Potter Six

Fabulous 5

2012-02-03T14:01:00.002-05:00

Julia is finding 5 to be the perfect age. As the youngest girl in our family she's often trying to do everything her big sisters do. Now that she's turned 5 and on her way to kindergarten (in 6 months as reminds me often) she's found a confidence to tackle some physical things her sisters can do. First, the monkey bars. She's longed to do the monkey bars on our neighborhood playground for years. She's watched her two sisters master them and she couldn't wait to try them. Since we're having the weirdest, warmest"winter" we hit the playground the other day. She said:"I'm 5..it's time to try the monkey bars." She did and she crossed them. Quickly. Like she's been doing it all her life.

This week another, Win-Spring-ter day she decided she was ready to ride the 2 wheeler. She's tried on a couple other occasions but just wasn't quite there. I hear her call me from the garage.."Mommy, come help me ride the 2 wheeler. (pause) That's OK Mommy, I don't need your help." I go out there and she's riding the 2 wheeler. Like she's been doing it for months. And fast. Still a little trouble braking but she's got the concept. Her sisters were impressed and I think a little shocked. They quickly did the math and realized they were 6 (and well into Kindergarten or First Grade) when they learned to ride.

Clearly this kid has some motivation. Now on to learning to read..her next goal!

5 Years Ago

2012-01-23T14:17:00.003-05:00

Five years ago I was laying in a hospital bed in Milford, MA staring at this precious, tiny baby girl who came exactly on her due date and changed our lives in ways we couldn't imagine. Her story actually starts over 6 years ago when we decided that we were ready to go for it in terms of having a 3rd baby. Why not? I always wanted a big family I told Paul. Also adding, you know it has to be even numbers so if we have a 3rd we're also having a 4th. Somehow Paul agreed and we got lucky - so lucky, getting pregnant the first time trying. All was swell until I went in for my 12 week appointment and they couldn't find the babies heartbeat. Worst day of my life. Fast forward 3 months and we figured I'd healed (at least physically) and we'd try again. I got pregnant again. I was MUCH more cautious and I'm sure drove Paul absolutely crazy. I refused to do anything strenuous (like vacuuming) until I was like 24 weeks pregnant. And with 2 toddlers at home it was interesting to say the least. It was also winter, in New England with my family in NC and my husband working over an hour away from our home. I've never had so much anxiety. I begged, pleaded and even scored my OB a wii (this was 5 years ago when they were new and very in demand) to try to get her to plan my induction so I would know exactly when this precious baby would be born. No luck. As usual, God had different plans in mind. It was the weekend before my due date and my mom came up - thinking surely I would have the baby soon. Thankfully her timing was perfect. On Monday night we went to bed like usual. I remember a few days before having contractions but they never got organized. That night I awoke about midnight (gee..the older she gets the harder it is to remember the little details) with some contractions. They were pretty tough but I remember not wanting to wake Paul up just yet. Finally I decided to wake him up and have him help time them to see if this was it. This part I'll never forget - he got up to go to the bathroom and heard a POP. I had no idea what it was but I ran to the bathroom and realized it was my water breaking. Thankfully I made it to the toilet! Ha! I remember yelling to Paul to call the doctor and having to repeat the number several times. I then remember going to tell my mom we were leaving and heading to the hospital. I think was around 2:30am (ish). I remember that on the car ride the contractions started hurting in a way that I had never felt and as soon as we walked into the ER I begged them to call for my epidural. I got settled in a room and asked everyone who walked near me to please, please get the epidural. The doctor came in to check on me and I wasn't dilated too much. Finally I got the epidural (though it seemed like it took forever. It did not.). And literally about 20 min after I got the epidural I needed to push. And a few minutes later our precious baby was born.

We didn't know whether we were having a boy or a girl with her. Emma (who was 3 at the time) was convinced it was a girl. She would tell anyone it was a girl and her name was going to be Julia. When we did indeed have a baby girl it only seemed right to name her Julia. Claire was just a name we liked and it seemed to fit. On January 23, 2007 at 4:31am Julia Claire was welcomed into our family.

Fabulous Forty!

2012-01-21T09:44:00.003-05:00

My dear husband turned 40 on the 18th. 40. Oh my. Not that I AT ALL think 40 is old since I clearly knocking on 40's door but wow..just how did time pass that quickly that many of my friends are turning 40. I vividly remember my parents turning 40 and now that's us?? Can't. Get. Over. It.

But anyway, I digress...my husband. 40. So I decided I needed to throw him a party. A surprise party. Yes..this was a good idea. I had toyed with the idea for months but kept putting it in the back of my mind since January was so far away. Ha. Once you get to December 1 January gets here in about a blink of an eye. But I managed to get a date, do a Facebook event and mentally start preparing. I'm so bad at being sneaky so this was really hard for me. Thankfully my BFF agreed to come to town to help me with everything. Thanks to pinterest we got some great ideas. And many thanks to my friend Angela who made the most amazing cake! Everything was set! The hard part was keeping Paul out of the house for the day. Thankfully his work was busy and we had planned for him to pick up Emma from camp and take her to her dance class. We decide that we are going to send him for pizza before he comes home. We decide on Mellow Mushroom knowing they will be super busy on a Friday night and we were right. I get some angry texts from Paul about how busy they were all the while giggling about it with our friends!

Finally he makes it home and I think he was a little surprised! Not shocked but surprised. He said he had an inkling that something was going on - I think I called him one too many times that day at work. Nonetheless it was a great evening with great friends celebrating Fabulous 40!

We celebrated on Saturday evening with dinner at the Melting Pot with Erin and Tom. What a treat! So yummy!

His actually birthday was a little quieter - we met for lunch at Tribecca Tavern. For dinner we grilled steaks and had some of his favorite sides: grilled Brussels sprouts and cheesy grits. And it was the 10 year anniversary of the German Chocolate Cake. A very great night! I hope his year is off to a great start!

Winter Break

2012-01-21T09:32:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's 3 weeks into the new year and I haven't blogged yet. Clearly I'm not doing well on my resolution to keep up the blog better! Fail! Oh well..I'm going to play a little catch up this morning on what's been happening at our house since the start of the year.

Track Out. That's pretty much it. My older kids have not been to school since Dec. 21. Yes, that's like nearly 5 weeks ago. The break has for been great - I really can not complain. It just feels like FOREVER since we've been at school. And when 2 kids are out of school it just feels like our whole routine is thrown off. And generally..my family likes routine. Nonetheless the days have been filled and good. The first week of the official track out Julia and Jacob headed back to school (and seriously Wake Co. what is up with all the Mondays off in Jan??) and the girls and I got some fun shopping time. The second week both girls did camp which was a new experience for us. Generally we just hang out during track outs but since this one was so long Paul & I decided they would benefit from doing a camp. Lily did an art camp at the town of Cary Art Center which was great. She loved it! Emma, not so much into art did a sports camp at Sport2Sport. We found an awesome deal thanks go Living Social and Emma LOVED it. She came home exhausted every day and loved getting to do all sorts of sports. It was a perfect week for them! We also had visitors that week - my BFF and her hubs came to visit! It was great! And..in a "I can't believe I said yes" moment the girls went back to Ohio with them for a week at Camp Auntie Erin's house. Yep..they've spent all week in Ohio and I miss them like CRAZY. They are coming home today and I can't wait!

The little kids have seemed a little lost without them here this week. We've spent a ton of time at home since we weren't running people all over the planet to activities and it's been nice. Really nice. Just the break we needed. I've been armed with trashbags and boxes getting this house organized and cleaned up. Paul's gave me some house cleaning groupons for Christmas but I felt like I needed to clean a bit before cashing in. Well now is the time..can't wait!

It's back to school, back to craziness on Monday (and Julia's 5th birthday). I think we're all ready. Also? Our next track out brings our big family vacation so let's get it started!

11 Highlights of 2011

2011-12-31T09:50:00.002-05:00

I've really done a terrible job blogging in 2011 (yes Nana Cheryl..I know). It's disappointing to me too since I'me keeping up with my scrapbooks either so there's a good chance I'll remember very little about this year (boo). I'd like to hope in 2012 I can do better. But I'll end this year with 11 highlights for our family in 2011 (in no particular order)

1. Vacations with my hubby - This year we took 3 occasions to go out of town alone! One one-nighter to the Masters, one surprise weekend away to NYC and one well planned Disney Cruise. It was wonderful to get to be away with him and I think my kids enjoyed the spoiling by the aunts and grandparents as well.
2. Jacob potty trained!! - This might be my number 1 highlight of 2011 - while we are still using pull ups at night we are no longer, for the first time in over 8 years, buying diapers!
3. Jacob started preschool - Milestone. He loves. I love it. And for the first time in over 8 years I have 2 mornings a week (6 hours) with no children at home. Honestly..it's good for all of us!
4. My Disney Business - I'm so grateful and humbled by all the support of my amazing friends! My business has been better than I expected and I'm SO SO thankful!!
5. Erin's Wedding - My bff got married in Oct. It was such a special and wonderful weekend. I'm so incredibly happy for her.
6. Kids Birthday Parties - the kids all had fun birthday parties this year from Julia's 4th birthday gymnastics party, Emma's 8th birthday sleepover party at the hotel, Lily's 7th birthday party at the candy shop to Jacob's 3rd birthday at the farm they were all fun and we're thankful for the friends who got to celebrate with us.
7. Dance Recitals - All of my girls were involved in dance performances this year. They were So. Stinking. Cute. Love, love, love watching them perform!
8. Lily's Triathlon - My 7 year old did her first triathlon in July. I'm still amazed at her determination and commitment to doing it. She worked hard, trained and did amazing at it.
9. Julia's Soccer Season - Love watching my kids play sports. She was so cute and by the end of the season she actually started to get it.
10. Health - I'm very grateful that we all seemed to have made it through the year with no major issues. Only 2 trips to the ER (Jacob for his head, Lily for her eye) and no big sicknesses. We are indeed blessed.
11. Our New Church - We switched campuses with our church in Sept and it's been a great change for our whole family. Our new campus is smaller and we've all enjoyed being more involved.

2011 was a good year for our family. Like everyone we had our ups and downs but all in all it was good. We're so so blessed and thankful and we look forward to 2012!

Kids Write the Darndest Things

2011-12-20T16:23:00.002-05:00

Today was the last day of school for 4 1/2 weeks. Sometimes I LOVE our year round school schedule (hello warm April, July & October) but this track out makes me strongly consider traditional schools. Anyways..it's the last day of the quarter and so Lily, my 2nd grader brought home a bunch of work. One thing she wrote was a non-fiction book about Pandas. She did a great job on it. The BEST part is the About the Author section of the book. Here's what she wrote:

Lily potter is a 2nd grade student at Carpenter. She has a talented body and likes to draw. Someday she wants to be in a art show. She likes to read books. Her faviorte aminal is panda thats why she wrote this fantastic book! Hope you enjoy!

About the authors family:
Her parents were strong enough to raise 4 kids to live a life & did a good job! The two younger ones are about anoying to me. They are deffnitly cute. My older sister, Emma is my older sister and about mean and is a computer hogger! Me, Lily has her own room and loves to play and have troubble fun!

I'm dying over here....

Indeed We are Still Here

2011-12-14T09:47:00.002-05:00

So I haven't posted in EONS. I know..slacker I am. It's not that things haven't been blog-worthy but I just haven't had much free time to actually sit down and write. In fact, I haven't had much time to sit down period and do much of anything leisurely (except Words With Friends). As with everyone things have been crazy busy this past month. Between the kids, the PTA and my little work life is just going fast. Really fast. I'm looking forward to being out of school for a bit (though the 5 weeks might be a little much...yikes) to recover and rest and perhaps get my house organized.

So what has been going on? Here's a little recap:

*Thanksgiving was great. Quiet. We saw the Muppets which now my kids are obsessed with. In fact..Emma has assigned us all Muppet personalities: In her words: Daddy is like Gonzo because he's Weird, Mommy is like Miss Piggy because she's bossy, Lily is like Miss Piggy because she likes fashion, Jacob is like Animal, because he is an animal, Julia is like Animal because she's crazy too and I (Emma) and like Miss Piggy because I'm beautiful.

*We went to Asheville to see my dad after Thanksgiving. Went to a tree farm. Jacob knocked down Natalie's 10 foot tree. Fun times.

*Breakfast with Santa - All 4 kids got close to Santa! Our first holiday miracle.

*Holiday Dance Performances - Emma danced at the Raleigh Winterfest tree lighting with her dance team. If I can figure out how to get video on here I'll post it - it was adorable! Then all the girls danced at the Carolina Christmas Show. Cuteness abounded.

*Family Christmas Gatherings on Saturday - My kids were actually well behaved. And they ate crazy amounts of sugar.

*Preschool Christmas Sing - Seriously is there much cuter than 4 year olds singing? No. There is not. So cute. And Julia sang her little heart out.

And that sums up the last few weeks. Sort of. I'm sure there was more cute, funny stuff but I just can't remember right now...so I'll try to be better about documenting it the rest of the month!

Trophy Time

2011-11-06T14:57:00.002-05:00

Julia finally finished her soccer season yesterday. I say finally because the season was at least 2 weeks longer than expected because of all the rain we've had. Let me rephrase that - all the weekend rain we've had. It's beautiful during the week but there's something about Fridays that seem to bring the rain lately. I swear they had more games rescheduled than the actually played when they were supposed to and they missed a handful of practices too.

No worries from Julia though. She wanted to play because her bff Preston played. Sadly they weren't on the same team - and sadder still they never got to play each other due to schedules/sickness. She was hooked from the first practice when she got her team t-shirt. She didn't take it off for 2 days. She started to get tired of practice but getting that special snack after the first game kept her interested and then it became the pursuit of the trophy.

Of all my kids who've played soccer she actually has the most interest and potential to actually do well at the game. By the end of the season she wasn't afraid to get in the pack and try to kick the ball and she runs pretty fast.

Yesterday was finally the last game and then it became the moment she's been waiting for - getting the trophy. Her sisters both have one from their only season playing soccer and she was so, so proud to have one too. I think she slept with it last night. So long to this soccer season - I think we'll be playing again in the Spring.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T14:59:00.002-04:00

Judging from the amount of candy my 4 children collected while trick or treating I'd say that Halloween 2011 was a huge success despite the less than favorable conditions outside. For the first time in any recent memory - at least since Emma was born - it was rainy, cold and pretty much just miserable out. Paul claimed "I am not trick or treating in the rain" but much to his dismay the children could not be persuaded to miss such an event. Especially not our candy-aholic Jacob. Paul has always been the designated trick or treater while I always get to stay home and hand out candy. This works well for us as I like to see all the kids dressed up. I did feel a tad bad for him last night though when he had to wrangle 4 children, 4 treat bags and 4 umbrellas. He took it like a champ though and didn't complain at all. It was little disappointing to see more winter jackets and rainboots than Halloween costumes though. But, thankfully we have Facebook and everyone is posting cutie pics of their kids today so it's all good.

Now to research where we can donate all this candy....

October Where Did You Go?

2011-10-29T09:51:00.002-04:00

Last time I noticed it was like Oct. 10th. Now it's Oct. 29th. Seriously? How'd that happen? Where did this month go? I had grand illusions that I'd be blogging about all our Fall fun. And posting pictures- oh the lovely fall pictures. Here's what's really been happening:

*Older kids were tracked out of school for 3 weeks. Wedding was the first weekend and it was fabulous. The second week it rained every day. The third week we schlepped the preschoolers around and ran errands.

*We went to the Fair! We ate! Lots! I forgot my camera..boo..hoo..

*We had a dance performance - the cuteness was killer. Just adorable.

*I spoke at a school board meeting - that was interesting. Very interesting. And they didn't listen.

*The kids played outside a lot. And rode bikes and generally had fun on some of the beautiful fall days we've had.

*We had a neighborhood Halloween Party - I forgot my camera..boo..hoo

*It has rained. A lot. I think more than half of Julia's soccer games have been cancelled/postponed due to rain.

*Went to a birthday party at a farm yesterday and nearly froze to death. Geez. It is still Oct. right?

Hopefully I can get back to regular blogging soon!

Wedding Weekend!

2011-10-11T22:31:00.004-04:00

So my BFF got married this weekend. I'm so happy for her - she's waited a long time to find the man of her dreams and I'm really glad that she's found him. Her courtship (I can not believe I'm using this word) to engagement was pretty fast and even though they were engaged for 10 months it feels like it was a whirlwind. It's been a long time since I was too involved in any wedding planning so I was pretty out of touch with what's trendy in weddings these days but Erin's wedding was spot on - it was gorgeous and elegant and cool.

We left on Wednesday to head up to Ohio for the wedding festivities. We arrived at dinner time and stopped in on Nana Cheryl and Curtie and got to meet the new puppies! Oh my stars are they cute! Erin graciously (and maybe a little crazily) agreed to host us for a couple days before we moved to the hotel. Thursday the girls spent some time doing wedding prep - tanning, drop off money at the reception site, pick up programs, mani's/pedi's..girl stuff. The boys did boy stuff - picked up tuxes and picked up Gagi from the airport. Gagi graciously agreed to travel with us - she loves Erin but was also along to help with the kdis. We cooked out at Erin's house on Thursday night. My girls got to spend the night with Gagi at the hotel which they loved.

Friday morning Paul and Jacob relocated to the hotel and I got to spend a great day with Erin. We lunched with some bridesmaids and her mom. Wine..at lunch! We did some last minute wedding stuff and then it was off to the rehearsal (which we were slightly late for - oops)! Erin didn't warn us that the preacher was a hippie so I was slightly surprised to walk in and see him but he was great! Funny and it was the fastest rehearsal I've ever been at! Apparently we all paid attention well - even the kids! I was really worried about what Jacob was going to do but thankfully everyone was really laid back about him and was willing to just let him do whatever he was going to do. The dinner was at a great Italian restaurant and everyone had a good time. I got to spend the night at Erin's with her and her sister which was a real treat for me! I think Erin's sister thought it was a little strange that I was staying there and not the hotel but I wanted to stay with my bestie before her big day (as well as not wanting to share a room with 4 kids and 2 people who snore)!

More to come about the Big Day!!

Smitten Kitten

2011-10-10T22:21:00.004-04:00

I got scolded over the weekend by Nana Cheryl for not blogging enough. And by scolded I mean finger in the face, SCOLDED, for not blogging. So even though I'm tired and still have laundry to put away I don't want to be scolded again so I'm at least going to write a quick post.

My BFF got married over the weekend. Oh it was fun and sweet and fun and wonderful. I really have a lot to say about it but I think I'll save some of it for material for the week. I thought I would share a little bit about Jacob and his love at first sight.

This is Amanda..Erin's sister and Maid of Honor (and also getting married in 4 weeks):

I had the pleasure of meeting Amanda years ago when I picked her up from the airport one time. This was way back in the day when you could actually wait at the airport gates. Amanda was visiting Erin for the weekend but Amandas flight got in before Erins (she was away at work) so I picked her up and we had dinner and hung out until we picked up Erin. We made signs for her so when she got off the plane she saw them. She was very embarrassed. It was funny. Anyways I digress...the kids had heard of Amanda and the older girls have talked to her on the phone but never gotten the chance to meet her until this weekend. Amanda got in Thursday night but Jacob was already in bed. He first got to meet her on Friday right before the Rehearsal Dinner. One meeting that was all it took. He took to her like I have never seen. As soon as we got to the church he wanted 'Manda. At rehearsal he ran down the aisle to 'Manda. At dinner he sat in 'Manda's lap the ENTIRE night. Poor thing even had to help him go potty.

The next day before the wedding he wanted 'Manda. And all evening at the reception he wanted 'Manda. ALL evening. Bless HER heart. And Julia, not to be left out took a liking to Amanda and her fiance Marc. God Bless HIM he held Julia all night at the reception. And she's not light.

They were both SO SO SO sweet with the two of them. Patient, kind, generous - so loving. It was so sweet and cute. I'm certain Amanda and Marc had to be sick of them but they did not show it at all. They just cuddled with them and danced with them. So sweet..so so sweet...

Livin' the Dream

2011-09-24T14:23:00.002-04:00

Hubs and I just returned from a (way-too-fast) week getaway. Oh...it was FABULOUS. In fact, there are not enough adjectives to describe what a great time we had. The children were well taken care of (read: spoiled) by Gagi and having the peace of mind that they were doing fine did wonders. We started our adventure with an early flight to Orlando (why do all my recent adventures begin with early flights?). On tap for the day was a trip to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. Paul lobbied hard for me to agree to this. I'm clearly Team Disney but I was curious about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Paul loves thrill rides. Since we didn't have the kids it seemed like the perfect time to explore this park. We arrived before lunch and were thrilled to find the park not too busy. We headed straight to Hogswart to ride the Forbidden Journey of Harry Potter. The line moved pretty quickly and it was a great ride. We then went to the Three Broomsticks for lunch where we had Butterbeer (yum!) and Pumpkin Juice (yum!). We spent some time exploring Hogsmeade and I think they did a fabulous job. We went to Honeydukes and saw chocolate frogs and Bernie Botts Every Flavour Beans. Really really cool and amazingly detailed. We toured the shops and then decided to walk around the rest of the park. Paul got to ride his thrill rides and I was glad to have the opportunity to see the park. Before we left we sampled the frozen Butterbeer and wow - that was good!! We had a great time but I'm glad we did it without the kids. I think we'll wait until they are older to take them there! After we left IOA we headed back to the hotel for a bit and then went to Downtown Disney for dinner (and shopping!). I love DD but wow was it crowded - way more crowded than Universal!

Sunday morning our next adventure began - we arrived in Port Canaveral to board the Disney Dream for a 4 night Bahamian cruise!! The Dream is the Disney's newest ship and wow is it B-I-G. And impressive. And big. And beautiful. And holds a lot of people! It's absolutely amazing. We got a good boarding group so we got on pretty early. We were eager to walk around and tour the ship and were thrilled we got up to the top deck and realized there was no line for the Aquaduck (the water-coaster that goes out over the ocean). Paul quickly put his suit on and went on the ride. He loved it! We continued our ship tour and made our way to the Enchanted Garden for lunch. It was great and then our room was ready. We were staying in an inside stateroom with a virtual porthole. The virtual porthole was really, really cool. You could turn it off at night and back on the morning and it showed real time video of what was going on outside the ship. The room was small but perfect for Paul & I. We dropped our stuff and went to explore the ship some more. It's really amazing! Of course we had to check out the kids areas and I was totally blown away. I can't wait to take our kids!! There is a playroom called Andy's Room that has kid size toys from Toy Story. Really cool! Of course we had the mandatory drill and then the Sail Away party! We had early seating for dinner and had great people sitting at our table. After dinner we played Bingo (you just have to on a cruise) and met Bingo Debra as I know call her. She was this older lady from Texas who was on her 30th cruise. She told me she always wins and Bingo. Sure enough - she won. Twice. Unfortunately her winning mojo did not rub off on me.

Monday was our first stop at Disney's Castaway Cay. This island was one of our favorite things about our last cruise and we were really looking forward to going back. It definitely did not disappoint. Without the kids we were able to see the adult areas of the beach and rent bikes to ride around. We also did a "power walk" with the cruise staff. It was really fun! Since we were porting in Castaway Cay again we headed back to the ship to ride the Aquaduck. Unfortunately a lot of other people also had this idea and the line was really long but we did enjoy the pool deck! We met up with a couple we had first met at the port so we made plans to meet up with them after dinner. We ended up hanging out with them a ton over the next 3 days and really hope that we get to cruise with them again next year! Monday night was also pirate night. Always a fun night on the ship - we saw a great show and then headed to the adult deck to watch the fireworks!

Tuesday was our day at sea. Paul made me get up early for a spin class (I wish I was kidding) before we hit the pool deck. We also got passes for the spa and spent a lot of time just relaxing. Bliss!! Tuesday night we had dinner at Palo, which is an adult only fine dining experience on the ship. It's Italian food and it was seriously one of the best meals I've had. So, so, so good! It's beautiful too - being on the top deck of the ship. When we first got up there we walked outside and there was a gorgeous rainbow over the ocean. We saw another show that night night and then spent some time in the adult only section of the boat. Seriously there is so much adult entertainment that you almost forget you are on a Disney cruise!

Wednesday we were back to Castaway Cay. We slept in but headed out to island to do some biking before lunch. We came back to the ship to get our beach gear and a huge, huge rainstorm came up! Luckily we were eating inside the restaurant! Thankfully the rain didn't last long and we headed out the very wet island in the early afternoon. Two for 1 drink specials on the island bar kept us entertained while the clouds went away and then we tried the aqua trike - which is this huge floating trike that you ride in the sea. It was not as easy as it looked and a short time with that was plenty! We had diner that night in Animator's Palate which is extremely cool and my favorite restaurant on board! That night our entertainment was "An Evening with Kermit" and it was a blast from the past with all kinds of Muppets clips! It was actually pretty fun. More fun ensued and all too soon we had to get back to our room to get ready to leave.

Debarkation day always starts way too early and comes too soon! Our breakfast call was 6:45 (ugh!) but we made it. We were glad our new friends were heading to the airport at the same time as us so we enjoyed their company for a few more hours before boarding the plane. And then we were home in what felt like the blink of an eye.

All in all a wonderful vacation! I'm so thankful and grateful for my mom and Scott for keeping the kids. I know we are tremendously lucky and blessed that they are able to do it for us. I think the kids liked having us gone a little too much!

Meet the Teacher

2011-09-01T15:56:00.002-04:00

We've been waiting weeks for today. Weeks I tell you. I've heard this question at least 3 times a week since August 1: "But when do I start school? When? When?" To say that Julia is a little bit ready to start preschool would be an understatement. So..today was finally Meet the Teacher day. And as long as it felt like we were off for the summer walking into the preschool building today felt like we've only had a week off! We've been at our preschool going on 5 years and it just feels like home. It was nice to see so many familiar faces.

Our first session was meeting Jacob's teachers. We have one teacher that's new to us and the assistant teacher is one Emma had. He seemed pretty excited to be going to school and on the way he asked me "are you going bye bye Mommy?". I couldn't tell whether he was happy or disappointed when I said no..not today. He walked right into the classroom and right up to his teacher and gave her a hug. All on his own. Heart melted...mine and his teachers. I think he won her over right then. She seems wonderful and I know we are going to be blessed to have them as his teachers. His assistant teacher is a mother to 2 boys. Perfect.

We then went to the 4 year old hallway to meet Julia's teachers. Julias teachers are new teachers for us but her lead teacher was a parent of a child in Lily's 3 year old class (and a Disney client) and her assistant and I were in a Bible Study together. It's nice to have some history with the teachers. I was pretty impressed with all the information sent home and I really feel like Julia will be prepared for Kindergarten when she finishes this year.

So...a long weekend and then it's on!! Julia, Jacob and I are all pretty excited about Tuesday!!!

Here we go!!

Kid Free Weekend

2011-08-25T15:43:00.004-04:00

I so meant to post this early in the week but being gone for 3 1/2 days has put me behind about 3 1/2 days so here we are..Thursday and I'm just getting around to this. When we last left off I was on a plane with a 7 year old and a grandma. I'm happy to report all ended well and the 7 year old was safely reunited with her mother and I'm assuming grandma made it to her daughter. I'm sure hoping the daughter had the "pepsi and pack of cigarettes" waiting for momma cause by the time the plane landed she was ready.

Nana Cheryl and Curtie picked me up at the airport and we headed for Erin's house where she had a delicious lunch prepared for us. I didn't have to fix anyone's plate. Or cut anyone's food. Or get up while I was eating to fix a drink. It's the little things people. We mostly just hung out at E's house Friday. She had the Geek Squad coming over to fix up her wireless network. I was all like "I can be a geek squad..I set up my router with no issues I'm sure I can do yours." Ha. We needed the Geek Squad. Apparently though we got the B Team Geek Squad because she ended up on the phone with the A Team Geek Squad nearly the entire FOUR hours she was working. She kept calling "him" her secret weapon. I was thinking more like her only weapon. Whatever..it finally got fixed and Erin is now happily web-surfing from her couch in the bonus room. We went out for sushi (!) that night and chilled. It's not every day I get up at 5:15am to get on a plane. And travel to Tampa to get to Columbus.

Saturday I got to sleep in (!) and the lazily get ready for the Wedding Shower, which was the whole reason I was in town. E had another friend, Jenna who came into town Saturday morning too for the shower. She was fun and had just seen Britney Spears the night before. She loves Jersey Shore. I knew we'd get along famously. The shower was hosted by Erin's old babysitter and her sister. It was a lovely event and I got to meet some people I've heard a lot about over the years but never actually met. Her mom helped with the decorations and Nana Cheryl is no crafty joke - her table centerpieces were adorable! The cake was OH. MY. GOODNESS. Good. Like if I never eat another cake in my life it's okay because this one was so good good. Fortunately the same baker doing E's wedding cake so we do get to eat it again. She got lots of nice gifts and a lovely time was had by all. We got sent home with loads of food and cake so the plan was to chill at home Saturday night and catch up on Jersey Shore. I know..such a wild and crazy time. There may or may not have been adult beverages consumed as well.

Sunday was another sleep in day (!). Oh the loveliness of getting up when you want. E made us a yummy breakfast casserole and I felt like royalty - sleeping in and breakfast prepared for me? Yes please! We ended up going to see The Help and having lunch with another Bridesmaid and super cool friend of Erin's Mandy. And we went to DSW to try to look for shoes for the wedding. Nana Cheryl and Curtie came to have dinner with us and then E and I went out to Target where I got to look at anything I wanted without bribing anyone to stop touching things they shouldn't. It was blissful. I had to get up at 5:15 to catch the flight home so no wild and crazy partying going on but we did stumble upon a gem of a show: Big Easy Weddings. It's about a wedding chapel in New Orleans and it did not disappoint. The 3 featured stories included a mother running into the wedding shouting "you can't marry her she's your cousin.", a couple who got married in their trailer park and wanted the wedding cake to be in the shape of a female body part and a pub crawl wedding. No..I am not lying.

All in all a super fun and totally relaxing weekend. I am VERY thankful to my husband for holding down the fort at home while I was. He even did some laundry. I know...he's a saint. He even got Jacob transitioned to a bed and worked on potty training. He's a good man. I'm pretty darn lucky.

Is it Ironic

2011-08-22T14:59:00.004-04:00

I'm feeling a bit giddy today after spending 3 days ALL BY MYSELF with my bff in Ohio! I have a lot to say about the weekend but I'll start with a little story about getting my trip started. The weekend commenced with me flying ALL BY MYSELF to Columbus. I hadn't been on a plane solo since I worked (so like 8 1/2 years ago) so I was a bit nervous flying - I don't love, love flying. But once I got to the airport and really realized I had NO children to entertain it was all good. Me, magazines, books...all set. I was on Southwest and I had a stop but then onto to Columbus. Since I didn't have to change planes I didn't really pay attention to the itinerary so I didn't realize until I was boarding that we were going to Tampa first. Yes..Tampa FL then to Ohio. Seriously. The flight was fairly turbulent and we ended up not getting drinks because it was so rough. Needless to say I was happy to touchdown in Tampa.

We get to Tampa and I decide to move seats. I sit in the second row then leave the plane to get some much needed caffeine before the next leg of the journey. When I get back I find an older lady sitting in the window seat. She seemed nice enough but chatty. I find out in about 30 seconds that this was a. her first time flying in over 30 years. b. she was moving from FL to Ohio to live with her daughter and her 4 grandkids c. she's never left FL before and d. she needed to take some meds at 11:30am. Ooookayy. Then the flight attendant tells us to hold the middle seat for a "UM." A UM?? That's when I see the little girl being escorted on the plane. UM = Unaccompanied minor. And she's who we were holding the seat for. Nice. She was pretty chatty and very generous (she gave me stickers, offered me a lick of her lollipop and one of the 3000 Little Debbie snack cakes her grandmother had packed her). I learned she was 7 and had been at her grandmas for 3 weeks. She was going home to start school and her older brothers called her names. I also found out that 7 years olds in Ohio and 7 years old in NC pretty much like the same things: sparkles, peace signs and iCarly. She asked me all kinds of questions about my kids but I think the one that takes the cake: "What cloud does God live on?" Finally the flight attendant brought her an activity pack that occupied her for about 45 seconds and then she mercifully fell asleep with about 30 minutes to go. Me, solo flight, chatty grandma, chatty 7 year old = irony.

Sometimes They Do Pay Attention

2011-08-18T10:25:00.002-04:00

Yesterday afternoon Julia had her first soccer practice (it was totally adorable and except for a small shoe malfunction she had a great time and I'll talk more about it in a future blog post). So Julia wanted "the whole family" to come watch her play. I guess she's been dragged around to enough events that she wanted her turn of people coming to watch her. So she's out doing her soccer thing which left me, Paul, Emma, Lily and Jacob on the sidelines. Paul promptly sat down in his chair and pulled out his phone and didn't move for the next hour. He claims he looked up a few times but whatever. Jacob was fine - he just played around and climbed through the bleachers annoying all sorts of people. The girls however were a different story. They whined the whole time. It's hot! I'm bored! I'm hungry! Why do we have to be here? Take me to the park? For an hour. Fun times. Anyways..finally it was over. So we get to the car and the request was made to get ice cream. Paul and I decided, much to the kids dismay, that we were not getting ice cream..the girls were just too annoying to reward them with ice cream. Well, as you can imagine, this didn't go over well and more whining commenced. But eventually they got over it and all was quiet in the car. Then Lily says this:

Lily: Mom..I think you need to show us grace

Me: What? What do you mean?

Lily: Grace is when you give someone something they don't deserve and well we don't deserve ice cream but you should give us grace and let us have some anyway.

She's been learning about grace at church this month and I was stunned to hear this come out of her mouth. It just makes me so happy to know she does pay attention (sometimes) and that lessons sink in!!

By the way - I didn't give into the ice cream but I did let them have one oreo cookie when we got home..I felt like that was enough grace extended.

Thank Goodness We Were the Only Ones There

2011-08-11T14:27:00.002-04:00

It's FINALLY not 100 degrees outside so we took the rare opportunity to go the park this morning with some dear friends that have been on vacation and are finally back. She is also a mother of 4 including one very active 4 year old boy. One thing I learned early on in my motherhood that boys enjoy peeing outside. I have a friend in MA who's son would pee everywhere outside (sorry L but that's one I thing I won't forget about J) including the front yard, the park, etc. And my friends son is no different. Which bring us to today. We're at the park and most thankfully it's just us and our 6 kids at the park. Her sweet 2 year old had a potty accident which naturally sparked a potty conversation. Her son decided he also needed to go and promptly walked over the fence and "peed in the garden." (She said he's picked up some British words including calling all yards type areas gardens - I find that hysterical). Jacob thought this was hilarious. He kept laughing. And then. Then I noticed Jacobs diaper lying on the ground. I get up from the bench and I see him, with his pants pulled down "peeing in the garden." I couldn't decide whether I needed to scold him or praise him for actually trying not to pee in his diaper. Geez....As I relayed the story to my husband via text. He sends back this: Thats my boy. Seriously?

In Which I Almost Have A Heart Attack

2011-08-05T14:00:00.003-04:00

This morning began like any typical school morning. Kids getting dressed, eating breakfast, getting school stuff ready. All was going just swimmingly until I heard this: "Mom..you gotta get upstairs. NOW. Jacob has scissors in his head." Wha..Wha..WHAT?? I'm thinking as I dash upstairs all the while thinking how loud to I have to yell so that my neighbor will call 911 for me. Thankfully when I get upstairs I see Jacob with scissors IN his hair. As in tangled in his hair. Apparently he thought he needed a haircut. OH. MY. GRACIOUS. HE. IS. GOING. TO. BE. THE. END. OF. ME.

Rewind a few minutes...Jacob goes upstairs. I figured he was just getting something for his pockets. You know how he is. He's quiet for a minute which is not extremely unusual. Then I hear him start to cry. Again, not extremely unusual and not blood curling screams..just cries. After a minute or two (or five) I send Lily up to investigate (I know..mother of year) which brings us to : "Mom...you gotta get upstairs. NOW. Jacob has scissors in his head." Apparently Jacob had decided while he was eating breakfast (?) that he needed a haircut. So...he went upstairs to my bathroom and got Paul's clipper set from underneath the bathroom counter. He found the scissors and put them up to his hair to try to cut it. Thankfully (oh so very, very thankfully) he doesn't know how to use scissors and they got caught in his hair before any damage was done. Seriously all this happened in about 5 minutes. I guess Paul needs to cut his hair this weekend. And...so very, very thankful....at least he didn't try to cut his sisters hair. I hope I make it to his 3rd birthday.

So Ready

2011-08-03T21:46:00.003-04:00

It was a tough day for my sweet 4 year old. Her sisters started school on Monday so she's been feeling a little lonely for a couple days. And then today, our precious neighbor started Kindergarten which was apparently devastating to Julia. She sobbed all morning because she didn't get to go to Kindergarten and she didn't get to ride the bus. And then she wailed all afternoon in true Potter-girl dramatic fashion about why wasn't she old enough to go Kindergarten and when would preschool ever start again. "What day mommy, what exact day am I ever going to school??" "I am ready to go to school Mommy."

Bless her heart. I'm ready too. This is the preschool break that will not end. Perhaps its the anticipation that Jacob starts too which is dragging out this summer vacation business. Or perhaps it's that preschool ended, the girls still had a month of school, they had their month off and now they are back in school and preschool is still out. I'm really not trying to rush it - once preschool starts it seems like the fall goes by in the blink of an eye and that I don't want to rush it. I think we're just starting to get a little tired of each other and it's just been too darn hot to be outside.

I dd feel a little sorry for my girl today though and I'm sure preschool will be here before we know it. And when she's in middle school waking up at the crack of dawn every day I'm going to remind her how she couldn't wait to start school.

Going Green

2011-08-02T14:25:00.003-04:00

If I'm honest, we recycle around this house but until recently that's about as "green" as we got. Sure, I have 500 reusable tote bags (of course..I love a tote bag) I just never remember to actually use them. If I get them from the house to the car I rarely remember to take them from the car actually into the store. But that's a changing...the Potter's are Going Green.

Goal 1. Reducing lunch box waste..I have 2 kids who I pack lunch and snack for almost every day. And 2 more who generally get at least 1 snack a day packed for them. I'm almost ashamed to admit to the number of ziplock bags I've used just in the last year. So this year I'm making this change a priority. I got some Fit & Fresh reusable containers and some cute reusable snack bags (you can see some super cute ones here). So far this is a pretty easy thing and the girls love getting their food in little containers. I just hope they remember not the throw them away!

Goal 2: Cloth napkins. Oh this is fun because I made my own! That's right...Martha Stewart..watch out. I have never sewed but I've been wanting to for years. A couple years ago a sweet friend gave me a sewing machine and it turns out it works great. Thanks to Nana Cheryl who got me started and my awesome neighbor for the encouragement I made my own napkins. For the kids I went to Joann's and picked out some fun fabrics for each of them. For other napkins I bought some fabulous pre-cut 12x12 squares at Michael's and stitched them together. They are a little smaller than some napkins but they work great for us and I LOVE the fabrics.

Goal 3: Remember and use my reusable shopping bags. I've got a couple in the car but I'm going to try to be much more diligent about using them and trying to reduce the number of plastic bags I get.

Starting small with 3 manageable goals. I'd love to at some point get a compost bin - I think it would be great to have the kids help with it. We are planning some really cool "green" initiatives at school this year so hopefully the kids will keep us on our toes at home too. It's good to be green.

Twas the Night Before School Started

2011-07-31T19:14:00.003-04:00

I originally posted this poem 3 short years ago when Emma first started Kindergarten. Tomorrow she starts 3rd Grade. 3rd Grade. 333rrrddd Grade. Pinch me because, seriously, how is that possible?? 3rd Grade means desks, EOG's (end of grade testing), multiplication and cursive. Oh. My. Goodness. Where does time go?? And. Lily? She starts 2nd grade. Which means, sniff, that I don't even have a kid down the K/1 hallway at school this year..sniff...sniff.

Emma is super excited to finally be starting school tomorrow - you'd think she's been out for 4 months instead of 4 weeks. Lily, on the other hand, would be thrilled with 4 more weeks of vacation. But..I know they'll be excited to go in the morning and see their new teachers and reconnect with friends.

So...big day tomorrow for 2 of my kids...and since tomorrow is August 1 it means only 4 more weeks until the other 2 start preschool. Catch that - other 2 start preschool - as in both Julia and Jacob....where oh where does time go??

Under the Sea

2011-07-29T15:35:00.002-04:00

Emma and Lily have spent their last week of summer vacation at a music/arts camp at our church. I was thrilled when I first heard about this camp and knew I wanted to sign them up. They'd go learn about God, do arts and crafts, games and learn a musical that they'll be performing at the weekend services. Sounded like VBS with a little more. Sign us up. I was even more thrilled when I found out that if I volunteered to help at the weekend services we'd get a discount. I need to be there anyway for the kids so might as well help. The camp was for rising 2nd thru 6th graders and a few weeks before the camp they held auditions for actors, singers and a dance team. Emma was thrilled about auditioning for the dance team. The auditions were very professional - I mean each kid got a head shot taken. Emma was thrilled to find out a couple weeks later that she made the dance team! Needless to say she's been looking forward to camp for weeks. Lily, on the other hand, was a little more hesitant about it. Her bff was going to do the camp with her but at the last minute her plans changed so I think she was a little nervous about going.

Camp has turned out to be more than I expected! The girls have had a wonderful time. Each day that I've picked them up they've had huge smiles on their faces and they have only wonderful things to say about their day. I'm so thankful!! Today they had a long day of camp and a full dress rehearsal. They are both so excited about their performances this weekend! I know I can't wait to see it! Should be a very fun weekend!

My IronKid

2011-07-25T21:11:00.002-04:00

Iron-kids ath-lete (noun): an athletic rock-star who has fun while swimming, biking and running

Swim 50 yards, Bike 2 miles, Run 500 yards. That was how one of my girls spent her Sunday morning. Did I mention she's 7! And..she just started riding a 2 wheeler in April. Seriously this kid rocks and inspires me so. She's so cool.

I can not describe how proud I am of her. She had a great time at the triathlon and that's whats most important. She totally rocked her swim - coming in 3rd in her age group and totally killed the run - coming in 2nd in her age group and 12th overall for all the Juniors (ages 6 - 8). For a kid who's only been riding a 2 wheeler for a few months she did awesome on the bike too. I mean, just to have the courage and confidence to compete - wow...just wow. It helped that 2 of her friends were competing too - I think that just added to the fun. She's hooked on races now and can't wait to do another tri. The 8 year old was beside herself that she didn't compete so watch out - we'll have two Ironkids next year!

Summer Fun

2011-07-16T09:58:00.002-04:00

We're into our 2nd week of everyone home for their summer break and it was a good one. Lily has spent the week at Camp Gagi getting spoiled and pampered as only Gagi can do. They had a busy, busy schedule that Lily mapped out early in the week (she's all about a list or a chart). I think they went everywhere possible on the Grand Strand and more. As my mom noted: Lily's more into shopping than anything else. Ah..that's my girl! No telling what kind of treasurers she's going to come home with. She'll be home on Monday and the house will explode in noise and activity!

Those of us at home had a nice week. Emma and her bff, Meri, had a sleepover which was great. This little girl is so sweet, quiet (!) and helpful. They could not have been nicer to each other and just generally seemed to have a great time. We had a few other play dates and a pool date with good friends. We took all the kids to see Rio at the $1.50 Theater. We ended up going on Tuesday which was a total score because popcorn and drinks were a $1.00. So we all went (all 6 of us) for $15. We might just go back next week too! We loved Rio - seriously, what a cute movie and great music!

All in all a good summer week! School supply shopping will be on our agenda this week - two more weeks and we're back in!!

The Day They Slept In

2011-07-12T09:32:00.002-04:00

It happened! It actually happened! For reals. They ALL (well all 3 that are at home - one is at Camp Gagi) slept past 8:00. In fact, it was - get this - 8:30 when the first child arose for the day. 8 freaking 30. That might as well be noon. Seriously. I think this is the first time that all the kids slept in on the same day. Sure one or 2 might occasionally get up later - later being past 8am but never, ever have all the kids done it on the same day. We've had a pretty few rough nights of sleep so it was much needed.

So Thank You dear children - let's just hope this sets the tone for a great rest of the day.

Summer Reading List

2011-07-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

Summer's here and I always have a burning desire to read during the summer. So..I'm sharing my list - what I've just read and what's on my bookshelf. What about you? What are you reading??

Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me - I love Chelsea Handler. She just cracks me up. This book cracked me up too. I can't believe the crap she tells people that they believe. No wonder she's done so well for herself.

The Hunger Games Trilogy - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this. Love it...I read the first book in about a day. Same for the second and thankfully my very intuitive neighbor brought me the 3rd book as I was literally on the last page of the 2nd book. It's a young adult book and very, very good.

Dead Reckoning - The latest Sookie Stackhouse book..this is the books True Blood is based on. I love this series.

Smokin Seventeen - The latest Stephanie Plum book - I'm like 500th on the waiting list from the library. I love Stephanie (and Morelli) (and Ranger) so I'm looking forward to her newest adventure

Holidays on Ice - This David Sedaris book is my book club pick. I hear he's super funny and it's a short book. Perfect when you have 4 kids running around the house all day.

Heaven is for Real - I heard an interview with this family on the radio and I'm fascinated to read this book.

Sisterhood Everlasting - This is the next book in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares. I know it's for teens but I loved the series.

Then Came You - Jennifer Weiner's newest book. It's not out until next week but I love her and can't wait t read this book.

Sarah's Key - My bff recommended this book and she has great taste so it's on my t0-read list

If You Were Here - I read this about a month ago -and then I won a copy of it in a random blog giveaway! This book is Jen Lancaster's first foray into fiction and it does not disappoint. I am a HUGE Jen Lancaster fan so it would be hard to disappoint me but I laughed out loud while reading this book. A lot.

The First Husband - and speaking of Jen Lancaster, she recommended this book on her blog so it's on my list.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends - Rob Lowe's autobiography. Enough said.

Bossypants - Tina Fey. I hear it's hysterical.

Your turn..what else should I read?

Summer's Here

2011-07-06T21:07:00.002-04:00

We (finally) finished our school year last Thursday and now we're officially on summer break until August 1! Yay!

We kicked off our summer vacation with our first swim meet last Thursday. Our 'hood is starting up a team (omg..is it some kind of work) and the season culminated in an intra-squad meet last week. We got rained out on the scheduled day (seriously it hadn't rained in weeks until then) so we had to reschedule for Thursday. All 3 of my girls participated in the swim team and it was a fabulous experience for all of them. Emma and Lily learned all the strokes and had a great time doing it. Julia learned so much too and finished the season swimming all by herself! The girls did awesome in the meet too. Emma and Lily both won the main heat freestyles for their age groups therefore setting the pool records! And Julia won her heat in the freestyle. Emma won her heats in breaststroke and butterfly and came in 4th in backstroke! Lily did great too getting ribbons in backstroke and breaststroke! Julia got ribbons for those two. All in all a wonderful experience and we can't wait until next year when we are competing against other teams!

Friday morning we headed to the beach for a couple days to see mom and enjoy some beach time. My aunt and cousin were down too and we all had fun hanging out and playing! Unfortunately Paul had to get back to work (boo) so we came back Monday afternoon.

This week we've hanging out reading, playing and working on PTA stuff. Year round schools never get a break! We have Open House tomorrow where the girls find out their teachers for next year. Exciting! Next week Lily is headed to Camp Gagi for the week which she couldn't be more excited about. Hopefully we can all enjoy the downtime!

7 Years Ago

2011-06-30T22:48:00.002-04:00

Seven (short..oh so short) years ago we were blessed with the arrival of our 2nd beautiful daughter..Lily Grace. It all started after playing this long, frustrating waiting game that began a week earlier where I called the hospital to see if they'd induce me and they'd say - oh, we're really full today - call back later. After about 6 days of this I was literally about to strangle someone my doctor told me to come in that she'd find room to induce me. She didn't want me to risk having to wait until after her July 4th vacation. I remember being on the way to the hospital and stopping for Wendy's because I wanted to eat before I got the IV and they cut me off. I also remember Paul saying.."are you sure you want to be induced - if you wait until July 4th her birthday would be 7/4/04" I remember throwing a large object at his head. (Men: please note - do not ever, ever suggest to an overdue pregnant lady that they wait another 4 days to have the baby..especially in the middle of the summer).

We got the hospital in the early afternoon and by 2ish they had me set up on the IV and the antibiotics. Sometime later that afternoon I got the pictocin to start the labor. I remember the nurse saying that the dr said I could have the epidural whenever I wanted so I took full advantage - the first time I felt some discomfort I suggested she go ahead and call for it..you just never know how long those docs will take. He didn't take long but I don't remember feeling any contractions. Her labor was pretty easy as far as labors go and at 7:31 pm our little bit was born.

The hospital was not that great - I remember being wheeled to our room and a prison guard was outside one door. The nurse then tried to tell me that Paul couldn't stay the night because I might get a roommate. I then had a complete mental breakdown and she must have felt real sorry for me because she brought Paul some bedding and said he could stay. We left that hospital as soon as the pedi said we could go.

It's been an adventure with her ever since. A super smiley baby, a very spunky toddler, a spirited preschooler and now a sassy seven year old second grader. She's always loved accessories - she's had a purse since she could walk and now she's a peace sign loving fashionista who I couldn't love any more! I expect there to be many more adventures ahead with her! Happy Birthday Pooh Bear!!

Ch..ch..changes

2011-06-27T11:00:00.001-04:00

For the past few weeks whenever Jacob wakes up he screams "Daddy" and then "Daddy get me" and then "DDAADDYYY GET ME UP" Loudly. Very loudly. Add this to the fact that he climbs in the crib all the time we've been discussing the thought of setting up the toddler bed for him. I long live by the philosophy that kids (especially toddlers) should remain in the crib as long as humanly possible but the incessant early morning screaming is about to send me over the edge. And I really don't like how Jacob routinely dives into his crib headfirst.

Sooo...while I was at the swim meet with the girls Saturday morning Paul and Jacob set up the toddler bed in his room. When we got home from the pool Jacob was very excited to tell us about the big boy bed. He told me "it's so cool." So I spent some time that afternoon redoing his room. I figured if he had that much freedom I needed to take out the "climbing wall" aka changing table and add a basket of toys for him. Paul hasn't taken out the crib just yet - we wanted to make sure this was going to work before taking it down. But so far it's OK. He got out of bed once Saturday night but he did nap OK so we'll see how it goes.

This is the first time in nearly 8 1/2 years that we don't have a crib up in the house! And we'll be getting rid of the crib instead of saving it for another kid (after being moved to 4 different houses and 8 kids it's on it's last leg. Not to mention it's a drop down crib which is apparently now evil). I think I'm a little sentimental about it...sniff...sniff....Ch..ch...changes....moving on the next stages of life....

The Lollipop Shop!

2011-06-26T22:35:00.002-04:00

My middle girl turns 7 this week and we celebrated her birthday over the weekend at the Lollipop Shop. She's been celebrating her birthday for about a week already and we still have a few days to go. And if anyone asks how old she is she already tells them she's 7. Sigh. She can't wait to get older. Anyways this girl loves, loves candy and I was looking for fun birthday party locations (after doing many home parties I've decided that going out for parties is the way to go and Totally. Worth. It.) and The Lollipop Shop sprang to mind. So we went over to North Hills to check it out and she loved it. It's a pretty small place so we had to keep her guest list smaller than she would have liked but it worked out great. We had a few school friends, some neighbors and a couple sweet girls.

It was a great location. I can not say enough good things about the shop or the girl who led our birthday party. She was a sweet teenager with a ton of patience for 6 year olds! The girls did some coloring pages while waiting for all the guest. Then they did a sandy candy craft. Then it was the main event - picking a stuffed animal and stuffing it with candy! Then we had our peace sign cookie cake and Lily even had a little time to open her gifts which she was thrilled about.

Overall a super fun way to celebrate turning 7!!

Big Weekend

2011-06-26T21:48:00.002-04:00

Phew...it's 9:54 on Sunday night and I feel like I'm just sitting down for the first time this weekend! Friday we kicked off the busy weekend with Lily's "Aloha to 1st Grade Luau." It was a super cute celebration and I'm so thankful Paul was around so I could volunteer. She was super thrilled to get a playdate with bff after school too! Emma rushed home from school to get ready for her big weekend activity - The Zoo Snooze! Her Brownie troop went to the NC Zoo for a special overnight trip as a cookie selling reward. Emma absolutely loved it. Pretty much she loves any activity that involves sleeping away from home but this was especially cool. They had a program, learned about nocturnal animals and made a bat house (that is apparently supposed to reside in our backyard??) and generally had a great time with her friends. I'm so happy that she loved it and so thankful for the moms to went with them!

Saturday morning we were up bright and early for our last swim time trial. All the girls are swimming our new neighborhood team. It's been so exciting to see how much they've learned over the course of the last 5 weeks. Julia swam the whole 15 yards unassisted on 2 of her races - she was so excited. After the time trial we came home to get ready for Lily's 7th Birthday Party!! She requested a "Peace Sign Cookie Cake" which was easy peasy (especially considering some of her cake requests). I'll do a separate post on her party but it was super fun and she loved it!

I opened the door after getting home from the party and saw a huge bouquet of flowers on the kitchen counter. I was a bit confused at first because they were GORGEOUS and HUGE and it wasn't my birthday, anniversary, Mother's Day or any holiday. And Paul and I weren't fighting so it couldn't be apology flowers. And it was far more than "I just stopped by Whole Foods and got these pretty flowers" that Paul brings home every once in a blue moon. I notice there's a card and let me tell you - I was blown away...My sweet, wonderful, thoughtful and incredibly generous PTA board ladies sent me this bouquet and sweetest note. I think I've said how much I love those girls and seriously I do. They make the PTA fun and eventful (in a good way) and easy and I'm delighted to work with them again. It just made my day and they still smell so fragrant and lovely and I'm so spoiled.

The girls had a great friend spend the night last night. So everyone was up late. Again. We had church this morning, lunch to return our friend and then Emma had dance team auditions for a musical she's doing at church. And then we went to our friends to celebrate their daughter's baptism. They also have 4 kids (3 of their kids are the exact ages of 3 of ours) and we all had a blast. It was a wonderful reason to celebrate and it was really fun for the kids. And they were all completely exhausted by the time we got home.

Thankfully the kids fell asleep pretty easy tonight. It's going to be a big week - last 4 days of school, field day, swim meet, Lily's birthday and swim team awards night. But then...then...vacation!!!

The Things They Say...

2011-06-23T22:01:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a real gem of funny things in our house. Here are a few things that made me laugh out loud:

Emma really wanted to make cupcakes (??) so I told her to find a recipe and we could make them. Paul was totally procrastinating some work and offered to help her. He wasn't down with homemade frosting so they decided to run up to Walmart to get some canned stuff. Emma was wearing pajama pants and said.."it's Ok if I got to Walmart in pajamas." Paul said "yep..we're going to be with our people." Thankfully they did not end up on peopleofwalmart.com...yet.

At dinner we were talking about Jacob getting older and Emma said this winner:

Emma (8): Can you imagine Jacob at 3? I imagine it's going to be a wild time.

Me too kid...me too.

And...as I was putting Jacob to bed I told him I love him. He said to me: "I love you too. But I love Daddy more." Thanks dude...thanks a lot.

Bittersweet

2011-06-21T22:30:00.002-04:00

My baby is growing up. It's so bittersweet. I sometimes look at this toddler..full of words and expressions (like "you old dude") and think who are you? Where is my bald headed baby? How did nearly 3 years pass in what feels like a blink of an eye? How are you walking, talking, running, trying to swim and I missed it? Or at least it feels like it. Do you always think of your youngest child as "the baby"?

My baby is starting to potty train and we're seriously contemplating taking down his crib soon (his incessant screaming for someone to get him up at 6:30 is about to send me over the edge). And as much as I look forward to the next chapter (preschool? Yes please!) It's still bittersweet to have your baby growing up. I suppose any time you leave one stage it feels this way. No worries - I'm not emotional enough to actually have another baby or anything crazy like that...just thinking about how much he's growing up!

Five for Friday

2011-06-17T21:10:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since I posted so here's what we've been up to:

1. Swim team is going swimmingly. The girls love it! Our coach is awesome and they've had a ton of fun! They've all 3 learned so much it's amazing. I'm so proud of how hard they've worked. And I'm eternally grateful that Julia can swim.

2. Lily has started referring to herself as "Lollipop." I don't know why either.

3. Jacob has begun calling everyone "old lady" and "old man". As in "get me some milk you old lady." Or worse, in Walmart "Mom..who's that old lady?" Have I mentioned his volume is loud and louder?

4. Speaking of the little monster - I've stopped having so many panic attacks at the pool with him. He continues to amaze me with his fearlessness. I just keep reminding myself that perhaps this is how Michael Phelps started.

5. 9 more days of school for the big girls! I still can't get over how fast the year is going. But alas, even with no school there is still loads of PTA work to be done. No break for the year round.

And that about sums it up.

The Proposal

2011-06-08T21:58:00.001-04:00

Emma (8) noticed in Sundays Target that there is a new Dork Diaries (book) coming out. She immediately asked to drive to Target right then to get it. First, I told her the book wasn't available until Tuesday and then I asked her how she was going to earn the book. She looked a little puzzled about this news and then said.."I will do stuff around the house." Thinking this vague answer would suffice and the book would be waiting for her afterschool. Like what "stuff" I asked? Clearly she wasn't expecting this and she said you know, extra chores. Like what exactly? I told her to think about and write down what she could to earn the book. I had sort of forgotten about it. Until tonight when she brought this down. Her proposal to earn a book. It made me laugh so I thought I'd share.

Top Ten Tuesday

2011-06-07T21:48:00.004-04:00

Top ten things I'm looking forward to this summer:

1. Less driving around to activities

2. Lots of pool fun with the kiddos

3. The Beach!

4. No waiting for an hour and half with Jacob while girls dance and do gymnastics

5. 45 minutes on Wed when Jacob an Julia are both in gymnastics classes

6. No jackets

7. Way less socks to wash

8. Eating more ice cream/frozen yogurt/popsicles

9. Cheap movies on summer mornings

10. One month off from taking kids to school!

Top Ten Things that sort of suck about summer:

1. Coming home from the pool and the wet towels and bathing suits x 6 people

2. More laundry - i.e. pool towels

3. Air conditioning bills

4. Sticking to the car seats because it's so freaking hot

5. Being too hot to be outside

6. Sunscreening up 4 kids, daily

7. 12 weeks of Julia asking when she goes back to school

8. Kids that wake up earlier than when school is in

9. Daily heart attacks from Jacob being super dare devil at the pool

10. Sweating just from going to get the mail.

We Built This City

2011-06-05T21:47:00.000-04:00

Save The Last Dance For Me

2011-06-05T21:45:00.000-04:00

Emma Taps

2011-06-05T21:44:00.000-04:00

Fame

2011-06-04T21:29:00.004-04:00

Today was Emma's dance recital, Fame. She was so so excited about it! She loves to dance and she was excited to perform and show off her super sparkly outfit. She takes a tap/ballet/jazz combo classes so she had 3 dances plus the finale to perform. She did awesome! You can just tell how much she loves to dance. We couldn't be prouder of her effort and dedication!!

My mom couldn't make it up for the performance but she graciously bought us a video camera so we could record it for her (thanks mom!). Though I'm sure she's sad she missed it live she won't be overly sorry when she finds out it was 45 numbers and 2 1/2 hours and we had Jacob with us. I know..what were we thinking? He was great the first hour but after that it was hit or miss. Thankfully (?) we knew the people in front of us though I'm sure they were wishing we were sitting elsewhere. However we survived and Em's smile afterward made it all worthwhile.

One Down, Two to Go

2011-06-01T21:42:00.003-04:00

Julia finished up her second year of preschool last week. I honestly can't believe how quickly the year flew by. I mean for reals. It feels like she just started and now it's over. She had a great year. We had the same teachers that Lily had when she was 3 and we love, love them. Only one more year until Jacob gets them too! They did some fun things last week to wrap up the year including a cutie Spring Sing and picnic. I will post some pics soon.

I'm not sure she completely understands this summer vacation business. Perhaps it's because her older sisters have always been in year round schools. She asks at least a couple times a day when does she get to go back to school. When I told her today it would be 3 whole months she replied: "Well, I don't really want to go back to preschool, can't I just go right to Kindergarten?" Sweet thing.

So...one summer vacation on and 2 to go! The older girls still have 4 weeks until their next break. But..it's such a freaking sauna outside they might as well be in school!

Cracking Me Up

2011-05-26T16:33:00.002-04:00

When he's not defying death by climbing in and out of his crib or trying to "swim by my own" the 2 year old is VERY funny. Now that he's talking so much he cracks me up on a nearly hourly basis. Here's some funnies from this morning:

Me getting Jacob up in the morning:

Me: Good morning Jake

Him: My name not Jake, it's Jacob..Jakey Potter

A few seconds later:

Him: Get some some cereal you old lady

In the car:

Me: We're going to go to TJ Maxx to look for a cover up and we can see if they have torpedos for the pool

Him: They at Target. Torpedoes not at TJ Maxx..have to go to Target. Go there now!

A few seconds later:

Him: After errands we go to my Juju's preschool..I go on tire swing. I be careful and hang on tight. It be fun.

I could not love this kid more!!

Surprise!

2011-05-18T19:21:00.002-04:00

Last Thursday evening I was cleaning up after dinner when my sister in law showed up. My husband had said she was coming over after her Pilate's class to visit. Seemed random, but it's Michelle so you just go with it. She'd been there for a few minutes and she asked me to look over some travel documents for her boss. I thought that was odd but whatever so I took a peak at what she had. What she had contained a Boarding Pass with MY name on it bound for LaGuardia the very next morning! As in 12 hours from that point! I look up in disbelief and Paul says "surprise we're going to NYC!" I'm all like "What? Why? Huh??" Just total shock. "What about the kids?" He says he's got it covered - Michelle is keeping the kids and he's made all these arrangements to get the kids to/from their various activities. It was quite impressive actually and how he kept it all a secret - super impressive! He even left a list of the doughnuts the kids like for "Donut Saturday." I spent the next few hours walking around shocked and busy and mentally preparing to leave my brood for 3 days! It took some time for this control freak momma to get excited - I was just totally overwhelmed and then Lily with her black eye had a meltdown about not wanting to go to school and my heart broke. And Paul reminded me that it would all be OK. And we love NYC. It's where we got engaged. It's where he took me on another surprise trip before we had kids. It's one of our special places.

We got up at dark o'clock to get the airport and our flights were easy and on time. When we got to the city our room wasn't ready yet - we got to stay at the Waldorf Astoria (yay for a traveling husband who racks up hotel/air points like crazy! This is definitely a perk of his job)! We dropped off our bag and headed out to walk around. I love being able to walk places in the city. We've been several times so I'm pretty comfortable being able to navigate around. We were starving so we went to Carnegie Deli (so touristy I know but the sandwiches are good and big) and shared a sandwich and chatted with a nice couple from Baton Rouge. We went to Times Square and window shopped and went into some of the fun stores around there. My mom also happened to be in NYC to visit my brother so we were trying to figure out meeting up with them. We went to the TKTS booth to theater tickets - we ended up with Sat matinee tickets for Avenue Q. Friday night we met up with my mom, brother and sister in law at at Brazilian restaurant. It was very good and not somewhere we'd normally pick. After dinner we had expensive cocktails (compliments of the Waldorf) at the hotel (seriously the drinks were between $18 - $20!).

Saturday morning we got going pretty early. We went to American Girl Place for the girls and got them a treat. That store is a little overwhelming! The girls! The dolls! The money rolling into that place! We walked around and found Sprinkles bakery - apparently the bakery that started all the cupcake interest. The original is in LA but they had just opened one in NYC. We had the best cupcakes ever. Our favorite was the Salty Caramel. Oh. My. Goodness. We went to our show which was really funny. And the walked a lot more. Paul had done a bit of research before our trip including looking up food trucks. He had 3 he really wanted to find so we walked a lot on Saturday to see if we could find one. No luck but we had a lovely walk and stumbled upon some cool places! We met up with my family again for dinner. We had drinks at some bar and then had dinner at Rosa Mexicana. Seriously the best Mexican I have ever eaten. The Sangria came in this little pitcher - it was so good. They made guacamole table side and it was the best stuff ever. Such a fun night! It was really fun to spend time with my brother without the kids around - I can't remember the last time that happened!

Sunday we woke up to rain but we didn't let that stop our fun. We went to Sprinkles again and decided to walk to a different part of the city - Union Square to see a movie. We saw Bridesmaids and absolutely loved it. So freaking funny. Go see it! I had remembered that Survivor was filming at the David Letterman theater Sunday night so we walked by there trying to stalk some Survivors but sadly I did not run into Boston Rob or Amber or Russell or Crazy Phillip. The day went by fast and we had to go to the airport.

Our flight was due to depart around 7pm. It took no time to get to the airport so we had plenty of time once we got through security (interesting note - in RDU every passenger was going through the body scanner. At LGA? No body scanners in the US Airways terminal.). We checked the boards and everything was on time. We went to grab some dinner and in the 30 minutes we were eating apparently all hell broke loose and when we checked the board on the way to the gate flights were getting delayed and cancelled like crazy. We checked on my phone when we actually got the gate and it didn't take long to realize we weren't going to make our connection. We ended up getting rebooked on a direct flight to RDU that wasn't going to leave until 9:40. To make long story shorter we didn't take off until 1am, landing at RDU at 2:15am! Crazy! But I was glad to get home to my babies.

It was a wonderful weekend! The weather, while cool and sort of gray was perfect - no sweating! I can't thank my husband enough for going through the effort to make some time for ourselves and planning the trip. I can't thank my sister in law and mother in law enough for their help with the kids. And I can't thank my friends enough who helped out in pulling off the surprise! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! xoxo

How Long Before Child Services Calls?

2011-05-11T20:51:00.000-04:00

It's pretty sad when the children's ER doctor starts to recognize you. Just ask my husband who has been 2 times in as many months. I'm sure we all remember Jacob and The Clipboard Incident of 2011. Today it was Lily's turn. We'll call it the See Saw Incident of 2011. Here's how it all went down and how I totally lost my Mother of Year badge for the 1000th time this year.

It was about 2:20 and I was on the phone booking a Disney vacation for a fabulous client. We'd already been disconnected once (darn you Sprint) so we were chatting on the house phone. My cell phone starts ringing but I ignore it (and here's where I lose the badge). I notice the number looks like it could be school but I get calls from school all the time that PTA related. So I figure I'll finish with Wendi and call back since they left a message. Then my house phone beeps but I'm on the phone. It's a business call so I ignore that too. And then The Text comes from Paul. "On my way to school. Lily had an accident" I get all flustered and become completely unprofessional and tell the client - oh my goodness can I call you back? Thankfully she has kids and I think understood my panic. All I could think about was how much Lily loves the monkey bars and that for sure it was broken arm. I call Paul and he doesn't know anything - just that she got hit in or near the eye. At first the teacher said it was a bad bruise then said go ahead and come get her. So off he went. Thank God he was in town. Thank God he was just having an office day. Thank God he answered his phone in his office, which he doesn't always do. I tell him to call me as soon as he knows something. So I call Wendi back and Bless Her Heart she's so understanding and we get her trip booked. Paul calls me and says he's talked to our next door neighbor The Doctor (Thank God for him!) and was advised to take her to the ER. He tells me she looks bad and that the eye is nearly swollen shut. I panic. Start blubbering about will she go blind, will she ever see again. And Paul calmly says she'll be fine..she can see...just making sure but she'll be fine. Thank God he's the calm one. I get to school to get Emma and Paul sends a text that she's fine. Just a surface wound. Phew....Thank God. The sweet teacher running carpool asked how she was and when Emma got in the car she knew Lily had an accident but didn't really know the extent of what had happened. She was mildly concerned for her sister. But then at dinner kept saying she needed an eye patch. Nice.

Paul gave Lily some TLC this afternoon while I was at gymnastics and dance with the other girls. When I got home I finally got to see The Eye. Great heavens is it Swollen! Purple! Black! Blue! I haven't seen that many shades of purple and blue since I watched Saturday Night Fever. It's quite swollen but otherwise she's in good spirits. She got a goody bag at the hospital so I pretty much think that made the whole thing worth it for her. I finally got to ask her what happened. Apparently she and 2 friends were playing with (not on) the see saw and someone hit it a little too hard and Lily was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got nailed right above the eye. Who knew see saws were such enemies.

Mothers Day

2011-05-09T14:28:00.002-04:00

I hope all my wonderful mom friends had an great Mothers Day - full of things you love and people you love! My family had the day very special starting off with Paul making Red Velvet Pancakes for breakfast! Yummy! He makes pancakes most Sunday mornings but he surprised me with Red Velvet ones yesterday. We headed off to church early (the volunteering doesn't end) and afterwards we went to a great lunch at Georgina's. I love that place because a. it has great garlic knots and most importantly b. it's never that busy and I don't have to worry so much about the kids making too much noise. We sat outside, beside another family of 6 so no worries on the loud factor. After we got home Jacob napped and the girls told me to go upstairs where I holed myself in my room reading and watch Mad Men season 3 on DVD. Oh it was lovely! The girls were putting together a special dessert and wanted to surprise me. I was happy to oblige! After nap we went strawberry picking where Jacob keep sneaking off to eat berries. I'm sure there are still some in his pockets. After berry picking we had a pre-dinner treat at The Skinny Dip frozen yogurt - free for moms! Then we went home played outside and Paul grilled steaks for dinner. A great day!!

What a week!

2011-05-06T16:27:00.002-04:00

Whew...it's been a week. You know those weeks where you have 10 million things to do and remember and places to be. And you are just so thankful when Friday rolls around because even though Saturday is packed with running around at least you don't have to pack lunches. One of those weeks. It's been a fun week. Just busy.

It was Teacher Appreciation Week at our elementary school so we had things to remember to do every day for the teachers. We also "adopted" a non-classroom teacher so we had to remember her each day too. The PTA planned some really fun things for our teachers like breakfast, hand massages, mini-manicures, decorating staff bathrooms, a cinco de mayo party, an Appreciation Squad event and luncheon. It was all tons of fun and I think the teachers really appreciated all we did for them. The Cinco de Mayo party was lots of fun - we served non-alcoholic margaritas in the lounge along with all kinds of chips and salsa. The only complaint I heard was that there was no tequila in the margarita's! Ha! We also had a Volunteer Luncheon where the teachers made food for all the volunteers. They are some good cooks! It was delicious. We also had Kindergarten Orientation last evening so I had to be there to talk for a minute about PTA. It was so cute to see the little ones coming to school next year. I can't believe that next year I will be bringing Julia to the orientation - seems like only yesterday that we took Emma!

A highlight for the week was the Mother's Day Tea at preschool. I look forward to it every year! It's always so, so sweet and Julia was so excited about it. The class sang "You are my Sunshine" to the moms - oh the cuteness!!

And today I had the opportunity to talk to a MOPS group about Disney. It was so much fun! One of my clients invited me and I loved it! They were the nicest group of moms and my kids had a great time in "moppets"!

Tomorrow is a full day of girl scouts and birthday parties but hopefully Sunday will be some rest. I have 3 books I am dying to read and counting on Sunday to at least get to one of them!!

Keep Going

2011-05-03T13:04:00.002-04:00

Conversation with Emma (8) last night:

Em: Mom, I'm just like the Soul Surfer..

Me: Really? Do tell..

Em: I got hit in the face with the soccer ball at recess today but I'm going to keep going. I'm still going to play soccer tomorrow at school...just like the Soul Surfer kept going.

Me: Good for you!

A good character lesson for us all.....

The Royal Wedding!!

2011-05-01T21:05:00.003-04:00

Well yall know I was completely obsessed with The Royal Wedding. I happen to love the Royals - it just completely fascinates me - add that to the fact that it was my anniversary TOO and well, let's just say I was super excited to watch it! And it did not disappoint. I loved it, LOVED it, loved it!! Thankfully I found some friends who also were excited to watch and they came over for my Royal Wedding Viewing Party. We had wedding dresses, veils, cocktail dresses, crazy hats and some good eats (and about 20 kids running around). I had dvr'd E's coverage which was pretty good. The kids running around distracted from the wedding some but it was still great to watch. Some of the little girls were really into it and some not so much. Mostly they really wanted to see Kate walk down the aisle and The Kiss. Emma was also fascinated with Pippa who she thought was just as pretty as Kate. She acted like she wasn't all that interested but then told me "you have to save it for Lily to watch." Ha. Saturday I watched the TLC special: The Royal Wedding Encore which I have to say was great. Cut 5 hours of coverage into less than 2...think I'll save that for Lily.

Of course I have lots of thoughts about the wedding:

1. Kate was just stunning, beautiful., flawless, confident, poised, elegant...perfection.

2. William looked completely confident too - not nervous at all.

3. Her parents on the other hand? Looked pretty nervous - with good reason!

4. Pippa - wow - she is gorgeous too. And that dress..wow - whoever her tailor is deserves a raise. And how cute was she with those little flower girls/bridesmaids???

5. How 'bout the pouty flower girl in the carriage - cuteness abounds!

6. Don't you just want to go get a drink with Prince Harry - seriously how fun does he look? And speaking of getting drinks -poor Chelsy- she looked liked she had a big night Thursday.

7. The Hats. The HATS. Interesting is an understatement. The Hats could be it's own show. It's a wonder there were no injuries as a result of a Hat.

8. The Crowd out in front of the palace - wow - it looked liked Times Square at New Years!

9. Those little boys in the same uniform as William - how cute! I totally think my bff should make her fiance and Jacob were that for her wedding!

10. Kate's dress was gorgeous - loved the long sleeves - I expected her to be in something more fitted but I thought her dress looked very "princessy" I bed knock-offs are already in the stores.

Now onto Royal Baby Watch!

Royal Wedding Fever

2011-04-25T14:44:00.003-04:00

Did anyone see The Middle last week? The mom, Frankie, was obsessed with the Royal Wedding...While I am not that crazy about it (well..at least not yet) I do admit that I have Royal Wedding fever. I'm so, so excited for The Royal Wedding this week! I remember getting up while it was still dark to watch Dianna marry Charles (thank God we have DVR now so we don't have to do that) and ever since then I've been fascinated by The Royal Family. I remember being deathly ill at my BFF's parent's house in Ohio when Princess Diana died. So sad.

I think I'm also a little partial because Friday also happens to be my anniversary. How lucky for them that they will share an anniversary date with me and Paul!!

My plan is to DVR as much coverage as I can find. I'm not settled yet on which network I think will deliver the best coverage. Any thoughts? So, I'll DVR it all and I want to have a Royal Wedding Viewing Party that evening. Paul (fortunately for him??) will be away over the weekend with Lily (so sad that she will miss this) so it's just me and the other kiddos. I'm planning on serving all British-inspired food, tea and of course, cake. I'd like to dress up and wear a fancy hat or maybe my wedding veil(?) and I'm trying to encourage Emma to do the same but she's not quite on board with that yet. I'm also thinking that I may need to come up with a Royal Wedding inspired cocktail?

We'll see how all this comes together and if you live by me - feel free to come! The more the merrier!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T21:22:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter! We had such a fun Easter weekend! Yesterday our family was reunited for the first time in 2 weeks - yay! We had planned to go to church last night - we've done Easter service on Saturday night for the past couple of years..it's sort of strange but it works - and we invited some of our good friends, the Keeley's to come along with us. Between us we have 8 kids so we are quite something walking in together - ha! The husbands got the seats (wow was church crowded) while Erin and I got all the kids settled - thankfully 3 of our kids all went the same rooms. After church we came back to our house for a cookout. It was so fun to hang out with them and the kids all played and played and we ate and ate - fun times!

This morning we woke up to find that indeed Easter baskets had been left. Lily was thrilled to get "Diary of A Wimpy Kid" a book she's been wanting forever...seeing her face light up when she saw it in her basket was priceless! I still had to serve at church this morning so Paul and the kids dropped me off so I could hang out with some of my favorite kindergarteners. They picked me up right after church and we went out to Paul's mom's for her annual egg hunt and brunch. We were excited to have Aunt Mimi and Waggy there and Paul's Aunt Judy and cousin Kevin. We had a great brunch and then the kids set off for the egg hunt. Lots of candy and treats to be found!

We got home put Jacob down for a nap and the girls and I headed down to our neighbor's for an Easter gathering. More food, friends and fun! Paul and Jacob joined us after he woke up from his nap. It was a great way to spend the afternoon!

A great holiday weekend!! Back to routine this week - here we go!

Track Out Fun

2011-04-23T09:25:00.003-04:00

My kids go to a year round school so every 9 weeks (or so) we have 3 (or so) weeks off. We love, love this schedule - it works great for my kids and our family. We are wrapping up our last track out of this school year (holy crap has it flown by) with one more day off on Monday and then back to school on Tuesday for their last quarter. For the first time since I've had elementary school kids and preschool kids the April track out and Spring Break coincided so we actually had an honest to goodness week off of school for everyone! How fabulous to not have to drive ANYONE to school this past week!

We've had a really fun track out and it's flown by. Like flown by fast enough that I'm *almost* not ready to go back to the daily grind (though by Tuesday I'm sure I'm won't be able to get the older girls to school fast enough). Over this track out Paul and I got to get away for a couple days (thanks again Mom and Aunt Pam), Emma spent nearly 2 weeks at Camp Gagi, I got to spend to spend a lot of time with my Lily, Lily read lots of fairy books, we had some fun with neighbors, played outside A LOT and we all got to spend a few days at the beach with my mom.

Emma had a great time at Camp Gagi! They got to do some really fun, cool things and she got spoiled completely rotten! I am so blessed that mom is able to take the kids for vacations - it helps SO much and means so much to the kids. The house was really different with Emma gone for so long. We missed her a ton but I'm not sure the feeling was mutual - I think she rather liked being the only child and getting all of Gagi's attention!

I brought the other kids down to the beach on Tuesday and we had a nice few days down there all together. We did a little shopping, a lot of swimming and some playing on the beach. Jacob absolutely loved the beach! He loved the ocean, the sand - all of it! I think half the beach is in my van! Can't wait to take him back when it's warmer!

Bloody Mary

2011-04-12T20:57:00.002-04:00

So maybe you remember that urban legend that if you go in the dark bathroom in the night and say "Bloody Mary" three times and turn around that "Bloody Mary" will show up in the mirror. Are you with me? Apparently some little snot at gymnastics told Lily this story and she repeated it to all her sisters one night a few months ago. Well it put the fear of all that is holy in Julia and for weeks she refused to go anywhere in the house by herself. She'd randomly break out in tears that Bloody Mary" is going to get me. Forget it if she had to go to the potty after dark and the light wasn't on in the bathroom. Paul tried several times to put an end to the drama, and we both took turns going in the bathroom, demonstrating the chant and showing them that there is no. such. thing. as. Bloody. Mary. It took forever but they finally got over it and I haven't heard them mention it all lately. Until tonight and here's the conversation that went down:

Jacob (2): I need my paci, come 'stairs with me.

Me: Go up yourself if you want it (I know..mother of the year)

Jacob: No, I scared

Julia (4): What are you scared of Bloody Mary? You think Bloody Mary gonna get you?

Me: (eye rolling) Julia, you know there's no such thing as Bloody Mary

Jacob: Right, Bloody Mary is just a drink

Well....at least someone was listening.

Observations from the Masters

2011-04-06T21:13:00.002-04:00

Paul and I are so lucky to have such an awesome family. A few weeks ago my dad offered us some tickets to the Masters practice round. Now I'm not a huge golf fan but I know enough to know that the Masters is one of the most famous tournaments of the year and that Augusta National is one of the most famous golf courses in the country. So we said yes please! We had some child logistics to work out but the stars aligned and my mom and my Aunt Pam were able to tag team and help us out with the kids. It also worked out beautifully that Paul had a stores to audit in Augusta so he was able to work while we were gone.

We left Monday morning and headed down to GA. I was hoping to be able to check into the hotel early and then Paul could get to his store. He asked me: Are you sure you just want to sit in the hotel?" Me: "YES! TV! Bed! Shower! No kids! Silence! Why would I not?" But unfortunately the rooms were not ready so I got to hang out at Walmart for a few hours. After which my husband actually wondered why I had purchases. Seriously? Did he expect me to walk around a new, clean Walmart for 2 hours and walk away empty handed. Does he not know me at all? Anyways..I digress. He worked. I shopped. We finally got to the hotel. We went to Chang's (I know sort of lame to go to a big chain but I love Changs and we never go there). I noticed on the way to dinner that there was an honest to God Christmas Tree Shops in Augusta. I can't tell you how happy I was about this! I haven't been in a CTS since we left MA and I have been in withdrawal. I mean the bargins! The cheap goodness! The stuff I never knew I needed! I begged and begged Paul to take me after dinner and we actually did need sunscreen. He caved and we went. I was happy. And the treasures! Exciting!

There were terrible storms in Augusta Monday night and unfortunately we woke up to no power at the hotel Tuesday morning. Which meant no hot water and no breakfast. Boo hoo. But it was still nice to relax that morning. The day was nice but it was really, really windy and a little cool. We made it to the golf course late morning. And to get to the point of the actual blog post here are some Observations from the Masters from a non-golfer perspective:

1. There are no cell phones allowed on the grounds of the golf course. There are about 10 million signs reminding you of this and remarkably I didn't see one person challenge this. Apparently if they find you with a phone they will confiscate it and ban you and the person who got you the ticket from the Masters for life.

2. There are A LOT of people at the practice rounds. I mean A LOT. Thousands and thousands.

3. Augusta National Golf Course is unbelievably beautiful. The grounds are impeccably maintained. Absolutely gorgeous.

4. If you are a single lady get yourself to the Masters (or probably any golf tournament). I think the guys outnumbered the ladies about 4:1

5. This is the only event I have ever been to where the line for the ladies room is shorter than the lines to the mens room.

6. Food is cheap at the tournament. Merchandise is not.

7. I have never seen so many people in one place as was in the golf shop late in the afternoon. Wall to wall does not begin to describe it.

8. They give you a great spectator guide when you check in. This is very helpful if you aren't too sure who the golfers are.

9. Fortunately the caddies wear the name of the golfer they are caddying for on their backs. This is very helpful.

10. We sadly did not see Tiger Woods. He and Mickleson did not play yesterday due to the windy conditions. Bummer. They were some of the few we knew.

We got home today and the kids were great. They were very well taken care of my dear sweet aunt had cleaned the house AND done laundry. So lucky I am..so lucky!!!

Pocket Full of ????

2011-03-31T14:13:00.002-04:00

Jacob (our 2 1/2 year old) is really into putting things into his pockets. He insists on wearing pants with pockets every day. If he deems the pockets not deep enough he will request to change. You can not begin to imagine what he keeps in his pockets. Though the contents vary it looks something like this: car, plastic coin, real coin, duck from his train set, eraser, matchbox car, ketchup packet, bouncy ball, trash and a Barbie hairbrush. I kid you not. This is what he dug out of his pockets last night before his shower. He set it all on his "counter" (the dresser in his room) as he was undressing. This morning as soon as we was dressed he went over to the counter and shoved it all back in his pockets for today. This kid cracks me up.

Next Step: Bubble Wrap

2011-03-23T21:01:00.003-04:00

Paul graciously stayed home with Jacob this morning so I could go to a PTA meeting at school. I attend my meeting and pick up Julia and her bff, Preston, at preschool and bring them to our house. As I walk in the door I immediately hear the sounds of a sobbing toddler. I couldn't even get out the words "what's wrong" when Paul says "I think I need to take him to Urgent Care." And then I notice The Gash in Jacob's head and help get them out the door. I try to get the story about what happened as they are leaving. All I can gather is that Jacob was playing with a clipboard and somehow he fell (and close your eyes if you're squimish) and the metal part of the clipboard cut his head. Deeply. They head up to the Duke Urgent Care that's conveniently located about 3 minutes from our house. At the rate we're headed we'll continue to be grateful for this. The doc there checks out the wound and suggests Paul take Jacob to the ER so that doctors with more experience with stitches can attend to it. Apparently when doing stitches for deep wound in a toddler it's best to sedate them and they couldn't do it at that office. I suggest they go to UNC Children's Hospital. Our wonderful next door neighbor works there so Paul called him and he met them at the ER and kept them company for a while. Turns out he did need stitches - got 2 of them in fact. I guess it could have been much, much worse and thankfully that's all that he needed. Phew. But Paul spent 4 hours at the ER and missed a dinner meeting. Oops.

Of course this is our 2nd trip to the ER in a year and a half. Boy is only 2 1/2! Third trip to the doctor regarding a face laceration. I've lost count of the number that didn't require an emergency trip to the dr. The doctor said to keep the steri strips on the wound which Paul said he had peeled off before leaving the parking lot. He also said not to get the area wet which Jacob poured water on his head tonight. And he said to try to keep him from getting any head injuries for a few weeks as the area will be tender. Clearly we need a helmet. Or bubble wrap. And better insurance.

Potty Training Tips

2011-03-21T13:58:00.003-04:00

A friend of mine recently asked via Facebook status for books on Potty Training. I said I'd message her some of my tips but thought...why not just blog it. I've successfully potty trained 3 girls (and by successfully I mean that none of them have/or will start Kindergarten in diapers), I've got a few tips. I have potty training on my to-do list with Jacob and I'm hoping by sorting out some of my thoughts on the matter it might motivate me to move that further up on the list. I've been buying diapers for more than 8 years - I'm done!

I have to admit I got tickled at my friends request for book suggestions. I remember, being that first time mom and wanting to get a parenting book on every subject. I read books, searched websites and joined discussion boards. The more kids I had and the older I got the less I relied on those methods but more on other parents and my own experiences.

So in regards to potty training here are some things I learned:

1. It takes two - the child has to be ready and the parent has to be ready. As a parent you have to be prepared for staying home, dirty laundry and frustration.

2. Getting dressed - your child should at least be able to pull their own pants up and down. It will just make it a lot easier for both of you.

3. It's helpful if your child can utter a few words. Full sentences? Not necessarily but they need to be able to tell you when they need to go.

4. Each child is different - some are easy to train. Some are darn near impossible. Some children are stubborn and not going in the potty is one way they are exercising their control. Some will pick it up right away and some not so much. Only you know your child. I have found that the children I pushed it with did not respond so well.

5. Try to make it their idea - toddlers and preschoolers love for "it" to be their idea - "it" being anything. If you can get them to buy into potty training and that it's their idea I think there is more success.

6. Sticker charts - never worked for me. Good for you if they did but it didn't work for me. Candy - that worked especially for my candy-aholics (of which Jacob is definitely one - that kid will do nearly anything for candy - hope this works for me in regards to potty training).

7. Pull ups are a scam - I mean really they are just pull on diapers. Don't get me wrong - I used them for night time but as far as helping your child train - I didn't buy it. Go cold turkey in underwear. You want your child to feel uncomfortable if they wet themselves. Keep in mind - some kids don't seem to care but for some it's a big deal.

8. I say portable potties are for the car - at home use the big potty. Be sure to have a step-stool at the toilet and toilet seat for kids to go on the big potty. I think those little potties are gross - who wants to clean it - yuck! When we were in the midst of training I kept one in my car and bags to line it with but I never used it for actual training - only emergencies.

9. If at first you don't succeed then let it go for awhile and come back when your child is ready. With 2 of mine I tried and tried with no luck. I quit and few months later they decided on their own they were ready. Those are my 2 with the fastest success and fewest accidents.

10. And finally - be prepared to know every potty of every restaurant, store and park you frequent. My kids still feel the need to scope out every bathroom every where we go.

Got any tips that worked great for you? How about you boy moms..any helpful hints?

It's List Thursday!

2011-03-17T21:02:00.002-04:00

Feeling the need to blog but no real interesting story so some random thoughts for this St. Patrick's Day.

1. I had a thought to have a green food day today, on St. Patrick's Day but I never made it to the store. So we started the day with green milk and some green muffins that were a total fail and no one liked. We ended with homemade Shamrock Shakes which were totally a hit.

2. Did you know you that Kidz Bop and the Glee Soundtracks have almost identical songs?

3. My 4 year old now knows all the words to "Firework". See #2.

4. It's A LOT easier to understand the lyrics on Kidz Bop. As in, did you know they say "Gotta let go" and not "Galileo" on the song Dynamite? Yeah...I knew that too.

5. Those darn Kidz Bop songs are pretty catchy and will stick in your head ALL. DAY. LONG. Especially when your 4 year old requests Firework every 5 minutes.

6. I love, love, love when the kids can play outside. It makes everyone happier.

7. Paul's due back tonight after a long week of travel. It's been 3 weeks of almost constant travel. I am tired. And thankful for the weekend coming up.

8. My 8 year old must never talk at school because she DOES NOT stop talking from the time I pick her up until she goes to sleep. How does anyone have that much to say?

9. The kids running club starts up at school tomorrow. I'm so thankful they are interested in doing any activity that involves running - though I realize their purpose is mostly social - it's really hard to get up and get to school 30 minutes earlier. And yes I realize that our 9:15 start time is late. And yes, we are spoiled.

10. Have I mentioned how my 2 year old is a pocket hoarder? No? That's a story for another time but let's just say he's obsessed with a: having pockets and b: stuffing them full of random, random stuff. Like cars, trash, erasers, bouncy balls, candy...anything that will fit. Every night has to put all his treasures on his dresser. One day I need to take a picture..it will crack you up.

Celebrate Turning 8!

2011-03-13T21:26:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was my little girl's 8th birthday (sniff, sniff). I can't believe she's 8..seriously 8 seems so old...HOW did that happen?? She has been asking for months to have a sleepover party for her birthday. Paul & I were back and forth on it - I wanted her to do what she wanted for her birthday but at the same time - we already have 4 kids...did I really want 6 more in our house? After talking to another mom at Brownies I got the idea to do the party at a local Embassy Suites. It seemed like a great idea - the girls could play in the pool and tire out (ha!), the little kids could sleep uninterrupted and we didn't have to clean up! Winning! And, did you know Embassy Suites have really good weekend rates? Emma was crazy excited about the idea and could not wait until the big day arrived! And thankfully my bff, Erin, agreed to chaperone the party with me!

Finally it was the 12th! She's 8! She started the day with a Brownie Fun Day with her Brownie troop. She happens to share a birthday with the Girl Scouts so it was a fun morning celebrating. We had a yummy lunch and then she got her first gift, (finally) Dad agreed to ear piercing! We took the girls to the mall and Paul let Em and Lily both get their ears pierced (I'll do a separate post on this)! Very exciting!! After we got back home the kids could not stand another minute at home - they were ready to head to the hotel to swim so Paul took them over while Erin and I did last minute party prep.

Our kids got some fun time in the pool and then it was time for the friends to arrive. We'd invited 7 girls but 2 couldn't make it. We had planned to have pizza, presents and cupcakes then Paul would take the 3 younger children home. The girls seemed to enjoy dinner and Emma got some nice gifts (books! flip flops! Justice gift card!). Once Paul and the little ones left we got into our swimsuits and headed down to the pool. The pool was great - it had a fun water play area for the little kids, it was only 3 1/2 feet deep at the deepest point and there was a hot tub. Unfortunately the pool was sort of busy but the girls didn't seem to mind. Apparently we weren't the only ones who thought this party was a great idea! We swam for a while and then headed back the room. The girls got in their jammies, had some snacks, watched some TV and we painted nails! So girly and fun! Around 11:30 I made the girls go into the bedroom to get in bed. I allowed them to watch TV for a while in bed. At midnight I asked them to turn the TV off. That's when things got a little more challenging - you know there were some girls who wanted to go to sleep, some who wanted to talk, one wanted the light on, one didn't...blah..blah..blah.. We worked it out but those girls giggled and chatted for what seemed like forever! Finally at 1am (or 2am since I so brilliantly planned a sleepover party on time change night) I told them they had to quiet down and go to sleep. It just took a few more minutes and finally everyone was out! Unfortunately the sleep was short lived - Emma was the only one who got up but she ended up sleeping with me for most of the night. They were up and giggling by 8am. They were so cute all in the bed together! I had said an end time of 9am so we didn't have too much time to hang out this morning. The Embassy Suites includes a full breakfast so we headed down to eat. It took a while to get all 6 of them food but finally they were eating and parents began to arrive!

All in all it was a fun party. The girls were super sweet and I can't say enough about how well behaved they were and how well they listened. Their excitement was contagious! They were all kind to one another and generally fun to be around! I think we're all tired today but to be expected. Most importantly I think Emma has a great birthday!!

My Favorite

2011-03-08T13:44:00.002-05:00

Overheard:

Julia (4): Jakey, do you like my shirt (Chipettes t-shirt)?

Jacob (2): Yeah

Julia: Who's your favorite?

Jacob: Jesus

Love it!

Time Marches On

2011-03-01T14:33:00.003-05:00

Dear 2011,

What is your rush? I mean mere days ago it seemed like we just ushered you in. And now you are charging forward without giving any regard to those of us who are struggling to keep up. I mean how did you get to March 1 so quickly? I feel like I blinked and Jan and Feb both passed. Don't get me wrong plowing through the winter months is OK and it makes me happy to get toward Spring but let's not rush too quickly, please. Let's try to enjoy the budding flowers and warm, sunny days. Please do not let that bully Summer ruin things by trying to come too early and staying too long. Don't rush any more we all know 2012 will be here before we know it. Thankyouverymuch.

Love,

Someone who would like time slow down just a little...pretty please....

This One's for You, Nana Cheryl

2011-02-24T17:03:00.002-05:00

I know I've been a horrible blogger lately. You'd think with 4 kids and a bff getting married I'd have a ton of material but I guess lately we've been sort of boring. And busy. Between my Disney work, PTA, church, kids activities and Girl Scout Cookies I feel like I've been underwater lately and am just now coming up for air. Here's a quick recap of what's been going on in our lives:

1. Homework. It sucks. Seriously how do I hate homework more now than when I was a kid? Oh yeah because my kids are way too tired, mentally, when they get home from school to care about homework. They fight, gripe, complain and whine about work that is most definitely not too hard for them. Why??? Again, I think it's because they are tired. But seriously...any parent who thinks their kids don't have enough homework can come do it with my kids any time. Homework makes me dread my kids getting older.

2. Language Explosion. The 2 year old has had an incredible language explosion. It's crazy how much he's talking. Also? Anyone who said boys don't talk as much as girls lied. He chatters all day long. All day. And loudly.

3. Girl Scout Cookies. Having 2 girls selling girl scout cookies is hard work. Getting all the orders delivered is harder work. Keeping the money organized? Nearly impossible. Not that this is a surprise but I am no math genius.

4. Disney Work. I am SO thankful that I have actually been busy with Disney work! I've gotten some great referrals lately and it's so much fun. Unfortunately my housework is suffering but oh well. I am apparently the only person who notices when things are dirty anyways. Hopefully one day I'll make enough to pay for a cleaning service.

5. PTA - Phew...the PTA is super fun but we've been busy lately. We're launching a huge fundraising program on Monday called Boosterthon. Then things will slow down. But I'm super excited about the program and can't wait to kick it off.

Bringing Home the Bacon

2011-02-15T21:09:00.002-05:00

I got my first paycheck today!! Wahoo! It's been a long time since I've had a real paycheck and it's exciting! I'm having a great time with my Disney travel agent gig. It's So. Much. Fun. I've met some great people and reconnected with some old friends because of it. I am EXTREMELY grateful for all the support of my friends and family. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your words of encouragement and most of all your referrals! And to those of you who have booked trips through me I am eternally grateful for helping me get started! So, thank you, thank you, thank you!!

If you want to plan a trip to Disney or sail the Disney seas let me know!!

He Needs a Helmet!

2011-02-13T22:12:00.003-05:00

It's a good thing we have insurance. This poor kid is forever getting injuries, most often to his head. Poor thing. Hopefully that smile will make up for all the scars that will be on his head!

Family Dynamics

2011-02-04T14:02:00.002-05:00

My 4 year old went to spend a long weekend with her grandmother leaving a little void in our family of 6. She was super excited to get her own time with Gagi and I don't blame her. When you live in a larger size family it's not too often that you don't have to share something or someone.

I always find it interesting how when one of our munchkins is away the family dynamics change. First, it's SO SO much quieter when one is gone. Like amazingly quieter. Doesn't matter which kids is gone it's just quieter. The sibling dynamics are different too. Perhaps there's less fighting (that depends on who is gone) or there's more bonding between different siblings than usual. It's just different. I suspect we aren't the only family who notices the changes but again, I find it fascinating every time.

As "quiet" as it is with one gone we are always ready for that child to return home. The family just doesn't feel complete with one missing. So while I hope my Julia has a wonderful time with Gagi I'll be really ready to see her on Sunday afternoon!

I Just Have to Share

2011-01-31T15:04:00.002-05:00

One of the things that keeps me organized is having a menu/meal plan for the week. I just have to have a plan. I'm so not one of those open the fridge at 5pm to see what I can come up with for dinner. That said one of my least favorite weekly chores is coming up with said plan. And I bet I'm not alone. It's just time consuming to flip through cookbooks and search websites for kid-friendly, fairly easy (I'm no chef) and healthy recipes. And for some reason my family just won't eat the same 7 meals each week. I was recently tweeting about my annoyance with this Sunday chore and one of my tweeps (thankyouverymuch @knoxsarah) suggested I check out e-mealz.com. So, since I was on the 'net anyways I clicked on over. And what did I find? The holy grail of menu planning my friends!! One click and I was in love!!

Let me tell you about this FABULOUS FABULOUS website. You pick a meal plan based on your family's needs - they have general family, couples, low fat, low carb, gluten free, Weight Watchers - old and new points menus to chose from WITH corresponding grocery stores. For example, I chose Weight Watchers new points program Walmart. I click on my menu and viola: a weeks worth of food and a shopping list customized for Walmart right on my screen. People, it's freaking genius! Now, the only catch is that you do have to pay for it - I had a coupon and paid $12.50 for a 3 month subscription. I tell you though - it's Worth. Every. Penny. The plan shows 7 meals and they are designed to feed 6 people - for us that's perfect. I think 7 meals is a bit too many - I do like to go out at least once during the week so I do between 5 and 6 meals depending on what's going on.

So..if you are like me and like having a meal plan but find the planning process draining then check it out. You can click right here. What are you waiting for?

Sick Day

2011-01-27T14:34:00.002-05:00

It was bound to happen sooner or later. We haven't had it in awhile. The stomach bug hit our house. It started with Julia on Monday night. Thankfully it moved fast through her. After 48 hours of no one else getting sick I thought we were in the clear. Wrong, so wrong I was. I was sitting at dinner last night when I got The Text. The one that all mommies dread. It went something like this: Emma threw up twice. Ugh. Immediately my thought is "crap, she can't go to school tomorrow" (you see I've had them home for FIVE weeks...they JUST went back to school on Monday). I love my children DEARLY but there has been A LOT of togetherness lately. So I get home and Paul says he's not feeling so great. Emma's comfortable and resting. Great. We go to bed and awaken at 1am with Lily: "mom...I just threw up all over my bathroom floor." She proceeded to be up seemingly every hour getting sick. Poor thing. About 5am Paul tells me he's been sick all night. Stomach Bug Tally: 4 total. Then this morning when I went to get Jacob up I realized that he too had succumbed to the bug. Final tally today: 5.

I'm the lone survivor and praying, hoping, wishing it remains that way! Thankfully the bug seems to be passing quickly. 2 of the kids today are much better and Lily has been able to keep food down today. I've been busying cleaning and Lysoling the house!

Four Years Ago

2011-01-23T20:31:00.005-05:00

Four years ago we lived in MA. It was the middle of winter. Paul was working an hour away from our house. I was 40 weeks pregnant with our 3rd child. I had begged and begged my OB to schedule an induction but it just never worked out. Thankfully my mom made the trip up 2 days before. I woke up in the middle of the night with contractions. I debated waking Paul up but decided to wait a little bit. Finally I decided it was time to to start timing the contractions. All of a sudden I heard (felt?) a POP. I got up...figured out it was my water breaking...and ran to the bathroom. I screamed at Paul to call the doctor. He was sleepy and couldn't get the numbers right - I had to yell the number like 3 times. I get myself together as he gathers a couple towels for the car. We got to the hospital about sometime after 3am. I walked into the ER and begged to please, please call for an epidural. I was already in a ton of pain. I got up to room, they assessed that yes, I was in active labor and they went to work getting my IV in, etc. All the while I'm begging for the epidural. Finally it came. And about 20 minutes later I was fully dilated and it was time. And at 4:31am a beautiful, healthy 7lbs, 6oz baby girl was born.

It's hard to believe that 4 years have passed since Julia Claire entered our family. We've moved twice, had job changes and another baby. She is such a sweet, sweet girl. I could not love her more. I'm so thankful we get to be her parents and have her in our family. Happy Birthday Juju...we love you!!

Meeting the Fiance!

2011-01-16T20:38:00.004-05:00

My BFF, Erin, got engaged in October but since she lives in Ohio (boo hoo) we haven't had the chance to meet her new main squeeze. I've heard tons about him and we're Facebook friends, but I haven't met him in real life yet. She works in retail so it's not so easy for her to pick up and come down here and with me having 4 kids it's not so easy for us to pick up and head to Ohio. Anyways...we finally got the chance this weekend for her to bring him down. We haven't seen much of Auntie lately so the kids were beyond excited to have her come. They arrived around dinner time on Friday and we had a nice evening at home just catching up and getting to know Tom. He's super nice and they really seem to care a lot about one another.

Saturday Erin and I were anxious to dive into some wedding planning but first we humored the guys and went to lunch at The Pit (a BBQ restaurant in Raleigh that was apparently featured on one of those food shows). After lunch we dropped off the guys and headed to David's Bridal to start peeking around at Flower Girl dresses. The girls had a big time trying on every flower girl dress at Davids. I think she got some good ideas and some ideas on colors. We spent some time at home browsing dresses and other ideas on the 'net. She has a ton of great ideas and wow have things changed in 11 years!

It was a nice weekend and as always was great to visit with Auntie. It's going to be an interesting and fun time as she's planning the wedding!!

Sunday Funny

2011-01-09T21:18:00.002-05:00

I have been a very bad blogger lately! I just haven't had time to sit down and write. I'm going to try to get better - if I don't write down what we do or the funny things the kids do/say I'll never remember them in 10 years. Heck, let's be honest - 10 minutes is about as long as my memory lasts these days! Anyway, not too much going on...big kids are tracked out of school. Two more weeks until they go back. Paul's been traveling a TON for work. So basically my days involve saying things like this about 500 times: "keep your hands to yourself" "use your inside voice" "why are you shouting" "are you tattling?" "don't stand on the train table" "did you wash your hands" "it's not my so no I don't know where it is" "don't touch anyone for the rest of the day" While trying not to lose it before bedtime. Solo parenting is not for the weak. Lemme tell you.

Julia's been really cracking me up lately. Her new thing is to call Paul "old man" and "old dude." It cracks me up every single she says it. It all started the other night when we were waiting to pick up a pizza. So what happened was (I totally love ANY story that begins with those words) We had been out with the kids and asked them what they wanted for dinner. Lily suggested pizza and surprisingly everyone agreed. We happened to be right by a Dominos so we stopped by to see if they had any pizza ready. They didn't and the kids were starving but we decided to order one since they said only 8 minutes until it would be ready. So Paul goes in to order and comes back to sit in the van with us while waiting. The kids were somewhat quiet and watching a movie. All of sudden my 3 year old shouts from the back "get me some pizza you old man." Cracked me up. Like to the point of tears rolling down my face cracked me up. You have to sort of know my 3 year old to totally appreciate how funny it was but oh my goodness it was funny. Paul laughed too. A lot. Apparently she loved that we laughed so hard because she has not stopped calling him "you old man" and has also added "you old dude" to the mix. This afternoon we were Skyping with him and she said "what are you doing you old dude." I laughed again. Which made her laugh and Paul laugh. So funny that little girl..so funny.

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T22:22:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!! I hope you all have had a wonderful vacation. I take it by the number of status updates on Facebook lamenting the fact that holiday vacation week is over that you have! Our New Years was very quiet, uneventful and very good. We've been down a kid all week as Lily was spending part of her winter vacation at Camp Gagi (having no fun at all. Ha..seriously, kid's been so spoiled I'm not sure she'll ever want to come home). So we had a family movie night with the kids that were at home then Paul and I watched a grown up movie...played Angry Birds on our phones...flipped back and forth between New Year's shows..watched the ball drop and went to sleep at approximately 12:02. We are officially SO OLD.

All in all 2010 was a good year for us - it had it's moments like when Paul almost became unemployed but ended up just fine - I certainly can't complain. But I'm excited to have a new year upon us. We have lots of adventures coming up this year like a vacation for just Paul and I and my best friends's wedding!! This year will also be the year that Jacob turns 3 and I will, for the first time in 8 years that I don't have a toddler. I also so hope that we end this year diaper free (I can dream).

I hope that your New Year has started well and that you will have much joy, peace and happiness in 2011! Here's to another year!

Christmas!!!

2010-12-30T08:59:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We've had so much fun that I haven't had time to sit down and write about our wonderful holiday. I feel like we didn't do quite as much pre-Christmas fun as usual this year - throw in the mid-month trip to Jamaica and then the fact that 3 girls were in school until the 22nd the month flew by. Anyways we really kicked off Christmas celebration the Wed before Christmas when we had Dad and Nat over for dinner. We had a nice dinner (thanks Nat!) and then the kids opened their gifts. They were the first gifts the kids had gotten this year and wow..were they surprised, excited and spoiled! The next day we did our annual gingerbread houses. And let me add that every year I think this is a great idea but it never quite happens as great as I think/remember. Oh well...it's tradition. That night we met up with our good friends the Dickey's to go to the Lights on the Neuse. This is the 3rd year in a row we've gone with them to see a lights spectacular and so now it's become tradition. The kids loved it despite the frigid temperatures! Friday, Christmas Eve, Paul was off of work for the first time in perhaps our entire marriage! It was so nice to have him around. We have a tradition that the kids open 1 gift on Christmas Eve - always new pajamas and the kids were excited to open their gifts right after breakfast this year! The older girls are on to the tradition now and aren't surprised by the jammies but it's still fun. We delivered a gift to Paul's dad and enjoyed our only peppermint chocolate chip milkshake from Chickfila this holiday season! I cooked all day and we went to church for the Christmas Eve service in the late afternoon. That evening we welcomed Paul's family - his mom, her husband and his sister and friend over for dinner and gifts. Nana completely spoiled the children! The gift pile was neverending! The kids were beyond excited about all their fun new things. They made their Santa cookie plate and sprinkled reindeer food outside and finally went to bed with great anticipation!

Christmas morning the kids woke up about 7am which was later than I expected. We snuggled in the bed for about 45 minutes when they just couldn't take it anymore. We crept downstairs and indeed Santa had come! The kids were so excited! Santa was VERY good to us this year - including bringing me a new laptop!! We opened our stockings and played with our Santa gifts then Daddy made a big breakfast for us. After breakfast we opened the rest of our gifts! My family started arriving around 12:30...my aunt and 2 cousins came from Winston Salem and my mom and her husband came up from the beach. We enjoyed time together and a nice dinner and of course more gifts! More spoiling! The kids were super excited about everything they got! We'd been watching the weather all day in anticipation of the snow storm and with the impending winter weather my aunt decided to head home in the early evening. Smart move since we got about 6 or 7 inches of snow that night! My poor mom lost power at the hotel they were staying at (luckily it was right down the street) so they came to our house on Sunday and stayed until Monday afternoon when they headed back to the beach with Lily!

It's been a nice, relaxing week this week - cleaning and reorganizing, sleeping in....nice vacation so far!! Lily's having a GREAT time at Camp Gagi - I'm afraid she's not going to want to come home!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!

One of Those Days

2010-12-21T14:26:00.003-05:00

Ever have one of those days where you think I should just go to bed before anything else happens? Yesterday was one of those days for me. I dropped all the girls off at their schools and set upon a mission to get teacher gifts. It was a must do since it was Julia's last day of preschool and I needed to give the gifts when I picked her up. I headed straight to Carolina Pottery but when I pulled in the parking lot it was clear that they didn't open until 10. I mean seriously, it's 5 days before Christmas - who doesn't open before 10?? Well..Carolina Pottery..that's who. Ugh. Plan B...I headed to the mall grabbed a quick gift then went back to Carolina Pottery thinking surely I can find something for the teachers there. After searching for 45 and listening to Jacob loudly declare his impatience with shopping with me I found something. I ran home to wrap it and while there broke one gift. Annoying. But I had an extra so I made it to preschool and handed out the gifts.

I get home and commence bread baking. I wanted to make several batches of pumpkin bread for teachers, etc at the girls school. I also wanted to watch Survivor while I baked but discovered it wasn't on demand yet and I forgot to DVR it. So I pull it up on CBS.com and then decide to move the laptop to another spot so I could watch it and bake. This it where it all went bad. It's like on TV when something happens in slow motion and you want it to stop but it's too late and you can't. As I go to move the laptop (and cord since it only works when it's plugged in) it somehow slips out of my hand and crashes to the floor. And then I cried. Well first I picked it up thinking surely it's fine. Then I realized it wasn't. And I really cried. The screen is all jacked up - shaking and there is a nice starburst crack at the top. It's still somewhat usable but very hard to see. So sad.

I don't think Santa is up for buying me a new laptop so I'm going to have share my husbands when he's in town and the kids desktop. Bummer. I'm going to have to book some more Disney trips so I can buy myself a new one...anyone? Anyone?

Wedding Pictures

2010-12-16T10:45:00.000-05:00

As promised here is a slideshow of wedding pics!

Wedding!

2010-12-15T13:49:00.002-05:00

Paul and I were forced to escape the bitter cold last week and fly to Jamaica for my little brothers wedding. Such a rough life, right? Thursday morning we got up at 0'dark early and headed for the airport. Unfortunately for the body scan watchers I got selected for a body scan. Of course. (For the record, it wasn't that bad). We were delighted that the flight turned out to be on time and we headed for Miami. We had a nice 4 hour layover in Miami and after what felt like 6 hours we finally boarded our flight bound for Montego Bay! Once we landed in oh-so-warm Jamaica we were herded like cattle through immigration and luckily our 2 bags and my dad's 9 bags (yes, that's right 9...it's cheaper to bring stuff rather than ship stuff to Jamaica) all made it with no problems and no questions! My brother had arranged our airport transfers so we found our bus, popped open a Red Stripe (one of 3000 that were consumed by the guests of the wedding over the 4 days. Again..not kidding) and headed to our final destination: Negril.

The wedding was at a boutique hotel called The Rockhouse. A GORGEOUS location right on the cliffs of Negril. The hotel is small so all the guests couldn't stay at this one place. My mom was at a place called Tensing Pen and Paul & I stayed with my Dad, my aunt and a few of their friends at a villa right down the road. The villa was perfect. The scenery was stunning and we had a cook to prepare us meals. Can you say spoiled? It took longer than expected for us to arrive at the villa and shortly after we got there it was time to go to the Rockhouse for welcome cocktails. The welcome reception was being held poolside and there was some unbelievable wind that night so we didn't stay too long at the welcome. We were all exhausted after a super long travel day as well. We said some hellos and they left to go back to the villa for dinner!

Woke up Friday morning to a gorgeous day. I was so thankful to be able to sleep in! I rolled out of bed and onto the pool deck where I stayed for a while. I read, played scrabble and just generally laid by the pool until it was time for the wedding rehearsal. Paul, who can't sit still, explored around a little and jumped off a 24 ft bridge at my mom's hotel. My dad and I headed out for the rehearsal and after that I helped Natalie (my dad's wife) prepare for the big rehearsal dinner they were hosting later that evening. We finished that up and went up to dress up for the big night. We started the evening with a cocktail reception and then dinner, then dancing. The whole evening was really fun. A bunch of my brothers friends toasted (roasted?) him and then we all spent a lot of time on the dance floor. A super fun night!!

Saturday was wedding day! Again, the day was gorgeous - bright, sunny skies! Paul and I spent the morning exploring the little town where we were. We bought a few things for the kids at the roadside stands, got offered to buy some "Bob Marley" and had a BBQ lunch at our villa. Before we knew it was time to get ready for the ceremony. The ceremony was held on the restaurant deck of the hotel. It was a gorgeous setting. I promise to post some pictures. I was a reader in the wedding so I got to sit up front and see all the action up close! The wedding was supposed to start at 4:30 but apparently a little glitch in the make up area postponed it for a bit. We were starting to get a little nervous that Ginnie was going to jump on one of the party boats docked near us and get forget this whole deal but thankfully she didn't. She was a gorgeous, gorgeous (I realize I've typed that word a million times but really...she was) bride. She looked absolutely stunning. The ceremony was really sweet and the pastor who was a friend of Brad's did a great job. After the ceremony we enjoyed cocktails (hmm..I've typed that word a lot too) and then headed over to the pool for pictures. The pictures are sure to be beautiful with the sun setting behind them! The reception spot was decorated beautifully. They had a reggae band and DJ. There was a buffet dinner and the food was great. The evening was really a ton of fun!

We headed back home a little too early on Sunday morning but as it turns out we were glad to have left early since many of our friends ended up with flight delays! Our kiddos missed us but were well taken care of by my sister in law and mother and father in law. It was a wonderful weekend away...just what we needed in the middle of December. Coming back to this cold was not so fun though..not at all! Pictures coming soon!!

When I Grow Up

2010-12-08T14:26:00.001-05:00

I love 3 year old conversations. You just never know what they are going to say or where they are going to lead. I had this conversation with my 3 year old and her bff, Preston on the way home from school today:

Julia: When I grow up I'm going to be a teacher

Preston: Well...I'm going to me a dragon

Julia: Well then I'll be Jessie (as in cowgirl Jessie from Toy Story) and then when I'm a mom I'm going to go on a date.

Cracked me up....

Overheard

2010-12-07T08:13:00.002-05:00

We (finally thanks to my wonderful husband) got a Fisher Price Little People Nativity Set this year. I've been wanting one for years but unfortunately I never remember I want one until the holidays roll around and they are in short supply. Paul happened to be in a Target (gasp! I know!) one day well before Thanksgiving and saw one. He remembered how much I wanted one so he brought it home. I waited until we decorated for Christmas before setting it out and needless to say it's been a big hit this year especially with Julia.

Julia plays with them a lot and has incorporated the other Little People farm animals into the scene. It's quite a little scene she's got going on. The other night Paul comes upstairs laughing. He says I just heard Julia say this while playing with the Nativity:

"Hey Baby Jesus, What's up? You doin OK in that barn?"

Made me smile.

Let It Snow!

2010-12-06T21:48:00.006-05:00

Saturday we went to Rocky Mount to visit with my dad's wife's family (got that?). Every year her parents graciously invite us to their family Christmas celebration and it's always a good time so we go. My dad's wife's sister has 3 boys, 2 of which are around my kids ages so there is always a ton of fun to be had. We'd just seen them at Thanksgiving so the kids were even more acquainted and ready for action. There were also a couple other little girls there so there was no shortage of playmates. Emma had a dance performance that morning so my dad and Natalie took Lily and Julia up early and we met them there after the dance. Mrs. Crocker had rented a Mickey Mouse bounce house so the kids were in heaven. The only problem is that it was slightly chilly Saturday which caused more issues for the adults than the kids.

The forecast called for snow but 1..it's NC and 2. it's early Dec so I assumed the chance of seeing snow was pretty slim. I was wrong. About 3pm it started snowing, getting heavier and heavier! It was so beautiful! The perfect snow too - the kind that looks beautiful on the trees but doesn't mess up the roads or sidewalks at all. Mrs. Crocker built a fire outside and we roasted marshmallows and ate smores while the snow was falling. Gorgeous setting and so much fun! The kids loved, loved seeing the snow! It's really starting to feel like Christmas!

Breakfast with Santa

2010-12-06T12:00:00.001-05:00

We were so excited to find out our preschool was doing a breakfast with Santa! I decided to take the big girls too so they wouldn't miss out on any of the fun. Luckily Paul was in town so he was able to go with us. We get to the school and after a few minutes we get in line to eat. While we were in line Santa walked in! Lily, not so quietly, announces.."that's not the real Santa". Oh. My. Goodness. I was just praying none of the preschoolers or their moms around us heard her. We have had conversations about how sometimes Santa sends helpers out since Santa can't possibly be everywhere. She goes on to say that's not the real Santa...the real Santa is much, much taller. Turns out she thinks the "real" Santa is one of our neighbors who has been a Santa at our neighborhood party for the past couple of years!

We ate and a few minutes later it was our turn to see the Big Guy. We were a bit rushed to get them to school on time but everyone was very accommodating. Unfortunately Jacob had NO interest in sitting on Santa's lap - none. But Julia braved her fear of Santa and did it. I was so proud! Hopefully this was enough Santa spotting for the season!

O Christmas Tree

2010-12-05T16:40:00.002-05:00

I've been a horrible blogger lately! Just no time to sit down and blog. Which is a shame because I'll never remember stuff a few years from now! Anyway..last I checked in we had just gotten our tree from the beautiful tree farm. We got it in the house and up and Paul and I worked on the lights. Gracious...putting up Christmas lights is a true exercise in patience! Turns out 3 of our strands either didn't work at all or had only half the strand working. Needless to say the decorating of our tree was halted as a light run to Walmart had to be made before continuing the decorating. We also got stopped by this text from our neighbor: "hey want to come play the Michael Jackson experience with us?" Um? YES! So we went over and danced a little MJ. The best part of the game? It comes with a sequined white glove. So. Much. Fun.

We got down to serious decorating business Sunday night. Everyone was just so very helpful. And I might add that I'm very thankful that most of our ornaments are non-breakable. So the tree is up and decorated and oh so pretty to look at. Now if only I'd had the energy to decorate the outside before the temperatures plunged!

Red Barn Tree Farm

2010-11-28T14:22:00.004-05:00

Since we were in the mountains my dad's wife thought it would be fun to take all the kids to a Christmas tree farm to get their tree. Since we were going and had a van I suggested to Paul that we get ours too. His initial response was no - he wasn't sure about driving all the way home with a tree strapped to the top of the car. While we love a fresh tree the actual getting of the tree and getting it home can be sort of, challenging? The ride up to the farm was beautiful. It's been awhile since I've been to the mountains and I forgotten how stunning it can be.

I'd also forgotten how cold it can be on the side of the mountain. We got out of the car...holy wind! It was chilly! Unfortunately I wasn't very prepared and only had hoodies for the kids - oops! It was really neat to see the trees up on the mountainside. Once we saw the beautiful, fresh trees we started to change our mind about getting one there. And when they explained to us how well they can tie the trees on the car we were convinced. We went on a hayride (the wagon was designed as a sleigh) up to the top of the tree farm. We couldn't get over how beautiful the trees were - so full and big! We finally decided on our tree and I took the kids down to the Red Barn to get some hot chocolate and cookies while Paul waited for them to cut down our tree.

Sure enough they expertly tied the tree on the top of the car. It didn't budge on the entire ride home! Impressive! We got the tree in the house and wow - it's gorgeous - full and so fragrant! Hands down the best tree we've ever had. I hope this is a new holiday tradition!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-28T14:15:00.002-05:00

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of thanks, food and fun...we sure did! Our festivities started Wednesday afternoon when my mom, aunt and 2 cousins came in from Winston Salem. My brother and his girlfriend flew in from NYC. We enjoyed a pre-turkey day dinner of Chinese food. It was so nice to visit with everyone and my 15 year old cousin channeled her inner 8 year old and kept the girls entertained playing Barbies. So cute!

Thursday morning we met up with my brother and headed up to Asheville to spend the rest of the day with my dad and his wife and her family. There were 6 kids, ages 7 - 2 and 10 adults. It was a full house and very fun. The kids had a great time entertaining each other and playing Just Dance. My dad's wife is an excellent cook so our meal was oh so yummy!

It was so nice to spend time with my brother and my future sister in law (2 weeks until the wedding!) and our family. And since I didn't have to cook it was pretty relaxing!

Two for Tuesday

2010-11-16T14:41:00.002-05:00

1. I turned 37 last Friday. I can't believe I'm closer to 40 than 30, that I will have been out of high school for 20 years come the Spring. I vividly remember my parents turning 40..how can that almost be me?? I went to Walmart on Sunday and bought a bottle of wine. The cashier asked for my ID and when she checked my age she said "for real? I thought you were much younger" I think she's my new favorite person. But I think it's true what they say - 40 is the new 30 so really? I am just 27.

2. I'm unnaturally excited about Prince William getting married. A Royal Wedding Ya'll!! I remember as a kid (about my oldest daughter's age) getting up really, really early in the morning to watch Princess Diana and Prince Charles get married. I remember my best friend, Wendy Mitchell was at my house watching it with me. We played wedding forever after that. It also made me think that all weddings, including my own, needed to be that grand and beautiful. I look forward to watching this one with my girls. I know it's sort of shallow but I don't care..I love a wedding.

Thankful Thursday

2010-11-11T13:33:00.003-05:00

I'm feeling pretty thankful this beautiful Thursday afternoon. First, I'm thankful that's it's Veteran's Day and that we have a school holiday. I'm thankful I didn't have to get up early this morning and get 4 kids ready to drive to school. I'm thankful I didn't have to pack school lunches today. I'm thankful that it's 1:34pm and I'm still in jammies (I really am headed up to shower soon). I'm thankful that the sun is shining, that the sky is beautifully blue, that the temperatures are warm and that the leaves are beautiful. I'm thankful that we have playdate this afternoon with a dear friend we haven't seen in a while. I'm thankful that I get to go out tonight and play Bunco. I'm thankful that when I found Jacob naked in bed this morning with his diaper beside him that the diaper was only wet. I'm thankful Paul's on his way home from yet another trip but that means he's employed and that's good. Of course I'm super thankful for my kiddos, my family and our health. And finally, I'm very thankful for our Veteran's..the reason we have this wonderful mid-week holiday. We take far too much for granted the sacrifices our servicemen and women make for our country. Without them we wouldn't have the tremendous freedom that we do today. It doesn't seem like enough but many thanks...many thanks.

Family TV?

2010-11-09T21:02:00.002-05:00

I'm becoming increasing irritated about this topic as my children get older but honestly what has happened to all the good family TV shows? Cosby Show anyone? Family Ties? Silver Spoons? Full House? And...where are appropriate shows for kids ages 5 - 12? It seems there are tons of shows for the preschool set but let's face it once a child enters Kindergarten they quickly realize Dora is so not cool anymore. It seems the shows even on kids networks feature sassy teenagers (iCarly I'm looking at you) and/or slutty teenagers (umm..Miley Cyrus I'm staring at disbelief at you). It seems there are VERY few shows that are actually appropriate for kids (in my opinion). "Good Luck Charlie" on Disney is about one of the few that seems to have parents that actually seem to like each other and a show that teaches family values. I realize all these other do have good messages but some of the characters just act so sassy, snarky and disrespectful. And in my opinion are just not good role models. Believe me, my 6 and 7 year olds have enough sass in them and don't need to see it modeled on teenagers they look up to.

Don't get me wrong I get that I have the power to turn off the TV I'm just wondering what happened to the good ole family sitcoms that used to come on when I was a kid. And I'm wondering if our parents thought they were inappropriate for us?

And another thing that really bothers me (and I realize I sound like such a prude) but what happened to 8pm being a family hour on TV. Now shows like "The Bachelor" and "Greys Anatomy" come on at 8pm. My kids are generally in bed at that hour but occasionally they are up later - I would hate for them to turn on ABC and see a guy in a hot tub with 8 girls in skimpy bikinis making out with several of them. What happened to those type of shows not being on until later in the evening? And when did I get so old that these thoughts run through my head......

Election Day!

2010-11-02T14:08:00.003-04:00

It's Election Day ya'll! While I'm completely over the political commericals (though honestly with DVR I hardly watch any so it seems it hasn't been as bad this year), mailings and signs cluttering up every street corner in town I generally like election days. I find politics wildly fascinating and I will be watching a "more conservative" news station this evening while waiting for election results to come in. I *might* even DVR 16 & Pregnant so I can focus on the election results. Crazy...I know.

I do have an Election Day peeve. Our school, as I'm sure are many across the country, is a polling place. I believe if schools are going to be polling places then there should be no school on Election Days. I don't like the idea of random people being in my kids school. The school has done a good job of keeping the voting area as separate as possible from where children are but still what if some crazy person figured out how to get to the children. I realize this is an irrational fear but it still concerns me. Also? Our school parking lot is way too small to accommodate all the voter cars. This morning was a complete zoo in the parking lot.

I hope you exercised your right to vote. This election is really important. Do your homework and GO VOTE!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T14:06:00.002-04:00

We had a great Halloween weekend. We started our festivities on Saturday morning carving pumpkins with our next door neighbors. Saturday afternoon some good friends came over and we took all the kids to the our town's Spooky Trail.

Sunday we had church and Julia must have asked 4 times before we even left for church whether trick or treating was before church or after church. And of course when we got home the kids asked about every hour when could they get their costumes on? when was it time to go the parade? when can we go trick or treating? While slightly annoying their enthusiasm and excitement was cute.

We had a little neighborhood parade to kick off the evening festivities. It's neat to see how much our neighborhood has grown since we first moved over 3 years ago. All the kids used to fit in one picture! After the parade we came back to our house with two of our neighbors for a pre tick or treat party and dinner. Nana and cousin Ron also joined in the festivities. The goal was to get some food in the kids before the sugar took over. Finally about 6pm the group set off. Jacob, while not too happy about his costume, was excited to get to go this year and he rode along in the wagon. Apparently that slowed the rest of the kids down though! Jacob was so happy to have a bag of candy that was his....he just kept wanting to eat it and eat it and eat it.

A fun, fun holiday...now to figure out what to do with the million pounds of candy that it feels like we have!

Random List Thursday - Halloween Edition

2010-10-28T14:21:00.005-04:00

1. It's October 28th. My air conditioner is on. This is wrong, just plain wrong. I do not live in south Florida. Or Hawaii. Or anywhere tropical.

2. We're 3 days from Halloween...what are the odds my children will wear the costumes that we painfully picked out a month ago? I'm betting at least 1 of mine changes their mind.

3. What is with the confusion on when to Trick or Treat? I've seen more people asking this year when is Trick or Treating? Is this because Halloween falls on a Sunday or a school night? Trick or Treating should be on Halloween. The end.

4. And while we're at it - the general rule should be if your porch light is on then you are participating in Trick or Treating. If the light is off you are not. It's that easy: Lights on = candy, Lights off = leave me alone.

5. And still more - if you are going to go Trick or Treating (teenagers I'm talking to you) then at least put on some sort of costume. I mean honestly if you think you are too old to dress up then you can go buy your own candy. Here's a tip: it's 50% off on 11/1. And don't get me started on grown ups trick or treating for themselves. And yes, we had that last year. I'm not kidding.

6. My preschooler had her "Let's Pretend" Party today and all the kids came in costume. Cuteness abounded. There were 3 Jessie's (including mine) and 2 Buzz Lightyears. Clearly Toy Story rocks.

Fall Fun

2010-10-23T09:24:00.002-04:00

We took our annual trip to Hillridge Farms yesterday afternoon. It was the older girls last day of track out (thank goodness!) and Paul took a half day off. With the gorgeous fall weather it seemed like the perfect way to spend an afternoon. The kids were super excited to go...once we pulled into the parking lot they remembered all the fun stuff there was to do. And, for the first time in like 7 1/2 years we didn't take a stroller. That's right...no stroller!

Hillridge is full of wonderful things to do: bounce houses, mazes, corn playhouse, giant slide, hay jump, hay tunnel, playground, sand box and animals to see. The kids especially loved the giant slide. Jacob kept saying "more side, more side." Thankfully it wasn't crazy busy so we did it a few times. New this year was a bunny house which the kids enjoyed. The highlight of the trip is always the hayride to the pumpkin patch and picking out our pumpkins. Once we got there Lily said: "I am looking for one that is orange and perfectly round." Everyone found their pumpkins and managed to pose for a few pictures in the patch (though Jacob was remarkably uncooperative).

Here are a few pics from our fun day:

I Knew It Would Happen....

2010-10-22T09:10:00.003-04:00

Sooner or later. I was hoping for the later but ugh..it happened today. Jacob climbed out of his crib. He's the first of my 4 kids to climb out of his crib. Well, technically my youngest daughter did but that's because she was in a room with her 2 older sisters and they taught her how. But she was 2 1/2 and probably ready for a bed. Jacob? Not so much ready for bed. And me? Definitely, positively not ready for him to be a bed.

Here's how it all went down: It's 7:26am and I am laying in bed snuggling with my 6 year old when I hear a thud. Being the best mom in the world I totally ignore it. I figure the 3 year old is jumping down from the bunk bed ladder. But then I hear the cries and my ears perk up a little. Then I notice Jacob is standing in the hallway rubbing his head and crying for daddy. And even though I hadn't had my morning coffee I deduced that thud was him getting out of the crib.

I am hoping he'll remember that he hurt his head and won't try it again. If he does we are so looking for a crib tent until the denial passes that I no longer have a baby and have toddler who probably needs a bed.

Exciting News!!

2010-10-21T13:25:00.002-04:00

I'm finally ready to share some very exciting news with you all. I am now working with TMC Travel - The Mouse Connection as a Disney travel planning specialist! A job yall! Working from home! Planning Disney trips! Doesn't that sound so exciting? Well...if you like planning vacations and you love Disney. Which I do!

It all came about when a long time friend from high school and I were corresponding about our Disney Cruise. She had started this business in the Spring and I thought it sounded so cool. I told her if she was ready to expand her business to the Triangle to let me know. To my surprise she said sure! We talked, emailed and met and it sounded like a good fit. Over the last few weeks I've completed the Disney College of Knowledge training program for travel agents and researched a ton of information and now I'm ready to really get started booking vacations!

You can to here to check our agency's website. We are a NO fee agency which means that Disney pays our commissions and we do all the planning for you. Plus we offer free gifts and tips for anyone who purchases a 4 Night package! So..if you or anyone you know is planning a trip to Disney let me know and I can help them plan a most magical trip!!

BFF Time

2010-10-18T17:05:00.002-04:00

My BFF, Erin, came for a weekend visit. Oh so fun! It had been several months since we've seen her and since she works in retail this was her last long weekend for a while. She drove down Friday evening and we had a blast all weekend. Emma went to Camp Gagi for the weekend so the family dynamics were a little off. We comment frequently over the course of the weekend how much "easier" and "quieter" it was with only 3 kids around! Saturday we hit the fair. Erin loves fair food as much as Paul and I so we drug her all around finding all our favorites: Al's French Fries, funnel cake, corn dogs, roasted corn on the cob and of course deep fried cookie dough (omg..sooo yummy). After walking around the fair for 6 hours in the afternoon we were beat Saturday night. Thankfully Erin & I can have fun just flipping through the TV and reading magazines! Sunday we were pretty busy with the kids but managed to have fun all the same. Lily was thrilled that she and Auntie got to go to their special place (aka Barnes & Noble). We grilled out last night and chilled.

It was great to see her. We appreciate so much the effort she makes to come see us..its' always a great time for everyone!

Toothless Wednesday

2010-10-13T15:43:00.003-04:00

Emma lost her 2nd top tooth this morning. The cuteness is more than I can stand. Selfishly I hope the big teeth take a long time to come in so she can toothless for a while longer!

Tuesday Tidbits

2010-10-12T09:41:00.002-04:00

1. My older kids are tracked out right now. We're in the middle of week 2. So far so good but I think they are bored. Secretly that's my plan...if they are bored then they are ready to go back to school when break is over. If I let them have too much fun they will never want to return.

2. I cleaned out my fridge today. Apparently I have a problem with buying bbq sauce and then using about 3/4 of the bottle. No lie I think I threw out about 4 bottles.

3. We've done some rearranging around here in the past week. I've been wanting to get all the toys off the main floor for a while (we used the bedroom/office downstairs for a small playroom) and for some reason I was feeling motivated last week to go ahead and make the move. Plus I had the older girls around and I figured they could help. So we moved all the toys upstairs (except for a small basket of Jacob toys) and moved the computers downstairs to the office. It's so nice not to have toys everywhere downstairs! And the girls are in heaven that we have 2 computers set up for their use. Win!

4. I'm really tired of Fall being such a whimp. I mean honestly, 90 degrees on 10/12? Summer & Winter are such bullies - can't they let Fall have their 13 weeks??

5. I'm so excited that my BFF is coming for a visit this weekend!

6. I am working on something very exciting to be announced very soon! Because, you know, I don't have enough to do!

Mouse in the House

2010-10-06T14:41:00.002-04:00

Backstory: We noticed last Spring some signs that we may have a mouse in the house. We bought some traps and sure enough we caught one. Thankfully the hubs was home and was able to dispose of it without my knowledge. We kept traps around and I think we caught one more over the summer. And even though we've seen no signs of the little creatures Paul kept some traps around just in case. The temperatures around here have recently taken a turn for the cold so apparently all the vermin are trying to get indoors to keep from getting cold.

So, this afternoon I turn to get something out of the pantry and I notice it out of the corner of my eye, under the kitchen counter (I am still shuddering, by the way). A mouse trap. That's odd, I think, how did the trap get from the way back corner of the pantry, under the door and now to the corner of the kitchen? Then it hits me. OMG THERE IS A MOUSE IN THE TRAP ON THE KITCHEN FLOOR. And then it hits me again...AND IT'S NOT DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At this point my heart starts beating about a million miles a minute and I start shaking a little bit. What do I do? I contemplate grabbing all the children and heading for the door only to come back in 36 hours when my husband gets home. But I decide against it. I then call my super brave neighbor, hoping her husband is home for help. She wasn't at home but did give me some advice. At this point my 6 year old comes downstairs and is fascinated by it. Until she sees the mouse move and then she screams like, well, a little girl and runs back upstairs. She goes and gets the 3 year old and they both come down to stare at the mouse and to ask me what I'm going to do about it. At this point I try another neighbor who works from home but he's not home either. Crap. I am going to have to deal with this myself. So, I put on my brave face and go search for a big box. I figure I can corner the mouse with the box and sweep it into the box. I find a big diaper box, the only time I've been thrilled Jacob is still in diapers. I try to do this with my eyes closed but it was a little tricky and after a few false starts I finally did it. Got that nasty thing into the box and ran it out to the outside trash.

I'm completely traumatized and still shuddering. I realized that yes, I am such a girl and that I am very thankful that I have a husband who normally takes care of such matters. Also? I will have nightmares for weeks.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2010-10-02T14:31:00.002-04:00

Welcome October! September - you passed in a blink - I sure hope October lasts a little longer. I love, love this time of year. Cooler weather! Pretty leaves! Jeans! Fall Festivals! Hillridge Farms! Corn Maze! Sweaters! Halloween! Candy! Deep Fried Food! The Fair! To me this is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

It's also time to go through the kids clothes and switch out tank tops for sweaters. That's really not so fun. When I mentioned this to Emma this morning she got the saddest look on her face and said "but I'm not ready to say goodbye to summer." Bless her heart - not me..I'm thrilled to say goodbye to summer. I'm done with being hot and the pool and sweating just walking out the door. So, Fall please be good to us and stay a while, 'kay and please don't let that bully Winter come too early.

Happy Birthday Little Man!

2010-09-27T14:32:00.003-04:00

My little man turns 2 today. I can hardly believe it's been 2 years since his birth. In some ways I'm so sad that my baby is turning 2 but in other ways I'm super excited that my baby is turning 2. We've spent our time in the "baby trenches" and we're happy to be climbing out!

This little boy has brought so much joy to our lives (And a few moments of heart failure but I think that's just typical, especially with little boys). He's all boy - into climbing, throwing, rocks, balls and aggravating his sisters. He's super attached to his daddy though he certainly knows how to melt momma's heart. He's cuddly and snuggly and has a smile that will just break your heart and make you want to do whatever he's asking. He's fun and full of life. And I couldn't love him more.

Happy Birthday Jacob!!

A WONDERful Vacation

2010-09-26T14:04:00.002-04:00

(Disclaimer: I'd first like to apologize for the anticipated length of this blogpost. Mostly it's for me so that when I try to scrapbook this event in "several" months I will be able remember what happened)

We've been anticipating this vacation for a long time now. We've had some short trips to the beach but no big vacation since March 2009 when we went to Disney. I was ready for a vacation to say the least. We left last Saturday morning on the first leg of the trip. On the itinerary a stop in Jacksonville, FL to stay with Paul's cousin on the way to our destination: Port Canaveral and the Disney Wonder. The trip down was uneventful though we realized that 6 hours is about as long as my kids last in the car before it all starts going downhill. Have I mentioned that none of the sleep on car trips? Fun. We had a great time with Paul's cousin and got up super early Sunday morning to head to Port Canaveral (The couple weeks before the cruise I obsessively read message boards about cruising and had read it was good to get to the terminal early).

Embarkation Day: We arrived at Port Canaveral about 9:45 Sunday morning. We got a great parking spot right across the street from the terminal which was great since we had 4 kids, 3 suitcases, 2 tote bags and 1 stroller to get from the car over to the terminal. Turns out as soon as you cross the street you give your bags to the porter - easy peasy! We got in line and waited for just a few minutes to actually get into the terminal. Once we got in we walked right up to the check in counter and got our keys and boarding card (Group 2! Woot!). We then got in line to get the kids registered for the Oceaneer Club (Disney's on board kids club). Once we got all the details completed we waited in the waiting area watching Disney movies. Not too much after that Mickey Mouse came out! Then Minnie! Excitement! Pictures! Autographs! Shortly after noon they started boarding and since we were in group 2 we got to get on the ship really early. Once you walk on the ship they have staff waiting to announce your family and greet you...so cute! We went straight to eat since we were starving. Of course the buffet was full of great food and while we were eating Goofy and Pluto came around! After lunch we explored the ship while we waited for our rooms to be ready (big family = 2 rooms..unfortunately not adjoining). Once the rooms were done we ditched our day bags and headed for the Mickey pool! Our luggage arrived in our rooms pretty quickly and before we knew it it was time for the muster drill. After that we went straight to the Sail Away Party. And we were off!! Dinner was next and we got to meet our awesome servers: Ralph & Ronald (oh how I miss them...they spoiled us!). After dinner the girls went to the Oceaneer Club and Jacob to the nursery so Paul and I could explore the ship and check out the Bingo. Unfortunately Jacob wasn't a huge fan of the nursery so he only lasted about an hour. We got the girls and headed for the Golden Mickey's. We had been noticing that the boat was rocking a bit and the Captain spoke for a minute before the show - explaining that the hurricane was heading north but creating some swells. Little did we know it would turn out to be one of the worst nights in recent memory on the ship! The show was great but poor Emma started not feeling well and bless her heart, she got sea sick as we left the show. She certainly wasn't the only one - saw lots of "green" people walking around and Paul and I both felt really queasy. We took some dramamine and went straight to bed!

Day 2, Nassau: We arrived in Nassau early Monday morning. Thankfully everyone woke up feeling well and since we were docked all day there was no worries about getting sick! It was beautiful weather and after breakfast we headed off the ship to check out Nassau. We hadn't planned any excursions but enjoyed walking around for a little bit checking out the town and doing a little window shopping. It was hot and the kids got tired of walking so we headed back to the ship for lunch. After lunch the girls all went to the kids club and Paul, Jacob and I explored the ship some. I met up with Lily and Julia for a scrapbooking party in the afternoon and Paul took Jacob to the nursery so he could go to a premiere. We all met up for dinner and after dinner we got to see Toy Story the Musical. The kids loved it, especially Jacob being the huge "Buzz Buzz" fan that he is! After the show the girls got to meet Princess Tiana! Julia was thrilled! When we got to the room we discovered the room host put princess sheets on the girls bunk beds! They loved it!

Day 3, Castaway Cay: We left Nassau long after we had gone to sleep and arrived at Castaway Cay as we were getting up so no sickness! Castaway Cay is Disney's own island and it is fabulous! The weather could not have been more perfect! We got off the ship and walked down to the tram. We took the tram over to the family beach and we grabbed a stroller (awesome strollers -made to go in the sand. And free!). We got a great spot on the beach (there are chairs for everyone!) and the kids ran to the water. We played in the water for a bit and Emma decided to go the kids area to play with some of the her new friends. We finally found our way over there and checked her in. On the way back Lily, Julia and I explored the island a bit and ran into Minnie Mouse! Of course Lily wanted to shop and of course Disney has shopping on the island. They also have a couple restaurants, bars, bike rentals, sports courts and a splash park. We played a while and got Emma for lunch (a yummy bbq). After lunch Paul and the girls played on the water playgrounds while I took Jacob for a walk/nap. The girls had been dying to get their hair braided and of course they had that on the island so we got that done. A little more ocean time and sadly it was time to head back to the ship where it was Pirate night. We loved, loved Castaway Cay - it was beautiful, super clean and so much to do. Since it was pirate night there were a ton of character meet and greets on the ship. We saw Pirate Mickey and Minnie, Pirate Stitch and Captain Jack Sparrow! Our dinner was great and for the evening entertainment we say Toy Story 3 in 3-D. I was excited since I am apparently the last person on the planet who hasn't seen the movie! After the movie it was time for the Pirates in the Carribbean party! So. Much. Fun. And...Mickey saves the day. And..Fireworks! Over the ocean! Impressive! Sadly the kids were just too tired to do the late buffet. Jacob actually fell asleep on Paul's shoulder during the party.

Day 4: Day at Sea: Thankfully the day at sea was really beautiful and calm! We had a yummy breakfast on the deck and did some shopping on the boat. The girls and I attended a Princess gathering where we saw Snow White, Tiana, Cinderella and Belle. We played family bingo and then it was time for lunch. After lunch the girls and I met Captain Hook then hit the pool while Jacob and Paul went to a movie. After the pool the kids went to kids club so I could shower and get the room packed up. Late that afternoon the kids club put on a production of "Friendship Rocks" All the kids learned some songs then Mickey and Minnie joined them on stage to sing/dance for all the parents. All 3 of my girls participated and it could not have been cuter! Dinner that night was great though a little sad that it was the last one. The show that night, Dreams was fabulous! The girls absolutely loved it! After the show the characters come out one last time in an informal meet and greet called Till We Meet Again. It was super cute and at the end we were all sprinkled with "pixie dust" (or Mickey confetti). The girls thought it was awesome.

Day 5: Debarkation: Debarkation day begins very early. Very. Like was had to be at breakfast at 6:45. Yikes! It was good but we were all so sad to have to leave the boat. We got to see our servers one last time and some of the friends we made. Then it was time to go. Thankfully getting off the ship was quick and painless. We made it through customs and out to the car very quickly and we were off to the last leg of our trip. Destination: Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort.

Hilton Head: We didn't want to drive the whole way back in one day so we decided to go to Disney's Hilton Head Resort for 2 nights before heading home. We decided to stop in Savannah on the way to HHI and we lucked into some lunch reservations at Paula Deen's Lady and Sons restaurant! We walked around Savannah for a little bit and then enjoyed a super delicious lunch before going to HHI. We arrived late afternoon in HH. The resort is very nice there! We had a very spacious 2 bedroom (of course it felt huge after being on the cruise) with a washer and dryer. I promptly started the cruise laundry and the kids enjoyed having some space to run around! We went to the pool that evening and to the community center for Goofy Bingo. Friday morning we went to the beach for a while, out to a late lunch and enjoyed a campfire at the resort. It was a great way to end such a great vacation. We headed home Saturday morning.

It was an absolutely wonderful vacation. I can't say enough good things about a Disney cruise. It wasn't perfect..we had a few housekeeping issues but the Guest Services staff went over the top to make it right for us (all my kids got a stuffed Minnie and Mickey!). The service was fantastic (please someone come turn down my bed and leave a chocolate mint on the pillow?), the entertainment was spectacular and the food was fabulous. There was definitely something for everyone and we all had a great time! We can't wait to go back!

Tooth Update

2010-09-25T21:20:00.002-04:00

Because I'm sure you're all dying to know...Emma finally lost her top tooth the night before we left for vacation. Thankfully the tooth fairy paid her a visit here at home and didn't have to search the Atlantic Ocean for us.

I can't stand the cuteness of her with missing teeth. The other top one is pretty loose now and I suspect it will be out in the very near future.

Wonder if she'll still be toothless come the holidays...if not she better get used to hearing "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth"

Nanny McPhee

2010-09-15T21:56:00.003-04:00

After months of complaining that she "is the only girl in 2nd grade who hasn't lost my top teeth" my 7 1/2 year old is about to lose one of her top teeth. Surely she is not the "only girl" in 2nd grade who has not lost her top teeth but it does seem like many of her friends have lost those teeth. She's been hoping and hoping that they would get wiggly and finally a couple weeks ago one started to move. Just a tad. She'd check it every day. Over the weekend it got super wiggly and we sure it would come out on Saturday evening. Then Sunday. Then Monday. Then Tuesday. And yet, here we are on Wednesday and the tooth is hanging on my a thread. She keeps walking around sticking the gross, dangly tooth out saying "I'm Nanny McPhee, I'm Nanny McPhee." Real attractive. I'm thinking she wants the tooth to come out at school because, you know, that is a super big deal. I'm hoping it comes out soon...the Nanny McPhee look is just not that great for a 7 year old.