Random Thoughts

Yeah, so, I am a terrible blogger, but it's not like a lot of people are really counting on me to blog in order to carry on...Anyway it isn't like I haven't had the time because I have been on Christmas break since December 7th, but I have been enjoying my time off with my babies. Also Derek was off last week and it was amazing having the whole family together ALL day long.

I have been going to the gym...I may have mentioned this before, but I am doing Zumba! It is so much fun...I started in September and have been going to every class since! I have lost a total of.....ready for it...20-23lbs(depending on the time of day)! It is kinda embarassing that I even needed to lose that much weight (and I am still losing) but give me a break I did have 2 babies;) Speaking of that...this girl that has started coming to Zumba told me on Tuesday that I am here INSPIRATION! Really??? She said it is because I never miss a class and I am so in shape! Ha! I'm not that in shape yet, but I am working on it;)

The boys are growing up SO fast! M has a birthday next month! He will be 3years old! I cannot believe that...I mean I cried when he turned one, but when he turned two I was OK...now 3!? I don't know if I can handle that...M says some of the funiest things too might I add...Yesterday we were watching Toy Story 3 for like the 100X and at the beginning, when Woody is taking on "One eyed Bart", just as Bart gets away M yells "OH NO THE ORPHANS!" (a bunch of troll dolls on a train!) If you have seen the movie you should understand, and hearing that from a 2year old is just plain hilarious! Also last night I was working so hard to put the boys down for bed, but now that they share a room it is a little more difficult. J was wanting to jump on M, and M was trying to Boss J around while J just laughed at him! Anyway the boys wanted me to read them a book, so I read them Dear God, If I was a Star...I'd Like To Be A Very Bright One... I LOVE The Dear God Kids books because they teach about simple things dealing with God and children for example:

         "Dear God,
               If I were a Star... I'd like to be a very bright one.
              
              I thank God for making me unique. I praise God for giving me special abilities. When I use my talent to do something with my heart and soul, I feel good. I know God is pleased. I feel like I sparkle! When I say or do the right thing, I know God smiles. I feel like a bright shining star reflecting God's love to the world. I want to be a sparkle star against the night sky!

          'Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven' - Matthew 5:16 "

That is just the first page! I think that is such a need idea to share with my children, and they love these books to! I have several of them, and each one shares several ideas like this one. This book has 7 different "prayers".

So after I finished reading that book we said our very first bedtime prayer together!! I actually cried because M participated, and they both folded their hands together and closed their eyes:) It was precious!
So naturally J fell asleep and M sneaked(snuck?) into bed with us after Daddy got home from the gym...I asked what he was doing and he looked at Derek and I and said "I love you more...you are my best friend"! So of course I couldn't kick him out of our bed;)

Well I mentioned how the boys are growing, but never really said much about how smart Jakk is:) I love bragging on my boys, and so that's what I am about to do :p
Jakk is only 19mths now and he is very sharp! For a few months now he has been able to ID colors and shapes (even diamond and heart, etc.) he also knows all his body parts (eyes, nose, ear, fingers), oh and he
can count! He can say just about anything you want him to say...he must of gotten my smarts ;) no really he is very smart!
 Well that's all I will say for now...maybe I'll blog later about how I broke my foot and how M is now totally Potty trained:)

Love,
Krista

The most wonderful time of the year!

I am so excited! You wanna know why? ok...I recently learned from my friend and fellow blogger Shannon that Shutterfly.com is giving away 50 free (seriously, no lie, completely FREE) christmas cards to bloggers! I LOVE Christmas...the.end! I was so excited about this news so naturally I had to join in on the fun!

Here's my favorite (and the one I plan on using!):

 Sooo cute! The cards are personalized, and this one personalizes your initial on it!! Click here to see more photo cards. They also have calendars, personalized mugs (my fav), and several other products that I just love!

I have used shutterfly on several occasions, and they do a great job. I first received a gift card in the hospital after having M for some free personalized birth announcements. They were great!I really am not just saying this as part of the contest (thats not required lol), but I know several people that use and love them too.

So are you a fellow blogger? Would you love some free Christmas cards? Then click here to enter fro your chance to win! I can't wait to order mine and show off my hansome boys to all of our family and friends this year:) Don't you just think they would look great on this Christmas card?

On another note...we are ready for Christmas around here! M and J helped decorate the tree yesterday. M sang "Oh Christmas tree" the whole time...it.was.so.cute! The bottom of the tree is full of candy canes while the top has all the ornaments:) It looks funny but I love it because my boys helped do it!!! M can't wait for Santa...thats all he talks about these days:)

LOVE,
Krista!

Krista Neal LPNA

So I know it has been literally forever since I blogged...I mean I have been on here, but I just do.not.have.time! This has been one busy semester! This is the end of the LPN side of our program. What does that mean? This first year of school has given us the skills and knowledge to to the LPN boards exam. After this semester ends, we can all go apply for boards, become LPNApplicants, take that test, and practice as LPN's. Will I? I don't really have time to work while I finish up school, so I probably wont. I WILL however have my diploma in practical nursing! This marks the half way point for my degree...two more semesters and I will be Krista Neal, RN!! I can't wait!

So how is school going? Well...I made the dean's list last semester, and this semester I have an A. We took our final today (which I hope I kept my A!), and now we are required to finish 120hours of practicum! I start tomorrow. I will be working at a nursing home as an LPN with a mentor. I am PUMPED:) I am also taking an English class that is pretty easy, but still requires some effort "/. After this semester, I am technically done with my Gen Ed for this program, but I am considering taking one more humanities type class that will transfer back to WKU with me when I finish my BSN. Next semester is supposed to be the hardest, but I hope I can do it! I just really want all my GEN ED for WKU to be done too, ya know? I transfered from WKU so my Gen ED is all done except that one class, and I know I will finish my BSN, so why not? OK...got that?

How's home life? Great! M is potty trained!!! He has been for a couple months! J is talking away, counting to 5, and naming colors! Yep, he's not even 1 1/2:). Derek practically broke his ankle, and it looks terrible. I am helping his nurse it back to normal though! M has been sick now for a week, and they can't seem to fix him...We thought both the boys had a sinus infection, so their ped put them on antibiotics only different kinds. You see M has been on so many antibiotics before in his little life that he couldn't be on the basic amoxillin. J got better, but M did not! Now I had to take M back to the doctor because I suspected a UTI...he's never had one, but he showed all the signs. Now being a nursing student, I know a little too much medical stuff, so I was all freaked out that this was all from a strep infection(which is going around) and he know has something called glomerulonephritis...it's a kidney disorder caused from an untreated/mistreated strep infection! He has most of the signs, well all the ones that I am able to look for. We dont get the results from his testing until TOMORROW! I took his yesterday, so that is two days of freaking out waiting! Well all else is good, and what a better way to tell you then pictures?





Feel free to comment on how edible my babies are;)

LOVE,
Krista

Raising a Kid With Allergies

This is not something to take lightly. Many think whoop-di-do everyone has allergies. The fact is that (as stated my our pediatrician) people too often blame runny noses and such on allergies when it could be a nuber of other things. But..if you are raising a kid with allergies/asthma (yes they can go hand in hand) you truly understand how challenging it can be at times. If you remember awhile back I had to take M to see an allergist because he was having HORRIBLE hive breakouts. Some signs that his allergist pointed out that could be indicators from birth that your child will have allergies were:

• Chronic ear infections (check M had to get tubes put in when he was 8.5mths old)
• Eczema (Check, double check)
• Constant congestion (I'm seeing a trend)
• Intolerant to Cow's Milk (Check...but he did outgrow this)

There were some more that I don't remember, but these were some of the bigger ones. So how does having a child with allergies become challenging? Well in our case...M is allergic to EVERYTHING! From dust to mold to grass! We can't have pets that pose alot of pet dander or we have to spray a special spray on them. He has to have special pads on hs bed to trap dust mites. We have to have air purifiers/humidifiers. I have to constantly check the pollen and mold counts,and if they are too high, am supposed to keep him inside. I have to use a expensive special kind of laundry detergent...Yes Dreft was OK for him as a baby, we had to use a special kind as well since he would touch our clothing and bed linens. So... we just switched all together to ALL Free & Clear. We had to trial and error on bath wash/shampoo before we found one that wouldn't irratate his skin (that was a miserable process). NO lotions except the approved Eucerin unscented. Daily medication...started with Zyrtec, then went to Claritin, and now he might have to take Singulair. M's biggest allergy is mold. He is SEVERELY allergic to it, and it grows in very humid environments...like good ol' Kentucky! Also when I wash the boys' clothes they have to be immediately removed from the washer; they can not sit in there at all, or they have to be re-washed!

Now with J, he has food allergies, so I have to constantly check food labels for ingredients that he can't have. J is not old enough to see an allergist (they won't see anyone under 24mth unless an emergency, but even then they have to be 20mths). I was hoping J would outgrow his milk protein allergy, but not so good so far. Looking back, while breastfeeding J, I had to cut out dairy from my diet because he was having breakouts. At that time, we chalked it up to baby acne (yes, there is such things), but now we realize that it was a milk protein sensitivity.

We have gotten pretty used to our new lifestyle, and while it can be challenging, we wouldn't change one thing about our children :) But now I must go get ready for J's 1year pictures...yeah I've been putting then off, but better late than never!

I'm So Proud of Myself!

For what you ask...This weekend I did not eat out one time! I cooked good meals at home all weekend long. It's typical of me during the week to cook, but when the weekend comes along, we usually are on the go all day so we just pick something up. Well we are trying to save money anyway we can to help us survive on one income during the upcoming holidays! Also I am trying to lose all the baby weight from the kiddos...I guess I finally realized that it wasn't gong away on its own:) I mean I only gained 28lbs with Maddox, and 18lbs with Jakk and lost most of it afterwords, but it is like I have extra skin and weight has been distributed differently. I can tell that I am losing weight...not sure how much, but I have had to buy new clothes this summer and they are smaller!
Before Derek and I started TTC I was a size 2. Once we started, I had to take some fertility meds and such and I gained a little (which I didn't mind sine I knew I'd be gaining alot more when I got preggo)...So then I was a size 4 before I got preggo with M. After I had M I was a size 6. I mean I actually had hips and such now..haha. Ok so then we surprisingly get preggo with Jakk (no time to lose much weight) and afer I had him I was a size 8 at first...ten a 6. So I was back where I started. NOW when I was shopping for some clothes this summer, I bought a pair of shorts from Old Navy, and you know what size they were? A 3/4!!! I am excited about that! Derek says he can rally tell a difference, and many of his friends say the same! I haven't yet weighed myself yet, but I know I am losing inches atleast. My goal is to lose 25-30lbs. Here's my plan:
School starts back in 2weeks...I get my wisdom teeth out in one week! (That should help some!)...Anyway back to school...Once school starts I am joining the gym that Derek goes to. No, I am not going to be weight lifting, but I am going to be on the aerobics plan. One Tuesday and Thursday nights they have a Zumba class. I have heard great things about this Zumba thing! I do wish that I had somone to go with me so I don't feel so stupid, but I guess I will be ok...
Along with Zumba, I will being "dieting". I am just going to eat healthy, and being in school should help me to eat less since I am going to be in class/clinicals from 8am-3pm M-Th!
I am excited about losing weight because I can feel like my body is not only a mommy body anymore:)

Well that is all...I must run since as I am typing J is blowing his little nose on my leg:)