Two Kids and a Little Crazy

Hannah's Dance Recital 2009

2009-04-07T13:23:00.003-05:00

Hannah's Dance recital was this weekend. She (and the rest of her class) work really hard all year just to get to this and I have to say that they did fantastic!

Her Ballet class danced to "A Whole New World" From Aladdin.

Her Tap class danced to "California Girls".

She just loves her teacher and I have to say that not only is she great with the kids but she comes up with some really cute dance numbers! I'll be excited to see what she comes up with next year.

Uh...

2009-03-24T21:26:00.005-05:00

So earlier today one of the kids did something really cute and I said to myself "Ooh, I've got to post about that" only I cannot for the life of me remember what it was that was so cute now that I'm sitting at the computer so I guess I'll just let my brain run wild for a bit and see what I can come up with here!

We celebrated Bill's birthday last week. The kids insisted that we make daddy's cake this year so that's exactly what we did. I told the kids that they could decorate it (which totally made their day) but they couldn't agree on what kind of frosting. We stood in the baking goods isle for about 5 minutes with them arguing in a way that only kids can "chocolate, vanilla, chocolate, vanilla..." until I finally settled it by letting them get both to use. I must say that the cake was pretty cool AND Bill loved it!

Bill's Cake

Alexander has had strep throat 6 times in the last year so we had to take him to an ENT to see if he needed his tonsils out. I was told last year that because he was having problems with his tonsils and because I had my tonsils taken out and because Bill had a history of chronic strep that he may eventually have to have them removed, so I was really nervous about taking him to the specialist. Luckily she took a look at his throat (and his history) and said that she wants to wait to see if next winter is as bad a this winter and then we can take it from there because his problems are a winter thing. We were so very relieved to hear that because I really didn't want my baby to have surgery!

Hannah's/My girl scout troop is done with their cookie sales (thank god!) and they managed to raise over $900 for the troop. I always knew that GS cookies were like crack but geez, people really go nuts for these things! We had a cookie sale at our church and I was hunting for more cookies half way through the sale. You'd think that Thin Mints were made of gold the way people were asking for them!

I still can't think of what I wanted to post and my brain is starting to hurt so I'm going to stop boring you now. If I remember what I was going to say, okay who am I kidding? Even if I remember what I wanted to say I'm sure that I'll forget again by the time that I get back to the computer anyway!

Blame It On The Dentist & The World's Strongest 3 Year Old

2009-02-17T19:48:00.008-06:00

Hannah lost her fourth tooth tonight. So far all of the teeth that she's lost have been on the bottom and it's making her a little upset. After dinner tonight she says to me "I don't understand why I lost that tooth. The last time I was at the dentist he said that my top middle teeth were loose and that they would fall out soon but they are still there and I'm losing other teeth instead." I went on to explain to her that the dentist was only guessing that those would be the next to go but he didn't actually know which ones would be next. I then told her that she is losing her teeth in the order that they first came in when she was a baby so the next teeth that come out should be the top middle ones. She seemed to feel better after that. She loves whenever I tell her about herself as a baby.

It amazes me that I can remember in what order her teeth came in but I can't remember what I did yesterday! Sometimes I just don't know about myself!

Because Alexander is the smallest person in our family (or maybe it's because he's 3) he is obsessed with finding things that are his size. He get so excited when he finds "little like me" things as he likes to call them, that he has to tell everyone about his new discoveries. About a half hour before bedtime tonight, Bill and the kids were in our room (doing god know what) and all of a sudden I hear "Hey these are my size!" followed by Bill's laughter. I hear him running down the hall to show me and this is what I see:

He has found Alexander size weights and now he can "exercise!" Man I just love this kid. He's just too cute sometimes!

A Change of Scenery

2009-02-16T23:06:00.002-06:00

Okay, so I'm not actually Irish and I'm not really into St. Patrick's Day but I thought that this background was cute and I've got Irish friends so I figured that it was okay to put this up! Well, that and I was getting tired of the Valentine's Day background and I'm not really ready for spring backgrounds either and I'm tired and don't feel like searching for another background that I like so this really was my only option!

Now That's My Kind of Valentine!!

2009-02-14T10:03:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I Sort of See It!

2009-02-07T17:19:00.007-06:00

People tell me all the time that Hannah looks just like me. My response to this is to agree with that person and to indulge them as they go on and on about her being my clone and all that other good junk that I can't think of right now. But I have a confession to make - I've never really seen much of a resemblance between the two of us. I mean, sure we've both got dark brown hair and eyes and we've got just about the same skin tone but that's all I saw until I stumbled upon this picture.

Me at age 6 - and don't you DARE make fun of my hair. It was 1986 and I was in style damn it!

Hannah at age 6

I can actually (sort of) see where people say that she's my clone now! Her face is a little rounder then mine was, my eyes were a little more almond shaped then hers and of course she's got some of Bill in her, but I see it. Now I don't feel like such a weirdo anymore, well at least about this!!

Now if I can only convince Bill that Alexander really does look just like him as a kid because of course, he doesn't see that!

Alexander's Top 10 Favorite Things to Say

2009-01-10T08:14:00.005-06:00

#10 - Do I have to wash my hands?

#9 - Just put my jammies on, not bedtime?

#8 - I don't want to go to bed!

#7 - I'm gonna beat my high score!!

#6 - I'm a big boy, right mom?

#5 - Sorry Hannah.

#4 - I'm hungry.

#3 - Can I have a snack?

#2 - No Wii til the weekend, right mom?

#1 - Is it the weekend?

These are the things that come out of Alexander's mouth most often, as in a million times a day! I think that he'll be a great interrogator when he grows up because he's really good at wearing me down so that I just give in!

BTW, this is his 3 pre-k school picture. Doesn't he look huge!?!?!

She's Got the Reading Bug

2009-01-06T21:55:00.005-06:00

Hannah has been trying to read ever since she got her first library card at the age of (nearly) 2. In the past she has pretended to read by making up stories by looking at the pictures in her books and actually memorized some of her favorite books and has "read" them to me. She's always loved books and I am glad that she (and Alexander) seem to have inherited my love of reading.

This year in kindergarten she has started phonics, spelling and is continuing to write more and more complex sentences. She has practiced her spelling words, letter sounds and combination letter sounds religiously and tonight all of her hard work has started to pay off. Tonight as we sat on the couch, my baby read me a (almost) whole book!!! Of course there were words in there that were just too big for her to figure out but she got 85% of the words right. I am so proud of her!! I can't wait for her to get better at reading so that I can share with her some of my favorite books from when I was a kid. A whole new world has just opened up to her and I can't wait to watch her explore it.

The Countdown is On

2008-12-31T16:49:00.001-06:00

Happy 2009!! I know that it's a little early but we're heading out to our annual new years eve party at a friend's house tonight so I will not be able to get to the computer until tomorrow. I hope that everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday Hannah

2008-12-09T20:59:00.002-06:00

**Sorry that there are no pictures but our computer is breaking and we're waiting for our new one to be delivered before we put up any new pics**

Today is Hannah's 6th birthday. The family came by for cake over the weekend and today she had a friend party at the play area in the Community Pavillion not far from our house. This is the second friend party that she's had and boy, did it go better then her first friend party!! First of all, it wasn't in my house (so it's automatically superior to last year because I didn't have to clean up) and secondly, all of the kids played nice and were completely occupied for 2 1/2 hours and I hardly had to do anything!! She had 21 friends there and while that is a lot of kids, it was a huge success!! Hannah was happy to be with her friends and they were all so polite and kind enough to get her some really nice gifts!

Since it is her birthday, I have been thinking back to the night/morning that I had her. It amazes me that the day is still so fresh in my mind. I'm sure that I have forgotten a lot of that day but it still feels like it was just yesterday. I remember just staring at her after she was born, she was 5 1/2 weeks early and just so little (not even 5 pounds) but she was just so amazing to me.

Six years later I am still staring at her in amazement - she is so beyond anything that I thought she could possibly be. She's smart and funny, she loves her family with all of her enormous heart and looks after her little brother as if she were his mother, even though he drives her crazy! She's always willing to help and is compassionate to those that are sad or hurting. She's grown so much as a person in just the last year alone that it's a little unbelievable at times but I can't wait to see what the coming year will bring for her. Happy Birthday Sweet Pea, we love you so much!

I'm Exhausted!

2008-11-27T21:21:00.008-06:00

Happy Black Friday everyone! For those of you that were out in the crowds, way to go and for those of you who weren't well, I can't really blame you for staying home!! I have gone shopping on Black Friday for several years now and today was no different. I was out the door and on my way to the stores at 3:30 am. I normally start at Target and work my way around from there, usually only hitting 2 or 3 stores but today I decided on a new plan. I started at Carson's (whch opened at 4 am) and picked up new pillows for the family and some flannel sheets for my aunt. Carson's must have opened the doors a little early because I was standing in line waiting to get into Toys R Us by 4:20 and I know that I was in Carson's for at least a half an hour!

Anyway, this is the first year that I'd gone to TRU because I always thought that it would be a madhouse but I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. The line went from the doors, around the corner and all the way to the end of the building by the time they opened the doors at 5 am. Fortunately I was near the front and I got in pretty quickly. I have say that TRU was very organized and I will definately be going back there! They gave out numbered tickets for certain "big" electronics but you had to actually be in line to get a ticket and it was first come, first serve which I thought was really fair. Another thing that I absolutely LOVED is that there were employees standing outside making sure that everyone that stood in line got in before all of the people that stayed in their cars and tried to just sneak in once the doors opened (I hate when people do that, I think it's SO rude)!! They were also very organized when it came to standing in line to check out and even taped arrows to the floor so that people knew where to stand to wait in line. The staff was fantastic too! I had to check out in the electronics department because I had some stuff to get there and the employees would actually get your stuff for you while you waited in line - it was great!!

After leaving TRU, I went to Target, Macy's, Costco and the Carter's outlet. I wasn't planning on going to the Carter's store but I had some time to kill before Costco opened so I decided to stop in and boy am I glad that I did. The whole store was 50% off and an employee at the door was handing out additional coupons at the door so everything was 80% off!!! I got the kids at least $500 worth of stuff for next to nothing and that totally made my day!!

After 6 stores and 7 hours of shopping I finally made it home, cold and hungry and ready for a nap. The kids were excited to see me, which is always nice and Bill was glad that I didn't come home battered and bruised! I ended up putting off taking a nap so that I could (sort of) help Bill finish putting up the Christmas lights outside and make lunch. I fell asleep on a wing chair in the frontroom around 2:30 and slept til about 4:00. Bill was kind enough to keep the kids from disturbing me (although really I'm sure there could have been a reenatcment of D-Day going on in front of me and it wouldn't have woken me) and he also unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, threw in some laundry, folded the mountain of laundry that was in our room and got us dinner. He may have done more but I'm still a little fuzzy about this afternoon.

This year the stores didn't seem as crowded as they have been in the past and I managed to get in and out of stores in a decent amount of time. I'm pretty sure that I've finished all of my shopping for the kids which is a huge relief and I even picked up a few things for others who are on my shopping list. And even though I am ready for bed again now, I'm glad that went out today. It's such a good feeling to know that you've gotten something accomplished. I think it's a great way to kick off the holiday season and I'm (sort of) looking forward to next year!

Sending a Little Holiday Cheer Abroad

2008-11-25T15:59:00.001-06:00

I've added the "Let's Say Thanks" application from Xerox to my blog so that anyone who wants to can send a message to a soldier over seas for the holiday. I know that not everyone was in favor of this war to begin with but that does not change the fact that there are thousands of men and women who are away from home and fighting for our country so why not take a minute to send them a greeting and to let them know that someone back home is thinking about them.

It's That Time of Year Again

2008-11-13T08:32:00.002-06:00

No, I'm not talking about Christmas or Christmas shopping exactly, although I am planning on starting that very soon! It's time to start posting stuff on Ebay! I sporatically sell things online throughout the year to earn extra money for whatever we need (for example at the end of last year I sold enough stuff to pay for our trip to Wisconsin Dells!). Anyway, evey year I go through the kids clothes and toys and sell them around Christmas time. It's a great way for me to weed out the stuff that they not longer use AND get extra cash to buy them new Christmas presents. I know it sounds silly to get rid of stuff just to bring in new stuff, but it's like a circle of life thing so I go with it.

Among the various things that I've got to sell this year I've also got some combo sets that I am selling like Hannah's Dora house (and the million little pieces that came with it), Alexander's Diego Rescue Center (and it's million pieces) and possibly a Bitty Baby crib w/ bedding, diaper bag and high chair, oh and the actual Bitty Baby that Hannah hasn't used probably since she got it. I'm hoping to get a decent price for them, so cross your fingers for me because here I go!

Catching up with Plenty of Pictures!

2008-11-06T10:04:00.007-06:00

I've had so much going on around here that I haven't had any time to post. I've been wanting to put up pictures from Halloween but I keep putting it off. Today I figured that if I put it off any more that I'm going to be posting Christmas pics along with the Halloween ones and that's just something that I cannot do so here goes!

A few weekends before Halloween we took the kids to a pumpkin farm. We normally go to Bengston's in Orland Park but this year we decided to try a new one. We ended up at Cottonwood Farms in Crest Hill and it was great! All of the attractions, except for the pony rides, was included in the price of admission which was really nice because at Bengston's everything is separate (and expensive)! The kids had a blast going through the haunted barn, riding the train and playing in the 3 play areas. Bill and I even got to go on a train ride with them, they had a train that was big enough to fit adults!

Slide Races in the play area

On the train

Playing on the firetruck

We always pick our pumpkins out of the field instead of picking from the ones that they bring up and put in piles all around the farm, so after playing for a while and grabbing some lunch we got on the hayride to be taken out to the pumpkin fields. Now most "farms" just place pumpkins randomly in a nice neat field and replenish them as they need (I'm pretty sure that they don't actually grow them themselves but who knows) so imagine our surprise when we get to this field and see that it is an actual pumpkin patch with pumpkins still on the vine!! Even though I have been going to pumpkin farms my entire life I had never seen one like this - I was pretty impressed!

A genuine pumpkin patch!!

Alexander didn't want to take pictures but I was lucky enough to get this one

The whole family

We ended up spending most of the day there and it was well worth it, we will definitely be going back there! The kids had so much fun that they passed out in the car and did not wake up until the next morning!! They ended up sleeping for about 14 hours!

After the pumpkin patch

She was too tired to take her coat off after walking in the house!

The Saturday before Halloween we carved our pumpkins. The kids wanted to draw their own faces this year so we gave them each a marker and they went to work.

Alexander and his "happy" pumpkin

Hannah and her "Scary" pumpkin

They wanted to carve their own pumpkins this year too. We had bought pumpkin carving safety knives and they gave it a try. Unfortunately they are still a little small for carving pumpkins and it's still a little too hard for them so they ended up giving them over to mom and dad.

Trying to cut the top open

Trying to just get the knife out

Bill being silly - can't you just see why I love him!?!?

After the carving was done we put them in the living room and the kids took pictures with them.

The finished products

After much anticipation, Halloween finally arrived. Both kids had parties at school and I was lucky enough to be able to help out at both parties. There was a costume parade before lunch that the whole school participated in and then the big kids were off to lunch while the preschoolers got to go home for the day. Bill came to the parade and took Alexander home afterwards. Since I am a room mom for Hannah's class this year I headed back in to help with lunches and to get her party underway after that. Let me tell you, I have a new found appreciation for teachers!! After spending 2 1/2 hours with 36 kindergartners I was exhausted!! I don't know how teachers do it but they've got to be the some of the bravest people out there!

After taking a short nap (yes, I napped!) Bill and I took the kids trick or treating. We ended up walking around with one of our neighbors and her 2 kids which was really nice.

This year the kids were a witch and Batman

Getting the goods

After about 3 blocks Alexander was done so Bill took him home to pass out candy. Hannah was just getting started so she and I and our neighbor and her kids kept going. We ended up going about 5 more blocks before Hannah's bag hit capacity. Her bag was so heavy that she couldn't carry it anymore and I ended up lugging it back home. As soon as we got home, Hannah took over as "official Novak family treat giver". Every year she stands at the door and waits for trick or treaters so that she can give them candy (and will not move from her post to save her life) and this year was no different. She eventually got tired of standing at the door so my smart little girl dragged over her Dora chair and sat in front of the door waiting. She finally passed out her last piece of candy at 8:00 and we made her close the door. She was a little upset that she had 9 pieces left but was happy when I told her that she could keep them for herself and her brother. We spent the rest of the night hanging out, playing board games and watching t.v. I thought that we had a great Halloween season this year and I can't wait for next year.

Now I Remember Why I Don't do Spring Cleaning

2008-10-01T15:07:00.002-05:00

This morning I decided to clean out Hannah's closet. It had been a while since I had done it and believe me, it needed it. I was feeling really ambitious and figured that since I has a few hours before I had to pick up Alexander from school I could straighten it out and get the bulk of my cleaning done and out of the way - What a mistake that was!!! It took me an hour to finish her closet alone (there was a lot of crap in there)!! But that's because I decided to go through all of her clothes (and she has tons of clothes) to see what still fits her and what doesn't and to rearrange the stuff on the shelves, which is mostly clothes that ALL needed to be refolded because they were all in wrinkled piles!

Sometime during the closet cleaning I apparently lost my mind and decided to go through the toys in both kids rooms and get rid of some stuff. I just did this more or less, in Hannah's room a few weeks ago but I figured that there was more stuff that I could move out that she really wouldn't miss. I didn't take much more out of her room but I did decide to get rid of her Dora kitchen (which she no longer plays with), and a few other Dora toys that she no longer has any interest in. I wanted to get this stuff out of my house ASAP so I put them up on Freecycle and they will be picked up today - yeah!!! If you don't know what Freecycle is, it's pretty much a listing of things that people are either looking to find in hopes of someone else having it and wanting to get rid of it or are getting rid of and are offering to anyone that wants it and the beauty of it is that it's all FREE!!

Anyway, Alexander's room was a comlpetely different story. I hadn't really went through any of his toys so there was a lot of little stuff to get rid of. Fortunately, I asked his teacher if she was interested in any of it for her classroom and she gladly accepted. I was really happy that she would take it because now Alexander can still play with the stuff and I know that it will be put to good use, but mostly because it's out of MY house!!! I also found a lot of stuff to put up on Ebay once I find the time to put it up there.

I didn't get everything done today that I wanted to get done but I got a good start. Of course, since I've been going through stuff my whole house now looks like a tornado went through it and it's going to take me days to get it back to even semi-clean. Now is when I wish the maid would come in and clean up my mess but, unfortunately I AM the maid so I should probably get off my behind and get back to work!!

Proof That I AM In Fact Getting Older

2008-09-17T16:07:00.010-05:00

My 10 year High School reunion is next month and I'm still a little shocked by the fact that it's been 10 years already. I swear that it was just yesterday that I couldn't wait to get out of high school and here it is 10 years later. How the heck did that happen!?!?

Over the years I have lost touch with all of my old friends - there isn't even one person that I have kept in contact with. Of course, I was such a different person then (and by that I mean that I was pretty mean and awful to just about everyone) that I'm sure they would be completely thrown off guard by the person that I am now!

Thanks to Facebook and their "Ten Year Reunion" group I have talked to some of the girls that I knew from back then. It's been nice to hear from them and to find out what they have been up to. Of course since the invitations went out the question that everyone is asking is "Are you going to the reunion?" and my answer to that question is always the same "I don't know." Don't get me wrong, I liked high school and I've got a lot of good memories from back then but I'm not sure that I want to go. There are a few people that I'd like to see but that's not really enough motivation for me. Well, that and the fact sooner or later I'm sure that I'll run into probably every girl that I graduated with because I can't go more then a few months without running into someone from then. I swear it's crazy the number of girls that I run into around here!!

So here I sit flip flopping between weighing the pros and cons of going to see a bunch of women that I haven't seen in a decade and having flashbacks of 1998 (which I assure you is a very scary thing!). I'll have to come to a decision soon because the deadline to buy tickets is quickly approaching but for right now I'm just stuck and a tiny bit depressed that apparently time is marching on without me.

Lord Give Me Strength!

2008-09-03T16:42:00.005-05:00

I'll admit it, I'm obsessed with chocolate. I mean really LOVE it. It can make a rotten day better and it can calm down like nothing else can. Chocolate is my friend. I'm sure that there has been a time when I have considered trading one of my kids for a chocolate fix. I can't resist it - it just calls to me - and there are 200 World's Finest chocolate bars sitting in my kitchen right now. I don't know how I'm going to keep out of it!!! So far I have managed to avoid it but I'm pretty sure that I'm going to get the shakes soon because my will power is just that weak when it comes to that milk chocolaty goodness.

So if you hear about a crazy woman in Oak Lawn that OD'd on chocolate you know that it's me. Pray for me and my (lack of) will power - and for my behind because I'm pretty sure it's about to gain 20 pounds!!

The ABC's Remix - Updated

2008-08-29T13:15:00.003-05:00

I know that this video is really dark and that you can't see Alexander but I love how he sings his ABC's. It cracks me up every time I hear it!! I'll try to get him to do it again for me but this is as good as it gets for now!

** Okay, I think I fixed the video so you should be able to see it now**

Alexander's First Days of School

2008-08-27T16:12:00.006-05:00

Monday was Alexander's first day of preschool. Whenever we asked him about going to school before Monday he'd either be really excited about it or totally against it depending on his mood so we weren't quite sure what to expect on the first day. I'm happy to say that he did great!! we introduced him to his teacher and he didn't hide from her at all (which is what he normally does when meeting someone new). Bill and I got to walk him into his classroom, help him hang up his backpack and find his seat but he was completely calm the whole time. Fifteen minutes after gong to his class he was still okay and coloring a picture at his table so Bill and I decided to leave. We gave him hugs and kisses and told him that we'd be back later to get him. I did get a little teary eyed but I managed to keep them in, yea me!! When we picked him up he was happy to see us and proceeded to tell us all about his day. I was so relieved that he was happy that I was totally blindsided by his reaction to school on Tuesday!!

Tuesday after walking Hannah to the main doors so that she could go to class, I walked Alexander to his class prepared to give him a quick kiss and be on my way. I was not prepared to walk into his class and practically fall over the crying screaming little boy that was clinging to his mother's legs and fighting the teacher. Alexander took one look at the little boy and said "I want to go home". I told him that he had to stay in school and that he was going to have lots of fun but he didn't want to hear it - he wanted to go home. He was calm about it until the little girl across the table from him started crying when her mom got up to leave. He instantly started crying and grabbing my leg while begging me to take him home. His teacher was still trying to calm the other little boy down so eventually his tacher's aid cam e to my rescue. She gave him a hug and started talking to him as I inched toward the door. I said goodbye to him as the TA held him and I walked out closing the door behind me. As soon as the door closed I heard him crying and calling for me and my heart broke. Leaving him was really hard to do but going back in there would have made it worse. I came home and thought of him for 2 1/2 hours wondering if he was okay until it was time to go and get him. When he came out the door he was fine. He was happy to see me and said that he'd had fun at school and told me about his day. Boy was I relieved!!!

Last night we talked about going to school and he said that he liked it and wanted to go and that he wasn't going to cry anymore. I was hoping that he meant it and held my breath this morning as we walked up to his entrance. He asked me to stay with him for a few minutes and I agreed. He looked a little scared and didn't let go of my hand the whole time we waited for the doors to open. Once is teacher came out I walked him into the hall. I stood there with him while the rest of the kids got in line and then I gave him a kiss and told him that it was time for me to go. He said okay and gave me a hug. He did not cry when I left and was fine waiting in line with the rest of his class (I stood outside and peeked in to make sure that he was okay). Again when I picked him up he was happy to see me and told me about his day and all the fun they had.

He seems to enjoy school. I'm hoping that Tuesday's episode was brought on by the other crying kids and that there will not be a repeat performance. I don't think I could handle doing that again!

Hannah's First Day of School

2008-08-22T20:49:00.002-05:00

Today was Hannah's first day of kindergarten. She has been talking about school for weeks now and even had a countdown going and was really happy to start today. I was not at all worried about her first day, I knew that she'd do great. She'd already had 2 years of school so today was a piece cake for her. We got her up early so that she could have breakfast and get ready and before we knew it, it was time to go. Bill actually got to take the day off and be there for her first day which was really nice because he'd never been able to take her to her first days of preschool. Anyway, as soon as we got out of the car she made a beeline for her class and quickly found a few of her friends from last year. She spent the time talking and laughing with the girls while they waited to go into their class. Somehow the kindergarten parents got to head into the building with the kids so we got to see her classroom and her table even though I'm sure that Hannah would have preferred to have had us leave her at the front door! Bill, Alexander and I finally left her but not before she gave her brother a big hug and kiss which I thought was just the sweetest thing!! She was only there for 3 hours today and when we picked her up she said that she really liked her class and that she had a good time. I am glad that she has adjusted to school so well in the last 2 years. I am so proud of my big girl - and of myself because I didn't cry, not even a little!! Of course, my real test will be on Monday when Alexander starts preschool!

Phase One Complete

2008-08-16T20:17:00.003-05:00

Woo hoo, I've got them cleaning the house!!! Now all I need is for one of them to be a little taller so that they can drive the car to run my errands for me and start making their own dinner!!!

I'm Being "Stalked" by the Jehovah's Witnesses!!

2008-08-14T15:28:00.003-05:00

About a month ago, I was stopped on my driveway while getting out of my car with the kids by two older Jehovah's Witnesses ladies. They asked for a minute of my time and proceeded to read to me a passage from the Book of Revelation and tell me about the signs that "the end was near". Now being Catholic myself, I have read parts of the Bible and I am familiar with it's teachings (although I'm not as familiar as I should be) but, I do appreciate people's faith in God and their love of the Bible so I politely listened to what they had to say and even took the pamphlet that they offered to me and went in the house.

I should probably tell you that this is standard procedure for me with anyone that comes to my door trying to sell something (or talk about religion in this case) or calls the house asking for donations. I listen to what they have to say and then politely decline - I just can't bring myself to be rude!

Well, last weekend while Bill was in the shower two different women came to the door and again read me a passage and gave me two more pamphlets. Again I listened, took the pamphlets and said goodbye. I was glad that Bill was in the shower when they showed up because he HATES solicitors of any kind and tends to get a little nuts when they contact us in ANY way.

I didn't think anything of the women ringing our doorbell until today when they showed up AGAIN! I had just gotten out of the shower and was not dressed enough to answer the door so they left me some more pamphlets inbetween the doors and went on their way. I think that I have unintentionally encouraged them and I'm not exactly sure what to do now. I still don't want to be rude to them, I try to keep my level of rudeness to an absolute minimum but I'm at a loss for what to do next. I'm sure that I'll think of something but in the meantime I hope that if they do come back they are not unfortunate enough to have Bill answer the door!

Kids Love the Craziest Games

2008-08-11T09:53:00.003-05:00

It always amazes me to watch the kids play with Bill. He chases them, hangs them upside down, knocks them over - and they can't get enough of it. Now when it's just the two of them and they play this way one of them is guaranteed to come to me in tears because the other won't leave them alone, but with Bill it's the greatest thing ever. It's cute to watch because they work as a team against him and one will always rescue the other. I've gotten used to how they play and normally it doesn't faze me at all but yesterday I watched in awe as they played a new game.

For about an hour and a half Hannah and Alexander ran around laughing hysterically as Bill tried to hit them with a ball. I know that you're thinking it was dodgeball but it wasn't. It was just Bill hitting them with a ball as they climbed up the slide or tried to hide under the picnic table or just ran into the garage. And it was just a small, soft, squishy ball - not anything that would actually hurt them (so don't think we were abusing them or anything!) The thing that shocked me most was that they WANTED to be hit. After Bill would throw the ball one of them would bring it back to him and taunt him! After a while I couldn't help but laugh at the ways they "tried" to get away or hide because it was just plain funny. I love watching all three of them play together but I'm a little scared of what they will come up with next!

The Secret to Being The Best Mom Ever

2008-07-21T18:58:00.005-05:00

Tonight I have been deemed both #1 mom and the coolest mom ever by my kids. Apparently the 5 years I have spent bending over backwards for them were all in vain. All I had to do was make them their favorite dinner and surprise them with ice cream sandwiches. Who knew that it could be that easy!?!!? I'm a little disappointed that winning these titles weren't more challenging but at the same time I'm glad that I can now stop jumping through hoops for them. Yep, it should be smooth sailing from now on....right? RIGHT?!?! Guys? Hello? Anybody...?

The Countdown is On

2008-07-18T10:43:00.005-05:00

The first day of school is about a month away and I have been busy trying to get the kids ready for it so that I am not one of the crazies running around the night before they start fighting for the picked over school supplies with the other procrastinator parents. Hannah only needs 2 more things and she is all set - and let me tell you she reminds me of this EVERY DAY! Alexander on the other hand still needs most of the things on his list but it's silly stuff like Kleenex and zip lock bags. He's only going to be in preschool so all that's really required is some crayons, a change of clothes to keep at school (in case of an accident) and cleaning supplies to help with all of the messes that 3 year olds tend to make.

To keep with my "Early Bird" mind set I took Hannah for her school uniform the other day. This is the first year that Hannah will be in a uniform and I wanted to get it so that we wouldn't have to worry about it later. Bill thought that I was insane for going so early but after spending 12 years in one private school or another I knew that waiting til the last minute to get a uniform is just about the worst thing that anyone can do. I remember sitting in one of these shops for HOURS waiting to be waited and then to be told that the last minute rush has depleted their stock and yours will have to be ordered and will (hopefully) arrive before the start of school. Of course this is a worst case scenario but I know that it had happened a few time to either my sister or myself (yes, my sister suffered through 12 years just like I did).

Anyway, we were in and out of Schoolbelles in about 25 minutes (which was great) but not without a few tears and for once they didn't come from me!! After grabbing a few shirts and jumpers Hannah, Alexander and I headed into a dressing room so that Hannah could try on her uniform so that I could decide what sizes to get her. As soon as the shirt went on Hannah started to freak out. She didn't like the shirt and wanted to take it off. She thought that it was ugly and didn't want to wear it. Then I put the jumper on her and the tears started. I tried to explain to her that all of the bigger kids had to wear uniforms and that only the little kids got to wear their regular clothes because they were still learning what school was like. She told me that she was still a little kid and should be able to wear her regular clothes too and then I had to explain what kindergarten would be like and why she's now a "bigger kid". She still thought that the whole thing was ugly and tearily told me "Everyone will laugh at me". With that I just had to hug her. I then began to reassure her that no one was going to laugh at her because everyone in her class was going to be wearing the same thing - to which she informed me that boys could not wear dresses. Alexander then provided comic relief by saying "Eww, I NOT wearing that!!" which made Hannah and I giggle. She eventually calmed down after I told her that I had to wear uniforms in school and that I'd show her some pictures and then she was really okay after she remembered that all of the bigger kids had to wear uniforms too.

After we paid for her stuff and went home she was very excited about having a uniform. She couldn't wait to show her dad and has been talking about it nonstop - she has even pulled it out of her closet and looked at it everyday. I'm relieved that she's okay with it now and I just hope she feels the same way when she starts school.

I'm glad that I'm getting all of this done now. That way the only thing I have to do the night before they start school is give myself a pep talk and remind myself not to cry!!

When in Doubt Check the Dryer

2008-07-08T15:49:00.008-05:00

Alexander has slept with the same blankie since the day that he was born. He loves this thing and can not sleep without it. I have actually driven down to my parents' house (about 25/30 minutes away) to pick up his blankie after it was forgotten there just so that the child would stop crying and stop with the massive breakdown that forgetting the blanket caused. What can I say, he has attachment issues! It's starting to look a little ragged but he doesn't care - as long as it's somewhere that he can get to it he's okay.

Anyway, as I was putting his laundry in the washing machine this morning I decided that his blankie needed a washing and threw it in with the rest of his clothes. Alexander didn't notice that is was missing until the machine was already started. This is the conversation that followed:

A: Mom, where's my bwankie?

M: I'm washing it.

A: But I need my bwankie.

M: Sorry Bud but it's not done yet.

A: Okay.

He then walks over to the dryer, opens the door and says:

A: Bwankie? You in there? You all done? Bwan-kie? I looking for you!! Where ARE you?!?!? HELLO!?!?

Alexander and his blankie

It was so darn cute that I couldn't help but laugh! Of course it wasn't in there because the washing machine wasn't done yet but I thought that it was great that he thought to look in the dryer - even though that means that he didn't believe me. I just love watching him to see how his mind works. He's such a clever little boy!

It's Outta There!!

2008-07-06T16:57:00.001-05:00

Hannah lost her first tooth today!!

A Day to Celebrate!

2008-07-04T13:21:00.002-05:00

Have a Safe and Happy 4th of July!!

We're Getting into the Really Hard Questions Here

2008-06-27T10:59:00.002-05:00

A few months ago we gave Hannah an old radio/CD player for her room. We figured that since she had all of her Hannah Montana and High School Musical CD's that we should give her something to listen to them with. Bill even made her a special CD with other songs that she liked on it. It was mostly songs from movies like Alvin and the Chipmunks, Enchanted and Chicken Little. She thought that having her own radio was the greatest thing ever and now listens to music in her room almost everyday. She has even gotten Alexander into it and most days you can find them in her room dancing around and singing along to whatever's they happen to put on.

A couple of weeks ago Hannah watched Hairspray (the new one with John Travolta) with me and absolutely loved it. She enjoyed it so much that she batted her eyelashes and asked Bill to make her a CD with the soundtrack on it. Since Bill rarely says no to anything this child wants (she has SO got him wrapped around her little finger) he quickly downloaded it and made it for her and it is now her favorite CD. She and Alexander listen to it ALL the time and they are starting to sing along more and more. It's really cute to see them so into the music.

Well anyone that knows Hannah or has heard anything about her knows that she's full of questions and last night was no exception. As I was putting dinner on the table Hannah comes out of her room and is sitting down when askes up "What's negro day?" One of the songs is about the Corney Collins (dance show) and makes a comment about one day a month being "Negro Day" on the show. Bill and I looked at eachother with that Oh Crap look and tried to figure out how to explain segregation to a 5 1/2 year old. We were speechless for a second or two and I was a little surprised at the question. I don't know why I was surprised - she asks surprising stuff like this all of the time but it's usually about babies or death or the differences between boys and girls or things like that. I didn't expect to have to answer things like this until she learned about them in school. Shame on me for underestimating my smart little girl!!

I guess that Bill and I did an okay job of explaining it. We told her that negro was a term used a long time ago and that while it wasn't a bad word it isn't a word that's used anymore because it's rude. We told her about how whites and blacks weren't allowed to do things together and how people who thought that everyone should be treated the same fought to stop the separation and eventually won. Then we reminded her that we shouldn't judge people by the color of their skin or where they live or how much money they have, etc. and how God created us all equally and that we are all the same on the inside.

Other then the talk I had with Hannah about love and why some people are married and some are divorced (yes, she asked about that too) and the death talk, I think that this is one of the most serious talk we've had with her. As usual, once it was over she looked at us and said "Okay". I made sure that she didn't have anymore questions and that was that. I'd like to say that this is the end of the conversation but I know that she's just procssing what we said and she will bring it up again when she is ready or when she thinks of a question about it. Then it will start all over again. Hopefully we will be able to help her understand more once that time comes. But I'm not going to worry about that just yet. For now I am just trying to prepare myself for the next outrageous question that she throws our way!

My Little Tree Hugger

2008-06-12T19:11:00.005-05:00

When I was about 13, my parents took me to an Earth Day fair at Grant Park. I'm still not sure why they took me there - maybe they got mixed up and thought that it was some other fair that they actually wanted to be at or maybe we were already downtown for some reason and they just decided to walk over to see what was gong on or maybe they were just bored that day and decided to head downtown in hopes of finding something to do. Either way, there we were wandering from stand to stand and listening to everyone talk about how important it was to save the planet. It was something that I had never really thought about and it made my young and impressionable mind reel. I got a "Save Endangered Animals" t-shirt and I tried my first vegetarian hot dog that day and I was transformed!! I suddenly had a purpose in my life - I was going to SAVE THE PLANET!!!

After that day I constantly preached about the evils of aerosol cans and styrofoam and about the CFC's that were destroying the ozone and how fur was murder. I raged when I would see aluminum cans in the garbage can instead of in a separate recycling bag. I begged my parents to only buy recycled anything - toilet paper, napkins you name it and I asked for it!! I also tried to get them to be better at recycling in general (which was near impossible in the early 90's)!! At first they tried to do some of the things that I was asking but after a few weeks they just ignored me. I think they thought that I would lose interest in the planet but I held strong - at least for a while.

By the middle of high school I had pretty much stopped the constant lecturing and begging. I still didn't use aerosol cans or styrofoam and I recycled when I could, I still believed that wearing fur was wrong (and nearly "killed" my mother when she heard that I turned down the fur coat that my grandma offered to me because of my "beliefs") but I had lost the urge to push everyone else to change. Now that I am older, I still believe in all of those things and I try to live as "cleanly" as possible but I am a far cry from what I was all those years ago. I hadn't thought of any of these things in a really long time but Hannah has brought all of these memories rushing back.

Back in April Hannah celebrated Earth Day in school with her class. they talked about recycling and wasting water and littering. She came home full of questions and looking for answers. Since I was the only adult home at the time, I had to explain why wasting water was bad and how garbage can hurt the earth and loads of other things. When we were done talking about everthing she ran off to play and I thought that I had probably confused the poor girl or that it was in one ear and out the other like normal. Boy was I wrong. Hannah remembered everything that I told her. When we were brushing her teeth while getting ready for bed that night I had left the water on and she turned it off and scolded me for leaving it running. When we were outside a few days later she reminded me to throw away our garbage instead of throwing it on the ground and "hurting the earth".

Since then her love of the earth had grown by leaps and bounds. She has asked me if leaving her toys in the back yard will hurt the planet like garbage does and she is doing a better job of putting things away now for fear of it. She is constantly reminding all of us to turn off the water if we are not using it so that we are not "wasting it". She has even started picking up random garbage that she sees while we are out (and we've had to put a stop to it) and is getting upset that people are littering.

I am glad that she has taken an interest in cleaning up the planet. It is nice to see that she takes this very seriously and it shows me that she is paying attention to what is going on around her. I know that she is still young and as time goes on there will be other things that interest her but I hope that she hangs on to this one - but I hope that she isn't comsumed with it like I was. I don't think I could handle a "Melissa Jr." harassing me every five seconds. I don't know how may parents did it because thinking back on it now I'm sure I wold have smacked myself!!

Graduations

2008-06-02T14:42:00.003-05:00

Both Hannah and Xander are officially on summer vacation now. They each had their own graduation ceremony and they were so darn cute!! They are now happy to be home and that summer is here and they cannot wait to go swimming.

Alexander "graduated" on May 22nd from his park district class. They had a small ceremony where they got to show off how much they knew about shapes and colors and also got to show everyone how well they could sit still and listen (which is a HUGE accomplishment for my little guy!). All of the kids in the class got diplomas too. The teacher took turns calling out their names and let them stand under a crayon arch for each parent to take pictures.

Xander and his teacher under the "arch"

Kiddie Krayons Class of 2008

After the ceremony we all went back to his classroom for snacks. The kids had each drawn a picture on the chalkboard to help decorate the room and so there was this huge mural up on one wall. Some of the kids got really creative too. There was a ceiling fan, Superman, a dinosaur, a lamp, a truck and quite a few more.

Xander's contribution to the mural was Tyrone from the Backyardigans - I think he did a pretty good job!!

Class ended with singing the rainbow song (which was sung at the end of every class) and a final goodbye to everyone. I had tried to explain to Xander that this was the last class and that there were not going to be anymore classes but he didn't quite understand. He's still occasionally asking me if we're going back to "Mrs. Jacky's" but I think he's slowly getting it. We keep talking about how he's going to go the the "Big Kid" school next school year with Hannah and now he's getting excited about that. I just hope he's this happy and excited about it come August!

Hannah graduated on the 29th from 4 year old preschool. Their ceremony was a little more organized then Alexander's but it was just as cute. They sang 4 songs for us, which included Yankee Doodle and a hip hop version of the ABC's (that I am still laughing about). After that all of the kids went to the back of the hall to wait for their name to be called so that they could walk up the isle to get their diploma. Some of the kids had to be coaxed down the isle and some of them ran, but Hannah did neither. She calmly walked down to get her diploma and quietly walked back around to wait with the rest of her class.

Shaking Hands with Father Mark

Getting her diploma from Miss Gross, the principal

Our new Kindergartener

The ceremony ended with the teachers saying a few words and then it was time for refreshments. It was a nice little celebration for the kids and they were all happy to be together. Hannah and her friends posed for lots of pictures and had a good time running around together, some for the last time. Some of her friends will not be back next year so we gave her some extra time with them before heading home. All in all, it was a good day.

I am still a little amazed at how fast the school year went. I'm even more amazed that both kids will be in the same school next year. I mean, Alexander will only go for a half a day for 5 days so he'll still be home with me some of the time but Hannah will be there all day AND she'll wear a uniform! They are getting too big too fast. Next school year will be an adjustment for all of us but that is still a few months away so I'm not going to dwell on it now. For now I am going to try and enjoy as much time as I can with them this summer and just worry about having fun!

Evil Thy Name is Banana Cream Pie

2008-05-28T17:06:00.001-05:00

Lately I have been doing really well with eating right and for the last 3 weeks I've been going to the gym 3-4 times a week. I can see a difference in my body and I feel great!! I haven't had a problem with not eating junk food either. At first I was really craving junk food and I had the shakes because I really cut back on my carbs but it really doesn't bother me anymore - at least it didn't until Monday.

Monday was my birthday and I requested a banana cream pie in lieu of cake this year (because there are 5 birthdays from May 20th to June 2nd and by the last one I'm usually all caked out). I told myself that I was only going to have a tiny slice and that was it. Well, you know what they says about the road to hell!! I had a huge chunk and let me tell you - it was GOOD!! I probably could have left it at that except for the fact that my parents don't like banana cream pies so they sent the rest home with me.

I avoided it all night Monday and most of the day on Tuesday but every time I opened the fridge it taunted me. I finally broke down and ate some around 8:00 pm and I had to throw the rest away (sorry mom) because I was on the verge of eating the last 1/4 of the darn thing!!

I was defeated by a PIE and to add insult to injury I've gained 3 pounds!!! I am now back on the wagon and back at the gym but my will power is bruised and battered. I curse you Baker's Square and your wonderfully wicked pies!!

Happy Birthday Xander!

2008-05-25T20:35:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Alexander's 3rd birthday. I know that this should have been posted yesterday but I had too much going on the post anything! Anyway, we had him a smaller party this year then we have had in the past years but it was nice and the day couldn't have been better. The day started off with him opening gifts from us just about as soon as he woke up. I'm not sure how this tradition started but we alway open gifts first thing in the morning!

Showing Daddy his new Batman Jammies

He was very excited about the Hulk Toy that Hannah picked for him

After breakfast Bill went outside to finish setting up while I straighten up the inside. We ended up renting a bouncy castle (jumper, moon bounce - whatever you call it) and it was delivered on Friday night because the people had somewhere to be early Saturday morning so right after breakfast Bill set it up for the kids and they had a blast!

The kids getting an early start to the party

Having a Ball!

Coming down the slide

The party itself was fun too. There were 11 kids and they all played really nicely. We decided to keep everything as simple as possible so Bill barbequed and we just had some salads, some snacks and cake and that was about it.

He's such a Ham for the camera!!

He got some really cool toys including his very own bouncy castle from his godfather and lots of clothes (for which I am glad because now I don't have to get him anymore summer clothes!) but his favorite thing was Hulk Hands and the Hulk mask. He had been seeing them on t.v. and had been asking for them for quite a while so he was over the moon when he actually got them.

Hulk Smash!!!

The party ended a lot earlier then any of his other parties because it got really cold really quickly but i think that this was his best one yet.

I miss Alexander being a baby because he was such a sweet baby but I just love the little man that he is now. He's a ball of energy and he's always getting into something that he shouldn't be in but he's got the greatest smile that can get him out of almost any jam. He's full of curiosity and has questions about everything under the sun (just like his sister). He loves superheros and dinosaurs and playing eye spy and telling knock knock jokes and he can't seem to get enough of anything. He is full of love and is very generous with his hugs and kisses. He's a "Big Boy" and I think that he's the one of the greatest kids in the world! Happy Birthday Bud, we love you!

Some Flowers for You!!

2008-05-10T18:34:00.003-05:00

Happy Mother's Day everyone! I hope that you all have a wonderful day!!

I'd Do It All Over Again

2008-04-24T08:15:00.004-05:00

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!!

2008-04-22T13:24:00.003-05:00

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!!

2008-04-18T15:12:00.003-05:00

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

2008-04-08T19:48:00.004-05:00

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?

2008-04-02T21:09:00.002-05:00

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!! :-)

They are Growing Up So Fast!

2008-03-28T10:53:00.002-05:00

My kids are making me feel old. I know, I know, some of you are rolling your eyes and thinking something like "Shut up you're not even thirty yet, how are you old?!?" (I know this because some of you have already said this to me!) but I can't help how I feel! Everyday I look at my babies and they are just so big! Some days I swear they've grown 8 inches overnight - they just seem huge to me! They are figuring out how to do things for themselves and are not needing me as much now. I know that this is ultimately the goal - to not need mom to zipper their jackets or help them take a bath - but it's weird that they are doing things for themselves! They are doing MY job!! I swear I'm not just whining, I do have examples - and they are good examples and great accomplishments for them, I just needed a little vent. Okay I'm done!!

As most of you know, I potty trained Alexander pretty early. He was such a good boy about it and hardly any trouble catching on but I was having a heck of a time trying to figure out how to get him to aim be himself once he started peeing standing up. I agonized over it forever and even asked you all for suggestions. Well, after all of my worrying about it HE went and figured it out by himself. I walked into the bathroom about two months ago and there he was going by himself!! At the time he was still too short to reach to toilet so he just stood on the stool and leaned over the bowl while holding on to the lid. I was SO proud of him!! Since then he's grown about an inch and a half so he can now stand on the floor and go. I still go in there with him just to watch and make sure that he's not getting pee everywhere and I still have to occasionally intervene (to save my walls), but he's going by himself. I feel a little silly about all the worrying that I did. I mean, he'd watched Bill go PLENTY of times. I should have known that he'd figure it out on his own when he was ready. He has also mastered his ABC's, colors, shapes, 24 piece puzzles, counting to 13 (when he feels like it), all of our names, how to work the DVD player and is a whiz at electronic and computer games. It's amazing how well he does with his leapster and vsmile games - he's really good!! We're working on our phone number now and I have no doubt that he'll pick it up quickly!

Hannah is also growing like a weed. She is full of questions and is not afraid to ask them. There are days when I feel like hiding from her just so that I can stop answering her questions! Since she is only in preschool she is woking on writing her letters and numbers in class. At home Bill and I are trying to help her learn to read. She knows all of her letter sounds and can spell some simple words and she is DYING to learn how to read (and to lose a tooth but that's a different story). The only problem is that Hannah is stubborn and tends to give up on things easily (she gets that from her father :-P!! ). It took us forever to get her to try to ride her "big kid" bike last summer but once we finally got her to try it she loved it. I have a feeling that reading is going to be the same way. Okay, that is not her great acomplishment, it's my preface to her accomplishment!! Hannah got a shoe tying book for Christmas and has been avoiding it ever since while whining that she wants to learn to tie her shoes so that she could be in the shoe tying club at school (somethig her teacher came up with). Well, after weeks of fighting and cajoling she finally tied her shoes last night!! She was so proud of herself and I couldn't have been happier for her. Now she can go back to school on Monday and finally join the shoe trying club!

I can't believe how much they've grown and learned in so short a time. While it does make me a little sad that they are growing up, it also warms my heart to know that I am here to help them along the way. I am so greatful that I am able to stay at home with them!

Spring Break

2008-03-20T12:40:00.002-05:00

Today was Hannah's last day of school and she is now on spring break. Alexander's class ended about 2 weeks ago and doesn't start again until April 1st. So now I've got two kids nagging me ALREADY because they're bored. What the heck am I supposed to do with them for the next 10 days!??!! We can only play so many games before they're bored with those and I'm sure that taking them to the library will get old quick! If it were warmer I'd take them to the parks and maybe if I got brave enough I'd take them to the zoo but the weather is still too unpredictable for my tastes right now. (Although it is supposed to get into the 50's next week, Hmmm...) I mean, we've got a snow advisory going on right now. How crazy is that, it's a beautiful day but we're supposed to get something like 4-6 inches of snow tonight!!

Anyway, enough with my weather spiel. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep my kids occupied and happy for a few days?

Spring is one the Way!

2008-03-16T12:47:00.006-05:00

At the begning of last week the kids were sick. Hannah had an ear and throat infection and Xander had Strep. We had beautiful weather with the temperature goinging into the mid 50's and they were upset that they were sick and couldn't go out and play with the neighbor kids who we could see playing in their yard from our front windows. After explaining that they couldn't go there because they were sick and could possibly infect the other kids they calmed down and stopped asking to go out.

By Thursday they were dying to be outside and as soon as they woke up they were beging to play in the yard. I figured that since they'd been on their antibiotics for 4 days that they were okay enough so I told them that after Hannah got home from school that we'd play outside. They were so excited that you'd think I had told them that we were leaving for Disney World.

We had to drive out to Bill's work right after school because he had forgotten something that morning and we ended up going to lunch with him which is always a nice treat. But once we got home we tossed our stuff inside and the kids went straight to the swings.

Hannah's first slide of the season

Alexander's finally tall enough to grab the rings without help!

Practicing for Spring Soccer

I think it's time to get him his own helmet - pink flamingoes aren't really his thing!

Hopscotch Anyone?

He's ready for the spring construction season!

I was so nice to be outside, I think we stayed out for about 2 hours. I know that the kids and I have been suffering from a mild case of cabin fever and this was just what we needed. I am SO looking forward to the warmer weather. I love it when you don't have to be all bundled up in the cold or half naked in the extreme heat. Spring is one of my favorite times of year.

We're Back!

2008-03-07T09:12:00.008-06:00

We actually got back late Monday afternoon but it has taken me this long to settle in. We had a great time in the Dells and the house was fantastic! We got there Friday afternoon and after checking in we headed off to find the house. It took us a while to find because it was really far out and we weren't sure of where we were going but eventually we got there. As the men unloaded the cars and the women assigned rooms the kids (all 9 of them) were going insane running from floor to floor (there were 3 floors) and room to room checking everything out. We ended up going to dinner after settling in and then the women and children headed back to the house while the men went to Super-Walmart to stock up on food. By the time the guys made it back it was time for bed so off the kids went and most of the parents ended up falling asleep with the kids so it was an early night for all.

Saturday morning we were all up early and ready to head to the water parks. We went to the first water park and for some reason, my kids hated it. They did not want to be there and whined and complained the whole time that we were there. We took them on the lazy river which they didn't seem to mind but they refused to go anywhere else. Luckily we had found some tables so we ended up hanging out there and having some snacks and eventually having lunch. After lunch Bill and I packed up our kids and headed to the second water park (the one that everyone liked best last year) and the kids liked that one much better. They had a blast going in the wave pool and splashing in the water. Hannah liked the smaller water slides and Alexander liked the Tot area and the little slide. After leaving the water park we hung out at the house and barbecued burgers and hot dogs for dinner. The kids spent the rest of the running around and watching movies in the screening room.

Sunday morning after breakfast we decided to take the kids sledding. The resort offers tubing, which we did last year and it was nice but it was also kind of crowded and a pain in the butt if you had little kids because you have to pull them up the hill and then chase them back down the hill in order for you to be there for them at the bottom. I did this last year with Hannah (Alexander was too little to go) and I refused to do it again this year. Luckily our house was just off the golf course and we were surrounded be hills so we just took the kids out behind the house to our own private sledding hill. Everyone was having fun - except for Alexander. The boy just doesn't really like snow. He'll play in it for a little while but then he wants nothing to do with it. Fortunately one of the other smaller girls was done too so the two of them went in and hung out with Willie while the rest of us finished sledding. It was lots of fun and we even got to see a family of deer wandering around looking for food on the other side of the clearing. Unfortunately I was not fast enough with our camera so I missed them.

Here is the hill that we were on - it was pretty high!

Hannah flying solo

Bill waiting for his turn

Alexander's Snowball

Some of the girls decided to make a snowman - I think it turned out pretty good!

After about and hour and a half we all headed in, had some lunch and headed back to the last water park after the smaller kids had their nap. I didn't know how my kids were going to like this water park because it's basically a giant wave pool with a tiny kids area on the side and one big water slide (I think but I've never been on that water slide so I'm not sure). We were lucky enough to snag a table and then into the water we went and the kids loved it!! I don't think I saw them this wet all weekend!

Alexander after jumping in the waves

Posing for Mommy

Having a great time

Coming down the slide

There is a huge play area/jungle gym and arcade in the hotel so after dinner and showers we took most of the kids there. I think that this was the worst part of the whole weekend. It's a very crowded area and it is very warm. I don't really like this area because it's always a madhouse and because there are multiple exits on the jungle gym thing and you never know where your kid is going to come out of. We've worked out a system with the kids that works pretty well but it's still not my favorite place. Alexander didn't like the play area so he and I went into the arcade part which was even worse then the play area. It was so congested in there and twice as hot as the rest of the place that it was hard to keep an eye on a little person even when I was right behind him! I was glad to leave when we did.

After putting the kids to bed that night we finally had some adult time. It was the first night that ALL of the adults stayed up instead of falling asleep while putting the kids to bed. It was also someone's birthday so we felt like we had to stay up and do something. We ended up playing Apples to Apples (which is a word game) - I know we're party animals! Once we got bored with that the birthday boy suggested we play a drinking game that all of us were either too old or too sober (or both) to remember. We finally figured it out and I have to say that we had a good time. Several drinks, some popcorn and some frozen pizzas later I was ready for bed. I'm not sure how long everyone else stayed up but I was done!

Amazingly enough we all felt fine in the morning. I had packed the night before so while everyone else was putting their stuff away I did one final sweep of the house,l packed up some leftover food to take home and was done. We went back to everyone's favorite water park for an hour then went back to the house grabbed our stuff and headed home after stopping for lunch. So our trip was pretty uneventful but it was a great time and I'm looking forward to next year's trip.

Why is Packing Always the Mom's Job?

2008-02-28T14:21:00.007-06:00

Tomorrow after Hannah gets out of school we are heading up to the Wisconsin Dells with 3 other families and Willie (who is everyone's favorite "uncle") for the weekend. We went up there at the same time last year and it was a lot of fun. This year we decided to rent a cabin instead of individual rooms so that we could all be together and not have to be crammed into a tiny hotel room. I'm curious to see what this cabin is like because it sounds a lot nicer then my house - I mean it's got a small viewing room for crying out loud!!

I am excited to be getting away for a few days and Hannah can't stop talking about the waterslides. Alexander doesn't really know what we're talking about but he knows that we're going to spend the weekend with "all the kids" and is excited about that. However as happy as I am to be getting away and getting some time to just hangout and relax for a while I have one problem - I HATE PACKING!!! I never know what to bring and I ALWAYS over pack. This past October when we went to Mexico for my SIL wedding I went nuts. Half of the stuff that I brought came back unused which was annoying AND it all had to be rewashed regardless of whether or not it was used because, well because that's just how I am!

So now I'm trying to pack for myself and the kids (I don't pack for Bill, he's a big boy and can pack himself - sort of..) and am slowly driving myself insane. I constantly question myself: Should I bring short sleeve shirts? What if the kids get hot and all I have are long sleeve shirts? How many swim suits should I bring? Do I think we'll need extra pajamas? Should I pack extra sheets (FYI hotel sheets GROSS me out!)? How many pair of shoes do we really need? - the list goes on and on!! I HATE PACKING!!

I can't let Bill pack for us either - we'd have one mismatched outfit, one sock and no underwear or something crazy!! Packing for more then one person requires patience and my sweet, wonderful husband doesn't have a lot of those to spare (Sorry Honey). I wish I could hire someone to come to my house and just pack for me and hand me my suitcase as I'm walking out the door. I am going to hate it whenever we decide to move to a new house, I may have to be sedated!!! Oh well, I guess I should get back to the torture - I mean packing. I'll be back sometime on Monday with plenty of stories to tell I'm sure! Enjoy your weekend!

I am Addicted to Facebook!!!

2008-02-24T18:10:00.003-06:00

Saturday night Bill and I went to dinner with my parents and sister. My in-laws were wonderful enough to stay with the kids so that we could have an adult night out which was totally nice of them and for which I am truly greatful.

Anyway, while at dinner the we somehow got on the subject of Facebook. My mom and sister are both members as are Bill and I and we were trying to explain the whole concept to them because they are still pretty new to it and are still trying to figure it out. For those of you who don't know what Facebook is - it's basically a way to waste time all day and it's VERY addicting!! My mom actually scolded me because I have been ignoring my blogging duties and she is one of my (very few) faithful readers - Hi mom!! It didn't really occur to me just how much I am on Facebook until she mentioned that. I mean, I am on ALL the time!!! Today alone I've been to it at least a dozen times and if you think that's bad, Bill has probably been on at least two dozen times - he's much more of a computer junkie then I am (sorry honey!). It's like I have this crazy obsession to send people drinks or throw food at them or check my scrabulous games - it's INSANE! I think I'm going to try to cut down of my Facebook time.

I wonder if there's a self help group for this? Maybe I'll start one... Anyone interested in joining Facebookers Anonymous?

I Just Wanted to Say...

2008-02-14T15:22:00.000-06:00

I have a Million Things to do and I'm on the Computer!

2008-02-13T11:54:00.002-06:00

Like it says above, I've got tons of stuff to do. I've got to finish making treat bags for the kids to take to school tomorrow, help Hannah finish writing out her valentine cards, bake cupcakes for Hannah's class because she has snack day tomorrow, bake cookies for Alexander's class because I volunteered to make cookies for his valentine's day party before I knew that I was going to have to make 25 cupcakes for Hannah, decorate said cupcakes and cookies (and heaven forbid they don't have frosting AND sprinkles!), attempt to finish the laundry, straighten up the house (which is a never ending chore!) and figure out how to thaw a half thawed pot roast in time to put it in the oven at 3:00pm. I'm sure that there are lots of things that I'm supposed to be doing that I'm forgetting about too! And yet despite everything I have to do I am sitting at the computer wasting time.

Sometimes my mad time management skills just amaze me!

Our First Trip to the Field Museum

2008-02-07T13:23:00.000-06:00

Bill took the day off of work this past Monday to nurse his Superbowl hangover but he didn't overdo it and felt fine enough for us to take the kids to the Field Museum instead. We had a great time and had the museum practically to ourselves - there were times that we were the only ones in the exhibits!

Hannah had a hard time understanding that the things that we were seeing were once alive but now dead so she was a little scared a few times while we were wandering around. She did NOT want to go into the pyramid because she thought that the mummies were going to come alive and chase her (like on t.v.). After we convinced her that mummies really don't come back to life after they're dead she was fine - at least until we went to the underground adventure. UA is a temporary exhibit that gives you a view of life under the soil if you were the size of a bug. It was cool in a creepy sort of way, but again Hannah was scared. The exhibit pretends to shrink you using mirrors and cameras and she hated the idea. She wanted out of there in the worst way until we explained that it was just pretend and that we were just imagining that we had shrunk. She eventually found a touch screen computer and she was good to go. The girl LOVES computers. After the computer she was more agreeable and was even willing to touch a few things.

Our next stop was the Evolving Planet Exhibit which both kids loved. it was full of Dinosaur facts and fossil and loads and loads of dino skeletons. Hannah knew most of the dinosaurs' names, which I was surprised at and Alexander just liked looking at the pictures and pushing the buttons to hear the dinosaurs' latin names. I swear he must have hit the Triceratops button about a dozen times!

The kids sitting on a dinosaur bone

Alexander in a dinosaur footprint

Hannah in the same footprint

After lunch we headed over to the Crown Family Playlab. We had been there earlier in the afternoon and Hannah had made a painting of a frog in the art room that she wanted to pick up before we left. I think that this was their favorite place in the whole museum. They got to run around and play in the different areas and mom and dad got to sit and rest! Hannah dressed up as different animals and jumped around the pretend forest and Alexander found some buttons to push - again! Then we headed into the music room and they banged on the drums like there was no tomorrow. There were buttons to push on the walls to hear samples of different types of music from different countries and they really enjoyed those. I think their favorite one was from Chile. Finally the kids moved over to play in the pueblo where they got to harvest corn and "make" pottery.

Hannah the turtle

My corn pickin' boy

Jammin' on the drum

Drum solo

We were a little bummed because the Scientists' lab was closed but we had such a good time we figured that the kids could see it the next time we visit.

Free Fun and Learning!!

2008-02-03T11:35:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone! I just found out that Chicago's Field Museum is offering FREE general admission for the entire month of February!! Normally general admission is $12 for adults and $7 for kids (ages 4-11) so I think that this is a great deal. Of course, this doesn't include parking or admission to the temporary exhibits (those are still extra) but it does give you access to the new Crown Family Playlab which sounds like lots of fun. I hope that you all take advantage of this - I know that we will!

I'm Looking for some Suggestions

2008-01-30T12:42:00.000-06:00

No, this is not my son!!

Alexander has been fully potty trained for about 8 months now but every time he goes pee pee either Bill or I go with him and help him out. I was telling Bill the other night that we have to start teaching Xander to aim because pretty soon he'll be in school and I don't think the teachers will help him! Well, we have absolutely no idea how the heck we're supposed to do this so I am asking you! Does anyone out there have any suggestions for us on how to teach a not quite 3 year old how to aim? I have no experience with boys and I'm feeling a little out of my element here!

Frugal Recipe Swap

2008-01-25T14:38:00.000-06:00

Gayle at The Grocery Cart Challenge is doing a low cost recipe swap today so I started thinking about what low cost meals I make and here's what I came up with:

Sheperd's Pie
*This recipe is great for using up leftover mashed potatoes and is a fantastic winter dish*

4 large potatoes peeled and cubed
1 tbsp. butter - for making mashed potatoes but you can make however you like
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 small onion chopped
1 lb. ground beef
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. ketchup OR 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce (we prefer with worcestershire sauce)
3/4 beef broth
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add potatoes. cook however you like for mashed potatoes. Drain, mash, season with salt and pepper if you like and set aside.

Heat oil in large frying pan. add onion and cook until clear. Add ground beed and cook until well browned. pour off excess fat, then stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Mix in ketchup/worcestershire sauce, garlic and beef broth and bring to a boil. Add frozen mixed vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes.

Spread ground beef mixture in an even layer in a 2 quart casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese if you'd like.

Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until potato crust is golden brown. Serve with warm crusty bread or garlic bread.

Oh how we LOVE our Superheroes!

2008-01-25T12:20:00.000-06:00

Lately the kids have been crazy about Superheroes. It doesn't matter who it is, as long as it's a superhero they are good to go. Alexander got a set of Superheroes for Christmas and that made it all the better. They run around the house pretending to be Batman and Supergirl or Spiderman and the Phoenix and they have a blast. They have Superman capes that they use to fly arond the house in too. This morning before school they were Spiderman and The Hulk and they were saving each other from falling off of a building - which happened to be my headboard.

Hannah and Xander also like Superhero catchphrases. So far they like "Hulk Smash" and Up, up and away" and they are anxious to learn more. Normally they go to daddy for this type of information because mommy's pretty clueless in this area, but I do know a few! After Alexander and I dropped Hannah off at school this morning Xander was playing with some of his "guys" as he likes to call them, and he was giving them catchphrases which was really cute! I noticed that one of the "guys" was The Thing from the Fantastic 4 and I happen to know that The Thing always says "It's Clobberin' Time" so I tried to tell him this. He thought that it was the most hillarious thing he'd ever heard and didn't believe me. He was convinced that The Thing says "Puppy Power" like Scrappy Doo. BTW, my kids also like Scooby.

The Thing

After about twenty minutes of trying to convince him I gave up. Of course after I walked away I heard him saying "It's Clobberin' Time" but I guess he just didn't want to give mom the satisfaction of knowing that I wasn't as uncool about Superheroes as I thought. Either way I think that I'll let Bill teach them about Superheroes in the future!

Hannah the Soccer Star and Alexander's Favorite Pastime

2008-01-21T12:09:00.000-06:00

Well, I was going to tell you all about Hannah's soccer game and then I was going to tell you about Alexander's new favorite thing to do (which is changing his clothes BTW) but Bill beat me to it. If you'd like to read about it and see some cute and embarassing pictures just click here.

What a Crazy Weekend!!

2008-01-20T19:42:00.000-06:00

Although it was a pretty laid back weekend for us, it felt a little crazy to me and I'm sure that the negative temperatures didn't help!

After getting out of school on Friday, Hannah had her first playdate with a school friend. It was a last minute thing that happened as we were leaving school but Hannah wanted to go so off we went. After following Hailey's (Hannah's friend) mom back to her house and giving her my cell phone number and reconfirming our home number and what time to come back I headed over to my SIL's house to pick up Alexander - earlier that morning my MIL was on her way to watch my twin niece and nephew and was kind enough to take Xander with her so that I could go to the gym.

Anyway, after settling in Xander and I were just about to start lunch when the phone rings. It's Hailey's mom telling me that Hannah wants to come home because their dog scared her. I put lunch back in the fridge and run to pick up Hannah who has luckily stopped crying by the time we get there. She is afraid of the dog now and wants to come home but does not want to leave Hailey. After talking it over we decide that Hailey is going to come back to our house with us to finish their playdate. Back home we go to finish playing. The girls had a good time and played really well with Alexander, which I was really surprised at. Normally when friends are over Hannah complains that Alexander is in the way and tries to keep him away from whatever is going on. I was able to finish cleaning the house while the kids played so I was happy.

After Hailey left Hannah was bummed because she was "bored" but Xander managed to lift her spirits with a round of "Can't Catch Me". At 3:30 we had to get ready to take Hannah to dance so that gave me something more to do. Getting Hannah ready for dance is always a chore because I have to chase her around the house to get her into her leotard and tights. After chasing her I get to chase Xander around to get him into shoes and a coat so I'm usually frazzled and ready to snap by the time we leave. Fortunately Hannah puts on her own shoes and coat or I probably would lose it!

Alexander missed his afternoon nap so he ended up falling asleep on the way home from dance. He woke up enough to walk in the house and crawl up on the couch to go back to sleep. Bill went to the gym after work so Hannah and I had some time to kill before dinner. Since dinner didn't have to be done right away I decided that we'd have pizza. Hannah helped me make the dough (she likes to help measure things and dump them in the bowl) and we set it aside to let the yeast do it's thing. We had some leftover pizza sauce that Bill had made last time we had pizza so I pulled it out of the freezer to thaw and then we just hung out. Bill got home just in time to help us put together out pizzas. After dinner Bill and I watched a movie while the kids played a computer game. After putting the kids to sleep I crawled into bed and was almost instantly asleep.

Saturday morning after breakfast I was getting ready to go to the gym when I discovered a small lake in one of the cabinets underneath one of the bathroom sinks. A few weeks back I called Bill at work because the cabinet was leaking and I had no idea of why especially since there were no pipes in the area of the leak. When he got home that night he checked everything but didn't find anything wrong so we just figured that it was condensation and we left it alone and it didn't leak anymore so we sort of forgot about it. Well, it wasn't condensation!! We had to pull everything out of the cabinet and soak up the water so that we could see what the heck as going on. All the while I'm wonder who I've upset and what type of curse they've put on me because this is the second leak we've had in the house in two weeks. The first leak was the kitchen sink faucet that had to be replaced ( it might have been fixable but Bill broke the whole nozzle off while trying to get a washer out so the whole thing had to go). The bathroom leak turned out to be the cold water valve so for now there is a bucket under the sink because there is NO WAY that Bill is trying to replace that now that it's -20 outside!!!

I did not end up making it to the gym (which I'm really not crying about) but I did run out to Walmart (how I hate that place!!) and the new grocery store that just opened. Later on in the afternoon we had to go to Hannah's last soccer game of the season. She didn't score any goals this time but she tried really hard and she had fun and she even got a medal!! This post is long enough so I'll post pictures of her game tomorrow. After the game we went to Culver's (Hannah's favorite restaurant) for a celebration dinner and ice cream. We ended our night by watching Ratatouille before heading to bed.

We did not leave the house today. My parents came by to visit after breakfast this morning and brought chocolate doughnuts and the most fabulous cinnamon raisin bread from Weber's bakery that I've ever had! The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Bill and I watched another movie and the kids played nice all day. We played some games together and had a family coloring circle (Hannah set us all up in a circle each with a coloring book and dumped the crayons in the middle so that we could all share). Dinner was all leftovers so I didn't even have to make a real dinner, just heat everything up! Bill built a fire in the fireplace this morning and kept it going all day because it was really cold in the front room and the kids stayed away from it the whole day. I was really surprised that we didn't have to keep reminding them to stay away but I guess that's just another sign of how big they are getting. It was a good day - but I'm beat! I can't wait to put the kids to bed so that I can go pass out myself!! I'm glad that all of our weekends don't feel this way!

And BTW, why is it that my post are always so long!?!?! Geez, I think I'm going to start warning people to go to the bathroom, get a drink and get cozy before reading my posts!

Finally a Breakthrough!

2008-01-14T11:59:00.000-06:00

You will be happy to hear that I am getting back on track. I have been to the gym several times and am back to cooking and cleaning (for the most part)!! I guess I just needed a more powerful personal kick in the butt and your encouraging words, so thank you!!

The Boy is Ready to Go!!

2008-01-11T09:43:00.000-06:00

Just a little background information here: The other day while looking around online I discovered that backpacks were on sale at the Disney Store online and decided to pick up the kids bags for next year. Hannah will be in kindergarten and will be in school all day so she happily picked out a Tinkerbell backpack and matching lunch bag and Alexander will be in 3 year preschool and he picked a Buzz Lightyear bag.

Anyway, Alexander has wanted to go to school since Hannah started in August. At least three times a week he'd ask me if he could go to school and I'd have to tell him that he was too little this year but he could go next year. He'd get a little sad at that point and has even been reduced to tears a few times but eventually he'd forget about it for a while. I ended up enrolling him in a park district class that he really enjoyed. We even called it school so that he'd feel like a "Big Boy". It is two days a week for an hour and I stay with him and he has been fine with it - at least until now. Now that he's got a backpack he wants "TO GO TO HANNAH'S SCHOOL"!! All day he tells me how he wants to go to Hannah's school and how he has a backpack now. It has been really cute until this morning when we were getting ready to take Hannah to school. After putting on his coat he ran and grabbed his backpack and yelled "I ready for school Mama!!". He even brought his bag in the car and tried to get out and go into the building when we got there. It was the cutest and the saddest thing that he's ever done!! I didn't know if I should laugh or cry!! Either way, I hope that he's this willing to go to school next August!

"Modeling" his new bag for Mom

HELP!!!

2008-01-09T09:01:00.000-06:00

Sometimes if I talk about what's "wrong" with me it helps me to work through the "problem" so here goes: Lately I have been totally unmotivated to do anything and I'm SO not exaggerating! I don't want to cook, clean, workout - NOTHING. I also don't want to just sit around doing nothing so I'm a little bit frustrated with myself and I don't know how to break this vicious circle that I've somehow gotten into.

I never make New Year's resolutions - or at least I don't make resolutions out loud. In my head I tell myself that I am going to try to do better with the things that I normally do. For example, I tell myself that I am going to do a better job of keeping the house neat. This usually works for me for a while but it doesn't normally last for too long. I am the type of person that has to have a firm talk with myself several times a year to get my act together. I've never been a highly motivated person - ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you the same. I have always been the laid back, go with the flow type of person (even though it's always driven my mom insane) and I'm okay with that but I always did what I had to do when it needed to be done. But now I just can't seem to find my "groove".

I want to do so much this year, like get the family to eat healthier and lose 10-15 pounds, and this "blahness" (that's a Melissa-ism in case you were wondering) is really discouraging me. I'm hoping that this will end soon, like as soon as I post this! If anyone out there has any suggestions on how to shake this - please let me know!! At this point I'll try just about anything!!

Pancakes for Dinner!?!?

2008-01-07T14:24:00.000-06:00

The other night I had a taste for pancakes for dinner so I asked my sweetie to whip some up for us. FYI, Bill is the pancake maker in the house. We used to take turns making breakfast on the weekends (mostly pancakes) but since Bill has to watch his sodium intake because of his high blood pressure, he makes them fron scratch (because the box stuff has an insane amount of salt!!) and I've never paid attention to how he makes them. Besides, he likes to cook every once in a while!

Anyway, when we told the kids what was for dinner they got really excited. It then occured to me that they'd never had breakfast for dinner and I was shocked! I remember having eggs and cereal and other breakfast foods for dinner - not quite all the time but often enough to remember it - and I thought it was the greatest!! How dare I make my kids eat dinner food at dinner, what a bad mommy I am!!!

The best part was that because the kids thought it was so cool they ate all of the pancakes and sausage (my contribution to dinner) that we put in front of them. My kids NEVER finish their dinner. We usually have to bribe and threaten them and finally compromise with them to finish half of what's on their plates. I think I'm on to something with this Breakfast for Dinner thing. I think we're going to try it again to see how it goes!!

Happy Halloween!!

2008-01-01T18:07:00.000-06:00

I know, I know wrong holiday but the kids decided that they wanted to put on their halloween costumes yesterday and who can say no to such cute kids!!?!?

Happy New Year everyone!! I hope that you all had a safe and fun night and stayed out of the crazy weather, unlike us. We went to a friends' house to ring in the New Year like we do every year. originally this tradition started as a Christmas party but since December is such a hectic month it turned into a New Years gathering in 2002. And, what started out as a huge party of about 50 kids and adults with tons of food and gifts is now down to just 18 (9 adults & 9 kids) getting together for the sake of being together. It's nice because all of our kids are right about the same age and they all play so nicely together. AND the family whose house we were at just got a Wii from Santa!

For those of you that have never had the pleasure of playing a Wii game, let me tell you - It's fun!! The kids had a ball playing baseball, boxing, bowling and golf against eachother for a while but then the men took over and dominated the tv for the rest of the night. I will admit I did play two bowling games myself but the men were a little greedy with those controllers!

All of the kids made it to midnight and were still going strong at 2:00am, at which time we decided it was time to pack up and head home. We probably would have stayed later but Alexander was exhausted and refused to sleep. The poor little guy was wandering around in his jammies while dragging his blankie just looking for a place to get comfy. He finally passed out on the couch right after Bill came in from starting the car. Hannah, who normally has a meltdown at the mention of saying "goodbye" was very agreeable and there wasn't a single tear shed when we walked out the door. She was sound asleep within the first three blocks. After carrying in the sleeping kids I put on my own jammies and I'm pretty sure that I was asleep before my head actually hit the pillow.

It was a nice night that was spent with good friends and the three people that I love the most. I know that before long the kids will be too cool to hang out with their parents and will prefer to spend their time with their friends instead of us so I am enjoying every minute I can with them. I will always remember Hannah's excited midnight hugs and kisses and Xander's sleepy "Hapee Newyee Mama" murmured from his head on my shoulder. Who could have asked for a better night?

We're almost back on track!

2007-12-30T17:49:00.000-06:00

It has been 5 days since Christmas and we are just about back to normal around here and boy am I glad about that!! Our house has been in turmoil for about a week and a half now and I am SO sick of the chaos! As of right now the only rooms that are left to be thoroughly cleaned are mine and Hannah's - but that is pretty much always the case so it's okay.

The weekend before Christmas we had parties to go to. Saturday we went to Bill's cousin's house for his family party and the kids had a blast! There were 15 kids between the four cousins and they are all about the same age with the exception of 1, who is the oldest of course. Originally we weren't going to be able to make it because Hannah was supposed to have a soccer game but it was cancelled and so we decided to go. We don't see Bill's family all that often so it was really nice to see everyone and we all had a great time.

On Sunday we had our annual "Rick mas". It's a get together with some of Bill's friends at their former boss' house (from when they were teenagers) whose name is Rick! We have Home Run Inn pizza and dessert and all the kids get a present. We hardly ever see Rick so it's nice to get together with him and we always have fun at his house.

This year our actual Christmas holiday was wonderful because we didn't have to run around like crazy people trying to get to every one's house on time or force the kids to open presents (doesn't that sound awful!?!?) Normally we spend Christmas Eve with my grandparents and my aunts and uncles then split Christmas day between opening presents at our house in the morning and then heading to my mom's for lunch and gifts with them and heading back to end with dinner and gifts with my in-laws. I don't think I have to tell you what a pain the behind that was and man was it a trick to keep the kids from getting grumpy!! Anyway, this year my grandma wasn't up to a family get together because she had just gotten out of a rehab facility after recovering from pneumonia and she was still pretty weak, so we (meaning my two aunts and their families and two of my four uncles and their families) headed to my mom's house for Christmas Eve. Everything turned out really nice and we had a pretty laid back night.

Here's all of us in front of the tree

There were only three kids there and they were so good about not trying to peek at the presents. They didn't even go near them until we said it was time to open them which was shocking because when my cousins and I were little you couldn't keep us away from the tree!

After everyone left Bill, the kids and I stayed and opened presents with my mom, dad and sister. We figured that since we were already going to be there it'd be silly to go back the following day and that way were were free to do other things Christmas afternoon. It was a really late night for the kids - we didn't leave until 1:00 am - but they held up really well.

On Christmas morning we got to sleep in a little bit. We woke up to Hannah excitedly jumping into our bed telling us that Santa had come and left presents and ate almost all of the cookies that we left and the reindeer ate the celery and carrots that we left out for them. With that we all headed into the front room to open gifts. They didn't get too much stuff this year but they got a lot of electronics. I'm afraid that my kids are going to be gadget freaks like their father but in this day and age that's almost inevitable! They got a few toys and lots of games for their game systems (Leapster and vsmile things, they're too small for a Wii or anything like that) and some computer games, books and puzzles all of which they LOVE!

The kids checking out some of their gifts

Later in the afternoon we went to my sister-in-law's house for dinner. she decided to keep dinner simple so we had steaks and au gratin potatoes and lots of other yummy stuff. After dinner we opened gifts and then just sat back and relaxed as the kids ran around and played.

In front of the tree again!

All in all, we had a great Christmas. There was no stress for Bill and I and we got to enjoy the holiday with everyone without rushing around like a bunch of crazies. Of course, I'm still glad that we don't have to do it again until next year!!

Merry Christmas!!

2007-12-24T16:19:00.001-06:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a safe and Merry Christmas!!

The Snow Day & Our Christmas Tree

2007-12-20T14:40:00.000-06:00

Ok, just so you know, I actually started this post on Monday but I've been so busy I'm just finishing up today. So no, I didn't wait til the VERY last minute to throw up decorations or anything - I'm a slightly better mommy then that!

We woke up on Sunday morning to about a foot of snow. As soon as the kids saw it they were begging to go out and I being a party pooper, told then that they had to at least eat breakfast before they went out. Let me tell you, I don't think they've ever eaten that fast!! So after breakfast Bill went out the dig out the snowblower so that he could clear the driveway and all that good stuff, and I began the impossible task of getting the kids into their snow gear. About 25 minutes, 6 shirts, 5 pairs of pants, 3 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of gloves, 3 jackets, 3 pairs of boots, 2 hats, 2 scarves and 1 pair of tights later the three of us were ready to face the snow. And I swear that they somehow changed personalities while I was getting them dressed! Now Hannah who is usually my cautious "look before you leap" child jumped right into the snow.

Here she is right after coming out of the house - making her way to the swingset

Alexander who is normally my little daredevil, wasn't quite so sure about the snow as his big sister. It took him a few minutes and some encouragement from mom to get him to wade in.

Poor kid, the snow was up to his knees!! After a few steps on his own I had to go in and help him out which resulted in me getting all nice and snowy

Hannah was kind enough to clean off the slide for her brother.

Of course Alexander decided to hang out at the top of the slide for a while so I actually missed him coming down!

Hannah loves making snow angels. Here is her first one for the year!

Alexander thought snow angels looked like fun so he tried to make his very first one (without much success)

When Bill was done with the snowblowing he made the kids a small hill to sled down and they had a blast! Unfortunately, the camera I had with me needs a new battery and it ran out of power before I could get pictures of them sledding, Grrrrr....After about an hour Xander and I decided to come in. He was pretty much done with the snow about 15 minutes after we went out but I managed to keep him occupied by letting him help clean off Bill's car (which was left out in the snow the night before) and by taking a short walk on the already shoveled sidewalk. Hannah is such a daddy's girls that she wanted to stay out and help Bill finish up outside so we let her. That worked out nicely because she then got to "help" bring in the Christmas Tree. Since Hannah's birthday is in the begining of December, I always wait to put up any decorations in the house. I try to make her birthday as special as I can since it's so close to the holiday and this is why we're just bringing in our tree now!

After that, Hannah and I went to my aunt and uncle's house for a "Christmas with the Ladies". My aunt is from Kentucky and is very hospitable - she's always having some type of party. She said that she used to have these christmas parties when she lived ing KY and decided to start the tradition up here this year. We had a nice time and Hannah and my 8 yo cousin Angelina got to play some games with us. Hannah was especially excited to play an ornament game where everyone ended up getting an ornament. Hannah was so excited to show her dad when we got home that she ended up breaking hers and was very upset. Once we calmed her down and asured her that we could get her another ornament, we decorated our tree. Normally Bill and I decorate the tree while the kids run around and play but this year it was especially nice because the kids really helped us out.

Xander wasn't quite sure what to do with the ornaments at first

Hannah was nice enough to show him what to do

Hannah putting up the Angel

My little angels

This is my favorite thing to do all year. I'm so glad that the kids were into it this year. It really helped me get into the Christmas Spirit!!

Kids can be so sweet to eachother when they think that nobody's around

2007-12-14T17:23:00.000-06:00

So I'm sitting at my computer now checking my email and other random things and the kids are playing in the front room. They are actually jumping off of the couch onto the floor. They're not really supposed to be doing this and I am about to get up and remind them of this when I hear Alexander jump off the couch and upon landing say "Ouch, I gotta boo boo". This is followed by Hannah saying "don't worry, I'll make it better" and then I hear her kissing his boo boo. Isn't that just one of the sweetest things ever!?!?! They can be so great together, especially when I don't interfere. Of course, I can't let them play by themselves for too long. Eventually they do try to kill one another but for about an hour or two listening to them play is the best thing I hear all day.

I Survived!!!

2007-12-12T21:34:00.000-06:00

Hannah's friends Princess Dress Up party was yesterday and she had a blast. It was her and nine little girls and two little brothers running (and screaming) through my house for 2 1/2 hours. Most of the kids were just dropped off and picked up but there were three moms that did stay and ended up helping me out which I was so greatful for. I SO would have been cowering in the corner if it hadn't been for them.

All of the girls got a princess dress and jewelry to wear and got to make princess bags with sticker jewels (ooh, fancy!!). We played a few princess games that they really liked. They played pin the crown on the princess, pass the princess (hot potato), the limbo (always a crowd pleaser) and there were few games that we forgot to play. I totally forgot about the pinata that Hannah and I picked up. Fortunately she didn't remember either, and still doesn't. And since I not only forgot to pull it out but also forgot to fill it, it will be going back to the store later today! After that came pizza, presents and cake.

Now, in order to get Hannah to go along with the whole having a party at home instead of doing like a Chuck E. Cheese or something, I told her that she could have a castle cake. She was so excited about this cake that she told everyone that her mommy was making her a castle cake. At first I was totally planning on buying a cake but after hearing her tell so many people that her mom was making it just for her I knew that I had to make it. Of course, I've never made anything like this but I figured that I was a smart girl and I was sure that I could figure it out. So I began looking around for ideas and finally found a cute one that didn't look terribly challenging at BGH.com . So there I was yesterday morning making my cakes and trying to psych myself out to make this cake - and I did it. Of course, Hannah tried to help me and flipped one of the cakes before it was ready so it fell apart, but I carried on. Then I was running late with frosting it because I had to reclean the house after the kids decided to play. I think they played tornado because that's what it looked like to me!! Anyway, considering that this was my first attempt I think I did okay. One of the towers fell off but that was it - the rest of it survived long enough for us to sing and for me to cut it up and serve it. It may have been a little crooked too, but Hannah LOVED it and that's all that matters. My job was done!

Looking back on yesterday I have to say that it was fun to watch the girls (and boys) play together and get excited over everything but mostly it was just EXHAUSTING!! I ended up passing out on my bed sometime around 9:30 pm still in my clothes with my hair in a ponytail. I guess I just can't hang anymore...

I will say one last thing though, Chuck E. Cheese is looking a lot more appealing to me!

Okay, I've tried to post this twice already with some pictures but it's not letting me. I've taken out the pictures and will post some of those tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Hannah!!

2007-12-09T20:58:00.000-06:00

Today is (or should I say was since it is 9:00 pm?) Hannah's 5th birthday. For those of you who may be reading that do not know me, Hannah is my daughter and the oldest of my two kids - Alexander is my 2 1/2 year old son. Anyway, this year we decided that since she was turning 5 and now officially a "big girl" that she could have a party with just her friends as opposed to the craziness that has been her past birthdays where we invite everyone on the planet into our not so tiny/not so big house that does not have a basement. Her friends party is on Tuesday and I will be invaded by 10 little girls for a princess dress up party and I have to admit that I am a little scared!! But, ,that is days away so I will let you know how that goes later in the week.

We had the family - my parents (nana & papa) and sister and my MIL (grandma) and SIL and her family and Hannah's godfather's family (godfather had to work so his wife and kids came without him) over for pizza and cake today. I have to say that it was really nice having just a few people here. It wasn't over crowded or stressful. It was quite nice!!

I don't know about the rest of you moms (or dads) out there but for some reason I had a hard time with my baby turning 5. It just seems like such a big number to me. I feel like we just brought her home and now she's 5. I kept getting all emotional over every little thing too. She counted to 110 the other day and I almost bursted into tears. I know that everyone told me that I should enjoy her because kids grow up fast but, Geez!! Bill (my husband) thinks I'm nuts. Okay, I'm sure that there's lots of people out there that think I'm nuts but now I'm actually starting to agree!! Luckily I was totally composed today. I didn't get teary eyed at all and I was so proud of myself!! But having Hannah is one of the best things that I've ever done. She is such a joy to have in our lives. She's smart and funny and incredibly loving. Sure she's got a little attitude -what girl doesn't?- but she gives fantastic hugs and has magic kisses that make mommy's boo boos go away. I just love my little pumpkin pie!!

So I've finally taken the plunge...

2007-12-04T16:12:00.000-06:00

You got it, I've finally decided to create my own blog. Why you ask? Well for two reasons: 1). sometimes there are cute stories that I'd like to share with all of you and I don't remember Bill's password to post on his blog and 2). because sometimes a girl just needs a place to park her frustrations!! Not that I've got anything to be frustrated about now but it's nice to know that there's somewhere to go when the time comes.