Amazing...and almost healthy!

My sister called the other day mushing and gushing about this recipe someone had given her. I thought nothing could be as yummy as she was saying and really only be 1 point on the weight watchers' point system...so I thought it would be something fun for "Hannah-Mommy Time." I have to say they are really, really good and super simple! And for all you pumpkin haters out there...the muffins come off as a "spice muffin" more than pumpkin...trust me!

a box of carrot cake mix
small can of pure pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie stuff)
1 cup water

mix all of this together, put in muffin pans, bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes

They make 12 muffins--but be careful...at only 1 point each, one can justify eating quite a few of them...not that I speak from experience or anything! :-) Now you know why I don't bake very often!

Our Little Girl is Growing Up!!!

Hannah's 5th birthday was Monday...it's hard to believe our little girl is 5!!! But then again, she acts like she's 15 most days! She seems so big and grown up compared to Baby Sarah, but then again I know it's all perspective...last night she came down with the stomach flu that's going around and she seemed so little and helpless!

Hannah was so excited about opening her presents! Her favorites were the princess suitcase from Grandpa and Grandma Kelley (she rolls it around the house with her everywhere she goes--she has all her favorite things in it that she has to have with her at all times!) a wallet from Grandma and Grandpa Griffin--complete with her own pretend credit cards (Grandma Griffin saved all the little credit cards that come in the mail as well as used up gift cards and put them in the wallet for Hannah to pretend play with--She loves having her own credit cards--especially the ones that have the mastercard or discover logos on them so she can be just like Mommy and Daddy!) and a red purse from our friend, Jessie Markham, that had some really fun things in it--like Skittles Bubble Gum! (The purse and the wallet made it into the suitcase--that tells you how much she really loves them!)
Hannah helped me make her cake--she begged all day to know when we were going make it...she loved putting on the sprinkles that she picked out, too!
She wanted Mac n cheese and hot dogs for her birthday dinner...we got off easy with Hannah...Daniel wanted steak for his birthday dinner! :-)

What a fun reminder!

This picture has nothing to do with the post, but was so adorable I couldn't resist! Hannah was so excited to crawl into bed with me yesterday and hold Sarah the same way Mommy holds her!
Now the real reason for posting...my friend Marsel reminded me of a man that goes to our church in Chicago. (I know we've been gone for over 2 years now, but it's still "our church"--and always will be!) His name is Mr. Rippberger, and he's everyone's Grandpa. He's the candy man--always giving gummy bears or worms out to all the children after the service. And he teaches the 4-5 year old Sunday School class. And he loves babies! He always used to play with our babies' "pudgey wrists" and tease us by asking us why we put rubber bands around our babies' wrists! How I miss Mr. Rippberger and his wife, Linda, who just have a way of making you smile when you talk with them! Leslie, their daughter, oftens posts comments to our blog...so Leslie, if you read this, please let your folks know we love them and miss everyone at New Hope...and we love you, too, Leslie...she's one of those down to earth people that you can just be yourself around! Sigh...I'm longing for a mall right now...I know, Brent, I agree, too...we're right where the Lord wants us...even though there's no mall! :-)

She's changing so fast!

I can't believe how quickly time is flying! Baby Sarah is changing so much each day! Her wrists are getting that baby "pudge," and she's getting that "Griffin Look." I'm not sure exactly what that means, but 2 people now have looked at Sarah and said, "Oh yeah, she's a Griffin, that's for sure!" I hope that's not such a bad thing :-) Daniel and Hannah don't look a thing like each other, but apparently all 3 of our kids have something in common as far as looks go.

Sarah is 4 weeks tomorrow...she's sleeping much better now, which means I am, too! Last night I fed her at 9:30 and was too tired to stay up until her 12:30 feeding. She woke up around 2:30 wanting to eat. She woke up again at 7:30 ready to eat...so I'm getting quite a bit of sleep...which is a good thing! God is so good to give us exactly what we need exactly when we need it...apparently I needed sleep as much as I thought I needed it!

BTW...Hannah said something funny the other day while Grandma Griffin was holding Sarah. Daniel and Hannah love to kiss on Sarah. Hannah had just given Sarah yet another kiss, when Grandma Griffin said, "You're going to wear a hole in Sarah's cheeks !" Hannah looked at Sarah in a funny way, and said, "Look she's starting to crack!" Hannah noticed the tiny little blood vessels that were showing on Sarah's cheek and thought she really was wearing a hole in her cheek from kissing her! Only a four year old would think that way!

Murphy's Law at it's best!

Just a simple thought to ponder...why is it that a baby will only make "ickies" in a clean diaper?!? Never fails...change a baby's diaper and she is sure to make a mess of it within minutes if not seconds...try it, you'll see!!! The results will be best around 3-4 in the morning. One of those things to make you go, "hmmm..."

Thank You!!!

A special thanks to both sets of grandparents who came and helped us while we were adjusting to life with a newborn! My parents came before we were induced and stayed for a week or so after Sarah Grace was born. Brent's folks came and stayed 10 days with us after my parents left. It was so nice to know that Daniel and Hannah were taken care of while I was figuring out the nursing thing all over again, and that the laundry was being done, and that I could sleep and know that dinner was taken care of for when Brent came home. They made the transition to baby-hood again much more bearable. Thanks Mom and Dad! What would we do without such wonderful parents? But could someone please tell me how to do laundry...it's been so long since I've had to do anything around the house, I think I need more help--when are you guys coming back?!?

WOW!!! That's Cold!

Windchills could get as cold as -45 tonight and into tomorrow morning!!! The actual this morning when we got up was -16!!! Who knows how cold it got during the wee hours of the morning! Yikes!

Family pictures

We went and had our pictures taken today after Sarah's doctor appointment. The girl gave us a CD of our pics we ordered so we could email them to friends and family. I figured posting them on the blog fell under the same category. (BTW...I checked the copyright on the CD and it said we couldn't print them at a photo studio or kiosk--so legally it seems fine to post them on our blog--one doesn't live with a computer programmer without having to check these things out!) Our family picture was an after thought--we had one more picture available so we had our family shot taken instead of wasting it! Wish I had taken more care getting ready this morning!
Daniel turned 7 in September, Hannah will be 5 on February 19, and Sarah is 15 days old. Where does the time go?!?

My how quickly they change...Sarah's 2 weeks today and she's changed so much from the wrinkly, cheese head we met for the first time 2 weeks ago! She's slept for 4-5 hours at a time for the last several nights so we're on the downward side of the slope for no sleep! It's amazing what you can do once you get a good night's sleep! And several naps thanks to my parents and Brent's parents who have been helping out a ton with a certain proud brother and sister!

Sarah seems to really be favoring Brent's pictures from when he was a baby. His parents think so as well...but unfortunately, she's got my thighs!!! We're enrolling her in baby aerobics next week!
Sarah's cord finally came off so we were able to give her her first real bath...she wasn't too happy about it to say the least!

The gorey details...

There's not that much to tell really, but here's the story...

We arrived at the hospital in Iron Mountain at 5:00 Thursday morning for our scheduled induction. We were admitted and situated, (all the stuff that goes with being induced) and my IV of pitocin began at 6:10. I wondered if it was a bad sign that the nurse tried twice to get my IV in my left hand (and by tried, I mean...tried--I have the bruises to prove it!) before she went and got another nurse who successfully was able to get it in my right hand (but not without difficulty!) Dr. Ryan came in and broke my water around 6:40. The nurse had said that the anesthesiologist was busy but would try to make it to my room in time to get me an epidural. There were 2 of us in labor wanting one. Suffice it to say that neither one of us got an epidural that day! Where in the world are we that a lady scheduled for an induction who has expressed a desire ahead of time for an epidural doesn't get one?!? I repsond very well to being induced and things progressed very quickly. I was fine without the epidural until the last half hour or so when it got really intense, really fast! I ended up pushing through 2 contractions and by 9:12, our little Sarah was out! For all the faults of our little po-dunk town, I do want to say that I had a great nurse who helped out in labor a ton, a wonderful doctor who did a great job and was very kind (much different than the "stupid Polish doctor man" I had in Chicago!) and best of all, an amazing husband who made it all bearable! I can not imagine giving birth without Brent at my side...and I do have to say...after this third and last pregnancy, I can not imagine giving birth again WITH Brent by my side!

We've fallen madly in love with out little Sarah...We couldn't believe we were starting all over again when we found out we were expecting, but now we cannot imagine life without her! Brent and I have both spent a great deal of time marvelling over the intricacies and details of God's creation...her little feet down to her baby toes are such an example of His handiwork! We are truly blessed to have such a beautiful family from the Lord! Sigh...

Details later...here are a few pics...

Okay...so here are some pics from the last couple of days...I'll add details soon...when things slow down a bit...perhaps when she hits college? Suffice it to say...The pitocin started at 6:10...she was in our arms at 9:12...I do have to say, "Where in the world are we that we can't get an epidural even though we want one?" I'll explain more later...for now...here's our little baby Sarah!




Thanks for humoring us and looking at all the pics!

Yeah!!!!

Praise the Lord! We have been blessed by the arrival of Sarah Grace Griffin.

She was born on Thursday, Jan 18th at 9:12 AM. Her birth statistics were:
Weight: 8 lbs. 9 oz.
Length: 19.5 inches

More details to come and I am sure a picture or two might make their way up here.

YeeeeHawwww!!!

It is just a good day all around! We got about 5 inches of snow last night and this morning so everything is beautiful for sure! The kids are getting their school work done now so they can go play outside...I might even get outside with them for a bit...we'll see:-)

We also found out that high speed internet is now available at our house! We've been dealing with dial up (and a slow dial up at that!) connection for the last 2 years, but we'll be getting a DSL connection this Thursday!!! This is right up there with the dishwasher, let me tell you! It's such a simple thing, and it is a great reminder that God is interested in the little things in our lives, and as a loving Father, He delights in doing special things for His children! What a blessing something so simple is!

And speaking of little things...(well...we'll see how little!!!) I went to the doctor's today for my weekly appointment. He set the induction date for this Thursday, Jan 18! Yet another 5 days shaved off the waiting time! And I must say he did this on his own...I was not one to argue, mind you, but it was Dr. Ryan's idea to induce this Thursday since I'll practically be 39 weeks anyways! My friend, Marsel, reminded me today of what a miracle this little baby is...what a precious thought! I cannot wait to hold our little baby and have her snuggle down in my neck...and to realize that I will be holding her so soon is even better! God is so good!

I joked with some friends Sunday about this being my last Sunday to wear a maternity dress...I turned out to be right! And it's another simple thing, but by having her on the 18th, I'll be up and around for my birthday...something little, but it will be nice to have more time between special days...Yippeee Skippeeee!!!

We're in the single digits!!!

Just something quick to make me smile...We've made it to the single digits! I cannot believe how fast these last 100 days have gone by...even faster than the 100 day countdown to getting married went! I head to the doctor tommorrow...Brent's going with me...I think he's afraid I'll chain myself to the examination table until Dr. Ryan agrees to induce me sooner than next Tuesday. I have to admit, I made a big deal out of not wanting to be induced. I still very much want that "I Love Lucy" romantic moment where I get to tell Brent, "Honey (I will probably call him Ricky) I think it's time to go to the hospital!"And I am praying that I will go into labor on my own, however...if it means being able to hold my baby sooner, or better yet, let someone else hold her for a change, I will beg and plead and do whatever it takes! :-) Go ahead, Beth, say I told you so...I don't care! I'm just tired of waking Brent up everytime I try to roll over in bed! I think I might have even woken up the kiddos last night! I'm teasing...but it is getting difficult to move...I am praising the Lord for Pepcid, penicillin, and surgeons who are willing to pull an abcessed tooth from a pregnant woman's jaw so that at least now I can sleep! 9 days cannot get here soon enough! Oh yeah...excuse the stream of conscious form of this blog...it's been weeks since I've been able to put a coherent thought together...and it's only getting worse! :-)

Let me explain...

So maybe I'm flattering myself by thinking that someone would pay such close attention to my blog that they would notice a big jump in my "days left till I'm due" ticker, so I'll point it out...I did get to change it today! I had a doctor's appointment as normal and found out that things continue to "progress" at a good rate, and my body is definitely getting ready for delivery. So I jokingly said to my OB..."I respond really well to pitocin...any chance of being induced?" He said he's not comfortable inducing without a health concern before 39 weeks, but then asked where I lived. I told him Pembine. He then said that since it was a half an hour drive and the weather around here can be so unpredictable this time of year that we could talk induction, especially seeing that I am already in "progress," and this is my 3rd baby, and I don't tend to have long labors. So all that to say that if I don't go into labor on my own before, I'll get to be induced on Jan 23! Shave another 5 days off the old waiting time! I then told him I lived in Crivitz (another half hour south of us) to see if he would shave some more time off, but he didn't buy it! :-) I figured a half hour drive got me 5 days less, maybe an hour's drive would get me a couple of more days! but no... it's good enough to be able to say that I only have 2 weeks to go! I was planning on blogging something fun today about finally being in the teens, but now I can be excited about being down to only 2 more weeks...at the most!

What in the World has happened to me?!?

As I reflect over the past 2 years, I am amazed by many things that are now part of our ordinary lives that I never dreamed would be considered normal for me...and those of you who know me best will totally understand what I mean as you read this list I've compiled...things about MY LIFE that I never thought would be part of MY life!!!

• I go to another state to do any sort of shopping for things that I need.
• The majority of that shopping is done only at Walmart...not even a Target...Walmart! I walked up to a total stranger not too long ago because I overheard them talking about Iron Mountain getting a Target! I had to have details!!! It turned out to be an urban legend or evil hoax of some sort to get my hopes up!
• I have not been to a real mall to speak of since the beginning part of October. I did a ton of shopping like I did before we moved when we visited Chicago the first part of November, but technically did not hit the mall when we were visiting! And let me remind you that Christmas has come and gone...and all the amazing sales that come the day after Thanksgiving, and the day after Christmas and New Year's Day came and went without me...all the shopping was done on the internet and in good ol' Iron Moutain, Mi--sigh...
• And while we're on that topic...all the shopping and other internet activity is done over a very slow dial-up connection since we live in an area where high speed is not easily available!
• Pembine, the town we live in, has ZERO stoplights!
• Pembine, the town we live in, is 98.9% caucasion and actually speaks English!
• I know the difference between a bobcat and a cougar, also known as a mountain lion
• I can tell you the difference between coyote and wolf tracks in the snow in our back yard in April!
• The lobby of the post office here in Pembine (we're thankful we have one!) is about the size of our bathroom
• The post master knows everyone by name--I walked into the post office recently and the lady asked me if my husband's name was Brent. She had a check for him that had accidentally gotten put in the outgoing mail instead of the inner-campus mail. She didn't even ask me for ID...just handed over the check!
• In the winter time when it gets really cold, people plug their cars in so they'll start...we should start seeing extension cord looking things hanging out of people's front grills anytime now!
• When it gets really cold, people will leave their cars running while they go shopping at Walmart. Seriously...it's not unusual at all to see empty cars in Walmart's parking lot with their engines running! Imagine that in Chicago?!?
• People around here have no problem living in a tiny single wide mobile home but insist on having a 4-5 car garage for all their toys like snowmobiles, RTV's, campers, etc.
• I don't even notice (well almost don't notice) when people use phrases like "Yoos Guys" and end every sentence with either "heh?" or "Yah?" I've even been known to use those words from time to time!
• We burn a good amount of our garbage to save money!
• I let my kids outside to play without going with them! And my biggest concern for their safety is making sure they know what to do if they see a wild animal like a bear or wolf.
• I actually bought my kids safety orange hats so they could play outside the week of hunting season
• I know where the Ranger Station is in our town, and I've had several conversations with our Ranger about my children's safety
• The nearest Chili's is about 2 hours away
• One of our bank accounts only has 4 numbers in the account number...think about that one...they have so few customers with savings accounts that 4 numbers provide enough variations to cover all their customers! We had like 12 numbers or something in Chicago!
• The people here are so incredibly friendly! I can't tell you how wonderful that part is! We're living in Mayberry here, people!

However...I refuse to become a Packer's Fan, I have yet to go fishing, see absolutely nothing exciting about hunting or ice fishing, and if I don't get some "Mall Air" soon, I do think I will seriously suffer some sort of attack!

Sorry for such a long post...hope it didn't bore you too much, but once I got started, I was on a roll!!!

Yippeee Skipeee!!!!

I was lying (laying? I have never been able to remember the correct grammar for that one!) in bed last night moaning and groaning as I tried to roll over and had a fun thought...I'm in the 3 week countdown now! Technically I have 4 weeks until my due date, but one could be technical and say that I only have 3 weeks and 6 days! 4 weeks is so much longer than 3 weeks and 6 days! 4 weeks sounds like a whole month (that's profound, heh?!?) but being able to say 3 weeks to go sounds so short! I'm loving it!

We were sitting in a restaurant booth yesterday, when Baby Sarah started kicking...hard! Now remember...I only have 3 weeks and 6 days left...as I went to sit down I'm sure all of those around me wondered if I'd even be able to fit in the booth! But I did...I just needed to make sure I hunched over a bit to keep my belly under the table :-) Somehow Sarah managed to kick just the right way that she pinched the skin of my belly up against the table and it hurt like crazy! It was such a bizarre thing...like the pain you get if someone pinches that fat part on the back of your arm...just another one of those reminders that those 3 weeks and 6 days cannot get here soon enough! :-)

Happy New Year!

Oops...cant' forget this one...

Is this the same girl who was beating up Spider Man just a few entries ago? She's as much of an oxymoron as her momma is! One minute she's being rough and tumble and trying to prove herself as capable as the next person, and the next she's the ultimate princess wanting to be pampered and fussed over! Poor Brent...we're even adding another girl to the mix in just a few more weeks...just to keep him guessing! :-)

Christmas Morning

Just a fun picture of the kiddos after they had opened all of their presents Christmas Morning. We had a great time seeing what was in all the packages our family had sent to us all! How thankful we are for all that people did for us.

We also have to say a special thank you to our parents for all they did for us as kids on Christmas day! As kids, we had no idea how exhausting it was for you to put everything you bought us together and then play with us! By the end of Christmas Day, Brent and I were begging for a break from it all! It seemed we just got one thing put together, and they wanted the next thing out of the box and put together. And you all understand how trying it is just to get things out of the boxes nowadays! We have had a great time as a family, but we have never been so glad to see 8:00 come around on the clock so we can put the kids in bed and get a break!!! I'm sure there's a whole group of people out there that can totally relate, heh?!?

And so it begins...or continues...

Well...it's 3:48 AM!!! And I'm wide awake Christmas morning. Not because of my excitement over opening presents mind you, but just because I can't sleep! Yes...I know, it's the Lord's way of preparing me for the many sleepless nights I'll have in just about 4-5 more weeks, but it's still pretty annoying right now! I've been up since about 2:30 or so and decided to get up and do something rather than stare at the ceiling. Not much to report going on around here at this time in the morning, that's for sure.

I've officially hit the 35 week mark now. It's been a fun thing to watch my little "baby" move across the counter and finally be covering the "35!" I head to the doctor this Friday and begin my weekly checkups.

I also want to add a special "hey there" to my friend, Erin. Check out her blog on my links to the right....she's got some adorable kiddos. She's also another friend of mine that I've been able to reconnect with through blogging. Apparently she offends rather easily these days, so I want to say that it has been a wonderful time reconnecting with her, too! (I'm teasing of course, Erin... about the offending easily, not about how wonderful it is to have reconnected!!! )


Alright...that's about all I can think of at 3:56 in the morning...I might end up enjoying this time...our house has never been so quiet! Oh wait...I do want to say that the new google version that's out of Beta is almost identical to the old version. I've had no problems with it, and see very little difference. Most of the new features are ones that I won't use anyways, so go ahead...switch over...it's quite painless!