of courtesy by taking care of them....or away they will go!
And my last point of the day...I know that you think I can just drop what I am doing in order to find your lost shoe, your clothes, get you a drink, or whatever else you drum up for me to do. I would appreciate a bit of patience and less demands.
And my very last point (promise it is my last!) is that I Love You! Even when you are arguing, messy, cranky, or whatever. I still love you! And I Love your friends that come over (even if they make the mess and argue, I still love them!!)

~Joann

The Cow Says Moo....

2010-04-08T21:34:00.002-06:00

Time sure flies.....

2010-04-07T16:34:00.001-06:00

It has been 2 months since I last posted to my blog. I bet you all are wondering where I went? Or what has been happening in my life. So, here you go....During the past 2 months I have:

~ Done approximately 80 loads of laundry (seriously...6 people, 4 of which are kids, towels, sheets...you could imagine)
~ Celebrated my youngest 1st Birthday on February 19th!!! Such a big boy he is!! Happy Birthday to Ryan!
~ Wishes that my youngest will start to walk on his own
~ MY hubby went pig hunting in a cotton field (no, pigs do not eat cotton!!)
~ Gone to the Eye Dr, the Pediatrician, the County Clinic, and back to the Pediatrician w/in 2 weeks time frame
~ Had my first (prayerfully my last!!!) Bladder Infection
~ Celebrated our oldest son's 7th Birthday!!! Happy Birthday Nathan!
~ Made a boatload of tasty treats for Valentines day
~ Made a boatload of cupcakes for our churches birthday
~ Made a boatload of cupcakes for our oldest sons Birthday
~ Picked out eyeglasses for Nathan and within the first week he broke them!!! I sure do love the replacement warranty!!!
~ Went on a date with hubby and some good friends in Denver.
~ Ate at SmashBurger....and it was DELCICIOUS!!!
~ Started another class, in which I am not being very dedicated to like I should
~ Found out that Nathan will be part of the GT program at school. (So proud of him I am!!)
~ Aimee, Nathan and Emily started playing Soccer
~ This soccer practice and what not makes for a busy week and early dinners!!!
~ Contemplated many times to write something on here.
~ Went on a girls day out with my 2 little girls. We went to Borders, got a giant cookie and chocolate milk at the coffee shop in the bookstore, ate at Noodles & Co., went to Target. It was great!!! And Emily wore her tutu the entire time....AND I let her!!!
~ Ryan wishes he could run and play when he watches them....I am positive of it.
~ Drove my 61 VW Bug, that my lovely hubby got running.
~ Said 61 Bug was selected as car of the month for April, thanks to our little VW club we joined.
~ Watched, played, cleaned many different kids...primarily my own!
~ Picked up frozen dog poop since the snow melted for me to pick up - BLECK!!
~ Constantly cooked, clean....blah, blah, blah!
~ Watched my hubby play Modern Warfare 2 for many hours during his vacation. And tried my best for him to not feel bad for doing so. He deserves a vacation from work.
~ Went to MOPS, thanks to Roxanna, for the first time and made it back again just yesterday
~ And the most important....celebrated the Resurrection of our Savior!!!

That right there people is 2 months of my life in a nutshell.

~Joann

Sporadic Saturday

2010-02-06T11:01:00.001-07:00

~ Ryan actually slept almost 1 hour later than normal (does it count that he went to bed 1 hour later?)
~ In 1 hour 15 minutes we are going to our 2nd birthday party of the weekend! (yeah for having 4 kids who have friends!!)
~ We had to upload an update to our TV. (Yes you read that correctly and update to our tv!!! Download on the computer to a usb drive, then add the update via the usb drive on the tv....who would have thought!!)
~ I have not bought a new bra since Ryan was born, soon to be 1 year old on 2/19!! And the ones that I did buy were nursing bras....doesn't count now does it? (Perphaps if my hubby reads this he would send me off to buy some...:) )
~ I love sleeping in a newly made bed with clean sheets. Even better is if I just showered before sleeping in clean bed!!!
~ I disrupted an entire display of carrots the other day while at the store. It was like an avalance of carrots and you could not stop it...I actually didn't try to stop it. I knew there was no way to stop them all from falling.
~ I often get overwhelmed when I have a gazillion (really being 10-ish!) loads of laundry to do. I manage to get them done, but when I get behind I feel sooooooo unmotivated.
~ I love the feeling I get when I accomplish my 'to do list' and even better when I do more than on the list!!!
~ Can't wait for out tax money to be deposited!! Not that we have BIG plans with it, it is just nice having extra money sitting in your account
~ My hubby is going on a Pig Hunt over Valentines Day weekend. I am excited for him to bring home the bacon!!! He already does a good job of that on a daily basis - but now this will be in a more literal sense!!!
~ I wish sometimes I was a feather ruffler, you know one that can be bold and start heated discussions, or respond to someones lame facebook status that I don't agree with. (Maybe that will be a future post....)

~ This is all for now. I am off to do something different to my hair other than just wash and brush!
~ Emily just came running in my room with the hair dryer running at full blow, not knowing what to do....funny girl!

~Joann

Happy Birthday Emily!!!

2010-01-31T22:10:00.001-07:00

My little Emily turned 4 today!!! Happy Birthday little princess!! :)

Emily had such a blast! We had a party for her at ArtSports on Saturday night. ArtSports is a great place! They have tons of trampolines, foam pits to jump into, ropes to swing on, and a big area to run and play. Perfect for such a springy little girl. She got to jump and play for a bit, then eat pizza and cupcakes!

And we can't forget open presents. She got a bunch of fun stuff such as Tinkerbell games and jewelery, Strawberry Shortcake and Friends Dolls, a Littlest Pet Shop House, other fun toys that right now I can't think of and a Pillow/Blanket made by her Grandma Howard. Once we got home she wanted ALL of her toys opened immediately!! We couldn't get them all opened before she conked out for the night, so we worked on them today.

I couldn't be happier than I am having Emily in my life. She is such a little girl in every possible way. She is a lover of all kinds of dresses and dances whenever she gets a chance. She lives for wearing lip gloss and having her toes painted. She can't wait to marry a Prince when she gets older and can magically can change your mood with her sweet little smile. She faithfully reminds us to pray before meals and is eager to pray. I can say that I am truly blessed being her Mommy. I look forward to the next year and many more after that. I am anxious to watch her grow and see what her interests turn into. As well as watching her learn more and more about Jesus and how important believing in God is in our lives.

Happy Birthday to you, Emily! I Love You!! ~ Mommy

Who to go SEE?

2010-01-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

Right before Christmas our oldest, Aimee, brought home a letter to her parents/guardians (I think sometimes that offends me...why you ask? I am not quite sure. I am my childrens parent and am proud of that, but I am not their guardian, Ok maybe I am just being moody..anyway back to my original thought!) stating that she did not pass her vision screening test at school and that she was being referred to have a thorough professional eye examination.
WHAT??

First of all, I don't wear glasses nor does her dad (although both sets of grandparents do...thanks Mom/Dad!). Second, I know nothing about eye Dr's nor do I know anything about where to purchase glasses from. And thirdly we don't have vision insurance. Didn't think we needed it (until now that is).

So I call the only eye Dr we know of and make an appointment. Good ol' Dr. Lee. He saw Emily for the first three years of her life because of a cyst above her eye. We wanted to make sure her vision was not being affected because of it, and we especially didn't want it to continue to grow. Thankfully it was no issue to her vision and has been since safely removed!! So we thought that was the last of Dr. Lee....but NOOOOOO our children had different plans.

Off to see the Dr to find out that Aimee is nearsighted (actual diagnosis is Myopia, she can see near but not far). We get her prescription for eye glasses, told to come back in a year (unless any changes beforehand) and start visiting places to find the best deal within our budget for some nifty glasses for her. We end up finding a pretty good deal at Wal-Mart...of all places! She got some styling new pink frames and looks even smarter than before in them. She has so far taken really good care of them and is sure to wear them all the time and keep them in her case when not wearing them. End of the eye glass issue in her house for now, right???

Wrong! The week after Aimee got her glasses Nathan comes home with the same letter from school stating he failed his eye exam and needs to have a thorough professional eye examination. So back to Dr. Lee we will go for another visit for Nathan. Might I add that he is not as excited at the thought of glasses as Aimee was. I suppose we will deal with that when/if it comes to him needing glasses too.

All this brings me to wonder if we should get vision insurance at next open enrollment time.

~Joann

Sour smell be gone!!!

2010-01-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

I can not begin to express how HAPPY I am that Mr. StinkerDoodle (commonly know as Ryan) is now pooping normal. He has normal poop smell and normal poop texture. Ok, I am sure that if you are reading this you are thinking 'wow, what a whacko!' Well, I very may be a whacko. However this little guy of mine has been having some severe poop issues lately. Foulest of the foulest, runny no good poop has been coming out of him; waking him up at night, leaking onto his clothes, making his precious little bottom red and sore. I was giving him until today to start pooping normal or we would be heading to the Dr to discuss this issue. I referenced all kinds of possible diarrhea issues and whatnots online (woo-hoo for the internet!!!) to start my own diagnosis of chronic toddler diarrhea (I am not a DR by any means and this probably isn't really a good diagnosis!). I came across many other terrible looking issues, but I felt I should start basic and not assume the worse! So, basically I decided to revamp his diet. Cut out everything but oatmeal, bananas, meat, and soy milk (he already has some form of milk allergy so no yummy cheese or yogurt for him!!). No juice, no fruit, no nothing really. And viola!!!! Five days later we have normal-ish poop! And we have a happy baby with a bottom that is also looking more like its cute fleshy self.

I tell you as a mother it is the little things that can make ones day! Thankfully we are smelling more like a normal baby and not like something that lives in the monkey house at the zoo. And thankfully we are $50 richer since as of now we are not heading to the Dr.!

Yahoo!

And now laundry is calling me.......I guess better laundry than Mr. StinkerDoodle!

~Joann

11 months and counting....

2010-01-19T21:57:00.001-07:00

Today Ryan is 11 months old.....Holy Moly Batman!!

I Love this little guy!!!

~Joann

A bit of Christmas past -

2010-01-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

If only I knew what each one was thinking at the very moment this picture was taken!!!

Our unique Christmas trees.....and many, many presents!!!

~Joann

Welcome 2010

2010-01-07T22:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I am behind in things already as the first week of January 2010 wraps up. A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!!! (not sure how many 'all' is, but for those who stumble on this site there you have it!) I have been trying to add some pictures from our Christmas time, unfortunately I am having some severe technical issues...bummer!! I will continue to try again another time.

Today brings me to a feeling of complete and overwhelming gratitude. Sometimes I feel like I am unworthy of God's blessings that he repeatedly pours out on me. And at the same time I question him 'WHY?'. What really brings this to a head is a good friend of ours had a baby tonight...YAY!!! However their little guy started out his life with breathing issues on top of an issue with his arm. They believe one of his main bones did not develop as it should. As our friend stated it is bittersweet....indeed it is. The birth of a baby is a wonderful time of excitement and warm fuzzy feelings. Now those feelings I am sure are mixed with worry and concern. I know I have those feelings for them. Knowing that God is in control and their little guy is being taken care of by some fantastic nurses & doctors, he has the added benefit of being held by his heavenly Father. The one that created every inch of him and has great plans for his life - all to bring glory to God. Yet...the human part of me asks 'WHY?' Why these things on a baby? Why am I blessed to have 4 incredible children with no issues. I do not have an answer, however I have concluded that it is not for me to ask the 'WHY?' it is for me to ask 'what do you want me to do' and 'how can I be a supporting friend.' My ultimate prayer is for him to be healthy and grow and thrive as he should. I also pray that God uses me as he desires to be a light (of Jesus) into my friends lives. I am sooooo thrilled for their baby and absolutely can not wait to see the little guy.

Wont you pray for our friends and their baby...and to praise GOD for the blessing in your life.

~ Joann

Whirlwind

2009-12-19T23:19:00.000-07:00

Life is a whirlwind sometimes....a whirlwind that takes you day to day, sometimes without even realizing that you are on a new day. My life is not really anything extraordinary...it is simple. It is simply filled with the normal needs and activities of four children. I did not really realize that the last post I made was over 3 weeks ago about Aimee's birthday and here we are 6 days from Christmas!!! WOW!!! I am ready for Christmas and the whirlwind that surrounds the few days before and even after. I am ready to see the excitement on my kids faces when they wake up on Christmas morning and see all the fantastic things that 'Santa' left for them. I love the questions that they ask about how Santa gets in your house if you don't have a chimney (luckily we have one - makes life easier on Santa by the way). Nathan saw Santa at his school during his holiday party and we learned that Santa gives the reindeer the broken candy canes, helps make them fly. Last night we drove thru a big light display at a local church.and our kids were excited to say the least. Emily's favorite part was seeing the princess...'she was soooo beautiful'. And an even bigger highlight for her was seeing Mrs. Claus and that Mrs. Claus even knew all our kids names.....how cool is that! :) I didn't have the heart to tell her that their names were written on a paper stuck to the outside of our car so that the people in the display can personalize our experience. I wanted her to keep that magic and wonder alive for as long as possible. I can right now saw that the next few days until Christmas wont be busy....but knowing our house it will find a way to be busy. Busy in a good way though. This week holds making tamales for Christmas Eve dinner, some last minute grocery shopping (definitely don't want to wait until the last minute!), wrapping of presents, last minute things to grab for stockings or gifts we forgot to get, baking cookies for Santa, cooking food for dinners, not to mention the normal hulabaloo of activities - all of which I am looking forward to!

'Tis the Season to be Jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la'

~Joann

Birthday Girl Aimee!!!

2009-12-03T00:30:00.000-07:00

Aimee Christine Lowe

Happy Birthday Aimee!! I can hardly believe 8 years ago I started this 'motherhood' adventure by giving birth to Aimee. What a precious, perfect little princess of a baby!!!! Aimee came into this world weighing 6 lbs 14 oz, 20 inches long....and here 8 years later she is a beautiful, smart, caring young girl weighing much more than 6 lbs and coming close to 5 feet tall!!! WoW!!

God is amazing!! He created her before I could even see her beautiful little face. He perfectly placed every part of her body, her mind, and her personality together. And the best part of all - he allowed me the pleasure to be her mommy. He gave me the task to raise her and teach her and equip her for her wonderful life yet to come. I am honored to be the one to take care of her, to teach her right from wrong, to hug her when she is down, to laugh at her when she is goofy, to try the best I can to be the best example of a child of God to her.

Today Aimee pretty much got to pick whatever she wanted to do on her day. She woke up to streamers in her doorway, birthday wishes from all, and her brother signing Happy Birthday to her. :) I brought cupcakes to her class and her class sang to her too. Once home from school she waited until after dinner to open her presents (and boy was she suprised!!!) We went to Gunther Toody's for dinner. The waitress sang to Aimee and made her do the twist (unfortunately Aimee just turned herself around, like she was doing the Hokey Pokey....apparently she does not know how to do the twist!). And then we came home, home to presents and cake. It was a time filled with suprise as she walked into the house to see a brand new pink Mongoose bike parked in our living room. Along with the bike, she got a bunch of Littlest Pet Shop Items (to include a Littlest Pet Shop Online!) Aimee felt so special, as well as she should!!!

We can't forget the cake. I normally make the kids their cake for their birthday and Aimee requested a cat cake. Go figure. My little cat lover wanted a cat cake that looked like Penny (our cat). She first requested a Littlest Pet Shop cake but when asked what animal she firmly announced a cat, like Penny! Sooooo messy to make, but soooo very cute!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIMEE!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!

~Joann

Here I Am

2009-12-01T23:19:00.000-07:00

So, here I am....back to posting about my life. And what exactly have I been doing the past few weeks you wonder? Simply put I have been living my life. Doing just about everything and at a few rare times nothing!

Let's see....I have been doing the normal like laundry, make dinner, pack lunches, feed the pets, buying crickets for some of the pets, sweep/mop (even buying a new sweeper thing and mop to make cleaning that much better!), grocery shopping, homework for the kids, homework for me, laundry, church, taking cupcakes to a friend, more cleaning, playing with the kids, having play/coffee dates….(you get the idea, right?) and also the not so normal things in life, such as staying up all night to go to Black Friday with your friend that is moving out of state, sleeping about 11 hours straight (with no one waking me up!!!) visiting said moving friend as much as possible, going to a moving get together for said moving friend, making a Turkey for Aimee's class, Thanksgiving (I was more than THANKFUL for my fabulous life!!), and making bunch of things for Thanksgiving dinner, sneaky Christmas shopping (so my 3 year old doesn't realize I bought something for her siblings and they can't have it, watching Ryan crawl up the stairs with grand excitement, Doctors & Dentist appointments, sneaking in a nap now and then, staying up late to destroy zombies (playing Resident Evil on the PS3), being tired the next day and somehow convincing myself it was worth it to stay up so late (in which it actually was fun!!)…. well there you have it my last couple of weeks in a nutshell.

A small glimpse into a busy and crazy house of 6…..yet even at the craziest busiest times I would not trade it for anything!!! (Well…except maybe to either sleep or to have complete uninterrupted time destroying zombies!!)

~ Joann

Blog, Schmog!

2009-11-15T00:13:00.000-07:00

Here it is midnight, and I am sitting here trying to figure this whole blog design thing out. I really should be sleeping, I really need to be sleeping, but I can't help but want to make this blog adventure of mine really cool. I have no idea how to make blog exciting or how to set it up to be able to add things, or even how to not cut one of my kids out of the picture on my sidebar....grrrrr........Perhaps this is best to be designed when I am not yawning and repeatedly thinking I should be asleep. Sometimes I think I need to decompress from the day and do something completely mindless and not completely productive. I put the kids to bed, picked up the house, threw the wet clothes in the dryer, got coffee ready to brew in the morning and then took a Biology test. (BLECK!!!) And here now I sit getting ready for some sleep. I found a cool site that offers free background....I think it looks rather nice. Tomorrow I will conquer the reason why Nathan is cut out of the picture and perhaps snazzy up my header and maybe even figure out how to use different fonts or make a permanent signature. I suppose we shall see what tomorrow will bring...who knows perhaps I will even go to sleep before midnight!!!

~Joann

Breakfast....It's whats for Dinner!

2009-11-10T22:58:00.000-07:00

Breakfast...It's whats for Dinner....

And this is exactly what we had for dinner tonight. Breakfast. I am pretty sure I am not the only mom out there that has gotten into a rut of what to make for dinner. Presently I seem to be in somewhat of a rut. I haven't palnned out meals or really extensively grocery shopped. I have purchased items here and there, but nothing that comes from any real planning. I am tiredof being in my little rut, but don't have too much desire to get out of it. One of these I am sure I will be back to having a plan. I do of course have my ol' standbys, but even then these days those standbys are getting tired. Heck, I get tired sometimes just planning and making meals. So tonight with dinner time looming at me, and not really having a plan for dinner - I opened the fridge to get a glimmer of inspiration and VIOLA - Eggs! I decided breakfast it would be. Usually when we have breakfast for dinner we have pancakes, eggs, potatoes...the whole sha-bang! Well, tonight it was not the whole sha-bang, but it was indeed tasty!. So we had eggs (with or without cheese, depends on who you are!), bacon, bagels, orange juice and a wee bit of egg nog.

This is part of dinner...eggs & bacon

This is Aimee right before, and extremely excited for BACON!!!

Here Emily is after thoroughly enjoying her bagel with cream cheese!

And Ryan, guarding his tray of food with his life....hence the 'what do you want?' look.

And then there is Nathan. Nathan with the obligatory egg nog mush-mash (that's mustache in Emily speak!)

This was meant for dessert, a Halloween funfetti cake made in a Christmas tree cake pan....go figure! Unfortunately we have yet to eat it...due to some behaviorial issues...no cake tonight!!!

So there you have it. Breakfast....It's whats for Dinner!!!

~Joann

Do you see what I see?

2009-11-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

Do you see what I see ?

I see three of the goofiest kids around. This picture makes me laugh.....it shows 3 out of 4 of our kids and their distinct personality differences. What a total bunch of goof balls. I love these kids!!!! :)

~Joann

My Favorite Things (as of today)

2009-11-03T13:23:00.002-07:00

Today's favorite things are......
1 - roast beef rolled w/havarti cheese - - yummy!!!!
2 - new pillows
3 - Emily laughing when watching 'Barbie - The Three Musketeers'
4 - A nice sunny, warm fall day
5 - Smell of clean laundry

My favorite things change from day to day....however these are the things I am liking at this moment!

~ Joann

My Heart is Full of Thankfulness

2009-10-29T22:20:00.002-06:00

At this moment as I write this I feel soooo extremely blessed. Blessed and Thankful for everything in my life. I am forever thankful that I have the best family....a wonderful husband and the most amazingly fun and smart and adorable children. I have a God that is forever loving and forgiving...provides in every imaginable and unimaginable way. I have wonderful friends that I can spend time with, can laugh with, and can vent with.

Lately I have come across several stories of children that are sick and their families that are going through the struggles of what comes with being sick. I can only imagine what they go through and feel and endure. My heart aches for these families and sometimes I feel like I just can't pray enough for them. Sometimes I wish I could sit with them when their child is in the hospital or in pain; or I could just give them a hug and somehow reassure them that all will be fine. Most of the time that is not possible, however I believe God uses those times to show me what I have in my life.

It is his gentle reminder tome to not take things for granted. To love and cherish at all times. It feels as though he is shining this humongous spotlight on my life for me to see all those little specks that I so often look over and miss. Times to hold my baby a little longer even though I have something else to do...for at least I have the chance to hold my baby. Times to hug a little longer....because I am able to hug. Times to listen more....because I care, and those in my life deserve to be heard. Times to be less selfish and more giving...because God has always provided for me and likes it when we share. Times to lay in bed with a restless child...because it is another moment I have with them to show and tell them how much I love them. Times to tell those I love how much I love them and how much they mean to me....simply because I can.

I am so thankful for so much....and I am afraid that if I started typing an actual list I just may be here forever. So, instead...I will pray that I can continue to be reminded of those small moments to express my gratitude or love. I pray that I can be a reminder to others of the blessings that they may have and not see at the moment. I pray that I may continue to be used by God in whatever way he sees fit, for I know he will equip me with the ability to do so.

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

~Joann

What am I Doing??

2009-10-26T22:57:00.003-06:00

Simply put....what in the world am I doing???

I am taking two online courses...count them one, two, that's right only two. You would think that I would be able to manage it and not somehow make myself feel like a complete idiot! To somehow feel like I really did graduate high school and at one point probably knew all this information that I should still know. All I am taking right now is an Algebra class and a Biology class. Your simple run of the mill basic classes.....or so I am finding out perhaps not the run of the mill. Then again it could totally be me.

It could be the fact that I have several distractions in several different forms. Perhaps that just one of any number of things is distracting me from properly studying and concentrating on a few measly classes. It could be that I have four small children, of which the youngest desires to spend his every waking (and sometimes non-waking) moments with me, and only me!!! It could be that said youngest sleeps crappy which causes me to sleep crappy and then the domino affect occurs.

Lack of sleep = frustration.
Frustration = poor memory.
Poor memory = not remembering a bit of anything that was read.
Not remembering what I read = not a good score on test.
Not a good score on test = Stressful frustration.
Stressful frustration = me ranting about how crappy I think I am doing on my courses.
Ranting = stress.
Stress = lack of sleep.....and it goes on and on and...

And I know my life will go on and I am fervently praying that somehow I can reorganize my time and lessen my stressors.
Because less stress = better mood.
Better mood = better concentration.
Better concentration = better test score.
Better test score = Happy ME!!!

~ Joann

Ryan's First Haircut

2009-10-23T23:17:00.008-06:00

Our youngest one got a haircut at just 8 months old...making him the youngest of them all. Ryan did not have a huge amount of hair, just some long comb-over ones and some patches of hair hanging over his ears. Jim and Nathan got their hairs cut, so we figured we would give one to Ryan too. He actually didn't seem to mind the sound or feel of the clippers. I think the holding of his hand and head made him the maddest.

Here we go...no turning back now!

Are we about done?

Thank goodness....all done!

All clean after my bath....does this haircut make me look cute?

I have the absolute most adorably handsome little guy!!!

Joann

I Love My Hubby!!!

2009-10-23T22:42:00.007-06:00

And there goes this week.....Friday already....where does time go? I am amazed that this week has gone by and thankfully looking back to my week, it really doesn't seem like I was very busy. Well, me not being busy is a bit of an funny. I do have my moments of sluffing off and doing mindless, needless things. (although it doesn't always seem it to me) however life in this house is constantly on the go. How could it not be with a husband and four kids? Anyway, I was able to enjoy having my Jimmy off work for the week. That in its self is a nice treat, so perhaps not wanting it to end makes time fly......We spent time together talking, laughing, crying (ok, so that was only me), running errands, cutting our kids hair, eating all you can eat chinese, playing with the kids, shopping....and well whatever came our way. It was a fun week and am bummed that it must come to and end when he returns to work this Monday. It is always nice to have someone else around to help carry your load during the day. I wish at times I could go to work with him and help his day out, however I think that would be a bit dangerous for me.....so I will stick with my home duties. :) I am thankful that I am able to be at home and that my hubby works. I LOVE MY HUBBY!!!

Joann

"Not Me" Monday

2009-10-20T00:43:00.003-06:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

My first attempt at my own post of "not me" Monday....only it is officially now Tuesday.

I most definitely did not finish the last brownie and piece of lemon cake while making dinner, especially right after telling my children they could not have them. That would probably ruin my dinner if I ate such stuff. And I did not hear my 8 month old squawking in his crib and then ignore his squawking just as I was about to get in the shower. I would never ignore my children just to have a few moments to shower in peace before I start my day. Who ignores their children??? Most definitely not me. And I truly did not purchase three happy meals and eat two of said happy meals (and only having one child with me) just so I could have lunch and get toys for my older two children. What adult buys and eats happy meals??? So, not me!!!

Joann

The Maiden Blog

2009-10-20T00:13:00.002-06:00

And I am off......on a blogging adventure. This is my very first blog ever that I have written. I have managed to read countless others blogs only to find myself slowly desiring to start one of my own. I have yet to really know how to organize my page, or what I even want to put on it. I suppose that will come over time.

A little about me ~ I am married to the best guy ever, have 4 of the most adorable and fabulous children , a golden retriever named Rocky, a cat named Penny, and several fish and amphibians. I am blessed beyond comprehension at how great my life is. I am able to be a stay at home mommy and manage our sometimes small, yet cozy house we call home. Right now not only am a wife, mom, animal caretaker, friend, child of God, chef, launder extraordinaire....heck I am basically a domestic engineer (has kind of a catchy ring to it if you ask me!) but am also a student. Some how I got a wild idea this past year to start back at school. There are moments when I say to myself....what in the world was I thinking???? Of course there are moments with our 4 munchkins when I say the same thing.....what in the world were we thinking???? At times my life seems crazy busy and hectic, but I know it is all worth it in the end. After all, God works all things for good for those who love him. Romans 8:28 NIV

Well, this wraps up my post for the day. Going to figure out how to save and publish and then head for some much needed zzzzzz's.

Joann