We've Got Bugs!

So I noticed a month or two ago that our nice big tree in our backyard had shiny leaves. I honestly don't know a whole lot about plants or trees, but I was pretty sure they weren't shiny last year. I left it at that and didn't think too much more about it.

I went out back the other day to put my girls in the swing set, which is partially under the tree. This is where I notice that the grass below my feet is a little sticky. Also there is a sticky build up on my girls' swings. Yuck!

So I get taking a closer look at my tree and the bottom branches are just not hanging right and the leaves look awful! I call my neighbor over to have a look and we notice little black bugs all over. Then we take an even closer look and see teeny tiny little white(ish) specs on the tops of the leaves. Like I said, I don't know a lot about plants. I honestly had no idea...

(See how the leaves look wet? And sticky? And those little whitish yellowish things?)

But I do now! They're called aphids. And they are sucking the life out of my tree! It's kind of like lice only for plants. Ewe! A lot of people think they only attack rose bushes but that's not true. And they are easier to control on rose bushes. My sister says she sprays them with a solution she bought to get rid of them. Someone else told me he puts something in the soil by his rosebushes and keeps them under control. I don't know if that would work with a big tree, too??

Anyway, I am glad I don't have to lose my tree. I was a little worried about it. Apparently all I have to do is spray it (with a good amount of water pressure) with a dish soap/water solution. This will definitely be a pain in the butt since this tree is monstrous, but like I said, at least I get to keep my tree.

So, beware the aphids! I definitely let mine get too bad before I took action. I will be more tree observant from now on!

Amazing Blogger

This post is completely different from any I've done before. I want to send you all to a blog I came across a few weeks ago.

This family is amazing to me. They have just experienced a horrible, tragic accident. They got a hot tub. 5 days later, they found their sweet little baby/toddler drowned. This is what my nightmares are about. You've got to read this blog.

This woman is obviously hurting and grieving, she keeps it real. And at the same time she is so strong. Her testimony and her faith is amazing. Truly! Sorry to keep saying amazing, but that's the word that comes to my mind every time I think of her.

She posts often. And every time I read, I have to fight back the tears. And every time I leave her blog, I feel uplifted. I do not know this woman. She doesn't know me or read my blog. But my heart has been touched by her and the things she shares through her blog.

I wish I had an award laying around here; I would totally give it to her!
You can visit this blog at A Daily Scoop.

Ouch!

That is how my weekend played out. I don't know how. I don't know why. But for some reason I woke up Friday around 6 AM in agonizing pain! I could hardly move! I was able to get in to my chiropractor at about 10. She told me that every rib on my right side was out, along with everything from my mid-back up on my right side? She also wanted to know what I had done the night before. I assured her I had done nothing strenuous. (Although I did visit her the evening before? And I only go in every 2 weeks and have been fine. Hmmm...I'm not actually accusing, here, but it makes me wonder.)

Needless to say, I spent the rest of the day on my mom's couch. Down. And. Out. And my mom is so wonderful, she catered to me and my kids the whole rest of the day. (Thanks mom! Love ya!)

I spent the rest of the weekend being pretty lazy. My right shoulder is still hurting a bit, and aching a lot. It is bearable now, so I think I will survive.

Now, a question. Anyone else go to chiropractors? What is your opinion? Good or bad, I want to hear it! I am on the fence here. What do you think about chiros?

Ewrney & Elmooo!

Well, it's official. My girls LOVE Ernie and Elmo! They actually want to watch tv once in a while. They get so excited! Until now, they didn't care about watching anything. My boys watched the Baby Einsteins early on.
I know, I know, it's bad for kids to watch tv. But that may be the only 30 minute chance in my whole day that I have to:
have a shower (without little screamers at my door)
make dinner (without little screamers hanging on my legs)
blog (without little screamers on my lap)
nap (with or without happy little Sesame Street watchers on my lap)
work on my on-going home improvement project (without little helpers)
or any number of other things I could possibly have to do.
So thank you Sesame Street! We love Ewrney and Elmooo!

(This post has been brought to you by the number of the day and the letter of the day!)

Mmmmm Good!

I. love. taco. soup.

It's so good! I love that it is so easy to make. I love that you can throw it together in a crock pot and not have to worry about it until you're ready to eat. I love that for how easy it is, it still tastes delicious! And I love that there is enough left over that I can have it again for lunch tomorrow! WooHoo!
This is nothing new. In fact, I think there are tons of ways to make it. And quite honestly, I've never tasted one I didn't like. Today I just threw this together:
kidney beans
pinto beans
cooked hamburger
tomato sauce
stewed tomatoes
corn
taco seasoning
and let it cook on low all day. Then when we dished it up we added cheese, sour cream, and fritos. So easy. And delicious.

Looking Back.....3

A peek into my journal...continued.

I was hospitalized at 28 weeks. It was very boring and sometimes very scary. I worked a whole lot on a cross stitch I had started a few years earlier. It has 2 snowmen on it. Maybe I'll finish it this year!:) (I did finish it that year, by the way.)
I also brought Matt's laptop computer. This is nice, because I can chat with people via instant message. I also was able to find a website called monoamniotic.org. It is so awesome! Everyone there is either having momo twins, or has had them. It is a wealth of knowledge on a subject that no one seems to know much about. I have become much more educated on twins-especially momos. I also learned that the 50% mortality rate is outdated. We are still in a very scary situation, but there is hope. It is nice to be able to converse with people all around the world who know what I'm going through.
Monoamniotic twins make up only 1% of all twins. No wonder nobody seems to know much! There is a newer study called the Heybourne Study. It is very interesting. They studied many women pregnant with monoamniotic twins- half of which were hospitalized and half were outpatient who went in several times a week for tests. The outcome of the study was that of the women who were hospitalized, they didn't lose a single baby. Of the ones who were outpatient, there were quite a few babies that perished.
I am so glad to be sitting in this hospital bed after reading this! It is so hard to be away from Matt and the boys, but so, so worth it for my girls.

Some of the days were really tough. I had a few emotional days. The first days were especially hard, just getting used to the hospital and having to say "Goodbye" to my boys. Some of the nurses weren't exactly helpful, either, because they didn't understand my situation or why I was there. Overall, I think I did pretty well. I had to stay in bed with monitors on my stomach constantly with the exception of the bathroom, and a quick shower. Matt also brought the boys to see me every day. They would take me on wheel chair rides outside around the pond. This is something I looked forward to every day. I think I was on the monitors probably at least 22.5 hours per day.
Somewhere between 29 and 30 weeks, we went and took a tour of the NICU. This was very hard to take in. Seeing such small little bundles, fighting for their lives- it was quite an eye opener for me. A few hours after the tour, we had a major decel in baby A (Abbie). I was just sitting in my bed when a nurse came in to reposition my belts. Nothing out of the ordinary, I thought. She was rushing and not being very gentle and I still had no idea the seriousness of the situation. When she found the heartbeat on the monitor, I heard it go from thump, thump, thump to thump......thuump...........thuuump. I can't even explain how scared I felt at that moment. Within just a few minutes, my bed was surrounded with nurses and a scrub tech, I had oxygen put on my face, an IV put in my hand, and pills shoved down my throat. Next thing I remember was a nurse's face right close to mine, saying, "You're doctor is on her way, you need to be prepared. This could be IT!" At this point, tears started flowing and a very scared mama started to panic!
A few minutes later my doctor arrived and Abbie's heart had stabilized. (Thank goodness!) My doctor, her partner, and my peri continued watching my monitor for a few hours. They finally decided that things were going to be ok and that I would continue to be watched closely, but that today was not the day for me to meet my babies. Needless to say, my wheelchair rides were outlawed that day.
My sister and her kids came and visited me at lunch time on the weekdays. My parents also came several times per week. Matt's parents came a few times and played games with me (Settlers of Cattan). It was always nice to have visitors.
This hospital stay was tough! (wait a minute, did I already say that?) Some days my feelings were torn. A part of me wanted to have my babies early. That way there could be no cord accident and I could be done being pregnant and get out of this hospital and go home. Another part of me would then kick in and tell me to quit being so selfish. I knew I needed to stick with the plan to give my babies a good start at life. The best possible start I could give them.
To be continued...

Goodbye "Days"

I am hesitant to admit this, but I starting watching Days of Our Lives when I was in sixth grade! I have continued watching for about 18 years! This sounds stupid, I'm sure, but I tried to quit several times--only to get sucked back into the story line. Until now, that is. I am proud to say I have not watched a single minute since the beginning of December last year. And now I have a whole extra hour in my day that can be spent on other things like cleaning my house, playing with my kids, blogging...

Happy Birthday Joshua!

I can't believe he is 5! He is growing up so fast! Let me tell you a little about Joshua. Josh is my funny child. He definitely keeps me guessing. And laughing. He talks loudly and constantly. He is a sweet talker and a charmer. He has adorable little freckles and a dimple, too. He doesn't like to be tickled or kissed (ewe!). He can be a very big help when he chooses to be. He loves his family. He loves his extended family, especially his cousin Alyx and his Grandma Carmae. He loves to color and play games. He absolutely LOVES to be bald! And if you talk to him about it, he will try to convince you to be bald, too! Every time I do someone's hair, he comes in to tell them how amazing they look. He tells me I'm pretty and beautiful on a regular basis-especially when I wear a dress or skirt. Last year on my birthday, Matt asked him what they should get me and his answer was immediate, "a dancing dress!" He was popular with all the kids (and teacher) in his preschool. He is always talking to people everywhere we go and considers everyone to be his friend. Last week at the park he said, "look mom, there's my friend!" I asked what his name was and Josh had no idea. He had just met him. He loves everyone. He reminds me regularly that "We have to love the bad guys and strangers, too". He has energy and enthusiasm that would make anyone smile. He uses the words "sweet" and "oh snap" on a regular basis and I have no idea where he picked these up. Last night, he said "Look Dad, I ate all of my dinner!" and Matt said "Good job, buddy!" And Josh said, "Dad, you could have said you're excellent or you rock!" (insert an extreme amount of enthusiasm!) I love you Josh!
Today for his birthday, he wanted to ride the train to breakfast again, like we did for the girls' birthday. We actually pulled up just as the train was leaving and missed it. We gave him the option of going somewhere else, or waiting the half hour for the next train. He wanted to wait. All morning he had been talking about ordering a scone for breakfast and he was dead set on getting that scone!
We had a party for him on Saturday with my family. It was a lot of fun. He wanted to have a swimming barbeque party. We set up 3 little swimming pools and a slip n slide and had water balloons, while Matt did barbeque duties. Joshua's parties are my favorite of all my kids because I love doing backyard parties! I never really wanted a summer baby, but now I love it! I love that all the kids can just roam and the parents aren't constantly worried about them. We can just sit back and relax and visit, while watching them run and play. It just works for everyone! Anyway, back to the party.
I don't know if anyone noticed, but in my girls' birthday post I didn't mention much about the cake. Well that's because I made it and it was a disaster! And after such a cake nightmare, I have to admit I wanted to buy one for this party. But Carissa inspired me to try again and look what I created!
Yes, it's a snake! And yes, it's the easiest design I could find but let me tell you something, Joshua LOVED it! And he wanted a chocolate cake and a banana cake, so depending on what side of the cake we cut, we could choose our flavors. How's that for fancy? Ha ha.
Anyway, Josh had a great birthday. Thanks to everyone who came!