Full to brimming...

...with the Christmas spirit. Rachel is sooooooo excited about things this year she is practically floating! Let's get the tree.....we need ornaments........how about our wreaths?..........can we do this now?? She never stops! Ben knows he is supposed to be excited, but he is unsure why which is really cute, and Becca is just her smiley self. How wonderful to be blessed with the happiness and innocence of children at Christmas.

On the Road for Thanksgiving

Forgive the delay in posting this, but I wanted to get it "on paper" so-to-speak. Talk about needing to write a book! It would be a sarcastic one, for sure. A tongue-in-cheek look at travelling with children during the holidays. I bet it would be a best seller and I would make millions and could retire at 45 (although how do you retire when you don't have a job?? But I digress...)
The kids got up, as usual, at 5 AM. Ugh. Breakfast, get dressed, hair, teeth, shoes....then the nitpicky stuff.........pick a snack and go get the book you would like read before bed. Find some paper and crayons for the car and get water in your thermos. You can watch tv while dad and I pack the car, but be sure that you are ready to go when we call you. Lets see....diapers and wipes, formula and bottle liners, clothes for 5...........bibs, R1's school pictures, blankets for the car.........two high chairs, butt paste and baby advil (just in case). *deep breath* Are we there, yet??
OK, everybody in....let's see. We have gas, three kids, two sizes of diapers and formula--oh, wait! The dog! Sniiiiiiiickers! Come on boy, hop in. Leash, dog food, small kennel for night time....OK, I think we are ready to go!
And away we went like a herd of turtles. Oh, crap! Go back...we forgot the pack-n-play for the baby. Argh!
And away we went like a herd of turtles.
OK, we're rolling now! Made it to Antrim (5 miles- yahoo!) *cough, cough* Man, I should have packed my own thermos. Oh, wait! The Cumberland Farms is open.....
OK, we are seriously set and on the road again. *cough, cough* What? A kernal is stuck in your throat? *cough, cough* Try some water. *cough, hack, cough* No luck? *hack, gag, hack* GAG??? Pull over! Out you go, babe....that's it.....bend over so you don't get any on your clothes..........you're OK..... that's it....here's a wipe for your face. Better? You can't feel it anymore? Great! Hop back in....How much longer? Umm, another hour and a half, sweetie.....we're still only in Antrim.
And so it went. It took two more potty breaks but other than that we were able to move along and reach our destination. A truly happy thanksgiving!

Bittersweet

I just put Rebecca down for her morning nap. As I was walking with her I was singing a lullaby and rubbing her back. She was, as usual, snuggling her head down into my shoulder under my chin. But then she did something she hasn't done in a long time- she pushed sideways and let herself slide down until she was cradled in my arms like an infant. It made my heart sing.
She is always so busy now, crawling around, bothering her brother by trying to get to his new farm set, standing and cruising..... it actually stopped me in my tracks to realize that there is still just a smigeon of baby left in her. She was so beautiful laying there next to my heart. I want to remember it in my mind's eye forever. She is my last baby and while I know that there are so many bigger and better things to come, I will miss being able to cradle her to my heart, watch her little fists as she rubbed her eyes and hear her sigh as she settles into my arms. For that second I was her world as much as she is mine. In that instant we made such a basic connection......so sweet.....so innocent. Love in its purest form.
She is my last baby. Pray God that I am around to meet my grandchildren and make that connection all over again. It just struck me in that precious moment in time what a bittersweet thing it is when you realize that your baby, your last baby, is on the verge of not being a baby anymore.

My Mommy

My mom, like most mom's, did everything for us and always got the short end of the stick. Her accomplishments are many, though for me, at least, I never really noticed them even when they were right in front of me. As kids she drove us everywhere- to tennis lessons, swimming lessons, cooking lessons, softball, baseball, choir, to gymnastics at 6AM. She took me to the library regularly, not only to take out books, but to see magicians and puppet shows. She did crafts with us on that brown barrel-table in the den and gave me a spot of my own to plant a garden of pansies. We went to summer's world, and swimming at the town pool. She even gave me a can of Cambell's soup so that I could iron my dad's handkerchiefs while she did her ironing next to me. I remember her crushing up our aspirin and trying to hide it in a tsp. of orange juice and sitting with me while I cried of an earache on the couch. She brought my brother to the dr. week after week for his beesting therapy. She was on all sorts of committees, chaired most of them, and worked hard for our greater good. I thought it was cool just to have her volunteer in the library at Nelson Place. She kept things going when my dad was so sick (he even tried to die on her, but she can occasionally be a bit, ummmm, pushy and that day she wasn't ready to let him go) She then started her own business and led a staff of 5 during the day before coming home to my teenage crap at night. She is still taking care of me and cleaning up after me to this day. She tried hard to instill order to my chaos, but sadly it never really stuck--until now. Now that I have a family of my own and I see all the behind-the-scene stuff that needs doing. All the stuff that you work so hard at, that you never get credit for. I had an awesome childhood and I can only hope to be as successful as she was at the end of the day. Thanks, mom. You're the best. I love you!

Dear Mommy,

I hat you be kuase I don haf any fun. Sined, from Rachel.
The funny thing is that she didn't write it because she hated me, she did it because she wanted a hug and to get me to snuggle with her and tell her I loved her. Why is it that we are so concerned about our manners outside of the home and being PC, but we (I) can get so caught up in the everyday stuff in our home that our daughter has to send me hate mail in order to get a hug?
She is so precious to me. I love that she gave me this note. With her head lowered, her eyebrows up and her bangs hanging low over her eyes. Like she has reached the end of her rope with me. I wish I could capture that expression on camera. I love that even when she was feeling that mad at me, she still could communicate with me. She cleverly thought of a way to passively get my attention with aggressive words in order to get what she needed. Genius!
Don't worry....we're best friends now. We even had some extra-special snuggle time while I sang her to sleep. I love you, too, Rach.

Becoming my mom

Enough said.

..............love you, mom!

Typhoon Benjamin

My little boy is becoming quite the mess-maker. Flour, half a container of baby formula, ketchup, toilet paper from the dispenser on the second floor all the way down to the living room door (you should have heard the giggle for that one LOL). Over the last couple of weeks it has just gotten out of control. Making a mess just to see what it will look like. Not in anger, not for any reason but the pure science of it. It is a good thing he gives such great hugs!

My littlest princess

She is amazing, my little R2. Yesterday she was standing up in her crib when I went to get her from her nap. She calls me mama and claps and waves and holds her breath in anticipation of "weee, weee, weee, all the way home!"
She is crawling from room to room and today went up on all fours like she was going to stand up herself in the middle of the room. Her hair is getting so long it is starting to be in her eyes and she is working on tooth #6. She LOVES to pull herself up to standing on whatever/whoever is near, and enjoys petting the animals. Today I had her in an 18month turtleneck onsie and 12 month pants. She is long in the torso like me. Her body is long and lean but she has those ADORABLE chunky thighs which I just love. She is so very alert and "with it" that everyone thinks I am joking when I say that she is only 8.5 months. So beautiful. What a blessing.

A Golden Book

R1 has a bookshelf in her room that is full to overflowing with books. We read a book every night before bed and it is the ultimate punishment not to get a book. It is getting fun, as now she is starting to read to me. So a few weeks ago I was lying in her bed and the top corner of a book was pulled out of the shelf. The letters were pastel with little white dots decorating them. I was intrigued as we have read all of those books over and over, but I couldn't place this one. It must be one that Nana got for her and it got put on the shelf as part of a group. Hmmmmm I reached for it, pulled it out and squealed. "OMG Rachel! Look at this book! I LOVE this book! Grammy used to read it to me ALL THE TIME!" I couldn't believe it was tucked in there and I never saw it!
It is called Home For a Bunny and has a cute brown bunny on the cover. I read the first line and the rest just rolled off my tongue. After she fell asleep I ran down and called my mom.
"Mom- you gotta listen to what I just found- you won't believe it!....."Spring, spring, spring" sang the frog. "Spring" sang the groundhog. It was spring......
My mom couln't believe it either. What a nice laugh we had. .....I wonder what ever happened to The Color Kittens, Hush and Mush? LOL

The Parent Test

The tough questions. They always seem to come out of nowhere, don't they? This afternoon we were driving into Concord to bring R1 to a birthday party. She was sooooo excited about it she had been counting down the minutes all day. It was a bowling party and we spent the drive practicing our singing of Happy Birthday (and the Star Spangled Banner LOL), talking about bowling and guessing what colors the shoes would be. "Mom, what does it mean to go to sleep permanently?" See what I mean? Out of the blue.
You have to know R1. There is no skimming over the answer, changing the subject or trying to ignore her altogether. No only does she want to know what it means, she wants to know how it happens, how it feels, who, where, what and especially why. . I think I did OK....I hope I did. We talked, we discussed examples, we cried together about Cherrie, then I announced that we were almost there, dried our tears and laughed again about shoes being all different colors.
She stayed for two hours then I picked her up and we came home for dinner. I was still mulling the conversation over in my mind. Did I give her too much information?
She always asks such specific questions! "How did Cherrie's whole body and her bones and everything get to fit inside that little box?" That was the question a few months ago. I told her that Cherrie had been cremated and that her ashes were in the box. I later heard her tell someone that her dog had been "re-maded" and was living in her heart now. Out of the mouths of babes.
So-- you want to know the question for the ride home? "Mom, what is a heart attack?" Ugh! I guess I should have married a doctor!

Time flies

Boy, does Rebecca seem to be growing up fast! She has cut her 5th tooth -on the top left- and is working on #6 on the top right. She goes from sitting to the crawl position and back to sitting like a champ and is starting to really be mobile. Last night she pulled herself to standing on daddy's legs. Yikes! I glanced back at her first pictures today...I love the one of Rachel holding her on the hospital bed... and I can't get over how the event itself seems so long ago, yet at the same time I can't believe that enough time has passed for her to be as big as she is. She is wearing 12 mos. clothing, and even some 18mos pants as she is so tall. She tries so hard to join in with her siblings, and loves to laugh along with them. My little lamb- not so little anymore!

Reflections

From the time she was a year old, my oldest daughter has LOVED to watch her reflection in windows. As a toddler she spent much of her time in front of our sliding glass doors performing little dances, tilting her head back and forth and watching herself whenever possible out of the corner of her eye. You could hold a whole conversation with her without her ever looking at you. She was absolutely fascinated by her reflection. Doors and windows at home, in stores, at grammy's house.........didn't matter where you were-- if there was a reflection, Rachel was performing for it. It was so very cute and everyone commented on it, all the time.
For the past year or maybe even two, I haven't noticed her doing it. In fact, I had forgotten about that cute little habit from her toddlerhood.
For the past week or so I have caught her several times making faces and singing into the glass. This evening while we talked about her day she didn't look at me once, prefering instead to converse while watching herself over my shoulder. Such a simple thing which brought back so many wonderful memories. "Hit it!"

A Conversation to Remember

I had a conversation with my son yesterday. It was our first real back-and-forth conversation. Wow! Do I feel good about it. *smile* Here is the content:
I had called my mom. He said hello to her and then, after I hung up, he put his hand flat on his forehead (with his thumb and index finger sticking up), turned his head right and left and said, "Whe Me?" I said, "Grammy went home. She is at her house." He said, "pa?" I said, "Grampa is at his house, too." He then stuck his hand in his back pocket (he had overalls on). He smiled and said, "Paw". I said, "Yes, you have a lot of pockets in those pants, don't you?" He stuck one hand in his back pocket and the other in his front pocket. He looked up at me and said, "Uh, oh, stu-" I replied, "your hands are stuck?" To which he laughed and pulled them out and yelled, "tah dah!!" Too funny that kid! Makes me feel good to know that his language is coming along....Rachel was a late talker, too, so I never really worried about Ben, but it is nice to be able to interact verbally with him. *Satisfied deep breath* How long do you think I have until I am verbally sparing with him?? LOL

Yes, I know, Mom

Rachel. Age 6.5 and she runs circles around me. Tonight we read the Magic School Bus Goes to the Moon. She just got it from her Scholastic Book Club. In the book, Phoebe's dad goes on the magic school bus with them and is enjoying the lack of gravity on the moon. He is jumping all around and such. "Rachel", I said, "gravity is....." "I know, Mom-- gravity is the invisible force that holds us to the earth." Of course she knew that. What was I thinking? Silly me.

Snickers

Snickers scratched at the door to go out today----I am taking it as a victory. Hooray!

Right Before My Very Eyes

My daughter is growing up so quickly! Its funny how you don't really notice it from day-to-day but then she does something and it stops you in your tracks when you realize how big she is. This morning she did something mundane........she skipped by me and reached up to the top of the tv shelf to get the remote. When did she get tall enough to do that on her own? She didn't hesitate....didn't look around for a chair or a stool, just knew that she could do it, no biggie. I blinked and looked at her. Like really looked at her. She is growing taller and a bit more slender. She is reading up a storm and her new favorite show to watch with us in the evenings is How It's Made. She enjoys school and really likes math. She gets good marks on her spelling tests and like to play those hand-jive games (Lemonade -clap, clap, clap- crunchy ice- clap, clap, clap-) She is such a beautiful girl.........if only she was a neat freak! *wink*

My kids call her "Tor"

She is a special girl in my life. She is in her teens and has the whole world at her feet. She can sing, she plays the guitar, she is in the honors track at school and she is gorgeous. I love her as if she was my own. I wish I lived closer so that I could go to her games and watch her perform at school. She loves my kids as much as I love her and I feel blessed that she is comfortable enough in my house to come up and stay overnight to visit.
There is one thing, though, that makes me nervous for her... but seeing as she isn't mine, I don't know that it is my place to say anything. She loves the computer (and texting on her phone LOL). When she comes up she goes on the computer at night...or whenever she can sneek away........and it makes me nervous. I find myself fighting an internal battle over whether I should tell her so, or just let it be as I'm not her mom. (Sgt. Safety is on the job, I'm sure!)
Here is what I would like to say to her: You are still young, but look like you could be older. I know that at your age you are on the verge of soooo much, that life is getting interesting and there are boys and friends and that being older is very appealing, but I wish that I could tell you that with all the good out there, there is also a lot of bad. Peer pressure bad. Smoking, drinking, drugs and sex. With the web, it just adds another dimension. She interacts with people in far off places. She is in love with a guy in another state named Raf or Rex or some such thing. I pray that it is on the up-and-up and he is a regular teen just like her, but you just never know. Honestly. You never know. She showed me his pic, but how do you know it is his pic? How do you really know that it isn't a pic of some slimy guy's kid brother or nephew? You really don't.
I post to a mother's board. We actually had a woman on there replying to threads and posting about her "impending" birth and all about her other children when someone else came along and recognized her. Turns out she wasn't pregnant, was posting pictures of the kids she babysat, and none of it was real! She was faking not only her family, but pregnancy! Blew me away, but it does happen....alll the time.
I know that my girl takes precautions like not posting her correct name, age, or town, but she needs to think that the other kids are, too! It makes me crazy. Ugh! What am I going to do when my own kids reach this age??? I spend enough time just worrying about Tor~!
Then there are the boys. Boys are nasty little hormone machines at this age and with her looking so beautiful and wearing the low-cut shirts and all, I just worry for her. There is no need to grow up so fast. The next ten years of her life are have the potential to be fantastic- the years where she will make friends, become independent and start to plan her future and realize her dreams. I just hope and pray that she believes in herself enough, that she knows how special she really is, that she won't bow to the pressure of others to do drugs, get drunk or screw around just because a boy says she should or else it means she doesn't love him. Tor, I am telling you, if a boy says that then set him free because he doesn't love YOU enough to wait for you to be ready. I know you don't want to hear it, but you are still young. Enjoy it. Rejoyce in it. Have fun with it, but be true to yourself and your own values.
OK, I am ranting and need to reel myself in. She is just so precious that after I see her it keeps me up nights worrying for her. But then I think that she IS a smart girl who has a great set of parents who have done a fantastic job raising her and I think- hey, she knows what is going on. Sgt. Safety has taught her well and she knows the score. She will be OK.
I love you, Tor.

My Guy

I love my husband. On Monday he got reading glasses. Apparently his eyes have been getting worse for some time but he has not been letting on. Anyhoo, now he has readers. That evening after dinner, we sat together at the table after the kids were excused. He put on his glasses and flipped through a magazine- actually seeing the words this time. As I gazed at him in his glasses, I was suddenly struck by feelings of (now, now) comfort and stability. (Not what you expected me to say, was it? LOL) Seriously, who would have thought that this man that I met when we were just teenagers, would be the same one still sitting across the table from me as we start to enter "middle age". We have worked hard together, built a house together, work as a team to raise our kids, laughed, cried and loved and still, just by catching a peek at him, I can feel contented in my life. How special is that??

... And, man! Does he look good in those glasses or what??!

vjffyr4vgfrfffedhsxu (post-script added by Ben LOL)

Can't help but wonder 'what if'...

2004 was a tough year for us. Really tough. Everyone remembers March 12th, the day of our housefire. Even now, four years later, it is still brought up in conversation every now and again. The worst part of the year for me, however, was that on October 21st I had a miscarriage. No one mentions it, I honestly don't even know if people remember it, but every year Chad and I talk about it and remember our little angel.
Would we have had a boy or a girl? Would he/she have looked like the others or had their own individual features? Would she have slept well? Eaten well? Liked to play in outside like Ben or inside like Rachel? Would he have had physical problems? Emotional ones? Obviously there were severe problems, and it was for the best that things happened the way they did, but every year my mind gets filled with questions and I think of all the things I missed out on with my angel baby. Rubbing noses, lullabies, having her fingers wrapped around mine. I miss you little one! We will never forget you!

Rachel's hair

Rachel's hair has been somewhat of an issue the past few years. At the age of 2 she had beautiful long curls which framed her face and were the envy of many. At the age of 3 she decided to take scissors to them and cut them off.....on the left side. *shakes head* I will never forget walking in to find all those beautiful curls spread out around her on the floor. I took her to the hairdresser and they turned her into a Buster Brown look-alike. Not a good look for her. At all. Sooooooo.........into the car we went, over to the other hairdresser in town, where the very talented owner did what she could to salvage things. She looked like Jaime Lee Curtis. (Which, in the grand scheme of things is 100% better than Buster Brown but Boo Hoo!! The curls!

So it is now three years later and she has finally decided to grow it out again and only get her bangs cut. She had discovered hair clips, the curling iron and braids. I don't know if it will ever get as long again, and the curls have never fully come back, but she has gorgeous naturally highlighted hair. As you can see from the photo, it curls wonderfully. Yesterday she pulled it back into clips and last Friday she went to school with two french braids. It is fun to finally see her experimenting and enjoying something that she wanted short for so long. Welcome back!

Sixteen years

Wow- Sixteen years. Married, that is. 23 years together in all. It really doesn't seem possible! I think we make a pretty good looking couple, if I do say so myself. Over that time we have lived at 2 addresses, had 5 dogs, 4 cats and 3 children LOL. We have had our ups and downs, been prosperous and been money poor. We have survived a house fire and a miscarriage and are closer for it. I can't imagine being with anyone else. He can read my mind, puts up with my moods, and knows just how to rub my back and neck to make it all better. He does housework and watches the kids, supports my endeavors (with some grumbling, but he does) and he is the most caring and honest man I know. He loves us and works hard to support us. Everything he does is done with his family in mind. He is my McGyver. He is my world.

Kit Kat

My kitty is missing. He disappeared 4 days ago and I truly miss him. We have another cat (his twin sister) and the dog and , of course the kids, but it is amazing how much of a place he held in our lives. I didn't realize that he held to a pretty strict schedule of going out and coming in until I started glancing around for him at certain times of the day. I growled when he insisted on sleeping at the head of the bed between our pillows but now miss his presence dearly. He was mister 'fiercely independent' until he wanted to be scratched and then he would stretch out and keep coming back for more. He gave the dog a run for his money and always kept everyone in line but loved to snuggle. He was beautiful- majestic. One of the prettiest cats I know. My kitty is missing- and it has left a big hole in my heart. I love you Kit Kat!

Rebecca

My baby is growing up. She sits, rolls over, plays peek-a-boo herself with a blanket, she can say mama and dada, she puts her index finger to her lips and goes "blah-blah-blah-blah-blah" by rubbing it up and down against her mouth (which is hysterical BTW!) and she loves to stand up. Loves it! She will turn over and push against you to slide off your lap and just stand there between your feet. To big already! She has outgrown the Bumbo, her swing and her "bucket" carseat. The exersaucer and jumperoo are soon to follow, I think. Makes me kinda sad to see her growing so fast, but at the same time I just love being able to interact with her. My baby!

Another project

My daughter is amazing. She is cute and smart and she makes me scream and want to pull my hair out and I wouldn't trade her for the world! I just love her. She is an artist. She is 6. She loves to do "projects". This is her latest one-- it is a bonsaii tree!

She watched How It's Made on TV last night with her dad and they showed an artist making a fake bonsaii tree. He made a plaster base, then covered it with strips of paper, painted it, added the leaves, and then glued moss around the base to make it look lifelike. So this morning Rachel took her brother's boot, wrapped it up in toilet paper, painted it to look like bark, added green for the moss and then went out to collect twigs and stones to make it look like a tree.

She is the best! How can you not love that!?

He's serious!

DH wants to have another child! I am in complete and utter shock. When I was dating him he was never going to get married (so we broke up until he realized what a great catch I was and proposed)......then we were never going to have children. He had a crappy childhood and didn't trust himself to be a good parent so no kids. That was the rule. We were married 10 yrs. then I got pregnant with Rachie. Now I am old and tired and falling apart and he wants to keep going!>!>!>
I don't even know what to say (well, I DO know what to say--NO!) but really! Why can't guys get it together sooner??? Why wait until I am 40 to spring this sudden love of babies on me? I could just scream. This all came about because Rebecca has outgrown her swing so I have been asking around if anyone knows of someone who can use it. And he got all teary eyed and said, "Are you sure? Maybe just one more??" Speechless. I was absolutely speechless (and believe me, that doesn't happen often! LOL)
Do you know how you know that you are done and are truly satisfied with your family? I will tell you how you know. When you are really not done you still question whether you are really done or not. You tell people that you are pretty sure you are done, but there is always something in the way back crevices of your mind and in your heart that tells you not to give things away yet. When you are done, you are just done. There is a period at the end of the sentence and there is nothing more to say. No wondering, no "well...." Nothing. Just, "I am done- period." You look forward to getting rid of the exersaucer and the swing and the bucket carseat and everything else that it taking up your entire livingroom. You are done. Then he has to pull this on me?? What am I supposed to say to him? Argh! Who ever thought that I would be in the position of being the stick-in-the-mud!? Let me tell you, it was much easier when I could just blame everything on him!

Going to the Fair

It is fair season in NH and until this past weekend, we had only been to the local one- unheard of! My DH and DD1 are total fair junkies and are regularly on the lookout for any opportunity to go. I, however, go just because they do. It seems like a lot of aggrivation, never mind $$, to eat junk food and walk around looking at displays that are in the same place year after year.
I have to confess, however, that even though we started in the rain, the Deerfield Fair yesterday was a good time for all. Rachel loved the rides, running from one to another. The girl is fearless!! Bumper cars, giant swing, kiddie roller coaster and even the ferris wheel with dad. Too much that one! Ben is more like mom and enjoys having both feet on the ground while he enjoys waving to his sister. Rebecca was great- riding in the stroller for seemingly hours on end, many of them in the rain. She tried a bite of fried dough and smiled at everyone.
We ate, looked at displays and enjoyed walking around and checking things out. The kids ALL fell asleep in the car on the way home and DH and I look forward to the next one.

That rollercoaster called LIFE....

Life sure is a riot! We just got hit with a bunch of HUGE bills-- having to pay TWICE our normal tax bill....a new transmission for one of the trucks (the second one this year- different truck)....purchasing a wood burning furnace which seemed like a good idea at the time but is really getting out of hand...and on and on and on.
At the same time DH and I have discussed our life's plan and think that buying a campground would be really fun and a great way to raise the kids. He is getting too old for the really physical work that he is called to do, and I am not so sure I want to go back to teaching. Campgrounds cost between 500,000 and 1.5 million. Hahahaha...this might be on the 5 year plan, eh? Then I was researching a house online when I stumbled upon the vacation house of my dreams. Waaaaay out of my price range (which is $25.00 BTW) Oh yeah, life can just make you laugh sometimes, eh? But we will get through it. We will hunker down like we always do and get through the squeeze..........but I sure wish we didn't have to!
Honey, did you play powerball this week??

Dante's Tenth Level of Hell

Fruit flies. ARRRGH!

Oh no! Not the crib sheet!

I hate (read that as HATE) changing crib sheets. There has to be some secret to it, some trick or slight of hand that makes it easier. You would think that being on my third child I would have figured it out by now. Apparently not. I spent an inordinate amount of time this morning changing the sheet on #3s crib. She had had a diaper blowout that was not only nasty, but right in the middle which meant immmediate changing. Yes, you read that right. With child #1 it went without saying that I would change the sheet immediately. With #2 I learned that you can cover things like urine , etc. with a towel and put the child back to bed and deal with it in the morning. With #3 I would have just moved her to the other end of the bed and dealt with it later. But in the middle?? No go. UGH! Not what I wanted to be doing at 5AM. Any crib sheet pros out there? Want to share your technique? Maybe I could invent a bumper holder thingie that makes it easier...............yeah! Then I could make millions and retire early and ........*yawn* maybe I will sleep on it, instead.

A Day for Dreaming

What a beautiful day for dreaming. Since I rarely get enough continuous sleep at night to have a dream, I have decided that for a few minutes every day I will pour myself a drink (diet dew), put my feet up and cruise the travel channel to see what the day's destination will be. Today I took a Disney cruise in my mind. (Yes, I know that this is pretty sad but I have to tell you that I really do enjoy it!) The boat was gorgeous, the accomodations were large enough to fit a family and- this is the best part- they supply the babysitters so that the adults can enjoy the cruise, too. Ahhhhhh..........
Yesterday I went on the American Orient Express, which is a trip that I promise myself that I am going to actually do some day --when the kids are older and can all sleep through the night so that Grammy and Grampy can keep them for the week. What a beautiful trip through all the national parks out west. It makes me giddy to think about being able to go there with my husband and see the sights without worrying who is getting too close to the edge, who is trying to feed wild animals, and who is starting food fights in the dining car. Oh, to be a couple again! But that is for another day..............

Bitchin'

There was a crisis. The crazy bitch was mean to my friend. It was time to call in the reinforcements. It took about 30 minutes for us all to gather- for the cavalry to arrive. They came from down the street and even across town. No one quite knew why, but still they gathered to commiserate and support a friend.
Once everyone arrived we set up the kid-free zone, broke out the beer and lent an ear to our friend in need. It turned out to be a great time! We bitched, we moaned, we plotted, we laughed and in the end, we decided that we should have a crisis every week. Tina's turn is next Wednesday LOL. How fabulous to be a part of such a supportive group of women!
The evening was rounded out by an ice cream truck, of all things. I think it was a divine intervention...Proof that God really is a woman! LOL. Eleven ice cream treats later our kids gathered together for a group THANK YOU! that made us all laugh and feel proud. What a bitchin'afternoon!

How blessed am I?

What a great day! What did we do? Nothing. Ahhhhhhhhh. A beautiful fall-ish day with blue skies and puffy white clouds, only a slight breeze. What a great day to put a blanket out on the lawn and spend an hour or three outside with the kids. We played in the sandbox, we picked the pears, we hunted for bugs and caterpillars, we tickled each other and we just sat quietly together taking in the scenery. I love my life!

A Sense of Accomplishment

It is amazing how good it feels to get a big chore off my list. Hubby helped me (OK, he did it and I was his runner- get this, I need that, etc.) to install a runner up the stairs and down our many hallways. 60' of carpet in all. It took a couple hours because we tacked it all down in addition to the cutting, but it looks GREAT! It is black with beige, olive green and maroon accents.
This morning I decided to tackle another issue which has been tumbling around in my mind. I moved the desk out of the playroom, through 2 other rooms and into the kitchen. I am in the process of moving the table that was used as a desk in the kitchen into the playroom. Sounds like an easy swap, right? Well, as I type the table is lodged in the hallway door and the nut holding the leg on won't budge. Of course. But if I ever get this done it will be good, I just know it! (Actually I am living in a fantasy world where I believe that if I am just a smidgeon more organized my kids will be, too, and the house won't get so messy. I am going on year 6 of my fantasy and am still thinking that moving furniture will solve my problems. Hmmmm, I wonder where some chocolate is??) *sigh* OK, I am back to the nut. Wish me luck!

Where to begin?

I have wanted to blog for a while. I set up the page, chose my picture, thought up a title and then..........nothing. I wanted to have something spectacular for my initial post.
Uh huh. Yeah. So there sat an empty blog for more than a week while I waited for some sort of divine inspiration to stop me in my tracks and make me drop everything to run to the computer and create the post to end all posts. Suddenly, though, I realized that if I did that, then there would be nothing left to write. So here I sit, babbling out my fingertips with all the trappings of the day swirling around in my head. Which should get the priority?
I think I will go with Miss Rebecca. She is just amazing to me. Six months old and lives life to the fullest already. I just love her! She had everyone in KFC coming over to meet her, waving to her and making faces/ giggling with her. Not just one person, but several! Too much, that one. Then there is her big sister who was the only one able to calm the baby with her beautiful singing. And not to forget big brother who entertained the crowds at his cousin's birthday as he filled a HUGE wagon with all sorts of treasures, then spent an hour dragging it around behind him. So precious.
Wow, this blog is a really neat thing. I began typing with a rather large chip on my shoulder due to raging thyroid, raging husband and being overwhelmed by day-to-day life. After writing about my babies, however, I feel so much better!
Not earth-shattering, not pulitzer prize winning, but not a bad first step, either. Welcome to my blog!