Getting ready to say goodbye and misc. ramblings.

Well, Patrick and Justin leave tomorrow morning. Their bags are being thrown together as we speak, so that they may go fishing with Grandpa in the wilds of Canada.

My baby... he's old enough for a true guy's week. I realized that I have NEVER been away from any of my kids for that long. And I'm not worried that he'll be safe, cuz he's with Daddy, but that if he gets hurt, or lonely or whatever... well. I won't be reachable.

I just asked him, as he's pulling Corinne around the house on a blanket, both of them cracking up, if he'd miss me terribly?
"Nope! ha ha !! Just kidding. Nah, not really! JUST KIDDING!"

Darling child. I birth him. Wipe his butt and face for 8 years. And he says he won't really miss me much. Sweet.

I, however, will get to deal with 2 other children that will desperately miss their Daddy and big brother.

I have packed so much stuff into one bag to entertain this child: Books, puzzles, mazes, Scrabble, hand-held video games, army men, more books, card games, etc. If it rains, they'll go through it pretty fast, but if the weather is nice, they'll have plenty to do.

So, this next week, I've tried to plan some stuff to do with the other kids to make it seem like they're getting a good deal, too. We're visiting my parents to swim in their pool, I'm taking them both to a bouncing jumping place, and Evan and I are going to a water park (just us!). We're going to a family reunion picnic (shhh, don't tell Justin cuz he'll be SO SAD he missed it). Also, Grandma is taking them both to Chicago one day while I get to chill. I hope I can also get some energy and drive to buy some paint and just paint a room. ANY room. Bathrooms all need to be done, living room and kitchen, too. The famiy room is looking shabby but has really high ceilings so I can't do that one, but it needs it too!

I'm sure I'll be online a lot more at nights as I'll be lonely... :(

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Corinne is sitting on my computer chair with me saying "Fruit chews. Fruit chews, Mommy-Mommy" and then "Oh! Gank yewwww, Mommy-Mommy." Cracks me up! She's so freakin smart and funny. I was greeted today, as I walked into her room, with "Oh! Heyyooo, Mommy-Mommy! Me paci fall dowwwwn, mommy-Mommy. Oh! Gank yewww, Mommy-Mommy!"

If I could just capture her voice for forever, it would brighten my days so much when she's older and I want her to shut up!

:) She says so much... She DOES so much. She means so much to me...

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The boys are playing Thrillville on Xbox. I am SO buying that game for Christmas (we rented this one). It's a great game, with no violence. Although it does have some parts that are a little lovey dovey when the people are supposed to "flirt" with each other, but the boys just gag and laugh hysterically, and I don't care too much about that.

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Justin's evaluation went well yesterday. Of course, I nearly passed out when we were talking about the bill, but my Mother In Law has said she will pay the bills, and we are NOT too proud to take her up on that offer. Long story short (as Pat would say, over and over...), she doesn't think that, based on the initial forms and such, that he has ADHD, but is definitely Executive functioning (fancy name for high-maintenance kid: DUH!) and has some possible ODD tendencies (again, duh) and needs to be further tested to rule things out and in and bit more. (Yay! Another bill.) Justin, of course, was delightful and charming, which is generally the case when he has full and complete attention of the room. Also, he didn't have to sit still for an hour at a time, etc. ANYWAY, it went fine. We liked her. Justin's smart and funny but needs some counselling. There you go.

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So. If I'm absent or overly present this week, you now know why!

(and does this post win for the most scatterbrained, dull and journal-type entry or what?)