Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Come in like a lion...go out like a lamb?

Ok, so most of you have heard the old saying If March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb. Well the beginning of March was yucky! Very cold...it was a high of 21!! Here are some pics from Sunday afternoon (3/29).
So when exactly does the lamb part come in??! I mean, it is 46 today...but rainy, really rainy! Hopefully it will be enough rain to melt all the snow! Mr. M only shoveled a path for us to get to the car for church on Sunday and for the car to get out of the driveway.

Next week...which will be April...we have a possibility of more snow. I mean, seriously? Our church is planning an outdoor Easter egg hunt for the kids. I think I might go buy some fleece material this week and make some leggings for the girls. Cause even if it's not snowing...I think it might still be cold. And they are wearing dresses!

I wonder if we will even have Spring here...or will we just go right for Summer?

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

My Birthday!

Wow! What a great birthday I had! Yesterday was my 35th birthday! Last Thursday, Mr. M planned a whole date for us, including babysitting. We went to a Fish Market restaurant for dinner and I got the best crab cakes! Then we went to Rosemont Theater...I did not know what was playing. As we were walking from the parking lot to the front of the building, I saw a big semi that said 'Riverdance'! I was so excited!!! It definitely lived up to my expectations of wanting to see it all these years! It was a great night and it was really nice to be able to celebrate my birthday with Mr. M since we can't even remember the last time he was home for my birthday.

Then on Saturday my parents and neice came over and my Mom made me my favorite meal, her chicken and dumplings. Mmmmmm mmmmmmmm were they good!! My neice got me the most beautiful flowers, they were so exotic looking, I have no idea what they are but they are really pretty! My parents got me a new Boppy pillow! It's a pillow to help when I nurse the baby and I really wanted a new one but just couldn't see buying one since this is our last baby. It's so awesome and it has a removable, washable cover!! That's how I ruined our other one, I washed the whole thing and it got all messed up. I can't WAIT to use it!!!

Yesterday which was my actual birthday, we finally had some cake! Mr. M stopped on his way home and got me an ice cream cake from Coldstone Creamery, it was pretty good! It's a good thing he got one too cause Little Man kept saying all weekend, "Mommy birthday? Cake?!" We all thoroughly enjoyed it!!

What a great birthday it was! I know it bothers some people to get older, it doesn't bother me. I feel so blessed to have another year! People should look at birthdays like anniversary's. When you tell people you have been married for 35 years, they are in awe! They think what a wonderful thing, we should celebrate!! It should be the same thing with birthdays! What a wonderful thing to be 35!! Not everyone lives to be 35. How awesome that the Lord has given me another year to live for Him and to spend with my family and friends. Yes, I will still feel this way at 40, 50, 60, and beyond! I have a great example! My Mom!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Wow, I can't believe I am a day late on this one! Yesterday wasn't such a great day for me. I have had a terrible head and chest cold. I had a Dr. appt. yesterday afternoon and thankfully she gave me an antibiotic. I am already feeling a bit better today but now I feel like I can't hear out of either ear! So it's a good thing I got the meds.

The pregnancy is going well. Baby's heartbeat sounds great and my belly is measuring right where it should be. I have no idea what position this baby is in since it keeps moving around so much but I know that it's up in my ribs now. Wow does this hurt!! I sure hope the baby moves again soon!

So today I am making our traditional corned beef and cabbage! We didn't have it last year since Mr. M wasn't home and I didn't remember to buy it this year. He went to the store yesterday to get some stuff for grilling out (since it was 70 here!!!) and he brought home corned beef and cabbage, so I am cooking it today! A day late but we are both really excited about it!!

With the beautiful weather we had the last few days I can not wait for spring...real spring! My friend who shares my birthday on March 23rd put on her facebook...how much will we pay for this nice weather and will it be in feet or inches? I keep telling Mr. M that he shouldn't get too excited yet! I was born in an ice storm and I have had snow many a year on my birthday! We have also had snow many a year for Easter. So I'm not sitting comfortable just yet!

I need to get out and do some shopping! I need to get Easter outfits for the kids and Little Man really needs some new shoes for church. He has tennies and black dress shoes but most of his clothes call for brown shoes. He also has finally moved up to 3T for pants. They are still a little long but not nearly as bad as his highwater 2T's!! I wish I weren't in so much pain so I could just go do it! The other day Mom and I went to 2 stores at the outlet, she even moved the truck so I wouldn't have to walk, then Target, and Woodmans and I could barely walk by the time I got home. Something about the floors in those stores just kills my back right now!! I'm gonna have to rent one of those scooters next time! Lol.

We are getting very excited about planting our garden and building the kids a swingset! We will be spending a lot of time in our back yard this spring and summer! We also hope to go camping a bit! Our first trip is scheduled for Father's Day weekend...the baby will be 6 weeks if I go on time. Maybe I'll go early and the baby will be 8 weeks!! Wouldn't that be nice! We also have a trip planned for the 4th of July to go down to Missouri to see family, like a mini family reunion! It will be nice to see everyone. While Mr. M was deployed, my Grandpa passed away, and 1 Aunt and 1 Uncle. I felt so horrible that I couldn't be there with everyone but I couldn't get from VA to MO with 3 kids, it was just too far. So I will be so happy to see everyone, and I'll get to see my Brother and his family whom I haven't seen in quite awhile!

I hope you all are enjoying the wonderful month of March so far! Only 3 more days till "Spring" and only 5 more days till my birthday! Mmmmm mmmmm, Mom's chicken and dumplin's! Can't wait!

Monday, March 9, 2009

In Memory of Aidan

Keith & Jessica are old friends of ours from when we lived in Virginia Beach years ago. After we moved away they had a baby, a precious baby boy. He lived for 4 &1/2 hours. We had not been in contact with them at the time, but knew about it through mutual friends. We just recently got back in contact with each other which is such a blessing! Some good friends of theirs are running in the Shamrock Marathon on March 22nd in honor of little Aidan. Below is the information.

In December 2002, my friends Keith and Jessica’s little boy Aidan was born. Sadly, he only lived for 4 ½ hours. His life was shortened because of Trisomy 13, which is also called Patau Syndrome. A trisomy is a genetic disorder/syndrome, chromosome disorder or chromosomal anomaly. A trisomy means an extra chromosome is added to one of the normal pairs that are found in our body’s cells. This extra chromosome causes a pattern of birth defects and medical problems.

And now six years later, Aidan continues to impact my life. He was all I could think about when I started training for the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach, Virginia on March 22nd, 2009.

I decided that I wanted this marathon to mean something more. I have teamed up with Noah’s Never Ending Rainbow to raise money and awareness of Trisomy and chromosomal conditions as well as a way to honor Aidan.

As a little background, the mission of Noah's Never Ending Rainbow is to educate, advocate, raise public awareness, promote strategic alliances and assist families who have children with Trisomy and related chromosome disorders. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization.

You are receiving this letter because I have a feeling that you, too, want to be a part of this effort. It is my hope that you will consider donating in honor of Aidan during this race to support Noah's Never Ending Rainbow as they help families just like my friends, Keith and Jessica.

You can easily donate in two ways. You can write a check to Noah's Never Ending Rainbow, with the words “Shamrock Marathon” in the memo line. You can also directly call their office at 262.605.3690 to make a donation by credit card.

If you write a check, it can be sent directly to the following address:

Noah's Never Ending Rainbow
7737 6th Avenue
Kenosha, Wisconsin 53143

Your donation to Noah's Never Ending Rainbow is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law and you will receive a letter of acknowledgment from them for your generous donation.

I am excited that I can honor Aidan and bring awareness when I run on March 22nd. I know that Keith and Jessica, along with the two healthy boys they have had since Aidan, will be there when I cross the finish line. I hope you too will be a part of our finish line celebration through your generous donation.

Thank you in advance for your support,

Jodi Brock

P.S. You can check out these websites for more information:

Run4aidan blog: http://run4aidan.blogspot.com/

Shamrock Marathon: www.shamrockmarathon.com

Noah's Never Ending Rainbow: www.noahsneverendingrainbow.org

Monday, March 2, 2009

Happy March!

Happy March everyone! March is a great month! Of course, it is my birthday month, so I might be a little biased. Have you ever heard the saying 'March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb'? Well, it definitely came in like a lion this year! It was very cold yesterday and today we got more snow. There was a Nor'Easter on the East coast and they even got snow in NC where my sister-in-law is. So, I guess that means that March will go out like a lamb...which will be really great! We are really looking forward to warmer weather and planting a garden this year!

Of course, March has St. Patrick's Day as well. I have some Irish in me and I certainly look Irish and I love St. Patrick's Day! So that is always fun to celebrate! Then on March 23rd I will be 35!!! I'm not one of those people who get all freaked out about my age. I am thankful to the Lord for every year that I have and every birthday that I have. Plus, you are only as old as you feel...and although I am feeling kind of old these days with this pregnancy...in general, I still feel pretty young!

Speaking of my pregnancy, at almost every appointment I go to for OB, my Dr. somehow manages to mention my 'advanced maternal age'. Which is so lovely to hear! I mean really, I'm not THAT old!! But there is definitely a difference even in being pregnant with Little Man when I was 32 vs this.

So I am hoping that March is going to be a great month and bring some Spring weather our way. Happy birthday to all my other family and friends who are March babies too! March is the best!