Thursday, February 26, 2009
Enough with the fine and dandy
So here is what is going on today...where to start?...Matthew cried for nearly 2 hours (more than he has cried in the past 2 years) because the beloved Nintendo DS, the one that trumped the puppy in our Christmas morning video, fell out of the minivan twice today and now rattles when shaked and does not turn on. Said minivan still has a dent on the passenger door from where it stopped a rolling car last month in the Kindergarten parking lot, (yes, of course the family of one of Matt's classmates to make my delays in repairing it even more embarrassing). Bad enough to drive an old minivan, worse with a dent that will surely start to rust before we get around to having it repaired. Cruz, the above mentioned Christmas puppy, is not going to graduate from his obedience class by no fault of his own but rather because his humans failed to take him to the minimum number of classes (4/6). Skinny Ryan is back to hovering at the 5% weight percentile (the only real concern that I have shot off ). I switched per diem jobs from hospital evening shift to clinic day shift thinking that working while the big kids were at school and with a bunch of brilliant focused people would make life more smooth. Ha. Yes, I know in the big picture that this stuff is merely cumbersome, but I felt that some honest dishing would make this more genuine.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Presidents' Week
So after refusing to make an account on Facebook for over a year for fear that it would use up even more time than I already spend online I have decided that I was right! It does take up more time. But what I wasn't expecting to find there was a group of my high school class turned moms asking and answering very pertinent mom questions. And the blogs I am discovering! This virtual world out there is spectacular! So many amazing writers and stories. With that said, I am announcing that what you read here is not a blog, but just my ramblings to family and friends that captively read hoping to get a peek at what our little cuties are up to. Here is a bit from last week...
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Our first official blog!
Hi Dear Family and Friends!
Here it is, what the aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents have been asking to hear more of for years now - WHAT WE ARE UP TO! So just remember as you read this, that you asked for it even if you were not quite sure what you would get, you are who has prompted (given me more of a legitimate excuse) to spend more time tapping away at the computer which you will soon see can be a little more reading than your bargained for!
Really, I have been wanting to do this for years but just never gave it priority. It has ranked along with really wanting to scrapbook, send pictures to you, or just muster up the time to get the digital pix off the unseen universe on our hard drive and into the kids' photo albums that do not make it past their second birthdays (ok Lauren's 2nd bday, Matt's 1st, and Ryan's 2nd month). I honestly really want to do these things and it keeps me up at night sometimes, of course not really doing it but just wishing I would.
But seriously, I realize it is so important to share our goings-on with those we love and whom love us. Several of my friends have started blogging and it is so heartwarming to read about them. The tipping point for me to start sharing was the blog of a beautiful family, a friend of my friend Ora's friend, whom I have never met but was lucky to read about their so touching family life that is enduring one of the most challenging of challenges, the loss of their sweet little girl. This family just amazes me with how they have got through their little one's struggle with cancer, kept the needs of the day-to-day life of their whole family going, and now are healing. I wish peace and thanks to them.
So here it goes...
Matthew just had his 6th Birthday Party! He is such a fun kid to make happy. His nature is to just take what comes and make the best of it with little complaint. Though this party would have made most 6 year olds very happy as we found this new sport-video fusion kids place called Fuze to play at for 2 sweaty hours. Great for the kids and great for me who just last Monday chickened out of the backyard Super Mario party which he was hoping to have complete with Mario Kart (big wheel) races where one whacks levitating ?boxes and retrieves super-power inducing goodies then proceeds to jump in the jumpy house where there are more levitating ?boxes and more goodies. Is the pressure of likely failure to produce this magical party tangible to you? It sure was to me, and coupled with the stress I always end up feeling the day I try to bring these parties to fruition, and the soggy lawn mud bog that for some reason replaced our backyard this winter, I scrambled to find another location for Matt and his 20 friends to celebrate. Fuze came through. Mom and Lisa also came through with the creation of the cake which was fantastic! Frosted by Lis and decorated by Mom and Lauren (I baked the Betty Crocker underneath it all I'll have you know).
So though I was indecisive about location and wishy-washed over it for weeks, the fact that we had the party three weeks after his real birthday was not poor planning, but really my great idea to combine the party day with Lauren's play performance weekend. Why not right, that would make it all easier of course. Yeah. Ok, so those many of you who have been through this Seussical perfomance, or any elementary school performance for that matter, know that these really become a time suck when it gets close to show time. This was our first time so I didn't know this. Scott dubbed the play Seussical the-never-ending-musical based on the 2 hour performance we attended with each of our three kids including the babies who as you can guess were not riveted to the stage for 2 minutes let alone 2 hours. Scott didn't even know about the 5 months of weekly play practice, 3 weeks of intense up to 4 hour rehearsals and the 15+ hours of mandatory parent volunteer hours I put in last week which did start to feel like it was never going to end. But it was GREAT! My thanks to Nancy, Karla and Lisa who worked with our kids with all their heart for the past 6 months. The confidence our little performers get from knowing that they worked hard to create this show teaches them so much about cooperation, follow-through and public comfortability. Really so much more than just a play. Lauren took this very seriously, never missing a practice and really enjoyed it. She was a jaguar from the Jungle of Nool and her lines consisted of "who who wah dah dah dah" and "Solla Sollewwww" and she looked so beautiful in her face make-up and mascara. She is growing up so fast now, and really another reason I am writing this. How could our newborn baby girl that we just brought home from the hospital be on an elementary school stage already? She looked so young compared to the big 4th and 5 th grade stars. Here is the really scary thing...that will be her in just 2 years! It puts a pit in my stomach to think how fast it has gone by.
And Ryan. Third child. Dragged to and through all of our events. He got to play with his friend Andrew this weekend which was so adorable to watch as they had their little pissing matches over toys that Ryan never noticed we had until Andrew was holding them. I would not have found this cute with child one or two, it would have required immediate and consistent intervention by me to make sure my child was being fair and sharing, but number three it is a cute stage that I know will pass so soon. What else did Ryan get to do this weekend? Sit outside of the auditorium at 6 pm in the drizzle while I sold flowers for Seussical. Be told he was too little to play on the exercise bikes at Fuze. Thanks to Grandma for making sure he got some baby attention this busy weekend. I'll dedicate a blog just for Ryan soon.
And the dog. Cruz joined our family on Christmas Day. To all of you dog owners who I polled repeatedly on whether we should get a dog - you were right - all of you. I am not yet sure which side of the fence I am on yet, with you that think they are so much fun and good company or those of you who find it to be another yet another pain in the *(^% to clean up the grass after. So why did we get a dog amidst all the busy-ness already going on. Because I forgot what it was really like to have a puppy and no matter how Kim looked me in the eye and said "It is really, really, really a big commitment" I did not comprehend. Rob knew though, but kindly went along. Cruz is a Danish Farmdog #147 in the U.S., a rare small dog that was promised to be great with kids and not have the small-dog tempermant stuff. UmmHmm. I was told that I would not be able to get one for 2 years due to the wait list and diligence to not inbreed which seemed like good timing to me. But when the call came 3 weeks before Christmas from a local family that had a puppy to place, how could we resist. I had told Rob that I wanted to give the kids a puppy one Christmas. Shiny red box wrapped under the tree, top pops off puppy jumps out, kids squeal happily and puppy wags and licks. Joy! It was almost that adorable. Lauren figured the wimpering out quickly and fulfilled this vision I had. Matt glanced over at the pup, grinned and said "Wow! Where are my other presents, I asked for a DS". And so consumerism snakes it's way back into my videos and my dream for an unforgettable Christmas moment. More on Cruz later.
Rob is busy being the wonderful dad he always has been. Playing hockey. Working hard. I had been whining for a built-in desk with granite countertop which Rob finished installing on Friday just in time for Matt's backyard birthday party which was at Fuze. Thanks honey, I love it. Too bad we won't see the pretty granite come next week when it will be covered with all our very important junk.
I am same old same older. Now blogging, poor housekeeping, very busy with children and their school, training a puppy, biting off more than I can chew and getting easily overwhelmed by my overtime working mind. Next you'll read something crazy like I am using up my extra spare time by starting a new job just for fun (well, and money).
But we are happy, healthy, and so blessed. Look forward to hearing from you. Please feel free to start your own blog (it's really too easy), or invite me to yours, so we can all share whats up!
Here it is, what the aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents have been asking to hear more of for years now - WHAT WE ARE UP TO! So just remember as you read this, that you asked for it even if you were not quite sure what you would get, you are who has prompted (given me more of a legitimate excuse) to spend more time tapping away at the computer which you will soon see can be a little more reading than your bargained for!
Really, I have been wanting to do this for years but just never gave it priority. It has ranked along with really wanting to scrapbook, send pictures to you, or just muster up the time to get the digital pix off the unseen universe on our hard drive and into the kids' photo albums that do not make it past their second birthdays (ok Lauren's 2nd bday, Matt's 1st, and Ryan's 2nd month). I honestly really want to do these things and it keeps me up at night sometimes, of course not really doing it but just wishing I would.
But seriously, I realize it is so important to share our goings-on with those we love and whom love us. Several of my friends have started blogging and it is so heartwarming to read about them. The tipping point for me to start sharing was the blog of a beautiful family, a friend of my friend Ora's friend, whom I have never met but was lucky to read about their so touching family life that is enduring one of the most challenging of challenges, the loss of their sweet little girl. This family just amazes me with how they have got through their little one's struggle with cancer, kept the needs of the day-to-day life of their whole family going, and now are healing. I wish peace and thanks to them.
So here it goes...
Matthew just had his 6th Birthday Party! He is such a fun kid to make happy. His nature is to just take what comes and make the best of it with little complaint. Though this party would have made most 6 year olds very happy as we found this new sport-video fusion kids place called Fuze to play at for 2 sweaty hours. Great for the kids and great for me who just last Monday chickened out of the backyard Super Mario party which he was hoping to have complete with Mario Kart (big wheel) races where one whacks levitating ?boxes and retrieves super-power inducing goodies then proceeds to jump in the jumpy house where there are more levitating ?boxes and more goodies. Is the pressure of likely failure to produce this magical party tangible to you? It sure was to me, and coupled with the stress I always end up feeling the day I try to bring these parties to fruition, and the soggy lawn mud bog that for some reason replaced our backyard this winter, I scrambled to find another location for Matt and his 20 friends to celebrate. Fuze came through. Mom and Lisa also came through with the creation of the cake which was fantastic! Frosted by Lis and decorated by Mom and Lauren (I baked the Betty Crocker underneath it all I'll have you know).
So though I was indecisive about location and wishy-washed over it for weeks, the fact that we had the party three weeks after his real birthday was not poor planning, but really my great idea to combine the party day with Lauren's play performance weekend. Why not right, that would make it all easier of course. Yeah. Ok, so those many of you who have been through this Seussical perfomance, or any elementary school performance for that matter, know that these really become a time suck when it gets close to show time. This was our first time so I didn't know this. Scott dubbed the play Seussical the-never-ending-musical based on the 2 hour performance we attended with each of our three kids including the babies who as you can guess were not riveted to the stage for 2 minutes let alone 2 hours. Scott didn't even know about the 5 months of weekly play practice, 3 weeks of intense up to 4 hour rehearsals and the 15+ hours of mandatory parent volunteer hours I put in last week which did start to feel like it was never going to end. But it was GREAT! My thanks to Nancy, Karla and Lisa who worked with our kids with all their heart for the past 6 months. The confidence our little performers get from knowing that they worked hard to create this show teaches them so much about cooperation, follow-through and public comfortability. Really so much more than just a play. Lauren took this very seriously, never missing a practice and really enjoyed it. She was a jaguar from the Jungle of Nool and her lines consisted of "who who wah dah dah dah" and "Solla Sollewwww" and she looked so beautiful in her face make-up and mascara. She is growing up so fast now, and really another reason I am writing this. How could our newborn baby girl that we just brought home from the hospital be on an elementary school stage already? She looked so young compared to the big 4th and 5 th grade stars. Here is the really scary thing...that will be her in just 2 years! It puts a pit in my stomach to think how fast it has gone by.
And Ryan. Third child. Dragged to and through all of our events. He got to play with his friend Andrew this weekend which was so adorable to watch as they had their little pissing matches over toys that Ryan never noticed we had until Andrew was holding them. I would not have found this cute with child one or two, it would have required immediate and consistent intervention by me to make sure my child was being fair and sharing, but number three it is a cute stage that I know will pass so soon. What else did Ryan get to do this weekend? Sit outside of the auditorium at 6 pm in the drizzle while I sold flowers for Seussical. Be told he was too little to play on the exercise bikes at Fuze. Thanks to Grandma for making sure he got some baby attention this busy weekend. I'll dedicate a blog just for Ryan soon.
And the dog. Cruz joined our family on Christmas Day. To all of you dog owners who I polled repeatedly on whether we should get a dog - you were right - all of you. I am not yet sure which side of the fence I am on yet, with you that think they are so much fun and good company or those of you who find it to be another yet another pain in the *(^% to clean up the grass after. So why did we get a dog amidst all the busy-ness already going on. Because I forgot what it was really like to have a puppy and no matter how Kim looked me in the eye and said "It is really, really, really a big commitment" I did not comprehend. Rob knew though, but kindly went along. Cruz is a Danish Farmdog #147 in the U.S., a rare small dog that was promised to be great with kids and not have the small-dog tempermant stuff. UmmHmm. I was told that I would not be able to get one for 2 years due to the wait list and diligence to not inbreed which seemed like good timing to me. But when the call came 3 weeks before Christmas from a local family that had a puppy to place, how could we resist. I had told Rob that I wanted to give the kids a puppy one Christmas. Shiny red box wrapped under the tree, top pops off puppy jumps out, kids squeal happily and puppy wags and licks. Joy! It was almost that adorable. Lauren figured the wimpering out quickly and fulfilled this vision I had. Matt glanced over at the pup, grinned and said "Wow! Where are my other presents, I asked for a DS". And so consumerism snakes it's way back into my videos and my dream for an unforgettable Christmas moment. More on Cruz later.
Rob is busy being the wonderful dad he always has been. Playing hockey. Working hard. I had been whining for a built-in desk with granite countertop which Rob finished installing on Friday just in time for Matt's backyard birthday party which was at Fuze. Thanks honey, I love it. Too bad we won't see the pretty granite come next week when it will be covered with all our very important junk.
I am same old same older. Now blogging, poor housekeeping, very busy with children and their school, training a puppy, biting off more than I can chew and getting easily overwhelmed by my overtime working mind. Next you'll read something crazy like I am using up my extra spare time by starting a new job just for fun (well, and money).
But we are happy, healthy, and so blessed. Look forward to hearing from you. Please feel free to start your own blog (it's really too easy), or invite me to yours, so we can all share whats up!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Test Blog
Hmmm? Did I really just create another virtual way to avoid all the stuff that needs to be done around here? Facebook and a blog debut all on the same weekend (and Seussical the-never-ending-musical and a 6yo Birthday Party). Why not?
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