Swans and Cygnets

7 Things About My 7-month-old

2011-10-20T15:00:00.004-04:00

1. Eli still has the brightest bluest eyes and the biggest happiest smile. He sleeps with a blanket, teddy bear, heartbeat bear and, for naptime, the mobile. He's been sleeping through the night since about 2 months. When he wakes up in the morning, he pulls down the crib bumper and looks out to see if someone is coming. He smiles and kicks when we walk up to get him, but he gets so sad if we walk by without going to him.

2. He eats four times a day: cereal at breakfast and bedtime, and a fruit or vegetable with lunch and dinner. He eats carrots, peaches, sweet potato, zucchini, applesauce and pumpkin, but his favorite is bananas! He does not like peas or squash--he turned his head away from them and made faces. He also eats puffs, but only when I put them in his mouth. The others end up on the floor. Eli now has three teeth, two on bottom, one on top.

3. He is a professional scoocher, an amateur crawler, and an aspiring puller-upper. I'm convinced he'll be walking by Christmas. Which means we're going to have to be creative with the Christmas tree placement this year.

4. He is fascinated by cars and trucks! He plays with some and actually makes them roll back and forth. He has one that's a pull-back-and-go car, and he loves to watch it roll across the floor.
5. Eli's favorite toys have lights, buttons and music: the Elmo steering wheel, the Leapfrog musical wheel, and the music table (I just the legs back on it today). He's very happy with his exersaucer, too.
6. He is ticklish all over! Even if I just get close to him with my tickling hand, he starts to squirm and laugh.
7. Eli is a happy, sweet, curious, cuddly, soft, easy-going baby who is so loved by his brothers and Mommy and Daddy! He is such a blessing to our family!!

Which boy is which?

2011-08-03T15:15:00.003-04:00

Wordless Wednesday: Four Months

2011-08-03T14:22:00.001-04:00

Alphabet Adventures 2011: Letter K

2011-08-03T12:36:00.002-04:00

K is for...kisses!! And kangaroo, too. At evening storytime, the boys heard stories and all about animals from Australia. They made a kangaroo craft using dots and stamps. We also read the book "The Kissing Hand." And then, sometime around that time, we made kiss cookies.

I have a couple of good baking helpers.

They enjoyed rolling the balls. I had dough on my hands though, so I couldn't take pictures of them rolling the balls.
In the oven

Mini kiss cookies!

Chopped

2011-08-03T12:08:00.002-04:00

Before....

and after! I chopped off 10 inches and donated it to Locks of Love, which makes wigs for cancer/chemo/radiation patients who lose their hair.

Our Family of Five

2011-08-02T22:20:00.006-04:00

Our first family picture

On our way home

Easter Sunday (Eli was 1 month old)

Me and the boys at the zoo

Father's Day

4th of July (right before Xander fell in)

July 23rd--Eli's Baptism and Xander's 4th birthday

On the Wilmington Riverfront

I did this post because I was looking at my blog page. We have two family of four pictures, but none up of all five of us. I couldn't decide which one to put up, so this is what I came up with.

Alphabet Adventures 2011: Letter J

2011-07-21T14:41:00.006-04:00

J is for...

jumping!

Jumping high!

Jumping ready!

Jumping low!

Jumping up!

Jumping together!

Jumping super!

Jumping diagonal!

Jumping hero!

Jumping happy!

Jumping and flying!

Jumping and smiling!

Jumping and shouting!

Jumping and flipping!

Jumping and having fun!

Jumping!!

Alphabet Adventures 2011: Letter I

2011-07-21T09:53:00.004-04:00

I is for Independence Day!! Mommy being the creative Mommy she is, I decided to make matching tie-dye shirts for Fourth of July. I learned how to do it a simple way at the library's summer kick-off: with sharpies and rubbing alcohol.

So here's everything ready on the counter.

I didn't trust Xander with a sharpie, so he had to strip. I did most of his twisting and rubber-banding, and he did some of his coloring.
Zack getting ready for the reveal.
Midway through the project
We spent our 4th swimming and hanging out with Gramma. After much deliberation about the weather, we decided to head to the fairgrounds for the fireworks display. It had been raining off and on in Knightdale for a while, sometimes even pouring. I was texting someone who was already at the fairgrounds, and she told me they sent everyone inside because of severe weather in the area. When we got to the parking lot, it was barely raining, and it was time for Eli to eat. We started to get everything and everyone out of the car. Then we realized that the thunder and lightning were too close. Just a few minutes after we got back in the car, it started pouring. We heard "from the inside" shortly after that the fireworks for that night were cancelled. WE still got a couple pics in the car, though.
Gramma got the boys glow necklaces to wear while watching. Of course, I had to get replacements of those for the second night.
Xander was exhausted! He slept through the car ride home. Zack and Eli got to visit with the neighbors and see their little fireworks display. Zack witnessed the destruction of an old GI Joe and a small model car. Xander slept through the whole thing!
July 5th, attempt number 2... Zack getting dizzy.

Before the fall...
After the fall...Xander slipped and fell in the water. I quickly scooped him out. He and I were pretty much soaked for the rest of the night.
Our tie-dyed family for Independence Day!

Alphabet Adventures 2011: Letters F, G and H

2011-07-10T21:56:00.004-04:00

F is for farm, G is for Gramma, goats and gems, and H is for hill and Hill Ridge! Gramma took the boys and I out to Hill Ridge Farms in Youngsville for some gem mining and some good old-fashioned fun!

The boys posing as a goat and a sheep--it was so hot!

The big slide! Xander somehow stopped in the middle, stood up and had to fix his burlap bag.
Now he made it down.
Zack's turn!
Back up the hill for another round. Mommy even took Eli down the slide once, but he didn't really get it.
He did enjoy in the corn house. Thank goodness he wasn't putting things in his mouth yet!

Duck races

Train ride
Gem panning
Some cool stuff--we found some amethysts, quartz crystals and other goodies.
Xander just enjoyed playing in the dirt. He was so hot and out of it, he was having a lot of trouble listening.

It was still fun for all!!

Alphabet Adventures 2011: Letter E

2011-07-09T23:03:00.004-04:00

E is for Elmer the Elephant! The boys and I love the book Elmer and its sequel(s). We've read it several times. Then as I was looking through my old teaching files, I came across an Elmer that could be colored! So I copied it for each of the boys. I was going to have Zack write a story about when Elmer met a chameleon, but school time hasn't been going as well as I would have hoped.

Eli in the Bumbo seat

Xander deciding if he's going to eat his lunch or not. I used elephant cookie cutters for the sandwiches and they have nuts as a side.

One of Zack's baby elephants

There's Elmer!! While we were coloring, I had the boys help me retell the story of Elmer. Elmer was a patchwork elephant who wanted to be elephant color. So he found some elephant color berries and made himself elephant color. But then, well, I won't spoil it for you, but Elmer made the best joke and every year they celebrate Elmer's Day with a big elephant parade.

Xander still pushes down really hard with his crayons. I keep trying to tell him that he doesn't have to push down hard. He just complains that coloring makes him tired. I probably colored just as many of his squares as he did.

Oh yeah, E is for excited,

ecstatic,

and eccentric little boys!

Alphabet Adventures 2011: Letter D

2011-07-05T08:32:00.004-04:00

D is for Danny, diving, (and door, darts). The boys and I headed out to Uncle D's place for some fun in the pool. This was Eli's first trip to a pool. I had taken the boys to the Kdale pool a couple weeks before, but Eli stayed home with Daddy.

Xander mostly stays on the steps, but he was able to walk around a little more than at Gramma's pool.
Okay, Eli, let's go swimming!
I don't think so Mommy!!!
Loving my boys. And Eli hanging out in the shade instead. He was quite happy to sit there, watch the boys, watch the trees and look at this toes. And these boys love their Uncle D!!!

Alphabet Adventures 2011: Letter C

2011-07-05T08:10:00.003-04:00

Since we are about to cover 3 or 4 letters today with Gramma, I figured I should get some of the other letter blogs done. So...

C is for Clubhouse!!! Since we finally finished installing these two things,

We had boxes to make these. They lasted about a week. The boys turned them into forts and fought about getting inside each other's clubhouse. So really, they only lasted about two days, then they just fought over them. Finally I was done with them being in my living room.

Just once...

2011-06-28T13:44:00.003-04:00

Just once, I'd like to be the first one to eat my ______ (insert any food or meal or snack here).

Just once, I'd like the dishwasher and laundry to do themselves.

Just once, I'd like for all three boys to sleep at the same time besides at night.

Just once, I'd like for somebody to go to time out with whining, screaming, sitting on their heads or stomping their feet at me.

Just once, I'd like to get through a day when nobody pushes, hits, bites, pinches, climbs on top of or otherwise irritates their brother. Or call the other one a meanie.

Just once, I'd like little boys to clean up their toys, books, plates, socks, underwear, etc. without dragging their feet and having to be told a million times.

Just once, I'd like somebody to remember that there are some rules that have been in place for three years, at least.

Just once, I'd like to eat a whole chocolate cake or ice cream sundae or milkshake and not have ANY of the calories, fat or sugars count.

Just once, I'd like to sit at home, blog, read, watch tv while someone else brings children to swimming lessons (where I have been sweating like crazy!), goes to Wal-mart, goes to storytime, goes to the grocery store, plans meals.

Just once, though, I'd like to remember that they are only this way once, that they will grow out of it, and that someday, they may have children that drive them crazy.

Wordless Wednesday: Courtesy of Two Crazy Older Brothers

2011-06-22T17:49:00.002-04:00

(Yes, I quickly reminded the boys that Eli could not have that many animals around him and we removed them.)

Alphabet Adventures 2011: B

2011-06-21T22:14:00.005-04:00

B is for baby and bath!

Maybe not. This is what I found when I went to pick him up to shower him.
B is for BEES!!! The boys and I went over to Kim's house and Nate joined us with this little adventure. First we made the bee puppets. Then we read a book about bees. And for a short time, while I still had their attention, we made the bees go from a flower to the hive. We also looked around the house for things that started with B.
Zack's was anatomically correct, based on the Weekly Reader he was using. Except the googly eyes, of course.
B is for BLUEBERRIES, brothers and buddies! The day after the bee adventure, Kim and I took all four boys blueberry picking at Vollmer Farms. This is what over one hundred pounds of kid looks like in one wagon.
They told us not to pick the "red-back" berries, but with my children being color-blind, we had lots of very red ones!
All Nate wanted to do was pick the berries and eat them.
Nate and Kim
Eli decided he was done blueberry picking, so Nate and Xander and I took him to pick a few strawberries. That didn't last too long either. The boys ate berries on the way back. I kept hearing "That's my basket!" from them in the wagon.
They had a nice little playground with a pirate ship. And some monkey rings for my crazy monkey to swing from.
Nate carefully walking the plank off the pirate ship

This is our loot of strawberries. When we got back to the market, I realized that every single berry had a bite taken out of it!
Eli with a full tummy of milk, hanging in the Adirondack chair.
Zack and I enjoyed the blueberries for a couple days, shared some with Gramma, and froze some too. We're going to use those to make blueberry cheesecake -- YUM!!

I have pictures for D and kinda-sorta E, but we're going to work on C tomorrow, since we finally got the toilet in the boys bathroom installed (let me tell you, that's a whole 'nother blog!!).

The Caterpillar

2011-06-20T22:21:00.002-04:00

When I was pregnant, Kohl's had Eric Carle books and animals. I couldn't resist the caterpillar, one of my all-time favorites. Zack even came home from the hospital in a very hungry caterpillar outfit. So as Eli was lying there with his caterpillar, I realized that it would be a perfect thing to take his picture with to watch him grow.

This picture was taken when Eli was 7-1/2 weeks old, just shy of two months.

His legs are curled up, but this one was taken at age 3 months.

3 months old

2011-06-19T22:57:00.002-04:00

My three-month-old son, Eli...

probably eats too much
sleeps through the night, but he sleeps in his papasan seat, not his crib.
will always be my baby boy.

smiles when I walk in his room in the morning.
nurses first thing in the morning, which means I get to snuggle with him in bed.
is a very happy baby most of the time.
screams at Daddy when I'm not here.

loves his brothers, looking around at people and things, and his mobile
has staring contests with the bird attached to his car seat. Tonight as he was reaching for it, he caught the foot and smiled.
hates being alone, being put down when he is hungry and stopping his bottle halfway to burp. It's like he's offended or something.

has the sweetest smile and the biggest, brightest blue eyes
will be baptized next month, and he'll have three Godparents.
is loved by his Mommy, Daddy and brothers.
is such a sweet blessing to our family!

Alphabet Adventures 2011: A

2011-06-10T15:06:00.002-04:00

A is for...ancestors and Xander's Awesome Family. I got a collage picture made at Walmart (less than $5) with pictures of each of our family members outside of our house. After I cut them out, I picked them up one by one and asked Xander if he knew who each person was. He knew more than I expected! Then we sorted them by their relation to him. We put our little family in the middle of two generations, and we have a place for great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. For some of the pictures, we talked about the person. We tried to make family connections with them, but that's still hard for him to understand. He was really excited to share his Awesome Family with everybody that would listen, and I think it helps seeing the people all sorted out. I haven't done anything with Zack yet since he's still in school. Maybe next week, but here's Xander's Awesome Family!

Coming up... b is for bees, c is for clubhouse, d is for Daddy and more!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-08T15:41:00.003-04:00

What is he doing?

2011-06-08T13:44:00.003-04:00

Yeah, Mommy, fist bump...

If you take another picture of me, I'm going to have to punch you.

I call on the power of the _______!!
I gotta get ready, cause those brothers of mine punch hard!
Whoa, Mommy, that flash was really bright!

Bridging

2011-06-02T23:00:00.007-04:00

Zack bridged to a Wolf Cub Scout at the end of May. When the boys bridge up, they paint their faces with five different colors. The yellow under their eyes stands for the sun, the green on their cheeks stands for nature, but I don't remember what the others stand for (I'll look it up!).

Part of the painting ceremony has the boys painting the noses of their adult leader, or Akela. Yeah, don't remember what that stands for either.

It's always hard for Xander to sit still, but as long as he's quiet, I'm cool. He decided to hang underneath the table.

Getting his belt loops for geography and physical fitness. He was really excited about his fitness belt loop.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-01T23:09:00.002-04:00

Alphabet Adventures

2011-06-01T14:31:00.003-04:00

They're starting again. Last year's got overrun by morning sickness and lack of energy. But I have two things in mind: A for ancestors and B for bees. More on those later...

Speaking of bees, do you remember how much a bee sting hurts??? Zack got stung by a wasp on Sunday after church, and he screamed his head off for five minutes. I didn't think it could be that bad, really. But yesterday afternoon, I reached for Xander's rescue pack and got stung. Yup, right here in the house. I managed to smack it and smack it and smack it. Then it was still wiggling, so I smacked it again. Anyway, that bee sting HURT!!!! I mean, to the point that I was screaming, too. Poor Xander didn't know what to think. But now I know how Zack felt on Sunday, and now I remember how badly stings hurt and why kids are afraid of bees.

I couldn't decide...

2011-05-27T09:34:00.007-04:00

...which picture to post, so I sort of posted a lot of them. These are the WONDERFUL pictures taken by Jennifer McKinney, AKA MckMama. Susan and I had a really fun day driving to Charlotte with all four kids (yes, we're probably a little crazy). But it was well worth it, and here's the proof.

One of my faves

Absolutely my favorite--it captures him so well!

Eli was a little mad about getting a picture,

so I had to calm him down a little.

My sweet little man

Waiting and Welcoming

2011-05-19T10:07:00.017-04:00

Baby Eli's due date was March 3rd. I thought for sure that he was going to come early. My ideal date was 2/27/11, because it rhymed. That date went by and no baby. Then I thought that 3/2/11 was cool. No baby. 3/7/11. It rhymes. No baby. We were at the doctor a week after my due date. They tried desperately to get me in for an induction, something I actually didn't want a week earlier. There was no room at the inn...er, hospital. Finally, I was scheduled to be induced on March 16th...13 days past due.

We were trying everything to get this baby to come! Bouncing on the ball was one of them. I also got a little spa treatment from my good friend Lisa.

Her daughter wanted Baby Eli to wake up.

We got the hospital between 8:30 and 9 that Wednesday morning, and about half an hour later, I was in the room getting an IV started. Lisa got there about an hour later, and we were off. When Dr. Wind came in to check me and break my water, she told me, "We have to consider the possibility of a c-section because of the size of this baby." An ultrasound a week before told us 9, 15 for his weight!

At 11:30 is when I first really felt a contraction. They were manageable for several hours, even though they kept increasing the pitocin drip. We found that standing up was the best position to keep the contractions going. It was tiring, but everytime I sat in a chair, on the bed, on a ball, the contractions slowed or stopped. Dad and Cathy came to visit for a little while. The day kept on dragging on and on. I eventually was told to lay in the bed, on my side, for a while. I was able to cope with the contractions pretty well by listening to relaxing music, breathing and moaning through them. I was dilating slowly, but Baby Eli's head was not descending.

Mark and the nurse talked in the hallway, and they convinced me to get an epidural. I was at 5 centimeters at that time. She thought that (1) it would help me relax my pelvis, (2) I could get some rest, and (3) it would already be there in case we needed to do a c-section.

Getting the epidural was excruciating! I was still having strong contractions, but I couldn't cope with them. She was pushing on and sticking my back, and my shoulder blades got painfully cramped and stiff. I was crying and screaming and just hoping it would be over soon.

After it was finally over, I was able to get about two hours of sleep. At that point, Dr. Inge came in to check me again. It was 2:20am. I was at 7 centimeters, but Eli was not coming down. I watched as Dr. Inge looked at the monitor. I could tell he was thinking, "This is not what she wants." I was okay with whatever, as long as the baby was healthy. I told him, "I'm okay with a c-section, if that's what we need to do." He told that the baby could be out in 15 minutes, and that ball started rolling. I was all prepped, Lisa and Eileen left (sadly), and Mark dressed in scrubs.

I remember feeling slightly nauseous, but also very tired. I remember a big bright room with lots of people around. They introduced everyone to me. Did they really expect me to remember them, though? I kept asking questions about what was going on. I remember lots of pulling during the surgery, and Mark sitting next to me, just looking at me.

Eli David was born at 3:00am, Thursday, March 17th, 2011. Saint Patrick's Day. He cried as soon as he came out, and so did I. Somehow, I don't remember crying like that with either of the other boys' births. They held him up so I could see him, then whisked him away to an adjoining room. Mark went with him, and I finished up from the surgery.

Our baby weighed...

Mark said he was alert very quickly and even making some noises. The nurses in there said he couldn't have been as late as my due date indicated. (At 9 weeks, the ultrasound indicated 10 weeks, so they moved my due date up.)

Mark said that right from the beginning, Eli's big, beautiful, blue eyes were wide open. They brought him back into the OR as I was finishing up. I took off his hat and discovered dark hair!

After more tugging and pulling and some discomfort as they closed me up, I got to meet my sweet little man. They found him a green and white hat, the little leprechaun.

Eli's first picture with Mommy and Daddy

We got to our room, nursed for a little while, and finally got to sleep between 5 and 5:30. That only lasted a couple of hours, of course. And somewhere mid-morning, we got visitors. Eileen was the first one, but somehow I don't have a picture of her. Here's Danny with Baby Eli.

Grandpa and Nana Cathy--I love this picture!

Zack finally meeting his baby brother! Xander ended up with a fever when he came to visit, so he didn't hold Eli. He really didn't even stay in the room very long, either.

Aunt Mo

Stacy (you notice all the green?)

Daddy, just hanging with his youngest son

Xander came back on Saturday. We picnicked outside while Eli had a little procedure done. Then we could finally be together as a family.

Xander, me, Zack and Eli...my three sweet boys!

(This one's out of order, but oh well.)

I'm not sure if Xander knew what to think.

Do you think Zack likes his baby brother??

Here's our family...me with all my boys!

Eileen and her kids came on Saturday also..it made for a crowded room, but it was fun. Alannah, Alyssa, Damien and Christopher all got to hold Eli. This is Damien.

My good friend Susan came to visit on Saturday afternoon, too.

We finally got to go home on Sunday. I started taking pictures of hospital memories. The boys made these picture frames for Baby Eli to have. Now the pictures are beside the changing table, and Eli loves to look at them.

Balloons from Aunt Eileen

Our going home outfits

Boys getting ready

Okay, Mommy, I'm ready to go home. Daddy did a good job dressing me!

Almost there...have to get a pic before getting in the car

Mark stayed home the whole next week. It was so great adjusting to home life with him there with me. He took the boys to school, shopped for anything we needed, and drove me places, too, since I couldn't drive yet. Here's my babies' daddy playing with Eli on the floor

I love that face!

Zack bought treats from the ice cream truck, and this is what Xander looked like afterwards. I didn't see this mess until I uploaded the pics to the computer.

I don't think he liked that Eli was crying, or maybe he didn't want me to take his picture.

Trying out the Moby wrap that Susan gave me...this try was not so great. I've gotten better at using it, though

All my boys!

The first few weeks of Eli's life included many trips to the doctor for weight checks. He was not gaining weight as fast as they wanted him to. When he was three-and-a-half weeks old, they put him back in the hospital to make sure there was nothing else going on that was causing him to not gain weight. I had to sit on the other side of the room while they drew blood and got a urine sample. They also took his temperature to wake him up multiple times a day. It was heartbreaking for me. After seeing the lactation consultants, nutritionist, nurses, nurse practitioners and doctors, we learned that there was nothing wrong with Eli. We worked on getting to nurse better and supplemented with formula or pumped milk. It was a tiring and trying couple of days in the hospital. Not only did I have to feed Eli every three hours, even over night, I had to use a supplementer (a bottle attached on my shoulder with a tube going into Eli's mouth, which had to be in just the right place) and pump after every feeding. He gained a few ounces while in the hospital. Finally, when he was almost 6 weeks old, his last weight check showed 10 pounds, 2 ounces. He was finally back up to his birthweight after losing 11 ounces. i tried to go back to exclusive breastfeeding for several days, but my milk supply was not increasing and Eli was chomping on me. Since then, I've been weaning him to a bottle. A tinge of disappointment for me, but I know he's a healthy, growing baby.

Well, that's up to date. There will be couple more posts coming soon with more pictures, other things that have happened since Eli was born. And I really need to work on the format and pictures on the page. Maybe I'll get back to blogging...

January and February...

2011-05-17T16:17:00.010-04:00

Five months after my last post...our lives are so different. This post and the next few are just snapshots of our life since January 14th. After Christmas, we enjoyed having 8-10 inches of snow on the ground. Uncle Mike got snowed in here, so he was able to play with us too. Above, we went to the Dorothea Dix campus to sled on some of those big hills. Good thing Uncle Mike was there, because he thought to bring a really long climbing rope so we could pull the sled back up the hill easily.

I don't think the boys liked it at all ;)IciclesMark and Zack on the finished loft bed

All the animals and people and superheroes were having a party on the coffee table.

Being goofy...or Woody!

Blue swan cookies for the baby shower in January

Ray, Danny, Mark and Dad, about to drink beer (water for Dad) from a baby bottle. Danny won. Dad wouldn't drink at all.

The awesome cake that Susan made for Eli's shower.

Zack's Reading Award from school

Zack and his Pinewood Derby car

Except for the R, Xander wrote his name on this Valentine card.

At the circus...

They would not let me get a picture with all of them looking nice. Oh well...

Just being silly again...

Valentine's flowers and cards for Gramma

Valentine cookies

Tidbits

2011-01-14T09:35:00.003-05:00

1. First a baby update...I'm at 33 weeks now, just 7 more weeks to go. (Last week was my 32nd birthday, and I was exactly 32 weeks along!) Everything is going very well. Eli is an active little one, from the time I wake up til I go to sleep at night. I'm up to every other week for appointments, and in just 3 more weeks I'll start going every week. I've reached a certain number in weight that I really hoping to avoid, but I've still gained less than 20 pounds, so I'm not worried about it.
2. What I am worried about it Xander getting used to the new baby. He just seems sort of disinterested, says he doesn't want to be a big brother, and he really doesn't like it when I call the old playroom "Eli's bedroom."
3. We've enjoyed the wintry weather since Christmas, especially since Uncle Mike had a couple extra days and was able to take the boys sledding with us. We went to Dix campus where there are lots of big hills. We tied a 200 foot climbing rope to the sled so we didn't have to keep hiking up and down the hill. It worked very well, and the boys had a blast. This last bit of wintry weather, ie. the snow/ice/sleet/freezing rain that we got Monday night and Tuesday morning and caused the kids to lose a day and two half days of school, was not as great. It wasn't something the boys could really play in, but on Wednesday, we explored the backyard to see what the ice was like. We found a really cool formation at the bottom of the downspout, plus sheets of ice on the swings.
4. I still have more Christmas decorations to pack away. The manger is still on top of the entertainment center and the stocking holders are still on the mantle. Then of course, we have to put the boxes away to store til next year.
5. I'm making progress on Eli's bedroom, and as soon as Mark anchors the shelves in the boys' room, I can really make some headway. We're having a shower to celebrate Eli's birth in two weeks, and I would really love to have his room done (at least partly) before the shower.
6. Speaking of the boys' room, just in time for New Years, Mark finished Zack's loft bed! He now has an extra little bedroom underneath his bed. We put his dresser in there temporarily (we're hoping to build some shelves instead), and he has his desk underneath. The part that he loves is that there's a door that he can lock so his brother can't get to his toys. We moved Xander out of the race car bed and into Zack's old twin bed. We helped make it exciting by letting him pick out some sheets for his new bed. He went straight for the Toy Story sheets, but since we didn't pick them up right away, he looked around and fell in love with the Spiderman sheets. So much to my disappointment, my three-and-a-half-year-old has Spiderman sheets on his bed. I almost cried! Also that night, he picked out a little Spiderman/Green Goblin set instead of an Imaginext robot thingie that would have been a much better deal and much more age-appropriate for him.
7. Mark got me Adobe Photoshop Elements for my birthday, but I haven't installed it on the computer yet. I'm looking forward to having fun with photos, and once I do, I'm sure I'll put lots up on here.

Wordless Wednesday: He sleeps...

2011-01-05T16:46:00.004-05:00

Halloween and more...

2010-11-15T14:27:00.012-05:00

Halloween 2010..an event that spanned two weekends!! Starting with trunk-or-treat at Gramma's church. That meant that we had to have costumes ready a whole week before Halloween! A BIG HUGE thanks to Aunt Mo for helping make that happen. (Warning: this post has TONS of pictures!)

Here's Woody ("Reach for the sky!") and Buzz Lightyear!

"To infinity..and beyond!"

Fast forward to Halloween weekend...Xander and I took off for Emerald Isle with Lisa and Kennedy. Saturday morning's breakfast was a picnic with biscuits in the back of my car.

Lowes Foods was letting kids decorate pumpkins for free!

Festivities at the campground included horse rides, a costume contest, trick-or-treating, and a pot-luck dinner.

Love this one!!

Waiting so patiently for our turn to ride the horse

My Little Cowboy!

Trying to scoop out pumpkin gunk, but he REALLY didn't like it.

That's our ghost face jack-o-lantern

with Xander's name on the back!

Sheriff Woody and Mrs. Potato Head

Mrs. Potato Head and Cinderella (I really didn't want my picture taken. We used purple eye shadow and eye liner to try to make Mrs. Potato Head. I don't think it worked as well as I thought.)

A dead bear! Yes, it's real!

This was a trick hand in the bowl. It grabbed at you every time you reached for candy. That was the one thing that Xander kept talking about for days.

Taking a walk to the beach

"Give Eli a kiss!"

Finally...

two kids fast asleep.

While Mommy and Xander went to the beach, Daddy and Zack went on Zack's first ever camping trip--Tent-or-Treat with Cub Scouts! They played sports and went fishing, carved pumpkins and went trick-or-treating. Here's a look at their weekend.

Such focus and determination

The complete Buzz Lightyear Costume (the other one was missing some buttons)

This was a collapsed cottage of some kind that Mark and Zack found on their hike (when they got lost!). Zack really loved telling about it.

Making faces like their pumpkins

The last of our festivities happened the day after Halloween. I planned a classic fall activity and a spooky meal.

Before dinner (you know, as an appetizer), the boys got to bob for apples. Zack sort of got the hang of it--he figured out that he had to trap the apple on the side before he could bite into. Xander, well, not so much, he ended up using his hands. But they both still had fun!

He thought it was funny putting his face in the water.

And here's our spooky meal: mummies, mummy brains, and mummy thumbs!! I couldn't be too fancy because of the little picky eater in my house, and I wasn't even sure he would eat the green mac & cheese. But everybody loved dinner...

...and the owl s'mores for dessert!

A Little Look at Eli

2010-10-19T10:34:00.003-04:00

Baby's Profile
3D--He has his left arm up by his face. He looks like Xander!

Looking at the "camera"

A video of some of Eli's movement

I was going to post a belly picture, but it just turned out horribly. You can definitely tell I'm pregnant now, though. We'll work on getting a good picture.

Mischief and More

2010-10-18T21:10:00.002-04:00

So was I flipping through pictures on my camera, deleting some that were already uploaded, when I came across this:

So that's why all the movies were pushed back in the cabinet. I'm still waiting to hear the story on this one!

My attempt at a creative lunch: a cheese, wheat thin and carrot train, the conductor and choo-choo chex mix. Too bad he won't eat much of anything else.

This is Kung Fu Panda. I was going to give him noodles, but Xander informed me that pandas eat bamboo. We also made Master Shifu with just carrots. The panda is made from a grilled cheese sandwich.

And oh look, a Tiger Cub Scout! He now has his immediate recognition badge/emblem thingy on his pocket for knowing the Scout sign, salute and motto: Do your best! Tonight he also demonstrated that he knows the promise and the law, which means he's on his way to getting his Bobcat badge and neckerchief. (I really hope I have this right.)

A Mother of Boys

2010-10-07T11:34:00.005-04:00

So now that I know I will be the mother of boys for the rest of my life, I have to figure out God's reason for it. I also just have to make the most of it. I may not get to buy cute little pink things with flowers and butterflies and ballet slippers. I may not ever get to play with a dollhouse, have a tea party, go to a ballet recital or help my daughter plan her wedding, but there are plenty of things that I will get to do or have in my life that mothers of just girls probably won't.

1. Not worry about them being dirty--they're boys!
2. Have matchbox cars and monster trucks lined up down the hallway
3. Dress them as their favorite superheroes for Halloween
4. Have people that will always kill spiders for me
5. Know the names of all superheroes, villians, transformers, Cars and GI Joes and be a super mom because of it
6. Watch them earn their Eagle Scout badge (if they make it that far)
7. Have Transformer fights and wrestling and tickling matches on the living room floor, with the coffee table moved out of the way, of course
8. Let my husband think that we will one day have a rock wall and zip line over out living room--yeah, he's crazy!
9. Not freak out when they fall down, or even if they are bleeding from the head. Been there, done that--head wounds bleed a lot!
10. Listen to his hopes and dreams as he grows up and falls in love and decides to propose to a girl
11. Have a daughter-in-law
12. Dance with my boys at their weddings--with Zack to "What a Wonderful World," with Xander to "My Wish," and I haven't figured out Eli's yet.
13. See my children become fathers, hope that they can do as well as their Daddy is doing.
14. Not have to worry when we are outside and they have to pee
15. Have boys that will always love me because I am their mother!!

Wordless Wednesday (a day late)

2010-10-07T11:24:00.001-04:00

Alphabet Adventures: H

2010-09-25T15:20:00.014-04:00

H is for...horses, heights, hopping, hot and heavy (on pictures)!!

Yes, this post is quite heavy on pictures, so I'm going to try to make it light on words. The first set was at Knightdale Community Day. The highs were in the upper 80's and we walked to the park for the festivities, making the hot part.

Heights--Mark and Xander at the top of the slide
Zack climbing up, posing and hopping down the slide

Horses--Xander saw them and told me he wanted to ride the horses. I told him they were ponies, and he said, "Actually Mommy, we can call them horses."

Hot--can you see it on their cheeks?

Hopping--Zack was waiting in line for the rock wall with Gramma and Daddy, and Xander wanted to visit the bounce house obstacle course thingy.

Heights again--gearing up for the rock wall. He was so determined that he was going to push the button at the top, but he slipped off at about 8 or 10 feet. He was having a hard time finding good foot holds, or he was too short to reach him. We were proud that he gave it a good go!!

Hello animals--petting a fox (some kind of fox, maybe pygmy)

Hello millipede, which he actually touched--the thing was about a foot long!

Hello tortoise!

Hello opossum! Hero--Xander and Zack the firefighters!

Our next stop was at our church's 8th Annual International Food and Music Festival. I guess the h word here is hungry? We tried food from the Philippines, Jamaica, Italy and some cajun stuff. I had jambalaya for the first time and loved it!! Here's the boys playing a few games in the hot, Indian summer sun!!

Alphabet Adventures: I

2010-09-25T14:40:00.003-04:00

I is for...Bug Fest? Actually insects...mostly.

We took the boys to Bug Fest at the natural history museum. It was so hot that day!! Here's Zack and Xander with Herby!! Zack loves watching the movies at Gramma's house.

Inside the museum, there were lots of places for bug encounters, but it was so crowded and hotter inside than outside! After a potty break, Zack got to hold a praying mantid. Xander was looking at and touching some mole crickets.

This insect-arium (?) had TONS of little bugs!! Ladybugs, inchworms, gnats, crickets, and I don't even know what else. They were pretty fascinated!

They don't look too excited in this picture. Xander wasn't really sure what all the excitement was about, but when Zack was interested in something, Xander was too.

There's a caterpillar at the far left of this picture. This was the part that Xander absolutely LOVED!! They had all kinds of caterpillars and some butterflies to look at and even touch. They even had one that was about 4 inches long with red spikes on its head. They said it was native to North Carolina, too! I couldn't imagine finding one of those in my garden!

I had fun with my macro function on my camera and caught some good pics of caterpillars and butterflies. Here's a swallowtail butterfly. It had been injured somehow--so sad.

Xander

2010-09-25T14:06:00.002-04:00

This was after we went to Jordan Lake. Xander didn't fall asleep until we were 10 minutes from home. Mark left him in the car (it wasn't too hot) while he cleaned it out. When he finally brought him inside, he put him on the bean bag chair, where he slept for another hour or so. He even slept right through me using the food processor to chop pecans!!

This is what happens when a certain mommy isn't feeling well or is tired or something and a certain 3-year-old decides to get his own lunch.

Xander started preschool a couple weeks ago!! This was him on his first day. When we got his bookbag, he was really excited to bring to school to show his friends. And he was telling everyone about his new bookbag. But when it came time for Mommy and Daddy to leave, he wasn't too excited anymore. He wanted me to stay and read to him. Eventually Daddy gave it a try and I stepped outside the door. The first thing he said to me when I picked him up was, "I didn't want you to leave." AWWWW!! The second day was fine, but this past week I dropped him off in the carpool lane. He really didn't like the idea of that, and he keeps saying, "I not going to school any. more." He'll grow into it, though, right?

Summer Alphabet Adventures: F

2010-09-23T14:50:00.002-04:00

F is for...Fayetteville and First Day of School!!

A little bit of a stretch, but we'll go with it. Fayetteville...My dear friend Susan lives just outside of Fayetteville and has a beautiful two-year-old daughter named Alison. We had so much fun going down there and visiting with her for her second birthday party. She did a farm theme, complete with barnyard cake, fondant animals, chicken feed, pigs in blankets, veggies from sheep's garden and haystacks. I really wish I had brought my camera with me, but no such luck. Zack had a fantastic time playing with Alison, and we determined that day that Zack NEEDS a little sister. The boys were both playing with her new baby stroller, and Zack even pushed her in the swing. Yes, Zack and Xander need a little sister!

Okay, first day of school. Technically it happened two days before Alison's party, but we'll get over it. Zack started second grade this year after spending half a year in kindergarten and half a year in first grade. I thought he might be nervous and want me to walk him in, but my brave little smartypants just wanted to get dropped off in carpool. We were a little worried because of his maturity level and his size, but we knew it was the best thing for Zack. Now, almost a month later, I have no regrets. He's doing really well!! He knows most of his spelling words the night he brings them home, he's excited about doing science experiments in class and he's learning great strategies for solving math problems. He needs to focus better when he's doing homework, but we'll figure out a solution for that soon enough. I don't have a picture from the first day of school, but picture day is coming up in the next few weeks at his school.

Okay, now what starts with G??? or H or I???

A New Post!!!

2010-09-23T14:36:00.002-04:00

I just looked at my list of blogs and realized it's almost been a month since I posted anything! I'm going to post some picture blogs soon, including some more Alphabet Adventures, which will probably be out of order. But us in the past month...

I'm still sort of dealing with nausea. For whatever reason, I feel bad right after I eat. I'm trying to stay hydrated but doing a terrible job of it. I'm still completely EXHAUSTED!! I've come to realize that it's because I'm constantly chasing or fussing or cleaning up after the other two. I haven't felt any baby movement, but I'm pretty sure I'm already have Braxton-Hicks contractions. I have a few regular clothes that I can wear, but I'm mostly into maternity clothes now. I just went to the Kids Everywear consignment sale last week and got three pairs of pants and nine tops for only $28!! I had to get these because we had decided not to have any more kids, and I took lots of my stuff (you know, basic stuff, khaki pants, khaki capris, plain-colored shirts) to Catholic Parish Outreach. BIG MISTAKE!!! But now I am set for the rest of the pregnancy...hopefully. Oh here's the big thing, even though I'm wearing maternity clothes and I'm at 17 weeks (today!), I haven't gained a SINGLE POUND!!!!!!! Okay, I've fluctuated a bit, but I'm basically at the same weight I was when I found out. I'm overweight to begin with, so I guess it's for the best. Hopefully that puts me on track to gain right around 20 pounds, maybe 25. I'm not putting up a belly picture, because I really feel like I look more fat than pregnant, even though customers are already asking when I'm due when I'm at work. I bet they think I'm going to say I'm due in December or something, but no, it's March, which actually is only a little more than five months away! I read a book called The Doula Guide to Birth (yes, already), and I've mostly decided that I want to be a doula...someday anyway. I love all things baby and pregnancy, I love that I was able to get through an induced labor with no drugs, I love hearing birth stories, and I love helping new moms. This would have to be once my three (wow, my three!) are a bit older, since the schedule for a doula must be very flexible.

Okay, I guess that post was pretty much just about me and the baby. I'll mention everyone else in the house in the next few posts...stay tuned!

Summer Alphabet Adventures: E

2010-08-26T08:25:00.004-04:00

E is for...East!! So maybe this is as far as we got over the summer, mostly because of my morning sickness making it nearly impossible to get out in the heat, but I think the boys had fun with it anyway. Maybe I can continue it into the fall, you know, when my energy comes back and it's not so hot outside! But back to this post...East. Yup, we headed East for the day to Wrightsville Beach with the four of us and my nephew Tim.

Here's Tim helping the boys make itty-bitty sand castles. The kind that were made from one bucket of sand. The kind that were perfect for building and quickly stomping on.
Zack's picking up seashells to decorate the mini-castles.

Daddy hanging out in the surf with Xander--it was just too cute!!

Zack's apparent new hobby is boogie boarding. He had a great time and loved that Tim was helping him out!

We parked our stuff right in front of this huge hole. It was deep enough that it was almost above Xander's head when he got in.

So at lunchtime, we headed up to the pier, within sight of our umbrella. But of course they didn't take credit cards and the chicken strips with a drink were $8!! Now, we had noticed the storm clouds rolling in just south of us, but we figured we would be right back. So everything was left there on the beach: towels, snacks, chair, umbrella, my camera. We tried to find another place to eat on the island, but they apparently don't like tourists much, because they didn't take credit cards either. We ended up going all the way to Landfall to Wendy's. All this time of course, it was starting to rain and it was getting darker. I didn't really want to admit to Mark that I left the camera on the beach, though.

While we were at Wendy's, the bottom dropped! It poured and poured and poured and poured!! Thunder and lightning, too, and lots of it! The storm decided to stall over the Wilmington area, of course. By the time we got back to the beach, Mark and Tim sprinted out on the beach (while there was still lightning) to get all of our stuff. (Time quickly brought the towel bag to me in the car so I could check on my camera--it was okay, thankfully!) We hung out under the gazebo for a while because the rain was getting lighter and the sky brighter. We saw several bolts of lightning over the ocean and counted to see how far away they were.

Anyway, we drove four hours round trip to spend about two to two and a half hours on the beach. We weren't sure if it was worth it, but just look at the faces on those boys (and I didn't even get to capture Xander's best face).

Summer Alphabet Adventures: D

2010-08-20T13:57:00.004-04:00

D is for...decorating!! We had TONS of icing left over from Xander's birthday cake, so I recently made cupcakes and let the boys (and the big kids, Jenn and Tim) decorate them. We put the colored icing in ziplock bags, with the corners reinforced with packing tape. We got out all kind of sprinkles, and let the boys go to work!!

Here's the beginning of the mess on the counter. Thank goodness Aunt Mo was here to help out!

Swirling with a toothpick, which, of course, he promptly popped into his mouth!

More swirling (or is it twirling?)

Our snack afterwards was putting icing on graham crackers. We waited to have cupcakes until after dinner (well, the boys did anyway).

The finished products!! One or two made by me, one made by Aunt Mo and Jenn each, and Tim made five or six, including the duck and the rose. We brought five of them to our new neighbors.

All the kids..Zack, Jenn, Tim and Xander

The aftermath...

3

2010-08-10T17:31:00.004-04:00

On July 6th

Mark came home
and looked at these pictures.

About halfway through,

He said, "Ohh!"

Little did he know

that the pictures

were not telling him

what he thought they were.

Instead,

they told him

this.

And here's what the little gummy bear looks like at 10 weeks and 3 days,

due to make his or her appearance at the beginning of March.

A Letter to Me

2010-08-09T14:23:00.002-04:00

I'm sure you all have heard the Brad Paisley song by the same name. Since the first time I heard it, I've thought multiple times about what I would say to my seventeen-year-old self. So much has changed in my life since then, changes that I never thought could happen to me. I always wanted to be married, to teach, to have children, to own a home, and, well, aside from teaching nowadays, I have all that. I guess the road to where I am is what amazes me more, the things have happened along the way to make me the person I am today.

Dear Seventeen-year-old Christine,
I'm writing to you from 14 years in the future. I hope you can just trust that it's me, but I can tell you that the turning point in your life at that point was in the cave in Alabama with the youth group. It really put things in perspective and has stayed with you since. There's some things that I know you worry about, but I want to let you know that your life really does turn out okay, though no necessarily in the way you would expect. So here's some bits of advice from the grown-up version of you:
1. Cherish every moment you have with Mom. Do not take her for granted...ever. Be sure you visit with her and spend time with her after you leave for college. There will come a day when she's not around, so don't forget to hug her when you say good-bye everytime.
2. You will find love, but you won't end up with the person you think you will. I'll tell you that he will amaze you, and he will be your hero in many ways.
3. Make sure you drive carefully in the Fiero, and don't use cruise control in the rain.
4. I know right now you sometimes feel alone and left out. I won't lie to you: that will keep happening, but you will also keep some of your friends now for a lifetime. Try to stay in touch with people as much as you can. That will probably help. But one day, you'll have Facebook, which helps even more!
5. Enjoy your summer at the beach! You'll make memories and have feelings, but you'll also have a lifelong friend when it's over.
6. Be patient.
7. When you go to California this summer, be careful about how you set your watch on the way back. You won't miss your flight.
8. Even though you're the baby of the family, you will be grown-up, and equal with your brothers and sisters someday. You'll learn to let things go and understand how others are feeling.
9. Exercise.
10. Live life to the fullest, don't let things bother you, take time to enjoy the blessings that surround you, and (well, to quote a song from today) love like crazy!

Summer Alphabet Adventures: C

2010-08-05T14:45:00.002-04:00

C is for cookies with Gramma.

She even got the boys these cute little aprons!
I couldn't believe I got both of them to look at the camera and give such cute and handsome smiles...at the same time!!!

They made Granny cookies aka tea cakes with Gramma (while Mommy visited Daddy for lunch and then folded laundry while relaxing and watching tv).

Having fun?

Pizza Ring and Family Fun Night

2010-08-05T13:01:00.003-04:00

Mark made this all by himself, and he was so proud that he took a picture.
Our Family Fun Night...We had dinner at Andy's, with our favorite waitress, who split a milkshake between Zack and me.

Xander likes the custard, but when he got an especially big bite, it was too cold for him. He was quite in pain! (Oh, and no, he's not picking his nose, this was the better pic because he was looking at me)

Next it was on to the Skate Ranch! Mark practically lived here when he was a teenager, but it was quite different from what either of us remember. It's the first time that either of the boys have really been skating. Xander lasted for a little while on the skates but wasn't too interested.

Lots of kids try to pick up their feet when they first get skates on (I know, because I'm pretty sure I was one of them), but Zack figured out the scooching, cross-country type movement pretty easily.

Mark tried to teach him how to glide on one foot, but he'll need more practice. Even though he fell down lots of times and only went on the skating floor a few times, he said he had lots of fun and that he wanted to do this everyday!

I wish I could have gotten a picture of Xander skating with Daddy. It was just so funny! So even though the boys kind of struggled, we all had lots of fun and we'll probably go back sometime!

Why we don't make our bed...

2010-08-05T12:10:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday Xander!

2010-07-30T10:00:00.005-04:00

After a birthday dinner from Fuji China (for the grown-ups) and McDonald's (for the kids), we had Mickey Mouse cupcakes for dessert. They were too cute!!

I had a rough morning, getting up in time for the party. I was still putting snacks together while people were getting here. Thanks to Lisa and Susan, though, for helping out with the cupcakes!

The kids were jumping from the couch to the beanbag chair! The worst part was getting a bunch of 1-3 year-olds to take turns jumping! Here's Kennedy, mid-air:

Jason

Alison (and Christopher)

Mark helped with Mickey Mouse's whiskers

There's my cake! The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!!!

Thanks for taking some great pictures, Lisa!!

Trying to get a family shot

Lisa, Xander, Kennedy and me

36...

2010-07-28T10:04:00.002-04:00

Xander turned 3 last Friday, and I was inspired (though delayed) by someone else's post to think of 36 things (for 36 months) about my kiddo!

1. He has the best laugh.
2. He has the sweetest smile--seriously, he could be a model or something.
3. His most ticklish spot is on the inside of his thighs.
4. His favorite new toys are Woody and Buzz Lightyear.
5. He can blow bubbles in the water.
6. His legs aren't quite long enough for him to pedal his tricycle.
7. He usually falls asleep twirling his hair (or with a finger in his nose).
8. He easily navigates around Playhouse Disney on the internet.
9. He knows all his letters, but sometimes gets J and K mixed up.
10. He can almost count to 20. Sometimes he leaves out 13.
11. He doesn't like to be called anything but Xander.
12. He often goes to bed with very little dinner because he's so picky and refuses to eat what he's served.
13. He still sleeps with the same blanket that his Godmother Andrea gave me at my baby shower. He calls it his snuggle blanket.
14. He pretended to be potty trained, but often refuses to sit on the potty when we send him. Instead, he'll wet his pants right there in the bathroom. It's very frustrating.
15. His one job is to set the table at dinner time.
16. He can hold onto a doorknob or the fridge handle and put both feet up. That's why I call him a little monkey.
17. He loves to sing. He even sings along with the instrumental parts on the Little People CD, and he knows the second verse to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
18. He's had stickers the past couple of times he's gone to church with me, and when he peeled them off and stuck them on the paper, he sorted them.
19. He wakes up way too early in the morning.
20. He likes to snuggle in our bed in the morning.
21. He likes to wake up his brother in the morning, despite our wishes.
22. It tickles him when I wash between his toes in the bath.
23. He doesn't like to clean up.
24. He's an expert at puzzles.
25. If it weren't for goldfish, hot dogs and chicken nuggets, he would probably starve.
26. He loves to drink white milk, but he won't touch chocolate milk.
27. He likes to close his own door when he gets in the car. Problem is, he usually closes it before I buckle him in.
28. He always has been a Mama's boy!
29. He randomly tackles, hits or pushes his big brother. He's kind of a bully sometimes.
30. His favorite books are Bark, George, The Cat in the Hat, The Very Cranky Bear, and Frank Asch books.
31. He can recite most of all three of those books by heart.
32. He hates getting his hair cut. So right now he has a shaggy cut that goes down over his ears and makes him very sweaty when he plays hard.
33. He loves his Gramma!
34. He loves his Aunt Mo!
35. He doesn't like the vacuum cleaner or hand blowers in public restrooms.
36. He's the sweetest little boy I could ask for!!!

Happy Birthday, Xander!!!

Summer Alphabet Adventures: B

2010-07-13T16:42:00.004-04:00

B is for...birdhouses!! Did you know that the dollar store is a great place for crafts? We went and got a couple of unfinished birdhouses. That afternoon, I brought the kids' table outside and let the boys pick colors for their birdhouses. Then they got to painting...

Zack's before with his pallette

Xander looking oh-so-professional painting the inside of his birdhouse

"Aren't I an artist, Mommy?"

"Look, Mommy, I got paint on me."

The finishes products, and the mess afterwards

Summer Alphabet Adventures: A

2010-07-12T18:20:00.004-04:00

So when I realized how difficult weekends were, mostly because the boys weren't used to being together all the time and their favorite pasttimes were crashing cars while yelling and running up and down the hallway while screaming, I decided that something had to be done during the summer. Honestly, I was dreading it, summertime, that is. My first idea was to visit every playground in the county. Problem is, it's hot here in summertime! Idea number two was to do something outside having to do with each letter of the alphabet. That idea kind of stuck, but swimming lessons for three weeks got in the way of that. So...we're just going to do something that starts with each letter of the alphabet sometime this summer, preferably in order.

A is for airport...the playground at the airport observation park, anyway.
Look, Mommy, I found a rock!
Heaven on Earth...a boy in the sand!

Sitting on the spider/crab thingie

Gimme some love, Zack!

New York City, part 2

2010-07-07T11:22:00.002-04:00

Dancing on the big piano at FAO Schartz...even the big kid wanted to play!
Chubacca--made out of legos!

Thanks for the activity/coloring books, Uncle Mike. They are great for keeping hungry little boys busy while waiting!

"Hanging" out with Daddy at Uncle Mike's house

New York City, part 1

2010-07-03T08:40:00.003-04:00

After a twelve-hour ride to Brooklyn, we just relaxed the first day with a trip to a playground and a street fair near Uncle Mike's house. It was so hot, and we got sunburnt! We had Mexican that night, and Zack and I tried guacomole for the first time. Mark and I also had some really big margaritas!

On Monday, we took the subway (for the first time) to Central Park, where we wandered around for just a little while and found a big rock that was great for climbing. Then we visited the American Museum of Natural history.

Uncle Mike gave Zack his old camera, and Zack was just thrilled. He really enjoyed taking pictures!

Xander actually took this picture of me, not bad, huh? Well, the next three pictures drifted down progressively until he just got my feet.

The mama barosaurus

Xander was so excited about seeing the dinosaur bones, but he decided to count the holes in the heater vent.

A couple of not so great ones with the boys and dinosaur bones...

Xander was so sleepy, he fell asleep in the stroller. This actually happened most days...poor thing!

The fam with an elephant (and an elephant butt)

Still more to come...plus, watch for our Summer Alphabet Adventures!

Sleep Fighter and the Battle at Buckhorn

2010-06-14T15:53:00.004-04:00

This is what happens when a certain two-year-old fights sleep...he finally falls asleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed while reading a book. This is what happens just before Mark goes on his bike...he sits on the ground to put his shoes on.

This is what happens while two little boys are waiting for Daddy to come back and we have an open field...they go a little crazy.

This is what happens when Mark works hard to train for his races...he finishes with a smile on his face.

This is what happens when four children who are waiting for their Mommy and Daddy...they make friends and wait and watch together.

This is what happens when you finish a race...you have cool-looking leg muscles that you have to stretch really well.

This is what happens when you have a wife who likes to take different pictures...you get a close-up of a quad stretch.

This is what happens when you finish reading a blog post...you leave a wonderful comment on how wonderful the writer is :)

Lots...

2010-06-11T15:26:00.002-04:00

of catching up to do. Haven't been blogging much lately, haven't been too motivated for it. Here's a few to start, but there will probably be many more posts coming up soon with LOTS of pictures to catch you up on our lives lately.

Remember when I said something about Zack getting a special dessert for getting on blue at school? Here's his dessert...

My kiddo that loves to wear his rain boots (too bad they don't smell so good)

Team Phillies...
They were posed so nicely, but I took too long to take the picture, so these are the best I got of my sweet, crazy boys!

Stay tuned...

BLUE :)

2010-05-07T13:32:00.003-04:00

Another random one that doesn't go...I recently biked to pick Zack up from school with Xander in the stroller. I started pouring down rain just in time for me to get under the breezeway at the school, and Xander fell asleep at about the same time. When Zack got in the stroller, Xander was all over him. In this pic, Xander was starting to wake up, but he was not happy about it. Zack was so excited yesterday to have moved his clip up to BLUE!!! They can move their clips down for bad behavior and up for good behavior, and blue is the highest level. He's been striving for it for a while. We are so proud of him!! His special treat for his achievement was to play in the sprinkler with his friends and a special sundae dessert.

Tri-ing Again

2010-05-07T12:59:00.004-04:00

Okay, so this first picture doesn't have anything to do with mark's triathlon, but it's so cute. Xander was sleeping when Daddy got home, so Daddy went to snuggle with him to try to wake him up. (Please excuse the puddle of drool on the pillow.)

This was the third time Mark has done the Riverwood Sprint Triathlon. It was the very first tri that he did, back in 2007. Here's his first finish!

Xander racing down the hill...

I was watching for Mark, but for whatever reason, I happened to turn around the second he came around the corner. I barely had time to get the camera turned on!

Here's the beginning of the run. Interesting enough, we have a picture of Mark in this same exact spot (give or take about 2 feet) from 2007.

Almost done! (He came in with a group of people around him, so I didn't get a good finish line shot :( )

Mark's cool down was racing Zack down the block...

All good athletes know that they have to stretch when they finish!

Mark's final time was 1 hour, 25 minutes and 29 seconds. His goal was 1:28, so he did really well. He also came in under 27 minutes for his run. I'm so proud of him, and this is just another reason he's my hero!

Tball

2010-04-20T13:33:00.002-04:00

Recent Randoms

2010-04-20T13:20:00.004-04:00

Apparently Xander didn't want to put this shirt on, so he took his arms out and slipped it down around his waist. Eventually he decided that he did want it on though. Zack said, "Xander, come watch the movie with me!"

Zack cleaning up Gramma's house after his birthday party--he loves that the vacuum is just his size. He vacuumed downstairs and upstairs and would have done more if I had let him.

Daddy was reading Rudolph to Xander, but Xander started singing the song in the middle of the book. It was just too cute to miss!

And Zack's just writing some thank you notes for what he got for his birthday.

Redbud

2010-04-20T13:12:00.002-04:00

Shortly after we moved into our house, Mark's Dad planted a redbud tree in our side yard. I don't think it had ever gotten the pretty pinkish-purplish blooms that I love, until this year. I had to get good picture of the blooms on Grandad's redbud tree.

A Birthday Party

2010-04-20T10:21:00.007-04:00

Here's just a few (hee-hee) pictures of Zack's trail-mix-making...
picture-posing, friend-hugging,...

rope-swinging...

caterpillar-catching...

patiently-waiting...

scavenger-hunting, flashlight-shining...

proud-Mommy's-awesome-cake-decorating-with-some-help-from-Daddy-and-Aunt-Mo...

candle-lighting...

wish-making...

scrumptious, messy...

goofy...

buggy, high-flying...

s'mores-making-with-Daddy...

first-s'mores-eating...

Mommy-and-Daddy-and-Aunt-Mo-exhausting

...campout-style sixth birthday party.

Thanks to Tyson, Andy, Sarah, Jason, Ethan, Trevor, Damien, Christopher, Alannah, Alyssa, Maya, Natalia, and Kennedy for coming to celebrate with us! And thanks to all the dads that hung out and helped with the swing! We all had a blast!!

Wet and yellow

2010-04-09T09:05:00.003-04:00

In this post, you were supposed to guess what happened. Here's the thing. It was super hot (yes, in March), so the boys were playing outside, and I started holding up the hose like a sprinkler. Then I discovered that we actually have a little sprinkler attachment. It's been sitting there probably since we moved in, and I never knew it was there. So anyway, the boys had a blast running through it, fully clothed of course! We're definitely going to have to get a sprinkler or a slip-n-slide this summer! Enjoy...

I had the boys strip before they went inside. I didn't want all that wet pollen all through the house...

Of course, somebody walked inside before I could get to them, and left these in the foyer...oh well, I tried to keep the pollen out of the house!

Any ideas...

2010-04-08T13:57:00.000-04:00

...about what led to this?

This Easter...

2010-04-05T20:06:00.004-04:00

...treats were hidden in some odd places. Xander needed a little help finding this last one.

...Zack had to follow a map of our house to find his treats.

...the Easter Bunny only brought one box of candy and a chocolate bunny for each of the boys. They each got something to make or do, a coloring book and a movie.

...Xander was being grumpy because he wanted to watch his movie, but then he played with the remote and changed the input, so we put in Zack's movie instead.

...our breakfast came from Bojangles because we were too busy-scratch that (how do you do the cross-out thing?)-lazy and ran out of time to make something at home.

...we had two very handsome boys and were counting many blessings.

...we had some fun in the kitchen making a dessert for our Easter dinner with Grandpa, Nana Cathy and Gramma. I posted an extreme close-up of it last night, and here's the finished, complete product.

(It's pretzels and Cadbury mini eggs, by the way.)

Fort Fisher

2010-04-05T14:23:00.003-04:00

Last Thursday, Andrea and I squeezed six kids, from the ages of 10 to 1, into her car and headed for the beach. We were worried that we wouldn't all fit, but we worked it out. I'm glad we did, too, because I don't think it would have been as much fun driving down there by myself in the car. I was looking forward most to just being able to talk with Andrea on the ride.

Our first stop was a picnic lunch in a gazebo overlooking the ocean. We saw some dolphins jumping in the water on the way over there. Here's crazy Zack eating his lunch and making faces...

Princess K playing with her apple slice...

and Xander perching precariously on the railing...

Our next stop (just across the street) was Fort Fisher Historic Site. The boys (and Princess K) learned about the battle of Fort Fisher and blockade runners. Zack remembers the big hills, the tunnels and the fence that looked like giant pencils. Here's the oldest five on one of the anchors. This was right after D fell off and got the only injury of the day.
Looking out over the Cape Fear River... Alongside this bridge, we saw hundreds of little fiddler crabs crawling all over in the grass and muck at the edge of the water.

The view from the top of the mound...

Xander loved the little tunnel entrance.

Princess P's first time on the beach...She didn't want to put her feet in the sand. When Andrea carried her towards the water and tried to put her down, she was holding her feet up off the sand.

Sweet Princess P toes!

I tried to take a picture of Xander in the water, but my camera battery died. All the boys had a great time playing in the waves (which were really cold!) and getting very sandy. After the beach, we rode the Fort Fisher ferry over to Southport and back. We stopped at Mickey D's for dinner and ice cream on the way out of town. We passed time on the way back with songs and I Spy and some silly storytelling. Thanks Andrea for a great day!! (and for driving)

???????

2010-04-04T23:25:00.000-04:00

Can you guess what we made today?

The hunt that never was

2010-03-29T14:46:00.003-04:00

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Xander. He was going to an Easter egg hunt. His brother really wanted to go, but he wasn't being a good listener, so he wasn't allowed. Xander went to the park with his mommy. When they got there, he could see a field, kind of a small field, but it was covered with Easter eggs of all different colors. He could see yellow and orange and blue eggs on the ground. It was hard for this little boy to wait for the hunt to start, but it was harder for the little boys and girls around him who were crying and running away, trying to get the eggs. Finally, it was time to hunt! The man said go, and lots of little kids and lots of mommies and daddies converged on the field to pick up eggs. Xander picked one up and put it in his basket. Then he found another egg. Then we heard a daddy say, "They're all gone already." And it was true. Xander had found two eggs, and all the eggs were gone. Xander was such a nice boy, though, that he shared one of his candies with his big brother.

(I think it could have been all the parents who were picking up eggs and putting them in their child's basket as quickly as they could, or it could have been that the parks and rec department seriously underestimated how many eggs they would need. Either way, we won't be going back to that Easter egg hunt again. We'll stick with Gramma's house!)

Here's the video of the 20 second Easter egg hunt that barely was.

Ordinary Days

2010-03-20T10:48:00.003-04:00

Just moments after that last post, I looked at Karen's blog, and this was this video that was shown. And as I sit here, one child playing the Wii in the living room, the other on my lap moving my hands out of the way so he can run his cars on the desk, I realize, once again, to embrace little moments along this journey of parenthood. (oh yeah, get some tissues if you watch the video)

Here we go!

2010-03-20T10:30:00.002-04:00

Yup, Xander is stuck on pull-ups! I was planning on waiting just a couple more weeks, when I have two days off, with nowhere to go. But I guess a couple hours in a pull-up a day won't hurt too much. I just have to get myself ready for this endeavor and for the fact that MY BABY IS GROWING UP!!!!

up to

2010-03-16T15:17:00.006-04:00

It's been a while, so here's some pics and tidbits telling what we've been up to, in no particular order...Playing monkey on the computer chair saying, "Take my picture, Mommy!"

Building block towers with Daddy, and knocking them down, of course

Running a marathon in 5 hours and 17 minutes (this pic was before the start, though)

Worrying about Mark as he started his marathon. I cried when he left, I could hardly even say I love you. And I cried when he finished, though I don't have a pic of that because Xander was sleeping in my arms.

Talking on the phone with Tyson...I don't remember talking on the phone when I was 5!!

Exercising

Going to the Greatest Show on Earth...

with Zack!

Watching Princess P!

Dancing in the living room in barefeet (we're doing the hokey-pokey)

Watching movies and looking cute

Meal Mishaps

2010-02-28T13:16:00.003-05:00

I think I should start a different blog carnival. I think I should call this one meal mishaps. Because at least once a week, sometimes even more often, I try to make a meal, but something goes horribly (sometimes, anyway) wrong. The latest: I tried to make these pizza pockets on Sunday. Does this look like pizza pockets?

It doesn't? Well, I guess that's because it's not pizza pockets, just pizza. You see, sometimes I don't read ingredients well enough and get the wrong thing. This one called for pie crusts, not pizza crust. Oh well, the boys still ate it, at least a little. Xander preferred to have applesauce.
What have you messed up (or gotten right) in the kitchen recently?

31 months

2010-02-23T13:42:00.003-05:00

Three years ago yesterday, I was devastated when I saw this:

Then five months later, after this:

and this:

This precious miracle made his way into the world:
Today, he looks like this: (will insert picture when I take a good one after naptime)

And he is 31 months old today! My two-year-seven-month-old little boy:

still refuses to eat most fruits and vegetables most of the time.
copies everything his big brother does, good and bad.
adds s to the end of lots of words: yours house, babies cows
still cannot say his name, he says Nanner
loves Mickey Mouse, though I don't think he's ever actually watched the Disney Channel
has the cutest voice when he's singing "Twinkle Twinkle" and "Jesus Loves the Little Children"
knows almost all of his letters but mixes up K and J
can count up to 13 or 14 but can't count objects one to one
is a little snuggle bug
is getting closer to being ready to potty train every day (he peed in the potty before bath time the other night), but has a Mommy that's dreading it
has reached his independent stage: taking off shoes and coat, buckling himself in his booster seat, walking in stores (though he still wanders)
is still my precious baby!

genius

2010-02-23T10:01:00.002-05:00

I know every parent thinks their kid is a genius, but we were talking last night about what's going to happen with Zack in the coming months and years. When Zack started kindergarten, he was already reading on almost a second grade level. They have done a wonderful job accommodating him by letting him go to a first grade class for reading time. They tried to do the same with math time, but the schedule wasn't working out for it. If he was just a little more mature, I would have considered skipping kindergarten.

Yesterday, Zack's teacher called me. Whenever I see "Wake County Pub" on my caller ID, I get apprehensive because we've had some not so good calls from the school more than a few times this year. So here's what Mrs. W. had to say: Earlier in the year, we talked about Zack's above-grade level performance, but she didn't feel like he was so far beyond that he was getting bored. She is seeing that now, that he already knows just about everything they are doing in class. With the schedule not working out for letting Zack go to first grade for writing and math, they decided to let Zack go to first grade for the entire day! We're going to try this out for a couple weeks to see how it goes.

The other thing they are going to do is have Zack tested for AG (academically gifted). We had talked about this in November, but Mrs. W. is seeing more of a need for it now. They usually don't test for AG until 3rd grade, so this is really something! If the things he does in first grade seem too easy at all, she also said we could use the end of first grade assessments and go from there, seeing if he needs to work with the AG teacher.

Even though I haven't been 100% pleased with Zack's school, I have to hand it to his teacher! I know from experience that one of the hardest things is to challenge and accommodate those students that are performing above grade level. She has really gone above and beyond my expectations for what they could do with Zack. I really appreciate all she has done for him!

I'm really praying that this will help Zack, academically, behaviorally and socially. Knowing what the other students are learning has left too much time for Zack to be silly and get in trouble, and he's had a lot of difficulty making friends. His words a couple weeks ago of "I just don't want to be bored anymore" have really stuck with me, too. Please pray that things will get better for Zack!

You might be a mommy...

2010-02-22T14:35:00.006-05:00

if you know one or more stories by heart, and can recite them to your child to help calm him down while he is getting a breathing treatment at the doctor's.
if you call your boss, and when he answers, he hears, "Get off the table right now!"
if you discover something in your purse that you thought you bought, only to get home and realize it's not on your receipt and then you have to bring it back to the store.
if you fold socks only to end up with more unmated socks than when you started.

This is my own little "blog carnival!" Feel free to add on to it on your own blog with things that undeniably make you a mommy, but add a link to yours with MckLinky!

And my Not Me! Monday entry...(You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.)
I did not have a dream last night that, after having "relations" with my husband (I don't know if he was my husband in my dream or not), I came home to a pretend long-time crush "waiting" for me in my bed. But the "crush" had already had "relations" with my roommate, a real person, who I like to call the mega -itch. I did not try to tell my husband about this dream (because we do not tell each other everything) in code while eating breakfast with the family this morning. Nope, not me! (And I certainly would not blog about this dream!)

2010-02-20T10:35:00.002-05:00

Snow cream for breakfast (yes, it's pink, for Valentine's Day!)
A little time to explore (We played in it later, but I didn't have my camera. The boys got to make a snowman with their cousins. It was perfect snow for snowmen and snowballs!)

What Daddy did while we were gone...

He made the big ball that's by itself for the original bottom of the snowman, but when he made the next one, it was too big to lift up, so he just used it for the bottom. Zack decorated it when we got home.

Now it's the only snow left on our block!

Just boys

2010-02-20T10:26:00.002-05:00

Xander always loves to be underfoot when I'm working in the kitchen or cooking dinner. I decided to taker her idea and fill the sink with water, give Xander a spoon, a cup and a sponge and worry about the mess later.

Zack was just working on his Valentine's for his classmates. Look at that sweet face!

One sick baby...

2010-02-20T10:16:00.002-05:00

plus some cushy quilts...
plus a bit of sun shining through the door...

plus Xander's turn with the camera...

plus a Daddy who thinks Xander is cute when he's sick (all cuddly and feverish [insert sad face])...

plus falling asleep laying on his dog on the couch...

equals a cute blog about Xander being sick and cuddly and cute.

Zack and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

2010-02-10T20:14:00.004-05:00

Sounds kind of boring, right? Well, read it anyway, because I just don't know what to do with this child sometimes!! Sorry it's kind of long, though.

The following is a conversation held by Zack (Z) and Mommy (M) on Tuesday evening regarding his homework assignment to draw a picture, label it and write 1-3 sentences (of which he is perfectly capable):

Z-I don't know what to write about.
M-Well, what happened at school today?
Z-We had fun.
M-What were you doing?
Z-Playing in the gym
M-What were you doing in the gym?
Z-We were playing "cross the ocean."
M-Can you tell me about it? (At this point, I heard the teacher in me talking.)
Z-It's a game where you have to cross the ocean. The floor is the ocean and you have to stay away from the sharks. Those are the people who are "it."
M-Oh, so it's kind of like a tag game.
Z-Yeah. If you get tagged by a shark, you have to sit on the floor like this (sat down and waved his arms out to the side).
M-Do you turn into a fish?
Z-No, you're a jellyfish.
M-So you get to tag people when you're a jellyfish?
Z-Yeah.
M-Okay, well that's a great story. Let me get you a piece of paper so you can draw your picture.
Z-That'll be a lot of people to draw.
M-That's okay, you don't have to draw all of them.

...A few minutes later, after he had been working on it, I went back to check on him. He had drawn a floor and two walls. In the middle was a stick figure whose arm was stretched out like he was trying to tag someone. (sorry, we got a bit more)
M-That looks good, I like how that person is reaching out to tag someone.
Z-Yeah, I don't like it. You can't see his smile.
M-Well, his head is really small, it's okay that you can't see it.
Z-But his legs don't look right. They're not the right size. And I don't have room to draw everybody. But we had to sit on the stage because there were too many people playing.

I wanted to help, but I also wanted us to be done with homework, so I added the stage to his drawing with a person sitting criss-cross.
Z-But their legs were hanging down. (I fixed it.)
Z-But his arms don't look right and I can't draw the other people.
M-(getting frustrated but trying to stay calm)Okay. Since we're getting frustrated with the drawing, let's just work on the words. You can write the story.
Z-I don't know what to write.
M-Write what you told me. "I had fun in the gym today. We played cross the ocean." Then keep going. (I even tried to encourage him that that was a great beginning and that I used to teach my first graders things like that.)

(I promise, it's almost done.) Well, it went all downhill from there...Instead of writing his story, he was scribbling on his paper. Then I found him playing in his room, saying he was doing something to write about. He was knocking over the chair, banging stuff, fussing and crying about getting it done! Mark took over, but it didn't really help. We did find out that Zack didn't really get to play the game, that he had to sit on the stage most of the time because he was tagged early in the game. Zack was eventually sent to time-out, where he cried and screamed that he didn't want to be bored anymore. Mark finally said, "Ok, if you're not going to do your homework, I'll tell you what to write and you'll write it." That's what happened, and this is what he wrote: "I was really grumpy after school today. I got angry doing homework. Daddy told me what to write." Yup, that's what he turned in, with a picture of himself on the top with a very sad face.

I went to work that night with a pain in my middle back that I attributed to the stress of a child crying about homework (and another child miserable with a cold, whining about not wanting to eat). Of course I want Zack to be happy, but I'm getting to the end of my rope. Mark said last night that Zack is going to hate school by the end of the year. I dread homework time everyday because I know it's going to be difficult, no matter how hard I try to be nice and reasonable.

So I guess I'm looking for 1. a way to make homework time NOT be a battle of wills and 2. reassurance that this is going to get better. Oh, and any suggestions on how to help him make friends, besides making playdates. (We would love to do that, but our question would be who to invite or how would I contact the parent?) He's lonely and unhappy, and I wonder if he's sometimes depressed. Help me help my little boy!

You might be a mommy...

2010-02-08T09:54:00.002-05:00

If you find random toys in your purse or pockets.
If you use words like yummy, yucky and potty, even when your kids are not with you.
If you hear the word why hundreds of times per day.

You might just be a mommy!!

And you can join in, too!! Just think of a couple of things that you have done this week or ever that make it quite obvious that you're a mommy, and write a post about it. Oh, and feel free to give me credit :) and add a comment on this post! Have fun, Mommies!!

Snow!!

2010-02-04T16:52:00.002-05:00

The battery died during the first day of snow, so we didn't get much. And the hubbie didn't know that you can't zoom while shooting video. But here's a good one: we were sliding from behind Mark's car, down the cul de sac, and into the neighbor's yard. Xander thought it was always his turn, though...

Mmm mmm good

2010-02-01T15:20:00.002-05:00

We made granola bars this morning!!! And they were so easy, so much so that I'm not sure that I'll buy boxed granola bars any more! Here's how we did it...

Mix together 2-1/2 cups of rice crispies, 2 cups of oatmeal (I used quick oats, don't know if it makes a difference), and 1/2 cup chocolate chips or raisins. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, mix together 1/2 cup corn syrup (I used Karo syrup) and 1/2 brown sugar. Bring it to a boil while stirring it. Remove it from the heat and stir until smooth. Pour it over the cereal mixture. Here the recipe said to add 1/2 peanut butter and 1 tsp. vanilla. I added the vanilla and a little bit of honey. Mix it all together, then press it into a pan (it said ungreased, but I didn't trust that, so I lined it with waxed paper).

They were so yummy!! And hopefully healthier than store-bought ones. What was really cool was that they turned into chocolate granola bars instead of chocolate chip, because pouring the syrup/brown sugar mixture melted the chocolate! Finger lickin good!!

I love Photoshop!!

2010-01-26T17:51:00.002-05:00

Okay, maybe that's not the best title for this post. I should've call it Lite Brite or something like that. Oh well. Here you go...A while back we got the old Lite Brite from my parents' house. It's not the best toy for the boys, but with a little supervision (or accompaniment) it works out okay. And the reason I have some different looking pictures is that post on MckMama's blog from te guest blogger. Her suggestion was to look at things from a different angle (get down on the floor, shoot from above), then I pieced them together with Photoshop.

Coming soon...

2010-01-24T23:46:00.002-05:00

...to a blog near you AKA mine...I read a guest post on her blog and got inspired. So camera in hand, I got down on the floor with Xander (and later Zack and Daddy) playing with the LiteBrite and captured some cool stuff. I just have to photoshop them first! But I'll get to it, I promise!

Until then, tidbits...
Zack got in big trouble this week at school. I don't know how it will help, or if it will help, but I'm looking into magnet options for him. He finally was able to take his Super Zack cape to school for show and tell. His cousin took him to see Monster Jam again, and this time he got some signatures on his penant from last year. He has a teacher workday tomorrow, and I'm praying that I can make it through the day!

Xander got "yucky" all over me on Thursday night, after we turned the light off and started singing bedtime songs. In the morning, he was talking about getting yucky in the bed. He hasn't eaten much since then. He is amazing me that 1. he's talking in full sentences (it's funny when he says, "Yes I are!" and "yuh-huh") and 2. he can put together 24-piece puzzles without looking at the box. He likes to sit on his frog potty, but I'm putting off potty training for as long as I can!

Mark and I had a free date night tonight. We went bowling with Kohl's people. (Our game was with Nicole and Ray) The door prize for our "Christmas" party was an iPod nano for the highest male and female score. Well, I knew I had no chance of winning, but when I looked up at Mark's 115 in frame 7 (approximately anyway), there was hope! Someone came close with 132, but Mark won it out in the end!! He says he's going to give me his old nano and keep the new one for himself, but we'll see.

Oh, and I made some yummy chicken and mushroom lasagna last night! Go here for the recipe, but I used chicken instead of beef. It got the five-year-old's scrumP-tious seal of approval.

That's all! Good night!!

Act my age?

2010-01-08T13:52:00.003-05:00

My birthday came and went with not much excitement about it, except for eating at Kanki, where Zack learned how to use chopsticks.

Sort of...

But act my age? Why should I do that? Just because I'm past 30 now?? It really is kind of scary, being past 30. I'm not sure what to think of it. I've never really been scared or concerned about getting older. I don't look it, and I certainly don't feel it. So who says I have to act it?

However, I did paint my nails yesterday (I think 30 years is long enough for biting them), and I did use a facial moisturizer and put on mascara before going to the store this morning. Maybe I do want to start looking my age, or at least somewhat closer to my age. I guess this is really coming out because there are so many products out there to make you look younger, but how do you look older, when you have a round, puffy face like me and have such a plain clothing style?

Okay, so that's my miniature soapbox for the day. I'm going to get back to the two other projects I was working on today and maybe some laundry. But act my age? Maybe, maybe not.

Anyway...

2010-01-07T14:15:00.002-05:00

MckMama posted this today, and I just had to share. It was written by Kent Keith, but Mother Teresa had a copy of his book, so she is often given the credit. Hope it lights up your day!

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
be kind anyway.

If you are successful you will win some false friends and true enemies;
succeed anyway.

If you are honest people may cheat you;
be honest anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the end, it is between you and God;
it was never between you and them anyway.

A Christmas to blog about...

2010-01-06T13:09:00.007-05:00

Here's a little about how our Christmas went, mixed in with a lot of pictures...On Christmas Eve, I went with the boys to pick up their cousins Simone and Evan from their hotel. We went to Stacy's house, where she had Alannah, Alyssa, Damien and Christopher. We rolled cut, baked and decorated Christmas cookies. (The pictures of that are on Stacy's camera because I forgot mine that day.) The plan for later that day was to go to the Children's Christmas Mass at our church, but it just didn't work out. So we went to Gramma's house and spent some time finishing her Christmas village and enjoyed a wonderful dinner with her and Uncle Mike.

Christmas morning...Amazingly enough, with their internal alarm clocks set for 6:30, the boys didn't get up until after 7! Zack came in the bed and snuggled for about two seconds, then jumped up, saying "It's Christmas, I'm gonna go see if Santa came!" When he discovered his Optimus Prime Transformer (the ONE thing he asked Santa for), he said "YESSSS!!" Xander was pretty excited about his train track and giraffe (the ONE thing he asked for), too. We got everybody dressed pretty quickly and went to Gramma's house again.

Our traditional Christmas breakfast is sausage balls, so we enjoyed them while opening presents and taking pictures...

Zack and Xander with Gramma (I couldn't get Xander to just smile!)

Zack's Geo Trax airport--both boys were excited about this one! Xander got more tracks and a remote control train, also.

Zack showing Gramma how his Christmas present for her works. It's a blinking rubbery rose from Dollar Tree. He also picked out an oven mitt and pot holders for her. He got Uncle Mike a birdhouse (so he could be friends with the birds) and a knock-off nerf gun.
Xander opening one of his puzzles

Zack and his sleep pants, but apparently, Zack's not big enough to fit into boys' size small, so they drag on the ground when he wears them.

Yeah, more transformers! At least he can transform these by himself.

I love this one because you can see Xander's cheek puffed out to where you know he's smiling.

After an easy lunch (of Christmas Eve leftovers), Mark and the boys and I brought Mike to the airport and headed over to The Hut. (When Jessianne was in college, this was where the Wesleyan Foundation met. She talked to someone and we were able to use it for our Christmas dinner. It had a fully-stocked kitchen, lots of seating, a pool table, and lots of room for the kids to run around. It was perfect for us!!)

Stacy and I while I was making truffles

The picture frame that I put together for Dad. It has 21 openings, enough for all of his grandchildren, grandchild-in-law, great-grandchild, and all (well, some at least) future grandchildren.

Eileen, Caroline and I

Super Zack's cape made by Aunt Mo! Zack loved it--he immediately put it on and started running around the room to make it fly behind him.

Daddy helping Xander with a puzzle

Most of the next generation: Simone, Tim, Zack, Xander, Stacy, Damien, Jenn, Christopher, Jessianne, Alyssa, Alannah, Charles and Evan. The only ones missing are Adam, Steve and Jonathan, and Dorothy and Addison, Adam's wife and daughter.

Four of the oldest grandchildren: Tim, Stacy, Jessianne and Charles. Whenever we get together, we have to have couch pictures.

Here's the whole crew...Eileen, Caroline, Jessianne, Keith, Damien, Alyssa, Danny, Dad, Christopher, Kevin, Cathy, Stacy, Tim, Charles, Alannah, Jeff, Simone, Mark, Xander, Ginny, Evan, me, Maureen, Jenn. Xander was kicking Ginny's head!

Wait a minute, someone was missing! He was playing "Zack-in-the-box!"

And here's our family...

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas season and a wonderful 2010!!!

A Decade Ago

2010-01-01T14:19:00.008-05:00

I'm taking an idea from Kate's blog, looking back over the past decade at how things have changed.

2000...turned 21, realized it wasn't meant to be with someone, moved in with Susan, finished junior year of college, met my Cowboy, thought it would be "a summer thing," got engaged after four months, finished my last semester of classes

2001...turned 22, started student teaching at Gregory, watched my class at "Best Foot Forward," graduated from college, got my first car (a silver Chevy Malibu), Eileen got married, took a camping trip with Heidi and Matt, rappelled in open space!, got a teaching job at Gregory, sat in amazement looking at my very own classroom, watched in horror as two towers fell, started wedding planning

2002...turned 23, went to my oldest niece's graduation in Illinois, grieved with Mark and his family as we lost Grandaddy three days before our wedding, got married, spent our honeymoon on a cruise through the Caribbean, spent a night in New Orleans at Carnival's expense, found out last minute that I did have my job back at Gregory, started working for Papa John's

2003...turned 24, finished second year of teaching, worked at Papa John's, mostly during the day, while Mark was in class, got to be good friends with Beth, got pregnant, started one of my most difficult years of teaching, attended Matt and Heidi's Halloween wedding, watched my husband graduate college (even though I didn't hear his name because someone was cheering for their person)

2004...struggled with Mark starting his internship at PwC where he travelled Monday through Friday and was only home on the weekends, turned 25, had Mom attend an ultrasound with me on my birthday, became good friends with Liz as we went through pregnancy together, spent a week in a hotel room in Charlotte as Mark worked at his internship, went to the aquarium with 20-some kindergarteners while 35 weeks pregnant, went on bedrest at 36 weeks for high blood pressure, found out that Mom wasn't doing so well and wasn't going to have much longer, thought she was doing better, Mark quit his internship to take care of me and started working at Papa John's again, had labor induced at 39 weeks, had Zack 20 hours later, visited Mom in the hospital on my first Mother's Day and her last, lost her a couple days later, was told that my school didn't have a position for me, moved away from Wilmington to Mark's parents' house, looked all summer for a job, started teaching first grade at Rolesville, bought a house

2005...turned 26, took 11-month-old Zack on a roadtrip by myself, returned to a "While you were out" scenario at my house (Mark painted the bathroom yellow and decorated), went to Disney World!!!!, met Mickey Mouse for the first time in my life!!!!, bought my first NEW car (my Honda CRV), started second year at Rolesville as our grade chair

2006...turned 27, went to Erie, Niagara Falls and Saint Mary's on our second long roadtrip, became friends with Andrea, got pregnant again

2007...turned 28, struggled with teaching, found out that I was having another boy, watched Mark finish his first season of races, said goodbye to the principal that gave me a chance, spent the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy at home, spent time in the pool so I could feel weightless, had labor induced at 41 weeks, gave birth to Xander after 6 and a half hours with no pain medication or epidural, experienced life with two children!, went back to teaching when Xander was 6 weeks old, struggled with teaching some more, lost Mark's dad (Grandad) in December

2008...turned 29, struggled with teaching, decided that I wasn't going to teach anymore, bid a bittersweet farewell to the school when I had worked for four years, went to Disney World again!, looked for work, started working at Kohl's in August, opened the store in late September, applied for a promotion in December

2009...turned 30!!!, struggled with parenthood, celebrated Zack's 5th birthday, got a promotion to POS supervisor, took Zack to Tae Kwon Do, swimming lessons and soccer, took Xander to swimming lessons, went to the beach with the family!!, watched my sister grieveZack started kindergarten, struggled with good behavior, missed his celebration at the end of the quarter because of his behavior, accelled at reading!!! And now, well I'm still just trying to be the best wife and mother that I can be, and I hope that I can keep getting better!

Happy New Year (and decade) everyone!!

Phantom!

2009-12-23T08:03:00.002-05:00

A while back, probably before Thanksgiving, Mark has told me that he wanted to take me to see Phantom of the Opera for Christmas but that it wasn't going to happen. She show ended on December 20 and the tickets were too expensive. So although I still really wanted to go, it was not meant to be.

So on December 6th, I came home from church to a package, wrapped in birthday paper, sitting inside the door. I could tell from the shape of it that it was a DVD. So...

Me: Honey, what's this?

Mark: It's a birthday present. (His birthday was December 9th)

Me: For who?

Mark: You. It's a month early.

Me: Who's it from?

Mark: Me. You can open it.

So I did. It was Phantom of the Opera, the movie, which I thought was a really sweet consolation. I turned it over, and there, taped to the back, what a piece of paper that read "This is not a ticket." Upon further observation...let me just preface this by saying that I cannot think of many other times that I have thrown my arms around my husband...I realized what it was, and I THREW my arms around my husband! (It was the internet receipt from the tickets that he had purchased.) I was crying and hugging him. I just couldn't believe it!

We had a babysitter and a back-up, but at the last minute, we had to arrange another one. We decided to meet Stacy at Manchester's, where Danny works, and that she would take the kids back to our house. Dinner was okay, but we enjoyed the time with Danny and Heidi (who also met us for dinner). The DPAC was really easy to find. The golf cart ride from the parking deck in 40 degree weather, however, was really cold!!

Anyway, we had seats in the 6th row, every time there was a pop or explosion both Mark and I jumped, the music was amazing, the main character darker than I expected. It was incredible! I have the most wonderful husband in the world!!

Not Me! Monday

2009-12-21T14:36:00.004-05:00

I did not get so annoyed with all of the noise that the boys were making that I turned the stereo up sky-high just so I could have some "peace and quiet" while I was reading a magazine and taking a Mommy time-out. Nope, not me!

I did not enjoy leaving my children with my niece while the husband and I enjoyed dinner with my dinner and an old friend. I did not forget about calling home to check on the boys (who were "ornary," according to Stacy). I did not thoroughly enjoy going to see The Phantom of the Opera with my husband (who, have I mentioned, is the most wonderful man in the world). Nope, not me!

I did not have fun with the song Santa Baby, and I do not think of that fun every time I hear the song at work (which is not four or five times a night). Oh, and I do not share secrets about our intimate encounters on my blog. Nope, not me!

I did not realize just this morning (four days before Christmas) that I didn't have a single picture a certain Christmas present. I did not call other family members frantically to remedy this. Nope, not me, I wouldn't forget.

Want to join the fun? Just head over to her site and see what other people are not doing.

Silliness and Being like Daddy

2009-12-17T12:38:00.004-05:00

I'm in blog withdrawal!!! I haven't been putting anything up lately, but I think I've just been lazy about it. So here's a few (or more than a few) pictures for you...

Zack opening his present from Ms. Cheryl, our neighbor.

Xander with the snow globes that Ms. Cheryl got for the boys. Unfortunately, about a second after this picture was taken, one of those snowglobes was shattered and there was snowy water all over the floor.

Daddy actually eats fruit!!!! And plays with it too!

Yup, just like Daddy, maybe a bigger mouth, though.

Zack's Keepsake ornament, which doesn't have a picture in it yet. I have to print one from his first day at school.

Xander's "Keepsake" ornament

Our tree...

From our wedding...

Daddy was cutting some branches off the pear tree, and Zack wanted to help. Zack was pulling the string on the pole saw, but here, he was helping Daddy to saw a bigger branch. He was also trying to break one of the little trees.