Finally!….our first walk all together this season to the Lake.

i have been waiting so long for this(Mark too)….it was so relaxing and peaceful….

Despite the fact that Jonathan gave up riding his bike and we had to take turns pushing and pulling it the rest of the way there and all the way back. Reminded me of when i used to beg my mom to ride my tricycle all the way to the library in town and i would get so tired that she would end up having to carry it back. Every time we left for a walk into town i would beg her saying i wouldn’t get tired.

well,it was a nice walk none the less.

Laura grabbed the fishing poles,we knew we wouldn’t catch anything but it was fun playing around with them.

Carter can finally ride his bike.(without the training wheels.) 2 weeks ago i took them off and said it was time to ride without them.He is 9 and was still riding with them. He was really worried but after i gave him a push,he took right off and was flying around like nothing..he looked back at me and said..”wow it’s easier without them,i can turn!”

This was my view most of the walk…she was so happy to be outside!

she has got a pretty severe case of  dry skin on her face which causes her to scratch it raw,so thats the marks on her nose and forehead.

are we leaving yet?

Laura decided to take a picture of me leaving Mark behind when he ran in the house to get the bug spray.

didn’t even know she had taken the camera…

you can see Sienna really liked the water..Carter had leaped over this swampy spot and landed on this little island,Sienna decided to follow but instead of jumping just walked right in…

i knew my jeans were getting baggy,but some of the pictures make it look like they are falling off. time for some shopping i guess.

i LOVE how green everything is!!! If the rain is making everything green,then BRING IT ON!

on a side note….Alaina got her first tooth! She was whiny all night last night,but not quite awake. This morning she was feeling her gums with her tongue so i felt in her mouth and Wallah! a tooth cutting through!

The past few days have been really difficult.I have been struggling to get even the basic things done.on top of them,there are other things that i need to do.(like cleaning out winter clothes,)Right now it is amazing how much clothes the kids have!every room is a disaster,piles and piles of clothes. once i get the winter stuff packed away,then i can go through summer clothes and figure out what fits and what doesn’t.the trick is even getting that far anytime in the near future.

 Alaina has been waking every hour to nurse for the past week,so i figure that is one reason why i feel this way.i am guessing it is teething that is waking her,she was sleeping all night not too long ago,what happened?She also only naps during the day for about 15-30 minutes at a time.. ugh.I have finally got her to take the bottle now without complaining,she struggles with formula but takes mommies milk fine.I figure i shouldn’t complain since i know it is best for her.i am just happy she will finally take the bottle.

 I am hoping to get away for a night with Mark sometime soon,just us.Wow to think that the last time we went anywhere together alone it was our first Anniversary,and Jonathan was 5 months old.Oh how i look forward to just that one night!Even if we just go to the movies and out to eat ALONE…Ahhhh.

Sienna found a new use for the swing.The cat loves it but unfortunately i don’t allow him in it.

i don’t know anyone who tills their garden barefoot except for my husband!

Are you enjoying this weather?I know i am!!

a week ago we enjoyed watching this wonderful pup for a friend…his name is Kosmo, and he’s a mini hot dog(can’t spell daschound..or however you spell it)…

He is soooo LONG!

VERY energetic little guy,he got along so well with Jonathan!

I have been putting Alaina on the floor allot more now,she loves to roll around and try to grab at toys the kids pile around her…i am really scared she will get stepped on by her siblings,so i am usually hovering around her and watching like a hawk!

tummy time!

i can’t get enough of the chubbiness!

she weighs around 13 pounds now..she is really short so she looks bigger than she is.

thats Lauras friend Katelynn behind me,i love it when she is over.It reminds me of all the little things i did when i would have friends over at her age.I think Laura is a little more “girly”than i was though. (besides playing in the mud..that was a surprise!)

Holly and Marina…(Her second oldest)

My sister Holly came over the other night and we had a little cooking fire going for dinner.I liked being able to be outside with the kids since it was so warm. (i don’t go out with them when it’s chilly due to jonathan health issues.every time he gets chilled,he gets sick)

like Alainas bald spot? I have had people ask if i cut her hair that way..ummmm no? it’s from her sleeping on her back,she turns her head back and forth to fall asleep.It’s not the most attractive hairdo,but shes a baby…lol.(she actually just started 3 nights ago to roll on her tummy to sleep and sleeps all night that way… it makes mommy nervous so i don’t sleep well now.)

this is my sister Hollys boyfriend Jon,and you can see Ian their youngest next to him…..(he’s Jons clone.)

don’t worry mom…he doesn’t drink soda…he just dumps it! (at least he did this time.) on accident.

he was crammed into the mini slide with Ian..

looks like fun huh?

Ian was so cute! he got a stick,(don’t ask me how he could even see it on the ground) then he asked for a “massmello”

Holly,Becky,and me…Laura wouldn’t let us take a picture by ourselves.(Beckys trying to push her out of the picture) gotta love my fake smile..Marina took too long to take the picture so my smile got tired.

we have some dirty horses in serious needs of baths in the back! YUCK!

the kids traveled out again the other day to give them some apples(partially eaten ones..)

poor Sienna was trying sooo hard to get hers to the horses but it wouldn’t fit through the holes in the fence and the horse couldn’t put his head over due to the electric wire that runs along the top.

so she gave it to Daddy to give it to the horse but….Daddy dropped it in the mud/poo! Just look at her face! Carter thinks it’s pretty cool,and Daddy feels bad.

Just before Daddy drops the apple.

this same night we decided to try a fire….I couldn’t stay out very long because Alaina gets fussy if she is not in bed by 9 every night…and she will NOT fall asleep anywhere else at bedtime but in bed. i did stay out long enough to snap these next few pictures.

TILL NEXT TIME!!

Marks brothers cat…in my plant! I think we have officially adopted him.He’s too much trouble at his house but fits in fine with the chaos here.(RRRRRRRRR)

which one do you think is faking?( it’s Alaina…LOL)

i call this her china smile…she looks like a china doll.(and yes,we went to chuckee cheese again..i wanted to go someplace else but we ended up there…i was out numbered by MANY!)

do i look thrilled? the place was PACKED!!!(we were sitting in the far back corner,so thats why it’s empty behind me…the only empty place.) i was a little stressed about my kids running around amongst the crowd…but since Alaina fell asleep i had to leave it up to mark to keep an eye on all the kids.(boy do i look T I R E D !)

someone came up to Mark and asked him if he was someone famous…LOL (they took his picture with their cell phone.) after i told him he should have asked them if they wanted his autograph..and then sign it Mark. instead he told them he gets that allot..and laughed…people think he looks like Cliff Curtis..what do you think?

this is as big as i could get them..they are of the actor…not Mark…LOL

i am soooo shocked they weren’t scared of the big scary mouse when he came out!  (i was)

Sienna has a new favorite game…

the next day..

i tried so hard to get a nice picture of the boys.well you know how that goes!

i gave up 

after the convention on sunday,my parents took us to the BUGABOO to eat..(thanks mom and dad!) 

waiting for it to move and talk..

he is such a great dad…i love him LOTS!

I’m still exhausted from the night before!

believe it or not he did get her to pet it…i just couldn’t take the picture as fast as she did it.

well i did want to write more,but i must go because i need to fill some demands!

verrrrrry busy nowadays!

this past week went so fast! first we attended the memorial of Christ’s death,and the we headed to Rochester for the circuit assembly which was 2 whole days that were sooooo Spiritually refreshing! The theme this year was

 ”Keep Conquering the Evil With the Good” -Romans 12:21

i don’t have much time right now,i have to get going on breakfast,i am already running late so here are some pics from this past weekend, i’ll post again later,when i have more time.

when we got to the hotel..i was so relieved to be out of the car….so were the kids.

laura tried to get her to hold the welcome invitation from the hotel…she stuck it on her when i went to get my camera.(she said it was to document where we were when i took the picture)

he was sooo thirsty and sooo happy to be out of the car!

sienna was busy investigating

i think he looks tired don’t ya think?(thats a fake smile)

at the Assembly Hall

Dylan,Jonathan,and Jacob

my mom and Alaina

i’ll post more from our weekend later..

kids need me  

we finally have an answer!!!!

remember i was talking a while back on how Jonathan kept getting a high fever? Well,guess what we finally got fed up with it.Since October of last year,he has ran a fever every 2 weeks of 105 degrees that lasts for 5 days. we said today ENOUGH!!!

so we took him to a different ER today while he had the fever,intentionally not giving him meds at that point,just til we got him there. we explained to them how he has been through so many tests over the last 4 months, we started from the beginning..(very good doctor) we told him about the numerous blood tests, he went to a GI specialist…was tested for rheumatoid arthritis,lupus and a whole shabang of autoimmune things the past few months..all of them coming back normal.I have not been talking about it because i was trying not to dwell on it.(i think hoping every time he had the fever it would be the last one and he would be better.)

WELL……………after a ton more tests today,get this, he is 3 and he has MONO!!!!

we are in the process now of getting set up with a JIDS ( juvenile infectious disease specialist) in Syracuse University Hospital.

Finally!!!!!!!!! an answer!!

heres some pictures from today….a long day in the ER