Welcome back to the land of the living

When I was a sophomore in college, I went to school in Chico, CA for a semester. I loved it. But it was different. Just subtle things. I remember flying home to Syracuse in December. From 60 degrees to snow and cold, missing everyone and not sure about leaving. As I was walking through the Syracuse airport, I saw three people walk by with LL Bean book bags. And that song popped into my head and made me feel ridiculously happy. Happy to be back in snow. Happy to be back in familiarity.

This song has been on my mind a lot today. It is a Pam Tillis one. I feel like I have suddenly emerged into a bright and shining world, despite the rain, mist and sleet outside. It is a wonderful feeling. I ran errands with the kids in Malone today (first time in over a month and a half!) and then didn't even wait until Justin got home to carry all the groceries in and put them away. Then I made supper. I did dishes. The kids are bathed. I am woman here me roar! And now I am mixing songs.

In case you didn't notice, I think I have hit the second trimester.

And now, to do a little catching up, here is a bit about Thanksgiving.

The night before we left to go down to Whites, Gilbert did a swan dive off the diaper changing table, hitting his head on the hard tile tub side as he went down. He went all stiff, then slumped, then whimpered, then immediately fell asleep. Not reassuring. So we took him into the ER. I hate the ER. Unless you are bleeding, gasping, or in mindless pain, I generally think you are better off waiting until the doctor opens the next day. So as we were zipping to the hospital, I remembered my lovely cousin, JoAnna, who is a fully qualified ER nurse, and is therefore uniquely equipped to diagnose any and all of my emergency medical problems from 1,000 miles. Poor JoAnna. She advised just keeping an eye on him. So when we got to the hospital, we decided to make sure Gilbert's eyes were dilating as they should and go home. He promptly started projectile vomiting. So we took him in. One and a half hours later, we were finally allowed to go home to keep an eye on him. Argh. For entertainment though, they have a computer screen in each room, which lists the last names of all the people in the other rooms and the tests they are ordering and how long they have been waiting. I spent most of the time speculating on whether that Scarf was related to the kid I went to school with, who had a broken leg, who was getting blood drawn, and who had been waiting the longest. Does this not seem like a huge privacy concern? Whatever, it kept me from going crazy.

Gilbert is still alive and fully functioning.

On Wednesday, we left for Whites. Since it was snowy, there had been an accident in Keene Valley that involved 5 jack-knifed tractor trailers. Keene Valley was closed. In case you couldn't see that coming. We went Plattsburgh way, making it to Ellenburg (an hour) before the car started shimmying and shaking and clunking like a malfunctioning Elvis doll. We decided to make it as close to home as we could before calling the tow truck. And the contrary car drove all the way home. We went down to Whites Thursday morning in Mom and Dad's van.

Our car is still going and fully functioning with nary a shimmy and only an occasional clunk.

We are very anti-climatic around here.

After all that fooling around, Thanksgiving was wonderful! First though, we got to enjoy a sunshine-y, snowy drive down. Since I was driving, Justin took all these pictures.

This is directly from Sheena's blog.

A magic show. This had a lot of play time.

Trying to get Aunt Ashley to read Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom.

The Lucas family came over for supper

The hi-LAR-ious kid's table

The phtotographers

The kids

The Lucases

Singing

Something funny I guess!

The two Tori's

I am still here

Have no fear. I am alive. Mostly anyway.

I haven't been blogging mainly because I don't feel like being on the computer. What?!?!?! you say? Can this be the girl who can waste time on the computer like no ones business? Sad, but true. And it isn't just a lack of interest in the computer. I have not been in a Rite-Aid or Walgreens store for a month now. Not even been IN. I haven't used a coupon in 2 weeks. I haven't even gone to the gas station to see if they are throwing away perfectly good coupons that I might want. I just don't care. Before you google depression (yep, there it is, lack of interest in normal activities) I will tell you that is not the case.

I am preggers. In a delicate condition. With child. Adding to the family. Expecting.

I am so excited I feel like throwing up. Actually, we ARE excited. But while I can be excited about another BABY, I don't feel obligated to like the first trimester. I am tired. And hungry. And nauseated. And tired. Did I mention nauseated?

I feel sure that I would feel better if I actually made myself do something, but when you feel like a nap at 8 AM, it is hard to whip your motivation together for a spot of doing. I have lowered my standards. I felt pleased with myself the other day because all the wash was clean. Not put away, but clean. My culinary flights of fancy extend to 5 pound bags of tater-tots and fish sticks. Which doesn't really help with the nauseating bit.... I feel accomplished if I get the dishes done. When I am laying down, I feel great. I think about what I will make for supper and all the laundry I will fold after putting the kids to bed and picking up their toys. And then I stand up and before my feet are solidly in my shoes, as waves of nausea hit me, I change my mind. I totter to the bathroom, eat a spoonful of peanut butter, make sure the house hasn't burned down and wearily flop back into the horizontal position. I am a useless excuse for a human being at the moment. I am looking forward to mid-ish December, when all this should stop.

I am due mid June.

And now, if you will excuse me, I feel lunch and a wee nap calling me.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Waaaay too many pictures and tangents

Okay, here is the thing. I don't feel like blogging. Blogging would require me to get my camera cord, attach it to my camera and then to the computer, upload the pictures to the computer, look at them, consider re-touching them, throw out that idea since I don't feel like it, and then uploading them to this here blog in order and coherency. Waaaay too tall of an order for me. This is supposed to be my down time where I read a book or have a wee nap while Gilbert takes a nap. Gilbert took a 20 minute nap today instead of his usual 2 hour nap. I know, usually having a 2 hour break each day means no one is going to feel sympathetic towards me missing it today, but I would really appreciate it if someone could muster up just the teensiest bit of sympathy.

Anyone?

I am hearing, in the words of my brothers and sisters, "Get over it." Sigh.

I might as well blog.

After Gilbert interrupted my late lunch (of a toasted tomato sandwich. For some reason this felt really luxurious, probably because I am now buying tomatoes when I let a whole lot of tomatoes go bad in my garden this summer. Still, even if I had canned/frozen them, you just can't have a frozen tomato sandwich.) I brought him into my bed thinking that maybe if I cuddle him, he would go back to sleep and I could still have a mini break. As soon as I laid him down, giggling about the blankets going over him, he was up like a jack in the box, all grins and ready to do something terribly fun. Lily came in at this point and they commenced to climb all over me. As they sat on top of me hopping up and down I asked Lily if I looked like a train. She said "Yes, except you have a face. You are a face train!" Hilarious. A bit later, as they did tumbling tricks over me, she told me I was a playground--WITH A FACE! Here she dissolved in laughter and I gave up the rest idea as a bad bet and got up.

I decided to research Sour Cream iced cookies as the pictures from my camera upload. I have icing I need to use up and one of my friends bakes killer sour cream iced cookies but is hesitant to give away the recipe. In the days of google, nothing is off bounds. I now have 6 slightly different recipes I would like to try. Anyone up for a cookie party? I think I will make this one first.http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Sour-Cream-Sugar-Cookies. For no real reason besides it is from Taste of Home, which is somewhat reputable and the picture is the prettiest.

Now that I have got that earthshaking decision made, I will now move on to pictures. Recently my camera decided to not work right. It was under the impression that the flash was not up when the flash was very clearly up. Once again, I took to google and after a few minutes with a q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol, it was back in working order. I was relieved, since I thought it was a computer programming issue, which meant the camera was toast. Yay for the information age. 

I am SORRY. I am really tangental today. 

Not last weekend, but the weekend before, Owen and Ashley's foundation was poured. Dave and Lori Weaver were up to help out. Lovely fall weekend. And the foundation was all that it should be.

Justin came home late Wednesday night before the weekend. He got a hero's welcome because he is the most wonderful Daddy.

Gilbert was convinced he had to have Daddy pretty close to make sure he didn't disappear again.

What will one day be Owen and Ashley's driveway. Yeah, they have an avenue of maples. Isn't that fabulous?

Lori carrying Gilbert

Concrete guy, amish Ben, and all the rest of them.

Justin is one smooth guy

Ashley admiring what will one day be her kitchen. (I think that is the kitchen part)

A lot of talking happened.

A lot of honking happened.

A good thing Amish Ben was there, since everyone else is yappy.

Orianna was convinced that strawberry rubber boots would look terrible with this outfit. I am not sure the tie up sneakers look much better.

Ignorning the two guys and a dog, won't they have a lovely view? 

Ashley made yummy chili for lunch

Lots of cement-y rubber boots

Olivia and Fiona after 4 wheeling. David got the better of them 

At least they are smile-y while mud-splattered.

A squad of four wheelers

These next ones are Olivia's frost ones. I just really like them. 

New kitties

Gilbert the dragon heading out to the car

This was going to Orianna's Halloween parade

Orianna's teacher and her aides dressed up as piggies

There is Orianna, walking without a backward glance

A well matched student and teacher.

An ostrich rider. I am not sure I get it (am I missing a cultural reference here?) but it was funny.

Even dragons suck their thumbs. Several people thought he was a frog. Maybe because he is so un-fierce.

Heading out to trick or treat

The woodland fairy

The bumblebee

Tyler, Fallon (sp?),  Madison, and Ethan--Tyler is one of Cody's "friends" The quotes are here because Tyler and Cody are always trying to get the best of each other, which isn't what friends are for. They arrived just as we were leaving for trick or treating, so we went around town with them, which was fun.

Olivia and Tori came with us

These people had a most impressive display

Quite the bit of candy

Last weekend, so before Halloween, I begged Justin to show me how to build shelves. I really wanted to know how to do this, since I want shelves ALL OVER THE HOUSE. Pretty much anyway. So for a practice run, he helped me build a bookshelf for the kids room. I got to use power tools. And a kreg jig. I am cool.

This was the situation prior to the bookshelf. Unfortunately, having a nice bookshelf is not actually going to change Gilbert's take-every-book-off-the-shelf-before-settling-down-with-one habit, but we are working on correcting that as well. Still as you can see, way too many books for the flimsy plastic shelf that has been in heavy use all of it's 8 years of life. Seriously, that shelf has moved all over and is still good enough that I am going to save it for something. Cheap Wal-mart tough.  

The bookshelf in process

Orianna arranged this. I have no idea why, but it looks cute.

This is the state of it today. After unpacking 3 rubbermaids of books, I still have a fairly empty bottom shelf to store stuff. I am so excited. This probably doesn't look that great to you all, but to me, it makes my heart sing. Plus, as we were unpacking the rubbermaids, we came across a lot of the kids favorites that had been put away when I got tired of picking up the ENTIRE bookshelf every night. So now they have all the books they own right there. Just waiting for someone to throw them all over the room. I am just WAITING for someone to do that. I want to impress upon Gilbert, the criminality of that kind of behavior.