"Mommy, today's your birthday"

After I finally got the last rug-rat buckled in this morning, I pushed the backdoor of my car shut, and heard, "Happy Birthday Mommy".  Since I realized that I so rudely slammed the door as Kayden was trying to talk to me (and I kinda just wanted to hear him say it again) I said, "What did you say Kayden?".  With a little grin he said, as I climbed in the front seat, out of breath, "Mommy, today's your birthday".  

It is.  Today I am 28.  I used to think that 28 was kinda old.  But now that I'm here, I look at it a little differently.   People ask if we'll have any more kids. I always say, "Not any time soon". (Although, that's what I said after Tyler was born too).  I tell them that I feel like I'm young to be done having kids.  But, on the other hand, I do have 3 of them.

When I think about the past year---the time while I was 27---it's kind of a blur.  So much happened really.  

Just after I turned 27, I found out I was pregnant with Tyson.  Not only was I pregnant, but I was 17 weeks and 2 days pregnant.  (Picture my face, as I sat alone in the ultrasound room with the tech, expecting to hear somewhere between 5 and 8 weeks, which was what I had been told based on my blood work). 

While I was 27, my biggest baby turned 3.  My middle turned 1, and my littlest baby came into the world.  

While I was 27, we lost Mike's grandma, my Godmother, and my uncle.

While I was 27, I started my 3rd (and most likely final) year of teaching in a school where I am just starting to really get comfortable.

While I was 27, I decided to go back to working my Thursday night shift at the bowling alley.  I have been an employee there for about 6 years.  When I was pregnant with Tyler, I decided to just be a sub.  This fall, I decided to go back.  Working every-other Thursday night.  I decided to go back for a couple reasons.  One, we could use the extra money.  Two, it's time out of the house, with some adult interaction.  Three, I missed my job there.  I like the people, and it's usually kind of fun.  

Things have changed.  Good things have happened, scary things have happened, sad things have happened, but it all happened.  We can't change any of it.  All we can do is go forward and look forward to a year of being 28. 

It's coming....

The holidays are quickly approaching. Tomorrow is my birthday, Sunday is Halloween, then deer hunting, then Thanksgiving, and then it's Christmas. I've been starting to think about what I'll get the boys for Christmas. This is a struggle for me in many ways.
1. I like to shop. I tend to go a little overboard when it comes to my kids at Christmas time.
2. We don't have the funds to support my love of shopping.
3. The boys don't NEED much. Especially Tyler and Tyson( although I do want a Sophie the Giraffe for him). We have plenty of toys for kids their age. Remember, I have a shopping addiction, so I bought all of those things when Kayden was their age.
4. I want my kids to remember what this season is really about. Not that it is all about getting presents and eating. I haven't done a very good job of this in the past--although Kayden was a little young to understand. This year though, that is my goal.
There has been discussion with my family of my parents, rather than getting everyone lots of presents, that they would take us all to a waterpark type place for a weekend. I am loving this idea. I'm starting to realize that my kids need experiences more than they need things. Hopefully this will be the route we go this year.
Another thing I've been struggling with this year is our Christmas card. In the past, I've just sent out the typical photocard. This year, I'm considering a letter. Do I have enough to write about? Do people want to read about what has happened in the past year with our family? Maybe I should just send the regular photocard, and sign it with our blog address =)
The other thing that becomes a struggle almost every year is scheduling time to be with each of our families. Now that some of us are married, others have boyfriends/girlfriends,work schedules, etc. it often becomes difficult to find a time that we are able to get together. My dad had to work on Christmas day last year, and he does again this year. It'll be interesting. It always works out though....

Alle-fricken-lujah!!!

I think the ears were the problem! I hope I'm not jumping the gun here, but the past two nights, Tyson has woken up just once!!!! It's amazing! I hope this is the start of something good! Pray for us =)

Girl's Weekend

This past weekend was my "Fall Girls' Weekend". Friday morning, I dropped the boys off at daycare then went home and met Amy and my cousin Tammy. By 10:00 a.m. we were on our way! We met the rest of the crew in Maple Grove to see a cheap movie (Eat, Pray, Love). The movie was, eh. But it was fun. We had a few good laughs. After the movie we headed to Champps for drinks and appetizers, and then it was off to Albertville. We spent the late afternoon/evening shopping before we headed to our hotel to order pizza.
Saturday we slept in, had breakfast at the hotel, then headed to "The General Store" in Minnetonka. If you've never been there, you should definitely check it out. It's always a "must-stop" for us around Christmas time. We had lunch there, and then headed to "T-SPA". This is a beauty school. We had appointments for manicures/pedicures. We went this route because we thought it'd be cheaper than going to a fancy nail salon. Let me tell you---this was an experience. We all have our own story to tell about our experience. There is lots to laugh about now, but we most likely will not be going back there again. I'll just say that it's now Monday, and I have already removed the nail polish that was supposed to last 4 to 6 weeks =)
After the nail salon experience, we headed back to the hotel to relax for a bit. By relax, I mean stuff our faces and show off all of our purchases. While we sat around, we decided it might be fun to go to Ikea. A few of the girls had never been there so we freshened up and headed out. We each found a few things at Ikea, nothing spectacular, but it's always fun just to walk around there.
After Ikea we had dinner at Axel's Bonfire. This was another interesting experience. The food was just ok (Holli and I ordered the same thing, and when we got it, it was not what either of us had pictured). One of us (I won't use names) almost threw up on the table after taking a bite of garlic toast that tasted and smelled like dead fish, we watched a blind date happening, and we watched a couple in their 70's seduce each other--when our laughter became uncontrollable and extremely obvious, we decided it was time for us to leave. We headed back to our hotel to relax for the evening before getting ready to head home Sunday morning. All in all, it was a fun, relaxing weekend. Lots of laughs and memories. I can't wait for March when we get to go scrapbooking. Although, I've told my fellow scrappers that they should maybe not even talk to me for the 2 1/2 days we're there because I have A LOT to scrap!!!

Diagnosis: Ear infections

Thursday morning, Tyson had his 6 month check up. I mentioned to the doctor right away that I thought his right ear might be infected. I had been seeing him grab at it etc. When she went in to check his ears, he had lots of wax (all of my boys do). She did say that having a wax problem is genetic---weird. So, she used her little tool to try to dig it out so that she could see enough to tell if he had an infection. Apparently his wax is not gooey and in clumps like most people's, but it's real flakey and hard to "grab". So after a few minutes of her digging around and him screaming, she decided to check his other ear first. She figured if that one was infected, then it didn't matter if the first one was or not, she'd be treating him anyway. So, turns out---ear infection. So, off to Target we went to pick up Tyson's very first anti-biotic(the first of many I'm sure).
I can't remember his "stats" off the top of my head, other than his weight, which was 18 pounds 3 ounces. A healthy(other than ear infections), smiley little boy, meeting all of his milestones (other than sleeping through the night).
After the 10:00 doctor appointment we headed to Target to pick up the prescription and diapers, etc. before his 11:40 picture appointment. Picture appointment right after shots---mistake. Poor thing was exhausted. I had to wake him up for pictures. I got him in his little jeans and white shirt (the standard 6 month picture outfit for my boys). Then he puked all over it. So....I had to put him back in the used-to-be white shirt that he was wearing under his t-shirt earlier in the day, and left him in the slightly damp jeans. There were at least 20 people (15 of them 5 and under) in the JCPenney picture studio waiting area. Kids screaming, whining, running around like they're crazy. Mom's yelling, toys flying. Annoying. It was finally our turn. Tyson didn't cry, but he didn't smile a lot either. This was partially due to the crappy photographer we had. So, we got a few "ok" pictures, I ordered what I needed, and we moved on. I still needed to get to the grocery store, take the groceries home and then head to Albany to pick up Kayden and Tyler from Grammy's house where they spent the morning with Grandpa. (I'm trying to figure out how I can post those pictures, but they changed their website and I haven't figured it out yet).

Hoping for ear infection????

I'm pooped. Tyson hasn't been sleeping well at all. We stayed at Mike's parents' house on Saturday night. I put him to bed at about 9:30. He was up at 11:00, 2:00, 5:00 and 6:00. AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Of course when he woke up at 6:00, he woke up Tyler. Tyler's crying woke up Sydney, and then we were up. Grandma and I and the three kiddos. Since he (Tyson) was up so early, and didn't sleep well during the night I thought I'd be able to get at least one good nap out of him on Sunday. I thought wrong. He wouldn't nap. He'd fall asleep, but as soon as I'd lay him down, he'd wake up. He's been spitting up even more than usual. He had his biggest poop ever. He's wearing me out.
He goes in for his 6-month appointment on Thursday (yes, this is what I do with my rare days off from September through May--doctor appointments). I am sort of not-so-secretly hoping he has an ear infection or something. I'm hoping there is a reason for this ridiculous behavior! If I find out he's fine, I don't know what I'll try next. Maybe I'll go back to Gripe Water???? Maybe I'll disappear on my Girls' Weekend. That's what I'll do. I'll leave Friday, and come back sometime Sunday.

My little learner

Monday night was Kayden's first night of ECFE for the year. He went last year and he loved it. It's his time away from "the babies", because he's a "big boy" (no matter what Felix at daycare says) =) This year was a little different. He's in a 3-year-old class this year. It will last 20 weeks, and for the first 5 weeks I go with him, and just leave the classroom for about 30 minutes for the parent meeting. After the first 5 weeks, I just drop him off. This scares me a little. It's almost like real school. Except he doesn't ride a bus.
The first night, they had time to play and explore the classroom, although Kayden ALWAYS plays with the same toys (the animals), they had snack, and then circle time with songs. This week the parents stayed in the room the whole time. He did fine. Although, I wish he'd spend more time trying new things and doing the painting, play dough, etc. Maybe once I'm not with him, the teacher will be able to get him to try some of those things.
He was also really quiet the first night. He loves the songs they sing at circle time, and he'll sing all of them at home, but while in class, he sat on his red square. Stone-faced. Hopefully that changes too.
P.S. He even has his own locker!!! This is a HUGE deal in the world of a 3 year old =)

Girl Time

As a family, we lead a very busy life. There is always something going on. It's rare that we have a weekend with nothing planned. Mike has his hobbies: hunting, fishing, his Harley, house projects. We have our hobbies together: volleyball, kickball, four-wheeling. And then, there are the things we do with our kids: pre-school, zoo trips, play dates, camping...
And then there is me. I love doing these things with my family, but my girl time is very important. Once a year I go on a scrapbooking weekend. I go with a group of girls and we scrapbook, we eat, we talk, we sleep, we read magazines, we shop....it's fun, it's relaxing, it's MY time. With that same group of girls, we do a fall weekend where we usually get a hotel, we shop, we eat (are you seeing a pattern here?), we talk, and I sleep for more than 4 hours straight =)
On Monday nights, from September until March, I play volleyball with another group of girls. It's one hour of time away from the house, but that time is amazing. I love it!
There is a group of four of us girls who have been trying to plan a once-a-month dinner out. No kids. No husbands. Just us girls. Do you think we could find a day that works for all of us???? We were supposed to go next Tuesday night. As the day gets closer, I'm realizing that Kayden has pre-school Monday night, I have a long-overdue haircut appointment on Wednesday, Tyson has a doctor appointment and picture appointment on Thursday, and then Friday I leave for my girls weekend. Starting Thursday night, Mike is on-call. So, I've decided to back out. It sucks. I WANT to go, but there is just so much going on. We will make it work (eventually). Who knows if we'll ever get to the point of once-a-month outings, but we'll start with once and see where it goes from there.

"Not-Me-Monday"

All the things I did NOT do in the past week:
1. I did not watch Tyler drop his half-eaten apple on the ground outside, see the dirt on it, and then let him continue to eat it to avoid the fit he'd throw if I took it away.
2. I did not take out the train set I'd bought Kayden for Christmas, and let him play with it in order to keep him quiet/occupied while we met with our realtors.
3. I did not watch "Sister Wives" last night.
4. I did not think for half-a-second that my baby is growing too fast, and I'd like to have another one (that thought disappeared VERY quickly).
5. I did not hear Kayden say, "Fricken door!" when he couldn't get the basement door closed.
6. Kayden did not tell Mike to "just chill out" when he was telling him that he needed to finish his supper.

Now that's love!

I got to daycare yesterday afternoon to pick up the boys. I was putting Tyson in his carseat/carrier, and Sharon said, "Oh, Tyler has a runny nose and I don't have any more kleenex out here". No big deal. A little snot never bothered me (until it starts running into his mouth). The next thing I knew, she was wiping his snotty nose with her sleeve! Now that's love! I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even do that!

Another health issue...

So, last week, I think it was maybe Wednesday??? My mom called and said my dad was having stomach pains, and some other issues. She asked me to call Rhonda (my RN sister-in-law) and ask her what to do. Since my dad has had some heart issues in the past, there was a little concern. I explained the symptoms to Rhonda, and she said it didn't seem like anything too serious, and gave me instructions to give him (Pepto, etc.). I called my mom back and she said she'd try those things. Well, by midnight, the symptoms weren't getting any better, so off to the ER they went. Turns out he was having a Gallbladder attack. So, they sent him home with some drugs and made an appointment for him to come back in the morning for tests. After the tests, it was determined he'd need surgery to have it removed. This could be a couple weeks, so he was to continue the drugs and hopefully the pain would be manageable until then. By Monday, he couldn't take it anymore. So, back to the doctor they went. They decided they'd do emergency surgery Tuesday morning. I met my mom at the hospital at about 8:00, and we waited. Everything turned out fine (they weren't sure exactly what they would have to do, since he'd had heart surgery just a few months ago.) Everything turned out fine, and by noon, they were on their way home.
It seems like there is always something.....

Tired? Sick?

We've had a flu bug going around our house. I was sick Sunday afternoon/night, and Mike wasn't feeling well yesterday. When I dropped the boys off at daycare yesterday, Kayden cried and screamed for no apparent reason, other than he was tired and/or not feeling well. I was hoping for the tired! I stayed a few extra minutes before sneaking out (I was not at work, but sat at the hospital with my mom while my dad had surgery. (read about that here.) and by the time I left, he seemed ok.
When I got back to daycare to pick the kids up, Sharon (our daycare provider) said Kayden was tired, but didn't nap (not unusual. I actually prefer that he not nap). So, we went home, had early supper, early bath, and by 7:00, Kayden asked if he could have a brownie, and he laid on the couch and was sleeping by 7:30. Hopefully this was all he needed. A good night's sleep. He woke up on his own this morning, and had a much better drop off at daycare. Let's hope the extra sleep cured whatever might have been going on with him!
Tyson went to bed as usual, around 9:00. By 11:00 he was awake and crying, but his eyes weren't really even open. I knew he wasn't hungry yet, so I just walked around with him for a while. He had a huge burp, spit up all over my shirt (which I didn't realize until I felt it when I went back to bed since it was dark), and then cried for a while while reaching for his ear. God, I hope he's not getting an ear infection! Although, I am REALLY surprised he hasn't had one yet. Kayden and Tyler both have tubes in their ears because of the outrageous number of ear infections they had.
We'll see when the health of our house goes.....
P.S. Meeting with new realtors tonight to re-list our house and take pictures!!! AND, my friend Pam got me a statue of Saint Joseph to bury in my yard--he's supposed to make your house sell. Man, could we use his help!!!

A few random pictures for your enjoyment....

A Good Day

I worked at the bowling alley last night so I only got home at about 11:00 and still had to shower and get things ready for today. I finally got to sleep a little before 12:00, and Tyson was up at 2:30. Before I knew it, my alarm was going off, and it was 5:50, time to get up and get ready for work. I forced myself to roll out of bed. Thank God today is our school marathon fundraiser (we take the students on a walk around Melrose), so it was a jeans and sweatshirt day. I finally got myself ready, and pulled the boys out of bed, one by one and strapped them into their assigned seats in the car. Grabbed myself a Dr. Pepper, and we were on the road. This is how most mornings go. Rushed. Thank God, I can take the boys to daycare in the pajamas, and she gets them dressed there. Most mornings, I literally pull Kayden out of bed and put him into his carseat. So, after all this rushing, we get to daycare, it takes two, sometimes three trips from the car to the house, and then a few quick hugs, a kiss or two and I'm out the door. There was one thing today that WAS a little different. As I walked out the door from daycare, I heard Kayden say, "Have a good day Mommy!".
Thanks, I think I will. =)