playing catch up....

Hmmmm... what did we do this weekend and week (so far).....

Okay... so Friday... I can't remember. Friday Bryan was off from work... for the HOLIDAY weekend... which was nice. We all slept in some... and then hung out doing a few things at home. Bryan got Trevor's motocross bike all spift up and ready for him to go out and practice at the track... his first time on the real track.... he has been on a track that Bryan made him here at the house and at the old house and has road his bike at Bryan's mom's house too, but he was excited to be on the real track. I was happy for him and NERVOUS as hell. He did great. On Friday I also meet Adelle & Amanda (she works with Adelle) for lunch, it was nice... we had Chinese!! YUM...

OH Yeah... on Thursday we went to the CIRCUS!!! we have gone for the last three years... this was the first time we took the girls to it... not sure why we didn't take them last year... maybe so we could do something with just Trevor so he had some one on one time, not sure... but they all LOVED it. It was different than the last few years so that was nice, but it always cute. Nothing too extraordinary, but something fun and local to do with the kids. :) We went to the earlier showing so after that we grabbed a pizza and a chick parm hero and went to see Bry's mom and Lowell at the campground where they have their camper for the Summer. They just put it in the weekend before. We hung out there for a while after having dinner, the kids had fun... they got to make some marshmallows while there, which is one of their favorite things to do... AND they are actually getting pretty good at it and will even eat most of them, themselves!!! lol Trevor is really good at getting most of his just right... a little brown all the way around and melted all the way through!! :)

Okay... back to Friday... I took the girls and their bikes up to the track for them to ride while Trev practiced.. Adelle meet us up there, or shall I say we met her, she was there first. lol They had a good time, but were tired... so a little cranky and I had NO voice almost... it started going at the circus for whatever reason, I wasn't even yelling or anything just started loosing it, and then it hasn't come back yet... But anyway... we did the track thing... My poor lil' boy got hurt... he fell and the foot peg went into his knee... did a pretty nasty gash/cut... deep too, and had his leg lumped up and bruised good too. :( Broke my heart to see him in pain... I can't take my kids being hurt... we got him some ice and he sat in the back of truck for a little while still not feeling great. I gave him some Motrin and put a band aid with antibiotic cream on it on his knee and he said it still hurt... I can only imagine... poor dude!! He did however want to go back out on the track... that night even and was kind of upset with Bryan and I when we told him no. I was concerned about how bad his knee was hurt... he hadn't walked on it yet since he hurt it... there was NO way I was letting him back out.

He did walk on it and it was okay... just really sore, we got home and laid him on the couch with his knee elevated ... he fell asleep pretty quickly.. he was tuckered out... long day and did a lot of laps on the bike... while he slept I put an ice pack on his knee... I think it helped keep the swelling down some... I hope it helped ease some of the pain...he slept through the night but in the morning said it still hurt. I imagine it did. But he is a trooper and still did okay playing with it... even went on the trampoline ~ which Bryan and I got the sides up and Bryan tied it all down so no one can get hurt falling off of it again. (Lauren fell off of it about a month ago and hit her face hard on a 4 x 4 piece of wood... my poor baby ~ I took her to Urgent Care, and thankfully everything was okay with her)

So Saturday ~ July 4th ~ we hung out in the morning all playing outside, jumping on the trampoline together and having fun... did some house work and stuff... got things ready for later... then got the kids and ourselves ready and headed to the store to grab a few things... Wally World was on lock down bc they had a missing child... a 7 1/2 month old... it was horrible... long story short after several hours, they found the little girl... Brook, face down in mud about a 1/4 mile from Wal-Mart... the father put her there... then went to W-M and said she was stolen from his stroller... he is piece of shit and should die a slow painful death. thankfully they found the baby and she was unharmed. what a dirtbag. i could go on, but i'm not.

anyway... we got some stuff and headed to Bryan's mom's campsite... his brother and sister-in-law and niece were here from NC... on a surprise visit... it was nice to see them. Bry's other brothers, Kevin and Joey were there too... it was his mom, step-father, brother Danny, wife Christy, daughter Alyssa, brother Kevin, daughters, Katelyn and Lacy, brother Joey and wife Cassie, his grandparents, a family friend Liz, us then later, his sister Shelby, cousins, Kelsea, Andrew, Eileen, and Kelsea's boyfriend came, and so did Steve & Adelle and Richie and Alyssa... it was a good time. :)

the fireworks were okay... we also left the camp and went to see the fireworks at the race track... they were nice. :)

the kids were sleeping for the second fireworks, but they didn't even know they missed anything and they were tired out... it was a long day... they had put on a lot of of miles... with starting off the day on the trampoline to running around the campground... it was a lot. :)

We all came home and went to bed. :)

Sunday Bryan went off on his road bike with Steve to a diff moto track to watch the races, so the kids and I packed up and went to my parents house... they had a blast... first my dad set up the kiddie pool for them, and they had fun in that. They also played in the sandbox and on the swing set and rode their bikes some... then my dad, being the WONDERFUL Grandpa that he is, took all three kids in the big pool!!! THEY LOVED IT!! Trevor has been in a few times this year already & loves it.. this was the girls first time this year and they had a great time... they were both a little nervous at first... but Lauren warmed up to it really quickly and Brooke came around soon there after!! :) I'm glad the enjoy it... I wish that they could get swimming lessons so they could all be swimming this Summer, but that isn't too likely. Maybe I can find a book or website that tells you how to teach your child to swim. Trevor will be 6 in Sept... I think that maybe he should know how to swim already... the only problem is not having a lot of time to practice... we only have a few short months of Summer and we don't always have access to water... unless I get him swimming in the big bath. lol

We had dinner with my parents and my brother, nephew ~ Walter and my sister-in-law had shown up so they ate with us too. The kids loved getting to see Walter, but they were all tuckered out... another busy and long day! Not too long after dinner, I got the truck all loaded up and headed home...

After getting home, I got a message from a friend of mine.. Bee... she was home recovering from surgery that she had the week before, and said she would LOVE some company... it was only a little after 7 so I hopped in the truck and went to see her. She only lives a few mins from me and it was nice to get to visit and to get out of the house w/o the kids. :) I love them, but a break every now and then is soooo nice!! Plus, I haven't talked/visited with Bee in ages. I see her every now and then and see her at the dental office, but it isn't the same as getting a few hours to just shoot the bull... we were chatting so much that it was after 11 when we realized the time... I didn't mind bc it was a really nice visit. I'm going to go back again soon... she is out for 6 wks... ugh... and I'm sure is bored at home. lol when she is feeling much better and up to it... I'll take the kids over too... we'll see though, she is still newly recovering. :)

Then let's see... Monday, Monday... what happened on Monday???? oh yeah... I put up my new clothes line... and happily hung out two loads of laundry... I also cleaned the deck off, cleaned the patio set ~ table and chairs and re-arranged the deck so that we can sit out there for dinner and stuff... and cleaned up the yard some and did some stuff to make our tiny backyard more user friendly! :) (** our property isn't really that small it's over an acre, the problem is that it's on a hill and covered in trees... we are going to work on both problems, but not just yet.. it takes money and time... we have some time, but very little money right now... so for now we have to make due with the yard we do have... so it was nice to move things around... make the table usable and also create a little seating area in the grass with some Adirondack chairs and a small plastic table... We also ate dinner at the outside patio table on Monday... the kids LOVED it. & the weather was perfect for it.. there weren't even any bugs!! it was GREAT!! :) Monday night after dinner we all went to the lake...we drove down instead of walking so we could get more time in at the lake... Bryan and Trevor slapped on some life jackets and tried out the new jet ski... they had a good time but it was almost out of gas so they didn't spend too much time on it... just enough. :) we all hung out on the beach and docks while the kids played in the water... then it was getting a little chilly to be wet as the sun set, so we decided enough lake, lets jump in the hot tub... we spent 40 mins in there.. it was heaven!! it wasn't really hot at all, it was some where around 95 so it was okay for the kids to be in there... i know hot tubs aren't safe for kids bc if they are too hot the kids can get a fever from it bc their body isn't that good at controlling it's temp just yet... but they were safe and enjoying the jets with us. :) it was a nice family night. :) we then came home, changed and watched some tv together before heading off to bed.

I stupidly wore my pedometer into the hot tub... but thankfully it still works fine. :) I'm amazed. the only bad thing that happened was when i was drying it off i accidentally reset it... but I knew what the numbers were from looking at it to see if it was ruined... so I just wrote them down on Monday and started over again today. :)

Today we did nothing much... OH!!! yeah. yesterday.... aka Monday, we went to check our mail at the PO... it has been a LONG while since we got it... and while we were out and about we got some ice cream at the Candy Cone! :) the kids LOVED it... they were EXCELLENT while we were there... amazing little listeners!! :)

Today it rained here... the washer leaked all over, and I did some good cleaning in my bedroom and closet... made some headway... it's looking better in there... got rid of some stuff and organized some other things... can't wait for my closet to be done... need to get all the hardware... would love a California Closet... but they are a lot of money... will settle for Bryan and I picking out some things at Home Depot or Lowe's and doing it ourselves... I'm sure it will come out great... Bry is really handy so that isn't a problem at all and I think together we will come up with a great design!!

I also went to my parents house to hang out for a little while tonight... had a nice visit with my mom and Ellen and my dad some... he was out and the was watching the game. :) went through some baby pics of Trevor... he has grown soooo much... it's unbelievable.. and went through some pics from last summer... they have all changed and grown so much in the last year, it's scary how fast time is going and how big they are getting.

And, now I'm up typing this bc I can't sleep... ugh!! maybe I'll go watch some TV bc my back and neck are killing me now...

nighty night!

Thoughts & Prayers

Heather's Grandmother is in surgery as I type this. They are all there waiting at the hospital. I can only imagine the thoughts and feelings they are all having. It has been about 2 weeks since her Grandmother went into the hospital and they have been waiting and preparing for surgery.

She is having brain surgery. They are taking three parts of her skull off, in order to remove a brain tumor that is the size of a lime on the front of her brain. There are risks, as with any surgery.

We know the surgery will go fine though, Estelle is a tough cookie and nothing is going to take her down. BUT please pray for the surgery to go well, for them to do all they have to do. Please also pray for a speedy recovery. She is tired of being in the hospital for all this time. I can't blame her either. They aren't sure how soon she will be able to come home after the surgery, it depends on how she is feeling and acting and what kind of therapy she will need. She may be in the hospital for a while longer and/or go to a nursing home for more therapy before returning home. Although the surgery is scary, some of the hardest parts is having her away from home for so long from everyone.

Please pray for Heather, her Grandmother, her Grandfather, her mom, her uncle, her brother and the rest of the family ~ for strength, health, healing and a super recovery.

~Heather I'm always thinking of you and Stelle, I love you and I'm always here for you. I know that Granny will be okay... I know it in my heart of hearts, have faith and believe that you will see her at home soon. xoxoxoxo

Thank you everyone.

Where Am I?

I've been trying to get to the computer for days now. I have had a lot on my mind and a lot I wanted to blog about.

Things have just been wild here lately. But in a good way. We had a great time with the kids and seeing family for Christmas Eve and Christmas, it was very nice. I wish we got to see some more family members, but it just didn't work out for us that way this year. But hopefully we will make some great plans for next year. Maybe even hosting Christmas Eve or Christmas day dinner... but I'm not sure. I'd like to do it because then I get to see everyone and they come to me, but I'm not sure I could handle it all. I also would like to take that work off of my mom's shoulders. We'll see... we have about 362 days to think about it and plan it.

For now, one of my focus' is getting the house cleaned up and done for our New Years Eve party. I'm looking forward to having a good time with friends and family, but I kind of wish it was over with already. I'm not entirely sure why I'm feeling this way. I guess because I know it will be a lot of work to have everything ready for it. We are getting really down to the wire, and there is a lot more we want to do before hosting the party. But since it is family and friends coming I'm sure they won't judge any of it. AND we have only been living here for two months and redoing more than half the house.

Speaking of the house, I have some pictures to post of our house... it is a little bit late, since some of these things we did when we first moved in, but you know how the saying goes... better late than never. lol :P

I'm determined to make 2009 a much better year. I want to make it better for my children, my husband, my parents, my family, my friends and for myself. I want to work really hard to make this year count. I want to laugh a LOT, smile often, make awesome memories with the ones I love. I want to forgive and forget quickly and learn from mistakes instead of carrying them around with me to think about constantly and harp about. I want to think wonderful thoughts, and have great daydreams and not worry and stress about things that aren't worth my time or thought process. I want to be more responsible for the things I can take responsibility for and be carefree with the things that I have NO control over... and let it be in fates hands.

I want to enjoy every single day of 2009. I want to call old friends and get together. I want to catch up and have fun conversations and take pictures. I want to go on walks with my kids and let them run and scream and be little. I want to go to the lake every day it is nice. I want to run through the hose and laugh till it hurts. I want to hug and kiss my children every single day and realize just how truly blessed I am. I want to have time with my parents and go to dinner with them and talk and enjoy them. I want to hang out with my brothers and their families. I want to meet some of my blogging friends IRL. I want to learn to let go and move on. I want to know that there are going to be bad days, but that is all they are... just a bad day... and that tomorrow will be better. I want to be able to cry, get it out, wipe the tears away and know that I'll be okay. I want to be a better mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend... PERSON. And most of all... I AM going to do all these things.

Some dreams are just that, dreams. Some dreams you can't ever touch. These are all touchable. These are within my reach and I'm going to grab tight and not let go till I reach my destination. This is going to be a GREAT year. I know it!!

~well I so wasn't expecting all that. I was just going to post a few things, some updates and rambling, but then that all just came out and well there you have it. I wasn't going to do a year end post because I have been having a lot on my mind lately and stressing to no end... but this just seems perfect. Unplanned and just right.

Here's to 2009!!

Title Not Available :P

Good Morning.

Here in upstate, but not all the UP - upstate, New York it is FREEZING. I'm talking not being able to breath outside kind of FREEZING. So cold that you don't even see your breath any more because your nostrils are FROZEN shut from the frigid temperatures and you aren't able to actually breath. Now that is cold. That is beyond cold. That is totally ridiculous. This isn't the arctic circle this is NY we are talking about. What is going on??

Okay. Okay. To be very truthful with you all I may or may not have caught some drama bug from my three year old daughters... I have heard that it is contagious, not highly, but none-the-less contagious. And, I tell you folks this because I haven't even stepped one foot outside, nor do I plan on doing so. I can tell how cold it is in my house, where it is supposedly heated so I know it has to be at least a million, trillion, KAbilizion ~ yes that DOES happen to be a word! ten times worse outside. There is no chance of me and the outdoors meeting today.

I also have no vehicle today. Which sometimes bothers me, but today I have no problem staying home, hanging out and most importantly NOT going outside where it is so freakin' cold. After yesterdays tree hunting trip, I'm good with no outdoors for a while.

The day went fine, the kids were GREAT EXCELLENT during breakfast, like OMG perfect little angels. Not even just my kids... my two nieces were excellent too. I'm telling you, NOT feeding them for a month week a few days before taking them to eat in public really worked. They sat. They ate. They were quiet. They were happy. They were well behaved!

*fun-ness level = 10 (breakfast/dinner)

Score ONE for the parents! oh and the kids I guess too, after all they were the ones that had good behavior.

Getting the trees wasn't too painful/horrible bad. The girls fell asleep on the way up to the place, do you call it a tree farm? Well anyway they zonked out. So they are always a little whiny fussy when they are woke up from any nap... I can understand this... I'm not always the most pleasant either and not after I'm awakened from a nap too. (LAUGH) (APPLAUSE) :P

*fun-ness level = 10 (drive up)

Okay, so anyway... we got them all bundled up, and then off we went...

*fun-ness level = 2 (getting 3 kids bundled up)

up, up, up, UP the mountain.... NOPE no trees that we like and/or want

*fun-ness level = 5 (going up the mountain)

down, down, DOOWWWNNNNNNNNNNN the mountain, way more fun with little kids than going up, the mountain.

*fun-ness level = 8 (going down the mountain)

Across the icy parking lot, across the little dirt road, over the small brook, where every child tried to get into the water via the small bridge with NO sides.

*fun-ness level = 2 for adults 9.5 for kids (parking lot, ice, water, bridge)

Then...

up, up, up, UP, UP, UP the other mountain with all the kids... who were no longer having fun or cooperative with walking, standing, listening, getting along or even being carried.

*fun-ness level = -3 (going up the mountain)

FINALLY they found a tree! yay! yippee! Oh JOY! Oh RAPTURE!! yay! Goodie Goodie Gumdrops!!

*fun-ness level = 9.5 (finding a tree) ~ only b/c this means we can LEAVE!

Then...

down, down, DOOWWWNNNNNNNNN the mountain again.

*fun-ness level = 9.8 (down the mountain & LEAVING!)

So at about the second up, up, up, UP the mountain it was beyond windy, snowing and freezing. My head was so cold that I couldn't barely talk because my mouth was frozen. It would have been an excellent time for any facial piercings I have been considering but we didn't come prepared... darn it!!

Get down to the brook, little bridge, dirt road, icy parking lot and truck... get the kids unbundled and in the truck with the HEAT on HIGH. Say our goodbyes, pay for said tree, and off we go!!

*fun-ness level = 8.5 (brook, bridge, dirt road, icy parking lot, undressed road, HEAT, goodbye, pay for tree, off we go!)

The drive home is about 40 minutes or so, and by "or so" I mean I'm totally guessing because I didn't pay attention AT ALL to the time... I just know it felt like 5 hours and I know it couldn't have really been that long so I'm trying to be rational.... so we'll go with 40 minutes.

The kids were LOUD, picking on one another, crying, fussing, whining, annoying and did I mention LOUD??

*fun-ness level = -6.5 (riding home with three tired, bratty kids)

Came home and got everyone in for a nap. Laid on the couch watching TV until I dozed off myself and slept for over an hour.

*fun-ness level = 10+ (kids napping, mommy napping, daddy watching football) LIFE IS GOOD!


So that was our day yesterday... and I think I had a point to all this... like since we were out in the cold, frigid, Arctic weather yesterday there is NO need for us to venture out again today! :) Was that my point? Yeah... I'm not sure either, so don't feel bad.

So anyway... today we are going to frost some sugar cookies we made last night. We did cutouts so that they are more fun for the kids! :) I also have some sprinkles which are a HUGE hit with my kids... they love to put them on things more than they like to eat them. :P

And we might also make some Christmas decorations and stuff... not sure just yet. But we will probably do something.

Have a great day!!

Things to Remember...

Brooke & Lauren love to refer to each other as "my sister" when talking to anyone, except each other.

~

Trevor doesn't care if I go to the store with out him, while he is in school, because he knows I'm really busy and have to things without him sometimes. (his words) AND if I bring him home Skittles. :)

~

Trevor ~ "Kids at school and in my class don't all dress fancy, they just dress the best they can."

Mommy ~ "What makes you say that honey?"

Trevor ~ "Because I have a lot of clothes and some of the kids in my class don't. But that is okay.

Hey, maybe I can give them some of my clothes."

Mommy ~"That is so nice of you. You are such a good boy to want to share what you have with

your friends."

Trevor ~ "oh. they aren't my friends. they are only in my class so I have to talk to everyone."

Mommy ~ "oh. okay." :)

~

Lauren ~ "mommy when are you getting your voice back?"

Mommy ~ "I'm not sure honey. But I hope soon."

Brooke ~ "well who took your voice?"

Mommy ~ "no one took it honey it is just gone for now."

Lauren ~ "well you shouldn't loose it Mommy."

~

While packing the kids are sort of understanding about things going into boxes, "just for now" to go to the new house... but today the girls are asking me when we are going to bring the boxes back home. I'm not sure they totally get the moving thing just yet.

~

Trevor thinks we are going to always have two houses. Wouldn't that be nice?? Well, as long as I don't have to keep moving things back and forth and also don't have to clean both. ;)

that is all for now.

~

since every day I feel like I'm loosing more and more of my mind and mostly my memory I want to try to post about little things the kids do and say so I won't forget.

~

OH!! speaking of that... there is more...

~

Lauren has been singing up a storm... and the other day she was singing a song that went like this...

~

F U love your mom.

F U love your dad.

F U love your mom and dad.

F U you love your sister.

F U love your brother.

F U love your mom.

F U love your dad.

F U love your mom and dad.

~

and so on.

~

at first I wasn't quite sure I was hearing her correctly but she kept singing away and sure enough that is what it was sounding like. Although she was really meaning IF you love.... pretty funny!!

woo hoo!!

last night we got the contract!! it isn't the official signed by the landlord contract, but it is an email copy that we read and went over. it is pretty good!! It really covers both us and the landlord. So thankfully we won't have to hire our own attorney to draw up a contract for us, which would cost us time and money that we really just don't have. We want IN! I want the key!1 I want to look around and measure things and plan and all that... I want to show my KIDS! they have only seen the outside of the house. I want to show my parents too!

so hopefully today after Bryan meets with our realtor we can sign and move forward!! I cannot wait. :) it will be a while before we actually move in because of work that needs to be done in the house first... and cleaning and all but at least we will be able to get started on all that. :)

woo hoo!!

Sadness...

~What makes you reflect on your life? What makes you really sit back and examine all that you have and all that is of significant value to you. Not monetary value, but true life value. To me, the most valuable things in my life, aren't things at all. They are people. Those people are my children, my husband, my parents, my brothers, my in-laws (you all know the ones I mean) my nieces and nephews and my friends.

.

~I always am wrapped up in every day life, and living it just to get by. Sure I love my life, my family and friends, but I don't always sit back and really take it all in.

I am wealthy because I have it all, I have a wonderful family. One that supports me and loves me for who I am. The take the good with the bad, the bitch with the mood swings. I'm blessed. I am in WONDERFUL health. I have no major illness and haven't ever had any either. I have never been hospitalized except when I had my children. I have my vision, my hearing and most of all my sense of humor. I am blessed.

.

~I have three beautiful children, and I do mean beautiful. They are gorgeous inside and out. They are loving, affectionate, passionate, smart, caring, funny, sharing, giving, generous and just all around amazing and wonderful. None of them have ever been ill. Sure we have had some common things, like colds and stomach bugs, but that is pretty much it. Both girls have NEVER had ear infections... knock on wood, and Trevor only had the beginning stages of one when he was under one year old. They have never had one single problem in life. They are 100% perfect, in every sense of the word. They are energetic and they play and run and do everything together. They love one another. They are healthy and growing like flowers. I'm truly blessed.

.

~I have a wonderful husband, whose head would swell at reading that, but I have to admit it is true. He is pretty darn wonderful. He puts up with me and my bitchiness and my truck driver mouth... and my mood swings and my nagging. He is good to me and our children. He works every day, very hard, to be able to support our family so I can stay home and raise our children. He helps me cook and clean... he even does dishes, laundry and vacuums. He is a great daddy to our children and just an all around good guy. I'm really lucky to have him in my life. I am blessed.

.

~I have wonderful parents who, still, love and support me in everything I do in life. They love my family and do whatever they can to help us out in any way. They are the most caring, loving and generous people I have ever known in my life. They are that way to anyone they know, not just us. :) I am blessed.

.

~I also happen to have the worlds greatest friends. You know the kind, the ones that are ALWAYS there for you, no matter what. The kind that offer a shoulder and an ear. That are always there to support you even if it is one of the stupidest things you have every in your entire life thought of doing... they tell ya that, but then are right there beside you helping you every step of the way. They want your dreams for you as much as you want them yourself and they try everything in their power to make that happen... as I'm typing this I realize this isn't just my friends that are this way... this is how my husband and my parents are too... I have this enormous, wonderful support team with me all the time, every second of every day... always there. Breathing the same air I breath and walking this same journey through life. Some of them are only 20 minutes away and some are an hour and 20 minutes away, but I still feel them right beside me all the time. Every. Single. Step. I'm never alone and I'm always loved. I AM truly blessed.

.

~The things that always make me take a look at life like this... for what I really have and what my true treasures are... are when people pass away. It always brings me right back to reality and quickly too. It always gives me focus to see what I really have and that I need and want for nothing. Of course there are the monetary things... the house, the car, the dreams, but those things I can live without... those things haven't made me who I am, and they won't change who I'll be. They are simply that... things.

.

~In the last few days, my camera took a crap, my fridge quit, my sugar glider died, my nephew's cat died, my friend, Jenn's cat died... and those are all set backs. The animals are truly sad and are going to be missed. But there is worse news. Much worse.

.

~My landlord's, who aren't just ever day run of the mill kind of land lords, they are family friends, they are loving, caring, giving, generous people, they have been so good to Bryan and I and my family I can't even begin to tell you. They are good people. Very good people. Well on Sunday they found out that their 38 year old son died. He left behind his parents, his wife and two young daughters, his brother and sister and other nieces and nephews. This is horrible. I am just so upset about this. I'm so sad for the family and those two little girls.

.

~Then today I talked to Alyssa, and I found out that her uncle, only 49 years old, died unexpectedly yesterday. I am so sad for her and her family. I can't imagine what they are all going through. I offer her any support and help she can use. I offer her my shoulder any time she needs to cry or vent or for anything. I send my condolences to her family. I'm in shock that this happened to her family.

.

~Tonight I talked to my mom, and she said that my aunt had called to tell her that a man that has lived in our neighborhood, well longer than we have, passed away. An acquaintance/friend of my parents. I'm very upset.

.

~This is a lot to deal with. To try to understand. Three people in three days. I'm afraid for tomorrow to come. I'm afraid to hear what it will bring. This is a horrible streak of bad luck, if you can even call it bad luck. I feel it way more than that. Worse than bad luck.

.

~There are other things going on as well in our personal lives, Bryan's job is taking away a major perk of them having work vehicles to drive to and from work. Something that we really were grateful for and relied in immensely. We will now have to buy a car for him to drive to and from work and also figure out insurance money and gas money and all that, while we are hoping to be moving and fixing up an entire house, which we haven't heard any new news on. Still waiting on contracts! We live in NY and the owner lives in CO... he was supposed to email them to our realtor Monday, but she hasn't heard from them.

.

~Anyway... this is all nothing. Thank goodness we have our health and one another. I just pray that tomorrow is a new fresh day!

.

~I do have some good news, the lady that does my nails, her assistant, another Jennifer, had her baby girl on Monday... on Trevor's birthday. See God does delivery great miracles too!

.

~Here is to tomorrow being a lot better!!

CHEERS!

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~PS please say a prayer for all the families that have experienced a loss this week, please keep them in your thoughts. thank you.

New Pictures!

I just posted some pictures on my other blog... you can click HERE to see them. :)

Leaving... On a Jet Plain

****UPDATE @12:22PM****

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Made Trevor's bed in camper.

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Made Lauren's & Brooke's bed in camper.

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Brought in more un-needed blankets.

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organized a few things of clothes in camper

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put away clean dishes from drainer, washed remaining dishes.

cleaned sink & counter

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cleaned suger glider cage

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put Lauren & Brooke in for a bath

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put blankets away in house from camper.

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****UPDATE @ 11:25 AM****

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Made three trips to the camper. am sweating like a friggen pig! Still have a least 748 more to go.

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Took some stuff to camper, i.e. pillows and two dolls for the girls.

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Took unneed because I am an over packer and need HELP! things from the camper... i.e. 18 blankets! someone please tell this woman it is SUMMER time! plus we have heat in the camper if need be!

~

Took cooler up to the camper so I can load it in there once I get a chance to organize some more and clean the floor... which I may wait to clean the floor until we are there, and set up... it only will get dirty again with us taking bikes and cooler and tables and such out ~ CHECK! one less thing on my "To Do" list.

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still sweating like a pig, only a fatter pig now
Will be back soon.

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****UPDATE @ 11:03 AM****

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Took sheets and bedding off of clothes line (because before I started this list I had hung out two loads of laundry to dry, b/c I had stripped my bedding so we will come home to nice clean linens)

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Sprayed mattress with Clorox spray, and pillows too! Made bed. Put pillows to take out to camper. (haven't gotten there yet)

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Cleaned table and chairs in dinning room from girls' having breakfast.

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Gave Trevor some breakfast, he just wanted some NOW... I have been asking him all morning long.

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Dumped cat litter outside, and cleaned litter pan, then sprayed it with Clorox spray and put new litter in it.

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Gave the cat nice full bowl of dry cat food.

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Washed hands.

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****UPDATE @ 10:46 AM****

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Put away dish drainer FULL of dishes, and washed sink OVER flowing with dirty dishes, soaking dishes that wouldn't fit in the dish drainer.

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Also Clorox sprayed the toilet, door knobs, garbage & light switches in the bathroom, just for good measuer!!

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Had the kids bring out their pillows so I can pack them in the camper... which is soon to be my next dreaded chore.

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Off to do more hellish, because I procrastinate chores!
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Be back in a little bit with more updates!!
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****UPDATE @ 10:25 AM****

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So Bryan is going to be coming home earlier than he normally does... which normal time is about 4:30 or so. Which means I have even less time than I orginally was obnoxiously procrastingating about planning on. UGH.

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But good news!! So far I have totally cleaned the entire bathroom... sink, counter, toilet, shower and floor... that is one thing knocked out of the way... and only 3,742 things left to go! :-) I'm doing perty darn good!!

*****

Okay... we aren't going on a jet plain, but we are leaving. As soon as Bryan gets home from work, showered, dressed and hooks the truck up to the camper... or as soon as my parents get home from work and are ready to go too, I'm not sure which yet.

~

BUT we are going camping again this weekend... not to far and no where really special, just a nice campground with a brook that runs through it... and a pool and some property we can hike and have a great picnic lunch. :)

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I'm going to try to go get everything done that I was supposed to do all week long and put off till today... and then maybe I will be back to post some pictures of the Rascal Flatts & Taylor Swift concert that was at Bethel Woods right here in my own backyard... Bethel, NY (the town I live in).

~

But, I really need to get a move on... I have nothing packed. The camper is not cleaned from the last trip, and I have a messy house that I need to get in order and clean up so we don't come back home to a messy house. :P UGH!!

~

Wish me luck!

~

xoxoxox

Whirlwind Weekend!!

For sure!! We had one hell of a weekend!! ugh! I'm so tired but since I haven't posted here for a while I wanted to post about our weekend... also b/c I want to make sure I keep track of all this... I want to try to make a book for the kids about our summer adventures... like a real book with pictures and a story!! Maybe I will make a few about the different things we did... I'm not sure yet... it is just a raw idea still... but anyway... if I blog about it all then I will have some place to come reference when my mind bails out on me and leaves me to fend for myself.

So it all started with Thursday night I went over to my parents house again to visit with my mom and make sure she was feeling well... I was still concerned... and honestly still am. I have called her a few times every day just to check on her... she sounds okay, well actually she didn't sound good at all for a few days b/c she had NO voice... it is just coming back today... thank God... but she said she was feeling okay. I can tell by seeing her that she is a little bit sore... which I hate!! I want her to just be GREAT...but I know that is totally unrealistic... so anyway... I will deal with that since she is up and moving and feeling, I guess, the best that can be expected right now. She is even going into work tomorrow... driving herself... which means no pain meds... so I really hope she is okay. I told her I would drive her and pick her up... but she said she will be okay. I hope so. I can always go to get her if she doesn't feel well and would like to come home and doesn't feel like driving. :) So yeah... I'm still concerned and worried about how she is feeling... but I think that is normal. :)

Then Friday Bryan was home... so that was nice... we don't usually get any extra days with him being off... sometimes he will just work on the holiday just b/c things usually don't happen till later at night.. parties and stuff... but this one he actually stayed home. yay! He even cooked us all breakfast... eggs, sausage and toast!! Whatta good hubby and daddy!! :)

Then I went over to my parents house again to visit and see how my mom was doing... and just check in on everyone... my dad had gotten hit in the face last weekend while trying to fix a strut, he got hit pretty hard, it bruised up his face, and lip and cut him pretty good on his cheek bone... ugh... I was still worrying about him too...

Then I came home and Bryan took a nap... while the kids were napping too... so while that was going on... I got everything packed up for our first Fourth of July party this weekend!! I had to get the kids outfits ready for what they were going to wear there... the girls had new dresses that were sooo cute and Trevor had a new shirt... they all looked so cute in their red, white and blue... BUT I don't think I got any pictures!! DAMMIT!! I will have to dress them all in them again and get some... maybe this week... I can bribe them with candy... they are NOT too fond of pictures lately...ugh!! Oh well... anyway... so I got things ready... and then got the kids up and got them dressed then got Bryan up and we went to the grocery store first to pick up some soda for the party... which WOW the store was packed... it wasn't as bad as my last grocery store experience... which I still have to blog about... that one... well that one will have you peeing in your pants and totally agreeing w/ me about how horrible it is to grocery shop sometimes. lol
**(I promise to post about that grocery store trip this week!! It is good!!)**

Anyway... then we were off the the campground where all the local firemen camp... it is actually the fire departments campground... it is a good deal... $40 a month for a campsite with sewer, electric, cable, water, and I'm not sure what else... but it is fun to go and hang out... Bryan's mom has a camper that she leaves there all summer! Anyway.. the party was okay. Lauren and Brooke HATE fireworks!! They are scared to death of them... Lauren plugs her ears the ENTIRE time... and won't really look at them too much... and Brooke had a DEATH grip on me... which she tightened up every time a firework was set off... poor babies... I hope next year they enjoy them! But we'll see.

We went to the campsite after the fireworks and sat around the campfire for a little while then we packed up some very tired and cranky kiddos... they went from being GREAT to cranky pretty quickly... it was time to go. :)

Came home and threw all of them in bed... dirty feet and all. :)

Got up the next morning and started getting everything ready all over again for another Fourth of July party... this time it was at Bryan's Aunt's house... so I had to bring swimming stuff and extra clothes and the works so there was even more packing involved... and when I pack to go some where for an extended period of time... I pack like we are going on a weekend vacation. lol I have to bring extra clothes for all three kids... and then I need to bring warmer clothes for them for it gets chilly or if they are cold from swimming, and towels and extra clothes for Bryan and I and all this... so there is a LOT of clothes... but you know what... I'm ALWAYS prepared!! ALWAYS!!! :) lol Bryan keeps threatening to just put a dresser in the back of the truck... which seriously would make my life a LOT easier!! :) lol

So we made some zitti with sausage in it... which was YUMMY and off we went... our entire wardrobe change and all!! lol

WE had a great time and got to see some more fireworks... in which the girls didn't enjoy too much again...but I'm really hoping by next year they will be good with them... we'll see. I also want to go to Disney before then... which probably won't happen... but if it does then they will see the fireworks there so maybe they will like them. :) who knows... okay back to the whirlwind weekend...

We didn't leave there until about 11:30 or so at which point I decided that I was definitely going to take the kids and go with Bryan in the morning to a water park... he was going to be down hill mountain biking with Chris... so Heather and I decided to take the kiddos to the water park which is at the same place!! :) yay!! WE SURVIVED!! lol It wasn't too bad... Trevor and Nick were EXCELLENT... they played great together and had a blast... they even listened really well... Lauren was GOOD too! She had a lot of fun!! Brooke was beat... she was so tired and cranky and GLUED to me all day... she had fun at some points but she also cried quite a bit and wasn't too happy... but they all had such a long weekend... that maybe it wasn't the best idea but it worked... and we had a good time! :) All of us... the boys did good riding Bryan crashed once at the end of the day... his last run... but I think it was b/c he was tired out from doing it all day long... but I'm not sure. Thankfully he was okay... he had on all his protective gear... we just need to get him a chest and back protector! :)

And, we stopped for ice cream on the way home at the DQ so that was nice!! :) OH... duh and some where in there we went to Burger King for breakfast before getting to the park and then we went to this great pizza place for lunch and then went back to the park after... for about another hour or so... it was nice. :) I'm sooo tired though from the weekend... and I know I have a busy week ahead of me with cleaning and packing the camper and also catching up on laundry... we have a lot from the weekend and all... and also Lauren and Brooke have been having bed wetting accidents... which I think is b/c they are just so tired when they get into bed... they are sleeping so soundly that they just have no control of wetting... b/c they were doing really good with it... I think we just have to get back on our regular bedtime schedule or at least try, it is hard in the summer... but we are going to work on something... and then they should be okay... neither one of them wants to wear a diaper or pull up to bed... they look at is as punishment... so I don't want to do that... and I don't want to hype up the diaper and pull-up as being sooo cool and fun... so they will wear it... b/c I don't want them to want to wear it all the time again... Brooke was potty trained for a while and did NOT want to wear undies... she only wanted to wear pull-up. Thankfully we have gotten passed that. They have NOT worn one single pull-up or diaper since Father's Day!! :) yay!! yippee!! But, we might need to just at night time. If anyone has any btdt advice or just any suggestions or thoughts on this at all please feel free to comment about it... I'd love any and all input I can get.

Oh so anyway... I went off there about bed wetting and forgot what I was typing about originally. :) duH!! I know I have a lot of laundry and house cleaning this week and also getting the camper cleaned and packed and shopping for while we are away... I want to try to eat as many meals as we can at the campsite not the park... that gets way to expensive for 5 people... plus since my parents are going I'd like to treat them a few times too... they always try to pay for us... ALWAYS!! :) So anyway... I want to get some breakfast, lunch and dinner food planned out and some snacks too... they don't care what you bring into the park... so I'm going to start freezing some water and juices to take camping and into the park so they will be nice n cold to drink while we are strolling around. :)

Also, any thoughts and prayers for Jenn tonight, tomorrow during her surgery and the week to follow for a successful surgery without any surprises and also for a speedy recovery and feeling well, would be greatly appreciated! ~ you can read the post below and link her from there!!

God speed, Jenn!! I'm thinkin' of ya honey!! You're going to do great!! :) xoxoxo

Tuesday...

Yep. Today is Tuesday! I'm not sure what or why I'm on here typing... I honestly think it is to avoid from getting up and doing anything else... although I really need to get a bunch done, and was on a good roll till now.

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Trevor is off at school today... meaning he stayed home yesterday... we all over slept and it felt sooooo good I don't even feel guilty. Plus, like my mom said, we must have all needed it. :) So yesterday we all just hung out and I got some things done around the house and we all had a pretty pleasant day. :)

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Bryan had a fishing accident on Sunday, where he thinks (is pretty sure) he broke his thumb... so yesterday after a long and boring day at work he went to Urgent Care, and waited for almost a life time... got an x-ray and found out that they *THINK* there is a bone chip in his joint...but they aren't sure, it could be that or it could be broken... so they are sending him to the orthopedic doctors on Wednesday... They are so knowledgeable there at UC it is unreal, you seriously wonder why they aren't working in a "REAL" hospital since they are such geniuses.

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These are also the doctors that gave me the wrong dose to give Lauren of eye drops that were burning her eyes making them totally blood shot and all swollen and purple around them... Oh. It was a mistake on the RX sheet. Assholes!!

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Brooke & Lauren are playing nicely in their play kitchen together... they are making all sorts of things, right now Lauren is saying that she is making eggs, and Brooke just told her that she is making dinner. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with it or not... but I have been really strict with following through with "threats" that I make to them... I have a hard time being consistent and following through with discipline and so things have been really crazy here lately... I am realizing my mistakes and trying to make things better. So I have been slightly obsessed with time outs... not that I'm giving them for un-necessary reasons but that I'm following through.... I give one warning, and I specifically say, "Please stop doing that... or you are going to go in time out." Then once they do it again, they go in time out... I set the timer on the stove and they have to sit there... I put the girl in for 2 or 3 mins, b/c they are 2 1/2 and then I put Trevor in for 4 or 5 mins since he is 4 1/2. They all seem to dislike time-out greatly so it is working rather well... I just have to remember to stick to my guns, pick and choose my battles and don't let up when things start to get better... keep following through.

This is one of the reasons that they all listen and ultimately respect Bryan more than me, because if he says something then he does it... no questions asked... end of discussion.... period! I always feel bad and try to reason and talk and all that... but really children that are these ages can't understand reason... and talking is just wasting my breath. Time-out is the way to go it gives us all a break from one another too, when we are having a "rough time"....

for example just now

Brooke had a Winnie The Pooh phone, she was playing very nicely with it... Lauren started touching the buttons on it to annoy Brooke, I told her she had to stop touching Brooke's phone, and that she could go get the other W. T. P phone (that is exactly the same) and if she didn't stop bothering Brooke that she would have to go to time-out... Well then she tried taking the phone from Brooke... she I gently took her hand and walked her time-out...

of course the entire time she was saying "No. I don't want to go time-out."

BUT... she went and she sat there and now the timer just went off and she is still sitting waiting for me to come get her... it is finally working!! yay!!

**** As I was getting up,

she said (still sitting there) "Can I get up now Mommy?"

and I said "yes"

Then I walked over to her and told her she needed to tell Brooke sorry for taking her toy away and also that she cannot take toys from other kids. And I told her she did a good job listening to me in time-out.

She ran right into their bedroom and said "sorry Brookie for taking your toy."

Brooke said "okay, you can have my phone."

then Lauren came out and said " Brookie is a good girl, she is sharing with me."

They are playing again nice as could be. :) 2 points for Mommy!!

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So anyway... I have some things I have to do today in the house and then I also have some things to get ready for this weekend... we are going camping. I'm excited and the kids are over excited... almost every day they ask me when we are going camping and if today is the day we are going. :) The girls can't possibly remember what camping is, but I'm sure Trevor remembers it some, and they will all love it since they think they should live outside rain, snow, sleet or sunshine. :)

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Also, my friend Tanya called me on Sunday that she did great... and was feeling pretty well. I also spoke to her yesterday and she was doing good, just a little bit tired... so thank you all for you well wishes, thoughts and prayers! :)

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I have some pictures in my camera that I would love to get into the computer and put up on here, so we'll see about that later... it just takes so long for blogger to upload pics it is unreal.

Have a great day all... toodles!

It's been ONE week since you looked at me...

Cocked your head to the side and said "I'm angry"
Five days since you laughed at me saying
"Get that together come back and see me"
Three days since the living room
I realized it's all my fault, but couldn't tell you
Yesterday you'd forgiven me
but it'll still be two days till I say I'm sorry

yeah. so it has been ONE week since I posted... sorry I'm a poop. Things have been semi busy here... and then there has also been all the "normal life" stuff that isn't really all that normal when you have three children, a dog, a cat, 4 3/4 sugar gliders, other family members and friends. Ug!

So anyway... where do I begin...

Lets see... Thursday was were I left off...

***** below is all family health info if you want you can read, if you don't you can skip to the next set of ************'s!! Thank you....

Bryan's grandfather not doing well, has super bug and MRSA...

WRONG... he only had MRSA... serious? Yes! Deadly? Could be! Is he doing better?? YES!!! He is doing GREAT... I think Bryan's family has the pesimist bug up their butt.... maybe that is wrong to say/type, but whatever, he is doing better and that is all that matters. He did great with heart surgery... open heart surgery for that matter. Is done with the MRSA thing... and is actually out of the hospital at a rehab facility getting strong enough to go HOME!!!!!! yay!!!

In between all this his heart stopped and they put in a pace maker. The doctors said this may be a possibility after surgery and they didn't seem alarmed and/or concerned really and said the surgery is minor... He did great with it.

Bryan's uncle had neck surgery on Wed. he is recovering well, but still in the hospital because he is having another surgery on Friday.

Bryan's mom has something going on with her eyes and needed to have steriod shots, so she did that... and then while getting everything checked out... they found her heart rate and blood pressure to not be good... heart rate was eratic and bp was high... so she is now in the hospital where Bryan's grandfather was in the ICU and they are monitoring her.

My uncle had to go have a sent done, and it went well, although he had some minor chest pains while doing the procedure, b/c you are awake for it... so they kept him over night in ICU as well but a different hospital and he is on his way home today or possibly already home.

If you didn't follow any of that it is okay... b/c really I'm not sure I got it all either!! ugh!!!

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COS ------->

On Friday we colored a million and one Easter Eggs at my parents house!! And I'm only slightly exaggerating... we colored (I think) 14 doz eggs, I have pics to prove it but not in my computer yet... I'll get to that one of these days... promise!!

Who was there, you would like to know?? Okay... It was my Dad, my nephew Walter, age 3, my niece Julia, age 3, my Mom, my Brooke, age 2 1/2, Ellen, my Lauren, age 2 1/2, myself, my Trevor, age 4 1/2, my nephew Matthew, age 12!! It was like WORK, but it was all worth it in the end!! :)

Then we hung out and did nothing at my parents house for the rest of the day, until about 3 PM or so, then came home and did nap time... boy was I happy about that. :)

Saturday is all a blur to me, but I think it went like this... went to my parents house, Bryan went to play paintball (looser!! I wanted to go too!!), then came home and thoroughly cleaned and organized Trevor's bedroom, then did a few things, got the kids ready, Bryan came home, we went to eat dinner and get some groceries, and Easter stuff, then came home, put away groceries, cleaned up some, got company (Des, Ryan, Jillian, Jerry, Heather and Chris) put the kids to bed, hung out.... um... till 3:30 in the morning. :) But it was all good... we had a nice time and we love 'company' although they aren't really company b/c they are family/really awesome friends...

The Sunday morning, Trevor woke us up at like 8:20 AM or so, that they Easter bunny came and left a whole bunch of stuff... I have pics of this too, but not in my computer yet... I know I'm lame... so sorry.

Hung out did our thing... let the kids eat a crap load of candy... how much is a crap load you ask?? I'm not sure, but I do know that they each ate about a 1lb of candy. lol but really they probably did. :) Gave the kids baths, put them to nap, went to my parents house to work on some stamping projects, came home got everyone ready to go back to my parents house for Easter dinner and of course Easter desert... YUM!! Ate dinner, talked/hung out had a good time, then ate desert... YUMMY... the home again home again jiggity jig!!

Then on Monday I got up got the kids ready, feed them breakfast and off to Liberty we went... took someone some papers/packet I had to give them, and then went to my mom's job to say hi since we were in the neighborhood, then went to McDonald's for lunch and to play on the playground... had THE BEST BEHAVED KIDS at the ENTIRE playground!! SOOOO PROUD. :) Came home, put the girls for naps, and let Trevor go outside with Bryan and Zoe. :) Straightened up and made dinner.

Tuesday, Bryan bowled, my Dad babysat and I went to Stampin' Up thing... came home tired and exhausted but good. Talked to Bryan and went to bed... oh and I totally left out the entire day of Tuesday... I was at my parents house almost all day trying to get things ready for the Stampin' thing... it was okay but the kids were rough on me with getting into everything and whining... maybe that is why I left it all out.

Wednesday... what the hell did I do yesterday, I can't even remember and it was the closest day I am writing about... duh!! I guess we hung out, I got a lot of laundry done and put away, then we went to KFC for dinner, b/c I saw a commercial for it and then was craving it... see the millions of dollars they pump into commercials does work... at least on me. lol came home, and hung out... watched American Idol show, went to bed. ~ oh yeah and some where in there, I played w/ the girls, Bryan and Trevor and Zoe went outside, then I got the girls ready for bed, after picking up their bedroom AGAIN, and I also gave Trevor a shower. :)

And today, well to tell you the truth I'm too tired to even think about posting for what we did today... but it was pretty much NOTHING... and some house work. :)

I want to post a Thursday Thirteen, but just do NOT have it in me right now to do... I might be back later...

peace

Fun Family Outings!!

The sky is blue and the sun is shining here!! :) Yay!! Sure it is cold and windy out but that is okay from inside my little bubble aka my house, things look great in the outside world. :)

Well yesterday, Monday, the skies were blue and the sun shone brightly! Today it is crummy out... dark, over cast and YUCKY! No sign of the sun, it is cold again and windy and we are supposed to get some snow, ice or rain! Poo Poo!!!

So since today seems like a bright cherry day and I really want it to be Spring already with warm sunny days, flowers and trees blooming and nice green grass... I have been thinking of all the places I would like to go this Spring/Summer and take the kids. :)

Family Outings of 2008!

The Statue of Liberty We aren't too far from NYC so this is definitely a doable trip. I think they will be amazed at how big the statue actually is, at least Trevor will be, the girls may not understand so much. They will all love the boat/ferry ride over to the Statue of Liberty and I think it would just be a fun day and a great experience. :) We could also drive 1/2 way and then take the train down as another experience to have with them. Although Trevor has been on the subway before. :) Brooke and Lauren have not... well not yet.

Next on our list...

The Bronx Zoo! I would love to take the kids here, I thought about going last year, but with the wedding and then everything that followed, birthdays, another wedding, and everything else it was hard to work it out to actually get there!! This year I really want to do this. I love zoo's and I know that all three of the kids would LOVE this!! Believe it or not, I have lived in NY all my life and have never been to the Bronx Zoo. Most of the schools do field trips there, but not mine. Oh well this will be my chance to see it and even better show it to my children. :)

after this we'll make our way to...

Hayden Planetarium I cannot wait to go here!! I love LOVE love things like this... I know call me a DORK. Okay... did you really have to?? I know I may be by myself when I say that I really enjoy things like this... but I do. I love learning new things, and I also really love the smell of these kinds of buildings and museums. I know I'm strange, I can't help this, you know!! ;)

and then I would like to go to....

National Baseball Hall of Fame this is something that I would like to see and I think Bryan would enjoy as well, but I know my father would LOVE this place!!! I'm not sure the kids would get much out of it, but I know Trevor likes baseball so maybe he would find it a little bit interesting.

something the for the kids that they would LOVE...

The Toy Town Museum, this sounds great. Sounds like the adults could look back to their childhood through with different toys they see and the kids would have a blast looking at millions of interesting and cool toys all day!! Seems like everyone wins with this stop on our list.

in a New York minute... only it would take longer!! :)

Astroland Amusement Park & Wonder Wheel aka Cony Island. I have never been here, but think it would be really cool to go. I also heard something the other day about it possibly closing... I think it would be cool to take the kids this year if it will be closed next year... I mean this is Cony Island it is sort of like a museum in itself. :)

Our next stop will be...

The Maritime Aquarium! This is in Connecticut and I would really love to go here!! As much as I like going to the zoo, the aquarium is even more amazing and awesome!! This will be so fun to take them too!! I know they will be amazed and wowed with every turn we take and every new thing they see and discover. :) We took Trevor to an aquarium in SC when we were in Myrtle Beach and he loved it. He was one year younger than the girls will be this year so I know they will all really enjoy it. :) (the aquarium we took Trevor too was the Ripely's Aquarium)

while in Connecticut camping on the Long Island Sound, which we do every year since I was about 9 years old, I would like to go to...

The Mystic Seaport Aquarium! This isn't as impressive, I don't think as the Maritime Aquarium in Connecticut, but we will sure enjoy it and it is close to where we camp. ;) I think that the kids will enjoy every trip we take this year. They are all going to be some where they haven't been before and will see new things and even learn something at the same time. :) Just thinking about all this is making me want to pack some things and charge up the camera battery and hit the road. ;) But there are still a lot more places I want to take the kids...

keep on traveling with me as we go to....

Santa's Workshop This is in North Pole, NY. My parents took us here when we were little and we loved it. I also remember seeing dolphins here, which didn't happen, but I'm still pretty sure this was an amazing trip for us!! I think this will would be great to do this summer, they are all a good age, but I also think we have a few more summers to go that would work for this trip. :)

and another place up north of us...

White Face Mountain This is in upstate NY as well and this was some where we went when were did our Santa's Workshop trip... it was pretty cool to drive up the mountain and then once on top, or close to the top you can go into the mountain and take a tour to the very top! I think there was also a restaurant up there too. :) There isn't much there to see but it was still fun and something different we did and something I think my kids would also enjoy and look back at with fond memories.

up North even more...

Niagara Falls in NY and then go over to Canada while we are up that far. I think this would be amazing. I would love to go on a boat to see the falls, but not sure if the kids could or would do this. :) I'll have to check into this trip a little more. I have never seen Niagara Falls. We did go to Canada when I was younger and we did see Eisenhower Locks too, which I enjoyed, I thought it was really cool how the lock system works, but I'm not sure my kids would find enjoyment in that at this age. The falls they would think are amazing!! I know I would too!

while in Northern NY...

Great Escape ~ Six Flags & Splash Water Kingdom This is in Lake George, which I want to go to just to take the kids to Lake George, NY also. :) I think I will add this to my list as well, even though we will be in Lake George to go to Great Escape! I have never been to Lk George or Great Escape, but I'm sure this would be a great trip. I have heard a lot of wonderful things about both, the area and the park and what perfect family vacation spot this is!!

near Great Escape is...

Water Slide World if Trevor was/is tall enough to do the slides at this park it would be totally awesome!! Brooke & Lauren aren't tall enough, old enough or interested in water slides just yet, so this wouldn't be too much of a thrill for them, but when they are a little bit older they would love it like Trevor will this summer!! :)

obviously next will be...

Lake George, NY I'm not going to type much here b/c I pretty much summed this one up with the Great Escape trip above. :)

this sounds like fun...

Midway Park this seems like it would have something for everyone!! :) Family friendly park with rides and kiddie rides too! Just what we are looking for!! I will have to see if there is a campground near by that we could stay at. :) fun fun!!

speaking of family friendly parks this one I hold near and dear to my heart. my parents have taken us here many many times, and I still really love the place...

Knoebels Amusement Resort this place is awesome. They have everything, it is very family friendly and almost a home town fair feeling. The people are great the food is Yummy! The prices are reasonable and the entire vacation will be wonderful!! There is a campground right next door to the park so we could camp there and it would make life so easy. No loading the kids up in the car to go to the park for the day, I can take the girls back for naps while Trevor and Bryan explore the park some more. We could eat some of our meals at the camper to save some money! :) You have to check this place out it is stinkin' AWESOME!!!!

for a day trip...

Wild West City in NJ This place is very cool!! Especially for little boys!! My parents took, me, Trevor and my nephew Matthew here a few summers ago, Trevor was pretty little so he didn't get much out of it... but Matthew sure did enjoy it!! It was great. My parents took us here when we were little too, and we loved it!! This is something I really want to do with Trevor. I know he is at the PERFECT age to really LOVE it!! :)

for the girls and I think Trevor would still love it too!!

Sesame Place in PA I have looked at this before to take Trevor before we had the girls, but thought that he was maybe a little bit too young. Now I think they would all really LOVE it. This is more than a day trip... it is a pretty big place. Not Disney big, but big enough for three little kiddies, they would go crazy for all the Sesame Street characters!! :) This is one that is near the top of my list of things to do this summer!

while in PA...

The Crayola Factory we took my nephew here when he was about Trevor's age, and he thought it was fun. It isn't anything more than day trip, and not even a full day at that, but if we are near there already camping, then it is definitely something very cute and fun to do with the kids. :) It is pretty impressive to see how they make crayons and makers and a few other things as well. :)

I also want to take the kids to a bunch other things here are some more of my ideas:

• local fairs, we LOVE them!!
• Monster Truck show, at least take Trevor
• Stock Car races in Middletown, Trevor would like to see this and we could all go as a family something different to do
• a BIG Circus, there is one in Madison Square Garden soon, but I don't think we are going to be making it to that one
• into NYC for the day, just to spend the day, and go to the park, walk around go to FAO Schwartz and things like that.

And there are a million other things on my list... I have to work on it some more, but didn't want to keep this as a draft any longer so I will just post again some of my other ideas!!! :) I hope you are all having a good Tuesday!!! Toodles!

THE BEST!!

I just posted my 300th post in the post below this one... and I had some great quotes in there, not even all my favorites, just some I wanted to share today. I have more... but I just thought I would share with all of you the BEST quote I've ever heard!!

The scene:

We just pulled in the driveway from picking Trevor up from school. He had a great day and was in a good mood. I had to yell at him and the girls because they were running way ahead of me in on the sidewalk and it is where cars pull in and out of the school parking lot. I said to stop a few times and then finally had to yell pretty loud. They all stopped and I went through the whole shpeel of having to listen to me and stay by me when we are in the parking lot... yadda yadda yadda. I wasn't even yelling, just talking at that point.
Well Trevor started crying. He didn't like that I yelled at him because he is trying to be a good boy. And I just yelled at him really loud.
That broke my heart. I felt bad, but at the same time I really need for them to listen to me when we are in the parking lot or any parking lot for that matter. So I said I was sorry he was upset, but he had to listen to me in the parking lot and set a good example of staying with me so the girls would learn how to act in the parking lot.

We had a quiet ride home, it is only a few minutes from the school to our house... so that was okay. We get home, and I open the door to let Trevor out of his seat and he says to me...

Trevor: Mommy I still love you, every day. All the time I love you. Even when you are mean and yelling at me.

Mommy: Well I love you all the time too. And I only yelled because I was worried you would run into the road or something and get hurt, I only did it for your own safety because I care about you and love you.

Trevor: Well what about all the other times you yell? That is okay too right, because you are just yelling because you love me, right??

Mommy: *feeling a little like shit* Well sometimes mommy yells just because I'm frustrated or angry, but no matter what I always love you.

Trevor: *and here is the BEST quote ever!* I love you always. Every minute. Every day. Every night. Always. I love you to the moon and back, and even when you are being mean yelling. I love you because it is for your own safety.

Now how can you ever top that???? He loves me! He really really loves me!! Yay!! And I love him too!! Always and forever... every minute, every hour, every day and every night. for the rest of my life and his I will always love and cherish that little boy!! :) ~ and Lauren and Brooke too, of course!! They mean the world to me just as much as Trevor does. It amazes me how people ask if you have a favorite or love one more... there is NO way to do that... your heart just opens right up and sucks them all in ... and they fill it up equally!! Sometimes I love them all so much that my heart hurts... but in a good way.

Getting Organized...

I was conversating with Sandy at Momisodes about the lack of time in the day to get everything done. I'm sure we are not alone in our quest to find more hours to do everything we need and want to do during the day. :) Those that have children and even those that don't know the amount of time you need to devote to other things in life than blogging and your computer. :) It makes it a little hard to do blog 365 and even just regular updated blogging.

I signed up for blog 365, but altered it a little bit to suite me better. I said I would post 365 posts this year on my blog... so far I'm still ahead of the game, even though I did skip about a week of blogging. So this is still a contribution to the blog 365 and it will also keep friends and family and new blogger friends involved in our lives and also give updates on all that is going on... but I'm not chained to the computer either. I know that there will be times when we are away camping, that I won't have access to computer or internet and honestly, I'll look forward to those days of rest and relaxation. I mean really who goes camping to spend the time on the computer? You are supposed to enjoy the fresh air and playing with your children all day long outside and walks/hikes, campfires, eating outdoors and b.b.q-ing.

This might be another idea for some of you too, to post 365 times this year to your blog instead of trying to blog every single day. Some days you may have some extra time, and you want to post about all the updates in your family, friends, work, life whatever is going on and then you may want to post again but with some pictures, or something funny, or maybe even a survey (meme --->sorry Allie). Then you get your fill of 365 posts without the stress of blogging every. single. solitary. day. of. your. life. this year and feel chained to your keyboard. :) Just a thought.

I got up earlier than normal this morning, and it actually felt great! I had slept on the couch last night, STILL COUGHING!!! So I heard something that woke me right up... something actually digging under my house, on the bottom of the living room floor. Great. I know. It is probably a gofer... they always are under our house in the dirt basement. That isn't even the worst part, they have friends... yeah. Isn't that lovely. Wait till I tell you what the "friends" are... they have SKUNK friends, that like to "mark" their territory or mark something... they spray under our house in the dirt basement and damn our whole house stinks to high heaven... this happened about a month ago. Thankfully this morning I only heard digging and there was no skunk smell. I cannot deal with that... it is so strong and so potent that it just kills you... gives me an instant migraine... and I light a million and two candles, literally almost that many, and then I try to air out the house as best I can, although it is hard when it is only 20 degrees out and a wind chill of below zero... but anyway... this is not the point I wanted to make. I got up early this morning only at about 6:40 AM or so... so not too early and not as early as some of you may get up, but earlier than I usually get up, and man I felt great. I got up and started the dryer and then started another load of laundry in the wash, came up stairs, cleaned my bathroom, straightened up my kitchen counter, folded some laundry, picked up toys, made Trevor's lunch and did a bunch of other things. I had to be quiet while accomplishing my tasks b/c everyone was still sleeping, but that is what made it beautiful, before anyone was even up I got to get a bunch of stuff done. I loved it. I think every morning I'm going to get up earlier than everyone else and than I normally do and get some things done. I feel so good still, just getting to check some things off my "To Do List" already makes it a good day. :) And I feel like I have a lot more energy and also time today to do other things. For instance, type on here this morning... the girls are just waking up I hear them talking in their bedroom, and I walked Trevor to the bus, he is off to school I have some "chores" done, so I don't feel guilty sitting here typing away like I'm neglecting anything.

This schedule will work really good come summer time too... or even when the warmer weather comes to this neck of the woods, then I will be able to be up and get most of the house work done so the rest of the day the kids and I can do fun things outside or where ever!!

Who would have ever thought if you need more time in your day to get up earlier... duh?! lol

Seems pretty simple when I put it that way... but really I hadn't thought of it like that until now.

I'll be back in a little bit to do Thursday Thirteen, I know I missed Wordless Wednesday yesterday... but I'll get around to it sometime... I hope.

Toodles...

Before...

Before I do my Wordless Wednesday, which I am going to try to do today, I thought I would post a little something something, since I didn't get to post yesterday.

So lets see what is new?? I'll go through the list of my family.

Bryan. He got news yesterday about the surgery they did on his grandfather on Monday was successful. They had gone in to see if they could get part of the mass that is on his bladder to see what it is. While they were doing that they found something like a flap that keeps covering his bladder when he tries to urinate, which is causing him great difficult to void. The doctor cut as much of the flap off as he safely could, so they are hoping that this helps with his bathroom problem. The other good news is that he did okay during the surgery. He had to be put under, and they were concerned about this. Of course, with anyone that has heart problems there is a greater risk when putting them under anesthesia, but thankfully he did okay. At one point his blood pressure was up, but they got him stabilized and he is now doing great. :) We are still waiting with baited breath to hear word on hear surgery. The blood clot he has in his heart is still there, they have him on blood thinners through intervenes, which we hope help to move this along, but they have to wait until that moves before proceeding with the surgery. Of course, he is antsy and doesn't want to be in the hospital any more. He has been there for almost 2 months now. That is a long time. I know I would be going crazy and want to be home too.
Bryan also bowled last night for a league that he fills in on when they need him, and he did well. He bowled a 230 something and then 180 something two times. I love to go bowling, but when I bowl I'm lucky to reach 100, and that doesn't always happen either. lol

Trevor. Trevor is doing good. He got a day off of school yesterday. I let him play hooky. He had asked, and I knew I was going to be doing a few things and going to town and getting to see my dad so I let him. He was a good boy so it all worked out okay. I know that some people think I'm creating a monster with letting him stay home all the time from school.... BUT in my defense, not that I really feel that I need to make excuses for my choices, BUT I will explain my thinking... He is ONLY in pre-school. Yes this is important to teach him that he cannot just stay home whenever he wants for when he goes to regular school, BUT this is still ONLY pre-school. He has time to understand and learn the difference. Really he is only 4 years old, and it is a full day of school, he gets on the bus at 8:10 AM and then gets off the bus at 3:45 PM or if I pick him up he gets out of school at 3:15 PM or so. Anyway you look at it is a long day for a 4 year old. Plus he is a smart boy, once explained to him that he has to go every day next year, and we can't just take days off because we want to he will get it. I'm sure. And, I won't be so easy to just keep him home. This is the last year, that I can just keep him home with me. The summer will come and go before I know it and then it will be Fall again and time for him to start kindergarten, and then for the next 13 years he will be a slave to school and I will miss my little boy. Okay that is quite dramatic, but really he has his whole life in front of him to go to school, this is the time to play hooky and stay home with mommy! You are only little once!!!
So anyway, that is how I feel about that.
Him and Zoe are still loving each other. The newness has not worn off, and I don't think it will. He is still just as crazy for her as when we first brought her home. He sits with her and he still sings songs to her about her being his best friend. Too cute. A boy and his dog, best of friends. They have been falling asleep together on the couch at nap time and occasionally at bedtime too, and yesterday I found her sleeping in his bed with him during nap time. I got some great pictures. As much as I was hesitant on getting a dog while having three young children, a cat, 4 sugar gliders and a house to take care of, she really isn't that much work, she is a good girl and the love between my boy and her is truly priceless. It was a good choice to get her, and it worked out to be the perfect time too.

Lauren. Lauren is cracking us up left and right. She has been making the best faces all the time. She has always done little looks and moved her eyes in ways that just make you laugh! She is doing it even more. The other night at dinner she was eating well at least making a show like she was eating and looking around the table at everyone with this silly face, and Bryan was telling her to stop fooling around and eat. We all tried to keep a straight face, but she was so funny I couldn't hold it in anymore, I started by covering my mouth with my napkin but then my whole body started shaking, that is when the gig was up. Then Bryan started laughing and Trevor and Brooke joined in. Lauren was quite pleased by her results. :) She is so sweet and funny, I hope she stays this way. I think that although we only have flashes of terrible twos here and there, for the most part they are really not experiencing them, so I'm fearful of when they will hit. I know some say at three or four... but I hope we just pass them by. I'm more into the terrific stages not the terrible ones.

Brooke. Brooke has been cracking us up too lately. She keeps on saying "You Know!" and really I didn't even know I said that until I heard her say it yesterday. It was quite funny. She spilled her bottle of water, only a little bit.
I hear her say: "You Know!" quite mad in fact
and I say: "Brooke what happened?"
and she says: " I pill my water! You Know!" still aggravated by it
and I was cracking up by now... and tried to tell her it was okay we could clean it up, but she had attitude and was so mad that she pilled her water. lol
so I said: "It's okay, mommy will clean it up for you."
and she says: "okay. I pill my water over there." and points me in the direction.
so I cleaned it up and said to her: " Mommy cleaned it all up, please don't pill your water again."
she says: " No I PILL my water!" really annoyed with me!
and I said: "Oh! You SSSpilled your water?"
and she says: "Yeah!" with a big smile! :)
Life as all good with Brooke once we got her water cleaned up. :) I think it is so funny how they try to mimic me and Bryan and even Trevor at times. :) They are talking so much and getting so smart and so big it is unreal. Who knows what she will say today even. I love hearing them play and talk to one another too. It is really great how well they get along. And not even just the girls but all three of them, and sometimes one gets left out, but not usually. I hope they all always enjoy playing with each other and including everyone. I know this won't really happen, but I can hope can't I?

And as for me. Well I have another cold or the same cold but it is shape changer. I have a runny nose one minute and then the next I'm so stuffed up I cannot breath through my nose at all and have to breath through my mouth, which is NOT fun. And I'm still coughing up a lung!! :( I didn't sleep much last night do to my coughing fits, and I had Bryan telling me to take something, but I have tried and nothing helps. I was so exhausted and too lazy to get up out of bed, so he slept on the couch last night... which was okay with me, I didn't really sleep much any way, but I slept better because then I would just cough and not worry every. single. time that I was waking him up or bothering him. Oh well. I'm hoping for nice weather and green grass soon so that I can get fresh air in this house and get rid of all old closed up germs. The daylights saving time is GREAT... I'm in heaven with it... but I would love to now have warm sunny days and green grass, NO snow of course!! I guess that is just the way, we are never happy with what we have. :) BUT, I am going to try to not complain about the heat this summer or the humidity, or anything like that, I've spent all winter wanting warm days and hot sunshine and green grass, I'm going to enjoy every. single. minute of it!! Really. (I'm going to try at least!) lol :)

So that is all that is going on here... well for now. But I have to run. I'm going to drive Trevor to school so that means I have to get everyone ready and get out the door soon. I'll be back to post for WordLESS Wednesday later...