Sittin' Here

Bubbie will be 4 yrs old tomorrow. Bubbie wants a volcano cake with smoke, steam or lava coming out of the top. It also needs to have a dinosaur at the bottom of the cake and a heliocopter flying around the volcano. Easy right? Ha! So, I baked the cakes this afternoon and set them out to cool while we went to a "Bethleham/ reenactment/ nativity scene" for our Day #3 of the Advent Calendar. We came home, put the kids to bed and off we were to make this dream cake! Yeah...so....its not as easy as we figured it would. The cake must have cooled too much or dried out or something. I've never had a cake crumble like this. I didn't freeze the cake like I have done in the past. Maybe that is my problem. I've already gone through one whole can of iciing. I am waiting on Hubbie to return home from the ever awesome Wally World. Maybe then I can get this iciing to stick and we can make a realistic volcano! Come back for a picture of this "disaster" cake!

UPDATED: Here is the final pic.

Its 11:45 and we're finally done! Hope Bubbie loves it!

I'm off to bed!

Sneak Peek!

Christmas came early in our home....Usually I don't decorate until right before Bubbie's birthday. Then I saw the Nesting Place's blog post on decorating her mantle. I have been drooling over this post for the last week or two!

So, this weekend Hubbie was so kind to allow me to make my mantle dreams come true! This is what we came up with!



There is one stocking missing...don't worry! It'll be there before Christmas Eve (we all hope!).

To see the rest of the house all decked out for the holidays, come back here on December 15 when I take part in Boo Mama's Tour of Homes!

Find my Wordless Wednesday post here.

Wordless Wednesday...

Ha! Bubbie looks TOO happy! Peanut looks stoned! Spaghetti on the face....lovely, huh?! For more, visit 5 Minutes for Mom!

Mine. What is yours?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
North Central
The South
Boston
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Merry SITSmas from Hyperactive Lu and fam!

Merry Christmas from the Hyperactive Lu family! Such cute boys, huh?! We ended up taking this picture after church on Sunday. These were originally going to be the boy's Thanksgiving outfits, but we just weren't up to "dressing" for Thanksgiving this year! Ha! Understatement of the year! Read about it here.




Stop by The Secret is in the Sauce for tons of giveaways today! Lots of goodies!

Bubbie Is Out Of School

Last Saturday, when Bubbie first threw up, we thought Oh No! Another stomach bug! I called the doc office and they agreed- it was because he'd been in a semi-germ free environment (i.e. not a lot of kids) and now that he is in preschool- he's hit the jack pot! Very common when kids start school....so I've heard! Then when he was still puking after going over 24 hrs in between sickies, I called the doc office again. It just didn't seem right. They agreed and we went in to see the doc. Dr. F suggested x-rays, because of his symptoms. The x-rays confirmed the doc's thinkin- Bubbie was severely constipated. She said it was bad. Bubbie was given Miralax and we thought it would be that easy. Ha! Not the case. Then Hubbie started to feel kinda icky. No puking. Just bad. I figured it was something we ate. Bubbie continued to puke after 12 hrs or longer and then be fine. Back and forth. He had diarrhea something awful and sometimes couldn't make it to the potty....but he was constipated! Strange! Wednesday my mother got REALLY sick. They assumed it was other things, like we did. Now we're to Thanksgiving day. By this point, Peanut had a few loose stools. Bubbie was still the same, but I think, by this point, hadn't puked in over 24 hrs. I started to feel icky. Like you have morning sickness, but nothing else. Can't puke or get rid of the yucky feeling. We ate lunch at Mom and Dads and then Dad got sick. I knew we had given them the bug and had gotten another bug! Yup! I called the doc. The nurse said we had had the rotavirus. It goes around preschools a lot. I about lost it. Another bug! Yes...another bug! Not only am I trying to keep my preschooler's tummy loose so that he can go to the potty....he also spread the stomach bug to everyone! Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!! On Monday, when we went to see Dr. F, we talked about preschool and the viruses. I told her that 4 stomach bugs since the end of September was TOO much! I couldn't handle another one! Then and there, I decided to pull Bubbie out of preschool for AT LEAST December. I know! I know! I'm a germ freak! Call me all sorts of names! When your family- THE WHOLE FAMILY- has been caught by the bug 4 TIMES (at least a week EACH TIME) in 2 months.......you won't be calling me ANY NAMES except a saint! Ha! I mean it! So, anyway...... I need to get Bubbie's tummy in better shape before I let him leave me for that many hours a week. He was obviously not drinking as much as I assumed. I had been feeding him LOTS of high fiber foods (I thought I was being a good mommy by doing this?!) but he wasn't getting the liquid to flush things through. Now, this isn't a poor reflection on the school. I just didn't realize how little he began to drink. When I think about it now....he hardly ever drinks! My child use to love to drink and would drink sippy cups full of juice, milk and water like it was going out of style. Once he started school, I guess he got too busy and forgot about drinking. I'm not a huge drinker, so I didn't push the liquids. So, now that I am aware of the pain that Bubbie can feel because of constipation, we are pushing the fiber foods AND the liquids!!! It might sound silly to be pulling Bubbie out of school, because he can get a bug or virus ANYWHERE. The shopping cart, Hubbie bringing it home from work or even the mailbox. I do understand these things. I am just hoping to lessen the amount of activity with other children and see if it helps AT ALL.

On the flip side to all of this, I also need to let go and let God. I need to ask the Lord to take care of my family, keep us healthy and safe during illness season and then let it go. I hate germs. I hate sickness especially now that the family is a family of 4. Count them....1, 2, 3, 4. 4 people to get that ONE germ that comes home!!! But God is ultimately in control!

So, back to school, for the month of December, I'll continue to work on the things that his preschool was doing. I've got lots of goodies planned and hopefully it'll make the month ZOOM by! I am going to miss my mornings of solitude! The ability to go grocery shopping with only one child and 3 mornings of being able to eat breakfast (after the baby is done for AM nap) in peace and quiet. I also look forward to the extra time I get to spend with Bubbie and watch him learn!

Spiffy! Niffy!

If you read Hyperactive Lu on a reader, you probably haven't noticed. If you don't, then you have...... we're all decked for the holidays! Hubbie was able to, again, make my blogging template dreams a reality! We'll be doing a little more tweaking over the next week or so, but all in all, I think this definitely gets you in the spirit!

Thanks again babe! I love you!

We Will Spend Christmas Like This....

Our Christmas won't be dramatically different this year, but since Bubbie is older, we are now able to incorporate a little more of what Christmas really means. I am very excited to be able to teach Bubbie what Christmas is all about. Since I was able to find our Advent Calendar at the yard sale a few months ago (cha-ching!), we will have that to use this year. I have wondered how exactly we would use it and done a lot of research online. I think we have decided to open the door every night- at dinner- and read through the book of Luke. Behind each door will also have a little candy or treat and an activity for the family to do. I am very excited to be able to spend some quality time with my men- doing some things for other people and just having fun celebrating Jesus' birth!

Door 1- Read Luke 1; Color Advent page, read Scripture and make Christmas rings


Door 2- Read Luke 2; Color Advent page, read Scripture and make ginger bread house


Door 3- Read Luke 3; Color Advent page, read Scripture and visit a local church


Door 4- Read Luke 4; Color Advent page; read Scripture and make snow flakes
Also, Bubbie's birthday so we'll be having cake and a fun family night!


Door 5- Read Luke 5; Color Advent page, read Scripture and play a game, eat popcorn and turn on Christmas music


Door 6- Read Luke 6; Color Advent page, read Scripture and lots of fun things out and about
Also, we'll be having fun at Bubbie's 4th Birthday party


Door 7- Read Luke 7; Color Advent page, read Scripture and enjoying the Christmas parade with Frick and Frack


Door 8- Read Luke 8; Color Advent page, read Scripture and make a birthday card for Jesus- put it under the tree


Door 9- Read Luke 9; Color Advent page, read Scripture and make gifts for our neighbors


Door 10- Read Luke 10; Color Advent page, read Scripture and pray for and deliver gifts to the neighbors


Door 11- Read Luke 11; Color Advent page, read Scripture and make cookies


Door 12- Read Luke 12; Color Advent page, read Scripture and finish cookies


Door 13- Read Luke 13; Color Advent page, read Scripture and we'll walk through a "Bethlehem village"


Door 14- Read Luke 14; Color Advent page, read Scripture and go to Jesus' birthday party (if you are in town and want to come, let me know!).


Door 15- Read Luke 15; Color Advent page, read Scripture and do a fun Christmas craft


Door 16- Read Luke 16; Color Advent page, read Scripture and go see Christmas lights


Door 17- Read Luke 17; Color Advent page, read Scripture and watch a Christmas movie


Door 18- Read Luke 18; Color Advent page, read Scripture and go downtown, see Santa and walk the streets


Door 19- Read Luke 19; Color Advent page, read Scripture and celebrate Peanut's 1st birthday-
w/ cake and family!


Door 20- Read Luke 20; Color Advent page, read Scripture and celebrate the boy's birthdays w/ a trip to the aquarium, children's museum or zoo (if its warm!)


Door 21- Read Luke 21; Color Advent page, read Scripture and enjoy our JTEAM's Christmas fun night


Door 22- Read Luke 22; Color Advent page, read Scripture and talk about the Christmas story we've read so far


Door 23- Read Luke 23; Color Advent page, read Scripture and drive through town looking at lights


Door 24- Read Luke 24; Color Advent page, read Scripture and go to 2 Christmas Eve services, eat yummy food, watch a Christmas movie and read "The Night Before Christmas"


I sat down and made my list with the calendar. Monday nights I am away at my BSF study, so these activities are easy for Hubbie and Bubbie to do while I'm away. We probably won't get to EVERYTHING on our calendar, but this just gives us an idea of what we could do! Most important thing is for us to show Bubbie that Christ is the real reason WE celebrate Christmas and that family time is important.

I got ideas from Kristen and our coloring pages w/ Scripture verses on them are from the internet. Need the link, let me know.

Merry Christmas!

Long Lost Lu...

I've been kinda absent from blogging the past day or two. I am dreading tomorrow....Hubbie goes back to work. Even though we didn't feel good for a few days this week and the majority of our week was spent cleaning up puke or worse.....all in all, we had a great time as a family. It was a relaxing time and the food was extra yummy!

This weekend we were able to finish decorating the house! Hubbie bought me a new tree, new garland for the mantle and a few other things to make the Christmas decorating even nicer!

Bubbie is on the mend and I am watching him like a hawk. I had a hard time letting go of the boys for "nursery" and Sunday school this morning.... I asked several times if ANYONE was sick! I know I acted like a freak, but after this much puking.... you would be too! Seriously! We don't joke about the stomach bug around our house!

Peanut has been quite the funny dude. He has finally said Mama...well,....he says Mum! Adorable! So now he can say Dada, Bubba, Mum, Yeah and his version of I love you, but usually only to his precious Dada! His personality is coming out more every day! He is more of a dare devil than Bubbie was or ever has been, but he is afraid of a few weird things...like the vacuum. Yes, I vacuum with a baby on my hip. If I didn't, I don't think I would have a baby. His heart beats so fast when we turn it on and he screams something awful!

We finalized Bubbie's birthday party plans this week. He is really excited and can't wait to see his friends. I don't think we'll do another party away from home again and we'll probably do a summer time party so that we can do it out doors, but I'm glad he's excited. I am having a hard time believing that I will have a 4 yr old boy on Thursday. Goodness!

In other news of this week, Hubbie will be running a 5K. He is very excited and hoping all this rain will stop so he can finish training! We are so proud of him. This week he tried on a sports jacket that his parents bought him 3 yrs ago and it fit! The jacket hasn't fit in a LONG time!

Off to work on a plan for Bubbie's cake! He wants a volcano cake with "lava" coming out of the top, a helicopter flying around it and a dinosaur roaming around the bottom of the cake! Ha! Easy-Peasy!!!! ;)

Our Family...

We have been a bit under the weather.  Bubbie is still iffy and Hubbie, the baby and I haven't felt ourselves.  I guess we got another bug... not sure!  Don't really care.  Just wish we'd stop catching everything!  We had a, ummm?, nice Thanksgiving.... aside from feeling like crap and my parents getting the BUG!  The food was good and it was a nice quiet and lazy day!  It was just nice being together.  

Tonight we decided to get some fresh air after being in the house all day, so we headed to the park.  Hubbie wanted to get in a few laps of running and Bubbie brought his soccer ball so that we could play while Daddy ran.  After a few minutes of Bubbie and I playing socceer, a man walked up, with his two children, and asked if they could play socceer with Bubbie.  I said yes and stood on the sidelines watching the kids play.  The man didn't seem too interested in making small talk, so I just watched with Peanut.  After a few minutes, the little boy fell down and the girl started crying.  It was a delayed crying, so I didn't figure she was too hurt.  Bubbie wasn't paying them too much attention and continued to kick the ball.  The daddy didn't look too concerned until the little girl came walking to him.  He ran over to the little girl and talked to her.  Then he walked over to the son, got in his face and yelled at him.  Then he sat the boy down very hard.  I continued to hear yelling (meanwhile my child is running around this angry dad) and then the man spanked him severly times.....like man spanks!  No sissy spanks here!  I was kinda stunned.  I have no problem with discipling my child and no trouble spanking my child, but I didn't feel as though the little boy deserved it.  He just accidently kicked his sister in the ankle while they were kicking the ball.  Bubbie came kicking the ball to me and I told him that we should go do something else....like find Hubbie and get out of dodge from this man!!!  We decided to follow Daddy around the track.  After we had walked/run the track once, we saw the man chasing his son and yelling at him.  It was dark by this point and they were up the hill, so I really couldn't see exactly what the man was doing.....but this child was being abused.  It wasn't a healthy discipline AT ALL.  I was scared for the little boy.  I asked a couple, sitting near where we were playing socceer earlier, and who had seen the whole thing, if the man was being abusive and the man said he didn't think so.... but he also was young and didn't seem too concerned.  Obviously not a parent!  Hmmm.... yeah.  If I had heard that man yell or seen that child being touched harmfully again, I would have called the cops.  That was WRONG.  I have never witnessed a parent being that mean and it scared me.  It hurt me.  I hugged Bubbie a lot.  I was sad for him to have witnessed that.  Later on, when we were home, Bubbie said he would never hurt Peanut.  We asked him why and he said because he didn't want us to get THAT  angry.  We assured Bubbie that we would never get that angry and we loved him NO matter what he does.  

A sad night at the park for me.  I'm gonna give my children extra hugs, kisses and encouragement. 

Its My Favorite Holiday...

Thanksgiving is my favortie holiday!  Always has been!  I am excited about the food and the family time.  This weekend, we plan to take some walks, play some games, decorate the house for Christmas and we might even take a little trip.  Who knows?!  Hubbie is home for 4 days!  Woo Hoo!  

As you can see on my sidebar, I've been keeping track of what I've been thankful for for the month of November.  Lots of things.  A lot of random things, but still thankful for them no matter how little or silly.  Most of all, I am thankful for God's love, grace and mercy.  That a loving Heavenly Father would send HIS Son to die a very painful death for my sins- I still can't grasp it!  I don't think I could sacrifice my children?!  Its amazing!  I have freedom in His blood!  So, as I think about Thanksgiving and all the fun holiday things that I can get wrapped up in- I will remember that I am only alive and free in Him!  

I hope you and your family have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day....the Waiting!

Don't you HATE to wait for food on Thanksgiving Day? I'm sure its because you can smell the food cooking. For me, I usually try not to eat a lot before the "main" meal, so smelling the food cooking makes it even worse.

I decided that this year, I would make a special treat for the family to enjoy. Maybe while we're watching the Parade or playing games after the big feast?! Either way, I think this snack is a winner and will be made quite a lot over the next month!

Try it! It makes your house smell divine!

Bit the Bullet

Yesterday, I finally bit the bullet, called the doc and asked for some advice. The nurse wanted us to come in, because of the frequency, but also because of the period between Bubbie puking. We dropped off Peanut with Nana so that Peanut wouldn't be exposed to so many germs. Also, because running some tests on Bubbie was possible and I had no clue how long that would take. So, off Bubbie and I went to the doc office. Once called back, the nurse did the usual- checked Bubbie's weight and height. Then the nursed asked Bubbie where he preferred the thermometer. She asked him whether we did the arm or the mouth. Bubbie thought for a second and said- "Umm? Do it in the butt!" I laughed so hard. Of course, the nursed looked at me and gave me this look like.... I'm not doing it there!!!

I only do it there because you don't have to add anything to the temp and its just a one time deal. Bubbie does pretty good with the thermometer in his mouth, but I never know if its an accurate reading. So anyway.... that lightened my mood.

Bubbie did end up having to get an x-ray. He thought it was the coolest thing. We were able to see his bones and heart. Its one thing to tell your child how their body is made and that God made it special, but to be able to show it is even more amazing! We had the best time "discovering" Bubbie's "bones".

Bubbie is still not "on the mend". We had another long, rough night. The doc has given Bubbie a diagnosis, but not 100% convinced its that. We'll see. Right now we're just thankful that the doc is really working with us and trying to get Bubbie better. We're so glad we decided to stay home this week, because otherwise we would have had to cancel.

I have lots of cooking to do tomorrow, so I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! And if you think about it, say a pray for my Bubbie. He's had the worst time with his tummy over the last month or two and I just want him to be okay.