Pictures, Pictures, Pictures...

Well, this weekend is going to be full of photos. I have some from our visit to Chuck-E-Cheese today and then tomorrow we will have some from Taylor's baby dedication, and then of Abigail's 3rd birthday party. Man, I love that I can update everything right here in the blogs...no more posting here and uploading photos there....why didn't I do this earlier? Anyway, here are some photos from today... Abigail and Joanna LOVED it.

Abigail wasn't to sure of the giant mouse....

They got lots of tickets playing ski-ball..

And then had tons of fun doing everything else....

Making a Cake

So yesterday I woke up and started making Abigail's birthday cake. My mother-in-law came by to help out with decorating. It turned out AWESOME!!! Abigail is going to LOVE it! It was my first attempt to making a cake, so I went the easy route. I used cake mix from a box, and the icing from a tub. I had an idea of what I wanted the cake to look like, and as I was making it, I changed my mind....and for the better. It turned out WAY BETTER than what I thought it would. Here are some pictures.....


Well, Ill be sure to post again later. Right now, I have to get the girls ready to go to Chuck-E-Cheese.

Abigail is turning 3

Can you believe it? My little girl is growing up so fast! Well, they ALL are, but it just seems so weird to think that 3 years ago, we didn't have any, and our lives were just about to change drastically FOREVER. I cant imagine what my life would be like today if I didn't have them in it. I love waking up in the morning and walking in their room (Abigail and Joanna share a room....few weeks and she will have her own) and I am greeted with a very loud "GOOD MORNING MOMMY" and a loud "MA, MA!!" Anyway, I am planning to have family over on Sunday evening to have cake and ice-cream. Abigail said she wanted a "pink princess" cake this year, but I just don't like the cakes I find at the grocery store. Call me crazy, but I am going to attempt to make one for her this year. A friend from Palmer just started making cakes and I got some great ideas from her. I think I'm up for the challenge, I'm just wondering if everyone else is... if it doesn't turn out, we may be running to the store for a generic birthday cake. I'm attempting to make the cake that Ive attached a photo of, only change the black to purple and make a solid ribbon on the top layer. Also instead of icing flowers, I might put fake ones, depending on if I'm pulling my hair out or not over the rest of it... Ill be sure to post some photos.

Saturday we will be going to Chuck-E-Cheese for a fun outing for Abigail , since Sunday we wont be able to celebrate her birthday until late-afternoon (hopefully my back will be feeling a little better so that I can make it out of the house). Ill be sure to bring the sanitizers!!! Then Sunday we will attempt to get everyone ready for church and then a membership meeting right after. Well, Taylor is letting me know she is awake, and is VERY hungry, so I must go. Please wish me luck on my attempt to make a cake! Until next time.

Weekend in Charlotte

This weekend, I went to Charlotte, NC with Ian. He had a seminar to go to, and I went to see if someone could help with my back pain....feeling a little better.I am still in a lot of pain, but after getting adjusted, I was able to lie down for 15 minutes without being in pain (I am usually in CONSTANT pain) The 9 hour car ride home was not fun. I wasn't able to get in a comfortable position. When we finally arrived home, my mother-in-law stuck around to make us dinner. The girls were very happy to see us. Joanna wouldn't let go of me, and Abigail wrapped her arms around me, and said "I LOVE my mommy". I missed them so much, and it was nice to see they missed us too.

Today I am at home alone with them again, only this time, I'm not as prepared as the last time. Since we just came back from Charlotte yesterday, we haven't unpacked yet, and the house is a disaster. The girls are a little off since the past week or so has been so different. First we had family over helping out, then mommy and daddy left for a few days. Now that we are trying to get things back to "normal", they are acting up a little. Plus, I think they know that I am in pain, so they are able to get away with some things that they originally wouldn't. I don't know what I am going to do, because it has now been 4 weeks that I have been in pain. Ian is stressing because when he comes home from work, he no longer gets to relax as much, because he needs to help with the girls and make dinner.... I really need to get better soon!!!

Not sure what the plan is for the rest of the week. I guess we are just going to take things one day at a time.

Slumber Party

Tomorrow will be my first day back to taking care of the girls myself. I dont feel ready for it at all.... I tried this morning, and could only do an hour. I had to call Ian and tell him I couldnt do it. He called his dad to come over and help. BAD thing is that tomorrow Im all alone because no one is able to come over, but the GOOD thing is that the other night, Ian brought our mattress down from the loft and placed it on the floor in the playroom. Im going to bring a bunch of snacks and jug of water up from the kitchen, then the girls and I will hang out there the whole day. Ill have a supply of diapers so I could just change them on the bed, and not worry about standing up. (thats probably the worst part of my back hurting....trying to stand up) Its going to be an all day Slumber Party for us girls. Im not getting them or myself out of our pjs, and we are going to play, read books and do flash cards all day!

Ian is still not sure if he is going to go to Charlotte this weekend for a seminar, he wants to wait and see how I am doing first. With the way things are now, it doesnt look good, but things could change.... I hope they change. I dont know how much more pain I can take.

Family

What would we do without family? They are always around when you need them the most! Yesterday, my parents took Abigail to their restaurant for the day, to give me a small break from caring for three kids and a back ache. It was great! Joanna took a morning nap (which she has been skipping lately) and Taylor was happy doing some tummy time, which gave me the opportunity to take a shower and get dressed (a task that I normally dont have much time to do) When Ian came home for lunch, he asked if I wanted to go with him to a support group talk he had that afternoon. Why not? I normally dont get out of the house much, now that Ian needs the car to get to work, and we only had 2 girls to take with us.....It was nice. Joanna enjoyed the attention I was giving her, and loved to get out of the house. She is always asking "bye-byes??" I always feel bad saying "no, not today". My parents brought Abigail back home around 6pm, and it was so cute to see how excited Joanna and Abigail were to see each other.

Today, I woke up thinking my back ache was gone, only to sit up in bed and feel the excruciating pain run down my spine and into my leg. The pain has gotten worse with each day. Today, I cant stand up straight and cant walk without holding onto something. My legs began to shake, that I had to get down on the floor, and crawl to the couch. My mother-in-law came to the rescue. I dont know what I would have done today, if she hadnt have showed up. Ian thinks it could be a pinched disk, but cant do x-rays until tomorrow. My mother-in-law has got to go to work tonight, so Im not sure what I am going to do. Please continue praying for my back to heal....until next time.

Thank You!

My middle-child, Joanna, has decided that today she wasn't going to take a nap. I put her in her bed around 2pm. At 2:30pm I no longer heard her and Abigail talking, so I figured they were asleep...when I turned on the baby monitor, I heard her singing...very cute...at 3pm, she was still talking and making little noises, so I figured I would still leave her in the room, because maybe, she might fall asleep....by 4pm she started to cry. I quickly went into the room to get her, so that she would not wake Abigail. (who by the way was sleeping with her butt up in the air....also very cute) Joanna raised her little arms for me to pick her up, and when I did, she wrapped her arms around me and said "Thank You!" I took her downstairs and gave her some water, then pulled out some crackers and peanut butter from the pantry. A very excited little girl again said "Thank You!" We went into the living room where we sat on the couch for our snack. Now she has never had peanut butter on her crackers, so I just gave her a plain one, then made myself a cracker with peanut butter....her curious blue eyes quickly made contact with my cracker, so I let her have a bite...she smiled and with a mouth full of peanut butter she said "Thank You!" When she realized her cracker did NOT have peanut butter on it, she tried dipping it into the jar on the table. I helped her to spread some on her cracker, and again with the "Thank You!"s With EVERY little bite she took, she looked up at me and said "THANK YOU!"

Kids may drive you nuts every now and again, but they are the ones that will always make your heart melt just by saying something as little as the phrase "Thank You!"

Bad Day.

Ever have one of those days where you want to just pack up and get away? The beach sounds great....wish I could go today....and it is only 9:45am. My day started out with me waking up feeling as though I were hit by a car.... for those of you who don't know, I hurt my back 2 weeks ago (not sure how) and it has only gotten worse. I am now at the point of not being able to lift things....not even my 5 month old. (But I HAVE to....so I DEAL with the pain, no matter if I am crying as I lift her) Ive tried to rest, but having 3 kids under the age of three, doesn't really give you free time. Ian and Brett think it may be due to being pregnant for 3 years. I was constantly leaning back, compensating for my big belly, and now that the belly is gone, I'm standing more straight, changing things again. Still going in to the office as much as I can, although it is hard to find the time with the girls. Ian spoke with his parents to see if they could come over to help out today, so they should be arriving soon...

Added stress is the office.. A few months ago, Ian's business partner decided he wanted to go back to his home town. He has been trying to find someone to buy his share of the practice, but no buyers yet. Lots of stress is all I can say.....

Well, Ian's parents are on their way, so I'm going to go. Please pray for my back to heal.

Seat belt Bags

Lots of visitors today. My parents came over after they went shopping, since they were in the area. They gave the girls cookies, that ended up all over their faces, which then led to a shortage of milk. We danced around the living room for about an hour trying to tire them out so they would nap... They did. :) After lunch, my in-laws stopped by to give me my birthday present... a Seat Belt Bag. It is AWESOME!!! The outside is woven seat belts, and the inside is a very strong durable fabric. Right away, I moved everything from my other bags to this one. Cant wait to show it off to my friends...After everyone left, I went upstairs to attempt to close my eyes.... Taylor had a different idea. She wanted to talk and to kick her legs, so I turned the lights on to play with her. Of course, when she decided she had enough and wanted to sleep, Abigail and Joanna woke from their naps. I popped in a Baby Einstein DVD and came downstairs to figure out dinner. Only to be distracted by the computer and post a blog.... Ian wont be home until after dinner tonight because he is speaking in Oakland to a MS Support Group. Wish him luck! Well, its off to the kitchen for me. Until next time.

Blogging...

So, I finally decided to join the blogging world. Still not sure how it all works, but I was told to create one so that friends and family can stay in touch with "The Bulows". I guess Im up for the challenge of figuring this all out, and I think it may be worth it so that I dont have to keep so many webpages that I am constantly sending e-mails letting you know when Ive updated them. Wish me luck, and ENJOY!