Ramble on.... Sing my song.... doo doo doo doo dee doo dee doo...

Well, Barb said exactly what I have always thought, so if anyone ever wonders why they aren't on my sidebars, she states it perfectly. (that, and the fact that I couldn't figure it out and then just said "screw it." and put the names of people I read in my private favorites list)

So, regular stuff lately. Had a fish fry. Lots of people. Ended up with 2 holes in the boys' screen window (little darlings were shoving Batman out the screen in new holes. Sweet, eh? MY boys have never done that. Oh no. It was the influence and persuasion of random child... But I digress), exploded pop cans in the backyard when the 2 culprits also shook up pop cans and beat them with baseball bats (sigh, boys) and managed to get the house cleaned (2 out of 3 bathrooms and everyone's bedroom but mine. MIRACLE). Oh, and lots of yummy leftover fresh Walleye and Northern from Pat's fishing trip this month.

Got to talk to Justin's teacher yesterday. Have I mentioned before that I LOVE this man? He is so mellow. So easygoing but not a pushover. High standards, but cool.

Yeah. Cool. That's the description that fits best.

This man took 40 minutes out of his afternoon to talk to me and Justin and help Justin organize his messy desk and discuss ways to curb his craziness in class. I still think that part of Justin's distraction problem is that he's academically WAY past some of the stuff they teach, but he DOES need to learn how to socialize with kids his own age. Oh, and spelling. Eesh. His spelling makes me cringe.

Anyway. I'm hopeful...

Let's see... Corinne is now 11 months old! And I need to get the invitations going for her party.

OH! I have a huge chunk of cash (Ka-CHING!) and I am off to Christmas shop tomorrow!!! I love it when I can get a jump start on the holidays so I can just enjoy shopping for a few things during the rush. I went online today and wrote out some ideas and the prices at a few spots so I can go in with more knowledge than EVER before. (breaking arm patting myself on the back for being so ingenious... shut up. I know it's old news for most.)

I have ALMOST learned the 3 songs that Justin is working on for his piano lesson. It's getting tougher to keep up with him...

Evan is in dire need of a haircut. This will require Patrick taking the other two out of the house and I will need a stiff drink cuz the kid HATES haircuts. No kidding, I have been scratched, kicked, bruised and PEED ON by this child. He is petrified of the clippers and his hair does NOT do well with scissors. Plus, they take too long for a child who hates it to begin with... I am getting all tense just anticipating it...

On to happier stuff!!

Corinne licked me today! What a joy that was! I think it's her way of kissing me. Yay. I actually HAD makeup on that spot, but oh well. Luckily, this was BEFORE she was sucking on Evan's toes. Patrick was kicking himself that we didn't have our video camera yet for that one. blackmail, and all...

Well, my eye is tearing up now cuz I just rubbed it with my fingers that obviously still have the IcyHot residue left on them. I had to rub down Patrick's neck from a crick and now I need a washcloth myself...

Rambling...

Today.

My lil punkin... She's almost 11 months old, but I just got all of the pictures developed from the last few months, so I thought I'd share her current musical montage I've done.

Edit video online at onetruemedia.com

Now, let's just see how talented I REALLY am... Will it post properly?!?

Did I mention that I love Mr. tall Police officer dude who rescued me and the 2 youngest in the Wal-Mart parking lot yesterday? We were stranded outside of our van with all of our groceries and could SEE our keys taunting us from the ignition (How they got left there, I have no idea). And Mr. Police dude came to our rescue, even though, as the lady on the phone at the station told me, it isn't their duty to help us unless a child is locked INSIDE the car. Well. I was locked OUTSIDE the car with 2 kids and it was cold out! I guess that's not the same type of emergency, but I was WITHOUT A DIAPER BAG people!!! IT was in the van as well!! So, it could have very easily turned into an emergency. Anywho. He arrived and was able to quickly pop the door open for me.

I have GOT to get a locking box that is magnetic for a spare key. One time, I DID lock Evan in the car and he was strapped into his car seat and the police DID come and we couldn't even find the spare key and they wanted to shatter a window INTO my van that my child was inside of...

Yeah. I have a tendency to misplace my keys. Like in the front door overnight. My husband loves that one.

Well, I am sitting here, gorging myself on the Fannie May candies that Patrick bought me for our 9th anniversary (GAWD, love the FM candies. Have them airmailed to you if you've never tried them. They are the BEST creams. Especially the raspberry creams. HEAVEN.) So I am bound to gain at least 3 pounds BEFORE Christmas, but c'est la vie! Me no care.

Oh, and we celebrated with Giordano's deep dish, which I am told is also a Chicagoland specialty. (But I think it's spreading a bit further) Awesome pizza. Decent prices. And it was also where we had our first date (awwww) so it's fitting that we have it for special occasions. And convenient as there is a location near our house! :)

Speaking of pizza, anyone coming to Chicago, looking for delicious pizza, I recommend the Oven Grinder's pizza. And order their Mediterranean bread while you're at it.

I am so random tonight.

Ma na ma na

Doo doo dee doo doo...

The boys growling like dinos at the Milwaukee zoo's dino exhibit this summer.
Me and Corinne at the 4th of July party

Corinne, less than thrilled over something...
Me and the boys at The Great Wolf Lodge in Wis Dells this summer. I couldn't turn the photo around! Doh! See our cool airbrushed tattoos?

Corinne going piggy back in her sling.

Tomorrow is my 9 year anniversary with Patrick! I'm off to tweak a photo montage I'm putting together for him to watch before he heads off to work in the morning. Later gators.

Stinky shrooms

Okay, ew. Ick.

I spent an hour today digging up hundreds of little white spores. Tiny shrooms. Nasty disgusting bubbly white things that oozed green slime(that smelled to high heaven, I kid you not) if they were punctured and still moist or shot tiny fungus spores into the air if they were dead (and STILL smelled and I'm SURE will give me some strange respiratory disease) and ready to repopulate my backyard. GROSS. And stinky.

And GROSS.

See what happens when it's super wet and rainy and then hot for several days and you don't take care of your lawn? Oh. And my front yard is covered in knee high thistle plants. Lovely. I am sure we are the treasure of the neighborhood.

Thank God Patrick is coming home tonight! I told him that after THIS week of going it alone, I deserve a new camcorder and a raise as a SAHM... Where IS that SAHM paycheck, anyway? He is spending 2 hours minimum outside tomorrow, cleaning this yard up.

Says I....

Handbags

What is with the purses and handbags these days?

Am I totally going against the grain here when I say that I despise the big ugly bags that are so popular? Frog green, 70's orange, plaid, big buckles, bulky handles, garish decorations... I could go on and on. They remind me of the bags we used to mock my poor grandma for oh, about 20 years ago!!

Am I all alone here? Am I a disgrace to my gender? Well, so be it. I don't like the big tacky bags.

For those of you that do, what is it that attracts you to them? Please explain!!

Much swearing and bitching

If you are easily offended by foul language, please leave as I am about to rip a royal swear fest.

---
I am so Goddamn frickin royally pissed off right now. Justin is becoming a 14 year old in a 7 yr old body and I do NOT like him much lately. That sounds awful. Sounds really bad when I put it into print. But it's the truth right now.

And you know what? He doesn't like me either. We bitch and yell at each other every single day.

And I am tired. TIRED of him. Tired of fighting, and getting no respect. Tired of GIVING him little respect. Tired of having to resort to punishments that a 4 year old would need. Tired of hearing how he wishes he was at school and not with me. Tired of crying from the words he says. Tired of feeling like a failure to him. Tired of worrying if my other children will become this way.

Is it me? Am I solely responsible for his rotten attitude? I am NOT a patient person. I DO respond sourly to him at times. I DO expect him to (gasp) listen to me and do what I say, when I say it. NOT when he feels like it. If it's time to go to frickin school, then get your goddamn ass off the couch and get out of the frickin door on TIME cuz I get NO PLEASURE from repeating myself 8,000 times every time I want someone to listen to me. And I do NOT enjoy having to resort to yelling in anger when no one is listening or responding to me. And I do NOT enjoy having to rush around when all of the petty shit could have been taken care of BEFORE It was time to go. We could then have an easy morning, or afternoong.

But NO.

Instead, I get to get tears of fury and indignation in the van on the way to school in yet another rainy day of traffic while my ingrate of a child sits behind me whining about not having everything his fuckin way. Well, GET OVER IT kid. Life sucks at times. Especially when you're a parent and your kids don't listen to you and treat you without any respect.

How did I get to this point? Where was the turning point? When did my sweet baby boy become a snarling venom-spitting child? I am just nauseated at the thought of my baby girl becoming the same way. I think that Evan is on the borderline right now. He has way too many influences from Justin and I fear for us all if he idolizes his brother too much.

So, fuckIamsopissedIcannotdothisMommyshitanymore
withoutanyonegivingmerespect
GoddamnitIhatethisshitshitshitshit
crapcrapcrapcrapFUCK.

Pressure... coming down on me.

I keep having a Janis Joplin song replaying over and over in my head right now.

"Oh Lord... Won't you buy me... a night on the town? I'm counting on You, Lord. Please don't let me down!"

Yeah. I could use a nice stiff drink in a smoky dark bar (well, the smoky part isn't needed. Just makes my eyes water. But go with me here...). Justin came home from school and promptly turned from sweet, nice 7 year old into banshee boy. I seriously was standing in the other room, envisioning smacking him from here to next week (hence, the reason he was in his ROOM, people. Please. No child beater here. But I SO understand how someone with less mental stability and capabilities could break under the pressure.).

Anyway. All is quiet now. He's snacking before finishing up the 5-10 minutes of homework that sent him into meltdown mode and then (oh joy!) some Star Wars video games I'm sure.

Patrick has been fishing in Canada with his Dad since Saturday. I am feeling the pressure building up in my head and heart. Honestly, I can NOT picture having to go this alone. Frightening.

Ok. So I am now off to help with this easy as pie math homework. I am drinking coffee on an almost empty stomach and I think it's ruining my stomach lining, but I must have my Joe.

9/11

I'd like to add my memories of that day to the ever-growing collection...
---

Sep 11, 2001

I remember that day as though it were yesterday. I suppose 9/11 is to our generation what Kennedy's assassination was to my parents': "Where were you on that day?" is a question everyone can answer with great detail. I was at home, in Illinois. Justin was 2 1/2, my niece was 1 1/2 and I was 2 months pregnant. My sister dropped my niece off at my house so that she could drive into Chicago for a taste-testing for McDonald's. My husband was going to go into work late as he was also going to the same taste testing. So, I had 2 little kids with me and we were playing and had kiddie videos on in the background. Naturally, I didn't hear or see the bombings until Patrick called me on the cell from the backed up traffic trying to get to Chicago. He and my sister were both stuck in different spots. I don't know if the traffic was from the bombing scares or simply good ole' Chicago traffic. Nonetheless, when I flipped on the tv and began to watch it, I realized that I did NOT want them that close to a major city and was frantic to get them home.

My brother-in-law came over to pick niece, S. , up. I vividly remember him sitting on the couch with me and repeating the phrase "That's it. It's the beginning of WW3. That's it. We are at WAR." I wanted to slap him so badly. All I could think of was all of the moms. Moms in the buildings, wives of men in the buildings, Mothers of grown men and women that would grieve upon hearing this news... And when we learned about the airplane hitting the Pentagon? Well. I put the kids down for naps and cried and cried. I clutched my stomach, wondering what the future would hold for my second child. I wrote in my son's journal some of the following passages:

"The news is terrifying and the pictures look as though they're from a foreign country..."
"The entire country is closed."
"I pray that we do not declare war but I can't see how the government won't retaliate. I am dumbfounded! This is unreal."
"I see on the news that there are parties in the middle East... What must the parents of those who've just died feel?"
"I pray that we will survive as a nation."


I remember the all-encompassing fear and grief. I remember trying to picture being close to someone or to MANY people that died that day-I still can't imagine it. It truly was a day of unspeakable horrors. And the day just kept getting worse and worse as the death total grew and the rumors of all of the other planes that were hijacked grew and grew. I remember being petrified as we lived so close to Chicago and a small airport. It was eerily silent that day. No private jets flew. No buzzing of the smaller private planes.

I also remember the first time I saw an airplane fly again after the bans were lifted. THAT was odd. It felt as though we were vulnerable again, in a new way.

I remember the lines at the gas station, paying twice what the gas was the day before, as people were freaked out about the possibility of a gas shortage.

I remember the multitude of American flags that were displayed EVERYWHERE that year. Cars, windows, houses, lawns, shirts... they were everywhere. It was a bittersweet pride that we as a nation could still support our countrymen in that small way.

I remember all of the mixed feelings I had. Could I be joyful to be pregnant when the nation and world was upside down? Could I risk being as horribly sad and overwrought as I was without hurting my unborn son? Would the world change and become one of police actions and bombings in our midst?

Some of the things I remember sound silly now. Did I REALLY think that the United States would be overcome by terrorists? Well. Actually, yes. I was really AFRAID that terrorists would TRY to overcome us, and bring war to my front door. I was scared of a lot of things. I think all of us were. They may have dimmed and become one flowing memory for some, but I know I had/have some strong fears. Mainly as how the world will be for my sons (and daughter, now).

I remember the parade of firemen and policemen that our small farming town held that next year. Silent. Sad. Short (SMALL town). I remember explaining to my son and daycare child what we were doing, standing in our driveway, watching the 3 firetrucks and 2 policecars driving slowly in front of our house.

I remember explaining to Evan, not a few months ago, why the "bad people" blew those buildings up. I still don't know what prompted the discussion, but he was determined that I, as an adult, HAD to know the reason. Cuz I'm an ADULT. If only that were true...
--
So, documented for any who wish to know another rambling memory of 9/11, there you have it.

I still pray for all of the families, children, spouses, friends, government workers, peace keepers and bystanders who were hurt or killed that day. I pray that nothing like this happens again. That our families will be safe. That people will leave each other alone!! What has ever been solved by violence? What is the outcome of violence? Each and every time, the answer is: MORE violence. MORE anger. MORE unjustness. MORE grief.

Duh.

Well DUH is all I can say to this new "finding." Did they really need to waste their time? I've always said that war would be a thing of the past if ruled by women.

Heart stopping, mind numbing fear.

Yeah. Had a dose of that today.

Note to self: When putting the laundry away in Corinne's room with her and Evan in the room with you, do NOT turn your back and talk on the phone.

Cuz your 4 year old might decide to go to his room and get something without closing the door.

And in that split second that your back is to the door, your precious baby girl will follow her brother and make a beeline to the stairs.

Which she will proceed to nose dive down to the landing.

Which will cause you to scream an inhuman shriek of complete fear and panic.

And the next time she falls, she might not get up and walk and laugh after a quick cuddle.

---
She's fine. I'm recovering slowly as I frantically look for that expensive baby gate that I haven't actually purchased yet but will be doing so tonight.

Nothing like a brush with death to get the ole adrenaline pumping, eh?

Pics of my beloveds.

Just some miscellaneous shots from summer and what-not. I still have 9 freakin rolls of film to develop from this summer... Gotta scrounge up a chunk of change to develop THAT lot.



My boys. My BED. Me? The floor.
Yes. I am a drunken slob at my sister's wedding.
May 2002. Seriously, though? I am SO cool and HOT when I am drunk. Really. Ask anyone.



My backyard. They love making obstacle courses and forts.


A pic from the Milwaukee Zoo on our weekend adventure. In the background is a dinosaur topiary. They had a cool dino exhibit which was one of our main reasons for going as Evan is a dino FREAK.




Well, there you have it. Still trying my best (well, almost my best) at appreciating life to its fullest. I DID step back several times today and almost smacked myself for not following my promise to let the small crap go. So, it's obviously a work in progress. But I'm trying.

Evan had his pre-k orientation today! It went well. He was nervous for a full 20 seconds till he saw the balance beam, hopscotch mat, and the dinosaurs. Zoom! He was out of my reach just like that! I DO have to make some stops tomorrow as (apparently) the whole lead screening thing is more complicated than just me saying that we're not in a risk factor zone. Blah blah blah. And I need to go to the cty health dept to get a copy of his immunizations... I'm pretty sure he's up to date, but now that I think about it... I wonder... Wouldn't THAT just be a lovely surprise? Here dear, I didn't realize you needed SHOTS.

Tears...

Ever have one of those moments that you just want to slap yourself for being so petty and for not hugging your family enough and appreciating life while it's here? I was reading Jonathon's Closet tonight and I am here to say that I will hug my family more. I will NOT fret over the petty stuff. I will try my hardest to get over the minor inconveniences of life and appreciate the fragile beauty of it, while it's still here.

Have I mentioned that my daughter has the most beautiful smile in the world?

Have I mentioned that my middle son is scared about preschool and will probably squeeze my hand into pieces tomorrow, with his big brown eyes wide?

Have I mentioned that my oldest son is almost as tall as me, and is snuggled up next to my husband upstairs?

Have I mentioned that I love my husband, more than ever? That we will be married for 9 years in a few weeks? That he will be travelling for a week soon, and I will be momentarily lost without him? That I will compulsively save any voice messages he leaves for us until he gets back "just in case" as I always do? That I get a catch in my throat anytime he leaves us, for fear of the "what if?"

Have I commented on the joy I felt today? I hugged my son for an entire episode of Max and Ruby. And he let me! Cuz he's 4 and thinks I'm cool. And I am reading my daughter books every night now and she's loving it! And so am I. And Justin tried so hard on the piano today: trying to perfect his 3 songs he's working on. Racing through them, faster and faster and getting so upset over the mistakes but continuing to try again. And again.

I will be adding this father and husband to my daily thoughts... I think of 2 little babies already, every day. 2 little boys that sadly, passed on in their early days. I hold my children closer every day because of them. They DID make a difference in the world, even if only to make some other children's parents treasure them more.

My ramblings... I am not rereading this (as usual). I wonder how it will read in the morning?

The Crocodile Hunter

This is so sad...

Anyone ever watch him? He was an absolute riot and brought a lot of attention to his beloved animals. I feel so much sadness for his family, having to deal with his loss and in the public eye as well. My heart goes out to them.

Mulch and spiders

What are the weird things your baby plays with?

Corinne has a few:

Mulch - who knew it could be so much fun to throw, kick and eat?

Sand - ditto.

Sit n Spin - doesn't every 10 month old stand up on a sit and spin and see how long they can "dance" before falling over?

Brothers - squealing, shrieking, running, tackling. So much for having a dainty princess.

Toothbrush - after seeing a special on a kid who had to have a toothbrush surgically removed from his throat, I watch her like a hawk, but it does entertain her for a few minutes while I'm on the computer and she's in my lap.

Power Rangers - Sigh. Again, so feminine. And so SAFE for a baby to play with too!

Wipes' boxes - what a great climbing toy! And the fun one can have after opening a box and flinging them around the room! And eating them! Yum. Plus, you can make nice clean smudges in a very dusty television set, of which Mommy really appreciates the help.


----
Side note: picture me trying to fall asleep on the couch last night (as little boys and husband were taking up the bed and I was NOT eager to be kicked in the head all night). Recently, I was folding laundry at night and a LARGE, no ENORMOUS black spider with creepy legs and evil eyes raced from under one couch to under the other.
I Screamed like a little girl and even managed to call Patrick from his almost slumber to come kill the beast while I stood on the first couch with a pair of unfolded boxers in my hand (just in case it attacked). After much searching and more mini-screams (mostly from me) the beast was ground into our carpet, and the laundry folding continued. (Blecch)

So. Now picture me trying to fall asleep on said couch last night with visions of Charlotte's cousins coming out with a vendetta against me. Crawling up my nose, in my ears, biting my neck... ewwwww.... I actually covered my head with the afghan (great defense - a blanket with holes just the right size of SPIDERS) and put my finger in my exposed ear. I feel so rested.

WHERE was my camera??

One of those days where you just can't believe what some people do...

I'm in the loop to drop off Justin this morning (yeah, we live 5 blocks from school, but I got 4 hours of sleep and no shower. You wanna make somethin of it?). Ahead of me, a woman who doesn't know the drill (remember "Mr. Mom" with the whole "South to drop off, North to pick up!" fiasco?) and the whole line is being totally held up.
I'm already pre-judging this woman as she's driving incorrectly, in a HUGE Ford 4x4 truck with double wheels in the back (we live in UBER suburbia. Why such a large truck?) and has at least 4 or 5 kid's heads poking up in the windows that are NOT buckled in (mega super ultra peeve of mine).

Well. She pulls up, opens her door (again, a no-no) to let her kids out and she's wearing a string bikini top with skin tight yoga pants. I kid you not. Now, she looked okay, but even if she was rockin hot, school drop off isn't the place to be flaunting your goods, you know? Especially first thing in the morning before I've had a full cup of coffee.

So. I've ranted. I'm off to reheat my coffee and clean my house cuz it's a mess.

OH! Before I go. The school open house was awesome last night. Justin's teacher is verrrrry laid back, funny and seems to be a good match for my high-maintenance kid. And he's cool enough to bring in his own poetry books from his childhood. So sweet and I was just cracking up. Cross your fingers that this year goes well!

Rules and regulations

"Mommy, there are TOO MANY RULES in this house!"

"Mommy, nothing in that sentence you just said was FAIR!"

"Mommy, I can't handle these rules. Can't we get rid of just ONE?"


~ Most people would say I'm a fairly lax (lazy?) mom. I let them do a lot of stuff, as long as MY agenda is fulfilled. I don't take the crappy attitude, but we do let them discuss what's going on. HOWEVER, my word is law.

That said, Justin is having a hard time adjusting to the new "school days rules." The rules are, and I quote:

Homework is first. End of story. You can come home, eat a snack and then get the work done.

Piano practice is also first (meaning, interchangeable with homework. See? I give choices!)

These two are non-negotiable. THEN, and only then, can he play the friggin' Xbox. THEN and only then, can we watch tv.

Realistically, this shouldn't take more than half an hour. The homework may become more time-consuming eventually, but now, it's about 10 minutes a day. I mean, COME ON KID. 10 minutes is nothin.

Other rules that he has a mega-problem with... Bedtime!

Rules: Upstairs, getting pj's on, teeth done, and book picked out by 7:30. Sounds early, eh? Well, my dilly-dalliers have made this rule important as it can take an hour to get it all done. Add a husband who has to go to bed at 8:30 (3:30 wake-up) and a baby into the mix, and you can see the reason for the early curfew.

Well, Justin had a million reasons to not go to bed tonight.

"I'm STARVING!! I didn't eat enough dinner! That's not FAIR. How can you make me starve? Why aren't you answering me?!? Mommmmeeee!!!!"

"I can't sleep in my bed, I'm scared. I'm not tired enough. I'm blah blah blah...."

-- God help me. I love him. He's funny, smart (brilliant), and is becoming more and more caring each day (PLEASE let that quality develop!). But he's so demanding!


---------------
Don't even get me started on Evan. He's a whole different post...
-----------

Corinne, on the other hand, is in the "can do no wrong" stage of her life. Ahhhh... the baby days. Can't I just freeze time? I know what lies ahead, and it ain't pretty. 2 year olds are NOT terrible. No, it's the dreaded 3 year olds you have to be careful of. And 4, and 5 and now that I think of it, 6 and 7 can be rough, too...

------

I am trying to "better" myself. I am desperately practicing the piano pieces alongside Justin. I have to struggle to keep up with him, cuz he really is gifted and it's almost scary how easily it can come to him (Scholarship potential?? crossing fingers...) But it isn't too easy to practice while the baby is banging on the keys, racing after the cat, getting into the garbage... sigh... But, I am TRYING. And that's the key here. Getting myself a hobby. Relearning something I once loved.

Roses and ribbons

I have a pink tulle skirt with roses and ribbons on it. And tulle fairy wings with roses inside and out and a matching wreath of roses.

Not for me, of course. But my Corinne looks adorable in it! I have someone wearing PINK for Halloween this year!! I've been happily stitching away at this simple little costume, and I love the almost finished product. I just have to find a simple pants outfit that will go underneath it so she doesn't freeze her fairy butt off and it's done! I love having a girl in the house. Another boy would have been just fine, don't get me wrong. But man, I adore my princess. (And the feeling is mutual - so far!)

The boys are going to be Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. They DO like the HP movies, but it's mainly cuz we have a robe from 2 years ago when Justin was Harry and Evan wants to be him now. SO, Justin decided he should be Draco so that they could cast spells on each other... How sweet!

I am sipping on a Bailey's and ice and relaxing after having spent 2 hours of sorting and then filing my mother's pictures from years and years of not putting them into picture albums. Yes, I am a good daughter. Mainly, I just can't stand it when pictures aren't in albums. And I was getting sick of hearing about how she needed to get started on that. Yeah, right. So, I took the initiative and have been sorting for a few nights. They have waaaaayyyy too many pictures of their dogs and horses and cats, for one. And I can NOT believe how much my kids have grown over the years! Sigh....

Nothing too thrilling to say, just wanted to let it be known that I'm still alive, just busy.

I'm off to watch my recorded season finale of The 4400. AWESOME SHOW. Anyone else an addict?

Hope you're all having a wonderful end of summer!

Bits of my day...

I watched Corinne RUN (not even 10 months old yet, for cryin out loud) from the living room to the kitchen and then fall (in slow motion, or so it seemed) flat on her little nose. She had a pacifier in her mouth, too, so it smacked her mouth.

Um, yeah. A shriek, a tear and she was off again. I am in sooo much trouble with this one.

---

We visited Justin's classroom today as he starts second grade tomorrow! WTF? That's literally impossible because there is no WAY I'm old enough to have a second grader!! I mean, I am still just a kid, too! Right? RIGHT?!?

---

Managed to CLEAN the master bathroom and even make the bed and do several loads of laundry after Patrick's little tizzy fit last night. He flipped out after Evan smeared toothpaste all over the already filthy bathroom sink. Yeah, well. I feel his pain. The house is trashed, but you know what? I DID manage to clean a lot today, but only because I let the boys play freakin video games for 3 hours while Corinne napped and I cleaned. So, really? Is a clean house worth that? I think not.

---

Evan totally loved getting some Daddy time out in the backyard tonight. We have GOT to make sure to spend some more alone time with him. He tends to get grouped: Either he's with Justin or with Corinne or with both, but rarely does he do anything alone. Preschool starts in 2 weeks, and I think that this will really be good for him. Now, for Me? Well, I may shed a few (or many) tears over it...

---

Damn. I have to sign off and I CAN NOT check another single blog or email or anything cuz I have to arise at 6 am to beat the baby's wake up call or I'll miss the shower window...

Adieu. Wish me luck with scheduling and PLEASE OH PLEASE LORD, PLEASE let Justin have a good year in school!!!

FRESH AIR!!

Is it wrong for me to giggle with glee when the boys go outside to play? They are so much like me: hating the humid heat, that they've been in WAY more than out this summer. So, when they're outside, I have this wonderful feeling of relief. They can mess up the outside as much as they want. They can be loud and run and swing sticks at evil villains and I don't worry about the windows or the baby's head getting hit in the crossfire.

Ahhhh...

10 tidbits and some blatant Mommy babble.

Some things I've learned about parenting:

1. Invest in the mattress covers, even if your child is potty trained. Trust me.

2. Never ever ever let them start playing video games if you don't want it to become an addiction.

3. Letting them voice their own opinions about food isn't a good idea. I now have the 2 pickiest eaters in the universe. "Yay! You tried a banana! I'm so proud of you." I'm thinking the whole "finish your plate" method isn't so bad after all...

4. Boys will play with guns, no matter what toys you give them. Blah blah blah on the whole it's nurture vs. nature. My sons have played with "guns" that are made out of the following: golf clubs, Chicken Limbo sticks, car tracks that are assembled appropriately, sticks, toy drills, and did you know that a t-ball stand is a GREAT bazooka? Seriously, you load it on your shoulder. It's perfect.

5. Keep your relationship up with your spouse. The children WILL grow up, and they'll leave, and suddenly, you'll be living with just each other. It'd be awful to find out that you don't know each other anymore.

6. Don't teach them how to talk too soon! There'll be plenty of time for talking. Enjoy the babbles while you can.

7. ALWAYS check the pockets before washing.

8. Bubblegum does NOT wash out of sweaters once they've been washed and dried and left in the dryer for the weekend.

9. If it's quiet and peaceful, it's time to check on the kids.

10. Diaper rash and sandboxes don't equal in a happy baby's butt later on...

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I have more, but I'm tired and I wanted to comment on how DAMN CUTE my 2 youngest were in the sandbox today...

Kay. Well, we finally go outside around 5ish as it was GORGEOUS today. Corinne makes a beeline to the sandbox, so I grabbed her, stripped her to her diaper, and let her have at it. She and Evan were totally covered in sandy goo as the box had gotten rained in, covered up and allowed to bake in the hot sun for a few days. Patrick thought that this might be a bit nasty and unsanitary but really? Come on, we let them play in the lake sand. This has GOT to be cleaner (or at least as dirty) right?

Well, to hear them laugh together was awesome. Usually, Evan is all over her in a not-so-wonderful way. More of a "I'm really jealous of you, but I love you and I get in trouble if I hurt you so I'll overlove you and get the attention that way." But today he was actually playing with her! Well, mostly. Barring the times he took sand and rubbed it ALL OVER HER head, back and belly and then shoved it into her diaper. But honestly, she was laughing the whole time, so I didn't rag on him too much.

After a hose down in the ICY water (which, surprisingly, didn't elicit the screams I'd been expecting. Who's child IS this, anyway?) we went inside and played Clue for the 6th time today. LITERALLY. I am ready to shred the cards for that freakin game. We borrowed it from my mom's house and I am reallllly ready to say bye bye to it.

Oh, and Patrick is back from New Orleans with many many Cajun goodies. We had gumbo and jambalaya tonight and then he made Beignet doughnuts afterwards. Don't we sound all gourmet? Well, we do to me. That's like, THREE things for dinner! Holy crap. We've been known to be overly thrilled to have 1 item, like hamburgers, or spaghetti and praise ourselves over our abilities to cook. So, 3? Well. Damn.

Getting ticketed for breastfeeding?

Wow. I can't believe this is really worthy of a ticket... When there are people doing so many truly HORRIBLE things nowadays, why bother with a mom and her baby? Get over the boob issue, people.

You know you're an addict when...

Hi, my name is Tracey, and I am a sling addict.

It's true. I am sooo not a really granola-type mom (although I was in college, but I digress). But I am definitely looking more and more the part these days. Right now, I am wearing my baby on me in an old bedsheet that I made into a temporary sling.

And you know what? I really like it! I might have to actually (gasp) MAKE my own slings!! Especially for days like today when she's all congested and wants to be held. Can't blame her, but my left hand is slightly arthritic and has been very painful lately. So again, thank God for the sling. But My Maya sling was in the car, and I'm still in jammies, so I rooted around for a sheet, and presto! I feel so cool!

Wish I had a digital... Maybe I'll take a pic to post in the future. Yeah. Me in my jammies and crazy bedhead... looking pretty hot.

Tuesday...

Ahhhh... peace! My mother in law has the boys in Chicago for the day, Corinne is napping, my coffee is reheated and waiting for me... I have a fruit salad made for dinner and chicken and sausage ready to make into Jambalaya tonight. The house isn't as messy as it COULD be, so YAY for that. I am happy.

Except Patrick is going out of town tomorrow for the rest of the week. Boo... We will be having a lovely fire in our new firepit that he dug out, lined with flagstone, and actually completed!! I'm so proud. He is a great idea man. LOVES to make plans, think up cool things to do, and even starts a lot of them... And doesn't always have the follow-thru needed to complete the project. BUT. Our firepit is DONE. So YAY for my hubby and I'll be having a wine cooler with him around the fire tonight!

---
It's so amazing to me that things are SO easier when I just have the one baby to take care of! I guess it's all a matter of perspective, when it comes to ease or stress. I can't imagine the in's and out's of parenting 5 or 6 kids, but I'm sure a mom of 1 can't imagine parenting my 3 monsters, either.

La la la... I'm a little bored and have nothing else to say, but I have no one bugging me so I feel compelled to write SOMETHING!! Seize the day!!!

Or not. I guess I'll blog browse for a bit and then off to some lovely housework!!

Toodles.

Less blogging, more living...

I've been trying to limit myself online. Is it working? Sort of. I don't come on more than once a day and on the weekends, sometimes not at all (ok, today's Sunday, but I'm waiting for Patrick to return with the pancakes and then I'm off for the day). I have this problem with computer stuff. I was involved in a message board during my pregnancy and Corinne's early months and got waaaayyy to addicted to it. I like blogging a little better, cuz it's all about me and my schedule. There's no need to continue checking in to "see what's happened! I might be forgotten! Someone might have posted something important, like a baby's first roll or cereal!! ACk!!" But I miss those ladies if I don't keep in touch with them. Sigh.... there's no winning.

I have to limit my time here and TRY to get this house under control. And the kids under control, too!! School in 10 days. :)

We had such an awesome time yesterday! Went to a mega sale on a whim and I got 2 pairs of jeans that fit NICELY!! (heart attack!) and their price? $7.00 Everything in the store was marked down to SEVEN DOLLARS PEOPLE!!!! So, I bought a blazer, 2 pr jeans, Fall coats for the boys, and Patrick got 2 NICE shirts. We spent $50 total. I just about cried from happiness! Wait, I might do so now...

Kay. I'm back.

Well, while at the mall, we went to the kiddie area to play and climb. Corinne seems to think she's a big girl now, cuz she was climbing the stairs and going down the ladder, going through the tunnel, and walking everywhere! Doesn't she know she's just a BABY?!? AND she was wearing her dress from pictures (got family photos done, too. Turned out decent. At least no one was crying!)

Before we left, we treated the boys to this trampoline/bungee jump thing. Let me tell you, it was worth the $7.00 each (magic number?) to watch Evan jumping 30 feet into the air, kicking his legs and squealing "This is totally NUTS!!" (Yes, I let my 4 year old bungee jump at a mall stand. Ya wanna make somthin of it?)

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Side note: After going to the forest preserve to try and get some hiking in and having to leave after 20 minutes of a mosquito attack, we went to the library. Got some books, no big deal. But I checked out Superfudge, as Justin had read Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and loved it. So, I was reading it myself on Friday, and you know what? He is SO NOT READING IT!!! There is a whole discussion about Santa not being real!!! This may very well be his last year of true belief in magic, and I am not letting him lose it over a book. So, I hid it. Yes, I hid a book from my kid for the first time...

Well, that's that. I'm sure I'll check on a bunch of other blogs this week, but will try and limit my posts till I have something worthwhile to spend the time publishing!

Hot Date!

I had a date last night!!

And NOT with my HUSBAND!!

And he was so GOOD LOOKING, funny, sweet, and totally enamored of me!



Granted, he was only 7 years old and is missing a few front teeth, but hey - a date's a date!!

I took Justin out to Chili's and then to see a dollar movie last night. He was a riot! (And he told me so, many times: "I'm so funny, aren't I Mommy?") We did our usual date night "game" where we ask each other questions like "If you could visit one country right now, where would you go and why?" (He said China, cuz he likes their music).

It is so nice to be alone with just one of my children. Especially on a special occasion like that. I get to pry into their brains and listen ONLY to them. And not be too much of their "Mom" and more of a friend, for just a few hours... And I know that Justin just loves these dates. He gets all giggly, excited, and skips around.

I love that my 7 year old is still young enough to hold my hand and not be embarrassed. I wonder how much longer I have with that? I was trying to treasure it last night... Trying to remember what it's like to walk with my son, who's up to my shoulder, who loves to make people laugh, and who's growing up every second.

We saw XMen 3. AWESOME!!!!! Totally worth the $1 each to go see it!! :) Seriously, it's a great movie. Highly recommend it.

Tuesday... with a treasure too.

Summer vacation can do strange things to a mom.

The days are becoming one big mush of mornings and afternoons. Not really any different from each other. I am SO tired of having no "finish lines." No beginning and endings of the weeks... Nothing that HAS TO get accomplished by a deadline. No where we HAVE TO go everyday...

2 weeks till school starts.

I don't know how you moms that homeschool do it. Maybe it's just me and my kids' personalities? Maybe we aren't patient or understanding enough (no maybe about that one). But we are so ready to strangle each other right now!

I have to go through the closets and figure out what fits who and what we need for the fall. Evan usually just gets Justin's clothes taken right out of his side of the closet and put into the other. Poor kid. Most of his clothes are either a touch small or too big! I know that this will be an issue when he gets older, but hand-me-downs are more than just a "choice" over here. It's a way of life! Even Justin gets hand me downs from my girlfriend's son. In fact, I'm anxiously awaiting the bag o clothes that she has waiting for me! It's like Christmas for ME! Everything we get for free is one more thing we don't have to buy!! YAY!

Thank you all for your concerns re: the mole. As I wrote below, the one on my back is ok, and I will be getting another one off eventually. Big sigh of relief from me...


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My Tuesday Treasure is my best friend. I'm in the blue, she's in the middle... And I apologize to my other classmate from my class reunion 2 years ago for posting her pic without asking!

Tara has been my best friend for over 15 years now. We've seen each other through some really really bad stuff... And, with her medical problems, we've almost lost her a few times. So I've been forced to realize how very important she is. And how hard it would be to say goodbye...

Crossing all extremities...

I have an appointment at the dermatologist this morning to hopefully remove a mole from my back. And it WILL be a normal mole. And the skin discoloration that surrounds it will NOT be melanoma. I will keep chanting this mantra...

I've neglected this for far too long. I knew about it last summer. And did nothing. I blamed it on pregnancy, as I wouldn't have been able to "do" anything about it at that point, anyway. Right? Anyway. I neglected it. I'm taking care of it now.

PLEASE pray that it's not anything bad. Or that if it is, it's totally centered on one spot and no other issues to worry about...

Time to get the snip, dear.

I was obviously smoking crack or something when I wrote my last post.

ME, with FOUR children? Yah. Right. After days like today, me no think so.

How is it that the people you love the most can drive you the most insane? How is it that I can be reduced to no better than their level of intelligence? It's SO incredibly difficult to remain calm when you have the two oldest SCREAMING that they were wronged, that I am not listening to their side and holding a baby at the same time. All over play-doh and a pinched finger...(Add to that, the dishwasher and the fairly Odd Parents in the background for an overall decibel level of FUN FUN FUN!! (I don't do well with too much noise. Can't concentrate as well.)

So. Someone please remind me of this when I get the babyitis again. I'm sure it'll hit full force when Corinne is about 2. Stick with me till then, kay?

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Speaking of Corinne, she is just breaking my heart, she's growing up so fast!! We were at a family reunion yesterday. There was a large sand area with a faucet and play tables. Well, the little ones were FILTHY. And I mean my pale daughter and niece were absolutely brown. But, on the wet sand, Corinne saw the puddles just a little bit ahead of her. Before I knew it, she'd taken 8 steps toward them!! And she keeps on doing it!!! NOOOOO!!!!!!

It was a perfect day for a picnic, at least. My cousin's wife does a great job with putting a whole lineup of games together and great prizes as well. The kids all look forward to it, and I think I'm stealing the "digging for buried treasure" game for a birthday party idea!

Justin threw a few fits which had him stomping off of the egg toss/water balloon field after being told there weren't any extra balloons. phhhbbtttt kid.

Evan had a few minor injuries - both of which were inflicted by yours truly. And both with an egg!! One he caught on the wrist (ouch) and another one I kind of rolled to him but it bounced and totally cracked him in the forehead! But the dang egg didn't break either time!!

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Well, it's kind of hard to type while nursing, so I'm off for now.

I guess I know MY place in the pecking order!

So. After not-so-subtle hints to my DEAR husband that the kids should go to bed early tonight "wink wink, nudge nudge," he puts on a movie in the family room so they can do a "movie night" together.

Um. OKAY???

Apparently, sleeping on the floor and being kicked in the head by our sons is more exciting than me in our bedroom...

Just bitching a bit to relieve the anger.

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Oh. And HERE'S a thought that my husband wouldn't want to read right now: Even though I KNOW we don't have the money, and even though I KNOW I am no where near the perfect mom, and even though I HATE some parts of pregnancy (really hate. ouchy ouchy bad stuff.), I have this feeling that we are still not "done." You know? I mean, we MIGHT be done. We probably ARE done. Patrick would have a heart attack if he even KNEW I was typing this, let alone thinking it.

BUT.

But, I'm not sure that our family is complete... I have the blessing of being able to make that choice (and I know that some of my fellow bloggers do not have as easy of a choice).

I remember, about 2 years ago, we were at the zoo. The boys were sitting on the floor, playing with the plastic bugs at the children's zoo, and I said to Patrick,

"I look at them, and I feel like someone's missing."

Well, that same night, I got sick. I mean I got REALLY sick. Puking all night. The shakes, intense pain in my stomach. And the pains and vomitting continued the next day. Though, I had an empty stomach. I had had chili at the zoo (really really good chili, which, alas, I will never ever eat from there again).

Finally, in desperation, I called my mother-in-law, as she was home, to come and take me to the Emergency room. It was THAT bad (if you knew me, you'd know that I rarely go to the doctor and almost NEVER take medications).

We get to the ER. I am still in serious pain. After several questionaires, several doctors looking at me and saying "Um, food poisoning? I guess?" the gynecologist from my group came in and said that they were going to do a cat scan just to rule anything out.

Well, a scary 15 minutes later (and ewwww, that feels weird) and they were done.

Come to find out, I had a very large tumor on my ovary. A "dermoid cyst" to be technical. Long story short, I had to have surgery that week to remove it.

Now, some people may think that a cyst is no big deal. Well. I have a foot long scar on my stomach which they had to carefully remove the cantelope sized tumor from my left ovary (and a ping pong ball sized one from my right, just for kicks). Add to that, the fact that I didn't heal properly (the incision didn't close. I had to clean the 3 inch wide, 2 inch deep wound BY MYSELF 3 times a day and had to have someone drive me into the doctor's office every other day to have it inspected for infection. It finally healed 2 weeks later. OH MY GOD is all I can say.) And I can remember getting absolutely hysterical as they were wheeling me down to the operating room. Tears pouring down, shaking, with my arms strapped down.

As Patrick was driving me to the hospital, pre-surgery, I was crying. I was sure that there would be additional problems: it would be cancer. it would be so severe that they would destroy or have to remove my ovary(s). the anesthesiologist would screw up and I would die. (I actually wrote letters to my boys and husband... lots of fun). You get the picture.

I begged him, that if all went ok, that we would have our third child. (I know, I know. Subversive tactics...)

Well. I survived. I healed (physically. Obviously still have some emotional scarring...) And I held him to the third baby deal. Which he agrees is the best decision we've ever made. I mean how could you not love THIS FACE?!?




So, do I bring it up to him? I don't want another right now. Good GOD no! Shudders... BUT... I don't want to rule out the possibility. You know? I hate that everyone just assumes that we're done. And I try to combat it with "Well, unless we get surprised... " and "It wouldn't be the WORST thing to happen..."

Sigh. I know. There are people with MUCH bigger worries in their worlds. Mine is very small. I am actually not so worked up over the issue of a fourth child. But I think what I truly needed was to document some of my issues over the surgery. It kind of fell by the wayside. I DID talk about it, but not everyone was as interested as I needed, you know? But YOU! Well, you're my captive audience!! And if you've skimmed or stopped reading or WHATEVER, well, I won't be the wiser. I thank anyone who has made it so far.

And again, isn't she just a doll? :)

Wordless Wednesdays..

4 year old on a sugar high...

Nursing pictures!

Here are some pictures for Kateri's blog. Read about the breastfeeding picture uproar on BabyTalk's cover. It's a shame our country is still so squeamish about nursing! I'm just amazed...

Anyway. I only have a handful of pics, and most are of me covered. Which shows that you CAN nurse and not have to be a flasher as well!


At top is me and Corinne at Christmastime. She's 2 months old (under my big sweater somewhere!)

And then we have us at Eastertime. Notice the agility with which I nurse my youngest and discipline a 4 year simultaneously? Talent. Pure talent.

Scatter brained? Me? Puh-lease.

Just had a moment of memory making tonight. Evan sleeping against my shoulder. He was really getting sweaty, and I wanted to push him away, but I held him a little closer for a moment... Smelled his hair (chlorine and sunshine) and kissed his little shoulder (he likes to sleep in just his shorts, "just like Daddy"). He's growing up so fast. They all are!

(insert violins playing as I weep silently onto my keyboard.)

After being cooped up in the house all day (92 degrees with a heat index of 102. FUN), we headed to our pool for an hour around 5:00. Patrick headed over there with Evan (as Evan had an, um, slight accident in his first pair of swim trunks. "Just a smear, Mommy! I don't hafta go anymore! I promise!") and we all swam our little hearts out. My kids are like fish! Justin has FINALLY mastered the whole floating thing. He GOT it, you know? Like riding a bike. And Evan, with his Speedo floaty, just jumps in all crazy, over and over. Corinne doesn't mind any of the splashing, although she was starting to fall asleep by the end (happens all the time. Can you just IMAGINE sleeping in a loud, splashing pool? Talk about feeling secure in Mommy's arms...) but held out until we got home and into dry jammies.

It was one of those nights... Memory nights. One that I feel I need to really remember, so I'm writing about it! Nothing exceptionally special. We still had to put Evan in time out for splashing too much. Justin still wouldn't get his rear in gear when we had to leave and I got all mad at him. But it didn't matter as much... Something was a little different. Just happier... Who knows! MAybe it'll last.

HA!

I know that nothing is forever, so I won't expect miracles. But it's nice to know, that with all of the trying times we go through, there are sweet moments, loving moments, and genuinely happy times. Those make the mundane, repetitive, frustrating ones worth it (most of the time!)

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And now, for something totally different...

I need a haircut. Do you know, that it has been over a year since I've had it cut?!? WTF?!? Can you say "Mommy hair?" Ick. I need to chop the ends off. I'm thinking of going back to much shorter again. Hmmm... The excitement of my important decisions is holding you all on the edges of your seats, I can tell.

Well, fine. I'm off to post on all of YOUR blogs. Gimme some good ones, people!

Farms and kids and puke

I love driving to my parents' house. They live about 30 minutes away from me. I have to drive through some farm country to get from my town to theirs.

In our area of Illinois, the farmland is becoming rarer and rarer. And every farm that DOES still exist is looked at as a potential housing development. Don't get me wrong - I love that our area is growing and that we have so much newness to the stores, homes etc. But it's so sad to see the farms that I grew up knowing, slowly disappearing...

I drove past a particularly old tree line and wondered if it would still be here in 5 years? 10? They are so beautiful...

And the fields... I love the fields. I love the changes from season to season. Looking for the baby corn and beans poking their little tops bravely from the frozen ground in early spring. Being amazed - EVERY year - at how quickly it grows. And the excitement of harvest time. Just the changing colors, smells, and feel of the air. Knowing that fall is nearing. Knowing that the holiday season is so close around the corner...

This is the time of year where I am SO ready for the summer to end! I am ready for sweatshirts, bonfires, pumpkins, and jeans. I am ready for hiking in the woods without the fumes of bug spray and the heat of the sun. I am ready for the nights to cool off (icky icky thick peanut butter air night tonight). I am ready for the change of the season!

I guess that's why I like living in the midwest. I can't picture a sunny Christmas or getting excited over a few snowflakes once a year.

It's a bit depressing to know that my hometown areas (I grew up in a nearby city to where I currently live) will become the overlapping towns of inner Chicagoland soon. I hate that when I drive through the Oak Brooks/Parks/Groves/burgs etc. that I have no clue of what town I am in! (visit Chicago suburbs for a day. Or just look at a map to see what I mean).

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We spent the day at my parents' today with one of my sisters and her 2 girls. My 1 year old niece is a riot! She and Corinne are actually playing together and it is so sweet. They had a bit of a pacifier crisis, though. Corinne popped the princess' 1st paci in her mouth, and grabbed her 2nd and Corinne's own and started scooting away, giggling for all she's worth! They went back and forth, popping and snatching, without getting upset, while I frantically tried to figure out my dad's video camera (to no avail) as we all cracked up.

Oh, and my DAD! He just had a ball with the three oldest grandkids in the 2 foot blow up pool in their backyard! They played outside for 4 hours straight! I kid you not!

It was all fun and happy till my oldest niece got really tired, really didn't feel good and then ended up puking in the toilet. Which was clogged (my boys tend to clog toilets. Don't ask me how). Which overflowed poop and puke. Which made my sister shriek and practically throw my niece out of the bathroom... as she puked again. And then slid into her own puke and landed in it. Which made her FREAK out... Sigh... And WHERE Was the Video camera for THAT one?!?

Ended the night by driving home in the sweaty night. The kids fell asleep (of course) and I had to carry all three out of the Big Red Van and into the house, up the stairs. I am now treating myself to an orange pop. (no liquor ANYWHERE to be found. Sigh.)

Boys.

Ok. So apparently, all I needed to get out of my mini-funk was telling Evan the stories of the days that he and his brother and sister were born.

He thinks that it's hilarious (his word) that the first thing I said after having Justin was "He's nice. Can I have a sandwich?" And I'm talking rip-roaring funny, apparently.

After I finished tucking him in, Justin told me he finished reading his book and could I please put it away for him? (He's on the top bunk). Sure. What book, you ask, is my 7 year old finished reading??? MOBY DICK. Yes. The whale. The peg-leg. The whole saga. My husband's aunt had bought him a collection of classics for Christmas, and he'd just started them. He's onto Treasure Island next. I am just flabbergasted... I said,
"WOW! I am so impressed! Your second grade teacher will ask everyone if they read any books, and you can say Moby Dick. He/She'll think you're kidding!"
Then, I said to Evan,
"And when you start pre-school in the fall, what will you tell YOUR teacher you did over the summer?"

.
.
.
"Pick my boogers."

(much laughing followed me as I shook my head, walking out of their room)

.
.
.
Boys.

Disconnected...

I wonder... what will my children become?

Am I permanently damaging them by being on the computer right now while they watch Back to the Future?

I don't spend nearly enough "quality time" with them. Sure, I'm with them ALL the time, but I have to make a conscious effort at times to PLAY with them. I used to play with them all the time... What's changed?

Will they be happy? Will they become psychotic teenagers who no longer CARE if I'm around?

Will it REALLY matter if they play inside most of the time and not outside? Or vice versa?

I don't know what's wrong with me right now. Too much orange pop? Probably. Ignore the drivel. I think I'll go lurk about the boards. Maybe go watch the show with the boys. Maybe not. I just can't connect right now...

Guess who I met?!?

Flipflopmama!! Aren't ya'll jealous? She was in to visit her mom this week at a town near to mine, so we got together at a park and then lunch. Her kids are SO beautiful and sweet and I must say, I think Justin has a bit of a thing for SlowMotion... Her baby IS as cute as she says she is. She took some pics with a digital, but you'll have to wait till she can post again to see them.

Flipflop, I really had a good time! Thanks for meeting up with me, and I hope we can do again sometime.
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Ahhh...air conditioning. What a wonderful invention. It is STIFLING outside. It is so hot that I am thinking it is TOO hot to go to the pool later on. Now, THAT is hot. Patrick is going to an overnight concert with my brother-in-law and some friends tonight. (i.e. listening to music and then drinking beer in an RV). So, I get the house to myself tonight. Wonder what I'll do? Either fall asleep early or stay up WAY too late reading and posting here. I'd really like to get a few pages on my scrapbooks, but I'm always so tired at night that I don't feel like it. I need to start doing the scrapbooking clinics again. It's easier for me. No interruptions. If I run out of something, it's right there, and I have a whole chunk of time to do nothing but scrapbook. No guilt over the dishes or whatever.

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You know it's bad when you reach into the bag of diapers and it's EMPTY! Yikers. You can guess where I'll be heading after the princess wakes up!

Man. I have nothing else to say. Sorry. But that's just what's going on with me now.

In a nutshell

What a day...

Condensed version:

Evan and Corinne both had checkups. Much screaming and freaking out occurred. (Mind you, they don't even get their shots at the doctor!!)

Had to return 9 out of 10 library books. The missing dinosaur book has never been found, even though I scoured (and I mean SCOURED) the house and van. I even CLEANED the boys' room. Patrick almost passed out over that one. Anyway, $26 for the missing book, $12.50 in late fees (I didn't renew properly. dumb computer) and many many whines later, we walked out with 8 new books. Please pray that we don't lose another, cuz I can't afford it!

Had to go to the grocery store. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, considering it was our third errand, stiflingly hot out, and Corinne hadn't eaten or slept since her interrupted morning nap 3 hours earlier. I walked out much lighter in pocket, heavier in weight (she fell asleep in her sling) and verrrrry tired and hungry.

Unloaded car. TRIED to feed the baby. TRIED to get her to nap. None of which happened till 5:00!!! She is now sleeping. The boys are watching Daddy play video games. Piano practice has been accomplished by Justin. I have slightly greasy fingers from the hot wings Pat brought home (Yum).

And, the best news of all, I CLEANED THE REFRIGERATOR. Now, this may not sound like a major accomplishment to any Suzy Homemakers out there, but I am SO NOT a good housewife. My house is more often than not very unorganized and slightly messy. Well, the fridge hadn't been truly cleaned since before I got pregnant with Corinne. You do the math. Eewww...

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As I was rocking Corinne for her nap at 5:00, She started to make the humming noise she makes when she's trying to stay awake. So I hum back and she hums more. It's cute. I tend to hum "Fly me to the Moon" mainly because I can only remember half of the words of one verse, but I like the song. I also tend to sing "Tura Lura (sp?)" and "Hushabye" (hush a bye, don't ye cry... go to sleepy little baby...").

What songs do you sing or hum to your little ones?

My baby's first tag!!

My baby got tagged by Flipflop's baby!

3 Things That Scare Me
1 people that take me away from my mommy.
2 waking up in the dark.
3

3 People That Make Me Laugh
1 Mommy
2 Daddy
3 BOTH of my brothers


3 Things I Love
1 My family!
2 Cheerios
3 eating paper, plastic, mulch, toy cars, sidewalk chalk, grass, etc.

3 Things I Hate
1 when Mommy screeches at my brothers to stop being so loud cuz she's trying to get me to take a nap...
2 When Mommy shoves her finger down my throat to take out the "choking hazard" that I've been chewing on...
3 When Evan puts his fingers in my eyes. Not so fun.

3 Things I Don't Understand
1 How to pick up 1 foot without falling down.
2 Why do I always fall down when I start to dance?
3 Why Mommy likes looking at this computer so dang much!!

3 Things On My Floor.
1 a ball
2 baby wipes
3 dust

3 Things I'm Doing Right Now
1 sleeping (how else do you think Mommy could be typing this?)
2 sucking on my pacifier
3 looking so cute...


3 Things I Can Do
1 stand up!
2 SCREECH like you wouldn't believe!
3 Find the tiniest bits on the carpet and ingest them before Mommy can get to me...


3 Ways to Describe My Personality
1 Sweet
2 Adventurous
3 Loving

3 Things I Can't Do
1 Walk
2 drink out of a sippy cup
3 get a job

3 Things I Think You Should Listen To
1 My mom. Read her blog.
2 My brother's piano.
3 ME!!

3 Things I Think You Should Never Listen To
1 Warning labels. I mean, come on. If I want to eat marbles, I should be allowed to, right?
2 People who say pacifiers and nursing are bad.
3 My great-grandmother - she's a bit nuts.

3 Absolute Favorite Foods
1 MILK!
2 CHEERIOS!
3 dirt!

3 Things I'd Like to Learn
1 How to get those covers off of the outlets...
2 How to walk. Haven't you been paying attention?
3 How to RUN!!! It's faster.

3 Beverages I Drink Regularly
1 MILK
2 MILK
3 watered juice.

3 Shows I Watched as a Kid
1 Um. Nothing yet! Just the Power Rangers when my brothers are watching it.

3 Fellow Babies That I am Tagging, Likely by throwing Cheerios at them:
Oh geez. Most of the babies I know online are already tagged. But I'll post a few moms and hope that they read this!

Andria's baby is 18 months old...
Baby Jake at Away to Me's is about 4 months, right?
Have fun babies!!

Home at last!

What a week!

We spent 3 nights at Wisconsin Dells in a water park/hotel. Awesome. We LOVE it. My parents went with and it is always so nice to have that alone time with them. AND the extra hands to help!

Patrick and I did an ejection seat!! Know what that is? It's a metal seat that you're strapped into that has bungee cords attached which are pulled to extreme tension and then released so that you go flinging into the air. CRAZY! So we had to do it twice!

Pat and I took just Justin to Great America outside of Chicago yesterday. (he earned a free ticket by reading 6 hours in Feb). Can I just say that it is so cool to have an older child on days like that? He is a true thrill seeker and rode all the big rides that he was tall enough for. And on the FRONT seat of several! My kid can be really fun.

My Mother in law watched Evan and Corinne and they were GOOD all day yesterday! Can I just say that I was realllllly nervous that Corinne would be a difficult baby. She's almost exclusively breastfed and has only recently started accepting a bottle of watered down juice once a day (in preparation for yesterday!) She still won't take milk from a bottle, only juice, but I left milk for her cereal. My MIL said she ate 2 1/2 jars of food and cereal and 3 bottles of juice! (Can you say "sugar high baby?") She normally gets 1/2 a jar of food and 1 serving of cereal a day - IF I remember. Thank God she was good.

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So. I have to catch up on some of my favorite blogs! Sorry if I don't comment on everyone's right away.

Ahhh...

Is there anything sweeter than listening to your child play the piano and try to make Mommy sleepy? Lol. It's pretty funny. He thinks he's being all sneaky and I pretend to nod off.

My other sister is coming over with her 2 girls today. It's still looking pretty wet out, so we'll see if the pool is a go or not.

Gotta finish packing for the Dells next week! So excited! I'll post pics if I ever get them developed!

Just another day in my midwest madness.

Breathe... breathe...

Just had a heart stopping moment over here.

The baby was playing and started making that "ack ack" noise of choking. I normally don't freak out, but choking is a big fear of mine (and drowning). I rushed over, did the mouth sweep and found a bit of cereal she'd found, already partially softened. No biggie.

Set her down, wiped my forehead and continued on the phone with my sister.

Heard the "ack ack" again accompanied by a look of panic on her face.

Rushed over again, looked inside, saw nothing. She continued to gag. I knew, that as long as she could breathe, she was still good, but that something was in her mouth or throat. I finally saw a bit of white plastic poking at the edge of her mouth's roof.

After much scratching up of my sweet baby's mouth with my fingernails, I pulled a flat piece of plastic out that was definitely deadly to a little one.

I am now cleaning my house.

I know that the plastic was from either a toy of the big boys or something that the cats have chewed on and dropped off. I know it was probably just under the couch and I couldn't see it. I know that it wasn't really my fault, but I know that I would have never forgiven myself if she had suffocated.

My eyes are all wet. My throat is all choked up. I am listening to her cry in her exersaucer, safe from all things dangerous. Can't I just keep her there forever?

I am taking this as my "warning" from God to keep on top of things. So I am off to search for tiny bits of miscellaneous crap.

Treasure Tuesday

Ok, since I am still not able to link properly, (#@$%) You'll just have to figure out yourself how to get to Overwhelmed's site for Treasure Tuesday.

Mine is this piano. My great aunt gave it to us when she had to move into a condo and we are so thrilled to have it in our home! Justin started taking lessons and within the first few lessons, his teacher called us and said she didn't know what to do with him! She said she has never, in 14 years of teaching, ever had a student progress as quickly and just "get it" the way Justin does! What do you say to that?!? Um, thanks? Justin has continued progressing and is almost out of his third set of books in under 10 months.

I'm also thankful for it as I have been trying my hardest to practice piano, too! I took lessons for a few years as a child. It has some of the same qualities as bike riding: once you learn, you don't ever really forget. I may not be as fast or good as I once was, but I'm remembering and I HAVE to remember if I am ever going to keep up with Mr. Speedy music man!
So, thank you to my Aunt Joyce for her gift of music to my family...

Oh, and behind the piano is where I write all of these brilliant posts- in case you wanted to know.

2 posts in 1 night!! The kids DID go to sleep after all!!

Ok. So I recently got 8 rolls of film developed with discs. So, anyone that doesn't want to see my brag pics of my BEEEUtiful children, move along.

Still here? Good. Cuz my kids are cute. No bias.

Totally random shots from past few months.


I just like how Corinne's pacifier is crooked here... Notice all of the DT toys in back/foreground Michelle? :) And in pic #2, Justin has just lost his first top tooth, the mulch has been in the bags in our front yard for at least a month, there is my "big red van" I may have mentioned in the past, and at the end of the driveway is the mud pit that Evan likes to jump in. At least you can't see the thigh high thistle plants in this shot... (They are currently dead after we sprayed them with lethal doses of weed killer that has also killed our grass).













At left... Evan dancing around the fire chanting his pyro song (Fire, FIRE, fire, YAY!) in the rain during our wet and wild camping trip (run on sentence? I think not.).
And if that link above works, it may just be the first time ever!! Crossing all fingers, toes and legs here...



Below... Where exactly am I supposed to sleep in this mess of manhood?




Here we are at Justin's ceremony where he goes from Tiger to Wolf Scout. He loves Boy Scouts. Can you see the baby under the old hat? And here's a shot from this spring at my aunt-in-law's house. It was a beautiful day and Corinne just loves her sling! Yes, we use it a lot and YES I'd recommend it to anyone! It's wonderful to have my hands free to wrangle the heathens, I mean BOYS!!

Mommy!! PWEASE, come snuggle wif me!!

I need a pocket tape recorder.

All day long, I think of great topics. Great ideas for blogs, for my journals, for scrapbooking pages... When I finally get 2 minutes of peace to myself, the mind's a blank.

Even now, as I finally got the princess down for the night, I can hear her scuffling and sniffling in her crib as the music box's rendition of Fiddler on the Roof's "If I were a wealthy Man" (is that the name of the song? You know the one that goes, "Diedel diedel deedel diedel dum... all day long I'd piddy paddy pum. If I were a wealthy MAN.") gets slower and slower. Meaning I may only have this tiny snatch of time to figure out what to write to remember this day by. And now, Evan is down here by me. "You pwomised to snuggle wif me!!" So he's "reading" Green Eggs and Ham for a second while I tie this up. I would say that I'll save this as a draft, but I might forget to publish it, so I'll just go ahead and post it.

So. Today Patrick left for Dallas for the week on work. Blecch. My sister came over with her baby so we could go swimming, but it was CHILLY!! No pool today. We just made the babies laugh instead. The boys pretended to be getting shot and every time they fell down, my niece cracked up. She's a hard nut to crack with giggles so it was worth it. Equally fun.

Tomorrow my other sister and her kids are coming over, also to presumably swim. However, it looks like rain tomorrow. grrrr... I WILL pack my bags this week for next week's vacation. Last time we went out of town, I waited until the last minute to do the actual packing. I will NEVER do that again. I was a nervous wreck and in a mini-depression by the time it was time to go. NEVER AGAIN.

Kay. I'm getting begged to cuddle. Gotta go.

Beautiful, shining faces...

Here are some "real" pictures of my kids. Not the happy, smiling shots we are all so proud to share. But the crying, whining shots that we get to enjoy day in and day out. These are some of my favorites as they represent real life as it is. This is the stuff that I treasure and want to remember. (Maybe I should have saved it for Treasure Tuesday?)

Evan in time out for calling his brother a bad name...

Corinne is less than thrilled to be posing....
And makes it well known a few seconds later. Isn't this one the best?

You can't tell very well, but she was in the middle of a major fit. However, every time I tried to take a picture, she'd calm down a bit and stop screaming. What a camera ham already!

Did you know?

That when you get hair in your nose and ears, you get old?

This said by my four year old, with a dead serious face a few moments ago. I haven't had my coffee yet! I can't handle it!! :)

My life is a zoo

We went to the zoo today. I find that my life bears some strange resemblences...

There seems to be constant shrieking of a monkey of about 3 feet tall at all times in my zoo.

The floor is covered in poop and food. (ok, not poop, but read the previous post)

The ONE THING you really wanted to see/do is on the other side of the zoo at about 2:30 when the sun is blazing and the kids are whining.

The kids only want to eat granola bars and ice cream.

But at least at the real zoo, the animals are in cages.

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We had fun. We went with my sisters and our 6 children (collectively). Why is it that the more children you go with, the less animals you actually see? We spent most of our time looking at the animals in the children's zoo. Animals like guinea pigs, bunnies, and parakeets. And spraying the flowers with the spray bottles. Ummm... we could have gone to the pet shop and then our backyard to do that! Oh well. That's why I have a membership, right?

I was up late last night. Not writing on the blog. Not having incredible sex (although we did sneak in some this morning before work! Woo hoo!!). But I was putting 8 rolls of film into my photo album. 8 ROLLS. I have some lovely pictures to post sometime soon, but not now. I am thoroughly exhausted, and thoroughly unmotivated to write a blog that is even remotely interesting. Sorry to disappoint my loyal followers (insert literal laughter here) but I must go wrangle the boys and I hear Corinne getting into the pots and pans. WHO taught this child to move?

Squish, giggle, squish, giggle, ewww....

Yeah. I'm sure you can just guess what I'm typing about.

Poopy diaper.

Baby that "crawls" on butt and scoots.

Not a good combination.

Especially since I was unloading my van with dh after our weekend trip to Milwaukee (fun. more later) and didn't get to notice the poop trail across the carpet until too late. Again - Ewwww...I type this while listening to the fireworks going off in my neighborhood and hoping that our house doesn't catch on fire. Mind you - I live in Illinois where it's ILLEGAL to light fireworks. Hmmm... Wonder where they all came from? WISCONSIN. (I'll admit that Patrick picked up some as well on our way home.)

But I'm not joking here! The house has literally shaken a few times from the "boomers"!! Crazy!

Ok. I'm off again to settle the kids down cuz it's so freakin loud! Hope the baby doesn't wake up.

In a nutshell...

My week in a nutshell:

Oldest baby lost his top tooth.
Youngest baby got her first tooth.
Got called "Bad mommy!" about 287 times by middle baby.
Yelled.
Laughed.
Got rained on.
Got sunburned.
Went to a fair.
Went on a date with hubby.
Got blisters on 5 toes on said date.
Got busy with hubby on said date. (heh heh...)


Overall, pretty decent week. We plan on taking a short weekend trip this Friday that I'll update about later on. I'm currently trying to figure out how to get my emails opened as I can't even get to it!!! Talk about going crazy!! Try being unwillingly disconnected from cyberspace for a week!! I felt totally weird. I kept walking past the computer monitor in the "office" (our dining room that has our office set up in it) and looking to it for comfort, for company... Sad, isn't it? I realized that I depend too much on cyberspace for friendship. So I need to figure out how to get back to the real world. Not that I'm online all that much, really. Just that I disconnect from the real world when on here. So I think I'll try to only post and read and do my emails etc, during the night hours, after they're all asleep.

Yeah, right. Ok, ok. I'll just TRY to do it LESS during the daytime and when I HAVE to check out something, it'll truly be a quickie. ;)
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Hey - How much trouble would I get into if I tied my 4 year old up for the remainder of the year??? Just till he turns 5 or until he grows out of this horrific new stage he's going through (i.e. the stage where everyone else is mean and awful and he is apparently manic/depressive as the mood strikes him). I SWEAR I'd still feed and clean him up occasionally.

a quickie

I have my computer back!! I have to take the kids to swim lessons in a sec, but after a week of my pc being down, I wanted to say hello, beautiful world of the internet!!

Long story short: Bil is recovering steadily. No major set backs. He had quadruple bypass, had some issues with the intubation but is currently off the ventilator. It's been a crazy couple of days (had my nieces yesterday, overnight and for a bit today) and I have to finish brushing my wet hair (first shower in 2 days. Ewww.) and go pick Justin up from day camp.

Thanks for any thoughts or prayers. He still needs them, but it's looking a whole lot more positive!

Back from the hospital...

We all went to wish him luck and give him love tonight. My boys, of course, got too rowdy but that's not unusual. They always act their worst when I need them to act their best...

He looked scared. Rightfully so. The details of the operation don't sound very fun. It is a good thing that he went in BEFORE he had a heart attack and when he was in the best condition he's been in in over a decade and that he's at one of the top cardio hospitals around with one of the best leading doctors. But still... the thought of someone cutting open my family isn't one that I treasure.

This whole experience is making me realize that I love him as a brother now, not just a brother-in-law.

I'm heading over to my sister's tomorrow (after dropping Justin at day camp) to pick up the girls for the day and they'll then spend the night. My younger sister and her baby will come over sometime to wait it out and help take care of the crew. So I'd appreciate any prayers you might have for not only a swift and easy surgery for my bil but also mounds of patience for me and lots of good behavior from the 5 kids...

I'm off to "baby-proof" the house a bit. Yeah right. Laura will find a way over, under, into and around anything I can come up with but it's worth a shot.

Say a prayer...

Just a quick post.

My brother in law is going in for triple bypass tomorrow. He's 36 years old and his family has a history of heart disease. After several months of serious exercise and diet changes, he's lost over 60 pounds and is in the best shape he's ever been. He went in to see why his blood pressure was still so elevated. They did an angiogram today and found complete blockage in 3 arteries. My sister is a wreck. We are frantically trying to arrange things so that we can all go in to see him tonight and trying to figure out what to do with their girls for the next few days... I'm feeling so helpless. I will help with the girls (obviously) and in any other way that I can but the only thing that will make it all better will be my brother in law being out of surgery and totally recovered. It's a long road ahead and I'm so scared for them and all of us... I need to get a good cry out now so I'm with it while I visit him tonight.

Earth, Fire, Wind and Rain.

We had all three in abundance this weekend.

Flip Flop Momma must not have been praying too hard, cuz we had the WETTEST and muddiest camping trip ever! (AND I found loads of earwigs while putting the tent away, thank you very much for jinxing me!) We met my sister, her hubby, my nieces, Shannon - almost 6, andLaura - 14 months - and BIL's friend and his wife and their 2 young sons (2 yr and 5 months). So. Lots of kids. Lots of rain. Lots of mud. Any questions? I had the dirtiest children I've ever seen! BUT!!! (and this is a big but) we had fun. Here are some speedy memories of this weekend for all to hear:

- Justin and Shannon dancing in the rain and being weather forecasters. Justin predicted rain and wind (hmmm... ya think?) as the rain poured over his head (I didn't have a rain hat or a hooded rain coat for him! Bad mom.)

- The 3 oldest kids dancing around the fire that they MIRACULOUSLY kept going despite the torrential downpours, and singing "Fire! Fire! FIRE!!" (Yes. I'm raising pyromaniacs.)

- Feeding them s'mores and realizing that Shannon had eaten 4 of them without any of us realizing!

- Watching Justin and the Laura interacting. He was feeding her, entertaining her, playing cute baby games, and just being an overall nice kid. It's good to see that he's slowly growing out of his not-so-friendly stage (is that nicely put enough for him to read in the future?)

- Being amazed at how incredibly good Corinne was this weekend! She napped when she was supposed to, went to bed in a tent during rainstorms and STAYED asleep, and allowed me to lie her down while she was still awake!! She didn't poop all weekend though. This could be bad tomorrow, but I'm glad I didn't have to deal with poopy clothes in the mud and rain...

- Justin reading his brain-questions for me and Patrick. He's so smart, it's scary at times. I'm amazed every day at how much he understands (of course, this wasn't a good thing when he went to bed in the tent and said - while yawning - that he didn't mind going to sleep cuz he could stilll hear us talking. Um... My BIL was quite tipsy (drunk) and was getting some racy stories going... Oops!)

- Sitting on the beach with the kids and my sister watching Patrick build a river with the kids. And then racing up to the shelter as a downpour took us by surprise!

- I started getting all weepy while we were on a hike (the trail guide said 2.8 miles. It was more like 6.8 miles, but I digress). I had Corinne on me in a sling and was generally bringing up the rear with Evan. He was getting quite tired (rightfully so) and was whining and needing to be carried. Patrick was carrying him on his shoulders and I was watching the group from behind. We've been camping several times with my sister's family, and we always take good hikes. I have so many memories of watching the other adults and kids walking together. I realized that the kids are getting bigger already and that these days may be shorter and fewer than I think. I started to get misty and made sure to enjoy the hike instead of wishing it would end so I wouldn't be tired and have to listen to a whiny 4 year old. I enjoyed it for what it was.

Snuggling with Pat and the kids in a cozy tent with only slightly damp pillows and having everyone safe and happy...

So, despite the mud and rain and cold, it was a good experience. I love camping and so do the kids. But the bottom of our bathtub tonight was quite a sight!

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On a different note, I got an email from an old high school friend who just had her second baby a month early. Thankfully, her daughter is healthy and a good size. Sadly, my friend's first child was born too premature and he only lived a few minutes... I just wanted to say how thankful I am that she can hold and love and treasure this child.

Rain, rain go away!

Oh man... PLEASE pray for dry skies this weekend for us. The weather forecast is rain tonight, rain tomorrow with a side of thunder, and some rain (for a change) on Sunday. I am NOT suggesting to Patrick that we cancel. This is the only weekend we really have available for camping and the stuff's all packed in the van already and my sister and her friend are at the sites as we speak. I need to go find more raincoats and pants. I only packed 1 pair of pants each. USUALLY it's stiflingly hot for us when we camp. I guess we get to experience puddles this time! I was really hoping for just a nice, moderate first trip with all 3 kids!!! Ok. Enough whining. My headache is coming back and the coffee is about done brewing. I'm off to pack an extra bag of warmer (and extra!) clothes for us all.

I don't mind rain, or even thunderstorms, at night. Just not too much during the day, please!

Busy busy bees over here!

Justin had his mini-recital last night. He played so well! And he introduced each song he'd memorized (7 songs) and bowed and everything. He smiled the whole time, too. And giggled when his 1 year old cousin starting clapping and saying "Yay!!" at the beginnning of one piece (And didn't mess up!). We had tons of ice cream and toppings and root beer floats afterwards... YUM! (But I now have WAY too much leftovers! I had 2 sundaes today... sigh. Can I blame it on the baby weight 7 months after birth?!?).

Evan is still getting more and more difficult each day. Calling people names ("loser" is his favorite one now. Sweet, nu?), deliberately not listening, etc. Isn't 4 years old grand?

We hit the pool again today. Corinne still despises the floatie thing but loves it when I hold her. So, I guess we've found out the way our summer will be spent. And she loves it when her brothers splash her. Lucky for that!

I got the CUTEST pictures of them today. If I ever get my butt to develop them, I'll post some. The 3 of them were cuddling on the floor. I posed them the same way that my sisters and I posed as little girls. I hope it turns out so I can give my parents a picture to put next to the one of us!

We are camping this weekend with my sister. Cross your fingers that Corinne and my niece nap well!! And that the heat isn't horrible... Last year, we went 2 times (I was very pregnant and my sister had a little baby) and both times were the hottest weekends of the summer ~ 90-100 and HUMID. Gotta love Illinois!

Patrick took the boys back to the pool tonight when he got home while I stayed home as Corinne was napping. I was all excited to have free time, but got lonely. Sigh... nothing is ever perfect, is it? They had a blast though. He was trying to teach Evan to do the "Nestea plunge." Which is, apparently, where you fall backwards into the pool with arms outstretched. I guess Evan changed his mind and did it facing forwards and had his first belly flop!! Oops!

I'm off to browse through blogs tonight for a while. (I'm waiting for "Commander in Chief" to finish recording so I can fast forward through the commercials...) I love to blog hop. You never know what you'll find! Adios and good night!

Sniff, sniff.

My baby is 7 months old. Gulp. She's my last baby. I keep trying to memorize her... Last night, I had to go into her room and rock her back to sleep as she was a little congested and sad. I just rocked and rocked... I ran my hands over her arms and back, her chubby legs, her smooth skin. I nestled my nose in her little neck and breathed in her smell! Ah! The smell of a baby. If we could just bottle it up and save it! Talk about a stress reliever. "Having a bad day? Depressed? Can't sleep? Sniff our baby in a bottle! Your worries are over!" People would buy it, too. But only if it was their OWN baby's scent. My sisters' kids, though they smell nice, don't smell like MY baby.
I got myself very emotional last night. It's not so much that I want another child, though I wouldn't mind, but that I'm not ready to be done with this stage of my life... which isn't the reason to have another child, I know. Plus, getting Patrick on board for THAT adventure would be quite the feat!!! I'm laughing at the thought of his face as I'd mention another baby!!! :)
Each milestone for each child makes me nostalgic. There's nothing to be done about it. I just need to reflect and wish for a while, then I can move on.
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I went shopping for the ice cream and toppings last night. You don't even want to know what I wrote THAT check out for! What was I thinking, saying an ice cream party would be easy and cheap? I forgot how expensive toppings can be! Oh well... What's done is done.
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So, today we go to the eye dr for a check up and new glasses for Justin and then my family's coming over tonight for the recital and ice cream party! Hope it stays as beautiful as it's been lately. Hope you all have lovely days as well...

A wonderful weekend

Ahhhh.... A beautiful summer night with the kids asleep. It was a great weekend! We went to the zoo, did some MUCH needed deep cleaning (I can see my computer desk!!) and went to buy Corinne a new car seat as her loooong legs were hanging over. :( We got a really cool one that will last her till 100 pounds and seems to be fairly easy to operate. I installed it a moment ago and am all set to go somewhere tomorrow! Especially since my mother-in-law is taking the boys for the day tomorrow!! Woo hoo!! My sister is coming over for a hang-out and I will hopefully finish cleaning the first floor. Justin has his piano "recital" Tuesday night. He will play 7 songs that he's memorized and speak about each one as well. Afterwards, I'm having an ice cream party! Evan has been asking when the ice cream party will be for weeks, now! I am in a good state of mind... We have a little surplus of cash flow which is a big contributor for that feeling and many many plans for fun summer outings! Last night, Patrick and I sat outside with glasses of wine and burgers after the kids went to bed and just hung (hanged?) out. It was so nice. Corinne has a little cough which makes me a bit worried, but I think it's just a summer cough. So. There's my weekend! Hope you all had a nice one and I am just gonna leave it at this...

Wet

Everything is wet, lately. I am constantly wiping and wringing. From what, you ask?

Not rain.

Not sweat.


Drool.

Baby drool, to be exact. I literally can wring the drool from her shirts. I actually HAVE wrung drool from her shirts. It's so gross! But I must admit, drool is a better option than spit up.

Fascinating topic, eh?
:)