Halloween screams

The kids looked great in their costumes and were eager to trick-or-treat and get that candy! It took extra effort to get the kids ready to go and babies dressed up. They were the cutest ducks ever! We went to our neighbor Christy's house and met up with her kids Reid and Stephen. Another friend Barbara came down with her daughter Alexa and off we went. Eliana was overly enthusiastic and ran as fast as she could from door to door leaving all of us in the dust. Tristan was already grumpy because he wanted to ride in the wagon with Stephen but Alexa had climbed in first. By the end of our court Tristan had an all out tantrum...or should I say melt down?! When he gets this way I can't baby him. I gave him his options and he still chose to make a fuss so we started home and he quickly decided to shape up. He got his turn in the wagon and his mood swing was a 180 degree flip. He gets that from his daddy! I was getting very irritable after dealing with Tristan, feeling my head pound and trying to console a very unhappy Barrett. I left Eliana and Tristan with the others and took the babies home to bed. They had a great time with stories to tell. Eli asked me if next year she could go out earlier so she could come home and hand out candy. That was her favorite part. I think Tristan loved it just as much. I was a little embarrassed since they rushed to the door while they were halfway undressed and naked. They just couldn't contain themselves.

After combining all the candy from school festivals, parties, trunk-or-treat and trick-or-treating I came up with a plan. I dumped all the candy on the table and they alternated choosing one candy till they each had 20 pieces. I told them that was there candy to eat whenever they wanted except for before b-fast and after bedtime. I kept giving them warnings that if they eat too many today than they wont have any tomorrow. The best part was watching them barter and trade there candy. Now I have to salvage the good chocolate to freeze for me and dump the rest. This is VERY hard for me because I love candy. I HAVE to do it because last year I went crazy with kids expecting a treat every day for things that didn't deserve rewarding. I just need it out of the house!

SO, on to the screams...Today at church I am sitting with my very irreverent kids and extremely tired babies. I was getting a bottle out of my backpack and look down to find a COCKROACH in my backpack!!! It was hiding in the diaper sack. Ahhh...so gross! I hand off the babies and take my bag into the bathroom, remove all the contents then take out my diaper sack to unzip it and dump out the cockroach. It lands on the floor and tried to scurry away but I got it!!! squished it dead. Now I feel like I need to wash my purse.

Spiralling Downward

Last week got worse each passing day. I was running on 3-4 hours of interrupted sleep each night taking care of all 4 kids waking up in the night. Which didn't help me fight off the cold that I was plagued with. It turned into a major sinus infection. I felt like my face was going to explode! On Thursday I made apts for me and the babies to be seen. Soren did get sick and acted like he was SO miserable. He gets a cold and acts like he is being tortured. It turns out that Soren wasn't in bad shape like Barrett's ear infection and major head cold. He just had a cough and cold. Barrett is my happy go lucky kid who always puts on a happy face. I have a bad sinus infection with fluid in my ears. I couldn't breathe and I was disgusted at the nastiness that was coming out of my nose! I kept blowing out more and more and it grossed me out to think I had all that in my head. No wonder I felt like crap! To make matters worse, Elaine, Chris' mom, got sick too and ended up being in worse shape than me. Poor thing had to fly home Sat feeling miserable.

Thankfully Eli and Tristan's colds didn't last long or get too severe. Barrett and I have been getting a little better each day. The hardest part about this past week was keeping order and continuity in the house. If it weren't for Elaine my house would have been a disaster. It would have been impossible to get babysitters while I went to the Doctor and it would have been more than just the dogs feeling neglected. I am still trying to transition Eliana away from this attitude she is holding on to. She has been rude, disrespectful and a trouble maker with Tristan. I am trying to get her out of this funk!

Here is a short list of things that are driving me crazy!!

~Stalling at bedtime
~Trying to communicate to zombies in their own world
~repeating myself 15 times
~screaming
~whining
~tattling
~Eliana's defiance and Attitude
~Tristan's mood swings
~the dogs bringing in dirt all over the house
~Diesel constantly whining to go outside
~washing bottles
~changing 4 poopy diapers a day (minimum)
~getting up several times in the night
~kids not eating there FOOD!

There are so many more things I could list but I don't have the energy.

You've got to be kidding me!

The moment I think we are finally healthy and free from sickness the bomb is dropped! Sunday morning I took Eli into the clinic to treat Pink Eye. Within one day Barrett, Eliana and me all came down with a nasty cold. Runny nose, cough, sneezing. Barrett and I are the only ones with fevers. Today Tristan comes down with the cold and he is a PILL when he gets sick. I put them to bed around 8pm and Tristan started crying at 9:30. I checked on him and he couldn't breathe from congestion. He refused to take his medicine. After two days of dealing with grouchy defiant kids my patience level is very low. I pulled him out of bed and brought him into my room only to discover he has pink eye too. Thankfully, Eliana does very well when I put the ointment in her eyes. Tristan is another story completely. I told him I was getting it into his eyes whether he liked it or not. He had the choice of the easy way or the hard way. After several minutes of arguing I jumped on top of him and told him I was doing it the hard way. He screamed and said "easy way, easy way." In the middle of his tantrum Barrett wakes up for the third time since I laid him down. I had to hurry and wash my hands but by the time I got to him Grandma Elaine had already gotten up to tend him. Finally after 20 mins of battling Tristan I get some (little) into his eyes. I REALLY hope it is not that hard 4 times a day to get this stuff in his eyes.

I took a 2 hour nap today and I feel like I couldn't even enjoy it. If I were feeling normal a nap would have been energizing. But I woke up feeling awful with a 101 fever, same as when I laid down. Now Elaine is getting sick too. The only one left is Soren and since the babies share everything from food to toys to mom, he is bound to get sick too.

Our household has been plagued with sickness for 3 months. I have had brief moments of feeling better. I wish a miracle would happen and everyone would be 100% in the morning so I can send them off to school. Well, I am sure someone out there in the world is having a harder time than me. I can only do my best to keep my cool, take care of everyone and pray we will all recover fast.

Goodnight

Eliana's 5th Birthday

Preparing for Eliana's birthday was fun and exhausting. Her costume Grandma made this year was awesome. She wants to wear it all the time. There wasn't a set theme this time. She was a Renaissance princess and Tristan a Knight in shinning armor. Her cake was a flower garden. One of my good friends Lynnea Weller came over and did a 30 minute balloon twisting show. Her balloon flower basket was the best! She made all the kids wands and swords and told fun stories. Afterwards we had the kids ride on stick ponies and jousted there wands and swords into balloon hoops around the room. I made crackers, cheese and ham (homemade lunchables), a fruit tray and hot dogs for refreshments. I had a little fiasco with lighting the candles on the cake. I had locked the door to the office so little ones wouldn't get into things. When I couldn't find my lighter or matches to light the candles we tried to get one out of the office but then realized that the key to unlock the door was in the office along with the micro screw drivers. I couldn't find anything to unlock the door or light the candles. My friend Jill ran next door to get a lighter as the kids were getting impatient. It was well worth the effort to light the candles. It took her 5 blows to get all 5 candles out. Opening the presents is always interesting with a room full of kids. I would have preferred to not open them at the party but the other kids would have been disappointed.





All in all it was a great party. The cake was the cutest and easiest I have made so far. Thankfully there is a whole year before I have to do another party for her!

No sleep for mom

So the ONE night the babies decide to sleep through the night I get up with Eliana. She was fussing around 2am then at 4am she started to cry. She had an ear ache and said she heard a noise in her ear and she had a runny nose. My kids are not prone to ear infections. I have her some Motrin and milk. She said it got better but she still heard the noise. She couldn't get back to sleep and came in my bed around 5am. I refused to let her turn on the TV but I gave in about 6am after the 50th time she woke me up to ask. My alarm was set for 6:15 to get her ready for school anyway.

Tristan...what to do about Tristan? I checked on him at 2am to get him up to pee and he had already had an accident. I have had friends tell me that their son was doing great then started wetting the bed. I have to seriously look into my options because I can not keep washing his bedding everyday and give him another bath every morning. Plus it is hurting his self confidence. A while back I paid for a 3-day potty training program. I am going to dig up my account info on that and get in touch with that lady to see if she has any helpful info. I am open to ANY advice that may be out there. Thanks!

Crazy days

This past week has been hectic. Eliana's birthday party is this Sat and so I am anxiously getting everything in order. I had a massive amount of laundry to do. One day I had 6 loads of laundry on my couch. You would think there wouldn't be anything left in our closets! Tristan has been wetting the bed almost every night...AHHHH!! I refuse to go back into pull-ups so I am constantly washing sheets. A couple days ago I told him I was going to start waking him up in the night and make him pee. He wasn't too thrilled with that idea. However, this morning when he woke up wet he blamed me and said " Mom, its all your fault! You forgot to get me up in the night to pee." So tonight I will get up with my automatic alarm clocks (babies) and make Tristan go potty.

Chris' mom Elaine arrives tomorrow for a visit from Alaska. We are all very excited for her stay. I have made arrangements for her to be in Eli's classroom on Tuesday to read a book about Alaska and she has post cards and stickers for all the kids. Then she is eating lunch with Eli at school. I still need to arrange the same thing at Tristan's school. I am going to swamp her as soon as she gets here. Friday night I will be doing last minute stuff for the party. Saturday will be crazy busy! Eli's party is 11-1pm then we will kick everyone out and I will clean up while babies and grandma take a nap. Then we are off to the church fall festival for chili cook-off and trunk-or-treat then back home to put the kids in bed and then I am off to a neighborhood Halloween party with some friends.

Well, it is 10:15 and I still need to wash bottles and sweep and mop the floors before bed. I am posting some recent pics of the kids.

Strength

I was watching an episode of the Unit tonight on the computer because my TV didn't record it at the right time. Anyway, at the end of the episode Kim says to her husband "I'm not strong enough. What do you do when you're not strong enough?" reply "You act as if you are." This really hit home with me. When ever I run out of confidence, I put on a brave face and pretend that I can do anything. I think most people live this way. At least people who want to have successful lives...most the people I know. It helps that I am surrounded by friends and family who love and support us. My strength stems from my faith in Heavenly Father and my husband who never lets a day go by without making sure I know he loves me.

SMILE-Spiritually Minded Is Life Eternal. So my intention with this post is to exude optimism. Don't let life's trials get you down.

Splash Mountain

"Come on Tristan...lets go on a roller coaster ride, Splash Mountain!"

WHO ME??

This picture just makes me laugh!

Barrett is crawling!

Barrett has been working on crawling for several weeks now. The other night he made it all the way across the kids room but he did a lot of belly flopping. Today we were at the soft play in the Savannah Mall and he crawled about 5 feet without falling. He was concentrating so hard on his coordination. Now I have to be careful about leaving him unattended for any amount of time.

LOST!

Yes, I have been lost in the chaos of my life. Exhaustion has taken over me and I have had zero motivation to get things done once I get the kids in bed and unfortunately that is the only opportunity to get things done. SO...nothing gets done. Was that a run on sentence? :)

I feel like I have jipped Soren on documenting his happenings. He now has 3 almost 4 teeth and has truly found his screaming voice just like his sister. Last time in Relief Society I almost had to take Barrett out for laughing for 20 minutes straight. It was the most hilarious thing ever and I know it was distracting for the teacher but everyone thought it was just too cute to stop. I should have taken him out but I was the adoring mom that couldn't help but love the sound of his laugh and hated to make him stop. Today Soren was my screamer in RS. He wasn't mad or upset, it is just how he voices himself. He would pipe in just as the teacher asked a question and everyone would laugh and say, yeah, Soren hit it on the nose! Thankfully they haven't become momma only boys and they let others hold them happily. I have to say that I look forward to Sundays because I have several people who come and confiscate my babies then I can send the kids off to nursery and primary for 2 hours!! One day I just wondered the halls and marveled in the quiet moment.

Both babies are very close to crawling. I would say that Barrett is there but he can't get that far yet. Soren gets caught up on his leg. Really, I haven't been pushing them because I know it will mean more effort on my part to keep up with them. I have to hurry and get the gate on Eli and Tristan's door.

I was worried again about Barrett's teeth. This one stumped the dentist but he said it doesn't look concerning and to just keep an eye on it. As you can see in the picture his very first tooth that came in perfectly normal has gotten closer and closer to the outside and the gums have thinned out and receded down to expose his whole tooth. It doesn't seem to bother him...yet.

Eliana is about to drive me crazy! I just can't stand her noise level. She is always screaming. It makes me wonder if she needs another hearing test...lol. I can tell she is bringing home attitudes she picks up at school. I have dealt with a few tantrums that are too exhausting to talk about. Tristan is adorable and nerve racking all in the same minute. He steals cookies and hides underneath the kid table. Tonight after I tucked him and and was having prayers with Eliana I saw him sneak out of the room and come back looking totally guilty. I kept asking what he did and the reply was "nothing!" After I went into the kitchen I saw his misdeed as I noticed a big chunk of cheese was missing off of the brick I hadn't put away yet. He loves to use those chompers!

Eliana and Tristan got their costumes that Grandma Elaine made this year. Eli is a Renaissance Princess and Tristan is a knight in shinning armor. She really out did herself again. Eli has practically been living in her dress since she got it. Tristan loves his armor and they role play for hours. The babies are going to be Ducks but Grandma is still working on those.

Eliana's birthday party is on the 25th. I can't believe she will be 5! Here is a copy of the invitation. Simple but pretty.

Well, I told myself that I was going to bed soon after I got the kids in bed. I just had to post since it has been so long.

WOW!! 100 posts P.S. Sickness has struck once again.

I can't believe it. I have posted 100 times. Thanks to all of my friends that check in on me. I have really enjoyed posting and using this as a journaling tool (since I never journal.) Loves to all of you!

OK I am SO tired of our household being sick. Ever since school started we have had some kind of sickness. Last night I stayed up late cleaning because a friend was coming over to watch the babies. The house looked spotless (other than dusting:) I finally laid my head down at midnight and literally seconds later Tristan started crying. I checked on him and he was burning up with 104 temp. I gave him Motrin and laid with him for a little bit. The babies started to cry and fuss. Soren was having a hard time staying asleep. Between all the kids I laid back down in my bed around 2am. Then at 3am Tristan started crying again. As soon as I opened the door he looked like he was going to throw up. I ran to him and picked him up so he would throw up on me and not all over his room. Sure enough it was all over me as I carried him to my bathroom. I kept him in bed with me and 15 mins later Barrett woke up. I sat on the couch and gave him a bottle then went back to bed with Tristan. He was still hot with 101 fever. He was too tired to take meds. Soren was up at 5am and wouldn't settle back to sleep but I knew he was still tired. I put him in the swing with baby einstein and slept for 45 mins till Eli had to get up for school. At that time I was able to give Tristan some tylenol. Soon after, everyone was up. Babies are now playing on the floor and Tristan is watching TV in my bed. I am thinking I will be totally exhausted today. maybe its good I cleaned last night so today I can just sit on my butt.

I was going to Eli's classroom to colunteer but I can't go now. I hope and PRAY that the babies don't get what Tristan has. I think I am going to ask my home teachers for some blessings.

Just TOO funny!

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Stuff, stuff and more stuff

I have been neglecting my blog lately. We have ALL been sick for 3 weeks now. Eliana brought it home from school. I have had it the worst. I guess better me than one of the kids but this is just down right miserable! I cant kick this cough and post nasal drip. Fun times in the Damato household.

So, I bought a new desk off of craigslist. I was nervous about the purchase because I had to borrow a trailer and drive an hour away to Statesboro. I thought I was SO prepared and brought blankets and ratchet straps. I guess I should have made sure I knew how to use the ratchet straps before I left the house. I felt like an idiot! I had 3 heavy duty straps and couldn't use them. Thankfully this guy had some thin rope I could use. He wasn't much help at all. Not what you would call a handyman. You should have seen me back the trailer up his long driveway. Lets just say it took me several attempts to get it right. At least I didn't run into anything. It took a whole hour for me to get out of there and back on the road. Over all I think it turned out great! I love our new desk and I got it for $250.

That night a good friend offered to come over and watch the kids so I could escape. It was awesome to be able to go out and know the kids were in good hands. The girls and I had a great time laughin' it up at dinner and then watched the Dark Knight. (AWESOME MOVIE!!) I got home around 10:45 and I wasn't very tired. It is amazing how tired I get from my nightly routine with the kids from 5-bedtime. I could feel a huge difference just by going out one night. I should have just gone to bed but I decided to put this desk together and tackle the computer. I was a little intimidated about taking the whole computer apart and then hoping to get it all back in working order. The next morning I was patting myself on the back until I realized that I didn't have Internet. What did I do wrong. The next day I was on the phone with comcast hoping they would enlighten me of my mishap and sure enough after his first question I knew what I did wrong. I had taken the splitter off and didn't have the modem connected. Simple fix and now everything is up and running.

When a woman is without a man she has to step up and tackle the manly jobs in hopes that she doesn't screw up! Yes that would be me. Thankfully the percentage of screw ups is relatively low:)

Well, I am off to watch Prison Break.

Volunteering in Eli's classroom

Today was my first day as a volunteer mom...ever! I was probably more excited than Eliana was. I was there during Center time, which is like free time to explore the classroom. When I got there Eliana was painting on a big easel. She painted her name on top then painted clouds and flowers. I was very impressed. Eliana introduced me to her friends as they came to see me. They were all so sweet. We read books, played in the kitchen and put stickers on each other. Then I was able to go outside with them while they played on the playground for a bit. I loved being able to watch Eliana interact with other kids and see how she socializes. Mrs. Drescher says Eliana is a little shy but very obedient, sweet and bright. It helps that she is one of the older kids in the classroom so she is at an advantage. I look forward to volunteering as often as I can. I have to thank my best friend Kayleen for always being willing to help out with my little ones. Her kids Zach, Jacob and McKenzie are great friends with my two.

I look forward to many years as a volunteer mom.

Scrunchy Faces!

It is wild how Barrett can go from looking like a perfect angel to a crazy baby within seconds. When he gets really excited he smiles with his whole body. He starts to wiggle and his face scrunches up. It is hilarious to me. Soren opens his mouth wide and puckers in his lips like an old man with no teeth. I couldn't get a good picture of it but these are just as silly. My boys...one minute they are cute and cuddly adorable little creatures then they turn into wild, crazy faced babies. Gotta love them for it. They make me smile all day long.

Finally Soren has his first tooth!

Soren is now 8 1/2 months old and finally has his first bottom left tooth. IT really caught be off guard. I guess it's because he never lets me look in his mouth. I am guessing his other 3 teeth will come in fast now. They are all a little swollen. I was wondering what was wrong with him because he has been waking up more in the night just crying. I thought he might be getting this sickness that I have but I am much happier that it was just teething. Barrett still has that Eruption cyst on the bottom. IT has been about 6 weeks. We are just waiting it out. I am busy busy busy...gotta run.

Books from Dad

Have I mentioned that our dad is the BEST?! The kids got a package from him filled with books and a DVD of him reading to the kids. What a treat! We all loved seeing dad on the big screen and interacting with the kids. Eliana turned through all the pages as her daddy read to her. Tristan tried to keep up with where daddy was reading but had a harder time. I am going to play him every day to the babies so they will know his voice and his face when he comes home.



The USO has all these donated new/used books and the program is called United Through Reading. Chris picks the books, reads them to us then sends them our way. In turn I send him pictures and video of the kids watching and reading with dad. This is just one more way the kids can stay connected with their daddy.

What a STINK!

I feel SOOOO guilty. I have been wondering why my boys have had upset tummies and why their spit up has smelled absolutely horrid. I thought they may have had a reaction to the bull frog sun screen i loaded on them yesterday or that they might be sick. I gave them two baths yesterday because the smell was unbearable! I finally figured it out when I was sucking on the nipple to get the milk to come up from the bottle straw and got a taste of their milk. I wanted to gag right then. The formula was rotten!! I opened the can and took a whiff and almost barfed again. The smell was THAT bad. Why hadn't I figured it out 2 days ago when I opened that can of formula? I thought there reluctance to eating was from the new bottle. Then they just tolerated it all day today without a peep. I can't imagine drinking one tiny sip of what I have been feeding my babies. I use Parents Choice Sensitive from walmart. The use by date is May of 2011. I called walmart to make sure I could take it back and get a new one and to tell them they need to find out if there have been any other complaints about that lot of formula. They need to find all the formula from that lot and check a few cans to see if it is all bad. Anyway...I feel dumb that I didn't figure this out sooner. Even after two feedings of good formula their tummies are still churning. I hope they feel better soon.

Eliana threw a fit this morning when I woke her up for school. As soon as I woke her the first words she uttered were "Umf...I never get to go FIRST!" She must have said it 100 times in 30 minutes. I tried to convince her of all the things she gets to do first but I had no success. I offered to say a quick prayer with her so she will feel happy today an not worry about who is first in life. She folded her arms and listened patiently then said "I don't feel better yet!" I said that it takes a little time for moods to change. I also told her that going first isn't always the best. That doing something for the first time can be scary and it is easier to watch others do things first. AND if she always insisted on going first that she would have a hard time keeping friends because her friends would never have a chance to go first and that would make them sad. IT took about 5 minutes for her to forget about her little rant. THANKFULLY! She was driving me nutty!

Podee bottle straw

These are the best things ever! Now when I need to feed two hungry babies I can just give them the bottle straw and post on my blog like I am doing right now:) I can't wait to see how they will help my life while I am out shopping or running around. YEA!!

quibbling twins

The boys are starting to interact a little more with each other. Soren is a thief! He will reach over into Barrett's lap and take all of his toys. Because Barrett is so laid back he sits until he gets bored then flops onto his tummy for a different adventure. So today I got a little story line going with some pics.

Give me that book!


No way man...that's MY book!


Let's ditch the book and play together.

Dude! I didn't say bite me!


Lets just chill out and watch some Baby Einstein bro.

A wet nap!

We had a play date with Kayleen's kids at the pool today. Unfortunatly it was during the babies nap time. Barrett had his bottle while floating in his ladybug and crashed out. He was dragged around the pool and had screaming kids right next to him for a full hour. That baby can sleep through anything! Soren wanted nothing to do with sleep. He never wants to miss out on any fun to be had. When we got home I started dinner, bathed the babies and put them in their highchairs for sweet potatoes and turkey. (yummy baby food:)) Soren cried the entire time from exhaustion. I put him to bed at 6:45. I really hope he stays asleep through the night.

Barrett's eruption cyst

My poor little Barrett has been teething like crazy. 4 weeks ago he cut his first bottom tooth. The one just next to it looked like it would break through as well but it hasn't. In fact, it has gotten swollen and turned a purplish blue color. My good friend Kayleen's hubby is a dentist and I sent him some pictures of Barrett's mouth. He said it looked like an eruption cyst. So I immediately look it up online and sure enough all the symptoms fit. They say it is fairly common and should resolve on its own. But it has been 3 weeks now. I might call my dentist to see what he has to say.

Online definition:
Eruption cyst/eruption hematoma is a fluctuant, fluid cyst which may appear 2-3 weeks prior to the eruption of a tooth. As the tooth emerges, the cyst may be blood filled and appear blue to purple in color (eruption hematoma). Eruption cysts and eruption hematomas are usually asymptomatic and resolve with eruption of the tooth. The lesions should not be incised as this may increase the potential for infection.

So little guy also has his two top teeth coming in. His top right was a little bloody as I could see the gum breaking for the tooth. The other top tooth will appear any day too. It is not like my twins to cry very much unless something is bothering them. Barrett will be sitting happily then in an instant start to ball his head off. I just feel bad for him. Teething can't be fun at all!

I found this idea on Ashtons web page. I hope this works! :)

Here are the directions:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments. C'mon now, anything funny, strange, cool, embarrassing, or awful you remember about me?? This could be interesting...

Ok, I have lost a little accuracy while typing. I am fast but I have lots of typos. That is why I LOVE spell check.

42 words

Speed test

A swinging good time

It was an interesting week at our house. Without going into all the details Eli and Tristan were sick with fever and Barrett is going through a phase of fighting sleep. So after being cooped up for a while we all needed to escape the house. We went to J.F. Gregory park to feed the ducks and turtles and play at the park. It was the first time I put the babies in swings. They LOVED it! They must have swung for 40 mins while the kids were playing. It was a good time for all of us and a much needed escape.

"Do you know why?"

This is the phrase I hear about 30 times a day from Eliana. She will make a statement about something and then ask the infamous question. "I had a good day at school. Do you know why?" "My favorite color is yellow. Do you know why?" etc. etc...It is great to watch my kids go through these phases of learned and communicating. At times I think "could you please stop saying the same thing over and over again!" Then I have to remind myself that she will only be 4 years old for another 2 months. Then she will be 5 then 6 and then before I know it she will be a teenager. So I have to treasure every moment I get to observe my children growing and hope that I can always contribute in a helpful, loving and positive way.

I love my children. Many times when I am out in public with all 4 of my kids people will make comments like "Oh, I feel sorry for you" or " I wouldn't want to be you." That isn't as common as "whew, you have your hands full." I simply say "It is great being me." I have been blessed with beautiful children who are precious, loving, fun, smart and always entertaining. My babies are always so happy. They rarely cry and I keep waiting for the day they will act out in public or give me a hard time while driving around. They are little angels, sweet as could be. So YES, I love being a mother of 4.

I wonder what Eli or Tristan will start saying next? Whatever it is, I am sure they will make me smile.

One step closer to ITALY!!

I just LOVE our AMX sky miles card. Thanks to all our everyday spending we have two first class tickets to Italy for 3 weeks next May. YEAH!!!! This will probably be our one and only get away without the kids for a romantic adventure. I am looking forward to Chris being my tour guide as he takes me to the places he served on his mission and meet the families he still keeps in touch with. In Rome we have a beautiful place to stay thanks to his friend Monica. I have always been enchanted with Italy since I was a little girl. I lived there from age 2-6 but I only remember the little neighborhood we lived in and the lemon tree we used to climb. I have other memories of our travels as a family. I have an amazing husband that will steal my heart all over again in the most romantic country. Every girls dream!

Can't plead innocent now can you!!!

Our new dog Bella is wonderful and is a great addition to our home. However, she came with some bad habits. She has a passion for chewing up everything and digging in the dirt. She is VERY smart and aware of her misdeeds. As soon as they come to my attention she cowers. So I show her the evidence, put her nose in it and scold her. After the MANY many times I have done this she still persists to misbehave. I am going to have to do some research online to find some good advice. I need to buy her a good chew bone to crave her fixation. I have let her stay out of her kennel a few times at night and just when I think she has finally learned the rules around here she poops or pees in the house while we are sleeping and I inevitably step in it while I am wondering in the dark taking care of babies in the night. So she is restricted to her kennel at night. She used to sneak into the kids room and sleep with Tristan but I had to stop that when she chewed up some stuff in their room.

SO Bella is guilty as charged and needs to shape up. Any dog trainers out there willing to give my advice?

Why I dont read many books

OK, I really do love to read but I can't do it and have my normal life function at the same time. I put off and procrastinate most everything until my book is done. The kids always demand a lot out of me so they dont get thwarted the way the household chores do. I finished Breaking Dawn in the Twilight series. Good read for me. It is low key, easy to read and has a good story line. I also enjoy the characters. So today I have lots on my agenda to play "catch-up" so I must go.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Since we are saving money for our Italy Trip Chris didn't want me to send him any thing that he would have to carry home with him. So I sent him the normal package of magazines, beef jerky and stuff from the kids. I still wanted to do something a little special for him. So the kids and I decided to throw him a party. Eli and Tristan helped mix the cake and swirl in the chocolate. After it cooled I frosted it and they decorated it with sprinkles, M&Ms, colored frosting and candles. We also made a banner and colored it to show him how much we care. I video taped our little party for dad and sent it to him on his b-day along with lots of pictures. Thankfully he loved it! I am extremely grateful for modern technology that allows us to communicate half way across the world with those we love. Chris treated himself to a rootbeer and a small ice cream. He hadn't had either one since he's been in Iraq. Then he got to fly. So a fairly good day for a soldier on his birthday in Iraq.

Our daddy's the BEST!

Barrett
Eliana
Soren
Tristan

It is times like this morning that crushes my heart. My sweet little boy Tristan woke up and said "good morning mommy. I miss my Daddy!" " I know baby. He is going to call this morning and you can talk to him." "I want to see his body" "Me too, me too. We just have to remember all the fun times we shared with daddy while he was here with us and before you know it he will be back home, holding you in his arms and wrestling with you on the floor. Be brave, keep remembering and loving him." "OK mommy, I will be brave!"

He makes a comment about missing his dad daily. It is difficult for him to understand why dad is away and can't come home to him. It is so sad and unfortunate that Chris has to be away from his family. To miss out on so many milestones and creating memories. However it is a time to teach our children about daddy's job and how important it is that he serves our country with honor. Despite any political views people may have, my husband is a patriot. He loves and serves our nation without complaint and does the best he can. He is our hero and we love him. So we will trek forward in our lives and face the hurtles while he is away.

We miss you Chris, DADDY! We will be strong and brave until you come home. We hope you can feel our hugs all the way across the world.
LOVE, Damato family

Cutest faces you've ever SEEN!

Soren and Barrett are getting the hang of sitting up. I coudn't resist taking pictures. They were being so smiley and fun. I got some great video of Barrett sounding like a Bear and talking. Then when they were both sitting together Barrett reached over to hug Soren and took him down. Barrett thought it was funny but Soren wasn't so pleased about it.

True to his name (Barrett)

Barrett is discovering sounds. He is constantly talking all day long. Some of his new sounds are a gargling noise, baba, nana and my favorite is his BEAR noise. He growls all the time. Eliana calls him Brother Bear. He is such a delight. His demeanour is always pleasant and he looks as though he is cooking up brilliant ideas in that little brain of his. He is definitely my introvert compared to Soren but everyday I see more of his personality shine. Such fun to have these twins and watch them grow together.

Soren slept through the night

Yes, my little guy fell asleep at 7:30pm and I had to wake him up this morning at 6:45am to take Eli to the bus stop. I thought he would be crying and desperately hungry but he woke up with smiles and happiness. I had to question myself on who I gave a bottle to at 1am. But I remember it was the baby with snaps and Soren had on zipper jammies. I know this is just a teaser! Whenever they sleep long or do something great the next day is always a let down. But I will take it when I can get it.

Tantrums

We have been talking about how Grandma and Grandpa are leaving in a few days and the kids are getting sad. We stopped by the DEERS office to see if they were busy so my mom could get a new card. As soon as my parents stepped out of the truck Tristan threw the BIGGEST EVER tantrum. "I want to go with them!!" If I was smart I would have called after them to wait but I new they were coming right back because it would be busy. Sure enough they were back as soon as they left but Tristan was screaming his head off. I mean WOW, I have never seen a tantrum like this one before. I had to pick him off the floor of the truck. He wouldn't sit in his seat. Kicking and screaming. I finally got him buckled in and mom had to put her hand over the red button so he couldn't undo himself again. Finally after a while he stopped the screaming but he was still just as upset. He said he wanted g-ma and g-pa to leave right now! He acted out this same way when Daddy was leaving. He doesn't know how to express his feelings about people leaving him.

There was no reasoning with him this time. We were all out of the truck going to the water park and he wouldn't get out. Mom decided to stay with him until he was ready. After he realized I wasn't coming back for him he gave in to moms bribe. She said he must be getting hot in there and offered to get him a nice cold Dr Pepper. (she knows the way to his heart...haha). He was still a pill for most of the day. The water park was disappointing. The sprinkler park was shut down and so was the slide due to a wasp's nest that had recently been destroyed and a life guard had been bit. After several upset people complaining about it not being open they finally opened it right before we were leaving. We went down the slide several times and in the sprinklers for 5 mins. I was also upset because they wouldn't' allow the babies red floaties in the pool. Saying they were unsafe and they had seen several flip over. Well, if you have seen these things you would know that my little 7 month olds were not going to tip these things over. So my life was extra hard at the pool with the babies. My dad was swimming and helping but he kept letting Barrett flop his face in the water so I took over. All in all we have had better days but we still managed to have a few laughs.

The kids didn't want to leave as usual. We tried to go out to Love's Sea food tonight but they are closed on Mondays. So we went out to Fatz cafe in Pooler. It is kind of like a chili's. Great food and all the kids did pretty well. Tristan actually ate 3/4s of his cheeseburger!! Amazing!

My two Dancing STARS

Eliana Loves to dance! She grabbed Tristan and said "Dance with me!" She pulled him close and then said "This is how you do it...you hold my hand out like this...and put your other arm on my back like this." It was extremely funny to see these two siblings dance like they were professionals on a show. I just know they will hate these pics when they get older.

Barrett rolled over and has a tooth!

We have been wondering who was going to roll over first. Both babies have been doing so well with moving side to side and throwing the leg over and getting SO close to rolling over but it just hadn't happened yet. This morning I was holding Soren and Barrett was hanging out on the floor watching baby Einstein. I looked over at Little Bear and he was on his tummy. I said "grandma, wasn't Barrett on his back just a second ago?" My prediction is that Barrett will be first to crawl and Soren will be first to walk. We will see how close I am.

Last Friday Barrett got his first tooth. His bottom two teeth have been swollen for several days and his bottom left broke through the gums first. Soren has been drooling for weeks but there is no sign of teeth yet. I have a good friend whose little girl didn't get her first tooth till she was 18 months old!! All I need to say about teeth is...Man, am I glad I'm not nursing anymore! :)

Jekyll Island

We had a great time today at Jekyll Island. When we got there we drove around the little island to see the sights. Then we went to lunch at a restaurant on the Pier. Tristan was behaving oddly. He didn't want to sit with us and he was going to the other side of the room and hiding under the tables on the floor. I must have tried getting him to come sit down and behave for 15 mins before I just gave up and said Whatever! No one else was sitting in the up stairs area we were in so he wasn't bothering anyone but ME. He eventually got over what ever he was feeling. Strange kid. Then we went to the Sea Turtle Center. I was surprised at how interested the kids were in the exhibits. They stayed in the small room for 30-45 mins just looking at all the turtle stuff. Then we went outside to the hospital part. It was sad to see so many turtles that had been severely injured. most by boat propellers. Jekyll Island is a habitat for sea turtles and they are everywhere. I was SO hoping to see one out on the beach but no such luck.


We finally went to the beach. We picked a perfect spot right next to the sand bar. We could walk out forever and the water was till at our ankles. Which made it perfect for the kids to play in. Eliana has reached the age where she constantly BUGS me with " Are we there YET?" The whole way down, and the whole time before we got to the beach. The beach was beautiful and hot! I went over Tristan twice with sunscreen but forgot to do Eli a second time and she got burned pretty good. Their favorite part was picking up shells and sand dollars. We must have brought home 10 sand dollars. Call us killers but they were all alive. Eliana was holding a sand dollar like it was a trophy and when Grandpa said it was alive she jumped, squealed and dropped it in the water. So funny to see. Then we were walking in shallow water when the tide was out and there were little tube like sea life sticking out of the sand. When Eli looked down and saw that she was standing on them and they looked like aliens coming out of the sand she FREAKED out and hoped up and down like a monkey. She was very scared. I pulled a few out of the sand and showed her and they are only an inch long and look like a miniature straw. She was still creped out about walking on them. Tristan LOVED playing in the water. He sat down and that was that. He laid and kicked, crawled and splashed. He and Zach had a blast playing in the mini waves. But poor Tristan got stung by something. There were jelly fish everywhere. I stepped on one and nothing happened to me but I think he may have grazed one while sitting in the water. He had a red mark on his back about an inch by 2 inches.


When we were all packed up and headed back to the truck I couldn't find me keys. I looked in all the bags, pockets of the stroller and all over the sand. I said a quick prayer. Tristan looked at me and said "mom, why are you praying?" I said sometimes it is good to pray when you need help. And I need help finding my keys so we aren't stuck here at the beach. So I was off backtracking and soon after I left mom felt prompted to look in the stroller again and found them in my short pocket. But the good part was I experienced a magical moment all to myself on the beach. The wind picked up very strong and the beach was empty of people. The wind was coming from my back and the sand was blowing so fast and strong across the beach that it looked like a soft cloud was racing by my feet. It was awesome! I wish I had my camera for the picture but I would have hated to get all that sand in my new camera.

I for sure thought the kids were going to sleep on the way home but they played I spy and other games to keep them occupied. When we got home Eliana was the one to act out from tiredness. Poor thing was mad because Tristan got the pink washcloth and she wanted it. She was crying in her bed and said " I never get pink! I've never gotten pink!" I looked at her like she was crazy and then teased her saying what color is your bed? your pj's? your blanket? etc...she started laughing and smirking because she got my point. As soon as I kissed them goodnight they were out. I am hoping for a long nights sleep.

The Silliest Soren you have ever SEEN!

I have been capturing more video to send to Chris in Iraq and I just had to share this with all my friends. I hope you laugh as hard as I did! You'll have to tell me if Soren wins the funniest baby award!

Today we celebrated Tristan's BIG BOY party. He has successfully been potty trained!! YEAH! I was still a little nervous about BM's but right before dinner tonight he went on the toilet. He was still a little hesitant and nervous but I told him my arm had magic powers and if he held onto it he wouldn't be afraid and it wouldn't hurt. It seemed to help because he later said " I pooped and mommy's magic arm helped me" kids are so funny.

The babies are practicing sitting up. Barrett has a better center of gravity but Soren has more of a desire to be sitting up. I am thinking they will be sitting on their own within a couple weeks. Probably about the same time they really get the hang of rolling over.


The dogs are doing great. Thankfully not shedding as much. Bella is going to be Tristan's best friend. She lets him climb on her, lay on her, wrestle her and more. We are fortunate to have two very well tempered dogs.

We had the missionaries over for dinner and afterwards we sat out on the patio and played with the kids on the trampoline. Tristan got a hold of the hose and wouldn't listen the million times I told him to turn off the water. I told him to take the hose out of the patio into the back yard. He kept spraying through the screen so I went out to take it away and what did he DO??? He soaked his mother! Yes, the war was on...I chased him all over the yard and took the hose and soaked his little behind. Eliana wanted to get in on the action. We were putting on a fun little show for the missionaries and the grandparents. Ahhh, fun in the summer.

Momma's boy's

I just love these guys! I know every mom thinks their little ones are the cutest ever. I just happen to think that my children got blessed with cuteness. I have no idea where they got it from! Not mom and dad for sure!

Fantistic 4

Yes, I am referring to my children. I feel like I am already falling behind on documenting all the fun happenings with my kiddos. Life has been very busy with my parents here. However, the chaos levels have greatly decreased. I have a nanny (grandma) who had stolen my babies. I am actually missing the boys because she hoards them all day. No really, she has been wonderful to take such great care of my little ones so I can spend precious time with Eliana and Tristan. My older two have been feeling neglected and were acting out. I can tell a huge difference in there attitudes with all the individual attention I have been giving them.

Eliana constantly loves on the babies. She will be thrilled when they can sit up on their own so she can be more interactive with them. Tristan is finally starting to notice the babies and be sweet to them. But his interest is very limited. He still can not tell the babies apart. He just doesn't look at there faces to identify them.

The babies are growing in size, personality and dexterity. At their 4 month check up they weren't even on the charts. In the 0%. I stopped nursing and now at 6 months they are in the 50%. They are only a couple weeks behind on rolling over. They are SO close but only spinning around and scooting on their backs. Soren desperately wants to be sitting and it kills him that he is limited. He will be running before I know it. Barrett is my happy go lucky chillin' child. I will post more about these babies later.


I have to say...my kids are great at silly faces!

Check out this blog!

I just love to read my friend Charlene's blog. She is Witty, intelligent, funny, and always has topics of great interest on her blog. I especially like her latest and EXTREMELY long post titled Pistachios and female scorpions. Trust me, you will love this read.

Busy, busy, busy!

My parents came into town on July 3rd to stay for the whole month. I had an extremely long list of projects that I wanted to do while they are here. So not only have my poor parents been slaving around the house my mom has gotten a good dose of being full time grandma to these babies. She will hardly let me hold my own babies!! Not really, she is just helping to the fullest. My dad has helped with all the yard work and landscaping. Which is not easy on a half acre lot. We ripped out two trees and took a full load to the dump in the poring rain.


Reasons why I have been too tired to post:
-painted Eli and Tristan's room
-moved ALL toys upstairs to the new playroom
-cleaned out office, kids room and babies room to have carpets cleaned
-moved kids beds downstairs
-pressure washed patio, play set and play house then reassembled upstairs in the new playroom
-spent 3-4 hours organizing toys and getting the playroom just right

Tomorrow is a play day. I think i will take Eliana and Tristan to the movies. Tomorrow night we are expecting some good friends to come visit for the weekend. Lana Taylor, hubby Tommy and two girls, Jocelynne and Kaylie are our friends from Arizona. Jocelynne is Eli's very first best friend. Eliana is SO excited. Oh and did I mention that Eli is beside herself with EXCITEMENT!

Well, my list for the morning is to find out why our water bill tripled this month, call the IRS to clarify a tax amendment, make some (other)important phone calls and balance the checkbook. I guess the fun can't begin until the dirty work is done.

My next post (hopefully tomorrow) will have all kinds of fun news about the babies and how fast they are growing. Oh...and pics of our new dog Bella.

A day for the BOOKS

Today flowed smoothly until evening came. This morning I was a little sad because I had to take Lanie to the vet to be groomed and her new owner was going to pick her up. So I gathered her things and the kids and headed out the door. After sending Lanie on her way I dropped Eliana off at her friend Laurens house. They were headed to the HUGE water park at HAAF (Hunter Army Airfield). Tristan the babies and I hung out today playing on the trampoline and running around with toys. Our neighbor Christy invited Tristan to go to our local pool here in Buckhead. So I showered and got things ready for tonight. I was invited to a Pampered Chef party and my friend Kayleen offered to watch Eli and Tristan for me. Without all the silly details I was back and forth between picking up pizza, kayleens house, picking up Eliana, back to Kayleens house. Feeding babies then finally on my way to the party...30 minutes late! I get to Kayleens house around 8:30 to pick up the kids and she has a story to tell me!

Tristan was in underwear instead of his pull-up. He and Zachery were jumping on the trampoline and Tristan pooped! It ran down his leg and into his sandal. He must have thought it felt good because he proceeded to jump and squish poop all over the trampoline. You know...all the little crevasses! My heart sank as she told me about bathing them and cleaning up. I was pleased with how she handled Tristan. I hope he felt really bad. She said he kept apologizing over and over. What am I going to do with this boy! As usual it was a battle getting the kids to leave their friends house. Finally at 9:30 and on our way home when my truck starts to act funny. As I let off the break to turn into our neighborhood my computer chip starts to go on the fritz. The engine light came on and the truck was coasting. I managed to get into the neighborhood and pulled off into the grass on the side of the road.

The tears started to surface as I listen to two crying, hungry babies, grumpy kids saying "mommy why are we stopped?" and wondering if I was going to have to walk home. I try calling Robyn and went straight to voice mail. I called Bro. Sparks and got a machine. Called Muthu Alletto and she was coming to my rescue. Just as soon as I get Soren out and hold him I realize that I am being watched over! Bro. Sparks drives by and stops. 30 seconds later the Christensen's (my home and V.T) drive by and stop. What are they doing out at 9:30 at night! Then Muthu and her hubby (bishop) show up. I then had 4 cars to my rescue all at once. How amazing! I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father is very aware of me and my little family. He has provided so many mini miracles and this was one of them. Muthu, bless her heart, stayed to help feed babies and get kids to bed. Then she helped me clean my kitchen and wash bottles. I can't express how grateful I am for wonderful friends who are always there to help.

It is almost midnight and I just got done paying the bills and posting this blog. I think it is time for me to crash and hope tomorrow brings better fortune.

Dust storm

My DH emailed this morning with pictures of this massive sand storm. When he took the pics the visibility was poor but he said today it was well below that. I'm glad I don't live in Iraq! I have a hard enough time dusting my own house. That dust covers everything and every crevasse. Even through the dust and squinting eyes, it is GREAT to see pics of Chris. The kids just light up whenever dad sends anything our way. Thanks DAD...keep them coming. We miss you like crazy!