Chapter 20

Today my thoughts were turned to my friend, Ashley who is such a great girl. She is so sweet, and has recently been through a lot. My heart aches for her because her pregnancy isn't going as smoothly as one would hope. She has tons more doctors appointments, tons more testing, and more of everything that is not so fun about being pregnant! I feel for her, since my three pregnancies were all great, and I didn't have any complications. We conceived easily, I carried all of them to term, even gaining over 40 pounds with each of them, labored fine, and delivered without any problems. It is not fun to see your friend not have a good experience, through no fault of her own. She has a really fun toddler that I got to watch today. Emma is so sweet, and adorable and busy, and just down right wonderful. She played perfectly well with Celeste (they are about 2 weeks apart in age), and she loved being in dress-up clothes the most! I wanted to take her picture, but I forgot throughout the day, but I will the next time I get her. She was so cute and she is really talking- her and Celeste had their own conversations all day. I am pretty sure she is Celeste's first girl friend, and I love that! My prayers are with Ashley and for the upcoming months of pregnancy with her twins to be. I pray for the best and know that some things are a "means to an end", and that "this too shall pass". For now, I hope she knows she has so many people that care about her.

Just for fun,
here is a picture of me with each of my pregnancies...
Laugh out loud, go ahead- I am huge, I know!! Alex was born in March, and was my first, so I was more swollen with him than with the girls. (I weighed 192 the day I delivered him!!) Leah was a July baby, and I was ready for her to arrive! (I like my hair best in that one), and though my face doesn't look that big, I did gain 40 pounds! Oh, and she was only 6 1/2 pounds! Celeste is a November girl, and I had just had my hair highlighted, by myself, actually, (not a great idea, just ask Katie!), and I was ready to be done! With her, I gained the most - 44 pounds and she was barely 6 pounds- I so want to know why and where did the rest go? Let me rephrase that, I do know where it went, but how?! I have never lined these up this way before, but I can really tell the difference in my belly with Alex versus the girls! Too funny, and before you comment on my immodesty, I wanted these taken so that I can look at them later and think, "I can't believe my stomach stretched that much!" Seriously, it is amazing and by far one of Heavenly Father's greatest miracles!

Chapter 19

The countdown is on....7 days to go...my kids are ecstatic that Christmas is only single digit days away! That's right, Christmas is a week from tomorrow and they can hardly wait! Can you?
I wrapped and wrapped and wrapped presents last night for the kids, only to realize that the girls have way more to unwrap than Alex. Truth be told, I spent more on his things, but it's the ammount of gifts to unwrap that matters to them- fair is fair, right?! Well, I still have one more thing to pick up for him, but he still will have less, but he is 7 1/2 now, and will take it well. Besides, Grandma makes sure he has more than enough. He wrote his Christmas list to Santa this weekend. Leah keeps telling Santa that she wants a Build-a-Bear kit to do at home and a Belle costume...neither did she tell me when I began shopping, so Santa will not be bringing her those. The great part about shopping for Leah is that she loves whatever you get her! She is easy to buy for, with the exception of clothes. I have decided that shopping for clothes for her is a lost cause unless she is with me. For now, she loves dressing up her dolls and girly things the most! Celeste just loves whatever! I got her the singing Elmo pizza for her big gift! Am I crazy you ask? Yes, yes I am! Just to see the look on her face when she opens it will be worth the craziness in me! I love when she dances to this doll, and she is so cute! I will for sure post pics of that after she opens it! It will be priceless!

It's almost Christmas...

You can feel it wherever you go...Christmas is everywhere! I love, love, love it! This weekend we had several Christmas encounters, starting with making Gingerbread houses with some of our favorite friends! It was really fun, and despite the messy icing problems we (I) had, our house turned out pretty decent...well, according to the children, it is "awesome"! I'll take that as a compliment! It was hard work, and our roof collapsed under the weight of the shingles several times!Apparently, we weren't the only ones who had difficulty...but the all-out winner for sure is the Wynn's family Gingerbread house! It was fabulous- no surprise there, have you met Delinda? She is amazingly creative, as are her girls, so it was decorated to a T, and even had outdoor decor to blow everyone else out of the water! The Frantz' house was snowy and beautiful, with the girls decorating with perfection, and for sure Ashley's house would be gorgeous, she usually bakes her own- showoff! The Boothe's were so gracious to host such a crazy party- so so fun, and we loved it! Let's hope they invite us again after the mess we left!
This morning, we had our annual Ward Christmas Breakfast, full of excitement as usual! It began with the nativity song, where Alex was a Wiseman and Leah was in the choir- it was so lovely, and I love that Primary Song the best! Then a magician came and the children were amazed at all the tricks! To top it off, Santa arrived and all three of my kids gathered around him for a picture. For Celeste, I had to tell her Santa would give her candy if she sat with him- she relented, but only if I held her- we'll take what we can get at this point! She'll figure out he is her friend next year we hope!To complete the Christmasy day, we got snow! It was very nice when it first fell this early afternoon, but then it turned to sleet and ice is now pouring from the sky! I don't mind, I am now snug in our home, and ready to play some Christmas music while I wrap presents...now, what did Leah ask Santa for again?!

The Sweetest Little Nativity

This is my newest present for Christmas! No, not for me, but for Celeste from Dana's parents! I had to open it early, since I wanted it under the tree and so that she could actually play with it before Christmas! It is the newest nativity from The Little People! I so love this- probably the same if not more than Celeste! It is so adorable! It comes with all the people you see in the picture, and my favorite feature is that the animals are all "touch and feel", which means they have yarn for the hair on their tail or main, or head! They are too cute! It even plays "Away in a Manger" when the angel is placed on top! I had a really hard time finding this set, and have been looking to buy one for a couple of years now, but they are virtually impossible to find in stores, and even on ebay, throughout the year are still expensive! But, thanks to Jennifer, and good ol' Walmart, we now have this coveted set! This will be a treasured set for many years to come, and even when the children grow older, it will stay with my other two, one that I collected pieces for years on, a Dreamsicles one, and one we brought home from Chile, that I love too. I think this will complete my set of nativities...it is just now my favorite!

Chapter 18

Though I didn't take any pictures of Gee Gee and Poppi with my children this visit another reason to win "Mother of the Year"), my kids loved every minute! They cried a lot when my in-laws left on Tuesday, so much that I couldn't write about it until today- 3 days later. They really love their grandparents! Leah loved that Poppi played hide and seek with her, Alex loved that Poppi played basketball with him, and Celeste loved that he watched her dance to "the Dancing Santa" 200 times! She really loved showing off for him, it was wonderful! The kids just couldn't seem to get enough of them, and I really loved just relaxing while they spent time together. I hope that happens more often.

Meanwhile, we attended a 85th Birthday party for Dana's Granny last Saturday. With months and months of planning, and nearly every member of the family planning on attending, it was going to be great! Plus, it was a surprise, and wow, was she surprised! I just love the pictures taken that night- it was really fun for the kids to hang out with their "second cousins", (whatever they are officially called), and a great time to re-connect with Dana's family members that are spread out across the U.S. I really loved that.
All the Grandkids with Granny, and Our family with Granny, missing, Esther, Annie and Chris. Colleen, Angela, Jill and I with our girls chatting at the party!














Rain, rain, go away, come again another day! I love rain, don't get me wrong, but I think we've had enough this week. With the melted snow, my yard looks like a marsh pit! I hate stepping out on my patio and getting my feet soaked from the puddles that have accumulated where I need to step down! I love rain, again, rain can be cleansing, when it is in the Spring, and refreshing in the summer, but in the winter it is just plain dreary. Although, I must say that when it rains early enough in the morning, and the sun doesn't even attempt to shine, my children sleep very, very well, and at least 1/2 hour later! But, if the temperature drops tonight, it could freeze, then the puddles that have formed will turn into miniature ice rinks- yuck! Okay, enough about the rain, I should be less grumpy about it and more grateful we have precipitation of any kind...I resolve to do that today, so no more discussion about the crappy rain!!

A New Niece!

I just got these adorable pics of our new niece in North Carolina. Dana's sister Esther and her family moved there about a year ago, and just welcomed their 3rd child, a daughter a few weeks ago. She is so sweet and I am looking forward to meeting her in the Spring. Congrats Es, Eve is beautiful!

Every picture tells a story...

Ahhhh, school pictures! Who loves their school pictures, seriously? With the exception of your Senior Pictures, which cost a mere fortune, the lousy ones taken at your school gym with the same boring background are probably not that great- at least mine never were! Well, this year, my kids' aren't that wonderful, either, but I had to buy them, I HAVE to have them for their books. Why? Because my mom bought them every year, even if they were terrible, and trust me, some were, and don't look for any of mine on this blog, I will NOT be posting any of them! But anyway, since every picture tells a story, I will tell you the story behind these pictures...

Well, Alex just lost his 2 front teeth this year, and I wanted him to smile with a "toothless grin", which for the first picture day, he didn't. When I got them back, I insisted that we do "retakes" so I can forever have a picture of this precious grin. He relented, and this is the product. Don't look too closely at his shirt, though, because I didn't know, but it is missing a button! Oh well, he is only 7- he won't totally appreciate this picture till he is much older!

And Leah...well, this was taken the day after her surgery. Yes, the day after surgery on her eye! Her eye looks no worse than the first picture taken of her, when the chalazion was huge and her eyes were shut! Great- gotta love retake day that couldn't be any other day than the day after she has the chalazion removed! Lovely. Well, we also coached her on how to sit up and smile and keep her eyes open. So, you will notice that she is really sitting funny and she is trying really hard to keep her adorable smile! I didn't know it that day, but her face was really swollen from the fluids the day before. When Dana saw the picture, he said, "who is the chubby faced little girl?!" So mean, but I had to admit that she does look a little chubby! I love it, though, because she felt good enough to go to school that day, and she was so happy with the picture outcome! Who am I to argue with that? She is one girl I try not to argue with! She with probably think differently about it later in life, and then she can be mad at me!

So, there you are...School pictures 2007! Every picture tells a story, what is yours?!

Merry Christmas from the Ortman Homestead!

I am posting our Christmas card on my blog so those of you who don't get one won't feel left out! (it's not personal) I only sent to our families this year, so we could save a little here and there! We had this picture taken in Myrtle Beach this summer, and to justify the cost, I said I would make Christmas cards out of them- more of a task than I thought, but they turned out really cute!

A Winter Wonderland Snow Day!

When we went to bed last night, Dana and I dreamed of a snow day! It would be perfect- we haven't had snow in December to call of school in years! Perfect, since Dana's parents are here visiting from California! His dad is loving the snow! I do love the snow, but I love it best when I am inside taking pictures of my crazies outside in it! I dressed all three of them in their snow pants and boots, adorned with hats, gloves and hoods! They were toasty, at least at first!

Celeste lasted about 2 minutes before she fell and couldn't get up, and her gloves, (which were way too big) fell off. Leah stayed out about 40 minutes, running and falling into the snow. Daddy pulled her in the sleigh which was going really fast! She loved it! Alex and Dana stayed out nearly 2 hours. They built this adorable 2 headed snowman (which unfortunately fell down minutes after they came inside :( ). So cute though!
I have to say that I truly appreciate a husband who will voluntarily go out in the freezing cold so that my children can enjoy the freezing cold snow! I am not "outdoorsey" anymore! My dad would call that "spoiled"- and he would be right!

A Shopping we will go...

Well, I am back from my "girls get-a-way shopping trip"! It, as usual, was fantastic! More than fantastic, it was awesome! I had such a fun time! I absolutely love this trip- I look forward to it every year, it is my recharge weekend away- well, a day and a half, but close enough! We, meaning Julie and My Hien and I left on Friday around 3pm for the mall. We met Alicia, Cassandra, Carrie, and Melissa around 4 at Pottery Barn. I usually don't shop there, but this time I got some really good deals (hooded bunny and flower towels for my girls- normal price $40 (as if!), down to $20 (still not gonna sell), down to $10!) That is more like it! So so cute! That was my first purchase! Then we traveled to Old Navy, which is not an outlet store anymore, so they took my 20% coupon, and I bought Leah some really cute shoes and cream gloves for my new coat! We all used the coupon, (the people are so nice) so we all saved a little! We hit a few more stores, not too exciting, before we hit Harry and David. Now, getting chocolate at Harry and David's is a tradition! Everyone gets something there! It is like an unwritten rule! We all get some yummy treats, for me, it's Dark Chocolate Moose Munch (chocolate covered caramel popcorn with decadent nuts covered in chocolate too, and whatever else covered in more dark chocolate- can you say, dreamy?!) It is like Heaven in a bag! I think I ate the entire bag by myself in a day! I haven't eaten much else- good thing I only get it once a year! By the way, this is the bag I bought for my father-in-law, mine is empty, remember?! So by now it is 6:30, and we meet up with Tina and Karen to go to dinner at Bob Evans- our restaurant of choice each and every year. For some reason, the food tastes much better with girlfriends and without children- hmmm...interesting!

But beforehand, I head to check into our hotel- not good....Well, as I look at the hot tub (a must have, very important), I notice it is not running.

The front desk girl says, "it broke this morning."

I was like, "What?! No way! We come here specifically for the hot tub!"

She says, "sorry", in a very unsympathetic, "like I care" way! (She was probaby 18, she doesn't know how much time away from your crazy family is appreciated and how mothers need it!)

I was so disappointed, but didn't know what else to do, so I checked us in anyway. Well, as I went into Bob's to tell the girls the sad news, they are not happy to hear that either, so, Tina says she will take care of it- I love her- she so took care of it, alright! So, Tina and I march back to the hotel, and I stand meekley to the side of her as she nicely tells the girl, who I am sure could careless, that we will not be staying there, and we want our money back. We end up calling the hotel we normally stay at (about 2 miles away) and checking in there for the same price, but with the working hot tub!! Yeah, you go Tina! She is awesome! She will do what the rest of us are afraid to do- and we love her for it! We stayed at the hot tub until 11- it closed at 10, but we were the only people staying there, so they never said anything to us! It was so fun- we sat around and talked and told stories like sisters do! I love this part! It is so fun, and part of the get-a-way from it all. The funniest story was of Tina telling us of a nasty VT house and the "shake" in the bathroom- she will have to demonstrate for all those who missed it- it is just too funny for words! And as always, we love hearing stories from Lish of "Charles"- they are priceless! We all share funny things our kids and husbands do, or don't do, and laugh till it hurts! We ended up back in Lish's room until 1 ish then we went back to our room where we finally shut up around 2:30. I am pretty sure we went to bed laughing!

Up and at'em at 8 am for breakfast and to the mall by 10. We left around 3pm with lots and lots of deals. We usually go in November, but from now on, we will for sure go in December- the deals, despite the cold are better! So, all I have now are receipts and bags of gifts to wrap, including my own, my new dishes- Merry Christmas from my parents and Dana's parents! I am so happy!! I have great memories of the fun that will have to hold me off until next year- only 364 days to go!! Thanks for the memories, girls!! I love ya!

Oh, and the best ending is coming home to a clean house with kids fed and no tragedies while I was gone! I love my good husband-(even if I do tell stories about him-that's part of the fun story telling)- I promise he is a great catch!