What's Going on With Us

Things have been going rather well lately. Most notably, Derrick has been offered a job to consider applying for. He tells me that it's not the only job that he's looking at, but it is the only one he's been excited enough about to talk to me about. The job, he tells me, would provide a sizable raise in pay, though he's not quite sure how much his boss means by "sizable". However if we are to take this job, it has to be enough for us to be able to afford a new mini-van, a house big enough for the 7 of us, and to still be able to pay for the property that we are on now, as neither one of us really want to lose it or give it up. Also it would require us to move to Maryland. We were originally told Washington (state), so I got my hopes up about being only a few hours drive from where Katie and Walt will eventually end up. All I can do is say "Well, STINK!" about that one.

Daniel continues to do well in school. It's the fourth week in a row that he's brought home a 90 or higher grade on his spelling tests and math worksheets (dabs a tissue at tears of pride).His behavior has also recently improved. I think it is because we are rigidly enforcing the rule where nothing fun is done after school until the family room, and bed rooms are cleaned up, followed by homework. This is used along with at least one and a half hours mandatory outside play time on non-rainy days. Plus, he seems to thrive on being entrusted with new responsibilities. i shift him between feeding the dog and helping me with the dishes. He love it.

Jacob is doing very well also. He just got done with a growth spurt, so now all his pant waist bands are too big when just last month they fit perfectly. Good thing I got all his pants a little long. I can always get him a belt. In school, he is wowing his teachers (and his mom) with his artistic side. They are giving him these worksheets that are to help them learn problem solving and logic. It one of those coloring sheets that has half of a picture drawn on one side of a grid and the kid is supposed to draw the other half. He did so well that his teacher wrote me a note telling me that she was impressed with how well he does in artistic areas.(brag, brag, puff up, puff up).

Layla's being a snot. She seems determined to break every rule she possibly can every day. From stealing, to fighting, to not eating the food she begged for, to drawing on the walls, to waking her little brothers from naps, to lying, and everything in between, i am at my wits end with her. The worst part is that I know exactly what is causing all this. I am still trying to figure out how to handle taking care of Micah, the household chores(which, let's face it,I have never had a good handle on), and giving all my kids the attention they need. So, I fear that Layla is getting the short end of the stick being the middle child and only girl. I have been trying to correct this , but it's not easy to do, and a lot of times she makes it even harder by getting sent to time out over and over again. Still, I will try. I pray every time that given time and the patience that Heavenly Father is helping me to acquire, she'll come around.

Jaiden is , well, Jaiden. Sometimes he follows Layla's example, sometimes it's Daniel and Jake's. Sometimes he just does his own weird little thing. All I know is that he can be extremely entertaining or extremely frustrating. He has been showing off a bit in his new found vocabulary words. The newest words are "Night-night", "Bye", "Danno"(Daniel), and that good old toddler classic "NO!"

Micah is 2months old now, and he is already purposefully smiling. All the time. He is a marvelously happy baby most of the time. I don't think it will be very long at all before he starts to laugh. He sounds like he's trying to figure that one out every now and again. Oh, yeah, he's already rolling over. He has done both back-to-front and front-to-back with the latter being the most often. Crazy, huh?

As for me, I just underwent surgery on the 20th, and bade farewell to my child bearing days. I was pretty scared before hand, this being my first surgery and all.Thank you, mom and dad for keeping me in your prayers that day. It helped knowing that you were. Thank you to my sisters for doing the same, for the same reason. I wasn't quite as scared walking into that pr-op room. Thank you Derrick, for the blessing that you gave me just before they started my I.V. It calmed and comforted me more than you know. Everything went fine. The pre-op anesthesiologist shot something into my I.V. that made me all loopy (that was pretty fun)and then they took me to the operating room. they had just gotten my arms out to my sides, and the little rubber breathing mask on my face, telling me to take deep breaths (I only remember taking 3), when, suddenly, I was waking up asking the nurse in post-op " Is it over?" and not hearing her answer "yup" before I fell asleep again. I slept off and on for the rest of the day. I couldn't seem to go more than 20 minutes without falling asleep. My doctor told me that I would feel like I was kicked in the gut for a few days. I didn't feel that way until today. Now I been kicked in the gut before, and hard,too ( Tony the black belt), and this still isn't as bad as that! So, all in all, not a bad price to pay to have the reassurance for me and my entire family that my sanity will stay intact that much longer1 You guys know what I mean :} !

Micah's Grand Entrance

Well, to say the least it has been a memorable experience to have a baby this time around. I have joined the ranks of a club of women that, personally, I didn't really want to join.

Around 3:00 am on February 18, I woke up because I was feeling cold. My thermostat resets it's self to 62 degrees every night at midnight, so i wasn't surprised. I got up to ask Derrick to go turn up the heat ( Derrick was struggling with a bout of insomnia that night, so yes he was still up).I was going back to bed when I had the first contraction. I am used to having contractions at night, it's really common for me, so I didn't think much of it. They continued to come and quickly got to be hurting me so much that I had to get up and walk around. That didn't help. I had Derrick keep track of how far apart they were coming for a few minutes while I kept track of how long they were lasting. We found the guide book that my Doctor's office gave me when We realized that they were only 3 or 4 minutes apart. It said to call the doctor if it lasted for about an hour. they had, so I called. the on call doctor told me to" come on in. We'll check you out, and see what's going on."

That was at 4:04 am. we immediately called Penny to come stay with the kids. I was sitting on the couch trying to breath without screaming, just waiting for her to get here. I suddenly felt a really strong contraction with a lot of pressure. I knew that I had better go back to the bedroom. I told Derrick to go get some towels. He told me that his first thought was " It's gonna get messy!" I laid back on the bed and got ready. I was trying not to push, arching my back and every thing, but it didn't help. My water broke and he started to crown any way so i just stared to push. All I could hear from Derrick was "Oh! Oh, OH, Oh!" It was only two pushes and Micah DeShay Donner was born, looking all slimy and blue tinted with his daddy holding him with a panic stricken look on his face. I told Derrick to hold him head down while I stuck my finger in his mouth to make sure the plug had come out of his mouth. It had, and he did not like me doing this. He had a faint little cry that built up to a decent one. I got Derrick to grab a shoelace and tie off the cord in one spot with the top of the lace and another with the bottom of the lace. then I told him where my sewing scissors were and he cut the cord. We wrapped him up in a towel and a big flannel sheet and I held him very close to me as Derrick covered me up and called an ambulance.

Penny got there round about now and it was a good thing, too. Jaiden still has had his crib in our room, and needless to say, had woken up during all this and gotten an eye full. he needed someone to reassure him, and Bomba was just in the right position to do so. Note : It was only about4:10 when I went back to the room, and 4:15 when Penny got here. Yes, it went that fast. Shortly there after the EMS got here and took Micah and I to the hospital. We were checked out, told we were fine, and admitted. Micah was 7 lbs. 7oz., and 20 inches long.

Derrick finally got to sleep a little bit.

My Stupid Random Whining

I want a stay at home job. I want my kids to stop destroying everything they see. I want Layla to stop having 5 major crying episodes a day. I want to not be pregnant any more. I want to not have to deal with diapers and poop and pee anymore. I want Daniel to stop screaming in the house just for the heck of it. I want Jacob to learn the even though no one saw you do whatever it is you did wrong, it is still wrong. I want Jaiden to stop biting. I want to not understand how mom felt when she used to say " Well one of you did it, because NotMe doesn't live here!" I want my van to be working again. I want to not have to heat water on the stove any more. I want to have electricity in my bathroom again. I want to use my shower again. I want to have greenhouse for my garden so I can grow stuff year round. I wanna be a good gardener. i want my kids to remember to clean up after themselves BEFORE I am screaming about it, like maybe one of the first 5,6,or7 times I tell them to clean up. I want my floors to be fixed. I want my walls to be repainted and repaired as needed. I want to have a big chocolate cake filled with fudge. I want a big bag of of 500 dollar bills, I'm talking huge! I want a great big juicy steak that I get all to my self and all the chinese food I like that I can eat. I want to have a mute button for anything I don't want to hear. I want to sleep until I WANT to get up. But since I know that I am not getting any of this any time soon, I'll just shut up now!


So..................... How has every one else been?

Kids are just plain funny

A few things were said at my house that I just thought were just too cute not to share. The other day while it was still warm enough to let my kids run wild in the front yard, Jake and Layla were playing quite happily. Then I hear scared "aahhhhh"'s and "EEEEE"'s and the sound of little dirty feet running back into the house. Jake busts into my room with Layla hot on his heels (as a matter of fact she ran into his back when he paused to open the door wider)." MOMMY! There is a big scary bug out there! It gonna eat us! It big and black and it flyin' around. It got big eye's an' sharp claws!" Me:"Ah. Is that so, well, you two just leave it alone and you'll be fine" Jake:"But mommy, it got big eyes an' sharp claws an' teeth an' it wanna eat us up like this," he demonstrates something like a cross between a chipmunk and a crab eating;" Mommy I think it a LEMUR BUG!Yeah, it a LEMUR BUG!"

Then Layla and I were talking about girly things the next day while I was doing her hair. Shoes, dresses, Hair-do's, dolls, ect.... Then she says to me " Mommy, I pretty. I won'erful!" Me:" Oh, yeah, you are." Layla:" Mommy, you bootiful too!"( she gives me an ear to ear smile) Me:" what about Daddy? Is Daddy handsome?" Layla" NO! Daddy a boy, boys are stinky! Daddy stinky!"

Yesterday, I was talking to all the kids while i was trying to find a movie for them to watch. I was having this problem throughout the day where I was calling Daniel, Jacob; and Jacob either Daniel or Jai-Jai. I pointed this out to them and asked them, laughingly," Do you think that I might have too many kids?" Daniel:" Yeah! You do!" Jake:" And you're gonna have another one!" Daniel, giggling:'" And it's your own fault, too!"

Too funny!

Yeah, yeah, well I'm here now!

Okie dokie, peoples! I just realized how long it has been. (Actually I thought it had been longer than five months, hee, hee, hee) Well, I have things to tell, that's for sure. Things just never stop around here. I am sure everyone can relate to that.
First off, the Donner's are growing again. I am due to have baby #5 in February. I haven't been able to get to a doctor yet, but yes I am working on it, yes I am taking my prenatal vitamins, and no I am not pushing my self.The only thing I need to better are my eating habits. I am craving fruit chew candies like crazy!(?) We don't know if it is a boy or a girl but we are prepping for either one. We have a name for a girl picked out already, Amanda Ruth, But we can't seem to agree on a boy's name. I like Micha, but Derrick says why not go all the way and use Michael. Because I don't LIKE the name Michael for my own child, THAT"S WHY! If you have a biblical boys name for that you want to suggest, I am open to it. Keep in mind that we have already used Daniel, Jacob, and Nathaniel. Automatic No's are David(2 uncles already named that), Caleb, Josiah.
Daniel is now in the first grade, and doing well. I feel lucky that he got the teacher that is like a fanatic about kids learning to read. Her class schedule has them reading 3 to 4 times a day! I love it!!! He is doing great at it. He is having some behavioral issues that he is blaming on not getting enough sleep, stating that he keeps waking up several times a night, but I can't be sure. We are handling it one incident at a time. We are making sure that we properly take him aside and discuss the issue with him.
Jake is in pm pre-k, with no need for speech therapy any more. He is way ahead of the other kids, having already 1 1/2 years of school under his belt. He is already working on learning to spell. His favorite word is "APPLE". He loves riding the bus home with Daniel. It is so great to see them running up the driveway together, big smiles on their faces.
Layla just turned 3 on the 19 of Sept. We had a little party with all the girl cousins since Jordan and Brianna had birthdays within the same time period. Layla had so much fun with the fairy costume Dana got her for dress up,and joyfully paired it up with the play jewelery that Penelope gave her. Other than that she is pretty much the same, a 3 year old "princess cum drama queen" and a little goof ball.
Jaiden is 1 year old, and he has been into ANYTHING he can can reach, which immediately make it's way to the floor. And while his nick name has always been Jai-Jai, he has earned the new nickname of Jay Bird. Yup,enter the " I wanna be naked" stage. He discovered his little pieces-parts, and the fascination will never end! At least he is learning to say "mama" because he wants my attention. Usually to show me that he has removed his diaper!
The company that Derrick was working for was unable to keep him, but he has found a new job working for a company that works with the Hyatt Resort out here.Basically they are the working world version of the AV club. They set up computers, networks, lighting, sound systems, and stuff for business presentations like over heads and video screens. then there is always the troubleshooting part. Gotta have that. He seems to be enjoying it, despite having to walk hither and yon about the hotel and massive grounds.
Well that's all for now. I'll try not to forget my password this time,so I can update more often. Bye!

No More Bunnies:(

Well it turns out that neighborhood dogs that were allowed to run wild were responsible for the disappearance of my rabbits. I woke up yesterday to find similar damage to my hutches that had been pulled down onto my garden, and my last two rabbits gone. As the ground was nice and soft from the rain we have been getting, I could see the paw prints on the ground in my tomato patch. Some how this makes me less mad about the rabbits being gone. It was just animals doing what animals do. I am however mad at the owners of these dogs. I have been informed that a new(er) rule out here was that all dogs either had to be on a running line, chain/wire/leash, or fenced. These people are not doing this. I wish I knew who they are. I would go tell them how much they owe me for their dog's last two dinners!

I am So Mad!

That's right, I am so freakin', unbelievably mad. Last night while I was in here writing about how I was raising rabbits in order to have an independent food source, some one snuck into my back yard and stole my female rabbits. Why would some one do this to me? I have prayed and prayed that some how they just got out, and I would be able to find and catch them. But it soon became evident to me that they had been stolen. One of my hutches had been ripped open ( why , I don't know. there was a latch just inches above the rip) and the other on was just as I had left it minus one rabbit. What is the most galling is the knowledge that there is nothing I can do about it. If I call the sheriff's office, all they can do is make a report. There were no identifying marks on them, and there was no other signs of human involvement. All I can do now is spend another $80 to get more rabbits, and figure out a way to keep them safe, like keeping them inside (NOT a pleasant thing to do). Pray for me that I will soon stop wishing that the most horrible things on the planet will crawl out of this person's rectum in the most horrifyingly painful ways possible, and will find the strength and faith to forgive them.