Our town has homecoming tomorrow so the city council decided to change Halloween to today. I am sure there will be plenty of people still out tomorrow too - but oh well. Here they have hours for trick or treating, and many parishes have age limits.
So, Daddy was home this year!!! YAY!!!!!! It has been years (literally) since he has been home on Halloween. I was nice and instead of making him take the kids by himself, I went with them. They did good. Andrew even did fairly well. He did exactly what I expected. He was unsure of what was going on, until the first candy was put in his bucket. After every house, he had to stick his head in his bucket and look. We frequently found candy (wrapper and all) in his mouth. But, he enjoyed running up to every house, trying to GIVE his candy or take candy out of the homeowners mouth.
I did not take ANY pictures. I know....I can't believe it either. Tomorrow they will be putting the costumes back on so I can get pictures of them. It was just too crazy and AJ had a blowout so we had to quickly get his off....
Pictures to come soon.
But, I will tell you what everyone ended up being:
Caleb was an astronaut
Isaac was a policeman
Bryce was his trashcan (from last year)
Andrew was a monkey (of course)
After we got back home we put our bowl of candy on the porch and left it. We sat out there for a bit and then went in to get kids ready for school and bed. All the kids were doing good only taking a few pieces of candy. There was still about half a bowl (I am talking the BIG Halloween candy bowls) of candy on the porch. Then we hear lots of commotion and laughing. We were in the kitchen and I told Paul it sounded like the candy was gone. About that time we hear a VERY loud "TRICK OR TREAT". I looked out the door and the candy was all gone (except one sucker that was dropped). On the porch sat an empty bowl and a MASK. I went to get the camera because I thought it was pretty funny that they took all the candy and forgot their mask. When I opened the door, the mask was gone.
It sucks that all the kids were doing so good, but there always has to be THAT kid that has no limits and ruins it for everyone!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
No Fair
It is 6:35, I am dressed and ready for the day. Caleb is in the shower, Isaac and Bryce are laying in my bed. I am drinking my coffee and decided to play a quick game of Solitaire before I go start breakfast and lunch.
Bryce says "Mom, it is not fair that WE don't get to play games in the morning and you do!"
I reminded him I have been up for over an hour and I am dressed and will still be able to fix their breakfast, lunch, get them all dressed and still have time before their bus gets here. Leaving them to get themselves ready in time....we would have three kids missing the bus!
I told him I have EARNED the right to play a game of solitaire in the morning if I wish. He dropped it!
Bryce says "Mom, it is not fair that WE don't get to play games in the morning and you do!"
I reminded him I have been up for over an hour and I am dressed and will still be able to fix their breakfast, lunch, get them all dressed and still have time before their bus gets here. Leaving them to get themselves ready in time....we would have three kids missing the bus!
I told him I have EARNED the right to play a game of solitaire in the morning if I wish. He dropped it!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Parents Who Don't Care (Apparently)
We had this problem in Arkansas with a mom who would let her kids come over, but not watch them. They lived across the street and her son would run back and forth across the street without ever looking and she never even checked on them. It would not bother me, except if something happened to him while he was "at our house" I would not want to be held responsible, especially since the child was never "invited" over.
We are having that problem here to, but to a worse degree. The child in Arkansas was in second or third grade. The children here are in kindergarten and his (I am guessing) three year old sister.
I really don't mind the kids playing with other kids and I also don't mind them playing in our driveway. UNTIL tonight. These two kids came over, they were all in our garage, messing with the dogs (which one bites!), etc. I told the boys it was time to come in and eat and to tell their friends they would be back out later. These two stayed in our garage, going through our stuff.
I went out and told them that the boys were eating dinner and they would be out in a while. He said okay. I told him to stay out of our garage while we were inside and he said okay and got on his bike. I come inside, sit down at the table and notice him going back into the garage - where his sister also was. Paul goes out and tells them they need to go home while we eat. The little boy said "My mommy told me to come play over here." Paul told him to go home until we were done and he said okay and they left.
Not five minutes later, he was back. Paul again went outside to tell them to go home. The little boy told him that his Mommy told him to stay over at OUR house until she calls him.
I am sorry....what?
I have never met these people...EVER. Never even said as much as a hello to them. She is going to send her kids to my house for ME to babysit? They don't even live next door or across the street - they live at least four houses down the street!!
They left, Paul came inside and before he could even sit down, the little boy was riding in our driveway again. I was going to ignore him as long as he did not go in the garage. Then I look out the window and he is taking off on Isaac's scooter. I go chase him down the sidewalk, tell him he cannot run off with our stuff and he needs to go play closer to HIS house so we could eat our dinner (notice I did not tell him to GO to HIS house - where he is evidently not wanted at the moment), or he was not going to be able to play at our house anymore.
That seemed to do the trick, I did not see him again. It is not the child's fault - the mother should not be sending him to a strangers house. He is deaf (has a hearing aid) and the little girl is young enough that she is riding her tricycle over here with a pacifier in her mouth. From what I have seen they have three kids - hello LADY - if I can keep up with my four while fixing dinner, doing homework for three and everything else we have to do in the evenings, you should be able to handle your three and not pawn them off on me.
I feel bad because I don't even want the kid over here anymore, but it isn't his fault. At the same time, if something were to happen to her kids while they were over here (say a dog bites them when they are sticking their hands into the dog kennel or they get hit by a car,or....or...or...) it would be on ME. Unfortunately, this is the type of world we live in. I can't trust the parents to not sue me if something happens to their kids while they are ignoring them! These kids even walked into our house - no knocking, no asking - our boys came in to eat dinner and a couple of seconds later, these two kids just walked in.
We will have a fence soon! Then they can only stand at the gate and ask to be let in!!
We are having that problem here to, but to a worse degree. The child in Arkansas was in second or third grade. The children here are in kindergarten and his (I am guessing) three year old sister.
I really don't mind the kids playing with other kids and I also don't mind them playing in our driveway. UNTIL tonight. These two kids came over, they were all in our garage, messing with the dogs (which one bites!), etc. I told the boys it was time to come in and eat and to tell their friends they would be back out later. These two stayed in our garage, going through our stuff.
I went out and told them that the boys were eating dinner and they would be out in a while. He said okay. I told him to stay out of our garage while we were inside and he said okay and got on his bike. I come inside, sit down at the table and notice him going back into the garage - where his sister also was. Paul goes out and tells them they need to go home while we eat. The little boy said "My mommy told me to come play over here." Paul told him to go home until we were done and he said okay and they left.
Not five minutes later, he was back. Paul again went outside to tell them to go home. The little boy told him that his Mommy told him to stay over at OUR house until she calls him.
I am sorry....what?
I have never met these people...EVER. Never even said as much as a hello to them. She is going to send her kids to my house for ME to babysit? They don't even live next door or across the street - they live at least four houses down the street!!
They left, Paul came inside and before he could even sit down, the little boy was riding in our driveway again. I was going to ignore him as long as he did not go in the garage. Then I look out the window and he is taking off on Isaac's scooter. I go chase him down the sidewalk, tell him he cannot run off with our stuff and he needs to go play closer to HIS house so we could eat our dinner (notice I did not tell him to GO to HIS house - where he is evidently not wanted at the moment), or he was not going to be able to play at our house anymore.
That seemed to do the trick, I did not see him again. It is not the child's fault - the mother should not be sending him to a strangers house. He is deaf (has a hearing aid) and the little girl is young enough that she is riding her tricycle over here with a pacifier in her mouth. From what I have seen they have three kids - hello LADY - if I can keep up with my four while fixing dinner, doing homework for three and everything else we have to do in the evenings, you should be able to handle your three and not pawn them off on me.
I feel bad because I don't even want the kid over here anymore, but it isn't his fault. At the same time, if something were to happen to her kids while they were over here (say a dog bites them when they are sticking their hands into the dog kennel or they get hit by a car,or....or...or...) it would be on ME. Unfortunately, this is the type of world we live in. I can't trust the parents to not sue me if something happens to their kids while they are ignoring them! These kids even walked into our house - no knocking, no asking - our boys came in to eat dinner and a couple of seconds later, these two kids just walked in.
We will have a fence soon! Then they can only stand at the gate and ask to be let in!!
OOPS!
Today Isaac and Bryce's bus driver drove right past our house when she was dropping kids off. She was watching a kid on a bike in the middle of the street and not the houses. She stopped next door when she realized what she had done. The aide came to the window and said that as she was driving by the house, Bryce's jaw dropped and he stared at the house as they past it, slowly saying "OH MY GOSH!!!"
I told her I was glad to know he cared whether or not he got to come home. She kept apologizing, I kept laughing!
I told her I was glad to know he cared whether or not he got to come home. She kept apologizing, I kept laughing!
Fresh Lemonade - YUM
One of my cravings lately is freshly squeezed lemonade. There is only one place around here I have found that has lemonade that actually TASTE fresh-squeezed (many SAY they are), and it is a 40 minute drive one way to get there. So, I did some searching today to find a good recipe, unfortunately I only had ONE lemon. I was able to find a recipe and made an AWESOME glass of freshly-squeezed lemonade.
Tomorrow I will be going to get lots of lemons! I think this will be a favorite for the kids too!
Tomorrow I will be going to get lots of lemons! I think this will be a favorite for the kids too!
Yesterday's LAZY Day....
was a success! Got some housework done between my TWO HOUR nap!!! I mean a solid two hours - didn't wake up once! Usually if I get a nap it is about 20-30 minutes.
Then I went to bed at 8:30!
Then I went to bed at 8:30!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Election Day
School is closed on election day. This means for me to go vote I will have to take all four kids by myself and stand in line. ARGHHHHH!!
Is This Strange?
Is it strange that I crave something that the smell of makes me nauseous? The smell of peanut butter is nauseating to me, but I am craving peanut butter this morning for some reason.
Being Lazy
This past weekend was a VERY busy weekend. We went and picked out new bedroom and dining room furniture and a new refrigerator. Lots of running around and on the go (an NO house projects :( ). Yesterday I had some more running around to do. Traffic was horrible (both ways home were barely moving), I finally got out of the traffic and got to my exit and there were police closing it off. To make a long story short, I ended up lost (NO idea how because I have gone that way before) with NO gas. This was my first time to have my light come on in my car. I had NO idea how much warning I got. My WONDERFUL navigation system got me out of it FINALLY and I was able to make it to a gas station. After ALL of that, I make it home to find out that for SOME reason we had no electricity. Andrew won't sleep without a fan and he was sleeping in the car, so he was up after a 20 minute nap! (The electicity finally came back about an hour after we got home - still have no idea why it was out)
So, today my plan is to be lazy. But, have you ever noticed that "being lazy" when you become a mother completely changes. Before motherhood, being lazy meant I did NOTHING all day - laid on the couch with a remote. Now, though, I am sitting here planning out my "lazy day". So, other than chasing around Andrew, doing laundry, paying bills and cleaning house - I am going to be lazy today!
I guess it is kind of like when a Mom says she is going to bed. That is a process. It is checking to make sure the doors are all locked, checking in on kids, changing out the laundry, making sure everything is ready for the following day, etc.
I guess being lazy means I am (going to try) not going anywhere today!
So, today my plan is to be lazy. But, have you ever noticed that "being lazy" when you become a mother completely changes. Before motherhood, being lazy meant I did NOTHING all day - laid on the couch with a remote. Now, though, I am sitting here planning out my "lazy day". So, other than chasing around Andrew, doing laundry, paying bills and cleaning house - I am going to be lazy today!
I guess it is kind of like when a Mom says she is going to bed. That is a process. It is checking to make sure the doors are all locked, checking in on kids, changing out the laundry, making sure everything is ready for the following day, etc.
I guess being lazy means I am (going to try) not going anywhere today!
Monday, October 27, 2008
13 Years Together
This past Saturday marked 13 years since Paul and I went on our first date. 13 YEARS!! I could not have picked a better man to go on a date with and eventually choose to spend the rest of my life with.
We have been doing a lot of work (little things) on the house since we moved in. It has been fun, but exhausting. I am so lucky to have a hubby that is not only a great hubby and father, but a handyman too. There is VERY little we have to hire people to do (although we opted to hire someone to put up our fence because of the time and energy it will consume!!).
What is better than the fact that we have been together for 13 years is that we still WANT to be together!! We still WANT to "hangout" together as much as we can. It is hard living somewhere you really don't know anyone, we don't get to go on any "dates", but the majority of the time (this weekend excluded) we really enjoy hanging out with the kids.
I love you Sweetie!!
We have been doing a lot of work (little things) on the house since we moved in. It has been fun, but exhausting. I am so lucky to have a hubby that is not only a great hubby and father, but a handyman too. There is VERY little we have to hire people to do (although we opted to hire someone to put up our fence because of the time and energy it will consume!!).
What is better than the fact that we have been together for 13 years is that we still WANT to be together!! We still WANT to "hangout" together as much as we can. It is hard living somewhere you really don't know anyone, we don't get to go on any "dates", but the majority of the time (this weekend excluded) we really enjoy hanging out with the kids.
I love you Sweetie!!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
A Little Backwards
We have a confused smoke detector. In the mornings, since we usually don't remember to turn on the heat before we go to bed, the house is pretty cool. When the house is cold the smoke detector in the boys hallway starts beeping (like a low-battery beep, not a there's-a-fire beep). When it warms up, the beeping stops. Kinda sucks since it has a tendency to wake the boys up! Guess we know Daddy's next project.
Friday, October 24, 2008
First Drs Appointment
I went for my first appointment this morning. Andrew did awesome sitting in his stroller again! We were there about an hour and a half (they had to do all the paperwork and history, dr visit, blood work and met with insurance). The only time he cried is when I laid on the table to listen to the heartbeat. I guess he has never seen Mom on a table before! I held HIS hand and he stopped when he heard the heartbeat.
The heartbeat sounded great, but the dr thinks I might be further along than we thought. I am going in on the 10th to have a sonogram and find out for sure. Then she will do another one at 20 weeks to get the anatomy, measurements, etc.
When I went in for the blood work, the child who cried when I was on the table, laughed as they stuck the needle in my arm. Such a nice kid!!
I liked the dr. I was kind of concerned not really knowing what to expect. But the clinic was nice and the dr was great. I told her my history with the kids and inductions, etc. I asked her her opinion about inducing and told her my concern about how quickly Bryce came (he beat the induction process and it was 2 hours first contraction to delivered) and the fact that we are a good 35-40 minutes away (with no traffic) and have 4 other kids to settle when we go to the hospital. She said she is fine inducing, but can't do it until the 39th week unless their was a medical reason to deliver earlier than that (for example: poison ivy?). I am not ready to plan a deliver date, just want to know where she stands on it and what our options were when it came to that.
So, still no due date, but all seems healthy and good. As soon as I have a due date, I will pass it along.
The heartbeat sounded great, but the dr thinks I might be further along than we thought. I am going in on the 10th to have a sonogram and find out for sure. Then she will do another one at 20 weeks to get the anatomy, measurements, etc.
When I went in for the blood work, the child who cried when I was on the table, laughed as they stuck the needle in my arm. Such a nice kid!!
I liked the dr. I was kind of concerned not really knowing what to expect. But the clinic was nice and the dr was great. I told her my history with the kids and inductions, etc. I asked her her opinion about inducing and told her my concern about how quickly Bryce came (he beat the induction process and it was 2 hours first contraction to delivered) and the fact that we are a good 35-40 minutes away (with no traffic) and have 4 other kids to settle when we go to the hospital. She said she is fine inducing, but can't do it until the 39th week unless their was a medical reason to deliver earlier than that (for example: poison ivy?). I am not ready to plan a deliver date, just want to know where she stands on it and what our options were when it came to that.
So, still no due date, but all seems healthy and good. As soon as I have a due date, I will pass it along.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
No Snoopy
Bryce got out of the shower and we were discussing getting rain jackets because it is POURING this morning. Bryce goes and looks out the window and says "Snoopy isn't running around today."
I don't know what that has to do with jackets or rain. I asked if he had dreams about Snoopy last night and he said no, "but a couple of years ago Snoopy was running around outside all the time."
He also said his teacher read him a book a few years ago.
I don't know what that has to do with jackets or rain. I asked if he had dreams about Snoopy last night and he said no, "but a couple of years ago Snoopy was running around outside all the time."
He also said his teacher read him a book a few years ago.
Recession
Caleb asked me this morning what a recession was. I was trying to explain it to him and asked if he knew what stocks were. "Oh yeah, CORN!"
(If you are like Daddy and did not get it - corn stalks (stocks))
(If you are like Daddy and did not get it - corn stalks (stocks))
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Are You Kidding Me?
Caleb came home from school and was complaining about how the girls have been annoying him talking about this guy that came to their class today. I asked who it was and he said some guy named Matthew that is in movies. I don't know why, but I instantly asked "Matthew McConaughey?" Caleb says (in an annoyed voice) "Yeah that is him. He was in the movie Fool's Gold" (which Caleb has never seen - I haven't even seen it). I was blown away and pulled up this picture to make sure:
Caleb says "Yeah that is him, but he was wearing a green shirt and his hair was a little different. The girls have been talking about how cute he is ever since he talked to our class."
I asked why he came, Caleb said he didn't really know, but they had a citizenship awards thing and a student in Caleb's class asked him to come and he did.
I want to know who this kid is!!! ;)
Here is the kicker. Remember how a while back in Arkansas, Caleb got the Sherriff's autograph because he thought he was Dr. Phil (they do look alike and they are both named Phil)....HE DID NOT GET MATTHEW MCCAUGHNEY's AUTOGRAPH!!!
Mommy is so disappointed. I guess it has to be Jessica Simpson or someone "hot" to get his attention!
MATTHEW MCCAUGHNEY - why wasn't I called to volunteer for that one?
Caleb says "Yeah that is him, but he was wearing a green shirt and his hair was a little different. The girls have been talking about how cute he is ever since he talked to our class."
I asked why he came, Caleb said he didn't really know, but they had a citizenship awards thing and a student in Caleb's class asked him to come and he did.
I want to know who this kid is!!! ;)
Here is the kicker. Remember how a while back in Arkansas, Caleb got the Sherriff's autograph because he thought he was Dr. Phil (they do look alike and they are both named Phil)....HE DID NOT GET MATTHEW MCCAUGHNEY's AUTOGRAPH!!!
Mommy is so disappointed. I guess it has to be Jessica Simpson or someone "hot" to get his attention!
MATTHEW MCCAUGHNEY - why wasn't I called to volunteer for that one?
New Car
We HAD to get a new car in the next five months or so, so we did it Monday. I was asked to put some pictures up, so here they are.
view from front
view from back row
in my car, that stroller took up the ENTIRE "trunk" space - I have more than enough room for a double stroller in here!
Before going to find a car I was back and forth between a Suburban or a minivan. Suburban has more space, van better gas mileage. So, we were really back and forth. I miss my Suburban, except the gas mileage and the fact that it is HUGE to drive and park! We looked at some options that were kind of between-size of the two. This is definently not what I expected to come home with!
We went in to the dealer with our list of MUST and wants. They had a Suburban and this that met my wish list completely. They had the same mileage (we bought used) and they were basically the same price. The Suburban had some carpet stains, a small hole in the back of the driver seat (in the leather) which would become a big hole with kids sitting back there and some other "minor" issues. It was loaded though. This had less "minor" issues, more bonuses and is supposed to be safer! It is shorter than the Suburban, but has more storage than the van has - so it is a good in-between vehicle!
The kids love it. The foot room (which was always a HUGE complaint in the car) for the third row is amazing. They can actually stretch out! They have a DVD player for entertainment. We had all three older boys in the back seat and they were able to sit without touching each other and MINIMAL fighting (come on, if they are in the same vicinity of each other, there will be fighting of some sort).
The best part: we eliminated a car payment - which goes a LONG way in trying to get as close to completely debt-free as we can (excluding ONE house)!
view from front
view from back row
in my car, that stroller took up the ENTIRE "trunk" space - I have more than enough room for a double stroller in here!
Before going to find a car I was back and forth between a Suburban or a minivan. Suburban has more space, van better gas mileage. So, we were really back and forth. I miss my Suburban, except the gas mileage and the fact that it is HUGE to drive and park! We looked at some options that were kind of between-size of the two. This is definently not what I expected to come home with!
We went in to the dealer with our list of MUST and wants. They had a Suburban and this that met my wish list completely. They had the same mileage (we bought used) and they were basically the same price. The Suburban had some carpet stains, a small hole in the back of the driver seat (in the leather) which would become a big hole with kids sitting back there and some other "minor" issues. It was loaded though. This had less "minor" issues, more bonuses and is supposed to be safer! It is shorter than the Suburban, but has more storage than the van has - so it is a good in-between vehicle!
The kids love it. The foot room (which was always a HUGE complaint in the car) for the third row is amazing. They can actually stretch out! They have a DVD player for entertainment. We had all three older boys in the back seat and they were able to sit without touching each other and MINIMAL fighting (come on, if they are in the same vicinity of each other, there will be fighting of some sort).
The best part: we eliminated a car payment - which goes a LONG way in trying to get as close to completely debt-free as we can (excluding ONE house)!
Forced Smiles
Bryce came home yesterday with three checks and a frowny face. This morning he was talking about bringing home the frog and I told him he couldn't because of the frowny face.
"Well, today I will just have to FORCE myself to get a smiley face then."
"Well, today I will just have to FORCE myself to get a smiley face then."
How's That Foot Taste?
McCain has all along used his experience as a big issue to vote for him over Obama. Kinda sad when Obama's running mate plays right into McCain's hand! Biden said Sunday that he could almost guarantee that within six months of Obama taking office there would be an international crisis to test him. HMMMM! Doesn't really give you a warm and fuzzy feeling about electing Obama with his lack of experience?
And, did Biden REALLY expect what he said to not become a MAJOR news story?
If your running mate thinks you will be the cause of an international crisis - you probably ARE NOT the man for the job!
And, did Biden REALLY expect what he said to not become a MAJOR news story?
If your running mate thinks you will be the cause of an international crisis - you probably ARE NOT the man for the job!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Annual Pumpkin Carving
Every year Daddy and the boys carve pumpkins. I let this be a Daddy/son thing!! I unfortunately did not get any pics of AJ cleaning out his because I was having to hold him, but he was funny with the slime! They did this a couple of weeks ago and they did not last too long because of the Louisiana heat and humidity! The boys really look forward to this every year. Daddy loves carving (but hates the cleaning part)them. Usually they use a carving stencil thing, this year Daddy free-handed everything. He did a great job!
New Shoes
We were looking for boots for Caleb's costume this weekend and while in the shoe department Paul saw the Walmart brand of Crocs. We have never done the "croc thing" before, but Daddy got him some.
I have never seen Andrew so excited over shoes! He would not let us take them off. He even insisted on wearing them when he was wearing nothing else but a diaper. He wanted to wear them to bed, but I drew the line there.
What is really great about these shoes is it does not leave the red marks on the tops of his feet like everyother shoe we have put on him! So, Mama likes them too!
I have never seen Andrew so excited over shoes! He would not let us take them off. He even insisted on wearing them when he was wearing nothing else but a diaper. He wanted to wear them to bed, but I drew the line there.
What is really great about these shoes is it does not leave the red marks on the tops of his feet like everyother shoe we have put on him! So, Mama likes them too!
Not Christmas, but You Would Think it Was!
We have been wanting to get AJ a tricycle since we were in the corporate house this summer, but didn't want to add to what had to be moved. So, we FINALLY got him one. He is always trying to get on his brothers bikes - he needed one :(
I got it Thursday and Daddy put it together Sunday morning. AJ was SO excited about it that he could not even let Daddy get it put together before he started climbing on it. He was SO excited when we took it outside for him to play with.
who cares if Daddy is still trying to put the thing together. He wanted on it NOW!
who needs a seat on their tricycle?
he LOVES it
trying the bell
checking out the bin
I got it Thursday and Daddy put it together Sunday morning. AJ was SO excited about it that he could not even let Daddy get it put together before he started climbing on it. He was SO excited when we took it outside for him to play with.
who cares if Daddy is still trying to put the thing together. He wanted on it NOW!
who needs a seat on their tricycle?
he LOVES it
trying the bell
checking out the bin
Weekend Project
This weekend on a trip to Home Depot we found this faucet we really liked on clearance - $75 off!! We are not too fond of our kitchen countertops (tile) and sink. The grout doesn't look to great! While changing out the countertops is on our to-do list for the house - it is not top priority, so we decided to get the faucet and change that out (it had just a plain, old, worn faucet).
I think it looks great - can't wait to see it with granite countertops and a nice sink!!
I love my handyman hubby!!
I think it looks great - can't wait to see it with granite countertops and a nice sink!!
I love my handyman hubby!!
Fighting Brothers
I let Caleb and Bryce fight it out this weekend. Who do you think won?
Okay, seriously I did NOT let the kids fight it out. Bryce woke up in the middle of the night Friday with a bloody nose. Saturday morning he his nose looked like that and noone knows why.
As for Caleb...Caleb decided that he was going to race Bryce (Bryce was on a big wheels) up and down the driveway. He thought he would race in Andrew's Tonka dump truck. I have told them over and over not to do this and they do it anyway - so this time I said nothing. Some girls from across the street were pushing them both. I am not exactly sure what happened, but I look up from vacuuming my car and Caleb is laying flat on the ground. I just sat there to see what was going on and Caleb go up with a scrapped up face and hand.
This morning (it happened Sunday afternoon) when I took a picture of it he says "I better not see that you have written about my stupidity on your blog." I told him I WAS going to put it on the blog and I was VERY glad to hear he understood how stupid it was. He complained for a bit about it hurting and I told him if he was going to try to be a stunt rider he had to suffer the consequences in silence!
Monday morning Bryce woke up with a swollen eye. He apparently got bit by an ant on his eyelid and it had swollen close to shut. I had already been teasing Caleb that it looked like he and Bryce got in a fight and Bryce won. Monday I REALLY teased him. They both looked ROUGH!!
Okay, seriously I did NOT let the kids fight it out. Bryce woke up in the middle of the night Friday with a bloody nose. Saturday morning he his nose looked like that and noone knows why.
As for Caleb...Caleb decided that he was going to race Bryce (Bryce was on a big wheels) up and down the driveway. He thought he would race in Andrew's Tonka dump truck. I have told them over and over not to do this and they do it anyway - so this time I said nothing. Some girls from across the street were pushing them both. I am not exactly sure what happened, but I look up from vacuuming my car and Caleb is laying flat on the ground. I just sat there to see what was going on and Caleb go up with a scrapped up face and hand.
This morning (it happened Sunday afternoon) when I took a picture of it he says "I better not see that you have written about my stupidity on your blog." I told him I WAS going to put it on the blog and I was VERY glad to hear he understood how stupid it was. He complained for a bit about it hurting and I told him if he was going to try to be a stunt rider he had to suffer the consequences in silence!
Monday morning Bryce woke up with a swollen eye. He apparently got bit by an ant on his eyelid and it had swollen close to shut. I had already been teasing Caleb that it looked like he and Bryce got in a fight and Bryce won. Monday I REALLY teased him. They both looked ROUGH!!
I MUST Brag
Yesterday we sat at a dealership with Andrew ALL day. I mean we got there around 9:30 and did not finish until 3:15. He sat in his stroller, mostly quiet, the entire time. He ate A LOT though. I had taken half a ziploc bag full of grapes (his new favorite). He ate all of those pretty quick. Then he saw someone making popcorn and never took his eyes off of it while it popped. When guys started getting the popcorn to eat he started yelling "MY". Very quickly a nice gentleman asked and brought him his OWN bag of popcorn. I put it in his cupholder, but he kept grabbing at it and so I was trying to hold the bag. He would take my hand and THROW it off the popcorn and into my lap. Maybe he still has issues from me taking his plate the other day when he was stuffing his mouth too fast!!
Everyone commented on how great and well behaved he was. About 1:00 he got a little antsy and fussy, but we were able to curve that with some MORE food and playing with him. I seriously think he snacked the WHOLE time we were there.
He passed out before we even got out of the parking lot though when it was time to come home.
Caleb beat us home (only by a few minutes - I saw his bus in our neighborhood still). I was worried because he had no idea we might not be there and I had not thought to leave a note for him. I was hoping he just went and sat in the garage. NO!! We pulled into the neighborhood and he was RIDING HIS BIKE up the sidewalk toward the entrance with a HUGE smile. We pulled up (in a car he had never seen) and asked if he wanted a ride. He looked at us funny until he realized who I was and then came up to the car.
So much for Mom's concern about HIM being concerned noone was there! He just took advantage of no parents!
I have SUCH GREAT kids (most of the time)!
Everyone commented on how great and well behaved he was. About 1:00 he got a little antsy and fussy, but we were able to curve that with some MORE food and playing with him. I seriously think he snacked the WHOLE time we were there.
He passed out before we even got out of the parking lot though when it was time to come home.
Caleb beat us home (only by a few minutes - I saw his bus in our neighborhood still). I was worried because he had no idea we might not be there and I had not thought to leave a note for him. I was hoping he just went and sat in the garage. NO!! We pulled into the neighborhood and he was RIDING HIS BIKE up the sidewalk toward the entrance with a HUGE smile. We pulled up (in a car he had never seen) and asked if he wanted a ride. He looked at us funny until he realized who I was and then came up to the car.
So much for Mom's concern about HIM being concerned noone was there! He just took advantage of no parents!
I have SUCH GREAT kids (most of the time)!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!!
The boys are upset with me because we did not get to call and wish Papa a Happy Birthday yesterday(so be expecting a call this afternoon Dad). Paul and I were gone ALL day yesterday. By the time we got home at 7, and got homework for three done - it was BEDTIME!!
We love you and miss you and hope you had a great birthday!
We love you and miss you and hope you had a great birthday!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Cravings and Other Differences
People have been asking a lot of this is like the other pregnancies, how I am feeling, etc. So, I thought I would address it.
I don't have "morning" sickness. It is sporadic nauseousness throughout the day. But nothing bad. I have been able to control it all on my own! I had nauseousness with Andrew too. With the past pregnancies Coke was the only thing that would really calm my stomach first thing in the morning. I cannot STAND Coke with this one. It makes me feel sick (which is probably a better thing). Decaf tea has done a good job of calming with this one.
I have never really had the pickle and ice cream strange cravings with any of the kids. My strangest cravings were with Caleb I wanted guacamole (I don't like guacamole) and he LOVES guacamole. With Andrew I craved raw potatoes. That was about it.
With this one, I have STRONG cravings. Again, nothing really weird, but in the past the cravings were normal cravings. I wanted it but it wasn't a nagging craving that I felt I had to have. This one is strong nagging cravings for usually pretty healthy foods. Like I have been craving squash a lot, and grapes. For a while I was craving chili a lot. The bowl of ice cream I typically have every night before bed, I don't want very often.
The smell of peanut butter does not go over well anymore either. This is not necessarily a good thing since two of the boys ONLY want peanut butter and jelly for lunch. And it is FIRST thing in the morning I have to have it out. :( I don't have a very good sniffer, so for it to be so strong is strange!
I am not jumping to conclusions about the differences and their meanings. I did that with Andrew. We all know how that turned out! I am just going to stick to my motto throughout the pregnancy and be happy with whichever we are blessed to have!
I don't have "morning" sickness. It is sporadic nauseousness throughout the day. But nothing bad. I have been able to control it all on my own! I had nauseousness with Andrew too. With the past pregnancies Coke was the only thing that would really calm my stomach first thing in the morning. I cannot STAND Coke with this one. It makes me feel sick (which is probably a better thing). Decaf tea has done a good job of calming with this one.
I have never really had the pickle and ice cream strange cravings with any of the kids. My strangest cravings were with Caleb I wanted guacamole (I don't like guacamole) and he LOVES guacamole. With Andrew I craved raw potatoes. That was about it.
With this one, I have STRONG cravings. Again, nothing really weird, but in the past the cravings were normal cravings. I wanted it but it wasn't a nagging craving that I felt I had to have. This one is strong nagging cravings for usually pretty healthy foods. Like I have been craving squash a lot, and grapes. For a while I was craving chili a lot. The bowl of ice cream I typically have every night before bed, I don't want very often.
The smell of peanut butter does not go over well anymore either. This is not necessarily a good thing since two of the boys ONLY want peanut butter and jelly for lunch. And it is FIRST thing in the morning I have to have it out. :( I don't have a very good sniffer, so for it to be so strong is strange!
I am not jumping to conclusions about the differences and their meanings. I did that with Andrew. We all know how that turned out! I am just going to stick to my motto throughout the pregnancy and be happy with whichever we are blessed to have!
Chicago: State or Boat?
Last night Bryce heard the word "Chicago" on the television. He says "Is Chicargo a state or a boat?"
"It is a city, I don't know if it is a boat though."
"You know, a Chicargo boat, that carrys stuff?"
I start laughing, and tell him it is "Chicago" not Chicargo - and yes cargo boats carry stuff and Chicago is a city.
"It is a city, I don't know if it is a boat though."
"You know, a Chicargo boat, that carrys stuff?"
I start laughing, and tell him it is "Chicago" not Chicargo - and yes cargo boats carry stuff and Chicago is a city.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
I Think He is Getting It!!!
I know, like I don't have enough kids talking. But, I am really ready for Andrew to start using some words. He gets very frustrated when we don't do what he is wanting or give him what he wants. He just goes into meltdown mode.
I think part of why he gets so frustrated is because he understands SO much. We can tell him to do just about anything and he will do it. If it is something he is unsure of, we usually only have to show him once or twice nad he gets it from that point on.
Hopefully he is getting it now. Before now, everything was "DA". Not necessarily as in Daddy though. But, yesterday - as I previously posted - he was blowing kisses and saying Daddy. Today, everytime he saw Daddy's Jeep he said "Daddy" and pointed to the Jeep. The whole way into Baton Rouge he was blowing kisses and saying Daddy. He came running into my room this morning to Daddy's side of the bed and said "DADDY" But there was no Daddy (can you tell he is a Daddy's boy?).
We work on it a lot. I say words all day as we do our day to day stuff. One we have worked on a lot is "hot" (he likes to hang on the oven door - argh). The last week or so he has started saying "ho" when he is eating hot food.
I need him to be able to TELL me what he needs before new baby arrives. Not sure how well I will handle sleepless nights and frustrated toddlers! Okay, lets get real here - even if he talks I will have to deal with sleepless nights and frustrated toddler. But it sure will make things easier!
I think part of why he gets so frustrated is because he understands SO much. We can tell him to do just about anything and he will do it. If it is something he is unsure of, we usually only have to show him once or twice nad he gets it from that point on.
Hopefully he is getting it now. Before now, everything was "DA". Not necessarily as in Daddy though. But, yesterday - as I previously posted - he was blowing kisses and saying Daddy. Today, everytime he saw Daddy's Jeep he said "Daddy" and pointed to the Jeep. The whole way into Baton Rouge he was blowing kisses and saying Daddy. He came running into my room this morning to Daddy's side of the bed and said "DADDY" But there was no Daddy (can you tell he is a Daddy's boy?).
We work on it a lot. I say words all day as we do our day to day stuff. One we have worked on a lot is "hot" (he likes to hang on the oven door - argh). The last week or so he has started saying "ho" when he is eating hot food.
I need him to be able to TELL me what he needs before new baby arrives. Not sure how well I will handle sleepless nights and frustrated toddlers! Okay, lets get real here - even if he talks I will have to deal with sleepless nights and frustrated toddler. But it sure will make things easier!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
TOO FUNNY
I can see this happening to me with a house full of boys. I seriously would not be surprised if Bryce pulled something like this!
Why mother's drink!
A Mother passing by her son's bedroom was astonished to see that his bed
was
nicely made and everything was picked up.
Then she saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow that was
addressed to 'Mom' . With the worst premonition she opened the envelope
with
trembling hands and read the letter.
Dear Mom,
It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope
with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Dad and you.
I have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice. But I knew
you would not approve of her because of all her piercing, tattoos, t ight
motorcycle clothes and the fact that she is much older than I am. But it's
not only the passion...... Mom she's pregnant. Stacy said that we will be
very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for
the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children.
Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't really hurt
anyone. We'll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other
people that live nearby for cocaine and ecstasy. In the meantime we will
pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Stacy can get better. She
deserves it. Don't worry Mom. I'm 15 and I know how to take care of myself.
Someday I'm sure that we will be back to visit so that you can get to know
your grandchildren.
Love,
Your Son Jon
P. S. Mom, none of the above is true. I'm over at
Tommy's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in
life than the report card that's in my center desk drawer.
I love you.
Call me when it's safe to come home
Why mother's drink!
A Mother passing by her son's bedroom was astonished to see that his bed
was
nicely made and everything was picked up.
Then she saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow that was
addressed to 'Mom' . With the worst premonition she opened the envelope
with
trembling hands and read the letter.
Dear Mom,
It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope
with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Dad and you.
I have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice. But I knew
you would not approve of her because of all her piercing, tattoos, t ight
motorcycle clothes and the fact that she is much older than I am. But it's
not only the passion...... Mom she's pregnant. Stacy said that we will be
very happy. She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for
the whole winter. We share a dream of having many more children.
Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't really hurt
anyone. We'll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other
people that live nearby for cocaine and ecstasy. In the meantime we will
pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Stacy can get better. She
deserves it. Don't worry Mom. I'm 15 and I know how to take care of myself.
Someday I'm sure that we will be back to visit so that you can get to know
your grandchildren.
Love,
Your Son Jon
P. S. Mom, none of the above is true. I'm over at
Tommy's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in
life than the report card that's in my center desk drawer.
I love you.
Call me when it's safe to come home
SO CUTE!
Andrew has really been cracking me up lately. I just love watching his personality blossom! Since he has been not feeling well the last week or so, he doesn't play quite as much - he spends a lot of time just sitting with Mommy. Mommy likes this because it is an excuse to just sit!! The house, on the other hand, well.. not so much!
The last couple of mornings, after the boys leave, Andrew spends like an hour running in circles around the coffee table. This is when I usually get the most housework done. He would run, giggling, and then stop and look at me like he wanted me to chase him. I did off and on - but he wins in the energy category!
The cutest thing tonight though! He had been sitting on my lap for a while after dinner, just sucking his thumb and chilling (which I love!). I gave him a kiss on the top of his head. He sat up and blew me a kiss. Then he says "Daddy". He NEVER says Daddy. He says Da - and truely, EVERYTHING is Da! He spent about 10 minutes blowing kisses and saying "Daddy" in the sweetest voice with the biggest smile.
Then I asked if he was ready for bed. Everytime I started the word bed he covered my mouth and yelled "DADDY" over me. I think if he could have said shut up - he probably would have!! He did not want to hear any of it.
He went to bed with no problem though. Just didn't want it to be TOO easy for me.
The last couple of mornings, after the boys leave, Andrew spends like an hour running in circles around the coffee table. This is when I usually get the most housework done. He would run, giggling, and then stop and look at me like he wanted me to chase him. I did off and on - but he wins in the energy category!
The cutest thing tonight though! He had been sitting on my lap for a while after dinner, just sucking his thumb and chilling (which I love!). I gave him a kiss on the top of his head. He sat up and blew me a kiss. Then he says "Daddy". He NEVER says Daddy. He says Da - and truely, EVERYTHING is Da! He spent about 10 minutes blowing kisses and saying "Daddy" in the sweetest voice with the biggest smile.
Then I asked if he was ready for bed. Everytime I started the word bed he covered my mouth and yelled "DADDY" over me. I think if he could have said shut up - he probably would have!! He did not want to hear any of it.
He went to bed with no problem though. Just didn't want it to be TOO easy for me.
Don't Steal My Dinner
Andrew was eating his dinner, but he was shoveling food in his mouth way too fast. So, I would let him take a bite and then take his plate until he finished what was in his mouth. I did that twice, now he won't let go of his plate. He is holding it with one hand and eating with the other.
Caleb's PT Conference
We had Caleb's parent teacher conference this afternoon. Another short conference. She said there really was not much to say. He is a great student, he listens, he pays attention and he is very involved in class. She said he gets very upset when he forgets something (like homework or to do something). She always trys to blow it off with him as no big deal because he gets so upset and really does so well anyway.
They have different levels of work within the classroom (I guess depending on what each student can handle). He is at the highest level, which means more work and harder work. That is a good thing for him!
She said she had absolutely no discipline issues with him. I told her I wish he listened as well at home as he does there (but as I always say - I would rather he behaves better in public than at home - if I have to choose).
She is checking in to why he has not been tested for the GT program yet. It takes a while to get scores back, so I don't think we will change his class this year - he can start it next year.
He had straight A's. A 95,94,99,94,94,and 99 on his report cards. He had his typical adjusting-to-a-new-year-new-teacher-new-place lower grades at the beginning of the year that brought his average down, but all of his recent work has been A's.
Good job Caleb. I am proud of how hard you work.
They have different levels of work within the classroom (I guess depending on what each student can handle). He is at the highest level, which means more work and harder work. That is a good thing for him!
She said she had absolutely no discipline issues with him. I told her I wish he listened as well at home as he does there (but as I always say - I would rather he behaves better in public than at home - if I have to choose).
She is checking in to why he has not been tested for the GT program yet. It takes a while to get scores back, so I don't think we will change his class this year - he can start it next year.
He had straight A's. A 95,94,99,94,94,and 99 on his report cards. He had his typical adjusting-to-a-new-year-new-teacher-new-place lower grades at the beginning of the year that brought his average down, but all of his recent work has been A's.
Good job Caleb. I am proud of how hard you work.
Isaac's PT Conference
This morning I had Isaac's parent teacher conference. I AM SOOOOO PROUD OF HIM!! His behavior is great. He is ahead of target (a little) for reading. His report card looked great: 3 100's, 95, 91, and 88. His teacher said he is very involved in the class, a hard worker and very sweet. She also said he seems to love school (which he does).
I talked to the teacher about sounding out his words, which we are STILL having problems with. She said it is a common problem and that by Christmas break, they should not be struggling with that anymore.
I am so proud of how far Isaac has come the last several years!!!
I talked to the teacher about sounding out his words, which we are STILL having problems with. She said it is a common problem and that by Christmas break, they should not be struggling with that anymore.
I am so proud of how far Isaac has come the last several years!!!
Bryce's PT Conference
This morning I had Bryce's parent teacher conference. He had LOTS of NI's (needs improvement) on his report card. His teacher said a lot of the things that he got the NI's on she thinks he really knows. I have to agree because one of the NI's was for recognizing the alphabet - which he has been able to do for YEARS!!
I have been wondering if he needs to see a dr because of his "activeness". I have not wanted to do anything until I saw his first report card and spoke with his teacher. His teacher has been teaching for a while and I knew she would be a better judge of if he was "normal" or too active. I asked her about it and she said he "absolutely does NOT" need to see a dr. She said he is "just REALLY boy" and it is normal.
She also said he has made a lot of improvement in both behavior and learning. When they are working at their desk he now sits and works. She said carpet time (aka circle time) is when he tends to get in trouble. I told her he has NEVER been able to do circle time. In MDO last year that is when he always got in trouble.
Yesterday he got on red for behavior (green, green, yellow, red - that is bad). She said she still gave him a smiley face on his conduct sheet that comes home because once he got put on red he immediately straightened up his behavior.
We still have a hard time getting him to sit at home and work on things. He just wants to run and play (which I can understand if he is actually working at school). We will keep working on the things that need improvement and do the best we can.
I am still very proud of him. He has come a long way this first nine weeks! If he will keep improving like this all year - things would be GREAT!
I have been wondering if he needs to see a dr because of his "activeness". I have not wanted to do anything until I saw his first report card and spoke with his teacher. His teacher has been teaching for a while and I knew she would be a better judge of if he was "normal" or too active. I asked her about it and she said he "absolutely does NOT" need to see a dr. She said he is "just REALLY boy" and it is normal.
She also said he has made a lot of improvement in both behavior and learning. When they are working at their desk he now sits and works. She said carpet time (aka circle time) is when he tends to get in trouble. I told her he has NEVER been able to do circle time. In MDO last year that is when he always got in trouble.
Yesterday he got on red for behavior (green, green, yellow, red - that is bad). She said she still gave him a smiley face on his conduct sheet that comes home because once he got put on red he immediately straightened up his behavior.
We still have a hard time getting him to sit at home and work on things. He just wants to run and play (which I can understand if he is actually working at school). We will keep working on the things that need improvement and do the best we can.
I am still very proud of him. He has come a long way this first nine weeks! If he will keep improving like this all year - things would be GREAT!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Reminders of my Aging
As I have said before, I am really fine with the fact that I am going to be 30 on my next birthday. The thing that gets to me is how quickly my babies are growing up!
Last night, Emily and I were discussing the boys growing. Her oldest just has his tenth birthday. I have known that the time of them being allowed (by law) to drive was inching nearer and nearer. I realized yesterday though, that after this election we will only have one more election before the boys can vote. For some reason, that hit me harder than the driving thing.
Actually, I think Caleb will miss the cutoff by like 2 weeks (maybe) but it is bothering me nonetheless!
As if this was not bad enough...Emily pointed out that we have been friends for SEVENTEEN years!! If that does not age you. We decided we would act like we have been friends since we were babies!!
Okay, I know we are not fooling anyone, but it is better than the truth!
Last night, Emily and I were discussing the boys growing. Her oldest just has his tenth birthday. I have known that the time of them being allowed (by law) to drive was inching nearer and nearer. I realized yesterday though, that after this election we will only have one more election before the boys can vote. For some reason, that hit me harder than the driving thing.
Actually, I think Caleb will miss the cutoff by like 2 weeks (maybe) but it is bothering me nonetheless!
As if this was not bad enough...Emily pointed out that we have been friends for SEVENTEEN years!! If that does not age you. We decided we would act like we have been friends since we were babies!!
Okay, I know we are not fooling anyone, but it is better than the truth!
Andrew is Ready for School...
or the bus anyway!!
Since the boys wear uniforms, they have a pretty strict set of rules they have to follow with how they dress. They have to have a brown or black belt, they have to have shirts tucked in, etc.
This morning, as normal I helped Bryce and Isaac finish tucking in their shirts. They typically try and do a pretty good job of tucking in their shirts, but they usually miss part of the back.
As we were walking out the door to catch the bus, I noticed that Bryce's shirt (which was already a dirty shirt because he lost all but ONE shirt - I mean, NOT ME lost all but one shirt)was untucked. I asked why and he said he went potty. So I lean down, while holding on to AJ, and am tucking in his shirt. When the bus stopped in front of the house I let go of Andrew and quickly finished Bryce's shirt.
They have a great bus driver and aide. Very sweet ladies! They always talk to Andrew and ask if he wants to go with them. Today, he decided he did. By the time I caught up with him and got Bryce on the bus, Andrew was not only on the bus, but had climbed into a seat and was sitting on his bottom. The kids on the bus erupted in laughter, the bus driver and aide were laughing and Andrew (who is number 4 so ALWAYS wants attention) just hammed it up.
He came to me when I called him and was fine getting off, but he would have been fine to stay on the bus too. The kids on the bus always wave at Andrew (and he waves back) and yell how cute he is and bye to him. It definently gave the kids on the bus something to talk about and laugh about (hopefully they calmed down quickly - for the driver and aides sakes!!).
Since the boys wear uniforms, they have a pretty strict set of rules they have to follow with how they dress. They have to have a brown or black belt, they have to have shirts tucked in, etc.
This morning, as normal I helped Bryce and Isaac finish tucking in their shirts. They typically try and do a pretty good job of tucking in their shirts, but they usually miss part of the back.
As we were walking out the door to catch the bus, I noticed that Bryce's shirt (which was already a dirty shirt because he lost all but ONE shirt - I mean, NOT ME lost all but one shirt)was untucked. I asked why and he said he went potty. So I lean down, while holding on to AJ, and am tucking in his shirt. When the bus stopped in front of the house I let go of Andrew and quickly finished Bryce's shirt.
They have a great bus driver and aide. Very sweet ladies! They always talk to Andrew and ask if he wants to go with them. Today, he decided he did. By the time I caught up with him and got Bryce on the bus, Andrew was not only on the bus, but had climbed into a seat and was sitting on his bottom. The kids on the bus erupted in laughter, the bus driver and aide were laughing and Andrew (who is number 4 so ALWAYS wants attention) just hammed it up.
He came to me when I called him and was fine getting off, but he would have been fine to stay on the bus too. The kids on the bus always wave at Andrew (and he waves back) and yell how cute he is and bye to him. It definently gave the kids on the bus something to talk about and laugh about (hopefully they calmed down quickly - for the driver and aides sakes!!).
Monday, October 13, 2008
Surprise...For Us Too!!
We are dreaming of pink, expecting blue and hoping for HEALTHY!!
That is right, WE got a surprise and we are expecting....again.
I have not been to the dr yet, but we are almost three months we believe (means another April birthday). I am having a hard time finding a dr here! :(
The bigger surprise - we are not planning to find out the sex of the baby. Daddy thinks since the pregnancy is such a surprise for us we should have the end result be a surprise as well. My only thing is that we have been through this enough to know what we are looking at with the sonograms! So, we will see.
This was not in OUR plan, but I hear that is how life works! Now that the shock and rollercoaster of the surprise is past and the boys know, we are all excited.
That is right, WE got a surprise and we are expecting....again.
I have not been to the dr yet, but we are almost three months we believe (means another April birthday). I am having a hard time finding a dr here! :(
The bigger surprise - we are not planning to find out the sex of the baby. Daddy thinks since the pregnancy is such a surprise for us we should have the end result be a surprise as well. My only thing is that we have been through this enough to know what we are looking at with the sonograms! So, we will see.
This was not in OUR plan, but I hear that is how life works! Now that the shock and rollercoaster of the surprise is past and the boys know, we are all excited.
P is For....
Bryce has a thing he has to read every night. One of them is P is for...(pizza, pumpkin, etc). The last one, as Bryce would read it, is "P is for pianty-o". Translated that is "p is for piano"
Early Mornings
It is almost 9 am and I have been up for four hours. Daddy is going out of town this week. He is working half the day at the office and renting a car and driving. We did not want his Jeep parked there all week (because they spray paint outside at the plant all the time) so I took him to work.
Sunday morning I was up at 4:30 am. Andrew has been coughing so bad when he is laying down. He woke up coughing and I got up and laid on the couch with him to make him sit up more. This morning he woke up at 3:30 am. I went in and sat him back up on his pillow and gave him some water. Luckily, that made him stop coughing and got to go back to sleep for a bit before the alarm went off!
Hopefully, Andrew will take a GOOD nap today so I can take a good nap!
Sunday morning I was up at 4:30 am. Andrew has been coughing so bad when he is laying down. He woke up coughing and I got up and laid on the couch with him to make him sit up more. This morning he woke up at 3:30 am. I went in and sat him back up on his pillow and gave him some water. Luckily, that made him stop coughing and got to go back to sleep for a bit before the alarm went off!
Hopefully, Andrew will take a GOOD nap today so I can take a good nap!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Manly Man "I'm a Lumberjack" is Playing in my Head Right Now
Bryce did good at school yesterday - YAY!!!
Home....another story. And, unfortunately it has been ALL of the older three! They all spent the majority of today in their bedrooms (and it was SUCH gorgeous weather - partly sunny, awesome breeze).
This evening Daddy was out cutting down a couple of trees. We are trying to get the back of the property ready to have a fence put in. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) we have to take out some landscaping that will be in the way of where we want the back fence. These trees were small trees. When we moved in we honestly weren't sure if they were trees or bushes or weeds. When we had the guys come out to give us a quote for the fence, they told me what kind of trees they were and that they had horrible roots that would take over. That made up our minds for us as to whether to leave them or try to move them or get rid of them.
So, Daddy was out cutting down the trees with the chainsaw. After he cut them down he had to cut them up and put them in trashbags so they would be picked up. Daddy asked Bryce if he wanted to help. Bryce held the tree while Daddy cut off the branches. Then he went and got a couple of big landscaping bricks (very heavy) to use to cut up the trunk of the tree. Daddy would cut through a little more than half the trunk and then Bryce would jump on the trunk and break it (just because he wanted to be manly).
When we were picking up all the branches to put in the bags, Bryce had to show us that he could break each branch in half. He was feeling very big and strong by the end of the job! he even pulled the garbage bag over to the garage.
He did a great job helping Daddy (and unfortunately - I was too nervous with him around the chainsaw to actually get my camera and get pictures of it all!)
I will try and get some before and after pictures of what we have done with the landscaping. It is looking quite different! And this morning, when I looked out the back windows when I got up and saw the horses in the fog behind us, with a slight make-out of a barn - I thought I was in heaven. If I could just get the dogs off our patio so I can get some furniture back there - I may never come in the house (depending on how bad the mosquitos are)!!!
Home....another story. And, unfortunately it has been ALL of the older three! They all spent the majority of today in their bedrooms (and it was SUCH gorgeous weather - partly sunny, awesome breeze).
This evening Daddy was out cutting down a couple of trees. We are trying to get the back of the property ready to have a fence put in. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) we have to take out some landscaping that will be in the way of where we want the back fence. These trees were small trees. When we moved in we honestly weren't sure if they were trees or bushes or weeds. When we had the guys come out to give us a quote for the fence, they told me what kind of trees they were and that they had horrible roots that would take over. That made up our minds for us as to whether to leave them or try to move them or get rid of them.
So, Daddy was out cutting down the trees with the chainsaw. After he cut them down he had to cut them up and put them in trashbags so they would be picked up. Daddy asked Bryce if he wanted to help. Bryce held the tree while Daddy cut off the branches. Then he went and got a couple of big landscaping bricks (very heavy) to use to cut up the trunk of the tree. Daddy would cut through a little more than half the trunk and then Bryce would jump on the trunk and break it (just because he wanted to be manly).
When we were picking up all the branches to put in the bags, Bryce had to show us that he could break each branch in half. He was feeling very big and strong by the end of the job! he even pulled the garbage bag over to the garage.
He did a great job helping Daddy (and unfortunately - I was too nervous with him around the chainsaw to actually get my camera and get pictures of it all!)
I will try and get some before and after pictures of what we have done with the landscaping. It is looking quite different! And this morning, when I looked out the back windows when I got up and saw the horses in the fog behind us, with a slight make-out of a barn - I thought I was in heaven. If I could just get the dogs off our patio so I can get some furniture back there - I may never come in the house (depending on how bad the mosquitos are)!!!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Tis the Season
Caleb has had a stuffy nose, runny nose and cough all week this week. Yesterday, Andrew laid on the couch all but about an hour. Today he is running a fever (100.1 right now) and is sneezy and having a hard time breathing (and constant snot running out of his nose). He is laying on the couch again and in a good mood, but you can tell the poor baby is not feeling well!!
Bryce's Bad Streak....Again
Last night Bryce got mad at Andrew and threw a Little People's Noah Ark (big piece of hard plastic) at him. It hit Andrew in the face and busted his mouth and his cheek swelled up from under his eye to his lip (and turned purple). You can imagine how mad Mama got!!! Andrew went to Daddy, Daddy took him to show Bryce what he had done and discuss why he threw the toy.
Needless to say, last night was an early bedtime for Bryce!
This morning, although Bryce was up over an hour before the bus got here, he goofed off and took too long in the shower, etc. He gets mad all the time because I won't let him have breakfast until he is COMPLETELY dressed (including shoes, socks and belt). So, he came in and had breakfast. I noticed his lunchbox and notebooks were not in his backpack and told him over and over to get his backpack ready (it was almost time for the bus). A few minutes later he is going in a circle trying to put on a jacket and I was helping Isaac. I told him to put the jacket down and take care of his backpack. He got mad, argued with me about putting down the jacket until I could help and ended up throwing it and his lunchbox in his anger.
He got his stuff in his backpack as the bus pulled into the neighborhood. It has three stops before ours, so I was getting the kids out the door and had Bryce's jacket in my hand. I stood on the porch and got the jacket on him (with the bus next door) and went to put his backpack on him. He kept hitting the backpack telling me he did NOT want to wear the jacket. He ended up getting spanked, wearing the jacket and crying. He would not walk to the bus - I had to pull him. He got on the bus still crying saying he didn't want to go to school.
This is only a sign that he will come home with LOTS of checks today (he has come home with as many as EIGHT in one day - at the beginning of the year - but has not had ANY in several weeks). With Bryce, if he starts a day like this - it will be a BAD day! Unfortunately for him, he is going to do this on a Friday - which could likely ruin his weekend!
This little angry streak will end, one way or another!
Needless to say, last night was an early bedtime for Bryce!
This morning, although Bryce was up over an hour before the bus got here, he goofed off and took too long in the shower, etc. He gets mad all the time because I won't let him have breakfast until he is COMPLETELY dressed (including shoes, socks and belt). So, he came in and had breakfast. I noticed his lunchbox and notebooks were not in his backpack and told him over and over to get his backpack ready (it was almost time for the bus). A few minutes later he is going in a circle trying to put on a jacket and I was helping Isaac. I told him to put the jacket down and take care of his backpack. He got mad, argued with me about putting down the jacket until I could help and ended up throwing it and his lunchbox in his anger.
He got his stuff in his backpack as the bus pulled into the neighborhood. It has three stops before ours, so I was getting the kids out the door and had Bryce's jacket in my hand. I stood on the porch and got the jacket on him (with the bus next door) and went to put his backpack on him. He kept hitting the backpack telling me he did NOT want to wear the jacket. He ended up getting spanked, wearing the jacket and crying. He would not walk to the bus - I had to pull him. He got on the bus still crying saying he didn't want to go to school.
This is only a sign that he will come home with LOTS of checks today (he has come home with as many as EIGHT in one day - at the beginning of the year - but has not had ANY in several weeks). With Bryce, if he starts a day like this - it will be a BAD day! Unfortunately for him, he is going to do this on a Friday - which could likely ruin his weekend!
This little angry streak will end, one way or another!
Should I Feel Better?
In these shakey economic times when so many people have lost their life savings, their houses, many, their belongings, and when others who have money in stock are scared to sell because prices have dropped so bad but are scared to keep their money wrapped in it because prices have dropped so bad, am I supposed to be happy when I hear how much MORE Obama has spent on his campaign than McCain? How Obama is paying for several 30 minute spots on primetime tv the week before elections?
So, we - the people struggling are having to bail out greedy Wall Street, who all took care of themselves financially BEFORE going under - we are supposed to enjoy hearing about how the presidential candidates are spending MILLIONS to bad mouth each other. I would MUCH rather see that money go to helping with the bailout!
Apparently, Bryce is doing a mock election at school. He came home and said he was voting for McCain because "he has a mans voice and the other boy doesn't" and he "is not voting for a girl!" He can never remember Barak's name!
Obviously, they are not talking much about the vice presidents for him to know that McCain's is a girl. Sadly, that is how many people of voting age choose how THEY will vote for real.
This is, no doubt, the scariest election I have ever been a part of. I am concerned at the future of the economy and nation. Not only for me, but mainly for my CHILDREN! What kind of world are we leaving them?
So, we - the people struggling are having to bail out greedy Wall Street, who all took care of themselves financially BEFORE going under - we are supposed to enjoy hearing about how the presidential candidates are spending MILLIONS to bad mouth each other. I would MUCH rather see that money go to helping with the bailout!
Apparently, Bryce is doing a mock election at school. He came home and said he was voting for McCain because "he has a mans voice and the other boy doesn't" and he "is not voting for a girl!" He can never remember Barak's name!
Obviously, they are not talking much about the vice presidents for him to know that McCain's is a girl. Sadly, that is how many people of voting age choose how THEY will vote for real.
This is, no doubt, the scariest election I have ever been a part of. I am concerned at the future of the economy and nation. Not only for me, but mainly for my CHILDREN! What kind of world are we leaving them?
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Nasty Andrew
We have been waking up to temperatures in the low to mid 50s lately. I have taken the opportunity to air out the house (believe me - with five boys, not to mention a cat and bird - the house needs airing frequently). Andrew has taken the opportunity to clean out my windowsills of any dead bugs. That would be fine if a) he didn't actually TOUCH the bug and b) he didn't actually EAT the bugs!!!
That is right, I have caught him eating bugs. I have also cleaned all the windowsills! Way to move Mama into action!
Also, Andrew has learned how to undo the belt on his booster seat. If you don't sit right next to him while he eats, he climbs onto the table and walks around ON TOP of the table while he eats. He has fallen off the table and chairs several times now (tile floors underneath). Once he is down from his chair, he climbs into a regular chair and eats. Is he telling me something?
That is right, I have caught him eating bugs. I have also cleaned all the windowsills! Way to move Mama into action!
Also, Andrew has learned how to undo the belt on his booster seat. If you don't sit right next to him while he eats, he climbs onto the table and walks around ON TOP of the table while he eats. He has fallen off the table and chairs several times now (tile floors underneath). Once he is down from his chair, he climbs into a regular chair and eats. Is he telling me something?
Facelift Complete
I changed it again, got rid of the polka dots behind the text, which makes it much easier to read (I am sure most of you have NO idea what I am talking about - but there were polka dots behind the text and it made it difficult to read).
Hope you all enjoy the new look!
Hope you all enjoy the new look!
Blog Facelift
I have known about this place to get backgrounds, visited several times, but never used it. I told some others about it and the backgrounds are just too cute not to use!!
I will be working on colors for the type, I know it is kind of hard to read right now. I thought the theme went too well with my kids though!! Please bear with me while I work on the facelift!
I will be working on colors for the type, I know it is kind of hard to read right now. I thought the theme went too well with my kids though!! Please bear with me while I work on the facelift!
Halloween Costumes 2008
After last years trashcan (which Bryce is wanting to wear again after last years response), the boys are wanting creative costumes this year - not the run of the mill Walmart or Target costume. This would be fine, except they are just now deciding this.
So, this is what we have on the agenda for everyone this year:
Caleb: Jack-in-the-box (gotta make that of course)
Isaac: Undecided
Bryce: Trashcan
Andrew: Monkey - OF COURSE
I have two costumes, some supplies for Caleb's and have to figure something out for Isaac. Any ideas (PLEASE, remember I will probably have to make it - HAVE MERCY ON ME)? Andrew's I bought at the store and there is some changes I plan to make to it, but he is VERY cute in it!
The most exciting part of Halloween this year, DADDY WILL BE HOME!!! I honestly think this is the first year since we really started trick-or-treating that he has been able to join us. Luckily, we had a great friend that we would trick-or-treat with so I was not alone with them (we would not have done it if I was alone with them in the dark!!
I think the plan this year is to do our neighborhood and that is it for the trick-or-treating, then come home and hand out candy. I have a feeling this is going to be a booming neighborhood for trick-or-treaters!!!
Again, please send me any creative (easy) ideas for Isaac!
So, this is what we have on the agenda for everyone this year:
Caleb: Jack-in-the-box (gotta make that of course)
Isaac: Undecided
Bryce: Trashcan
Andrew: Monkey - OF COURSE
I have two costumes, some supplies for Caleb's and have to figure something out for Isaac. Any ideas (PLEASE, remember I will probably have to make it - HAVE MERCY ON ME)? Andrew's I bought at the store and there is some changes I plan to make to it, but he is VERY cute in it!
The most exciting part of Halloween this year, DADDY WILL BE HOME!!! I honestly think this is the first year since we really started trick-or-treating that he has been able to join us. Luckily, we had a great friend that we would trick-or-treat with so I was not alone with them (we would not have done it if I was alone with them in the dark!!
I think the plan this year is to do our neighborhood and that is it for the trick-or-treating, then come home and hand out candy. I have a feeling this is going to be a booming neighborhood for trick-or-treaters!!!
Again, please send me any creative (easy) ideas for Isaac!
When Wearing Uniforms Does NOT Suck
The other day I posted why wearing uniforms suck. Now, let me tell you why they are great (other than the lack of peer pressure with clothes and other obvious bonuses). I don't have to spend a ton of money on winter clothes this year!! I will probably have to buy everyone coats (maybe - I am playing that one by ear here) and maybe a couple of shirts for when we go somewhere nice, but they are all good on jeans and play clothes.
Andrew has some hand-me-downs from his brothers and I will have to get him some, but for the most part I will save LOTS of money on clothes this year!
YAY UNIFORMS!!
Andrew has some hand-me-downs from his brothers and I will have to get him some, but for the most part I will save LOTS of money on clothes this year!
YAY UNIFORMS!!
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
When Wearing Uniforms Suck!
Other than when I am having to do laundry at nine at night because the boys did not put the uniforms in the laundry for me to wash and did not bother to tell me they had no uniforms.
Or, when it is 7:15 in the morning and the boys come and tell me they have no clean school clothes - yet there are none in the laundry either.
No, the time is sucks the most is when the uniform thief strikes our house. I spent quite a bit of money before school started making sure the boys each had enough uniforms for a week. Somehow we are down to 1-3 shirts per person. Yet, everyone has put their clothes in the dirty clothes. They never made it to the washer, so the thief got them out of their bathroom laundry apparently.
This uniform thief probably works VERY closely with "Not me" that lives here too.
Or, when it is 7:15 in the morning and the boys come and tell me they have no clean school clothes - yet there are none in the laundry either.
No, the time is sucks the most is when the uniform thief strikes our house. I spent quite a bit of money before school started making sure the boys each had enough uniforms for a week. Somehow we are down to 1-3 shirts per person. Yet, everyone has put their clothes in the dirty clothes. They never made it to the washer, so the thief got them out of their bathroom laundry apparently.
This uniform thief probably works VERY closely with "Not me" that lives here too.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Fans in Babies Rooms
Paul sent me this interesting article earlier. They are now saying that you can help prevent SIDS by having a fan on in the babies bedroom.
We have always used fans - in our room and the kids rooms. Not only does the white noise help the kids go to sleep, it helps mask the other sounds of the house while they are sleeping - and when you have an active house like ours - you need masking!! It basically just keeps them from waking up due to their brothers being noisy, especially during nap time in the middle of the day!
I am glad to know that we were doing something to help, even if we didn't know it.
We have always used fans - in our room and the kids rooms. Not only does the white noise help the kids go to sleep, it helps mask the other sounds of the house while they are sleeping - and when you have an active house like ours - you need masking!! It basically just keeps them from waking up due to their brothers being noisy, especially during nap time in the middle of the day!
I am glad to know that we were doing something to help, even if we didn't know it.
Andrew's 18 Month Check-up
Andrew will be 18 months on the 11th :(
He had his check-up this morning. I think we found a dr!! I got there over 30 minutes early (I have to drive through Baton Rouge and you never know about traffic through there) and only sat in the waiting room for about 5 minutes. The waiting rooms are well seperated (sick child and well child) and you don't have to walk through one to the get to the other (my complaint about our old clinic). They have weekend hours for sick children - which is nice since we live so far away. Also, I asked if I had to bring all the kids in for check-ups BEFORE they would see them sick (the first one here we went to required it). He said no - as far as he was concerned he had seen one of the kids, they are ALL his patients now. I filled out the paperwork to have all of their records transferred and filled out their new patient paperwork (for all of the them). Caleb and Isaac both have birthdays coming up, which means it is time for their well-child check-ups (but Caleb is working on getting sick right now too).
The dr came in and took time to meet us and learn about Andrew and the family. I had Andrew's records with us and he went through them all while we talked about all of Andrew's many issues. He compared growth charts from the previous clinic with his chart today, shot records, etc. He does not feel as though Andrew ever should have been diagnosed failure to thrive. He agrees there is a big drop between his one month and two month checkups, but he stays on the curve after that drop and other than when he got sick and ended up in the hospital, he never lost weight.
I was explaining the GI issues, and threw in that we really never had much faith in the GI dr we were seeing. I explained that AJ had had allergy testing done and everything came back normal. Told him how AJ could not drink milk or eat anything with high dairy content, but is drinking lactose free milk just fine. He said that Andrew was lactose intolerant. I told him we had thought that and that the GI dr was very adament that he was NOT lactose intolerant. He said we had good reason not to have faith in that dr!
Overall, the dr said that we had a "very healthy monkey" (I did not even tell him we called him Monkey - I guess the fact that he was CONTINUOUSLY climbing on chairs and steps the entire time the dr was in there was enough) and absolutely no reason to be concerned. He is on track to be a thin six to six and a half foot tall young man. He said to continue the Lactaid milk and do what we have been doing as far as the lactose intolerance goes. I did ask if he would outgrow it and he said probably not, but he does not have it as bad as he could because he can have some milk in food, just not a lot of milk. He also put him on some vitamins.
I asked about ending the thumb-sucking. He said there were ways to try, like hot sauce, but basically if we did that he would just cry while he sucks his thumb! He said to just try and deter him by verbally saying things like "Andrew is a big boy and doesn't need to suck his thumb!" We will see!!!
He also got three shots - Hep A, flu and a mix vaccine that has DTAP, Hib and polio). He wasn't too happy about that.
So, his stats are:
Weight 23 pounds 2 ounces
Height 32 1/4 in
Head circumfrence 18 1/2
He had his check-up this morning. I think we found a dr!! I got there over 30 minutes early (I have to drive through Baton Rouge and you never know about traffic through there) and only sat in the waiting room for about 5 minutes. The waiting rooms are well seperated (sick child and well child) and you don't have to walk through one to the get to the other (my complaint about our old clinic). They have weekend hours for sick children - which is nice since we live so far away. Also, I asked if I had to bring all the kids in for check-ups BEFORE they would see them sick (the first one here we went to required it). He said no - as far as he was concerned he had seen one of the kids, they are ALL his patients now. I filled out the paperwork to have all of their records transferred and filled out their new patient paperwork (for all of the them). Caleb and Isaac both have birthdays coming up, which means it is time for their well-child check-ups (but Caleb is working on getting sick right now too).
The dr came in and took time to meet us and learn about Andrew and the family. I had Andrew's records with us and he went through them all while we talked about all of Andrew's many issues. He compared growth charts from the previous clinic with his chart today, shot records, etc. He does not feel as though Andrew ever should have been diagnosed failure to thrive. He agrees there is a big drop between his one month and two month checkups, but he stays on the curve after that drop and other than when he got sick and ended up in the hospital, he never lost weight.
I was explaining the GI issues, and threw in that we really never had much faith in the GI dr we were seeing. I explained that AJ had had allergy testing done and everything came back normal. Told him how AJ could not drink milk or eat anything with high dairy content, but is drinking lactose free milk just fine. He said that Andrew was lactose intolerant. I told him we had thought that and that the GI dr was very adament that he was NOT lactose intolerant. He said we had good reason not to have faith in that dr!
Overall, the dr said that we had a "very healthy monkey" (I did not even tell him we called him Monkey - I guess the fact that he was CONTINUOUSLY climbing on chairs and steps the entire time the dr was in there was enough) and absolutely no reason to be concerned. He is on track to be a thin six to six and a half foot tall young man. He said to continue the Lactaid milk and do what we have been doing as far as the lactose intolerance goes. I did ask if he would outgrow it and he said probably not, but he does not have it as bad as he could because he can have some milk in food, just not a lot of milk. He also put him on some vitamins.
I asked about ending the thumb-sucking. He said there were ways to try, like hot sauce, but basically if we did that he would just cry while he sucks his thumb! He said to just try and deter him by verbally saying things like "Andrew is a big boy and doesn't need to suck his thumb!" We will see!!!
He also got three shots - Hep A, flu and a mix vaccine that has DTAP, Hib and polio). He wasn't too happy about that.
So, his stats are:
Weight 23 pounds 2 ounces
Height 32 1/4 in
Head circumfrence 18 1/2
Monday, October 06, 2008
My Favorites Boys
I had to seperate these out from the others because they just make me smile and I did not want them lost in the others!!
Busy Weekend
We had a really busy weekend, but were able to squeeze in some fun and a little laziness too!
Saturday morning we got up to a fish tank crisis in Andrew's room. Somehow the bottom of his tank cracked and there was water everywhere. Luckily, we had a spare fish tank (you know my hubby and his tanks) to put him in. The poor fish lost a LOT of space and Andrew's scuba man and decor would not fit, BUT the fish won't run out of water!
After taking care of that and giving Andrew his first haircut we went and visited a plantation not to far from home. It is a really neat place and the boys had fun! We even took a tour of the old house from 1800. I was concerned because the only rules of the house were "do not touch or lean on anything" (much of the furniture is original to the house/family and will fall over easily) and "no flash on cameras" could be use because there are very old prints in the house that the flash could ruin.
Do not touch or lean on anything.....with four boys...
They did VERY good. Everytime we went in a new room, the boys would sit indian style on the floor and listen to the tour guide. They asked questions (even if they were questions like "Were those smoke detectors here then?"). They were truely interested in the history of the place.
Saturday evening we came home and did yard work. While Paul mowed and weed eated, I planted some flowers (WITH COLOR) under one of the trees in the front. I have the flowers to do the second tree, but it is full of ants that must first be taken care of!
The flower beds have been a major job we have not looked forward too since we moved in, but has been an even bigger, more unenjoyable job since the hurricane hit. The house has about a 4 ft section behind the house that does NOT have a flowerbed. Everywhere else around the house is good sized flowerbeds. The previous owners had elephant ears and cannas in most of the beds, which is good in some spots, but it is really overpowering the way it is now. There is landscaping within all of the big stuff (really don't know how it is still alive). AND, ALL of the beds were FULL of weeds and trash (apparently that is where they threw stuff they had no where to put. There was a rotor for a wheel, a handle to a shovel, siding, bags, planting pots, etc.
Yesterday, we got just over half the flowerbeds done. Done as in, Paul took a chainssaw and cut down the shredded up cannas and elephant ears, all the weeds were pulled (some so big we had to determine if they were supposed to be weeds or bushes). What we got done looks a ton better. We have the fall and winter to figure out how we want the flowerbeds and get them prepped so the spring we can get it done!
Yesterday evening, we went to a creek close by and let the boys play in the water. They had a pretty good time and it was funny to see them with the "quicksand". Daddy sang up to his knees at one point, while holding Andrew. It took a little bit to get Isaac and Bryce into the water (and Andrew) but once they got in, they went off on their own and had a great time! And the water was a very comfortable temperature, too. Definently someplace we will go back to and someplace Daddy would like to go kayaking.
I am working on loading pictures on the blog. But there are lots of pictures and it takes a while, so they are coming!
Saturday morning we got up to a fish tank crisis in Andrew's room. Somehow the bottom of his tank cracked and there was water everywhere. Luckily, we had a spare fish tank (you know my hubby and his tanks) to put him in. The poor fish lost a LOT of space and Andrew's scuba man and decor would not fit, BUT the fish won't run out of water!
After taking care of that and giving Andrew his first haircut we went and visited a plantation not to far from home. It is a really neat place and the boys had fun! We even took a tour of the old house from 1800. I was concerned because the only rules of the house were "do not touch or lean on anything" (much of the furniture is original to the house/family and will fall over easily) and "no flash on cameras" could be use because there are very old prints in the house that the flash could ruin.
Do not touch or lean on anything.....with four boys...
They did VERY good. Everytime we went in a new room, the boys would sit indian style on the floor and listen to the tour guide. They asked questions (even if they were questions like "Were those smoke detectors here then?"). They were truely interested in the history of the place.
Saturday evening we came home and did yard work. While Paul mowed and weed eated, I planted some flowers (WITH COLOR) under one of the trees in the front. I have the flowers to do the second tree, but it is full of ants that must first be taken care of!
The flower beds have been a major job we have not looked forward too since we moved in, but has been an even bigger, more unenjoyable job since the hurricane hit. The house has about a 4 ft section behind the house that does NOT have a flowerbed. Everywhere else around the house is good sized flowerbeds. The previous owners had elephant ears and cannas in most of the beds, which is good in some spots, but it is really overpowering the way it is now. There is landscaping within all of the big stuff (really don't know how it is still alive). AND, ALL of the beds were FULL of weeds and trash (apparently that is where they threw stuff they had no where to put. There was a rotor for a wheel, a handle to a shovel, siding, bags, planting pots, etc.
Yesterday, we got just over half the flowerbeds done. Done as in, Paul took a chainssaw and cut down the shredded up cannas and elephant ears, all the weeds were pulled (some so big we had to determine if they were supposed to be weeds or bushes). What we got done looks a ton better. We have the fall and winter to figure out how we want the flowerbeds and get them prepped so the spring we can get it done!
Yesterday evening, we went to a creek close by and let the boys play in the water. They had a pretty good time and it was funny to see them with the "quicksand". Daddy sang up to his knees at one point, while holding Andrew. It took a little bit to get Isaac and Bryce into the water (and Andrew) but once they got in, they went off on their own and had a great time! And the water was a very comfortable temperature, too. Definently someplace we will go back to and someplace Daddy would like to go kayaking.
I am working on loading pictures on the blog. But there are lots of pictures and it takes a while, so they are coming!
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Visit to a Plantation
Are you ready for some Thanksgiving turkey? Looks like he would be a nice big feast, huh? This is Gus. When you get to the plantation he is your greeter. The first time is kind of scarey to have a huge turkey literally chase you down making strange turkey sounds (they make weird mating sounds, on top of gobbling). Once you have been inside and learn that Gus is VERY friendly and loves people, it is not as scarey. One could say he can be OVERLY friendly!
I am on a mission to find and get one of these trees (a Camilia tree)
we can tell which direction Gustav came from
wild Southern Magnolia tree
You can see in these two pictures what a hurricane (or tornado) can do to a tree. It literally twisted the tree right off the stump.
Thanks to the hurricane, we saw a lot of this on the trail
a big spider
the boys were amazed with the height of this pine tree
obviously, with all my BOYS - this was a FAVORITE
back of the plantation house
one thing I LOVE about Louisiana is all the old Live Oak trees
Mommy and AJ in front of the plantation house
a block of tea
crib form the 1800's
toys from the 1800's
Can you imagine bathing in this? They only bathed once a week and women only washed their hair once a month!!
an old letter
toddler bed
That is a tub at the foot of the bed
bee spots flower
bee checks out the flower
bee goes inside the flower
bee comes back out
Andrew sitting in the house garden
playing soccer with a horse apple
Andrew running with horse apple
the boys calling for Buttercup (the cow)
Andrew watching the cow
Buttercup
Andrew pointing to the cows
Andrew
a bee on marigolds - they said if you put marigolds in your garden it will keeps insects away from vegetables (and also pollinating your garden)
red okra - we were told it taste like green okra, but is not as slimy
Canna
Spanish moss in an OLD tree
Camelia tree
Bryce and Caleb petting Gus the turkey
I am on a mission to find and get one of these trees (a Camilia tree)
we can tell which direction Gustav came from
wild Southern Magnolia tree
You can see in these two pictures what a hurricane (or tornado) can do to a tree. It literally twisted the tree right off the stump.
Thanks to the hurricane, we saw a lot of this on the trail
a big spider
the boys were amazed with the height of this pine tree
obviously, with all my BOYS - this was a FAVORITE
back of the plantation house
one thing I LOVE about Louisiana is all the old Live Oak trees
Mommy and AJ in front of the plantation house
a block of tea
crib form the 1800's
toys from the 1800's
Can you imagine bathing in this? They only bathed once a week and women only washed their hair once a month!!
an old letter
toddler bed
That is a tub at the foot of the bed
bee spots flower
bee checks out the flower
bee goes inside the flower
bee comes back out
Andrew sitting in the house garden
playing soccer with a horse apple
Andrew running with horse apple
the boys calling for Buttercup (the cow)
Andrew watching the cow
Buttercup
Andrew pointing to the cows
Andrew
a bee on marigolds - they said if you put marigolds in your garden it will keeps insects away from vegetables (and also pollinating your garden)
red okra - we were told it taste like green okra, but is not as slimy
Canna
Spanish moss in an OLD tree
Camelia tree
Bryce and Caleb petting Gus the turkey
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