Hello Friends.
I have been struggling with some weird feelings.
I need to blog about it, I need to get it out and this is my safe place.
I need friends (esp real life friends) who read this not to have feelings hurt or to feel the need to protect me.
I just have these feelings and that is that.
So.
Here goes.
I think.
Arrrgh! Why is this so hard to say?
Its hard to say because, its stupid. Its selfish. Its childish. It is base and shouldn't be discussed out loud or in writing or anywhere and yet I think its strangling me.
Ok. I get jealous and feel bad about myself when others announce pregnancies. (And purchasing of huge houses. That's the same right?)
There I said it.
What about it? I'm sitting here, in my office, with tears in my eyes as I write this stupid, stupid thing. I just wrote Monday that I was content with my life. And I am in those moments. Z is mobile and (frustratingly) independent We have our lives back after being back in baby mode. I don't think I could handle another baby. I'm old. I'm fat. I work a full time job. I already have two kids. We have a tiny house with an even tinier bathroom. We do not have funds for daycare for a 3rd child. We certainly don't have funds for college for any of them. Who knows if we should even mess with Gods plan? What if another baby is His plan? What if I could be pregnant one more time and bring home one more baby? Don't get me wrong, I don't adore being pregnant, its kind of a means to an end. But a new baby, a new life.....
....and the struggle to get pregnant, to stay pregnant, to not freak out the whole time in fear of losing what I so desperately wanted. To await each cycle with fear and hope and tears and .......ugh. It took so long to get Z, we tried so many things. Then it just happened. Would it take long? If I started on the path, I couldn't just walk away....could we, should we? Husband says hes too old and doesnt want more. He also says that if that is really what would make my heart complete then we can talk....do I? Should we?
Then, I look at my mom friends who seem to do it so effortlessly. They get pregnant on a dime, have babies that are perfectly spaced, perfectly groomed, perfectly behaved. They bring them home to perfectly decorated, pictures on the wall, everyone has their own bedroom and possibly even own bathroom houses. Moms get 12 weeks of maternity leave. Then they go to work, and come home to a huge house. They go to the gym! There are not dirty cloths waiting to be washed in a pile in the basement or toys scattered EVERYWHERE. The bathrooms (plural) are actually clean. They do all sorts of activities with and without children, are super engaged with their children and yet no one seems to be at their wits end. They don't lose their tempers with their children. The bank account is never low and the grocery shopping is always done and dinner is rarely cooked in the microwave from a box.
OK maybe this is more about my feelings of inadequacy in all aspects of my life. See I told you I needed to blog. OH PLEASE DO NOT THINK LESS OF ME FOR THESE FEELINGS! I know they are senseless. But I feel them.
My bestie, says we are just in different places. I want to smack her. She is 5 years younger than me and her life is F-ing perfect. Seriously. Nothing hard ever happens at that house.
Another friend told me that the "hard" things that happen in my life just build character. Well, friends, I have LOTS of character! Lots and lots and lots.
I have to go. I really have a few things to do before I leave today. But this was bubbling inside me and just needed to get out.
If you have thoughts or feelings like this or if you hate me now.....let me know. Thanks for listening.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
2 year old Z
Hello Friends,
I should be fair and do a snapshot of my little Z at 2 years old.
Holy cow that went fast and yet it feels as if hes been a part of us forever. What can I tell you about him today? He is tiny, barely 26 lbs and 35 inches. Still wearing some 18-24 month outfits and some 2T stuff is falling off of him. And yet this little guy is a full on whirlwind of energy. He wakes up around 6:15/6:30 ready to play and never stops but to sleep; one decent nap a day and bedtime at 8:30. He has a fantastic smile and his giggles are infectious. He runs, jumps, gallops, rarely walks, climbs, tumbles, and launches himself through life.
Z understands everything we say. He follows simple instructions fairly well and clearly has things to tell us just does not have the words to do so. Husband, babysitter and I made a list; it has about 36 "words" that we have heard him say. I use words loosely as for many of them you kinda have to interpret but in the last few weeks it has gotten easier to communicate with him. Frustration levels have gone down significantly on both sides. He still exclusively signs for "thank you" and "all done" - wont even attempt to say them and happily nods yes or no at you to confirm what he has signed. The Birth to Three social worker will be calling be soon to follow up and see if we need to do anything further. His doctor says hes certainly not ahead but he is doing fine for the age.
He is so easy to put down at night. We say prayers as a family, and give kisses and hugs all around. Then, we read three books, in a specific order (his choice not mine), while rocking in his room. I play a lullabye cd for him, put him in his crib, tuck a Poo.h Bear lovey in his arm as he pops his two fingers in his mouth. I cover him up with 2 specific blankets (again, his choice lately) and walk out. He has been having some trouble sleeping through the night but I think hes confused with the time. When he gets up and I let him get up at 6:15/6:30am its still just as dark in his room as it is at 4am...... The other night I went in to soothe him and he reached up to be picked up and he pointed to the hall way and said "pay car?" Play Cars? J has a Hot Wh.eels Wall Track set and Z LOVES to play with it. He thought it was time to get up and play....he was VERY sad to find out it wasn't time to get up. On the plus side, he is just as easy to get to go back to sleep.
Z goes to the babysitters house daily during our work hours and is so happy to see her every day. She takes such good care of our boys. He has also spent time at the day care where J goes before and after school and easily integrates into their routine and loves to be there too. If I could afford it, I would send them both there. Not because its better than her house, its just different and it would mean only one drop off in the morning and one pick up in the afternoon. Sometimes I take him in with me to pick up J and all the teachers smile and say Hi to him and he smiles and waves back and usually cries when its time to get in the car after only 5 min. That makes me feel so good (not the act of crying just that he is comfortable there). Its nice to have options for him - especially since his sitter takes off A LOT of days in the summer. And I refuse to take her days off as mine if I don't have to.
Shopping with Z has proven lately to be less than pleasurable. He wont sit in the cart for anything not even candy (yes I have tried). Seriously, he screams bloody murder - like I'm torturing him or something. So I let him out of the cart to walk and he refuses to hold hands - again sliding to the disgusting store floor and crying....I would let him walk alone but he doesn't listen, he wants to run the aisles and J cant help because Z either thinks its a game and runs faster, or hates it and screeches. Then, if we actually make it to the register, when I am paying, he runs towards the door (because we are done and it must be time to go right?) and those automatic doors that are so nice when you are pushing a cart are NOT good at stopping a toddler! AT ALL! They slide right open! I cannot tell you how many times I left my purse with wallet open to sprint after him to stop him before he actually gets outside. Husband says, you shouldn't leave your purse like that.....(eye roll. Really? Kid or purse.....?hmmmmmm)
So we have stopped going. Yes, we gave up going in as a family. We either stop and either Husband or I run in alone while the rest of us wait in the van, or we order P.ea Pod. They deliver right into your kitchen! You can order online right up until the night before and then they bring it in! As long as you watch, price wise its not much different and we don't have to take him in there! Note: In the last week he has gone in with Husband for short jaunts and has apparently been good. We'll see.......
Lastly, my little ball of energy has figured out that snuggling is a good thing. I LOVE IT! He has never liked that very much, that kind of made me sad sometimes because J was/is such a snuggler. We were better off putting him down as an infant than trying to rock it out. Within the last few months, he will crawl up next to me and put his head down with his fingers in his mouth. Sometimes laying right on me, other times just being real close to me and touching or patting. Over the weekend, he pulled up my shirt and laid his cheek on my tummy. It was like he needed some kangaroo snuggling or something! Sigh...all of it makes me very contented!
Have a great day everyone!
I should be fair and do a snapshot of my little Z at 2 years old.
Holy cow that went fast and yet it feels as if hes been a part of us forever. What can I tell you about him today? He is tiny, barely 26 lbs and 35 inches. Still wearing some 18-24 month outfits and some 2T stuff is falling off of him. And yet this little guy is a full on whirlwind of energy. He wakes up around 6:15/6:30 ready to play and never stops but to sleep; one decent nap a day and bedtime at 8:30. He has a fantastic smile and his giggles are infectious. He runs, jumps, gallops, rarely walks, climbs, tumbles, and launches himself through life.
Z understands everything we say. He follows simple instructions fairly well and clearly has things to tell us just does not have the words to do so. Husband, babysitter and I made a list; it has about 36 "words" that we have heard him say. I use words loosely as for many of them you kinda have to interpret but in the last few weeks it has gotten easier to communicate with him. Frustration levels have gone down significantly on both sides. He still exclusively signs for "thank you" and "all done" - wont even attempt to say them and happily nods yes or no at you to confirm what he has signed. The Birth to Three social worker will be calling be soon to follow up and see if we need to do anything further. His doctor says hes certainly not ahead but he is doing fine for the age.
He is so easy to put down at night. We say prayers as a family, and give kisses and hugs all around. Then, we read three books, in a specific order (his choice not mine), while rocking in his room. I play a lullabye cd for him, put him in his crib, tuck a Poo.h Bear lovey in his arm as he pops his two fingers in his mouth. I cover him up with 2 specific blankets (again, his choice lately) and walk out. He has been having some trouble sleeping through the night but I think hes confused with the time. When he gets up and I let him get up at 6:15/6:30am its still just as dark in his room as it is at 4am...... The other night I went in to soothe him and he reached up to be picked up and he pointed to the hall way and said "pay car?" Play Cars? J has a Hot Wh.eels Wall Track set and Z LOVES to play with it. He thought it was time to get up and play....he was VERY sad to find out it wasn't time to get up. On the plus side, he is just as easy to get to go back to sleep.
Z goes to the babysitters house daily during our work hours and is so happy to see her every day. She takes such good care of our boys. He has also spent time at the day care where J goes before and after school and easily integrates into their routine and loves to be there too. If I could afford it, I would send them both there. Not because its better than her house, its just different and it would mean only one drop off in the morning and one pick up in the afternoon. Sometimes I take him in with me to pick up J and all the teachers smile and say Hi to him and he smiles and waves back and usually cries when its time to get in the car after only 5 min. That makes me feel so good (not the act of crying just that he is comfortable there). Its nice to have options for him - especially since his sitter takes off A LOT of days in the summer. And I refuse to take her days off as mine if I don't have to.
Shopping with Z has proven lately to be less than pleasurable. He wont sit in the cart for anything not even candy (yes I have tried). Seriously, he screams bloody murder - like I'm torturing him or something. So I let him out of the cart to walk and he refuses to hold hands - again sliding to the disgusting store floor and crying....I would let him walk alone but he doesn't listen, he wants to run the aisles and J cant help because Z either thinks its a game and runs faster, or hates it and screeches. Then, if we actually make it to the register, when I am paying, he runs towards the door (because we are done and it must be time to go right?) and those automatic doors that are so nice when you are pushing a cart are NOT good at stopping a toddler! AT ALL! They slide right open! I cannot tell you how many times I left my purse with wallet open to sprint after him to stop him before he actually gets outside. Husband says, you shouldn't leave your purse like that.....(eye roll. Really? Kid or purse.....?hmmmmmm)
So we have stopped going. Yes, we gave up going in as a family. We either stop and either Husband or I run in alone while the rest of us wait in the van, or we order P.ea Pod. They deliver right into your kitchen! You can order online right up until the night before and then they bring it in! As long as you watch, price wise its not much different and we don't have to take him in there! Note: In the last week he has gone in with Husband for short jaunts and has apparently been good. We'll see.......
Lastly, my little ball of energy has figured out that snuggling is a good thing. I LOVE IT! He has never liked that very much, that kind of made me sad sometimes because J was/is such a snuggler. We were better off putting him down as an infant than trying to rock it out. Within the last few months, he will crawl up next to me and put his head down with his fingers in his mouth. Sometimes laying right on me, other times just being real close to me and touching or patting. Over the weekend, he pulled up my shirt and laid his cheek on my tummy. It was like he needed some kangaroo snuggling or something! Sigh...all of it makes me very contented!
Have a great day everyone!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
J at Eight
Hello Friends,
I thought I should take a moment or two and document about my sweet J at 8 years old.
J is a dark blond, blue eyed, tall (4 feet 3 inches), skinny (60 lbs) heap of second grade sweetness. He is almost out of size 8 pants because they are too short. But 10's are too long depending on the brand. No matter what brand he wears, we have to buy slim AND the waist has to be adjustable or they just fall off! He thinks its hilarious when he can "pants himself" by walking around the house! He is polite (most of the time) and thoughtful to and about others (again, most of the time).
J is very artistic. The art work he brings home is so intricate and beautiful. Classroom teachers often have children draw an idea to prompt writing; they tell me they have to remind him to stop with the drawing in order to do the work. Deep down, I like that.
He is frighteningly good at math. Seriously, he can do stuff in his head that amazes me (and I need to think about hard before I get the answer) multiplication, easy division, subtraction and addition - all of it. He just seems to "get" it. He brought home some work before the holidays that was pre-algebra! Do you recall he is only in 2nd grade? :)
J still takes tap dance and is pretty good at it. I might be a bit biased, but I think if he continues he could be great at it! He was taking Tae Kwon Do through our Rec program, but we are taking a semester break as it added to our cold weather running around and the registration fee was due right after the holidays.....He seems ok with it. I think that when we re-join, Husband is going to take the class with him. It will be good for both of them.
He adores his little brother. J is prideful of him and is thrilled when he is rewarded with hugs and Z attention. He tries hard to play with Z and makes concessions with toys in order to do so. J has turned the corner in reading and likes to try to read to Z.....who doesn't always appreciate the effort!
J always was and still is a cuddle bug. He will still snuggle at every opportunity and although we don't fit in the rocker together very well anymore, he will try to climb up on me for a rock at night if he gets the chance. I suspect that a photo would look like arms and legs everywhere. Its not very comfy for me but he likes it. I try to snuggle with him in his bed at night but sometimes, its too late and we just need everyone to get to sleep ASAP. J has nightmares sometimes, I suspect it's his body's way of waking him up to use the bathroom, but he sure gets frightened. And from silly stuff like "Scoo.by D.oo" Needless to say we monitor what he watches and don't push that envelope very far. He is very interested in H.arry P.otter stuff - I'm just not sure about introducing it yet. When he wakes up with a nightmare, I send him to the bathroom and then he can come sleep in our bed for awhile. Cuddles again! That only lasts until Husband or I needs to move around or it gets too hot, our bed is only a Queen and not intended for 3 people. I know this cuddle stage will eventually go away as he grows older. I try to treasure it and allow it when I can.
He is a relatively easy going boy who adores his electronics; Wii, 3DS, computer games in general, and he is thrilled when he can get his hands on Husbands or my Android based phones for Angry Birds. He is also very into Leg.o's and other little boy toy collections that I do not understand ie: Beyblades. As I said earlier he turned a corner in reading ability and comprehension and is on a roll. He asked for books for his birthday so my sister took him to a major local bookseller and he got to buy 3 beginning chapter books. He also got a timer bookmark from my sister-in-law. He is very proud when he finishes another book and accomplishes his weekly school reading goal.
I could talk about my sweet boy all day long, but I think I should get some work done ;)
Have a great day everyone!
I thought I should take a moment or two and document about my sweet J at 8 years old.
J is a dark blond, blue eyed, tall (4 feet 3 inches), skinny (60 lbs) heap of second grade sweetness. He is almost out of size 8 pants because they are too short. But 10's are too long depending on the brand. No matter what brand he wears, we have to buy slim AND the waist has to be adjustable or they just fall off! He thinks its hilarious when he can "pants himself" by walking around the house! He is polite (most of the time) and thoughtful to and about others (again, most of the time).
J is very artistic. The art work he brings home is so intricate and beautiful. Classroom teachers often have children draw an idea to prompt writing; they tell me they have to remind him to stop with the drawing in order to do the work. Deep down, I like that.
He is frighteningly good at math. Seriously, he can do stuff in his head that amazes me (and I need to think about hard before I get the answer) multiplication, easy division, subtraction and addition - all of it. He just seems to "get" it. He brought home some work before the holidays that was pre-algebra! Do you recall he is only in 2nd grade? :)
J still takes tap dance and is pretty good at it. I might be a bit biased, but I think if he continues he could be great at it! He was taking Tae Kwon Do through our Rec program, but we are taking a semester break as it added to our cold weather running around and the registration fee was due right after the holidays.....He seems ok with it. I think that when we re-join, Husband is going to take the class with him. It will be good for both of them.
He adores his little brother. J is prideful of him and is thrilled when he is rewarded with hugs and Z attention. He tries hard to play with Z and makes concessions with toys in order to do so. J has turned the corner in reading and likes to try to read to Z.....who doesn't always appreciate the effort!
J always was and still is a cuddle bug. He will still snuggle at every opportunity and although we don't fit in the rocker together very well anymore, he will try to climb up on me for a rock at night if he gets the chance. I suspect that a photo would look like arms and legs everywhere. Its not very comfy for me but he likes it. I try to snuggle with him in his bed at night but sometimes, its too late and we just need everyone to get to sleep ASAP. J has nightmares sometimes, I suspect it's his body's way of waking him up to use the bathroom, but he sure gets frightened. And from silly stuff like "Scoo.by D.oo" Needless to say we monitor what he watches and don't push that envelope very far. He is very interested in H.arry P.otter stuff - I'm just not sure about introducing it yet. When he wakes up with a nightmare, I send him to the bathroom and then he can come sleep in our bed for awhile. Cuddles again! That only lasts until Husband or I needs to move around or it gets too hot, our bed is only a Queen and not intended for 3 people. I know this cuddle stage will eventually go away as he grows older. I try to treasure it and allow it when I can.
He is a relatively easy going boy who adores his electronics; Wii, 3DS, computer games in general, and he is thrilled when he can get his hands on Husbands or my Android based phones for Angry Birds. He is also very into Leg.o's and other little boy toy collections that I do not understand ie: Beyblades. As I said earlier he turned a corner in reading ability and comprehension and is on a roll. He asked for books for his birthday so my sister took him to a major local bookseller and he got to buy 3 beginning chapter books. He also got a timer bookmark from my sister-in-law. He is very proud when he finishes another book and accomplishes his weekly school reading goal.
I could talk about my sweet boy all day long, but I think I should get some work done ;)
Have a great day everyone!
Monday, January 21, 2013
2013.....8 & 2 oh my!
Happy New Year Friends!
Here we are safely embarking upon 2013. A brief catch up (hey did you notice its only been one month-ish since my last post?)
Christmas was....ok. The kids had a great time, we did not stress about it too much and it was nice. But I had a stomach bug the entire weekend of and Christmas Eve. I wasn't full blown sick, I just really didn't feel right. Food smelled great, tasted great, just couldn't eat lots of it. So weird (and a bummer as Husband made an AMAZING lasagna and Italian salad). Not one but 3 people asked me if I was pregnant. I said I hope not as I have the Mir.ena and that would not be good. Christmas day I was finally back to normal and we had a nice time opening presents with the boys. Then we spent all day playing with our new stuff. Sadly, back to work the next day.
Next up, New Years. We headed to my sister-in-laws for New Years Eve and we went early to maximize cousin time for the boys. My boys are the youngest 2 out of 7 grandkids and they get mucho attention there. We gather annually on NYE and do appetizers all night long and usually the cousin Christmas exchange. Then on New Years morning, Husband and I make breakfast and we start the birthday celebrations for J and Z and they get their gifts from that side of the family. We were home from thier house by 2:30 and napping by 3. It was a nice weekend.
On January 2, J turned 8. Eight years old, holy cow! Really? I have an 8 year old........ It was back to work and J had school that day. So we sent a fun treat to school and another to daycare and he was allowed to pick a place to go to eat. He picked Ap.plebee's. My parents and sister joined us for dinner and here is the sunday they brought him when they sang. (I took the candle and gave it to the waiter when I told him it was his birthday. ) He doesnt really like cake so this was great for him.
Here we are safely embarking upon 2013. A brief catch up (hey did you notice its only been one month-ish since my last post?)
Christmas was....ok. The kids had a great time, we did not stress about it too much and it was nice. But I had a stomach bug the entire weekend of and Christmas Eve. I wasn't full blown sick, I just really didn't feel right. Food smelled great, tasted great, just couldn't eat lots of it. So weird (and a bummer as Husband made an AMAZING lasagna and Italian salad). Not one but 3 people asked me if I was pregnant. I said I hope not as I have the Mir.ena and that would not be good. Christmas day I was finally back to normal and we had a nice time opening presents with the boys. Then we spent all day playing with our new stuff. Sadly, back to work the next day.
Next up, New Years. We headed to my sister-in-laws for New Years Eve and we went early to maximize cousin time for the boys. My boys are the youngest 2 out of 7 grandkids and they get mucho attention there. We gather annually on NYE and do appetizers all night long and usually the cousin Christmas exchange. Then on New Years morning, Husband and I make breakfast and we start the birthday celebrations for J and Z and they get their gifts from that side of the family. We were home from thier house by 2:30 and napping by 3. It was a nice weekend.
On January 2, J turned 8. Eight years old, holy cow! Really? I have an 8 year old........ It was back to work and J had school that day. So we sent a fun treat to school and another to daycare and he was allowed to pick a place to go to eat. He picked Ap.plebee's. My parents and sister joined us for dinner and here is the sunday they brought him when they sang. (I took the candle and gave it to the waiter when I told him it was his birthday. ) He doesnt really like cake so this was great for him.
Yes he ate the whole thing!
We went back to our house for presents and then it was bedtime. And reality of life returned (school work life)!
On Saturday, Jan 19th, we had a gathering of our close family friends with kiddos to celebrate both J and Z. I had found a great Leg.o party kit and did a loose theme. I looked and looked to find a cake to make that looked like a brick, but then reality set in; I'm capable and willing, but just did not have time. So I called a local bakery and asked for a Leg.o themed cake. They said sure. At the last minute I asked them to put a small monkey by Z's name as he is a monkey! I think it turned out cute.
I think it turned out cute!!
And I think they liked it!!!
Then yesterday was Z's actual birthday. He's 2! Can you believe he's 2 already? We invited my parents over for dinner (my sister was traveling for work) recycled the dinner from Sat, and re-used a portion of the cake from Sat. He seemed happy and the food was just as good on day two!
Blowing out his candle
His big present from us (on sale at Sa.ms Club) Cant wait for spring I think this is going to be fun!
A quiet moment. Look at that little face!
J will actually get one more party next week. He asked if a few friends from school could come to the family friends party and it was already too big, and it would have been complicated to have them there too. So Im taking a 4 of them bowling after church on Sunday. Then we are done. NO MORE BIRTHDAYS for awhile. I get this way every year. The run from Thanksgiving to Christmas all the way through Z's birthday is just one very long ride. We did it right this year, it was very nice all around. I'm just tired, a bit broke and now need to clean out closets and toy shelves to fit all the new stuff in.
We are blessed. I love my boys. I have contributed at least two beautiful things in this world! Have a great day!
Friday, December 14, 2012
December.....
Hello Friends.
Um, excuse me? Have you seen the October and November? I seem to have missed them. No actually, I think I was there, just hanging on for dear life! :) Somehow we have made it to December (and after having started this a week ago, its now almost mid-December).
We had a wonderful late fall with family and close friends. We started early Oct with a trip to MN to see Husbands grandmother who turned 99 in late Oct. 99 people! That is amazing, she is amazing. She needs a walker and some repeating of things, otherwise she is sharp as a tack. We make this trip once a year and have a lovely time doing it. I am certain we will be planning a 100th party for next Oct and frankly, I cannot wait!
We ended the month with several dinners with friends and Halloween celebrations. J was a magician. He wanted to be a ninja with a huge sword. But the costume was $35 at Tar.get and I hated it. Took him to Good.will as I discovered they have a huge Halloween selection to choose from. We ended up finding a top hat, white gloves, and a cape. He bought it, hook line and sinker. We added a tuxedo shirt and bowtie from a dance recital past. Then he and Husband made his wand (family bonding anyone?) We found a small rabbit and put it in the hat for a trick - HE LOVED IT! Hard part is we live in WI and it was cold. So the whole look has to be pulled off with a winter coat. It worked. Z was Elmo and he was cute.
November flew by. Thanksgiving was early and it totally threw me off. My sister works for the corporate office of large department store chain. Every year they hire coach buses and take a group to Chicago for a day of shopping. My mom, sister and I went last year and decided to make it a tradition. We had soooo much fun and it was 70 degrees. People, it was 70 degrees on November 10 in Chicago! Unheard of! But it made for a super pleasant day walking around! Found a few things, had a great lunch, visited a bunch.
The next weekend we went to a waterpark resort in the Wisconsin Dells with 3 other families. We had a wonderful time. 7 adults, 9 kids ranging in age from 11 to 1! The other families have done it before and we got included this year. So much fun! Already planning for next year! A little hard with Z, he wasn't so sure about all the noise and the water....I didn't get to go on many waterslides, but I had fun splashing with him. J and Husband even did an indoor ropes course!
Days later, Thanksgiving was upon us. We drove to Sturgeon Bay, WI (Door County) to spend it with my aunt who was widowed just over a year ago and had to work the day after. We didn't want her to be alone so we (mom, dad, sister, mother in law, and us) descended upon her and had a lovely meal. I thought that on Saturday of that weekend, we were headed to my girlfriends house for a couples only dinner. The 3 girls go out a lot and leave the boys home with the kiddos so that sounded fun. Wellllll....it wasn't a cozy dinner for 6. It was a surprise party for my upcoming (gulp) 40th birthday! I had a wonderful time and was truly surprised with many more friends. My husbands gift was: the next morning, my parents, sister, his mom and Jackson drove to Chicago to have brunch at Table 54. Art Smith is one of the chefs on our bucket list. HOLY COW PEOPLE the food was amazing. My dad kept saying he didn't understand why Husband wanted to to all the way to Chicago for food....until he had pancakes he is still talking about! Seriously! We did a little city wandering, and stopped by Millennium Park - many of our family had not seen " the Bean." It was another mild day in the city and again we had a wonderful time.
Now we are just hanging on for the holiday. Christmas pics taken, cards picked up, not mailed yet. Most of the shopping is done, Christmas cookies baked (fun baking day with mom and sister), Sugar cookies decorated with J, trees mostly up. I have officially turned 40....(Husband and I took day off of work and we went to another fancy restaurant, french food, way too much of it.) and I survived. I just don't feel 40. I distinctly remember my dad turning 40 and the party we threw with all the black over the hill stuff. I remember thinking, wow is he old! Now I'm 40 and I am not old! I cant be, I have an almost 2 year old. I cannot be old.
OK - this post has become a novel - I'm sorry. You can see that we have been super busy. I hope all is well with all of you. If I don't get to post again before the holidays, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Um, excuse me? Have you seen the October and November? I seem to have missed them. No actually, I think I was there, just hanging on for dear life! :) Somehow we have made it to December (and after having started this a week ago, its now almost mid-December).
We had a wonderful late fall with family and close friends. We started early Oct with a trip to MN to see Husbands grandmother who turned 99 in late Oct. 99 people! That is amazing, she is amazing. She needs a walker and some repeating of things, otherwise she is sharp as a tack. We make this trip once a year and have a lovely time doing it. I am certain we will be planning a 100th party for next Oct and frankly, I cannot wait!
We ended the month with several dinners with friends and Halloween celebrations. J was a magician. He wanted to be a ninja with a huge sword. But the costume was $35 at Tar.get and I hated it. Took him to Good.will as I discovered they have a huge Halloween selection to choose from. We ended up finding a top hat, white gloves, and a cape. He bought it, hook line and sinker. We added a tuxedo shirt and bowtie from a dance recital past. Then he and Husband made his wand (family bonding anyone?) We found a small rabbit and put it in the hat for a trick - HE LOVED IT! Hard part is we live in WI and it was cold. So the whole look has to be pulled off with a winter coat. It worked. Z was Elmo and he was cute.
November flew by. Thanksgiving was early and it totally threw me off. My sister works for the corporate office of large department store chain. Every year they hire coach buses and take a group to Chicago for a day of shopping. My mom, sister and I went last year and decided to make it a tradition. We had soooo much fun and it was 70 degrees. People, it was 70 degrees on November 10 in Chicago! Unheard of! But it made for a super pleasant day walking around! Found a few things, had a great lunch, visited a bunch.
The next weekend we went to a waterpark resort in the Wisconsin Dells with 3 other families. We had a wonderful time. 7 adults, 9 kids ranging in age from 11 to 1! The other families have done it before and we got included this year. So much fun! Already planning for next year! A little hard with Z, he wasn't so sure about all the noise and the water....I didn't get to go on many waterslides, but I had fun splashing with him. J and Husband even did an indoor ropes course!
Days later, Thanksgiving was upon us. We drove to Sturgeon Bay, WI (Door County) to spend it with my aunt who was widowed just over a year ago and had to work the day after. We didn't want her to be alone so we (mom, dad, sister, mother in law, and us) descended upon her and had a lovely meal. I thought that on Saturday of that weekend, we were headed to my girlfriends house for a couples only dinner. The 3 girls go out a lot and leave the boys home with the kiddos so that sounded fun. Wellllll....it wasn't a cozy dinner for 6. It was a surprise party for my upcoming (gulp) 40th birthday! I had a wonderful time and was truly surprised with many more friends. My husbands gift was: the next morning, my parents, sister, his mom and Jackson drove to Chicago to have brunch at Table 54. Art Smith is one of the chefs on our bucket list. HOLY COW PEOPLE the food was amazing. My dad kept saying he didn't understand why Husband wanted to to all the way to Chicago for food....until he had pancakes he is still talking about! Seriously! We did a little city wandering, and stopped by Millennium Park - many of our family had not seen " the Bean." It was another mild day in the city and again we had a wonderful time.
Now we are just hanging on for the holiday. Christmas pics taken, cards picked up, not mailed yet. Most of the shopping is done, Christmas cookies baked (fun baking day with mom and sister), Sugar cookies decorated with J, trees mostly up. I have officially turned 40....(Husband and I took day off of work and we went to another fancy restaurant, french food, way too much of it.) and I survived. I just don't feel 40. I distinctly remember my dad turning 40 and the party we threw with all the black over the hill stuff. I remember thinking, wow is he old! Now I'm 40 and I am not old! I cant be, I have an almost 2 year old. I cannot be old.
OK - this post has become a novel - I'm sorry. You can see that we have been super busy. I hope all is well with all of you. If I don't get to post again before the holidays, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Fall Catchup
Hello Friends,
So where did I leave off with our life? I think we were mid- August. (How in the heck is it Oct 16th????sigh.........)
Our Peru friends left, with great sadness from all of us and 4 days later we headed north to hang out by the lake for a few days. It was wonderful, very cool for August in WI but we managed to swim/play in water a bit for both days. Z sat in the stones and dug, waded in the water and climbed all over that paddle boat when it was beached. He did great. The campfire made me a little nervous but we managed.
J- he loves it up there. For the most part there were no electronics, computers, or cable TV (except in the morning when it was 42 degrees out! brrrrrrr). This grin and hairstyle are compliments of driving the jetski with his daddy.
This was our playground for the weekend. I took this pic from the deck. Its about 10 steps to the fire and 15 more to the lake; perfect for just hanging out. It was good.
The weekend after the cabin, Z started a round of the stomach flu in our house. He threw up several times on Saturday (I was out with girlfriends when it started so Husband go the brunt of it). We were a little worried that he had hit his head earlier in the day but by Tuesday night J had it and by Wed the sitter had it. Thurs took down the sitters husband and Thursday night Husband was down. It was a fast and furious ailment, in 2 hours you could go from being fine, to tossing your cookies for about 4 hours. Then you were just wiped out for another day. We are supposed to leave for my mother-in-laws property on Fri night to spend the weekend with family and cousins. At that point, I was the only one who hadn't gotten it. I did the math - if I got it, I was gonna be sick in a camper with 10 other people and not able to get home on Sunday. That did not sound fun and we didn't want to share our yukkiness, so we cancelled and stayed home. To soften the blow for J, who adores time with his cousins, I took the boys to the zoo on Saturday to see the dinosaur exhibit (super cool) and walk around a bit. On Sunday, I went to church and had a normal day, felt a little bad that we missed the weekend away and I was fine but.....on Monday I awoke to stomach issues. I never threw up, but at one point I asked Husband if I would feel better if I did. He said no, so I didn't. I watched sooooo much TV on Monday and Tuesday I totally caught up on my DVR. Pathetic, but I had no energy for anything else.
Tuesday was also the first day of 2nd Grade for J! Holy Cow, I have a 2nd grader! They have assignment notebooks and even change classrooms once a day to go to reading and literacy. I don't remember changing classrooms for that stuff till maybe 3rd grade, definitely 4th. Its crazy and he is doing great. The transition to 2nd has been so much easier than into 1st. Something has clicked with his reading and he is going to town! Math is easy as ever for him and he loves Art and gym class. I am so happy for him.
J has also started back to tap class and tae kwon do and is doing very well at both. We have been trying to teach him to ride his bike with out training wheels, but its hard and we don't have available time to be consistent with it. My parents have even dangled a new bike in front of him if he learns to ride his old one......not sure he cares....
Little Z, my sweet little Z. What can we say about him. He is a fun, frustrating, amazing, trying little person! He is slowly gaining words. If you listen and know what hes saying he says Brother (for J), Sponge Bob (eye roll - I hate it and I guess its on at the sitters), More, Ball, and babbles incessantly. He has also taken to making noises like EH!and angry faces at you when he is angry or displeased. That seems to be all the time lately. I have implemented corner time, to calm him down and let him know that mommy is displeased too. I put him in the corner and gently hold his head there and count to 10. I need to get a pic though because he holds both hand up over his head on either wall and his head is tucked into the corner. Its hilarious. Frustrating and hilarious. The Birth to Three social worker called and sent over an evaluation form to see if we need to evaluate him further for speech delay. I had to have him accomplish many things and note it on this 4 page questionnaire. He was at the top for Gross and Fine Motor skills, following directions and pointing to body parts and just in the gray area for his communication. I am awaiting a call back from her, but I expect that we will have some exercises to do with him for a bit and then reevaluate. But I am feeling better about the speech thing overall.
So, since tiny baby on, Z did not like to cuddle or snuggle, he just needed to be put in bed and he would cry it out for a few min or just roll over and go to sleep. If you tried to snuggle him, he would tolerate for a min or so and would actually reach for his crib. I was always proud about how easy I could put him down....until Sunday night. He cried and wailed himself into the hiccups and just wanted to be snuggled. Now I love the snuggles, I am happy to give them and rocked him to sleep on Sunday night, but was afraid that we were starting something bad at bedtime. We changed nothing as far as routine and again, last night it took until 10 to get him to sleep and it was only with major snuggles and staying with him. Husband didn't help at all in that I tried to just let him cry himself out (I hate it but ....) and he went in there and rocked him and then when he couldn't get him to go down, brought him out to me in the family room, TWICE. At which point the little schiester, grins at me from around his two fingers and reaches for a snuggle with me! Arrrrgh, back to frickin square one. So today, I am tired, frustrated with everyone and tired.....He EH'd at me all morning, fought me when I got him dressed and fussed in the car seat. Today, I was thankful for our sitter and that I had to get to work.
Last but not least, I have been called on for an emergency long term/part time sub at the dance studio. They had hired a new tap teacher who failed to show up on the first day of classes without calling, answering phone or text or email (classy hey?) so they called to see if I could help. I could. I went. It was fun! Lots of fun! So I did 2 weeks, then I couldn't for 2 weeks because of prior commitments. I taught last week and will again tonight, but cannot next week. I think they are close to hiring a new permanent teacher but I can continue like this for a bit. Its like dipping my toe in the pool, enjoying it a bit, but I don't actually have to jump in! I sorta suspect that I will teach again next year......
I have to run now. Besides this is almost an obnoxiously long post. I need to remember that posting makes me feel good. I love reading other peoples posts and seeing that I am not the only one out there with "stuff," that life is not always magical with children and that I'm not the only other one who is tired!
Have a great day friends. May life be good to you all.
So where did I leave off with our life? I think we were mid- August. (How in the heck is it Oct 16th????sigh.........)
Our Peru friends left, with great sadness from all of us and 4 days later we headed north to hang out by the lake for a few days. It was wonderful, very cool for August in WI but we managed to swim/play in water a bit for both days. Z sat in the stones and dug, waded in the water and climbed all over that paddle boat when it was beached. He did great. The campfire made me a little nervous but we managed.
The weekend after the cabin, Z started a round of the stomach flu in our house. He threw up several times on Saturday (I was out with girlfriends when it started so Husband go the brunt of it). We were a little worried that he had hit his head earlier in the day but by Tuesday night J had it and by Wed the sitter had it. Thurs took down the sitters husband and Thursday night Husband was down. It was a fast and furious ailment, in 2 hours you could go from being fine, to tossing your cookies for about 4 hours. Then you were just wiped out for another day. We are supposed to leave for my mother-in-laws property on Fri night to spend the weekend with family and cousins. At that point, I was the only one who hadn't gotten it. I did the math - if I got it, I was gonna be sick in a camper with 10 other people and not able to get home on Sunday. That did not sound fun and we didn't want to share our yukkiness, so we cancelled and stayed home. To soften the blow for J, who adores time with his cousins, I took the boys to the zoo on Saturday to see the dinosaur exhibit (super cool) and walk around a bit. On Sunday, I went to church and had a normal day, felt a little bad that we missed the weekend away and I was fine but.....on Monday I awoke to stomach issues. I never threw up, but at one point I asked Husband if I would feel better if I did. He said no, so I didn't. I watched sooooo much TV on Monday and Tuesday I totally caught up on my DVR. Pathetic, but I had no energy for anything else.
Tuesday was also the first day of 2nd Grade for J! Holy Cow, I have a 2nd grader! They have assignment notebooks and even change classrooms once a day to go to reading and literacy. I don't remember changing classrooms for that stuff till maybe 3rd grade, definitely 4th. Its crazy and he is doing great. The transition to 2nd has been so much easier than into 1st. Something has clicked with his reading and he is going to town! Math is easy as ever for him and he loves Art and gym class. I am so happy for him.
J has also started back to tap class and tae kwon do and is doing very well at both. We have been trying to teach him to ride his bike with out training wheels, but its hard and we don't have available time to be consistent with it. My parents have even dangled a new bike in front of him if he learns to ride his old one......not sure he cares....
Little Z, my sweet little Z. What can we say about him. He is a fun, frustrating, amazing, trying little person! He is slowly gaining words. If you listen and know what hes saying he says Brother (for J), Sponge Bob (eye roll - I hate it and I guess its on at the sitters), More, Ball, and babbles incessantly. He has also taken to making noises like EH!and angry faces at you when he is angry or displeased. That seems to be all the time lately. I have implemented corner time, to calm him down and let him know that mommy is displeased too. I put him in the corner and gently hold his head there and count to 10. I need to get a pic though because he holds both hand up over his head on either wall and his head is tucked into the corner. Its hilarious. Frustrating and hilarious. The Birth to Three social worker called and sent over an evaluation form to see if we need to evaluate him further for speech delay. I had to have him accomplish many things and note it on this 4 page questionnaire. He was at the top for Gross and Fine Motor skills, following directions and pointing to body parts and just in the gray area for his communication. I am awaiting a call back from her, but I expect that we will have some exercises to do with him for a bit and then reevaluate. But I am feeling better about the speech thing overall.
So, since tiny baby on, Z did not like to cuddle or snuggle, he just needed to be put in bed and he would cry it out for a few min or just roll over and go to sleep. If you tried to snuggle him, he would tolerate for a min or so and would actually reach for his crib. I was always proud about how easy I could put him down....until Sunday night. He cried and wailed himself into the hiccups and just wanted to be snuggled. Now I love the snuggles, I am happy to give them and rocked him to sleep on Sunday night, but was afraid that we were starting something bad at bedtime. We changed nothing as far as routine and again, last night it took until 10 to get him to sleep and it was only with major snuggles and staying with him. Husband didn't help at all in that I tried to just let him cry himself out (I hate it but ....) and he went in there and rocked him and then when he couldn't get him to go down, brought him out to me in the family room, TWICE. At which point the little schiester, grins at me from around his two fingers and reaches for a snuggle with me! Arrrrgh, back to frickin square one. So today, I am tired, frustrated with everyone and tired.....He EH'd at me all morning, fought me when I got him dressed and fussed in the car seat. Today, I was thankful for our sitter and that I had to get to work.
Last but not least, I have been called on for an emergency long term/part time sub at the dance studio. They had hired a new tap teacher who failed to show up on the first day of classes without calling, answering phone or text or email (classy hey?) so they called to see if I could help. I could. I went. It was fun! Lots of fun! So I did 2 weeks, then I couldn't for 2 weeks because of prior commitments. I taught last week and will again tonight, but cannot next week. I think they are close to hiring a new permanent teacher but I can continue like this for a bit. Its like dipping my toe in the pool, enjoying it a bit, but I don't actually have to jump in! I sorta suspect that I will teach again next year......
I have to run now. Besides this is almost an obnoxiously long post. I need to remember that posting makes me feel good. I love reading other peoples posts and seeing that I am not the only one out there with "stuff," that life is not always magical with children and that I'm not the only other one who is tired!
Have a great day friends. May life be good to you all.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Summer 2012
Oh my friends, I actually thought out loud that I was doing so well posting at least once a month....I said that in April....its now, gulp, August. No posts from me. Faithfully reading, occasionally commenting, but not writing.
Things are our house are crazy busy as usual. Summer is fun. I love all the activities, I even like the heat (as long as I have AC to retreat to). Summer is tiring, this is a tired mama posting today.
Since last update whats new? Well, we rode our gerbil wheel of life out till the end of school. J finished 1st grade, lost a tooth on the last day of school and another a week later. We have had a toothless wonder this summer - fun to watch him eat corn on the cob! J immediately plunged into summer activities. He does 2 field trips a week with his daycare and the other days are spent at the sitter where Z goes. She has a pool and an Xbox and other kids he has known since he was a baby. In July, he also got to spend 5 days with his cousins in IL, 4 kids aged 15-9. He is 7.5 and they love him and he them; he had a blast. So in short, J is tan, blonder than ever and having a great time this summer.
We have swimming lessons once a week at the local Y (we are not members but their lessons are great and its only a few extra $)- the rest of us swim in the family pool, it has zero entry and a baby slide for Z, during his lesson and stay for a bit after. It makes for a late night but its fun and swimming lessons at our house are non-negotiable. We skip other activities in the summer for swimming lessons as it is a skill that my children, all children NEED to have. I cant wait to put Z in next summer, he has no fear in the water and its frightening. He walks into that zero entry pool right up to his lips and wont hold hands without throwing a fit (see screeching below).
Speaking of my little Z, he is independent and getting into everything. He is following simple instructions and is just generally a fun little guy. HOWEVER, according to Dr S (pediatrician), he is slightly delayed in his speech. He will look at you and babble with intensity and facial expression, so he is saying something in his head that makes perfect sense - just not to us. This is so weird for me because J was talking right on track maybe even a little early and then zoomed ahead with huge words like "actually" and small sentences. Z, at 18 months, has about 4 words (Dr Goo-gle says 50 is average). Holy crud, when you hear it like that, he is really behind right? Then I remember he was an early walker - he was very concentrated on the mobility thing since he was 5 months old. So maybe he isn't behind, he just did it in the wrong order. I also have lots of people saying "my daughter didn't talk till she was 3 and she is just fine" - seriously, I cant do this for another 18 mos. He needs to learn to talk. This lack of communication is compounded by his frustration at not being able to tell us what he wants has led to an escalation of screeching - sometimes for attention and most times in utter frustration. In church and in public are the most fun displays of screeching - Dr advice, ignore it and it will stop. So don't I look awesome in the middle of the grocery store with a screeching Z in the cart and Im not supposed to look. My gut is to leave the store but we need things there like milk and dinner..... Dr S gave us 4 weeks for him to show us 2 new words, if he doesn't then we go for hearing test, and start down the road to a speech therapist. So, now we are paying close attention, and he has figured out how to nod yes and shake his head for no, but has now stopped some of his other sounds. I used to say "would you like more?" and he would smile and say "mohr" soft on the r sound but it was there. Now he smiles and nods.....its not a word, but it is communicating so I think I will take it. Sigh.
This last 4 weeks of summer is going to go super fast. This week a family my dad met and befriended while working in Peru, South America are here to visit. They have an 8 yr old boy and 7 yr old girl. We are doing tons of WI type, kid friendly activities. J gets to go along for the daytime stuff while Z stays at the sitter and Husband and I work. Until Friday, my mom is staying with Z and the rest of us are boarding an Am.trak train to Chicago for the day. Cant wait! This is such a great experience for us all, we all have a slight language barrier; they speak broken English, their kids speak some English, my dad speaks some Spanish, and my sister understands some Spanish....the rest of us, not so much. We got to meet them on Skype before they came and now I hope we can keep that up.
The Peru family leaves on Sunday and on Thursday, we leave for a long weekend at a friends cabin. A short, HA, 6+ hour drive away. I'm not sure I will be ready to go, oh well. There is a Wal.ma.rt in town, if I forget anything right? It will be nice to sit by the lake and the campfire and just chill. Well as much as I can with 4 kids 7.5yr-18 mos near the water, fishing, playing etc.... :) But we can get away as a family with close friends. Its an annual trip that we look forward to very much.
The following weekend is open so far, the next is Labor day already and we are headed out to Husbands moms property for 2 nights with the cousins etc, then we come home for the Monday off and J starts 2nd grade on Tues. 2nd grade? Holy Crud!
Ok, I really have to go now. I think I hit all the main points. I'm sure there is more and I'm hoping to post more on the rest of our summer adventures.
I hope all is well with you and summer is treating you well.
Things are our house are crazy busy as usual. Summer is fun. I love all the activities, I even like the heat (as long as I have AC to retreat to). Summer is tiring, this is a tired mama posting today.
Since last update whats new? Well, we rode our gerbil wheel of life out till the end of school. J finished 1st grade, lost a tooth on the last day of school and another a week later. We have had a toothless wonder this summer - fun to watch him eat corn on the cob! J immediately plunged into summer activities. He does 2 field trips a week with his daycare and the other days are spent at the sitter where Z goes. She has a pool and an Xbox and other kids he has known since he was a baby. In July, he also got to spend 5 days with his cousins in IL, 4 kids aged 15-9. He is 7.5 and they love him and he them; he had a blast. So in short, J is tan, blonder than ever and having a great time this summer.
We have swimming lessons once a week at the local Y (we are not members but their lessons are great and its only a few extra $)- the rest of us swim in the family pool, it has zero entry and a baby slide for Z, during his lesson and stay for a bit after. It makes for a late night but its fun and swimming lessons at our house are non-negotiable. We skip other activities in the summer for swimming lessons as it is a skill that my children, all children NEED to have. I cant wait to put Z in next summer, he has no fear in the water and its frightening. He walks into that zero entry pool right up to his lips and wont hold hands without throwing a fit (see screeching below).
Speaking of my little Z, he is independent and getting into everything. He is following simple instructions and is just generally a fun little guy. HOWEVER, according to Dr S (pediatrician), he is slightly delayed in his speech. He will look at you and babble with intensity and facial expression, so he is saying something in his head that makes perfect sense - just not to us. This is so weird for me because J was talking right on track maybe even a little early and then zoomed ahead with huge words like "actually" and small sentences. Z, at 18 months, has about 4 words (Dr Goo-gle says 50 is average). Holy crud, when you hear it like that, he is really behind right? Then I remember he was an early walker - he was very concentrated on the mobility thing since he was 5 months old. So maybe he isn't behind, he just did it in the wrong order. I also have lots of people saying "my daughter didn't talk till she was 3 and she is just fine" - seriously, I cant do this for another 18 mos. He needs to learn to talk. This lack of communication is compounded by his frustration at not being able to tell us what he wants has led to an escalation of screeching - sometimes for attention and most times in utter frustration. In church and in public are the most fun displays of screeching - Dr advice, ignore it and it will stop. So don't I look awesome in the middle of the grocery store with a screeching Z in the cart and Im not supposed to look. My gut is to leave the store but we need things there like milk and dinner..... Dr S gave us 4 weeks for him to show us 2 new words, if he doesn't then we go for hearing test, and start down the road to a speech therapist. So, now we are paying close attention, and he has figured out how to nod yes and shake his head for no, but has now stopped some of his other sounds. I used to say "would you like more?" and he would smile and say "mohr" soft on the r sound but it was there. Now he smiles and nods.....its not a word, but it is communicating so I think I will take it. Sigh.
This last 4 weeks of summer is going to go super fast. This week a family my dad met and befriended while working in Peru, South America are here to visit. They have an 8 yr old boy and 7 yr old girl. We are doing tons of WI type, kid friendly activities. J gets to go along for the daytime stuff while Z stays at the sitter and Husband and I work. Until Friday, my mom is staying with Z and the rest of us are boarding an Am.trak train to Chicago for the day. Cant wait! This is such a great experience for us all, we all have a slight language barrier; they speak broken English, their kids speak some English, my dad speaks some Spanish, and my sister understands some Spanish....the rest of us, not so much. We got to meet them on Skype before they came and now I hope we can keep that up.
The Peru family leaves on Sunday and on Thursday, we leave for a long weekend at a friends cabin. A short, HA, 6+ hour drive away. I'm not sure I will be ready to go, oh well. There is a Wal.ma.rt in town, if I forget anything right? It will be nice to sit by the lake and the campfire and just chill. Well as much as I can with 4 kids 7.5yr-18 mos near the water, fishing, playing etc.... :) But we can get away as a family with close friends. Its an annual trip that we look forward to very much.
The following weekend is open so far, the next is Labor day already and we are headed out to Husbands moms property for 2 nights with the cousins etc, then we come home for the Monday off and J starts 2nd grade on Tues. 2nd grade? Holy Crud!
Ok, I really have to go now. I think I hit all the main points. I'm sure there is more and I'm hoping to post more on the rest of our summer adventures.
I hope all is well with you and summer is treating you well.
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