getting down to business...

I got creative for Christmas this year & gave each of the babies a potty as part of their Christmas presents. I am trying my hardest to have these four babies potty trained in 2009! I know I am out of my mind for attempting this BUT I am alway's up for a challenge. We started out with one pink potty at Grandma's house. I wanted to peak their interest so once Christmas came they would understand the concept. I purchased 4 of the same, basic, plain white, Baby Bjorn little potty's. I was not going to put out a ton of money for them so these fit the bill. They LOVE the idea of it but Camryn is the only one to have actually peed in hers. It is rather funny to watch them line the potty's up and sit down on them. Sometimes they sit the correct way sometimes not. They even stack them up like they need them in order. I think they learned this from me. I am VERY anal about having things lined up straight, labels facing front, etc. I realize now how this can be a very bad habit for them to inherit from me. The sad thing is that I have ALWAY'S been this way. Old habit's die hard! LOL! Now if I could just get them concerned about...



getting down to business...

Nursemaid's elbow

Ok, I have to admit that before children I NEVER heard about or knew what Nursemaid's elbow meant. I can now say that I am sort of an expert on it! My Camryn has now been to the ER twice due to this ailment. This time it was my 5 year old niece trying to help her back up on Grandma's bed that possibly caused it. Camryn can be VERY dramatic & of course she ONLY wants her mommy. So, once I got home from work my niece Katie, Camryn & I were off to the ER. I was not looking forward to the wait but I needed to make sure we made the right diagnosis. This time she would not move her right arm at all. In the waiting room she was pretty good but still cradled her arm. I think she was more afraid of feeling the pain she had earlier so she kept it still. We tried EVERYTHING to get her mind off it. She would stare at all the other patients waiting to be seen, even give a smile now & then but once we touched her arm she would cry. I decided we needed to stay & get a doctors opinion. After waiting about 2 hours her name was FINALLY called. They took us back into the "minor" care section. Dr. Finegold took very good care of her. He ordered some X-Rays & gave her some ibuprofen. She continued to be one WHINY girl. It was now 9pm & Cam Cam was getting VERY tired too! We changed her into her PJ's & waited for the results. FINALLY, no breaks, nothing! She just had...


Nursemaid's elbow...

blessed...

I need to send a HUGE thank you to EVERYONE that has helped out this herd of ours. We have been blessed beyond belief by so many people that I feel I need to send a HUGE thank you out there. I am going to try to be better in the "thank you" dept. in 2009! Theres just WAY too many to mention but you guys know who you are. There is one person in particular that I do need to name. She did something recently that blew me away. Her name is Michele Green and she happens to be our State Farm agent. This woman has known my family & me for a VERY long time. One of my good friends, Janet, works for her & they both have been our insurance connections since I cannot remember when. During my pregnancy she even "lent" me her HEATED swimming pool so I could feel less like a beached whale & actually feel weightless. It was WONDERFUL! Once our little one's were born & we had some EXTRA $ we went directly to them to set up 529 plans for their future. We even started Life Insurance policies on each of them. As you can just about imagine this is quite an expense. But VERY worthwhile in the future of their lives. Lets fast forward to about a month ago when the 1st annual bill arrived on their policies. Michael about freaked! We could not afford anything extra & did not know what to do. Food, clothes, utilities, car payments, etc. are EXPENSIVE enough & to now add another bill on top of all that. YIKES! We held on to that envelope for quite a few days when my good friend Janet called us to say that the bill was paid. I asked who would have done such a wonderful thing? Michele Green that's who. We owe her a BIG thank you! One less thing to worry about! Michele, from all of us, "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!" We are so...

blessed...

WHO is this SCARY guy?!

Ok, we did the annual trip to see Santa with our little ones & this is the reaction that we captured. I think what they are trying to tell us is...















WHO is this SCARY guy?!

the BEST gift ever!

We here in the Fulton home want to wish everyone a beautiful Christmas. Ours was a rainy one. It drizzled all night & during the day today. The sun is trying to break through the clouds to give us a bright & shiny day. This year Christmas was EXTRA fun! We started out having a house FULL of Fulton's for Christmas Eve dinner. Our 6 year old nephew Aidan, who came dressed as Santa, stopped playing for a moment to tell us this was his BEST holiday EVER! I wanted to make sure it was this Christmas or just Christmas in general. He said being here. What a WONDERFUL child! I was SO happy that we made his day! The only thing missing was Dustyn. He spent Christmas Eve with his mom so we missed out on having him with us. Everyone missed him. Maybe one day soon we can all be together. He joined us this morning & we all got to be together on Christmas. The babies eyes lit up when he walked in their room this morning. They all grinned from ear to ear & yelled out "Dustyn!". They just love him so! Oh what fun will we have as the years go on. They all filed out of their room & walked directly to the den where the Christmas tree is without any coaxing. I was AMAZED! I guess they really do notice "new" things. There in front of the tree was their presents & they each gravitated to the toys they liked. Santa did good & they loved it all! Dustyn made out too! CLOTHES! You all know how much kids LOVE getting that! hahah! No, he also got his router & wireless connection for his XBox 360. I know nothing about these sort of things but he LOVES it. I think the best gift God gave Michael & I would have to be these 5 happy healthy children. That is...

the BEST gift ever!

baking cookies...

My hubby bought me the "coolest" stand mixer about 3 years ago & I have never used it! Michaels Aunt used it once while she stayed with us but I have yet to use it. I know I feel bad but my life has been BUSY!! (= SO.. Today is the day. My mom & I are going to make cookies while the babies watch. Maybe soon they will "help" me but not yet. I am SO excited to finally get to use this contraption! My 13 year old cousin gave me a quick demo on the one they have at their house. I could not believe that he knew how to use it & even makes cookies with it ALL the time. I need to get Dustyn in on this so he can start baking too! Now what kind of cookie will it be??


baking cookies...

7 Fulton's...

I FINALLY have a picture of ALL 7 of us...

one PERFECT day...

Today used to be ALL about me but times have changed. I do not care as much about my birthday as I used to. I guess that is what happens when you have children, they become your life & you take a back seat to everything. What I do care about is having some time to myself & having some PEACE & QUIET. These are a few hard commodities that I find hard to achieve. We have WONDERFUL children but lately all they seem to do is whine & I cannot take it. Heck, Michael cannot take it either. He says that he wants to give them away. I am sure that he is only kidding! I think that is something you say when times get tough and you are at your wits end! ha! It's just that there are very few days that I can take for myself, to just "be". I was hoping today could be that day. It did not start out good and continued to get worse. I worked till 3am, yes I have a part-time job with some late night hours. I should never have scheduled myself so late but I did & I had to deal with it. Now if I could just get 7 hours of rest, not even REM sleep, just rest. This did not happen, I was awoken by four SCREAMING babies before 8am. I never was able to get back to sleep so now I was one cranky woman. Being a mommy to four 23 month olds is tough work & I need all the rest I can get! My hubby even made me breakfast, I love him for that but it was not what I would have wanted for breakfast. Note to self: Share what you'd like to eat a few days before your day so hubby knows & does not have to read my mind! He made the babies Banana Nut French Toast & also made some for me. I wanted steak & eggs. So with my first bite it tasted weird & it did not get any better. I knew if I shared this with him he would be upset & if I did not say anything he would make it for me again saying you loved it on your birthday. What was I to do? I have always been one that holds the truth very dear so I decided to just spill it. That continued the downward spiral of my day. Couldn't he see that I just wanted a day to myself!? That I did not want anything. I do not need any gifts. I think the best "gift" would have been a babysitter for the weekend. To be able to do anything without having to worry about four little people. I will have to remember this for next year. I hope one year soon to FINALLY get...


one PERFECT day...

presents....

People have been asking me what Dustyn & the babies need or want for Christmas. I have put a lot of thought into this question. They do not lack for much. Even with our meager funds we seem to make do. They pretty much do not "need" for anything. We have been VERY fortunate to have some WONDERFUL people in our life that pass along their hand me downs for our children. So from time to time they get "newer" toys & clothes. Life is good. What they "need" is people, not "things". They need our time. Since there is only 2 of us and 5 of them things can get rough in the attention dept. I feel bad that Dustyn sort of gets the shaft at times. We have SO much going on that we can never accomplish every task. He puts up with a lot & hopefully things will get better. So that is why I now answer that question with the following response... That the BEST present they could ever receive is to have our presence in their lives. To be there in each moment & really pay attention. They crave it! Some days are better than others but mostly I just try my best. To be the best mommy I can be. Some days I feel they need more than I can give & that is when I need the help I rarely ask for. SO, to any person out there that knows us personally, PLEASE, stop by & visit our little munchkins & Dustyn. If you have any "free time" we'd love for you to come over to spread your love & attention. Remember that's one of the best...

presents...

cranky...

Lately I have had ONE cranky little girl on my hands. It is funny how this "title" has been shared by each one of my girls. The 1st to achieve this was Camryn, then Lindsey, now Miss Avery currently holds it. It seems like she whines ALL the time! My mom thinks she does not feel well. I just think she is just taking her turn at being "spoiled". She has already figured out being a bit of a snot will get her some attention. I am not used to this coming from her. She ALWAY'S seems to want her Daddy so it is a somewhat unwanted treat for me. When I walk out of her sight she crys for me & wants to be held ALL the time. My mom & I went out the other night & Michael said she cried for about an hour. Oh, my sweet little girl, what happened to her? I want my confident & stubborn Avery back!! I just cannot handle...

cranky...

the Elf on a Shelf...

I heard about this NEAT book recently while we were attending MOPS at our church.Apparently I do not get out much because it is all over the book stores! A mom, just like most of us, Carol Aeborsold, created this idea years ago for her own family & once her daughter, Chanda Bell, grew up they had it published. This is THEE best gift to give small children for Christmas. Basically it is a book about an elf that is "magical" & reports back daily to Santa on how good your kids are being. It comes in this box that includes a book and the elf. It explains everything in the book. There is even a certificate where you list when you received him & his or her name. Then each year when you start getting all your Christmas decorations out he returns too! Our children as young as they are already named our elf "Ollie". Cute huh!? Hopefully as they get older they will love it as much as I already do! I have been told by MANY of my other mommy friends that it really gets them to behave!All they have to do is remind their child that the elf is watching & they will behave. Since the elf comes back each day, with a little help of course, hint, hint, the kids wake up searching for him. Most of all they CANNOT touch him or he will lose his magic. Isn't this a neat idea!? And if they do misbehave just remind them "Mr Elf" is watching! Too bad they do not have this for us year round! This mom that created "Elf on a Shelf" gets BIG kudo's from me! So get out there & buy your...

the Elf on a Shelf...

blow out...

And I'm not referring to diapers or a hair do! On our way to Tampa we had a tire BLOW out on the BURB! We are all safe & sound now but here is what happened... We left for Tampa on Saturday morning at approximately 915 am. Of course the babies did not eat all their breakfast so we brought along their leftovers for them to eat on the way. Other than that things were pretty good. Brendan was loving having his Grandma sitting next to HIM. He just loves being able to look at her & touch her. It is very funny to watch. He really does love her most! It was kind of chilly out when we left. I decided to take a different course then the one my mom's TOM TOM, a navigational device, told me. Little did I know that this was a BIG mistake! It kept telling me to turn around then it started giving me some CRAZY directions. Like heading WAY N of the lake to get to another road up North to cross the State. AND then I noticed the trip time, 5 1/2 HOURS! Whoa! This was only suppose to be a 3 1/2 hour trip!! I started to get concerned so I called Michael to make sure I was not completely lost. He is like an Atlas of Florida. He knows all the back roads of Florida. Literally! He basically told me that I screwed up & should have just followed the directions the TOM TOM gave me from the beginning. I would now be traveling on some 2 lane roads through sugar cane fields, cow pastures, small towns, etc. He told me that it will be a LONG ride. YIKES! I should have realized then that our trip was DOOMED! We were making pretty good time even with the change of scenery. The babies behaved, YAY! We finally made it to I-75 and were almost home free when we heard this LOUD pop sound. Next thing I know the warning device in the BURB goes off saying "check tire pressure". This has happened quite frequently & we take it in to be checked & they say they could not find anything wrong. After hearing the loud pop I figured it's better to be safe than sorry & I pulled over to the side of the road. We were in the middle of NOWHERE and there I was checking the tires. Yep, we had a blow out. My left rear tire was completely flat & missing half of it's tread. After looking at that tire I thanked the Lord that he kept us safe when it blew. ANYTHING could have happened & we were all in one peace safe on the side of the road. Now to find out exactly where we were. I had NO idea where on I-75 we were. Note to self: Alway's pay attention to the mile markers as you are driving. I searched on the GPS for my coordinates. I know these digits mean a lot from working for the police dept. If you know your coordinates they can give the police a location to come to. Well, that is how it is suppose to work. I called 911, gave her my coordinates & she had no idea what I was talking about. Boy, I must have been in the middle of no where for them not to know that! I looked in my rear view mirror & saw a call box about 50 yards behind me. YAY! Now I had to walk there to find out what mile marker it was. Why did I not pay attention to that sign when we passed it!? On my way there a nice gentlemen stopped to help. He reminded me of my Great Uncle. I was SO happy to see that good samaritan. He told me what city I was in, Punta Gorda, and offered to help change my tire. I just could not have him get out in traffic & change my tire. I know how dangerous it is to change a tire on an interstate & would feel terrible if something happened to him. Especially while changing my tire! So I called 911 again, AAA, as well as FHP, Florida Highway Patrol, to get anyone to come help us! They all told me that someone would be on their way soon. 1 hour later we were still on the side of the road waiting. During this time we had one other good samaritan stop. A nice YOUNGER guy offered to change the tire. I figured it would be safer for him to change it than the older guy so now to get the spare down from under the trunk & to find the jack. Well, let me tell you we removed EVERYTHING from the BURB looking for the jack & tools to remove the spare only to find that we did not have the tools! They sold us a vehicle with no tools! Oh, it gets even better! In order to get the spare down you need a "special" key crank. We did not have that either. Remember this was SUPPOSE to just be a 3 1/2 hour trip & I was not anticipating any of this! Well, the babies ate through almost all of our food! Now we were in the middle of no where with 4 hungry babies! A trucker who did not have a load stopped to help us. He was a Godsend! Not only did he have many tools he even had a box of crackers that he shared with us. FOOD! YAY! Now if we could just get that darn spare tire down! He tried EVERY tool he had & none of them worked! We were doomed! The trooper never showed up, the AAA guy came but he did not have the correct tool either. I figured if I could get a driver of a Suburban to help us we could just use their "tool" & we would be set. That sounds easy, right? I would stand by the road & try to flag down a Suburban. DOo you know how many Suburban's drove by us, MANY! Not one driver stopped! I said to myself right then the next time I see a person in the same type of vehicle I'm driving, STRANDED, with children, in need, on the side of the road, I am going to stop. You never know, they could be in a situation just like I was! All the while my 2 good samaritans worked away at the guide below to try & get that spare tire down. God love em'! Our last hope was another AAA Tow truck that they dispatched to come help us. Hopefully he could solve our dilemma. It ended up taking a tool from the AAA Tow truck driver & one from the Trucker to FINALLY get the spare tire down & changed. 2 1/2 hours later... We were as good as new, well, sort of, just tired & a little worried that we may not ever make it to Tampa. I drove EXTRA cautious & we made it to the shower just a few minutes late. Everyone was wonderful, the food was yummy & the mommy to be looked FABULOUS! I never want to experience a road trip like this again, better yet I hope I never have to endure another...


blow out...

road trip...

I decided to take my cousin up on her offer to attend a family baby shower in Tampa. You see Michael would be working ALL weekend for his step brothers Limo busn. so I would be home with them ALONE anyway. SO why not travel 4 hours to Tampa to attend my other cousins baby shower. AM I out of my mind!? It was sort of last minute but I decided to go. My mom, the babies & I would make the trek to Tamps. Michael took the BURB in for service, oil change, checking the tires, etc. Now all I had to do was pack! What exactly do you pack for a day & a 1/2 trip? I already knew that I would have to borrow 2 pack n' plays so they all had a "bed" to sleep in. Then there was what clothes to pack. The weather has been so weird lately & Tampa is further North so they get COLDER weather there. Luckily I keep a BIG overnight bag for them in the BURB just in case. I just had to alter what was already in there & then I was good. I ended up packing for all types of weather! We would leave after breakfast so they would be in their PJ's for the road trip. It alway's seems that when I need for them to eat they don't. So we packed some EXTRA food for the ride. It is suppose to take us 4 hours so they should be good till lunch. I just hope I made the right decision when I agreed to go on this...


road trip...

Our future news anchor...

Last night we had the good fortune to help out an AMAZING place, The Quantum House. This was our home away from home when the babies were born. They provided a warm, clean bedroom for Michael, Dustyn & I as well as my mom & niece Lauren to stay in the 10 days after I left the hospital. The Quantum House is located on the campus of St Mary's Medical Center, where the babies stayed in their NICU for 14 days. Last night they held their 3rd Annual Holiday Hope Drive telethon on local WPBF-TV 25. They interviewed us for a LIVE segment that aired during the 6 O'Clock news. Scary I know but we did it. I would pretty much do anything for them & everyone else that have helped us in this journey. I must say that the babies were actually very good. First we went into the "green" room, yes there really is a room named that. We sat there & fed the babies some food so they had something in their belly since it was dinner time. After a short while they brought us in to the telethon room. We saw SO many familiar faces once we entered the room. They had several NICU nurses manning the phones! It was great seeing everyone again! The room was bright & they made it very cheery & festive with snowflakes hanging from the ceiling. Our children thought the snowflakes were stars! That just shows you what native floridians know, stars not snow! ha! They let us hang out a bit before our interview so the babies would get used to the room, the people & especially the cameras. They handled it all like pro's. They are SO used to having people look at them that I am sure this was nothing to them. Little did they realize that they would be on TV, LIVE during a newscast. I think we were more nervous than they were! They did AWESOME! I think they liked having the camera in their faces capturing their every move. They even thought the microphone was a toy! Camryn grabbed it when the newswoman was not looking & started acting like she was doing the interview. TOO cute! I did not have my camera on me so I hope to get a copy of that shot! Most of all I hope our small part in this telethon helped them raise some BIG funds! They help SO many people that any donation they receive helps! So when you are considering a good charity to donate to this Christmas please think of them and...

www.quantumhouse.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.one_event&content_id=151 - 21k -


our future news anchor...

From Our Home to Yours...

Make a Smilebox greeting

Where is my fairy Godmother anyway?

I cannot believe that Christmas is just over 2 weeks away. I am SO not ready! I have done my elfing all year so I am good in the gift dept, just not in the Christmas photo dept, or better yet in the decorations dept. Our house is bare!! We do not have ANY Christmas stuff up yet at all. Our Christmas tree is malfunctioning (looks like a green candy cane)& our front yard is just in such disarray that I do not even think Christmas decorations would make it look good. We are in dire need of some elves to come over with some Christmas spirit to get us in the mood. Mostly I have just been trying to get "that" picture to send out with our Christmas letter. If I can get this done the rest will follow. I just cannot seem to get them all to look my way. I am constantly telling my children to look at the little birdie or telling them that I have a bird in my hand. Like a bird would even fit in my hand! Anyhow, this usually works, they all look at me & I get a shot of four little faces sometimes smiling, sometimes dazed but it's a picture & I'm happy to have it! Terrible I know but it usually works! Well lately that is just not the case. They do not want a picture taken especially not a Christmas one! It's in times like now when I am under the gun & need to accomplish something quick that they just do not want to cooperate! I even tried getting a picture of them with Santa & they all SCREAMED! It was such a sight. Santa even asked if he could have a copy of the picture for his scrapbook. I do not know if that was a compliment or not! ha! How terrible would it be of me to use that photo? I may have to get creative real soon! Hopefully we will have everything done by Christmas!

Where is my fairy Godmother anyway?

Use YOUR words!

I must have been in denial these past few months. These children of mine are definately getting into their terrible 2's, I just know it! They do ANYTHING & EVERYTHING that they are not suppose to! They climb up on tables, throw things, especially food, and have MANY temper tantrums over silly things. What I mean to say is that I think they should save a temper tantrum for something good! Something worthwhile! Nope, they get upset over trivial things. Someone could get in front of them on their way outside they cry or better yet if someone else throws the diaper away that I asked them to they will get SO upset! Then there is no consoling them! They just have to live it & work it out on their own. I just hate it! I SO want them to use their words! Explain what they mean instead of whining. I constantly tell them "Use your words!", hoping they will say what it is instead of whining about it. I guess that is what I dislike about the infancy stage, that they cannot communicate with us as well. Hopefully soon I can stop saying...


Use YOUR words!

Fulton, party of 7!

the "pillow" for your booby!

Ok this post is not exactly about baby stuff however it is for all women. I hope my experience will help some of you go out & get that dreaded mammogram. I did it, I went & had my very first mammogram. My mom came with me to my appt so she could watch the children while I went in to get my boobs smashed. That is what everyone, most importantly my mother, told me. She said that once I had one mammogram I would not want another one. Geesh! That is not what I wanted to hear! So my number was FINALLY called & I was now a few moments away from experiencing what I thought would be something terrible. I was not excited at all! I mentioned to the tech what my mother had told me & she said my mom has it all wrong! That she must not have had the right person or place. She handed me a "cape", I would call it a robe & asked me to undress from the belly up. She then walked me into this room that had the mammogram machine in it. She placed my one boob on to this shelf looking thing that had a rubbery, pillow like cushion on it. It was like a pillow for my boob, very cushy and soft. After she got me into the correct position she took her photos. I had 2 taken on each boob. This entire procedure did not hurt in the least! I was SO shocked! The woman was right! I was in & out of there in under 5 minutes! Once I got out to the lobby area I shared my experience with my mom. She could not believe it! I told her that she needs to start coming to this place! I am going to tell every woman I meet about...


the "pillow" for your booby!

the DREADED annual...

Today the babies & I went to see Dr. V, my OB/GYN. He is such an AWESOME guy! He actually attends the same church that we do. I tell everyone that the Lord brought him to us at just the right time, I just know it! Anyhow, I had my annual appt. I brought the babies BY MYSELF & they did wonderfully! I warned his staff prior to my appt that I would be bringing snacks & stuff for them just in case he ran late. (They have signs up all over the place saying no food or drink). They said it would be ok for me to feed them. Little do they know that whether they said yes or no I was going to feed them! They surprised me & did VERY well so I never had to break out the stash of goodies. You all know the drill when you go to the Doctor. You have to get on the scale & get weighed. I SO did not want to get on that scale! ugh! It seems that I am finally up to my pre pregnancy weight, actually I have gained a few pounds more. I feel it too! You would think with all the chasing I do of these children that I would be the same weight if not lighter. Oh the scale was not good to me! I never weigh myself & really do not care about my weight EXCEPT when it comes to how my clothes fit. When they start feeling tight I know I need to lose a few pounds. Looks like losing weight is going to be #1 on the New Years Resolution list! Dr V did not keep us waiting & we actually got to chat a little about the babe's. He actually reads their blog! YAY! I owe so much to all of my doctor's for getting me through such a high risk pregnancy. I am SO happy to have my four HEALTHY babies but have no intention of having another. SO, we had the talk about what type of contraception would be best for me. I had already done my homework & decided on the Mirena. He agreed that it would be good for me & hoped it would be covered by my insurance. Heck, when I was pregnant with the babies my Peri had to get prevenative monitoring covered by my insurance. Can you believe that!? They had to have my Peri call them & EXPLAIN that it would save them thousands so they gave in & covered it. I can just imagine what they think about birth control! Insurance coverage & benefits is a struggle any way you look at it! Now my next obstacle is a mammogram. YIKES! Since my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer last year he wants to make sure I get my screening done. I have NEVER had a mammogram before & have only heard horror stories about them. Needless to say I am NOT looking forward to it! I am just so glad to be done with..


the DREADED annual...

Oh Christmas Tree...

I just had to share about our 3 year old "designer", 1000 bulb, always lit no matter if a bulb breaks Christmas tree. First of all the manufacturers lied, a bulb broke & a row of lights is out! The 1000 bulbs may look pretty but it makes it SO hot to even hang out in the same room. It even sheds needles!! It is fake, how in the heck does that happen?! I am married to a BIG clean freak! He even followed me around with the hand held vaccum as I set up the tree just to suck up the fake pine needles as they fell. Could you imagine how he would be if we had a real one!? YIKES! Getting back to the tree, let's just say that it has some MAJOR issues! When it is plugged in it looks like a BIG green candy cane! LOL! I know you all will say that we should get a REAL tree but we are just not home enough to keep it alive till the big day. We thought it would be a good investment at the time. No upkeep, it already has the lights on it, etc. Well, I am telling you now that I may change my mind or just stay home more often so we can get a real one!!


Oh Christmas Tree...