Yesterday we celebrated my nephew's birthday. He turned four and is very into Buzz Lightyear. I had the pleasure of making him a spaceship cake. (I think the photo doesn't do it justice, there were sprinkles and contours that you can't see here) I had lots of fun making it.

And here is a fun picture from our photoshoot. Not as formal, but definitely my favorite!

I have gotten 3 phone calls and one letter from my man. I sure do miss him. *Sigh* I am grateful, though that when I see him next, he will know how to iron and fold his laundry. ( :

It has set in. James is gone for four months, and a big chunk of that I don't get to talk to him on a cell phone. That's military life, I guess. I am definitely a little saddened, but I do have a game plan, so I won't be bored...as if I could really be that bored raising 3 kids 4 and under alone. I'd like to keep working on playing the ukulele James bought me for my birthday. And, my sis in law is a fitness guru and gave me a workout plan, which is great since I do "lazy" workouts and just run. Cobin was doing them with me, and today I let him use my 1 lb. dumbells.

James's birthday was the 6th, the big 3-0. He didn't really want a party or anything, so we had a low-key celebration, just us and the kiddos. I made him some themed cupcakes(supposed to be anchors). They were last minute, so they weren't all that complex and I didn't get a great pic, but heres what I have.

Here is a picture of my big boy Micah. See his rolls? hehe

And, I am no longer the proud owner of a minivan. I really did like it. But I've moved on...to this:

It's a 2008 Ford Explorer. I really like that I can fit all three carseats right behind me. There is a third row if we need it someday. Sunroof and leather seats, woohoo!

Movie Ratings, Book Ratings..

These two things don't mean the same thing. A movie rating tells you how age appropriate a movie is, whereas a book rating tells you if it's good or not. Why are there no ratings on books, an indicator, perhaps that identifies profanities or sexual imagery? I would like that to change. I personally would like to have a symbol on each book that has "adult" content, and referring to what specific adult content that is. Too many books for an outside source to label them all, libraries don't even read every book they have, so it'd have to be the publisher. Are they going to comply? No. Government policies could make them, but my MR. says that we shouldn't have any more government involvement than necessary or they take too much, and I agree. The only option left? Third party, and this means no markings on books. OK, fine so I'll have to look up reviews on books online. I have a way of checking to see if a movie has more content than I want to see by looking up on the IMDb (Internet Movie Database) under the Parent's Guide. I am so thankful for that link!!!

So what brings this all to my mind? My babysitter lent me a book...and it was inappropriate for me, let alone a 13 year old. (of course this is just my opinion, but had I known what was in it, I would not have read it) The next book I'd heard good (no details) things about was the Wicked series...I picked it up from a young acquaintance of mine...16. Within a chapter or two I was reading about a man with two sets of genitals and how he put them to use. I almost never don't finish a book, even if it's bad, but I didn't finish that one. The answer I've found...is right here on the web. Two sites:

1) commonsensemedia.org (not just books, but all media)

2) factsonfiction.org

Neither is perfect, though they are better than nothing. They both are good in some aspects, but not all. I think I may start reviewing books for these sites. I can't volunteer outside my home much because of little boys, but I can do this! In the long run, though, I may not be worrying about this as much ...I have three boys and boys just don't read book after book like girls do.

whew..

No pictures... so I might be a boring blogger. This update may be a little jumbled mix of thoughts... We had a very busy thanksgiving. All kinds of family and friends stopped through, we were packed in here! Good part about that was that others helped out in the kitchen! James got to try out snowboarding with them, but didn't get too good at it because he banged up his knee. He is currently trying to get in shape...so he doesn't get massacred in a few weeks for his physical fitness test. We are packing up and moving out on Dec. 16th, so we've been doing all of the things to get ready for that...and there's a lot to do. I made up a list of at least 20 places (bills, etc) we need to alert of our address change!!! and, the bigger the family gets, the more things we seem to find to pack. A certain song comes to mind..."Momma, I'm coming hoooome." Texas here we come! (temporarily at least)

Last night I had my final voice/piano recital here... ) : I will miss my wonderful students! Since I have stopped eating dairy, wheat, and soy, I have rapidly been losing my baby weight, and Micah has been feeling lots better. Last but not least........We bought a new tv. Between the two of us, we have not purchased a television. EVER. not even when we were teenagers. LOL, But we did buy a Wii, so we were playing it on a donated 8, maybe 10 inch screen. Now we can play on our 32 inch flatscreen! Anybody wanna try to beat us on Mariokart? Give us a call!

Micah has been on reflux medicine and it's working, he's not spitting up so much. But he's still been having some pains. So after a week, I took him to the pediatrician today. I've been off of milk, but apparently now I need to take out dairy, soy, AND wheat. Flour? How am I going to live without bread? I am whining a little, but I hope this helps Micah feel better. He's such a happy boy when he's not in pain, it's very clear when he is and like any mother, my heart hurts when he does. I did ask if there's an alternative, and there is. Very expensive(and therefore not preferred) formula that is hypoallergenic. ....not to mention that Micah won't drink from a bottle anymore, even if it is Mommy's milk. This time around, nursing is tough. Good thing I love my little chubby boy!

Lucas and Cobin are so excited...next week their only cousin is coming for a visit! We can't wait to see some family again. ( :

Here is a sweet pic of Micah in his monkey costume....I just couldn't wait to snap some pics of him in it.

A few days ago I was preparing dinner. Lucas was "helping" me by passing me things. When I told him that cutting the onions makes me cry, he was bothered by it and said "Don't cry Momma." When I didn't stop, he said "You know what?" and then he proceeded to make up a joke (that wasn't really funny) to get me to stop crying. He is so empathetic for a three year. His birthday is tuesday but we'll be celebrating it tomorrow. I'm actually baking his cake now that the boys are down....smells good!

I gave my first solo attempt at canning the other day with crabapple jelly. Lucas helped me clean and sort them. It turned out good, though it had bubbles in it. I'm gonna make another attempt soon.

Sunday Micah received his baby blessing at church and we managed to get a couple family pics, our first as a family of 5! He barely fit into his 0-3 month outfit, he's getting chubby so quick. I love chubby baby cheeks, they are perfect for mother's kisses!