Somebody's Ready for a New Baby in the Family! And, no, it's not me. . . .

I babysat our friend's kids last week, and Rohne could not get enough of their 3 month old baby. He is a very happy, well-behaved, handsome baby, and is a true joy to be around. Rohne held him, kissed him, rocked him, talked to him, and made him giggle. It was so precious. He asks me almost every day how much longer until HIS baby comes out of my belly. I think he will make a great big brother, don't you?

Parker, my almost 2 year old nephew, doesn't really like the attention showered on him by his older cousin. Rohne still thinks he is small, and calm enough to hold, and as you can see, it never works very well. I think in a year, they will make wonderful playmates.

Meanwhile. . . Princess Tay is much too involved in embellishing herself, changing clothes 12 times a day, and asking me every minute when it's going to be summer so she can go swimming with Samantha. Keep on dreamin' girly girl!

I'm a Real Boy Now!

I took Rohne to his last clinic appointment at Children's Hospital in Seattle on Tuesday. He has been doing so well, and it had been 3 months since we had been there, that I almost forgot how to get there!! He has been off his shots since October, and while it was a little shakey at first, his body finally kicked in and did the job. His white count was 1400, which is the highest it has ever been without the shot. Although most kids run over 2000, the Dr. thinks he will continue to get better, and he is still getting over an ear infection. Doc said that he is setting us free, and he can finally be treated like a normal boy. Rohne has made it hard for me not to treat him normally, since he is so wild and crazy, but I'm glad that I have the go-ahead anyway. We are so grateful to Dr. Pendergrass. He was so wonderful, and we are so fortunate that we lived here next to such great specialists, and a renowned hospital. I am not going to miss those trips, dragging 2 active children into a germ-ridden hospital, and trying to keep them occupied while we were waiting, which you always have to do there. I know Rohne won't miss the pokes and prods, but I think this whole experience has made him the strong boy he is today. It has sure taught me a lot, and helped me to rely on the Lord, and weather the storm, no matter what comes at you. It is so hard to see your baby sick. I always said that we were done with 2 kids, because it was such a challenge after I had Rohne. But, I think Heavenly Father answered our prayers, in healing Rohne's illness, before blessing us with this unexpected pregnancy. And, although this unborn baby boy has already given me a run for my money, and it looks like he will until the end, I hope that, with the Lord's help, I will be able to deal with it just as well.

My Confidence is Restored! Thanks Mom

Figuring out what to cook for dinner, and then cooking it, is a big stress for me. My mom is a wonderful cook, and taught us from a young age how to cook. My dad's pancakes, and biscuits and gravy would be the hit of any breakfast restaurant. My brother, Ben, is quite the gourmet, and tweaks recipes until they are perfection. Holly is the master at bread and roll making, Natali bakes sweets better than most pastry chefs, Whitney makes really good curry, and Bryan makes really chocolatey chocolate chip pancakes. I don't think there is anything that I am known for. There are 4 or 5 dishes I cook often, that aren't too bad, but Jake is starting to get sick of them, amd actually asked me to stop making some of them.

Back to the story. . . . Potato Cheese Soup. It's a pretty basic meal, really easy to make, with only a few ingredients, but really yummy. We grew up eating this soup, and Jake's mom makes it quite often as well. I have made this on and off throughout our marriage, and it has ranged from terrible, to just okay. The last time I made it, it was so bad I had to throw the whole pan down the sink. I vowed to never make it again! Much to my surprise, Jake asked for this infamous soup for dinner tonight. I like when he tells me what to make, then I don't have to guess what he wants. But, anything but this, please!! However, he was quite adamant, and got the kids excited about it, so I called my mother, and asked her the trick to the delightful creaminess I always fail to achieve. She gave me a few pointers, and I gave it a whirl. I stirred and stirred, left it on a lower heat setting, seasoned, and tasted, and it actually turned out wonderful! One of the best meals I have made in a while. Jake wanted it paired with grilled cheese sandwiches, which made for way too much cheese, so he got full really fast. I just ate it with a Caesar Salad, and I am feeling very satisfied. My confidence in this simple dish is restored. Thanks for the help, Mom!!

Happy Birthday to a Great Man

A great picture of my handsome guy.

Jake turned 32 on Monday! I know, we're all gettin' old. How did that happen? We had a little, family get together on Sunday, and we had gone to Red Robin the weekend before to celebrate. Jake is such a great guy, and I feel so fortunate that my roomate, Janell, felt inclined to invite him to our apartment a little over 9 years ago. He is a wonderful, loving husband and partner. Although my tears don't phase him as much as they used to (he is getting more used to women emotions), he is always there to comfort me, and hardly ever gets cross. We do have our disagreements, but 99% of the time, he lets me win. He works so hard to provide for our family, and never stops dreaming big. He is a risk taker, which can be scarey, but that is one of the things I love most about him. He is constantly drawing people to him, with his happy, go-lucky attitude, and endless energy. I could not ask for a better father for my children. He misses them every minute that he is away from them, and they love him just as much in return. They will almost always choose him over me, (That is, if Grandma is not around!) and he is forever dropping everything to wrestle, sword fight, and play dollies. And, he's not ashamed to do it!! I would like to say thank you to everyone who has influenced him, and made him who he is today, especially his parents, because I would be lost without him!! Happy Birthday, Babe! I love you, and look forward to many more birthdays together in the future!

Blowing out the candles, with the help of the children, of course.

Here ya go, Nat

My sister, Natali, recently did a post on her blog, about her obsession with hoodies. She then challenged me to count up my jeans, and display them for you all to see. I do love buying jeans. I guess you could say I was obsessed. The problem is, I haven't been able to indulge this said obsession for quite awhile, because we have been lacking the necessary funds. And, now that I'm pregnant, I can assure you I won't be buying anything, non-maternity, for quite awhile. Oh, how I miss the feeling of putting on that new, crisp, denim.

So, here they are. Only 26 pairs. Not that bad. And, contrary to popular opinion, I do wear them all. I have my stretchy, boot cut, flair, strait legged, skinny day jeans, not so skinny day jeans, fancy ones, comfy ones. . . . you get the picture. My favorite kind to wear are Express. I have bought one pair of these kind full price, and they have been worth every penny. I usually only buy jeans if they are on sale. I once tried on a pair of Sevens I loved at Nordstrom's, and came pretty darn close to purchasing some True Religions, that I can still picture freshly in my mind. Anyways, now it's up to you girls. Show us what's in your closet! Shoes, jewelery, socks, jeans, whatever it may. I know I'm not alone!!

A Little Perspective

A few things out of Taylee's mouth lately:

Tay: "Mom, do you know why I love Grandma Nana the very best?"
Mom: "No, why is that?" (I am thinking - because she buys you clothes and toys, gives you doughnuts, and candy, etc.)
Tay: "Because she will always play Barbies with me, when I ask her to."

On another day:

Tay: "Mom, where does Jesus live?
Mom: "He lives up in Heaven with Heavenly Father.
Tay: "And, with the angels?"
Mom: "Yes, there are angels in heaven too."
Tay: "But, I think we live in Heaven, because I see angels sometimes. And, when we pray to Jesus and Heavenly Father they hear us. If Heaven is very far away, the angels and Jesus wouldn't be able to hear us."
Mom: "You just might be right, Sweetie."
Oh, the simple, sweet, workings of a child's mind. I bet there was once a time when I could see the angels too. I guess I should play Barbies a little more, huh? That one makes me wanna cry.

Let's See

There's not a whole lot going on in the Klein household, but I figured I'd better post something, because it's been awhile, and both my sisters put something new up. The kids caught a bad cold last week, and are still kind of getting over it. It took Jake and I a whole week to catch it, but we both have it now too. I also took both the kids to the Dr., and they both have ear infections. Rohne has a double one. So, we are choking down Amoxicillin, and Motrin until those darn things clear up. The sun has been shining the past couple days, which is great, but we have been unable to enjoy it. I hope it comes out again when we are well. Our weekend was pretty uneventful. We spent some time with family, and ate at Red Robin, which I always enjoy. Jake's Birthday is coming up this next week, and I am still trying to figure out what to do for him. Anyone have any great ideas? He bought a new X-Box game called "Lips" last week, which is basically Karaoke, but you get to compete with each other. I, of course win every time, with my fabulous vocal abilities. Taylee really really enjoys it, and just sings and sings till her voice is hoarse. I will take a video of it soon to post, so you can all tell me how talented my children are.

Here's just a random picture of my kids from long ago. How do they grow up so fast?