All things grow with love

Our October Glory - planted May 17, 2008.

Jeff bought me a tree for our 15 year anniversary. Planting trees to celebrate joyous occassions is our thing around here. And, although we usually don't stay in a house long enough see them mature, we do drive by our old houses and visit our trees. One tree that signified a miscarriage we suffered, we actually took with us when we moved. That tree is so beautiful now and the owner of the house uses it as her family picture background. She lost her husband unexpectingly and said that they too had a special tree. Our transplanted tree became that "special tree" for her and her sons also. It's so amazing how God works and weaves throughout our lives.

We plan to get a family picture with our tree when

we get a chance. Doc even found a nice sized rock in an empty lot to supplement.

We wanted to save the $75 planting fee and did it ourselves. After digging a near swimming pool size hole, Jeff, Skyler and I rolled the tree into the hole. It was a lot harder than we expected and we paid for it for 3 days after - I was so sore I could barely move my legs.

Happy Birthday Doccy!

• Mia Belle is 6 mos old now.
  
  
  

Balls!!!Balls!!!

Doccy turned 7 on mother's day. To celebrate we invited his class to

a party at the children's museum. It was a great party and Doc enjoyed being the center of attention. Espcially important I think since he's smack dab in the middle of our family's birth order lineup.
Although I did get some mom's to stay and help corale 15 kids, many dropped the kids off and went to watch the filming of "The Informant" and catch a glimpse and maybe a picture with Matt Damon. We drove right by filming on the way to the museum.

Mommy's very own "Speedracers"

Skyler, Jeff, the babies and I got to go to a Cardinal's game for a school fundraiser. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the Cardinal's won!!!
We aren't big baseball fans around here but a field trip is always fun. To top it off, Busch stadium has a family area fully equipped with a mall quality play area. If the babies are happy, momma's happy!

Skyler with the rest of the coolest 7th graders around.

Much needed R & R

Jeff and I celebrated 15 years of marriage this month and we decided to celebrate by taking a family vacation to Florida. We did it on a whim (those are the best vacations because you don't have time to form lofty expectations.) We went to visit Jeff's friend from 8th grade. We stayed a block from Venice beach and the price was right. It was such a relaxing vacation. On Venice beached we searched for shark teeth and sea shells. We walked the beach to the point to view the dolphins. The dolphins swimming feet in front of us took our breath away. Truly awe inspiring. I could have happily sat all day watching them swim.

We attended a drum circle at Siesta Beach also. People show up bring their drums or bongos and to no written music, just play. The beach goers gather around and listen and dance. At dusk, all the people are facing the direction of the sunset and when the sun dissappears, everyone cheers and claps. It was awesome. That's how we spent each evening. We would make sure to get to the beach for the sunset. How awesome to live in a place that can watch the sunset over the ocean every night.

We nearly got sucked into the theme park trap but managed to escape. We have done Disney twice and decided to try Busch Gardens. After being on the beach for 3 days, we decided Busch Gardens wasn't for us. So we left the park and headed to Panama City. We had never been there before so it was exciting. We found it too commercial . The Holiday Inn did have a kids spray park overlooking the ocean though. We continued driving up the coast and made a last minute decision to stay at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville. It was a super cool resort with beautiful gardens. Truly the vacation got better as the days passed.

It is so great to get away and connect with the people you love the most.

Argh, Argh, Argh, Yea Baby!

Is it bad that this dishwasher was the highlight of my month? I have not liked the dishwasher that came with the house since we moved in. I had made phone calls to GE service and they came to check it out and they said the dishwasher worked liked it was supposed to but it doesn't clean the dishes - aka "your builder put the cheapest model in this house hoping you wouldn't notice or at least not complain." After having service men out to say the same thing - this is how this model cleans (or doesn't clean) I finally had to have a fit. I made up my mind, I was getting a new dishwasher and one that cleans. And that I did. After much negotiation, I ended up with a GE GLD 6700 NBB. Yes, you read that right a 6700 NBB baby! And she's a beaut. She holds a cool 16 place settings; that's 16 plates, 16 salad plates, 16 bowls, 16 cups and 16 mugs. That's right. She also has an attachment for 16 wine glasses. She starts hot for a better clean. She has 3, count them 3 spray arms. I can't wait to run it. I got it yesterday and haven't even filled it yet.
I missed the 8-12 appointment window signing up for nursing classes but luckily the installers were able to come back at 5 p.m.

I show up at the college expecting to sign up for the class and find out that students had been in line since 2 a.m. to sign up for the class. I got in but am perplexed as to why students have to wait in line at 2 a.m. to sign up for nursing classes when there's a nursing shortage. (I have learned that it's not actually a nursing shortage but a nursing teacher shortage). And just like I said about the labor shortage in Fort MacMurray - well pay them more if you want them to work for you!!!!!

My Brother...My Stepstool

Before Sebastian was born, I saw a picture in my doctor's office that brought tears to my eyes. It was of two little boys in bib overalls - the older one hugging the little one and titled "my brother...my protector." I loved that picture. While in Springfield today for a post surgical appointment, I made my usual stop at Macy's. While in the bathroom, Seth needed to wash his hands but couldn't reach. So I told Joe to be a step stool for Seth. It was so cute to see the boys working together. After sterilizing Joe's hands, we headed to CHuck E Cheese and Joe remembered his lesson. It was so cute.

A successful outing!!

Against my mom's advice to not take the babies out of the house until they're 15, I missed our library story time. (this is different than the one here in Forsyth) I have taken the kids to story time since Skyler was a baby. We've had the same story time teacher and she makes me feel so good everytime I talk with her - she makes me feel that I'm doing a good job in raising the boys. When I had the daycare, she affirmed me then also. So as hard as it is with the boys at times, I'm always glad I went to her story time. Miss Susan was in a terrible car accident about 5 years ago and lost most of her memory - yet she remembers me, my boys, Spencer's birth story, my first born Skyler and his best friend whom I babysat AND their favorite requested song "Old MacDonald." She even remembers how they went through their cowboy boot phase together. She really is a special person.
Whats best is they respond so well to her and behave like angels in her class. There are 3 regular attending girls. And girls tend to babble more than boys. So by doing nothing but listen intently to her books, they were better behaved than the girls. You don't know how good it feels to not be the mom chasing and scolding the boys. I got to be the gloating mom of the "well behaved" kids. (referring to a previous post, I refrained from giving anyone well meaning parenting advice during my momentary gloat)

An extreme coaster

This thing is so cool. Our painter ran out and bought his daughter one after seeing it!

Bunnies, Birthdays and BBalls

Have ever noticed how February seems to have 120 days but March flies by? Our March has gone quickly. We have 2 birthdays in March and Easter was early this year.
We took the next step with Seth and moved him out of the crib before he turned two. He has done well and Sebastian enjoys having a bunkmate. I've only gotten up once in the night to find him descending the stairs. I think he was going for juice.
Naptime is more of a challenge though. I could put him in his crib and he'd happily comply. A bed gives him more freedom to exercise his free will.
Easter was wonderful, but I was amused at all the spring/summer dresses on such a cold day. The kids hunted eggs with snowflakes falling this year, after we changed clothes of course.
Sethie got this cool roller coaster from Grammy that all the kids play on - heck even I had to try it out. This is the perfect toy to keep kids active all winter.
Sethie even got balls for his birthday - and lots of them. The child is crazy about balls. He calls basketball "shootball" from our season of cheering the kids to "shoot the ball."

A Perfect 10

Having much pity on me, my mom treated me to a day out last Friday. It was about as perfect as a day gets. It started with a massage - while she babysat the puppies. She then took me shopping for clothes and a new Easter dress. We topped it off with lunch. I could get used to days like that. She realizes how difficult it is to try on clothes while 2 little people destroy everything within arm's reach. Usually if I need something new to wear, its grab and go. Worry about sizing, perfect fitting later - or not. I must have spent an hour in the dressing room trying on everthing in the store.

On Saturday, Sierra had 8 girls over for a sleepover slumber party. She turned 10 years old! The girls ate pizza, cake and ice cream, sang Karoeke, painted nails, wathced a movie - all the good slumber party stuff. They were very well behaved - even helped clean up the mess the next morning. We had to pull out the parent voices about 11:45 though as Jeff had to be at church at 7:30 to lay minister.

Daily Log - Friday March 14

So I was relaying my daily antics to the rest of my family at the dinner table last night. After we all had a good laugh at my expense, Jeff says I need to make a diary of my life raising Joe and Seth. You see parenthood was easy until we had "the puppies." My firstborn, wonderful child - can do no wrong (in our eyes of course) - second child, sweet, sweet baby girl, wants nothing more than to please us - third child and second boy - and fun loving, sweet as can be, gentle soul. He is the one that cried at the movie theater when Tinkerbell died in Peter Pan. He was only 2 years old. The child's middle name is "empathy." Some woman will thank us for him (great husband material). Jeff and I could have gotten big head - boy did we know what we were doing in the parenting department. I read all the parenting books "your 3 year old" "your 4 year old" and up to 10 year old.
And then Spencer was born. But he wasn't even born right. He quit breathing before birth, sent all the staff into a frenzy. He gave up on descending the birth canal and had to be pulled out. He then had to be prompted to breathe, went straight to the nursery who sent him to NICU because he wouldn't quit irrately screaming. The first time I got to see him was before his trip to Springfield as we baptised him - a bedpan holding the holy water. We know this was all a tantrum because the NICU doc said he screamed his head off until I walked into the room. I did not leave his side during his NICU stay and he did not cry once.
Seth wasn't as bad as Spencer but he was delivered by the Canadian hospital nurses (both about 20 years old looking scared to death). Not only could he not wait for the anesthesiologist, nor the OB, but he decided he didn't want his first look of life outside to be the floor, so he was born face up.
I am most certain that these boys will be what sends me to the luny bin. We are pefectly fine if we don't leave the house.
But being the glutton for punishment that I am, I venture out to take them to the library story time. Upon arriving, I notice that Spencer did not bring his shoes. He is very responsible for getting his own hat, gloves, coat and shoes on. All but today. So since the story time has started, I quickly take off Seth's shoes, squeeze Joe's feet into them, and carry Seth into the library (thinking it doesn't look as bad for a baby to not have shoes as a 3 year old.) The group is painting dinosaurs. spencer won't have his picture taken by the librarian and won't paint. Seth, however, would love to paint but the class is only for 3-5 year old and the directions were very specific on this. So Seth grabs the brush, gets a big dunk of yellow paint and waves the brush. Oh he happens to hit the dinosaur amidst swings but he definately needs to work on his fine motor. As it happens, Joe now inists on painting. So here the puppies are fighting over the brush, Seth won't give it up, Joe desparately wants it. I'm thinking why do I bother. Then a very smart young mother with her first child offers me advice on how to cure Seth's red cheeks. With every ounce of my self control, I just smile give her a "wow, I'll have to try that" and continue juggling my puppies.
After story time, we headed to the mall to pick up gifts for friends. In Bath & Body Works, I'm studying a product and the clerk say "excuse me your boys are putting something on each other." What I see is Spencer holding a bottle upside down and squeezing with both hands over Seth's head and Seth holding a bottle upside down and squeezing onto the floor. Mind you, these two are properly strapped into the stroller and I've been looking for 1 minute. Luckily the products were testers and the clerk didn't make me pay for them. Not having a towel handily placed in my double umbrella stroller, I take off Spencer's shirt, sop up the mess, put his shirt back on, pay and quickly exit. Seth now looks like Albert Einstein and I'm not done with my errands.
After relaying this to my mom, she tells me to bring the boys over and go get a massage. Thank God for moms.

The Joys of Parenthood

You gotta love being a mom. I hop into the car, turn around and see this. We were going to Walmart. Humility is my middle name.


You also gotta love being parent. This is my youngest brother Justin holding his 6 month old baby girl Laney. Parental adoration begins immediately ......then wanes.
9 more days until Spring!!!

He's not a baby anymore :-{

I have postponed this for as long as I could. Jeff told me, grandma and poppo told me but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Until Sunday. Sethie got his first haircut. I had put it off because as soon as you cut the child's hair, he looks like a bigger child. Or should I say older. Seth is still my baby and I don't want him to look like a toddler. We also have been dragging our feet about taking the crib down. Skyler was out of his crib at 19 mos because we anticipated his next milestone. But with Seth, our baby, I feel I am being pulled, heels planted toward his growing up milestones. With our balcony, I also enjoy putting him in his crib and knowing that's were he'll stay for the night. We'll potty train this summer when he can run "au naturel."

Basketball video

Yes, it is as exciting as this clip looks.

2, 2, 2, 2

I'm trying to bring the jock out of my ballerina. We've tried softball, soccer and now basketball. She grasps the concepts of the games but is just too polite. It seems outrageous to her to take the ball from another girl while she's bouncing it. And even rude to get in her face when she's trying to make a basket. We have made progress though. She will now grab the ball if it happens by her and she politely waves her arms in front of the girl she's guarding. She still won't swipe the ball but there's always next year. Our incentive for this last game was that if she made a basket, grandma, Sierra and I would have a girls day out with manicures and lunch. We were all pulling for just one basket; the people around me even on the opposing team were cheering to "get the ball to Sierra." It was a fun season and she had many attempts but no scores. The school is having a short bball season just for girls for the next 3 weeks so our nails may get pretty after all.

I hate it when that happens!

When the cat's away the mice will play. The same goes for dogs. I had to leave Mia outside while I took the kids to school. I came home to find she'd netted herself in our minnow net (which dissapoints me because that is much needed to for our annual Huzzah canoeing trip.)
The two boys after our latest trip to see Seth's pediatric urologist in Springfield. They were sleeping so cute together.
Sometimes Spencer goes so hard during the day that he just can't make it up onto the couch for his nap.

Poor Pipsqueak cont.

Left: a much needed trip to the children's museum for some fun.

bottom: "me cheese momma"
Sethie started to recover from his hernia surgery. Then, 5 days later he developed a fever. His entire stomach was red and inflamed, he wouldn't let me put him down all day and he drew his legs up. There was an infection. We got medicene. We were to go back to the doctor in a week. We did and the infection was better but still there and the incision was trying to close up. The doctor to my disgust, had to open the incision so the wound would air dry. So, air dry I was told and air dry I did. Sethie ran around the house with a sweatshirt on and Jeff's socks as thigh high leg warmers. It just begged for an incriminating picture.

Let's Bowl!

Joe went bowling for the first time last weekend with our church's family bowl day. He was a blast. Just getting the ball all the way down to the pins was a huge triumph for him and for us (not having to call the attendant every time.) He got so thrilled when his ball made it down; he jumped and clapped every time - which encouraged us all the jump and clap for joy. Kids are truly the spice of life.

I want to turn 13 years old!

Skyler's friends are all turning 13 and boy the parties they're having. One girl's parents rented out a hall, hired a DJ and had a dance for all the kids. Last weekend, Skyler's friend hired a limo which took the 8 boys to Monicals for pizza. The mom even bought them all sunglasses so they would look cool in the limo. What fun!

Poor Pipsqueak

My little pipsqueak had to have hernia surgery last Thursday. Actually, he was supposed to have the surgery a month ago. I had made a coffee cake for breakfast for the kids and grandma to cook before school. Once out of the oven, Jeff gave Seth a teeny tiny piece thinking that wouldn't do any harm. This was all before I was downstairs or grandma was here. Well, suffice it to say that Seth did not get surgery that day. When the aneshesia docs say no food they mean it. So, our surgery was rescheduled to last Thursday. I kept Seth in bed until it was time to walk out the door so no one would feed him (his power of persuasion is undeniable.) His surgery went fine but when I gave him his Tylenol 3, he threw up and then wouldn't eat for about 4 days. He finally pinked up and would eat and play until this past Tuesday. Throughout the night Monday night he would wake up and cry and then fall back asleep. He did that several times through the night. Tuesday he kept his knees drawn up to his chest and wouldn't let me put him down. As the day went on, I noticed his incision site getting red and he developed a fever. A four-o-clock phone call to the doctor left me with 2 conclusions: doctors are selfish and they think the rest of us are idiots. The doctor wanted Seth to be seen in HIS town when one of his residents could look at the wound and relay the information (because of course he was going home for the day). When I asked the nurse why my doctor couldn't relay the same information to the doctor, she simply said it would be best if we came to Springfield. So after cancelling our dinner plans, which I was so looking foward to, Jeff and I packed up the 5 kids and went to the Springfield ER (for what I believed was a postsurgical infection requiring antibiotics). Once we were at St. John's Jeff overheard the receptionist telling someone else that it was a 5 hour wait. Being the problem solver Jeff is and very impatient to boot, he gets the doctor on the phone and within 10 minutes we are going up to peds to use one of their beds. The resident looks at Seth for maybe 2 seconds and says "yep, its infected" and wrote the prescrition. Now, 2 days later he is 80% back to normal. Thank God. My camera battery is dead and don't have any pictures. A friend brought him a postsurgical gift and I wish I could have gotten a picture of him when he opened it. It was a crayola paint set, a race car and a ball. God help the person who comes between him and his ball.

2 BIG milestones in one week

Joe is the one in the water - notice the NO TEARS aspect

Sierra and her friend dressing up Joe
At Skyler's family birthday party, the ice cream cake was so hard we had to pull out the power tools to cut it.


Jojo received swimming lessons for Christmas from Grandma and he attended his first lesson last week. We had tried lessons last spring and Joe screamed in the poor instructor's ear for a half hour each week. Not to be a quitter, I tried the lessons again hoping his maturity would lend itself to the fun of swimming. Well, it didn't look like he'd stay so I went to put Seth in the nursery and to get my suit on to jump in to help (or enable depending on what type of parent you are). I glanced through the glass and to my delight, he was listening intently to the instructor and wasn't standing by the door waiting for me. So I copped a squat and watched him. I did feel a bit bad for not going back to the pool but he obviously didn't need my help. I will not gloat however because round two is this thursday - and I'll hope for the same results.

Big milestone # 2 is that Jeff and I are the proud parents of a .....(scary movie music) TEENAGER. Skyler turned 13 this weekend so we threw a slumber party to celebrate. The boys ate tacos and of course cupcakes and ice cream and spent the evening running between the PS2 and WII. They were a pleasure to host - good manners, very polite - and the best part is that they were in sleeping bags watching a movie at 11:30!!! They always threaten to stay up all night at sleepovers.

Since they were so good, I said we'd have another slumber party to wrap up basketball this weekend.

Happy Birthday Poppo!

Our passenger pooch. Her first car ride to pick the kids up from school. They had so much fun showing Mia off.
Doccy hard at work on Poppo's birthday gift. Doc and Sierra hammered this tool box kit together then painted it for Poppo's 69th Birthday.
We are still very thankful to be around our family to celebrate these milestones together.