National Scrapbook Day 2008

National Scrapbook Day (NSD) was actually last Saturday, May 5th. There is an ongoing NSD crop for this whole week at Scrapaddict.com's NSD Forum. I've been scrapping instead of blogging. ;) Here are some pages I've done so far:

These pages were done using photos from 2004. In the first page, DD had been desperate to get into the tub with her brothers, but when she managed to get herself in there, she wasn't happy about getting wet!
This page has some of my favorite photos on it. This was taken at my uncle's house in NJ, and I love how this turned out.This page is a "just because" page. DD was playing with rocks at the neighborhood park while wearing her pink dress and pink frilly socks.


These pages were done using photos from 2005. This first page talks about my mother-in-law's sister and brother who live in Wisconsin and her nieces and their families, too.
This page is about the chair and parasol that DH got for DD at Walmart just because it was too pink to pass up. She LOVED it!


On DS#3 news--he's getting close to walking! This week, he's been taking a few steps without holding onto anything. He's been a handful, as usual, but DH and I still have fun with him. :)

Tomorrow is the last soccer game of the season for us! DS#1 actually has a tournament during the Memorial Day weekend, but we'll be out of town for my cousin's wedding then. Woohoo! Free time!

First Haircut

DS#3's hair has been getting a bit long in places. I wasn't in a hurry to get it cut because he really doesn't have too much hair anyway. I knew my mom was going to visit this weekend, so she volunteered to cut his hair. That was probably our first mistake. We should have probably just gone to the hair salon or barbershop and just paid someone to cut his hair. If nothing else, they probably would have been quicker. On the other hand, he probably wouldn't have allowed a stranger to cut his hair. Our second mistake was doing this near his afternoon nap time. Still, he did well for the first five to six minutes or so. Oh, and we forgot to get a "before" picture, but these pics were taken just after the first few snips in the very back.

The following time line was reconstructed using the time stamp on my digital camera.

About 1:00PM--My mom and I take DS#3 outside. My dear sis comes with us at my request so she can take some pictures. He does okay at first. He gets a toy to distract him, and my mom starts to use a comb/scissor combo that she uses when cutting my dad's hair.



















1:02:38--DS#3 starts losing his patience with us. He starts to screech whenever he feels that comb at the back of his neck. Since his hair is so fine and "flyaway", some time in the next couple of minutes we decide to wet his hair to make it lay flatter.

1:06:30--We've switched to me cutting his hair because Mom seems a bit more hesitant. She doesn't like to hear DS#3 when he is unhappy...and he is certainly not happy by this point.

1:07:49--Some time before this, we switch back to Mom cutting his hair because now I have to hold his head to keep him from getting poked with the scissors.


1:11:46--DH comes outside. After watching from inside, he has to get closer to observe up close how the baby is being tortured. He tries to distract DS#3 but then he starts trying to help by holding the baby's head. Soon after this, I start cutting DS's hair again, because my mom gets too afraid to cut DS's hair and I just want to get this over with.


1:13:52--We decide that the haircut is as good as it's going to get. After all, DS#3 still did have a slight bald spot at the back of his head anyway from when he was about three months old and always lying on his back.


1:18--DS#3 is now "safe and sound" in DS#1's lap. DS#1 is very good at comforting his baby brother.

We'll see what happens when it's time for the second haircut...

I'll have to take some "after" photos tomorrow. :)

Infrequent Visitors

My youngest sister and her family don't get to visit us too often. They are always running around with various activities just like we are. Below, I'll just recap some little things that happened during their visit here this weekend:

Yesterday my brother-in-law (BIL) saw DS#1 for the first time since about Christmas. We knew DS#1 was getting pretty close in height to him. When I asked my BIL if we could put them side-by-side to see who was taller, he went from standing on the floor to standing on the first step of the stairs before he said, "Okay." He is too funny! When we put them back-to-back, my BIL was maybe about an inch taller than DS#1, so DH said, You've got about another month!

This morning, my niece asked me if she could borrow a few Magic Tree House books to read. She seemed so excited about it and I couldn't say "No" of course. I remember when DS#1 couldn't wait to get the next Magic Tree House book. That was the first series that he really got into, and DS#2 followed him in that. DD isn't ready for them yet, but her cousin, who is only 5 months older than her, is certainly ready. Another proud Auntie moment!

This afternoon, my DS#2 was telling us how happy he was that his uncle (who was playing in a soccer tournament in town this weekend) and his team were progressing to the finals. His reasoning? He was excited because now he would get to play with his cousin longer! :)

I actually get to see my younger sister a little more than the rest of her family. She'll be in town in a couple of weeks again. My other sister is turning the "big 4-0" and wants to come have a "Girls' Spa Weekend". That's going to be so fun!

Proud Auntie Moment

My nephew (and godson) tried out for a Select soccer club this week. They came for a visit this weekend and I guess things look good. Although they haven't received a formal offer yet, one of the trainers came up to my brother-in-law and told him that he had a "ringer". I've never actually seen him play any sports since he is usually playing when MY kids are playing, but knowing that someone thinks that highly of him gave me a proud Auntie moment. :)

School Visit

I'm sorry I haven't had time to post about how the school visit went. The kids all enjoyed it and they seemed excited to be going to that school, although we're not certain that we'll be sending them there. DH and I were a little disappointed that the boys felt that they already knew a lot of what they were teaching in Math and, for DS#2, English. DS#1 didn't get a good glimpse of some of the classes, though, since those classes were working on projects at the time. Overall, the school just didn't seem that much different academically from the school we're leaving. Of course, there are other reasons why we're leaving that school they're at now besides academics. Now DH and I have to weigh the pros and cons of this school versus public school. I was going to go into a long pros and cons list here, but I think most of you are tired of me talking about this already. ;)

DS#3 is doing much better. He still has an icky cough, but he doesn't have a fever. He's been having nasty poops, though, so who knows--maybe he's teething again? Anyway, he gave me a big smile today when I got home from work and crawled to me without the whining cry that he's been greeting me with earlier in the week, so I think he's doing great. Of course, my mom and dad just got here today for their monthly visit and he's getting very spoiled. :)

School Visit Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the day when the kids are visiting the school that we potentially want them to attend. The boys are going there for the whole day while DD is only going for the last hour of the school day. The school parent handbook says that they don't allow eighth graders to transfer in, which is the grade that DS#1 will be in--unless it's a special circumstance. We're hoping that he qualifies as a special circumstance. If he can get in, we feel confident that they'll allow the other two to go there. They already have "waiting pools" for the grades that DS#2 and DD will be in, so since it's not a "list" then there's a chance we will get in ahead of others that are already waiting. Wish us luck! DH and I would really like to be able to rest easily about this soon!

The baby has awakened with a fever for the past couple of days. He actually took a three hour nap this afternoon in addition to a 45 minute nap in the morning. I had gone to take DS#2 to get his hair cut. When I got back, DS#3 had awakened in a great mood--he often wakes up rather grumpy. I sat down on the floor near him. When he saw me, he gave me a big smile and crawled over to where I was. He came up to me to give me a hug! What a precious boy! That totally made my day! Now, if he would just get over whatever it is that he has, that would really make my day!

Transitions

Tonight, I was walking with DS#3 and holding both his hands to stabilize him. Suddenly, I saw him let one hand go and walk while holding on with just one hand. At one point, he let go of that one hand and did a controlled drop or sit to the floor. He's so close to walking! It's just amazing to see the subtle "steps" forward in his development!

Today, DH made arrangements for our kids to go to class one day at the school we'd like our children to go to next year. I'm a little anxious about this because I know that this might be an "interview" to see if they'll accept our kids. I know there is a "waiting pool" for at least two of the grades. We have a better chance with a "pool" than a "list" since if they want to accept one of our kids, it will be more likely that they accept all of them. Still, this will be our kids' first look at this school and we hope that they love this one also.

Those of you with children know that sometimes it's better to warn them ahead of when things will happen, so they can mentally prepare for a change. Tonight, I didn't give DD much warning before taking her home from her Daisy Scouts meeting. She really loves these meetings because she gets to play with her friends, but I didn't have a watch on and when I realized the time, it was already 7:30 PM (her usual bedtime). She started crying, of course, and it took a little bit to calm her down.

I hope she and the other kids take the upcoming transitions better than that. It has been a very stressful last couple of weeks with the usual kid activities, some atypical stressors at work, and then this added stress of finding a new school. I'm sorry that I keep dwelling on this school thing, but it's consuming our thoughts and lives right now! Despite the stress of changes, we're looking forward to this one more transition or change in our lives.

Awesomeness

On Sunday, the older boys and I were playing Scrabble when DS#1 started frequently using the phrase "my awesomeness". I can't remember the exact instances, but he would say something like, "I was able to use that word because of my awesomeness" and this would be accompanied by a big toothy smile. He said it often enough that all of us started talking about his "awesomeness." Later, I told DH that I loved DS using that phrase because he showed confidence in saying it (even if he was actually joking) and that when he smiled he looked so much older with his big grin and squarish jaw. He can be a little jokester too, that one... :)

Speaking of jokester, here is a picture of the oldest three at Fiesta Texas this past weekend. I wanted to take a photo of them in front of this measurement sign. DD was tall enough to ride in the "regular" bumper car ride this year, with an "adult", which was DS#1, in this case. DS#2 was big enough to ride all by himself. You can see DS#1 on his tiptoes in back of the sign--he isn't really that tall without being on his tiptoes, although he is close...

DS#3 rode on a carousel for the first time. He was so tired that he really didn't seem impressed. He did, however, look around the carousel and seemed to just be taking it all in. He did manage a little smile here as if to humor his picture-taking Mama. :)

As you can see, his mood was much different last Saturday. We dressed him in his new soccer outfit that my dear sister gave him for his birthday. He looked so adorable and looked ready to play! The good mood lasted, thank goodness, and also luckily for me, I was able to keep him busy during DS#2's soccer game by feeding him Goldfish crackers. He is also getting quite good at drinking from his sippy cup. Unfortunately, because of the partially liquefied Goldfish crackers, this outfit promptly went into the laundry.

DH was at DS#1's soccer game across town and that was followed by DD's soccer game at the same field. I missed those games again, of course. Next week, we'll actually be able to go to all the games as a family. We had a pretty awesome weekend with awesome weather overall and hopefully next weekend will be too!

Things Happen For A Reason

I'm a strong believer that things really do happen for a reason. During our search for a new school for our kids, I've often felt that maybe DH and I made a "mistake" a few years ago when we pulled our oldest son from public school and put him in the school he's in now. DH has found some really good schools here in town and I can't help wondering what would have happened if we had started out at one of those schools instead. I realized today, though, that it is because of our past experience at this school that we are where we are now. If we hadn't switched to this school, DS#1 might not have skipped a grade. When we were approached about this a couple of years ago we were ready for that change, but not before. If we hadn't switched to this school, we might not have found the good friends that we did, or we wouldn't have become such good friends. Most importantly, we might not have appreciated what these other schools have to offer. I hope this all makes sense!

We're much closer to choosing a school. Now, we have to figure out if they have room for all three kids...

Here are three LOs that I started last month at a crop for Jen that I finally put the finishing touches on. The first one uses photos from 2002 when we were still a family of four! The second one is from 2006, and the last one (using a sketch from Scrapaddict) was just last year with DS#1 turned 12. :)

Sneak Previews of May Scrapaddict Kits

I'm really excited about these kits from Scrapaddict.com and I can't wait until the first of May to show my LOs off. These first two pages have pictures from our trip to Wisconsin in 2006. We're going back for a visit this summer and I know the kids will have a blast!

These next two pages use these beautiful papers and I had to use beautiful pictures to go with them! The first one below is from our Disney trip last year. Those acrobats at the China pavilion at Epcot were amazing!

This is one of my favorite photos and pages ever! This is one of the photos that were taken at The Picture People last week. Do you see what I was talking about? You can't even tell that DS#3 was in a cranky mood that day. I just want to kiss him all over when I see this photo! :)

For some personal news, we have officially "un-registered" our kids from their present school. In other words, we didn't pay the enrollment fees for next year. We still aren't completely sure yet where they will go to school next year. We're still looking. Please continue to wish us luck in finding the right school(s).

USS Lexington trip

I thought I would post some photos that DH took during DS#2's overnight USS Lexington trip this weekend. DH was so proud of himself that he took 50 photos and most of them were pretty good. :)

The Texas State Aquarium was there in Corpus Christi, too. DH discovered that if he turned the flash off (so the flash wouldn't reflect off the glass) that the ISO automatically adjusted itself higher so that he was able to get some pretty cool photos. Here are a couple he took of some jellyfish. He took some of some turtles and frogs, too. DH was so proud of himself! :) Look at this cool photo of the sunset! I have to say that I was pretty proud of him too, plus if he enjoys taking photos, maybe he'll take more of them! ;-)



Most importantly, DS#2 had a blast! When we asked him later what his favorite part was, he said he couldn't choose because he loved all of it! He loved looking at the sea life. He loved looking at the planes, the weapons and some of the historical info about other ships. He even let DH take a bunch of photos of him and he smiled! Now, why doesn't he do that for his Mama? Here is a photo of DS#2 next to a "night flight trainer" that he thought was very cool and actually wanted a photo next to it. Even DH thought it was worth sleeping in the apparently tiny berths that they had to sleep on, the resulting lack of sleep, and the long drive to and from, etc. :)

One more thing--we finally have tooth #6!!! He finally got the upper right tooth in after months of teething!!!

Birthday Recap

Isn't this the most hilarious picture? Let me start from the beginning. On Wednesday, April 9, we celebrated, DS#3's first birthday. During the "day", DH tried so hard to do something fun for him. He took him to the park because he thought DS would have so much fun there. Well, DS really disliked being on the swing, whether it was by himself or when he was on DH's lap. DH then decided to let DS get messy, so he took off DS's shoes and put him in the sand play area. Poor DS was miserable! He was apparently trying to shake off his feet as if very upset and not knowing what that stuff was that got in between his toes! So, at home, DH unfolded one of the big play things we have that has little areas to crawl through. Finally, DS actually seemed to enjoy himself for a bit. He was just all out of sorts that day!

In the evening, we went out to dinner at "El Mirasol", one of our favorite restaurants. The older boys had decided earlier in the week that DS#3's wanted to go there for his birthday. DD thought DS#3 wanted to go to Fuddrucker's. She was outvoted by her parents. Well, I think we were right to go there. He ate a lot of his Papa's tampiquena steak, and Mama's borracho beans. He also ate a lot of tortillas--one of his favorites. He also discovered drinking water from a straw. He loved that, too!

At home, we had cupcakes. We put a candle in DS#3's cupcake. He just looked at it as if fascinated, but he didn't know what to do with it. He didn't try to reach for the flame like DS#2 had done. He didn't even reach for the cupcake once the candle was removed. DH decided to show him how to eat the cupcake by eating one in front of him. DS#3 still just stared. We then put the cupcake up to his mouth. He took a tentative bite, and then we put the cupcake back down on the high chair tray. He wouldn't touch the cupcake at first (thus the picture up above). Later, all he would do was mush up the icing and eat when we fed him cupcake. After a short while, he didn't want anymore. The next step was to give him ice cream--chocolate, of course. He LOVED that!

This weekend, my whole family came for a visit, just for DS#3's birthday. DH left with DS#2 to a Cub Scout overnight trip on the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi, so they missed it. On Saturday, DD and her two cousins iced the brownie cake that my mom had made. They couldn't decide between vanilla and chocolate icing, so they used both. After that, they decorated with sprinkles. They used all the sprinkles that my sister let them have! After that, we sang "Happy Birthday" and we had brownie cake. DS#3 refused any! I let him have some of my fudge popsicle instead. :)

One Year Photos

Isn't amazing how one activity can consume your entire day? I had an appointment today at 10:30AM with The Picture People (on a strong recommendation from Jen) to get One Year Old photos of DS#3. First of all, how does he always know when I don't have to get up as early as usual? He woke me up at about 2AM! He had a very restless sleep, and therefore, so did DH and I. He was up by the time I got home from taking the other kids to school, and he wouldn't take a morning nap before the appointment. He was SO cranky! I was bracing myself for a disappointment like when I took DD to get her One Year Old photos taken. Can you see the photo on the upper right of this page where she is just bawling her eyes out? You can't see it here, but the picture of her standing shows tears in her eyes, too.


The photographer that helped us today was SO patient. His first look said, "Who are you and what do you want from me?!!" She really worked at playing with him so he would start to trust her and start playing with her--a little bit, anyway. He was still very clingy and intermittently whimpered and cried, but he did give her a few great smiles. I don't have time to scan in some of the photos, but I liked some of them enough that I bought one of their frames with the space for an 8x10 and 2 5x7's to display at home. I also decided that when the other kids have their next birthdays, I'm going to take them to The Picture People so they can each get similar frames to hang with their brother's frame. It was a bit more pricey than what I was used to (going to JCPenney's), but in this case it was very worth it. Thanks, Jen! :)

Decisions, Decisions

Don't you sometimes wish that someone would tell you what is the right thing to do? DH has talked to several schools and teachers, and we're still very unsure about whether or not to keep the kids at the same school or to switch schools or even what school to switch to. We're trying to reassure ourselves that the kids will do well at whatever school they end up, but we're still stressing about this as if our lives depend on our decision. *SIGH*

On a "happier" note, I got to play with DS#3 a whole lot today. He was mostly in a good mood, and I missed him when I was working for 24 hours straight. He started getting really tired around the time I picked the kids up from school. I spoiled them by getting shakes from Sonic on the way home. DS#2 was the first one willing to share his shake with his baby brother, but DS#3 screamed very loudly whenever DS#2 stopped to drink from his own shake! We learned one more thing--DS#3 can drink from a straw! When DD was sharing her shake, whenever she stopped to drink from HER own shake, DS#3 would try to grab her to pull her towards him! It was both funny and annoying at the same time. I told DH that we've created a monster, albeit a very cute one. ;-)

We Have Number 5!

Okay, don't panic! We're not having another baby--DS#3 has another tooth! He was SO fussy last night and all day. He was absolutely miserable at DS#2's soccer game this afternoon. Usually he'll just play or be fine with being in my lap. He whimpered or cried loudly the whole time! :( He did the same thing at church right after the game. He was miserable and DH and I were miserable trying to deal with him. :( This evening, after the ibuprofen hit, he was angel baby again. He was even dancing to the music of one of his toys. He came up to me with a smile on his face, and when I asked him if he had been dancing, he started dancing again--without music! :)

Changing It Up A Bit

I just decided that I wanted to change the look of my blog a bit. I like this new Blogger template where it's easier to add the header and links and stuff. The new header is a photo that I took when we were on vacation last week. My BIL was having trouble getting the baby to smile for photos. I took the camera out when I saw DD giving the baby some love. This was the first photo I took. Can you believe that? I had to tell my BIL that sometimes you get lucky...

We had another awards ceremony today. Both boys got Golden Arrows this time. We're so proud! DS#1 still hasn't received the Golden Arrow that he was supposed to get (instead of the Silver Arrow) during the last awards ceremony, or more importantly, his grade hasn't been changed on his transcript. DH sent an email to the teacher in question--again. He hates always being the squeaky wheel, but if that's what it takes, what can you do?

Lately, we've been stressing over whether or not to keep the kids in the school they're at, or switching to a different school. We'll be visiting other schools in the coming weeks so we can make a better informed decision. We have to be thankful that our problem is that the kids aren't being challenged rather than other reasons. They'll do well at whatever school they're at, but we really want to give them every opportunity to fulfill their potentials. Please say a little prayer and wish us luck in making the best decision for everyone!

Flat Meg

DH and I took DS#3 with us to visit the Alamo and Riverwalk today. My friend Julie's DD sent me a "flat" version of herself for a school project and I've had her for a month waiting to get pictures around San Antonio. It just seems to be a big trek just to drive downtown. We picked a good day to do it. Even though there are lots of extra visitors in San Antonio this weekend for the NCAA Final Four, it wasn't too crowded. It was humid but at least it wasn't too hot. We got the photo and the postcards first, then we went to find a restaurant to have lunch.

We stopped at this "authentic" Mexican restaurant and it was nice enough to sit outside, so we did. It was probably better that way, because we gave the baby some chips to eat and he was SO messy. The birds loved picking up his leftovers and he enjoyed watching them pick them up. I gave him some of my grilled tilapia (white fish) with Mexican type rice and he loved it. He loved it so much that when DH tried to give him some of his rice, he wouldn't take it! He would only eat from Mama! :) When DH and I were done, we packed him up to go and he still wanted some more! We knew he would love our next stop, though--Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream! :) I was surprised, but he actually didn't complain too much when we finished our ice cream. He was pretty tired, though, and he fell asleep in the van on the way home. He and DH just left to go to the store and I'm about to leave to go to work. It's been a pretty nice day so far. Wish me luck at work tonight!

April (and March) Scrapaddict Kits

It's a new month and I get to share what I worked on last month. This first Scrapaddict kit was actually for March but I didn't receive it until just a couple of weeks ago. The first page has photos from the Father-Daughter Dance that DH and DD went to in February. The second page is about DS when he mistakenly got a "Gold Arrow" instead of a "Silver Arrow" at his schools' award ceremony in January.

The second Scrapaddict kit also has papers from one manufacturer but from different lines, so this took me out of my comfort zone but I rather enjoyed it. The first page below uses a photo from last Mother's Day. The second page is from this past Valentine's Day when DD and I prepared these premade bags together for her classmates.



The third Scrapaddict kit uses these elegant papers, so it was also a bit of a challenge but I love these photos so much that I love these pages, too, especially how the baby looks in them! The latter page has my most favorite photo ever! :)

Speaking of the baby, DH said that he was actually able to take a short nap in his crib today--only 30 minutes, but it's a start. This evening, he actually wanted to lie down in bed and got a little upset when I nursed him on my nursing pillow instead. He was still awake when DH put him in his crib for the night, but he barely let out a whimper. We're on the right track--yayyy!

Vacation Wrap Up

I'm going to try to play catch up with photos tonight. This first photo is of the kids with DH's brother, who was visiting from Alaska. DH and I felt pretty bad that we didn't get to do too much with him while he was with us, since we were so sick. He has really turned his life around and life in general seems very good for him right now. He's a great guy and we only wish him the best! I also wish that the baby would have smiled for this photo, but I guess we can't have everything, can't we? :)

The kids had a blast skiing. They each had at least a couple of lessons. On the last day, the boys had no trouble skiing on the green runs. We didn't even try the blue runs, because I myself wasn't ready for those after not skiing for three years. Since that was my only day skiing this year, I didn't want to put any pressure on myself. I guess that means that we'll have to go on another ski vacation next year. Hopefully we won't be sick next time.

They all had fun playing in the snow, too. DH took this photo on Monday. I was too sick to take photos myself, if you can believe that. DH said I was feeling better when I started taking photos. We weren't too sure how the baby felt about the snow, until the time we went sledding and then we removed his snowsuit when we got home and he screamed. He just likes being outside anyway but in the snow he just sits there and watches everything and everyone. The other three, especially DS#2 and DD, spent hours playing in Grandma/Grandpa's snowy backyard. They made forts, had snowball fights, and really had a great time.

This final picture I had to throw in just because it's such a cute photo. DS#3 had very dry and very rosy cheeks. We were having some cheese and crackers during "cocktail hour" before dinner and he was getting into all of that. Can you see the bits of cracker on his face? The grin is the grin I see whenever I pull out the camera. He's a scrapbooking Mama's dream, isn't he? ;-)

Oh, and by the way, this week he started walking whenever someone (usually DH) holds both hands. There was one time where I was taking a video of him walking forward with his Papa walking backwards in front of him. He turned and was grinning for me, and then he caught a glimpse of DS#1 behind him with some ice cream. Let's just say that he immediately crawled over to DS#1 and started demanding some ice cream!

We had a great time in Colorado despite the sickies. Unfortunately, we may have given some of it to Grandma and Grandpa, who both had a bad Friday night before we left. We hope they felt better today with some peace and quiet. We want to be invited back, after all! ;-)

Back to Normal

We're back!!! It's so good to be at home again. The return trip was very uneventful--thank goodness! The kids didn't sleep well on the plane, but they're all sleeping now. I'll try to post pics tomorrow, but we've got a soccer game at 12:45PM. (Yes, it's back to the old bump and grind!) We actually have two games in Austin as well, but DH and I have elected to skip those two. That would just be too much for the day after returning from vacation and the day before school starts again. Hopefully, DS#2 will get over his disappointment at missing those games...

So, a short summary of our last full day on Friday (yesterday)--we actually all got to ski. Well, the baby didn't ski, but y'all know what I mean. ;-) We went to a different ski hill than where we've been in the past--a place called Ski Cooper. It's a smaller place, but cheaper and still rather nice. We were able to get a one-hour private lesson for DD for $50, a very reasonable price considering what the other places charged. It was all worth it since she was actually was able to stop and turn after this lesson (something she didn't learn with two half-day lessons at A-Basin). DH and I didn't try to ski too much, just enough to say we got to ski. I felt "back to normal" and I only wish that I had felt this way earlier in the week--then I actually might have gotten to do more things.

I got to ski with both the boys, and that was my goal for the whole trip, so I was pretty happy with that. I felt SO rusty during my first run, but I got adjusted fairly rapidly. DH also did a little skiing with DD on the bunny hill, and I did get a glimpse of that through the window. I wish I could have skiied with DD too, but I was on baby duty at the time. After we got back to my in-laws' house, I even got to do a little bit of shopping at a couple of the outlet stores then we ordered some pizza delivery and watched The Bee Movie with everyone, even the baby. It was a great end to a great day!

Easter 2008

This Easter was a little different from last year's. Last year we were anticipating the arrival of the little one. This year, I still felt his presence, but in a very different way. We got up early to go to 9AM mass. I was surprised there weren't more people there (I anticipated a packed church). At least there was plenty of room in the cry room. I went there right after arriving so I could nurse DS#3. We did that and I let him play for a bit. He just loves exploring--going in between the pews and kneelers. He was in the row behind me when I heard it--then smelled it. I grabbed him immediately and rushed off to the bathroom.

Why is it that I have children that won't hold on when you carry them? I had to press him against me just so I could balance all the things I had with me. That's when I felt the warmth against my arm. Ugh! My nice sweater soaked through enough that when I folded the sleeve over to get it off my skin, I could still feel the wet warmth. It was extremely challenging to change him without getting the stuff on anything else and not laying him down on the floor (since the changing pad that was on the changing table already had the yellow stuff on it). I managed but then I realized, was I going to go through the next 30-45 minutes with warm, wet, yellow stuff on my arm? The answer was most definitely--NO!

I went home, of course, knowing that I would have to rush back and pick everyone else up. I guess God was telling me that he wanted me to go ahead and change into comfortable traveling clothes. I tossed DS's stuff into the washer and off we went. DH said that he had looked back at the cry room and didn't see us. He didn't see us come up to the main church to get communion either. I drove up after they had gotten out of mass and he knew what had happened. I wish the rest of the day was more uneventful, but it wasn't.

The plane trip was uneventful enough. The baby actually slept through most of it. The landing was, however, a little too rocky for me. I felt my sensitive stomach doing flips. I tried to take it easy while we got the luggage then the rental van. DH was a bit frustrated with Dollar Rental Car because he had to go through three vans until he found one without some warning light. The two-hour ride to my in-laws' house in the mountains was not fun for me, either. I'm just glad we had plastic bags.

I felt bad that the first thing I gave my mother-in-law upon seeing her was not a hug but a bag filled with icky stuff. Unfortunately, what was initially probably motion sickness turned into altitude sickness then into a mixture of the coughing and the lower GI stuff that I must have picked up from the baby. Needless to say, I haven't had a very good week. I'll try to post later about all the fun the kids are having. Thank goodness they're having so much fun!

DD's First Soccer Tourney

I'm entering this after the fact. I've got to catch up on my posts!

Today, we left the house at 8AM and we didn't get back until 5PM. DD had her first soccer tournament today. It was a 3 vs. 3 tourney and they had FOUR games (9:15, 10:30?, 12:30, 2:55). Luckily, they only had 10 minute halves and we had six kids play, so each kid only played 10 minutes. We brought our pop-up tent and one of the other parents brought theirs, so at least we were all protected from the sun. It was an absolutely beautiful day. There was even a cool breeze that drifted through the tents.

In between games, there was a Nintendo DS "tournament" going on. Apparently, all of these five and six year olds have their own Nintendo DS consoles. For the first time I felt like I was a bit strict, waiting until my oldest was 12 to give him his. In any case, all the kids had fun. DS#2 played Nintendo with a classmate of his that was there, alternating with playing catch with the football he brought. DS#3 did pretty well, playing with all of the extra stray soccer balls. The only problem was when he threw up his lunch (which has been a problem for the past couple of days every time he starts coughing right after eating) and when he couldn't take his afternoon nap.

After the games we all congregated at a local "icehouse" where we grabbed early dinners while the kids played in the sandbox. It was a long and exhausting but very fun day for all of us, even the adults.

After we got home, I got to pack for a crop with my friend Jen. I was exhausted, but I knew I wouldn't regret getting a little creative time before going on vacation. Jen was exhausted too, so we were both out of there by 11PM. At home, I got a few more things packed then off to bed!

High School Musical On Ice

Tonight, DD and I went with her Daisy Girl Scouts troop to see High School Musical On Ice. Personally, I loved both movies (maybe even better than everyone else in my family) so I knew I would enjoy this. I just love musicals, maybe because I was raised on them. My Dad always loved the old timey-type musicals.

During the last couple of movies that DH took DD to, she apparently would start asking when the movie was going to be over...after only about 20 minutes had lapsed. When we got home tonight, DH asked if she did that during this show. When I said she didn't ask at all, then he said that she must have had a blast. During the first half, she was just mesmerized. I was watching her facial expressions and she basically looked like she was concentrating really hard. Even my little kisses and strokes on her face did not distract her.

During intermission, she seemed to come alive. She was goofing off with her friend AG who kept trying to give her big hugs. AG's mom told her to be gentle with DD, but I just said, "Are you kidding? She's got three brothers!" :) During the second half she was a little more animated. She still didn't dance to the songs, but she did clap and participate a little.

DD asked for toys and popcorn during the show, but I didn't get them for her. I remember as a kid not being able to get things like that and wishing we could. As an adult I know why we didn't get those things. They are SO overpriced! I can afford to buy her those things, but I just can't get over that waste of money. I figure that there will have a markup, but when even SeaWorld (with their own markup) sells cotton candy for $3 and this arena sells cotton candy for $10--WOW! So, I was one of those moms that went away empty-handed, but with more money in my wallet! Well, except for the $10 fee to park--OUCH!

Last Day of Daycare

Today was DS#3's last day of daycare. He was there only about four months. At the time he started daycare, DH was enjoying his time with him, but it was too difficult to get anything done with a non-napping and therefore cranky baby. DS still doesn't take long naps, and it's still usually difficult to get him down for a nap, but at least now he'll TAKE naps. He is much better at entertaining himself, too, so he doesn't require your constant presence for entertainment. Also, frankly, daycare is expensive, and when DS#3 was sick and couldn't go, that was a waste of money. Even when DS#3 went to daycare, one of the other kids was often sick or had to be taken to the doctor or orthodontist, so DH couldn't get anything done then anyway--again, a waste of money. Let's just say that this has been a very long winter for the "sickies". So, for now, DH will be at home with his little buddy. I have to admit that I'm a little jealous.

Oh, by the way, DS#3 climbed up a flight of stairs at home (to the first landing) today for the first time. Yes, that's right--all by himself when no one was looking and very quickly too, I might add. This should be interesting...

Internal Clocks

Why is it that my kids have this internal clock that tells them to always get up at the same time no matter what day it is? DS#3 has been getting us up by 5AM every morning for the last couple of weeks or so, although he usually falls back asleep when I nurse him. Today I happened to be off from work (my "comp" day for working last Saturday) so I could have "slept in" until 6AM or so when the other kids have to get up for school. Of course, the little man woke up at his usual time. He must have also known that I didn't have to go to work too, because he wouldn't go back to sleep! That meant that he fell asleep in the car on the way from the school to the gym and on the way from the gym back home. He really only napped for maybe another half hour or so in the afternoon, so he was cranky and clingy most of today. Oh well--I didn't get much done today, but at least I got to go to the gym and I got to spend some time with my youngest...

Majorly Bummed

I had a complication in one of my patients today, so I'm majorly bummed. :-( I told my resident that in six years of working there, I had yet to present a case at Morbidity and Mortality Conference, until now, that is. ACKKK! One of my colleagues, who is board-certified in Internal Medicine with a subspecialty in Pulmonary Medicine/Critical Care AND board-certified in Anesthesiology told me (when I asked him) that he didn't see anything wrong with how I managed the case. I know that sometimes the unexpected happens in medicine, but I wanted to make sure that I did everything I could to prevent this from happening in the first place. In this way, hopefully I'll learn how to keep this from happening in the future.

This is why I didn't go into the Primary Care field, because I can get pretty wrapped up in the patient. With my chosen field I can be more detached. It sounds a little cold, I know, but I have found that this is much better for my stress level and my personal life in the end. Still, I'm going to be checking on this patient first thing tomorrow. I hope that this complication has resolved by then.

Signs of Affection

DH and I love to smother our kids with hugs and kisses. That isn't the case with some other families, I know. We just can't help show them how much we love them, and we hope that they grow up not being afraid to show affection, too.

My 8-year-old is in this "phase" right now where he still gives me hugs and kisses at night when I'm tucking him into bed, but during the day he would rather make a big show and run away from me than to let me give him a quick peck on the cheek. My 12-year-old, on the other hand, has never hesitated to let me give him a quick kiss on the cheek (or vice versa), even if it's in public. My 5-year-old, on the other hand, just "oozes" public displays of affection to family AND friends. My good friend kids me about how my DD just "hangs on" her DS all the time (they're in the same class). He himself is a "ladies' man" even at age 6, so he doesn't really mind this at all.

On Friday, I was on the floor playing with my 11-month old, when he put his forehead against mine and drooled on me. Later I asked him to "give me a kiss" and he did the same thing. He's not too gentle at this age, so I knew I had to be careful. DH and I have both gotten fat lips from him before. I just thought this was the cutest little "trick". I tried this several times this weekend, and he doesn't always do it, but when he does, it's just the best feeling! I really hope that he is affectionate when he grows up, especially since he is my baby! :)

Getting Something Done

I didn't have to take the boys to soccer today because their fields were still wet from the 1 inch rainfall we had yesterday. They were disappointed, but YAY for me! DH still had to take DD to her practice because her fields were actually still open. I spent the night scrapping my kit assignments for Scrapaddict and trying to keep the little man from eating my paper or choking on a stray mini-brad. The older boys forgot their disappointment when they got to play video and computer games instead.

Since I can't show the pages I'm working on yet, here are some pages I finished last week. These first two are from our Disney World trip last year.



The pictures on these pages are from our trip to NJ/NY two years ago. I finally finished scrapping this trip!




Tomorrow we have DD's Daisy Scouts Investiture Ceremony. I'm not even sure what that word means, but it has something to do with putting a pin on! :)

Weekend Pictures

I wanted to update everyone with pictures of all of the kids.

This is a picture of DS#1 with his braces off. I still need to find a "before" picture of him. His upper front teeth were much more prominent and crooked. Of course, he's changed so much anyway since that time. His jaw is starting to get more square, he's starting to get acne, etc. My baby is growing up!

This is DD in her Spring soccer uniform. She's all smiles because my Mom did her hair in about five different long braids and she is feeling mighty fine. :) (Just in case you were wondering, I photoshop'd out the name of her school that is on the front of her jersey.) DH said that she was playing really well at her game yesterday. She used to fall back at the back of the pack but now she is really running after that ball.


DS#2 looks so intense in this photo. I don't know if you can see it, but his shoelace is untied. This is so typical of him! He got a little too excited about the fact that his team beat the other team today 11-0 so he was doing a little bragging. We reminded him that his older brother lost 0-11 yesterday, so he needed to tone it down a bit.

Last but not least, here is a picture of DS#3 being given a yummy fudge popsicle by my mom. He was just laying there in a reclining position allowing his "slave" (aka his Lola) to feed him. He was even "allowing" the chocolate to run down his chin, which she promptly wiped up. What service! :) He ate that whole thing, by the way. Yes, he is a bit overindulged! :)

The Braces Are Off!

DS#1 got his braces off today! He looks so different now that I can actually see his teeth. His top front teeth look much less prominent than when he got his braces put on. I'll have to find a "before" photo to compare.

What was the first thing he wanted to do after he got his braces off? He wanted to eat caramel! His Papa didn't bring him any, but he did take him to his favorite sandwich shop (Schlotzky's) before taking him back to school. I brought him some candy from my stash at work--Twix, Milky Way, and some Dove Milk Chocolate with Caramel. I think I suffiiciently spoiled him. ;-) DS#2 couldn't understand why DS#1 was allowed to eat all of that candy as an afterschool snack and he kept asking if he could have some too. Sigh--I just couldn't get him to understand. I'm a big caramel fan too, so I understand completely!

It was rainy and gloomy all day here. I'll have to take a picture tomorrow when there is better lighting.

Future Ice Cream Mouse Jr.

First some background for those of you that haven't heard the story. When DH was small, maybe around 5 or 6, he would sneak into the kitchen at night, take a spoon, and eat some ice cream right from the container. Sometimes, I guess he would accidently leave the spoon in the ice cream and the next day his mom would exclaim that the "ice cream mouse" had been there. One time, his little sisters caught him. He said that he told them he would give them some ice cream too if they promised that they wouldn't tell on him. Well, I guess they promptly ratted him out the next day and he said he was SO mad!

DS#3 has already made it clear that he LOVES ice cream. He recognizes it now. He'll see me with the cup that I use for ice cream, or an ice cream cone and he comes up to me with a happy grin on his face. Tonight, it happened to be one of those fudge popsicles. He just sucked and sucked on that popsicle, pausing only to swallow. I wiped the chocolate that was trying to drip off his face during those pauses. When it was gone, he just looked surprised, like he was wondering how that happened. He actually didn't fuss today, but usually, when I feed him tiny bits from a spoon, he gets very upset when it's gone. He screeches quite loudly, in fact! Once he saw his brothers having ice cream and they had to leave the room so he would stop screaming!

Yes, I can see it now, a future ice cream mouse in the making! ;-)

Most Difficult Soccer Season

Yesterday, the kids played their first soccer games of this season. The Fall soccer season was busy enough, with some of the games being played simultaneously but at fields across town from each other. This Spring season will be the most difficult one to date. The reason is that now we have a very mobile baby that is no longer content just being held. He wants to be on the move! I took this photo yesterday. It is warm enough now that he can wear shorts, but that meant that his knees were uncovered. It was pretty hilarious watching his little butt with grass all over it bobbing atop his skinny little legs moving in a crab-like crawl. When he wasn't on the go, he was content pulling out grass and picking up rocks.

DD had her game at 11AM on the NW part of town about 30 minutes from where we live. DS#2 had his game at noon on a field NE of the city about 30 minutes from where we live but in the opposite direction from DD's game. "Luckily", DS#1 didn't have his game until 4PM and he was able to help me entertain the little man. During DS#1's game, I had a more difficult time because there were more dirt patches on his field and I really didn't want to put him down on that. He kept screaming and trying to hurl himself from DH's or my arms toward the ground to indicate that he just wanted to be put down. Luckily I found a patch of grass to put him on and he was again content to pull out grass and pick up rocks.

Today, we "only" had one game. However, it was quite windy and there was so much dust and dirt flying around at times. We were still able to set the baby down and he actually played with DH's blue soccer ball, pushing it forward and "chasing" it--very cute to watch. He also tried to get into other people's stuff, but most of the time he was again content to pull out grass and pick up rocks.

Here is a photo of DS#3 yesterday. This is the face he gives me when he sees me with the camera. Isn't he a ham already? :)

Oh, and FYI--DS#1 is up to DH's eyes (in height). It won't be long...