The carpet's almost in!

After almost 6 months of working on the basement, it's ALMOST done! The carpeting is currently going in as I type! It's so exciting! Macy is having a sleepover tomorrow night, and they will be breaking it in... hopefully not spilling stuff all over it! Thinking I won't let them have drinks down there yet!

We still need to put in light fixtures, the counter tops... and oh did I mention, have the plumber come back on Monday, rip out the shower enclosure that he installed incorrectly, have him fix it, have the drywall put back up, and the bathroom finished... but other than that, almost done! Oh, and save up some money to buy the giant TV for the media room. Yeah, one thing at a time!

So Haley looked down and asked me who picked out the color of the carpet. All that was down so far was the red padding, and although I like the color red a lot, I don't want red carpeting! There is navy blue carpeting in the media room and Chad's room (it looks so cool!), and they are in the process of putting a dark tan in the playroom area, hallway and stairs! It's almost done!

Oh, and giant big HUG and KISSES go out to Uncle Bob and Aunt Heidi who spent all day yesterday helping us get all the finishing touches done (which included a WHOLE LOT of paint!) so that we would be ready for the carpet. Love you guys and really, really appreciate all your help! That's what family is for, right?

Dear Macy,

Dear Macy,

I remember the day you were born. 8 years ago. This lovely little bundle of pink. I remember being pregnant with you and being so excited because after 2 boys, you were 80% a girl. What kind of odds are those? I didn't want to believe you were a girl because what if when you were born, you were actually a boy and I was heartbroken and upset. I wanted to love this baby, boy or girl, but gosh... a girl? Could it really be? A sweet baby girl in an extended family with mostly boys. 9 babies born in the past 4 years... all boys... and finally, a girl? I remember when you were born. They said, "it's a girl!", and I didn't believe them. I thought that I was hearing things, because I so wanted a girl. Every time I would wake up from my drug-induced state, I would ask if you were still a girl. A girl. Pink and frills and buttons and bows.

And lo and behold, 8 years later, here you are. A girl with freshly pierced ears, preparing to be baptized into our church in 2 weeks and start Activity Days on Wednesdays. A girl in the 3rd grade who plays soccer, is a Girl Scout and loves her friends. A girl who is trying to grow up, getting ears pierced and a pink hair dryer, but yet still loves her Littlest Pet Shop and Polly Pockets. A sweet spirit in our family, who can be mischievious and very silly, but a super helper and love. The middle child, who takes it in stride. Very sensitive and girly, but loving to the core.

Macy, we are very thankful to have you in our family. To be given the gift of you, for your time on Earth, to raise and take care of and hopefully do a good job. We love you more than life itself and give thanks for you every day.

Happy Birthday our little girl! You are growing up into such a beautiful young woman! We love you!

Mom and Dad

I HEART Sugar...

unfortunately, it doesn't heart me back! So, I went to see my doctor the other day, and she informed me that indeed I am diabetic. 37, not overweight (granted I would gladly lose 5-10 pounds, but only because I'd like to... not because I NEED to), healthy, active, none of the stereotypical "diabetes" symptoms... and I'm still diabetic. A girl who could almost live on Pepsi and Gummi Bears (but only the ones in the gold bag!). Pasta and bread too... and now I'm being told that I forever after have to be on a low-carb, pretty much no-sugar diet. Well, that's one way to lose those 5-10 pounds. Not necessarily the way I want to do it... but it should still work.

So now I am supposed to be testing my blood about 7 times a day (the needle-phobic person that I am... let me tell you, this sits really well with me) and totally watching what I eat, and refusing all the cookies and crackers that Reed tries to put in my mouth.

I know that it sounds like I am making a joke of the whole thing, but it's the only way I can cope with it right now. The doctor gave me some medicine to take to help my glucose levels, and it made me sick as a dog for about 3 days, so I had to stop taking it. Now, dealing, and getting by one day at a time is how it's going to work for me. And hopefully, when I see her again in a month to check in, she will tell me that the whole thing was a lie, I'm really not diabetic, and she was just putting me on a diet to lose those 5-10 pounds! Keep your fingers crossed... it could work!

Look who else is off to school...

Haley went back to preschool this week. She is in the 4's class this year, PreKindergarten, and she LOVES it! She goes three days a week, and would love to go every day! She is just a bit of a social butterfly. Gee... I wonder where she gets that?

Holes In Her Head...

When Macy was very little, like 3 or 4, she asked me when she could get her ears pierced. Being the wise mom that I was at the time, I said not for a long time... like when she turned 8 (it sounded really far away at the time). Little did I know, she would never forget this deal made at her tender toddler-hood.

Today, on the eve of her 8th birthday, we had some mommy-daughter fun. A trip to the mall. For what? To get some ears' pierced, of course. I think that I was more nervous about it than her. She was calm, cool, collected. I was being silly, giddy, nervous. I knew it would hurt a bit, but didn't want to scare her. Told her it would pinch a bit, but wouldn't be bad. The girl pierced both her ears, and Mace never made a sound. I think the pain of the first one kind of shocked her a bit, but once we put that mirror in front of her face, this big grin just appeared.

Our little girl is growing up... and I don't think I like it too much!

Cleaning the ears.

Marking where the earrings will go.

Second earring going in.

Look at that smile!

So grown up!

Back to School!!!

Today was the first day back at school for Washington. Can anybody else say "YIPPEE"!!!! Not that I don't love my kids, because I most definately do, but it's time to get back into a routine. I really love when summer begins and there is no routine to follow, but by the end of summer, I am desperately looking for it! So, we sent Chad (at 7:18 am) and Luke and Macy (at 8:08 am) on their buses, and then Reed, Haley and I followed behind them for the PTA Meet and Greet. After a little meeting and greeting, and then some more meeting, we left there, ran some errands, came home and cleaned. It was so nice to clean, and have it actually stay clean for a few hours. What a novel concept!