March 31, 2008

This morning we had to cancel our plans to have Grandpa and Gran over for a visit before they headed home because Jamie woke up with a stomach bug during the night. Vic had it this morning, too. Jamie was fine all day and Vic is doing much better now, so I hope this is all we will see of this bug and no one else will be sick.

So, today we just lounged around at home again. Caleb played outside some, and Jamie played a lot of Toon Town. We had very nice weather today, and all the kids played outside after Carson came home.

By the time dinner time rolled around, Carson suggested Wendy's, and I was so ready to get out of the house that I agreed. So, our outings today included the carpool line and the fast food line. What excitement. Aren't you glad I have a blog? :) Stay tuned for more excitement tomorrow. I am going to Publix.

Vic and I are excited about our upcoming trip to Charlotte. We are going to the Ballantyne Resort in Charlotte, NC, for a couple of nights just to get away for a little while. So, of course, I am trying to lose weight before we leave on April 10. I have been DVRing the show I Can Make You Thin on TLC, and I finally watched a couple of them today. Paul McKenna is definitely unique. He uses a method of tapping on certain areas of your body to control emotional eating(along with humming and counting and eye movements, yeah, like I said, unique). I have to say, though, that his method for eliminating cravings has definitely turned me off to sweets. At least for the moment.

These photos are of Caleb just sitting and checking out the back yard today. Yes, he's sitting in the Barbie chair, but it's not his fault. I ran over the Batman chair with the minivan a couple of weeks ago. So, now the Barbie chair it is.

March 30, 2008

Carson finally fell asleep last night about 11:45. He ended up sleeping on the couch. That's what he wanted, so I let him camp out there. This morning we didn't go to church because Jamie was still not feeling well, Caleb is still congested, Vic's throat was hurting and I was aching all over. We are a mess. Once again, Carson is the only one feeling well in the house. Caleb seems a bit better today, though, and so does Jamie.

So, we spent today hanging around the house. We played some Wii this morning and then Carson played outside with William all afternoon. Jamie found it too cold outside today, and stayed in most of the day. I think she just really didn't feel like playing. Vic went and got the boat this afternoon so he could work on cleaning it up some. Caleb enjoyed playing on the boat with Vic.

The pictures from today are of Carson raking leaves this morning, Jamie relaxing outside in her Barbie chair, the boys watching Spongebob early this morning, and Caleb, Jamie & Vic on the boat this afternoon.

March 29, 2008

The kids had a great time visiting with Grandpa and Gran this afternoon. We spent a lot of time playing Wii tennis and bowling. It turns out Grandpa and Gran are both very talented bowlers. We all had a lot of fun.

Jamie began running a fever this afternoon. I hope whatever is bothering her won't last long. She was her usual chatty self when Grandpa and Gran first arrived but then became very quiet and still as the day went on, so I knew she must not be feeling well. Tonight she told me that her stomach was hurting too. I hope she is feeling better in the morning.

Carson is so wound up from the fun from today that he is still awake at 11:00. Uncle Brent came over for dinner and to play some Wii dodge ball, which added to the excitement. Carson claimed that the wind noise(20-30mph winds tonight) was keeping him awake, so Vic let him lie down on the couch in the den. I hear him down there chatting with Vic now. It's not looking good for us making it to church tomorrow, but I'm glad he had a fun day.

March 28, 2008

Pretty quiet day today. Caleb and I hung out this morning while Jamie went to preschool. She didn't want to stay for lunch bunch for some reason, so we picked her up at noon. Then she played games while Caleb napped. I got some laundry folded but still have lots more.

We picked up Carson and stayed and played on the playground at the school for a while. I followed Caleb around and pulled him down from high places while Carson played with his friends and Jamie ran around singing songs to everyone. I swear she is destined for Broadway, with her love for singing and the volume of her voice. She is truly the loudest child I have ever known. A girl on the playground told her she had a nice voice, and that made her day.

Caleb slept all night again last night and he fussed less at bedtime tonight. I hope he will have another good night tonight.

I made it through another day without any Diet Cokes. I did drink a cup of green tea this morning, so I had some caffeine there. Other than that, I only drank water. I felt better today than yesterday. This is going better than I thought. Now I need to work on my chocolate addiction. :)

Spoken like a true Presbyterian . . .

Yesterday after I picked Jamie up from preschool, she was singing some songs that she had sung at preschool. When she stopped, I did a little clap and said, "Yay Jamie, that was very nice." She admonished me, "Mom, do not clap for me. I am singing for God, not for you." LOL

March 27, 2008

I had a free day today. Yay! So, I spent it going to Publix and doing laundry. Not too exciting, but it was peaceful.

Caleb and Jamie had fun playing over at Grammy & Grampy's today. They stayed until after I picked Carson up this afternoon. Carson had a good day at school, but I think he was disappointed that I didn't get to come in today. I missed going to his class today, too. It is always fun. I did enjoy my quiet day, though.

Caleb slept for 12 hours straight last night. Woohoo! Tonight he threw a big fit at bedtime. Now that he can climb out of his crib, he seems to think there is no reason to stay in it. So, I have to keep putting him back. I thought he would never go to sleep tonight, and I felt really bad because he was crying. But, with three kids, I can't be too soft on bedtime or no one will get any rest.

I have decided that I need to give up my Diet Coke habit. So, today was day one of drinking only water. I put some lemon slices and a mint leaf in my water glass and kept refilling it all day. It wasn't too bad, but I have a headache and I can't believe how tired I am. Hopefully, this will get better fast. If not, I'm taking my chances with the Diet Coke.

March 26, 2008

Caleb has been doing better today. I put him in our bed last night and he slept there from about 1:00-6:00, so not too bad. Then he took a good nap this afternoon, so I am hoping for a restful night tonight for everyone.

I went to MOPS this morning while Caleb played with Grammy and Jamie went to preschool. I didn't hear anything from the teacher when I picked her up today, so I guess she had a better morning.

After lunch, we hung around at home until time for dance tonight. Jamie was excited because she got to pick up her recital costume tonight. It is a little bit small on her. She can't grow a centimeter from now until June, but it is so cute. :) I am going to hide it from her now because it is bright white and cost a lot more than her other dress up dresses. She could ruin this thing pretty easily.

Carson is spending the night over at Grammy & Grampy's house tonight. I just talked to him and he is having fun building Legos. He said he built a whole cannon by himself. I am sad because I got a note from the teacher saying she doesn't need any help tomorrow, so I won't get to go to his classroom. At least now I can finish up my laundry.

March 25, 2008

**Sorry, I wrote this last night, but I guess I never published it. **

Caleb isn't feeling well and didn't sleep much last night. So, this made for a long, sleepy day for me. He isn't sleeping well tonight so far either. Poor guy has a stuffy nose and seems pretty miserable. I may have to take him to the doctor tomorrow, depending on how tonight goes.

Apparently Jamie was upset when she got to school this morning and told her teacher it was because I didn't kiss her goodbye. I actually did kiss her goodbye at least five times, but I missed her phone call that she made from Vic's cell phone on the way to school. She was calling to get a kiss through the phone. She does that sometimes. Her teacher told me at carpool this afternoon that Jamie was very upset this morning. Oh, the drama of being a four-year-old girl. Tomorrow I will give her a kiss to keep on her hand all day.

Carson had a good day at school and we had some fun building legos before bed tonight. I was proud of myself for finishing a whole Bionicle by myself. Carson informed me that if he were building the Bionicle, he would have finished it long ago and would have been already asleep by then, lol. It's probably true, but it was fun.

Oh, and I gave Caleb one of his birthday presents from Nana & Poppa early today because he kept dragging it out of the closet. He and Carson had lots of fun with it this afternoon. Hope you don't mind, Nana & Poppa! I posted a couple of pictures of them playing with it.

I am off to try to get some rest now!

March 24, 2008

Poppa and Nana headed back home today after a fun weekend, and it sure was quiet this afternoon. We sure do miss having them around, especially when we're playing dodge ball! :)

Jamie got to stay for lunch bunch today and then was happy to see Nana come with me to pick her up from school. Nana and Poppa had to leave shortly after Jamie got home, and then then Caleb and I went through and culled out some toys from the play room while Jamie played Toon Town until time to go get Carson.

Carson's class went on a field trip today. They went to see a show at the Civic center that is part of the music festival going on right now. I know I should know what show they were seeing, but I forgot. Anyway, Carson first said it was boring and then later said it was fun, so I'm not too sure which is more accurate. This morning was quite cold by our standards, so they didn't get to have their picnic lunch. Carson said they ate in the classroom and watched a movie.

Nana and Poppa bought some gifts for the kids while they were here from Walmart. Caleb got a cute little plastic golf set. He loves this thing. He didn't want to stop playing golf to go to bed tonight. I forgot to mention last Thursday that he climbed out of his crib for the first time. Well, now he is very good at it. I put him back in bed five times tonight. He kept getting out crying to play golf. I finally had to convince him that the club he was using and his golf ball were very sleepy and needed to rest. When I left him, his golf ball and club were on his pillow right next to him. I fully expect that he will want to play again right about the time I am falling asleep for the night. Looks like it is time to start transitioning to the big bed.

March 23, 2008

Happy Easter!

We had such a nice Easter today. We went to church this morning and actually got there on time! Vic had to be there an hour early for usher duty, and it was very nice to have Nana & Poppa's help getting the kids ready this morning.

We decided to leave after church and not stay for Sunday School, since we needed to get over to Grammy & Grampy's house. So, I tried to quietly slip out with our two Easter Lilies just as the Sunday School class that meets in the sanctuary was starting. Instead, when I picked up my two lily plants, their leaves were entangled with leaves from other plants. Several of them fell over in a domino effect, and one of them toppled off the stage, spilling dirt all over the carpet. So, I ended up running the carpet sweeper up in front of the class. Then, I got Vic to bring home the lilies when he left (he had to stay a little late to finish usher duties). I wasn't touching them again. Maybe we should have just stayed for Sunday School.

After a brief photo session in the back yard after we got home, we all headed over to Grammy & Grampy's for an egg hunt and lunch. The kids had a great time. It was quite a treat to have so many grandparents around all at once!

Now, Carson, Jamie, Nana & Poppa are all downstairs playing dodge ball on the Wii. From what I can hear, Nana has gotten pretty good at this. :)

Hope everyone had a nice Easter. I have put a few pictures from today on this post. There are more pictures in our Picasa web album.

Publix egg hunt pictures

Thanks to Joy for the pictures!

March 22, 2008

Carson's birthday party was lots of fun today. We were so happy that Nana and Poppa were able to be here. With all that is going on with Pappa Jim and then with Poppa being sick, we weren't sure if they would make it but somehow they managed it. Yay! Grammy, Grampy & Uncle Brent were also there, and Christy and Patrick(of Christy and Patrick's Day fame) stopped by for a while with Patrick's parents.

We had a cookout with lots of Wii games going on throughout the evening. Carson got a new game called Wii Playground, and the dodge ball game on the disk was a huge hit at the party. I think Nana now wants a Wii at her house.

Now I am off to iron all of our clothes for tomorrow and get the baskets ready. Hope everyone has a happy Easter!

March 21, 2008

The kids enjoyed their day off of school today. This morning we all took the van to the shop because the air conditioner has an electrical problem and blows full blast, even when it is turned off. This might actually be useful when Summer arrives, but for now it is very annoying. We have to speak very, very loudly to talk over the a/c while driving. We definitely don't need more noise, so we took it to our friend Paul's garage. We stayed for a while and the kids played outside with Paul's son, who had come to work with his dad. The shop is in an "off the beaten path" type area, so there is plenty of room outside to play.

After that, the kids played at home while I did some laundry. Then, Grammy picked us up at 2:45 for the annual Publix Easter Egg hunt. The kids love this every year, even though there isn't much hunting involved. They actually just dumped tons of eggs into an open, grassy area and let the kids have at it. This is perfect - baskets overflowing with candy-filled eggs and very little effort to get them, lol. The kids had so much fun. I took my camera but forgot my memory stick, so I didn't get any pictures. Grammy got some, though, so maybe I can get them from her and post them tomorrow.

We got the van back after the egg hunt. Paul had to order some parts, so we will be talking loudly for a few more days. Oh, and I made the vegetable soup again tonight, less spicy and easier to eat this time! :)

March 20, 2008 Happy 7th Birthday, Carson!

7 Candles!



Our big boy is officially 7 now! He is very proud it that, too. I think he had a good day.

He started off the day with Grammy & Grampy, after spending the night there last night. Then, I think he had a pretty easy day at school, since it was the last day before a long weekend. Carson wanted to bring doughnuts to his class instead of cupcakes, so I brought in the Krispy Kremes this afternoon about 2:30. The kids were already hyped up because another mom had brought in doughnuts already earlier in the day. The teacher didn't know the other mom was bringing in treats. So, the sugar from the earlier doughnuts, plus the excitement of the holiday weekend ahead, plus more sugary doughnuts led to some crazy kids. I went ahead and took Carson home with me after we finished the doughnuts. After we picked up the little kids, he played with his friends outside until dinner time.

Tonight, we ordered Carson's favorite dinner, pepperoni pizza, and then he blew out candles on yet another doughnut. So, his birthday has certainly been sweet. After dinner, he played Pirates of the Caribbean with Vic and Uncle Brent online. He is finally in his bed now at 10PM. At least there is no school tomorrow, so he can sleep in.

Caleb went over to play with Grammy & Grampy this morning. He got to do some putting at the real golf course with Grampy. I wasn't there, but I'm sure this was super cool to him. He is crazy about golf, just like his Grampy. Jamie also had lots of fun playing with Grammy & Grampy after preschool today. They played outside a bunch and enjoyed the nice weather.

I am off to finish the dishes, watch Lost and get some rest!

March 19, 2008

Jamie's class had their Easter party today, even though they have school tomorrow. They had an egg hunt in the courtyard behind the church and then returned to the room for some snacks. It was so cute and the kids all had a great time. I wish I had some pictures, but my memory stick wasn't in my camera, so I missed out on pictures.

After preschool, Jamie and I picked up Caleb from Grammy's house and went to Kroger and McDonald's. We brought home the food and had a picnic on the back porch. It was again very windy but nice and warm.

Carson had a fun day with Grammy & Grampy. He got to play on the playground for a long time after school and then he headed back to Grammy & Grampy's house for more fun and a little homework. It's hard to believe he will be seven tomorrow. :sigh:

The pictures up top are of Caleb coloring with sidewalk chalk after our picnic today, and Jamie being a ballerina this afternoon.

The pictures below are of my improved, paper-free kitchen, thanks to the notebook idea I got from MOPS last week. :)

March 18, 2008

Well, Jamie got in to the pre-k! It was high-drama at the drawing this morning. The applications were each folded and placed into letter-sized envelopes. The envelopes were in a large clear plastic container. It looked like about 150 applications in there. Then, they brought the current pre-k students into the cafeteria to draw out the envelopes.

There were a total of 40 spots open in the two pre-k classes. I was sitting with the parents of one of Jamie's friends, Rylee. They called out 38 names, and neither Jamie nor Rylee was called. Rylee's mom got so stressed sitting and waiting, she decided to go stand outside the cafeteria. I figured we were surely wait listed. Then, they called out Jamie's name for number 39, followed by Rylee's name for number 40! We were so happy! The best part, other than hearing Jamie's name called, was looking out the window and seeing Rylee's mom jumping up and down when they read 39 and 40, lol! I think she was the happiest.

A couple of her other friends got in also. I think she will enjoy it.

Other than that, we had a pretty ordinary day. We had more beautiful weather today, so the kids enjoyed playing outside after school. Vic has poker night tonight, so I just made a quick dinner for the kids and me. Now I am going to go get them a bath and work towards getting them in the bed as soon as possible. I think they are all tired. I am definitely ready for some quiet time. I think I will use it to fold laundry.

Carson on the monkey bars

Here's the video of Carson on the monkey bars. There are a few seconds of Caleb, too.

March 17, 2008 Happy Christy & Patrick's Day

Not too much going on today. Jamie's preschool did some more St. Patrick's Day celebrating. All the kids were supposed to wear green and bring in something green for show and tell. Jamie took one of her Ariel dolls, since her mermaid tail is kind of green. She brought home a Christy & Patrick's Day wand and a Christy and Patrick's Day shaker that she made at school. :)

The boys spent much of the afternoon outside. It was a little breezy, but at least it kept the gnats away. Jamie played some Toon Town online with Grammy.

I was excited today because Vic's new cell phone arrived. That means I get his Dash. Yay! Now I can send text messages. This is going to be fun.

Tomorrow morning is the lottery drawing for pre-k. I am going to the drawing because I want to know right away if she's in or not. I think either way will be fine; I just want to know. If she gets in, I'll need to start shopping for the cutest girl uniforms I can find. This is going to really throw a wrench into my Gymboree habit. At least they sell uniforms. I guess I'm getting ahead of myself, though. :)

The pictures are of Jamie talking Toon Town on the phone with Grammy and Caleb mowing the lawn. I tried to load a video of Carson on the monkey bars, but it doesn't seem to be working. I will try again tomorrow.

March 16, 2008

Last night we had some crazy weather. We lost power last night around 9:30, and then had a tornado warning around 10:45. It was a pretty scary storm, with very little rain(in our area), but lots of wind and that strobe-light type lightening. I found out today that our entire county was without power and all of a neighboring county was without power. I was so impressed that our power came back on at 5:30am. I don't know whose job it is to repair the power lines, but they are quick.

Jamie woke up shrieking at about 5:25 this morning. She is like me and is not a fan of the dark. So Vic went and brought her into our room. When the power came on 5 minutes later, she took full credit for it. "I did it, Daddy! I turned the power back on!"

We again skipped church this morning and just went to Sunday school, so Carson was once again very happy. I was up late because of the weather and then up with Jamie and Caleb at 5:30(Jamie's shrieks woke up Caleb). I ended up getting them both back to sleep and then I decided to sleep a little more, too.

After Sunday School we had a cookout at the church, which was fun and it was also very nice to not have to make lunch. Plus, Vic signed us up to bring chips to this shindig, so I didn't have to cook anything at all. :)

The rest of the day was unremarkable. We just hung around home and cleaned up and the kids played games and played outside. we had perfect weather today. Upper 70s and sunny.

Blogger tells me this is my 50th blog post. Woohoo! Here, to help me celebrate, are some lolcats.

March 15, 2008

Vic took Caleb and Jamie for a walk to the park in our neighborhood this morning. Carson stayed behind because he was playing Pirates of the Caribbean. I stayed behind so that I could work on organizing in the kitchen some more. I culled out some cookbooks and cleaned out my stationery supplies.

Later, Vic took Carson and himself for a haircut. Carson's hair is even shorter than last time. I think it is cute. We are on a mission to find the length at which Carson's hair no longer stands straight up when he wakes up in the morning.

After they returned, I went to Walmart for more organizing supplies. That's right, I'm on a roll. Look out. I got a cork board for each of the kids' rooms, so that they can display artwork there and not on the refrigerator. I got a basket to set beside the microwave, where I keep Ziploc bags, plastic utensils and brown bags for packing snacks and lunches. I also got a bigger notebook, as mine is quite full. Caleb took a nap while I was gone, and the big kids played outside. Vic said they fought the whole time.

Jamie and Carson played the Pirates of the Caribbean game together today for a little while. Jamie had the desktop and Carson had the laptop. Here is the conversation I heard, "Carson, I need some help. I'm going to destroy this anemone." "Jamieeee, that's not an anemone, that's an en-e-my." "That's what I said, Carson. Anemone. Now come help me so I can destroy it." "Jaaammmiieeee, Grrr. I give up."

Tonight, we ate dinner at Cancun with Grammy & Grampy and Brent. It was so yummy, but I ate too much. Mexican food is almost as irresistible to me as Tagalongs. Brent came over after dinner, and now he and Vic are playing some scary-looking Wii game that Brent rented.

I am going to go clean up the kitchen and then get some rest!

March 14, 2008

Carson and Vic went to the parade this morning and had a great time. The attorney Vic uses for all of his closings invited them to watch the parade at his office. Carson was impressed that there were three tables full of food there. Carson said his favorite part was when some soldiers fired off their guns. Of course. Carson even talked Vic into buying him a $7 piece of green plastic shaped like a horn. It doesn't honk(thankfully), but it is a voice amplifier. That's just what our kids need, and they all love it.

Jamie, Caleb, Grammy, and I went to the beach. It was a little cold, but we all had a great time. When we first got there, we were the only ones there except for one other person. A few more people showed up, but it was great having such a quiet morning at the beach. I put a few pictures at the top. There are more pictures in our Picasa Web Album.

This afternoon we all just hung around and rested. I washed a bunch of laundry, and now I have a bunch to fold.

I was very happy to hear that Pappa Jim did great with his surgery and is feeling much better now. :) I hope he will make a quick recovery and be back at home soon.