I saw this on Pinterest today and had to repost it on here. So true. I hate going to WalMart but don't have alot of other options in big ole North Platte. (Sorry, it's hard to read)

One of Those Weeks

Oh my goodness, It has been one of those weeks....

1.  We get invited to a party that I was less than thrilled about going to because it was with a bunch of people that just seem to make me feel very inadequate. I know that it is my issue and that it has nothing to really do with them. They are nice people. Just a group that you feel always does things better than you. I get ready for the party and we venture off. I am breastfeeding and have never to that day leaked. Oh yes, it happened at the party. How many people noticed before I did? I was very embarrassed and wanted to crawl under a rock. Thankfully I was wearing a scarf so after stuffing a little toilet paper in my bra(it's all I could find) and rearranging my scarf I was back at the party. After getting back home I go to get ready for bed only to realize that I had my sweater on backwards the whole time. Of all days for that to happen. I must have looked like the biggest idiot.

2.  I volunteered to make almond bark pretzels for my Mother-In-Law to give away at a party here in town. I am tired of making pretzels because they are my go to party snack for Christmas time and have already made a ton of them. I was very tired the other night as I was preparing them and went to put them in the refrigerator to set up and dropped them all over the bottom of the refrigerator. As soon as the almond bark hits the shelf it sets up. I tried to clean it up as quickly as I could but it wasn't soon enough. I wanted to cry. I still have almond bark stuck to my crisping drawers. GRRR!

3.  I have my post-pardum check at the doctors office yesterday. My doctor is never quick getting into the room once you are taken back so I didn't figure I needed to hurry. They tell me to take my pants off and get on the table with the little paper cover they give you. I take my pants off and am removing my underwear when the doctor walks in. All I could do was yell "WOOOOH". He says "Oh I'm sorry" and walks back out. I shouldn't be embarrassed but it is something about the security of the little paper blanket makes you feel better. After getting a second to get ready he comes back again. I am red in the face and again looking for the rock to crawl under but he handled it real well. I know that it wasn't like he hadn't seen it all before after having delivered all of my babies but something about standing pantsless in front of another guy that is just a little awkward.

Hopefully all of my most embarrassing moments of the week can lighten up your holiday season.

Merry Christmas!!

Quick Family Pics

I realized as I was looking through pictures that we only had 1 family picture that included Nicola. She is leaving on January 4th so I thought it was time to get that done. After taking several pictures I decided that maybe the good old funny face pose would work best for our family because Tate was crying, Zach kept posing anyway, the sun was in our eyes, and it just wasn't going well.

We will miss Nicola. Especially the girls because they have grown so close over the last year. Hopefully one of these days we will be able to take a trip to Australia to visit her.

4 am

I do love this little man but the 4am wake up call is getting a bit old. It would be one thing if he would eat and go back to sleep but he always decides that it is play time. Why can't play time be at 4pm? It is super sweet to watch him checking things out. Knowing that he is experiencing things for the first time in his life. I thank God that I get to watch him learn and grow. Those things keep me sane. This time is so precious but, oh my, this mama is tired.

It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas!

It is beginning to look like Christmas at our house and I must admit that it isn't because of me. I usually love it but am being kind of a scrooge this year probably has more to do with a little post-partum depression and lack of money than anything else. Good thing I have Brandon. My husband has always loved Christmas and the feeling that comes along with the holiday. He dragged everything down out of storage and decorated the outside of the house while I put up the tree. I wouldn't even have the tree up if he hadn't got me motivated.

Even Zach has been excited for Christmas and he made Tate his name out of Lego's to give him as a gift. Zach was disappointed with me last night because I couldn't find any tape to wrap it. He really can't wait for Tate to be able to play with him. It is cute how much he loves him.

Let's hope that soon a little of Brandon's Christmas spirit will rub off on me and the celebration can begin. Even though he keeps reminding me that "Christmas is coming whether I want it to or not so you better just embrace it".

Oh yes, I did participated in the chaos.

The Kiddos

  I finally got the kids to sit together long enough to get a picture of them. Trying to get all 4 of them to stay home long enough to pose is a very difficult task these days. We tried to do the whole back drop thing but as you can see it was a fail. I had to take what I could get.

They are all adjusting to having a new sibling. They could do without the crying. They are all very good at helping out where they can. I am a very blessed mommy.

 Zach can't wait till Tate is old enough to actually play with him.

My precious baby boy!!

OUCH...It Hurts

Oh my goodness!! I do love this little man and I am trying my very best to breastfeed him but boy what a painful 1st week. I haven't had any luck with my other 3 children mainly because I felt that I didn't have much support and wasn't sure where to turn. Bottle feeding, for me, was much easier but I know the benefits of breastfeeding are much better. I had a couple of friends recommend Newman's Nipple Cream to me and so I had to share. It has been a lifesaver. I had to get a prescription for it but it was worth it. I was using Lanolin, which was helping, but Newman's Nipple Cream was 100 times better. I just thought I would share in case it might help any other mom out there who is struggling with soreness.

He's Here

Tate Landry Brinker

arrived October 29th at 4:24am. He weighed 7lbs 13.5ozs and was 20 inches long. He is the sweetest little thing. It was a long hard labor that ended in a c-section but worth every minute of it. It is quite an adjustment for your family to go through since my last baby is now 9yrs old. I have great helpers in my other kids and my husband has been over the top wonderful in taking care of everything that needs done while I am heeling. I am hoping to post more pics soon. He really is beautiful(just like my other kids)!!

1 More Week

Yep, 7 more days until my due date. The doctor says that if I don't go into labor this week that we will induce on Thursday or Friday of next week. Next time I blog I will be a mom to 4 kids. Wow!!

Pumpkin Carving Fun

I must say that I love fall. The leaves are changing, temps are cooling off, football is in full swing, the kids are back in school, soup is on, and even the idea of carving pumpkins. Yeah, I only like the idea of carving pumpkins. I hate the smell of them and I won't touch the guts. Brandon and my kids know that I am only the picture taker on these days and the rest is up to them.

I was so thankful this year when our friends invited our home group over to have a day of pumpkin carving because this meant that I would not be finding pumpkin guts all over my house for the next couple of months. It never fails. No matter how much I try to get the kids to be careful with the guts I always find them all over the house.

It was a beautiful day in the country and the perfect setting for our fall pumpkin carving fun.

My pics are not coming up in the order that I would like and I am having trouble rearranging them so we are starting with the finished products.

Zach did a Great Job on his pumpkin this year and did most of it by himself.

Our friend Jeff having fun with the guts:)

Sidney, looking cute as always, carving away:)

This was Nicola's first time carving pumpkins. I think she enjoyed the experience but not the guts under her fingernails.
Getting a little help from Dad so that the top doesn't fall in when it's done.

It was such a beautiful day that we were able to kick the older kids outside to carve their pumpkins. They all think they are too cool to have the parents around anyways.

Fall

My husband and I went on a fall walk down by the South Platte river the other day. I was really hoping to get some great fall pics but the last 2 days we were blessed with 60 mph winds and they aren't good for the fall foliage. It was a great day for a walk and I got a couple pics but can't help but think that a few days before there might have been prettier pictures to be had. I must say that fall in Nebraska is not near as picturesque as fall in the rocky mountains of Colorado.

Surprise!!

I don't know if I titled this Surprise because Surprise I am blogging again or to tell you about the wonderful surprise baby shower that was thrown for me. Probably it's a little of both. I am now 37 weeks along. I am done with work. WooHoo!! I am going to be a stay at home mama for a while. I have been feeling pretty good but can't wait to meet our little man. To top it all off I have finally figured out what is wrong with my camera/computer communication problem so I can post pictures again. I am excited to start taking pics again.

37 Weeks

My mother-in-law, 2 daughters, and who know who else have been planning a surprise baby shower for me for quite some time now. I wasn't planning on having one because it is my 4th child but people kept telling me(reminding me) that it has been 9 years since I have had a baby. I did get rid of everything so I was more than thankful for it.

What made this all the more surprising was that they had it at MY house and I still didn't have any idea. I have some wonderful girlfriends that got me out of the house for a pedicure(they didn't have to try to hard) and the rest of the team went to town cleaning and decorating for the big surprise. I was blown away when I walked in and saw everyone and everything. I was truly blessed by the event.

My mother-in-law went all out with the decorations. She is an extremely talented lady. She should have her own party planning business. I wish I had some more pictures to show everyone all of the things she did. If I get more I will post them later.

Invisible Children

Today my girls are having a day of silence to make people more aware of the Invisible Children in Africa. Kids that are kidnapped and forced into military at a young age sometimes being forced to kill their own family members. You can go to the website to learn more about the project. It is a sad story that people don't know enough about.I know that I had no idea it was going on. I am proud that my girls are working for this cause and I hope that many others will get involved as well.

Monster Eggs

The kids had fun decorating Easter eggs again this year. It was Nicola's first time ever decorating eggs. I think they had fun because we got the monster kit and they were able to give them monster faces and hair after they were dyed.

Earth Day

I know that it is Earth day but my kids keep walking around the house shutting lights off on me. I get it but I am not cleaning my house in the dark. I will find them something earth friendly to do if they don't back off and I'm will make sure they don't like it.

BIG News In A Little Package

Oh yes! Surprise, Surprise, Surprise! Baby #4 is due at the end of October. The 27th to be exact. My little bean is 12 weeks in this pic, 2'' long, and about the size of a small lime(so my phone ap tells me). We don't know the sex yet. I don't want to know because I feel like I wouldn't spend as much money on stuff for the baby if I didn't know what I was having. My husband, kids, and Mother-in-law act as if not finding out would be equal to the world ending so we will find out at the next ultrasound appt if baby is cooperative. (I think it would be funny if it kept its legs crossed) Being old and pregnant is way different that being young and pregnant like I was before. This old body just isn't taking things as well. I would stay in my bed and sleep all day if I could(with cereal breaks of course). My youngest is going to be 9 years old when the new one comes along and my other two will be 13 and 12. This will definitely be a change for us all. Brooklyn will be graduating when the new one starts kindergarten. Don't get me wrong, I am excited but I can't help but think about how much life will change for us. This baby is coming for a reason it will just take time to find out what that is. All babies are a gift from God. Once I start feeling better I am sure that things will look up.

An Aussie in the House

We went to the airport and picked up Nicola on Saturday. She is such a joy! She really clicks with our family. I was kind of worried because sometimes I think that we are a little bit loud and weird some times but so far so good. It is really fun to learn about the differences in our cultures. She has never seen snow so this week she is definitely going to get enough snow to last her for a while. School has even been canceled tomorrow because of the white stuff. I think a day of scooping and snowball fights is in order.