The Winner is....

Jaime from A Bargain Hunting Mommy on the Go! Congratulations! I love her blog, she always has great reviews and knows how to scope out all the cool giveaways! I hope you enjoy the Yum!O cookbook from Rachel Ray!

So much to be thankful for

Thanksgiving in our house has always been crazy. No matter what we do it is crazy. But 2 years ago that changed. Last year was sad, the boys were still in the hospital and spirits were down. But this year, our boys are home, and we have so much to be thankful for!
Here is my list:
Our gracious Father and Lord
My faith
My husband
Adam
Nathaniel
Aiden
My mother in law
My sister and brother in law
My family
Tonni and Kevin
My amazing girl friends
Cincinnatimommies.com
Cincinnati Children's Hospital
" "Fetal Care Center
" " RCNIC
OT / PT / Speech
Plenty of food
Plenty of water
A roof over our heads
The simple things we take for granted

Dancing for God

This is a cute little image I found. Our God is awesome, and this picture is awesome. It reminds me of me. Dancing for joy my maker has brought to me, and the joy I pray he will bring to others in my life. Times are rough but they can only get better.
1 Peter 3
1Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 5For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, 6like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.7Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

For the record...

I want to marry Orville Redenbacher. Yes yes I know that he is no longer living. Oh and yeah, I already have a magnificent husband... but ladies and gents... he has stolen my heart with this....
I am sure my husband will understand... ok maybe not... maybe I will just marry the popcorn. This is completely acceptable ask my friend dear pregnant friend Erin :)

2nd Yummy Giveaway!!!

I have a Yummy book that I am giving away for my 2nd giveaway!! It is Rachel Ray's Yum-O! The Family Cook Book.
Here is what they have to say about Rachel's Yum-O! Cookbook:

No one has helped more families find time to fit home-cooked meals into their daily routines than Rachael Ray. Now with the help of Yum-o!, the organization she founded to help kids and adults develop a healthier relationship to food and cooking, she has put together the ultimate family cookbook, which includes recipes that both kids and their parents will love cooking–and eating–together!

Rachael knows that every family wants to make the best possible food choices–and get the very most out of their food-budget dollars. The recipes here feature more whole grains, use less fat, and make the most of fresh fruits and vegetables so they are as good for you as they are delish, and they’re all quintessential Rachael–fun and creative.

You’ll also find notes on how to get even very young kids involved in the cooking process; great ideas for everything from breakfast to the lunchbox to dinner; wholesome snacks; and loads of new double-duty dinners that let you cook once, then eat twice or more.

With lots of full-color photos and tons of helpful tips for making mealtime the very best part of the day, Yum-o! is a must-have for every busy family.

It retails for $22.50, but you can win it if you do at least the first 1 of these 3 things, and you will get additional entries for 2 and 3.

1. Post a comment on my blog about what your favorite dish to cook. (you can get another entry if you give me the recipe or the link to the recipe!)
2. Subscribe to my blog, and comment again telling me you have subscribed to my blog (yes I can tell if you have or not) for another entry.
3. Post a link on your blog that follows back to this post and then comment again telling me you did so for a third entry.
It is that simple!
This contest ends November 30th, 2008 at 10 am.
I will pick a winner through a random generator.
Please make sure to leave your email in each comment so I can contact you if you win!! Thank you and GOOD LUCK!!!

Back pain update

So my lower lumbar back pain has not gotten any better in the last few weeks. I had went to my ob/gyn thinking that it might be my sciatic nerve. He said that it has been 13 months+ since I had the boys and since I only carried them for 7 months my back pain should not be that bad now, it should be minimal. I have shooting pains that go deep into my spine and by 8-9pm if I have done too many errands or if I have played to hard with the kids, I need to be in bed on the heating pad like a 50 - 60 year old woman! Insanity! So he said for me to talk to my normal physician and see what she thinks and to go from there. So I called her to re schedule my appointment and make it earlier in the month, so my appointment was Friday. She was pretty concerned that a 26 year old woman is having this many problems with her back already. So I have orders for an MRI and an X-ray. I told her I didn't want any more "pills" to take, because it would only mask this problem and add to my growing pharmacy on my night stand. So she gave me some samples of a patch called Lidocane. Nope it didn't work. So here I sit back to my heating pad with my hot tea. I have been on it all day trying to get my work done here on the computer for my mommies board. So hopefully the tests will give the doctor some answers. I have so much pressure in my back, it feels like my vertebrae are rubbing together in and out and twisting around the wrong way. It is so hard to explain, but I can say that it is not at all pleasant. So prayers would be great...

AND THE WINNER IS!!!!

TIFFANY over at http://lattesandlife.blogspot.com/ Congrats! I guess entering twice is what pays off???!!! Now you can mark it off of your paperbackswap list!! I will be hosting another giveaway on Monday... so please check back then!!!

Lack of writing.

Things have been pretty crazy around here lately. Kyle has had paper after paper due, and he has still been working full time. Adam's school work has gotten a bit heaver, yes he is in 3rd grade but it has gotten pretty heavy. The twins have been busy with PT, OT, EI, and now they will be starting Speech. I have been sort of overwhelmed with my mommies group and all the new things I have to learn since I became co-site admin. I love this group and I helped take over because I couldn't let this site go down. Things are starting to get up to speed with the site, which is nice, but with the upcoming months and new members it is going to be busy.
It has been pretty chilly here! No snow yet though. I won't break out my coat until there is snow on the ground, and it is iffy if I will even break it out then. I hate wearing a coat. They are so bulky, I feel like I can't move. Now, give me a hoody, a pair of gloves and a scarf, and I am good to go!
I am so excited that this year our family is all together to celebrate to holidays. This time last year Aiden weighed 2lbs 14 1/2 ounces and was 14 1/2 inches long and Nate weighed 2lbs 13 1/2 ounces and was 15 inches long. Adam had finally gotten to hold Nate for the first time, which was amazing! Aiden was almost off of the ventilator. He was taken off the ventilator on the 12th of November. SO we ave overcome so many obstacles. God is awesome!

My Very 1st Giveaway!

I am feeling very generous, and I want to start doing giveaways once a month! I know that there are quite a few people who frequent our blogs (this one and the twins), but I have never done a giveaway. So today is the day to start!
I have a wonderful book that I am giving away for the first giveaway. It is 601 Great Scrapbooking Ideas. It is from the editors of Memory Makers Books. It retails for $24.99, but it can be yours free if you do at least the first 1 of these 3 things.
1. Post a comment on my blog about what your favorite thing about the holidays is for your first entry.
2. Subscribe to my blog, and comment again telling me you have subscribed to my blog (yes I can tell if you have or not) for another entry.
3. Post a link on your blog that follows back to this post and then comment again telling me you did so for a third entry.
It is that simple!
This contest ends November 14th, 2008 at 10 am.
I will pick a winner through a random generator.
Please make sure to leave your email in each comment so I can contact you if you win!! Thank you and GOOD LUCK!!!

Rough

I have been having a rough few weeks. My back makes me feel like I am 60 by the time 4 pm rolls around. Which means I can't keep up with the kids. I am 26 for goodness sake, this should not be an issue. I will be calling Dr. Caligaris to get in this week to see him. Kyle thinks it is from all the spinal blocks and epidurals I had from surgeries while pregnant with the twins, and then the cesarean when I had them. So we will see.

I am thinking of hosting a giveaway soon here on my blog! Those are always fun and I love to participate! So why not give back and host one myself? Any ideas on how to get started??