::thanks::

 

one of my favorite pictures

Oh thanks thanks thanks

Really.

I feel SO thankful right now.

My OB called me.  The OB that has delivered all three of my babies.

The woman that I thank for still having a uterus.

A person I love.

She called me herself. 

I have been expecting a call.  Lab results from the baby should be back.  But for the Dr to call means that something really bad is wrong.  Nurses give good to moderate news.  Dr's call with really bad news. 

But no.

She called to tell me that everything with the baby was normal.  

She is tactful.  All the time.  She didn't say, "Great news, your dead baby was normal."  No, she presents it gentle.  But I was SO happy to hear it.  

"It was all placental, it should not affect future pregnancies at all."

That is silver lining.  

That means that my baby didn't die for a reason that could kill my next one.  

A little beam of hope.  

A future person who already feels a little real. 

I used to tease with my coworkers and say, "I love this little egg."  Then point at my ovaries.  "The third one back.  He's a good one."  And he was.  He taught me lots.    

That is kind of how I feel now.  I love this egg.  

The one that is a few eggs back in line.  

Its a good one.  

(Next week Josh's DNA profile comes back.  Pray our DNA is as good a match as our souls.)

::max's new room plan::

I am putting together my new plan for Max's room.
Peak at the old plan here.  

Still going for a very modern room with no true theme.

 

Looking at some green wall colors.  

They look more minty in the picture than they actual are. 

 

Found these are craigs list.

LOVE THEM!

If he still has them I just might buy one set

They are 60 inches long and 36 inches high

I want to paint them pewter and put shelves in them for Max to use them as a dresser.

My dad is making me this bed.

He is right in the middle of a project so he said it would be about two months till it would be ready.

I love the white bed and the dark wood trundle drawer under. 

One wall will have 2-3 rows of these for artwork.

 

I want shelves like this above the lockers for display.  

 

Then I still have to use this idea somewere

Maybe on the bottom 1/3 of the curtains.

 

By his bed I will put in one of these to try and control his nightly reading books.  

Once I decide for sure on the lockers I will post a floor plan. 

::day::

I don't remember many dates.

I have no idea what date I got engaged on.

I only remember the day I met Josh because it was his birthday.
I made him show me his ID to prove it.

But...
Today was supposed to be my 20 week ultrasound for nugget.

And that makes me so so so so so sad.

This should have been such a joyous day. 

It still was.

Lily was home from school.  She, Max, and I had a great day.

We cleaned Lily's room and rearranged all the furniture.

Talk about a good distraction.

We played games and read books.

All four of us laid in bed tonight and read one of my favorite books
"Leonardo the Terrible Monster"

Josh flattered me, "These kids are so happy and dinner was amazing"

But I couldn't sleep.
And here I am.
Blogging the part of me that is broken,
again.

::Max's family birthday::

 

This man turned three on Jan 31

 

With current events he did not get the usual crazy Brooke style party.

He really is too young any way.

 

But Josh's parents decorated their house and they gave this little man the best family party ever.

 

He LOVED IT!!!

And so did I.  When I walked in their house and saw all the effort and love...

I cried.  I was so thankful for them. 

 

I just love rainbow colors.  

Brings happiness to my soul. 

 

Lily found herself in the Ikea bag I brought to take home the loot. 

 

Both girls could fit.

Little skinny butts.

 

My favorite picture.  

I made the cake.   

 

Every one had an amazing time.  

Really what a party should be. 

Don't worry.  I loved this party for my three year old man.  He was not overwhelmed and neither was I.  But I am planning Lily's 8 year old party already.  The best freaking science party ever. 

::3D dragon cake::

I did it.

I sucked it up and made Max's birthday cake.

I didn't want to.

But I knew that if I didn't I would regret it.  

And I am so glad that I did. 

The original idea comes from Family Fun Magazine

 

I used two cake mixes, four tubs of icing (could have got by with three), gum drops, and candy fruit slices.  

Total cost with tax was $10.76

 

I set these two kids at the island to eat pizza and provide moral support.

 

When ever I make a birthday cake I always make some cupcakes too.  They are great building blocks if I need them.  The two round pans are pretty much the whole dragon.  I made the oval pan, but ending up not using it.  

 

A little person who was very helpful with clean up.

 

I wrapped my cutting board with tin foil to use as a sturdy base.  

The dragon fit on it nicely.  

The board measures 18 in by 24 inches.

 

Here is the cutting  diagram for the second round cake, directly from Family Fun.  

Here he is laid out as the directions recommend.  

Except the front legs are laid differently.

And I did not love the way the tail was working...

 

So, I curved it the other way.  

Notice that I used a cupcake as the top of the head.  

It looked too tall with the entire cupcake as his head -

I cut off the bottom third of it and fed it to the curly headed one.

 

Then I put on a crumb coat of icing. 

A crumb coat really helps!

I used to skip this step many years ago, but now I make time to do it.

It makes the finally icing so much easier.

Like primer on walls.

Notice that I used icing to change the arch of his neck and he has TONS of icing around the cupcake head to make it look organic.

I left him in the fridge for 6 hours to let the icing set. 

 

Lily painting this while watching me ice.  

 

 Then we got him out and iced him green

Lily placed the gum drops on him.

I did the fruit slices as claws on his feet.

The directions call for wings, but I forgot to buy the stuff for them.

We didn't miss them in the end.

 

I used red raffia to make the flames coming out of his mouth.

His eyes are white icing in a zip lock squeezed into a fat circle.

Then a chocolate chip point in as pupils.

His nose was scary.  

I was afraid to screw it up.

I used a ziplock with extra green icing with a 1/2 inch cut in the corner of the bag.

You squeeze hard and slow to make the fatness of the nose.  

Then I used my thumb to push in and give him nostrils.

The mouth was drawn with a toothpick dipped in black icing tint. 

Once he made it to the party we added cashew horns. 

I LOVE how he turned out.

But I wish I had taken the time to place a boarder around the bottom of him.  It looked a little rough.

I like my cakes iced in buttercream, not fondant.  I am not trying to look like a professional cake maker.  I want my cakes to look like I made them.  But the boarder still would have been nice. 

 

::job I hate the most::

Watering the horses in the winter.

Hate it.

It's cold.  It's wet.  It's boring.  (I am whining)

 

First you have to take off your gloves to hook up he hose.

Which always manages to shoot at least some water in my face. 

 

Then you have to drag it out and put it in the tank.

 

Then you have to wait outside while it fills.

Because maybe some people left the hose on for 24 hours once because she was too lazy to stand by the tank and wait, then forgot about it.  Maybe that was me.

Shooter looked extra cute. 

 

Then you have to throw the hose over the rafters and get all the water out of the hose or it will freeze solid.  

  

I guess it's not really that bad.

But it is just SOSOSO boring.  

I vote it becomes Josh's job.  

Wait, it already is. I only do it twice a winter.

So, what am I fussing about?

Bad farmer.  

Boiler up.

::lily's little issue::

Some one named Lily had been getting in big trouble at school.

Not listening and not following directions.

Same routine that has been going on at home.

Josh and I are fed up and so is her teacher.

 

On my drive home from picking up the new goat I really focused on specific strategies.

Side note - I don't want to beat the spirit out of her.  I like her having some spirit, but she can't refuse to do what teachers ask her to do.  She can refuse to do what her friends tell her to do.  She should not ever just follow blindly.  She has to think for herself, but she has to listen to her first grade teacher.

My strategy:

  

 Josh and I can up with this.

It hangs on the fridge in our family room.

(Yes we have a fridge in our family room)

When she is good she puts a magnet on the good, bad on the bad.

First one to five wins.

If good wins she gets to download a new iPod free game of her choice

(But she is grounded from her iPod right now, a detail she hasn't put together yet)

If bad wins she get the grummiest job of my choice.

Bad stuff.

Like: bring in 10 pieces of fire wood.

Or Clean out a horse stall.

Something cold and miserable. 

And the next part of my plan is a new chore chart.

No chores on Wednesday because that is the day she goes to the neighbors after school.

Free choice chore is the chore of my/daddy's/babysitters choice

Not horrible stuff.  Just what ever needs to be done.

What other specific ideas do you have?  Specific!  Don't say, "Be harder on her" or "Make her follow the rules."