Bob the Builder and stuff

What a crazy weekend! It all started Friday morning. Our Children's Museum has travelling exhibits and this time it's Bob the Builder. Now if you know Mike, you know it was a must that we go. On Fridays and Sundays you could actually meet Bob. Sundays are difficult because we go to Grandma and Pap's and Fridays have been difficult lately. Something always came up!

Well, this Friday we finally made it. We got there when it opened to avoid any parking lot fiascoes like last time (we couldn't get in and there were open spots!). We visited all the rooms, played with all the toys, and met Bob. Mike's face lit up like a Christmas tree! I am so mad that I forgot the camera (again), but believe me he was extremely excited. The museum is halfway between our house and where Chris works so I figured we'd stay there until it was time to get him from work. That was a long day!!!

Friday night was the end of the summer reading party at the library. Paige won a chance to make her own puppet with the puppeteer before the party. There were extra supplies so Mike was able to make one as well. During the party, there was a puppet show, games, prizes, face painting, and Rita's (Italian ice for those who may not know about that place).

Wow did the kids sleep well that night!

Saturday we went to lunch with friends to a German restaurant, Hofbräuhaus, and it was awesome! We all ate too much food, but it was worth it! After that we went to buy Mike's soccer stuff. He is finally old enough to play. I'm so happy bout that because he is so excited to do something that his sister does, but it's also sad because it means my baby is growing up. The bonus is we got free soccer socks out of it! Dicks has a package deal where you can get the ball, shoes, and shin guards for $35. An employee told me the socks were included and when I explained this to the cashier, she had to give them to me as part of the deal. Sweet!

Today is finally Sunday. I'm not excited about the weekend being over, but there's nothing I can do about that. Altho today is what I call the first official day of summer. The temperature was in the 90s today. There have been maybe 3 days where it hit 80 or above in the past month, so it feels pretty hot. Thank goodness Paige has AC in her room. It also helps to cool off our room. I hate sleeping when it's hot!

Now it's officially bedtime for the kiddos so until next time, bye-bye!

PS. I don't let the kids get their faces painted because Paige broke out one time, but they got their arms done, and that's what the pictures in this entry are.

Stop and smell the roses

It's been a rough day for me. Here I am worrying about trivial things when, BAM! Smacked in the face with devastating news. What was I worried about? Well, I'll tell you. Mike went to the doctor the other day for his 4 year check-up. I had a few questions about his behavior - a week or so ago I didn't think he would make it to 4! Anyway, the doctor said he's a boy and it's just the age. Fine, whatever, he's probably right. So I asked for advice on discipline. Time-outs are good (1 minute per year the child is), taking away privileges, rewarding good behavior. Well I do these things! Short of beating him, many times nothing gets through to him. By the way, no I don't beat my kids. The doctor also asked about preschool. We're doing it at home. Apparently that was not the correct answer, but guess what? That's what we're doing!

So anyway, back to why I need to stop worrying about these trivial things and start embracing the little things. A friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer last year. She had gone through chemo and radiation and was very positive about the whole thing. It wasn't spreading and the treatments seemed to be working. Well, she recently went in for a scan and her doctors realized that the cancer had spread. Yes, there is a new experimental procedure they could try which may give her a little more time. But if that doesn't work, she probably has another year.

I am having such a hard time dealing with this. One of my biggest fears is to leave this earth before my children are grown. I want to be there while they grow and become adults and have families of their own. My friend will probably not get a chance to see her daughters grow into adults. I know that some treatments work wonders and cancer patients can go on living a wonderful life for a long time. While this is what I hope for her, what she has is one of the ugliest and hardest cancers to treat.

Other friends are talking about doing a walk in her name, fundraisers, and giving her and her family little things to help them enjoy what time she has. I am all over this and want to help as much as I can. But at the same time, there's only so much I can do. I can't cure her, I can't make this process any easier, and I absolutely hate that feeling of helplessness.

Devastating things like this are reminders to hug your loved ones, call a friend you haven't talked to in a while, and always stop to smell the roses.

Anyone who reads this, please keep this woman and her family in your thoughts and prayers. They need all the good vibes they can get.

Non-domestic Goddess

Yep, the title says it all! Housework is not my thing. I'm not saying I never do it. I do not like complete chaos, but I am definitely not Martha Stewart! I will admit that I vacuum at least once a day. And I do this for 2 reasons...
1. I have 2 (sometimes 3) messy children who leave a trail when they eat anything!
2. The youngest of the group loves to vacuum! Strange, but true!

I have no problems with the house not being perfect. I mean, everyone is fed and happy. What else can I ask for? It's when i get attacked that I freak out. For example, today I decided to Wii Fit. It's been a while and that was not a cheap gift, so I might as well use it. Well, I turned it on and realized that I did NOT want to play Pajama Sam. That's one of Paige's games, but the sad thing is even I can't figure the darn thing out!

Anyway, I went to take out her game and put mine in when I was overcome. Yep, those pesty dust bunnies came out of hiding and attacked! I swear I just got them under control. Those buggers are quick!

And they like to gang up with the gnomes. You know who they are, right? They're the sneaky scoundrels who like to take your stuff and hide it. Ya, they're here all the time.

I'm hooked!!!

So a few months ago I decided to take up a new hobby - crochet. Well, I am hooked! No pun intended. Well, maybe a little pun =). Anyway, it took a few tries and some youtube videos for me to really understand what to do. The first project I decided to do was easy, or so I thought. Let's just say I started it in April and it's still not done. Sorry I can't go into further detail, but I can't give away what it is. It's a surprise for someone who I know reads this.

When I felt I needed a break from that project (I guess it was a lot of breaks or else it would be finished by now), I worked on a few other things for the kids. I discovered it's a lot of fun to make animals. Then I heard some exciting news in my family and said, hey, I can make something for that, too!! So, yes, the original project was put on the back burner...again. Well, the exciting news on my end is that I have finished this 2nd big project, which would make it the 1st big thing I have completed. Yay me!!!! Sorry, but again I cannot explain what this one is either because like the 1st, it's also a gift. I'm sure at some point I will reveal everything.

Now the problem is, what to do with this new hobby once my big projects are out of the way. Hmmm...any ideas? I do take requests =)

Happy birthday!!

So, Little Dude is 4 years old now. Time sure does fly! As you can see, Steelers was the theme for the party this year. I was so excited that he didn't choose a construction theme for the 3rd year in a row! And I even found football ice cream. How cool is that?!?

As excited as we are to celebrate another birthday, it's also a sad time for me. It seems like only yesterday he was born. And pulling out pictures from then is certainly not helping my current state of emotions. With GG, it wasn't nearly as emotional. The year she turned 4 was the year Little Dude was born. It was hard seeing her growing up, but there was also another baby in the house to experience those early years with again. Now there is no other baby in the house. I do not miss the late night feedings or all the diapers. It's also a lot easier to travel now. Instead of packing a huge diaper bag, all we need is a change of clothes. While I don't miss the things that come with a baby, I miss being able to take care of another person.

Little Dude is now at the age of independence. I think it's also safe to say he is potty trained (day and night). It gives me a great sense of pride to know that we did a good job in shaping this little boy into an independent person and I am looking forward to teaching him new things and watching him continue to grow. And this is not all about Little Dude. GG continues to grow every day and has a love for learning. We are also proud to be a part of her continued growth!

It's just very emotional for me to grasp to concept that the baby days are done. We have agreed to not have anymore kids, and I swear I am fine with that. But from a biological standpoint, it is a woman's job to have babies. Being pregnant is an experience that only a woman can have and unless you've been there, you cannot understand the emotions that go along with it. So as much as I loved being pregnant, I have to look at this rationally. We are (I am) happy as a family of 4. It takes a lot of work (and money) to have a baby and I do not think I want to go through that again.

So before I ramble on more than I already have, I am very happy to have 2 wonderful children. I would not change a thing and I am looking forward to watching my children grow and be a part of it. But I also miss the old days.

Happy birthday, Little Dude. And here's to many more!