I'd Do It All Over Again

Today is my 4Th wedding anniversary and each year this day comes and I can't help but be ridiculously happy and nostalgic. I pull out our wedding album and I watch our wedding video (or at least parts of it because some of it is really boring) and I smile all day long. I think about how I couldn't get to sleep the night before and how I was up at 5:00 am and singing rather loudly to the song that was playing on the alarm clock that went off to wake me for my hair appointment while my sister laughed at me and my mom yelled at me to shut up because I was going to wake Hannah (who wasn't quite a year and a half yet). I remember the looks on my parents and grandparents faces as they saw me in my wedding dress for the first time and how my godfather was overcome with emotion as he hugged me and told me that he loved me. I think about how Hannah absolutely HATED her dress and wanted nothing more then for either mommy to hold her or to get hold of the wedding flowers that were everywhere and about all of the silly poses the photographer put me in and how the videographer made me and my bridesmaids sing "Chapel of Love" for him. I now shake my head at how silly it was that I was incredibly nervous to walk down the aisle and how I hardly smiled at all while poor Bill probably wanted to shake me to get me out of the stupor that I'd fallen into and how happy and relieved I was when it was all over. I remember almost falling on my behind as I went to sit down because my dress was too puffy and pushed my chair away from me and and all of the kisses that Bill and I shared because our guests were a little too enthusiastic with the bells on their tables and dancing the hokey pokey with Hannah in her jammies.

I remember loads of special little things about our wedding day- way too many to mention here! - but I remember how I felt the most. I felt so lucky to have found the right man for me and so blessed that he loved me for me and understood me without me having to say a word. I was grateful that he was a wonderful father to our little girl and that we had stuck together through the rough times in our very rocky relationship to get to where we were on that day.

Four years later I still feel the same way that I did on my wedding day. Bill can make me smile like no one else can. He gets my humor and can make me laugh until I have tears running down my face and am begging him to stop. He's patient with me and the kids and there is nothing that he wouldn't do to make sure that we are safe and happy. I was made to be with him and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy Anniversary honey, I love you!

She was GREAT!!

This past weekend was Hannah's dance recital and she did fantastic!! Sorry, I don't have any video of it but once the DVD's come in I'll try to remember to put it up. Her dance was too cute, there was a little boy on a motorcycle and they danced to "Born to be Wild". The recital was two days so on Saturday and my parents and sister were there to see her and I was a room mom so I got to see her too. Bill and my MIL went to see her on Sunday so that she had someone to see her both days. It went much smoother then I thought it would and I didn't have to hurt anyone (even though one of the room moms was really annoying and I REALLY wanted to trip her or something!). Anyway, dance is now over for the season and we can now focus on other activities.

Speaking of other activities, Hannah also started spring soccer last week. Her first game was last Friday against St. Linus. Unfortunately, St. Louis (Hannah's school) lost 3-1 but I don't think the kids actually knew that and it looked like they all had a good time. I think the best part of the whole game was the popcicles that they got from Coach Steve when the game was over!

Running after the Ball

Going for a goal

Playing Goalie

So far she's really enjoying playing on the soccer team. I just hope it stays that way until the end of the season!! Poor Alexander is dying to get out on the field with the rest of the kids. He's really good at kicking the ball (probably even better then Hannah) around in the backyard. I'm thinking that I'm going to have to find some type of sports class for him soon just so that the poor kid doesn't feel left out. He can't wait to be able to do some of the things that Hannah is doing. I think that I'm about to get even busier with the kids activities then I already am. I may have to hire an assistant to help me out here - any takers?

Oh My Poor Baby!!

Hannah got another ear infection at the beginning of this week so I took her to the doctor for another antibiotic prescription. While we were there I had the doctor check her file to see how many she's had and it turns out that she's had 7 ear infections since last March. It has gotten to the point where she can no longer have just regular old Amoxcillan or the "yummy bubblegum stuff" as she calls it, she has to have the stronger stuff because the regular stuff just doesn't do it for her. So far we've tried Omnicef and now she's on Augmentin and if this stuff doesn't help her she's going to have to take like horse antibiotics or something just plain crazy! Anyway, since she's had so many problems with her ears this year we now have to take her to an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor (who she's actually seen before because she has issues with her nose) and we had to have her tested for allergies.

I took her for her allergy test today and let me tell you she was NOT happy. I picked her up from school and told her that we had to go and take a test for her doctor and she immediately started resisting. I had yet to mention that there was a needle involved and was preparing myself for one hell of a fight! After checking in, Hannah noticed a sign with a syringe on it and asked if she was getting a shot. I said yes and that the phlebotomist would be taking some blood so that they could check it. She cried some but eventually calmed down. She was fine until we sat in the chair and she heard the word needle. She put up a pretty good fight for about two minutes but I managed to calm her again and she let the lady check her veins. Now, I've never cried when the kids got their shots as babies. I thought I would but I never did so I did not expect to get teary eyed over this! I felt horrible as I held her on my lap and my poor baby cried into my neck while this mean lady stuck her!! I couldn't do anything for her and it killed me!! Once it was done she was a little shaken and I was trying to be brave for her and not maim the evil woman with the needle. We both made it out of there okay (and without hurting anyone) but I hope I never have to do that again!!

It Was Such a Lovely Wedding

I wore a pink gerbera daisy in my hair and held a bunch in my hands as Bill kissed me. Together we walked down the isle as some Irish chick sang some silly song that for the life of me I cannot name (the girl or the song). We honeymooned in Mexico for a day where we played in the sand and swam in the pool before finally being able to come home.

Of course, this was not my actual wedding and NO we weren't renewing our vows either. This is what Hannah planned for us to do tonight. My FIL has nicknamed Hannah the "Entertainment Coordinator" because she is constantly getting whatever group of adults that are around to do some pretty silly things. She managed to get my in-laws to play pass the monkey (hot potato) and freeze dance on Bill's birthday and on Easter she got about 18 people to play pass the dog (hot potato again). I'm not sure how she does it but we all end up playing along.

So tonight as Bill was watching American Idol and I was doing some laundry she planned everything and even found me some flowers. She got me a pretty sweet Pre-nup too that says that Bill has to have a good job and love me forever and has to like kids (that was my idea - not hers) and got Bill to sign it!!! Hannah "married" us in the front room while Alexander ran around like a maniac and Bill and I tried to hold in our laughter. It may not have been as nice as our real wedding with me in the cinderella gown and Bill in his tux was but it was definately sweet. I also think that this was better because it came from the vivid imagination and the earnest heart of my little girl.

Why Are Some Parents Just Plain Crazy and Never Happy with What They Get?

Hannah takes tap classes once a week through the park district and she LOVES it. She loves the friends that she's made in class, her teacher, the cute little dance outfits that she gets to wear and most of all she loves her tap shoes. I love it because she gets to go out and do something that she enjoys and because it's only $180. Now some of you may think that that's a lot of money but in reality it's not. The cost of the class covers all classes (from October to April), and costume and recital fees. I looked into actual dance studios before signing her up with the park district and they were charging on average $350 for 12 to 15 weeks which is just insanity to me! Besides, the park has a great program and wonderful teachers and I am greatful for them.

Hannah's recital is 2 weeks from Friday and the kids are all busy trying to learn and perfect their little routines. Last year was Hannah's first year and she did great but the place that the recital was held was a madhouse. It was held in a huge gymnasium that was complete chaos. There were around 1000 people there, it was hot and noisy and nobody listened to directions. the performers had to sit in the back of the gym on bleechers to wait their turns. While back there, lots of kids ended up falling and hurting themselves and a few kids somehow managed to wander away and get lost - how scary is that!

This year there is a new person heading the department and she decided to move the recital to the (much smaller) Oak Lawn theater. The kids will have two days to perform and it should be nice because the theater has stadium seating so everyone will actually be able to see the stage. The new director and her group of teachers have worked really hard to make this as nice as possible for everyone but of course there are still lots os disgruntled parents. It was announced at a parents' meeting a few weeks ago that parents were only allowed to buy 5 tickets total for both recital days (for the first 5 days that the tickets were on sale and you can try to buy more after the five days if there are any left but of course nobody heard that!!). You'd think this poor girl said that nobody was allowed to come and we all had to wait in the parking lot until the kids were done! Since then all I've heard is people complaining about how unfair it is and how they have 20 milion people that HAVE to come and they just "don't know what to do"!!! At first I thought it was silly but then I started thinking about it and the fact that there are almost 600 kids in the dance program and I figured that 5 tickets was actually pretty generous. I've wanted to so badly to tell lots of people to shut the hell up and be greatful that they're getting that many tickets, but I've been really good and have kept my mouth shut. Let me tell you, keeping quiet about the whole thing has been really difficult - especially today.

Recital tickets went on sale this morning at 9am. Everyone that came to buy tickets got a number and you bought your tickets as your number was called. I thought they went on sale at 8am so after dropping Hannah off at school (Alexander stayed overnight at my mom's so that I didn't have to drag him with me) I headed on over to get in line and I'm glad I got there when I did. I was number 41 out of over 160 people. I was there for 2 hours and the whole time I heard nothing but complaining!!! "Why didn't I know that you could come early for a number?" "This is horrible, I'd rather fight for seats like last year." "It's so unfair that we only get 5 tickets, we should be able to get as many as we need." "This program used to be great. We're not coming back next year." It went on and on and on for what felt like an eternity!!! As soon as I got my tickets I practically ran out of there, I was SO happy to be away from the complaints! I just couldn't understand why everyone had to be so miserable and negative about the whole thing - I still can't understand!! Why is no one grateful for what we did get? Where are all of the "Glass is half full" parents?!?! I just hope that they aren't like this on the nights of the recitals and ruin it for the kids because then I won't hold back - and then I'll probably be in jail!! :-)