Last post today...

Now I know how celebrities must feel after they win an award and make their speech then realize after they have walked off stage that they forgot to thank someone important...that being said...

Thanks to my awesome, beautiful, wonderful, giving, loving mom for watching the kids this week so John and I could go to the Open Houses together. My mom is the best and has always been there for us when we needed her (my dad too of course). I have been blessed with wonderful parents and can't thank them enough for doing what they do.

Mom and Dad...you guys ROCK!

Odds and Ends...

John and I attended Max's Open House at his school Tuesday night and are very excited about the upcoming school year for him. His teachers are very enthusiastic and they have lots of wonderful learning planned for this year.

We also attended Abby's Open House last night and are once again very pleased with Abby's teachers. We have had wonderful experiences with the Learning Center and look forward to Lucy attending there in a couple of years. I took Abby yesterday afternoon to meet her teachers and they were great with her and although Abby didn't really talk to them much she seemed to feel very comfortable and had a great time playing. Several of her classmates from last year are in the same class so I think that will make a huge difference!

Max started football practice Wednesday night...yes it has been a VERY BUSY WEEK! His first game is on the 18th. Abby keeps reminding us that she wants to play football this year too so as soon as registration through the YMCA begins we'll sign her up. I can't wait to see our little "princess" running up and down the field :)

Lucy is doing great and is going to be turning 1 year old on the 16th! YIKES! She is walking great as long as she is holding onto something and will walk behind her push toy very steadily. Of course as soon as she runs into something she bangs the toy against it and screeches until someone comes to help her...very Abby like...UH OH! I have started weaning her off formula and onto organic whole milk. The milk also goes into a cup instead of a bottle so when formula is gone that means NO MORE BOTTLES! Max and Abby were both on all milk/cups by their first birthday so that is the goal I have for Lucy as well. I think she is having issues with the temperature of the milk however because I have spent a year heating up her formula for her...now she has COLD milk. Her first taste of it she ended up letting pour out of her mouth. She is interacting more and more with Abby and Max and loves following them around the house and hanging out with them in the playroom. She has also developed a fondness for Abby's baby dolls :) Abby has decided Lucy needs her own dolls for her birthday! Is she looking out for her sister or just protecting her own stuff? :)

John is doing well and is working hard as always. Unfortunately his beloved Wolfpack did not do so well last night against South Carolina :( He is taking it relatively well though. I guess he has too much other stuff on the brain to get too upset about it.

Well, thanks for reading my rambling thoughts. Gotta go scrub something...

Out of the Mouth of Max...

I picked Max up from school the other day and he showed me a picture he had drawn in class. He had written his name and a girl's name on his paper. I teasingly asked him if this was his "girlfriend" (he has always liked the ladies :). Instead of saying, "Moooooom stop!" like I expected he would, he very seriously told me, "Mom, you shouldn't have said it like that." I, of course, apologized then asked if she was his girlfriend, expecting an emphatic NO! Not my son...he looked at me with one eyebrow arched and shrugged a shoulder and said..."So far so good." I haven't laughed that hard in a while. To hear that come out of my 5 year old's mouth was priceless. Now, don't get me wrong, I know he is waaaaaaaaay too young for the boyfriend/girlfriend thing and to be perfectly honest...1) he probably doesn't understand what that means and 2) the girl probably isn't even aware of his assumptions :) I know we will have our hands full one day but for now I think I'll enjoy the innocence of youth (my kids'...not mine)and my son's apparently rather large ego! :)

Growing up...

Yesterday I took Max to school and he finally decided he was ready to walk to his class by himself. I took my license with me in case I needed to sign in and walk him but he was very brave and told me he could do it. After school he also informed me that since he knows the way to his room now I don't have to park and get out of the car to walk him to the front of the building...I can drop him off in the carpool line. Wait...get this...even bigger...I can pick him up in the carpool line instead of parking/getting the girls out/standing in the hot sun to wait for him! I never mentioned this to him before. He came up with it all on his own. I am so proud of my big boy for making this decision for himself!

Face Lift!

No, not me :) Unlike my sweet darling husband...I like change. It must come from growing up as a military brat and getting a new home/new bedroom/new friends/new school every few years or so. I also did this in my classroom regularly. Much to the delight of my students I would rearrange the room whenever I got the urge. I also do this to my hair quite a bit. Grow it out for 3 years...chop it all off...you get the idea. Now I have done it to my blog. It's mine so I change it as I please. I don't even think John reads the blog so I won't have to worry about him rolling his eyes at me for changing it again :) Love you sweetie! Anyway, hope you like the new look. I tried not to get too girly but hey...I'm a girl. Gotta go...baby crying...night night!

Sneakin' in Some Broccoli...

Max has always been a good eater and John and I have never worried about letting him have some candy or chips (in moderation of course) because he will turn around 5 minutes later and have an apple or carrots or something else healthy. We laugh though because he has told us in the past that he only doesn't like to eat broccoli and celery. We don't complain and don't try to force the issue. However, I was watching Food Network the other day and watched Paula Deen make this delicious looking Broccoli Cole Slaw that some of her viewers sent her. Now let me tell you...Max and Abby can eat some slaw now... they can make a meal of it. So I thought...hmmmm...would they eat this? I bought the ingredients and made it for dinner and they inhaled the stuff. After Max's fourth helping, John and I let Max know that he was eating broccoli! He couldn't believe it. He paused for a second then kept right on eating. Woo Hoo! Max ate broccoli...even a bigger Woo Hoo...ABBY ATE SOMETHING GREEN AND LOVED IT! I modified the recipe slightly for Weight Watcher purposes and instead of sauteeing the ramen noodles and almonds in the butter I just put them under the broiler to get them slightly browned. For those of you interested in Weight Watchers I figured out that this recipe is about 5 points for 1 cup serving. Enjoy!

A Different Kind of Friday...

A while back I posted about how I loved Fridays because the kids and I had this tradition that was comforting and fun and included getting lunch together. Well, today was the first Friday that all of that changed. Max was in school and no longer gets out at 12:00. He eats lunch at school now so our Friday tradition has to change now. I know that I could take Abby and Lucy but it just doesn't feel right to do it without Max so we decided to do dinner instead. Just another reminder that things are changing here in the Bailey household. Change is okay. We just go with the flow. Have a Happy Weekend.

Havin' Fun at the Beach...more pics

We spent some time at the beach on Sunday before Max headed off to school and since I had my dad's camera I took the opportunity to get some pictures...

Abby posing...

Lucy having a blast getting covered in sand...

Max posing...

Who's that good looking man? That's my hubby :)

Picture post

Just because I haven't been able to post any pics in awhile....

What a cutie!

"Surprise!"

A loving moment...doesn't happen often

Abby blowing bubbles at swim lessons...she was a good bubble blower and kicker but didn't want to go underwater because get this...her face would get wet...DUH!

Crazy Hair Day :)

Big Day!

From this...May 5, 2003...first day of life

To this...August 19, 2008...first day of Kindergarten

"Alright mom, you got me here...now can you go so I can get to work?"

Dear Max,

I can't believe it has happened already...your first day of Kindergarten. I have been thinking back over the past five years and wonder how it got away from me so fast. You are my first born and although you are a big boy now you will always be my baby. You were such a little man yesterday as we took you to your classroom. You were a bundle of excitement all morning and I prayed hard that you would not cry or be upset when we left you in the classroom. You didn't...you were great! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you Max. You really seem to like your teachers and when I picked you up yesterday you told me you wished you could live at school :) I'll remind you of that in a few years when you start whining about having to go...I hope you don't though...I hope you always enjoy school and learn everything you can. I pray that you have teachers that make learning exciting for you and make you want to get up and go everyday. I'm really looking forward to seeing how much you grow and mature this year. Make lots of friends, learn a lot, and HAVE FUN :)

Love,

Mommy

Weight Watchers Update...

I went to my Weight Watchers Meeting this morning to weigh in. Drumroll please........ I LOST 4 POUNDS IN ONE WEEK!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!! I'm so excited. Each loss motivates me more so I'm hoping I can keep the motivation going through today so I want to get on the treadmill tonight :) I did walk on the treadmill last Sunday night but it was the last time I did it this week...yes I kept finding excuses...okay, I'll probably find more excuses but the desire is there at least so I have something to work with :) Lucy's up...gotta go!

To Sleep or Not to Sleep...That is the Question!

Yes everyone...we are that critical age now where we are trying to figure out whether or not we still need a nap during the day. No, I'm not talking about me unfortunately :) If it were me I'd be snuggled under the covers with my body pillow "Herbie" snoozing away. But I digress...no, I am talking about Abby. Three seems to be the magic number around here where little people seem to think they are too big to take naps. Max decided on his own that his naps were over when he turned 3 but he was tolerable during the day when he didn't have one. After a couple of weeks of no naps John and I figured he was right (didn't mean he slept any later in the morning though...Grrrrrr!)

Abby on the other hand...Bless her heart...REALLY doesn't want to take a nap and she hasn't been forced to for a few weeks now (except when we were at Shea's house...nap time was my only sanity). She does pretty well for a few days then seems to start losing her steam and becomes irrational and moody. She has not had a nap since last Saturday when she was with John and she fell asleep on the couch so she was in dire need today. As a matter of fact although she pitched a fit about NOT wanting to take a nap (only stopping her crying fit long enough to yawn) she fell asleep within moments of me leaving her room. The problem with taking a nap however is that she probably will not go to sleep until somewhere between 9 and 10 tonight regardless of how long I let her sleep. This is not conducive to spending any quality time with John in the evenings because if I don't sit in her doorway until she falls asleep then she pitches a fit and we risk everyone waking up (I think she's going through a separation anxiety issue).

I don't mean to sound like I am complaining (because I am so grateful that we were blessed with these beautiful healthy children) but sleep is a serious problem around here...and not because we have an 11 month old in the house. It's Max and Abby. There hasn't been a night in I don't know how long...months probably...that they have slept through the night without waking up or crying out in their sleep at least once. Most nights they are both doing it...at different times of course...so John and I feel like yo-yo's getting in and out of bed several times a night. Getting to sleep isn't the problem (with the exception of Abby napping)...it's staying asleep that our kids haven't mastered yet. I really feel strongly that if they got better quality sleep at night then they may be calmer during the day and the fits might start to disappear. I just don't know what to do to help them get the quality sleep (no I don't want to drug them). I've certainly been doing a lot of praying about it and I am sure we will be given a solution so I guess I just need to be patient. NOW I NEED A NAP! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

"Diets Don't Work...Weight Watchers Does"

I have finally done it! I went back to Weight Watchers this morning. It is my first meeting I have been to since last December. I was excited to be back and to see a couple of familiar faces. I found out that I have 17.2 pounds to lose to get back to my goal weight. I'd love to do it by Christmas but my ultimate goal will be for my birthday in February. WISH ME LUCK! I'll keep you posted how I'm doing.

Max-isms

It is so funny how sometimes a child can sound so much like a grown up. Max has the uncanny ability to crack me up at the most serious moments.

A couple of weeks ago I had told Abby to stop jumping on the couch or she would have to stay off of it. Well, Max was on the couch and she thought it would be fun to jump and land on top of him. When I caught her and fussed at her she said she was sorry. Before I could say another word Max looked at her and said, " Abby, sorry doesn't solve the problem." I had to turn around fast to keep them from seeing me smile and of course John was behind me cracking up :)

Today I was trying to get Max and Abby to go outside to play since the temperature has dropped to a tolerable 82. Abby, still terrified of airplanes...UGH...wouldn't go out because she heard one. Max, in a loving a protective mood today, told her, "Abby, it's okay, remember that God is always with you." It didn't alleviate her fear but it made me feel good to know that he knows this and wants to share that info with his sister.

Finally, a few minutes later they came inside for the umpteenth time...this time to go potty. I heard them in the bathroom and I heard Max saying, "let me see you try." Seconds later he came out so excited and proceeded to tell me that Abby "did it". Knowing that she has been potty trained for awhile now and capable of "doing it" herself I asked him what she did. Well, Max, ever the genius, taught his sister how to pee standing up! He said he showed her how to just lean forward and she did. I told him that girls don't do that as I rushed in to make sure she hadn't gone all over the floor. No mess to clean up and Abby was proud of herself but I did ask her to make sure she sat down from now on because girls don't stand up when they go potty, only boys should do that.

Kids...whatcha gonna do with 'em?

This Will Make You Smile

"Bad Hair Day? This is my everyday look!"

I found this picture about a month ago in some of my stuff and wanted to give it to my sister Shea but I kept forgetting. So I thought I'd just post it on my blog because I thought it was so darn cute! This is my niece Molly at about 3-4 months. She is 3 now and her hair has calmed down tremendously since this picture was taken. All 4 of Shea's babies were born with a head full of hair but I think Molly's was the most "shocking"! Before you ask...no...Don King is not her daddy :)

Believe it or not, no hair products were used on this beautiful baby and she did not put her finger in a light socket. It is all her! Transport back 33 years and this could be her mommy :)

7 against 1...the odds were NOT in my favor!

I actually survived!!!!! No I was not playing a team sport. I was up against something stronger than the Clemson Tigers football team (Go Tigers!)...I was up against 7 children...namely my 3 and my sister's 4! Max, Abby, Lucy and I went up to Charlotte last Monday to stay with Shea and John and their 4 kids so I could watch the kids while John worked and Shea had other things she had to take care of. Is Staci crazy? you ask, is she insane?, has she lost her marbles? ...maybe...but that's another story :) Anyway, I had two 5 year old boys, two 3 year old girls, twin 16 month old girls, and Lucy at 10 months to keep alive for four days. HOW DID SHE DO IT? you ask...I have no clue. I remember waking up VERY EARLY, thanks to my kids...UGH! feeding them all breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and bathing some of them :) I showered and drank LOTS of caffeine. I could feel myself drowning on Thursday as I woke up with a sore throat and sore leg muscles (carrying 3 babies up and down the steps all day will work some muscles!). Friday morning I was begging for a life raft as I also had a fever and was congested, and achy all over (are you feeling sorry for me yet :))?

Well don't, I did this because I love my sister and brother-in-law and nephew and nieces and they needed me so what else would a sister do? Friday afternoon though I was SO EXCITED to see my husband come in the door to pick up Max and Abby. He was taking them to his parents house and Lucy and I would head over that evening to spend the rest of the weekend. Two down and five to go, the odds were still not in my favor but oh well :) I really did have a great time and Max and Abby and Jack and Molly (I think) had a blast with their cousins. They didn't have to play with each other all week...YEAH! Lucy was fascinated with Sophie and Macy and I think they got a kick out of having a different baby around besides their own mirror image. I also have to give a shout out to uncle Mark who pitched in when desperately needed.

We are now home and staying put since school is only two weeks away. My little man starts Kindergarten on August 19th. He seems excited and I think he's ready because he's bored being at home. I am feeling some guilt however about not teaching because I always thought I'd be there working at the school when he started and he could come to my room after school, or I'd see his class in the hallway, etc. I do plan to volunteer at the school but somehow it doesn't feel the same.

Before I get too emotional about it...let's move on to the next bit of exciting news...Abby has started swimming lessons! Tonight was her second night. Monday she cried quite a bit when it was time for me to leave her with the teacher but as soon as she got in the water she was fine and kept smiling and waving to us. Tonight she didn't cry at all and seemed to have a great time. She even went UNDERWATER! whoa! If she keeps this up we'll have to keep her in lessons year round (it's an indoor pool).

That's enough for now...I'll post more later and hopefully have some pics to share of Abby's party.