Five Question Friday!

...Happy Friday y'all! Yayyyy!
Although we have no major plans for this weekend, I'm still looking forward to it!
I think JJ and I will have date night on Saturday, that is if grandma wants to take Piper..as Taylor will be at JJ's parents for the night! They take Piper every other weekend over night on Saturday! Soooooo thankful for such loving grandparents that love to spend time with their grand children! :o)

Anyways, here are the questions...I haven't done these forever!!!



1. Have you ever forgotten your child in a store or at school? Oh gosh, Nooooo! I've "misplaced" them a couple times...only because they run off and have no fear...but thank goodness I've never left a store without them. Ekkkkk! How scary that would be!


2. Where did you go on your very first date? (Like...first first, not first with your spouse or current significant other!) Ummmm...OMG, sheesh....that was wayyyy too long ago, my first boyfriend was Lucas Little in 5th grade...I think we may have possibly went to the movies, that's usually where all my dates took place..I mean, not that I had a lot of dates back then...LOL..but that was the hangout out for kids our age, so it was always a big group date!


3. What's your "silly" fear? (We're not talking water and heights.)I will admit I am a freak when it comes to fears...I suffer a bit from OCD. One of them is railroad tracks, I speed and close my eyes while driving over them..hahaha, IDK...it's weird!
Also, I'm afraid of drains...so when I take a shower I always have to lift the shower head up high so I'm as far away standing away from the drain as I can be.
HHmmm, what's another one?! LMAO!
And I'm gonna have to say I agree with Mama M...I too am deathly afraid of escalators, that one started when I was a toddler, my mom still laughs and makes fun of that little incident to this day! Ughhhh..but I have such a problem stepping on them and forbid them if I can..I'll find an elevator instead!


4. Confrontation: do you cause it, deal with is as it comes, or run far far away? Ummm, I'd say I usually just deal with it as it comes...I'm pretty confident when it comes to confronting someone..and I most usually don't ever run from it. I fix problems, at least ones that were my fault.


5. Wood floors or carpet? Wood floors!!!
I HATE HATE HATE carpet. It's gross. All the allergens, the stains, it's ugly!
But we don't have wood flooring, unfortunately. I pretty much begged our landlord to put it in, which he said he wants to, but never did...jerk!
I hate having to always shampoo our carpet so it's clean, healthy, and decent looking. Our kids spill EVERYTHING on our carpet, grrrrrrrrrrrr!
When we get a house...there will be NO carpet AT ALL.

Alright, that's it folks..I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!!

XOxo.

7 more weeks!

...So, the phone rang this morning & it showed up as the clinic...ughhh, do I want to answer this?! I've received a couple bad phone calls from them within the last month, well bad news with my lab results and such. I wasn't in the mood to receive bad news today so I let it go to voicemail. New message! Ekkkk! Should I check it?!
Yeah, might as well...it was the nurse to schedule my 20 week scan! Whoooooaaaaaaa! I didn't even finish listening to the message, I called the clinic right back!

I got connected to scheduling and the lady is like we're looking at the week of April 26th. Ummmm..."do you have anything sooner, that seems kind of late. What's the earliest day I can do?" Well, she got me in a week sooner, the 19th! Yayyyy! There's no way I could wait until I was almost 22 weeks pregnant, too suspenseful! LMAO! PLUS, we're doing a gender reveal party on the 24th, which is Easter...that way all of our family will be together! Perfect timing! I'm still trying to think of a creative way to let them know..it seems like EVERYONE does the cake reveal, which is cute but of course I like to be a little different! We will see tho when the time comes!

Ughhhh...7 weeks is a long wait! Hopefully it goes by fast! I've never been this anxious to find out the gender! I think it's because it's baby #3...so it makes it a little more exciting/nerve wracking! Although, I'm about 95% sure it's a girl! :P
JJ seriously hates me when I say that! He is wanting a boy soooooo bad, which every dad wants a boy...I get that, but he needs to realize a baby is an absolute blessing regardless of the gender and that we just need to be thankful for a healthy baby!
Plus, we make some beautiful little girls! ;)

Alright, I'm exhausted and in desperate need for a nap. Whewwwwwww.

Dilemma.

..So, we're facing a little issue lately. Housing. We need to move! Our current living situation is a 2 bedroom, 2 bath townhouse. We've been here for about 5 years now and it's been perfect while it was just JJ, Taylor, and I. Then when Piper came along it started to get a bit cramped. Now with baby #3 on it's way there is no way 5 people can live comfortably in a 2 bedroom. I mean, we can make it work as Taylor and Piper share a bedroom, a decent size bedroom...they have room for all their toys and room to play. And then of course the baby would need to share a room with JJ and I, Piper's nursery is still set up in there since she was born back in 2008, ha!
So...we won't have to worry about that, just changing up the decor a bit if it's a boy!
But..of course our biggest issue is having too much stuff between all of us and not enough room to store it all. We are a family that likes to shop, especially for clothes, we honestly don't have enough closet space or dresser space to store it all..when people come over and realize how much clothes we have they are just speechless! hahahaha! And then, we have so much other "junk." I'm a pack rat and keep everything...I still have homework/papers/projects from high school, I save EVERYTHING from my children, so we have totes beyond totes of "junk!"
We have a double stall garage and can't even park our vehicles in there because it's full of storage! :/

So..needing to move before the baby comes is our top priority. However, we won't buy a house. I know it's probably for the best BUT I'm too scared to own a home, I'm not ready for that commitment, it scares me. We've been looking to buy our first home for years, but we chicken out. I know, it sounds silly BUT we know the kind of money it costs to repair, update, and maintain. As a renter, we've came across A LOT of problems, whether it be our ceiling leaking, our house flooding from rain, mold in the bathroom tiles, replacement of the garage door, new windows, new appliances...I mean the list goes on...I'm glad our landlord has had to pay for all that! I couldn't imagine having to! I just want to continue to rent, I know it's kind of a waste because we will never own it but I'm okay with that! :o)

Now, the search is on...and it seems impossible to find something decent and affordable around here, housing goes fast in our area! So, if any of my readers are in my area and know of anything, I would greatly appreciate the help!!!! :D

..Veggie Soup.

..I've been craving this soup lately, so I thought I'd share with y'all how super easy and yummy this is to make! It's my favorite soup ever!
I got this recipe from my weight watchers guide, but switched it up a bit and added a few things of my own...and it's AMAZING!!!! Seriously, if you're a veggie lover...you'll love this veggie soup, and it's zero points on the weight watcher's system. Of course I'm not doing weight watchers anymore as I'm pregnant but I continue to eat healthy. And I could eat this soup everyday, for real!!
Here's what you'll need:

**Sorry but I don't really measure out my ingredients, I just add more of what I like and less of what I don't like. So, I'll give approximate measurements..also, go by the picture that I'll provide! :P

*6 c. of broth (I use chicken) you can use vegetable, beef, or anything else! (add more if you want it more watery/soupy)
*olive oil- 2 TBSP.
*2 carrots, cooked and peeled
*1 large yellow onion, diced
*4 tsp. garlic or four cloves of garlic
*1/2 of a cabbage, chopped (my favorite part of the soup!)
*1/2 pound frozen green beans
*2 TBSP. tomato paste (although I think I use close to a whole can, the small can)
*1 large zucchini, diced

-pour olive oil in pan, saute the onion, garlic, and carrots for about 5 minutes.
-Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the zucchini and bring to a boil, this includes the broth.
-Cover, reduce the heat to MEDIUM and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the beans are tender.
-Add the zucchini and cook until the zucchini are tender. Serve and enjoy!

*I also add pepper and kosher salt. Sea salt, or regular salt will work well too. You can also add orengo, basil, or parsley.

Update!

First and foremost, I want to apologize! I say every time I'm gonna stay updated with this blog, and then I end up not writing again until a month later. Ughhh.
It's been chaotic around here to say the least! Without going into much detail, I've been very sick...with hyperemeis which is a severe case of morning sickness. Worst thing I've ever gone through in my life. No lie! ANYWAYS...that's kept me on bed rest for the last month.

Alright...so some happenings, let's see. I'll talk about baby for a bit since that seems to be the highlight of our life at the moment! :o)

I had to have an ultrasound at 11 weeks, due to my extreme sickness. They wanted to make sure there was only one baby in there, women with hyperemesis usually carry more then one baby..twins would be a blessing but I'll admit it wasn't what I wanted to see on the screen! Thankfully there was only one baby, one healthy baby is growing well and had all it's limbs! I say that because I was extremely worried that my 30+ lbs that I lost was going to effect the baby's growth or that the numerous anti nausea medications I had to take were going to harm him/her. But the babe is perfectly healthy and has had a heart rate of 170 BPM every time I've gotten checked, seems kind of high! Dr. said it's normal in the beginning and it will slow down later on. Ummm..what else!? I had another ultrasound for my 12 week scan...again, baby looked good! Am actually measuring a week ahead, which is a good feeling! Since I had both of my girls on their actual due dates(ultrasound due date) I'm sticking to what the ultrasound says with this one, seems to be VERY accurate, plus my body is very regular I guess!

Well, since I went almost an entire month without food...yes, no food! I'm not kidding. Between the ER and IV Therapy, that's where I got my nutrients from(fluids.)
So now I'm slowly starting to get my appetite back! I need to stick to very bland things, so my cravings have been Nick's Pizza(shrimp) in which we've had twice this week...OMG! It's sooo fricken good tho! The best pizza EVER! Chipotle is also a huge craving, but I've only had that once, last week and only because a lovely friend brought it to me as our nearest one is almost an hour away! Booooo! But it was delish, best Mexican food! I love their Guacamole and chips...devine!
Other then that...no other cravings. I live on orange juice, for real...it's the only beverage I've been drinking, I drink a gallon a day. I'm not sure if that's healthy or not?! :/

I've gained back 3 of those pounds, since I've been feeling better and eating. Kind of depressing, but yet I know I need to gain a bit of the weight! I'm usually a pretty good/healthy eater during my pregnancies, with the occasional fast food craving I must indulge in, but I'm not too worried about gaining much. Although it's the best feeling ever when I'm wearing jeans that I've never been able to wear before! I'm down 2 jeans sizes and pregnant!!!! AMAZING! Usually I'm sooo fat and don't even wear jeans during pregnancy, but this time I'm feeling kinda luscious! ;)

Alright, I think that's about it..I'm so thankful I'm feeling better and am able to be the mommy I'm suppose to be to my girls, they've missed me while I've been hibernating! Time to go...daddy is here with my snack! muhahaha!!!!

.Rambling and NEWS!!!!!

..Wow! I need to get back into the game and start blogging! It was so nice for me to ramble and vent on here! Then I got caught up with school and family life...and then just totally kinda forgot all about it! I mean, it's not like it's takes a lot of time...I rarely ever have to even think what I'm going to write about..it just comes naturally...so that wasn't really an excuse either!
But from here on out..I'm gonna try, not daily, don't count on it...but I am going to keep y'all updated..that is if anyone reads my blog...I know, I'm not too interesting, and I applaud you if you do sit and read these posts! :P

So..I have some exciting news! I really didn't want to announce it to anyone besides family because it's still so soon and I'm nervous if something happens, I have had a couple miscarriages in the past, one right after I had Piper..it was very traumatizing. :(
Anyways, well I am a horrible secret keeper when it comes to exciting news..PLUS people were starting to catch on...I had to turn down "girls night out", I was becoming sick, morning sickness...so it was hard to even leave the house!
What am I talking about...it's still hard to leave the house...I feel nasty..I shower daily, sometimes twice a day..to make myself feel better...but I haven't done my hair or makeup since New Years Day...yes, I'm serious! I am exhausted, nauseous, drained, queasy, lazy...you name it! I swear I have every damn pregnancy symptom in the book BUT I try not to complain because this is a true blessing, I continue to thank God for this miracle growing in my tummy! It's amazing! I love it, and as much as the first 12 weeks of pregnancy suck, I honestly believe pregnancy is such a beautiful thing..I admit, I know I'm looking scary at the moment, but once the first trimester is over...I start feeling AMAZING! And I've been told I get that pregnancy glow...I don't see it at the time, but when I look back at pictures of myself during pregnancy...I always missed it..and could see that pregnancy really is a beautiful thing!

So...this is baby #3 for us! Three kids just sounds crazy but I am sooooo anxious to be a family of 5!
I never thought I'd have more then 2 kids..JJ said he didn't want more, he was scared he was going to have another girl and he couldn't handle that! I was heartbroken when I heard him say that...any child is a blessing regardless of the size, gender, or appearance! It's OUR child, we love him/her unconditionally!

Well..to be honest IDK how it happened..I mean, duhhhhh...I know how I got this baby in here..but it just kinda happened, like bammmm! LMAO!
A few months ago, JJ & I went out for dinner at Applebee's...we sat in kind of a secluded area...it was nice..so we started talking intimately..he started saying how he wanted another baby!!!
WHATTTTT, JJ?! Are you serious?! Don't joke with me...I'll be pissed if you're lying! He knew how bad I wanted another baby..but I never nagged him about it, I think I brought up the fact a couple times, that was it...but he knew I wasn't complete at 2 kids. He started discussing his feelings...those of you that know JJ..know that he's a very serious, keep to himself, not say a whole lot type of guy...well he's turned into Mr. mom lately! He told me he wants to add to the family, he wants a boy...I told him, "you know you're not guaranteed a boy, right?!" He's like I know I'll get my boy...yada yada yada! Okay, well let's go! Let's try for baby #3! The rest is history! ;)

I haven't even had my 1st Dr. appt. yet...so I'm not positive on my dates..but I will be due in September, which is soooooo awesome!!!!!!
All 5 of us will have summer birthdays...OMG! Here are birthday months as follows:

JJ- September
Courtney- July
Taylor- July
Piper- August
baby- September

Can you say BUSY!?!? It would be sooo neat if this baby is a boy and that he shares the same birthday month as his daddy!
We'll see! I will find out the gender of this baby sometime in April!!!


Until next time...Oh! BTW, I'll keep y'all updated with this pregnancy...by adding belly shots and let y'all in on the prenatal visits and stats!!

...Summer fun..chaos.

..If anyone follows and reads my blogs faithfully...I would like to appologize for the delay..I swore I would keep up with this blog, but then school started in May and I just got caught up in life, yada yada yada..but I think I am actually going to get back on track, no promises though! ;)

So...a lot has happened over the summer...well just a lot of birthday's...we all have summer birthdays...JJ, Taylor, Piper, and I...plus both my sister's and I share the same birthday with my grandma...so you can imagine how many parties and celebrations we have been doing all summer! whoafta! It was just Piper's birthday on Monday..baby girl turned 2! *tear.*
We also just had our big county fair that we excitedly went to every freaking day of the week...uck. I don't know what's worse..bloody painful blisters from walking around the fair all day and night in the wrong shoes or running into people you don't want to see for various reasons! LOL. The joys of this small dramatic trash talking town...well I have to admit, I do like this town for the community, activies, school, and all that..but some of the people! grrrrrrr.

ANYWAYS..it's 2am and I am still awake..just rambling because I have consumed one too many Red Bull's today...I am soooo addicted to those damn things but they are horrible for my insomnia...I mean seriously, by the time I get to bed my kids will be waking up, screaming in my ear, jumping on my bed, and begging for breakfast...ughhhhh, I am soooo looking forward to it...or not.

Alright, so I'm gonna put an overload of photos up..between birthdays and the fair and everything in between!

So...I am really tired and am heading to bed...there are way more pix but it's not letting me upload so I'll have to figure out how to put the rest up here after I get some shut eye. gnite.