I DID IT!

After a year of putting it off, I have finally created our new blog.......is everybody happy now?

To update all those who may check this out, here is a quick overview of our lives since last September........
In October I had a partial-molar-ectopic pregnancy that ruptured. I did not know I was pregnant or that anything was wrong until I continued to pass out one morning with very severe abdominal pains. I was rushed to the ER where they figured out what was going on ASAP, I had emergency surgery, much like a C-section to stop the internal bleeding and repair the rupture. I had lost an entire liter of blood and ended up needing two blood transfusions. Thank God for His providence and timing that I am very well and recovered pretty quickly all things considered. We were very sad to lose a baby, but we know that God's will is perfect and His plan for our lives has a reason.
In November, Madeline turned 6! We had a party for her with some friends and my parents and sister and her kiddos came from SA to celebrate.
In December, we went to SA for Christmas and Neal and I were blessed with a trip to DC. We are so thankful to our families for helping in the funding and watching the kids for us. Neal had to attend a conference and job interviews, but we got a lot of site seeing done and had a wonderful time. Unfortunately, I got a phone call while there from my co-manager at Curves telling me that due to bad money management, the owner of our facility was declaring bankruptcy and I no longer had a job......
In January, we returned home and I immediately went job hunting. I got a job with the Outback steakhouse waiting tables, which again proved to be providential because I am able to get insurance for me and the kids at a great rate, one fifth the price of what we were paying through OU, only working part time. I have found that although the work is very physically demanding, it is fun to interact with so many different people. Besides, I get half off my meals and you can't beat getting a prime steak at half the price!
In March, Aidan turned 5 and Evelyn turned 3! We had a small party at the house for them with our dear friends the Johnsons. I also FINALLY toilet trained Evelyn, who was more than ready. She had one day of defiance refusing to wear "big-girl panties" claiming that she was the baby and she needed a diaper. The whole day was a struggle to keep her dressed since she would pull off her panties in offence that I even put them on her. She had one accident after another never having a successful time. I was very frustrated by bed time and thought this would take a long time. However, the next day, she decided to obey and has been trained ever since. She is now "not a baby, but a big girl like Maden (her name for Madeline)". If you ask her how old she is, she says, "I six like Maden."
In April, we got the TERRIFIC news that OU wanted to keep Neal permanently! House hunting began almost immediately as well as packing.........I HATE PACKING!
In May, we bought our house. It is 1860 sq. ft., 4 bedrooms, 2 and 1/2 bath, 2 car garage, laundry room, kitchen, dining room, living room, fireplace, corner lot, huge yard with privacy fence and lots and lots of trees. We love it. Also, Neal turned the big "3" "0"......
In June, we spent the entire month cleaning, painting and re-carpeting the new house. We painted every room, all trim, and all cabinetry (except for the kitchen cabinets which will be done asap). We moved in at the end of the month.
In July, we got our two little kittens. One of Neal's student's cats had kittens and we ended up taking the two orange ones. They are both female named Cassie and Chloe. They are VERY sweet cats and wonderful with the kids.
In August, I turned 30 and the same week we found out we are pregnant with baby number 4! I had a sonogram and everything looks great! Praise God! I am due April 10th, which probably means April 17th or so. Then we got hit by hurricane Erin.......yes, I said hurricane. It is very strange to have a hurricane in OK. We have tornadoes pretty often, but not hurricanes. Apparently it came from the gulf, petered out over TX, then reformed here in Norman, OK on top of our house! We have severe roof damage, interior leaks, large sections of fence broken down, and several of our trees split. We are working on cleaning it all up and getting the insurance company to give us money!
Now we are back to September. Neal's parents and sister (Kim) and her kids came over labor day to visit, we had a blast with them, and Kim is expecting a new baby too! She is due in late April/early May.
So, that is my overview of this past year.........I will be posting more later this week getting into some specifics, but I think that this is all I can do for now. Laundry and bills await!

One quick question though........does anyone know how to make your profile picture larger? Ours is teeny!