Thanks Santa!

Well, there goes another Christmas season coming and going... I think the anticipation makes it so special. Gathering with family and friends to enjoy the season. Looking at Christmas lights, enjoying too much candy, finding the perfect gifts. This year I feel that we are truely blessed by what we recieved. I have the best husband ever. He is awesome on gifts!! The kids enjoy thier presents and have been mostly good while enjoying them. Now that Christmas is over, what do we look forward to? Camping??

Christmas gifts

So, the pic of my kids on my blog. Remember me posting about taking them? Well, we did Christmas with the husband's family, well immediate family on Friday. I gave the hubby a framed phot because I was giving his Mom the same pic. He was really surprised that I got the pic taken and that we all kept it a surprise for so long. However, I think that I was more pleased than him. I like to do gifts like that - sentamental ones. Because I would prefer to receive those. Like the year I had Alex, my sister gave me an album filled with pics of her and I growing up. From birth through college. I cried. That was my best gift that year. She had sister and girly quotes through out as well as personal notes on each page. I am a sucker for that stuff. Give me a sweatshirt and it'll keep me warm, but the photos warm my heart.

DIY baby legs!!!

So a few days ago my friend sent me this link. It is for DIY baby legs. I am in love. I did buy Dylan 3 pairs of knock off baby legs from Target- and 3 pairs of real ones for Christmas... here are the DIY ones.Here is Dylan this morning in her fur trimmed, Christmas legs.

Good thing she is a skinny baby or thick fur on her thighs may give her a complex!

Outfit is complete with her Christmas dancing socks!

Okay, not an outift... I was trying them on after I made them.

I am excited that I got her a pink dress for Christmas that will look good with these ones!

She has light pink danicing socks on in this picture... hard to see though!

These may look black, but they are charcoal grey. I bought them to match the grey in this dress. Of course notice her dancing socks - my other fettish!

Here are the three girls for our Christmas at Grandma's the other night.
Dylan is wearing more homemade baby legs!!

I guess I thought I made 5 - but I also have black and white, so I made her 6 pairs (socks were $2 a pair!!).

Tis the season....

The girls requested a camp out. Here is a pic of the 3~

Of course, Dylan did not sleep on the floor with Alex & Taylor - but a cute pic was in order! Here are my girls pre-Christmas.

We always have a Christmas with the step-siblings about a week before.

It's beginning to look...

... a lot like Christmas! Of course, we already had snow on the ground. The snow we got this weekend was just icing on the cake. Tomorrow's snow - well - what's that?!

I kind of wish that I could put presents under the tree already. I am not too sure my 3 yo and 5 yo would stay out of them. I do know that my 6 mo old would be in the min a heartbeat. I don't have nergy for that.

Let the holiday baking begin!!

Here is our Thanksgiving baking...

I am proud to say that I added the ingredients, or rather measured the ingredients, handed them over to Alex & Taylor and they mixed the batter. I poured them into cups and baked them. Alex then frosted the cupcakes and inserted the candy corn. The girls wanted to bake sugar cookies for Christmas for a few weeks now. I put it off until the day after Thanksgiving. So, this morning we made the dough (which is now in the fridge). While the dough was cooling, we made a batch of banana bread and a batch of cranberry orange bread. I baked the bread in mini loaf pans and intend to give the bread to our neighbors with their Christmas cards this weekend. We do need to start cutting out the cookies soon....


Sugar cookies are not my favorite. I really don't like sugar cookies. I figure that we are making these and decorating them merely out of tradition. Not that we did it as kids, but more the experience for the girls. I tell you what, I hope I am making bakers out of them! They sure do a lot of cooking with me!!!

Gonna be a bear

I thought that this was fitting especially since I posted earlier about being a man. I bear wouldn't be so bad either. :o)

Dylan Marie is 6 months!

So, yesterday was photo day at our house.

I took the following pictures of Dylan to include in family Christmas cards. I always write up a letter with the milestones the kids are doing at 3, 6, 9 & 12 months and send pics to the aunts & uncles. I started this with Alex since we lived in KS and our families were in ND and OR. But - why should I stop just because we live closer to family? So, I still send the updates to family. I think this is my least favorite pic. Something with the shadowing....
This is my favorite shot.
You'd never know with those cheeks that she is only 14 lbs, 11 oz!!
This will be hanging on our wall in a 8x10 size!

This is a cute take, not too sure about the shiny background so close in color to her skin and her clothes colors though!

I didn't notice until I got the prints back that in this one you can see her two bottom teeth! Okay, so I thought that these were *decent* pics. Since I needed to mail them next week, I did not order them through shutterfly as I normally do. I went online to Walmart and had one hour done last night so I could pick them up today. Well, I was questioned upon picking them up if they were professional pics.
I do not feel that they are even close to professional quality, but I will take that as a compliment!

In my next life, make me a man

I decided that I want to be a man in my next life. Not that I don't appreciate all the perks of womanhood. Child birth, breast feeding - just to name a few!

But it seems that men are pre-wired differently than a woman.
* They do not wake when they hear a crying baby - much less their own crying baby.
* They are not awaken by their preschooler whining in the hallway in the dark of night to be tucked back into bed after a midnight potty trip.
* They appear inept at running a washing machine, much less separating clothes and initiating such a task.
* They do not appear to know where their children's clothes go - after they are magically washed and before they are worn.
* They do not know how to decide on dinner when it is merely breakfast time.
* They are not able to buy cards, even for their own family.
* They have lost the ability to sign a card, even if it is for his family.
* Forget about Christmas cards. Someone else will handle the pictures, the format, the letter, etc. It must magically happen like everything else.
* They lose the ability to pick up after oneself. Dirty dishes are left steps from the sink. Underwear are found in the living room - or maybe just the bathroom.

I am sold. In my next life I am putting my request in now to be a man. All I have to do it outdoor maintenance, take the cars in for oil changes and watch sports. ~ maybe even while scratching myself and drinking beer.

Do you need a new stocking hat?

Well, I have had a really hard time finding a winter hat for my almost 6 month daughter, Dylan.

My parents have an alcapa ranch and mentioned that they were going to make hats to the girls for Christmas. I think I presuaded them to make ones for Dylan sooner, since I will need it for her before then. These hats are 100% alpaca.

This is Dylan in the 6-12 month hat.

To purchase one, click here.

Here she is in the 3-6 month hat. To purchase a similar hat, click here.

They have toddler, childrens and adult sizes too. I think that this is the first baby hat I have felt that is a tight knit, tight fitting and feels warm.

They appear to have only hats for the winter on their website now. I also have coasters, a cardigan, a sweater, and slippers made out of Alpaca.
I really think at $11.99 these hats are a steal!

They also have an etsy site.

People are insane

My first WTF moment is that I was asked Monday when I was pushing Taylor in Dylan in the double jogger, if they were twins. (My apolgies to the elderly woman for my snarky "NO!" reply.) I just thought that 2.5 years difference seemed obvious. Correct me if I am wrong and these two appear to be twins.My other WTF moment came when a man 2 houses down asked me if I had a little boy.

This picture was taken seconds after that as I texted a girlfriend (with a boy) and asked her if I looked to have a boy. Sadly Dylan is in pink and a bow!
Do I look like a boy? Really?!
Embarrassing for any baby boy whose Mama dresses him like this!

How to handle delayed solids?

I am not going to site the "experts" who say that it is best to exclusively breastfeed your baby until they are at least 6 months. I am not going to spout about how solids are not necessary.

I actually would be on the other end of things, if only my kids agreed. I have tried rice cereal with Dylan ~ she is less than impressed. I have gave her butternut, buttercup and acorn squash with less than warm reviews. She merely tolerates it. We tried applesauce with lukewarm reviews. I have tried bananas now twice. Not nasty store canned baby food bananas, but real bananas pureed. She refuses to eat.

Now I know at 5.5 months, I am not "delaying" solids, not by definition anyway. However, in the eyes of a few choice family members we would be.
'because I started my kids on cereal at 2 weeks old to help them sleep because I had to. I was a working mom.' ~Yes, I have heard that before.

However, it is easier said than done. Taylor had a gag reflex until 9 months that she gagged and usually puked on everything. She puked on Chocolate, yet that did not stop a family member from giving it to her every chance she got. (Really?!)

So, Dylan is her own person and different than Taylor. She can tolerate textures. I have actually yet to buy any store bought baby food (except the rice cereal). She does appear to have lost the tongue thrust reflex recently. However... it is hard as a Mom to keep trying baby foods without any success. So, really I don't. Call me a bad Mom, but I know my baby is not starving!

I guess what I am hoping for is someone to tell me how I can handle the words I know I will get for not feeding my baby "real" food. Can I also voice that I am the only person in this side of the family to breastfeed their children. I am also weird for that - then probably seen as a Oregonian hippy for baby wearing all the time.... and now this. :o) I guess my babies just love for us to be different!

How does a Mom stay healthy?

So, yesterday afternoon Alex started to complain of a headache. I thought she was trying hard to earn a sticker for a good quiet time - and she fell asleep (two days in a row!). Well, she woke up and complained again of her head hurting, and had a 102 fever. She pretty much laid around all evening yet did eat dinner good. She kept complaining of being cold too.

The girls went to bed about normal time (8:30) and Dylan woke about 2 to eat. Taylor got up at 3:30 and turned the living room lights on, but went back to bed (huh?!). Alex then asked for a drink. Wade's alarm went off about 4, Dylan woke about 4:30 and refused to go back to sleep in her own crib until about 5. Alex & Taylor woke up at 7. Uhh.... I am so tired!

Alex woke with a fever, but after taking a bath it appears to be gone. She ate a waffle and cup of milk for breakfast and seems to be doing well. She was disappointed I called school saying she couldn't go - but better to be safe than sorry!

So, what are your tricks to stay healthy?

Time to update...

I am not really sure what I am writing about.
I guess 3 things have happened this week at our house.

1) The husband got on board with losing weight, so I have done good this week. I am at 179.4 as of yesterday morning. This is where I was a few weeks ago when I stopped trying. My origional goal was to be at 165 by Nov. 1st (this was at 2 lbs per week). I will not make it, but I will keep trying!

2) We finished our list from insurance. We had hail damage to our house 8/2 and got it all accomplished in the last 2 weeks. We hired out having our roof and gutters replaced. The husband repainted the trim on the north side of the house. He also pressure washed and refinished both the front and back decks. We also had to replace a utility door into the garage. I would say that all of this has our house looking better than when we bought it. (Seriously, the old gutters leaked on the walk to the front door creating ice in the winter and the decks were very peeled. The garage door was cheap to start with and did not have trim on the inside - so it is all taken care of now!) And, with the husband's labor, we should get money back from the insurance claim!

3) My 5 month old has gotten her first tooth, the lower left one. She got it like a champ!

Happy Birthday Alex!

My birthday girl's pictures in very random order Alex & Taylor playing in the leaves in their party dresses.

They do have whistles on their necks.

What kind of a crazy lady gives whistles as party favors?!

The chocolate chip number pancake.

This is a yearly tradition.

Alex smiling as we all sang her Happy Birthday.

Birthday party #2, singing to her...

Well, this was her cake I made her.

It was very good.

Chocolate cake (so moist and yummy!), with strawberry frosting, stawberry whoppers around the bottom and pink M&M's all over the sides. AND the princess crown on the top!

I am so proud that my first baby is now 5!

Let it be fall....

Here are some annual fall pics. We have a huge tree in our front yard, so it leaves for lots and lots of raking every fall.

Here is Alex and Taylor's cute faces as they are burried in the leaves.

A not so skinny Mama throwing Taylor into the leaves.

Dylan posing in her own mini pile of leaves.

(She took a nap and slept until they were mostly picked up!)

Wade playing in the leaves with Alex & Taylor

Alex & Taylor jumping in the leaves.

I hope these stay as lasting memories for them.

The girls at the pumpkin patch this weekend.

Random thoughts

So, as a SAHM there are those days that you cannot wait for the H to be home to help. Do you ever have those days that you just want to send him back to work? Yes, I know that I yell at my kids too. However when you are sleep deprived, sick and cranky - trying to hear your shows - it does not help. DVR the TV and watch it later. In the meantime, take a little patience because they really are only kids.

Our whole house has been sick. The kids and I got it 2 weeks ago, got better and the H left for the weekend. He returned and re-infested all of us. Lucky us. I hate when babies have colds. I feel so helpless. A two year old can verbalize what is wrong, a baby just wants cuddles.... Our baby is a drool monster... with a cold, she is an excessive drool monster, yet still adorable!

So, I started Christmas shopping this week. I bought 2 items for the H and 3 items for my 3 neices. I need to hide everything together or I am going to start losing things.

We also have our oldest ones birthday this week. I hope we are all healthy for it!

Yesterday we embarked on what has been a yearly tradition in our house. The raking of the leaves. This also involves throwing the kids in, burying and jumping in the leaves. Our tree out front is far from bare and the neighbors trees behind us aren't missing a leave... 4 bags down and 16 to go (I got 20 bags of leaves last fall). I will download pics and post them soon.

A fun fall photo shoot...

So, all 3 girls have stipey pants this fall.

None match but all are cute. The dress Dylan is wearing with her leggings was mine and my sisters when we were little.
They thought for a ground shot they should all hold hands.
I am not sure Dylan would aree!
Kind of a mug shot of Dylan.
We borrowed the neighbors tree for this one!

This may be a Christmas card shot.

This is next to the apple tree in our backyard.

Busy, busy bumblebees!

So, I guess I am that Mom who runs their kids everywhere.
* We have 1 in preschool, so I am running to and from school 3 days a week.
* Currently we have 1 in swimming, which runs M-TH for 2 weeks. (I hate this schedule!)
* Next week we start Church School on Wednesday nights for the oldest while I take the little ones to church service (this should be fun!).
* We attend most Moms Club activites that we can.
* The two older girls are starting gymnastics on Tuesday nights in a few weeks.

I guess it is only beginning since now the older one will be old enough for fun things like soccer and t-ball. I guess I wish my parents exposed me to things like that when I was younger. So, run on for now and if they don't want to do it - we will stop...

OMG! Look at these pictures!

So, I took the girls to the Applefest parade this morning, then headed to the Applefest.

For $15 I got a 5x7 matted pictured of the sepia pose, and for $5 more, I got a CD of all the poses (18 total!). Here is the untouched pic of my angels...
Here is the Sepia pose that I got -
Shh! It will be a gift for my husband!

The above pic in color-

Another pose, with my color doctoring...

Another pose that I messed with the saturation...

I am super excited. I thought I lost the CD and had to go back to get it... (or see if they could copy another) however - I found it in my bedroom. Hmm... how did I get to be so scatterbrained?! Well, I think that my parents and in-laws are also getting these for Christmas - cheap and cute!

Back in the saddle...

After 2 weeks of not watching what I ate, exercising sporadically, I have gotten back in the saddle. Those 2 weeks, I gained 3-4 pounds. Lucky me. After 4 days of being on track, I have lost 5. I am now 179.6 - the first time I have seen the 170's since I was in early pregnancy. So... now I have 14.6 lbs left to lose and 6 weeks to hit my goal. This isn't going to be easy, but I have to keep this up. I knew I had gained because my fat (size 14) jeans were getting tight.... now lets see if I can hit the 12's.... I have been seeing Jillian Michael's regularly and enduring her 30 day shred plus plugging away on the elliptical machine daily.... I wonder why I have been so tired too?!

Pumpkin patch fun!

Today was a milestone in my Mommy-life.

I supervised my daughter's first field trip.

They went to visit Papa's Pumpkin Patch.

We we're there long, so here are some pics!

Alexandra, Alex & Taylor walking at the patch.Taylor in the pumpkin house.

Taylor & Dylan posing (Dylan slept most of the trip).

Alex, Alexandra, Taylor & Dylan posing for me.

We have to go back when we have more time. This was a really rushed trip.

And the baby grows...

Baby Dylan is 4 months old now!

She is not loving that she had to get shots yesterday.

She was 13 lbs, 6 oz and 25.75 inches long (50% for weight, 70% for length)

Here are some cute pictures! Cheesin' for the camera!

Cheering on the Vikings with Daddy!!

All tuckered out from too much cheering...

Who is this?

I have been told that my kids look alike as babies...

Who am I?
Who am I?

.... or is it the same baby?

Another 5K done!

I woke this morning and got out to run. It was 35 degrees this morning after our snow flurries yesterday. (Seriously, it is SEPTEMBER!) I did not set any records. I ran the entire race and I completed it shortly after my third child turned 4 months old. I do not know my results (I think 33, my friend says 31... we'll know for sure when the results are posted on www.bismarckmarathon.com)

My said daughter, was an angel for her father. She did not cry or throw a fit. She cuddled and took a nap and woke when I returned home. I am so relieved. That 2 hours was the longest I have ever left her and I think that 3.5 hour stretch may be the longest time she has went w/o a feeding... though she did sleep most of it.

The smells of fall...

I guess from the cooler weather that fall may have arrived. This morning our house was filled with the smells of fall as well. I got a bag of apples from the husband's grandma this past weekend. So, then of course I asked to borrow her canning kettle so I could make apple sauce out of them (which she happily gave me filled entirely with more apples!). So this morning while only Dylan was awake (and enjoys her "kick time" on the floor), I chopped apples and threw them into a pot to boil. The yummy smell of fresh apples filled the house. I them blended the apples and some of the water to make 5 quarts of fresh applesauce. I even strained some of them and froze them in an ice cube tray so baby Dylan can have them soon.

Are you ready for some football?

Today rings in the 2010 NFL season.

Football is big at the Arnegard house.

This was bright and early, with all 3 girls in their Viking apparel ready for game day.

How does this happen?

The past 4 days I have not worked out. I have ate what I want, within reason (like a Bacon Cheeseburger and curls from Hardees, enchaladas, mochas...) yet I have still lost 2 more pounds!



I am getting closer! I gained 54 lbs with Dylan and have 11 pounds of baby weight left. I want to lose 5 more in addition... so 16 lbs to go! My goal is Nov 1st, that is why the bats in my ticker... 8 weeks to lose my final 16 lbs, I have been on track at 2 lbs a week. Oddly enough, after my first which I gained 48 lbs, I had lost 70 by the 4 month mark and I am 2 weeks away from 4 months - I guess it goes slower the 3rd time... (With Taylor I gained 38 and lost it all in 3 weeks).

The best part of my day!

So the last two days have been ones that I would rather spend drinking than with my kids. I have had a 3 month old going through a growth spurt - eating constantly and having issues napping today. Last night she slept well at night, but the two previous nights she had 2 wakings a night. My darling 2 year old and 4 year old are the best of friends, but this does not help the noise level in my house. With a husband who works sleeps during the days 10 days a month, this causes me quite the anxiety... Where are the drinks?!

Well, last night I got the "big girls" to bed at 8:15 pm. Taylor wanted cuddles, but Dylan was fussy and was yet to go to bed. I told her that after I got Dylan to sleep I would come check on her.
She said, "And cuddle me?"
"Yes," I told her.

So, 15 minutes later, I snuck back into her room. Her big sister asleep already on the top bunk. As I walked closer to her, I could see a HUGE smile on her face. It melted my heart to see the look in her eyes with that smile. I made her night by coming to cuddle her and she made my day. She wrapped her arms around me and fell asleep.

Today's Craft

I had a wild hair today to go buy the supplies to make a birthstone necklace for myself.

I have seen similar things online with crazy prices... so here is mine:

The beads on the top and the bottom of thier names are their birthstones.

Alex is October which is pink, Taylor is December which is light blue and Dylan is May which is an Emerald (green).

First Day of School!

This is my oldest daughter's first day of preschool. It almost feels like when I dropped her off at daycare at 8 weeks old, almost. Now she can play with other kids, smile, laugh, talk, pee in the toilet, eat solids and feed herself.

Here is Alex on her first day of school.

Maybe I should get used to calling her Alexandra. She has to go by Alexandra at school since there is another Alex in her class.

Well, I was a little sad to leave her... a little sad to have a quiet house when she was gone.

She didn't seem to care, she just got to play with new friends, her cousin and an old friend. Her little sister was mad she couldn't stay to play too. Her baby sister celebrated this milestone by napping in her carseat.

Gone are the times we can pick up and go on a trip in the middle of the week. We may not work 8-5 M-F jobs, but we have school now!

My first 5k!

So, I accomplished my goal. Please pass the doritos, pizza, donuts and ice cream please!

I ran a 5k this morning that I planned for less than 24 hours. It was the Miles for Smiles run to benefit pink scarf and the Bismarck cancer center.

I bribed my Sister in law (by paying her fee) to walk the race pushing Dylan in the stroller. Her wonderful husband allowed me to drop my other girls off at his house to lounge and watch cartoons with their two kids. The only foul was that Taylor peed on the bathroom floor, her pants and panties trying to go potty there. I did provide breakfast for them making the struessel banana muffins I blogged about here. I also made homemade granola bars. These were awesome. I made them yesterday and there is barely any left! The kids all LOVE them!

Okay, back to the run... I jogged the whole time repeating to myself as I was passed many, many times that time does not matter because I have a 3 months old. I have never ran a 5k, much less 3 months and 6 days after I had a baby. I had my heart rate monitor on but tried not to pay attention to it and tried to push myself.... I ran 20 minutes of the race with my heart rate above 85%. It took me about 33 minutes to complete the race (5.5 mph - not too bad!). Of course, I was second or third from the end of the runners - but I did it! I have the Friends of Youth race in a month that is put on with the Bismarck marathon. I would love to finish it in less than 30 minutes, so that is what I have to strive for over the next month.


I celebrated my success this morning by taking my three angels grocery shopping at Wal-Mart (after I showered, started laundry and gave the girls a snack). We then went to Wendy's drive thru for lunch which I had the new Apple Pecan chicken salad. It was great! I inhaled it I was so hungry... The website says that it is 580 calories, which is a little more than my normal salad I make for lunch... still GREAT! After, I unloaded groceries, put them away, emptied the dishwasher, loaded the dirty dishes into the dishwasher (and hand washed a few), emptied the trash, switched laundry and picked up clothes that we took this morning.

I am exhausted. I will close my giving myself this:

Not because I think I did super, duper excellent. Not because I beat a few people in my run. But because I jogged the whole thing and I accomplished a 5k after 3 kids (one who is just 3 months!).