7 weeks later...

Not a single post in over 7 weeks!
I can't believe it!

{ I should start by saying that this seriously started out being titled 4 weeks later.... yikes!
I might also mention that since this has taken me over 3 weeks to actually finish, it ended up getting longer than I probably "should" post... but whatever... my blog isn't about rules... it's my outlet! I now return you to your regular programming. : ) }

It is incredible how fast the time flies! I feel like I had 4 more kids instead of just one! I am often overwhelmed with the madness of it all. And I don't even mean overwhelmed in a crying heap in the corner kind of way (although I have my moments), I just mean in a holy crap, I have so many things to do in any given moment, kind of way.

I feel like things are starting, just starting to seem a little more reasonable. We made it to the park today again(sooo much fun!), and I even went and walked the reservoir last night ALL.BY.MYSELF!!! That, btw, was awesome and I am hoping to do it as often as possible.
I'd love it every day, but I'll take 3-5 days a week for now. I was only gone a half hour round trip, so I think that's pretty good. As time goes on I'll be able to leave for even longer periods of time. I look forward to that too, but for now Alora needs her a lot of Mama lovin!! : )

I wish that I was at a place that I could come on here and post more often. I miss it. But I am happy just to be able to eat right now, and occasionally get to pee by myself... but not often! : )
If I had laptop that would be nice, because then I could write the posts while nursing. But I don't have that many quiet times whiles she nurses because of the other rascals. I often make sandwiches or try to clean up while she eats out of necessity. She isn't a super crazy, every second nurser, like Sophia was, except for when she is having a growth spurt... but since that has been most of her life so far... it seems like all the time.

She is so sweet though. She is super mellow most of the time. And although she nurses often because she is still so little, she sleeps soundly at times and has the capability to completely relax, which is very cute and nice for everyone when it occurs. She smiles now and it lights up her whole face. She looks kind of grumpy when she's not smiling, just like her brother. Her birthmark, which is a lot like Sophia's, looks like an angel to me... or quite possibly a squirrel! : ) We'll see how it changes as she grows. Her sister and brother still love her beyond belief. They want to hold her and kiss her every minute of the day. For the most part Alora likes the attention, except for every once in awhile, and I guess we all want to breath our own air sometimes! : )

Let's see, what else has been going while I was away?

Since I posted about her birth A LOT of things have happened around our house... I guess that is always the case. I don't know when it happened, but somehow I turned into that annoying girl at work who ALWAYS had some kind of drama going on. You know the one I'm talking about, she always had some story and usually it wasn't her fault, but ALWAYS there was drama(even if there wasn't) to be talked about to anyone and everyone that would listen...

I honestly don't thrive on it... it just seems like there is always something going on lately. Maybe this is my karma for silently judging those girls as drama queens... I'm not sure.

So let me fill you in on our latest drama and you can judge me as you see fit! :P

A week after Alora was born, Al was putting the two middle kids to bed when he realized he had forgot to grab socks. The socks were downstairs NOT getting folded or paired or put away, because no one can fold the socks like Mama does(ahem...).
So he ran downstairs quickly to grab them. I was in my chair, nursing the baby. He had been downstairs for about 30 seconds when we heard the most horrible thunk followed by an ear piercing scream. We both ran upstairs immediately. I got there right after Al did and knew just from looking at her that Sophia was broken. I went in and tried to calm her down by hugging her(baby still at my breast) and trying to sooth her, but she was inconsolable for a few minutes. After a minute we were able to get her to stop crying and take a good look at her and I could tell by the way she held her arm that she had to go to the hospital.
It turns out that although we have rules about Roscoe not being allowed on the top bunk, Dad usually lets them get up there together right before bed, and when he ran downstairs they started to bounce on the bed(one reason for the rule). Roscoe bounced Sophia right off the bed. She fell onto her face(there was a huge bruise on her face and you could see where her entire face had just whacked the ground), she had tried to protect her face with her arm and the pressure cracked the bone. She and Dad went off to the emergency room and 4 hours later she came home with a bright orange cast on her left arm.

The worst part is that this is actually the SECOND time she broke her left arm!! I swear the neighbors think we beat her or something... The first time she and I were walking up the stairs when she slipped. I was going up behind her(5 months pregnant with Roscoe at the time), but I had my hands full of laundry and although I dropped it and tried, I wasn't able to catch her. She went right between my legs, and I actually lost my balance and almost fell right on top of her. She fell down about 4 stairs and broke her arm up by her elbow. This time the fracture is by the wrist. Poor kid! I tell her that she is going to have the strongest left arm bone of anyone she knows! : )

She, by the way, is (now) absolutely fine. She did great with the cast and it didn't seem to bother her at all. I think it bothered us more than her! The biggest problem was that she couldn't play in the mud and get completely filthy, like usual. She got the cast off on Monday and we were all excited about that! : )

The next major drama, I think, was 4 days after Sophia had broken her arm.
Alora was 2 weeks old at the time.
Al was so tired while he was driving home he fell asleep while driving home from work!! He was trying to do so much to help things run smoothly, that he forgot to take the best care of himself.
He says it felt like he closed his eyes for just a second, but that's all it takes.
He drifted over the rumple strips and into the median. The median at the point he hit was like a really tall chain link fence. He hit several before he regained control. The car was a 1999, and was determined a complete loss by the insurance company.
The truth is there was a lot of body damage(the roof, the left front end, the windshield on the left side). BUT, it was still drivable and no engine damage, so we had been hoping to get it fixed. The insurance company did give us a fair price. Blue book minus our deductible, so it worked out.

The scariest part of the whole thing, was thinking of all the "what if" situations that COULD have happened. You know like, he hit someone else.. with kids in the back... or run into the back of a truck(which there are many on his commute). That he could have been hurt badly and not been able to work.. or of course taken some one's life or lost his own life.

I feel very grateful that all that was damaged was a car. It was a reminder that everyday is precious. It was a reminder to take better care of ourselves as parents, because without us, the kids can not be ok on their own. It shook me up quite a bit, but it could have been SO much worse. We ended up going about a month with only the minivan. It cost us a bundle in gas money, and made me feel a little "stuck" in the house. Our park is close, but not close enough to walk to with three kids, one being a newborn especially! We were able to find a nice enough car for Al to use with around what we got from insurance. Bonus being, it gets great gas mileage.

We have not planted a garden this year. We just haven't been able to get it done. BUT every year for mother's day I get a hanging basket for each kid(yay me!). This year I picked up a few from the farmer's market for 1/3 of what it would have cost at Home Depot(support your local farmer's folks!!!).
Alora took a super long nap the other day and the kids and I got to plant a bunch of mixed flower pots together and had a great time! I have so many pictures I'd like to add, but it is such a pain in the butt here. I haven't even put up a single picture on flickr either.... yikes! That is probably my next miracle naptime hour.(This time the kids are ALL asleep because of our 2 hour hike/walk/feeding the ducks/playground fun today. Hopefully, the more we get out the more I get an hour of peace? Hey, I'll take it when I can get it right? : )

Alright this is already a mini-novel...
I hope that you all made it to the end! : P
I hope that you all are enjoying your own crazy lives!

Today I am grateful that my kids are all asleep right now!
I am thankful to have a family so full of life and love, without them things would be WAY too quiet! : )
I am thankful that my husband is still around to irritate the crap out of me, and be my partner in this wacky life we lead!
I am also thankful I have a few people out there who will read my mini-novels, when I actually have time to write them... if any of you did that is!!! : )