Last post for now

I'm running out of steam. I'm actually surprised I had enough steam to post what I did. My life has been a series of huge ups & downs lately. Without going into everything, I've been dealing with some postpartum "stuff." Call it whatever, baby blues, depression, "psycho-ness"...I've got it.

I didn't feel this way with Zachary, & I know that this is more than just the typical "moving from 1 kid to 2" stuff, either. I feel very out of control emotionally most of the time. Thankfully I have some great friends & prayer support right now. My sweet hubby is helping when he can.

I spoke in a little more detail about what I've been going through at my moms group this Tuesday. Things had been going really well for about a week at that point. Wouldn't you know, as soon as I spoke out in obedience to what the Lord wanted me to say, my life took one of those drastic downward slides. We're talking huge rollercoasters here.

I'm saying all this to say, well, I guess I'm not sure what I'm trying to say. Somehow I feel like just saying it is enough right now. Last night I shared with Marc how I was feeling. He was gracious enough to give up some of his precious sleep to let me sleep. I actually slept 4 hours straight last night. Blissful. And, it appears that God knew I needed that. He saw what was coming today.

Zachary has this fear of airplanes right now. Not so much the airplane itself but the loud booming noises they make. Which, in itself isn't a huge problem, but we live close to a main road where there are lots of motorcycles & semis, as well as a train that passes by about 8 times a day. He has been freaking out at every little noise, barely sleeping. He was so cranky today and whiny. I thought it was just the fear thing happening again (because it was that, too), but it appears he has a stomach virus. (which of course doesn't show itself until 11 pm...is there any kid who actually gets sick in the middle of the day when you don't expect to sleep anyway?)

Sweet boy, he is resting well now. He asked me for a snack a few minutes after. I don't think so, kid. :) I've been spending a few minutes catching up on my computer time, waiting for Kenna to wake up & nurse. Of course, this will probably be "the night" she sleeps more than 4 hours and I'm missing it! Sigh.

Oh, and if you don't read anything else I post in the next few days (and you're a mom of young children), READ THIS post (tips for making it through the day without going insane). It totally ministered to me today. (Thanks to Money Saving Mom for posting it originally).

Well, looks like she's up, so I'm gonna go. She made it a little over 4 hours...we're getting somewhere! I have a date with my bed this weekend, and we're going to spend 6 heavenly hours getting to know each other again. :)

Visit to the Mayfield Dairy

On our way home from Alabama last weekend, we stopped at the Mayfield Dairy in Athens, TN. It's funny, but it's something I've been wanting to do for years. Yes, I said years. I know, I'm a weirdo. We barely made it...got in the last tour of the day.

We got to see how they made those cool yellow milk jugs, bottled all the milk, lemonade, etc. and make & package the ice cream. I must say I was absolutely fascinated. They wouldn't allow us to take pictures otherwise I'd show you. You'll just have to take a tour for yourselves...it's free.

The funny thing I didn't expect was that they made everyone wear hairnets. Marc had to wear one on his head & one on his face, too. He wouldn't let me get a picture of that, though. They even made Kenna wear one, so I just had to take a picture. Not every day your baby wears a hairnet!

Family comes to visit

Guess next time I'll upload them backwards since these are coming through weird. Oh well.

My mom giving Kenna her first bottle--she loved it (even though I was right there)!


Z enjoying his makeshift bed in our room while my family was visiting. He still asks to sleep there.

My mom & I do this ALL THE TIME. I mean, it's ridiculous. We just look at each other & realize that we are sitting the same way. Totally random, but funny.

I feel like I'm being clever when I dub this picture "K3"...Krista, Katie, & Kenna

Jacque & her boyfriend Josh...he's talking to his mom for the first time since being back in the US (he was deployed to Iraq for over a year).

Pictures!!

Ok, well, this upload thing uploaded them in the wrong order. I'm still not really blogger friendly on uploading pics. It only lets me upload 5 at a time for some reason so that's how these posts will be sorted...cuz I have lots of pics over the last few weeks.

Some of the faces of Kenna Stone...here she is talking to Marc.

Zachary helping me make pizza last Friday night. He had a blast, although it took me twice as long to make it!

Z making Kenna smile...so sweet.

More faces:

Ok, I just couldn't resist posting this. She looks like some kind of Greek dancer or something...

Company Chicken

I'm participating in a "meat & potatoes" recipe swap over at Life as Mom. (One of my favorite blogs by the way) This is a recipe that a good friend brought over to my house a few weeks ago. Not only was it awesome that I didn't have to make it, but it tasted phenomenal, too! Thanks, Jen!

Company Chicken

6-8 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
2 cans green beans, drained
4-5 medium potatoes (any kind), peeled & cubed
1 stick butter, melted
1 envelope Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

Use a big roasting pan (I use 13 x 9 pan but sometimes you have to squish it all in there. If you have a bigger one, use it.). Place chicken in the middle, arrange green beans & potatoes on either side of chicken. Pour melted butter over all. Shake both dressing mix packets over top of all. Don't mix or do any other extra work. :) Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours.

You will want to make some kind of bread with this meal, because you've absolutely got to have something to soak up all this good butter sauce with. This is not a meal for those on a diet. I figure, I'm breastfeeding so I'm going to enjoy all these calories while I can!!

We made this a few nights ago when 5 of my family members came into town. I doubled it, made 2 13 x9 pans, and there was only a bit of potatoes left. It goes fast.

Not Me! Monday

I've been reading this blog "My Charming Kids" for a few months...MckMama has started something called "Not Me! Monday" that I absolutely love. Others' honesty about their mothering experiences makes me realize I fit right in with everyone else!

So...this week, I absolutely did not:

• I did not put on a video in my bedroom at 9 am (shortly after waking, feeding Kenna, and eating breakfast), so that I could sleep in my bed while Kenna slept in hers. I did not make Zachary sit on the bed with me and watch a full-length Disney movie so that I could get some rest after being up most of the night.
• I did not make my son sit in wet underwear after a nap whining at his door because I needed a few more minutes of Mom time. I most certainly did not chastise him for not telling me he had wet underwear instead of making whining & crying noises. (but I really didn't know he had peed himself!)
• I have not completely ignored the horrible mess in my car, and have definitely not added to the trash that is piling up on the floors just because by the time I get all the kids & bags up to the house I'm too tired to deal with the garbage that has accumulated.
• I did not whine at all this week about not losing any more baby weight and have not complained about not fitting into my smaller sized jeans.
• Edit: By "smaller sized jeans" I mean the next size down from the huge ones I am wearing...not my pre-pregnancy jeans. Just want to clear that up. I am still in the same boat as every other woman 6 wks postpartum. :)

That's it for me. Check out Not Me! Mondays at My Charming Kids for more...

Promised pictures

A few pictures from the pumpkin patch last week.


Zachary is obsessed with Kenna's swing!

This picture, I have no answer for. I just saw this chair in the bathroom like this & had to take a picture. Any guesses? :)

Z wearing a Green Bay Packers Helmet. Shh...don't tell Daddy! We are really Steelers fans! (Thanks, Easton, for letting us borrow this for the picture!)

I realized after going through the very few pictures I took this week, that the few I have of Kenna are all blurry. We'll have to have a photo shoot this week. I just found out we're having family come to visit--fun! Mom and Katie, plus Jacque will be home from Germany with her boyfriend Josh (whom I have not met yet so I am excited!). Lots of opportunity for pictures, I hope!