My little boy is a whole hand

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SILLY PANTS!

Yep that's right Silly Pants is a whole hand today. A whole foot. The price of a meatball sub at Subway. How can that be? How did time fly by so quickly? Obviously a cruel joke God is playing just to toy with me as a mom.

In a month I will be registering him for Kindergarten. He will be starting school. Can that be? My little boy? Wow...

So this morning I heard him awake and went up there to sing Happy Birthday and well to tell him Happy Birthday (the kid has wanted to hear those words for weeks now) and he was so excited to realize that finally HIS day had come.

For all of the boys on their birthdays I let them choose what we will have for each meal. Last year we had ice cream sundaes for breakfast...yep I let him have it for breakfast. This year he has asked for Fruit Smoothies...I personally like that one much better.***Correction Alert!!!! After writting this we went down to have breakfast....Silly then decided he wanted an ice cream sandwich and a cookie. Yep I gave it to them...there went the smoothies...oh well maybe next year? Unlikely! He has not decided what he wants for lunch yet - most likely some sort of sandwich although after this morning I wouldn't be surprised if he asked for a candy bar. For dinner we are having homemade pizzas. He will make his dough and put on his toppings. That is what he wants so that is what we are having.

BF & SIL are coming for his birthday dinner. Prits is unable as she is ill right now - not a good thing - we pray for a speedy recovery as she is leaving with BF for Florida next week.

Silly is so excited for dinner and I think he is even more excited because in 2 sleeps (that's how we count days) he is having his party. This year we are keeping it low key (last years was not and well the ones to come will be crazy as he keeps getting older) But I think he would be excited if I gave him some balloons and only 2 people came over. He is truly easy to please. We are having over a few family and friends and just celebrating the past 5 years of life of this wonderful little boy.

Well I am going to stop now - as I do not feel like getting terribly emotional this early in the morning...I will just say....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SILLY PANTS!

Early Morning Meltdown in the Snow

No the snow didn't melt...no it was not me who had a meltdown (although that would be the most popular answer)...no none of the boys had a meltdown...well that last one is not entirely accurate. Husband had a meltdown in the snow...err with the snow? Because of the snow? You can decide...

So we went into today knowing that Husband will be working till 7pm. (Ugg!) This morning he wanted to get out the door at 6am to beat traffic and get a full 12 1/2 hours in for the day (Ugg again!) So I sent him on his way with a lunch and snacks, locked the door and went upstairs to give the boys their cups.
A minute later I hear the door and go down (as it was locked) and there was Husband asking me to help push him out of the snow (that he had driven himself into) (no he did not say that, but it was obvious)

Take a step back and think about my Husband. A rather calm, almost passive man that kind of hangs back, doesn't really confrontation and is pretty level headed, more analytical and purposeful than anything. Not that way this morning. I am going to give you a more PG rated version of how it went and the conversation that happened...by conversation I mean a Monologue of my Husband as I did not dare utter a word.

I get into his car and am told to go forward while he pushes. I go no where. He goes to the front and tells me to go in reverse - I do and no where...again...As I was trying to go in reverse I thought it would be a good idea to crank the tires so that if I did move I would not go farther into the snow...apparently that's not what he wanted..
"What the hell are you doing? Why are you cranking the wheels? Keep them straight! NO Straight!"
I get them straight and he gets a shovel.
He shovels out the back tire and I get to go forward again...nothing...
Well not nothing...
This is the beginning of the meltdown.
"F this Fing car, Screw you (to the car not me), F the snow. I am calling in sick." talk about over reacting...
He then goes to the front of the car and we try reverse...again. I get about 2 feet and stop - maybe I should have had the wheels cranked huh? No I did not say that...are you kidding me? Have him go all Jack Nicholson "Shining"on me. I think not.
So then he proceeds to spit on the ground..yep that's what he did. Spat on the ground.
"F this, I HATE Minnesota, I hate the snow. I am quitting my job. I am not Fing dealing with this. Maybe if the Fing drive way was shoveled properly this wouldn't have happened. F this. Fing Car. Piece of Sh." Now to clarify - the entire driveway was shoveled and well he was technically in the yard - had we cleared the snow that's where he would have been.He then starts to shovel some more - while taking breaks to beat the snow as if it were something that could feel the pain and would give in to his insanity.
"Fing snow. I was Fing trying to get to work early, trying to beat the traffic and now I might as well just stay home. Why does this Fing happen to me?? F you snow!"
We try again to go both forward and back...oh and this time he says I SHOULD crank the wheels..haha...a little late now don't you think? Went no where - and fast!
So then he goes and opens the garage door, gets in the Explorer and backs out. He gets out, grabs a blanket and puts it on the hood of the car. Now in my own thoughts I would have thought it be a better idea to go from behind. I mean the truck is fairly large compared to the Sable and well the at least there would be less chance of damage (I mean it's not like he is calm and collected right now...) apparently my thought was not appreciated as he went ahead with his thought - I was terrified the man was going to push me into the neighbors garage when he got in the truck. Nope he gathered enough self control to go slowly and push the Sable out of the snow.

Now I know there are things I am missing in there...He said so many things that really cracked me up (after the fact) but I don't think I got them all.

Moral of the story??? Even the most level headed person can go Crazy and meltdown....Poor Husband had a bad start. I pray the rest of the day goes better for him.

Side note...they always said that you marry a man like your dad....not true...I married one more similar to my mother....go figure....


What a way to start the day.....

Art project with a purpose...

So we are planning a BIG family trip to Disney World in Florida. The trip is tentatively planned for Dec 09 or Jan 10. That gives us 1 year to fully prepare and save. That will be no problem. Everything we need is set to save and well - we ARE going - barring any act of God or such. The boys and I made a Countdown to Disney Calendar. So each day they go to the calendar and mark off that day. Yea, I know...over 300 days left...but they love having that visual reminder and well they are just so darn excited.

With me being the craft junky that I am had a thought...let's make a Disney Fund Jar for each of the boys. The thought was then solidified when I spoke to BF and she mentioned that she was thinking of giving Silly Pants cash for his birthday with the thought it could go toward his on Disney stash of cash. Great minds think alike!!

Yesterday we went ahead and made their jars. They had such a great time making them and well are looking forward to collecting money in them. When one finds a penny or a nickle or even one of the fake coins we have around here is finds it's way into a jar.

We started the project with Kerr Jars...the kind you would just use to can fruit or jelly. Then I grabbed our enormous container of cut up pieces of paper and the Mod Podge.* I gave them each a sponge, paper, Mod podge and a jar and told them to go at it. That's what they did...

Here Monkey is Mod Podging, sticking pieces of paper & being his task-oriented self.

SillyPants is being extra careful to do a good job but stay clean!

While all this was going on Mini C was sitting in his chair, snacking, laughing and trying to eat whatever pieces of paper got close enough to him to grab! He really enjoyed watching his big brothers do this project.

Here is a picture of Silly Pants all done with his project and thinking to himself, "How do I get it full really fast??" Each respective jar has their name on it with Disney Fund. And here is Monkey with his completed jar. Sorry about the picture - he was having a rather weird moment and well...smiling wasn't happening the way it normally did...Got to love him!

Needless to say I made Mini C's jar - well that's not totally correct I did have him "help" me - but that ended when he continually tried to eat the paper...he really doesn't need that much more fiber...

Mini C with his jar, he actually wouldn't let it go once I gave it to him. He was quite funny about it - so he ended up holding it till he finally pushed it to the ground...thankfully they are strong jars!

Silly Pants & Monkey showing off their jars. They were so much fun to watch while they made them. So meticulous & precise. They turned out wonderful and now it's time to find a good spot to put them.

So now when the boys find money it will be a battle to divide it evenly - or just well enough so that everyone gets something that will make the jar jingle. If you would like to help them in the efforts to make their jars jingle feel free - we are out of change!

*a wonderful compound that can be used on just about anything - to make anything - and in turns makes it nearly water proof - allows it to last a lifetime and well just a whole lot of fun to play with and try to think of things to use it with. The boys really love it and I LOVE trying to figure out things to make with it...I wonder if I can buy stock in it....

AM wakers...

Our boys are early risers...However Silly Pants was NEVER as bad as Monkey is at this point. He has been continually getting up BEFORE 5am. The reason??? Who the heck knows...it doesn't matter if the kid goes to bed at 7 or 11 he still gets up at the crack of dawn...well before the crack even thinks of getting up.
I just can't figure it out. We had thought about an alarm clock and setting it - but then realized that if someone were to actually sleep past the sun rising then they would be awaken by the alarm. So we are getting the GoodNite Light. It is supposed to change from glowing as the moon to glowing as the sun when it is time to get up. So the boys would have a visual que on when they could exit their room and make noise.

Hopefully it ships quickly as I (and Husband) are lacking large amounts of sleep and well I would rather not feel cranky or short fused so often. It is not a feeling I enjoy and well as a household no one deserves to feel tired all the time or like Mommy is having a "bad day." Especially when it can be avoided by getting an extra hour of sleep.
You may suggest "why not slip a little Benadryle (totally the wrong spelling...by heck what do you expect from a woman that is lacking sleep??) in their water at night?" Well actually they have had it before and well...it did NOTHING...if anything it made them more antsy....Go figure...They are my boys after all. Short of giving them a bottle of Gin to down, this Lite is what I am laying my hopes, and with any luck dreams that I may have once again, on.

Baby signing...

When my boys are big enough to eat food (which I swear is form birth) I teach them how to sign. Mini C has been doing really well at catching on to this.
We started with More, Please, Thank you, water, milk & eat...I think those are the basics...

Yesterday I was in the kitchen getting some things done with Mini C on the floor playing. He sounded as though he was going to be getting upset so I looked at him and asked him if he wanted something to eat (signing "eat") and gave him an arrowroot cookie.
It felt like less than a minute and he was making noises to let me know he had finished (I didn't really believe it as it was so soon...sure enough he had eaten it) so I acknowledge it and he signs for "more". I hand him a sweet potato nibble. He literally takes it from me squishes it with his hands drops it and signs "more." So I hand him another and he looks away. He then looks at me cautiously, as if to make sure I wasn't going to hand him another one of those, and then signs "more" again.
I than hand him another arrowroot cookie and he was happy as can be.

Now normally he loves the sweet potato nibbles...apparently that was just not what he wanted and well he did what he could to express that to me with being able to use words...I found it was very effective...

Moral of this story? Even a baby can say "hell no" to something. It just may not sound the same...

Blonde moment #1....

So if you know me .... there will be more... but BF stated that maybe I should blog about this one...that got me thinking...I will blog about all of them then...why not? Who cares? I don't. Do you? If you do, well then oh well. It doesn't matter. So here we go...

I was talking to BF on my cell phone...Sprint to Sprint gotta love it! So the house phone rings 3 separate calls so finally I decide to answer it. I deal with the retard that kept calling and then needed to finish a thought I had to BF.
Problem then was...where did I put my stupid cell phone?? Yea, in the matter of 2 minutes that I had it put it down and dealt with the phone call I managed to misplace it. Go figure...oh and that's NOT the blonde moment I am taking time to type...

I decide fine - I am irritated I can't find it so I will call it from the house phone...I mean that is the fastest and most effective way to find it right? Yep!

So I hear it ringing and pick it up...wondering to myself...wait for it....wait for it....

I think to myself ......"Who the heck is calling my cell phone??"

Yep...That's right....I called it and I wondered who is calling me...all at the same time....

Nothing else I can say about that....

Bowling...

So while Husband had time off for the holidays we had decided to take the boys bowling. They just opened a new Brunswick XL in Lakeville. Well we figured it was down past Hom Furniture. We were wrong...it is about 3 miles from our house! What a nice surprise.

So when we got there they told me it would be 1 1/2 to 2 hour wait (they open at 11 and we were there at 1130). Boy were we ticked...so the boys went with Husband to look at the arcade and see what else they had to offer. While they did that I went back to talk to someone...I mean we only wanted to bowl one game and really only needed to have the boys bowl.

Well I got up there and another lady informed me that if I only wanted to bowl for an hour that we could get a lane right away. WONDERFUL!!

So here they are enjoying bowling..

Here's Silly Pants using the wonderful ramp they provide - he got a spare!

Here's Monkey using the ramp - the kid got a strike! Seriously!!*

Here the two big boys are waiting as patiently as they can for their turns

Mini C did really well, he really liked all the lights...and well the food I fed him too...Monkey loved the whole thing. He already wants to go back again.

I didn't get a shot of Silly alone...he just wasn't havin' it.

*I will try to post a picture of the final score card today....

Illness has plagued our house...

So this week has been less than wonderful. It started with Mini C vomiting all over me and then having pretty nasty diapers. Although through out this he was in great spirits and happy. So talked to Dr. N just to make sure I was doing what I needed to to keep him hydrated. So we ended the night with Mini C vomiting on me again.

Tuesday brought on the illness to both Monkey & myself. You ask - you? sick? Yep. I blame it on the fact that I have been lacking sleep and well my immune system was to firing 100%. But did it stop me from cleaning up Monkey, changing Mini or keeping Silly happy? Nope! Why not? Because I am the MOM. Need I say more? I think not...

So that night Husband came home early (oh have to give props to Brother who ran Pedialyte over to me on Monday when I realized Mini C wasn't doing so hot - THANKS!) to give me a bit of a relief and some Gatorade - as I was starting to get dehydrated as well as Monkey.

Here is Husband trying to steer clear of the impending illness he will so succumb to. Can we say Killer???

Here he is helping with Mini C - as I was not doing so hot at this point

So we get through the night - when I say get through I mean we were up most of it taking care of Monkey and now Silly who had succumbed to the illness. Yuck is all I can say. Well it could be worse. By that point all I had was a pretty strong head ache and a back ache. No more queasy stomach at least. Needless to say while I was taking care of the sick kids - Husband himself was taken over by the evil bug that reigned over our home.

Anybody who is married, dating or has a male relative they have lived with KNOWS that men are the worst to be sick. I would rather all three of my boys sick then Husband. Just the day before I was pretty bad and taking care of the three boys. Now Husband is ill (not nearly as bad as I - no I won't tell you why or why not...you don't want that much info) and he could barely hold his head up....So much for the strong, tough man right?

Wednesday starts with me finishing up my recoup and Monkey and Silly actually doing a bit better. Not totally but there is improvement.

Here Husband is with Mini C. Obviously sleeping. On the floor. Both of them sick.

As I think all is getting better - Thursday morning starts with Monkey & Mini C looking pale again. We just watch them and thankfully nothing really came of it. Husband stayed home as to not bring this nasty bug to work and to get some food in him as well.

So the moral of me telling you this? Besides having to document the first ever FULL house illness take over?

That if you are married, getting married or ever want to be married...know that your husband will be your worst patient....

Polar Bear Plunge

So I am taking the Plunge!!! The Polar Bear Plunge!!!
This is something I had wanted to do for many years but hadn't been able to. So this year I am comitting to this. I am going to jump February 28th. I am going to jump into Lac Lavon in Burnsville.
My goal is to raise $1500.00 by that date. I will be working on attaining this goal full force. Any help will be hugely appreciated!

Does anyone want to join me? I would love to have others jump with me!
I think that this is a great cause and well - surprise surprise I think it would be fun as well!

Do I need to make an incentive of my own?? Well...to all those who chose to jump with me - The evening of the 28th I will prepare a yummy home cooked meal. It could be a celebratory dinner for the wonderful thing we did by particiapting and rasing money for the Special Olympics!

I challenge all who are not pregnant or ill (physically or mentally) to join me - those who are pregnant or ill are welcome to come on down and watch the event. If you convince your spouses to participate then you too would get dinner (and dessert!)

Please think about all I have said!

2008..what a wonderful year...

Wow - I know that many people look forward to the new year - mainly because they are happy to see the previous year leave. I am not one of those people. 2008 was a wonderful year...it gave me so much more then I deserve (I will clarify....God gave me more than I deserve)

I think I am going to reflect on all that I gained in the past year, the memories that were made and the many joys I felt.

January - my little boy turned 4. What a crazy thing to think about. I couldn't believe he actually turned 4. It hardly seemed possible to me at the time. How could that boy - the one I carried for 38 weeks have turned 4. I watched him grow and learn - he was half way through his first year of preschool. He had a bowling party. He wanted it so badly. Boy was it chaotic...would I do it again..Yep in an instant. Here's a picture of him waiting for his turn to bowl...it was such a great time - watching him interact with his friends...My little boy turned 4....

March - what a month!! So where do I begin on that?? Well let's start with the celebration of my 5 year anniversary to Husband. 5 wonderful years...how blessed am I to have found such a wonderful man...one who is not with out faults but with so few the are hardly remembered. A man who is an amazing husband and father to our 3 boys. When I look at pictures of our wedding day, all the memories come flooding back as real as he is standing next to me now. To think it has already been 5 years...I don't know what my life would be right now had I not met him...I hardly believe it would be as wonderful and joy filled as it is. These past 5 years have flown by with wonderful memories and so many more blessings. I can only hope that the next 5 will be as wonderful.

For our anniversary we went out to dinner at Tucci Bennuch - the same restaurant we spent out first date at. It was a really good time. In the end we were surprised by wonderful generosity from one of our favorite restaurants - the manager,Kelli, took care of the bill. She said she loved our story, we had shared our story with the waiter, Steve, who was very attentive and friendly and apparently he had shared ti with her. So our night was made even that much sweeter by the kindness of two strangers.

Less than a week after celebrating our anniversary - another very big event happened. The birth of Mini C. What a crazy time. He, much like Monkey, decided to stay in a couple of extra days - maybe just to stay warm and toasty and hoping I didn't notice?? His birth with the topic of much discussion. SIL was pleading with him to stay in or get out before her birthday so that the two of them would not have to forever share the day. He obliged her. He came the day after. (Your welcome SIL) We actually went into labor at around 2am on the 23rd. As we were leaving to go to the hospital (If I remember correctly - and I am sure SIL will let me know - I believe SIL & Brother came and sat at the house while the two older boys slept - please SIL let me know if I got that right) ANYWAY as were were getting ready to leave Husband twists his ankle - so bad he is limping and really no use to help me walk. We walk into the hospital ER entrance (as it is late) and they offer HIM a wheelchair...Even though it probably was needed he said no - my wife is in labor and continued walking...What a GIVER. So we get up to labor & delivery and I am there for about an hour and they sent me HOME - Hello!?!?!? I know I was in labor. Whatever...So we go home send home the the "sitters." We go to bed and well wake up at 5:30am because well that's the time our two oldest like to get up. Now this day is Easter. Yes technically he was born on Easter - but to clarify - this will not happen again for 205 years. We get ready for the day and head over to BF's house. All the while I am having contractions a steady 2 minutes apart and well they are not fun. So we get there and everyone is sitting down for a wonderful brunch she prepared. They at the table and me on the comfy chair trying to stay comfortable. Prits is next to me - not doing so well herself (she doesn't handle others in pain very well) she is timing my contractions and giving BF the results. They are just under 2 minutes now, with the pain increasing. So again we decide to call the doctor and see about going back - I mean this is getting a bit much! So Dr. Evil calls back and is telling me I should just hang in there and wait because she doesn't believe I am in labor. Can you guess who takes the phone?? Yep - BF. Now if anyone knows BF they know she don't take S^%t from anyone - especially when it comes to her kids. Dr. Evil tells her that she doesn't believe I am in labor because I sound fine on the phone. Oh My!! The woman only met me once and that was 5 years ago....So she goes on to tell Bf that I can go in but she really doesn't think it necessary and maybe I should just wait. Bf goes off on the woman. It was quite funny - so much so that Brother got out of his room to find out what was going on. So finally we decide that since husband is "broken" the he will bring me and the boys home and BF will follow and then she will take me to the hospital and take care of things until they finally keep me there so we know Mini C will be arriving. So we go, I walk, we talk, I eat ice, and finally they say ok I can stay. So then it was time to find a place for the two older boys. Foxy Mama to the rescue...even though it's Easter she drives down to take care of Silly Pants and Monkey while we welcome Mini C. She then brought them up soon after so they could meet their new brother.Thank you Foxy! Oh - and I must add that Prits decided to be there for the delivery - and watched the whole thing! Surprised me! But I think that it was a good experience for her - she got to see Mini C take his first breath. How cool is that?

May - signified a change in weather (the year was a bit behind and well the weather didn't really start getting nice till May) We kicked off the summer with great food, family and fun at BF's house. Here's just a few pictures of the fun from that month....

The boys enjoying grandma's wonderful private outside!

Prits with the two big ones...Brother with Husband looking for their Frisbee! (not the 1st or only time)

May was also when Mini C was baptised. He wore the same gown that his brothers had worn - the one made from my wedding dress...and to my surprise there has been no fading or staining on it. After the baptism when Wise Man walked with Mini C down the center of the church he referred to him as Mini Coop...and well it was perfect - hence Mini C. After the service we invited everyone back to Bf's house for some food and relaxing. It was such a beautiful day so we were able to be outside and enjoy the weather.

Another event this month was the close of Silly Pants' first year in Preschool. It was a great year. He grew so much and came home with new things everyday. He loved it and loved making new friends. This is a picture of him after his finally preschool program.

It was so much fun and well it was kind of sad to realize that he was done with his first year of preschool and soon I would be thinking about Kindergarten...

August - This is the month of our annual camping trip. This year we invited Foxy Mama and her family to join us. What a great time.

Here the kids are fishing...forgot the bait - so caught nothing - still a great time!!!

September - Was the start of Silly Pants' second and final year of preschool. He started somewhere new as his original school closed. Now he is at CDLC and it is AMAZING. His teacher is wonderful and he is always excited to go.

October - We started our family birthday season. Starting with Husband and his 31st birthday. And well a week after that was my 27th birthday - hold on a sec...let me dwell on that a minute...27? Really? Now you may be thinking what does she have to complain about...well I am NOT complaining. I don't mind my age - actually I enjoy it. However it just seems like the wrong number, now i don't say that hoping my age was 20 or something. I just don't know how 27 is supposed to feel. I just see it as a number and well - the number stumps me...now whether or not you understood that brief run off doesn't really matter...because well...I get it...and well I do hope you understand...

So after my birthday we had to put a halt on the birthday festivities. Husband's grandfather past on the 26th. He was very close to him and well it was his grandpa. It was sad to have to say goodbye.

Then 2 days later we celebrated Prits' birthday! She turned 15 - wow....it hardly seems possible. In high school and getting to be a little less of a pain! Then it was Halloween. Not my favorite holiday...not really a holiday to me...don't care for it much at all. However the boys know what it is and well were terribly excited. As much as I don't care for it - it was wonderful watching the boys and their excitement and the fun they had. The things I do for my boys...

November - Well we start this month with Monkey's 3rd birthday. Yep 3. Another birthday I was not ready for. He has gotten so big and well he is a very strong willed little guy. He knows what he wants, likes and doesn't like and well everyone around will know too if they don't already. He has grown so much and gained so much knowledge in the last year. I love that little guy so much.

Next - you guessed it - Brother's 20th birthday! Wow. It hardly seems like he ever grew up. I remember when he was little trying to crawl through my door to sneak inside...now he is becoming a man and engaged and going to college with a future in law enforcement. Wow...

December - Well we just ended this month - but it too was wonderful - Celebrated BF's 29th birthday and had a great time. (as usual)

Then it was of course our day together to celebrate the birth of our Savior. Nothing like a day with my family!

Yesterday didn't go as planned. We normally spend it with Foxy Mama and her family. However our boys were not feeling well and found out neither was her little princess. So we ended up staying home. Bf decided to come over for a little while to cheer up our house. We all played with the boys until they went to bed (early cause they were not 100%) so then we stayed up and played games and ate and just had fun. She and Prits left around 10 and well I fell asleep on the couch with Husband - he woke me 15 minutes before midnight and well we kissed and went to bed.....

On to 2009 with high hopes, and the light of the Lord guiding our path.