Power of a Package

There is something about receiving a package in the mail that brightens some one's day. It sure is nice to know that someone is thinking and cares about you. Well, late this afternoon we received a package from my friend/turn " little sister", Mhai. She was so kind to send gifts for baby Steven and did not forget David and Sophia. David was sooooo thrilled to see a couple of Speed Racer cars for him from his Kuya Bruce. Sophia likes Dora so her Dora book and hair accessories were perfect!

Thanks Mhai! You're so sweet and thoughtful. You certainly brighten our day. --Hugs and kisses to the kids.

Our 7th Year

My dear Dave,

Simply, I love you. Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!

Foerever yours,

Jinky

Baby Shower

My dear sister threw me a baby shower today. She did everything! She made the yummy feast, did the decorations, and other details of the party. All I had to do was show up ... and that wasn't hard because it was at my house! Thanks Chick, you're awesome!! Anyway, here's a peek at the fun. --Again, my camera went on the fritz so I wasn't able to capture all the fun.

Calling All Moms

From one mother to another, I'm wishing you a Happy Mother's Day especially to my mother and mother-in-law ... I love you!

I share this beautiful bouquet of flowers with you all.

**Mom, thank you for staying with me these couple of days to help me out with the kids and watch over me while I recover. You're the best! Love you tons ... you just left and I miss you already.

Locked Out And My Trip To The ER

Where do I begin? Yesterday started out normal enough. Woke up, had breakfast, then off to my NST appointment while Dave took care of the kids. Got home, made lunch and sent Dave off to work. Then the fun began! I ate my lunch but before I could finish it, I felt it wasn't going all the way down so my meal ended short. Several minutes later I found myself running to the restroom to ... you know what. Ended up practically living there throughout the rest of the day. It sure made it hard to function with things I needed to do. I ended up crying again and cranky with the kids. But I managed to gather us together to briefly visit a good friend. I had been cooking all afternoon to make her and her family dinner as a birthday present. I told her I'd have to do a "do over" 'cause the meal wasn't as wonderful as I wanted it to be (as you can guess, I just wasn't up to my game). So after dropping off the food, we went straight home. Then another fun began. I locked myself out of the house with Sophia in the house by herself!! So I went to my neighbor and used their phone to call Dave, hoping he hid an extra key somewhere. Nope! Luckily I had few windows open. Couldn't get anywhere with the kitchen windows but had success with the bathroom one. Little David was a trooper as my neighbor boosted him up to the window. David was then inside the house to open the front door. Little Sophia was like a puppy and had a ball messing up the house. She got to papers, pots and pans, ... Just glad we were able to get in without having to break the front door window or getting the firemen involved. OK, so did that end my day? Nope! Remember, things were coming out of me from both ends so my night felt long and I was so anxious to get the kids to bed. They were finally down by 9:30pm so shortly thereafter I called my sister-in-law to come over and take care of the kids. I was feeling so lousy! She and my mother-in-law came over and we waited for Dave to get home and from there Dave took me to the ER. Being pregnant and vomiting in their facility they took me in fairly quickly. I ended up on the OB triage room. Turns out I caught a viral bug which lead to the early contractions I was having. The IV fluids and nausea med helped with my GI complaints but those contractions were no picnic! Finally, the lab results came in alright and my OB doctor ordered meds to stop the contractions then discharge I could go. That worked but I still felt abdominal aches and the acid reflux feeling. Figured it was from the utterly uncomfortable gurney they put me in for those 5 hours (poor Dave though had a chair!). I wanted to go home to my comfy recliner so I didn't complain anymore. I was discharged and Dave and I managed to get in a little more than a couple of hours sleep until the kids woke up. Of course, I missed work but Dave's a trooper and went in to work his swing shift. My Mom came over this morning to help me with the kids while I rest. Hurray!

Teacher Appreciation Week

I don't remember where I saw it now, but this week is suppose to be Teacher Appreciation Week. Since Dave's a teacher now, I thought we'd have a cake for him (hey, any excuse for chocolate fudge cake is always welcomed!). So, when he got home from his class today we enjoyed this cake with him. Sophia was napping so she missed out, but no doubt she'll get a taste later. --- We appreciate you Honey!

Of course we didn't forget David's teachers. We got them a dozen large muffins to enjoy. We certainly appreciate them and all those of you teachers out there inspiring and working hard for our children. We love and appreciate you all!

Picking Up The Slack

I've been very moody and lazy lately... I excuse as pregnancy related. My temper is awfully short, I cry about everything, and been incredibly sluggish. My poor family have been suffering the consequences. The kids being kids run around, make lots of noise, and make messes. I react with yelling so that leads to them crying which means more noise and I end up crying myself! I can't get comfortable lying on my bed so I sleep on a recliner so I miss my husband and that drives me emotional. I'm still on that stage of wanting to be held often and there's just not enough room for the both of us in that chair! Don't get me wrong, we have our moments but there's nothing like lying with your spouse every night. So there by myself at night I think crazy thoughts. I feel lonesome, emotional, and go off thinking my marriage is in crisis! After all, Dave has been picking up the slack. I tire so easily and feel blah often that he does everything that I should be doing. He does the laundry, picks up things off the floor, get David ready in the morning, take the kids for a walk, etc ... plus maintain the yard, go to two jobs, and do errands left and right. He is so active that I look lazy. I feel that he got the short end of the marriage stick. I certainly don't iron his shirts very well, my cooking could be tastier, be a better housekeeper, etc. If I'm not careful he might leave me! No, it's really not that bad. I'm just wishing to have more energy so he doesn't have to pick up the slack. I need to get myself in shape. My goal is to be super mom and wife like my friends Chanel, Lora, and Karyn.

In my defense, I do manage to do some things. I keep up with the toilets (my pet peeve ... it has to be clean!), home cook meals 3x/day as often as I can, get kids to activities, eventually get to washing and clearing the dishes, get the kids spiritually fed in church, etc. And really this third trimester has been rough on my body and spirit. The sciatic nerve pain, leg cramps, back pains, GI discomforts (gas, heart burns, abdominal aches), pelvic pain (so walking is torture!), restless nights, etc. leaves me crying and tired. My see-sawing moods breaks my spirit. But even through all of this, I do realize that the end result is great. Little Steven will be born and will bring blessings into our family.

David Sings

David's class along with another put on a special singing program for the elderly at Plymouth Village (OK, if I need to go to a facility when I'm old --put me there!). The kids were awesome! They were adorable and really were a delight to all those who watched. I'm sooooo bummed that I forgot my camcorder. I did have my camera but it did not capture the setting very well. Anyway, here's a few shots.

David with one of his good buddy, Matthew


Sophia proud of her big brother