How nice to wake up on a Monday morning and not have to rush to dress everyone, feed everyone, and head out the door before 7:30. We are all just sitting around being lazy, watching t.v. and just hanging out. Very nice. It’s 9 o’clock and the kids are just now sitting down to eat a late breakfast. David is off of work for the whole week and I am so glad. We always enjoy his time off, but when he has a whole week off, it’s really a treat!

Last night it got really cold! I have always hated cold weather. I can’t stand being cold. I’d rather be hot as hell than have to deal with really cold weather. It doesn’t matter how much i bundle up, I never feel warm enough if I’m outdoors when its very cold.

Well, as I’ve said, it got very cold last night. Below freezing. And that just happened to be the night our A/C unit decides to poop out on us. Yep. And we can’t order the piece we need to replace until Monday. So, last night on our way to the movie theater, we stopped at the store and purchased two small heater fans to stick in our bedroom so we wouldn’t freeze in bed. Our three big kids spent the might at their grandparent’s house last night and we hunkered down in our room, door closed and heaters blazing, and cuddled up with little Miss Ella. We stayed toasty, but when we woke up this morning, the rest of our house felt like a refrigerator! The thermostat said it was 55 degrees! It’s almost 2:00 right now and its still a tad chilly in here!

I made plans with my mom this morning for the kids to stay at her house tonight so they don’t have to sleep on the floor in our room. Needless to say, I can’t wait for the heater to be repaired! I had to put on a sweatshirt this morning just to go into my bathroom, and, MAN!! was that toilet seat cold!

I stole this idea from my friend’s blog! It’s all sorts of questions about various “firsts.” Should be interesting… or not. LOL

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
A boy named Tyler

2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
No no no no no

3. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
I honestly don’t remember, but I’m sure it was beer as a kid.

4. What was your FIRST job?
Wendy’s. I made the sandwiches! LOL

5. What was your FIRST car?
Honda CRX, but I never drove it. My first car that I drove was a Dodge Daytona.

6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
No one

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
Ella

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Mrs. Thompson. She spanked me on the first day of first grade for sharpening my pencil without asking. She’s as old as the hills now.

9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
New York, age 5.

10. Who was your FIRST best friend and are you still friends with them?
My first best friend is still one of my good friends, Michelle Horton!!

11. What was your FIRST sport played?
Softball for Abita Recreation

12. Where was your FIRST sleep over?
At a girl named Michelle’s house in the 1st grade

13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
Ella

14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?
My Aunt Julie’s wedding.

15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
Nursed Ella

16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
When I was 17, I went and saw White Zombie with my cousin George. Wild times!

17. FIRST tattoo or piercing?
My ears were pierced when I was 6 weeks old. I got my first tattoo at 18.

18. FIRST foreign country you went to?
Mexico. Drove across the border with a boy named Tyler.

19. What was your FIRST run in with the law?
In college when one of the guys I was hanging out with got busted with a joint in his cigarette box.

20. When was your FIRST detention?
In jr. high

21. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
Louisiana

22. Who was the FIRST person to break your heart?
Hmm… a boy named Tyler.

23. Who was your FIRST roommate?
My brother, when we were kids.

24. Where did you go on your FIRST limo ride?
My Aunt’s wedding. I was the flower girl.

OK. It’s official. I am not getting enough sleep. I always feel tired, even first thing in the morning. With both babies during the day, I have no chance at a nap and at night, I’m up multiple times with stuffy-nosed Ella. Right about now I’m living from weekend to weekend, when I don’t have to wake up at 6:20 a.m. and fill lunch boxes, dress kids and fix breakfast. Needless to say, that week long Thanksgiving break is looking really nice right about now! Friday can’t get here soon enough.

I spent all day yesterday cleaning up around the house and I still have a bunch of things I could clean. Ugh! It never ends. The bug man is coming to spray today so the main thing I want to get done before he comes is to sweep and vacuum. But, who knows if that will get done with Alex and Ella needing me! Alex is rolling around on the floor right now. He was playing with toys and watching Veggie Tales, but now he’s starting to get whiny. Time to feed him his breakfast. It will be a miracle if I get through feeding him before Ella wakes up and wants to nurse. Welcome to my life! LOL

by Delilah

Her cries drag me from my slumber
unwilling to open my eyes
but knowing I must
so needy
she melts in my arms
a tiny warm bundle of plump cheeks
dimpled fists
chubby legs
Drowsy kisses sprinkle her face
and I breathe her in
all milk and warmth

sleep cannot compare
to baby fat and
sleepy midnight smiles

11/12/2008

Today we are headed to the dentist for all three of my older kids to get their teeth cleaned. Big fun! I’m also planning on stopping at Walmart to get some pictures taken of little miss Ella. It’s perfect for a very young baby’s first pictures because it’s under $10 for the package and when the baby is so small, there’s no guarantee you’re going to get a good photo. And sometimes you luck out and get something really adorable.

Ella is doing a little better. I am having to suction out her nose a lot and she needs to sleep sitting upright in her seat so that she can breathe clearly, but she has been able to sleep the last couple nights. It was really bad Tuesday night.

I took Ella to the dr. this past Thursday. She was exactly 6 weeks old that day. I was pretty surprised to find out she has grown an inch and weighs in at 14 pounds! She’s growing so fast! Her cheeks are so fat and her thighs now have 2 rolls. Her arms are one roll after another. She’s such a chunk. Her hair seems to get redder each day and it seems especially red just after a bath.

After the roller coaster of campaigning that has been going on for what seems like forever, the big day is finally here… Election Day. My hubby and I headed out this morning to cast our ballots, kids in tow. The lines were longer than I’d ever personally seen before. The assistant principal at my kids’ school stood in line right behind us with her three kids and we chatted as the line slowly moved.

Whether McCain or Obama comes out with the victory, this will have been a historic day. By the end of it all, we’ll have either the first black president or the first female vice-president. I’m hoping for the latter, personally. I usually avoid blogging about touchy subjects here, but today I just want to vent my feelings and thoughts concerning this election.

I am a white 30 year old mother of four, middle class, Christian, conservative republican. I do consider myself open-minded and I am not a racist nor do I feel that the color of one’s skin determines anything about them. Many times during this presidential race I’ve heard people in the media and on t.v. say that this race should not be about race. We should base our decision on who to vote for on the issues at hand, not the skin color of the candidate. I agree with this wholeheartedly. In fact, skin color is not a factor in my decision at all. However, I have found that this is not the case for everyone. I was reading through my most recent issue of Parent’s magazine and ran across a small article written by one of the magazine’s contributors, who happened to be a black woman. In her short piece, she stated that she was happy that “someone that looked like her” had a shot at winning the election and possibly leading this country. She did not mention his policies or stances, not even once. His politics seemed to be a non-issue. These points may have been important to her, but she did not mention them in this piece. Race was the only issue she mentioned. How is that any different than a white voter voting for McCain simply because he is white? When serious issues like partial birth abortion, higher taxes, national security and economic fallout are at the forefront of an election, how can race even seem like a viable reason to vote for or against someone? McCain could be smurf blue and Obama could be green and it wouldn’t matter. Their political stances on these issues are what matters. I didn’t vote for McCain because he was white and I didn’t not vote for Obama because he was black. I voted for McCain because his stances are more closely aligned with mine. Had Obama been the candidate that stood for life and lower taxes, I would have happily voted for him.