SNOW!!!!

Did she say snow? Yes, we got our first snow fall. I woke up to a white dusting. Crazyness. It didn't stick, but it sure felt like winter. We had a soccer game scheduled for 10am. There was no way I was taking a bunch of 6 and 7 year old girls out in the cold rain and wind to play soccer. That is just a disaster waiting to happen. So, we rushed to call our team and let everyone know. It's a good thing we cancelled. The nasty weather was pretty steady all day. Hopefully we get a few more nice days. I still haven't planted my tulip bulbs yet.

Now I Don't Feel So Crazy!!!

Ok, my brain hasn't been working all that well lately and I feel like I am running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. I opened up an email from babycenter that tracks my babies age and whalaa....the answer to my crazyness.

Q: Why am I so forgetful?
A: The most probable explanation for your "mommy brain" is a simple one: You're tired and distracted. "As the mother of a 6-month-old, you're likely to be sleep-deprived and focused more on your baby's well-being than anything else," says pediatrician Jennifer Shu of the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth. "It's natural that you're letting less important things fall by the wayside." There's also a chance that your hormones might be making your memory a bit fuzzy, particularly if you're breastfeeding, but there's not much research to back this up.

TAGGED (I guess being tagged means I have to answer this survey)

What was I doing 10 Years Ago?

Well I was a sophomore at Ricks College in Rexburg, ID. I had fallen head over heals for my Donnie Boy!! I could care less about school, I just wanted to be with him every minute. I had fun living at Colonial house with 5 great roomates. I was still adjusting to living in the west. Things like calling soda "pop" still bugged me, asking for a "sac" instead of bag was different, and my favorite.....giving directions using N E S and W. (When you grow up in VA, you can't relate to directions that way. You can't see past the trees to figure out which direction you're going.) Donevan and I were close to being engaged and doing a little bit of window shopping at ring stores. We got engaged Thanksgiving time. I was so young...and so in love!!! I still am so in love, but not so young.



What was I doing 5 years Ago?

We had just moved to Idaho Falls and were living in a 2 bedroom apt. in Ammon. Donevan was working his first real job at the hospital in the Behavioral Health Center and starting up his private practice. We were excited to be done with graduate school and be close to Grandma and Grandpa Neider. The triplets were almost 2 and keeping us very entertained. I didn't go out very much. It was a lot of diaper changing, naps and cleaning up.



What was I doing 1 year ago?

We had just moved into our new house. I can still remember the first night we slept in our house. It was a dream come true and we were all so excited. The girls were just starting Kindergarten and I had the worst pregnancy sickness. It's a good thing the girls were in afternoon kindergarten because the mornings were so bad for me. I couldn't get out of bed without getting sick. So, we had a great morning routine. The girls would wake me up in the morning by bringing me toast, water and my zofran medicine. If I took my medicine, ate my toast and drank my water, I could funtion at a minimal level. They really pampered me and took such good care of me. They would rub my back and hold my hair back while I was throwing up. I frequently heard them whispering to eachother, "I don't ever want to be pregnant". I'd throw up every day all day for nine months again!!! D.J. is totally worth it.



What was I doing yesterday?

I woke up at 6 am, fed D.J., rocked him back to sleep. Got back in bed. My alarm went off at 7:30, made oatmeal for the girls, did their hair, practiced spelling words, had morning prayer, fed D.J., sent the girls off to school, put D. J. down for a nap, got in the shower, cleaned the house for a baby shower I was hosting that evening, got a call that the girl I was hosting a shower for was in labor, called guests to cancel the shower, read blogs, emailed, paid bills, did laundry, went to lunch with hubby, fed D.J., ran some errands to prepare for dinner party at our house the next evening, rushed home to get girls off of bus, got girls ready for a soccer game, watched soccer game, drove through wendy's for a quick dinner, went to park for a suicide prevention walk-a-thon, let the girls play on the playground for a few minutes, rushed home, fed D.J, helped girls take showers and brush out hair, helped with homework and spelling words, read story, said prayers, tucked girls in, put D.J. down for the night, more laundry, watched some recorded shows with Donevan, was in bed by midnight. Great Day!!!



6 Places I'd Rather Be?

Laying on the beach

Disneyworld

With Family in Virginia

Sleeping in my bed

Sleeping in my bed and

Sleeping in my bed



5 Treats I love?

Sonic Rt 44 Coke w/ lemon and cherry

Mint Choc. Chip Baskin Robbins Icecream

Cherry Cheesecake

Candy Apples

Junior Mints



What I would do with a million dollars?

Pay off my house, education funds for my children, help someone in need anonymously, take Donevan on his dream vacation to Greece, take my kids on a Disney cruise....and just keep enjoying life, with just a little more money.



5 Favorite TV Shows?

Amazing Race

Survivor

Dancing w/ the Stars

Smallville

King of Queens



Most Memorable Things Right Now?

Enjoying quiet moments with my new baby, especially when he wakes up in the middle of the night and it's so quiet and it's just him and me. Watching my girls fall in love with their little brother. Watching my hubby have a son. Loving being a mom and juggling so many things at once.

Johnny Appleseed Day At School

Today is Johnny Appleseed day at school. My girls just informed me of this. If they wanted they could bring an apple to school and eat it in the classroom. A real treat!!! So, at 7:45am I rushed to the grocery store for apples. (Em-I gave Colton one at the bus stop) I didn't want my kids to be the only ones without an apple when the rest of the class was eating them.

Then it was rush rush rush to make it on the bus on time. Getting three girls ready on time in the morning isn't an easy task...and I know it won't get any easier as the years go by.

Well Happy Johnny Appleseed Day!!!


The Story of Johnny Appleseed
Johnny Appleseed spent 49 years of his life in the American wilderness planting apple seeds. Johnny Appleseed’s real name was John Chapman. He was born September 26, 1774 in Massachusetts. He created apple orchards in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Ohio. After 200 years, some of those trees still bear apples.
Johnny Appleseed’s dream was for a land where blossoming apple trees were everywhere and no one was hungry. A gentle and kind man, he slept outdoors and walked barefoot around the country planting apple seeds everywhere he went. It is even told that he made his drinking water from snow by melting it with his feet.
Johnny was a friend to everyone he met. Indians and settlers -- even the animals -- liked Johnny Appleseed. His clothes were made from sacks and his hat was a tin pot. He also used his hat for cooking. His favorite book was the Bible.
There are many tales about Johnny Appleseed. It is said that once Johnny fell asleep and a rattlesnake tried to bite him, but the fangs would not go into his foot because his skin was as tough as an elephant’s hide. Another tale describes him playing with a bear family.
Johnny Appleseed died in 1845. It was the only time he had been sick -- in over 70 years!!!

Did I Get My Brown Eyed Boy???

Since Baby Donnie has been born all I have heard is.....What color are his eyes? Well, we think they are turning brown. However, somedays he wakes up and they look blue as can be. Sometimes they have even looked green. But today they look Big and Brown. Yeah!!! I got online and checked out the chances of Donevan and I having a brown eyed baby. With our genetic backgrounds we had a 50% chance of a brown eyed baby, 40% chance of a blue eyed baby and a 10% chance of green.

It's crazy that all three of our girls have blue eyes. In fact when they were first born and we lived in Michigan, whenever I took them out alone, I was asked if I was the nanny. I was so annoyed, especially after being pregnant for 33 weeks with three babies, enduring months of bedrest and a post surgery infection. Now, I would be delighted if someone thought I looked too young to have children. I don't get that comment in Idaho. Well, we'll have to wait patiently to see what color his eyes really are.

Me and My New Shoes

Donevan and I bought these Air Jordan Shoes almost 10 years ago with the hopes of our little boy wearing them someday. Well today is the day!!! We've packed them and unpacked them with every move and finally they're being used. He looks so cute in them and they go perfect with his sweatsuit.

BYU GAME

We just got back from Utah where our family went to the BYU game. It brought back so many memories of a fun time for Donevan and I. Our married life started in this great town and it all came rushing back to me as we sat in the stadium. We laughed about how we would scrape up all the money we could just to get season tickets to the games and how much fun we had cheering in that stadium each Saturday. We laughed about our tiny apartment we lived in and our two junker cars that we drove. It was a fun time in our lives!!!

P.S. This is a great stadium, but it doesn't compare to the Michigan Big House!!!

The Girls First College Football Game!

The girls had so much fun at the game. I don't think watching the actual football game was as fun as these things
~Watching the Cheerleaders
~Having hotdogs, sods, popcorn, and nachos
~Getting Cotton Candy
~Playing in the stand with their cousins
~Singing the BYU fight song
~Running to the car in the 4th quarter in the pouring rain
It was a fun experience for them and I am happy we were able to share in the excitement with them.

Me & Jeanine

Jeanine (my sis-in-law) and I had a blast cheering and hanging at the game.

I'm lucky to have such a fun sister!

Grandpa & D.J.

D.J. had so much fun with his

Grandpa Kenny at the game.

A Must Have For Little Girls!

This is the greatest conditioner of all time for little girls with thick hair. We have been dealing with tangled, unmanageable hair for some time now and this shampoo and conditioner line has simplified my life so much. It makes thick hair smooth and silky and easy to brush through. I love it for me too. I buy it at the beauty supply store.

Junie B. Jones Books

We love Junie B. Jones books at our house. We have loved reading her first grade editions since the triplets have started first grade. "Boss of Lunch" has been so much fun reading since they are now eating school lunch. The girls just giggle as we read about Junie B.'s crazy adventures and her hilarious personality. Great books for early readers!!!

Thank You!!!

I have to give a big Thank You to all those who helped me gear up for allowing D. J. to self-soothe himself to sleep. I think the definition of self-soothe at our house for a few days was....screaming your head off. Well, it worked and now he is a great sleeper. I lay him down and he fusses for a few seconds and then he's out. For the first time in 6 months, we are sleeping through the night. YEAH!!! Everyone is happier when Mom is happier. Really, thanks for the moral support....and Shelly, thanks for the ear plugs!!!

Planting Tulips?

I'm planting tulips. It's my first time and I don't know exactly what I am doing. All I know is that I love it when they all come up in the spring. If anyone has any helpful hints, please share.

My Very Own Coke Machine

If you looked under my favorite things list you may have noticed that Coca-Cola is one of them. Well it is and I am so excited because now in my garage is my very own machine. We just got it and the sodas are soooo cold. I love it!!! Thank you Donevan for hooking us up with it.

Donevan started a BIG project. He's building a playhouse for his girls....and they're helping too. More photos to come as he progresses.

Christine's A Bogger.....What???

So you may wonder, why is Christine doing a blog? I have been inspired by many friends and families blogs and have loved reading up on their lives. I thought it would be especially fun for my family and friends who are far from us to be in touch just a little more. WARNING....I am technologically challenged so this blogging thing could be a real comedy act. Enjoy!

Go Michigan!

We're all happy at our house that Michigan got a W on Saturday, even D.J.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!!!

We had so much fun in Nags Head, N.C. for the Payne Family Reunion. The girls had fun playing on the beach and especially hanging out with their cousins. Thanks for such a fun week everyone.

Oh Boy!!!

Boy Do I Love These Two!!!