Why have I been MIA?

I'm hearing from various people that my blog is slowing down. Sorry. I really miss writing on here but have found it hard to even check my email and keep up with all the blogs that I read lately.

Yes, it is my new job that is keeping me busy. Its a sacrifice I'll have to make and I hope you forgive me, because I really love it. I'll admit it is a lot of new things but I am learning quickly and it just feels so good to be working in a field that I love again, minus the crazy hours.

I love my kids too, but I haven't really missed them that much. This job is a perfect compromise so far, because I am away from home part of the week but still home a lot more than most working moms. The kids wave me away each morning, blowing kisses, and greet me with a huge smile saying "momma!!!" when I walk in the door.

Today was my first day orientating in the OR. The Dr. I work with is an orthopedic surgeon so our Tuesdays will mostly be spent in surgery. I have never worked in surgery but am finding that I really like it. It was a long day today but I got to see a lot of cool things.

So hopefully I won't totally neglect the blog. I'll try really hard to keep writing. Maybe I'll put my mom on camera duty to try and give me some inspiration. She'll love that.

Here is my little Betty Crocker hard at work making cupcakes. Ashlyn loves to help me bake.

And then there were 3.....

First there was Brooke that recieved the crib tent because she was climbing out.
Shortly after was Ryan.
And now Gaby joins the club. Look how happy she is.

A Day in OUR Life.

"We woke up our parents at 5:30 am and they were grumpy, but look how happy we are". "I can hardly wait to start the day!!""OK, lets pull up them stocken's".

Now to switch gears, my brother was telling me that the reason mom's don't have any photos with their kids is because they won't be in a picture unless they get all dolled up. Plus my friend Dorinda said she has rarely seen me on my blog. So tonight I took photos with my kids.......undolled. Like it or not, you're gonna see me.

Gabriella with mommy. Don't look a day over 20, do I? Ha ha!! Dorinda, have your husband tell me how to photoshop those wrinkles out of my neck. And what can he do about sun damage?

Ashlyn kept insisting on having her elbow in the photo. Isn't it cute?Ryan's got that classic "deer in the headlights" look.Brooke is saying "cheese" with all her might and Ryan just couldn't stay out of the spotlight. I took all these photos myself, can you tell?Just had to end with this one. Ryan transferring all the princess chapsticks from one purse to the other. I know he is going to kill me some day. I can't help it, he is so cute.Yesterday, the girls got their Birthday/Christmas/Easter dresses in the mail. I got them on clearance for $12 each. They are frilly and pink and look adorable on them. Ryan was so mad that he didn't get one. He even ran and got one of Ashlyn's dress up dresses and tried to put it on. I need to get the boy some more trucks, and hammers, and guns (0k not guns yet). He is just trying to fit in with the crowd.

Gaby is getting smarter.

Or maybe not so much. This morning I went to get her out of bed as she was yelling "Aahh" over and over. There she was perched on the top rail of her crib with her little butt hanging over the edge. She was holding on to the end rail of the crib (which is taller) for dear life. This is the second time she has done this. She did it for Grandma after her nap yesterday.

Since I am not ready for toddler beds and my Gaby though sweet, and beautiful, and smart.......a graceful ballerina type she is not. I can just hear her skull bouncing off the floor. So another crib tent is on it's way as we speak. I have been wondering when this day would come since Brooke and Ryan have had theirs for months.

So please pray for her safety and my sanity as we await our much needed package.

I didn't take a photo of this because I didn't want to encourage her in any way so you'll have to use your imagination.

Just like the end of Bambie....

Ashlyn has been watching the movie "Bambie" lately and loves it. I told her that my grandmother took me to see that same movie at the movie theater when I was a kid. She loves knowing things like that. She actually calls it Bammie which is even cuter.

Well, at the end of the movie Bambi and Faline have a set of twin fawns and she loves this part because she is learning what it means to be twins or triplets.

Lance likes to hunt and has invested in a really cool camera that straps to a tree and photographs any time is senses movement. This way he can watch for a really big buck without having to actually sit in the tree, day after day. Mostly because I won't let him do that anymore because I need his help more than I need another deer head.

So anyway, here is one of the photos that his camera captured a couple of weeks ago.

Can it get any cuter? So apparently we have a doe with twin fawns in our little woods in the backyard.

Work it girl......and boy.

Yesterday I went to my dad's cousin's funeral with my parents and 2 of my brothers. We drove about 5 hours (we left at 4:30 am), and then after the funeral and a couple hours of visiting, we headed back home. It was a long trip but it was so worth it. The funeral was very sad but it was great to see our cousins again. Hopefully we can continue to keep in touch.

I made a quick run into Target to pick up something for Ashlyn since she had wanted to come along but I decided it would be to much for her to endure all the driving. I only had a few minutes and saw these sleeping masks by the checkout counter. Ashlyn has been wanting one. They were only a dollar so I got one for each of the kids.

Ashlyn said she is going to wear her's to bed tonight.Gaby wore hers for a couple of hours today, both on her eyes and off.Brooke really liked hers too.At first Ryan wouldn't even touch his until he saw the girls wearing them.

Good News.

Well, I got the job that I applied and interviewed for. I just found out yesterday. I think it's going very well so far. It is a little stressful at the moment because we are just starting this clinic but every day gets better and I'm learning a lot.

I ordered this Jump-o-lene on clearance for $20 last week and the kids are loving it. It was a good investment. I wanted something that would keep them occupied during the long, cold winter, when they can't go outside everyday. It just came today and they have been in it for almost the entire time.

I know the photos are a little fuzzy because the kids couldn't stop jumping for one second so that I could snap a photo. If your wondering who is going to take care of my kids while I'm working, so far my mom and mother-in-law are. My sister offered to help out and I do have another prospective candidate whom I have talked with on the phone. She sounds great and if my hours pick up I will probably see if she wants to do a day or 2.
Right now I am employed to work part time and I will continue to work Saturdays for as long as I can. If we start to get too busy then I want an extra day with my family.
The kids don't seem to miss me and I haven't yearned to be home with them either. I love them so much more when I am not stuck at home with them 24/7. Then all I can think about is "I need to get out of here before I lose my mind". They are less whiney when they see me too......so far.

Since I took photos of the girls last weekend, here is one of my little Romeo. His shirt says "Little Guy, Big Eater" which describes him perfectly these days. I think they must be having a growth spurt cause they eat constantly. I can't believe they are going to be 2 in 2 months. My babies are growing up.

Progression to Disaster.

Five. Four.

Three. Two.

One.

Just Us Girls.

Yesterday Grandma Vicky took Ryan to church with her, and Daddy was doing whatever it is that Daddy does, so it was just me and the girls for most of the day. It sure was nice and quiet here.

Ashlyn is getting ready for Halloween already. She is starting to plan what everyone is going to wear. She wants all the girls to be princesses and Ryan to wear the pumpkin costume that she wore last year. Gee, I wonder who chopped Brooke's bangs? It couldn't have been her mother. Well it would help if she would sit still.
Gaby had a little trim too but she has less hair so it doesn't show as much.
I was trying to get these three to pose nicely. Gaby was more interested in picking her toes.
Then after 4 photos just like the first, she finally looked up and then Brooke had to look away. They plan this out amongst themselves you know.
Then Brooke says "ok that's enough touching".

When the Cat's away......

A few weeks ago, Ashlyn went to stay at her grandma's house for the night and while she was gone I let Ryan, Gaby, and Brooke play with her dress up clothes. They had so much fun. Usually if she is here, she won't let them touch her things. The only downside was I had to wrestle the clothes off of them when it was time to go to bed. There was lots of screaming and crying involved (most of it came from the babies).

Even Ryan got to participate. Don't tell him that his "Prince" vest is really made for Cinderella and of course he couldn't attend the ball without his purple high heels.

Just wanted to let you all know that I did get an interview for the job I applied for. It was last Wednesday. I haven't heard anything more yet. The job is for a clinic nurse position for the new Orthopedic doctor that just started at our hospital. If I get the job I will also eventually train into assisting with surgeries. I have actually been working with him since he started so I'm hoping that will sway them to give me the job. Please keep me in your prayers.

I also just wanted to pass on that my dad's cousin passed away last week. She is no longer suffering but we will miss her very much.

And the Winner is........

Here are the moments leading up to the big drawing. I had lots of help. Some of it was actually wanted.If you're wondering where Brooke is, she is taking a nap because she was Miss Cranky Pants this morning. Ashlyn got to use her scissors to help. She doesn't even know that she is not actually cutting any of the names. I just gave her the scraps to cut after I cut all the names out.Here is Gaby making her first attempt to cut using a scissors from a toy hair care set. It doesn't have a blade. She loved that she was included, though.And Ryan using the same set of scissors. They had a blast and I'm so glad we did this. It was a fun family project. Ashlyn is the only one that really understands and she was so excited. She has been asking all week when we were going to do the drawing.Here is Miss Ashlyn drawing out the folded slip of paper. The one in her right hand is just a scrap that she was cutting. I didn't want you to think she drew more than one. Now she is carefully unfolding it.And.....

For those of you that didn't win, I'm sorry. I would have loved to send out books to all of you. You don't have to totally miss out on the books though if you have a little extra cash to spend. If you go to Amazon.com's website and search for Karen Katz or click here and I've already done it for you, they are having a sale right now where lots of their merchandise is buy 3, get the 4th item free. I do know that the Karen Katz books are included as long as they are under $10. There are also many other books (and other things too just check it out)to choose from if you want a variety. We personally love these books.

I wasn't asked to endorse Amazon but I love their site and have been using it for years. On the products that come directly from Amazon you can get free shipping on orders over $25(when you click on the item look for it to say "free shipping on orders over $25"). This was the reason why I can only give the prize to one family, because it won't cost me anything to ship it.

So MaryBeth, congratulations!!! If you want to go the Amazon.com site and pick out your books and then email at lcofarrell@tnics.com . If you want any that are over $10 (I think that the "Counting Kisses" one is, but most of them are under $10) then you can have 3 books plus the cookbook. Or if you stay under $10 for each book, you can actually have 4 books plus the cookbook. If you see any other than Karen Katz that fit into the sale, and that you think the girls would like, you can pick them instead. I'm pretty flexible. Just email me if you have any questions. Make sure you tell me your address in the email and I will get them sent out soon.

Here are some pretty recent photos of MaryBeth's girls (she also has triplets that are 2 years old named Sarah, Kate, and Maggie, and a big sister Ella that is 3). MaryBeth, I hope it's ok that I stole these photos from your blog, if not just let me know and I'll take them down. Here is a link to her blog so you can all check it out. Four Silly Sisters. These girls could use some cheering up because their daddy was just deployed to Iraq for a year. Their mommy could use some too.

Ella

Sarah

Kate

Maggie