Wisconsin

This is my Mother-in-Law in Wisconsin. I didn't want to be mean with my Springy pictures so I am including this as well. I think they have gotten several more inches since this picture was taken last month. I blame it on the groundhog.

Spring has Sprung

The Dutch Iris is my favorite flower. The bulk of my wedding flowers were Irises. I love to get a bunch of them on my birthday. I don't, however, need any more nicknacks of painted Iris. Thank you.

It has turned a little colder this week. We were teased with the sunshine for days and now rain is expected a lot this week. Poor little boys.

I guess I really am getting old. These days, all I do is talk about the weather.

What was I thinking?

When not taking pictures of herself on her cell phone, Grammy likes to hang out with Charles.

Never go to Chuck E. Cheese's on a Saturday night when it is raining outside. Never. Not even if your son's friend is visiting and you are running out of ways to entertain them.

We didn't even see Chuck E. there! Even he was smarter than us.

Oh, here he is: CHUCK E TRAINING VIDEO.

I can't laugh. I can smile

In my opinion, motherhood is something you just have to experience to know what it is really like. People tell you it is going to be hard and you figure it will be. You also assume there will be joy in it and there is. I thought that it might be challenging at times, but I don't think I expected it to be the hardest thing I ever did. On too many occasions I have found myself daydreaming about my old desk job. Obviously, I had three children on purpose and continue to stay home with them so the benefits must definitely outweigh the sacrifices. When I learn of someone having their first baby, I try not to offer unsolicited advice. I think we all have a different journey in motherhood and someone else's concerns and feelings won't be what mine were. That being said, my girlfriends have been the best resource and comfort to me in this road I am traveling down. I hope I can be the same to others. It kept me going today to talk on the phone to a friend with three kids who confirmed to me "yeah, it is really hard and if anyone says differently they aren't telling the truth." I love that my friends tell me "he will grow out of it" and help me realize the little things that wear me down daily are really not that big of a deal. My friend on the phone today and I both agreed that one day we would laugh about all this, but we will not be laughing right now.

The Parent Bloggers Network has more truth stories about motherhood. In addition, The Discovery Health Network is starting a new docu-drama called "Deliver Me" that follows OBGYNs in their practice and in their lives as mothers.

Pee Wee Little League

These shoes will never look this good again.

Will he finally get to play tomorrow? After two cancelled games due to bad weather, we have high hopes for a game tomorrow at Noon. Rain is forecasted so we are currently holding our breath. At least he gets his team picture made in the morning rain or shine. And that is really ALL that matters (to Mommy)!

Where is Britney?

Is this a post about Britney Spears? You bet cha. I'm not proud of it. However, I was thinking about how I did not know anything about her or what her whereabouts have been in quite a long time. What a relief! When I was up at all hours with a new baby six months ago I could not get away from her. I often went to the TV at 3-6am and there she was. The few days I was in the time warp (hospital) after having baby girl, it was non-stop news about her losing her kids. Do I have to put that as the world news in her baby book? You could not watch any of the so called news channels without hourly updates. My guess is they are not talking about her as much, but to me it just feels like my life is a little more normal and routine than it was with a newborn. She is actually the best sleeper in the house now. Anyway, I know Brit has her problems, but nothing makes me laugh outloud as much as her letters to Justin posted at the Fug.

Okay, enough of that. Now I am sorry I even brought her up. I am glad I could put a picture of my babies cute bum out there for you.

Discount Diva

I am the treasurer of a large children's consignment sale. We spent a whole week this month filling up the fellowship hall of our church and emptying it out again. This picture is not from the sale, but of my home after being gone so much in one week. I'm still trying to get things in order. The good news is I got lots and lots of cute name brand clothes super-cheap for baby girl. The bad news is they are all over the floor of my house and I have no where to put them! It really is ridiculous now that I think of it. It made so much sense when my friend justified that I would turn around and sell them all next year. I was so ecstatic to find little hot pink, red and even blue outfits for her. The pale pink doesn't do much for her (or me). Did the boys get anything? Oh yeah, khaki pants, one annoying mechanical dinosaur and the enjoyment of seeing their baby "sistah" in little lime green Crocs.

Modern Day Grammy

It is a strange world I live in when my mother is taking a picture of herself with her camera phone. Especially when I am 20 feet away with a Canon 5D.

New Hair-Do

My hair person is getting married and quit her job. No surprise to me because every time I find someone I really like, they quit within two years. I took it as a great opportunity to see another person that several of my cute friends use. I feel like it is a transition time in my life with new opportunities in my life not to mention a new baby. The big guy is going to real school next year and I'll be dropping some of the many preschool volunteer activities I have soon - it is in the horizon. I wanted something to represent so many changes and this new time and maybe spark something in me to lose the last bit of baby weight I am hanging on to. It didn't hurt that I have post partum hair loss around my face and can't do anything with it anymore. What I had in mind was a cut similar to Katie Holmes (before the latest short bob). That is exactly what I got. The problem is, I am not Katie Holmes. Also, my hair is very thick and wavy/curly so maintenance will be interesting if not scary. I've never had it this short and I can't decide if I like it or not. Few friends have seen it and the ones that have both said "You got your hair cut!" Nothing indicated it was a little okay and one felt inclined to tell me it would grow back. They may just be in shock like me or perhaps it is much much worse than even I realize. I warned my husband before I got home and he told me that it was not my best look, but he would love me even if I was bald. He thought that was something nice to say [insert puzzled look here]. You can't tell from the picture, but 4 inches came off the back and neither of my boys acknowledged it at all (they will be men one day after all...). Finally I had to ask the four year old what he thought (not my best idea). He said "why does it look like a hat." I suspected it might look like a brown football helmet. My crowning glory has always been my hair and probably the thing you would notice about me first. That may not be a good thing anyway. I am having a bit of an identity crisis as I actually start to look the part of a soccer mom and not the 25 year old that I still feel like inside (except for me aching back).
UPDATE: All of a sudden all the ads to the right of my blog are for hair loss products. Insult to injury!

Wednesday

I am going to try a wordless wednesday myself. It is officially midnight and I am just too tired to write anything. Shoot. I already messed it up by writing something.

I'm going to do what she is doing now.

The Dress

Her first Easter dress. Ahhhhh. And, I spared no expense. After two boys I felt a little entitled to go crazy on baby girl clothes. I have control of myself now. I am so embarrassed that I left the tag on it when I sent her to the nursery at church. Much more embarrassed about it than that she only had one shoe on. I have not mastered getting my children ready for church (or anything else for that matter) in a timely manner. It takes Hubby and I hours of herding the boys from room to room only to end up leaving in the wrong clothes or missing accessories (like shoes). I even try to prepare everything the night before and it still doesn't work out for me. This is true on a typical day and this Sunday the Easter Bunny really slowed us down with his distracting treats. However difficult it was to get there, we had a good day. We even managed to escape lunch without ketchup on the dress. Her ear, cheek and the little guy's white sweater were not so lucky.

Best Mom Ever

Happy Easter everybody. I will have some more Easter pictures later. Until then, I just wanted to share what a great Mom moment I had. Star Wars Easter Eggs. I never even knew there was such a thing. And, never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined I would take part in a Jedi Easter moment. Beautiful Martha Stewart non-cracked eggs would have been more up my alley. I have to make up for fussing at my little boys for dying their t-shirts by letting them have something they will love so much. I would have only made one dozen if the big guy told me he wouldn't eat an egg beforehand. I'm still sending one in his lunch tomorrow. Grammy brought the baby girl some Tinkerbell Easter eggs. I did not anticipate that and feel like I am going to have to learn a lot of new girl stuff just when I have some of the boyish things under control. I hope I don't have to buy Barbie egg kits. I think I might like Darth Vader better (not that I want to promote the Dark Side on Easter....He is Risen!).

Baby Legwarmers

Please don't put these on your baby. Especially if he or she has chubby legs like my baby girl. They are cute for a picture so go for it if it is a short amount of time. My baby girl was taking a nap today in a short dress and I thought I would be clever and put her Baby Legs on so she wouldn't get chilly. She ended up sleeping a little longer than she normally does. When she woke up we brought her down to the kitchen where we were dying Easter eggs. My hubby noticed her foot was blue. I was trying to figure out how she got dye on her feet or why pink fabric would turn her blue. He ripped one off and her whole leg was blue because they were cutting off the circulation in her leg! The elastic doesn't seem too tight so I don't know if it was just too much for her or maybe pressing on the wrong place. She has cute fat legs, but nothing out of the ordinary on a baby. She is no Jennifer Beals and I won't be putting them on like that again. Consider yourself warned!

Girl Scout Cookies are Here!

They have been here and gone again. It looks like Baby Girl favors the Thin Mints just like her Dad. Thank goodness - more Tagalongs for me. The exciting news is that I bought them from a real live Girl Scout and not somebody's Dad. In my earlier life, I went door to door selling these cookies. I sold an impressive 250 boxes (okay, 15 were to my Dad). All for the prize of a week-long trip to Camp Cottaquilla where I was terribly homesick and if you ask me now - was no prize at all. I'm really hoping now that my Dad didn't buy those extra 15 boxes to push me over the limit and get rid of me for a week. Fun times. I'm thinking the big guy is going to have to hit the streets to sell his baseball raffle tickets soon. At least they give cash prizes and not a week of bad food and mean girls.

Little League

The big guy had his baseball parade and game canceled for the second time due to bad weather. I think they will be off for Easter or Spring Break soon. This league is too expensive to not be playing. I was glad to sleep later this morning, though. A gift for me. Anyone want to buy a raffle ticket?

A Blast from the Past

When I was a kid I loved having a subscription to Highlights Magazine. Now, my son loves getting this as well. He is constantly asking if his new Highlights has arrived. The boys love "hidden pictures" (Thanks, Grandma) and I like Goofus and Gallant. I just found out that there is a Highlights magazine for younger kids ages 2-6 called High Five. I would love to have this one too for Alex. The Parent Bloggers Network is giving away a free subscription if you are interested.

Four-Year-Old Drama

Can you believe that sweet face could cause such havoc? The green mouth is courtesy of his Green Goblin Popsicle that is necessary every time he steps into the backyard.

He got tested with the county school system today for speech and development. It was not a lot of fun for me. They kept making comments along the lines of "we have never tested this far with any child" and " he is working at a six-year old level" which meant "why are you wasting our time and there is nothing wrong with him." That is all great and fine except for making me feel like the worst parent in the world. One of the ladies worked with him and then asked me "what exactly is wrong with his speech?" Uhhhh, no one understands him, he has a lisp, can't make certain letter sounds and seems as though he has a Boston accent when he has lived in Georgia his whole life? I was told they would never be able to do anything for him if he sucked his thumb and I needed to make him stop. Oh, okay. That is a great idea. One of the ladies pulled out a sheet on how to discipline children and read it line by line to me. "You don't ask a child to do something, you tell him so that you have the authority and are not passive. An example is: Put your shoes on. The wrong way is: Can you put your shoes on for me? Funny an example was not Don't rub your poop all over the bedroom floor. Wrong: Could you pretty please not ruin our house today? I'll have to send him to private school for sure now that there is a big red mark in his file for Strong-Willed Mommy. I sat back and told them that those were not my problem areas and it was easy to say everything is fine when they sit on the floor and play fun games with him. I think I might have cried and had my own little tantrum if my child wasn't with me. I expected simplistic answers like "take a favorite toy away from him" and "walk away from him" but had hoped for a little more direction that would help us in any way at all. They told me to get support from our church and I exited. Again, child with me so not possible to hit the nearest bar. I did the next best thing for a Mommy. Two large coffees at McDonalds and a phone call to my friend, Susan, who confirmed that she always felt punched in the stomach when dealing with "those" people. Hopefully there will never be a next time, but if there is I will know to follow her lead and visit my happy place in the middle of a conversation with them. Two large coffees...not a good idea when you don't normally drink caffeine. I felt no better and only talked faster about my problems. Our next stop was the GI Dr. for Alex and I needed to see him for myself by the time we got there. The Doc lives in La La Land like all the other child-rearing experts in my life. He told Alex to put his poop in the potty and felt confident that would do the trick (he forgot to tell him not to put a whole roll of toilet tissue in the bowl). I played along with his little game just as I did with the dental assistant that told Alex he would look like a duck if he sucked his thumb. She said that is all I had to tell him. We weren't out of the office for 10 minutes before he told me "I want to look like a duck." I had high hopes for answers coming out of this marathon day. As it turns out the only thing I learned was to not drink two large coffees in one sitting. Next plan of action: pray more, endure the insanity and save for all new flooring in the house.

Please God, let my brother use the potty.

I didn't think you would want to see the carpet stains made today. I can't believe my washing machine hasn't broken in the last 6 hours from overuse. I have lots to complain about, but I'll give you a highlight of the day instead. Baby Girl was sitting quietly while Evan and a friend smacked light sabers together. She starting laughing really hard at them which was pretty shocking and funny. She has never done that before without me chewing on her neck.

Just Another Day in Paradise

First Tantrum

She had her very first tantrum today. I think. She was crying real tears and kicking her legs as hard as she could up and down. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life. Can't you see the attitude she already has in this picture? I think she may be teething. Teeth are coming and going in our house these days with one kid or the other. It is a really big deal.

All is well here in Young World except for the threat of a stomach bug for me & the Little Guy and a cold for Dad. The boys punched each other every time I was on the phone today and only the bed got peed on today. No major carpet damage as far as I could tell. The boys were wilder than usual at bedtime after beeing cooped up all day on a rainy day. Baby Girl is amazing to sleep through all the screaming and yelling. I threatened to put those boys to bed naked and it did not phase them at all. I am now wondering if they actually brushed their teeth before bed??? We tried to read to the Little Guy before bed tonight (to avoid shredded library books) and were shocked when out of no where he said "Love is patient, love is kind. Corinthians 13:4" I think it might have even been cuter than Kate's tantrum (especially with mispronounced words). I'm going to remind him of that verse next time he punches his brother.

Upward

We just finished our first season with Upward Basketball and it was a good one. The team name of "Gators" wasn't thrilling to us. I suppose "Tigers" was taken? It is a great organization and we can't wait until our Little Guy can play too. Even though the early morning games were tough on Mom & Dad, we had a good time watching the game with friends and I especially enjoyed the Chick-fil-a chicken biscuits and diet coke. It's all about the food. Baby Girl always sat quietly or snoozed in her infant carrier. Next year she will be climbing the bleachers and running on the court in the middle of the game. Maybe she will even throw her biscuit at the coach. Wait. No, she is a girl and I am due an easy toddler. Oh, who am I kidding...

Not Baby Girl

I want to first verify for you that this is not our Baby Girl. Since her Daddy couldn't tell and asked me if that was my purple shirt, I thought I better make it clear. Taking a look in the diaper will prove he is no baby girl. Similar hair-do - different baby.

Five Kids

I went to see my friend Bonnie a few weeks ago. This picture is her daughter: a mini-Bonnie and future Supermodel. This family has a brand new sweet baby boy. It was fun to finally meet him and just as much fun to see his siblings. The Quads Quads Quads Quads.! That is right, four of them! I'm sure Bonnie will roll her eyes, but I think it is such an accomplishment to have four at the same time. They are all cute kids and unfortunately, I did not get a really good shot of all of them together. Even I am not that ambitious. Just like my house, I'm sure the baby just blends right into all the chaos. Congrats, Bonnie! AnF love ;-)

Baby Girl

I wanted to post a picture of our baby girl before I went to bed. She is just too sweet for words. I love her so and enjoy being with her all the time. She is at the age where she smiles every time she sees you and is so happy just by being with you. It is hard to imagine her one day saying some of the naughty things her brothers say and throwing her attitude around. There is always hope, but I don't expect her to stay a little angel forever. There is lots to learn from her brothers, I'm afraid. For now, I wish I could bottle up her sweetness and keep it forever.

First Blog

Well, here is my first blog. It took me so long to find a name for my site that wasn't taken, I have forgotten what I was going to write. I can't even remember what I picked now. I just know that my Hubby hated all of the (three) that were available. I think I am now regretting not chosing "savethecarpet". If you know me you will know why!

Events of the day: The Big Guy had testing at a private school today and told me it took too long to get there 5 minutes into the ride over there. "I didn't know we were going to have to get on the Internet to get there!" he said. When I picked him up he came out and said very loudly in front of all the other parents "This was no game day! There were no games at all." I'm scared of what he might have said inside the room while I was gone. When I asked him the night before if he knew what his parents did (as in for a living...) he answered "Make money" and "watch TV". I won't tell you which one he thought watched TV!

The Little Guy got out of bed and shredded a library book tonight. I'm sure it was our punishment for not reading to him before bed. I'm taking him to the library with his piggy bank soon. I'm just so glad that nothing was rubbed in to the carpet...I don't even care.

Baby Girl is her usual sweet self. I can't beleive she is 5 months old today.