My sister Mallory has a pretty cool blog. She is young and artistic, a great sister, awesome photographer, and a super aunt to her 2 nephews and 5 nieces...she's only 24. Although Mal is usually quiet she comes through loud and clear in her writing, especially on her blog, it's artsy like her. Oh yeah, by the way, she got the awesome hair genes...so NOT fair :)
Moving on...
Mallory's boyfriend, Dustin, is a cinematographer and he made a contest audition video for his brother who could be a real life Spiderman :) Click here to go to Mal's blog and check out this video...I'm going to show it to Max and Abby, they'll think it is the coolest thing!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Happy 89th Birthday Papa Joe!
Today is my Papa Joe's 89th birthday. This is a bittersweet day because it is the first birthday that his children and grandchildren can not call him to wish him a Happy Birthday, but, it is his first birthday in Heaven and I would venture a guess that it is probably the happiest one he's had in at least 8 years. He can celebrate once again with my Grandma, his sweetheart :) Her birthday is Friday so they will be celebrating another first for them in Heaven.
Happy Birthday Papa Joe...you are missed so much by so many. I hope you have a wonderful day and I can just imagine the smile on your face and the happiness you must feel. We love you and think of you often. Give Grandma a kiss for us :)
Happy Birthday Papa Joe...you are missed so much by so many. I hope you have a wonderful day and I can just imagine the smile on your face and the happiness you must feel. We love you and think of you often. Give Grandma a kiss for us :)
Monday, February 23, 2009
ENT Update...
Went back for another ENT checkup for Max today. Just what we expected...he'll be getting his 4th set of tubes. He will have the surgery on Tuesday the 3rd. Upon recommendation of the ER doctor from his last late night visit with the croup, as well as his pediatrician, the ENT is also going to do a scope while he's under (Max...not the doctor :) ) and check out his air passage to make sure there isn't anything in there that could be causing the recurring croup.
While we hate that our child has to have even a simple surgery such as this, John and I are also VERY aware of how blessed we are that it is JUST a simple surgery and nothing else. As we pray that Max does okay and the doctors take care of our baby boy, we are also saying prayers for our friends children who are battling MUCH MORE SERIOUS medical situations than we are. If you have a moment, please pray for little Logan and little Hunter who are too small to have to bear the burdens they do...(I wish no one of any size or age had to). Please pray for their parents as they do their best for their sick children as well as the healthy siblings. Pray for their doctors as they do their best to determine the best course of treatment for each of these boys. Pray that whatever happens, that they know they can lean on God for support and that He will never leave them.
If you could also say a prayer for our Max we would be forever grateful as well.
While we hate that our child has to have even a simple surgery such as this, John and I are also VERY aware of how blessed we are that it is JUST a simple surgery and nothing else. As we pray that Max does okay and the doctors take care of our baby boy, we are also saying prayers for our friends children who are battling MUCH MORE SERIOUS medical situations than we are. If you have a moment, please pray for little Logan and little Hunter who are too small to have to bear the burdens they do...(I wish no one of any size or age had to). Please pray for their parents as they do their best for their sick children as well as the healthy siblings. Pray for their doctors as they do their best to determine the best course of treatment for each of these boys. Pray that whatever happens, that they know they can lean on God for support and that He will never leave them.
If you could also say a prayer for our Max we would be forever grateful as well.
Not Me! Monday
Don't you just love Mondays? :) Since MckMama started Not Me! Mondays I have looked forward to Mondays as a day where I can wipe the slate clean and start over...gotta make room for all the other stuff I'm NOT going to do this week! Hey, the kids are fed (donuts are a food group right?), clean (at least they were when they went to bed), healthy (depending on when you ask), and happy (yeah, even when they're screaming at each other and throwing fits I know they are bursting with joy...on the inside :) ) so I don't have anything to worry about. So, just read about what I DID NOT do this week and then click on over to MckMama's to see what other people didn't do.
This week...
~I DID NOT spend about 10 minutes searching for my cell phone, all over the house. I DID NOT accuse Lucy of taking it. Upon giving up, I DID NOT sit down to change Lucy's diaper and find it...in my back pocket. Nope, Not Me...I would NEVER accuse my sweet baby doll of taking something and hiding it from her mommy...especially when she can't defend herself!
~ Upon asking Lucy if she had a stinky diaper, she DID NOT turn around, pick up her Bobby, hold him out to me, and proceed to say, clear as a bell, "Bobby toot"! Seriously, where would she learn to pass off her stinkiness by making someone else the culprit?
~After having an on-again, off-again relationship (since about November) with runny noses, sneezes and coughs in the face, and sweet kisses all from my children...I DID NOT finally succumb to the germs and get a sinus infection. I DID NOT let John take all 3 kids to church yesterday (I seriously couldn't believe he offered!) and I DID NOT use that time wisely...to SLEEP! Who takes a 2 hour nap when they have piles of laundry and dirty dishes screaming out to be washed? GEESH!
~I DID NOT spill an entire travel mug of coffee on the counter the other day, right after I had warned Abby to be careful with her cup! I WAS NOT so upset by not having my coffee in the car that I had to console myself with a Caramel Latte from Dunkin Donuts!
~Okay, if I HAD done this it would be sooooo gross but I didn't so it's okay...While holding Lucy the other day, I DID NOT notice a big green (well, something) in her nose that needed to come out. Since we were out of tissue downstairs I absolutely DID NOT use the sleeve of my robe to wipe her nasty nose! Please know that if I had done that, I certainly would have immediately put my robe in the dirty clothes to be washed :)
~Finally, I DID NOT send Max to school this morning in a sweater that was NOT uniform colors! I DID NOT do this because it took me until this morning to realize that Max's coat was missing and that he had more than likely left it in my mom's car on Saturday. I am more together than that of course! If I had sent Max in a non-uniform sweater, then I certainly would not have sent a note of apology and explanation...because I am NOT a rules follower! Now they know that I wasn't trying to break the rules...I'm just a scatterbrain...much better don't ya think :)
Well, enough about me...go check out someone else's Not Me's and ask yourself, "What didn't I do this week?"
Friday, February 20, 2009
A Girl and Her Bobby
You've had one haven't you? You might have called it by another name though. Blankie, Lovey, Binky,snuggly, etc. I had two blankets that my Grandma Hedinger made for me...an elephant blanket and a Raggedy Ann blanket...I still have them. Max has a blanket that my Grandma Hedinger made as well. Our girls, ont he other hand, have their Bobbies. Abby has two and Lucy has one. My girls and their Bobbies are inseparable.
It all started when I got a pink and green elephant one as a shower gift for Abby. Once she was a couple of months old I learned that "lovey" (at the time) HAD to be around, especially in the car! By the time she was 1 I couldn't even get it away from her anymore to wash the thing! Around the time she started talking we were driving in the car one day and she was holding him and talking to him. All of a sudden she looked straight into his pink thread eyes and said, clear as a bell, "Bobby". That was his name from then on.
Since a fight would ensue everytime Bobby needed a "bath" in the washing machine I decided to find a twin that I could change out. Just my luck, Carter's stopped making that one. I found one on ebay (see how desperate I was) but they wanted $60 and counting for it...I wasn't THAT desperate! My mom got a different one, a light brown bear that rattled a little. I REALLY didn't think she would take to it but boy did she prove me wrong! Okay, so now I was excited that I had something to give her when Bobby had to be washed...uh uh. She now had to carry BOTH Bobbies (yes, they are Brown Bobby and Pink Bobby...before she knew her colors they were Bobby and Two Bobby...yes I know, original).
Now that she has matured...somewhat (grin)...she has decided that I can wash one at a time. She decides who I get first and upon the return of the first, now clean, Bobby, she will hand over the other one. She gets upset when either Bobby gets something on him and I have to assure her that it can be washed. The Bobbies went to preschool with her last year and Abby's teachers were soooo understanding about her attachment to them and would just place them in her school bag if they got put down somewhere. I was afraid she would want to take them this year as well but Abby surprised me once again and decided that she would take them in the car on the ride and then LEAVE THEM in the car. I let them sit in her car seat until it is time to pick her up and then she has them right there. Bobbies sleep with her at night and travel with us wherever we go. The Bobbies have also been able to soothe all hurt feelings and booboo's...even better than a kiss and hug from Mommy sometimes. Of course, along with the Bobbies comes the thumb :) Out of my 3, Abby is my only thumb sucker. It is interesting to see that the only time she sucks her thumb is when she has her Bobbies. If the Bobbies aren't around and she wants to suck her thumb she goes looking for them. Hopefully that means that once she doesn't need the Bobbies anymore she will stop sucking her thumb...a mom can hope can't she?
It seemed only fitting that when Lucy was born, Abby would present her new baby sister with a Bobby of her very own. A yellow and green giraffe! It has been with Lucy since she came home from the hospital and she has developed a strong attachment to hers as well. When Lucy doesn't want to sleep she starts throwing things out of her crib. Bobby is always the last one "out of the pool" and I can tell when he's out because she starts screaming like someone was threatening to shred him to pieces! I'll walk in her room and she is standing up with her arms reaching down to Bobby. It's not as easy to get Lucy's away from her to wash and you'd think I would have been smart enough to buy two at the same time...well, I wasn't but I'll chalk it up to pregnancy brain :) Abby is kind enough to share one of hers with Lucy but that baby girl knows the difference and a substitute is not going to cut it! She has recently started noticing when Bobby gets something on him and I will hear her say, "Bobby yuck".
A friend of John's joked once (and now it is our running joke) than one or both of the girls is going to end up dating and/or marrying a guy named Bobby :) It wouldn't be too far fetched because my sister and I both married guys named John. As long as the future "Bobbies" treat my girls as well as the current Bobbies...I don't think it will be a problem.
Meet the Bobbies...
It all started when I got a pink and green elephant one as a shower gift for Abby. Once she was a couple of months old I learned that "lovey" (at the time) HAD to be around, especially in the car! By the time she was 1 I couldn't even get it away from her anymore to wash the thing! Around the time she started talking we were driving in the car one day and she was holding him and talking to him. All of a sudden she looked straight into his pink thread eyes and said, clear as a bell, "Bobby". That was his name from then on.
Since a fight would ensue everytime Bobby needed a "bath" in the washing machine I decided to find a twin that I could change out. Just my luck, Carter's stopped making that one. I found one on ebay (see how desperate I was) but they wanted $60 and counting for it...I wasn't THAT desperate! My mom got a different one, a light brown bear that rattled a little. I REALLY didn't think she would take to it but boy did she prove me wrong! Okay, so now I was excited that I had something to give her when Bobby had to be washed...uh uh. She now had to carry BOTH Bobbies (yes, they are Brown Bobby and Pink Bobby...before she knew her colors they were Bobby and Two Bobby...yes I know, original).
Now that she has matured...somewhat (grin)...she has decided that I can wash one at a time. She decides who I get first and upon the return of the first, now clean, Bobby, she will hand over the other one. She gets upset when either Bobby gets something on him and I have to assure her that it can be washed. The Bobbies went to preschool with her last year and Abby's teachers were soooo understanding about her attachment to them and would just place them in her school bag if they got put down somewhere. I was afraid she would want to take them this year as well but Abby surprised me once again and decided that she would take them in the car on the ride and then LEAVE THEM in the car. I let them sit in her car seat until it is time to pick her up and then she has them right there. Bobbies sleep with her at night and travel with us wherever we go. The Bobbies have also been able to soothe all hurt feelings and booboo's...even better than a kiss and hug from Mommy sometimes. Of course, along with the Bobbies comes the thumb :) Out of my 3, Abby is my only thumb sucker. It is interesting to see that the only time she sucks her thumb is when she has her Bobbies. If the Bobbies aren't around and she wants to suck her thumb she goes looking for them. Hopefully that means that once she doesn't need the Bobbies anymore she will stop sucking her thumb...a mom can hope can't she?
It seemed only fitting that when Lucy was born, Abby would present her new baby sister with a Bobby of her very own. A yellow and green giraffe! It has been with Lucy since she came home from the hospital and she has developed a strong attachment to hers as well. When Lucy doesn't want to sleep she starts throwing things out of her crib. Bobby is always the last one "out of the pool" and I can tell when he's out because she starts screaming like someone was threatening to shred him to pieces! I'll walk in her room and she is standing up with her arms reaching down to Bobby. It's not as easy to get Lucy's away from her to wash and you'd think I would have been smart enough to buy two at the same time...well, I wasn't but I'll chalk it up to pregnancy brain :) Abby is kind enough to share one of hers with Lucy but that baby girl knows the difference and a substitute is not going to cut it! She has recently started noticing when Bobby gets something on him and I will hear her say, "Bobby yuck".
A friend of John's joked once (and now it is our running joke) than one or both of the girls is going to end up dating and/or marrying a guy named Bobby :) It wouldn't be too far fetched because my sister and I both married guys named John. As long as the future "Bobbies" treat my girls as well as the current Bobbies...I don't think it will be a problem.
Meet the Bobbies...
Abby and "Pink Bobby" and "Brown Bobby"
Lucy and "Yellow Bobby"
Lucy givin' Bobby some kisses...she'd kiss him all day :)
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Noodles in Her Hair!
Abby's got noodles in her hair! Well, not REAL noodles but the fun kind :) When my sister Shea and I were little we had stick straight long hair and every once in a while, especially the night before school pictures, my mom would give our hair a little bounce with some noodles. No, they weren't rods, they were braids! After we got our hair washed she would braid our hair into tiny braids and we would sleep in them. The next morning we take them out and VOILA!!! instant noodles (hmmmm...reminds me I need to make the girls their lunch).
Back to the present...Abby's hair has gotten longer and last night I asked her if I could give her noodle hair (of course I had to explain I wasn't putting food in her hair). Although she isn't the most patient 3 year old in the world...ahem...she agreed and sat on my bed while I proceeded to braid my little heart out! I was so excited to be able to play with her hair :) Towards the end she was getting antsy so I turned on Food Network and we watched a cake decorating competition while I finished. We had to take a picture...OF COURSE!
Back to the present...Abby's hair has gotten longer and last night I asked her if I could give her noodle hair (of course I had to explain I wasn't putting food in her hair). Although she isn't the most patient 3 year old in the world...ahem...she agreed and sat on my bed while I proceeded to braid my little heart out! I was so excited to be able to play with her hair :) Towards the end she was getting antsy so I turned on Food Network and we watched a cake decorating competition while I finished. We had to take a picture...OF COURSE!
Her daddy loved her braids and thought she should leave them in.
Max and Abby...ready for bed now.
This morning we took the braids out...much to daddy's disappointment...and here we have it ladies and gentleman...Abby's first case of NOODLE HAIR!!!!!
It took her some time to get used to it but now she keeps checking it out in the mirror to make sure it hasn't disappeared!
The girls and I decided to take a walk this morning...well, I was walking, Lucy in the stroller, Abby riding her bike. Abby had to pose by her bike sporting her pink sunglasses. I don't know she looks at least 4 1/2 don't you think :)
Ready to ride!
And just because she is so cute...here's Lucy!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Not Me Monday...Finally
This week...
~ I DID NOT have a bad morning and actually CRY over spilled milk. I was also most certainly NOT the person who spilled it...nope, NOT ME! If I HAD cried about it then I would NOT have laughed at myself later for being so cliche :)
~ I DID NOT allow Max and Abby to stay up late on Thursday night to help me make chocolate chip cookies. I wouldn't do that because they had school the next day and I know...being a teacher and all...how important a good full night's rest is for learning!
~I DID NOT get excited on Saturday night when Lucy really liked the garbanzo bean I gave her out of my chili. I then DID NOT proceed to give her about 20-30 more because she kept asking for them. I also DID NOT also give her a few kidney beans to see if she would like those.
~ Since I DID NOT do this then Lucy most certainly DID NOT wake up every hour screaming during the night. I DID NOT think it was because her eyes were goopy and she was still congested. She DID NOT have four horrendous diapers yesterday. Since I am a good mom, it DID NOT take me until Sunday night, with her waking up crying again and having a NASTY diaper, to realize that is was the BEANS!
~ I DID NOT wonder if I could give the poor baby some BEAN-O (don't worry, I didn't give her any) and I DID NOT think I should go back and reread MckMama's post on Mommy Guilt :) THAT thought DID NOT come to my mind twice this week...the other time when I DID NOT feel guilty about Max's feet being squished into a size 1 shoe when he now needs (and now has) a size 3!
~ I DID NOT resort to bribery to get Abby to eat her food this week. She is a great eater and would never tell me she didn't want to eat and therefore I wouldn't have to tell her that I would take her to target to buy a new pair of shoes if she ate without arguing for 5 days! I would NOT stoop to that level and play on my daughter's LOVE for shoes :)
~I DID NOT witness Lucy vomit for the first time last week...all over her car seat and Abby's...right after we home from picking Abby up from school...20 minutes before we had to leave to get Max!
~ I DID NOT spend 2 1/2 hours working on my checkbook...I AM NOT missing 14 cents and I WOULD NOT try to find it if I was! I AM NOT anal about the checkbook being balanced to the penny and I WILL NOT keep looking until it is found. Besides, it isn't even an issue because I NEVER make "accounting" errors :)
WOW! That felt great...if I HAD done any of those things I would feel so free now...okay, NOW WHERE IS THAT 14 CENTS!!!!!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Big Foot Lives in My House!
This past weekend I noticed that Max's sneakers were about kaput and since his toes were looking a little smashed, John and I decided it was time for some new ones...for crying out loud, the kid doesn't tell us that his feet are hurting so how were we supposed to know that his little piggies were suffocating in there?
Rather than taking all 3 to Target to look for shoes when I wasn't sure if I could get them there I decided to stop on my way home from taking Abby to school Monday morning. Lucy and I found a nice pair of sneakers for a reasonable price. I couldn't remember for sure what size his old shoes were so I guessed at 13 1/2 xw (yes, xw means extra wide...yes, my son is 5 1/2 and has clown feet...yes, he has his mama's feet...ugh). Anyway, since Target does not sell shoes in extra wide I thought I'd be okay getting a 1 1/2.
Got them home and after Max came home we tried them on and he loved them. He said they were comfortable and even walked in them but when I checked to see where his toes were they were right at the top...not crushed but no more growing room left. Hmmmm...maybe I underestimated his size and we needed a 2 I checked his old ones and they weren't 13 1/2 like I had guessed, they were 1 xw.
I took him with me to my Weight Watcher's meeting last night so we could go to Target and exchange the shoes. I really only needed his feet but the whole kid had to come for that :) We had some good Mama/son bonding time. I am SO GLAD I took his feet with me because I was able to have him try on the shoes. They did not have a size 2 so I grabbed a 2 1/2 thinking he'd just have a little extra room...nope, still too small! We had to get my baby boy a size 3!!!!!
I'm trying to tell myself that because they don't have the extra wide widths that he needed the bigger size to compensate...yeah right. I'm also trying to NOT feel too guilty for my not knowing that my son's size 3 feet were being stuffed into size 1 shoes! What I did do was make sure we got lace shoes instead of velcro because that boy is going to learn how to tie his shoes by golly! I learned in Kindergarten and so will he! He did say it would be easier to just wear velcro...I agreed but said it wasn't going to happen.
He said Grandpa wears velcro shoes...I told him that Grandpa knows how to tie shoes and practiced for a long time (love ya Jack) so now he can wear velcro shoes! Anyone know a debate team I can sign this kid up for? He's good!
Rather than taking all 3 to Target to look for shoes when I wasn't sure if I could get them there I decided to stop on my way home from taking Abby to school Monday morning. Lucy and I found a nice pair of sneakers for a reasonable price. I couldn't remember for sure what size his old shoes were so I guessed at 13 1/2 xw (yes, xw means extra wide...yes, my son is 5 1/2 and has clown feet...yes, he has his mama's feet...ugh). Anyway, since Target does not sell shoes in extra wide I thought I'd be okay getting a 1 1/2.
Got them home and after Max came home we tried them on and he loved them. He said they were comfortable and even walked in them but when I checked to see where his toes were they were right at the top...not crushed but no more growing room left. Hmmmm...maybe I underestimated his size and we needed a 2 I checked his old ones and they weren't 13 1/2 like I had guessed, they were 1 xw.
I took him with me to my Weight Watcher's meeting last night so we could go to Target and exchange the shoes. I really only needed his feet but the whole kid had to come for that :) We had some good Mama/son bonding time. I am SO GLAD I took his feet with me because I was able to have him try on the shoes. They did not have a size 2 so I grabbed a 2 1/2 thinking he'd just have a little extra room...nope, still too small! We had to get my baby boy a size 3!!!!!
I'm trying to tell myself that because they don't have the extra wide widths that he needed the bigger size to compensate...yeah right. I'm also trying to NOT feel too guilty for my not knowing that my son's size 3 feet were being stuffed into size 1 shoes! What I did do was make sure we got lace shoes instead of velcro because that boy is going to learn how to tie his shoes by golly! I learned in Kindergarten and so will he! He did say it would be easier to just wear velcro...I agreed but said it wasn't going to happen.
He said Grandpa wears velcro shoes...I told him that Grandpa knows how to tie shoes and practiced for a long time (love ya Jack) so now he can wear velcro shoes! Anyone know a debate team I can sign this kid up for? He's good!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Not Me! Monday
It's that time of week again. To unload your imperfections/embarrassing moments as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend (or the male version of all those if that is the case). MckMama's blog carnival is still growing strong and each week many of us get some free therapy as we confess to some things we "did not" do during the week that might make us look less than perfect...if we actually DID do them. After you are done here, click on the Not Me! Monday button above and read MckMama's Not Me!'s as well as a couple hundred others...if you've got some time...if not, pick a few and you'll be sure to feel better about yourself :)
This week...~ I DID NOT hear a small girl voice screaming "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!" in the house. I DID NOT then keep trying to ask Abby what she wanted. Abby DID NOT look at me like I was crazy...I DID NOT then realize that it was Lucy calling me from her crib. Really, I can tell the difference between my children's voices and cries. I would NEVER confuse them...NOT ME!
~ After enjoying a delicious dinner at my parents's house on Wednesday I DID NOT pack Max some leftovers to put in his lunch box and I certainly WOULD NEVER forget to bring them home! I also DID NOT forget Abby's favorite necklace that she made at school and I absolutely...positively...DID NOT leave one of Lucy's pacifiers on the street! I NEVER forget things when I leave my parents house. I am highly organized and keep things together and ALWAYS leave with everything I came with...(seriously though...I'm just making sure I don't leave anything important...like a kid! :)~ Abby HAS NOT started becoming more and more picky about what she eats. I therefore DID NOT pack her a blueberry muffin, baby carrots, popcorn, grapes, and juice in her lunchbox today. I AM NOT tired of hearing, "I don't like that!" whenever I put something in front of her to eat...that she asked for!
~I DID NOT turn 37 last Friday and then proceed to chop all my hair off on Saturday. I DO NOT enjoy trying new things with my hair and getting a little pampered at the salon...nope, Not Me! ;)~I DID NOT make Abby wear and zip up her jacket on Thursday when we went to pick Max up from school because she WAS NOT wearing this...
I also DID NOT post about Abby's questionable sense of fashion. I mean really, the poor thing is ONLY 3! I should count my blessings that she is even interested in dressing herself...right?
~ I WAS NOT thrilled on Thursday when I was finally able to get a phone number for my fifth grade teacher's son. I WAS NOT even more excited that he answered his phone when I called ( I did consider the time difference and waited for a decent hour) and that I found out sweet Mrs. Bienia is still living with him and doing well at the young age of 90!
~ Finally, I DID NOT have a "MckMama moment" just this morning when Lucy and I stopped at the gas station. The lady at the cash register DID NOT proceed to take Lucy's pacifier out of her mouth and pretend to keep it. This same lady, who was trying to play with Lucy, DID NOT then try to put the pacifier back in Lucy's mouth! I DID NOT intercept the pacifier and stick it in my pocket saying she really didn't need it...thankfully Lucy played along and didn't fuss for it. That DID NOT gross me out because I DID NOT just see the lady come out of the bathroom before she came to the register. I AM NOT linking to MckMama's post above about her recent experience...you WILL NOT find it in the middle of the post.
Okay, since I DO NOT have yet another mountain of dirty laundry calling my name, I think I'll just go lay on the couch, put my feet up and eat some bon-bons! Head on over to MckMama's now and see what everyone else DID NOT do!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Her Own Sense of Style...
I may not have the best sense of fashion, but hey...I at least MATCH! So I don't know where Abby has gotten her sense of style...John doesn't always do the best job dressing the kids but even he had to question Abby's choice :) Love you John :P
Anyway, Abby likes to get dressed almost immediately upon waking and she doesn't like to hear me ask her to wait a minute. Most of the time when she picks out her own clothes AND gets herself dressed she does a very good job picking out things that match. Also, she DOES NOT like ANY help getting dressed! She can be twisted up like a pretzel or be trying to squeeze her head through an arm hole or be pulling her nose up over head in an attempt to get her shirt on and she WILL NOT LET US HELP HER!!! ugh...this is so frustrating. I admit that I do like her sense of independence...most of the time...but for crying out loud...she will stand and scream and pitch a fit because she is stuck in her clothes but will scream louder and run away if we try to help.
But I digress...
Because I was busy getting Lucy's breakfast yesterday morning and Abby couldn't wait any longer to get dressed...
Because she REALLY wanted to wear her striped shirt...
Because she REALLY wanted to wear her pink snowflake pants...
And because her brown shoes are the only ones she'll wear these days...
We got this...and yes...I let her wear it all day (she didn't have school)!
Anyway, Abby likes to get dressed almost immediately upon waking and she doesn't like to hear me ask her to wait a minute. Most of the time when she picks out her own clothes AND gets herself dressed she does a very good job picking out things that match. Also, she DOES NOT like ANY help getting dressed! She can be twisted up like a pretzel or be trying to squeeze her head through an arm hole or be pulling her nose up over head in an attempt to get her shirt on and she WILL NOT LET US HELP HER!!! ugh...this is so frustrating. I admit that I do like her sense of independence...most of the time...but for crying out loud...she will stand and scream and pitch a fit because she is stuck in her clothes but will scream louder and run away if we try to help.
But I digress...
Because I was busy getting Lucy's breakfast yesterday morning and Abby couldn't wait any longer to get dressed...
Because she REALLY wanted to wear her striped shirt...
Because she REALLY wanted to wear her pink snowflake pants...
And because her brown shoes are the only ones she'll wear these days...
We got this...and yes...I let her wear it all day (she didn't have school)!
I know...it kind of hurts your eyes to look at the oufit doesn't it :)
I suggest you wear shades.
I'm so glad I took a picture...I'm sure she'll appreciate it in a few years :)
And just because I loaded them in the computer I'll share a few more...just because they're cute!
This is Abby dressed up for her Princess/Prince day at school during "P" week.
Doodle-bug Lucy
Max just chillin'
A New Sight to Check out...
I found this blog last week and read about this mom's Flabby Friday post. It's not as bad as it sounds...honestly :) I think it is for those of us who are trying to lose some weight and want to celebrate successes or vent about our lack of self-control or making excuses as to why we didn't exercise or make good choices. I am still doing Weight Watchers and lost 1 pound this past week! YEAH!!! At least it is in the right direction :) Although I know I shouldn't and that it is an "excuse"...today is my birthday so I am going to give myself a little slack (no, not in my pants...it's not that bad!) You can click on the link above to go to the Quintooples sight and check out other Flabby Friday posts.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Happy Birthday to a Special Lady...
***UPDATE*** I FOUND HER!!!!! Yeah, doing more investigative work I was able to find Mrs. Bienia! I spoke with her son today and she is living with him and his wife. Her health is good but she suffers from alzheimers. I don't know if she'll remember me or not but I'm going to send her a "belated" birthday card with a picture of the two of us and a picture of my kids. Thank you God for helping me find her :)
Everyone has that one teacher (maybe more) that they remember with fondness and love...if you don't, I'm sorry. I wasn't always planning on becoming a teacher but when I made the decision (finally!) I immediately thought of my special teacher. Mrs. Bienia was my 5th grade teacher at Holy Family Catholic School in Honolulu, HI. She was an older lady...I know...all grownups seem "old" to a 10 year old but follow me here...and she did remind me of a grandmother (I didn't know it at the time but she was 1 year older than my grandma!). I loved her and she was so kind and soft spoken. When I was having trouble in math (NEVER been my favorite subject), she made sure she spoke to my parents about it and gave me what I needed to do better.
Mrs Bienia LOVED turtles! She collected them like nobody's business (not real ones though). I remember she had at least two skirts that she wore that had turtles all over them. I even organized my classmates and collected money from them to buuy her a turtle planter with a plant in it.
I felt close to her because she and I had birthdays only 3 days apart and that is one of the things that helped us keep in touch through the years. I saw her for the two more years I attended Holy Family. When I was in 7th grade and my sister Mallory was born, Mrs. Bienia was the one I wanted to show my baby sister off to. On my last day of school in 7th grade, I knew I we would be moving so I found Mrs. Bienia and had my mom take a picture of us together.
Mrs. Bienia stayed in touch through the years either by phone call or by mail, especially Christmas cards and birthday cards to each other. On my birthdays she would often send me two boxes of chocolate covered macadamia nuts...YUM! When I sent her a wedding invitation she sent me two pot holders with a conch shell on one and a sea turtle on the other...what else??? When I called her to tell her that I was expecting my first baby, she sent him a blue teddy bear made of fabric with the Hawaiian flag on it. Whenever I talked to her on the phone I would say my name and she instantly knew who I was and remembered the year I was in her class 5-A class '82-'83. She and I signed our cards the same way as well.
A couple of years ago I stopped getting Christmas cards from her and so I tried to call and her phone had been disconnected. Being the former private investigator that I am I tracked down the name of her apartment building using her address and got the number for the office. The person was kidn enough to tell me that she had moved to Kauai to live with her son and daughter in law but couldn't give me any other info. I have tried like crazy to track down her son but no luck. I feel bad that I don't know if she is okay and I would love to be able to speak with her or at least her son to find out. Until then though, I always think of her, especially on her birthday, today, February 3rd.
Everyone has that one teacher (maybe more) that they remember with fondness and love...if you don't, I'm sorry. I wasn't always planning on becoming a teacher but when I made the decision (finally!) I immediately thought of my special teacher. Mrs. Bienia was my 5th grade teacher at Holy Family Catholic School in Honolulu, HI. She was an older lady...I know...all grownups seem "old" to a 10 year old but follow me here...and she did remind me of a grandmother (I didn't know it at the time but she was 1 year older than my grandma!). I loved her and she was so kind and soft spoken. When I was having trouble in math (NEVER been my favorite subject), she made sure she spoke to my parents about it and gave me what I needed to do better.
Mrs Bienia LOVED turtles! She collected them like nobody's business (not real ones though). I remember she had at least two skirts that she wore that had turtles all over them. I even organized my classmates and collected money from them to buuy her a turtle planter with a plant in it.
I felt close to her because she and I had birthdays only 3 days apart and that is one of the things that helped us keep in touch through the years. I saw her for the two more years I attended Holy Family. When I was in 7th grade and my sister Mallory was born, Mrs. Bienia was the one I wanted to show my baby sister off to. On my last day of school in 7th grade, I knew I we would be moving so I found Mrs. Bienia and had my mom take a picture of us together.
Mrs. Bienia stayed in touch through the years either by phone call or by mail, especially Christmas cards and birthday cards to each other. On my birthdays she would often send me two boxes of chocolate covered macadamia nuts...YUM! When I sent her a wedding invitation she sent me two pot holders with a conch shell on one and a sea turtle on the other...what else??? When I called her to tell her that I was expecting my first baby, she sent him a blue teddy bear made of fabric with the Hawaiian flag on it. Whenever I talked to her on the phone I would say my name and she instantly knew who I was and remembered the year I was in her class 5-A class '82-'83. She and I signed our cards the same way as well.
A couple of years ago I stopped getting Christmas cards from her and so I tried to call and her phone had been disconnected. Being the former private investigator that I am I tracked down the name of her apartment building using her address and got the number for the office. The person was kidn enough to tell me that she had moved to Kauai to live with her son and daughter in law but couldn't give me any other info. I have tried like crazy to track down her son but no luck. I feel bad that I don't know if she is okay and I would love to be able to speak with her or at least her son to find out. Until then though, I always think of her, especially on her birthday, today, February 3rd.
Happy 90th Birthday Mrs. Bienia!
Love,
Staci
5-A class '82-'83
Wayne at http://pudmud.blogspot.com/ has started something on his blog called Tribute Tuesday. Just a way for people to share their stories about people they admire. Check it out. This post is my tribute to a special lady...Mrs. Bienia.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Not Me!, Monday...Here we go again...
Yeah, you guessed it...it's Not Me! Monday already. Seriously, how did it get here so fast? Well, MckMama is back from her cruise and posted some beautiful pictures of the clear blue waters and had some very cute shots of MckMuffin (aka Stellan) in there as well. Yep, that baby is only 3 months old and has gone on his first cruise! I am NOT almost 37 and haven't been on one yet...just doesn't seem right I tell ya! Anyway, read on about what I swear I DID NOT do this week then hop (click here...I can't get the button on the post...UGH) on over to MckMama's to find out what a bunch of other people DID NOT do this week either. I wonder how much time was wasted NOT doing all this stuff?????
This week...
~ I DID NOT have to make two trips to the pediatrician. Abby WAS NOT diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection on Tuesday. I DID NOT keep her home on Wednesday so that she would feel better for her special Princess/Prince day at school on Friday...and I DID NOT allow her to miss her football game on Saturday because it was going to be cold.
~ I DID NOT have to rush Lucy to the dr. Thursday morning. If I did it WOULD NOT have been because she was trying to practice her running, she knows better. If she HAD been running then she certainly DID NOT slip in her footie pj's on the hardwood floor and smack face first onto said hardwood floor. She DID NOT have a bloody mouth and I certainly was not worried that she might need stitches or have knocked one of her hard earned top teeth loose (on this note...she checked out fine...no stitches...no loose teeth :)
~I DID NOT have a REALLY BAD Weight Watcher's weekend! Since I follow the program to the letter and only choose healthy food options, I most certainly DID NOT eat a cheeseburger and french fries at Five Guys Friday night when we went to celebrate Max's awesome report card and his "No Colors for a Month" month ("colors" is their behavior report at school and Max didn't get any colors for the entire month of January)!
~I then DID NOT buy Hot Tamales and Bottle Caps when I had to stop at WalMart to get more diapers. I DID NOT eat any of this candy I tell you...I was STRONG in my willpower (YEAH RIGHT!)
~Upon deciding that Saturday would be a new day of tracking points and getting back on the program...I DID NOT go to IHOP with my parents after Max's basketball game and have chocolate milk, pancakes, hashbrowns, and ham. Although, honestly, I did share the food with the kids...no, I mean it...I really did! Sunday WAS NOT just a wash either...darn those Dunkin Donuts munchkins!
~ After having forgotten about Max's Show and Tell for the gazzillionth time the Friday before and having to take it to him on the way to take Abby to school, I DID NOT forget about it again until the last minute this past Friday! I WAS NOT rushing around the house like a crazed lunatic, berating myself for being the worst kind of mother, and shouting out any objects I could think of that started with a short e sound that we might just happen to have handy for him to take. I DID NOT briefly think about sending an egg...then luckily find a small wooden elephant and shout for joy. I mean seriously, I have it together...
~ I DID NOT get all my laundry folded and put away this weekend! I enjoy having it sit in my chair in my bedroom. I really like it when it starts crawling up the wall like ivy...maybe I could build a trellis. Man, good thing I wasn't on top of it...even if it was the only thing I got accomplished because...
~ Lucy DID NOT start getting sick on Friday night. She has NOT been up at least once an hour each night since and she has not been clingy during the day either...poor baby:(
~ Once I finally got Lucy down last night, Max DID NOT wake up with...the CROUP...AGAIN!!! I DID NOT have to take him to the ER again because he was having a hard time breathing (I drove this time...it wasn't as bad as in November so we didn't think we needed EMS)...(he is fine and since we got home about 4 this morning I let him sleep in and took him to school when we took Abby to preschool).
~ I am NOT looking forward to GIRLS NIGHT this Saturday! WOO HOO!!!!! Why would I need a girls night? I can handle everything and I do not need a break from time to time to regroup and be a grown up and it HAS NOT been almost 1 year exactly since the last time I enjoyed a Girls Night out.
Okay...I am NOT excited that we just passed the termite inspection we had as I was typing this :)
Well, it's been a busy week of NOT doing stuff...guess I should actually DO something now...
This week...
~ I DID NOT have to make two trips to the pediatrician. Abby WAS NOT diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection on Tuesday. I DID NOT keep her home on Wednesday so that she would feel better for her special Princess/Prince day at school on Friday...and I DID NOT allow her to miss her football game on Saturday because it was going to be cold.
~ I DID NOT have to rush Lucy to the dr. Thursday morning. If I did it WOULD NOT have been because she was trying to practice her running, she knows better. If she HAD been running then she certainly DID NOT slip in her footie pj's on the hardwood floor and smack face first onto said hardwood floor. She DID NOT have a bloody mouth and I certainly was not worried that she might need stitches or have knocked one of her hard earned top teeth loose (on this note...she checked out fine...no stitches...no loose teeth :)
~I DID NOT have a REALLY BAD Weight Watcher's weekend! Since I follow the program to the letter and only choose healthy food options, I most certainly DID NOT eat a cheeseburger and french fries at Five Guys Friday night when we went to celebrate Max's awesome report card and his "No Colors for a Month" month ("colors" is their behavior report at school and Max didn't get any colors for the entire month of January)!
~I then DID NOT buy Hot Tamales and Bottle Caps when I had to stop at WalMart to get more diapers. I DID NOT eat any of this candy I tell you...I was STRONG in my willpower (YEAH RIGHT!)
~Upon deciding that Saturday would be a new day of tracking points and getting back on the program...I DID NOT go to IHOP with my parents after Max's basketball game and have chocolate milk, pancakes, hashbrowns, and ham. Although, honestly, I did share the food with the kids...no, I mean it...I really did! Sunday WAS NOT just a wash either...darn those Dunkin Donuts munchkins!
~ After having forgotten about Max's Show and Tell for the gazzillionth time the Friday before and having to take it to him on the way to take Abby to school, I DID NOT forget about it again until the last minute this past Friday! I WAS NOT rushing around the house like a crazed lunatic, berating myself for being the worst kind of mother, and shouting out any objects I could think of that started with a short e sound that we might just happen to have handy for him to take. I DID NOT briefly think about sending an egg...then luckily find a small wooden elephant and shout for joy. I mean seriously, I have it together...
~ I DID NOT get all my laundry folded and put away this weekend! I enjoy having it sit in my chair in my bedroom. I really like it when it starts crawling up the wall like ivy...maybe I could build a trellis. Man, good thing I wasn't on top of it...even if it was the only thing I got accomplished because...
~ Lucy DID NOT start getting sick on Friday night. She has NOT been up at least once an hour each night since and she has not been clingy during the day either...poor baby:(
~ Once I finally got Lucy down last night, Max DID NOT wake up with...the CROUP...AGAIN!!! I DID NOT have to take him to the ER again because he was having a hard time breathing (I drove this time...it wasn't as bad as in November so we didn't think we needed EMS)...(he is fine and since we got home about 4 this morning I let him sleep in and took him to school when we took Abby to preschool).
~ I am NOT looking forward to GIRLS NIGHT this Saturday! WOO HOO!!!!! Why would I need a girls night? I can handle everything and I do not need a break from time to time to regroup and be a grown up and it HAS NOT been almost 1 year exactly since the last time I enjoyed a Girls Night out.
Okay...I am NOT excited that we just passed the termite inspection we had as I was typing this :)
Well, it's been a busy week of NOT doing stuff...guess I should actually DO something now...
Serious.Life Magazine
I wanted you to know about this publication I’m a part of called Serious.Life Magazine. They just published the February issue today, and I am in their Featured Blog Directory (p. 117 middle of second column). It’s a very high quality magazine… you’ll really like it.
The magazine includes a lot of great content from bloggers you’ll appreciate, as well as great features, photos and other content. The magazine is owned and published by a family who have seven kids, three adopted and one who has Leukemia (http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/). The magazine gives away a bunch of ads to charities and ministries. Besides great articles on interesting people, there is a lot about family, adoption, personal finance, spiritual life, humor… all sorts of “life” topics.
Again, the subscription is free, and I know you’ll enjoy the magazine, so take a minute to check it out and sign up to get future issues. http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/
You'll also find the button on my sidebar on the right so you can click on it anytime to go to the magazine and you won't have to find this post first :)
The magazine includes a lot of great content from bloggers you’ll appreciate, as well as great features, photos and other content. The magazine is owned and published by a family who have seven kids, three adopted and one who has Leukemia (http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/). The magazine gives away a bunch of ads to charities and ministries. Besides great articles on interesting people, there is a lot about family, adoption, personal finance, spiritual life, humor… all sorts of “life” topics.
Again, the subscription is free, and I know you’ll enjoy the magazine, so take a minute to check it out and sign up to get future issues. http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/
You'll also find the button on my sidebar on the right so you can click on it anytime to go to the magazine and you won't have to find this post first :)
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