If I could only have gotten a picture!

I did a risky thing today and took a shower after Samuel woke up. I have been extremely exhausted this week for some reason and just couldn't convince myself to get up. The fact that he woke up at 6 AM didn't make it any easier to beat him to the punch. Anyway, I jumped in the shower while Audrey was lying in the boppy on our bed (a no-no, I know) and Samuel was playing in his room. I told him to leave her alone, but hurried nonetheless. Right when I was finishing up, I saw him bring a diaper I had changed earlier into our bathroom, and he made the cute sound he makes whenever anyone toots or Audrey has a poopy diaper. I asked him what he was doing, but he ran out before answering. I heard the wipes container fall off of the table as I was getting out, and when I finally got my glasses on, Samuel was standing on the edge of our bed (balancing on about a 1/2 inch "ledge") and Audrey was almost completely undressed and he had pulled her way off of the boppy. He is fascinated with snaps, as I've previously mentioned, and I thought maybe he had just unsnapped her sleeper. Further investigation revealed that she had apparently pooped while I was in the shower (something she only does about every other day or more) and it had leaked, and he was changing her diaper himself! Some of the poop ended up on the bed, but I couldn't help but laugh/be proud of him. He pays so much attention to what we do! He had even tried to wipe her clean, and he did a pretty good job! I got her cleaned up the rest of the way and washed my hands and he came over to wash his, too. Brad said he thought he might cry when I told him about it. What a good helper!

Meet me, Jodi the plumber

It's crazy how having two kids can literally make you too busy to do some things, like post a blog! We've just been trying to get other things done and I actually haven't even spent very much time using a computer in the past week or so!

My title alludes to the day I had on Saturday. I was all motivated to paint Audrey's room and maybe the kitchen, too, but it was not to be. I started working on priming the walls in Audrey's room - it's a dark green right now and I'm aiming for white. I was interrupted several times to feed Audrey, since I'm the only one with the milk, and an unfortunate incident with Samuel removing his diaper put me even further behind. We finally got the kids calmed down and while Brad was working on the dirty dishes - I love that he does that! - he called me from Audrey's room and said that water was leaking from under the sink. We found quite a large pool/puddle and figured out that the pipe under the left side of the sink was dripping. When I started fiddling around with the pipes to see what was going on, the metal pipe (as opposed to the PVC pipe) literally broke in half! Long story short, I fixed it basically by myself! We obviously had to purchase the supplies, but I used a hacksaw to cut down the pipe and a channel lock wrench to loosen the pipe that broke and replace it with the new one. I was kind of proud of myself.

Back to Samuel and the diaper removal situation. He now knows how to work snaps, zippers, buttons and add to the list - diaper tabs! Saturday was a record - he completely removed all of his clothing and his diaper four separate times. A friend at church mentioned on Sunday while we discussing it that her nephew had a problem with that and his parents had to duct tape his diaper on him for a while. I would rather figure out some way to get Samuel potty trained, but he doesn't seem at all interested. I know he would understand, but I guess I also feel like I don't have enough time to devote to it right now - not that I will once I go back to work in less than 3 weeks - yuck. That's a whole nother issue.

Compliment?

Last night Brad and I went to vote together, due to the fact that by ourselves, we are outnumbered by our children. One of the older ladies working the polls was assessing the kids and asked me if I stay at home with them. I told her that it is my greatest desire, but it's not currently feasible. She replied, "Well, I was just going to say that you can tell that your son is a happy child," or something to that effect. So was she saying that my children shouldn't feel loved because I work outside of our home? Even though she basically implied that Samuel was an exception to whatever rule she considers true for non-SAHMs, I didn't know how to take the comment.

One

I am a one issue voter, which frustrates the life out of some people. I cannot understand how Christians can bring themselves to support any candidate who will choose to vote in support of abortion or anything having to do with the "right to death." I know it offends people, but if you vote in support of a candidate who will vote in favor of abortion and/or assisted suicide/euthanasia, then it is as if you are killing those people yourself - because you are supporting it with your vote! Abortion is so incredibly evil I almost cannot stand to think about it. When I was in nursing school, one of the nurse practitioners who taught in my OB class talked about how she had to work in an abortion clinic ("family planning clinic") as part of her clinicals for her women's health NP degree. I got the strong drift that she hated it, and she basically insinuated that she was horrified by the things she had to do and assisted with that day. I was never interested in that Master's program, but her testimony certainly sealed the deal. How can you think that anything like the economy, "climate change/global warming," energy, the war, etcetera, matter, if we do not support and protect the right to life? I read a quote a few weeks ago that basically said that if conception occurs, it means that God has a specific intention and purpose for that life, and we dare not take it away! Dr. Dobson said a few years ago that the issue with abortion is no longer whether the baby is alive or a person in the womb, it's all about choice. He's right - some people still act like unborn babies aren't alive, but for the most part, the main issue with abortion is that a pregnant woman should not be "forced" to carry a child against her will, or as our apparently soon to be President said, she shouldn't have to carry that "punishment" to term. Although I do not think that actually delivering a child is the most fun thing in the world, after two pregnancies that both lasted at least a week after my estimated due date, I can definitely say that there is nothing more amazing that you can do in life than experience the growth and development of a child inside of your own body. It's also a great testament to how stupid the theory of evolution is - how could you ever deny that God created pregnancy uniquely, and it's not just a coincidence that humans are "made" that way? Back to my main point - I will never vote for or support a candidate who outright supports abortion. It was so frustrating to hear people say, "Well, even if McCain were to win, it doesn't mean that Roe v. Wade would be overturned," or that if it were overturned, it would just make abortions dangerous for those who still chose to murder their unborn children. How is that the issue? Just because it's not going to go away completely, then we should just act like it's not an issue? Millions of people in our country have been slaughtered and continue to be slaughtered, and I feel that they are screaming to us to do what we can to stop it! Abortion, just like many other issues, highlights the main problem with Americans - we think that life is about us and what we want from it. Obviously we have strayed very far from what our country was founded upon, but life is about what God created us for - to glorify Him! We are not helping other people when we help them avoid the consequences of their sin - and there is no greater blessing in life than a child anyway! I know I'm just rambling. I am not fearful for myself, but I worry about what is going to happen to my children. God is sovereign, and I know that He knew the outcome of this election before the creation of the world, and He loves my children and His plan is for their good and His glory, but He made me their mother, and I want to protect them from evil and prevent the world from corrupting them and drawing them away from the One who created them and loves them most.

What a weekend!

Brad worked extra for nine days so that he could be off last Friday for a family day. We got to sleep in a little late, and then he went for a haircut. I somehow managed to injure my neck while towel-drying my hair, so I was glad Brad was off for the day! I never appreciate the value of free range of motion until it's impaired. We did family pictures at the mall at 11, but unfortunately Samuel was extremely skittish and therefore uncooperative. We only were able to get him in a picture of all four of us, and I had really wanted to get some pictures of he and Audrey by themselves, and pictures of both of us with the kids separately. Oh, well. Life goes on.

Our main goal for the day was actually to go to the Great Pumpkin Patch, since it's less busy during the week and most things are cheaper. Unfortunately, it rained all day. We called the pumpkin patch to see if they were even open due to the weather, and they were closing for the day right when we called. So glad we did that, because we would've been quite disappointed if we would've driven all the way there! We ended up just spending some good time together at home and then had supper with family at my parents' house. Yummy chicken and rice!

We've recently been on the hunt for a new digital camera, mainly now because ours is starting to make funny noises and I'm afraid it will die all of a sudden and I'll be crippled without a camera! Brad's been researching them for sometime now, with the idea of investing in a back-up camera, so I started looking at the ones he liked. I have since spent many hours reading and comparing, and it's actually becoming more difficult to decide the more I research. I'm very tempted to go the DSLR route, since I do mainly take pictures of my children, one who moves very fast and one who will soon enough! The main thing that is keeping me from investing in one is that I like to have my camera with me everywhere I go, in case of a good photo op or just to document day to day life. I can't afford to buy both a DSLR and a new point & shoot, so it's quite a dilemma. The main feature I want is good light capturing ability, which I know is the main point of any type of camera, but they don't all do it as well as I'd like. The camera we currently have, a Fuji F20, does a good job in my opinion, and I'm so afraid I'll end up being worse off when we purchase a new one. We've gone and tried out several cameras at different stores, although we'll likely be buying whatever we choose off of Amazon, but I'm getting less sure of what I want the more we try them out. Any input would be appreciated in this matter.

We made it out to the Great Pumpkin Patch on Saturday, after hitting some garage sales. The weather was beautiful, but it was very busy. Samuel again was quite uncooperative, so it was not as enjoyable as last year. He did enjoy the petting zoo and the pumpkin patch itself, but it was hard to "corrall" him. I don't remember there being so many stinging insects last year, but we avoided injury. I did sit in a huge puddle of water just a few minutes after we arrived, on a swing that Samuel was attempting to get into. I'm sure it looked lovely. I'm glad we went again, but I wish we could've helped Samuel to have a better time somehow. Maybe next year!

Saturday night we had a fun supper with our good friends the Kennedys. Samuel loves their 5 year old daughter, Jada, and it was so cute to see them run to each other and embrace when we met. She is so good at keeping him entertained. We had originally talked about going to the pumpkin patch with them, but we couldn't get our schedules coordinated. Samuel might've had a better time.

I made a yummy cinnamon spice cake for breakfast yesterday - I originally saw it on Paula Deen, which I never watch! We had a disatrous time getting to church. Brad went to church early to practice for the Praise Team. While I was in the shower, Samuel managed to pull all the books off of one of the shelves in his room. I of course got behind on my target time to leave, and things always go wrong when you try to rush out the door. Audrey's cute pacifier clip broke while I was dressing her. Samuel temporarily lost one of his shoes and it took me several minutes to find it. Then he fell down the steps while heading for the garage. I got Audrey out of her bouncy seat and she was covered in poop. I was glad on the one hand, because she hadn't gone in three days and I was starting to get concerned, but then it ruined the outfit I had her in and I had already put Samuel in his car seat, so he waited for us down there. When we got to the car, he had pulled off his socks and shoes again! Audrey spit up all over herself as soon as I put her in her car seat, which she does all the time. I realized about halfway to church that I had forgotten Samuel's cup and he doesn't know how to use sippy cups, just straws. Best of all, we were almost side-swiped by a woman who cut us off at the new double turn lane onto South Shades Crest Road from Hwy 150 and I had to slam on my brakes in the middle of the intersection! I was glad no one was behind me. Since she already had herself covered, Audrey spit up all over me as soon as I got settled in church. It was a "fun" morning.

We made in to the evening service, although pretty late. Audrey was quite fussy on our way home, and we discovered when we got home that she was once again covered in poop! I gave her a quick bath and you could tell she felt so much better. We were all doing well until Audrey woke up at 3:45 to eat. She's had a cold for the past few days and her little nose was so stuffed up, poor thing! I noticed that I was quite sore and full on my left side, but didn't think much of it. After I laid Audrey back down, I tried to go back to sleep as always, but I suddenly I had shaking chills and just couldn't warm up. I even got up and put on sweatpants, and sweatshirt and very thick socks and my teeth were chattering! I couldn't go back to sleep, so after I fed Audrey again around 5:30, I checked my temperature and got online for a minute. I didn't have a true fever, but 100.7 felt pretty awful! I'm pretty sure I had/have mastitis, and I'm thankful I had my 6 week check-up this afternoon. I was worried about being put on antibiotics, but what I read said the best treatment is feeding your baby. I can definitely do that! Back to the rest of the "night." I woke up with Audrey again at 7:40 (I'm not sure why she woke up so much - she usually doesn't), and I was drenched in sweat! I took off all of the warm clothing I had and put my nightgown back on, and I was still so hot! Brad went to work an hour late just to make sure I was going to be okay. It was a weird night.

Better tend to the kiddos.