Justin and the Herd Review Movies and Act Adorable

My brother-in-law, Justin, has a YouTube Channel where he and his friend Vash "review" movies. I say "Review" because they mostly fight about the movie. (Spoilers: Justin likes them, Vash sleeps through them.) Most of their reviews are family friendly, if you want to follow them on YouTube.

Justin came home for a wedding (and Thanksgiving but, you know, mostly the wedding) and took the Herd to see Penguins of Madagascar. While I thought he should have taken them alone so Adam and I could get ready for Thanksgiving (yeah, that's what we're calling it now), he was too terrified to take four children to the movies alone. Whimp. Thankfully, Adam wanted to see the movie so he went to help out. I stayed home, made cinnamon rolls and enjoyed the sounds of peace and quiet. It was quite worth it because, well, watch the adorableness!






For those of you who follow this blog for information about CAS and speech therapy, the six year old is the one who has been in speech since he was 22 months old and was once non-verbal. I never, ever thought he would be able to do something like this! People, this is the result of hard, hard work and years of therapy and listen to how good he sounds!

Quick Takes Friday: Gettin' Old and Funerals

1. So my hairdresser said she didn't see any grey hairs last night. Now, she has no reason to lie to me because she would make MORE money off me if I was gettin' grey. I should rejoice, right? No because YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS? My eyesight is going! I'm as blind as an eyeless bat so it's not like I have sight TO LOOSE.

Geez.

2. Our church called today and asked if Joseph would be an Alter Server at a funeral tomorrow. He's already serving the daily Mass before that, so I said yes. He's fine with it. I'm not sure if I should be like, "Yay, Joe! They think you're good enough to serve at a funeral!" or be all, "that's sad," because, um, funeral.

3. Yep, one of our kiddos is an Alter Server. You have to be in the fifth grade to be one. Camille is bummed but it will be her turn soon.

4. Ninja Alter Server Picture:

Taking "defending the faith" to a whole new level.

5. The adorable Elf on the Shelf:

If this kid doesn't come up with a decent Halloween costume idea, I'm sticking his red sweater on him, red sweat pants and sending him as the Elf on the Shelf. He picked out the color and yarn and my mom made the sweater. It just happens that he look HILARIOUSLY like the Elf!

6. Fall finally arrived, weather wise. I have not, however, had a pumpkin spice latte. That is just sad.

7. The official Mockingjay trailer is out in a few days and I am DYING. Can't wait!

Quick Takes Friday: The First Day

1.

The first day of school began like this:

 

 

 

Joseph- 5th grade and not amused by the photos. He ditched us shortly after

Camille- third. She has the same teacher Joe had in second grade and is super excited.

George- kindergarten

Cole- last year of preschool!

 

2.

George tried to ditch me right away. I told him mommies stay for a few minutes the first day. He ended up kicking me out after ten minutes, which was fine because I had a preschool meeting to attend.

 



 

3.

When I picked him up, we went to CFA for lunch and then ran an errand. He told me all about "Pete the Cat." Since he can't say "Pete" I had no clue what he was talking about aside from a stuffed cat who had shoes and they colored their own shoes. His teacher sent me a photo of them with Pete and then his SLP said, "Oh, those are cool books!" Whew! But, apparently, he loved the story since he could tell me all the details!

 

4.

His teacher told me that when they introduced themselves he said, "Well, you may not be able to understand me but my name is George." It comes out "Forfe." He didn't seem too bothered by the fact that some people may not understand him, which is good.

 

5.

I met Cole's new SLP at school but have not hunted down the K-5 SLP. I've met her but I need to make sure all the paperwork is in so she can talk to our private SLP. I may also need to ask her IEP questions but I probably shouldn't harass her too much the first few days! ;) Then again, we're going to be working together for the next five years, or more, so she might as well get used to me!

 

6.

There's a new school nurse. The school year is just beginning so we haven't chatted much. Our paperwork should all be finished so I hope I don't have to talk to her about vaccines. Cole had an allergic reaction to vaccines so he's behind. I doubt I will get him the flu shot either, since that's one he had a reaction to. I don't mind explaining to people WHY he is behind but it gets old having to "justify" why we don't want to give something to our kid that he is allergic to!

 

7.

After a good first day at school, there were epic meltdowns last night. No, I wasn't one of them. The middle two were overwhelmed and over-tired, which led to tears and a refusal to go to bed. We finally got them down and life seems much better today... they were ready to leave for school 45 minutes early!

 

 

The Rain in Spain: Stuff I Get Done

When the husband is away, the wife... well, I'm not playing, I'm working! I apparently have some bee in my bonnet and I suddenly must do ALL THE THINGS that we've been putting off. Since Adam has been gone, I have:

trimmed and weeded the front bushes

swept the garage

trimmed back the mint plants that were going to over take the deck

cleaned off said deck

painted the playset with outdoor paint

helped the kids wash out the trash and recycling cans. Memo to self: make sure all the dust from the vacuum is in a bag, double sealed, because ew.

watered the garden

moved the compost bin. And when I say "we" I mean "my mom, the original hippie." I helped. Joseph manned the hose.

mopped the kitchen

deep cleaned Camille's room

bought school supplies

had yummy lunches with my mom

had yummy ice cream and wine, but not at the same time, with my mom

got the dog a new collar since he shrunk out of his old one

got the kids some winter/school clothes

And there's still more to do! I need to find George some size six shorts because he refuses to stop growing. Camille says she is "not that into Disney Princesses" anymore and would like some new sheets. I can respect that, so sheet-shopping we will go. If I can, I may borrow a power washer from a friend and really get at the cob webs that are everywhere in the house. Oh, and I need to sell off some 31 stuff.... anyone need a bag?

I'm going to be exhausted when Adam gets home!

No longer a "baby family"

This weekend Adam and the kids took me out to dinner. Although I thought about going someplace different, I picked The Cheesecake Factory because I knew we would all enjoy the food and, hello, cheesecake!

While we had dinner, it dawned on me that we can do this now- we can take the kids out to dinner and expect AND GET decent behavior out of them. Sure, there was some shoving and some rude burping (ugh! tween boys!) and some of this:

but everyone sat, ate and had a good time. There were bathroom runs, but no diaper changes. There was no baby food, no nursing, no dropped food. I got to eat my meal while it was cold (a salad) and shared my cheesecake with a very awed and very serious four year old.

Cole: Mommy, we eat dat? Mommy, we share dat?
Me: Yes, Bear, we'll share that!

I failed to convince Adam to drop me at the bookstore while he took the kids grocery shopping but we still had a pleasant time. Cole unleashed his Light Saber in Trader Joe's, which lead to me taking it until we got to the car. (Even Jedi Knights answer to their moms.) When we got home, I bathed the kids while Adam cleaned up the kitchen and put away groceries.

This is first summer in fully "big kid" mode. No one naps on a regular basis. The last of the cloth diapers went to a co-worker of Adam's. I'm sorting through baby toys and 3t clothes for a garage sale. The little slide, tunnel and sand box are going to a teacher friend for  her grandkids. We have one stroller for long trips and even the cheap umbrella strollers are gone. When I took Cole into the cry room during Mass, I realized we don't belong in there. Everyone else had bottles, binkies and diapers. We no longer need any of those.

I know I should moan that I miss it- and I do, to a degree. But I am also excited about this phase of life.

Joseph and Camille took part in their first tournament this weekend and did very well. I can see Camille wishing to join the "forms" team some day. I got to take George and Cole to baseball practice and was so impressed to see them paying attention, listening to instructions and trying so hard. For two boys with plenty of challenges, they blended right into the team and loved it. I'm looking forward to their adorable games this summer!

I know if we were blessed with another baby, I would love an embrace that child. I am confident in my baby-caring skills and would whip out the cloth diapers, nursing bras and swaddling blankets with no second thoughts. But this phase- the phase where we read Percy Jackson together, talk about serious things, have friends over for sleep overs and where Mommy can sleep in a touch, knowing they can get their own cereal- is pretty wonderful and amazing too.

This Mother's Day, I have the gift of knowing we are entering the next phase in parenting, the big kid phase. It's pretty cool.

We partied this weekend

thank you Catholic Memes on Facebook

I was anticipating this past weekend... but dreading it too. We would have so much fun stuff to do but... so.much to do! In the end, it was the perfect weekend and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect weekend.

It began with a little of this:

 Man, the frosting was pink but it was the perfect pink for our pretty pink princess. I did her hair that morning and it looked awesome. I also figured out that I am veil-deficiant. I have never worn one and wasn't sure how to pin  it to her head without drawing blood. I got it on her, though, and she looked lovely. All the children did, really. I know you sometimes see a dress and think, "What the heck were the parents thinking?" but there was none of that at her Mass.

After Mass, Adam took the little boys to baseball practice. They loved it and were properly tired when they came home. Adam said they hit the ball a few times and managed to catch it. I have no dreams of major leagues in this house. I want them to have fun, learn the game and be tired (not always in that order!). Plus, you know the "games" will be precious!

Right after they got home, we had our open house where we cut into the "rustic" cross cake:

I made marshmallow fondant. I have made this before with excellent results (see also: Cole's first birthday cake). It began coming together just fine but then I added too much of something and the result was a thick paste of .... not fondant. I asked Adam to roll it in a ball in the fridge and he didn't. It did not roll out easily or drape nicely. I didn't have any buttercream left so I put in on the cake in strips. I couldn't get the pink (PINK!) buttercream to pipe out, so Grams suggested we place the cupcakes around it to hide the edges. I joked we were going for more symbolism since Jesus was wrapped in a shroud after he died but one of my friends, "No, it's RUSTIC!" Rustic it is!

After tons of cake, more cake and yummy Subway, we watched Frozen and then hyped the kids up on more sugar....

The school carnival was perhaps the best one our school has ever hosted. The weather was perfect and everything was outside. The kids were safe to run fairly free and their tickets got them oodles of candy. All that running made them super tired and Cole asked to go to bed that night! I think we would have all slept in if it hadn't been for this the next day:

My parents and my sister's family joined us for the first time. We all walked together. It was nice to introduce my parents to the people who saved George's life and have them meet some of the children they last saw as babies in the NICU. My sister surprised me by showing us Miss Who's sign on the Boulevard of Babies.I didn't know she had one and it's nice to know that others will see her name and maybe smile.

My camera shy husband and son!
They ended up o n the hospital's FB page!
And the look like they have a bodyguard.

 In many ways, the March was a safe place for all of us. We could talk about Miss Who without having to censor ourselves. People would understand all the terms and it was highly likely no one would say stupid stuff, like "God needs her more than you." I talked to some friends from the NICU who did not know about her and we had a "there but for the grace of God so us" kinda moments. Their children were born at the same gestational age as Miss Who and knew, all too well, the fear of loosing a child. They were super sweet to us.

When we got home that afternoon the kids played with friends and I dozed. We were all soooo tired!

While I couldn't have asked for a more perfect weekend... I'm glad a break is coming! We have two weeks before another huge weekend of birthday parties, baseball and a huge garage sale!

Happy Tenth Birthday!

Happy, happy birthday to my loving, fun, handsome dude, Joseph! I can't believe it's been a whole decade since you made us parents, our parents grandparents and our grandparents GREAT grandparents. We love you!

(I give you a baby picture since someone is camera phobic these days!)

Name that Baby!

No, this is not an announcement. Rather, Kathryn over at Team Whitaker is hosting a baby name link up. I decided to join in the fun and post how we got our kids' names. Be warned- we are VERY boring when it comes to baby names and you're likely going to figure out a pattern after the first two!

Like most first born children, naming Joseph was fairly easy. We both like the name, which is important! We both had grandfathers named Joseph, called Joe. It is Adam's father's middle name and the name of my paternal uncle. My uncle took the name Andrew as his Confirmation name and, thus, middle name and went by Joseph Andrew. My father is named Andrew and my brother and brother-in-law have "Andrew" as a middle name. We like it, it sounds good together and, double bonus, our grandmothers love the name.

I never wanted Joseph to be called Joey which meant, of course, that my brother-in-law called him that as a toddler. Now he'll tell anyone that his name is Joe. He responds to Joseph or Joe and doesn't like Joey at all. (Thank you, God!) When I asked him why he started going by Joe, he said it was because it is easier to spell than Joseph! Ha! Stinker.

Random useless fact: He was almost named George. It was my birthday when I found out I was pregnant and Adam's other grandfather called me. When Adam asked if we wanted to name the baby George,I said, "No this baby is a Joseph." And he is!

You would think that Camille, the first girl, would be easy to name. No. Adam insisted she was a boy until the u/s showed otherwise. I knew I wanted her middle name to be Julia, the same middle name my grandmother had. (I didn't like the sound of her first name with his last name.)

I wanted to name her Charlotte Julia but Adam said no. After going around and around, I finally said, "Fine! Her middle name is Julia, find a first name that goes with it!" A few days later, he looked at me and said, "What about Cami, as a nickname for Camille?" I liked it and agreed... and two week later, he told me it was inspired by the name of a bad guy in a James Bond movie.

Ah, the George. George was always our second boy name. It's the name of Adam's maternal grandfather, a man I love. (I joked that if Grandpa were 50 years younger, I would marry him!) We actually asked his permission to name the baby George, because we knew some people don't like their names. He had no problem with it and so George was George.

His middle name, David, was a bit harder to come by. We tossed both David and Robert around but I thought George Robert sounded too much like a 1950's TV dad. I really wanted a Christmas-y middle name, as George was due Christmas Eve. I didn't like Nicholas or Gabriel though. I kept coming back to David, the name of Adam's uncle who died shortly before we were married.

One day, I had the realization that David IS a Christmas name- Jesus is from the House of David. BAM! Christmas name and a family name in one! Done!

Adam swore he would NOT be called Georgie Pordgie but all the NICU nurses called him that. He was Georgie PuddinPie from the beginning!

It's a good thing Cole is a boy, because if we had had a girl, she would still be unnamed. Actually, Cole was "supposed" to be a Henry, after my uncle Hank. However, he just didn't feel like a Henry. One day, I was chatting with a friend about some genealogy information Grandpa had sent us. In it, he told us that a relative on his mother's side had come from Ireland with a friend, who was a priest. The relative had a SuperLongIrish last name but he changed it to "Cole" the same name as the priest, so they could pass for brothers and enter America easily.

"You know what would be a great name?" my friend said. "Cole Robert!"

DONE.

We later found out that Grandpa was named for his grandfather, whose last name was Cole. In that small way, both little boys are named for Grandpa. (Least Joe be left out, he was born on their anniversary!) Robert is the name of several (many) men on my mother's side of the family. So, yes, we broke out "little old man" naming streak and gave our youngest son a more modern name, but it is still a traditional, family name like the rest of them.

More useless trivia: We thought about Robert Cole and calling him Robbie but he's not a Robbie! However, Colbert is pronounced "ColeBear" which is what we call him. (Get it? Col-bert? Cole Robert?)

And if we have any more?

I love the name Gianna, and the saint. I am insisting if we had a second daughter, she would be named Gianna. As a bonus, it keeps up with the naming pattern: JCGC. (JKJK sounds) I also want a Maximilian after Saint Maximilian Kolbe. However, given our penchant for producing kids with speech disorders, the speech therapists have made me promise not to do that! Henry is still on my list, after my uncle, and I like the name Anthony too. We shall see... and having Number Five is not even on my radar so I am not too worried!

School

I began this post two days ago. Shows how much time I have to sit alone and type!

Stuff's been happening but there's really nothing to write about. It warmed up to 30 degrees today and I felt awesome walking around without a coat, tramping through the snow in my boots. (Although the coat thing isn't new. I don't like wearing one.)

Wednesday I was Selfish Mommy and went to the gym. A friend and I swap baby sitting and Wends are her day to take George. I missed Cole's Valentine's Day party. I normally go up and take George. I suppose I could have worked out at home, and then gone to his party alone. But I didn't. I went to the gym and took a shower after. I patted myself on the back for taking care of ME, something I hardly ever do.

Then when I picked up Cole, I saw I was the only mother who didn't come up. No, really. The only other mothers who were not there were the ones who worked. Sigh.Talk about guilt!

I paid for Selfish Mommy too. The house was a disaster and Cole was flying high from the sugar. He also hasn't been sleeping and was super whiney. He was laying his head down and crying. I couldn't put him down for a nap, though, since Joe had an appointment. Cole fell asleep on the way to school and until we reached the doctor's. Of course he wanted to be carried and I had to lug him up a flight of stairs, questioning why I bothered to go to the gym!

Part of our problem today was that Cole was asking for something and I had no idea what it was! At our conference today, the SLP said kids with Apraxia often loose intelligibility as they gain speech.He is certainly doing that. Since he might not qualify for speech this summer, I will need to get him into private speech. Sigh.

Anyway, back to school. Cole whined "me go home" the entire hour and 15 minutes we were up there! Considering the whine-fest began at one, the whole "me go home" whine lasted for two frikkin hours. I mean, really? Sigh.

On Thursday I was supposed to go up to school for a kindergarten parent meeting. It was at nine am on a day off from school. What are we supposed to do with our kids? And Cole had a nasty cough, so I didn't want to bring him up anyway. It was frustrating but, thankfully, the staff knows me and I just went up, handed in my paperwork and picked up what I needed. The good news is that since he attends this school for preschool, most of his paperwork is already on file! I need to update any vaccinations he has received but, other than that, I think he's good to go!

We have the option for full or half day in the district. However, our state does not pay for full day and thus the parents must make up the difference at $15/day. For people that need day care (SCHOOL IS NOT DAY CARE) this is a bargain. For those of us who pay out the nose for therapies every week, this is an added expense we can not have. George will be going to half day and I am okay with this, since I know and like the half day teacher. I actually know and like the full day teacher too and she was excited, asking me if George will be in her class. That made my heart melt. I'm so, so pleased with the teachers at our school. They really do an awesome job with all my kids.

(I suspect they want George in their classes because they have not seen the super anal worried side of me that comes with George. He's leaving the nice secure special education classroom and going in with the wolves, who may or may not understand him.I have a few more months to prep the half day teacher. Heh. I did tell the principal that if this teacher is not teaching kindy next year, I will cry big ugly tears, have a fit and picket the school. The principal laughed, like I was kidding.)

Camille's teacher had nothing but glowing things to report. She's getting A's in math and her concentration has greatly improved! I think she's gaining a little weight back too, which is nice. The best part is that she is learning skills that are carrying over to when she is NOT on medication. That's great!

Joe had five people at his conference and we joked he was quite the popular young man, to have all those lovely women talking about him. He blushed! He has several student teachers, which is why so many people were there. He too is doing well and is undergoing testing for the gifted program. I'm twitching at the thought of all four kids on IEPs. I didn't want my children to have special needs, gifted or otherwise. I wanted boring, normal children who when you walk into conferences, the teacher says, "Your child is a delight to have in the classroom! Their grades are great, they are polite, well mannered and have friends. Send me 20 more like them!" I'm not looking to raise a genius child or four (trust me, no. It's a whole 'nuther post). I just want neuro typical!

But what are ya going to do aside from advocate for them, help them figure out the world and feed 'em fish oil to promote brain development?

Okay, complaining aside, the tone of the conferences was positive overall and we are all moving in the right direction for the kids. I am thankful every day we landed in this neighborhood with this school that is fully equipped to meet the needs of my kids and is devoted to doing so. When I read stories about other districts, even ones close to our home, where the teachers do no follow IEPs, do not use best practices, aren't flexible and so on, I am so glad we have this school. Even with all the worrying I do about the children and their future, I can happily send them off to school each day knowing they are well cared for and loved.

Quick Takes Friday: Well, that's a start!

It's been a crazy start to 2014 but a GOOD crazy start!

1.

Last night, the phone rang as I was putting Cole to bed. Adam answered and it was Thirty-One, the direct sales company I work for. I've been promoted to Senior Consultant! That means that I have several people below me, they've all qualified (sold a certain amount) and are active. I still have to sell x amount of product in a certain time period but I get overrides. Go me! Go my team!

2.

Cole and George are refusing haircuts. REFUSING. Nothing will convince them to let me trim it, including, "If you don't cut your hair, we will have to wash it more often and put gel in it." Nope. The other day, Cole's curls were looking especially adorable and he was being onery. We've decided that his hair is like Samson's: it's his adorableness and keep us from selling him to the zoo!

3.

I finally got my watch fixed. FINALLY. After a year. Not complaining; I love it!

4.

Camille's 8th birthday is coming up. Eight. Holy moly, she's getting big! The "loose tooth" thing has slowed down and she now has more teeth IN her head than OUT. Her hair is getting long and her sense of style is... Camille. We're planning her birthday party this weekend. She wants a snowman themed party and I spill all the details shortly!

5.

My oldest has been giving us grief about homework lately. His teacher and I are working with him on it. I don't think he realizes that life would be so much simpler if he just did his work in school!

6.

I went to the post office before Christmas and have been dragging my feet about going back ever since then. Mailing packages is my least favorite activity ever! I think all post offices are located in the most inconvenient spots and strive to have the worst parking. They have less employees manning the desk than Wal-Mart during the post-school rush. It's so frustrating!

7. 

The kids have only missed one day of school this week. My friends a few hours away haven't had school at all this week! I imagine they are going insane!

Proof that 2013 wasn't all bad (Or, as close as I will get to a Christmas letter)

When I complain that there wasn't a single thing about 2013 I really care to remember, Adam rolls his eyes. I didn't even make a quick note for the back of our Christmas card this year because I couldn't think of anything that wouldn't depress the piss out of people.

(Yes, I said that. Sorry.) Instead, it said something like, "Looking forward to joy and peace in 2014!" I thought that was generic enough for people that didn't need to know ALL. THE. THINGS. while people who did know would get it.

Anyway, when I get like this, Adam makes me think of all the GOOD things that happen. Honestly, sometimes it's hard. But with Dwija's link up, I think I might. I can find one good thing every month, right? Like...

January- Camille turned seven and we surprised her with a PINK bedroom!

February: George potty trained!

And who can forget....

March: Pope Francis love. Visiting my parents and sister and co for my mother's birthday. Painting the inside of the house.

before

after

April: Oh, April. Traveling to New York for my uncle's funeral. Cole turned three. Joe turned nine.Miss Who was born... on Joe's birthday! March for Babies.

The HILLS! They were alive, people! And trees! Big trees! But no Bigfoot.

May: Mother's Day and a road trip with just my big ones.

Camille tried on the wedding dress my grandmother, aunt, mother, myself AND sister wore! Joe ate too much bacon and I visited Miss Who and co again. And the chicken pox. Whoa to the chicken pox!

June: The Epic VBS Disaster, another trip to see my parents, and chicken pox, 2013, part two! Cole also potty trained and we had ZERO KIDS IN DIAPERS, YAY!

Cole also spent the entire summer in swim trunks. It was hilarious!

We went to a local garden to see LEGO statues. 

July: One does not speak about July. Ever

Well, we did go to Wisconsin again. But other than that....

August: My birthday and massive DIY projects inspired by Pinterest. 

I did not make this dry sink. My uncle, who passed away in April, did.
I changed out the hardware.

September: First Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season and the NICU Reunion and a fun trip to Austin with friends!

October: Halloween! My sister came to visit and we had awesome, awesome photos taken.

I have no Halloween pictures. Instead, I give you adorableness at the pumpkin patch:

November: Surprise trip to CO, George turned five and had a huge party, Thanksgiving and the NICU Thanksgiving.

And the hats. Don't forget the 80 hats we had donated to the NICU!

Can you smell the turkey toniiiight?

December: Camille's First Reconcilliation. Joe's first strings concert. Food allergy results. A new diet. And CHRISTMAS!

It took all year to get this good photo!
A big thank you to my brother-in-law for taking it!

Looking back, it seems like the beginning of the year- Camille's new room, painting the house, the Conclave- all happened in a "before" life.There's been an "after" since July, where it feels like the world is a bit topsy-turvy. Now that they year is nearly over, I feel like I have my feet under me a bit and I'm returning to a new me. It's defiantly been a journey.

Am I sad to see 2013 go? Not really. In some ways, this year has perhaps been the most defining year for me and my extended family. We've gone through trial under fire. Do I think we will all be better for it? Sure, in some way. Does that mean I want us to go through any of this again? Um, hell no!

Am I looking forward to 2014? YES! Like I posted yesterday, I have hope that things will be better, Hope that things I feared won't be as bad. Hope that I have someone on my side who can advocate with me. 

And, geez, in 2014 Camille will turn eight and have her first Communion. Joe will turn TEN! Cole will be four. George will start kindergarten and all that it brings. It will be Joseph's last year in elementary school. Friends will be coming to town for a retreat. My cousins and I are talking of getting together this summer. 2014 will mark the end of so many firsts and eternal anniversaries but the beginning of so much more.

I can't help but... for the first time in a long time... I can't help but hope.

In Which My Childrn Nearly Give Some Poor Dear the Vapors

Yesterday, I had to take all four children to Target. It was one of those (blasted) early release days, which mean they got home at two instead of four. In the Midwest's infinite wisdom AND insane ideas, it was nearly 100 degrees and all the pools were closed. (When oh when will the pool managers learn to keep the pools open past Labor Day? It can be hot here well into October!)

So, anyway, Joseph needed a new bike helmet and both kids need bike locks. That part of the trip went off without a hitch but then we wandered into the toy asile. (Why???) George has a birthday party this weekend and he needed to pick out a gift.

The older two scattered as we stood in the toy aisle and debated between the Doc McStuffins toys. Camille had my phone and was snapping pictures of stuff she liked so we could remember them for Christmas. (I kid you not, this works. When they start whining for toys, I tell them to take a picture so they can remember for their Christmas wish lists.) After about five minutes, Joseph wandered over and told me about a Nerf gun he wanted. I told him to take a picture for me.

"Cami has the phone," he protested.

"Okay." I said, scanning the shelves for another toy, "Cami, please give Joe the phone as soon as you are done with that picture."

Now that brought whining. "No, I don't want to! I'll take the picture!"

"No, Camille, give it to your brother."

"Just one more!" she begged, snapping two more photos.

By now, Joseph was getting annoyed, knowing as well as I do that her "just one more" will stretch into 20 more. He lunged to try and grab the phone from her and she went down the other aisle, with me saying firmly, "Camille, hand the phone to your brother!"

"Just one more!" she whined. Joe went for the phone again and she backed out of view. I sighed, unable to leave my spot because Cole was strapped into the cart. I was about to give both toys to George to hold onto while I dragged Cole after the older two when I heard a gasp.

"Did you just kick her?" asked a fluttery voice. Cami skulked back into view and went to stand by the cart. I saw Joe walk away.

An elderly woman appeared in my view, a look of horror on her face. I swear she was pale from shock. "He just kicked her!" she gasped, her hand fluttering to her chest.

Seriously, people still do that?

I shrugged. "Eh, they're siblings." I kept leaning on the cart. holding out the toys to George, hoping my non-movement and short response would send her a clear message: go away. She didn't. Her mouth dropped open as she waited for me to do something.

I didn't.

"Well," she sniffed. "Don't you have your hands full," she sneered as she strolled off.

I resisted the urge to tell her to go soak her head. I did, however, roll my eyes.

George finally picked the toy he wanted and I tossed it into the cart, dragging the kids over to where Joe was. I gave him A Look, held out my hand and he dropped the phone into it. "No more phone! Why did you kick your sister?"

"She wouldn't give me the phone," he grumbled.

"Do not kick your sister," I said to him. Turning to Camille, I said, "When I tell you that you need to give my phone to your brother, you do it." They both nodded and we walked off.

Did I do some things wrong here? Sure. For one, I probably shouldn't have given my phone to Camille, knowing that it would cause a riot. I probably could have pulled the cart away and intervened sooner. However, I'm trying to stay out of their tiffs. They are siblings and they argue and squabble constantly (it seems) and they need to work things out on their own. Plus, it's not like Camille was completely innocent in this. Should Joseph have kicked her? No. She also should not have provoked him and should have turned over the phone when I asked, without arguing.

I also know my children. Had I gone storming after Joe in the middle of the fight, it would have caused more problems and everything would have escalated. He needed  a minute or two to cool down before I approached him. The only time I discipline him in the middle of something is if someone got hurt... and she wasn't hurt. Plus, any more discipline would have taken place at home or in the car.

And you know what? This woman was an adult tattle-tale. I knew my children were screwing around (although not loudly) and I was going to get to them but I was busy with my other kids. She didn't need to tell me they were fighting and she certainly didn't need to be as dramatic as she was. If my kid was pounding his sister into the pavement? Sure. But normal sibling stuff- no.

Oh, and the best part of this? Joseph and George were talking and then George ran away laughing. Joe turned to me and said, "Mom, ask his speech therapist to work on the S sound. He just said sucks and the s came out as an f." I laughed and the man behind the electronics counter said, "Yeah, it sounded like an F."

"He has a speech disorder," I said, before walking away.

Overheard: The Beatles

Joseph: Computer class is fun but I only get to research boring stuff like The Beatles and Amelia Earhart.

Me: Beatles, like the music group?

Joe: Yeah, they're boring.

Me: Are you serious?!

Joe: Yes.

Not my son! SOOOO not my son!

Quick Takes Friday

1. In our school district, you have to take band, orchestra or choir in junior high. This basically means that you have to start thinking about instruments in fourth grade, if you even think you want to be in band or orchestra in junior high. Um, my kid is nine. I am not ready to be thinking about junior high right now?

Anyway, he came home with a sign up sheet for orchestra. We talked a little and he admitted he wants to play the cello or viola. When asked why, he shrugged and said that he likes how they sound. I can't really argue with that.

2. We talked about what a big responsibility it is, how he needs to practice a couple times a week and how he needs to keep the instrument away from his brothers. I don't know the direct cost but the list seems reasonable. I don't know much about instruments or cellos or anything music related but I do have a decent idea of what is needed and what would be fluff. (Thank you for my siblings and their years of band!)

3. My family is fairly musical. In fact, everyone has sung or played an instrument but  me. My cousin's little girl is VERY musically gifted. She's amazing. I joke I gave up any musical talent I have to her. I've played the recorder- unwillingly- in college. That's about it. I can't even sing!

4. Adam played the clarinet. After that, we have a tuba/sousaphone player, French Horn, trumpet, piano, flute and many choir members. And then there's me. I go to events, know what I like to listen to and clap politely. That's the extent of my musical ability. Sigh.

5. We did discuss band and thus marching band in high school. I told Joe he's committed through at least this year but, honestly, I want him to go through junior high. He really isn't interested in band. I'm not terribly disappointed. I really don't want to have to deal with the hard core band parents! Yet I think orchestra will give him a group of friends to hang out with, something constructive to do and "culture" if you will. My friend who is a professional musician thinks that learning to read music and play an instrument will appeal to Joe's logical, engineer brain. I'm all for anything that will challenge this kid!

6. Did you know you can make a cello fart? Le sigh.

7. I did seven quick takes on orchestra, band and cellos and NOT ONCE did I make a wisecrack about needing ear plugs. I want credit for that!

Head over to Jen's... where she may or may not discuss ear plugs and music.
www.conversiondiary.com

Summer 2013 Bucket List UPDATE

It seems like just yesterday I was writing our summer bucket list. I swear summer just began but, in a few short days, I will be sending them all back to school.

It wasn't a horrible summer, just not the summer I had planned. Sure, we did tons of this:

Joseph and Camille took swim lessons and got really, really good at a variety of skills. I ended up not putting the littles in swim lessons but I hope to do so this year.

We never made it to LEGOLAND or the Aquarium or any historical sites. Instead, we hung around the house and the kids got really awesome at Minecraft. They also found several YouTube sites that show how to make special characters or levels. The voice in those videos now haunts my dreams.

The chicken pox certainly wasn't in our plans but we are done with that forever! Neither was rescuing a kitten but my friends got a new kitty out of the deal, so I am thrilled with that!

Yet, we managed to do some of the items on our list. The kids spent two days at Camp Grandma and Grandpa and loved it. Adam loved the sleep! (I was out of town.) I worked on reading with Camille, the boys played hard and Joseph's brain didn't leak out of his head. I kept running and lost a little weight. I'm stronger and have so much more endurance than I had in April, which is probably the most important thing.

Cole potty trained! In the past six weeks he has only had ONE accident! He's been wearing his bathing suit nearly 24/7 and his only accident came when he was wearing shorts and underwear. I don't know if this was a fluke or if he's only trained when wearing swim trunks. Whatever it is... I'll take it! I GLEEFULLY packed up lots of my diapers and passed them onto my sister. FREEEEEEDOM!

George has been working on eating more, eating with us and trying a variety of foods. Although the chicken pox set him back a bit, he's been taking tiny bites of food he is unsure of and not throwing a fit if I place "less preferred" food on his plate. Yay!

We got the gallery wall hung:

 

 

And bought a new to us china cabinet and bookshelf from the Habitat for Humanity Re-store! Not only can I display my great grandmother's china, I have a spot to hid my sewing machine and projects so the room doesn't look so much like a junk room.

 

The mantel got a make over:

 

 



I'll be painting that mirror... some color... Ideas?

Summer is almost over. As good (and bad) as it was, we're ready for the fall. The kids have begun talking about Halloween. Higgins is shedding and I think his goal is to become the world's first Hairless Labrador. In other words, he wants the cooler whether too!

Just a few more school supplies to buy and school will begin this week...

Quick Takes Friday: Happy 4th of July!

1.

Sigh. You know you have a nine year old boy when this is the best picture you have of him:

 

I can tell that getting good pictures for this year's Christmas card is going to be SO EASY. NOT.

 

2.

 

Okay, that's not entirely fair. Nine has its perks. Yesterday he asked to make pancakes and made the whole thing from start to finish. He got out the griddle, make the mix and cleaned up a bit. When I go to the store, I can tell him what to get and he finds it. I don't have to worry about him wandering off. Plus, he's got a wicked good sense of humor and is always finding fun jokes and trivia for us!

 

3.

 

On Wednesday, I took the kids to a local splash pad. Cole figured out how to paddle around with his life jacket on! It was so cute but a little independence with this kid could be a dangerous, dangerous thing. He's already learned how to hold my hands and jump off the side. I've been using this to encourage speech, "One, two, three- say, JUMP!" Instead of saying, "jump!" he would say "POOL!" or "eight! two! nine!" Silly guy!

4.
Cole and his bathing suits are BFFs. I used to think it was silly to have more than one bathing suit per kid. But Cole changes suits more than most little girls change princess costumes. (Yes, friends, that is a stereotype.) He frequently runs up to me naked and hands me a different bathing suit than the one he had on. When I find the other suit, nothing is wrong with it. He hasn't peed in it. He just wants  a new suit!
You probably read between the line right there. Yes, all he wears are his swim suits. I remember Camille did the same thing in 2008. That's how she potty-trained too; the suits are easy on, easy off and if she wet, she would know. No problem. But when I say this is ALL he wears, I mean it. I have to hog wrestle him into a t-shirt for summer school and his poor para. Apparently they have one-on-one paras at school and if the kiddo you are in charge of needs a diaper change, you deal with it. Cole has been dry after school for a good two weeks now but refuses to use the potty at school OR wear a diaper. This makes her nervous!
Okay, so not only do I send my kid to SCHOOL in a bathing suit and diaper less (no, he won't wear underwear either) he carries an extra with him! When I say he's BFFs with his suits, I'm not kidding. We can normally find him hugging an extra one and wanting it to go to school in his backpack. It's hilarious!

5.
I think by putting this on-line, I will have scarred him for life. But, future Cole, preschoolers do wonderfully funny things and you are a wonderfully funny preschooler!

6.
Last night we went to see fireworks. We were pretty far away so the noise didn't bother George too much. However, they started at 9:30 and my kids are normally in bed by 8. They were squabbling and fighting over the iPad. We met old friend of Adam's and Joe greeted them by saying, "I hate fireworks." Thank you, child.
The fireworks were awesome (heart shaped!) but afterwards we got in the car and Cami announced she lost her glasses. She says they fell off her face in the car. But if they fell off IN THE CAR why aren't they still IN THE CAR? Questions, questions.

7.

Breaking news- Pope John Paul II is now SAINT JP2!

You know the drill- go over to Jen's and read more!

 



Overheard: catch up

We were driving home on evening when a huge cloud of exhaust from a lawn mower blew in front of the car. Even though the windows were up, it stunk and George said, "Pee-yew! That smells bad! Like my poop!"

***
Me: Joe, where's the vacuum?
Joe: Outside. Dad's using on the body.
[beat]
Me: You mean the car, right?

***
When I was visiting my parents, I called home to make sure everyone (Adam) was still alive. The connection was bad and all I heard was, "We didn't go to the ER! Can't talk now, bye!"

Now, Adam and I joke a lot. Something told me he wasn't joking, though! I actually called my friend Jen to do a re-con mission at my house to see what the heck had happened. Not two minutes later, I got a text from our SLP reminding me there was no speech this week and that George had slipped during his lesson. He had busted open his chin.

Really, the poor kid has enough oral issues without cutting his mouth open!

****
Me: Man, I hate it when all the reading and prayers in church, like, speak to you and crap.
Adam: Awe, did you get bit by the Holy Spirit?
Me: No. I got smacked upside the head with His cast iron frying pan.*Again*

***
We were outside, questioning Cole on why he had poo on his tushie but, um, not in his underwear.

Me: Cole, did you poo in the potty?
Cole: NO POOP POTTY!
Me: Where did you put your poop?
Cole: [evil grin] HOUSE!

Nice work saying "house" buddy but the rest of the conversation concerns me.

QTF:Melly, I ain't so very drunk!

1. Just kidding. I'm not drunk. Not that you would know it by the half empty bottle of two buck chuck and the IM conversation with my cousin. But hey! Before you judge, I'm writing this at 9 pm Thursday night. It's after five pm!
2. No, I am not drunk. But, damn, I should be. I haven't been this upset since George was a baby. Aside from the hideous VBS week, Cole tried to drown himself at the pool. He was wanting me to go to the far side of the pool to make him a "bed" on the lawn chair. (He wanted the towel down on the chair to lay out like the teenagers!) I said no since I was talking and he walked off. Two seconds later I turned around and said, "Where's Cole?"
   Now, I have no idea why I turned around when I did. Prompting from the Holy Spirit? Mother's instinct? No clue, but I didn't see him and started running to the pool. I just knew where to go and I saw him under the water, struggling to get to the top. I can still see the white beach towel out behind him, one little hand still holding it. I grabbed his arm and hauled him out of the water. He started coughing and gagging and I said things like, "Cough it up, Bear. You are such a brave boy to try and swim to the top. Did you see fish in the pool?" He didn't cry but he freaked me and my friend out.
3. Believe it or not, I didn't cry which is why my bursting into tears in front of one of our parish employees is so notable. Yes,  I did. I just got sick and tired of people literally being in my face and aggressive about how I was helping George. I got tired of people chirping, "I know how you feel! My son was attached too!" and me wanting to scream, "IT'S MORE THAN THAT!" I finally told her that I come to Mass not for the people or the fellowship but for the Eucharist. No more, no less. May that be a wake up call to the parish and how people like my son are viewed.
4. Did I also mention that they literally took my son from my arms, crying, as I was protesting? Hello, trigger much?
5. After I wrote my post on Wends, I took George to speech with the SLP in the school district. He has seen her nearly every day for two years. As they walked back to the room to work, I could hear him scream, "Mommy, don't leave me!" When they came out, she told me it would be best to pull him from VBS because we were both seeing anxiety behaviors we hadn't seen in years. YEARS. Thankfully, she doesn't think we need to see a doctor for it. But MY BABY, Anxiety is hard enough for adults and this is my BABY.
   (Anxiety in new situation is somewhat normal for Apraxic kids. Yay!)
6. My goal this week is to not punch the church employee who took George from my arms. How's that for a good goal?
7. Camille loves VBS but Joseph is still luke-warm about it. I am wondering if I will send him next year. That year, he will be in the junior high group (!!!!) so it might interest him more. If not, I think I will look into Totus Tuus for him. Or call it a wash and figure he's just not a VBS type kid.

Quick Takes Friday: Toliet Paper Edition

1. I have no idea how or why, but my children and two of their friends TP'd the play set yesterday. Yes, the play set! I know they've seen houses TP'd in the neighborhood (part of some high school hazing, I think) so they know what it is and we've talked about what a mess it makes. Right now, I just want to bang my head against  the wall and say, "WTF were you thinking?!"

And, yes, I made them clean it up before school. They dragged their feet and whined. I made THEM explain why they were late. I thought their teachers eyes were going to bug out of their heads!

2. Back in February, Adam and I went to the Awful Marriage Retreat and my mother, who was watching the kids, potty trained George. (Mom got a really nice birthday present from us!) She's been joking to Cole, "You'd better watch out! You're next!" Well, George apparently heard this and is trying to put Mom out of a job. George has been taking Cole into the bathroom and helping him sit on the potty. He says, "We no need yelp!" and shuts the door in my face. It's the funniest thing ever... and we'd better watch out, because I think whatever he is doing is working! Wouldn't it be odd if my late potty trainer trained his little brother? Even better... won't it be odd without diapers in the house?! Yeah, I think I could deal!

3. Normally when your husband says, "Honey, I got your Mother's Day present at a garage sale!" it doesn't mean anything good. However, he found a Phil and Ted's stroller with the doubles attachment! I am in love! I had been asking for one for years and he said there was no way he was going to spend several hundred dollars on a stroller. I've been through several strollers (all but one were second hand) and this is the nicest double stroller I have ever had. It is easy to push with 70 pounds of kid loaded up. I haven't jogged with it yet but man oh man is this thing awesome!

4. The kids normal pencent for early 1990's TV has been replaced by the Disney "Buddy" series about dogs that play ball or go into space. I can't say I'm complaining. There was only so much "Power Rangers" I could take.

5. Speaking of TV, what the HECK is up with the new Scooby Doo? I remember four kids and a dog who solved mysteries. They were all friends. Now they are all paired up (Fred/Daphne, Velma/ Shaggy), dating and there's load of teenage/young adult angst. The mysteries are weird too and much more conspiracy-theory. (Greys? Alien probing?) I need to find the Scooby Doo I knew and loved because... this new stuff is weird.

6. George does an adorable "Scooby doobe do!" imitation. It's so cute!

7. Joseph is over a 3 day stomach flu. I ended up getting him adjusted so his immune system could work better to fight the virus. We ended up having to be very careful about what he ate or drank as it would come right back up, but he's on the end now. He's acting like a typical 9 year old boy... sigh.

You know the drill...head over to Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!

Oveheard: Too cute, Bigfoot

George: I no yike [like] aye doctor. I yike BIGFOOT!

Please, please don't call the eye doctor Bigfoot. Please.

***
Cole: Bruh-bruh! (Brother!)

***
Joseph: I don't want to watch football, I want to watch the PUPPY BOWL! It has puppies, kittens a half-time, hedgehog cheerleaders and hamsters in a blimp! What could be cuter than a hamster in a BLIMP?!

I have to admit Animal Planet has something going with that show "Too Cute." It is probably the most benign show to ever hit the air waves. All it is are "puppy cams" or "kitten cams," documenting the life of a little of puppies or kitties. Viewers can watch the animals crawl, open their eyes, learn to eat from a bowl and, eventually, go to a new home. Is it educational? Sure, because they learn about the baby-hood of animals and random facts about the different breeds are thrown in. Mostly, though, you just sit around and say, "Awww, look at the cute widdle puppies!" Even the commercials are harmless!