I wish you a....

blessed Christmas and happy new year :)

My little gang is heading back home for Christmas this afternoon - 10 hours on the road is so NOT fun, but I'll be doing my best to enjoy it! At least the drive will be a nice time to reconnect with my husband :)

I will have VERY limited internet access while we're gone, so I'm wishing you all a blessed Christmas and happy new year now!

I hope the true reason for the season is remembered and I hope you all enjoy your time with family and friends, if that's how you choose to spend your time.

I shall return on January 2nd - pray that I still have all of my hair when I return (my family makes me want to yank it out) and pray that it remains the beautiful brown that it is and doesn't turn gray ;)

See y'all on the flipside!

Santa :)

I hope I'm allowed to show these - they're professional pictures, so I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post them on the internet. They're pictures of pictures (my scanner has PMS and has been VERY moody). I only purchased 1 picture, but I want to show my friends!!

This is my FAVORITE picture of Henry....EVER. Henry fell madly in love with Santa's beard and I had to pull him off. The poor man's beard was real...lol



Will was SO excited to see Santa - no fear at all! Jake was a bit unsure, but warmed up pretty quickly :)

A diversion....

I need one or twelve right now. Well, not really I suppose. I have enough to do around here. But, the news is depressing - even the internet has become depressing to me. I'm in need of HAPPY diversions. The busy diversions don't do anything to occupy my mind. I'm mentally exhausted and I'm not sure how much more I can handle.

Tonight, we're putting our sweet baby boys (Will and Jake hate when I call them my babies, but ya know, they still are :)) in their pajamas and we're loading ourselves into the car with blankets and Christmas music. We're going to run through the ever healthy McDonald's drive through, grab some chicken nuggets and chocolate milk and we're going to drive around here, looking at Christmas lights. I can't handle another negative news story, ad, etc. etc. I need happy and carefree. My children and Christmas lights are happy and carefree - that's enough for me.

These pictures make me smile - hopefully they'll do the same for you :)





Here's the finished advent calendar - I'm doing 2 this year (one for my sister and one for my SIL). I'll do ours next year.


I hope you all enjoy your Fridays and your weekends.

I feel boring...oh so boring....

It's true. I do. There's nothing terribly fun and exciting going on here.

We've jumped on the "potty train" here this week and let me tell you, if I don't get another present this Christmas, this is enough for me. I've been trying to PT Jake for a loooooooooong time. He'll be 5 next month and I was starting to panic a bit. I've had to homeschool him for preschool because no one would accept him NOT potty trained. He starts Kindergarten in the fall.

He's open to potty training, which is a big step for him. But, I know this is going to be a long, drawn out process. It's one that I'm ready to tackle. Please pray that his momentum continues. It's truly a prayer that's been/being answered for us.

I'm still working on those advent calendars I started a while back. I kinda put them on the back burner for a while....which really meant I didn't feel like doing them..lol But, we're heading east next week for Christmas, so they must get done by then. I've finished almost all of my Christmas cards - one or two left to write and I'm DONE! I have one more gift to purchase and that's done, too - yeehaw!

I'll spend the next several times prepping for our trip and finishing up last minute odds and ends here. It's all fun, I think....

Deeeeeeeeeeetroit Basketball

My husband played in a golf tournament a few months ago. His foursome won :) The prize was a suite at the Palace of Auburn Hills to watch the Pistons play.

We went yesterday and had so much fun. We didn't tell the big boys until they were getting dressed - it was like Christmas morning for them :) We stopped for lunch on the way (to save money on the food there because we all know that food in any kind of stadium, venue, etc. is terribly overpriced and not that tasty anyway). We had a great time watching the game (well, the boys/men watched - the women chit chatted for most of the game. I LOVE sports, but basketball is way low on the totem pole for me). The weather was horrible - snow/rain crud and it was COLD. We stopped to eat on the way home and had a yummy dinner at Red Robin. Henry didn't nap at all during the day, but he was such a gem. He was so happy and content - not at all something I expected to see because of the lack of sleep. He was just fabulous :)


My bebes :)




All my men :)




Henry and his mama :)

Wouldn't this be a big, fat blessing!

Arianne over at To Think Is To Create has a fantastic giveaway. It would certainly help us out for Christmas and I'm sure it would be a huge blessing to anyone! Go check it out!

Dear Lord....

I pray thanks for another beautiful day in your creation. I pray thanks for a cold, blustery fall day - a day that we were able to spend together, inside. I pray thanks for the clothes on our backs, the food in our bellies and the roof over our heads. I pray thanks for the "extra" blessings we receive every day - games of checkers, playing on the computer, fires in a fireplace, a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. I pray thanks for warm pajamas, comfy beds and security. I pray thanks for choosing me to be the mother of these 3 sweet little boys. I pray thanks for sending me Brian when I was at my lowest point in life and I pray thanks for 7 wonderful years with him. I pray thanks for friends and family that love us and the love we share as a family.

I pray that you be with the people who need you most tonight, Lord - the people who have no food or shelter or warmth. I pray you lift them up, close to you and show them the way. I pray you find your way into the hearts of my family members that don't know you - please keep them close to you and show them your way. I pray that our government makes the best choice for our automakers and its employees.

Lord - I pray thanks for my life!

In your name,

Amen.

The trouble with being almost 8 months old.

My poor boy's face :( He's teething (well, he's been teething for MONTHS) and the drool is just over the top. There's so much of it that it's chapped his cheeks a bit. I'm constantly wiping his face with a soft cloth and I even put lotion on it - doesn't seem to be helping too much. We have ZERO teeth to show for all of this, too.

See the little red mark under the eye there? He's just mastered sitting up - he still falls occasionally, but he does it gracefully. There's very little "thudding" anymore, where he just falls backward and cracks his melon. He's now trying to get into the crawling position from a sitting position. His feet get caught though and he usually falls face first. Unfortunately, it was the exersaucer that he fell face first into this time. I was certain he'd have a black eye this morning - fortunately, I was wrong.

Teething, learning to crawl, etc. - it's tough being almost 8 months old :)

Monday...blah..blah..blah

It's funny - I always wake with the best of intentions on Mondays. Most of the time, I fall short of my expectations because, well, it's Monday and I didn't really want the weekend to end, so I'm fighting it.

But, I can't fall short this week - I have far too much to do. Pray for me, people. I need drive and in a bad, bad way.

I have 3 UBER cute Advent calendars to finish, so I can send 2 of them to my SIL and my sister before next week - December 1st, is next week...ACK!?!?

I have to plan my MOPS Christmas party.

I have to finish my Christmas shopping - Christmas shopping AFTER Thanksgiving is less than an enjoyable experience for me. It must get done NOW.

I have a mountain of laundry to attack. Ick.

Here's to a productive week for y'all, too :)

Baby Leg Warmer give away!

Henry will be crawling soon (pardon me while I sob) - the boy needs some extra padding on his knees. We have a pair of Baby Legs, but we could use more! I've entered to win and so can you! Click below to enter for 20 pairs of Baby Leg Warmers - SO, SO cute!!

Win 20 Pairs of Baby Leg Warmers from babySNAZZ!

Wordless Wednesday

The view from our patio in Switzerland.

Our family day trip!

This past Friday, my little crew headed to Frankenmuth, MI to Bronner's - the world's largest Christmas store. It was a nasty, rainy day - PERFECT for a trip to this store. It's one of my favorite places. If you're not in the Christmas spirit after walking through this store, there's a problem. It's open 361 days out of the year - we only go in November/early December because I have no interest in being in the Christmas spirit in June...lol Here are a few shots from our day!





Henry was mesmerized by the lights :)










My yummy baby boy and handsome husband :)


Jake :)


Will :)


Jake listening to a message from Santa


Me and the Hankster in my fabulous Mei Tai from www.meitaibaby.com


Proof that Henry actually smiles :) He doesn't like the flash on the camera - I can get him to smile, but as soon as he sees the flash, he gets the blank look again. I had to hold the camera off to the side, so he couldn't see it.

We had a really nice time up there - Frankenmuth is such a sweet, quaint little town!

Wordless Wednesday

Tips on Tuesday!

Head over to Sandra's and check out her groovy Tips on Tuesday! Her tips would have been fabulous for me over the weekend, when the crud I had was at its worst.

The only tip I have this week - winter gear for children!

Have your children put their hats, scarves and gloves in the arm of their coats when they take that stuff off - that way, they'll know where it is when it's time to put the gear back on again! That trick has saved my 6 year old SO much time and it's saved me quite a few headaches!

Family time

My big boy doesn't have school Friday and my husband is also off, so we're heading here! I simply cannot wait!

We've gone every year we've lived here - it's a magical place. I like to take our Christmas card photo there, too and now that Henry is here, I'm super excited to do that!

I always spend far too much money, too, but I can't help it. It's a great place. If you're ever up here in MI, you should make it a point to stop by this place. Give yourself a few hours, too :)

Ick.

We woke up to this this morning:



The boys were jumping for joy. Me...not so much. This statement is not too strong: I hate snow. Actually, I'm really not a fan of winter. Why I asked to move back to Michigan is beyond me. WHY, WHY, WHY did I not ask to go to Florida?! Our general area got about 7 ft of snow last year - the thought of that happening this year makes my stomach turn.

My big boy did look cute bundled up in his coat, scarf, hat and gloves this morning :)

Trick or treat!

God came through yet again this Halloween - it was a balmy 67 degrees at ToT time! I remember as a child, having to bundle up under a coat when I went ToT and no one even saw my costume. How much fun is that?




There never seems to be a definite start and stop time to ToT here. We ate dinner early, so the boys would be ready to head out around 6 p.m. They were dressed and ready to go at 5:45 and I got Henry ready soon after that. I got the pictures taken and the big boys were itching to get movin' - the sugar was calling their names!



They were out for about an hour - Henry started crying about 5 minutes before they got home. He was out like a light by 7:45, but the big boys still had quite a bit of energy left. I had set up camp in the driveway, with our pumpkins lit and handed out candy there (our front porch is hidden behind some trees - it's VERY secluded and I would have been lonely ;) They ditched their costumes and handed out candy for me and rode their bikes in between trick or treaters. A firetruck came down our street and handed out candy to the kids - I looked out my bedroom window after putting Henry down and noticed my boys running into the street and firemen throwing candy to them - they LOVED it!



We had candy left over (we ran out last year!), so I split it up between the 2 big boys and we forced them into bed. It was a great night!

Wordless Wednesday

Slow and steady wins the race (at least that's what I've been told).

I'm at day 5 post op.

Some observations:

1. I hurt way more than I expected to by this time.
2. I still have to take my "good" pain meds once a day.
3. The heavy duty Ibuprofen just doesn't cut it most of the time, so I just deal with the dull achiness.
4. I think I'm up and about too much.
5. Resting here is hard because I want to help and sometimes, I need to help.
6. My husband is doing a GREAT job juggling work and home stuff.

I'm lying down right now - I'd like to stay that way for a while. Will is at school, Jake is hangin' on the couch watching Spongebob and Hank is in the Johnny Jump Up hangin' with Brian while he works. Maybe everyone will cooperate today and let me rest a bit more? We'll see.

I've been told that the recovery for this surgery is a slow process - I'm not allowed to do much of anything for 2 weeks. That seems like a looooooooooong time. I keep telling myself that slow and steady does win the race. I wonder how long it will take before my brain actually believes it.

Answered prayers

Every night, as I'm rocking Henry for bed, I say my prayers. I pray thanks for every blessing He's given me AND us, from the food in our bellies to the safe travels we had that day.

I also pray that He finds His way into the hearts of my family members who don't know Him. I've been praying for this for months. It makes me sad that there are children in my family (not my immediate family) who don't know Jesus. I always pray that He can show them the way He wants their life to be. I pray that He shows them the blessings they receive every day.

The other day, I was speaking to my mom. She and another family member had gone shopping that day. This other family member asked for a Nativity scene for Christmas - this is one of the family members I'd been praying for. I immediately looked up and praised Him! I knew He had been at work and my heart soared.

I'm hoping this nativity scene is just the beginning for my family member. I hope she chooses to show her family how much Jesus loves her and her family. That would be such a great Christmas present for me.

Tackle It Tuesday (with a bit of a twist)

My tackle isn't until 5:30 tomorrow morning - I almost wish it were today, just so I could be done with it and be on my way to recovery.

I'm having a hysterectomy tomorrow. I've been battling endometriosis, adenomyosis and other period related issues for years (read 20 years). I'm tired. I can't handle these issues anymore and the only relief I'll get is when I don't have a period anymore. We've been blessed with 3 insanely beautiful, fun little boys - I have no desire to have a little girl. I know we're done having children.

I've had 3 outpatient surgeries in the last 10 years and haven't been nervous about any of them. But, for some reason, I'm uneasy about this one. This one requires one night in the hospital, which I'm ok with. I'm trying to look at it like it's a mini vacation :)

I think what's making me uneasy is how final it is. I KNOW I'm done having babies - my pregnancy with Henry and the delivery weren't much fun at all. In fact, I've said that had he been our first baby, he probably would have been our only baby. Things are starting to get easier now - the sleeping is getting better (praise God!), he's a good eater and he's LOTS of fun (still a bit cranky though).

The idea of not having an "oops" again makes me a bit sad. Henry was an oops - big surprise, but a wonderful one. I remember laughing for 24 hours after the test came back positive - my heart sang. I'll never experience that again. But, I know I don't want anymore kids. My thought processes are quite silly I guess.

I'm trying to focus on the positives of this - no more periods!! No more pain!! No more having to send my husband to the store to buy feminine hygiene stuff :)

Please say a prayer for me - for a successful surgery and a quick recovery. Also, please say a prayer for my husband and boys - my husband is having to play Mr. Mom AND work from home for 2 weeks, so I can recover the right way. My dear MOPS friends are bringing us food - God bless them.

Thanks!

5 things that made me smile today!

Bread from my bread maker :)



A pot of incredibly yummy Maryland Crab Soup - reminds me of home :)



Makes the house smell so warm and cozy :)



My sweet baby boy :)



My sweet Jake :)

It's Monday - yay!

I'm trying to be optimistic and happy about that. Weekends go by far too quickly around here.

We had a true family weekend around here - we did almost everything together and the majority of it was very nice. I did run to Michaels and Walgreens by myself on Saturday evening, after the kids went to bed. B was watching Lost when I left, so I'm not even sure he remembered that I was gone and yesterday, Will and I went to Walmart to get a pumpkin and some mums. Yesterday, we decided we'd go to a pumpkin patch....it was a bust, hence the trip to Walmart.

Jake was apparently suffering from some male PMS yesterday and threw the mother of all temper tantrums in a shoe store in the mall. I'm not sure I've ever been more embarrassed. It took every ounce of self control I had not to pick him up by his earlobes and drag him out. Fortunately, I was wearing Henry, so that saved him.

I'm determined to have a good day today - a good week actually!

Wordless Wednesday

6 months old already!?!?!?!?!

Tips on Tuesday!

I was a slacker last week - just busy, busy, busy!

So, I'm back this week with a tip and it's probably one that everyone does already anyway, but I'll toss it out there.

Bathroom trashcans/bedroom trashcans, etc - I use plastic grocery bags as my trash bags for those little trashcans and instead of running to grab another one when I empty the trash can, I just put several in the bottom of every trashcan, so there's one there waiting when I take the full one out!

Head over to Sandra's to see more tips on Tuesday :)

Thoughts/plans for the weekend!

Ahhhh, it's Friday. Yay! I survived 3 full days being a single mom. I take my hat off to all you single parents out there. 3 days just about did me in - I can't imagine having to do it full time. I love my babies with every ounce of my being, but boy, was I in desperate need of a break! Yesterday was the first time I had seen my husband since Monday - that just stinks. I'm OH.SO. happy he's home.

As you can see from my tweet, we're having an impromptu garage sale tomorrow - yay! I like going to garage sales, but I don't like having my own, so that "yay!" is a sarcastic one. I'm actually schleping my boys over to a friend's garage sale to hang out with her tomorrow and my wonderful, loving husband will be running our garage sale here! He's into that kinda stuff. Me.....not so much.

Tonight, I'm headed to a friend's house to have dinner and watch the Sex in the City movie. I've never seen an episode of that show, but I'm looking forward to hanging out with friends and relaxing - I need it in a bad, bad way.

On the homefront, I'm trying to catch up on laundry and do a bit of scrapbooking - I have several pages I'm working on and can't wait until they're finished. I have some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in the cabinet that I'd like to make. There are lots of plans running through my brain - let's see if they actually get done...lol

Hope y'all have a groovy weekend!

Menu Plan Monday!

It's an easy week this week - the hubs is on a business trip until Wednesday evening. While I'll miss him terribly (already do and he's still at the airport here...lol), it's a much easier time in the kitchen for me - the kidlets and I will do simple stuff.

Monday - I'll have a tuna sandwich.
Boys will have chicken nuggets, sweet tater fries and carrots.

Tuesday - boys will have Kid Cuisines with my sitter. I have MOPS.

Wednesday - pancakes, sausage and fruit.

Thursday - chicken strips, mac n' cheese and corn

Friday - tacos

Saturday - lasagna with bread and a salad

Sunday - if you can find it, you can eat it :)

Head over to the Org Junkie to check out other menus this week - I bet they're far more interesting than mine :)

Wordless Wednesday

Tips on Tuesday!

Sandra over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom began a new feature today - it's called Tips on Tuesday.

She's going to feature tips and shortcuts when it comes to homemaking, decorating, car repair, etc. etc. that she's learned throughout her life and she's invited us to join her! I LOVE her blog and thought it was a great idea for a feature, so I AM going to join her!

My tip for today:

Toilet brushes - YUCK! But, if you pour a little all purpose cleaner into the toilet brush holder, it will disinfect the brush AND it will be ready for you to use the next time you have to clean the toilet. I did it the other day and it works VERY well!

Head over to Sandra's and see her tips - they are GREAT!

Feeling the sting.

Let me preface all of what I'm about to say with this - I'm THRILLED that Steph was able to have the birth experience she wanted. I know how much she wanted a homebirth and I bet the experience was amazing and everything she ever wanted - that makes my heart smile.

With that being said, whenever I read of a birth experience being EXACTLY the way someone had hoped, I feel a bit of a sting.

I felt the most educated and informed when pregnant with my 3rd baby - I'd spent months preparing for his birth and doing my homework when it came to the kind of birth experience I wanted with him. I read books, spoke with friends AND my doc to prepare myself. I felt ready and knew what I wanted. I wanted a natural childbirth with NO drugs at all, no needles (incl. an IV) and no medical intervention unless it was a life or death situation. My doctor was behind me 100%. My 2nd son's birth was non-medicated (not by choice), but I felt fantastic after he was born and wanted to feel that way again after the birth of #3.

I did the physical exercises the natural childbirth books recommended. I poured over birth plans for hours. I carefully put mine together and I feel blessed and lucky that my OB was so supportive of my choices.

My water broke 15 days before my due date at 1:30 in the afternoon - I was nervous, but excited. I prayed that God would make this experience a good one for me. I prayed for a healthy baby and a birth experience that I could look back on and feel satisfied.

I got grief almost immediately when I got into my hospital room because I didn't want an IV. My doc backed me up, told them that I didn't want/need it and to leave me alone about it - they did, but I was treated differently....almost like a freak.

I knew that I wanted to labor in the water - I was able to breath through my contractions and talk through them, so I decided to hold off on the water because I didn't want my labor to slow down. I walked the halls, rolled on the ball, rocked on my hands and knees and felt good and happy that I was having the birth I wanted (even though the nurses thought I was insane for not wanting the IV - whatever). I agreed to be put on the monitors for 20 minutes out of every hour. 20 minutes was about as long as I wanted to be in the bed, too - it was uncomfortable for me to labor on my back in an uncomfortable bed.

I hit 6 cm without any medication and was in immense pain. I was watching the clock because I was on the monitors and knew that at the end of that 20 minutes, my happy rear was hoping in the tub. Within 30 seconds of that 20 minutes being up, the on call OB (my OB had gone home to change clothes and grab dinner - she was on her way home when the on call OB called her) and several nurses charged in my room and checked the monitor. At that point, they told me that my son's heart rate was dropping after every contraction. They then told me that I wasn't able to get off the monitors anymore and I had to stay in the bed - at first, on my back and then I had to be on one side for 10 minutes, then the other side for 10 minutes.

I remember, at that point, starting to cry. I knew that the birth experience I wanted wasn't going to happen. EVERY pain management technique I had wanted to use (and had used up to that point, except for the tub) was out the window. I was forced to stay in that uncomfortable bed. Because of that, I caved (while sobbing) and got the epidural. I knew there was no way I'd be able to stay in control when I wasn't even able to get out of my bed.

After the epidural, I progressed relatively quickly and pushed my sweet baby boy out in 3 pushes on April 1st, 2008 at 10:22 p.m. The cord was wrapped around his neck and my husband had to cut the cord before we could even get him out completely. I was able to deliver him myself and that was an awesome experience.....one of the highlights of my life.

The on call OB had a gurney in the hallway, ready to take me to an OR for a c-section. My OB told them to let me go because I had already delivered 2 babies with no issues. Had I been a first time mom, they wouldn't have allowed me to labor while his heart rate dropped.

I'm grateful that my boy was healthy. That's really all that matters. I'm also grateful that I didn't have a c-section. He is my last baby - I'll never experience the birth process again and knew how I *wanted* things to go. I'll never get to experience MY perfect birth.

Henry is 5 1/2 months old now and I think about this on a daily basis. It still stings. I wonder if it will ever stop stinging.

Menu Plan Monday!

Now that school is back in session, I'm hoping to get into a better planning/grocery shopping routine. It's been a long time and I don't mind flying by the seat of my pants during the summer. I don't like doing it in the fall/winter.

Monday:

BBQ chicken pizza
regular pizza/breadsticks for boys

Tuesday:

egg, scrapple and cheese sandwiches
pancakes for boys
fruit

Wednesday:

chili with pasta


Thursday:

fondue for me! (MOPS MNO)
soup/Kid Cuisines for the boys and hubby


Friday:

Frozen lasagna
Italian bread
sliced tomatoes


Saturday:

pigs in a blanket
carrots and cucumbers with ranch dip


Sunday:

leftovers and if you can find it, you can eat it!


Head over to Org Junkie for more menus this week!

By Friday

I feel like I've conquered the world when I put my boy on the bus on Friday morning, knowing that he has EVERYTHING he needs for the day. He had homework that needed to be done last night - he did that and it was in his folder. Today is Grandparent's Day and he needed 2 photos to do a little scrapbook page - he had those. His teacher sent some stuff home for me to cut out and she told me just to send it back a little bit at a time because there's a TON to be cut out - I did that. His lunch was packed and in his lunchbox and he had his 2 snacks for the day. I'm not sure I've ever been more thrilled that it's Friday. It's been a VERY long week - I have 2 sick little boys here, I'm exhausted and my poor house....oh my poor house. I need to attack it today and in a really bad way. I hope H cooperates with me.

B and I have a date tomorrow night - I'm very much looking forward to it. We have no idea what we're doing - we're just doing it together. We have *THE BEST* babysitter ever. I'd love for her to move in with us :)

It's a yucky day today - very cloudy and rainy. I love this kind of day - I'm almost forced to stay home and work. That's a good thing :)

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

First day of school!



One with Jake (who is homeschooled), just because he's cute :)



The 5 month old schmoog :)

Some randomness this morning.....

* We're leaving again tomorrow - this time, we're heading to Deep Creek Lake, MD. My husband's aunt and uncle have a lake house there and we'll be spending the weekend with family. Most haven't met Henry yet, so they'll have loads of fun hanging out with him - he's quite the personality now and becoming more and more fun every day! On Saturday, B and I, along with some other family members, are headed to Morgantown, WV to the Villanova/West Virginia football game. The kids will stay back and wear out my in-laws and my husband's aunt and uncle...lol

* I'm tired. Henry has decided that sleep is for the weak and he just doesn't want to do it anymore. I don't like that AT ALL. I'm weak and need sleep desperately....probably more than most people, but hey, I've always been like that. I'm hoping to be able to sleep in the car on the 7 hour drive tomorrow morning - that is, if Henry isn't screaming the entire time. Henry and car trips don't mix too well. Pray for me people.

* Our weekend in Cape Cod was HEAVENLY! Here are some pictures! We rented a G6 Convertible for the weekend - the weather was fantastic for it!

My better half :)


Moi :)


Us at the wedding :)


The bride's parents own a house right on the ocean and they invited everyone for a cookout the next day - here is the view from their deck.


The view looking down from their deck.


Their house was AMAZING! We were the last people to leave that day - I didn't want to leave that view and the smell of the saltwater - it reminds me of home and how much I miss being near the ocean. We had the best time being together as a couple and hanging with good friends. The kids had a great time here with my in-laws and everyone was happy.

* First grade starts in 5 days! I met Will's teacher last night and she's VERY nice. She has a class of 29 kids with no teacher's aide - YIKES! I was a teacher before I had kids and oy vey - I just can't imagine. Will's best buddy is in his class again this year - YAY! His mom and I were a bit worried that they wouldn't be together, so we can both now breathe a HUGE sigh of relief! I got Will some new gym shoes last night, so he's good to go for at least the first few weeks. New, warmer clothes will come in the next few weeks. He grows like a weed and I refuse to spend that much money on new clothes for him to grow out of them before he can really wear them.

Enough randomness I suppose - Henry is finally sleeping and the big boys are downstairs playing with their Webkinz. I need to get moving on the packing, etc. I hope y'all have a great Labor day!

Wordless Wednesday

Our biggest boy turned 6 yesterday!

One down, two to go....

Ahhhh....that feels good! Sunday afternoon, hangin' on the couch with my laptop, while by biggest boys (husband included!) play with a Hot Wheels toy on the floor. Schmoog is sleeping upstairs, the dog is relaxing after a day at doggie day camp and the race is on TV. It has been a BUSY weekend!

My mom came into town on Wednesday and she left today - we had a very nice time! We shopped a bit and helped immensely with Henry. It was nice to get a break for a bit. Yesterday was Will's birthday party - loads of fun was had by all. We got a bounce house for the kids and they played in the slip n' slide, while the adults hung out on our deck. It was fabulous fun and the kids really enjoyed themselves! My boy's official birthday is Tuesday - he'll be 6. I'm trying not to think about it - I can't believe he's going to be 6 already AND heading into 1st grade in a smidge over 2 weeks. I swear I was JUST miserably huge and praying every other minute that God would just put me into labor with him. Will was 3 days late and he's still incredibly slow....lol

I have 3 more days until my in-laws arrive - they are coming into town to watch the boys while B and I head to Cape Cod for a wedding. I am SO EXCITED about this trip. We need these days away, to enjoy ourselves with good friends and be together as a couple.

I'm going to relax for a bit more, then I'm going back to work - the lower level of my house looks like a tornado went through it and I need to stay on top on it, so I'm not bombarded before my in-laws get here. Wish me luck!

Wordless Wednesday

My big boys enjoying sparklers on the 4th of July!

Mama time

We do the same thing every morning. I feed Henry and when he's done, I plop him in his exersaucer to hang for a while, while I make my coffee, get the big boys their chocolate milk, start some laundry, etc. etc. The big boys will sit on the floor by the exersaucer and talk to Henry, make him smile and push the buttons on the exersaucer to make some noise. Henry loves that time with his brothers and his brothers love it, too.

This morning, after I got everyone everything they needed, I started to clean the house. Eventually, Henry had had enough of the exersaucer AND his brothers and just wanted to be held. It was nap time, so we headed to his room and I put him down in his crib - the same way I always do it.

He started to fall asleep, but woke a minute later and started crying. I headed up to him and picked him up. We sat in the rocker and snuggled together and within seconds, he was asleep. My boy just needed some quiet mama time and I realized then, that I needed Henry time. It needed to be just the two of us. We both needed the quietness and I needed to realize that life goes by SO, SO quickly. It's time for me to slow down.

I'm amazed at the lessons a baby can teach.

Menu Plan Monday!

I'm going to cook every day this week, even if it kills me...lol


Monday:

chicken breasts with gravy
brown rice
green beans

Tuesday:

BBQ sandwiches on whole wheat buns
corn

Wednesday:

Kielbasa with dirty rice
cucumber slices sprinkled with Old Bay

Thursday:

Penne with meat sauce
caprese salad
bread

Friday:

grilled salmon
roasted broccoli
wild rice

Saturday:

burgers and hot dogs on the grill
corn on the cob
baked beans

Sunday:

Charley's Slow Cooker Mexican Style Meat
whole wheat tortillas
corn cake
salad


Head over to the Org Junkie and see what yummy recipes other ladies (or gents maybe) have out there!

The PGA Championship - my boy's own little private heaven!

Will's entire world revolves around sports - doesn't matter the sport either. We can take him to any major (or minor even) sporting event and he becomes so engrossed in it that he pays no attention to what is going on around him. He watches the entire game, from start to finish and asks a million questions along the way. He'll tell us when he's hungry or when he needs to use the bathroom, but other than that, he won't move....for hours....

My husband won week long passes to the PGA Championship in a raffle a few months ago. We'd been prepping both big boys for weeks now on proper etiquette at a golf course, especially one like Oakland Hills CC and how important it is to BE QUIET and USE INSIDE VOICES EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE OUTSIDE, etc. etc.

Jake lasted all of 10 minutes on Monday - he was hot, he was tired and he was thirsty and we literally had been there 10 minutes. We vowed he wouldn't go again and he was good with that...lol He even asked to go to the babysitter on Wednesday! We took Will again on Wednesday and he got loads of autographs and a few golf balls from different caddies.

He and his daddy went again this morning - since it's the 2nd round and "this one counts" (it's not just practice - all of this according to Will), they wanted to be there early. Will comes barreling through our bedroom door at 5:30 this morning, so excited he could barely contain himself and said, "Mommy, we're leaving now. We'll be gone all day!". He was giddy and I barely got my "I love you, be a good boy and have a GREAT time" out of my mouth before he was running downstairs to meet Brian to leave.

If any of you watch golf and you watch it today - if there's coverage from the 12th green and you hear a 5 year old male voice scream, "GET IN THE HOLE" - that's my boy :)