We Made It!

It feels like we have been in school forever... oh wait we have. Kev has been attending some type of school since we got married, almost 10 years ago. (Allow me to brag for a minute) Well this last Thursday, September 2, 2010, Kev graduated from the Physician Assistant program through the US Army, along with another Bachelors and Masters from the University of Nebraska. I'm so extremely proud of him and his efforts in accomplishing this. He has worked really hard. It is official that we will be East coasters for the next three years. Kev will be with the 82nd Airborne Division and will be up for a deployment in a year. We are really enjoying North Carolina, even though it is really far from family and friends. It was really nice that Kev's parents could come and celebrate with us.

Swearing in as an Officer

Marti and I pinning on Kev's 1Lt rank

The kids congratulating their Dad

Sweet moment

Yeah!

Not only did we celebrate a graduation but we also celebrated Benjamin starting Kindergarten. He was so excited and so ready to start. Ryley also started second grade this year and is enjoying it, as always. I found a K-2 primary school that I am extremely pleased with, next year will be interesting though.

Ryley- 2nd Grade

Benjamin- Kindergarten

Why did God make Mothers?

I got this cute email with these questions that were answered by 2nd graders and thought I'd ask my kids and post their responses. (I didn't prompt any of their answers and will write them as they said it)

Why did God make mothers?
Ben: To take care of thems kids
Ryley: Because if you don't have moms, kids would be the ones to rule the world.

How did God make mothers?
Ben: With magic
Ryley: Um, took a spirit and some dead bones and then they came to earth to be a mom.

What ingredients are mother's made of?
Ben: Um, Apples and Banannas
Ryley: Sugar

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mother?
Ben: Because thems not Mayberry's
Ryley: Because you choose them in heaven

What kind of a little girl was your mother?
Ben: A baby (like Ethan)
Ryley: A naughty little girl, like me (she added the "like me")

What did your mom need to know about your dad before she married him?
Ben: A kiss?
Ryley: That he wasn't a bad guy

Why did your mom marry your dad?
Ben: Because, so they can be a mom and dad
Ryley: Because she loves him

Who's the boss at your house?
Ben: your mom and dad
Ryley:mom and dad(we have this conversation everyday around here because other people, the above mentioned children, try to to fill our roles)

What's the difference between moms and dads?
Ben: Because thems not the same size
Ryley: Dads have short hair and moms have long hair

What does your mom do in her spare time?
Ben: Has a baby
Ryley: Clean the house

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
Ben: put band aids on hers belly(I'm hoping it is in response to his answer from the question above)
Ryley: love, you have enough love

Brothers

I couldn't resist sharing this cute video. Here is one of Ben's sweet moments, he is very happy to have a brother. I just hope they're good buddies when they are older.

Four, Four, Four, Four

I know I say this with every birthday that my children have, but I can't believe Benjamin is really FOUR. This little boy is such a joy to have in our family. Here are some things I really want to remember... This last year has been so fun for us because Ben has grown up so much. He wasn't hardly talking this time last year so we've really got to see him turn into a little man. He hates it that I call him my little man. He says, "Mom, I'm not a man, I'm a boy." He is so loving with his sisters and enjoys helping around the house. He is pretty well natured (like his dad) but can be quite sensitive (whines and cries) if something doesn't go his way. This little boy has the biggest heart and is so considerate of others (He reminds me of his uncle Ben). We're excited that we'll have a new baby boy soon and know Ben will be such a good big brother. Happy Birthday Little Ben!

Ben decided he wanted to go bowling for his birthday
and he actually won with a score of 110.

Way Overdue

These two have grown up way to fast! Ryley will be 6 yrs old in May and Benjamin turns 4 yrs old this month.

Well my 'nesting' stage has finally kicked in and I'm on a mission to get things done (When I'm not absolutely exhausted). Because I don't have enough to do already, I took the kids for pictures this last week. They haven't had pictures done since I was pregnant with Olivia. (Ryley almost 4 and Ben almost 2) My sanity couldn't handle all three so Olivia will have her turn this Saturday. I've also managed to get all three into the dentist. Now I just have to get this house whipped into shape and we can have a baby! We only have about 20 days left.

*Note to the Grandmas and Siblings: You'll get a copy once I get Olivia's pictures back.

Early Birthday Present

Kevin decided for his birthday this year he would take the kids on a Dad date. Last year Ryley got to go to Princesses On Ice with me. So when we saw that Monster Jam was coming to town we couldn't pass it up. Ben LOVED it and couldn't get enough. Ryley was more concerned about the family they were sitting next to and should have stayed home. Either way they had a blast and enjoyed the fact that they got their Dad to themselves.

One down, and many, many to go

It seems like everything has changed and extremely fast. Shortly after we arrived we accomplished the remaining two things on Ben's list.

Our plan was to let Ben have his pacifier until after we made the 15 hour drive to Texas. We tried just taking them away but I was too weak and he was to convincing of his need for them. So Kev suggested that we cut them. This worked out brilliantly. (Mark that one down Kev, it doesn't happen often that we agree on things like this) He did have four pacifiers, so over two weeks we would cut one and explain that he had chuped all the chup out of it. This stopped him from using then during the day. I hid one away so Kev couldn't cut it so he would sleep through the night. My efforts didn't last long, Kevin found the last one and cut it. When Ben realized they were all broken he simply stated that they were no longer needed and he threw then away. We did have a few nights of him waking up wanting them and he gets up much earlier now, but life must go on.

The final thing, that I must admit also worked out fabulously, was potty training Ben. I have held off on this, terrified that it would be really hard. I've always heard boys are harder. Ryley was so easy to potty train that I was almost convinced to just wait till Ben was five to avoid the disaster stories. I do believe that waiting was the key. Ben is 3 1/2 and so it was a little old for him not to be potty trained but all it took was 2 weeks. He has only and a couple accidents and the best part is that he just gets it. I think him being older made all the difference.

The one changing the most though is my, not so little, Ryley. She started school, rides the bus (and has made it clear that I don't need me to walk her to the bus stop) and has lost her first tooth!

I couldn't hardly believe it when she said her tooth was loose but sure enough it was. She played with it for about a week and a half and then Kev and I convinced her to pull it. I was afraid she'd swallow it or lose it at school and then she'd be so sad that she couldn't give it to the tooth fairy. She let out one good scream and Kev had it out in no time. She was laughing immediately because she realized it didn't hurt. She found two dollars under her pillow from the lovely tooth fairy and can't wait until they all start falling out. It shouldn't be to long she already has two that are loose.

Where has the time gone, she is growing up way to fast!

What my life will soon be like

I so wanted to break out the crib tonight! Kevin left this morning on TDY (temporary duty) and won't be back till Thursday. It has been quite a while since Kev's gone anywhere and my patience was not very long lived today.

Ben's been struggling with getting to sleep at night because he's still taking naps. He isn't really that tired at 7:30pm when they go to bed, if he naps for 2 hours in the afternoon. This is always a sad day. I had to stop giving Ryley naps for this exact reason. With Ben and Ryley being in the same room this is a big issue. Ryley is very ready for bed a 7:30pm but can't go to sleep with Ben throwing things at her and constantly asking if she is still awake. If she doesn't fall asleep before 8pm then she's up by 5:15am. (Which is way to early for me) If she does fall asleep before 8pm then she'll sleep till about 6:45am. Needless to say I was up at 5:15 am this morning and Ben is not going to bed any time soon. He's gotten out of bed a couple of times and I'm at the point of putting the stinking crib back up! I'm trying to brace myself for the days that lie ahead with Kevin starting school.

Trip to the Fire Station

The mom's from our church ward got together and went to the fire station for a tour. Ben was so excited when I told him we were going. His thing right now is Diggers and Fire Trucks. It was good for the kids to see the truck up close and the fireman all dressed up.

Ryley and Ben enjoyed putting on the captain's hat. They also let the kids shoot the fire hose and then they got to climb up in the truck and check things out. Ben is trying to decide what he wants to be now when he grows up. It's a toss up between a race car driver and a firefighter. He asked me if Uncle Ben was a fireman, maybe trying to sway his decision.

One Down, Two to Go

As I mentioned before, there where three things about Ben that I hope to accomplish before the year is over. I have mixed feelings about it, but yesterday we moved Ben into a big boy bed. We've been telling him that as soon as Uncle Ben brought down his new bed we could put the crib away. Every time we go to Kev's parents he sleeps in a regular bed just fine. He's my good sleeper so I wasn't so concerned about that, I just like the fact that he was confined. I was planning on waiting until we moved but before I could get it out Kevin and Uncle Ben had started taking the crib down, and little Ben was way to excited. I think it made it a little extra special that his Uncle Ben was the one who brought the bed to him. (Thanks Mom and Dad for the beds!)

He's done really well. I've threatened his life if he gets out of bed once the lights are out and he usually sleeps through the night so that hasn't been an issue. He a little afraid of the dark so I don't think he'll make the trek across the house to my room even if he does wake up.

The down side is that if he slightly stirs or wakes up a little bit, then he is up because he can get down now. Before if he was still sleepy he'd just roll over and go back to sleep. It's time for my sweet boy to start growing up and hopefully when the newness wears off he'll start sleeping till 8am again.

Trip to the Teeth Tickler

Being the bad mother that I am, I finally got Ryley and Ben into see the dentist. We went ahead and found a Pediodontist (someone who specializes in children) to avoid any issues. I was prepared for the worst, I even made Kev take the morning off so I wouldn't have to go at it alone. The kids did amazingly well. Ryley had x-rays and Ben cooperated completely. No cavities and I'm happy.

But I did have some issues with the dentist. He was an extremely nice man and wonderful with the kids. He's a little on the older side which is nothing to worry about but they can be a little extreme about certain things, in my opinion. Excuse me but here is where my soap box rant will begin...

I was honest in filling out the paper work and put that Ben still has a pacifier. I don't feel bad about this at all and know it is completely because of me and continues because I'm weak. So as he's looking at Ben's mouth he states that it must go now, no questions asked and that it is screwing up his teeth/bite. He was very intense about it, as though I was harming my child in some way. I politely agreed and played along knowing full well it would happen when we were both ready for it to happen. (Ben and I)

Being familiar with the dental world, I know many opinions on this subject and am therefore not to worried about how this is ruining Ben's bite. In fact Ryley's teeth show no sign of using a pacifier and she had hers until she was three and a half. (He commented on how nice her bite was but that she had lots of crowding) The thing that was funny to me is that he commented on how large my children's baby teeth where and mentioned that if their adult teeth were the same that crowding would be an issue for them and braces a must. So if I'm going to be paying for braces, regardless, why the heck does it matter if I wait till it is convenient for me to toss the pacifier!

I'm sure you ask why I don't just toss it and be done, well here is my excuse... Ben loves his sleep, always has. And if you recall Ryley is the complete opposite. For three years now Ben takes about a 3 to 3 1/2 hour nap in the afternoon and sleeps from 7:30 pm until 8am or longer. Granted he's also in a crib but remains content even if he's not asleep the whole time. I know darn well that if I was to take his pacifier away he'd give up naps. If you disagree have a chat with my lovely friend Amy. He needs his naps as much as I need him to still take them.

As we're leaving the dental office Kevin continues to reiterate what the doctor said about how his pacifier needed to go in the trash. Ben agrees and is happy as can be. (He's three remember) Kevin seems to think that this is the end of it, case closed. He'd simply throw it in the trash, never want it again and continue sleeping peacefully.

Being the calm and collected individual that I am I begin to get irritated and the whole issue. It really bothers me when people try to tell me how to parent my children, and by bothered I mean enrages me. I'm all up for suggestions, in fact I take them quite well but when people start talking matter of fact, like there is no other way my ears shut off and I no longer care to hear what you have to say. This is simply because I have little self confidence as a mother to begin with and don't need anymore second guessing that I don't already give myself! I believe you have to do what works for you, if it's not broke don't fix it.

I explained to Kevin that we couldn't just take it away and be done with it. We had to at least replace it with something that he could transfer his attachment to. We went to Target and let him pick out a toy and where on our way home. It was nap time and so we explained again that his pacifier was in the trash and that he had this awesome toy so he could sleep. Kev laid down for a nap, Olivia was already down and Ryley was having her quiet time. I thought I would try a steal a little kip myself. Ben, being tired began to whine and cry. Trying to be strong in this new movement I went in and explained that he had his new toy, he was tired and needed to lay down and go to sleep. He handed me the toy and stated that he didn't want it anymore and asked for his pacifier. I obliged the sweet boy and took the toy back and gave him his pacifier. I told you I'm weak. Kev woke up from his nap and tried to say he was right all along and then I told him I gave in. This is a battle that Kev knows to approach with care. We put him to bed without it and by 10:45pm the crying and whimpering had pushed me over the edge. Heck, I knew I'd be up in 2 hours anyways with Ryley and needed some sleep! The boy was out within seconds.

Ben still uses his pacifier for bed time, whether it be nap or night time. He is no longer allowed to have it when we're just hanging out (this was my weak area) and has a cool new toy to 'pacify' that time. In due time the sweet boy will move to a big boy bed, toss his pacifier and learn how to use the toilet but for now we're doing just fine.

Birthday, Birthday, Birthday

Today Benjamin turned three and we are so happy to have such a sweet boy in our home. He is a lot like his dad, pretty mellow and quite pleasant to be around. You can tell he has Ryley as an older sister though, his devious ways leak out every once in awhile. Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!

March 14, 2005

(A few minutes old)

March 14, 2008

(3 yrs old)

I've started telling our kids their 'birth' story on their birthday, Ryley and Ben sure get a kick out of it. For journal purposes I'm going to record how his birth went down, so feel free to skip this part. At the rate I'm going I may not remember all the details much longer.

I was 37 1/2 weeks pregnant and miserable. I was swollen really bad and had been into the hospital twice already for the swelling in my feet. It was a Friday, my brother Ben had just flown back to Virginia from a visit home and I had started itching everywhere, really bad. It started in my hands and arms, then my feet and legs and next was my belly. I managed to suffer through it until Sunday night and then I had had enough. The only thing that would make it stop was a cold shower. I was up pretty much all night, in and out of the shower and finally called the on-call doctor at 3 am. I waited and waited and got no call back. I knew, from my doctors appointment the previous Thursday, that my doctor was on call Monday morning. So I waited it out until 6 am and called, explaining I couldn't take the itching any more and that something had to be done. The medical assistant said she'd get my chart and have Dr. McClusky call me right back.

In the mean time Kev had gotten up and gone to work. (He happened to be on spring break) I got a call back from my doctor around 7am stating that she had looked at my blood work from my earlier visits to the hospital and that I needed to come in immediately. Apparently the uncontrollable itching was from the blood in my body becoming toxic. So I called Kev at work and asked if he would come home so we could get to the hospital. Not knowing how fast I'd have the baby and not having anybody to take Ryley, we made the decision for me to go to the hospital and Kev would wait for my mom to drive down, who was also on spring break.

So when I got to the hospital I hung out most of the day in triage so they could take my blood every couple hours and see what was going on. I finally made it to a labor and delivery room around 3pm. The plan was to induce me since my blood was continuing to get worse. I was no where ready to have a baby so I had to start with the gels. Kev got to the hospital around 4:30 and we just hung out. My blood pressure was really high and they wouldn't even let me sit up in bed. My contractions where getting pretty strong and all I wanted to do was get out of bed or into a more comfortable position but the nurses where adamant that I stay in bed flat on my back unless I had to use the restroom. This had continued on until about 9pm and then I told Kev I couldn't do it anymore. I was only dilated to 4cm and had at least twelve more hours until I was close to delivering a baby. I wanted an epidural if this nonsense was going to continue. Just as I was saying that my doctor came in and said she had some bad news. She suspected I had what is called HELLP Syndrome and the only way to stop it is to deliver the baby. I really, really did not want to have a c-section and asked if I could continue with an epidural and have this baby the regular way. She was very hesitant and recommended that we not wait any longer and just do the c-section. She said that the blood tests showed my liver enzymes where increasing rapidly and if we waited to long I could be in liver and other organ failure. She then left the room to give us a minute to talk it over. We called Ralph to ask what he thought and decided that the concerns Dr. McClusky was having where valid and we should proceed with the c-section. It was just after 9:30 when Dr. McClusky had came back to the room to explain the procedure, the nurse then called the OR and asked them to prep for an emergency c-section. It went so fast, Ben was born at 9:50pm. He was a very healthy and big baby, for me anyways. He weighed 7 lbs 13 ozs and was really broad shouldered. They couldn't get him out of the incision at first and my doctor had said we where lucky he came by c-section because she wold have probably had to break his collar bone to get him out the natural way.

I got to hold him for few minutes in the OR and then they took him to the nursery. I was really out of it in recovery and finally got to my room around 1am. Once I got to snuggle with him and know we where both okay I was completely happy.

Kevin and I both had brothers serving over seas in the War on Terrorism and found it fitting to name our son after them. So Benjamin David Mayberry was born on March 14, 2005 at 9:50pm.

Reclaiming Territory

Last night I made a huge step and moved Olivia out of our room. Kevin has only been asking for a year now when we can have our room back. This was well overdue but problematic. Ryley doesn't sleep through the night (and as a result had waken Livi up in past experience) and Ben is the best sleeper ever that I didn't want to mess up a good thing. So I had the dilemma of where to put the baby. After much hesitancy, Ryley now has a roommate, her sweet little brother and Olivia has taken up residence in Ben's old room. The first night went well, Olivia is getting use to a new room and a crib, (she's been confined to a pack n' play for a year) and Ben slept through Ryley's craziness. It's off to a good start, but I'm not holding my breath!

Also, by the first of next week I'm going to put my blog private. So if there are any readers out there that haven't emailed me yet, this is your chance. Cheers.

Where Did The Time Go

So it has been forever since I've posted. I finally finished some old posts and will make an attempt to catch up to the end of our year. Most of December was dealing with sick kids. Both Ryley and Ben had pneumonia. As usual I waited until the last minute to do my Christmas shopping and we had crazy plans to travel for Christmas and a wedding. All in all it was a busy two weeks but we survived. I'll try to highlight all the events, but for now I'll leave you with how most of my days were like in December. (The kids had to have breathing treatments every four hours, and Ben also had a double ear infection, fun times.)

Twins

One might say in Kevin's family that it is common to see twins in a family, but years apart. In example, Kevin and his brother Scott are pretty darn close. When our kids are younger they some times have trouble telling them a part. Then there is Dave and Steven. Well, it seems that Ben and Olivia are following in the pattern. There are definitely times when I have to blink twice because Olivia is so Ben.

Need A Glue Stick?

Ryley has been on a streak of tattling and it has been difficult to teach her when it is appropriate. I've tried to explain that I don't need to know about every little thing Ben does and that the only time to tell on someone is if they are doing something that may harm them or others. Well Ryley came through for me the other day. I was in the bedrooms putting laundry away when Ryley burst in and yelled, "Mom, Ben just used the glue stick for chap stick and it's all over his lips!" In all of her drama I had to reassure her that he would be okay and that we could simply wipe it off. Ben was very upset that I had to wipe off his "chap stick". The photo is his show of refusal that it had to come off.

Here are the kids showing off their new shades (notice my flash sensitive child even with the sunglasses).

Oh what a day!

Sometimes I wonder if the world is out to ruin my days. It especially tends to come on full throttle when Kev isn't home.(He was out playing Army in the desert tonight)

So Kev leaves tonight at the best time possible, dinner, and I'm left to do the dinner/ bed time routine solo. I manage to get Ryley and Ben dinner and get a bottle warming for Olivia. Side note: My other children refused to take bottles so I've started trying to get Olivia use to the idea and the only time she seems to be a willing participant is in the evenings. Things are well the kids are eating and time for the bottle, Olivia refuses and I find it's due to a dirty diaper that is running down both our legs. Once that is changed I help the other two finish dinner and decided to bathe them. Both kids are dressed and ready for bed by 6:30pm and I smirk thinking I might actually have these kids in bed on time!

I attempt the bottle one more time and release Ben and Ryley to trash my already trashed house. Teeth are brushed, books are read, I haven't completely lost it yet and we are off to bed. But as I enter Ben's room I step in something mushy. I've learned and as I pick it up I move it slowly to the nose to realize that it is...Oh yes, POOP! To my delight Ben has blown out and is off to the bath once again.(Mind you this is Ben's second blow out of the day, the first was in his cloth swim diaper) If the moment of trying to find any remaining poop and keeping Ben contained in the tub wasn't crazy enough, Olivia throws a curve ball in. As I'm washing the poo off my hands Olivia belts out a scream that only happens when she is seriously hurt, I leave Ryley to guard Ben from exiting the tub, run to the other room to find Olivia with the pacifier stuck half way in her mouth.(I couldn't find her normal pacifier, and had grabbed a different one than normal to pacify her while I got the kids in bed) I didn't think this was possible even looking at the situation but yet she was besides herself. I try to calm her enough that Ryley can console her while I clean up the poo boy and mess. Needless to say an hour and fifteen minutes later Ryley and Ben are in bed, and Olivia was on her way down. I finally get dinner at 9pm and a shower at 10pm and Kev will be home just in time for bed.

At the days end I find myself looking for my white surrender flag. I share this now knowing that some day it will bring a smile to my face.

Partners In Crime

Ryley and Ben are finally getting to the age where they play pretty well together. Ben is quite the easy going kid... as long as he has a ball he's set. Ryley has to get her licks in why she can and is constantly teasing and antagonizing her brother. Ben's pretty patient but I'm sure the day will come when he'll realize he can push her around just has easily as she does him. Heck there is only 5lbs difference between them.

They're both pretty mischievous and when it gets quiet I know that they are up to no good. With the weather being so nice lately I've let the two of them play in the yard so I can get things done inside. Checking on them every so often leaves me to find them like this...

Of all the hard work Kevin's done on the back yard, to give the kids a place to play with lovely grass and toys and a patio to ride their bikes, they choose the mud and dirt every time! Just know that I appreciate the hard work my love.

Happy Birthday!

On this day, two years ago, we were blessed with such a special little boy. It has been so fun to have Benjamin in our lives and we look forward to the years ahead! Happy Birthday Ben!

Benjamin David
March 14, 2005

2 years