Why do people like blogs?

I love blogs. I love to write them and I love to read them. I have several that I check everyday and I always look forward to updates. What a crazy society it is that we live in that we can use this as a way of communication. But my question is, why do people like them so much? I think it's a stem from the reality t.v. show world we've been living in. We can know what's going on in someone elses world without ever talking to them. Look how much you know about me, and I don't even know who you are. It seems like fairly often I found out about someone else who's reading my blog, who either linked to it or heard about from someone else. What a crazy world we live in. Why am I writing about this? It's simple. I don't have much else to write about!

Except for that my dear sweet Titus has been waking up several times in the middle of the night. He had a while that he was sleeping clear until 7. Then it moved to 4 and the last couple of nights he's also woken up at 2. It's funny but I feel cheated when he wakes up so early! I love him anyway and he always promises to greet me with a smile which ends up making the middle of the night feedings all worth it!

Kind of.

Norovirus

The Health Department called today to confirm that everyone they had 'samples' from tested positive for norovirus (which includes my two little ones!) The last count I heard was 16 so cancelling services seems to have been a wise thing to do. We even made the news in Portland and Eugene which is not exactly what you want to make the news for! They also said it's basically a fancy term for the 24 hour stomach flu. It's a good thing Titus didn't get really sick because of it, because the really young and really old seem to be the most affected by it. He was fine before we even knew what hit us though. Anyway, we're all well and our home and church are both very disinfected now!

A day at the park with my kids

Reading the Bible to her Baby

Reading the Bible to her Baby

Sweet... Potatoes!!!

Jogging With Daddy

Easter

Miss Ruthi

I Confess

I haven't flossed in a while. Okay, probably a long while. This morning I felt the need for a little bit of flossing action and it felt really good. If you are not a regular flosser (shame on you) you should try it today. Go ahead, make your mouth happy!

The Most RIDICULOUS Movie Ever!!!

Mission Impossible 1 and Mission Impossible 2! Can you get any cheesier? I found myself laughing out-loud at several parts of the movies that were so unthinkable they were hillarious. Tom Cruise's rock climbing scene at the beginning of MI2... HA HA HA HA!!! The fight scenes, the helicopter in the tunnel...I could go on and on but I don't want to stoop to the place that I have to replay either of those silly movies in my mind. In my mind the plot's were silly, the stunts sillier and some of the acting silliest! It was good for a few laughs though. And I realized that my husband looks quite a bit like Cruise when he's clean cut (in MI1), which is better than Steve off of Blue's Clues which seemed to be his closest celebrity resemblence til now...

So, Church is Cancelled

Seriously. We aren't going to have any services, meetings or youth group this weekend. At least 11 people that we know of have gotten sick and the exposure beyond that is huge. So, in an effort to tame this thing the Heath Department said that we shouldn't have any child-care or gatherings of children this weekend, and that any mass congregating exposes a massive risk of continued out-break. Crazy eh? So, ask me what the 4 of us are going to do all weekend while we're quarentined at home? MOVIES!!! It will be beyond weird to have a whole weekend, Sunday included that we don't have anything that we can do. We NEVER, and I mean NEVER have a Sunday that we aren't at church (unless we're somewhere else like with family or at a church event). So to have a whole weekend by ourselves seems crazy! It'll be fun though, I look forward to spending some good ole fashioned quality family time together!

A Plague Update

So today has been full of fun. Leeann only threw up the one time this morning and seems to be feeling better. Unfortunately the rest of our church is not and it partially appears to be our fault!

Apparently several members of my family from St. Helens are quite sick also, who we were exposed to on Easter Sunday. We generously brought the virus to the church nursery on Wednesday where we exposed any number of people to this virus too. At the very least, all of the kids who were in the nursery that day have been sick. The two preschool teachers and the Pastor are also sick, and who knows who else! EEEKKKKK!!! So our kids are on a 72 hour quarentine. What that means for Sunday morning, I'm not sure. Sunday is supposed to be a big day for both of us with a big all church meeting, but it looks like at the very least I'll be home loving on my sweet little sick kids!

Robots or Blues Clues?

I just assumed that we would do Blue's Clues for Leeann's Birthday because she really likes Blues Clues. She loves the movie Robots too though and I just found out that they do in fact make Robot party items... hmmm. Decisions, decisions. Her Birthday isn't for 3 more months, but hey, mom's think about these things!

The Plague

A mothers love shines through at it's fullest when you hold your dear sweet daughters hair back as she throws up onto a towel with tears in her eyes. Yup, Leeann's got it too. She slept almost 2 hours later than normal this morning, that should have tipped me off to something. Shortly thereafter she got sick. She's been fine for several hours now though and she even wanted lunch so she's eating some toast as I type this. I hate to see my kids sick, it's no fun at all!

Apparently my kids aren't the only ones that are sick. We had a VBS meeting at my house this morning and one of the moms had to leave to pick up her daughter from preschool because both of the teachers were sick (this is the preschool at the church, the one I used to work at). Pastor Denny's sick too, as well as all of the kids who were in the church nursery on Wednesday for women's Bible Study (mine included). Whatever this is it seems to be spreading like wild-fire! Rob is dilligently trying to get all of his studying done today so he can either pass his lesson on if he gets sick, or so he can preach for Denny if he's not feeling well.

I had several plans today, a babysitting commitment, a lunch date with some ladies and a photo-shoot of some bullet gels (good thing they are inanimate objects, they'll be fine if I don't get to them until later).

But instead, I stay home and write to you about the woes of my day. In anticipation of my own illness I really should make a pretty strong effort to get some more housework done. I've neglected most of my home duties this week because I haven't felt tip-top, but at least I'm not throwing up... yet. I should try really hard to get some things done before I do!

We found a dining room table

After a couple of hours of furniture shopping we found a table that we really like, and because it was at a consignment shop, we found it for a great price! The only problem. No chairs! So now we are on a hunt for some slat-back espresso colored chairs. It's not as easy as it sounds but I have a lead that I'll try to check on soon. I'm really excited because it's similar to the really expensive tables that we've been looking at but it's got some dings (character). The dings are okay with me because if they weren't already there, they'd be there soon enough, so I'm happy to take the price break! It seats 4-8 because it has a butterfly leaf in the middle. I love it! But now we just have to find some chairs and a way to get it home!

Scary Scary

Leeann, Titus and I were sitting on my bed this morning while I was on the phone. Titus was just hanging out like he tends to do and Leeann was crawling around all over the place like she tends to do. All of the sudden I heard Leeann scream. She had gotten caught at the bottom of our log bedframe between the mattress, the top log and two side logs. It's like she tried to get down by escaping between two logs, but she got stuck up to her shoulders. She wasn't stuck too tight but it freaked both of us out pretty well! It's a gentle reminder to keep a good eye on my kids. The scariest part is that I was on the bed with her and she was stuck before I even knew she'd ventured to the bottom of the bed!

I woke up this morning with my throat feeling like its on fire. I still don't feel well enough to function normally, but I don't feel so bad as to stop all of my daily activities either. Titus's constant fussiness has left with a nearly constant headache for the last 3 days which isn't helping matters. Eroica graciously offered to watch the kids for a little while today while Rob and I go out to lunch and do some furniture shopping for a new dining room table. Our current table and chairs scratch the floor and they aren't easily fixed by felt as most chairs are. And the chairs are all cloth which spells trouble with two little ones.

Gotta get the kiddies ready for their trip to Ro's, and mommy's gotta get ready for her date!

I think Titus is sick

I think that Titus might be sick. He's spit up large amounts of mushy liquid today (I even had to change his clothes three times because of it, so it certainly is out of the ordinary). He also had a diaper that overflowed abundantly and smelled like rotten eggs. This was the first time his diaper had stunk like that so I'm going to venture a big guess that he doesn't feel real great. I haven't felt perfect either which only further confirms that there's some sorta bug going around here these days. Sorry I haven't been writing much lately, there really just isn't a lot to talk about. Well, at least not a lot that I can post on a blog that who-knows-who reads :0) Blogging is like a diary of the worst sort, one that anyone, anywhere can read at any time. At least I know that others are reading it so I can be choosy about what I write! I'm finding that it is actually a great way to communicate with friends and family. I have some more pictures to post soon but it'll have to wait until I take the time to down-load and post them. I could keep writing, but it would be pointless because I really have nothing to say!

Rob will home from work any time now so I should go do my 10-minute till daddy comes home routine. You know, where you quickly make the beds and pick up the obvious junk of the floors, neatly stack the dishes (you only have 1o minutes), throw the kids' toys back into their rooms, throw a load of laundry in to make it look like you've spent the day cleaning and wipe the kids faces off so it doesn't appear as if you've been neglecting them all day! Come on, don't tell me you've never done the same thing!

No Longer Safe... and Big Boy Crying

Titus is getting bigger, and with getting bigger means getting stronger. He is no longer safe anywhere and I have the feeling I'm going to have a tough couple of months ahead of me! Even when I'm holding him he kicks off of me and wiggles and squirms and makes me nervous. He got his feet up underneath him the other day and slowly catapulted himself over the top of his swing (it's a little travel one that sits very close to the floor). That same day he wiggled himself out the bottom of his carseat when Rob had set him down in there for a mere minute or two. When I'm feeding him he's no longer content to stay still and even this morning he had wiggled out the top of his swaddle and squirmed to the top of the crib.

Houston: We have a problem.

Titus just won't sleep unless he's swaddled. Period. He's too strong to effectively swaddle anymore though. Any suggestions? Do you know anyone who makes baby straight-jackets?!?!?

When he breaks free from his swaddle he cries and cries and cries. These are no longer cute little baby whimpers, these are kid throwing a fit in the candy isle kind of cries. I heard so many of these cries yesterday I thought I was going insane! He was inconsolable most of the day. I wonder if he's getting sick because I'm not feeling well myself. Hmmm. Or he's teething. Or he's just getting his own little attitude. Maybe he's not getting enough sleep because he's breaking free from his swaddle? All I know is that I hope today is better because if today is anything like yesterday I won't get anything done and I'll fall asleep exhausted on my pillow!

BUT... I love my kids and I'm glad to be their mommy. It's the greatest most rewarding job in the whole wide world and I think my kids are the greatest. They have the sweetest little personalities and the cutest smiles. Hugs, kisses and smiles make all the fussing worth it!

To Grandmother's House We Go (and Grandpa's Too)

Last week we took a family vacation up to Eastern Washington to attend Rob's Grandfather's 80th Birthday celebration. It was a lot of fun seeing family and getting to introduce Titus to most of Rob's dads side of the family. It was the first time he got to meet his Great Grandma and Grandpa Buhl, which is especially special to me because I lost both of my Grandpas this last year before they got to meet Titus. My family goal for the year was to get a 4 generation Buhl boy shot. We had lot's of fun and got to stay a couple of nights at Rob's other Grandparent's house. Grandma and Grandpa D are lots of fun and Grandma is a great cook! Thanks for letting us stay and hang out a couple of days! Aunt Suzy (Rob's sister) and her boys came up Friday which was especially fun because we don't get to spend much time with just them. We enjoyed that a lot, they're a cool family. Leeann loves them lots and she had fun getting to play with her cousins. I had fun too, just relaxing with not a whole lot to do! So in a really short nutshell, with lots of pictures... that was our trip to Grandmother's house...

The Buhl Boys

This is the 4 generation Buhl boy picture that I've been wanting. Rob's brother Dan, his dad Steve, his Grandpa Bob (the original Robert Buhl) Rob and Titus. This picture--priceless!

My first time meeting Great Grandma B

Our pathetic attempt at a family picture!

Grandpa and Grandma B

Uncle Dan and Christiane (she's cute and fun by the way!)

Aunt Suzy and Weston. What is Logan doing to the swing?!?!?

I want to be just like my Great Grandma when I grow up

And I want to be just like my Great Grandpa

Just hanging out with cousin Logan

And cousin Weston

This is me just after I rolled over for the first time. This was Friday, April 7th. Mommy was so proud of me! She tried to get a picture of me in the act, but I wouldn't do it again. Maybe I'm stubborn?

Titus' first crossword puzzle thanks to Great Grandpa D... he's got a lot to learn yet!

Titus is learning the art of sleeping anywhere, just like his big sister!

The Loss of Little One...

Some good friends of ours Noah and Cherish had a miscarriage yesterday. Cherish was 12.5 weeks along with their second child. He will graduate from Corban College (our alma mater) in just a few weeks and is headed into full-time ministry. He currently works with Rob at the church. They are a really neat couple who I'm confident God will use greatly, but they could certainly use some prayer for comfort and healing right now. All things considered they seem to be doing well, they trust in a loving God who has a plan for their lives. Pray that they can continue to fully trust in God through their time of hurting.

Just for a little family connection note this is Toby's (Baby Joel's dad) brother and his wife.

Cranky Pants and TV Junkie

Titus has been Mr. Cranky Pants lately! He's been fussy and inconsolible and that's not like him. It drives me nuts and makes me want to check into the loony-bin! This morning he was super fussy and I put Blues Clues on for Leeann so that I could get a few things done. Titus stopped fussing so he could watch it with her. It's hard to believe that even my four-month old is turning into a Blue's Clues junkie!

Since I Haven't Posted Pictures in a While

This is what happens when you have a big sister

Can we say blackmail? By the way Grandma, how do you like the fur you sent? Leeann insisted Titus got to play with it too...

Part of Titus' room

Our dining room--slightly bigger than our last house!

Titus' room (and one of those boxes I just don't want to unpack!)

Leeann's room. The missing paint is from where a bed was when the room got painted. Oops!

Living Room shot #1

Living Room shot #2

He's just a cute kid. This was taken 2 weeks ago

Daddy and Leeann picked me flowers from the yard!

Leeann's attempts at swaddling Titus. It didn't quite work as well as when mommy does it!

During my trip through memory lane Leeann and I both tried on my old cheerleading uniform. It looks far better on her, so I decided to blog her picture. It's less traumatizing that way!

Grandma R sent this really cute John Deere apron to Leeann. It matches mommys!

I thought I turned this sideways... oops!

This is what happens when Leeann's fed and tired. We had company over for dinner so she ate on the floor in the kitchen and apparently she was done, because she fell asleep. In case you are wondering, this happens fairly often. Rob pulled a chip out of her mouth the other day while she was in her chair. She fell asleep in the middle of putting a chip into her mouth! Rob woke her up and made her swallow what was in her mouth but then she went back to sleep. I missed it because I was sleeping too. Apparantly it had been a long day for both of us!

This was about a month ago, I was showing off his cute baby push-ups!

So here's the deal... my kid is short!

You won't be the least bit surprised to hear that my dear son is in the 3rd% for height. Yes folks, 97% of 4 month olds are taller than him. He truly is his parents child!

Titus had his 4 month Dr. appointment today and everything is healthy and he seems happy. I take that back, he wasn't very happy when they gave him 3 different shots... but other than that things are good!

Height 23 1/4 inches
Weight 12 lbs. 11 oz
Head 16.5 inches

They are supposed to double their birthweight by 4 months, but someone forgot to tell Titus that! His doctor assures me that it isn't anything to worry about as statistics don't take into account short genes. He may not be big, but he sure is cute!