Gypsy Wilsons

Projects

2012-02-08T11:18:00.002-05:00

Our home is always a work-in-progress and January has been GREAT for wrapping up projects that we put on hold over the holidays.

The pictures aren't great (I'm incredibly impatient with my camera), but will at least show you that we're moving right along....

Todd painted and rehung the book wall. I'm in love with it! It's exactly what I wanted. I purposely chose not to place books on the top shelf, but rather placed letters and artwork from the boys. My fear was that if there were books on the top row that Garrett wanted and couldn't reach he would climb the shelves to get what he wanted. He can hook those toes around anything. When he gets a little taller, we can make the switch. :)

Before paint:

After paint:

Todd built the laundry stand we've wanted ever since we moved our laundry room to the basement and converted our old laundry room to a make-shift home office. I love it! It gives me plenty of space for three big laundry baskets (I wish I could say that the laundry never spills over, but that wouldn't be true) and raises the front loaders off of the basement floor.
This was the inspiration.

I've been looking for artwork for the boys' room for quite some time. They have a fairly large wall that used to hold their bookshelf, but now that we've finished the book-wall and have all of our books on the landing we needed something else for that space. Enter the Lego table.

Previously the Legos were in the playroom.
Bad idea. Legos were everywhere.
Now they are fairly contained to the bedroom and not mixed in with the 742 other toys in the playroom.

Anyway, I needed artwork above that space and Etsy.com was the answer.

The collage of art isn't complete, but we've got a good start. I wanted it to reflect all of their interests right now, so I combined their love of airplanes, dinosaurs, Legos and Superheroes.
I'm waiting on a Robot print to be delivered.

I love that it's bright, fun, eclectic and boyish. It just fits. (Again, there is a piece missing; I'll take photos again when it's all done).

That's it for now!

January

2012-02-03T17:47:00.000-05:00

January started with a whirl-wind, fun-filled trip to St. Louis to visit Todd's family. We stayed with Todd's sister and brother-in-law and their 4 children. All 6 of our kids had a blast together. We didn't hear much from the kids (unless of course they were hungry); they were too busy shooting Nerf guns, playing Wii, air-hockey, hula-hooping and who knows what else to be bothered with us. :)

We also spent a day at one of Todd's brother's houses.

All together there were 8 kiddos together for the day,

7 of them actually agreed to be in this photo....

On New Year's Eve we went to see the Arch. We had visited once before when we were actually residents of St. Louis (almost FIVE years ago now!). Aiden was only a year old then and Garrett wasn't even thought of yet.

That was then....

This is now....

The view from the top is always amazing and as the kids get older their observations change, their memories change and, well, it's just fun to be with them. :)

What wasn't so fun (even for Todd and nothing bothers him) was that we were up in the Arch on a VERY windy day- crazy windy and you could feel it!
The Arch swayed and lurched in the wind, and that's just not really my thing. :)

We tried to gather the kids at the base of the Arch for a photo, but the wind made that nearly impossible.

Away from the base and during a lull in the wind, my sister-in-law managed to get a great family shot for us though.

We had a really good time on NYE and have decided that it's really "Garrett's holiday". It's the one holiday where acting loud and crazy and running around with your pants off is not only okay, it's encouraged.

Or maybe that's just how Garrett interprets it. Either way, it just fits him.

The adults played games, ate LOTS of food and had a really good time.

The kids did too....

They played, watched movies, drank sparkling cider and got to stay up until midnight.

Which they loved....

Good stuff and that's only the beginning of January.

Next up...Todd's Birthday. :)

The 2nd Half of December

2012-01-16T10:35:00.000-05:00

I'm picking up where I left off with the 2nd half of December, because we're cruising quickly through January already and time sure isn't slowing down!

On December 17th, we celebrated Aiden's 6th birthday at Dave & Buster's. It was the one and only place he wanted to go, because as much as I'd like to deny it, he is a video-game loving kid. In almost every photo I have of him at D&B his eyes are squinted and starting off at some bling-blingy thing.

Case in point....

"Here's your smile, Mom. "

Miraculously I got a smile from Garrett though!

We had a really fun, ear-splitting good time and although I would like to say that Aiden's birthday party was about this...

and this....

The truth is, it was all about this...

And this....

And because he really is an awesome kid, I'm so okay with that. :)

Shortly after Aiden's birthday he had to have some dental work done that required anesthesia. Yeah, it stunk, but he came through it with only one complaint- the shot they gave him in his arm. I'm just relieved it went so well and that it's OVER.

Later that same morning, Garrett stole the show and my heart at his Preschool Christmas program.

He performed and sang and had a really good time up there.

I'm very proud of how well he's doing at preschool and happy that he loves it so much.

Christmas Eve garnered one of my most favorite memories ever.

I hope I never forget the memory of my 2 boys performing so beautifully during their Christmas program at Church.

Aiden had a speaking part in the program that he knocked out of the park with poise, confidence and CHARM.

And Garrett rocked a Wiseman costume like I'm pretty sure no one ever has before.

After that smashing performance we got all ready for Santa and his reindeer...

And woke up to all good things on Christmas morning.

One of the things that I love MOST about Garrett is his unabashed enthusiasm for...Everything.

But especially boxes that are wrapped in paper.

It matters not what is inside that box, just that he gets to tear through the paper.

I want to bottle that kind of enthusiasm. :)

One of the things I love most about Aiden?

His confidence in knowing he's a rock star.

Wouldn't it be great to wake up every day and just know that you rocked?

We had our traditional breakfast brunch- a casserole that I make the night before, pop in the oven as soon as we wake up and eat when it comes out of the oven (also happens to be the same time we're done unwrapping presents). It works for us and we love it.

We did a low-key lunch this year (this recipe) that was delicious and got the job done, because while we do enjoy eating and cooking (sometimes)....

On Christmas day, we would much rather do this...

and this...

than spend the day in the kitchen.

The only negative to Christmas day?

Poor Garrett had a terrible cough that seemed to come from nowhere and just wouldn't let up.

He spent an exhausting part of his day coughing and coughing.

It only lasted about a day, but it's no fun to be sick on Christmas.

Our December wrap-up wouldn't be complete without blogging about our awesome trip to St. Louis for New Year's Eve, but that deserves a post all it's own (and I have to hit publish on what I've shared so far or it's never gonna happen).
So..NYE- details to come! ;)

I finally got a book wall!!

2012-01-15T09:07:00.002-05:00

Still unfinished, but exactly what I've been wanting for a very.long.time. :)

Details to come...

(I like to say that so that I don't feel guilty about my absence from blogging. Shhh.)

Maverick.

2012-01-08T23:08:00.000-05:00

Actually he looks more like Goose, but we all know what happens to Goose at the end of Top Gun.

So I'm calling him...Maverick. :)

Details to come.....

The Big SIX!

2011-12-25T23:26:00.000-05:00

I realize today is Jesus' birthday, but only nine short days ago there was another very special birthday and if I don't blog about that first, it might never happen. :)

While Aiden was enjoying hanging out with his friends in Kindergarten on his birthday, Garrett and I were hustling around taking care of last-minute birthday prep. We worked together to make Aiden's birthday cake.

I thought it would be fun to set the camera on auto while we worked.

While I was messing with the camera buttons Garrett decided to start cracking eggs and cracked one all over his face. I caught it all on tape. Perfect. :)

Once Garrett was cleaned up, we got our cake on and wrapped presents.

Earlier in the day I had taken Garrett to Toys-R-Us to choose a gift for Aiden.

He selected a Tron doll and and some guns. Perfect.

Aiden chose Chipotle for dinner and since it was Friday night after a looong week, we obliged.. (Actually he didn't have to beg; we're Chipotle fans too.) :)

This was the year of the Transformer, Tron dolls, Superheroes and Legos. Things have certainly changed from the days where he wished for diggers and board books.

Garrett and one of his 1/2 Birthday presents....

Our incredibly kind-hearted, charming, smart, confident SIX year old....

Perfect. :)

1/2 December Catch-Up

2011-12-18T19:51:00.000-05:00

This weekend was wonderfully busy celebrating a certain 6-year-old and I plan to share all about it, but first...The first half of December.

I'll try to be brief. :)

In the beginning of the month I set up a Christmas Sensory Table for the kids.

Almost everything on the table, except for the cute Santa placements were things we already owned and I was able to scrounge from our basement.

A Christmas bin (Red, Green & White pom poms, Red birds, a nutcracker, Christmas ribbon, a reindeer, "snow covered" pine cones, some scented evergreen leaves, sparkly hearts and a gift ornament).

I cut up a list of Aiden's Kindergarten sight words and used foam alphabet letters for the rice bin.

I added some sifters and magnifying glasses.

It provided good practice in searching for words and letters. :)

I added 2 tiny Christmas puzzles....

Some jingle bells...

And 2 lumps of freshly made playdoh.

Red....

And Green of course.

Garrett has been practicing his colors, shapes and problem-solving skills with Christmas pattern blocks.

He's quite good at it,

takes it very seriously

and is very proud of his work. :)

He's also a very, very cute little pattern-blocker.

We attended a special breakfast with Santa event at the Columbus Zoo last weekend. While the food was less than spectacular, the animals, face painting, magician, juggler and Santa were all top-notch.

The following day we visited with Todd's extended family at the annual Wilson Christmas potluck/ornament exchange. It was nice to visit with family and we always enjoy this event, but we I ate WAAAAY too much food. :)

Some of the Kindergartners in our district performed Holiday songs for friends and family on Thursday night. I lost track of the number of songs they sang because I was so busy taking in their cuteness.

In between all the special events we've had, we decorated for Christmas...

worked on homework...

played lots of "Just Dance" on the Wii....

visited COSI with friends...

and started our birthday party preparations....

It's been a GREAT month so far and we're only 1/2 done!

Happy December!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-26T11:52:00.001-05:00

I'm short on words and photos today (how could I have forgotten to get out the camera until the end of the day??), but wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

We enjoyed the day at my parents' house with my Aunt and Uncle who recently moved back to Ohio from North Carolina. It was nice to celebrate Thanksgiving with them again after not seeing them during the holidays for several years.

The food was delicious and everyone ate more than their fair share, but I would guess that Aiden ate the most of all. His little body must be stockpiling for a 6th year growth spurt because I have never seen him put food down quite like he did on Thanksgiving.

After the food settled he and Garrett "Let the Dogs Out" by dancing along to their favorite song on the Wii. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that it was beyond cute.

Unfortunately, I can't say that everyone rocked the song like they do.

These are the only moves Todd likes to show....

We had a wonderful day and counted our many blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving to you!!!

Project Life Update

2011-11-23T11:12:00.001-05:00

WARNING! WARNING!

Loooong, picture-filled, scrapbook related post.

You've been warned! ;)

I ordered some new Becky Higgins products with an amazon gift card I received for my birthday last week, and I love them! It's kind of a "thing" to take your picture with new products as they arrive and since I'm up on all the latest "things" here's my picture. ;)

I ordered the variety pack of page protectors: here.

The Photo pocket pages: here.

And Photo pocket pages, Design G: here.

I can't wait to order one of the new kits for 2012 when they become available.

Since my new products are here and I've been intending to blog about Project Life for awhile, I'm finally doing that now. I apologize in advance for the photos. I was waiting for sunshine to use as natural light (the flash just bounces back), but we're in Ohio and I could be waiting for a very.long.time. This was the best I could do.

Also, I would like to give fair warning that you might see pictures of you or your children in these photos or you might spy your sweet emails, letters or blog comments on here. I keep all kinds of good things in my Project Life album and while I am very careful not to share other people's children on my blog (unless I ask permission), I don't censor my home photos.

So, here we go....

A few examples of PL pages:

An example of some of the extra stuff I've added this year.

When I had more photos of a particular thing/event that I wanted to share, I simply inserted extra page protectors in the appropriate size to do that. In this instance, I was documenting my love of Pinterest. There has been no shortage of Pinterest love from me. :)

I included fliers about events we've participated in, like our neighborhood 4th of July Parade.

And the map outlining the route we took around our neighborhood to deliver parade fliers.

I included (but have not journaled about yet) extra photos of the changes we made to our laundry room and office.

I included pictures of VBS, VBS schedules, Grampa visiting, etc.:

And Aiden's first day of school.

For that special event I included pictures of the morning and artwork he brought home.

I also included some of the things we did to prep for success in Kindergarten. :)

To include emails I simply print and insert the document into page protectors. I think it speak volumes to the power of the written word. You never know how much a kind comment, sweet email or encouraging word might mean to someone. It might just be worthy of their Project Life album. :)

I took tons of pictures on our canoeing trip and included an insert with lots of little photos from the day.

For Garrett's first day of school I included an insert (btw, most of these "inserts" are simply 12x12 page protectors that I've cut to accommodate my needs) with photos.

I also included some of Garrett's artwork, emails from his teachers and a list of the things Garrett told me he had done at school. The best part: seeing Garrett's words next to his teachers. According to Garrett they mostly spent their day eating. According to his teachers there was learning going on. :)

October was busy...

I included a letter from when we were "Boo'd" by the Toth's...

and on the flip side included a printout of journaling I wrote for Grampa's 70th birthday album along with a few photos from an impromptu photo shoot at Inniswood Park.

On the flip side of that I included 3 photos from the "fall sensory table".

A few weeks ago we met with a photographer at Franklin Park Conservatory. After the "official" photo shoot, we took candids of our family that rank among my favorites.

I ordered 6x6 photos from ScrapbookPictures.com

to include in new Becky Higgins page protectors. I love it.

Lastly, I added a few photos from my birthday this year (sans journaling)...

And on the flip side I included a sampling of the post it notes Todd left for me all over the house. :) Yeah, I failed to mention that when I blogged about my birthday recently. You might remember last year's post-it explosion....Well this year Todd mixed in some other gems....

Like, "Not this again!" and "Sweet and Sour Chicken!" (a joke from "Modern Family") and "WWDDD?" (What Would Don Draper Do- a reference to the eternally cool Don Draper from Mad Men).

That's it for the Project Life update! As always, thanks for reading and keeping up with our family!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Easton

2011-11-15T16:11:00.001-05:00

For a family that doesn't typically spend their Friday nights at Easton, it's crazy to me that we've managed to have plans there two Friday nights in a row. Party!!!

Last Friday night we celebrated my birthday at the Cheesecake Factory at Easton. For my birthday dinner I simply requested that someone else cook it (greatest gift of all!) and that the restaurant be loud enough to cover-up my 2 vocal children. (Somewhere besides Chuck-e-Cheese or Red Robin. I know- I'm picky.)

We landed on Cheesecake Factory. We also have a good friend that works there on Friday nights, so our wait went from 45 to 5-minutes in the blink of an eye (2nd greatest gift!!). It was great food, great company and we shared a delicious dessert so that the calories wouldn't count. (That's the rule- didn't you know? If you split the dessert, the calories don't count. as much. that's what my mom said and I'm going with it.)

I felt very special to spend my 35th birthday, having fun with family....

And demolishing a dessert...

Isn't that what birthdays are all about?

Saturday was like a scene straight out of "City Slickers". Todd took me horseback riding for my birthday and it wasn't nearly the lighthearted fun I'd anticipated.

See, I used to take horseback riding lessons when I was younger (and now that I'm 35, younger was legitimately a long time ago) so I've always fashioned myself as somewhat of an expert on the matter. Clearly, I am not.

Or....Maybe I am and my horse was just rogue.

Somehow I ended up on the back of this wayward horse that listened...not at all.

It really wasn't that different from spending the day with my children except that I was 9 feet off the ground...

and scaling mountains....

It was ~~fun~~ ~~scary~~ challenging, but thankfully I made it to the other side and lived to blog about it.

Todd, on the other hand, thought he was Tonto.

I think they gave him the "beginner" horse.

You knew this picture was gonna happen, didn't you?

Our 2nd Friday night at Easton was for the annual Christmas parade and Tree Lighting ceremony. We met up with good friends at Panera for dinner, then bundled up to see the juggler...

watch the parade...

And help with the tree-lighting countdown...

Good times!

35

2011-11-10T18:42:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow I will be 35 years old. 35. Can you believe it? I certainly can't. For some reason, in my mind, I ceased aging right around 27. That was my age when I had my first baby. From that point on, I've watched my children grow, feeling the passage of time through their years while convincing myself time has held still for me. Waking up tomorrow, knowing that in fact the clock has been ticking away, right on up to the ripe old age of 35 astounds me. Not that I'm complaining. Not at all. I'm healthy, I'm happy I'm grateful and yep, I'm 35.

Truisms. 35 of 'em:

1. Days are just better when the sun shines. Period.

2. Dinner is always better when someone else cooks it.

3. Sleep is more restful when the sheets are crisp and clean.

4. Kindness comes back to you in spades.

5. Cleaning is overrated.

6. Exercise is overrated. Do it anyway.

7. You're never too old for a PB&J.

8. Coffee is better with friends.

9. You don't need movie theater popcorn, but should definitely get it anyway.

10. Facebook is way more fun than it should be.

11. People always respond better to a "Please" and a "Thank you".

12. It's not enough to simply "hear", you must also listen.

13. Diamonds aren't a girl's best friend. Her girlfriends are.

14. It's not the food on the table that makes the meal, it's the people sitting around it.

15. There are some days when getting out of your pajamas is absolutely not necessary.

16. Dancing with your children will not be cool forever. Do it now.

17. Dogs are the most loyal "people" in the world. Treat them well.

18. If your parents weren't great you can't blame them forever.

19. If they were awesome, thank them again and again.

20. Take your camera everywhere. Use it.

21. The Kindle is the greatest invention ever.

22. The flat iron is a close second.

23. Daylight savings time is dumb.

24. Always exercise your right to vote.

25. Tell your children you love them. Every single day.

26. Tell your spouse too. Don't assume he/she knows.

27. Mexican restaurants are way fun.

28. A good facial can make you feel like a million bucks.

29. A mini van is very convenient. It doesn't have to be cool. :)

30. Even if you're having a "fat" day, cute shoes are always gonna fit.

31. Texting and driving is for idiots with a death wish.

32. Take a meal to a new mom. Especially if she has other children to feed.

33. Assume the best in other people. They just might meet your expectations.

34. Say "yes" as often as possible.

35. Wish big when you blow out the candles.

Amphitheater Tebowing

2011-11-05T16:21:00.000-04:00

Franklin Park Tebowing

2011-11-05T16:17:00.000-04:00

Two-High Tebowing

2011-11-05T16:15:00.000-04:00

Halloween 2011

2011-11-04T21:29:00.000-04:00

We got hit by a few bugs this week (strep, pink eye and colds) and are just now emerging from the haze of sickness that has enveloped our house. Yuck.

I suspect that at least one of the nasty bugs came from being in Garrett's class last week.

It was almost worth it though to have the opportunity to be his teacher again. Almost.

Todd and Aiden went to a roller skating party on Sunday (Garrett and I had to miss- again with those nasty sick bugs). The kids who weren't quite ready for roller skates got to use scooters.

When they were ready, they graduated to roller skates until they fell and then they were DONE. :)

Sunday evening we picked up pizzas for a chilly picnic and walk through Sharon Woods Park. We're desperately trying to eek out every last bit of outdoor fun that we can. Once upon a time I may have enjoyed a cozy, quiet winter spent indoors, but for some reason things are just different now.... :)

We carved our pumpkins just in time for Halloween,

and we're pretty pleased with how they turned out.

Spooky.

We all breathed a little easier on Monday morning knowing Spiderman was in our midst.

He even took a moment to pose for pictures and show us his web-making fingers.

When I asked him to show me his moves, it was a little more "Lord of the Dance" than Spiderman....

but still utterly adorable.

Aiden's class hosted a Fall Party that started with a parade through the other classrooms of their school. Tron was walking TALL. He was so proud of his costume!

The kids enjoyed craft and game stations back in their room. My contribution was a kid version of corn-hole, Halloween style....

Being one of only five boys in the morning Kindergarten class, makes Aiden a big hit with the ladies (although let's be honest- even if the cards weren't stacked in his favor, he would do alright).
While I was helping him into his Tron costume, one of the little girls walked right up to him, laced her fingers through his and said, "We're friends," as if that explained why she was being so forward.
It didn't.
I made sure she knew that.

Actually I didn't. But I wanted to.

Don't get it twisted, Ladies, I'm still in charge here!

While I rested up so that I could muscle through our evening of Trick-or-Treating (again, nasty bugs), my mom and Aiden made brownies and got things prepped for Beggar's night.

I'm happy to report that we had TWO trick-or-treaters this year.

Two very cute, very eager, Trick-or-Treaters.

And that concludes Halloween 2011. :)

Hope you enjoyed!

Feel Better

2011-10-29T22:14:00.001-04:00

Poor Garrett has a bad cough, yucky cold, and pink eye.

Great way to spend a weekend, huh?

Luckily he has a very sweet big brother who made a get well card to cheer him up though....

I was so touched by Aiden's thoughtfulness and really impressed with his spelling, handwriting...

and little detailed drawing....

Frankly, I feel like he was spot-on with the drawing....

And although I did tell him how to spell "better", the rest of the card was 100% Aiden.

I was on the phone and too busy chatting away to even realize what he was working on. :)

Sometimes....

2011-10-29T21:37:00.000-04:00

Sometimes Garrett is so ornery and disagreeable.

Sometimes he's messy and troublesome.

Sometimes he's fired-up and in-charge.

Sometimes he's cheeky and sweet.

Sometimes he's crafty and creative.

And sometimes he's artsy and proud.

Sometimes he's sick and tired.

Sometimes he's cooperative and participatory.

(Father-Son Tebowing)

But all of the time he's my cuddly, charming, challenging, chunk-a-monk little boy.

(Sometimes when Garrett is particularly challenging- like this week when he broke an ornament in JoAnn's less than 2 minutes after I explained to him that we don't touch breakable Christmas ornaments or when he got out of bed every.single.night after we'd already tucked him in, or when he wouldn't listen to me OR his preschool teacher about packing up his lunchbox, or or or- I like to take some time to remind myself of the sweeter side of Garrett.)

Summing up Soccer

2011-10-25T20:28:00.000-04:00

I was going through this season's soccer photos today, and I truly enjoyed looking at each one.

What I saw over and over in the photos that made me so happy was Aiden's obvious JOY.

(And maybe a little panache. I mean, I don't want to brag, but he was stylin' out there. Kid sticks his tongue out like he's the Michael Jordan of soccer!) :)

Again and again I saw joy at simply being able to play outside, run with friends, be free and have a good time, and I sincerely hope he never loses that. I love that for Aiden winning isn't the only reason for participating in soccer.
Having fun and enjoying the game (and game snacks) are good enough reasons for him.

Cutest spectator ever and next up on a soccer roster....

Lub Dub. Lub Dub. Lub Dub.

2011-10-15T22:09:00.000-04:00

That is the sound of a normal, regular heart beat. My heart feels and sounds a little bit differently though and here's how I know that now....

Back in June I had some female problems that landed me in the ER with low iron, exhaustion and, well, depression. It.Was.Rough. I would classify that week (the 2nd week of Aiden's safety city) among the worst in terms of how I felt physically and emotionally. It took 3 calls to my OB (including having her paged on Father's Day) before her office decided I should go to the ER for treatment. I'm very glad that I did and in hindsight should have trusted my gut and gone sooner, but I trusted my doctor to tell me the right things to do. (I've since found a new OB). Anyway, all of that to say that building my iron levels and energy back up took time and it felt like a very slow process this summer. I distinctly remember the day/time when I realized the weight I had been feeling finally lifted, and it felt great. BUT....

But, all of those adjusting blood levels, iron levels and hormone fluctuations I believe left me with another issue that may or may not ever resolve itself and that brings me to the heart of the issue. Literally. Sometime after the low iron I started feeling heart palpitations, but didn't tell anyone. I'd somehow convinced myself that saying "I'm having heart palpitations," out loud would mean admitting I was having a heart-attack and I just didn't have time for a heart-attack. :) I know I'm making light of it now, but I was really worried at the time. When the palpitations didn't go away I finally made an appointment with my doctor in hopes of being told to rest more or lay off the caffeine. Instead she hooked me up to an EKG, drew blood and referred me to a heart doctor.

The heart doctor did another EKG, drew more blood and strapped me into a Holter Monitor for 24 hours. (I looked almost exactly like the guy here, minus the chest hair). Then, he had me perform a stress test. The good news is (and I just finally got my results), as far as the doctor can tell, the palpitations are Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVC's) and are benign. They are not related to a heart attack, heart failure or heart disease in any way. BUT they are annoying and sometimes scary! They feel like champagne bubbles in my chest or like a forceful heartbeat or...like having a heart attack. And more often than not, they're more prominent when I'm resting. So far the only thing I've found that makes it feel better is regular walking or running. (And really, what problems don't feel better with regular exercise?)

The bad news is there really is no "treatment" other than I can take medication to depress the symptoms, but it would also lower my heart rate (no thanks) or I can visit with a rhythm doctor (I might, eventually). For now I will continue to walk regularly, drink lots of water and try not to get overly-stressed out (ha!), but that's about all I can do. I'm so grateful it's nothing more serious and I'm grateful I had good doctors to help me. I just wish the issues I'd had earlier in the summer would have been resolved more quickly so I could have perhaps avoided this altogether.

So...Now you know all of that AND you know that a normal heart sounds like this: Lub Dub. Lub Dub. Lub Dub. You're welcome. :)

Running/Walking with my boys this morning...and it was COLD! :)

Fall Table

2011-10-15T13:44:00.001-04:00

I sort of can't help myself when it comes to setting up "learny" things for my kids to do. They have endless energy, are ripe for learning and trying new things, and we have all kinds of "teachery" things stockpiled in our house, so, like I said, I sort of can't help myself.

(As I typed that I just had a flashback to the years and years I spent playing "teacher" when I was little. Yea for finally having real pupils!) :)

On Wednesday, the day both boys were in school at the same time for 2 whole hours (!) I set up a Halloween/Fall table for them to explore. One of the reasons this works for us this year is that Garrett is finally at an age where I can trust he won't put these things in his mouth or the electrical outlets or any other crevice he can find. But, honestly, you never know....

Both boys were super excited to come home and dig in. Literally.

We had a fall sensory bin (everything in the bin came straight from our basement).

Pinto beans, fall leaves, pumpkins, gourds, walnuts, buckeyes, acorns, etc.

And a Halloween Sensory Bin (everything in this bin came from Dealz, the dollar store nearby).

Black beans, googly eyes, a Halloween scoop, erasers, bugs, spiders, bats, etc.

We had some fine motor skill and sorting stuff going on (container from dollar store, colored poof balls and clips we already owned).

And lots of playdoh fun, because honestly, maybe I'm just a big kid, but I can't get enough of playing with playdoh. I know it's not everybody's thing, but I love it and so do the kids.

We already had the Fall/Halloween cookie cutters, rolling pins, huge hunks of playdhoh, googly eyes and pipe cleaners (see? I told you I have stockpiles of "crafty" things). :)

We also already owned the big giant tablecloth and Halloween place-mats, which provided good inspiration for spooky playdoh creatures....

So far, the boys are having a good time with their Fall Table and I'm having fun thinking ahead to a table filled with Red, Green and Christmas fun. :)

p.s. - As always, check out the fun fall stuff on Pinterest.

Spiderman...Spiderman....Does whatever a spider can...

2011-10-11T17:39:00.000-04:00

Last year Garrett didn't end up going trick-or-treating. Something about not wanting to wear a coat or some such thing. Hopefully this year Garrett won't be so stubborn and will be able to show off the cute costume he picked out for beggar's night. :)

Show me your web fingers, Garrett....

Show me your booty, Garrett....

Show me crawling like a spider, Garrett...

Show me your Spiderman face...

I can't even see his eyes in this picture.

The poor thing probably doesn't even know why he can't see out of this silly costume.

Quick and Random.

2011-10-05T20:28:00.000-04:00

Quick and Random. That's how this post is gonna go. I'm short on words tonight, but wanted to post some pics of the kids in case you're a) wondering what we've been up to b) thinking we've fallen off the planet OR c) recovering from a twisted bowel. :)

First things first...We finally bunked the boys and it's going VERY well.

We've had their bunk beds, matching transportation sheets and comforters for quite some time, but wanted to wait until everyone (coughGarrettcough) could handle the responsibility of bunk beds. So far, so good. :)

Todd took the boys to their first Buckeye game, courtesy of our neighbors/friends who have shared tickets with us in the past (much appreciated!!). The boys took Aiden's buddy Paxson and his dad, Mike and they had a great time even though it had to have been the hottest day on record.

I wouldn't know. I was sitting at home in the air-conditioning. :)

We've heard such great things about Cops and Kids, an educational event in Westerville about community helpers, but until this year we've never made an appearance. We know better now and will make it a priority from now on....

The boys even got to sit in a helicopter!

Now that we're back into the school mode, we've been doing all kinds of "learny" things, courtesy of my "Learn" Board on Pinterest (Duh. Everything is from Pinterest.).

We picked apples at Lynd's a few times....

We hiked at Sharon Woods....

We cheered through countless rainy soccer games....

Enjoyed a crisp day at the zoo...

And enjoyed an awesome parent/child outing with Garrett's preschool class. I had doubts about whether this was the right preschool for Garrett (primarily because of the long hours), but events like this make me so happy he's where he's at....

And here's the thing ya'll...I think he just might pass preschool. :)

You know how I know?

Because I got to be one of his teachers for a whole week and he was good- really good!

For me that experience was literally a dream come true.

When Aiden was born I struggled so much with the decision of whether to stay-at-home or continue teaching because I really wanted to do both. To me the solution seemed so simple: keep teaching, but bring my baby to school with me everyday. They make baby carriers don't they?! :)

So last week, I finally got what I've always wanted...
To teach and have my baby in the class with me. :)

Conned

2011-09-07T15:13:00.000-04:00

Sweet, sweet, Angel-of-mine, posing for pictures before his "Meet the Teacher" day at Preschool.

Bull flop.

Don't be fooled.

He agreed to those semi-sweet pictures above only, and I mean ONLY, after I agreed to snap him with his gun.

And after he got to shoot at me once or thrice.

(Don't judge; we all have to do what we have to do.)

When we pulled into the parking lot of his future-preschool (to which I will gladly pay a pretty-penny because I know they are going to be working hard for their money) he said, "You can just drop me off."

Um....NO.

I realize he may not need me most of the time, but I'm pretty sure there is some kind of law or something where a 3-year-old doesn't get to attend his "Meet the Teacher" day alone.

AND since I'm paying and he's not, I would also like to meet the teachers who have the ~~misfortune~~, ~~challenge~~, opportunity to have Garrett in their classroom this year. In case this whole preschool thing blows-up in my face (pun intended), I would at least like to have made his teachers' acquaintance.

Row, row, row your boat....

2011-09-06T10:43:00.000-04:00

We had PERFECT weather for canoeing on the Mohican last weekend (glad we didn't wait to go this weekend- blech!).

No clouds, no humidity, perfect temperature = perfect day for canoeing.

Again, this is an event that holds good memories for me. Some more clear than others. I went canoeing with my parents when I was little and for *some* reason I remember those times more clearly than the canoeing trips I made as a college-student. Weird. :)

Anyway, this was as much fun as I remembered it being and I made a convert out of Todd- he loved it too. We're hoping to go again before it gets too cold out, but based on our weather this weekend, we might be too late. We shall see...

I can't really take credit for this trip being my idea though- a lady in the moms group I belong to planned a trip for her family and sent the information/invite to the rest of the group jogging my memory. While we weren't able to join them on the day they were going, it helped set our own plans in motion and I appreciate anyone who shares plans for great family-fun!!!

It was a little nerve-wracking stepping into the canoe for the first time. If you haven't been on a boat in awhile, the initial, unstable feeling of boat-on-water can be a bit disconcerting. It was for me and for Garrett too. Garrett may seem like a daredevil, but in reality he knows just exactly how far he can push himself and doesn't want to do things where he can't predict the outcome (I honestly don't know where he gets that). :)

Aiden, on the other hand, would prefer not to know the outcome, loves the feeling of his stomach dropping out and would likely sky-dive if we would let him (again, no clue). :)

For the first 5-minutes I kept asking Todd if we should turn around (as if that's even possible), because I just wasn't sure I liked the rocking boat and my 2 little, almost-swimmers in that rocking boat. Todd kept us pushing forward though.

(And yet I don't know how my children turned out so differently.)

For the first half of the canoe trip Todd was the "Captain". Not sure how he qualified for that job seeing as how I was the one who canoed before, but being a male apparently makes you specially qualified for all kinds of things....

Anyway.

At any time you can "dock" your boat on a sandbar to rest,

take pictures

Or throw rocks....

We did all three.

And next time I would like to put in a reservation at this boat-up ~~liquor~~ food stand....

About halfway through our 2 hour boat ride Todd and I switched places so I could 'captain' the boat.

And for some reason that job just felt right on me. :)

Although you might be thinking it had something to do with me being bossy...

It really had much more to do with the scenery....

(And maybe just a little bit about being bossy.)

Better Late than Never....

2011-09-03T15:21:00.000-04:00

Not really sure if I ever shared our Ohio State fair pictures, but I figured they were worth sharing.

Better late than never, I suppose....

Besides, you know how I feel about the State Fair, right?

Love it.

Greasy food, farm animals and all- I love it.

It holds very good memories for me and I think it's a great way to show my children a little more about the state we live in- the parts outside of the 270 loop. I want them to see that there are farmers who work very hard to raise livestock, grow crops and help put food in the grocery stores in which we shop. Yes, there are also fair rides and eccentric people, but these people live in Ohio too and, well, that's just life. We're not there to pass judgement on them, we're there for us, to have fun and create memories doing something that only comes around once a year.

And I'm not gonna lie, the food is always good.

Always....

We got to see the Clydesdale's this year and of course my kids were more interested in the horse's "private" parts than anything else. Or maybe that poor horse doesn't get the luxury of having private parts?

Either way... embarrassing. :)

This year an organization provided an enormous canvas that everyone- adults and children alike, could contribute to by painting wherever they wanted. Fun stuff....

The kids are always fascinated by the farm animals. And why shouldn't they be? We go to the zoo to see monkeys, hippos and zebras, why not horses, sheep and pigs? The kids loved the piglets....

We put a limit on the rides this year and saved them for the end of the day. Regardless, the boys loved them....

As always, we had a great time.
And I'm just hoping our last photo from the day isn't foreshadowing for my future....

Farm Days

2011-08-28T22:06:00.000-04:00

It was hot and the boys were ornery, but I pushed on and took the boys to Farm Days at COSI a few weeks ago. :)

Not sure it was the best decision I've ever made (I was tired and my fuse was a little short), but we were meeting friends and I did get some very cute pictures.

How cute is this little boy?

Pretty cute, huh?

Yeah, well....

Right after he took this little tractor ride, and while I was sufficiently distracted by his big brother, he climbed in between the cement pillars you can see in the background of the picture below and dangled himself above the precipice. In his defense he was waving at the people below.

I grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him back to safety, then practically had to revive a COSI employee that saw it happen. She had never met a Garrett before. :)

Does anyone else feel just an eensy bit sorry for that plastic cow?

Good times!

First Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-25T11:22:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a big day and good in every way as far as Aiden was concerned.

Me? I was upset with the lack of a crossing guard near our house and the dangers we witnessed walking Aiden to school on his first day: a little girl on a bicycle just missed being hit (twice!!!) and then we were nearly hit, but instead endured screeching tires as we crossed the street!
The good news is I spoke to the principal and she's requesting an assessment of the area which will hopefully lead to an additional crossing guard. There are more and more school aged children walking from our neighborhood to the school each year so the need has gone up.
I also called the City and requested a police officer in the area, because clearly the flashing light that says 20mph SCHOOL ZONE and Crosswalk Lines don't matter to people, so maybe a big 'ole ticket might matter.

Whatever works.

And if what works is me with a bull-horn and a paint-ball gun, then load 'em up!

Enough about that; back to the good stuff....

Todd went into work late so he could walk Aiden to school with us. That was a nice treat!

As soon as we hit the threshold of his new classroom Aiden ran to his teacher.

No fears, no tears, just excitement. :)

This is how a Ninja poses for Kindergarten. Or so I'm told.....

And this is the "perfeck" back pack for Aiden. Again, so I'm told....

It's the back pack he ordered on our "Back to School" date.

When I was growing up my mom always took the day off from work right before I returned to school so that we could spend the day doing something fun together: shopping, lunch, movie, park, roller skating, etc. Whatever my heart desired. I remember it well and loved it.

This year Aiden and I had a similar "Date Day" and it ranks among my favorite times with him. He woke up excited, picked out a special outfit, and happily buckled into the van, knowing the day was all about him.

(I know this looks like a silly ad for raisins, but really he was just showing off the snack he picked. He's a big eater, can't you tell.)

We started at the mall looking for back packs, but none compared to the Orange Camo one he loved from the Lands End catalog. So in the end he ordered the one he wanted, giving the sales person his name, address, etc. He was very decisive. :)

He was just as decisive about his shoes. We bought the ones that make him run the fastest. :)
He chose Sbarro for lunch and wanted to sit at the counter height seats (we never do that). We had a great time eating and talking about life. ;)

After lunch the poor thing had to try on about 50 pairs of jeans and we managed to find 2 that fit (it's a real tough situation to be so tall and thin). ;)

We ended the day with a walk-through of his new school and an opportunity to meet his teacher, whom he loved at first sight (yeah!).

Good things are in store for Aiden this year, I just know it and I can't wait to see what he learns.
For the record, when I asked him what he would like to learn this year, he said, "Ninja fighting and police and building stuff." Hear that, Mrs. Kinder Teacher? Better start rethinking your lesson plans! ;)

Super Crab

2011-08-24T23:20:00.000-04:00

I would tell you all about Aiden's first day of Kindergarten, but frankly we're much more excited about another event that happened over here. :) The boys got a hermit crab!

Aiden's best "buddy" brought him a hermit crab as a souvenir from his trip to North Carolina last week. Wasn't that sweet? His mom asked permission first and of course, I said "YES!" They also gave us a little hermit crab home/container, some hermit crab toys (rope, shells, etc.- who knew they needed that stuff?!) and some food to get us started.

The boys have named him Tom the Super Crab. Not my choice, but not my crab, so I acquiesced.

Welcome, Tom!

I'm guessing now that you've met the boys, you've already begun planning your escape route! :)

New Chapter....

2011-08-22T23:32:00.004-04:00

In 2 more days my baby will be off to Kindergarten. And I'm not gonna lie, I'm kind of depressed about it.

There is nothing, nothing that compares to the carefree days we've had together for the past five years (actually nothing has really been that carefree, but as a mom I reserve the right to have hazy, rosy memories). :)
Anyway, Mondays have been our Mondays and Tuesdays have been our Tuesdays and so on, and now those days will belong to Aiden and someone else. A very kind and capable someone else, but still... He's my baby and while I'm excited for this new adventure and opportunity, I will miss him like crazy.

I hope he loves school the way I loved school. And I hope he always leaves the building with the same joyful, triumphant spirit in which he left it after his assessment today, "Today was an AWESOME day!"

It feels like we've been preparing for Kindergarten for ages- cleaning out closets,

Choosing outfits for the week (I'm so paranoid about being late!)....

Making "First Day of School" signs (Thank you, Pinterest)....

And eating at more regular, early dinner times (thank you, e-mealz)....

And all of this might seem like overkill, BUT when most of our days are a mix of motley crew...

some kind of raunchy toga-party....

and an episode of American Bandstand,

we need all the help we can get. :)

24 Minute Update.

2011-07-22T21:43:00.002-04:00

Todd would like to watch a movie tonight and he declared that it's starting promptly at 9:30, so if I'm gonna blog, Pin or participate in any other time-thieving habit I've only got 24 minutes.

Here goes.....

The washer and dryer are up and running so I no longer have an excuse to ignore the ridiculously high piles of laundry. To my credit though, before we disassembled the laundry room last Friday I made sure there wasn't a stitch of dirty laundry anywhere in the house, but it sure piled up fast this week!!

Todd and Mike did an awesome job and I think I'm going to like having the space to spread out without it being spread out all over my entryway or couch. Again, I would like to make it pretty (really? yes.), BUT for now the laundry must.get.done. so I used a rug and some laundry baskets we already own and went to work. Next on the list- build a lift for the washer and dryer and provide storage underneath. See examples here and here.
Will keep you posted... :)

On one of the blisteringly hot days this week (and after swimming lessons) the boys helped me clean out their play room. It took us hours. And I'm not kidding. We looked at each and every toy to decide if it's something they play with or if another child might appreciate it more. Believe it or not, they parted with a good number of toys and kept what they love (army men, matchbox cars, superheros, etc.).

Afterwards they played with the same toys we've had forever as if they'd never seen them before. It's always like that isn't it?

Dinner was GREAT tonight- nothing fancy, but there wasn't a morsel left on anyone's plate (kids included).

Ohio weather- not so good.

Ohio corn, tomatoes, strawberries- soooo good.

Ack! It's 9:39 and I've likely missed all the previews. Gotta go!

Behold the "Loffice"....

2011-07-19T22:37:00.002-04:00

Since we're in the process of converting our first-floor laundry into our home mini-office ~~we've~~ I've taken to calling it the Loffice.

Here's the explanation (and some vocab- please ignore) that I gave to Aiden:

That was all well and good until today when he just couldn't take it anymore and said, "Mom. But really it's just an office." True. True. But made up words are still fun though! :)

Anywho, I would like to make it perfect before I take pictures to show you (styled beautifully like the blogs I obsess over), but if I wait on perfect than I'll never take the photo.

So, here is our *mostly* finished mini-office....

We still need to finish caulking, build a shelf for the printer and find adjustable chairs that slide under the counter, but for now it's working great.

I'm blogging away and working on VBS nametags from this very space right now. :)

Tomorrow morning our friend/contractor, Mike, is coming to help convert our basement into our new, larger laundry space. I'm sure there will be pics to show soon....

Also, I managed to snap a picture of my other little swimmer today.

Both boys are doing great and I'm not gonna lie, I really enjoying watching, dry, from the side of the pool for the first time in 5.5 years.

Add in a margarita and a good book and I'd almost be on a 40 minute vacation.

Fwim, fwim, fwim....

2011-07-18T22:56:00.001-04:00

Guess who had his first swimming lesson today??? :)

The cutey-patootie with his trunks up his crack!

Garrett got to "fwim" with his teachers today while Mommy waited on the side of the pool.

(But not too far, because this mommy knows that Garrett is a wanderer!)

Oh, and we've been up to a few projects...

Insulating, painting and peg-boarding (not really a word, I realize) in the garage.

Cleaning up the patio and re-landscaping some areas of our yard.

Changing our much-loved laundry room into an even more functional home office.

Details to come....

T. M. I.

2011-07-15T09:32:00.007-04:00

Consider yourself warned. And if you don't have boy-beasts or children fascinated with their own "business" in your home than this probably won't make any sense to you at all.

When I woke up this morning I could tell Aiden wasn't in his room, so I called upstairs to see what he was up to.
Aiden: I'm pooping. Mommy, can you check my butt?
Me: Okay (and good morning to you too).
Aiden: One of my poops got stuck, but then I just kept pushing. First I woke up and had to pee, then I had to poop, then I peed some more.
Me: Oh. Wow. Okay.
Aiden: Thanks, Mom. You're the best mommy in the whole world.
Me: Thank you. Good morning. Now wash your hands with soap and water.

As soon as we finished breakfast, I stripped Garrett down so he could go potty.
Garrett: Mommy! I put some poop in the potty.
Me: Okay. Bend over and let me check your bottom.....You're all good. Go play.
He immediately bent over grabbed two koosh balls, stood up and held one in each hand.
Garrett: Look, Mommy, I've got two balls!
Me: Yep. Yep you do. (If he'd have added hairy, I would have DIED.)

Five minutes later.
Aiden: Mom! Garrett's putting more poop in the potty.
Me: Okay, I'll be in there in a minute. (Can I PLEASE have some coffee first?!?!?)

On my way to the bathroom I found Garrett off the potty and on the floor- breakdancing. Which actually equates to him sliding and grinding himself all over the carpet.
Me: Garrett! Get up! I need to clean your bottom!
Garrett: No, Mommy. I'm still dancing!
I picked Garrett up, flipped him over and proceed to clean his messy bottom. And the carpet.
Garrett: Mommy, can I say bye to the poopy? Bye, poopy!

Me: GUYS!! Mommy has not had one drop of coffee yet. Mommy needs to have some coffee before we can go on with our day. Can you please go play for a few minutes?!?!

It is now 9:05am, I've seen more butts than a Proctologist and I'm just hoping we can clean it up around here because this sh*t is ridiculous.

Ask and You Shall Receive...

2011-07-13T23:36:00.000-04:00

After my little neighborhood pity-party yesterday, I turned my frown upside down and had a much better day today. :) I received a very sweet phone call from a friend (the parent of Aiden's best "Buddy") who read my blog post and offered me some wise words and his child's playdate services anytime. He felt bad that we were clearly living in Siberia. :)

Additionally I played chauffeur to Aiden, Garrett and another friend for the Fun in the Sun class they've been attending this week, so we had four wonderful kiddos here all afternoon and I couldn't have been happier. They were very sweet, played all kinds of imaginative things (pirate ship, aliens, racing, digging, etc.) and never got tired of being outside. Much better.

Then, you'll never believe what happened this evening....A new neighbor that I introduced myself to last week (see? I'll just try and make you my friend if you're not careful!) brought his son down to meet the boys tonight. It was very sweet and hopefully the boys might have a neighborhood friend after all.

Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won't you be my neighbor?

2011-07-12T19:56:00.001-04:00

For a few years, when Todd was growing up his family lived in a rural area of Missouri called Laquey (Lakeway). The closest neighbors were 1.5 miles away so most of Todd's play-time was spent with his siblings. There simply wasn't anyone else around to play with.

Sometimes I feel like we live in Laquey for the lack of human contact and neighborly connections we have here. In reality we live in a neighborhood with 200+ homes, but it is entirely possible to spend whole days and nights outside and never see another human being even look out their windows let alone exit or enter their home. And, excuse my language, but it just sucks.

It has taken the couple that lives next door to us (the odd and most anti-social couple I've ever laid eyes on) 4 years of us persistently saying, "Hi" for the woman (I haven't the slightest what her name is) to finally say, "Hi" in return. She won't answer when we say, "How are you?" and she won't talk to my children no matter how hard they try. It breaks my heart.

The other day we were finishing up our dinner on the back patio and our neighbor once again walked by the house. Both kids began eagerly saying, "Hi"- to no avail. Once again, feeling horrible, but not at all surprised, I told Aiden, "I'm sorry she won't say 'Hi' to you. She's not very friendly, but please don't let that stop you from continuing to be a nice person." His response, "She's my neighbor, so I'm going to say 'Hi' to her." Simple as that.

How do you explain mean, rude, hurtful people to your children? How do you explain that sometimes people choose to live around other people without really caring about them at all? How do you explain that sometime people who live in a neighborhood really aren't that neighborly? I wish I could come up with the words that would help them understand, but as empathetic as I try to be, I can't seem to put myself in the shoes of someone that blatantly ignores a child (or any person for that matter).

Luckily my kids don't know that in other places children play with their neighbors from sun-up till sun-down- making up games, getting into trouble, creating memories. My kids have no idea what they're missing by living here so I guess that's a good thing. But I know; and it frustrates me for them. It's sad that there are no kids who simply come outside to play and only recently did they discover that there are 2 children who live 2 houses away (and we've lived here 4 years now!). Wanna know what happened once they spotted kids on the other side of the barracade the neighbors call a fence? (I say that because their fence is against the home owners association, but what did they care?!)? Anyway, here's what happened....

OMG, Aiden, there are KIDS over there!
Hey, Kids!!!
Over here!!
It's me...Garrett!
Knock. Knock.

What do you mean you can't hear my joke?
Oh, what the hell, we'll just come to you....

Mom, can the neighbor kids come over for a sleepover?

I seriously wish I was making this up, but I'm so not.
My kids were ecstatic to discover humans on the other side of that fence and when they did there was a whole lot of "Knock. Knock" being yelled across the yards. And, Aiden, ever the tender-heart really did ask if the kids could come over for a sleepover. When I suggested he start by simply inviting them to play on our swing set (gotta start somewhere, right?) they asked their dad and what do you think he said.
You already know the answer don't you?
He said, "No".

Summer Shmummer.

2011-07-12T16:16:00.000-04:00

I'm not eager for school to start, but I'm eager for the structure and connection it brings into my life. With no kids around for my kids to play with summer feels so isolating.

Early morning reading.

2011-07-01T22:04:00.004-04:00

I loved that the boys read books at the bar this morning while they waited patiently for their breakfast.

But I loved it even more from this angle....

Safety City Grad!

2011-06-26T21:50:00.000-04:00

And now we're moving on to Sporties for Shorties, Swimming lessons and VBS.

Summer is moving at warp speed!

Today.

2011-06-22T15:53:00.000-04:00

Each week I receive an email from the Love & Logic Institute with a parenting tip that I may not always need at that particular time, but that I often file away for future use, because if I have learned one thing from being a parent it's that as soon as I say, "My child would never do that" or "I would never do that," I might as well start eating my words.

Today's tip was about the importance of taking the anger out of consequences and adding in the empathy. I can't tell you how apropos this email was for me. Hopefully some of you will find this email helpful too when/if you feel the anger rising up as your kids act like, well, kids (or maybe you never get angry, in which case I would like whatever it is you are taking- stat!). :)

Dear Lori,

If you're familiar with the Love and Logic approach, then you're familiar with the critical importance and the tremendous power of empathy. As a child I witnessed it transform our family. I watched as my mother and father began to understand the following:

Consequences provided with anger result in resentment.

Consequences preceded by empathy build personal responsibility.

My parents' journey from anger to empathy was not without its occasional potholes, wrong turns, construction zones, and fender benders. It's been the same for me as I continue to learn how to be an effective parent, husband, business manager, and consultant.

The truth be told, we all struggle with this skill in one way or another. That's why it's helpful to use a few little tricks to keep ourselves headed in the right direction:

Remember that it’s okay to delay consequences.
When you're too angry to think straight or to be empathetic, give yourself a gift by giving yourself some time to calm down, think, and get some help from others.

Post your "empathetic statement" around the house.
Memorize your empathetic statement by posting it all over the house on little "sticky notes."

Don't be afraid to take care of yourself by setting and enforcing solid limits.
Many parents have problems with getting angry because they haven't set enough good, solid limits with their children. One of my favorites sounds like, "I do___________ for kids when they are treating me with respect."

Resist the urge to remind.
The more warnings or reminders we give our kids, the more stressed and frustrated we become. Take care of yourself, and your child, by replacing words with actions.

Thousands of parents worldwide have learned how to replace anger with empathy by studying our CD, Keeping Cool When Parenting Heats Up. You'll love it, and it's less expensive than therapy.

Thanks for reading! Our goal is to help as many families as possible. If this is a benefit, forward it to a friend.

Dr. Charles Fay

Beat. Down.

2011-06-21T21:33:00.003-04:00

You know what I finally realized today?

I finally realized that there is a big difference between the exhaustion you feel from working really hard and accomplishing great things and the exhaustion you feel from simply being trompelled on by your children all day.

Which kind of exhaustion am I feeling this evening, you ask?

Well, I've got no great accomplishments to show for my efforts today.

Nothing. Nada.

And yet I feel beat-down.

AND here's the real pitiful part- Aiden was at a friend's house for most of the day.

SO, I'll give you one guess as to where my energy went instead.

Think. Think. Think.

One guess....

Yes!
The damn dog wore me out today!

Any ideas where we spent Father's Day this year?

2011-06-19T21:34:00.008-04:00

Think hard; this is a tough one.

Nooo....not golfing.
Good guess though. :)

We had a great time at the Air Force Museum today!

And, once again, it earned two thumbs up from us, right guys?

Happy Father's Day to all the superb fathers out there!

A very belated birthday post....

2011-06-17T16:58:00.004-04:00

You might think we forgot to celebrate Garrett's birthday since I completely failed to blog about it, but have no worries- Garrett was not forgotten. He had a GREAT third birthday! :)

Instead of a party, we celebrated with a weekend trip to Pittsburgh. Initially we only planned to visit the Dinosaur bones at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Museum of Natural History. But after talking to some in-the-know moms who had recently visited Pittsburgh with their children, we decided to include the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh and the Duqeusne Incline in our trip. I would highly recommend the Children's Museum (loved!) and if you're not squeamish about heights, I suppose the incline too (I was not a huge fan, but I'm anti-anything where my feet leave the ground, so take that for what it's worth). :)

What I loved most about the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh (besides that it was FREE to COSI members and that I got to be there with my family) was that it truly had something for every kind of learner.

And it also had a really neat room dedicated to all things Mr. Rogers. Remember him? Your kids probably don't, but most of us have some some fond memories of Mr. Rogers and his neighborhood trolley.

This was perhaps my favorite exhibit....

It reminds me of some kind of mouse maze and I loved that you could see all the climbing that was being done. Dear COSI, please take note that I loved this exhibit. Thank you.

Trains!

Dancing in front of a computer screen that showed in brilliant color, all of your wild movements.

Trust me, the wilder, the better.

An entire room/exhibit exploring wind energy got 2 thumbs up from this crew (paper airplanes, real airplanes, turbines, etc.)....

A HUGE art studio, where getting messy while you worked, was highly encouraged.

And every young child's favorite way to play/learn....

with water!

Now that we are the experienced parents (ha ha) of a 5 and 3-year-old we knew to end our day with this exhibit. Either way, we're peeling pouting, soaking-wet children from this room and the end of the day sure beats the beginning to me!

We were at the museum from open until close and we barely managed to see every room. We all enjoyed our time there and we will be back!

After the museum we rode the Duquesne incline. See? Heights can't be an issue if you choose to ride it.

There's me smiling stupidly before I realized how the click, click, clicking of the cable car would feel....

I fanned myself with a map, looked down the entire way and my legs were still wobbly when we got to the top.
Yeah, this really isn't my "thing"; I did it anyway. I'm so damn generous. ;)

Fortunately everyone else seemed to enjoy the view.

Afterwards we quickly hit up a Mexican restaurant to try and make things right again.

And then we commenced what I believe was Garrett's favorite part of the weekend: staying in a hotel!

Dino bones, coming up next.....

It's not just all fun and games!

2011-06-14T23:30:00.002-04:00

Okay, so by now you know I'm officially obsessed with Pinterest. I love the idea of FINALLY having a place to keep all of the things that excite me; whether it's a new art project for my children, a yummy dip to try at dinner club, plans for the window bench that I just KNOW Todd is going to build for me one day ;) or the Christmas gifts I'm considering this year. Pin boards can be anything you want them to be; I love beautiful, organized spaces and fun learning activities for my kids (who knows what I'll pin in the future). What's even better than finding inspiration though is getting motivation and turning that into action. This weekend we got busy turning our pinned ideas into fun and made some sensory bins! I've made sensory bins before, but after browsing Pinterest (and thereby new-to-me blogs) I became inspired all over again.

Click here for the Pinterest link inspiration, because while I love what we made, I can't take credit for the idea.

We dyed the rice....

Kissed a little bit.... :)

Laid the rice out to dry (LOTS and LOTS of rice)....

And then play time....

(A bin: lots of A's, Alligator, Anklyosaurus, Airplane, Apple, etc.)

(G bin: lots of G's, goat, gingerbread man, grasshoppers, giraffe, ghost, etc.)

The bins didn't look like this for long! :)

Funny story....The kids and I spent Friday night dyeing no less than 10 pounds of rice (which as you can imagine took quite some time with 2 little helpers!), but I told them the rice needed to dry over night and their bins would be ready in the morning. On Saturday morning I heard a noise, got out of bed and almost knocked Aiden over on my way out of my room. He was standing in our doorway with Garrett right behind him and nearly gave me a heart-attack. After I got over the shock of seeing him so early in the morning, he whispered, "We've been in bed talking about our rice!"

How cute is that?!

Side note: I absolutely loved these bins too and after gathering the supplies surprised the kids. They were a HUGE hit. They played for hours.

Not now, kids. I'm busy pinning.

2011-06-10T09:06:00.005-04:00

You may be wondering where I've been lately.
I haven't been scrapbooking,
I haven't been blogging,
I haven't been keeping up with my Project Life.
I've been busy pinning!

(Of course I've also been busy cleaning up toddler poop, slathering sunblock, breaking up squabbles, crafting with my kids, making pb&j and countless other things, BUT when I've had a free moment to look at my computer, I've been pinning.)

For YEARS I've been keeping paper and digital versions of things that inspire me: decorating, organizing, recipes, craft ideas, lesson plans, etc. etc. and now, FINALLY someone (and why oh why couldn't it have been me?) figured out a way to digitally combine all of the things that rattle around in my brain.

It's visual, beautiful AND functional. Need I say more?

Sign up for your own Pinterest account and start "collecting" your favorite ideas, inspiration, wishes, etc.

Or just follow the visual part of my brain here.

Happy Pinning!

Sigh.

2011-06-03T20:49:00.000-04:00

Potty training has begun.

And like with most things, Garrett is very amenable to this.

Nobody ever said parenting would be easy; but they certainly didn't say it would be this hard. (Except for Todd's parents. Now that I think about it- they might have mentioned it a time or seven.)

Happy Memorial Day!

2011-05-30T22:33:00.000-04:00

Sittin' on the dock of the bay....

2011-05-30T22:06:00.001-04:00

Happy things....

2011-05-18T11:14:00.002-04:00

I came home from a meeting tonight, after a very long day, just needing to see some happy things. And very few things make me happier than looking at pictures of our trip to Florida and time spent at Disney! I uploaded a few more photos to share, mostly because they make me happy.

Oh, and also so Madison can see more pics of our trip to Disney. Hi, Madison! :)

We were at Hollywood Studios shortly after it opened and HIGHTAILED it to Pixar Place to catch all the Toy Story Mania stuff. It was already packed (how early did those people get up?!), but it did NOT disappoint. Aiden still talks about the Toy Story ride as being his favorite.

Fortunately we were able to ride it twice thanks to a quick thinking tour guide (Todd) who grabbed fast passes as soon as we arrived.

Todd and I took turns riding with each of our children and I just hope I never forget how much fun it was to ride this with my kids when they were only 2.5 and 5 years old.

While at Magic Kingdom we rode another Toy Story ride that ranked among the favorites too. This is the ride where Aiden defeated Zurg (that is how you spell it, right?). The next day, when Aiden asked Garrett if he wanted to go back and defeat Zurg, Garrett said, "No, he's not hungry."
Say that out loud....it will make more sense. :)

One of our favorite places to eat, maybe because it was just so perfect, after a perfectly perfect day was Pizza Planet. This is what greeted us where we ate. How could we not love it?! Would you look at that sky? That is not trick photography. In some cities, the skies are blue.

By far, the boys' favorite performance (all 3 boys, mind you) was "Lights, Motors, Action!" It was a behind the scenes look at stunt driving in the movies. Honestly, "The Little Mermaid" was much more my speed, but I'm nothing if not accommodating. ;)

See? What boy wouldn't love that?

After watching American Idol pretty religiously every season since it started, we wanted to participate in a mock AI episode. The set looks exactly like it does on TV and there were even 3 performers who had tried out earlier in the day. They sang for the audience, received feedback from the judges and got voted on by the audience. Fun!

Can I just say that we rocked Epcot?

I really wanted to quit around 5pm. And I mean, I really wanted to quit.

We had been walking for DAYS, it was hot, I was hungry, etc. etc. BUT Todd had a map and an agenda and this thing called selective hearing, so we sat for a minute, inhaled a soft pretzel and kept. on. going.

Again, I just do what I'm told. :)

In the end, I'm glad he pushed us to see the rest of Epcot and didn't cave to the pressure of returning to our hotel room. It couldn't have been easy, because in addition to being super accommodating and an order-follower, I'm also very persuasive.

I'm just a peach, I tell you. :)

One of the funniest rides was one Disney probably would have let us ride for free.

The 1.5 hour bus ride!

This picture still makes me laugh.

A lot.

When we finished our dinner at the Swan resort we asked the concierge for the best way to get back to our hotel (Port Orleans French Quarter). He recommended taking the bus from the Swan, to Downtown Disney, then switching buses to one that would take us back to our hotel.

Yeah....Look that up on a map.

That dude should be fired.

BUT it garnered a good photo op and very funny memories. Seriously, do you see Pearl in the photo above, surrounded by a gaggle of little kids who hadn't slept ALL day?

Thank goodness for the light up toys she bought them on a whim earlier in the day because that is quite possibly what saved us from being ejected from this "ride" all together.Let me just put it into perspective again....4 kids, 3 adults, 1.5 hours, a bus full of people, 10pm, no sleep and a crapload of stuff we'd accumulated througout the day. GOOD times!

(I sound like I'm being snarky, but this was honestly one of my favorite memories, made even funnier by the fact that all the adults were texting other people telling them we were being held hostage on a Disney bus). :)

Earlier in the day, when we were a little more fresh, we got this picture.

I love it.

And we got to experience, from the front row, one of the things I remember best about Disney from when I was little- The Carousel of Progress.

And no trip to the Magic Kingdom would be complete without experiencing "It's a Small World," which is wonderfully unchanged after all these years.....

Thanks for the memories, Disney, you always make me smile.

This is one of those long, ramling posts.

2011-05-06T18:30:00.000-04:00

You know, the kind with no real theme, lots of photos and little snippets so I won't forget these memories in 10 years (or 7 minutes, as is usually the case).

Lately we I have been obsessed with all things English. I Tivo'd the Royal Wedding because I wanted to watch it, but had no intention of getting up at 4:30am (I said I was obsessed, not insane).

Notice the feet in the photo below?

I wasn't the only wedding watcher. :)

But I was the only one with any sense of decorum.

The Queen would be mortified.

We celebrated Mother's Day a wee bit early this year and continued our love of all things English by going to to see Mary Poppins. I hosted a Mother's Day lunch for my Mum, Liz and the boys and then we headed to the Ohio Theater.

It was a fantastic production. It was a tad long, but really well done and all the kids in the audience (including my own) were exceptional.

Todd got tickets to the OSU Spring game and it was the perfect opportunity to take the boys to a "football game" without disrupting as many die-hard fans as we would have in the fall. My guess is not everyone would have appreciated this hi-jinx....

We got to sit with my friend Gretchen who I hadn't seen in almost 7 years. Gretchen and I met and bonded during the expensive process of of getting our teaching certificates (also known as graduate school). :)

Aiden has been doing his best to participate in soccer this Spring, but the weather hasn't cooperated at all. Most of the games have been cancelled due to rain, but Aiden did manage to score a few goals...

And I was there to see them which is apparently how Aiden knows that I love him.

At least according to the poster in his preschool class....

A few other things Aiden shared with his preschool class:

That I'm 29 (Yes. Always. And don't you forget it.).

That I like salads with dressing (I make my own so that obviously stuck with him).

That I like Diet Coke, Water and Coffee (yes, yes and yes).

That I watch funny shows (who doesn't love to laugh?!).

And we share really good hugs (you have NEVER met a better hugger than Aiden).

He presented all of these special memories to me at the Mother's Day Luncheon at his preschool.

It was, once again, one of my favorite days of the year.

Happy? Easter

2011-04-24T15:39:00.003-04:00

If you take over 200 photos on Easter morning,

you might end up with ONE that looks like this....

But you will probably end up with 199 that look something like this....

Or this....

In spite of the crazy, it was a Happy Easter with many Blessings.

I'll share more photos later; right after I get out of my food coma. :)

Cast of Characters....

2011-04-19T23:27:00.218-04:00

It's a good thing I blogged a bit while I was in Florida, because as soon as I returned from our vacation, life took over and I put blogging on the back burner again. But there have been a few requests to see more of our Disney pics and who am I to deny such sweet things?!

So this is the cast of characters we saw at Disney.....

I'm not sure they'll ever be the same again, and by "them" I mean the characters, and by the characters, I mean the ones that Disney produced. The characters I produced didn't even flinch. (Let's just say that Goofy's whiskers are not to be flicked, pulled or pinched. He rolls with an entourage and they will correct you.)

Aiden had 2 requests each and every time we asked him what he wanted to do at Disney World: See Goofy and Oso (That's Special Agent Oso to you and me.)

On our first night at The Garden Grove (inside the Swan Resort) after our crazy, fun-filled, long day at the Magic Kingdom, we had our first encounter with some of the Disney characters.

And it was magic.

You can't imagine how happy it made me to know that Aiden was so happy.

After Goofy left our table (of 4 little kids) for safer/saner haunts, Aunt Pearl said, "Awww. That's so sweet, I think I could cry."

Ditto.

At Hollywood Studios we knew we needed to keep our eyes peeled for Buzz Lightyear, Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater, etc. and while we did see the line for Buzz & Woody, we decided it wasn't worth waiting for (70 minutes!?) on this trip, so we grabbed some of the supporting characters (army men) and threw our kids in front of the camera....

Cute though, right? :)

We had lunch reservations at Hollywood & Vine to hopefully fulfill Aiden's other request: Oso....

Elation, I tell you.

It's like he's saying, "Oso, my friend, my parents brought me a really long way just to see you!"

We saw several other characters at Hollywood and Vine. Some of the characters from the Little Einsteins and Handy Manny. Fun, fun, fun!

After lunch we rounded a corner and unexpectedly saw this little cutie...

And this big lug....

So cute!

Over brunch (Mickey waffles!) at Cape May, the adults got in on the action....

What can I say? We loved Disney every bit as much as our kids. :)

For Emily: We walked into Epcot, rode Soarin', got a fast pass for later, then ~~walked~~ ran all the way to the back of Epcot (Canada area) and around to the Beach club to go to Cape May for brunch. Crazy. But SO worth it.

We also saw Snow White, but you'll notice my children aren't in the picture. That's because grumpy and bashful wouldn't take one.

And see, Katie, we saw the house from Tangled!

At the end of our day at Epcot, as you know, we finally saw Mickey.

Knuckle up, Dude.

Then we saw Goofy again.

My peeps. Where you been?

We were hanging on by a thread by the time we got to Animal Kingdom (you can thank my husband for that- he was a maniac with a map and an agenda), but we did manage to get some wonderful family photos with King Louie....

It was magic at Disney, I'm telling you. Just Magic.

Very Sweet.

2011-04-15T11:27:00.000-04:00

Todd and Aiden bonded over breakfast at a "Donuts with Dad" preschool event this morning. Very Sweet. :)

Afterwards Todd emailed me the above photo and had this to say about their morning together....

ME: Thank you for sharing. How was it??

TODD: Great. I wish they had more of these. Aiden was wonderful.

Very Sweet!!

A Fresh Perspective.

2011-04-14T11:33:00.002-04:00

My brother-in-law (Todd's brother, Heath) and my sister-in-law, Pearl are both avid photographers. Their photography skills blow me out of the water (Pearl took the photo that we used for our Christmas cards this year, just to give you an idea), so you have to see their pictures and perspective on our first day in Orlando.

Their photos and Pearl's post might just be the single, sweetest thing ever written about my 2 boys. I've been so busy telling you how ornery my children have been....I'm eternally grateful for this fresh perspective:

http://kcwilsons.wordpress.com/

Thank you, Pearl, for your sweet words about my boys. I'm just all kinds of choked-up reading about them.

Shenanigans.

2011-04-13T15:26:00.002-04:00

I should probably be doing about 1,247 other things right now, but I just have to show you some of the shenanigans that we had to put up with on our recent trip to Florida. It was fabulous in so many ways, but the fact of the matter is: kids are kids no matter what paradise you're visiting and Garrett is certainly no exception.

You already know that he's very cooperative with photographers.

But did you know that he has a real flair for the dramatics?

Otherwise known as a small blister.

Did you know that he can finish,

and wear almost everything he eats?

Did you know that he doesn't care at all about his surroundings?

If he needs a moment,

He's taking a moment.

He's especially respectful of restaurants and those dining around him.

Did you know he can rock a pair of 3D glasses?

And can reach things inside of his nose that shouldn't be reached?

Did you know that even in a rectangular hotel room there are still places to hide from getting your diaper changed?

Garrett knows.

AND

Did you know that no one cuter (or more ornery) has ever worn those famous Mickey ears?

Garrett knows.

He's counting on it.

For Nana.

2011-04-09T22:50:00.005-04:00

Because Aiden is devastated that we made him take a bath and worried that you won't get to see his face painted....

And Garrett could care less who sees his face; I just added this because he's cute....

We found him! We found him!

2011-04-09T01:00:00.001-04:00

We spent 33 hours pounding the pavement at 3 of the 4 WDW parks (still have one to go- Animal Kingdom is tomorrow) and in our last hour, tired, bedraggled, beat-down and our way to the exit doors at 9:30pm we glanced over and caught a glimpse of the ~~man~~ mouse himself....

Mr. Mickey Mouse.

Worth it. Totally worth it.

Disney!

2011-04-07T23:14:00.001-04:00

Too tired to post (and pics are taking forever to upload), but I wanted to share at least one picture from each of our days at Disney so far.

Our crazy crew at the Magic Kingdom....

My sister-in-law and her 2 children joined us at the Magic Kingdom while my brother-in-law attended a conference in Orlando. That meant our "little" group of 7 was made up of 4 children under the age of five and we survived!

Yes, we were a bit harried. Yes, it was hard work. Yes, people stared at us like we just rode in on the crazy train.

Mostly though...it was a lot of fun and we shared wonderful memories!

Can't wait to share more pics soon.

p.s. - notice who's not even facing the photographer? We had to take what we could get.

Today we pounded the pavement at Hollywood Studios and our group was a little smaller....

Tomorrow....Epcot. Can't wait!

Can't no rain hold us down. Oh no.

2011-04-05T23:03:00.002-04:00

Sea World is supposed to be wet, right?

So it seemed like the perfect place to spend a rainy Tuesday while in Orlando.

Plus, we had our own personal Sea World Tour guide today.

Todd's friend Daniel has been a Sea World employee for 2 years and was able to score us preferred parking (front row), free passes and discounts on food. And that's just the savings that can be measured. What can't be measured, and might be even more important in savings was the time he was able to shave off our map-reading. Daniel knows the park inside and out, and knew exactly what shows we should see.

We started our day with near-perfect seating in the Elmo Treasure Hunt show.

After that, we had just enough time to feed the sharks before the next show when "someone" in our party of five dumped the shark food container into the shark tank. After the Sea World attendant fished the container out with a big giant net and we made Garrett apologize (did you think it was Todd?) we visited the shark aquarium.

Notice the pretty ponchos that we had all packed in our backpack (thanks for the tip, Emily!).

Luckily, we still made it to "A'Lure".

(That's Daniel, with Aiden on his lap. The boys loved that Daniel joined us at Sea World).

Our seats were right under the bubbles and dragon (sea-horse?). I know it's blurry, but that's the best I could get. In person...really cool.

By the time we finished the indoor events and shows, the weather had turned around and we were able to finally look around and see the beauty that is Sea World. It's a spectacular place and I honestly wish that we had 2 days to spend there, but it just doesn't fit into the schedule this trip (I rarely deviate from a schedule :)).

We saw the awesome and impressive, Blue Horizons show....

We rode rides together.

Um, and no one told me that this innocent looking ride was actually going to spin me all around. I tried to get off the ride, but I didn't want to abandon my 2-year-old. :)

This is my favorite picture of the day....

When I get home, I will bring it closer and crop it so you can see the splendor on Garrett's face while he's riding that big whale-roller coaster.

Sea World gets 2-thumbs up from this family; we'll definitely be back.

That is, of course, if they'll let us. :)

Dear Emily,

2011-04-04T23:06:00.001-04:00

So far all of the travel tips & vacation hints you shared with me have been spot-on and so helpful. Your next job should definitely be as a personal vacation planner OR maybe you could just write an insiders guide to Disney. (I'm sure Jeff would love that!). :) Thanks for all of your pre-planning help. It has come in very handy.

Your best tip so far- "bring extra zip-lock baggies everywhere you go".

Thank you!
Lori

Boys Meet Ocean...

2011-04-04T22:48:00.000-04:00

And love it.

Tomorrow....

Shamu, meet Garrett. :)

Check out that clear sky....

2011-04-04T09:20:00.000-04:00

And those handsome boys!!!

My sweet friend, Katie....We're here! We're here!

Angi, this one's for you...

Thank you for the suggestion...I had the coffee gilatto. It rocked. :)

Nana & Papa...This one's for you...

Garrett is still Garrett, no matter what state we're in.

No worries, you haven't missed witnessing any miracles.

We're off to the beach!

Love you!

At exactly 9:02am, Aiden asked....

2011-04-02T22:59:00.002-04:00

"Are we there yet?"

We had managed to stave off that question for all of 2 hours. :)

When we weren't answering that question,

we entertained ourselves by listening to music,

coloring,

eating at Jack-in-the-Box (Todd's insistence; and a bit of a disappointment),

playing with the camera

and loooots of driving,

Oh, and we totally enjoyed the scenery-

on our way through the mountains we saw rain, snow and....

are you ready for this....

WE SAW THE SUN!!!

Listen people, it does exist!

I know we haven't seen it in Ohio in quite some time, but if you go further south it's as if it shines all the time.

It's crazy.

Did you know....??

2011-03-29T13:27:00.001-04:00

That Todd and I never took a honeymoon? We got married on a Saturday in November and I was back at work 3 days later (and wow, those were 3 CRAZY days and not at all in the way that you might be thinking. Trust me, those days were not enjoyable, but that's for another blog post. Just trust me on this.) Anyway, we found out we were expecting a baby three months after we got married and never got around to the honeymoon we had promised ourselves. Welcoming a baby into your life has a funny way of changing even the most well-laid plans....

We took our TWO babies to Ogleybay Park in WV for a few days 2.5 years ago. It was fun, it was nice, it was a break from the everyday, but I'm not sure I would go back. There are probably other places we would rather put our time and money now.

We've been to Great Wolf Lodge twice. Once was a fun-filled (but busy) weekend and one was a six-hour disaster. It's a fun place, I look forward to going back someday, but I'm not in any hurry to go back right now.

Once Todd and I got away for a weekend to celebrate our 5-year-wedding Anniversary (did I mention we didn't take a honeymoon?!) that was so wonderful and so desperately needed that we could have been sent to Alcatraz and probably enjoyed the fact that we were eating and sleeping without interruption. I barely even felt guilty about leaving the kids for 2.5 whole days.

Once Todd and I went to a state park for a day this past summer. It was filled with so much crap and bad luck that I'm convinced we weren't really supposed to be there. In hindsight it's funny, at the time, I just wanted a day off to enjoy some relatively low-key time with my husband.

I'm not listing all of these things because I'm crazy and negative. I'm listing these things so you can see what little traveling we've done in the past decade and how much our upcoming trip to Florida means to us. It feels like a once-in-a-lifetime vacation (i hope it's not, but if I have to wait another 10.5 years to see the ocean, it might as well be a lifetime).

This will be our first "real" vacation together and I simply cannot wait. I can't wait to feel the sand, hear the waves and show my children all the treasures a beach can hold. I can't wait to experience the Cinderella Castle, seek out Mickey Mouse and maybe, just maybe high-five Buzz Lightyear. I can't wait to stay up late, eat junky snacks in a hotel bed (that I don't have to make in the morning!) and head straight to the hotel pool without even brushing our hair. I can't wait to hear my children retell the adventures of their first vacation and trip to Disney World. I simply can't wait to make these memories with my family.

We certainly haven't been deprived over the past 10 years, we've been busy with careers and moving and children and we've been very, very happy and beyond blessed, but our lives have not consisted of a lot of travel in the past decade. And I hope as a family we can change that.

Look out Florida, here we come!

Do you know what this means?

2011-03-25T20:48:00.001-04:00

It means that we're packing for a vacation!

Yeah!!!!

(And while it might look like a mess, it's actually a strategic placement of one outfit for each of the boys, for every day that we will be on vacation, pajamas for every other night and extras down below. Believe it or not, it's a very organized mess. My clothes and Todd's on the other hand, are still a real mess.) :)

Just for fun, a few more pics of the kids....

This was Aiden on St. Patrick's Day. Note the all-black outfit. Oh, and note the sun shining- that's even more strange around here.

Garrett cleaning yet another wall that he painted. We have more paper than you can shake a stick at (what exactly does that mean??), yet he always chooses the walls. Or the furniture. Or himself.

Could you stay mad at this face though?

The boys proudly displaying their Lowe's Projects....

The boys (all 3 of them) continue to enjoy their Saturday morning guy-time. Notice their work-aprons. They earned a patch for each of the projects they completed last year and on New Year's Day, Todd ironed (yes, Todd irons) ALL of the patches onto their aprons.

He said it was his very own form of scrapbooking.

Be still my heart.

I know. I know.

2011-03-22T14:34:00.000-04:00

I'm a blog failure. I used to be so good about updating, but then my kids stopped napping and the blog went the way of Garrett's potty training- in the crapper (and I don't mean that in the way that I should). I've been searching for blog mojo and motivation, but I just haven't found any yet. For those of you who still check in on me- thank you AND what the heck are you doing checking a flat-lined blog?!? :) Just kidding- I have a headache and I'm babysitting for 5 children under the age of 5 today and Todd's not scheduled to be home until who-knows-when. So, my humor is a bit "off", as are my kids and my moods. Now that I think about it, maybe it's just best if I not log on and publicly plop out my feelings.

Hope you're having a good day!

Too funny- A must read!

2011-03-17T12:16:00.000-04:00

A Blog I stumbled upon this weekend had a hilarious list of ways to clutter up your home. If you know anything about me at all you know I can't stand clutter. Keeping extra piles of stuff "just in case you might need it one day" or because you "loved it once upon a time" makes me crazy. Really, loopy, lose-my-mind crazy, not just ha ha crazy. Ask Todd. :)

I copied the list below from the Blog called "Making This Home"; be sure to check it out for yourself if you get a chance and read some of the comments. Funny!

Always bring home the freebies – the booklets at grocery stores, the soaps at the hotel, the pens at the bank.

Take something your relative is going to get rid of even though you don’t need it.

Keep a file in your cabinet labeled “miscellaneous” or “interesting”

Buy holiday stuff after the holiday. Store it all year. Put it in a box. Put the box in the basement or garage.

Keep every last magazine you get. Make big stacks with them. One day, it’ll be an awesome side table.

Buy food in bulk because it’s cheaper, even though it’ll take you six months to use up.

Never clean out your closet.

Shop for more containers when your space feels crowded or the containers you already have are full.

Walk into a store where you know you don’t need anything.

Keep heirlooms that you don’t really like just because they belonged to someone you knew.

Keep everything you might need in a year or two.

Don’t donate something that you bought but never used. Dang it. You paid good money for that thing!

Keep two of everything. It’s always good to have a second can opener in case the first one breaks when you’re opening a can of tuna.

I'm sorry; I promise I don't mean to be offensive. We all have our "things"; my thing just happens to be a high level of agitation when it comes to clutter. :)