Thursday, August 25, 2011

Super Mom

I have the best mom in the WORLD!!!

She is sweet, kind, selfless, giving, fun, servant hearted, beautiful, wisdom-filled, God fearing, smart...the list is endless. I have always admired and looked up to her. She sacrificed a lot for me, and I have always been grateful. But now, now I realize she really is a Super Hero.

And I can prove it.

Yesterday after school, I took my three fighting wonderful children and headed up north to an appointment we had. We were running late thanks to the insane school loop of doom, and I was already flustered. I called my mom, who was planning on meeting us at the appointment to take two of my kids and do something fun with them... Mom, I'm running late. Shocking I know! She assured me that she'd meet me there, and I could just go on in, leaving her to deal with the chaos of flung snacks, and pile of backpacks, and she'd figure it out. Awesome, right? Just that right there shows how great she is. But oh wait, there's more!

On the way my youngest got sick in the car. Of course.

I sent a text... Austin threw up.

She texted back...I'll take care of it.

And she did. As Ellie and I rushed into the office, she switched keys with me, and proceeded to take my kids, and my nasty car to her house.

45 minutes later, Ellie and I arrived at her house to a clean car, clean and happy kids, and her washing machine running to clean the messy clothes.

Mom, you are a SUPER HERO!!!

You have rescued me time and time again, through years of raising me, and now helping me raise my own.

And you saved the day, again. And today... IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!

You are such a wonderful example of what a mother and grandmother should be. I know we are truly blessed by you, and I hope someday I can live up to the example you have set.

I am so excited to hang out with my sweet mom today, as we celebrate her! I know nothing can make up for all the years of sacrifice she's made, nasty things she's cleaned up, teenage tantrums I threw, or all the objects my kids have broken .... but buying her dessert might help.

Especially if it's chocolate.

I love you mom! Happy Birthday!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Annie is 7!

I'm not sure how, but my Annie is SEVEN!!! We celebrated with a party at Jump Mania for family and friends!  So fun!

Langley, Annie, and Elizabeth!

G-ma and Annie! HA!

Grammie and Grandaddy!

William and Annie...sigh. :)

Cousins!
Denise and Annie

Sitting in the giant crown chair!

Party Favors

Cake!

Happy Birthday Annie!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

My boys



A Typical Summer Morning

I dedicate this post to my cousins, Lauren and Lane, and their expected baby boys. :-)

My morning:

Austin slept in until 7:45 am, (this is late for him) thank the good Lord above!
(Of course that was after he invaded my bed at 2 am, and slowly pushed my tired body to the edge of the bed. I finally gave up and stumbled to the couch to get some sleep.)

Since 7:45 Austin has...

Watched a movie. (Beauty and the Beast)
Destroyed the playroom. (Why do I bother cleaning it?)
Played outside.
Eaten Spaghetti O's for breakfast. (Completely normal for him)
Made me "play" breakfast.
Watched TV.
Played computer games. (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)
Fought with Ellie. (Annie is still asleep)
Captured a baby lizard.
Invaded a forbidden closet.
Played with (terrorized) the animals.

It's 10:30 am.

And just so you know, this is a typical summer morning. Not unusual at all.

School starts in 8 days.

We're more than ready. : )

Lane's facebook update today was this:

"So Christian is constantly moving around...seems like he's moving about 80% of the day. Lord please don't give me an overactive child! Is this normal for him to be so active?!!?
"

And my response?

Bwahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

Good luck my cousins!

Monday, August 8, 2011

This Summer...

UGH.

A one word summation of how I have felt this summer.

Endless days of 100+ degree temps.

Austin's recurring ear infections, which means no swimming.

Ellie with no therapy = not working.

Endless days inside our house.

Endless days of cleaning up after the kids...mainly Austin.

Endless days of "He broke ____ today honey" conversations.

The boy and boredom, do not mix well.

Here's a list:
---------------------------------------------------
Flour + Hose = White "glue" spots all over our deck/outdoor furniture/grills/windows.

Plugged bathroom sink + water running + locked door = floor damage upstairs and ceiling damage downstairs.

Bike riding indoors + cutting corners too short = trim ripped away from walls.

Toys + Toilet = a plumbing headache.

Towel bar + Boy hanging = holes in the wall.
-----------------------------------------------------

I'm sure there's more, but my tired brain can't think anymore.

I realize this post sounds very negative, and I hate that. I don't like being negative. I love summer. But not this summer. My eyes are fixed on this coming school year, cooler temps, more help for Ellie, more activity for Austin, more friend time for Annie.

I pray that Austin's ears clear up and next summer we can swim until we turn into fish. I pray that answers come soon for Ellie, and that with answers comes more help. We are exhausted.

And I pray that the next 9 days until school starts go quickly!

And hopefully I can be back to my normal, upbeat, notgoingcrazy self soon. :)


This summer I spent a lot of time reading about all the awesome things our friends are doing with their awesome kids...and that just makes me want to cry. I am happy they had great summers. I am happy that their kids are fun and excited to do new things and go on great vacations. I just wish that could be us. The simplest of things is nearly impossible with our family dynamics right now. An afternoon at the pool, even if Austin could swim, would be a monumental effort. Austin requires a lot of my attention, and with it, he's fine. But pair that with Ellie, who requires a lot of my attention, and with it may or may not be fine, and you have one stretched thin mommy. So many nights I feel tremendous guilt for not having a clue what Annie did most of the day. So yeah... UGH.

Ellie may or may not have an Autism Spectrum Disorder, and I am in the process of finding out what to do about that. One thing I keep reading on Autism/Asperger's websites is that being a parent to a child like this can be very lonely.

No kidding.

Watching friends walk through life with "normal" kids, and realizing that it's impossible for us is depressing.

Getting harsh and judgmental looks from strangers or even acquaintances at Target/the pool/a restaurant is upsetting and degrading.

Getting blank stares from friends and family, when we try to explain what life is like for us, is disheartening.

Being snubbed and excluded from social groups, teams, or events is angering.

Watching our first born struggle day after day, week after week, even when she is trying so hard is heart wrenching.

Yes, this road is lonely. I am praying we have answers and help soon. And I pray that if you, or even I, are ever in the position to offer a kind word, or even just an understanding smile, to someone struggling with an out-of-control child, do it. Maybe that parent isn't the best parent, or maybe they are. Who are we to judge someone? Maybe their child isn't as compliant as yours. Maybe that child is more challenging than average. Maybe that child has Asperger's or ADHD. Whatever it is, it doesn't deserve judgement from us. I had someone tell me one time that NONE of her four children ever defied her, or threw a fit, in public, EVER. Wow. How? I don't even think I want to know. But it's people like her that make people like me feel like inadequate and terrible parents. Don't be her.

Facebook. Oh how you are two faced. I love facebook for keeping up with my family and friends, their cute pictures, their funny stories, etc... but OH how facebook has another side. A "look at me I'm better than you" side. So what do you do?

BE REAL ALREADY!

Don't just post the "good stuff" so we think you are the best parent with the best children ever, and therefore feel bad about ourselves. If you're kid broke something today, let the rest of us mommies know so we don't feel so alone! If your 3 year old kid ran naked next door to the neighbors house unbeknownst to you, tell us! That's funny stuff people, and it makes us realize you and your kids are REAL and NORMAL, not PERFECT! (And yes that happened to me!) And then next time we REAL people run into each other at Target, we won't feel so alone. We'll realize we have more in common that we knew before, that none of us is perfect with perfect children.

And we won't duck behind the nearest display to hide from you.





Sunday, August 7, 2011

Toothless!

Annie FINALLY lost her first tooth!


At the ripe age of almost 7, she was a little on the late end, but it finally happened!

She was very excited when it was wiggly, but complained that it was hurting a little. After a dose of orajel, she ran off to play, then a bit later reappeared with her tooth in hand! I guess the medicine numbed it enough so she could wiggle that thing out!

She was scheduled for a sleepover at Grammie's house that night, and we decided that the tooth fairy could find her there, so off she went! I heard later that Ellie and Grammie "assisted" the tooth fairy in trading Annie's first tooth for $2! One gold dollar and 4 quarters! What a lucky girl! :-)

For mommy, it's a little bittersweet. Annie turns seven a week from tomorrow. Seven. It doesn't seem possible. Then three days later she starts 1st grade. Pair all that with the first missing tooth, and I realize there's no denying she's growing up...fast. Sigh.

Dear Annie,
My beautiful girl. I am super excited you lost your first tooth, and that your next one is "already wiggly"! I love your sweet, innocent joy. Please, please stay little for awhile longer.
Love,
Mommy





Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Babies!

With Lauren and Lane both expecting, it was time to throw some baby showers!!!
 Lane's was a sock monkey theme to go with her nursery decor! So cute!!!




 Belly bumping!
 Lauren's expecting TWIN boys! SO exciting!
 Me and my sweet cousins!
 Ellie had to give her own gifts!
 YUM!
It was SO fun to throw these showers, and I am SO excited to meet these babies!!!