Gluten Free

I am officially gluten free and have been for 2 weeks or so. Within the first few days, my knee pain was almost completely gone! I was a little sore at the end of the day, but nothing like it used to be. I am a little sad now because my knees have been hurting the past few days. Although it hasn't been as bad as in the past, but still. I'm hoping my knee pain is because of my back pain...haha, man, how old am I?! My tailbone got messed up during delivery with Oliver and every couple of months, it bothers me and for a week or so at a time. It has been getting better, but I think I was walking differently because of how bad it was hurting. I was talking to someone tonight and she said to just keep it up because it can take a while before everything is gone, even though I was feeling good for almost 2 weeks.

So, how is going otherwise? It hasn't been that bad actually. Most of the foods we eat are already gluten free and other things I just have to tweak a bit. I like that almost anything dairy is GF, but I am lactose intolerant....great....I have been taking the lactose pills again, trying to get that under control again. A few years ago I said "screw it" to taking those pills. I had a stomach ache everyday but I didn't care. I mean come on, I am from Wisconsin and I am lactose intolerant?! What kind of cruel and unusual punishment is that!? One of the biggest challenges is finding GF free in the grocery store. There is a lot out there, but it is located all over the store! I have been getting lots of advice from people and that has been amazing. I didn't like the noodles I bought, but heard of a different kind to try. I also heard of a website that sells food pretty cheap and I ordered some GF stuff. I just wish this stuff wasn't so expensive :( My biggest test will be next week. We are going to my parent's house in Wisconsin for Thanksgiving which shouldn't be too bad (food wise), but then the hubby's parents all taking all of us to Great Wolf Lodge in the WI Dells for our Christmas present, this will be the real challenge. We will be eating out for supper every night. Luckily more and more places offer GF foods, but this is a challenge I am up for! It just means I have to eat healthier and there isn't anything wrong with that! I'm having a hard time thinking of foods to bring for me for lunch and snack....I don't want to eat the same thing all day. I did get some good ideas for that tonight though.

I do like that this is making us eat healthier. I not making the boys go gluten free, but when I make a meal, obviously it is GF and they eat it. I am not taking away their noodles or mac and cheese. My goodness, if I did that Oliver wouldn't have anything to eat :) I guess the boys are half gluten free! I'm hoping to add a recipe tab to my blog so I can put up some yummy foods that I have been making. All in all, things are going pretty good!

Am I Crazy....

A couple things have been going through my head this week....asking the question Am I crazy? Example one: I want more kids! We have 2 now, but I want more, like 3 or 4 more! But, there are days that I can barely handle the two I have :) I came from a family of five and I loved it...for the most part! My parents come from big Polish/German families with at least 10 kids. The boys may drive me crazy, but there are so many things that make up for it! They may pick on each other (crazy how they know how to do that at such a young age), but Jamie is such a good big brother. He is very protective of Oliver and loves to help with him. I did decide that a new sibling would have to wait until next year though :) Hopefully it will be a girl, Jamie keeps asking for a sister....such a hard thing to explain to a three year old.

Example two: I am going to try being gluten free for a few weeks. Maybe not that crazy though. I have been having knee pain for like 12 years now and finally had some blood work done to try and figure it out. It came back saying that I had some sort of auto-immune problem...which could be my asthma....so more tests were done, looking at thyroid problems, food issues and they all came back clear. I guess that is good, but I was hoping for something, at least to answer all the questions. I do know that people can be tested for gluten issues and have them come back clear. My doctor did say that food issues like gluten, wheat, lactose intolerance...can cause arthitis problems. I am lactose intolerant. I used to take pills for that but they got to be expensive and a pain in the butt. Now, I'm going try the gluten free thing and work on my lactose intolerance thing and hope that things get better. I am hoping that it won't be that hard to do. I was looking at the foods we eat and a lot of them are gluten free, so that is good. I'm going to start slow so I don't go crazy with too many changes at once! I will defintately keep you all updated. Right now though, time for bed soon. We all have this nasty cold that is going around :(

Happy Birthday!

Well, it is birthday season in our house.....the boys' birthdays are 11 days apart and then mine in 10 days after Jamie's. I can't believe that this handsome little man is 3 already! He sure does keep us on our feet. Things aren't always easy, but we do have a lot of fun. I just love his smile, it just lights up the room...just like his brother.

He is all boy! He loves tractors, playing outside, getting dirty, being a total daredevil, being loud, and moving all the time! He loves music....playing (he has a bunch of instruments), singing and dancing. He is very musical. He is always tapping along with the beat. We listen to country music and Jamie knows at least 10 different singers and knows most of the songs before the person starts singing.

He is all about the Disney movies, especially the toy story movies. He is also into superheroes...Batman, Superman, Ironman, Spiderman....he loves them all.

His birth was not easy at all....not that having a baby is easy, but some are worse than others! I went in for a non-stress test on a Monday, one day after his due date. His movement was slowing down and they wanted to watch it. You see, this child never, never stopped moving! On this Monday, things were taking a little longer. My doctor came in and said that we would have to induce labor. He said his heart rate was dropping and that he wasn't in danger but if we would wait until my next test on Friday, then he would be in danger and I would probably need a c-section. This news made me cry....I went in for a test, not to have a baby! Being induced is not fun, it takes forever! The medicine was started around 11am on Monday and he was born at 7:30 Tuesday morning. I got an epidural and after awhile it started to ware off and then the new stuff was different and didn't really work and I was not happy! I was so tired and then the pain, I could barely push. And then I had to push for 2 1/2 hours. Then the doc came in and said he needed to come out. He had to use the forceps which is pretty painful! But, I got my precious little man! I had some issues after also. I think about that stuff a lot and as much as it sucked at the time, I did get a handsome little boy! And when you ask him how old he is, he will show you.....

Happy Birthday!

Ok, so I'm a little late here...sorry! Our precious Oliver Presley turned one last week! I cannot believe how fast this past year has gone by. All that day I was thinking about the day he was born. You see, his birth was sooo much better than Jamie's. The night before Oliver was born, we went to Chuck E. Cheese for a little fun time for Jamie's birthday which was in 12 days. I had been feeling different that day, but didn't think much about it. I didn't go into labor with Jamie on my own so I had no idea what to expect. So, after our fun time, we went to the grocery store because I was hungry but didn't know for what! We were planning on going to the baptism for my bestie's little girl on Sunday. I really couldn't sleep much when we got home. The contractions started around 3:15am and by 3:30 they were a minute apart. I was trying to stay calm, but man, those contractions came on so fast and so hard!

We got to the hospital at 4 (luckily it is only a few minutes from our house) and I was having a hard time dealing with those pains! I was happy to get some medicine to help relax while I waited for the epidural. I got that lovely medicine at 5am and was a 10 and ready to go (I was a 7 when I got to the hospital). The nurse said to just let Oliver come down the rest of the way on his own instead of pushing right away. I was fine with that. I could get some rest and let Oliver do his own thing and not have to push for so long. After a nice nap, the nurse came back in at 8 and said it was time to push. I was so relaxed this time around. We were watching CMT and music videos. I did 3 or 4 rounds of pushing and my little man made his entrance at 8:30. I felt so good, minus the horrible tailbone pain. I also looked good....please don't think that I full of myself, but I looked like poo after Jamie and had a hard time just moving....with Oliver, I was moving and just looked much better, and I felt better.

It is kind of ironic that Oliver's delivery was so fast because he is so laid back and kind of lazy :) I have a blast with him and get such a kick out of him. He has the best smile, his whole face lights up. He is definately a momma's boy, big time, but I'm not complaining! He loves to play, pick on his brother, dance, music, snuggle and has a temper. Oh my, when he wants something he will let you know. He doesn't like the word "no" and throws a fit everytime we tell him no. Like I said, he loves to pick on Jamie and Oliver starts the fighting most of the time. But then he flashes that smile like in the picture below and you just melt!

Wow

It has been a while...wow. I have started writing a post a few times and then deleted it, I have a ton going on. I really should blog more, it would help. I have been dealing with a lot of things lately, or at least trying to deal with things. I'm sick of my job and sick of having such a hard time finding one. I mean, I have a degree and can't find a decent job. I hate all the stresses that comes with my job. I hate being crabby all the time. I have been wondering a lot lately what the big man upstairs has in mind for me. I feel like nothing ever works out. Does he want me to be miserable, because it is working. Then I see people around me and things always work out for them. I know I shouldn't worry about that, but I have a hard time not doing that. I am also having issues with our church. There are a couple of things, but the only one that I will talk about on here. I have been feeling for a while that I just don't fit in. My church has lots of classes and things, but those seem too pushy to me. Why do I have to do all these classes in order to make friends? There are nice people at church, but I feel so alone most of the time. But, there is nothing I can do. I'm not going to make my family go somewhere else because the hubby plays in the band and he loves that, I can't take him away from that. I just feel stuck. I try so hard to do things with people and things never work out. But, then I see all these people hanging out together. I feel like I am back in high school and there are these cliques everywhere. Someone even said that I need to try to do things instead of sitting around, that made me mad. I just don't know what to think or do anymore. Ok, so this post might be a whiny one, but please bare with me. Jamie is such a good little boy, but his learning style is touching things. He likes to touch everything, cuddle, hold hands. But, I am having a hard time when I put him in nursery on Sundays and some of the kids are always saying "no Jamie, don't touch" or are mean to him. How do you explain to young kids that he is not being mean, that he will just grab your hand and say hi? The kids don't get it and I don't think all the parents get it. I really don't want to put him in there because it kills me to see him playing alone and these kids telling him no all the time. He only has a couple of weeks left in nursery and then he will be able to go to walk out worship during church, so hopefully that will be better. Anyway, I think I will end this now and post later this week. I just have so many feelings and thoughts right now and I don't know what to do anymore. Now, onto more cheery things.... :)

Father's Day/Anniversary Weekend

So, it may have taken me a few days to actually do a post :) I wanted to put something on my photos....thanks Erin!

This is the wonderful cottage we stayed at. It belongs to Eric's grandparents and we just love it there. We were able to stay there for 4 days. We did a whole lot of nothing! It was great :) We went Father's Day weekend which also happend to be our anniversary weekend.

I took a lot of picutes while we were there. The boys had a good time also. Jamie loved being outside, playing on the swingset, going in the canoe with daddy, playing in the lake, playing with toys, it was great.

Look at that handsome little man! It was a nice break for all of us.

But, let me tell you....trying to get pictures of the boys together, looking at you at the same time, not easy!

Oliver is such a momma's boy :) But, so is his brother! It was really nice to not have to worry about work or anything else, just hanging out. Jamie slept in a room by himself and in a full sized bed, without falling out! I still can't believe how fast they are growing.

Jamie was all about the water, he loves the water!

And I love these little piggies :)

S'mores...you can't have a campfire without them!

Yes, I have matching outfits for the boys :) Haha....they may hate me later, but they are just so darn cute!

I asked Jamie to give me the "look" isn't it great!

I adore this picture of Jamie :)

Jamie also got a kick out of helping daddy drive the boat. I am hoping that we can go up to the cottage more often. I am also very glad that we took the boys. Sure, they still had their tantrums...aparently they didn't get the memo that we were on vacation and that tantrums were not allowed....but, we loved it!

MIA

I know I have been MIA lately, but we are still here! I thought I would post a little something so you all know I haven't forgot about you. We have been super busy the past few weeks. I really need to work harder on posting, my goodness. Anyway, I will be back tomorrow for an update about our anniversary/Father's Day weekend getaway.

Tulip Time

So, I've been missing for a bit, sorry about that. I have been dealing with some things and always think about blogging and then it never happens. I'm going to work on blogging more. I feel better when I do, so I just need to keep it up. This post has lots of pictures! A couple of weeks ago, we had our annual Tulip Time festival. The boys were in their Dutch outfits and that makes for great pictures....when you can get them to look at you at the same time :)

I love taking pictures of flowers. I'm not sure what these are, but I love the way the picture turned out.

It was pretty hot the day we went to Windmil Island. Luckily, we found this cool fountain and Jamie took full advantage of it and played for a while. All during this, Oliver was sound asleep.

Oh man, I love flowers...haha :)

Such handsome men!

This is probably my favorite picture of Oliver. It was hard to get decent pics of the boys, especially together. I'm thinking of putting their outfits back on and going to the park again. There aren't any tulips, but there are still pretty flowers out. Maybe I can get some better pics.

The picture above is the best one of the boys together.

Oh, look at that, more flowers :)

We had a good time. But, I do want more pictures in those Dutch costumes!

Failure

This might be a little depressing at times, or annoying, but I just need to type. Lately, I have been feeling like a failure. I have friends that in the same time it has taken me to get my 4-year degree, have gone onto graduate school and beyond! I know I shouldn't let it bother me. I have my own little family, two perfect little boys. But, I just can't get past it. I have a job, but it has nothing to do with my degree. I want a new job, I need one. I feel like I'm being pulled in so many directions and I can't do it anymore. I have a cleaning job....not always fun, but hey, it needs to be done.....but, I have so much stress from this job. I shouldn't have this much stress from a cleaning job! Then I come home and feel like I need to do everything around the house. I know some moms/wives don't mind doing the "woman's" jobs at home, it works for them. It doesn't work for me. I just don't have enough energy and time to get everything done that needs to be done. I can get the house nice and clean and two days later, it is a mess again. I know, I have kids, it is going to happen. It isn't like my house is gross or anything, but it doesn't look the way I want it to. I feel like I am going to be judged by most people that come to my house. Maybe I just need to suck it up and get over it. When I go to bed at night, I think about the things I didn't get done and how much it bothers me, or what the hubby will think when he gets home. I shouldn't be thinking about that stuff when I'm going to sleep. I almost feel guilty for going to bed. The boys want me all the time. I can't leave the room without one or both of them freaking out. But, I love my boys and I'm glad they want me around, but I also need breaks. I get so overwhelmed when I think about the things that need to be cleaned, having to do everything for the boys, the fact that I didn't go grocery shopping for this week and will now have to go with both boys by myself. I need a new plan. A better plan. Ok, I'm going to stop complaining now. I've just hit a hard patch. Let the thinking begin.

Spring Flowers

Ok, so I have over 200 bulbs planted in front of house, between tulips and daffodils. I am obsessed with taking pictures of them! I have plans of making some canvases and doing some other fun things with the pictures. Anyway, these are some that I have taken during the past week. Warning....there are a ton! Enjoy :)

This white one is a peony tulip

I'm not sure on all the names and such, but I do love them! We have this event here called Tulip Time and that is where I got the tulips. There are a bunch that you cannot find in a store.

I love these "fringe" tulips!

I took some pictures one day after it rained. I love how the rain drops stay on the flowers.

I hope you enjoyed these photos. There will be many more! Hopefully these flowers mean that it will stay nice out and that it will actually be spring. Enjoy your night :)

I can't do it....

I can't keep the house super clean at all times

I can't answer my phone every time it rings

I can't call people back when they want me to

I can't keep on top of the ever growing mountains of laundry

I can't promise that the dishes will be done

I can't deny that my house sometimes smells like dirty diapers

I can't dust my house every day

I can't keep every one happy

I can't stop myself from having a bad day

I can't put more focus on my house than my kids

I can't clean all day

I can't do it all alone

Baby Food

I decided with Oliver that I would make his baby food. I did buy some stuff from the store and he didn't seem to fond of it. I made some foods for Jamie, but wanted to do more this time. I figured, I make food for the rest of us, why not for Oliver? I had a few people ask me why I would do that because they thought it would be harder. It really isn't that bad at all. I got a cool cookbook from Amazon....and just ordered another one :).....and things have been going well. Oliver loves the food I make. He didn't want to eat the carrots from the store, but last week I made some fresh ones for him and he couldn't get enough of them! Things I have made so far are: carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, peas, sweet potatoes with peas, and sweet potatoes with broccoli. I will be making some more things later in the week. I got some fruit also so he can get a variety of things. His favorite fruit is mashed bananas. He is just like his brother, can't get enough of them! I'm also hoping to get some foods made with meat in them soon. It is also getting warmer here which means I will be able to get more frutis soon. I wish I had some pictures of my creations! Maybe once I fill the freezer up again, I will take a picture of that. Side note, Oliver got his 6 month pictures and they are adorable!

2 Months

Ahhh....gotta love babies! Both of my babies are sleeping right now :) I do love that they enjoy their sleep. This precious babe is Oliver. This handsome man is Jamie. Please don't mind the picture. The camera we had at the time had a busted flash and it wouldn't take decent pictures. I love my little men. Even during those moments when they are bugging me like mad :)