Ok, so last Friday night I was a little late so I took a pregnancy test... it was positive... I'm due about or around Feb. 14, 2011 (I'm calling it our "Love Child"). We really weren't trying to have another baby at the moment seeing how things have been super busy, but evidently God said NOW is the time, so here we go, again! I was somewhat shocked when I read the big pink + on my EPT, I honestly wasn't expecting it. I called my dear sweet husband and asked him if someone was there with him. He said "Yes, why?" And I said "because I don't want you to pass out and hurt yourself and no one be around when I tell you that we're having another baby." And the giggles began, he was SO excited, shocked too, but excited. Well, as I thought about it, more and more things that were going on with me were making sense... I was extremely tired, and in the mornings I would have to sit up in bed, and wait a few minutes before I got up or I would be extremely dizzy or my eyes would go black. I just thought it was the heat, I guess not!

Well, on Wednesday night I was extremely tired, but we needed to get groceries. So, we are coming out of the store and I'm having major buyer's remorse, over groceries, which we obviously need, but still... when we get home I am still exhausted and trying to put groceries away, finally I give up, I NEED to eat right now! My stomach thought my throat had been cut! As I ate some maccoroni salad I just started crying,  Pregnancy Melt Down #1 or P.M.D. #1. All these thought cam rushing to my mind. How can I have another baby now? Are we really ready for another baby? Am I ready for another baby? Is having another baby selfish? What are we going to do? Is Katelynn going to feel like I'm replacing her with a new baby? The thoughts just flooded my mind and the tears flooded my face. My dear sweet husband, who he is, gave me a hug and said go to bed, I'll finish the groceries... but being the Control Freak that I am I told him not to because I needed to know where everything was, hehe, but I did allow him to take the cans down to the basement and put them away, hehe. I love my husband, he is too good to me!

So far, this next baby is giving me a run for my money. I'm so tired its obnoxious, and I HAVE to eat, all the time. If I don't eat I'm dizzy. I'm crossing my fingers it isn't twins, lol! Plus side, I get to start looking for newborn cloth diapers, I don't have any since I started Katelynn at around 7 months old! Any suggestions on the best brands of newborn cloth?

Anyhow, thought I would give you an update dear followers!
Have a great day!
Kelsey

Okay, so you if you think Moms are nuts for using Cloth Diapers in an age where disposibles are the most popular, your 100% wrong! Today's Cloth Diapers are nothing like what you would imagin. No "burp cloths" wrapped in plastic pants, no pins needed, no leaks either! When I had my baby girl, Katelynn, the thought of using cloth diapers never crossed my mind, I had NO clue about the Modern Cloth Diaper. The Cloth Diaper of today is much more complex than "back in the day" and very easy to use. There are so many options you have when it comes to the Modern Cloth Diaper as well. I bought my first Modern Cloth Diapers when my baby girl was about 6-7 months old, but I wish that I had known about them and been using them since birth. I, like many moms today, went to the internet as a support system for input and info as a first time mom. I was suprised to learn just how many moms were using Cloth Diapers. The more I talked to these women, the more curious I got... I wanted to learn as much as I could about them. I took notes and visited the websites they suggested and even found other sites as well with TONS of infomation of the Modern Cloth Diaper. One of the ladies on my Mom's Group online was very helpful and suggested a brand called Haute Pockets as a starter diaper, especially since at that time they were on sale at Clothdiaperclearance.com. So my first investment in Cloth Diapering were 6 Haute Pocket One Size Diapers. Each diaper came with two inserts, a newborn and a doubler. Right now Katelynn is about to turn one and I use both inserts and she can usually last up to 2 hours in them. At that time I was using cloth during the day and disposibles at night. I want so badly to switch to full time cloth, but knew my Haute Pockets wouldn't stand up over night. I did further research and I decided to buy a couple Thirsties All In One Pockets in Medium from BabyEcoMart.com because they were on sale, which was awesome, I got them for a great deal! I bought a separate Large insert to go in them, made by FuzziBunz. So far to date we have not had any leaks at night! Later I learned about the bumGenius 3.0 and bought a couple of them... looking back now I wish I would have done my whole stash in bumGenius 3.0. I use them as a back up night time diaper because their inserts are AWESOME! I've not had any leaks from them at night either and they tend to be a little trimmer fitting than the Thirsties. I also have a FuzziBunz diaper, which is ok, works great, but nothing SUPER spectacular. I also have 3 Nubunz that Katelynn's auntie bought her, which enabled me to only have to wash every other day instead of every day usually at midnight every night. Total I have 18 cloth diapers. I would LOVE more (like maybe 50), but don't really NEED more for Katelynn at this time. I would like to be able to have enought to do two full day in cloth without having to wash, so that I could travel with them... I try to use cloth as much as I can, but because my stash is only 18 diapers sometimes I have to use disposibles if we go out of town.
http://www.diaperpin.com/
http://www.diaperjungle.com/
http://www.cottonbabies.com/
http://www.clothdiaperclearance.com/
http://www.kellyscloset.com/
http://www.nickisdiapers.com/
http://www.hyenacart.com/
http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/
http://www.thanksmama.com/
http://www.liloutlaws.net/
http://www.rockingreensoap.com/
 
Hope you have a wondeful day dear followers!
Kelsey

Well yesterday was interesting...  It seems like most of the time when people do something wrong, they don't want to own up to it but instead blame their failure on someone else. Most of the time this involves them lashing out, causing drama. I'm not a fan of drama, EVER! I don't mind drama and I know in the end I will learn from it, but it just seems pointless in the interm. If everyone would just sit back and think about things before they do or say them, the world would be a much better place. I believe the old saying is "Do unto others as you would have them do to you." Would YOU want someone to lash out at YOU for their failure and try to ruin YOUR reputation and spread LIES about YOU? I didn't think so. This is why I am glad I am who I am. I have learned a lot and am constantly learning. My learning has helped me greatly these past couple of days. Instead of lashing out to defend myself, I let it go, I KNOW THE TRUTH and GOD knows the TRUTH.  I'm close to God and I know everything will be taken care of and everything will turn out fine.

Last night I did have THE BEST NIGHT'S SLEEP ever! I slept so deep and so nice, it was as if all my worries were lifted and my mind was clear and empty, allowing me to fall into a deep sleep. Normally I have a million things on my mind and though I do fall asleep really easy and do sleep all night through, I don't get a GOOD nights sleep because of the thought rolling around in my head all night long. Katelynn on the other hand had some trouble sleeping and I think its because her 8th tooth is coming through and bugging her a little.

Ahh, stepping off my soap box, lol!
Thanks for reading dear followers!
Kelsey

Sometimes I think people get confused as to what the true meaning of being a volunteer actually is. To clear up any misunderstandings I've decided to write this post about the true meaning of being a "volunteer" enjoy the quotes, definitions, and my thoughts:

vol·un·teer[vol-uhn-teer] –noun
1. a person who voluntarily offers himself or herself for a service or undertaking.
2. a person who performs a service willingly and without pay.
Taken from Dictionary.com
 
 
In my family's "line of work" we depend a lot, not all, but a lot on the kindness of volunteers. We often sit back and think about past volunteers, and by their actions we truly know who was in it FOR the cause and who had their own self interest first. Volunteers that are in it FOR the cause are always there, ready to help, they do not complain about a job needing done, they work their hardest to get the job done. I know that when I have been a part of volunteer efforts where the volunteers are in it FOR the cause it is always fun and you create a kind of bond with them. Its like you are connected through the good that you achieved or through the same goal or mission. Those people stay with you forever, they may have a life change that makes them leave the cause, but they are always with you in heart and spirit. I always think back and remember a group of college girls that was with us for a good while, we were a "team", we felt invincible against anything the world could throw at the cause, there wasn't a problem or situation that we weren't ready for and we knew we could count on each other to be there and get through it... not for us, but FOR the cause. Our hearts were in it for the right reason, not to make outselves feel better about ourselves, not to make people like us, not so that we could pat each other on the back, not to get something from it, but to really make a difference. I often miss my "team" and think of them often, I haven't had that in a long time. A "team" that I could count on, to be there if we needed them, that we could call at midnight about a situation that needed tended to at 6:00AM... a "team" that knew their roles and acted effectively with integrity and with drive and passion. I miss that. I don't want to replace my "team" I want to expand on it, to add members to the "team"... because you never really loose "team" members, it just seems like they are put on hold or frozen in time.
 
Its sad when you have a "volunteer or group of volunteers that isn't in it FOR the cause. It makes everything less fun and its hard to really trust them. Its sad. Sometimes I want to just pluck them up and shake them saying "Hello, you, in there, wake up, I know you are in there for the right reason, come out come out where ever you are!" I don't know what has happened to our society to make people think that they are owed the world when they decided they want to "help" or "volunteer"... where does that come from? That isn't volunteering! No one OWES you anything! It makes absolutly no sense to me. They think they are owed privledges, or status, or admiration, or something and it just ruins the whole concept of being a volunteer and trying to work together towards a common good. It just ERKS me! And this is exactly what I've been encountering lately and I just don't understand it...
 

I have to brag a little! I have THE BEST TRAVEL BABY EVER! I can't believe how well Katelynn does in the car. She sleeps, eatss, and plays really well through car rides, like as in a 4 hour car ride. I know it sounds silly, but I think she ROCKS, and I really believe that if it were longer than 4 hours, I think she would be fine as well. One of the things she loves the most is her mirror. She has a fun Mirror in front of her with little animals animals on it... its the Fisher Price Precious Planet Auto Mobile Mirror pictured to the left. She absolutly loves it and has since she was teeny tiny. There is a small button and a dial on the bottom that turns on music and lets you set at time limit for the music to play. Its seems like she has been watching and paying attention to that button since the day we got it. Now that she is mobile and able to move her fingers and grab everthing, the first thing she does when we put  her in her car seat is sit forward and try to push the button to turn the music on... it is so cute. She uses her index finger and pushes the button. If the music goes off and she wants to listen to it some more, but is restrained in the seat she will use her toes to turn it on, lol, how funny!

It really helps during travel that can hold her own bottle too. When she is hungry al I have to do is mix up the bottle and hand it to her and she can feed herself. Which she doesn't mind doing and is really good at! She is also really good at entertaining herself... I'll give her a toy and she will play with it for quite a while before she gets bored with it... then all I have to do is give her a different toy and the process repeats. Sleeping is a key component too and she has no problem falling asleep in the car. I was somewhat concerned that she would have to adjust to her new carseat, the Graco MyRide 65 before she would be comfortable sleeping in the car, but she has no problems sleeping. It looks pretty comfortable and I believe she thinks so as well. She doesn't protest about getting in and being restrained. Its like she is ok with it because it is comfortable.

Now why was she in the car for 4 hours? We were spontaneous yesterday and decided to take a road trip to visit some friends and family! It was a good trip and a great visit... sometimes its really nice to just getaway for the day! ;o) The drive home was killer for me, I was exhausted. Katelynn on the other hand made the 4 hour drive home without any problems and slept pretty much the whole way home... I was nervous about this because I was SO tired and I knew if she wokeup when we got home that it would be "playtime" when Mommy wanted to go to bed. Luckily, she was still tired and we took her straight from the car to her crib and she still slept through the night! I LOVE MY BABY! She is awesome!

Well, I must go, Katelynn and I are off to the office today!
Have a wonderful day dear followers!
Kelsey

Last night I decided to start the Mulberry Pie for after church lunch, today. I had never made a Mulberry Pie before so I went to the internet to find a recipe. I found a funny recipe on Discuss Cooking for a Cream Cheese Crust Mulberry Pie... I wasn't sure how well it would turn out, but I went with it and decided to give it a try because it just sounded really good. Here is the Recipe without all the funny adds:


I believe that this Recipe can be used with any type of berry, not just Black Mulberries, get creative!


Hope you like it dear followers! We did!
Kelsey

This morning my dear sweet baby was awakened by the thunderstorm at about 6:30AM. Mommy is not a morning person, so 6:30AM is REALLY early for us. Usually she will sleep until 8:00AMish, sometimes earlier sometimes later, but not 6:30AM early. Well, I decided to bring her to bed with me and give her a bottle in hopes that she would fall back asleep... no such luck. We ended up hanging out in bed and watched cartoons on the Disney Channel until it was time for me to get ready to head to the farm. Well, she started getting brave and would lean forward and put her hands on the bed, then stand with her legs and lift her body into the standing position... without holding on to anything!!! I was amazed! She did this several times and on the bed, which isn't that easy to stand up on and balance for some adults let alone a baby! So today we reached yet another milestone, Standing by herself without holding onto anything! Wow! I have to say, I love having a phone with a video recorder on it, I have the LG Shine Slider Phone, which takes good pictures and videos, but I don't like it other than those things and you can't "butt dial" with it. Sometimes the phone will randomly turn off, or it won't tell me I have a text message until hours or a day later, the slider is annoying I liked my flip phone better, the outside scratches easy,  but I will continue to use it until my account allows me to get another free phone, which is how I got the LG Shine... which was a bad move, but I'll live with it. 

We decided to watch the new Disney movie The Princess and the Frog last night... I have to say that I was less than impressed with it... what is happening to Disney? I LOVED Disney movies growing up and they were all very cool... I didn't really like The Princess and the Frog. It was a good story, but the whole voodoo man thing was a bit weird to me. I would think that little kids would be afraid of shadows after seeing this movie, it was freaky how the shadows came and got the frogs several times, WEIRD! Can't say that I will be buying that one, thats for sure.

Well, the other day I was playing on my hubby's laptop and came across this cool movie maker program that I had no idea was on his laptop. I decided to take photos of Katelynn's First Year and put together something. It is coming along well, but I am still learning (or teaching myself) how to use the program... so hopefully I can have it up and running and uploaded to facebook or youtube by her first birthday! I would REALLY like to do some giveaways for her 1st birthday, I'm hoping to contact some people to see if they will sponsor one, maybe I can get some more followers that way!

Have a wonderful evening dear followers!
Kelsey

Well we had a pretty good Memorial Day weekend. Sunday we all went to church and the service was wonderful. Night classes were cancelled so that we could all enjoy spending time with our families... SO my hubby and I had a "Date night" while Grandma watched the baby! We went out to dinner then came back to the farm and took the golfcart around the farm, just going for a ride. We saw a beautiful young doe on the way home, tried to get a photo with the cell phone but not sure how well it turned out... Monday we worked a little bit around the farm then went home to relax. I set up a kiddie pool for Katelynn and she LOVED it, I think she played in the water for almost two hours before she was tired and want out for some lunch. I put her in a Haute Pocket shell without an insert and it worked out great as a bathing suit bottom. I slathered her with sun screen and made her wear a hat too. It was so cute, I had to add a picture of her! Later in the evening we had a cookout for dinner and our friend came over and made AWESOME Red Potato Salad, it was SO good that I brought leftovers for lunch today! I think she said that she used Mayo, salt, celery and a little mustard... IT WAS GOOD!!!!!!!! I'm thinking about making some in the future but adding boiled eggs to it too, YUM! After dinner my hubby and I decided to go Mulberry picking around the farm. We have Mulberry trees EVERYWHERE and right now they are all ripe with Dark Purple berries. My plan is to make a Pie, Cobbler, or some preserves. Well, we took the truck and parked it under a tree and began picking. Who knew it was going to be so much fun. My hubby picked with me for the first tree, but the trees after that he just drove the truck under each tree and sat and waited while I picked as many as I could reach from the truck.. then we moved to the next tree. He enjoyed being able to sit and look around at the horses and our farm. He said it was the first time in a LONG time that he felt Ok about spending time picking Mulberries instead of working on something that needed to be done... the farm has come a long way and he should be proud. I think it was really good for him to be able to relax, we have a working horse farm now... no major projects that need to happen ASAP, just projects that can be done when there is time and the supplies are in, no rush. By the end of the night I was covered in Purple from head to toe from the Mulberries from the top of the trees falling on me or me sitting on them as I got down from the hood of the truck. I have to say it was the most fun I've had in a long time, and I laughed histerically when I got home and saw myself in the mirror... my hands were almost black they were so dark purple... and my hubby had to help me out of my clothes and into the shower so I didn't touch anything and get purple all over the house... what a good laugh it was!

On a bit sadder note, this morning was rough, our filly that was born 5/3/2010 passed away in the night. She wasn't feeling well yesterday but I didn't expect her to be gone. We believe she had some birth defects from her Momma being neglected and starved during the pregnancy. The bigger she got the worse defects got. I will miss her... I named her Tamara's Destiny just a few days before she passed. She was such as smart little baby, and was doing REALLY well at learning how to lead. It broke my heart to see her Momma trying to get her up to nurse and then just standing over her, she loved her. This is the second baby we've lost this year and it just gets harder and harder. Its just not fair. For one, the mares shouldn't have been bred, both times the mares were starved. And it wasn't the foal's fault that they were brought into the world. Its just sad. I didn't think I had gotten attached to her and I tried not to, but she does hold a special place in my heart, she was my buddy... she didn't know a stranger and just LOVED to be rubbed... oh I will miss her sweet baby nickers, its just not fair... ugh...

Well, I better get back to work! See you again soon dear followers!
Kelsey