Dear Lord please keep me sane!!

I am happy to report I got offered and accepted the job in the ER at Sartori Hospital in Cedar Falls. I am so excited about the job and look forward to learning a lot more about trauma. Unfortunately they want me to start Monday........So I have to cut our vacation short and I will be working next week. This is the main reason I haven't been able to update my blog recently. It has been a super stressful week.

First Daycare Drama........I have been looking all over for daycare, most of the people that I have gotten recommendations for don't have openings. I ended up going to meet one lady on Wednesday but it just wasn't going to work out. Since anyone can read this I wont go into complete detail of my decisions but one thing was kids aren't allowed on the couch or chairs....(so I sort of understand this, she just doesn't want kids falling) but then again Teagan is 20 months old, she climbs all the time. While I was sitting there listening to her tell me Teagan was trying to climb over the "gate" at her house and I was thinking about how just the other day she climbed up on the kitchen table, poured all of the salt out of the shaker and was playing in the salt. I didn't even stop her from being on top of the table covered in salt, it actually entertained her for a good 25 minutes and I got to get some things done. So anyways, we finally decided we are going to temporarily take them to a daycare center in Cedar Falls right next to the hotel we are staying in. Yep hotel its our new "home" for a little while.

Teagan is going to love it, she actually through a temper tantrum when we left the daycare center. The girls will be in separate classrooms and they have an actual schedule and curriculum for each day. I don't really like that they will be separate but they will have plenty of time at home together in the close living area of our hotel. Harper is starting to try and sit up and she smiles and laughs more everyday!! She loves to just watch Teagan play. Teagan is doing pretty good learning new words and signing "potty" a lot (but we still have daily accidents). Teagan is definitely Daddy's girl though and she misses him so much!!! She gets a little upset some days and I'm pretty sure she just misses her Daddy, so we call him and they have long conversations on the phone in Teagan's own little language.

Found a hotel to stay in this past week and we will be "moving" in on Monday. It's a suite so its got a bedroom and a living room which is now going to be a 2 bedrooms, the living room will have 2 pack n plays and several toys to entertain. I'm looking on the positive side here......Continental Breakfast (Hot and Cold)....which means that's breakfast I don't have to cook for 30 days!!!

Keep praying that they can get the home loan situation figured out so we can buy a house and have a place to live other than a hotel!!!

I am actually a little surprised by the strength I have had through this. I have come close many times to crying but I remember there is and end in site and God is looking out for us. Its not easy being home by myself with the girls while Brandon is already staying in the hotel. I also feel obligated to keep everything together and there is so much planning to do to move and start new jobs, daycare, housing. In our case we just don't have much TIME. Once I get through next week things should be much easier!!!!! haha I hope :)

Oh and just a reminder, you can be googled, anything you put out on the Internet can be found. Employer's look at different stuff such as facebook, myspace, and Twitter. I guess maybe in my situation it was a God thing that I found what I did.

Honey-Do List

Brandon started his job Monday, and he started living out of a hotel on Tuesday. This has left me alone with the girls during the week for the next month. On Monday night Brandon said he only has one goal for me for the week. I figured he was going to say finish the laundry, pack something, feed the chickens something a long those lines but nope I was wrong. My only goal for the week (according to Brandon) is to not strangle either of the girls. Tough goal but I think I can handle it.

The goal looks something like this for all of the nurses that read my blog:

Acute Psychosis

As stated by patient being stressed out by having both girls by herself during the week

Outcome: Not to strangle either child by the time husband comes home

Ongoing assessment: husband to make frequent phone calls to check on children

Evaluation: On going goal

Now I thought that goal would be simple but I have been challenged a couple of times already. The first time happened about 4 am this morning when Teagan decided to crawl into bed next to me since I am sleeping in their room on a twin mattress on the floor. She continued to toss, turn, kick me, and take up the majority of the bed. I was so frustrated because I knew I had to get up early to go to 2 interviews today and I didn't want to be exhausted.

The 2nd time happened about 6:44 am........my alarm was set to go off at 6:50 am and Harper decided that would be too long to sleep so she woke up at 6:44 am and not only that she was soaked head to toe in urine which means I had to wash her up and take her sheets off the bed and try to get her, Teagan, and myself ready for the day. I am glad she has decided to sleep through the night just wish that didn't mean soaked diapers.....(and I'm not about to wake her up in the middle of the night to change her.....so don't even suggest it!!)

The 3rd time just happened, we just got home from the sitters and my interviews went great!! However both girls were fussing at the same time and Teagan decided to eat a crayon or 2. Now what makes her think that its a good idea to eat a crayon???!!! Oh well

Both kids are still alive and healthy and keeping me busy for the week!! I will keep you updated on the progress of my goal!!

Update on Living

I can't get a house because I don't have a job, I don't have a job because I don't have a place to live, I don't have a place to live because I don't have any money, I don't have any money because I don't have a job!!!!!

Ok so maybe its not that bad but this is seriously how I feel right now....I just want to scream!!!

I haven't had time to update you on Brandon's job interviews but here it is BRANDON'S #1 BRANDON'S #1.......he had some tough competition and other COTS that really wanted Butler County but we prayed for a long time that he would get Butler County. After driving around the whole state of Iowa we decided we really liked the communities in Butler county and it would make a great place to settle down and call home. So actually here it is GOD's #1, GOD's #1, GOD's #1!!!

Brandon was offered the position of County Executive Director of Butler County which is a huge answer to our prayers. He was offered the job on Wednesday Aug 12th and he started the job today Monday Aug 17.....how bout that for short notice. So Thursday and Friday we started looking at houses and applying for a home loan....and thanks to all of our student loans this process has been EXTREMELY COMPLICATED!!

The other issue we have run into is that we would like to buy an acreage and the appraisers are pretty strict about not having any peeling paint....even on outbuildings.....so for fun this weekend take a drive out to the country and find as many acreages as you can that don't have an outbuilding with peeling paint. If you want a real challenge drive up to Butler County find an acreage where all the outbuildings and house are in perfect condition, the acreage is for sale, and it's priced under $150,000. (Let me know ASAP when you find it!!)

Ok so enough about that its too hard to explain and I am pretty sure by the end of next week it will all be worked out.

Oh Oh I can't forget to tell you all about this it was just too much fun house hunting on Friday. So I am pretty sure my Mom is the master of design to sell and I shouldn't compare other people's houses to my Mom's skills but one house in particular was just awful. For starters There were a pile of wet clothes sitting in the enterance into the house, 2 dogs running around barking in the front lawn, and a weight bench in the living room. It only gets better, the shower curtian had black mildew all over it, they had poorly placed new carpet which I guess was suppose to be the new "shag", and to top it off one of the bedrooms had a cat in it that pooped all over the floor!!! YUCK I felt like I needed to shower when we left and we still smelled miles down the road.

So I may let some of that slide, after all we had given them only a days notice that we were wanting to look at it, and they had only had their house on the market 6 days, and they had 4 other showings that day!!! When their realtor called to ask our realtor how we had liked the house the other realtor ended up hanging up on her.....that's great for business I'm sure.

Here is where we hope to call home with a squeaky windmill and all :)

On a positive note I had 2 interviews today. One at a hospital in Waterloo and one at a hospital in Waverly. They both went really well and I will keep you posted on any job offers/acceptance. The great thing about being a nurse is that there are always jobs, might not always like the jobs, but there are always jobs.

Another positive is that the house we really like is right in the middle between Allison and Parkersburg. We found a park over the weekend in Parkersburg that I absolutely love, oh I mean that Teagan just loves!! Teagan even made her first Parkersburg friend at the park Saturday.

Well that is all for now, I am told I need to relax and not stress out and maybe get some sleep. Night Night, Sleep Tight :)

Teagan and her new friend at the park :)

The Cool Park at Parkersburg!!! Love Love Love it!!

Hail Storm + Van+Driving on I-35 = EXTREMLY SCARY!!!!

I was so excited all last week thinking about heading up to Sac City on August 9th for my Grandma's 30th birthday party (yep she's 30.......;) All week I had been thinking about the fried chicken and potato salad. My mom was evidently thinking about the Angel food cake!!

Anyways that's why we were headed to Sac City, was to see my Grandma, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and some good food.

My Mom and Dad and Sister had picked Brandon, Teagan, Harper, and I up at our house Sunday morning around 9 am. We headed down the road and realized we had forgot the camera. (we were only 1/2 mile down the gravel so we turned around) Then I told my Dad the best way to get to I-35 from our house instead of getting back on Hwy 30, we went through McCallsburg and Roland. Brandon and I had put an offer on a house in Roland about 3 years ago so we decided to drive by and see how it looked (We didn't get that house). It looked about the same and I don't think they ever did sell it. After that we were on are way. Alicia and Teagan were in the bucket seats of the Van playing games and reading books (Mccain Blog spot pg 1.)(Reference to Alicia's blog since I stole her line). We noticed it getting dark and decided to turn on the radio to check the weather but nothing was coming in. My Mom and Harper and I were sitting in the back and that's when the first piece of hail hit the van in the back. It was so loud we thought we hit something but didn't realize what it was until we just started getting pounded!!! I was so scared and grabbed a blanket and told Brandon to throw it over Teagan and I put the shade up on Harper's car seat. That's when I realized I was getting wet but I couldn't figure out where the water was coming from. Evidently a large piece of hail had hit the drivers side window and completely busted out the window. My Dad started to slow down but the hail just kept coming and the windshield was breaking more and more when he saw an overpass up ahead. We drove under the overpass and waited while more rain and hail continued to fall and the wind was blowing like crazy!! I called 911 because I didn't know whether we should get out of the car or what...We all thought we were in the middle of a tornado. Luckily we did not have to get out of the van and we made it out of the middle of the interstate before cars started flying by again once the storm had died down. We ended up driving about 10-15 minutes to get to Webster City to put plastic on the window, and get My Dad and Sister some new clothes because they were completely soaked. We still made it to Sac City....plastic window and all and I got to enjoy Fried chicken and Potato salad and seeing family. Just wish we didn't have to experience the "excitement" of the hail storm. I will never forget this day or think of storms the same.

Drivers Side window busted glass was all over!!

Dents on the drivers side of the van.

My Dad is pretty tough with a welt on the side of his face from getting hit by hail while driving!!

WE MADE IT TO SAC CITY!!! GREAT-GRANDMA HOLDING HARPER :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

This was by far the scariest thing I have ever been through but even through it all I realized all the little stuff God did to take care of us so there were only minor injuries. Examples: Where the car seats were placed in the van, forgetting the camera and having to go back, stopping to look at the house in Roland. If our timing would have been different we may have been passed that overpass and not able to seek shelter, If Teagan's Car seat would have been on the drivers side she may have gotten hurt, or if we would have put Harper in one of the bucket seats it would have been more difficult to protect both girls. The other thing was we were planning on driving up ourselves but instead my parents decided to bring up their van. If we would have been in our little car with both girls in back things could have been really bad. I truly believe God was looking out for us!!!!!!!!!! AMEN!

My 5K and Old Settlers

We have had a busy weekend down in Maxwell, IA. Brandon's Mom grew up in Maxwell and so they go every year to Old Settlers weekend to celebrate the festivities. Recently I decided to start running and when Sharon said she was running in the 5 K I decided to join. (And when I mean recently I mean 2 weeks ago!!) We started to run/walk every night and have enjoyed getting out and exercising. We made it through the race under 40 minutes (which like I said we started training 2 weeks ago) We did the run/walk method and were pretty successful in keeping each other going. I ran with Brandon's aunt Sharon, her daughter Courtney, and Brenda (My mother-in-law). I think we all had a really good time and I hope to continue to run.

This is my before run face :)

Sprinting to the finish line....look at those long white legs!! haha

Friday night we went to Maxwell and enjoyed the rodeo with Kevin and Sharon, and Sharon's mom, and Courtney and Joe and the twins Ashlynn and Kennedy. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have 2 little girls that love the rodeo :) Maybe even a future barrel racer!!! 4 more years and they will start Mutton bustin!!!!! (I will keep you posted for their first rodeo performance :)

Cowgirl Harper (AKA Cowpoke) sitting with her Daddy!

Cowgirl Teagan (AKA Buck-a-roo) Watching the bull riders.

Flip Flop

I am starting to wonder if I will ever get a full nights rest again.

This week has been a fairly successful week as Harper has slept through the night the last 2 nights. This morning she woke up at 9:15 am, she slept a whole 11 hours!!! Now when she woke up she was completely soaked from head to toe in urine and needed a bath STAT. But hey we are on the right path to sleeping through the night. I did wake up about every hour to check on her too, I about had a heart attack yesterday when I woke up at 6:30 am and realized she hadn't been awake yet.

I would like to say I got to sleep a whole 11 hours last night too but that just isn't true. I got home from work at 11:30 last night and wasn't able to fall asleep right away, and just about the time my eyes were closed Teagan was screaming at the top of her lungs. My perfect sleeper has been waking up in the middle of the night 2 of the last 3 nights. I think maybe she is starting to have nightmares and then she wakes up and can't find her blankie and can't get back to sleep. I spent a good 2-3 hours trying to get her back to sleep, we even watched a movie and read books because she just would not settle down, and my back and shoulders are starting to hurt from trying to lay next to her bed.

So this is life, when you finally get one sleeping through the night, the other one starts to wake up. Oh the joys of having 2 kids!!

Prime example: Teagan is happily awake when she should be taking a nap while I'm writing this blog.

Harper is peacefully asleep next to the computer desk.

Pick your Battles

One thing I have learned over the last few years is to pick your battles. Some battles are worth fighting and some aren't going to matter tomorrow. This is particularly true with children so here is some examples:

1. Teagan takes her shoes off in the car.......EVERYTIME we get in the car the shoes come off. Which I think is crazy because she loves shoes! At first I tried to stop her.....I even bought shoes with laces thinking if I double knot them she couldn't get them off (But nope I was wrong!!). So its a battle I have decided I'm not going to fight any more. Not to mention I can't really say much because I take my shoes off in the car too....but I also know how to put mine back on.

2A. Teagan decided to Pee in my mixing bowl today and then while I was emptying it she pooped on the floor. Now this is a battle I've decided is probably worth fighting....."The potty training battle". (hey you got to give her credit at least she knows you pee in a bowl....she just chose the wrong bowl :)

2B. The toddler "Naked Stage" Teagan has now figured out how to take her diaper or underwear off so she loves to take them off and run naked....now this is a battle not worth fighting. I'm pretty sure every kid goes through it. However when we start pulling out the mixing bowl and peeing in it that's where issues come in.

3. The grocery store battle.....This is a battle that I conquered after a lot of trips to the grocery store. Teagan was having HUGE temper tantrums at the grocery store. She actually would have a fit when I would take stuff out of the cart to pay for it. So I decide I would take her every day until we stopped throwing tantrums this lasted about a week and I won!! Now I really work with her and let her help me put stuff on the counter and praise her when she's good at the store.

It was so embarrassing....my mom calls it pay backs.

4. The battle of Teagan's hair. If you ever see me out or look at pictures of Teagan and think why does her mother let her hair hang in her face this is why, some days its just not a battle I want to fight. It doesn't seem to bother Teagan any that her bangs hang in her eyes, but it does seem to bother her when I try to pull her hair back in to a pony tail or pig tails. She squirms and screams and then while yes the bangs are out of her eyes, it still looks messy. Some days I fight in this battle and some days I don't.

Ok this blog could go on forever with battles with Teagan but those are just a few. Now a 2nd child = new battles. They are 2 totally different kids its amazing!! So here are some examples of the current battles with Harper:

1. SLEEP, As you have seen in my earlier post Harper just does not sleep. I don't know why but she does not sleep for long periods. She sleeps perfect in my arms, but then when do I get to sleep, or get things done if she's sleeping in my arms. So here's the battle do I put her down knowing she's going to wake up or do I let her sleep???

Still working on this one!!!!!

2. CRY IT OUT method. While I do believe this probably isn't the best technique and if you google it you get some pretty strong opinions on how damaging it can be to your child's emotions. But then I remember that in the hospital they told me to never shake her......so sometimes I just have to set her down and let her cry. (No I would NEVER shake her) but Yes sometimes I need a break!! So if you think its wrong that I let her cry.......think of the alternative....(crying isn't so bad after all)

3. SPIT UP. This is a battle I've given up on!!! So when you see me with my soaked spit up shirt on and spit up on my shorts, just laugh with me :) Harper spits up......all the time.....that's just what she does. I put a burp cloth on me and she misses that and still spits up on my shirt, or you think its been an hour since that last bottle she's not going to spit up, Yep that's when she spits up on my shorts or wherever.

Two kids from the same parents=Two different personalities and two different issues. It amazes me how different they are. I love them both so much and can't imagine life without them or their battles.

Here are some new pictures from this past weeks adventures. We enjoyed hanging out with Great Uncle Kevin and Great Aunt Sharon at the campgrounds. The story county fair, and a picnic lunch on Brandon's day off.

Teagan enjoying her sandwich during our picinic on the Story County Fair grounds.

Harper and I laying in the camper hanging out at Saylorville with Kevin and Sharon.

MOMMY!!!! Teagan loved going to the campgrounds and running around playing chase :)