Continued prayers please...

I had my biopsy today. The test itself was not bad, but the waiting for answers is killing me. I got a call this afternoon to schedule an MRI for tomorrow. Thank you so much for all the prayers, thoughts and encouraging words so far. It really means a lot! Hoping to get a definitive answer soon so we can move forward with treatment.

Positive Thoughts Please

A few months ago while doing a self breast exam I found a lump in my breast. My first thought was, did I just really feel a lump? I decided to wait and see if it was going to go away on its own, but it didn't. I told Mike about it and he begged me to go to the doctor, but to be honest, unless the end result of me seeing the doctor is me bringing home a bundle of joy, I don't like to go. In fact, I hate it! I finally did make an appointment and Monday I had to face the fact that I did, indeed, have a lump in my breast. I saw the doctor in the morning and she manged to work some magic and get me a mammogram and ultrasound appointment for later that day. I was okay about going, a little nervous, but I pretty much knew what to expect, after all, I had researched everything online before I went. (FYI, don't ever do that!) I made it through the mammogram and ultrasound just fine and then the radiologist came in (with back up). They lined up against the wall and all stared at me while he (speaking as if the word "cancer" was displayed on the screen)  said, "It definitely looks like something that is going to need to be biopsied. Do you have any questions?" Um no. My next appointment went a lot better. The women I saw was very positive and optimistic. She had a great sense of humor and made me feel at ease. I'm scheduled for a biopsy next week, so now I just have to wait it out. That is the hardest part of the whole thing. But anyway, I could really use your prayers and positive thoughts!

Are You "Pinning"?

Rainbow Pudding Pops

Yesterday while preparing the pudding for Stella’s edible finger paint, I made a little extra so that we could make some rainbow pudding pops. So simple and very tasty!

Just layer the rainbow pudding in some popsicle molds or small paper cups and freeze!

Painting with Pudding

This morning was not looking like it was going to be a good day. We woke up to rain and a grocery trip looming and to be frank, I was grouchy. I guess we all have rainy days, but thankfully ours turned around and ended with a rainbow.

I mixed up some pudding and added a rainbow of food coloring for Stella to paint with. (and eat!)

She got right into it and couldn’t eat paint  fast enough.

I fully intended to do another, more age appropriate, activity with the big girls, but they saw how much fun Stella was having, they wanted to join her.

Their favorite part, of course, licking their fingers between colors!

Blah.

It's Wednesday.

It's raining.

I have to go grocery shopping (with 3 kids).

Frequently Asked Questions for This Mom of 6

Having 6 kids has been the biggest blessing for me. I have always wanted a large family and I do truly believe that my purpose for being alive is to be a mommy. I love it! But with a large family, I often have to endure many, sometimes intrusive, questions. Most of the time, I just grin and bear it because after all, I know that people are just curious. But lately, the same questions over and over again have really been getting on my last nerve. Here are some of my {favorites}.

These are a few that are commonly asked by people that don't know me after finding out I have 6 kids:

• Were they all planned? Yes, but even if they were not planned, I am happily married so what difference does it make?
• Do they all have the same father? (This question usually comes after learning that there is a 7 year gap between my girls and boys) Yes, they all have the same father! After I had the 3 boys, I really wasn't sure that I wanted to have anymore. When my youngest son, Aaron, went to kindergarten, I knew that my baby days were not over. That's when we decided to have Felicia! 
• If you keep going, you could have your own TV show! Why yes, that is my ultimate goal in life! Having a camera crew follow me around all day long filming my every move. Isn't that every mom's dream?! NOT!

Commonly asked by family and friends:

• Are you ready for another one? This is usually accompanied by a goofy grin which turns even goofier when I respond with....Sure! The truth is, I don't know if another baby is in our future. Would I love another sweet baby to snuggle and nurture? Absolutely! However, that may or may not be what's right for us and ONLY Mike and I will be making that decision! 

The end.

Finding Our New Normal

It's a very rare thing that my workaholic hubby has any time off work. He's a 7 day a week worker and working third shift makes time spent together a treat for us. Well, I can't even believe it, but hubby has the next six weeks off work! {squee} My guess is that by the end of this week, he'll be going out of his mind with all of the "togetherness" and that will be the perfect time for me to pull out my mile long to-do list that I have been composing for months!

Of course with Mike home, things are crazy! I'm a schedule follower but Mike is a bit more spontaneous. If he wakes up and thinks it's a good day to go to the lake, that's what we do. You know what, I'm just going to go with it, live more in the moment and have some fun! Who knows where this summer will take us and what kind of things we will do, but I do know this, we will be doing it together and enjoying every minute of it!

Wordless Wednesday-Soaked