Ordinary Miracles

Saying goodbye.....

2010-06-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

NEVER gets easier..... I actually think it only gets tougher! Today My husband is leaving us again for the summer. Logically you'd think we'd be use to this especially having survived two 6 mo deployments in the last 2 years (it seems he leaves us every MAY). This goodbye was definitely the hardest for the girls, they cried hard when he put them to bed and told them he would be gone in the morning, I think this was harder than having to watch him walk on the ship and leave because you go to bed and life is normal you wake up and the rug has be yanked out from under you. Somewhat fortunately I suppose our life has been far from stable as far as a schedule for several months now (due to the S-H-I-P) SO it is not like we were all comfy with a regular routine that is now being thrust into chaos... we have been living in chaos for some time now!

On the up-side since he is gone for the summer We (the 4 girls and I) will be traveling on a 3 state multi home camping fun finding tattoo getting throw the schedule out the window 6 week long "vacation" starting June 8th!

I should go start Packing!

Recent Happenings

2010-04-28T15:43:00.000-07:00

Life is Busy with Four children, that is my excuse for being terrible at updating my blog!

You would think that a busy life would give me TONS to write about, I am sure it does But living exhausted and feeling like I am barely getting by makes it hard to form a sentence let alone a complete thought or blog post.

Andrew's work schedule has been AWFUL it is so hard to not know when he'll be home or when or if he'll get a day off so I can have a break. It really takes it's toll on my sanity and our children as well!

So here are a few Updates.....

Meghan

We have noticed a lot of maturing in Miss Meg lately (since Kiersten's arrival), she is more helpful, less emotional and overall she's just developing into a young lady and it is so very nice to see her blossoming. Recently she went on a Girl Scout Encampment weekend with her Brownie Troop which meant her leaving home on Friday and returning on Sunday. This was her first weekend away from home without a family member there with her. She has done a few sleepovers, but those were near to home and I was only a phone call away. This time She was a two hour car ride away. You are probably gathering that this was a big deal (for me), BUT she was so excited and could not wait to go, she had zero apprehension. In the end all went well, she had a blast and it was fun hearing about her adventure when she returned home. I was most worried that she would not like any of the food being served and that would ruin her fun. I was pleased to hear that she tried a few new things and got by on what little food she did like without letting it get in the way of her fun. Also a new development for Meghan is that she got braces on her top teeth last week. FINALLY we are going to close the HUGE gap in her front teeth and pull them together where they belong. They are also working on correcting her overbite and adjusting the teeth on the right side so they hit correctly. Eventually she will have bottom braces as well.

Melanie

Melanie is getting ready for spring recital, they are dancing a Rock Ballet to Tina Turner's "Missing you". SO she went from having dance once a week to three times a week. Recital is May 30th. In February Melanie tried out for the Cinderella ballet at her dance school and was selected as a mouse. Unfortunately the performance date was in June after we would already be on vacation so we could not participate this time. I was sad that she could not take advantage of this opportunity, BUT we are very much looking forward to visiting family this summer so that helped us both accept it! This week she had to have surgery to remove a cyst from her left forearm, it was a minor surgery BUT still a surgery. She handled it like a champ even through out 7 hour wait at the hospital prior to her surgery.

Katelynn

Oh Miss Katelynn, where has my sweet baby girl gone?? I feel like I turned around and where once stood my very inquisitive friendly little toddler now stands My very opinionated, strong willed, attention craving "big Girl" wanna be almost 4 year old little girl. Kate's temperament can turn on a dime, one minute she is sweet, cuddly and cooperative and the next she is stubborn, sassy and emotional. She seems to have reverted a bit to needing a nap at least 3 times a week, and she is most even tempered when Both Andrew and I are home (so someone is always available to give her attention). In April she started a 10 week Tiny tots class that is meant as an introduction to being away from mom and in a pre-school like environment that focuses more on play than education. She goes 2 times a week for two hours, and usually she does not want to go, but she ALWAYS has fun once I get her to go in. We are hoping this will ease with time and she will be ready to learn when she starts Pre-K in July!

Kiersten

My sweet baby.... MY LAST BABY!!! I spend my days holding on and trying to convince her she does NOT want to grow up, that it is best if she just stays small so I can hold her in my arms ALWAYS...... She is NOT listening. Kiersten is VERY active and interested in everything that is going on, every day she sleeps a little less, and tries not to miss a thing. She is rolling and scooting all over and LOVES when anyone talks to her. Much to my dismay she's not a snugly baby and she fights My need to rock her and hold my sleeping baby laying on my chest, she would much rather I just lay her in the bed or put her in the swing. In my head I know this is the best for her long term BUT in my heart I just need to hold on to these few last fleeting moments with my baby. I now totally understand why so many mommies get accused of favoring the baby of the family. It is my last chance there are no do-overs after Kiersten. With ALL the other girls I knew there would be another baby so if things did not go as I wanted I felt like "oh well I'll get it right next time" or "oh... we know now not to do it that way with the next one". This is it no more excuses or mistakes I have to do everything perfect this time. SHE IS GOING TO BE SOOOOO SPOILED! Look out!

In other News..... Andrew will be underway all of June and July, so once again I am vacationing/visiting alone with my girls. I really do have a husband, he is just never home in the summer. I will be visiting My sister (in-law) in Missouri, and Andrew's parents and brothers and sister in Michigan from June 8-28, and the heading on to Ohio. June 28-July4 in Heath and or the Valley July 5-11 in Canton with Amy and the girls and then Back to Heath until July 17th when return home. We can not wait to see everyone!!!

Here goes Nothin!

2010-04-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

OK.... I had a baby 4 mo ago and FINALLY I have decided that I need to get my body under control. This is SO very hard for me, I am very anti-low fat anything, hate diet soda, and am not huge on veggies at all! Knowing myself if I just go cold turkey on everything bad and start exercising like mad I will peter out in no time.

Therefore I have a slow and steady approach. I am not looking for instant results, more life changing move toward better habits and a reasonable exercise routine. I gave up soda all together about 3 weeks ago and replaced it with a yummy add to water powder that is only 5 calories per serving. I am now working on cutting back on the LOVE OF MY LIFE..... Ice Cream! When it comes to ice cream I am weak weak weak! I can not bring it in the house or I eat it everyday until it is GONE! So I have been allowing myself to visit our favorite frozen yogurt place once a week. Next up... EAT MORE VEGGIES!

Last week I set out to wake up early every day for 30 minutes of exercise before the girls wake up. I actually managed it 3 days our of 5. It has become very clear that my Tuesdays are CRAZY and do not make it easy to fit in 30 minutes of exercise. This week my goal is to do 4 days, I am half way there!

I hope I can take control of my body and change myself for the better!

Irrational Fears....

2010-02-23T13:11:00.000-08:00

I think other Mothers must have these as well (OR maybe I'm crazy). One of my fears is that someone will break in to my house at night and steal one of my children from their bed while I sleep. This goes hand in hand with My fear waking up to a stranger standing over me or general someone breaking in to my house at all (especially when my hubby goes away for months). These fears have always been there since I was a child really, BUT since we now live in CA they are a bit more prominent. For some reason it seems more bad things happen in places like CA, FL, NYC and LasVegas (This probably comes from watching too much TV).

So every night before I get in my bed I go and look over each of my four children to make sure that they are where they are supposed to be. You know just in case someone creeped through the second story window into their rooms and snuck them out without me knowing in the two or so hours I was awake after they were in bed. Also if I get out of bed in the night I go and check on them especially if I am not sure what woke me up, It could have been that I heard a sound and just don't remember it. My husband laughs at me all the time over this and jokingly will ask when I climb into bed if everyone is where they should be..... He thinks he's cute. When it comes down to it If I have to tell the police when the last time I saw my child was..... I WILL KNOW FOR SURE!

Now for the funny little heart stopping moment that occurred last night.....

At 2am I woke to Kiersten Crying this is normal we get up once through the night for a feeding. As I sit in the living room watching the Olympics and feeding the baby I hear foot steps up stairs which eventually lead to Melanie standing at the bottom of the stairs claiming not to be able to sleep. I tell her it is the middle of the night and she needs to go back to bed, and that once Kiersten is back to sleep I will come and check on her. I say this knowing full well when I go up there in twenty or so minutes she will be fast asleep in her bed!

At about 2:50 am I lay Kiersten down in her bed and go to check on the rest of my girls like I do every night but also because I told Melanie I would. MELANIE IS NOT IN HER BED!!!!!! I think hmmm.... she must have gotten in my bed instead. Upon entering our room which is dark but I have my night eyes on by now, I cannot see her in our bed either. I begin patting down the bed thinking I must have just missed her. This wakes my husband who is laying in the middle of all this patting and I say...."I can't find Melanie". I go back to her room... I must have missed her..... NOPE still not in her bed??? By this point my heart is pounding, my worst fear(or one of them) had come true! So I step up on Melanie's full size bottom bunk bed and peer into Meghan's twin size top bunk bed and there she is sleeping side by side with her big sister.... whew! My Heart instantly dropped back into place!

Upon return to My bedroom I find my husband just starting to get out of bed. He was obviously concerned by my inability to find one of our children! Less than 60 seconds later he was sound asleep... me..... not so much!

Life is short..... Live it well!

2010-02-21T12:12:00.000-08:00

To say I have had an eye opening week would be an understatement. Two events have occurred on opposite sides of the country, neither directly affected my life but both have touched me deeply and made me think about my life in a whole new light.

On the evening of Thursday February 11th a house fire in Heath Ohio took the life of a 3 year old little boy. He was the oldest son of a friend of my brother. I heard this news from my father on Friday and was immediately brought to tears. The thought of any child perishing in a fire is unthinkable, but this boy was almost the exact age of my Katelynn and I could not help but think how incredibly devastated I would be if I lost her or any of my children. I found myself thinking what if it were us.....

Friday February 19th was a normal workday for my husband I kissed him good bye in the morning and told him to drive safe as I always do thinking the most dangerous part of his day is not being at work but driving to and from. Andrew says see you tonight, and I respond "we'll be here". I am sure many many other wives did the same thing that morning, a day like any other. For one wife however she had said goodbye for the last time, her husband would not return home! During a normal work day on the ship a friend of my husband was doing his job, possibly feeling the pressure to rush and get his job done made a split second choice that ultimately cost him his life. Once again I found myself thinking what if that were Andrew?

My Heart goes out to both of these families whose lives are forever changed. I pray that they have the strength to trudge through this awful time in their lives.

I find myself thinking about every interaction with my husband and children thinking "this COULD be our last". If it were the last I want to be able to remember the last interaction with my loved one as a positive one. I will not let my husband or children walk away without telling them I love them and to be safe. I am trying to be more patient and understanding with the girls and enjoy them every second. So often life gets moving so fast that we loose control and are just going along for the ride. I feel like so often a week or a month goes by in a blur and I can't remember where the time went. I am feeling the need to slow down and enjoy my family EVERYDAY!

....AND BABY MAKES SIX!

2009-12-26T22:21:00.000-08:00

Kiersten Fern Olmsted was born on December 15th, 2009 at 9am. She weighed 9lbs 2 oz at birth.

We arrived at the Hospital at 6:15 am. I was changed into a gown and put on the monitors to get readings on baby's heart rate and see if I was contracting or not ( I was not). Baby looked good! My IV was placed and they started the saline solution. I talked with the anesthesiologist, the Surgeons, and before long it was time to hear to the OR! For the first time ever I was wheeled there on a bed.... With all my other girls I walked into the OR. We left Andrew in the hall, he would be called in after I was numbed. I moved to the operating table and got in position for my spinal. During this time the check blood pressure and other vitals before starting the spinal. They had a hard time getting an accurate read on my blood pressure. Apparently I am between cuff sizes. eventually they got that fixed and started the spinal. This time the spinal went pretty quick. I am always happy when it is done. Sitting there trying to hold still is nerve wracking every time! I immediately started feeling numb, and my legs were heavy as they lay me down and set up for surgery. It seemed like an eternity before Andrew was by my side but eventually he was there to hold my hand as we waited for our 4th daughter to be born.

At 9am on the dot Kiersten entered the world screaming..... the most amazing sound EVER! Tears instantly roll down my face as they call for Andrew to cut her cord. After several minutes Kiersten was brought to my head so I could see her. After a quick photo and a kiss she and Andrew went to my recovery room to wait for me.

I spent the next hour and twenty minutes on the table, getting my tubes tied and then being closed up. I could slowly feel more and more of the doctors touches and eventually pulling and pinching. They had to give me some local anesthetic to finish up.

While I was being closed up Andrew was able to spend time with our baby. After the initial weigh in they left him with her, he fed her some formula, and just held her. He also got to help give her her first Bath. This experience for him was way different than all the other girls where they were taken to the nursery and he stood by their side but did not get to touch or interact with them at all. He was very surprised and happy to have had that time with our newborn.

Eventually we were all back together in recovery. I got to hold Kiersten and nurse her. Phone calls were made to family. OUR Family was now complete!

She is amazing, her sisters adore her and love on her constantly. She nurses like a champ! we are off to a good start. She's slowly making progress getting her days and nights switched around. LIFE is GOOD!

Less than two weeks.....

2009-12-02T08:53:00.001-08:00

In so many ways I can not believe that our little one will be here in less than two weeks. It seems like we just found out that we were expecting, and I held My breathe for 3 months hoping and praying that everything was OK with baby. Then once we knew it was and could tell the girls Andrew had to leave on Deployment. Which seemed like forever while he was gone But once he was back it seemed to really shorten the pregnancy. He Left when I was 12 weeks pregnant and returned at 30 weeks. So here we are down to the wire ready to welcome our last little one in 13 short days!

I LOVE being pregnant. I am very fortunate to have fairly un-eventful pregnancies. Other than our one first trimester loss I have not had any terrible symptoms or reactions to being pregnant. We have healthy HUGE babies! So I have to have c-sections, which is why this will be our last. We have decided that 4 cuts to my uterus is enough beyond this the risks go way up and I have to consider my family. I wish I could give my husband a SON but It seems together we are pretty good at making beautiful girls. So as I near the end of this pregnancy it is all bitter sweet. I lay in bed every night and watch my belly moving and savor that feeling of a little life inside me. I do not know if it is easier knowing this is my last or not.

I am also SOOO excited to meet Kiersten and see her with her sisters who are bursting at the seams in anticipation of holding their baby sister. Not to mention how excited I am to see a baby in my husband's arms once again, he is an amazing father and has always been so wonderful with our babies.

This delivery will be the first time my Mother can not be here with us. I am very blessed to have friends and Family here that are going out of their way to help us out with the big girls, But I can not help but wish Mom was able to be here. There is just something comforting about knowing she is near and knowing my girls are in the care of their grandmother when their father and I can not be with them.

I am also getting nervous as I always do about the spinal. That is the worst part of the c-section process (ok the stomach bile juice I have to drink is pretty awful too). My husband would disagree with me BUT he is not the one who has to get the needle in the back, Just like I am not the one who has to watch the blood and gore of the delivery (in his eyes this is the worst part).

But in the end we will have out lil' miracle and it will all be worth it. She may be the most spoiled yet being the BABY of the family and all. NOW I just have to WAIT 13 more days.....

LIFE!

2009-10-19T21:41:00.001-07:00

Well the Last couple of weeks have been very busy. The girls were on Fall Break at school (year round calendar), and we were preparing for the return of Andrew (A.K.A. Daddy). We were lucky to have the chance for Andrew to take Leave out of Hawaii one week before the ship actually returned home. We were ALL very excited for homecoming and made signs, cleaned house, and baked a cake all in preparation for his return home. Wednesday Oct. 14th was a GREAT day! The flight arrived at the airport on base about 5:15 and we were at Outback for dinner By 6pm. The girls could hardly contain themselves they were so excited to have daddy home. I think he must have gotten a hundred or more kisses throughout dinner. Kate kept saying "I misted you daddy"!

Thursday was a normal school day for Meghan and Melanie, we all walked to school and then Kate and I enjoyed the morning at home with Andrew before heading out for my hair cut and some shopping. Yes I cut My hair REALLY short and I am not exactly loving it but hopefully it will grow. I had a lot of damage to my hair that needed to be cut out. I had a run in with the grill a few weeks ago in which I scorched my hair from a huge ball of fire shooting out of the gas grill after I had not lit it correctly (that was scary). Then I decided to color my own hair after which my poor hair was totally fried so NOW... I look like a boy.... BUT it will grow... RIGHT???
Also on Thursday we had the big 4D ultrasound. Big question "what is the gender"??? Well we found out that we will indeed be welcoming our fourth girl. No shocker there. I must say I was more disappointed than I expected. I love My girls and KNOW I will love this one just as much, BUT... this is our last baby and I am a bit disappointed that I will not EVER have a boy, and that I was unable to give my husband a boy. HE (my husband) is fine with it, possibly because ALL of our girls are daddy's girls they adore him. So one more girl is just more attention and love for daddy.... where is mama's boy???? OR even mama's Girl??? Don't get me wrong, I know my girls love there mom but no one ever fights to sit by me or be my partner in a game, they always want daddy. Anyway, I digress..... It's A GIRL... now what will her name be???? That debate may go on for a while. I have taken to calling her "baby what's her name" in an effort to spark some sense of urgency in my husband who turns down every name I offer up.

Offically have a birthdate picked out!

2009-10-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

Today I went to see the OBGYN for our 29 week Check. All is going well. We listened to a strong Heart Beat in the 150's (had been in the 130's prior to today but there was a lot of activity today). Fun fact... I am measuring 35 weeks, looks like big baby #4 for the Olmsted family. We do not make dainty, frail lil' babies. Our babies come out chubby and thankfully very healthy. The Dr. said she was going to go ahead and order an ultrasound, and I would have another at 36 weeks. Delivery is set for 39 weeks, December 15th to be exact. We are the first case of the day so that is good news since the worst part of a c-section for me is the fact that I can not eat after midnight the night before. Momma gets cranky with no food!

My Mother will be happy to know that I got my flu Vaccine today! I will also be getting the H1N1 when it is available but they do not have it yet. I also am taking all three girls to get their vaccines on Friday and am praying with all my might that they can do the nose spray vaccine versus an actual injection But will bribe them with ice cream to get the injection done if needed.

We have a 4D ultrasound Scheduled for Oct. 15th so that The Daddy and The Sisters get to see our lil' one. With a little luck we'll also get a peak at "THE GOODS". This would be very helpful in the great baby name debate. My husband is not interested in discussing girl names when he is under the delusion we COULD have a boy. I think I have a pretty consistent track record going here.

Pregnancy Update 28 weeks

2009-09-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

..... 11 to go! I am Ok with that... I need those 11 weeks since I have not been able to prepare for this baby AT all she can just stay in there a while. We have about 9 weeks after my Andrew comes home to Bust our Butts and get ready for our fourth and final lil' one. Hopefully that is enough time to prepare!

So hear I am looking big and Prego....

I am doing pretty well at this point still comfortable and able to get around well. I am starting to experience some swelling in my hands and feet, but over all am doing well.

As for baby? what is going on in there......

To me it feels like a gymnastics tournament. LOTS of tumbling and thumping and bumping stretching and pushing. I can feel movement all the time If I just pause for a couple of seconds and sometimes without even thinking about it I can feel the movements. She is most active in the evening when I am relaxing after the big Sisters are in bed.

Our little work in progress is now about 2.5 pounds and almost 16 inches long. She's busy adding new skills such as blinking to an already impressive repertoire of tricks like coughing, sucking, hiccuping, and taking practice breaths. At this point the lungs are also nearly fully matured, so we can start to breathe a little easier that we are at the point in which this baby can survive outside the womb. (although mom needs those 11 weeks so do not even think about it lil' one!).

**** To all who have not noticed or participated I added a baby pool on the right side there-----> it would be fun if you'd add your guess!****

Remembering 911

2009-09-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

I know we ALL remember every second of that day as if it were yesterday. In some ways it is hard to believe it has been eight years.

Meghan was born on 8-13-01. Labor day weekend 2001 We moved our new family from upstate NY to Chesapeake VA. Andrew was to report to the USS Enterprise on Friday Sept. 14, 2001. The Enterprise was on deployment at that time and due to return within a few weeks of Andrews report date. This meant that he would work Shore side until the ship returned home.

On Tuesday September 11, 2001 I was the first awake at the house. I had gotten up with Meghan that morning went to the living room turned on The Today show. They were reporting that an airplane had flown into one of the Two tower of the world trade center. I went back to the bedroom told Andrew what happened and Just as I sat back down in the living room I watched the second plane hit the second tower and my heart dropped instantly. I knew this was NO coincidence. In tears I returned to the bedroom and Andrew joined me on the couch where we stayed in our pajamas holding our 4 week old baby for the entire day.

The Enterprise which had left the golf days before 9-11 was the closest aircraft carrier and battle group at that time, they were immediately turned around and were the first to respond flying missions over Afghanistan within days. Mean while my husband reported as he was scheduled to on Friday the 14th. On Monday September 17th, 2001 My husband was on a plane to join the Enterprise for an undetermined amount of time. At that point we did not know when he would return. He left on a military flight so although I was concerned for his safety I was more comfortable with a military flight than a domestic flight. Luckily the extension for the Enterprise ended up being on the shorter side and Andrew returned home in November.

Isn't it too EARLY for NESTING????

2009-09-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

Really I am only 25 weeks pregnant. I am Not going Crazy BUT I feel the need to get things ready fro the baby. Like resolve the sleeping arrangements as to where we will be putting all the children and what kind of bed we need to purchase. I would also Like to get out and organize ALL the baby stuff If we are having a girl I have almost everything BUT if we are having a boy I need almost everything. I do not want to sort and wash and fold tons of girlie things if I do not need to. We have the Crib and the high chair and I have a wish list a mile long but again can not BUY anything due to the fact that I do not know the gender (I do not know how people do that whole surprise bologna). This is our last baby and for all the others I bought stuff thinking Oh if the next one is a boy we should get this in Neutral so it can be used by either gender But NOW for my last baby... that is out the window... I want gender specific. If we are having a girl I want a girlie nursery If we are having a boy I want an ALL boy nursery. This is the last hurrah and I am having enough trouble accepting that fact so I should get my way... right?? In addition to the fact that I do not know the gender of this baby I do not have the Hubby here to dig everything out of the garage and put the crib together and HELP me prepare for our baby. So basically I am stuck looking at things Online and sending photo's to my hubby and trying to make decisions so that when things Fall into place hopefully in about a month we'll be able to Just make it happen!

Life

2009-09-04T23:03:00.000-07:00

Well after all the excitement last weekend, and a wirlwind week. We are settling back into a routine. I am finally feeling Caught up on sleep. We are all enjoying visits with Delana, Madison and Stephanie, and are all around keeping busy. This past week FLEW by, which is great anything that can make time move faster is wonderful. We have about 40 days left of this deployment, until recently time had been dragging by. Finally thing sare picking up YAY! This coming week is looking pretty busy as well. I have a pre-natal check up, Melanie is getting her expander removed, I am hoping to volunteer at school one day, and Melanie is back into Ballet class so we have that on Thursday as well. But first we have to make it through a three day weekend in which My girls are begging for something fun to do, I am hoping the heat wave breaks and I find more energy and my house is begging for a little attention as well.

Needing a duplicate me....

2009-08-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

and NOT because I am SO awesome But because I wish I could do more than I am able too.

This past Friday morning dark and early (before the sun came up) The newest Olmsted decided to make her appearance after much waiting on her mother's part. My Sister -In-Law (Andrew's Brother's wife) Delivered her Daughter Delana Grace at 2:43 in the morning. I was the watch the big Sister person and I had a Friend who was willing to take my girls so I could be there for My niece Since My Brother-In-Law is deployed on the same ship as my Husband he could not be here for the birth.

I have spent the last 3 days running between My house and the hospital and taking care of 4 girls as best I can. While also Trying to do as much as I possibly can for my Sister-In -Law. I know If I were in her shoes it would be so HARD to have a baby without my husband and I would hope I had people around me who were able to step up and Help.

If I had a double it would be sooo much easier!!! I could do so much more. But alas I guess I can not do all that I would like to do....

Meghan is 8 ....

2009-08-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

Wow I can not believe My first lil baby girl is Eight years old. She is growing way to fast! Where did the time go. It seems like yesterday she was just toddling around getting into things and "helping" with everything.

Meghan Allyse has ALWAYS been a Daddy's girl from day one right out of the womb she had him wrapped around her finger and he was her everything. She was fine with me if daddy was not there But if he was she wanted him. When she got a little older she learned what daddy wore when he went to work and would cry whenever she saw him getting ready for work. She LOVES her daddy! As her Mother it was hard to take that my baby wanted her daddy more than me. However, watching the their relationship over the years has been wonderful, and as she gets a little older she is coming around to loving us a little more equally although I know she will always hold a special place for her daddy. It is hard on him to miss Birthdays, This is two in a row for Miss Meghan.

Meghan is our little Artist. She is Shy, and self conscious and loves to dance and sing But hates the idea of anyone watching her. She is not a spur of the moment girl she has to emotional prepare herself for any and ever kind of performance. If she has to speak in front of the class we have to rehearse for days so she know what she is doing and saying and can put away some of that performance anxiety. She loves to plan shows and events and let others perform them and shine she is happy to stand by knowing she planned it!

I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Meghan!

Happy BIRTHDAY Meghan! Mommy and Daddy Love you so much!

20 weeks! or half way

2009-08-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

Actually it is more than half way for me since i will most likely deliver this baby in my 38th week. I will be having a scheduled C-Section and therefore am typically scheduled 7-10 days before my due date. So here I am all big and Preggo!

Today We had the big ultrasound to check on baby's growth and hopefully find out the gender. We ended up not being so lucky in the gender department. The Lil' one was all curled up on it's tummy with it's little legs tucked under it's hinney! The tech tried and tried but no luck!

She did tell me that out little one is measuring right on for 20 weeks and weighs about 12 ounces right now. Incredible that this tiny person is less than a pound and wriggling and kicking and causing the above BIG belly! I'm smitten.... It is always amazing to see that life on the screen.

So here are the photo's we got!

I found her....

2009-07-31T08:21:00.000-07:00

My Kate that is... I had hopped the real Kate was still in there under all that 3 year old miserable-ness. Yesterday I found her.... In Hollywood (after a 2.5 hr car ride) non the less! We had planned a day trip to LA for Myself , Kate, Michaela and Alyana (who are visiting with us). Meghan and Melanie had school and were to go to a friends house after for a play date (I did not think they would enjoy LA much anyway). I feared what the day may bring for Kate. It could have been an utter disaster. I knew that there was not going to be a lot for her to do, mostly walking and looking and non of that really interests a 3year old. We had the stroller for her so she could walk or ride whatever she wanted. I had decided ahead of time that I would not force her to do anything if she was not cooperating, the big girls could go ahead and I'd stay with Kate.

SHE WAS AWESOME! we had an amazing day. It is not often I have her alone so it was nice to be able to talk with her and walk holding hands and watch her browse the stores. She found this little Tinkerbell purse in a store (probably the 5 th one we were in) it was the only thing she had asked for all day and it was only $3 so I let her buy it, gave her the money and let her go to the counter. She was thrilled the rest of the day with her little purse. It was funny almost like she had something in mind and was shopping for it. She looked at every store but only asked for this one thing all day.

We went to Madam Tussuad's Wax Museum. She walked around and was a bit afraid of the wax figures. It was comical at times how she's shy away. Until we saw Shrek! SHE WAS VERY EXCITED!!! He was huge and you would have though intimidating to a small child but she was thrilled! We all had a lot of fun in the Museum. There was a lot of glass stuff in the gift shop on the way out. I was nervous about her looking at things and kept telling her not to touch. So what happens??? I try on a pair of sun glasses (bat girl style) and upon placing them back in the wrack they fall and land in a glass and the glass shatters!!! Oh dear... worse yet the sales lady was standing right there.... OOPSY! The lady assured me it was no big deal as I fell over myself apologizing! We quickly High tailed it out of there after that!

On our way home we were stuck in the most horrid traffic! the 2.5 hour trip took 4.5 hours to get home. Again in the car she was an angel! singing and joking around Laughing and even making light of having to wait (what I am sure seemed like an eternity to her) to find a bathroom when she had to pee.

Words can not explain how happy I was to see my sweet little girl back again, even if it does not last at least I know she is still in there somewhere.

10 YEARS!

2009-07-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY HUSBAND! and also Thank you too him for putting up with Me all these years!!

I am absolutely the Luckiest Lady in the World! My husband is the most amazingly patient, loving, understanding devoted man I have ever met. I often wonder what I have done to deserve him.

He saved me from myself at a time when I did not even realize I needed to be rescued. He has spent the last 10 years making all my dreams come true! He is not only the love of my life but My best friend and Partner in LIFE!

The above is the day we were "married" July 29, 1999, By the Mayor of Saratoga Springs

And this is our wedding Day July 29th 2000... a Truely wonderful day!

In 10 years together we have Moved 5 times, lived in 3 different States, bought 2 brand new vehicles, Traveled across country, been seperated for 36+ months by deployments and underway. We have also been blessed with 3 beautiful Daughters, Crushed by loss of a baby at 10 weeks gestation, and are currently pregnant with our 4th and Final lil' one! We have yet to Buy a house, experience life outside the Military, go on a cruise together, or Live in one house in one state for more than 3 years. There is so very much more that we will do that I can not even fathom. With Andrew by my side anything is possible!

It has been an absolutely incredible, amazing, wonderful 10 years and I look forward to every day that is to come!

I LOVE YOU

ANDREW DALTON OLMSTED!

First Day of School

2009-07-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

Today Meghan and Melanie started school. Meghan is Now in the Third grade.... Honestly how in the world did that happen??? She will be eight years old in Two weeks. Her Teacher this year is Mrs. Rubio. The first day seemed to go well. She says that her teacher is Funny, which is a big selling point for her she learns really well when it is fun! Melanie has Mrs. Camberos this year for first grade. Let me tell you how happy I am that she is out of half day kindergarten!! WOO HOO!!! We walk to and from school and last year I felt like my entire day was spent trekking back and fourth to school. Mel did not say too much about school today just that it was good. She is excited about eating lunch there and her best friend from Kindergarten is in her class so all is good with the World. I actually got to meet Mrs. Camberos before school started today and thought she seemed very sweet. I am sure Melanie will have her wrapped around her little finger in no time. Melanie is your typical brown noser!! She is perfecting her role as the teachers pet quite nicely!

SO here are a couple of photos.....

FAILING

2009-07-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

It seems like Kate has been increasingly more needy and demanding since Andrew left on deployment and this has been greatly compounded by Meghan and Melanie being out of school and us being on Vacation and our regular routine being totally disrupted. At this point she is spinning out of control and I do not know what to do to get her back.

I am failing her and that really tares me apart. I am her Mother and should be able to find someway to help her function under all the stresses of our life right now. I just do not know what to do. Lately she is totally defiant and will argue with me about everything and anything. She wants me and only me the majority of the time and is not willing to compromise no matter what.

I feel like I am just waiting.... waiting to be back at home maybe that will fix her.... Nope did not work... Now maybe once Meghan and Melanie are back in school we can get Kate back to normal.... we'll see. Unfortunately we are traveling again the beginning of August so Normal will not happen around here for quite some time!

A Coincidence?

2009-07-13T05:20:00.000-07:00

On our travels from Missouri to Ohio yesterday I was struck by what to me has to be more than mere coincidence. At approximately 10:30 am I was driving into Effigham, Illinois listening to my Ipod. On my play list I have about 220 songs, and I listen on shuffle so I do not go through a period of the same artist for several songs I like the mix. I have an interesting mix of music including a lot of country, some alternative, some 80's rock, (ahem) Hannah Montana, Mylie Cyrus, high school musical, and several Disney cartoon favorites. Also in this collection is the entire album of Alan Jackson's Hymns "precious memories". Honestly this is the only christian music I own, I love it, It reminds me of My Pappy Trigg who led singing in church nearly every Sunday he was able to attend for more than 10 years. When listening to most of these songs that I have sang at church so many times over the years I can hear pappy's voice clear as day. Takes me back.. You know?

SO anyway Yesterday as I was approaching effingham "standing on the promises" comes on the Ipod and pappy and I are singing awak he in my head me right out loud. As I gaze at the road ahead The HUGE White cross appears at the side of the road this is not the first time I have seen it, it has always been there But this time I approach it as I am belting out a church hymn on a Sunday morning when.... I should be in church. Just as I am at the Cross "standing on the promises" concludes and is immediately followed by "when we all get to heaven". It nearly took my breathe away. What are the chances out of 220 songs on shuffle I would hear two songs from the same album in a row let alone that those songs would both be hymns and be on in the brief couple of minutes that the cross at the side of the road in Effingham is in my view.

I got the following information and photo from http://www.crossusa.org/

"The Cross Foundation is dedicated to building both faith and family on an ecumenical basis. The Cross Foundation has completed a 198 foot Cross at the intersection of Interstates 57 & 70 in Effingham, Illinois. This site is intended to serve as a beacon of hope to the 50,000 travelers estimated to pass the site each day. In addition, the Cross Foundation will promote the values of faith and family through other activities at the Effingham site, as well as programs to be announced shortly."

16 Weeks

2009-07-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

... er 4 MONTHS that it!! YAY!!

SO we are officially 4 months into this pregnancy. Soon we or at least I will get to find out what gender our lil' one will be (not that I am expecting it to be anything other than a girl). I am a need to know these things kind of girl. I hate surprises and still can't sleep on Christmas just at the thought that someone bought ME a gift that I do not know what it is. This first 16-20 weeks of pregnancy is like Christmas eve every night... I really need this info so I can rest with the knowledge of the gender of our child. I know I will find something else to think about or worry about to keep me up at night, But it will not be dreams of boy or girl. I will post that information as soon as I know and have had a chance to share the news with my husband.

SO What is going on with baby now??

~The baby is around 17.5 cm in size and 160 g in weight.

~The baby can grasp with its hands, kick or even somersault by this time.

~The baby acquires reflex of suction and you can notice the baby stopping the swallowing action if a bitter solution is introduced into the amniotic fluid. The baby can even get hiccups in this stage.

~ The genitals are fully developed and a sonogram might be able to tell you the sex of the baby.

~The baby has developed reflexes like sucking, blinking and swallowing.

SO That is what is going on in the Womb these days!

KATIE'S BIRTHDAY!

2009-06-20T09:57:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY GIRL!

It does not seem possible that our baby girl is 3 years old all ready. It seems like just yesterday we were at the hospital waiting to go into surgery to have our little one. She was a good baby right from the start. She put up with a lot of "LOVE" from her big sisters in the beginning and rarely put up a fuss. She has since grown into an extremely social, very verbal, inquisitive, adventurous (naughty at times) little princess with a dash of sass to hold her own in a house full of girls!

We have been so very blessed with all of our girls. Katelynn is a mixed up combination of qualities from both of her sisters. We see Melanie's dramatic side, Meghan's Artsy side, Melanie's big eye's, Meghan's curls. She also has qualities all her own (sometimes scary for mom) She is a social butterfly, has never met a stranger and would befriend anyone of any age if they are willing to listen and talk with her!

Every day is an adventure with our youngest princess we will see where tomorrow takes us!

PACKING!

2009-06-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

I am a chronic over packer ... I always have been. I can come up with a laundry lists of what ifs in which I have to be prepared for. I'd love to blame it on being a mom and just trying to be prepared for the sake of my children. However..... I was an over packer long before I had children. There have been many occasions when I have gone on trips and never even worn half the clothing I brought. Honestly this was only an annoyance to my husband until We threw an airplane into the mix. When we drove everywhere we went we just added a car top carrier and were prepared BUT now... Oh now Continental has to charge me for every single bag we pack! SO now my hate to spend the money on stupid fees side is battling my need to be prepared for a winter storm in July side. This makes for fun Packing! SO what do I do..... avoid the problem, it will go away right?? Probably not, SO I gave myself a day Sunday to be exact. Sunday is packing day it will be done before I allow myself to go to bed tomorrow night which could get interesting! My goal is 2 bags... for 4 people we will see if I can do it.

****edit**** HA I DID IT!!! I also forgot to mention that we were packing to be on a month long trip! I am very proud to only have to pay for 2 bags!

Kinder Promotion

2009-06-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

My Melanie is headed to first grade! Today we went to the ceremony for Kinder promotion. It was very cute! Each room had their own time slot which was nice so both parents and kids did not have to sit through 100 kindergartners getting diploma's. They sang a little song and there was a slide show of the year. As happy as I am for her to be going to 1st grade and be in school for a full day I did get a bit teary. She has grown so very much!

12 weeks

2009-06-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

Hello Second Trimester!

I am feeling pretty good and starting to get snug in some of my pants, but have not gained any weight. I can feel the baby bubble in my tummy and it is getting uncomfortable to lay on my tummy. I am finding that I have a bit more energy, I am still hungry a lot but, and not having that yuck nauseous feeling any more. I am however not experiencing the heartburn again every night about the same time no matter what I eat Mr. Heartburn shows up about an hour before I usually go to bed.

So what is going on with baby?

~she is now about 2.5 inches long

~her hands are fully formed and she is growing fingernails

~her face looks unquestionably human: her eyes have moved from the sides to the front of her head, and her ears are right where they should be.

Meghan's new hair cut!

2009-06-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

On Thursday night after her Shower while I was dealing with a two year old temper-tantrum from Kate, Meghan decided her bangs were too long and TRIMMED them up herself! Oh words can not explain how upset I was with her! I know I know... All Kids do this, BUT this is MY kid and I am NOT OK with it! I also know that I did the same thing at one point But still this does not help my frustration! The kicker is that we have been reading a Junie B. Jones book where she cuts her hair and have been talking about how this in not a good idea, and she went and did it anyway! GRRRRR!!!

You can probably tell by the photo (which was taken the next day after mom had time to cool down), that she is not at all upset. She was sorry that I was upset But was in no was and still is not remorseful at all about the trim job, she thinks it looks better than before. I suppose that is good because she is the one who gets to walk around looking like this for the next few weeks!

LOVE YA MEG!

A to Z all about ME!

2009-05-31T20:31:00.000-07:00

A
• Are you available? No 100% Taken!
• What is your age? 30
• What annoys you? Noisy eaters
B
• Do you know anyone named Billy? Hmmm..... Not that I can think of
• When is your birthday? September 9
• Who is your best friend? Andrew and Julie
C
• What's your favorite candy? Godiva Truffles YUMMY!
• Crush? My hysband!
• When was the last time you cried? Saturday Night
D
• Do you daydream?: Occationally
.• What's your favorite kind of dog? Chocolate Lab
.• What day of the week is it? Sunday
E
• How do you like your eggs? Over Medium.
• Have you ever been in the emergency room? Yes a few times Usually not for myself though
• Ever pet an elephant? I do not think so
F
• Do you use fly swatters? Oh yes or whatever I can get my hands on!
• Have you ever used a foghorn? again Nope
• Is there a fan in your room? A box fan and a small fan.. No AC in Cali need I say more
G
• Do you chew gum? I do occationally
• Do you like gummy candies? not really
• Do you like gory movies? Not at all!
H
• How are you? Hanging in there
• What's your height? 5'3"
• What color is your hair?Blonde right now
I
• What's your favorite ice cream? I LOVE ICE CREAM!!! My current fav is Ben and Jerry's FroYo half baked!
• Have you ever ice skated? A few times in Middle school I was never very good.
• Ever been in an igloo? No
J
• What's your favorite Jelly Bean? Starburst cherry
• Have you ever heard a really hilarious joke?Oh yeah
• Do you wear jewelry? Just my wedding rings and two sets of earrings that I never take out.
K
• Who do you want to kill? I do not want to kill anyone but there are a select few I could send to another planet
• Have you ever flown a kite? yep... I love to do this!
• Do you think kangaroos are cute? I do
L• Are you laidback? That depends on who you ask
• Lions or Tigers? Tigers
• Do you like black licorice? not really
M
• Favorite movie as a kid? The Breakfast Club
• Ever shopped at Moosejaw?I have no idea what that is
• Favorite store at the mall? I have not been to a mall in a long time..... we'll go with Build-A-Bear... LOL
N
• Do you have a nickname? Janey
• Whats your favorite number? 9
• Do you prefer night or day? hmm.... Both have there pluses.... I guess days for the most part
• What's your one wish? Tobe able to Build the house of Our dreams!
• Are you an only child?No... I have to lil' brothers who I guess are not so little anymore!
• Do you like the color orange? I have nothing against orange
P
• What are you most paranoid about? Someone kidnapping my children and or breakinginto the house while we are in it
• Piercings? 3 in each ear
• Do you know anyone named Penelope?I do not
Q
• Are you quick to judge people? Not really
• Do you like Quaker Oats? in no bake cookies they are AWSOME!!
Do you know anyone that makes quilts?ME!
R
•Do you think you're always right? Most of the time
• Do you watch reality TV?Um..... yes I do it is my guilty pleasure.
• Reason to cry? missing my husband
S
• Do you prefer sun or rain? Sun please!
• Do you like snow? Yes I do once in a while
• What's your favorite season? Fall
T
• time is it? 8:56 pm.
• What time did you wake up? 7:30 am
U
• Can you ride a unicycle? NO I am not that coordinated
• Do you know anyone with a unibrow? Me, Meg, Kate.... I am pretty sure mike and rick were both blessed with it and we can ALL than My dear old Dad he has one too!
• Uncles do you have? I have one
V
• What’s the worst vegetable?Brussel Sprouts!
• Did you ever watch Veggie Tales?I LOVE veggie tales... I could sing you the song if you like
• Ever considered being vegan? Um... Not a chance I like me some meat!
W
• What's your worst habit? I really do not think I have any good habbits
• Do you like water rides? I LOVE THEM!
• Ever been inside a windmill? No
X
• Have you ever had an x-ray? yes
• Ever used a Xerox machine? Yep
Y
• Do you like the color yellow? how can you not like yellow
• What year were you born in?: 1978
• Do you yell when you're angry? Yes
Z
• Do you believe in the zodiac? No
• What's your zodiac sign? Virgo
• When was the last time you went to the zoo? Um.... I think it was in April we LOVE The Zoo!

A gift of ONE MORE!

2009-05-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

Well as it turned out do to mechanical issues the ship did not leave yesterday! Yesterday I was exhausted, Katie takes a nap after Meghan gets home from school at about 2:30 so I decided to take one too. The Big girls are told not to go outside, not to answer the door or phone, and to play quiet things or watch a movie. Then know the drill! I usually take a phone into the bedroom with me But today I was so tired I forgot. I lay down at 2:45 and at 3:20 Andrew starts calling to tell me he can come home! The girls did not answer the phone, not even when they HEARD there dad on the machine and worse yet they did not come to tell me that he had called and he said right on the message that he was off the ship and could come home. Meghan told me when I woke that she heard daddy talking on the machine. NICE! He had called like 5 times over an hour and then went back on the ship. His last call was at 4:19 and I woke at 4:25. He then tried again at 5:15 and got a hold of me, so we went to get him for one more night together. It was good to have him home and at least for me the goodbye was much easier this morning. However I get to spend the day exhausted again! SO there will most likely be another nap today!

D-day

2009-05-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

Deployment day that is!

Andrew is on the boat. The original plan was to Take him to the ship last night about 8pm. BUT well plans changed.... I could not say good bye last night I opted for one more night with my husband, one more chance to put our girls to bed together, one more morning where I wake and he IS there next to me! No matter what.... I could always use just one more!

So this morning Andrew and I woke at 4:45. He loaded all his stuff into the car, I made a breakfast to go for the girls and packed a change of clothes for them as well as we were unsure how traffic would be and if we'd make it HOME to get ready for school or have to change in the car. When everything was ready we scooped the kids up in jammies and were out of the house by 5:25 am. We did have a bit of a wait getting on to the base but were in the dreaded parking lot by 6:10 am. Up until this point I had held up very well!

Andrew and I get out of the car, He pulls each of the girls out for a couple minutes to talk to and say good bye to each of them. They of course do great, they are troopers. Meghan and Melanie understand why he has to leave and know all the things we have planned for while he is gone and are looking forward and even though they miss daddy a ton they know we will have lots of fun too. Katelynn I do not think will really get it until Daddy does not get home for a while so only time will tell!

With all the girls back in their seats it was my turn to say goodbye.... I HATE GOODBYES! I know everything will be fine I know we'll get through But it is just so hard to let him go to watch him walk away and KNOW this is the last I will see of him for nearly 5 months. We really are close we do everything together, he is my best friend, the love of my life. When he is gone my heart goes with him. So for now My heart is out to sea....

Dance Dance Dance

2009-05-25T21:02:00.001-07:00

Melanie had her Dance recital for 2009 This weeekend. Here are a few photo's of our little dancer!

Just Melanie

Two Melanies They LOVE that they have the same Name too funny!

The Girls before the show

One Of Mel on Stage!

All is well in the womb!

2009-05-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

Andrew and I went to our first OBGYN appointment today. I have been so nervous the last two days I can not even explain. After our Miscarriage last year we were a bit cautious finding out we were prego again. It is hard to get excited once you have faced the awful truth that things do not always work out the way you want.

As you can see by the photo on the right ALL is well. Our little gummy bear is growing and wriggling and her little heart is beating away! Words can not describe the relief I felt seeing that little heart flicker away on the screen. Tears rolled down my cheeks. It was the most beautiful site I have ever seen! Just what this momma needed to relax and enjoy her pregnancy!

They set My due date at Dec. 22nd. SO we'll be welcoming our new addition around the 15th I would say depending on when they can get me in for the c-section.

Making Mischief

2009-05-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

Of one kind AND another!

That is Miss Kate..... She can not be trusted for a minute if she is out of sight you can pretty much guarantee she is into something she is not supposed to be in to. Yesterday was a prime example of Kate on a rampage, I would LOVE to know what is going on in her mind when she sets out.

We were out of the house ALL day. She had spend the Day with Aunt Kristy so that I could go on a field trip with Melanie. We returned home at 5pm and I cooked dinner, we ate at 5:30, about 6pm the girls all went up stairs and played nicely (or so I thought) I went up stairs at 6:45 to start bath time. When I get to the top of the steps I find a tube of toothpaste which is totally covered in the toothpaste that was once in side I knew at this point I was in for a clean up! I ask Meg and Mel where Kate is to which they reply "I donno". Mel says um...... There is tooth paste all over the table mom. OK so she knows there is tooth paste on the table BUT apparently did not see HOW it got there OR where the culprit went! I follow the toothpaste feet prints down the hall to find Kate standing on the toilet in the girls bathroom totally covered in tooth paste and painting the bathroom. So I throw her in the bath tub and walk to my bathroom to get cleaning supplies only to find a trail of opened tampons through my bedroom into the bathroom. Upon returning to the other bathroom I walk past meg and Mel's room and see that the entire lower level of the closet is on the floor.

ARGH!!!!! Really when did she have time to create this mess. an hour tops if she set right to work on her evil plan. Honestly this had to be planned My two year old plotted against me on this night! SHE WON!

It's like waiting for the storm.....

2009-05-09T07:21:00.000-07:00

In Eighteen days My husband will be leaving on deployment. During this time when you know that day is coming so very fast all I want to do is just be with him. However,this is not the calm before the storm we have so MUCH to get done before he leaves there are things that ONLY he can do and we avoid them because we do not want to have him spend one of the few days we have organizing the garage and yet it HAS to be done, we HAVE to clear the space to put his truck away for deployment (it is a manual and I can not drive it). There are also so many things we have wanted to do and kept saying we will do that before you leave again, and we are down to our last couple weekends. To make matters worse he is on a crappy duty rotation at work which had him "on Duty" every third day(he goes in in the morning and has to spend the night and if the next day is a reg. work day has to stay for that day as well). The last weekend he is home which would be memorial day weekend we have Melanie's dance recital which means dress rehearsal on sat. and recital on Sunday. Then Andrew has Duty on Memorial day we are just so lucky with how duty falls! Tuesday is a regular work day so he will be home about dinner time and we will have to take him back to the ship before we put the girls to bed because The ship leaves on that Wednesday. It all seems to be coming so very fast and like a big storm you never know until it is here how bad it will be. Well I know I will be an emotional puddle the night he leaves and that will most likely be an emotional night for the girls as well. The unpredictability comes with the girls it is hard to judge how well or haw hard they will take dad leaving. This is the first time that Kate will really get t hat daddy is leaving for a long time. She seemed to do well last year, but having that under her belt I think she'll really miss him this time. Meghan and Melanie are pretty rational about it but we still have those days when they get all teary about daddy not being here. So what will this deployment bring for us..... Only time will tell!

Bad Mommy Moment!

2009-05-03T17:55:00.000-07:00

I totally dropped the ball today! Melanie was supposed to have a tech rehearsal for her dance recital at 11:15 this morning. It was written on the calendar and everything! I totally forgot it occurred to me at 4pm when I looked at the calendar. I got up this morning with a plan to get all the Laundry done and the bedding on all the beds changed. I was feeling like for the first time in the last couple weeks that I was really making progress. I was not tired I had some energy.... apparently my brain was the only thing I was lacking today!

WHAT a Weekend.... Busy Busy Busy!

2009-04-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

So Saturday was a very busy day. Andrew had Duty Friday night and got home about 9:30 am Saturday morning. We were all up and fed and the children had just being booted from the HUGE moon sand disaster they made in the dinning room. I was on the phone with mom and also working of a side dish for our Sunday picnic with Family. Once I got off the phone and finished the side dish and cleaned the kitchen a bit I was off to the shower. Melanie had dance at 11:45 so While I was getting ready Andrew fed the kids some lunch and even packed me a to-go lunch (which was very sweet of him). Sat. morning is not our regular dance day however, Melanie's dance class is combined with 2 other classes for the big recital coming up in May, so they were invited to join the other classes on several dates so as to be prepared for the big production. Dance was done at 12:30 and we were off to a birthday Party for one of Melanie's classmates. I enjoy going to the birthdays and chatting with the other parents and seeing the kids interact with the kids form their class is always fun. Andrew HATES these events and is happy to hold down the fort at home with the others. It is nice to spend time with just one or even just two of the girls from time to time. While we were gone Meghan and Andrew vegged out together and Kate got her nap in which is always a good thing. Melanie and I returned home at 3:30pm.

Saturday Night was a big night for Meghan. She had her first sleep over, this one was with her girl scout troop leader and was an organized event and I was sure she was in good hands and would have a ball. She wavered back and forth all week about whether or not she should go. She was nervous to be away from home and was sure she'd miss us. She was also extremely excited about the idea of being with all of her friends overnight. It was hard to watch her struggle to make the best choice. I waned her to go I want her to be comfortable and have fun with her friends, but I was also thinking she's so little its OK if she does not do this YET! In the end this was her decision to make. Saturday came and it was all excitement and she was ready to go by 10 am when she did not even need to be there until 4pm. As it turned out she did have a ball, and could not stop beaming all the way home about how much fun she had.

Andrew and I had also made plans to go out to dinner Saturday night just the two of us. It had been a year since our last date night, so we thought it was about time for some one on one time with each other. A friend of mine had offered to watch the girls for me a couple months back and the time just never seemed to work out right until this weekend so we went for it. I have been wanting to go to Benihanna's for a while now, It is a Japanese restaurant with Hibachi tables, and I just LOVE the food. I was not disappointed this time and hope to go back again soon it was a delicious meal and a nice evening with my honey!

Today we met up with Andrew's two brothers, and their families (both brothers are also in the Navy and stationed here). The park we intended to go to was packed and no tables or grills were available so we ended up going to a different park after driving around a while trying to find a place. We got started an hour and a half late but were able to have fun and enjoy each other's company in the end and that is what matters. It is a blessing to have family near us, and I enjoy getting everyone together. While we were there Melanie ended up getting hurt while playing on the playground she hit her mouth on a metal set of binoculars and cut her gums pretty good. We got the bleeding under control pretty quick and the teeth are not loose BUT it looks bad. I am thinking I will call the dentist tomorrow and see if I can get her in to have it checked just to be sure there is no permanent damage.

Now we are home and relaxing before we start another BUSY week made even more crazy by adding in swim lessons!

New Hair Cut

2009-04-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

On Monday I went and got my hair cut. I was going for a slightly shorter version of what I already had. It is shorter alright! I do not hate it but I also do not Love it. Although it is really easy to do so that is a plus. Andrew says it looks good, but I really think he would never say it didn't look good, cause' he knows better!

I figure probably in a couple weeks it will be exactly what I wanted. Although each day I fix it myself I like it a bit more. which is good because there is kind of no turning back at this point!

I am also Moving back towards blond in the color already, It seems to get lighter all the time. I guess you can't hide your true colors too long.

Who knew it was so hard to keep secrets from your kids?

2009-04-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

So BIG news in the Olmsted house. We are once again Expecting, our new little addition is due Dec. 20th. I am currently 5 weeks pregnant, and Andrew and I could not be more thrilled.

We have not told the girls yet they will be thrilled when we do, But I am being cautious. We were pregnant this time last year and told the girls right away, they were so very excited to have a new baby on the way. I was due Dec. 6th last year. We were devastated when at 10 weeks we found out the baby had stopped growing at 7 weeks and had no heart beat. Having already had three healthy babies with no complications I was really shocked that this had happen. Telling Meghan and Melanie that the baby was not coming after all was truly the hardest thing I have ever had to do. We told them then that maybe we would have a baby next year. They have been asking since January when we would have a baby, and I just could not bare to break there hearts again. We have an appointment for an ultra sound on May 19th and I will be 9 weeks at that point. We plan on telling them after we see the heart beat.

To get back to the title, It is really hard with them not knowing. They are always around and even though I have told people, I can not talk about it because they are there and Melanie is the worst for listening in on adult conversations she does not miss a thing.

I figure I can post on here my thoughts and concerns and excitement and at least give myself the illusion that I am talking about this huge event in my life right now that I am having to keep secret for another month.

A "meme"..... Why? Because I am not doing anything productive right now ... why NOT!

2009-04-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

A questionnaire... about ME!

1. My uncle once : Once Promised to take me to a Broadway show, but never actually got around to taking me.

2. Never in my life : Have I took a single puff of a cigarette

3. When I was seventeen : I was young and in Love and Naive about so much!

4. High School was : Good Most of the time.

5. I will never forget : The first time My husband said "I love you", & Seeing each of my babies for the first time.

6. I once met : A man who changed the way I saw my future... So I married him!

7. There’s this girl I know who : Used to be one of my best friends, We had a huge falling out and only years later did I come to realize I have her to thank for the wonderful life I have now.

8. Once, at a bar : Hmmm.... I do not have a bar memory that stands out.

9. By noon, I’m usually : Home from my second of three trips to the school that I make ever day!

11. If only I had : Money Lots and LOTS of money! I could pay everything off, buy a house and have NO worries!

12. Next time I go to gym/church : gym... LOL I am too self conscious to go to gym, Church.... I'd like to find a church I feel comfortable at, here!

13. Susan Boyle : Is a very humble lady who was given an amazing gift of a singing voice and a nice dose of self confidence to go with it
.
14. What worries me most : The impending separation from my husband, and the unknown of so many things that could happen in the next months.

15. When I turn my head left, I see : The fish Tank.

16. When I turn my head right, I see : The couch.

17. You know I’m lying when : I don't know I am not a very good Liar so I try not to.

18. What I miss most about the eighties :The innocence of child hood.

19. If I was a character in Shakespeare, I’d be : a star crossed lover... LOL

20. By this time next year : Hmmm..... I hope that we will be looking to move back east.

21. A better name for me would be : I can not think of a better name BUT I would like to add a y to t he one I have and remove the space so... JayneAnn

22. I have a hard time understanding : Katelynn when she sings her little made up songs.

23. If I ever go back to school, I’ll : be a nurse!

24. You know I like you if : I invite you to my home.

25. If I ever won an award, the first person I’d thank would be : Andrew, and My Mom and Dad.

26. When I compare 80’s rock to 90’s rock : Um.... I can say I could tell you which was which.

27. Take my advice, never : Ignore your instinct!

28. My ideal breakfast is : A raisin Bagel with cream cheese, and a cup of hot tea.

29. A song I love, but do not own is : There are so Many I can not pin point one.... Um ... Not sure nothing jumps out.

30. If you visit my hometown, I suggest : Meaning where I currently live.... I would say Let's hit the Beach You must put your feet in the pacific ocean.

31. My favorite Beatle is : Yeah I do not have a favorite Beatle ... I'd be lucky to be able to name them!

32. Why won’t people : Mind their own business.

33. If you spend the night at my house : I'd be thrilled I love to have visitors.

34. I’d stop my wedding for : I do not really get this one... I guess I would have stopped my wedding for a medical emergencies or if one of the kids had gotten hurt.

35. The world could do without : Whew.... Drugs.... War..... Guns

36. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than : than eat it.... LOL

37. My favorite blonde is : Phoebe Buffey! If she was a true blonde which I am not sure of!

38: Paper clips are more useful than : Tape??

39. If I do anything well, it’s : you are asking the wrong person... I am very critical of me! I guess keep my word.

40. And by the way : It is time for bed!

Spring into Nights

2009-04-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my girls and I went to Sea world. Right now they are having special night time shows and staying open until 9 pm. The girls LOVE to go to sea world and having a passport (membership card) has been the best money we have ever spent. They never tire of it, and being able to go back whenever we want makes it nice to not have to try to get everything into one visit. Plus they have a lot of special events at holiday times and at different times a year so it is not always the same.

The plan was to eat lunch at home and dinner at sea world. So we left the house about 2pm. The night time stuff is all after 6pm so this gave us some time to mill around and eat dinner before the shows. Ironically 50,000 other people had this same great idea apparently and we had to park in the farthest possible lot, despite trying to get preferred parking with our membership card (apparently that only works when it is not already full). It took us 20 minutes easy to walk from the parking spot to the park.

It was a nice warm day and the girls Love to play in the water play area at the bay of play so we took their bathing suits and spent the first 2 hours playing there. They had money from Easter so they got to spend it which they Love because usually they are told "we are not BUYING ANYTHING!" If it were up to them we would own one of everything the park sells. Next it was off to dinner at our favorite place, the calypso bay smokehouse. They have yummy BBQ chicken and ribs and corn on the cob and dinner rolls and fresh strawberries... we just love it they have something for each of us and everyone gets a full belly which is great. I hate spending money on dinner that the kids refuse to eat.

Next we hit the Sea Lion and Otter show which is always very funny. From there we grabbed a few snacks changed into warmer clothes for the cool night and headed to the Dolphin show. This too was different than usual and had some cool pyrotechnic parts. After the dolphin show we and 10, 000 of our closest friends ran across the park to make the Shamu show in time. I threw Kate in the stroller and told Meghan and Melanie to grab onto my coat so I could feel they were with me and OFF we went! Whew we made it.... and found seats near the top which was OK. After Shamu Rock's there were fireworks and out seats were awesome for the fireworks.

Forty Five minutes later we got to the car and headed home. Katelynn was exhausted having missed her nap. She was mad that I did not want to listen to them watch a movie and instead put on music, BUT as soon as she stopped arguing with me she was asleep. It was a very nice day. The Girls said "This is the best day ever MOM". Funny they have one of those every couple of weeks or so and never seem to remember the last one!

Easter

2009-04-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

As luck would have it Andrew has Duty Today Easter Sunday. He was Deployed last year. We really have some great luck with his schedule it seems like he end up working on all the wrong days. So we make the best of the days we do have.

The Girls after the Egg Hunt

I decided we would do our Egg hunt on Saturday and have Easter dinner Sat. Night. Unfortunately Our family who is here had already made other plans so it was just us, and it was OK we had a NICE dinner and enjoyed time together.

Dinner

This morning the Easter Bunny had come and hid Baskets for each of the girls. They were very excited and enjoyed way to much candy way to early in the morning. Luckily they did not get a TON of candy so in a few days it will be gone and we can return to normal!

The Girls with their Baskets

An after noon Outing to "THE HANNAH MONTANA MOVIE"

2009-04-10T17:22:00.000-07:00

Andrew got home from work early and Kate was down for a nap so I took Meghan and Melanie to see Hannah Montana at the movie theater. They were so very excited, I may be the Coolest mom ever at least for the rest of today.

Melanie sang her little Heart out to every single song, she even stood up and did the Ho Down Throw Down with the girl in the row in front of us. It was hilarious! She is such a drama queen If she does not end up in some type of preforming arts I will be shocked. She has always been a little singer, and with three years of Ballet under her belt she is getting to be quite the dancer as well. She is totally uninhibited and thrived on the attention of an audience. It is amazing to me. I do not know where she got the nerve I love to sing and am known to do a silly dance for my kids but would NEVER do either if I knew anyone was watching I would be mortified! After the Movie Melanie Dances ALL the way to the car. Meghan say with her hand on her fore-head "MOM... She is SUCH a DORK!". You see Meghan is her sister's polar opposite she too is an artist at heart and is a good singer, and is getting good at piano/keyboard but would never want anyone anywhere (even mom and dad) to see her. She is frequently caught putting on a show for her stuffed animals and immediately hides under the nearest pillow or blanket.

It was a nice afternoon out with my big girls.

What is in YOUR Purse

2009-04-09T15:18:00.001-07:00

I have seen this on a couple other Blogs and decided To show you MY purse.

It is a pretty boring Mommy Purse. I do not use a diaper bag and I am really not a fan of purses in general SO this one does double duty for me.

Here is the "bag":

And here is what is IN it:

The contents:
Kate's pants and Undies (incase of accident)
Pull up (in case of 2nd accident)
Wallet
3 Tampons
Dramamine (Meg and Kate get car sick)
Motrin
IPod
headphones
Cell Phone
Gum
Socks (recently took meg and mel Sneaker shopping)
Zoo Membership registration renewal
Pen
Pencil
Wipes

Miss Potty Princess

2009-04-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

Katelynn has been holding steady with the potty training. She did AMAZING while camping. I kept her in Pull ups because I was unable to do laundry daily if she had accidents. In the last week she has had 3 accidents that I can remember one was poo and 2 pee while dozing in the car. She has really shocked me after 3 days I was ready to quit we hit bottom on Wednesday of the first week and on Thursday night she started telling us and going on her own. She has been very consistent the last week. Words can not express how happy we are that we will NOT be buying diapers... at least not for a while!

YAY KATE!!!!

Our Family Vacation

2009-04-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

We left home around 12:30pm on Monday April 30th and drove 3 .5 hours North East to Yucca Valley, CA. We quickly got to work setting up the tent and the Girls discovered an awesome bush that had a hollow center to play in and instantly had their club house! Andrew then got to work on a fire for dinner and I set up house in the tent. Soon our camp was ready and so was dinner. It was really COLD the first night and by 9:30 we had all snuggled into our beds with as many clothes on and as many blankets as we could find. It was a VERY cold sleep that night but the girls seemed to manage it all very well and slept through the night no problem. Mom and dad spent the night worrying about the little ones!

Tuesday morning we were off to the Joshua Tree National Forrest to see what it held for us. We stopped at the visitor center for a map and found out the girls could do some work and become Jr. Rangers(which the took very seriously) headed in. We were very surprised to see what all there was to do. Lots of rocks to climb, hikes to explore and dirty road that require a 4 wheel drive car to experience. First we stopped at quail crossing because the girls were ready to get out of the car and we had fun finding lizards and climbing the rocks. Then it was on to big rocks which turned out to have a very cool camp ground and Andrew drooled over that while making plans already for the NEXT trip. There was also more climbing fun to be had at Big rocks. Then we headed back to camp for dinner, only to find that it was VERY windy and we struggled to get dinner cooked we then decided to to have a picnic in the tent. Katie was also a bit scared of the wind. After dinner was cleaned up Andrew hooked up the lap top on a power inverter run off a spare car battery and we all snuggled up and watched a movie before bed. Another rough night of sleep ensued at least for mom (dad said he slept better) Kate fussed on and off as the tent was hitting her in the head when the wind blew it. But we made it threw and about 3 am the wind stopped and we slept well for a couple hours.

Wednesday we got up and moving early and went out to see what we could find in the Park. The girls spent the morning working on their Jr. Ranger paperwork so we stpped at the ranger station to hand that in first. We did some more rock exploration and tried to find the trail to Barker Damn which we never did but had fun anyway. Then we wanted to ride on the geology tour road which was one of the 4WD paths. The actual tour part was a bit tame and then we went off the trail on another road which was very fun and rocky and LONG! Andrew was thrilled I had fun and the girls were over it about half way through. Kate said "let's get off this broken road daddy". We ended up stopping for dinner at a KFC on the way home because the trail ended quite a ways from camp and it was already late. Back at camp it was an awesome night the wind was gone the air was cool but not cold and we enjoyed a great camp fire. We had friends at the site who liked the fire and came out to visit us and well kept us on our toes. They looked like a hamster with a long tail that had a puff of fur on the end. Come to find out they are "Kangaroo Rats". Damn things are to fast to photo though!

Thursday was back to the park for a couple of hikes (we finally found the Barker Damn Trail). We saw lots of cool dessert plants (cactus, wild flowers and trees). When we left camp that morning it was starting to get Windy, up in the park for most of the day it was fine but we were at a higher elevation. Then toward the evening it was windy there too. When we arrived back at camp we found our tent broken and the wind was unbelievably strong the whole tent was swaying side to side. Andrew spent at least an hour fixing and tightening up the tent and fixing the broken hooks with string. By this time it was 7 pm and we could not start a fire in the wind it was not safe let alone possible. So off to McDonalds we went. We also decided that if the wind did not die down by the time we got back we'd go to a hotel. We ended up back at camp to pack a bag and off to the Hotel.

Friday Morning we went back to camp amazingly the tent held. We spent 2 hours breaking everything down and packing up. By 11 am we were off to Bakersfield for a visit with My grandfather.

Updating and Procrastinating

2009-03-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

I thought I would jump on and update the potty progress. It seems that we may be turning the corner. We have stuck it out and for 6 days now lived life running to the potty every 45 minutes or so. She has twice told us she had to go and twice she just went and did it without telling us. Andrew and I and her sisters have all praised her and hugged and kissed and hooted and hollered and made a huge deal every time. This morning we got the big prize........ POO on the potty Oh yeah! You would have thought we won the lottery and she got a fudge cicle at 10 am and her sisters were jealous. She immediately wanted to call her grandma (my mom) but ahem... they were not home! I said oh Hun grandma is not home right now and she says OK can I call PatPat (my dad) I guess she does not get that they are at the same place. She was OK with we'll call and tell her later.

In addition to the news on the potty training I am on here procrastinating the tasks of the day. I have 3 loads of laundry to fold AND I have to pack for our trip. I HATE BOTH! I can wash laundry no problem just throw in a load here and there as I go about my day as they come out of the dryer I put them in a basket in my bedroom and avoid it like the plague Spending an hour folding laundry is not my idea of a good time. Yes I know if I just folded them when they came out of the dryer it would not take that long. My mother tells me this ALL the time I just can not bring myself to do it. As for Packing I do not know what the hang up is there I just do not like to do it I am a chronic over packer in that I want to prepare for every possible occurrence. Making those choices on what to bring and what to leave GRRR... I just do not like to do it! I think I will go do the dishes and exercise and then shower... then I will get to the dreaded tasks of the day. Oh yeah I have to call mom too..... I am good at procrastinating!

A Family trip... LONG over due!

2009-03-28T22:59:00.000-07:00

On Monday Andrew and I are heading out with our girls on a camping adventure in the desert. We have not been camping since late summer 2007 due to moving and deployment and whatnot it just has not worked out. I had big plans of going to Yosemite and camping and experiencing that with the girls. Apparently you have to plan to visit Yosemite at least 6 months in advance. Which is not going to happen I do not even know if my husband will be in the US in 6 months let alone be able to take time off when my kids do not have school and I can find some to cover babysitting my nephew for me. So Yosemite will have to be a non camping adventure in the future.

Our destination is Yucca Valley California which is about 3 hours north east of us and near the Joshua tree National Forrest. We are hoping to do some hiking and off roading in addition to making s'mores.

I have loved camping since I was a child, although I never really knew real camping until I went with my husband's family roughly 5 years ago for the first time. I had been with Andrew camping but he apparently fed into my spoiled nature and we only went to places fully equipped with a shower house where I could not only get clean but use a hair dryer. He grew up with "rustic" camping, and um you are lucky if you have a toilet and a near by lake to wash in. We have made a few treks to Michigan to camp with family there and I have learned to enjoy the less glamorous aspects of camping.

We are hoping that we picked a nice area to camp, it is hard to pick a destination when you know nothing about the area. This could be quite an adventure. We know they do not have showers but do have what they call a comfort station with flushing toilets and a sink.

On Friday after we pack up camp we are driving 3 hours North west of Yucca Valley to Bakersfield to visit my Grand Father and his wife Cathie. We will return home one week from tomorrow and I will be sure to post the details of our adventure as well as any cool photo's we may get along the way.

Family Night Fun!

2009-03-28T13:57:00.000-07:00

We have set aside Friday nights as family night for a few years now. Every Friday evening we are in the house with the kids either watching a movie or playing games. We typically leaned more toward the movie being that the girls well did not have the attention span for too many games. Until recently that is. Last night we enjoyed more than two hours of game playing fun with the big girls. Kate is not a staying up after bed time kind of girl. She pretty typically demands to be in bed no later than 8. Party of the glory of family night is getting to stay up late (and sleep in on Sat. morn... hee hee) we actually we playing games until ten o'clock last night and did not even realize how late it was. I LOVE to play games and am so very excited for the girls to be getting to a point that we can enjoy them together. Last nights Games were Apples to Apples Kids and Uno. These were Melanie's picks.

More on Potty Training

2009-03-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

The first two days of Mom's Potty Training Boot Camp went pretty well. Then day 3 came and someone realised she had control and not in a good way. She had 5 accidents and peed very little on the potty. Day 4 was a bit better but still not great. I do think she is starting to hold it some and not have to pee as frequently, but she has started resisting sitting.

Last night she had a nightmare about NOT wanting to poo on the potty and she was yelling that out in her sleep. I am not looking to traumatise my child but I also am really ready to be done with diapers. This is getting a bit frustrating and honestly I am about ready to quit!

The Great Potty Training Challenge

2009-03-25T11:05:00.001-07:00

Oh where do I begin???

Katelynn is 2 years and 9 months old. and I have been trying to patiently wait for her to show SOME interest in using the potty basically since she turned 2. Being that I am not a very patient person this was a challenge in it's self it has been a long 9 months! She has been willing to go if you take her and we have even had a few lucky moments when she poo-ed! That being said If I do not take her she is just as happy to go in her diaper or all over herself in undies.

A little bit of background:

This is not my first child to potty train. She is MY third child third girl. In addition to that I have been a day care teacher and have potty trained dozens of other people's kids. I am NO rookie I know the tricks and the rewards and the ecouraging. I even know the "punishment" techniques. and non of these have any affect on my strong willed child.

I decided that since my big girls are on spring break this is a great time to focus on Kate using the potty. I have nothing that I have to do for at least 4 days NO distractions to complicate things this is a prime time to just buckle down and be a slave to the 2 year old who needs to get potty trained. So we started on Monday March 23rd, 2009 and three days in I am pretty sure I am not potty training the child I am training myself like pavlov's dog to grab her and run to the potty every time the buzzer goes off.

Here is what we are doing. When I wake up (I have not given up sleeping in over break a mom can only sacrafice so much and the children think waking at 6:30 no matter the day is a good thing) I take her to the potty and put on undies and a t-shirt NO pants for less laundry and thinking that that free feeling will help her hold it. If she goes a normal amount we set the timer for 45 minutes, just a little pee and the timer gets 30 minutes, No pee and the timer gets 15 minutes. She gets rewarded with 4 mini MM's when she pee's and a chocolate if she poo's!

In the last 3 days we have had three pee accidents and 1 poo accident. To the naked eye this may seem like a great start. HOWEVER.... she has not TOLD me not even once that she has to go. is she really learning anything? I guess only time will tell. I am not sure how long I can live with the buzzer going off ever 45 minutes but I am willing to try at least for a week. We leave to go camping Next monday and that will make the process a bit harder but I plan on taking the little potty with us.

If any of you mommies have any suggestions my ears are open!

First Time

2009-03-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

I am totally new to Blogging.... Well to writing a blog anyway. I have read other people's blogs and always thought it to be a great idea, BUT I am NO writer I do not even Journal so bare with me this could be a bumpy road!

I mainly decided to start this as a means of recording the experiences and adventures of our Family for the Family we do not get to see as much as we'd like. I think will be a nice way for them to keep up on what we are doing. I can not say I will write daily but I will do My best to keep it current.

SO WHY Ordinary Miracles? Well It is a song by Sarah McLachlan from the movie Charlotte's Web. I just think it really sums up LIFE for me being full of Ordinary Miracle's every day! As a mom I experience little miracles every single day, and some days it is just a miracle we made it to bed time!

Here is the song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urv7tyeJ7qE

These are MY miracles: