Wordless Wednesday

This picture is perfect for Wordless Wednesday because there are no words to explain this get up Aiden put together with the help of his sister. Enjoy a good laugh compliments of Aiden. :)

Halloween 2009: Invasion of Star Wars

This year we decided to go with a theme for all three kiddos. Daddy and the kiddos are major Star Wars fans, so we stuck with that theme. Introducing Andrew as Darth Vader, Alexis as Princess Leia, and Aiden as Yoda.

The kids had been asking since noon if it was time to go. Alexis couldn 't grasp the concept that it had to be dark before we could head out. She sat in front of the clock and watched every minute tick by. When it was time to go they were the first at the door. Aiden couldn't understand why his bucket was empty. That would all change before the night was over.

We met up at Mrs. T's house (Aiden's sitter on the days I sub) so we could walk the neighborhood with her family and a few other friends. In all we had 20 people walking together. That was too many if you ask me because it was pretty hard to stay together and not be tripping over each other at the same time.

Daddy and I took turns walking him up to the doors and reminding him to say "Thank you!" My friend's daughter, Katee, helped him walk up to the door as well, which gave Dale and I a nice break to sit back and watch the action instead of having to be all up in it.

Little Yoda's legs were tired. Thankfully Daddy came to the rescue and carried him from house to house. He even said 'Trick or Treat' at a few houses. When we reminded him to say thank you at the last few house he just said, "NO!" He was definitely done and wanted to go home.

Once we got home we dumped all the candy on the living room floor for mommy and daddy to inspect and for the kids to pick out their 10 pieces of candy to keep. Aiden couldn't get his hands on enough candy and kept dropping them and starting over to see if he could get more with a different approach.

Before we knew it he had decided he wanted a sucker and had helped himself.

Before the night was over we had to see who was the cutest Princess Leia.

First up: Daddy Leia

Andrew Leia

Aiden Leia

And the winner: Princess Alexis Leia
(Somehow the picture of Mommy Leia never made it to the blog. Wonder how that happened?)

Around our house we have a new tradition: The Switch Witch. The SW, after being invited by the kids, exchanges their candy, minus the 10 pieces she lets them keep, for something non-candy. If they have not been good then the Gobbling Goblin gobbles up all their candy and leaves them nothing. After the kids were snuggling in their beds, the Switch Witch made her appearance. She left them this little note and flew away in the midnight sky with their candy in exchange.

I am thankful that I will not have to hear the begging for candy for days on end, and I am looking forward to taking them to Toys 'R Us to spend their gift card this week.

We are now looking foward to a very thank filled November.

Pumpkin Patch/Farm Visit

Most families have a favorite place that they go to each year to find their pumpkins. Us on the other hand, have yet to find that favorite place. Until now that is. In the past we have gone to the grocery store, produce market, commercialized/bouncy house/crazy pumpkin patch in order to find the perfect (overpriced!!) pumpkins. This year we decided to give the local Greenspot Farm our business. And we were impressed.

Aiden was immediately drawn to the animals, most of which he had only ever seen on his Baby Einstein Farm video. That kid has no fear! Walking right up, nose to nose with each of the animals. I think he liked the goats more then they liked him because he kept trying to pet smack them through the fencing, all while using his new shrill voice. Next, we went to see the rather lazy llama. Again Aiden wanted to climb in with her and had to be held back by Daddy.

This llama had the coolest eyes. One brown....and one blue.

About the only way to contain this wild man was to make him immobile on Daddy's shoulders. This kid has no fear and seems to want to conquer the world in one afternoon.

Alexis didn't particularly care for the wonderful smell that permeated the farm air. Not sure I blame her for that one, it was pretty pungent.

The horse was our next stop. He was of course more interested in his dinner and never even looked up once while we were trying to check him out.

Alexis was excited to see her favorite animal: a bunny! She of course had to reminded me multiple times that she is allergic to them and did not want to pet them.

Aiden tried to climb into the pig pen. I guess he felt like he was at home in his own pig pen of a room at times.

This guy on the other hand Aiden wouldn't even come close to. Not sure if it was the tusks (is that what they are?) or the weird, misshapened toe. He wasn't the cutest animal on the farm that is for sure.

Last on the animal excursion was the very likeable lickable cow. If you got within 5 feet of this guy he would stick his tongue out and try to lick you. I almost got a very slobber kiss from him before we figured this out. Aiden really enjoyed 'talking' to the cow.

Our next stop was the actual pumpkin patch, the real reason why we came here to begin with. Of course I forced the kids to sit for a minute while I took the annual pumpkin patch photo. Can you tell Andrew and Alexis are SO over the whole photo thing? At least Aiden seemed excited.

After we picked out three (inexpensive I might add) pumpkins we were on our way to the car. Aiden was super fascinated with the old tractor, or was he just trying to figure out what the guy was doing on the tractor. He kept pointing as if he was asking to go on a ride.

Daddy and Andrew loaded up the pumpkins in the car and we headed home to decorate them.I am so not the type that likes carving pumpkins, dealing with knives around kids, and pulling out stringy, seedy pumpkin guts. So, a few years back I came across these nifty pumpkin kits and HAD to have them.

The pieces are like Mr. Potato Head parts that you poke into the pumpkin. No carving, no degutting, clean and simple decorating. I LOVE IT! Andrew is the vampire, Alexis is the princess, and Aiden is the clown. In the past Daddy and I have decorated a pumpkin as well, as a pirate and a witch, but this year's space issue only allowed for three pumpkins to be displayed on our porch. And as if they aren't the cutest things, they are also very educational for Aiden. Everytime we come and go from the house he has to point out the eyes, nose, mouth and ears on each of the pumpkins. That beats him poking my eye out all the time to point mine out, or trying to pick my nose.

What Happens when Kids are Unsupervised?

I know I am the only mommy out there that does not follow my kids around all day long and watch their every move. During these unsupervised times, like times when I HAVE to go pee or switch the laundry around, Aiden always seems to find something to do.

A few weeks ago I made a yummy batch of brownies as a suprise for Dale. I had pulled it out of the oven and placed it on the table to cool. Not remembering that my little guy is a proficient climber and that the temptation of brownies would be too much for him, I left the room to visit the lady's room. When I returned, this is what I found...... Clear sign that my little guy had helped himself to some brownies and then fled the scene of the crime, hoping to not be caught. Not that the brown gooey stuff all under his fingernails and all over his face wouldn't have given him away a few moments later.

He also has this new found fascination with the Cars movie. He likes to carry it around with him wherever he is at in the house. He has either the movie or a car replica in his hands at all times. So, during one of my bathroom trips (sounds like all I do is go pee around here), I returned to find this sweet, innocent, little boy swimming in movies.He had pulled out every movie on the bottom shelf in search of the movie of his desires, Cars! With such a cute face like that, how could I be upset about the mess? Instead of scolding him what did I do? Turned the movie on for him of course. He really only likes to watch the first 15 minutes of the movie, the big race.

Speaking of the Cars movie, he was watching the movie on Friday night (no really, he doesn't watch it ALL the time). All of the sudden he disappeared from the room and

returned with his Lightening McQueen car in hand. How cute? Well, REALLY cute, that is until he took the car and started running it around on the race track on the TV screen. Dale practically jumped out of his skin, with vision of his screen being ruined forever.

So moral of the story is: kids will find creative, destructive, annoying, funny things to do whether you watch them like a hawk or leave them unsupervised. Kids will be kids! And you want to be mad at them but can't when you find them like this..... sleeping all curled up next to their big brother, cuddling Scooby the stuffed dog.

Star Wars in Concert

About two months ago I was half-heartedly watching TV while I messed around in the kitchen unloading the dishwasher when I heard the familiar sounds of Star Wars. I looked up (not because I am a fan but because I thought Aiden had started a movie) and saw an advertisement for Star Wars in Concert. I knew right away that Dale and Andrew HAD to go!

I looked up the info online and sent it directly over to Dale's email with instructions that they would be going and he would not argue with me over the date, late night, or cost of the show. And then the fun began. We told Andrew that he and Daddy would be going on a suprise night out on Oct 2nd, but that he wouldn't find out what they were doing till he got there. For the next two weeks he would try and guess at every opportunity, but never came close to guessing. I knew that never in a million years would he figure it out, unless he saw a commercial (which thankfully he did not).

So the day came and Dale and Andrew were on there way to the Honda Center to enjoy a wonderful night of Star Wars characters, music, and footage from the films.

The symphony did an AWESOME job and it was great for Andrew to see professional musicians in person and encourage his love of playing the trumpet.
Dale and Andrew had a great time and enjoyed every moment, minus getting home around midnight and then Dale having to get up and go to work the next day. It is great when we can make lifetime memories with our children.

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today we woke up SUPER early, put a VERY sleepy baby and two nervous parents in the car, and drove in SILENCE to the hospital. By the time we made it to the hospital Aiden was all smiles. He had no idea how significant that day, Oct 1, 2008, was going to be in his life. He flirted with the nurses (somethings never change), admired the new toys he was offered to play with, and was mesmerized by the red blinking light on his toe. After a VERY long surgery we got our first glimpse at his new face. I have to tell you there were mixed emotions. It was not love at first sight. It took me a while (not just minutes or hours, but more like days, maybe even weeks) to fall in love with his face again.

Even as he experimented with his new smile through the nose stents, stiches, and bloody drool; I was still very uncertain about what had just happened to my baby.

I LOVED his wide smile!!! I MISSED his wide smile!!! Still today I miss it, but know that what we did was best.

It was a LONG recovery. There were MANY sleepless nights. There were MANY tears, both Aiden's and mommy's. There were (and still are) MANY post-op appointments. And, there were MANY prayers.

And now? It is one year later and it is hard to believe that that much time has transpired since those sleepless, crying, prayerful nights. He struggled with eating, mainly consuming fudge bars and not much more for well over a week. He struggled with gaining control over his pain, staying on pain killers much longer then we had anticipated. And mommy struggled with holding it together as I held him in the wee hours of the night just sobbing and crying out to God. I struggled with seeing him in so much pain and not being able to make it go away. I struggled with knowing that I had willingly handed him over and allowed them to do this to my son. I struggled with the loss of my little one, who seemed to grow up during that very long surgery.

And today? He has THE most infectious smile!!!

He lights up my world! Keeps me busy!! And makes me laugh!!! But most of all he has caused me to fall in love with him all over again!!

He has been through SO much in his short lifetime, but has taught me MORE then one can imagine during that short time. And who could resist a smile like that? I am definitely in love!!!

Reserve Me a Bed at the Looney Bin

I am sure all of you have already reserved a bed for me at the local looney bin after my last post on the #18.  But, it was this comment that got me thinking even more:

        Charity Carter said...

        Ok, I got one for you. Your name JOY is:

              J=10

             O=15 +

              -----

             Y=25

Thank you Charity (my sister) for sharing/feeding into my insanity.  So, that comment got me thinking about my kids' names and how their numbers would work out.  I was pretty disappointed with Andrew and Alexis' numbers (65 and 70 respectively), but that all lifted once I got to Aiden's name.  His equaled.... 

drum roll please....

(and not it is not 18)..... 

his number is 33!! 

Now you are asking, "why is that so interesting?" 

Well, his birthday is 3/3, that's why!!!!!! 


And just because the insanity never ends, I decided to count the syllables in my kids' names.  Andrew: 4, Alexis: 8, and Aiden:  18 of course, because that is HIS number (or at least was back on Sept. 21st).

Weird Numbers: 18

Ok, so I have this weird thing for numbers.  When I went to bed last night we were talking about how old Aiden is and all the things that he has endured in his short lifetime so far.  And then I started doing the math and figured out that today he is 18 months and 18 days old.  It is also 2009, which translates to 2x9=18; and 9/21, which translates to 9x2x1=18.  Ok, my weirdness is over, but only for the moment.  Happy 18th month, 18th day, son.   :)

Hide 'N Go Seek

We woke up this morning to having a leaf bug by our front door (I know that is not his official name).  I think the poor little guy was hurt because even though he could move, he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.  The kids enjoyed looking at him and marveling at how camouflaged he would be in a tree filled with leaves.  Playing Hide 'N Go Seek with those who would want to eat him.  Or maybe he thought my big green bag by the front door was his mother ship coming to take him home.  Who knows, but the kids enjoyed looking at him upclose and personal.

Later in the day Andrew and Alexis decided they wanted to play Hide 'N Go Seek around the house.  I was trying to catch a few zzzz's on the couch and decided they could have free reign since that is a pretty quiet game.  They both came up with a few usual hiding places and then started coming to me for suggestions.  They hid in the shower, under the beds, behind doors, under the couch cushions, under the end table (that Alexis walked by 11 times before finally spotting Andrew), in the linen closet, in a trash can, in the vacuum closet, but my favorite spot by far had to have been this.....

Andrew was able to fit himself in the bottom shelf of my pots and pans cupboard!  I am shocked and amazed at how small he could make himself and even managed to get the door shut.  Unfortunately Andrew and I were laughing so hard at the fact that he was in there that it gave it away pretty fast to Alexis.

Even though she found him she still could not believe that he had gotten himself into that small of a compartment.  They really did enjoy their 30 minute Hide 'N Go Seek game.  And even though Mommy didn't get very much shut eye, I enjoyed every minute of their determination in hiding, and subsequent laughter in being found.

Always Playing Catch-Up

I have sat down a few times to write a post and end up walking away, uninspired to write anything.  Not sure why I am in this funk but I know I need to snap out of it and write a quick recap of the past weeks events since we have had a few things going on.

For Alexis' birthday she got a new bike, and she has been loving this new adventure.  Right now she is working on getting the leg strength to even peddle the bike, but daddy has been teaching her a few tricks.  She gets the most serious, concentrating look on her face when she is riding.

Aiden loves to join her on his 'bike' but needs to learn to stay out of the way if he doesn't want to get run over.

What is it about boys that makes them instinctively make the 'vroom vroom' noise when they play with cars?  He has really started playing alone a lot more and seems to enjoy this reflective time.

Still sticking out that darn tongue every time he concentrates.  I worry that one day he is going to bite right through his tongue, just like his mommy did when she was little, and require a mouth full of stitches.

Andrew has a new way to play the trumpet:  blindfolded!  He likes to challenge himself to memorize his pieces and then he checks his progress by wearing this blindfold to see how he does.  He has a great memory!  Hoping that at today's lesson he gets passed on some of the songs he has played for a while.

Last Wednesday we sent Andrew off to Catalina Science Camp.  It was a very early morning and the other two kiddos did not appreciate having to wake up at 4:30 a.m.  They payed me back later in the day by being cranky, all while I was hoping to catch a nap after having been up so early and then having to teach third grade for the day.

Here he is getting ready to leave on the bus.  This was such a big day for me.  I finally got to see all my hard work come to life in front of me.  We worked hard to raise the funds, which was not an easy thing to do, but they made it and I could not have been prouder then at that moment.  Well maybe a little bit prouder when they got off the buses on Friday night with HUGE, tired grins.  He had an awesome time and really enjoyed kayaking, but not snorkling so much.  He had taken a disposible underwater camera with him, but it got stolen when he got sick on the boat ride over to the island.  (MAJOR BUMMER for this momma who LOVES pictures, and a big disappointment that someone would do that).  I am waiting for a few chaperones to give me copies of their pictures.

Aiden had his 18 month appointment today, two weeks late because I had to reschedule. 

THE STATS:  weight - 25 1/4 lbs, 25th% (he got to weigh on the big scale today and was so proud); height - 33 inches, 75th%; head - 46 3/4 cm, 25th %

No real big news.  He is growing and hitting all developmental milestones as expected.  Of course he had to flirt with every nurse there, bat his long eyelashes, ask then for 'five fives', tell them 'tank ew' and then blow them a kiss.  Boy am I in trouble!!  He did get a few shots and I thought for sure that would guarentee me a longer nap this afternoon, but no such luck.  We did talk about the H1N1 shot.  Not so sure how I feel about that.  So, I would like to see what the other wonderful mommies in blog land think.  Leave me a comment on your thoughts:  will you get it for your kiddo or will you not and why?  I know I am going to be asked again when we take Alexis for her yearly physical in Oct and I would like to be more prepared this time for a discussion.

Aiden's newest passion:  COLORING!  He loves to sit down at the kitchen table and color with his sister.  Now if only I could convince him to 1) not eat the crayons, 2) not throw the crayons, 3) stay on the paper and not my table,

and lastly, to ask his sister for the color he needs instead of walking across my table to help himself.

On FLYbaby news:  I have been doing a pretty good job at keeping up with the cleaning program.  I seem to excel on days off and fumble a little on the days I have to work.  I do love having just one or two loads of laundry a day instead of 6-7 on the weekends, keeping Mount Washmore from taking over my life.  I like not killing myself trying to walk into the kids' rooms to check on them in the middle of the night, accomplished with a 5 min. fly time each morning before the kids head out for school.  I like waking up to an empty, shining sink instead of one filled with dirty dishes just waiting to be cleaned.  I love clean toilets and sparkling mirrors, which are as easy as a swish and sweep each morning once the kids have brushed their teeth.  All these little, simple things seem to make my day go by so much smoother.  I have even gotten the kiddos trained on clearing, rinsing and loading their dishes RIGHT AWAY!  Now if only that same training worked on my hubby and on my mom when she spends her weekends here.  :)  Baby steps!

Hope everyone has a blessed week!!  And, don't forget to leave me your thoughts on the H1N1 shot or about anything for that matter.  I love comments.  :)

LABOR Day!

I know that the true meaning of this Labor Day really has nothing to do with laboring moms, but I thought it might be fun to learn a little more about each other.

How long were your labors?
A1, 60+ hours!!!

A2, 0 hours

A3, 14 hours.

How did you know you were in labor?
A1, was sent from a routine 37 week doctor’s appointment straight to the hospital for an induction due to semi-elevated blood pressure.

A2, no labor

A3, after 6 nights of prodromal labor I just wanted to pack my bags and go to the hospital to have the baby cut out of me. That irrational thinking should have been my clue that it was the real thing. But, it took my midwife looking me in the eyes and telling me it was finally the real thing. I don’t think I truly believed her till my water broke all over the bedroom floor..

Where did you deliver?
A1, Kaiser, San Diego
A2, Redlands Community Hospital
A3, at home, in my bedroom, in the water.

Drugs?
A1, every drug in the book since it was an induced labor that lasted FOREVER!
A2, a botched spinal that has left me permanently numb down the side of my left leg.
A3, not a single thing and I love the fact that I felt EVERY moment.

C-section?
A1, I finally signed the form and got wheeled down the hallway after trying my hardest to avoid the cut. If only I would have avoided the induction and just let nature takes it course.
A2, automatic pass to the OR since I didn’t know there was any other way after an initial c-section.

Who delivered?
A1, have no clue what the doctor’s name was. I had seen so many cycle in and out during my 60+ hours of labor that their name really was of no importance to me at the time.
A2, Dr. Vasquez, but I don’t really consider it a delivery since we made an appointment and met in the OR.
A3, DADDY!! and my wonderful midwives, Karen and Ali.
.
If you want to play along, just cut and paste the questions into your own blog, and leave a comment so I know you played along!

And here are the fruits of my labor (because no post is complete without pictures). I wouldn't change a single thing about their labors for they have all made me the who I am today.

A1

A2

A3

September is Craniofacial Acceptance Month

Being accepted by others is a natural human desire, but it’s not often easy for the 100,000 children born each year in the United States with facial differences. September is Craniofacial Acceptance Month. Please join Children’s Craniofacial Association in their vision that all people are accepted for who they are, not how they look, and realize that beyond the face is a heart.

Please visit: http://www.ccakids.org/

Thank you to all of those in our lives who have supported and encouraged us through Aiden's journey. May my purpose for having gone through Aiden's experience help me to be a source of support and encouragement to others who are also on this path in life. I have met (in real life and through my blog) so many families that have inspired me and lifted me up through their stories. All of that would have never happened had Aiden not been born with his cleft lip and palate. I am truly thankful for the lessons I have learned and I look forward to learning even more in the future.

HOLY CRAP, AM I REALLY

ANOTHER YEAR OLDER?

(Yes, that is me.)

Check out this post from my sister for my birthday (Warning: lots of old school pics. What was my Mom thinking with those outfits?). Thanks for all the well wishes on my special day.

Happy 5th Birthday Little Miss!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE MISS!

aka: Alexis, Baby Girl, Girl, A2 or thing 2 when talking in code,

Miss AJ or Juliana when using a stern voice, Lexi, Sister, and many more.

As always Alexis' birthday was a whirlwind of activities. Her birthday celebration started at school on Friday. Mr. Gillotti had the class sing her happy birthday while he stapled a crown to her head. Of course that would cause blood so he kindly took it off before stapling. That brought laughter from all the kiddos.

I had brought cookies and balloons and then had the opportunity to hang out for a while to watch her play with her friends on the playground.

Later that night we went to a minor league 66ers baseball game. Fortunately this game did not drag on like the last one and was actually pretty enjoyable. One of the opposing players even gave her a ball. Dad was super thankful because that took the pressure off of him catching her one like he did at brother's birthday baseball game.

After getting home late that night we had to be up super early to travel down to San Diego to join my family for a birthday celebration at Sea World.

They all had lots of fun at Elmo's Bay of Play, as well as watching a few of the shows.

The birthday celebration continued through today, her actual birthday.

After daddy got home from work she opened her gifts: A Tinkerbell activity pad.

More mixes for her Easy Bake Oven,

A cute pink and purple, butterfly outfit,

A Tinkerbell figurine,

and lastly, a much anticipated new 2 WHEEL BIKE!!!

She didn't have much time at all to enjoy the gifts because we were then jumping in the car and heading to her favorite restaurant.....

Birthday girl enjoying some fun coloring time.

She kept asking the entire meal when they were going to come over and sing to her. Then when they did sing she got all shy and looked like she might cry.

Those feelings all disappeared when she dove into her yummy, chocolate shake.

And since one dessert is never enough, we headed back home to light some candles on the cupcakes she and I had made together earlier in the day. Once again she looked like she wanted to cry when we sang to her.

HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY, BABY GIRL!!! MOMMY AND DADDY LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!

And now after three days of birthday celebration I am ready for a nap..... so I am ready for MY birthday on the 1st! :)

Happy Birthday in Heaven 'D'

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Today would have been my brother's birthday. I kept debating if I should do this post or not. I did not write a post for my sister Faith's birthday on the 8th, and neither did I do a post for my sister Charity's birthday on the 16th so why should I do a post for my brother's birthday? Even though it is great to remember my brother, wouldn't it be even greater to remember a person and honor and celebrate them while they are still here? My thoughts are rambled but I am really struggling with how much life seems to focus on a person when they are no longer here instead of really showing them that extreme love and devotion while they are still here to appreciate and receive it.

I miss my brother more then words can express, and even though I loved and appreciated him while he was here on earth, I wish that today I could, even just one more time, show and tell him how much I love him in person instead of having to honor the life that he lived.

Tumbling and Trumpets

Andrew has really taken off with his trumpet playing and really enjoys music in general. His private instructor had been telling Andrew about a band called Dallas Brass that would be playing at the Redlands Bowl on Tues. Andrew and I marked it on the calendar and made it a date. Much to our surprise we found out that Dallas Brass would be making an appearance at his school on Monday to give a special concert to the students. I took Alexis and Aiden down to the school so they could enjoy the music as well.They showed off each of the instruments and gave a really good performance. Although Alexis doesn't look too happy, she really did enjoy them. Aiden was dancing and wiggling around and was the first to give them a huge round of applause at the end of each song.The crowd favorite: They played the theme song from Pink Panther with their sunglasses on, which the kids went wild for. Shortly after we left the school performance we were on the road to try out Tumble Tots. T.T. is a fun gymnastics center that is geared toward younger kiddos. Alexis' friend had just started going and her mom was telling me all about it. The class sounded just like what we were looking for to give Alexis an outlet for her energy and creativity. Of course since I was running out the door I forgot to grab the camera (Contrary to popular belief, it is not surgically attached to my body.) While at the center I picked up lots of info on their upcoming classes and activities. Much to my surprise they were having a toddler free play time the very next day for only $2/kid. Can't beat cheap!

So, with camera in hand we head back to Tumble Tots on Tuesday for both Alexis and Aiden to play. Thankfully it fit perfectly into our new school schedule for me to pick up Alexis and head straight there.

**Disclaimer: the lighting is awful in the place with super florescent lights so the pictures are not the best by far but help you get the general idea. Even the instructor vented her frustration with the lighting so I know I am not the first mom that was frantically trying to find a setting on my camera that would work, with no success.**

Alexis was the pro since she had been the day before and was eager to show Aiden everything they had to offer.

One of her favorite activities was jumping on the trampoline. She could get a lot of air time and loved doing the splits in midair.

Aiden on the other hand preferred to just sit on the mat and play with the maracas. Go figure, my boy wanting to play with the noise makers.

We finally convinced him to go on the trampoline but he didn't stay long.

Alexis in the meantime was moving from one place to the next. The uneven bars.

To the tumbling mats to do the splits.

Back to the uneven bars to do a flip and so on.Aiden finally got off the mat but never gave up the maracas.

He was in noise maker heaven.
After finally prying them away from him he moved on to making hats out of the various objects around the gym. They were fun to bang together too. Not much tumbling going on for him, but he still had fun nonetheless.He was worn out within 40 mins and ready to go home.

But we stuck it out to the end of the hour long play time for the parachute. He wasn't too sure about shaking the thing wildly and even less sure of running underneath it, but didn't mind climbing on top of it and being spun around by the parents (mind you there was only one other mommy, the instructor and myself there so I got my workout too).

All in all they had a great time at Tumble Tots and Alexis is anxious to start taking classes next Monday and Aiden and mommy are anxious for the next toddler open play time.

*********************************************

Later that night, after the dinner dishes were cleaned and put away (still working on FLYing), Andrew and I got ready to go out on our date to the Redlands Bowl to watch the Dallas Brass performance. He was so funny he even asked me if he could drive us on our date. Maybe in a few years son, but not tonight.

The performance did not start till 8:15, which is already past our bedtime, so we decided we would try to stay till intermission and then head home and straight to bed.

We lasted till intermission, which was a little after 9:00, and the performance was GREAT. My date was awesome and even held my hand on the way back to the car. Who wouldn't enjoy some great music at the oldest outdoor theater, soaking in the night air and gazing at the stars with a handsome guy sitting next to them holding their hand? Boy am I one lucky lady!!

Thanks for the wonderful date Andrew. Oh, and thank-you Daddy-O for holding down the fort at home with the two younger kiddos.

Learning to FLY, Baby Steps

My goal now that the 2 older kids are back in school is to learn to FLY. No, no, not airplane flying or helicopter flying, not flying by the seat of my pants, but FLY CLEANING. Now if you are a clean freak then this isn't for you, but if you live in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) then I encourage you to check it out and think about joining me on this FLYing adventure.

FLYing means Finally Loving Yourself. I am learning that my house is a direct reflection of how I view myself. When I look around and see the chaos/clutter it speaks volumes as to how I see myself and how much I don't value myself. OUCH!! That hurts to type but it is a true statement and one that I am vowing to work on now that we are back to a 'normal' routine.

It all starts with Baby Steps. The messy house didn't happen overnight (well, sometimes it does, but generally not) so it isn't going to get cleaned overnight either. Today's Baby Step is Shining the Sink. This is going to take some time to get used to this new habit but I know that overtime it will just become a natural part of my life and lead to conquering future Baby Steps.
The FlyLady system is all about establishing little habits that string together into simple routines to help your day run on automatic pilot.

So today I shined the sink before the kids were even out the door for school. All the dishes were loaded and started, extra dishes washed and dried, and the sink cleaned and wiped downed. And then the cleaning bug kicked in. By the time we walked out the door at 7:40 I had taken my first Baby Step of shining the sink, picked up all the clutter in the living room and hallway, assited the kids in a general bedroom cleaning, wiped down the bathroom counters and picked up the dirty clothes to get them ready for my first load of laundry, made the beds and put my sneakers on for the day. Heck most days I am lucky if I get a shower before we head out the door let alone get all of this done. The kids were even pleasantly surprised to get to turn the T.V. on for 15 mins since I NEVER allow them to watch T.V. in the morning on school days. We were that far ahead of schedule that I worried they would get bored and mess up all the work we had done if I didn't allow them to be entertained by mindless cartoons for a few minutes.

I thought for sure that by the time I got home from school the bug would have worked it's way out of my system and I would be more then content with what had been accomplished already. Well, much to my surprise the bug was still in full force and I got the vacuum cleaner out and conquered all carpet areas of the house. Then the kitched called my name again and I decided to vacuum around the perimeter of the kitchen and under the table. Then the fans, vents, and A/C input vents were screaming to be cleaned. I feel such a great level of pride in getting so much done before 9:00 (and had my sister not called me I would have had it done by 8:30, but I love talking to her so it was worth it.) :)

Now I intend to take a step back and admire what I have finished and take a little more time getting myself comfortable with the FLYlady system and see what is in store for me tomorrow.

Care to join me in FLYing lessons? or maybe just be my cheerleader? Leave me a comment and let me know. And as always, I hope you have a blessed week and now happy FLYing. :)

What I Learned at School Today

Alexis and Andrew had their first day of school today. There were up and ready to go super early since they were so excited. Thank goodness they were on the ball because I ended up being called in for a substitute job and needed to be to the school earlier then we had previously planned, but more on that later.

Alexis on her first day of Kindegarten

Andrew on his first day of 5th grade

We found Alexis' seat in her classroom and she was super jazzed to have her own box of crayons and other school supplies.
Mr. Gillotti and Alexis. Andrew also had Mr. Gillotti for Kindergarten. He is the most tenderhearted 6 ft., former Marine, you will ever meet. I told him again today that he is not allowed to retire till Aiden has gone through Kindergarten with him.
Mrs. Pierce with Andrew. Mrs. Pierce and I are really good friends from my year of fundraising last year and I know that she is going to be an awesome fit for Andrew. She is super organized and really gets her kiddos ready for Middle School. I hope Andrew is ready to hit the ground running because she means business!
So this morning while we were getting ready for the first day of school the phone rang. I was suprised to see that it was a call from the school at 6:40 in the morning. When I picked it up it was the principal calling to see if I would be available to sub in the Kindergarten class this morning. Little background info: This year the Kinder classes went from 20:1 all the way up to 32 kids to one teacher, but on minimum days the morning and afternoon classes all come during the morning time which means there would be 64 Kindergarteners with only 2 teachers and NO aides to help out! Part of the agreement that was made with the teachers was that a substitute would be hired on minimum days to shadow them and help them out while they had so many kids. Why she waited till the morning of to arrange the help is beyond me but I am still thankful she thought to call me. So, I got off the phone with her and immediately called my sitter to see if she was up to watching Aiden on the first day of school. Thankfully she loves him lots and was willing to take him last minute. I called the principal back and let her know I was good to go and would see her at 7:30.

Then the hussle began. I couldn't possible show up to work in my flip flops and shorts so I had to quickly change out of my mommy clothes and into more acceptable teaching clothes. Like I said before, the kiddos were so excited they were actually ahead of schedule, which made for a pretty smooth morning considering the sudden change in plans.

I get to school, check in and find out I have been assigned to Mr. Gillotti's class. This means that I will be getting paid to watch my daughter's entire first day of school! Could it get any better then that? The principal has put me on the minumum day sub list which means I will get paid to work in Alexis' classroom 16 times this year.

So what did I learn at school today:

1. Do not put your finger in the mouth of the scissors, they bite and make you bleed and Mr. Gillotti does not like blood. And, always hold scissors with your thumb on top.
2. Glue gets crusty just like boogies so when we are done we need to wipe the top of the glue bottles off on our hands, rub them together and then it magically comes off. Did you also know that it only takes a few dots to make it stick and not a whole glob of glue? Could someone please tell the little guy at the blue table that he doesn't need 1/2 bottle of glue for one small piece of paper?
3. Do not eat the teacher! He read a cute book about a Shark on his first day of school that would get so excited he would eat the desk, his pencil, anything in sight. But whatever you do, DON'T EAT THE TEACHER!

I had so much fun in the class but I really did work hard for my money. I tied more shoes today then I have in an entire week for my own kiddos. I wiped up more tears then I do in entire month for my kiddos. And, even cleaned up some bodily stomach fluids (YUCK) from a kiddo who cried so hard he made himself sick. Adjusting to Kindergarten is not an easy thing.

Here is to hoping that tomorrow has less tears and such, and more fun crusty glue boogies!

No Forward Progress

Today was the big day that Andrew and I had been waiting for! Andrew would be getting his allergy test done to see if he had made any progress in regards to his allergies, see if the shots had been working, and if the medicines he takes daily were doing there thing and he could wean off them. We were disappointed all around.

Having the allergy test is much like giving birth; you forget how painful it is until you are in the midst of it all over again and then those memories come flooding back. Andrew was not phased by the mentioning of taking the test and even told people, "on a scale of 1-5 it hurts like a 2, not bad at all." Well, that all went out the window with the first batch of pricks when he started asking if we could stop and just not do the test because it hurt so bad. He had to have 50 pricks on his back, mostly trees, weeds, molds, and animals. They started itching from the get go and the nurse administering the test could already tell there were issues before she even got to the last batch (they come in blocks of 8 at a time and then two single ones). She would prick his back with these 'scratchers' that had been sitting in the concentrated juices, and then mark with a pen each section so she could come back and 'score' them later.

Here is Andrew once she got all 50 on his poor, little back. He is inflammed, red, and itching like crazy already but has to sit and let them 'marinate' for 15 minutes to get a good reading. Dale and I knew it was going to be pretty traumatic for him to go through the test again so we had bought him a special treat ahead of time. Indiana Jones Lego game for the Wii, a game he had been begging for for over 6 months. I pulled it out right as she began the test to hopefully take his mind off the pain. He was so excited and had no clue we had gotten it for him.

Even the new game wasn't enough to keep him for being in lots of pain and just needing to breath through it (again much like labor where he would get a pain and start breathing through it and then it would taper off for a minute or so before it began again...... we had a good laugh that he sounded like he was having a baby and would name him Indiana Jones).

After she came back in and scored his back she decided that he needed to do the food panel on his arms since there was no more room on his back for the top foods (13 in all). This was not as painful as the back, due to the location in part but mainly because foods are not his serious triggers.

And then we waited again for the test to do it's thing and then for her to come in and 'score' his arms. After she did all her writing she made me a copy and left us to wait for the doctor to come in. I had brought copies of the test he had done in Feb. of 2006 so I could have a comparision of the results side by side. I was pretty discouraged. Seems like his allergies have gotten worse with time instead of improving with the shots, meds, and time. Dr. M. agreed that they were worse and that we need to change our approach. Most patients on allergy shot therapy have relief within 2 years of taking the shots, not a regression or worsening. We are going to switch Andrew back to taking shots every 2 weeks instead of monthly and are going to order a more concentrated amount to help build up the immunity faster. Faster still means years of shots in our future. He wants him to be symptom free for 6 months before we start decreasing his medicines. He can't even make it one month (or even a week or day at times) without a flair up but we are going to do what we can to get to that 6 month mark. The food sensitivities have also increased but not to the point where we need to eliminate them completely from his diet or require special care at school. He just needs to make sure to not eat super concentrated amounts of the foods he tested positive for.

So what is he allergic to: (LONG LIST WARNING!) Trees: Acacia, White Alder, Arizona Ash*, Olive*, Western Juniper, Fremont Cottonwood, Chinese Elm, Eucalyptus, Mesquit, Costal Live Oak, Sycamore, Box Elder, Mulberry, Bottle Brush, CA Pepper Tree, and Walnut; Weeds: Pigweed, Russin Thistle, Kochia, Lamb's Quarters, Scale, Ragweed*, Sagebrush, Yellow Dock*, Sheep Sorrel, English Plantain, Marshelder, and Pine Tree; Grasses: Johnson, Bermuda*, Timothy, Ryegrass*, and Kentucky Bluegrass; Molds: Aternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Penicillium*, Helminthosporium*, Minor Mold, Candida, and Cockroach Mix*; Animals: Feathers; Dog, Cat* and Horse*; Foods: Wheat*, Corn, Tomato, Soy Bean*, Peanut, Banana*, Almond, Shrimp, Tuna*, Cows milk, Chicken, Egg white*, and Egg yolk*! WHEW THAT IS A LONG LIST!!! **The ones with stars next to them where the ones with the most severe reactions in their group.

When asked again about the pain by Mrs. B.; who so kindly watched Alexis and Aiden, he said it was a major 5 on the scale and to never do the test again. (She was asking because her daughter is going to take the test in a few months and wanted to be prepared).

He is now at home with no more itches (thank you big tube of itchy cream!!), and enjoying his Lego Indiana Jones Wii game!!! I am so thankful to have this in our past and hopefully we can now get a clearer picture for our course of treatment.

******************************************************************************

Other randomness:

Aiden sitting by the front door waiting to go to church yesterday. For some reason we were 15 mins ahead of schedule and he didn't know what to do with his tired self so he parked it by the door and just waited.

After church we got a quick bite to eat and then headed to the haircut store for everyone to get their back to school haircuts. Andrew and Aiden love to play with the beaded rollercoaster toy.
Andrew got just a little trimmed off, no major buzz this time. Alexis got a shorter in the back, taper to the front cut (I don't like it and wish it would have been cut shorter and with a more drastic taper.) Had I not been holding Aiden during his haircut I might have been able to communicate what I wanted for her better. Oh well, next time.
And Aiden got his typical little boy cut, cute as ever, tongue and all. :)
Now that the shopping is done, the hair has been cut and the backpacks packed we are ready for school to start on Wednesday. We have Alexis' Kindergarten Orientation tonight at 6:30 and she is anxious to see some of her friends from preschool that she has been missing dearly. And me, I am anxious for school to start so Aiden and I can have some one on one time again, and less hours of begging to play on the computer and/or the Wii. :)

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious....

Andrew has been working really hard on his trumpet this summer, practicing at least 5-6 times a week for at least 30 mins each time. He has learned the Mickey Mouse March and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, along with his scales and other small songs. He is excited for school band to start so he can show his band director what he has learned and hopefully be selected for advanced band placement. In the mean time he will continue to practice and take his lessons from Mr. Johanson.

Enjoy this presentation of Andrew showing off his trumpet skills.

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YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!

Yesterday we had another post-op appointment with Aiden's plastic surgeon, Dr. Martin. This is at least his 4th or 5th post-op appointment since his surgery 10 months ago. I wasn't really sure that we NEEDED to go but decided it would be a good opportunity to ask him about the tooth that I feel has grown out in the lip tissue. We had him prescreened by the school of dentistry and they had scheduled him for a full exam at the end of this month to discuss the treatment for the entrapped tooth. I wasn't super comfortable talking to someone new and really wanted Dr. Martin's opinion since they would be cutting into his work that had been done on Aiden during his Oct 1st surgery.

When we got to the waiting room for his 3:30 appointment I knew we were in for a wait due to the sheer number of people in the room. I overheard one of the receptionists tell a patient (who had a 2:00 appointment) that it would be about 30 minutes more before she would be seen. This prompted me to ask my receptionist how far behind Dr. Martin was seeing his patients. She called back there and then gave me the answer that he was "slightly behind schedule." HMMM..... slightly behind? 2 1/2 hours behind?? Which is it??

Aiden and Daddy-O waited patiently while I was sent over to the registration office to verify our insurance and then back to the check-in line. The run around had begun already.

Once he was all checked in we start to take turns running around after little guy. He had lots of energy and did not want to sit around waiting for the nurse to call him. He made several laps around the lobby, checked out the elevators, said hello and thank you to everyone in the waiting room, banged his head on every glass panel, attempted to open every office door, banged his fists on every empty chair, convinced another little kid to hand over his cookie for him to eat, and created havoc with every potted plant along the way. All that work makes a little man thirsty.

And all that waiting makes for a grouchy man too. Can you blame the guy?

We were FINALLY called back to a room at 6:30!!!! 3+ hours later!! This was even after a few patients got up and walked out because they were tired of waiting. We thought about doing the same thing but had already invested so much time that we hated to walk away.

Once in the room Aiden had to explore his surroundings. First he had to check out the handsome little guy in the mirror.

Then he had to figure out how the table worked.

Followed by a discovery of the noisy table paper. That stuff is heaven to a bored and crazy 17 month old.

Discovering the doctor's ROLLING chair provided entertainment for a few more minutes.

But in all honesty, he was just done and wanted to go home!

Time to bust out the blanket before he had a total meltdown. By this point we had fed him every last reserve of food in the diaper bag, had two stinky diapers, and gone through two sippy cups of liquid.

We could finally hear Dr. Martin coming so we placed him on the table and got ready for a lightening fast appointment after a 3 1/2 hour wait.Dr. Martin came in super apologetic for the long wait, the longest wait in his entire career. He had gotten called in on a lot of trauma cases that morning that just set his entire schedule into chaos. He asked Aiden how he was doing and the response elicited a laugh from all three adults in the room. Aiden said, "I wanna go bye bye." in the cutest baby talk that even Dr. Martin chuckled and asked if he had heard him correctly. He replied with, "I don't blame you little buddy, I wanna go home too." He checked out Aiden's mouth and then we discussed our concerns.

As far as the tooth goes: he doesn't want to do anything to it now but wants to monitor it every two months until it breaks through. Great, more appointments, more co-pays, and worst of all more waiting. If it does not break through then he would have to sedate Aiden and make a small incision to help the tooth come through. He said the odds of that being the course of treatment is very small and our last resort. He does not feel like we need to go to the dental appointment since they should really only be seeing him for cleanings. Here is to hoping that that tooth decides to make it's entrance soon so we can avoid more appointments.

As far as the scar goes: he is of course impressed with his work and sees no real issues that will need to be dealt with in the future.

As far as his nose goes: he loves the symmetry and says we are now at the point of the waiting game to see how it grows along with his face in the next 3-4 years.

So now we wait two months, go back on Oct 6th and hope in the meantime that his tooth breaks through on it's own. Really, that for a 3 1/2 hour wait???

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!

By the time we picked up a quick bite to eat, picked up the kiddos from my best friend's, picked up some itching cream for Andrew (whole other side story), got home, ate, and got ready for bed it was already 8:30. So much for getting back into a school time routine.

****Andrew's itching: Next Monday Andrew will have a scratch allergy test done to see if his allergies have progressed at all and help the doctor determine the right course of treatment for his allergies since his current meds are not keeping him balanced. Due to this upcoming test Andrew had to stop taking his antihystamine so they can get an accurate reading. This has sent him into an itching tail spin, starting with his back, moving to his shoulders, arms and thighs, and then on to hands, feet, eyes and head. He is miserable!!! I have a call into the doctor to see if there is anything topical we can do for him and in the meantime he is spending a lot of time in the bathtub with 2 ounces of baking soda which gives him relief at the time but no long term relief the minute he gets out. Boy is it going to be a long week till his appointment next Monday at 8:30. Any anti-itching suggestions that don't involve antihystamines?

17 Months Old

Aiden has really started showing his unique personality and learned lots of new things over the past month. It is so hard to believe that he is now 17 months old! I miss my little baby but love the little toddler he has become.

*He had his first beach experience and was a little intimidated by the waves.*He has mastered the poochie lip and pulls it out often if he wants something.

*He loves chasing birds, or any creature for that matter. He has such patience and could chase them for hours even though he never catches them.

*He still does the crazy tongue thing! Not just when he is deep in thought, but also when he is talking, walking, laughing, doing just about anything and everything. *He wants to be just like his big sis and big bro, even if it means being buried in the sand. He loved every moment of it!

*He drove his first car, and did a good job if I might say so myself. If the look on Daddy's face is of things to come then we are in trouble when he turns 16. Dale will be in charge of teaching the kids to drive because I just don't think my heart could handle it.

*He loves going to the pool but not necessarily IN the pool. He would rather dip a toe in on the steps and then run around the pool making mommy nervous the entire time. I thought for sure he was going to be my water baby but he seems a little overwhelmed by the big pool.
*He is my stunt man and getting more and more dangerous with each attempt. He finds anything and everything to climb up on and then has no fear getting down. He has fallen out of his highchair more times then I can count in the past month and then proceeds to climb back in the minute he gets up. No surface is off limits. He can climb on the couch by himself, into bed, onto chairs, up on baskets that have been overturned, onto his highchair and then across to the kitchen table. He gets this wonderful climbing ability from his daddy, thank you very much. He also has no fear when it comes to jumping off high objects. He no longer just holds his hands out for me to get him out of his highchair but instead has to stand up on the chair and lunge himself into my arms. A couple of times he has caught me off guard and was lucky I caught him. He keeps me on my toes that is for sure!!

He loves his wheels. He found Andrew's old skateboard when we were playing in the garage the other day and could not get enough of it. He loved to stand on it, sit on it, push it and drag it all over the place. He was so proud of himself. He has also learned how to get his bike to work by moving his legs back and forth. He is definitely a boy on the go!*He now eats anything and everything as well. I found him this morning with TEN lemon drops in his mouth at the same time!! First of all I was very thankful he hadn't choked on them since they were so stuffed in his mouth and then I couldn't stop laughing at his drooling, puckered mouth. He had found the bag and was quietly stashed in the corner eating them before he got discovered. Some of his favorite foods include pretzels, cantelope, apples, grapes, chicken, noodles, froot loops, and doritos (even super sandy ones at the beach). He does really good with his sippy cups but is sometimes a little mischevious and likes to shake it's contents all over my floor. He does the cutest thing when I make him a milk sippy cup. He stands in front of the microwave, holding the lid, and watching my every move. Once the microwave is doing it's thing he does the milk dance while mommy sings a silly made up song. I REALLY need to get it on video because it is THE cutest thing ever!

Words he can say include: mama, bubus (brother), biper (diaper.... he even brings me one when he needs his diaper changed. Is it training time??), tank oo (thank you), peas(please), more, milk, cookie, dog, cheese (as in posing for the camera with a scrunched up nose), baby, and meow (which if you didn't know is the sound a DOG makes in Aiden's world).

*He is still super physical around other kiddos and really has to be watched. He is the kid that likes to throw things, hit other kids, and push them out of the way when he wants something. I am open to parenting suggestions on this one since it is not fun having the bully in the Sunday school class.

**He really is my SUPER BABY, and I love him more then words can express!!!!!

A Day at the Beach

On Thursday we packed up the cooler, grabbed the beach towels, umbrella and blanket, gooped on the sunscreen, and hit the road for the beach. This was Aiden's first beach experience and the 2nd time for Alexis (I know, bad mommy, since we only live an hour and half away). Overall it was a great experience and I hope that our next beach trip is not too far off in our future.

Check out the video I made of our day at Newport Beach, CA

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Knott's Berry Farm

On Thursday we headed to Knott's Berry Farm to enjoy the park with Grandma and Grandpa. This would be Aiden's first time there since we had last gone in 2007 when he was in my tummy. The kids all enjoyed the day and loved the fact that we could go from ride to ride and practically walk right on.

Grandpa wasn't feeling the best since his vertigo was acting up, but I think that over all Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed their time. Dale also got pretty sick during the wait and ride on the ferris wheel and needed to get a drink and lay down right when he got off the ride. I have never seen him that white in my life. He is used to eating lunch by 11:30 when working and snacking on his days off if we eat a later lunch, so the late lunch got the best of him. He was much better once we got some food into his tummy.

We all had a wonderful time even though it was pretty warm and muggy. The kids were worn out and pretty much feel asleep the minute we got home.

Enjoy the video of our day at Knotts Berry Farm!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wordless Wednesday ~ Computer Time

Enjoying some computer time with Sister.

Aidan's Palate Surgery Tomorrow

******UPDATED*****

Aidan will be having his palate surgery tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.. Please keep him, his daddy Chad, and amazing mom, Heather in your prayers. Though this will be his second surgery it never seems to get much easier. It is still their child that is being handed over, their child that has to endure the pain of recovery, but it is also their child that grows stronger with each difficulty that life hands him. Aidan is a great little guy and I pray that he will bounce right back and be back to his spunky self in no time. I pray that Heather and Chad's nerves will be calm as they wait for him to be taken back and that they will have a peace as they wait during the surgery.

Can't wait to get a positive update!!!! Many prayers coming your way Aidan!

UPDATE: His surgery will be at 2:00 p.m. This poses a dilemna with feeding since Aidan will have to go all day without any food. I pray that he is like Aiden and will be so preoccupied with the everything going on around him that he won't notice his empty stomach. If you want more details for his surgery today go to Heather's blog and check them out. Plus, leave her an encouraging word to let her know that we will be thinking about them today.

Busy Week in Review

My lack of blogging is due to a BUSY week. The 2 oldest had Vacation Bible School all week long which called for extra running around, getting up early, and grouchy kids due to a change in the schedule. Even with all the changes they had a great time and learned lots of new fun songs with dances. During one of the songs they would zoom the camera around the audience and then focus in on one or two kiddos who were dancing. On Tuesday they zoomed in on Alexis and she got to join the singers up on stage and dance with them. She was so excited and said she couldn't wait to go up on stage on Wed. too. I explained to her that the odds of her being picked again out of over 300 kids was pretty small but that she should still dance her little heart out. Would you believe she got zoomed in on AGAIN on Wed! She was the happiest little girl in the place. The church did an awesome job and really put A LOT of work into making it a huge success.Aiden and I got some more one on one time while the kids were gone during the day. His newest favorite thing to do? Pull all my mixing bowls out and throw them around the kitchen.

Or wear them as masks, playing peek-a-boo.

And of course mommy had to introduce him to mini oreos, which from the look on his face and the mess on his hands and face he was throughly enjoying it.

He has been doing an awesome job sleeping in his big boy bed. He has cut back to one 2 hour nap before lunchtime and then has been going to bed exhausted by 8:00. I am very thankful for this pretty smooth transition.

SUPER BABY! to the rescue.

I also had the opportunity to deep clean the kids rooms while they were gone during the day. Usuallly I like to do this with them so they take ownership to the cleaning process of their things but I found that I was able to get it done A LOT faster by myself. Imagine my shock when I found this........

Just in case you can't tell what that is.... it is a HUGE clump of freshly CUT hair!! Alexis' hair to be exact. Once confronted about the clump of hair it was painfully obvious where she had cut it. Right smack dab in the front for all to see. Why I hadn't seen it that morning is beyond me. Sometimes I guess I just brush quickly to get us out the door and don't really pay attention to the details, like the fact that she had cut a huge chunck out of her bangs. She was mortified that I wanted to take a picture and kept saying over and over, "are you going to blog about this mommy? please mommy!" She has tried everything she can to disguise the fact that she is missing a section of hair. Everything from the comb over look to putting huge bows over it to cover it up. In reality growing time is all that is going to work to fix this gapping hole.My battle with the ants came to a head the other morning when I woke up at 4:00 a.m. and had an ant crawling on me in bed with a few following behind him ready to attack. I couldn't take it anymore so Dale and I decided that we needed to bomb the house. Not my idea of fun since that called for a deep cleaning not only before the bombing but also wiping every surface down after the bombing. I am not a super cleaner, but rather despise having to do it. So after the kids got home from VBS on Friday we set out cleaning every nook and cranny of the house. By the time Dale got home from work at 3:00 we were finishing up a few last minute things and were able to evacuate the house at 4:00 to allow the foggers to do their thing. This created a 2 hour window that we were required to stay out of the house and then another hour of airing out the house before going back inside. We went to dinner and then to Kmart to pick up this little contraption I had seen on TV which I am hoping will help with my entry way carpet area.

After these few errands we went back to the house for Dale to open all the windows, and start up the A/C and the fans to air the place out. To kill time we decided to take the kiddos to the park. This was the first time Aiden tried out the slide for himself, though he preferred to go up it backwards then to follow the rules. The concentration on his face shows that this is serious business to him.

Dale, Aiden and Suzy enjoyed running down the hill

...though walking back up always proved to be a little challenging when you have short legs.

"Do these stripes make my butt look big?"

And then I noticed a common theme in the pictures I was taking.... his tongue sticking out when he is doing something. I know that the tooth that is growing in his lip flesh is really bothering him, but he seems to really be working his tongue all the time.

Tongue out while he is walking....

Tongue out while he grabs a quick drink.....
And tongue out while he runs around some more....
We returned to a debugged house, did a complete wipe down and vacuuming of all surfaces and then had a peaceful night sleep with no ants crawling around. Let's hope that solves the problem long term.

This morning the kids got to sleep in a little (though I wish they would have slept a little longer). And then it was time for a little lounging around in pajamas and watching some cartoons. Nothing sweeter then laying on the ground holding hands while watching Mickey Mouse Club House.
Hope everyone has a blessed weekend. Oh, and don't forget to leave me a comment if you are reading because Dale comes home from work every day and has to check out how many new comments have been left on my blog. Mentioning him in the comment makes his day. :) Nothing like trying to stroke my husbands ego a little.

HAPPY 6TH ANNIVERSARY BABE!

Six years ago today I made the best decision of my life.... I married my best friend!!!

I never seem to have the right words to tell you how much I love you. Love you for being such an awesome husband. Love you for being such a wonderful father to our three children. But most of all for just being you!! I can not wait to continue spending the rest of my life with you. I love you very much!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We celebrated our anniversary on Saturday since it was easier for Dale to get off early and for my mom to watch the kiddos on that day. Dale had planned for us to go to Palm Springs and ride the Aerial Tram up the mountain. This is something we have wanted to do for a long time but just never took the time to do it. The drive out there was nice and peaceful and we actually got to have some adult conversation.
After initially getting over my fear of heights and just holding on tight as the tram rotated, we were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery as we ascended to 10,00 ft.
The view as SPECTACULAR. We had dinner out on the patio, looking over the Palm Springs valley and once again got to have uninterrupted adult conversation.Happy 6th anniversary hunny! Thanks for such an awesome night. I pray that we are able to enjoy many more anniversaries as special as this one.

And now I need to get his Thanksgiving birthday anniversary French Silk Pie in the refrigerator so it can chill before he gets home from work. YUM YUM!! At least this one didn't turn out like the strawberry pie of last week.

Mom vs. Ants and Loosing Ground! HELP!

*On my sister's blog, she is working her way through the alphabet one letter at a time with her kiddos this summer. I, on the other hand, seem to be working my way backwards with my all things 'C' post, then my Big Boy Bed 'B' post, and now the 'A' for Ant post.
Well, the ants won last night!! We had come home from a long day out in the HOT HOT desert (114 degrees!!), visiting Dale at his work, getting his car turned in to the collison center that will be repairing it, and then heading over to Grandma and Grandpa's to spend some time with them, only to find that various parts of our house had been invaded by HUNDREDS of ants while we were gone. We have had a few ants here and there and occasionally a small party of them but NOTHING like last night. (*Wish I had pictures of our adventures yesterday but I left home with the camera card still stuck in the computer from uploading the big boy bed pictures that morning. BUMMER!!)

They, the darn ants, find their way into the house from the oddest places. Recently the bathroom has been their favorite place, coming in from the faucet. And, I get some a lot of pleasure in drowning them as I turn on the faucet for a shower. Well, yesterday they decided that the boys' room electrical outlets would be the place to make their attack.

As we went to put Aiden in his Big Boy Bed for the second night in a row we quickly noticed that the ants had all but taken over the room. Dale and I quickly went on the defense with the only thing we had handy, a can of ant spray. By the time we finished killing the little boogers and then clorox wiping the whole room down and vacuuming up the carpet, the room still smelled of ant spray fumes. We both felt that it was not very safe for Aiden and Andrew to fall asleep amongst the fumes and potential ants that hide in the walls. So, out to the couch for Andrew and back into his crib for Aiden. :( Talk about a major step back! I was not happy but was given really no other choice.

So, if any of my blogging buddies out there have a great remedy for ants that won't be so toxic for the kids then I am all ears. I will be making a call to our landlady on Monday to see if she can get someone out here to spray around the outside of the condo during the week. But in the mean time, I would like to reclaim the boys' room and prevent them from taking over the world whole house and get my little guy back into his Big Boy Bed that he loves SOOO much.

BB&B for Aiden's new BBB

UPDATED: See video link below the third picture!

Yesterday was a BIG day. We made our way to Bed Bath & Beyond with our $10 off coupon and a mission to find Aiden some new Big Boy Bedding. I was pleased to find a sports themed comforter and sheets set on the clearance rack. It was perfect for Aiden while still being grown up enough for Andrew.Daddy and I got the bed all made up while the kids kept Aiden entertained in the living room. I was excited about Aiden moving into Andrew's room because I would like our room back and his crib moved out of there, but was also sad at the same time because this is just another step away from him being a baby.

Once the bed was all made we brought Aiden in to show him his Big Boy Bed. He LOVED it and couldn't stop jumping around and throwing himself on the bed!

Aiden's Big Boy Bed Click on the link to see his reaction when we first showed him his new bed!!! SO CUTE!!

We were off to a great start but the real test would be at bed time. He usually stays up till we go to bed around 9:00 but we decided that we should start him on the kiddos' schedule and go to bed the same time as them around 8:30. He laid down right away and things looked promising.

Andrew was excited to have a new roommate. He has been looking forward to this day since the moment Aiden was born. We decided now was the time so we could make the transition during the summer just in case there were any glitches then it wouldn't keep Andrew up at night when he needed to be getting his rest for school.

It was a little rough at first but nothing big. He got up a few times but only because he wanted to jump on the bed. I ended up standing at the door, laying him down when he got up without saying a word to him and then going back to the doorway to wait. It took all of 25 minutes till he was sound asleep. It would have taken less time if Alexis had not kept talking to me while I was standing between their bedrooms.

He slept through the night, no tears, no getting out of bed repeatedly. I woke up a little earlier this morning then usual because I was worried about him waking up in a strange place. I checked on him multiple times, only to find that he was still sound asleep. He ended up sleeping till 7:56!!! and woke up with the biggest smile on his face. When I asked him if liked his Big Boy Bed, he replied with "uhhhhh yep!!!! big boy bed!!" in the cutest squeeky Aiden voice with the biggest smile.

These were taken the other day while the other two kiddos were gone. Could someone please feed this child? He decided to help himself since I wasn't getting breakfast fast enough for him. He found a box of cereal, took it to the living room and decided to pour himself some in a bowl all over the living room floor. (and you can't see it, but yes he does have a diaper on.)He was right there beside me helping me pick them up shoveling them in his mouth as fast as he could.Here is hoping for another smooth transition to the Big Boy Bed again tonight and to having no crib in our room!!!

WordlessFULL Wednesday

It is never fun to be at work and be called to the front of the store to be told that your car has been hit in the parking lot. That is exactly what happened to Dale today, on a day that was already going down hill fast enough on it's own. Two cars had gotten into an accident, and from what I can understand, one hit the other causing it to fishtail into Dale's parked car. Fun times! Now we get the pleasure of dealing with insurance companies, rent-a-cars and repair shops. And in the mean time, while insurance tries to work things out, we get to spend my sub money we were going to use on a small family get-away on a insurance deductible in hopes of getting it paid back. UGH!!

I know what we will be doing tomorrow on Dale's day off besides picking up Andrew from his camp experience and me going to the dentist (NOT looking forward to that); we will be making lots of insurance phone calls and getting Dale some reliable transportation set up for the next who knows how many days at a rate of $20/day. Double UGH!!