Will I EVER Feel Well?!?

Beware: I'm going to have a little pity-party for myself, for a moment, because I'm just so tired of not feeling well. This past week has been a big step back in time, I've felt similar to my 1st trimester. And then today I wake up and I feel like there's no way I'm ever going to crawl out of bed. But of course, try telling that to my 9 yr old that has to get off to school and my 3 yr old who has to eat and watch his cartoons. Stay in bed? Yeah right!

So here I am propped up at the kitchen table, with my Diet DP (for my MAJOR wont-go-away headache), waiting for nap time. How much longer? We're down to only 3 hours!! Yes!! (trying to stay a little positive).

For those of you out there who have gone through pregnancy, especially multiple times, I am in awe of you! I can't imagine ever doing this again. And I know, it'll all be worth it in the end...holding my two little ones, I know & I can't wait...but it's just so hard to imagine going through all of this again, you know? I feel like someone has invaded my body and taken it over...

• My head won't stop hurting and my Dr. ordered me to just drink some caffeine. Now for those of you who know me, I don't drink caffeine. I haven't for about 6 yrs now. But I did what I had to do and followed his counsel. Now here I sit re-addicted to caffeine and will once again, have to go through the withdrawal process after I have the babies. For those of you who have either tried or have stopped drinking caffeine, you know what I'm talking about. NOT FUN!!
• My digestive system is in complete disarray! It only works when it wants to and causes nothing but problems most of the time. When will I ever be able to just eat & drink what I want?!? All I ask is to be able to drink a glass of nice cold water without my stomach freaking out on me. IT'S WATER!! Why is it causing problems?!? Or bacon....yummy, yummy bacon. I can't wait until I can eat it again. How can one live without yummy bacon every now & then?
• My face is breaking out like I'm a 16yr old in high school. Not sure why cuz most women say they clear up when they're prego...but not me. Of course not. Maybe it's cuz I've never really had much problem with my skin so my body-snatchers thought it would be funny to give me a taste of what it's like to have awful skin.
• Then there's my poor hair. It's just falling out and breaking off all over the place. My scalp is extremely dry and so is my hair. Nothing nice about it right now. And tonight I'm going to Maryanne's to get it re-colored. I hope it doesn't all go up in smoke cuz it's too dry for the process. So, if you see me over the next couple of days with major short hair, you'll know why.
• And finally there's my body. Not only is my stomach getting large, which is expected, but other areas of my body seem to be going on strike...dry skin, fat face, potty breaks every half-hour, hurting feet (because I do so much) and stuff like... always being exhausted, not being able to sleep through the night, feeling like my arms and legs weigh a ton each, and a trip to Walmart sucks all my energy out of me for an entire day...it's just all so crazy!!

Ok, so I feel better now. I just had to get that off my chest. I had to feel like someone cares and is listening. And again, I know all of this will be worth it once the little ones are here and I'll probably feel bad for complaining but I seriously can't believe this process is so difficult. It's unbelievable!

Pregnant Pics!

So, I finally broke down and allowed Gregor to take a couple of pics of me and my ever-growing belly. I know that I would be really sad if I had never taken any during this pregnancy. And since I'm actually feeling "pregnant" and not just "fat", I thought it was a good time to do it. These pics were taken when I was 16 weeks & 5 days! Movin' right along! I do want to inform each of you that I began feeling baby A this past Saturday. It was just a little bop in my belly. And at church yesterday, I could feel baby A bopping a few times and even a soft little whispy feeling (like when you have a mystery hair that you keep feeling on your arm and it makes you want to rub the area cuz it kind of tickles...that's how it felt.) It was really cool but the baby wouldn't perform when Greg tried to feel it. I think I may have felt baby B yesterday in the evening but I'm not 100% sure, so I'm not counting it. But I'll keep you posted about baby B...hopefully soon! Here's the pics....


Not the hottest pics of me, I know, but I did it anyway. I'm sure there's some of you out there, including myself, that never thought pics of me pregnant would ever exist!! Pretty cool!! I'm so grateful for this miracle!! Two sets of ultra-sounds next week....can't wait!!!

A Quote For Our Times

At church this past Sunday, the lesson given included a quote that really struck a cord with me. It is so true and if our government would abide by it, a lot of our issues, as a nation, would be solved. Here's the quote...

President Ezra Taft Benson..."The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of the people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature."

As the "progressive movement" continues on in the White House, I can't help but think what this basic knowledge would do for our nation.

Maybe I'll mail President Obama the quote and see if he likes it :)

Eating at 11:30 PM!!??!!

Ok, so you might wonder why I'm sitting at my kitchen table eating chicken and tator babies at 11:30 pm and all I have to say is....I'M STARVING!!!!

I couldn't sleep because my thoughts kept going to different types of food and different places I love to eat....Warren's fries, El Matador's entire menu, McD's Big Mac, etc....I just couldn't stop!! And the more I thought about each food item the more hungrier I got!! My stomach was doing twists and turns because it was so hungry. Finally I crawled out of my nice warm bed (and I didn't get a nap today so I really wanted to be sleeping) and found myself elbow deep in the refrigerator looking for something yummy to eat.

Now this is a great step for me because lately nothing has been sounding good. The thought of most foods would make me literally gag! I've been living on almost nothing because food has NOT been my friend. I'm not sure if this is a sign of things to come but I'm hoping so. It all started when I was cleaning up from Hannah's after school snack...she had Froot Loops (yes, nice and nutritious, I know). As I was closing the bag, which only had a small handful left at the bottom, I got a whiff of the colorful fruity cereal. My mind starting going crazy...THEY SMELLED SO SO SO GOOD!!! Better than anything, really! So, for the next little while all I could do was sit on the couch and smell the Froot Loops within the bag. I looked like a horse with it's feeding bag on...completely pitiful!! I had Greg bring me home a new box, which was heaven. I nibbled on a few, smelling each one before I put it in my mouth (the blue ones smell the best) and to my surprise, they seemed to sit fine on my stomach. From there I moved on to strawberries....YUMMY!! Then it was time for bed...and now here I sit chowing down on chicken!! I guess, if this is a sign of good things to come, I can credit my YUMMY YUMMY Froot Loops with my change in appetite! Those little, yummy, colorful, tasty, fruity circles are a life saver. I think I may buy stock!!

Anyway, tomorrow I'll be 12 weeks. I'm free and clear to speak openly about being pregnant with twins (yes, if there is anyone out there who hasn't heard yet...TWINS!! Holy Cow!!). Gregor wanted to be cautious (wait until 12 weeks) and for the most part, I think I did a decent job of not telling everyone. It's been a very very rough pregnancy so far but, as I've said, I'm hoping this midnight feeding is just a sign of good things to come!!! :)

Yes, I'm still alive...barely!

I just wanted to let all of you know, who are wondering if I fell off the face of the earth, that I am still alive. Not feeling the best lately...hoping to improve in that area within a few weeks or so. I have tons to blog about and can't wait for my energy to return so I can do just that!! Keeping my fingers crossed!!!

Aruba Vacation-Part 2

Ok, so on with the show...


One of my favorite things we visited was the old ruins. I just love stuff like that because I try to imagine what life was like back then. I like how it's just so full of history!! If walls could talk!! Again, I was amazed that there was no one there to make sure the site wasn't vandalized. That's just crazy to me! Here are some pics...


Here we are standing in the doorway. I can't believe the entire place was carved out of a rock, or I should say, a HUGE volcanic rock!! Just crazy!!

Here's a pic that shows part of the rock that it was build from. You can't see really well here but the rock is it's wall and then they broke up the stone smaller and build around it. Very cool especially considering the fact that they didn't have power tools!!

Here's the inside view...I just can't help but wonder what it looked like when it wasn't in ruins.

Here's Dare-Devil Steve taking a pic from the highest point. He had to scale a couple of walls to get there!

So this was a pit carved out of the volcanic rock that Aruba is made out of. At first I didn't think much of it until we realized that on all four corners there were broken off posts/bars. As I took a closer look, I realized that it had been covered by something at one time or another. We all decided that it was some sort of jail or torture chamber that was covered by bars so that no one could get out. Then when the tide was high, it would fill with water and possibly drown the people within it, or at least freak them out a bit, as it filled with water. We all took our turns climbing down into the pit. I have to admit, it was somewhat freaky to think about what may have happened in the pit, especially when I had crawled down inside of it but it doesn't look like it phased Greg at all!!

Here we are posing infront of the beautiful water, on the top part of the pit. It really was very beautiful!!

Here's little Elsie...she was such a good little girl on this trip!

Here is a pic of a stone tower I made on the beach, just outside the ruins. These little & big towers were EVERYWHERE!! Again, no plaque or anything to explain what they were or what they represented. Mine is the middle one in the pic. I'm hoping I didn't build some "tower of prayer" to some strange god that I'm not suppose to be worshiping!! I do plan on looking it up on the internet and see what I can find out. If I do, I'll let y'all know! It would be fun to return a few years from now and see if it's still standing but I'm sure I won't get that chance.

After we went to the ruins, we went to go see the Baby Natural Bridge. There was a huge Natural Bridge that collapsed in 2005 right next to the Baby Bridge, wish I could've seen it before it was just a pile of rocks! Here's the collapsed Natural Bridge...It doesn't look too big from the pic but if you scroll down, I have a photo that will put it all into perspective.

Here's a pic of the Baby Bridge...check out all the trash in the water!! Not sure where it came from but I'm assuming from out at sea.

I asked Greg to take a pic of me sitting on the edge of the baby bridge. He didn't want me to get that close to the edge because he was afraid I'd fall.

Here's the pic that will put all the "size" stuff into perspective. This is a pic I took when I climbed on top of the collapsed natural bridge. It's the same height as the edge that I climbed onto. Now if you look in the right-hand top corner you can see a man fishing. Yes that little white speck is a man. Click on the pic and you'll be able to see him better. Put things into perspective, doesn't it!


Here's a pic of Steve, Ashley & Elsie checking out the waves.

There was an actual blow-hole that we, of course, had to take pictures by. It was so cool!! Never seen one of those in person before. You can see a little rainbow in Ashley's pic. I think Steve was being "bah-humbug" when it came to "blow-hole" pics.

Poor little Gregor cut his toe on the "you'd never believe how sharp this volcanic rock is" rocks. But don't worry, I took care of him. Nothing a little wet-wipe can't fix! :)

Well, there's part 2. Good times!!!

Part 3 is on it's way!

Aruba Vacation-Part 1

So, we have been planning a get-away to Aruba for about 6 months now. Our friends, Ashley & Steve, came with us. We left our little ones (except Elsie, she came with) with friends and family!! Thanks again Catey for watching our children!! Nine kids @ church?!? You are one brave woman!!
Anyway, once we were at the airport, it all became real. We were on our way!! YIPPEE!!

So after our 5 minute stint in 1st class, compliments of Steve ;)...we were on our way to Aruba!! Here are the guys during our layover...


Here's Greg curled up in a chair attempting to take a nap. Remember, he's 6'3"!!!


Looks like Steve opted for the more comfortable route...Ashley's shoulder.


We finally made it to Aruba after a very, very, very long set of flights. I personally didn't think it was too bad because I slept most of the way. Steve got a few minutes of shut-eye BUT Greg & Ashley didn't have a visit from the sandman. Needless to say, they were exhausted by the time we got to our rooms.


Here we are bright-eyed & bushy-tailed and ready for our 1st full, non-zombie-fied day in Aruba.


Greg and I on the steps of the lighthouse. We had hoped that we'd get to tour the lighthouse but that wasn't the case. Infact, most of the tourist stops in Aruba are pretty much a "self-serve" kind of thing. No history plaques, or stats to read. No tour guides. No marked paths or "watch out for cactus" signs (Greg could've used that). It was pretty much just walk up to the item of interest and check it out.


While we were taking pics of the Lighthouse, the "LOVE MACHINE" drove up. Ashley had to get a pic of it for Livy because it was pink!! We took advantage of the mobile attraction and took pics infront of it. Here's Greg and I lovin' the Love Machine!

The back of the Love Machine was pretty funny. It's bumper sticker said "Real Men Love Jesus". For a moment, I thought we had somehow went through the "time-traveling Tunnel of Love" and found ourselves in Texas!! Who knew there were others out there, besides Texans, that would sport such a bumper sticker! Of course, our "real men" had to pose for a pic of the lovable sticker.

The island of Aruba was a pretty weird "tropical" place because it was covered by cactus!! They were everywhere!!! What kind of "tropical" island is a desert? I thought this pic was funny because the cactus are practically on the beach and you can see the ocean right over the hill. Very, very odd!!

When we drove by this house, I just had to get a picture. It's yard was like a Christmas themed yard sale/thrift store!! The picture doesn't do the yard justice because it all wouldn't fit into the frame of my camera. But believe me, it was quite a sight to see!! Now, if you can, zoom in on the pic and notice the poster on the side of the garage...it's on the right-hand side on the white building. Go ahead, check it out!!!..........................................................................................................................Now, you might be saying, since when does a pin up of a girl go along with massive Christmas decorations, to which I would reply, I have no idea. They must feel that Jesus is ok with young ladies exploiting themselves!!

Now, if you don't have a Christmas tree to decorate because they don't grow on your island, what do you do?? You use the cactus across the street from your home of course!! Don't be silly!! Obviously they didn't feel that decorating their ENTIRE yard was enough so they decorated the cactus across the street.

So that's it for part 1....hope you enjoyed it.

Part 2 is coming soon!!