Been out all afternoon and now I'm tired and sleepy. Must stay awake for another 90 minutes.... My parents came yesterday. And I already feel like I've been on the go since yesterday with no breaks. I went to bed early last night and slept for almost 11 hours. I should feel refresh, rejuvenated, right? Nooo.. still feels tired. The boys started their day at 6:30am did not help with getting some last minute sleep in.

A lot of important things I need to think about and take care of these days. But instead of taking care of those issues, I'm thinking about whether I should move #4 off my bed and into her own. Yeah.. with her still likes to nurse once at night, I'm keeping her in bed with me and hubby still sleeping in the family room. We haven't slept in the same bed for 6 months. Secretly I'm enjoying it because he sleeps with the TV on and I can't stand it. Back to the bed situation... So I want to move her to her own bed. This means, I'll have to get #3 out of the toddler bed and into a big kid bed. The only unoccupied big bed we have is a full size bed. Should I just let her use the bed for now until we can get her a twin size? This should not be a difficult decision, should it? How come I can't make up my mind about it?

A construction worker, a military man, a lobster and a pea in a pod this year. I didn't think I would be able to get them in any costumes at all. Thanks to a friend, the boys got their costumes. And the girls wore the HMDs from their older siblings. We went to our old neighborhood and trick or treat over there this year with the friend and her kids. Their big sis and boyfriend came along too! The kids had loads of fun. Even though it was a chilly night, the kids got a boatload of candies and didn't mind the chilly temps at all. We adults and the baby were a different story, we were freezing and tired after 2 hours. So that ended their candy trail. If not, they could go for the whole 4 hours of trick or treat. We went back to her house to defrost and the kids played for a little while. Then it's time to head home. #2 had a little too much candies and he was still bouncing off the walls late into the night. When he finally crashed, he crashed hard.

4 kids, and I'm still amazed everyday how different they look! These were taken when they were about 5-6 months old. Looking back at their baby pictures, I can't believe how cute or how not cute they are (or were). This is one of the perks being a mother, I can say that my kids are ugly and not hurt anyone's feeling. My dear mother actually said that #3 was an ugly baby. Ahem... gotta agree with that.. she looks like an alien back then. Most of her pictures look like I applied the fishbowl special effect. Yeah... not exactly purty. At around 5-6 months, #2 started having eczema. Red spots started to show around his eyes. They seemed puffy all the time and the cheeks starting to show the eczema redness. He would be on medication for the next 18 months to control it.

I used to think that #1 was my cutest. But I think this title now goes to Li'l Miss. She is such a goofy baby. Laughing for no reason, making all kinds of noises and trying her darndest to crawl. I thought she would be an early walker, but right now, she still needs a little of support sitting up. Really, no hurry baby, take your time. I am not looking forward to the day when I have 8 little hands constantly into something.

And Grace, they're wearing PINK!!!!!

This turns out to be such an easy hat to make and so cute with the ruffles. I was worried about the size of the hat because it does not provide the size and gauge info. This hat is knitted more loosely than I normally would. And it turned out great. This is knitted with worsted weight yarn and size 10.5 needles.

I found this pattern on Knitting Pattern Central. It is such a great place to find all kinds of knitting projects. And best of all, the patterns are free! They also have a sister site for crochet.

Now I need to look for something else to knit. Some small projects that use up my scrap yarns...

My 2nd (I think) attempt to blog. Actually at this time of the night, my brain is in sleepwalk mode. Not sure if I can even hold any thoughts together for more than a couple of minutes. I really don't mind doing the night shift that much. Sure, calls are minimal and I am barely awake during the day. But at least when I get off the shift, the house still looks the same. No messes that just pop up. Yeah.. the morning is a different story. For the last 3 weeks, the house turns from bad to worse. My attempt to try to nap during the day has taken time away from cleaning. *gasp* Yeah, guess what? Sleep comes first.

Running on 3 hours of sleep is hazardous to the health of everyone around me. #2 cut himself this afternoon. Instead of acting like a concerned mother, I looked at the cut nonchalantly. Seeing that there wasn't really much bleeding, I started to fumble for the right size band-aid for him. I finally settled on the large size because the circle ones are too small. All the while, the kid was waving his hand, doing the pee-pee dance, and demanding to have a band-aid put on right away. Well guess what kiddo, mommy's sleep deprived and she only goes on slow-mo today.

It's been quite chilly since last week. Her Royal Highness must be wondering if she will ever get some temperature appropriate clothes. Until today, I was just layering her summer clothes because frankly, that's all she has in her closet. In an effort to stay awake (and too tired to do any housecleaning), I sorted through a bag of clothes in hopes to find some outfits that will fit her. Surprisingly, most of the clothes fit the season and fit her. I was relieved and she had such a blast 'trying' on her 'new' clothes. I was amazed that her body fit through the neck openings..

#2 watched me sorting clothes for lil queen and he wanted to know when I'll do his. Ahem... not today hon... Besides he is still holding onto his 2T clothes, refusing to part with them. Yep.. there are 2 pairs of size 2T pants that he absolutely love, he will wear them everyday if you let him. He told me one time that size 4 pants are too long... Apparently, he likes high water pants. The higher the better. Having pant legs dangling around mid-calf is perfect. Those elastic waistbands must be all stretched out by now. Or else, how can he still wear 2T pants comfortably? No waistband marks around his waist is a sure indication....

45 more minutes.. I think I'm going to check FB, then maybe play some card games. Sleep is in sight.. Looking forward to get under 3 layers of blanket in that cold bed.. Take me to dreamland.

First week of graveyard shift. So far so good. My body's holding up pretty well. Maybe it's because that half cup of caffiene right before work. Yep.. It keeps me up til 3 or so and then I crash. Wake up about 2 hours later for the hungry baby, down for another 1-2 hours and up for the day.

My original plan of taking naps in the afternoon hasn't been working out. Baby refuses to go in the swing the last several days. She doesn't mind staying in the playpen, but only for a while. And then she'll scream for someone to pick her up. Hint.. hint... She slept only about an hour during the day the last several days. Nursing does wonders to get her to sleep. And she will as long as she gets my body heat. Put her down and she's up again. UGH.. Why why why why why.. I just don't get it.

Shift's over and I'm heading to snoozeland. Night y'all.

Day 6 of orientation. Yeah.. not paying much attention to the trainer. At least she is very interesting. Or else how will I be able to stay awake until past midnight? Now I have to wonder when I actually start working this weekend. I'll have to be up til 2 or 3 am. Yikes. What have I gotten myself into? Thank goodness, only 4 nights a week. And I'll have the other 3 days to catch up on my sleep.

#4 has turned into the drool-meister. I am so happy that I have some hand-me-down bibs from her sis. I actually don't remember if #3 used any of the bibs at all.. They look way too clean..

#3.... Still my girlie tomboy. Still not talking much, but she is trying to talk more. Everything is that, and when we ask her something - no, no, no.... She's the little echo for her brother, not just words, the tone of voice also.

Brother : It's not FAIR...
The Echo: na FAIR......

The best way to describe #2 these days is a boy with a teen/tween attitude trapped inside a 4 year old body. He's a know-it-all. And I, of course, to him, is the one who needs to be reminded just about everything. He told me, seriously, what happens when we go to certain places, how to play games, which games pieces I need to move during a game, the proper way to prepare his hot dog etc... As long as he's around, I really don't think I need a sound mind. Afterall, he'll tell me what to do and what to expect.

And with #1, I really don't have a sound mind. The struggles and the chaos following the struggle... He is just too good at pushing my buttons.