Too busy for lots of things

I raise 3 boys at home while I work, my husband stays at home because I would not be able to accomplish anything if I did not have him here with me. This started about 1 year ago when I was pregnant with my 3rd little man, Samuel. Before then we were a 2 income family, me working from home, him as a plumber. Jeremy was going to school so I only had Zachary at home. With a 2nd one that would be at home at all times with me Chad and I agreed, one job had to go. Since we made almost the exact amount of money it came down to not money but what was best for everyone. He decided it would be nice to be at home and work on our farm and help with the kiddos and I could also be home working.

So now here is how my day goes:

Wake up at 6 am with Samuel
Try in vain to get him back to sleep for about 45 minutes
Get out of bed
Prepare coffee
Check on other boys
Turn on my computer and start transferring files
Go over homeschool lessons (I handle the homeschool)
8 am start work
eat by 9 am (if I am lucky) at my desk while working
9:30 am start homeschool (I do instructions for about 35 to 45 minutes out of the whole homeschool time, most is him doing work and me supervising)

10:30 put Samuel down for a nap
11:30 comfort Samuel back to sleep
noon done with homeschool
Working all afternoon, hopefully I eat some lunch
3:30 nap time again for Samuel
5 pm still working but in the kitchen area
Cooking dinner6 pm making sure everyone eats
6:30 still working
Clean some (I try to care about the state of my house but it is hard because no matter how much I clean there is always someone there to make it messy again. I now understand my Mom!)

7:30 pm getting Samuel ready for bed
8:30 pm done getting Samuel for bed and hopefully he is asleep
8:30ish Bible time with older kids
9 pm start transferring files for work9:30 pm still working a little but starting to shut down
until 10:30 or 11 pm trying to unwind and fall asleep (I am not one of those that just goes to sleep right away, I can't do that)

Wake up at least 4 times during the night with Samuel (he can not be trained to sleep I have tried and just given up. Why fight it makes it harder on all of us)

6 am start over again

I would love to get up early and work out! I would love to be more careful about what I eat! But right now, I am grateful for any sleep I can get and any food that makes it to my mouth and if that food is warm it is even better. For now my main source of energy in the morning is coffee. I gave it up because I thought it effect Samuel's sleeping, turns out it has nothing to do with it.

But the long and short of it is I love my family more then anything, I would do this for 100 years if I had to because it is worth it.

Everything in Perspective

So I was having a "very bad day" the other day, mad at a lot of things, frustrated with work, home people in general and I was just mad. These things happen and it seems like the whole day can be consumed.

As I do frequently, I went onto Facebook to see what people were doing, look at pictures and see if I could improve my mood. As I was doing this, I saw a post about vaccines (a whole other topic) and when I clicked on the link I was brought to this picture.


My heart instantly broke. How can a baby be alive and look like this? How strong must that baby have been? How heart broken must his parents have felt? How hopeless could they feel? How could they go on each day? Did they keep their faith? I was just breaking down, as I am now just thinking about it. Each of my children ended up in the NICU, but as hard as it was, I am sure it was nothing compared to what this family went through.

Look at his little hand, his little face, his body! All bloated and in pain. A baby, a sweet new baby that was loved from the moment the parents knew they were having him. Who was planned for, who was precious, who was a gift.

I had to go to the website and read the story. I had to know if this baby lived or died, how the parents made it, where they got their strength, how it happened, why it happened and just see. I could not help myself. So I went to the link http://iansvoice.org/ianslife.aspx. I read and I cried, I prayed and cried, I thought "How can my little frustration compare to this?" "How can I not see that these things are nothing?" "How can I not be grateful for what I have? and "How merciful God is in death and his promise of a new life?"

I had my husband come and read the story and we cried and hugged. It is hard to think about children suffering. We know that in 3rd world countries it happens and we collectively try to help. Chad and I sponsor a child in Lethoso, and have for about 4 years. But it is hard to think of a baby here in the USA, a child suffering with Cancer, or a disease or something hard to bear such as this little boy Ian. But it happens. Think about it, think on it, and put everything in perspective.

Funny how God has a way of showing you to be thankful and think of him. After I read this, my husband turned on a show for the kids. It was the Pixar Short Films. One of the short films is Boundin'. I have added it below. Watch it and learn from a simple children's film. Thank God and keep your family close. Think of how blessed you are.

To bad....

So I was at Church the other day in a different town. So it was a new group that we had not seen before. We knew a few of the people. We had a wonderful time and agreed we should go back.

While at church, I was introducing a lady (unnamed) to my sons and she looked at me and said, "Too bad one of them isn't a girl!". Now I am pretty sure she did not mean it in the way it came out, but I would never trade any of my boys for a girl. If I were to go back in time and be told, you can trade or replace any of your boys for a little girl I would have said, "No thank you, I want my boys." I am sure that having a girl would be great, but I would never want to miss out on the fun times and love I have had with my boys.

So please do not think that I am missing out or need a girl. Would I like a girl someday, would be nice, but I have been blessed with such wonderful boys that if I had a whole football team of them, I would be completely happy.

Tank without Armour

So our little guy Zachary is always hurting himself. It seems like he barely starts to recover from one accident and he is on to another.

He feel and hit his nose on the garage floor:


Poor guy was so upset. That was about 1 month ago. Since then his has had a big gash in his leg, fallen off the trampoline, hit his head on the ground and opened it up and now just this week he busted open his lip.

So here is the story behind the lip. Zachary is now potty trained. He likes to go to the bathroom himself. But he has still not mastered the art of taking off his shoes first. So he went to the bathroom and had his shoes on so his shorts were around his ankle. He went to get some toilet paper, and you guessed it, he tripped because of his shorts. Well just so happens that we had a magazine holder right there on the floor. A nice thick metal magazine holder just waiting to get him. I did not get any pictures right after it happened, he was too bloody and upset, but here is a picture from the next day:


You can see that it busted it from top to bottom. It was a big gash in his mouth. Poor thing. But he keeps on going.

My Anniversary

Chad and I have been married for 11 years. Hard to believe.

Here we are on our wedding day:


Here are are today.


I know I love this man more today then I did the day I married him. I believe that when a man holds his children his wife sees him in a different light and loves him more for being a father and loving this children. At least that is how I fell more in love with him after each child was born.

Samuel my little baby

Samuel is such a happy baby. He always has a smile and is happy to go to just about anyone. He can move all over the place, not crawling but scooting everywhere. He is finding new little sounds every day. BTW, how did he go from this:

To this. Time really flies.



He loves to eat his "solid" food. But he does get backed up. I think it has to do with the perforated bowel he had. We have been feeding him prunes to help and my husband thought it would be funny to make him look like Groucho Marx. Funny man.

Zachary Taking Pictures

Zachary loves to take my camera and take pictures. Some times the lens is smudged and I have to clean it. But the other day, I turned on my camera to find these pictures.

He is such a sweet little boy. He loves his teddy bear and really any stuffed animal. But mostly his teddy bear. He got out the chair and put the bear in it to take these pictures.

My birthday

So this year I turned 36. I am not one of those people that really worries about age. But a few days before my birthday Jeremy came up to me and asked me what I was going to look like when I turned 36. I told him we would have to wait and see. Right then and there I hatched a plan to dress up as an old woman and see his reaction. Here is the process the morning off:

1) Powdered the hair2) Wrinkles:


3) Fake Teeth
Okay I look more like a Zombie than an old woman, but still the effect was great.

So that morning I was just working at my desk like any normal day. Jeremy woke up and came in to tell me something. He was so polite about the whole thing. This was the conversation:

Jeremy "Mom, you look different"

Me "I do? Well I guess this is what happens when I turned 36."

Jeremy "Oh. Well mom, your teeth look different." He then picked my "teeth".

Me "Well I have not been brushing my teeth as well as I should have."

Jeremy "oh" and he then broke down in tears

I took out the teeth and showed him it was all a joke. He was not happy and was still crying. He would not even look at me. Chad asked him what was wrong and he said "I just don't like that face." I promised I would take a shower and wash it all off. He was happy.

Now he and Zachary like to run around with the fake teeth.

Sunday May 30th

So Sunday May 30th, we went to the Cedar Creek Homecoming Reunion. It was fun. The drive down was not bad. As we were heading down, we started to hear a strange noise from the back. It was a cry for help. Listen for yourself.

Long Time No Post

Well I have been so busy that I have not had a chance to update my blog in a long time.

Work has been really busy, training people, moving to a full in house call center (which I set up). Wow. I have been working some pretty crazy hours plus have the new little one to tend to. But things are getting better and slowing down a little. I hope after this week that things will be back on track.

Jeremy just went off to camp this week. He was so super excited. We left on Sunday and got him all registered. This is in the hill country here in Texas. The camp is an SDA camp, so it is nice that they are also Sabbath keepers. Not sure how he will like the veggie meat, but they might have improved it since I was there oh say 20 years ago. Yikes typing that made me feel OLD.

Here he is with 2 of his camp counselors Javier and Diego.

Look at this face, pure joy and excitement. This was while we were waiting to register.

Watch out behind you Jeremy. Zachary has a stick and he is not afraid to use it. hahahaha!

I thought there would be some tears when we left, but no. He was on his bunk bed (on the top) just ready for us to leave. Zachary wanted to stay with him, but Jeremy made it very clear that he was not old enough.


I just wish I could be a small kid again for one week so I could play with him and be with him as he experienced his first summer camp.

Snow - Long over due

Since I have lived in Texas, it has snowed more here then in the town I grow up in Hollister, CA. Almost every year since I moved to Texas, so about 11 years. But it doe not stay for very long and there is never a lot of it. But on February 23rd, we received about 6 inches of snow for one day. It was a fun day.

I had to take my mom to the airport and I was a little nervous about driving on the highway with the snow and the cold weather. I made it and just drove slow to be safe. But when I got home, I was greeted by my husband and brother who were out taking pictures and enjoying the day. I had taken Jeremy and Zachary with me to the airport and left Samuel so he could take his nap. The kids were so excited to get out and play.

Once that Samuel woke up, I dressed him for going outside. I myself put on 2 pants, 2 shirts, 2 pair of socks, a wool coat and mismatched gloves. I put Samuel in the new jogging stroller and out we went.


Chad had hooked up Jeremy's four-wheeler with a sled of some type. I think it was a plastic box top in a plastic garbage bag. You use what you have. But Jeremy had so much fun being pulled around the property.

My Parents Visit

My parents live in California and do not visit a lot. My dad comes 2 times per year and my mom a little more then that. Before their visit, we had to prepare. Not only getting the house nice and clean, but we were also planning a very special dinner with homegrown lamb.

Chad and Stephen slaughtered the lamb on Thursday before their visit and we butchered stored the meat on Sunday the 14th. I seasoned the meat on Sunday with herbs and olive oil and let it marinate for 5 days. The rest of the lamb was froze for another time.

My parents flew in on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon. After weeks of cold, it was so nice. We had such a nice visit and for my dad it was the first time meeting Samuel.


On Friday night the whole family was together for dinner. I had been cooking all day. We had 2 legs of lamb, 1 chicken, lots of veggies and salad. My mom, dad, Stephen, Belinda, Ed, Bonnie (Belinda's mom), Andy, Elizabeth and our family all sat down to dinner. The food tasted so wonderful and the conversation was great. Belinda fixed a wonderful blackberry cobbler and we had that for dessert.


After we were done eating we had a special blessing for Samuel Graysen Alexander. He had a rough time when he first entered the world but he has been health every since (with a few exceptions of how he does not like it when I eat sugar or diary). It was so nice to have the family all gathered around for this special time.

On the Sabbath, Chad and his parents went to a funeral for Joe Alexander. Chad was a pallbearer at the funeral. The pallbearers all wore white button up shirts and blue jeans. I was sad that Chad could not make it to the Sabbath with me but Joe lived a good life and it was important for him and his family to be there instead of at church.

I decided to take all the boys with me to make it easier on Chad. The first sermon they all did pretty good. We had a nice meal in-between and then a second sermon. Zachary slept the whole time and Samuel slept for about 1hour. Jeremy played very quietly with his friends.


My dad left for Houston that afternoon and my mom and the boys all headed home.

On Sunday, Jeremy wanted grandma to take him to get tie shoes. He was very excited because grandma had promised she would get him the shoes. We ended up with a pair for him and Zachary. Little kids and new shoes are a great combo. Zachary's had the little lights on them and Jeremy thought his shoes were just the best ever.

On Tuesday the morning my mom was to leave for home, it started snowing. I took her to the airport and made sure the plane was scheduled to fly out. While a couple inches of snow in some areas of the country are no big deal, at the Waco Airport it could stop the plane from leaving. So we visited for about 20 minutes and I headed out with the kids. Turns out the airplane had trouble and she did not actually leave for about 4 hours. Poor mom. It was a long day.

Thoughtful weekend

This Sabbath, I started to think how life works in a very different manner then we would imagine. Especially when we are just getting to be adults. I know I thought I had my finger on exactly where I would be, what I would be and who I would be married to. I had it all planned out. I was with a very nice man who I did love very much. But I was also just beginning to experience my life for myself and start to try and make decisions for myself. It is hard to try and find yourself and be with someone else. They almost always conflict with each other and you have to choose a path you want to go down. At the time I was 19, I thought I had everything just where it should be and choose to be with him. He was the first man I really loved. But as time went on it became clear that we were not meant to be together. It was very hard and I acted in a manner, after the breakup, that I am still not proud of today. But it is what it is.

It took a while for me to get back on the path of finding who I was and I firmly believe that God had a hand in making my life go in the right direction. Out of no where, I had not even thought about it the morning I did it, but I walked up to my boss and gave my two weeks notice. I had people coming to me and asking why I would do such a time. I had no job lined up and I had no idea what I was going to do. But something in me knew I had to quit my job. I did. And it was the best move I could have made.

My father is a minister and he has been trying to help "guide" my life in the right direction. At his worst meddling point, he was sending my picture to young men who had our same religious beliefs. I always laughed it off and went on my way. But after I quit my job, my dad invited me to go with him to Texas. He was leaving in 3 weeks and thought it would be a nice adventure for the both of us. Little did I know where this 4 day vacation with my dad would lead.

We flew into Austin and headed to Waco. The only thing I had ever heard about Waco was the branch Davidians. But it was a nice town and we enjoyed our stay. At Sabbath services, I met Alyson (my sister in-law), Carrie and Kate Alexander (twin sisters who are now my cousins). I had never really been around anyone my age in the church and had a great time talking with them. They invited me to stay an extra week and go with them to Denton and then to Austin Texas for a fun weekend with other young people in the church. I told my dad I was staying.

I had a great time and for the first time I felt I was in the right place in my life. I knew I had to move to Texas. As fortune would have it, Kate was moving to San Marcus Texas for her Masters Degree program. Carrie needed a roommate and I needed to move to Texas. It was a perfect fit. We decided I would come in May.

After that weekend (February), I was so excited to start planning my move. Carrie and I never talked except for the middle of April, she just called to make sure I was still coming. Yes I was. Little did I know that they were also making plans of their own. For me to become a part of their family and marry Alyson's brother Chad.

I moved to Denton Texas and met so many of my very great friends in Dallas. I found that religion is extremely important to me. To have a man in my life that shared the same beliefs and to raise children with the same belief's I had growing up. I had always thought finding someone with those same belief's would be impossible. I mean, I lost all my church friends when I was little and my parents left our church. But these belief's were important and that was a part of me that was missing.

I know this is a long strange blog, but I really feel my best life started when I moved here to Texas. I found our who Rachelle Anne Coulter was. I found out what was important to me. And know I am trying to pass those same things on to my children. I only hope it does not take them to the age of 24 to find out the same things I did.

Of course, I did marry Mr. Chad Jeremy Alexander. We have 3 wonderful children. Live seems so good, so blessed. He is the love of my life.

Trip to Uvalde, TX to see Family

So this last week the whole family piled in the car and we headed south to Uvalde to visit Chad's parents. Samuel does not really travel that well, so it was an interesting drive full of screaming from him and Jeremy being upset that Samuel was crying while he was trying to watch his show.

On Saturday I headed to a baby shower for our cousin Brea with my mother-in-law Elizabeth and Aunt Leslie Kay. (Leslie Kay has cancer and just finished her last round of chemo.)

Brea is having her 4th baby and her 3rd girl. Seeing all those adorable little clothes and shoes made me want a little girl. How sweet all the gifts were. It was so much fun talking with them and listening. Aunt Debbie said that we should take the thank you Brea gives us right now as the only thank you we would receive. Everyone had a good laugh over that. Then Brea opened her first gift and inside were thank you notes. Everyone started laughing again and making suggestions on how to use those, like passing out the blank ones as everyone leaves or having everyone write their own address on the envelopes and then she would just write thank you inside and send them on.


On the way home we stopped at Grandma Doc's grave to see how it looked and talk about what needed to be done.


Then it was off to Lyndzie's new house. There is a lot of work that needs to be done there. My sister-in-law and her husband are buying the house as a fixer upper. Chad is going to go and help them this summer. Dillon was going to grill us some steaks, but Chad ended up doing it. The plan was to use wood to grill the steaks, but that was wet. Chad did end up getting it working and the steaks were very tasty. All in all it was a wonderful day.


We left for home on Sunday afternoon and then Jeremy's friend Henry came to stay the night. We set up a tent and they had a lot of fun. They decided the best use for it was to have it at the end of the bed and jump from the bed into the tent. They did that over and over again until one head and one mouth hit. Jeremy's front tooth is now looser.

First blog

I am writing a blog because my friend Stephanie suggested it. I like that she is able to make a little book of her blog at the end of the year. The purpose of this blog for me is to have it and make little notes and write things about myself and the kids and have it for them when they are older. I look forward to giving it to them when they are older.