~ izzy takes flight ~

I
zzy is playing dress-up already!
These are some of Sis' butterfly
wings that I put on Izzy. She
loves them and prances around
just knowing that she is simply
adorable.

Isn't it amazing how animals can be such a blessing to our hearts.

What a precious gift God gave to us in animals.

Izzy keeps things hopping around the house. She chases the kids, she barks to alert me when anyone is opening the back door which is both helpful and a tid bit annoying... but mostly helpful.

She is a full-blown garbage hound and has pushed me to rig-up an altered trash can that will fit underneath my sink just so she can't get into it... this was actually something Daphnie had a

hard time with also - so the new garbage situation, as Martha Stewart would say, is a "Good Thing".



She is also a huge fan of any type of small stuffed animal/toy of sorts...

She loves their tails - if you know what I mean. I currently have a stack of about 6 stuffed toys

that Pauly-boy is pretty sure I need to get busy on asap and give them all new tails...

Yeah... ... I'll have to figure out just how to tackle that one.

Izzy is a huge cuddle-girl and loves to curl up for a good nap about twice to three times a day.

As I type this she is napping by my feet... BUT

as soon as the boys wake up she'll be on the go and waiting for any crust

of bread she can get from underneath the table since William

has figured out a new trick on how to clean his plate so good. Lol!

I go to scold him and she just looks at me like - Get over it lady!

He feeds me,

he loves me and I love him. So get over it!

I just had to through these last two pics in the mix of this Izzy post.

This one of her peeking over the backseat is so precious.

We were headed to eastern Idaho to go see my mom and dad and she sat up there all

the way there (4 hours each way) and all the way back without ever jumping over the seat onto Pauly.

Very. Good girl.

Daphnie and Izzy get along as if they've always been together.

Truly - Soul Sisters.

They both have amazing stories of both being saved - as Izzy was found by her previous owner at

a pound in - Arkansas - I think it was...

she had mites in her ears, she tugged at their hearts and let's be honest - how could she not?

... And Daphnie was my 21st birthday present. My mom and dad gave her to me -

I can remember the day my mom brought her to me. She had a huge red ribbon around her

neck and I.

Fell hard in love with her from the first second I saw her.

I had just moved into

a new apartment. I was alone and having a hard time living by myself.

She was and has been such a joyful addition to my life...

they both are.



"Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds."

Psalm 148:7-10

~ what's going on with me ~

I
decided it is time I finally
come back here and blog
a little. Life, for me, has
been pretty adamit that I
put a few things on hold.

About two weeks ago, we all laid down as usual for our naps.

I've been pretty exhausted and I remember sleeping like a rock that day

 but the heat just whips me so I figured that is what it was.

I woke up from my nap and got all the kids little snacks - like I usually do.

I jumped on the computer for a second before I was going to tidy up the house and start dinner. I was

talking to my mom over email and all the sudden, I got a feeling like I really needed to stop and go

to the restroom. I got up and went and that didn't ease this weird abdomen pain. At this point, my pain had went from about a 4 to a 7. I was sweating and felt like I was going to throw up. I went and laid on my bed and just told the kids to play downstairs for a little while.

I don't know if you've ever been so sicky that it causes you to roll around on your bed - well that's what happened. I was ILL.

I couldn't find a comfortable position and by this time my leg started to go numb.

I was in tears and luckily, Pauly had brought me my phone so I called Ben.

Ben was right in the middle of a serious conversation with his boss, luckily he answered the phone and I told him that I must have the stomach flu and I needed him to come watch the kids.

As some of you know, he managed a rafting camp this year up north and at this point, his boss was just telling him he needed to gather his things and get right back up there to manage things. So he was on his way out of town at that point. He said he was going to finish somethings up and then come home.

I figured I could manage till he got there for just a little while before he left - so I just continued to try and ease my pain. I decided to walk around but it got so much worse and I ended up laying down in the hallway because the pain was so severe by this point. So I called Casi, because I decided I probably needed to go to the doctor and so she would need to stay with the kids.

As I layed in the hallway, all the kids gathered around me and honestly, at this point I was praying and telling them all that I loved them. I was so scared.

Finally, Ben got home and came in the house only to run right out the front door to go get our neighbor to watch the kids. We have an amazing neighbor... just sayin'.

Anyhow, I scraped myself off the floor - layed back on the bed for a second and then Ben came in and told me to go get in the car. I got myself up and to the car - meanwhile Ben was making sure the neighbor was good-to-go. Casi drove up, right when I got in the car and all I remember was her looking at me through the window mouthing the words, I love you.

We got to the hospital and the first thing I noticed was how different the ER was from the ER on Grey's Anatomy. Yeah, I'm a dork. At this point I was still in extreme pain, I was crying, and I had to sit and wait probably for about 15 minutes! While Ben filled stuff out and I even had to sign some stuff.

It. Was. Lame.

but, I imagine they have to have all that information to protect

themselves so... whatever.

They finally took me to the back and they got me some pain meds. I had a feeling it

was my "womanly parts" so that is what I told all the doctors...

After they gave me the pain meds, lots of time passed as I was monitored, a doctor physically checked me, I was given a couple different types of ultrasounds. Nothing was found.

Praise God, right? I mean, I wanted to know why I was in so much pain but I also didn't want to find anything super bad!

As you can imagine - I was thinking of the worst thing it could be.

We got back to our room and there we waited for quite a while. I had no more pain so that was definitely a praise.

The doctor came in and proceeded to tell me that I had tested positive on a pregnancy test - my levels showed about 4 days pregnant. About 3 days earlier I had started, well what I thought was, menstruating but come to find out it was really a threatened miscarriage. It was still way to early to see if it could be an ectopic pregnancy and that could be the cause for the pain but it could of also been a hormone imbalance that was causing my uterus to contract and spasm.

What. A. Nightmare.

I couldn't stop thinking, REALLY?

Another miscarriage?

That's two in one year! What the heck was happening!?

I'm O negative and the doctor in the ER gave me a Rhogam shot, which is something I'm totally used to as I've had this shot a several times before when I had miscarried as well as when I was pregnant with my boys. I wondered if that was the problem lately....

Anyhow, I came back home after being in the ER for about 8 hours. My mom dropped everything and came and tended to my kids and helped out. I rested for several days as after my mom left, Granny and Grandad took the boys and Sweet Pea went home with my mom. It was a nice break and I got a lot of rest.

Still today I am showing signs of a miscarriage, I haven't been back to the doctor because, well - what can they do... they can't stop it from happening.

I am waiting.

As I wait, I'm trying to stay positive, happy (I'm trying), and carry on as usual.

It's very tough.

It seems like things are crumbling down around me. The dogs have mites in their ears, my kids are mouthy, for some reason the lights are flickering like crazy in our house all the sudden, I have a huge ER bill and the list goes on and on.

I hope within the next couple weeks I will have some idea of what is going on, until then - I'm just hanging out. Thank you to you who have been praying for me and I will try and keep in touch.

Before this all happened we went to the Car Races and I have a lot of cool pictures from that - so I hope to post those soon.

All in all, I will continue to Trust God and rest in the fact that he loves me and whatever the outcome, I know God is in control and he knows what is best.

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

Much Love,

~ dirty girl & dirty boy ~

A
couple weeks ago, baby
girl was looking particularly
shabby. I was excited to get
to have my go at grooming
her thinking it was going to

take me 6 minutes flat

as she is about

as big as

gallon of milk.

I was sadly mistaken.

It took me 3 hours! My kids played SO nice during that time.

I was so thankful - until I looked at the clock when I was near done and realized it was 2pm

and my kids hadn't even ate lunch yet!



You know that moment when your kids realize they are starving,

they're tired, you're tired and you're trying and trying to wrap

things up so you can tend to them and you're just not moving fast enough  -

then something more happens to set you back and things just get worse and worse?

THAT is exactly what happened this day.

I took this cute little picture of the finished product of Iz and..

SHE WENT AND ROLLED IN THE DIRT!

Not just any dirt.

The really fine powdery dirt that my chickens play in

to clean themselves off with!

THEN!

My husband pulled up.

Oh yes - it just got better and better.

Starving children - finally groomed dog but is now completely filthy! ...

and then my husband pointed out this to me...

William was SO STARVING he started eating dirt!

Yay!

Dirt!



That's right buddy - how does that taste?

Nummers!



Thankfully - the husband tended to the children.

He cleaned up the filthy, fed the hungry,

&

I handled Mizz Izz and all was good.

Our Daddy to the rescue!

~ sung to sleep by a symphony of snores ~

Last night I woke up at
3pm to my little one calling
for me. I went to him, held
him for a moment, told him

it was STILL bedtime, got him his sippy cup,

covered him up, and kissed him goodnight... again.

Once I got back to bed, I snuggled in - MY GOODNESS

it is really crispy cold the last few nights - and was all ready to go back to sleep

when I heard my Mr. let out a huge snore.

Followed by Daphnie (the cocker spaniel) snoring like well... if I didn't know she was a dog -

I'd think she was a man!

Then little Izzy chimed in at a high pitched breathing tone.

It was precious.

It was perfect.

It's.

 my life.

I layed there all snuggled warm and cozy with the cool crisp spring air nipping at my nose...

Smiling.