Me and the guys

The Micro-Manager

2012-02-07T00:40:00.000-05:00

It seems to be a growing trend. One that I just do not get and the people who practice it DRIVE ME NUTS! I try to understand their reasons for being the way they are, but I just can't. It seems most prevalent in mothers and wives. The micromanaging mother has to be tops on my "most annoying" list. You know the type, their child is enrolled in everything from the time they can sit up. When they are at home they are never, ever left to their own devices to discover and learn. Learning and discovery only take place under direct supervision, and usually in a sterilized environment.
I suppose it drives me up a wall because I am completely the opposite. I think time to one's self is the most valuable time. And as children, that is when you have the most of it. Once you hit a certain age that alone time is fleeting. Watching children use their imagination is probably the most beautiful gift God gives adults. Kids are amazing when adults do not interfere. Yes, we watch from afar and keep them out of harm's way. But it is during these times when adults get to see a stick become a magic wand, a dirt pile become a castle, rocks become a family of people...or animals. A child who never has time to himself will never be able to enjoy these things, nor will their micromanaging mother (or father).
Children are beautiful and can teach us so much if we do not bombard them with the things we think they ought to be doing. Yes, yes, there comes a time in every child's life when they have to have responsibilities and such, and hopefully a parent has set a good example of what taking care of responsibilities looks like. Let a child be little. They will learn to tumble, make friends, throw a ball, do gymnastics, etc. in due time. Let them be little while they are. Stop planning every second of their day.
I have a hunch the same micromanaging mothers of toddlers will be the ones begging for their children's friendship when they are teens.

Determination

2012-02-04T18:43:00.001-05:00

Yes, that's what we're calling it. Maisie was more "determined" than usual to not eat her dinner tonight.

Proud Moment in Schooling!

2012-02-02T13:12:00.000-05:00

Putting pen to paper has never, ever come easy for Walker, but he is persistent and today his persistence paid off! Have you EVER heard a better summary of King John and the Magna Carta??? Way to go, Dubs! We are so proud of you!

This has been such a LONG time coming!!!

Everett Reads :-)

2012-01-26T00:19:00.001-05:00

I may be a bit biased, but this is the cutest video ever taken. I must also admit that I am a bit proud of this moment. Everett, with all of his cuteness, has been, well...a bit of a challenge in the education department...and the general child rearing department, for that matter! But we love him so much and we are so proud of all of the hard work he has put toward this moment :-)

So Much To Do....

2012-01-19T11:36:00.001-05:00

Well, a fox got into the hen house last night. Luckily it only injured one chicken and our trusty dog, Boss Dogg, ran him off before he could do any other damage. And the weather has finally turned cold so I am back to trying to keep the chicken waterer from freezing up. I really should invest in one of those heater-thingys, but I probably will just keep chipping at the ice and complaining about it like I did last year :-)
The weather turning also makes me notice that there is much wood stacking to be done at the back door.
I also realize that there are only 24 hours in a day, the kid's lessons are still underway, and I do not have time to sit here and type.
Later Gators!

Maisie Loves Candy

2012-01-10T22:10:00.000-05:00

Maisie has been on an eating strike for about a month or so. Well, she did take a break to enjoy all of the candy and treat that Christmas brought. But other than that, she's been surviving on about 13 calories a day...all carbs. No need to worry, all of our kids go through the I-Will-Never-Eat-Another-Bite-EVER-Stage. In fact, we are still amazed that Walker has ever gained an ounce. Anyway, I say all of this only because I wanted to post this picture. Here, Maisie is trying her best to convince me that I should give her candy, even though she didn't touch her supper.

All of you hard nosed moms will be happy to know that I did not give in and give her the candy :-)

Tis the Season To Be....

2011-12-07T23:36:00.001-05:00

My darling husband took all 4 of our lovely children to the mall...er...Town Center in the frigid rain so they could Christmas shop for each other. When I asked "So, how'd it go?" His answer was, "OH, FINE! Until Ev crapped himself from excitement. Of course the ladies' room was out of order, therefore the 'family bathroom' had a line. So I took him to the men's room, where I was stripping him down and throwing his underwear away when discovered Maisie's irrational fear of public bathrooms. Screaming. LOTS of screaming. Then when we got home we found the cat sitting under the Christmas tree batting one of the boys' gerbils around for fun. You can imagine the reaction. Other than all that it was a good time." ♥Darling Todd ♥ is currently fast asleep :-)

Chicken Scratch

2011-10-28T20:57:00.001-04:00

A couple of years ago we bought chickens for our kids, and for the eggs, and well...for the chicken. They named them, they tamed them and well...we've only eaten one so far (Carl, was a rooster and was mean. We made "Carl & Dumplings" and it was delicious). And because they are my children, naturally they started an egg business. They call it Chicken Scratch. They sell their eggs for $2.00 per dozen. Well fast forward a couple of years, and now we are living next to my parents and their very large farm and the kids' business can't keep up with orders (thanks to their dad doing some heavy advertising in NOVA :-) ). Chicken Scratch is expanding BIG TIME.
This morning I received a call from our local post office. It went something like this, "Ma-am, your chickens are here at the post office, and we'd appreciate it if you would come up here and get them as soon as possible." Yes, the latest edition to our flock had arrived, 26 baby chicks. And we are getting another 25 pullets (hens that are already laying age) this week.
My dad, a.k.a. Pap-Paw, bought a new horse trailer and Chicken Scratch inherited his old one. And he generously turned it into a chicken coop

The trailer and our chickens will be pulled around to different fields after Pap-Paw's cows so they can "spread" out the manure and eat all of the fly larva. Pap-Paw gets his field fertilized and the cows will have fewer flies to worry with this summer. And by spring my kids will have approximately 50 eggs per day from truly free range chickens to gather, sort, wash and sell adding to their savings accounts.

I can't leave this post without showing our awesome homemade brooder! I am so proud of this :-) See if you can guess what we used.

Looking through the window

Can you figure out what this is?

I should really learn to organize.

Give up?? It's an old Toyota (like 1981) truck cab, turned upside down. I put 3 brooding lamps on top for heat and covered the entire thing with a tarp to keep the heat in. The windows are perfect for letting the kids watch them. I ended up putting some straw on the bottom for extra heat. I think it worked perfectly.
So in spring if you need eggs come see my kids :-)

Everett's First Day of Kindergarten

2011-10-19T11:20:00.000-04:00

We are a little late getting started, but we are finally getting around to educating Everett. I pulled out our old Sonlight K curriculum (which I love and loathe at the same time) and sat down and spent a whopping 2.5 hours with just him. He loved it!

Yep, He's Awesome.

2011-10-06T00:28:00.000-04:00

I love my husband for many, many, OK, countless reasons. Sometimes he really just puts me over the top. He is a thinker, and most of the time when he thinks he's thinking about us, me and the kids. I love that!! He works so, so hard, and I love that too. Once in a while his thinking and his hard work all pay off into one glorious event. This is one of those times!

Years ago Todd was able to take Quentin to Chicago for a dad & son trip. They had such a wonderful time he has wanted to do something similar with Walker. Last month he learned that he was going to have to take a trip to NYC on business and ever since he has been trying to figure out a way to take Walker with him. Today he did it! Not only does Walker get to go, but he is taking his mom too! They are taking the train up a day early and while Todd is in meetings Walker and Mrs. G will be able to spend the day site seeing. Walker is sooo excited! I am so excited for all of them. What memories they will make! The stories from that trip will float around our dinner table for years to come, just like the ones from Chicago do.

And of course Todd is already trying to think of a cool trip for him and Everett.

Yep, he's awesome!

Put The Camera On The Wolf!!!

2011-10-05T11:27:00.002-04:00

This is what happens when I used candy corn as an incentive during lessons. SUGAR HIGH!!!

(FYI the "wolf" was Boss Dogg)

It's All About Connections

2011-10-05T08:26:00.000-04:00

As you may (or may not) imagine, being the manager of my family's roller rink gives me occasion to meet all kinds of people. Seriously. All. Kinds. But recently this worked out to benefit my family! A former employee, who now owns her own skating rink needed to rid her house of a 1964 Wurlitzer piano. She gave it to us!! Quentin is in absolute heaven!! Yep, it's all about the connections.

On The Other SIde

2011-06-25T10:35:00.000-04:00

Yesterday on my way into town I stopped for gas at our local convenience store. I left the kids in the car and ran inside to grab everyone something to drink. As I was waiting in line I noticed the woman in front of me, she was hugely and miserably pregnant with 3 small boys in tow. She was exasperated, the boys were trying to behave and failing miserably. She was trying not to make a scene and keep her tones sweet and motherly, she too was failing.

The entire scene gave me pause. It was so familiar. She was me (key word here being WAS). For the first time I realized that I have climbed out of that trench. The decade long cavern of toddlerhood. I am on the other side. I have made it. We are all still here, everyone is still breathing. And I managed to come out mostly unscathed and a whole lot wiser.

I walked out of that Get-N-Go with my head held high. The air seemed fresher. The water tasted clean and crisp. I gave the poor woman, who was still trying to wrangle her youngest boy into his car seat, a knowing and understanding nod. It was all I could do to keep from jumping into the air and clicking my heels! VICTORY! I HAVE CONQUERED!! I have been so busy do life stuff I dd not realize that victory was mine.

**And for those of you who feel the need to post "Oh, you're going to miss these days" and the like, just keep it to yourself and let me have my moment.**

**And for those who say that Maisie is still a toddler, at you I laugh. I am Everett's mom.**

First Catch

2011-06-21T22:25:00.000-04:00

With all of the crab pot excitement the boys could hardly wait to check their pot. After an almost 48 hour soak (that's crabber lingo) they came up with this

Yes, the mighty Potomac gave up two blue pieces of bounty that day. Though not enough to make a meal by any stretch, the boys were delighted. Todd threw them into a bucket of water where the big crab quickly tore off a flipper of the little crab and promptly mounted him. AH! Nature, you never fail to disappoint.

This video shows JUST how much Everett loves crabs. Listen carefully as the crab hits the boiling water.

Soon we turned the blue bounty into bright red bounty.

And the boys dug in!

We only have a few more weeks of living here at the river and we are trying to pack it all in while we can.

Deadliest Catch, Garner Style.

2011-06-12T22:31:00.000-04:00

Yes, yes, I know I am an awful blogger. I get it. You don't have to tell me. I hate doing catch up posts, but I feel I must at least hit the highlights....

We are still living at the river, but are planning to move into our new and oh so spacious house in about a month!

I have recently taken over the helm at our family business...a roller rink. Check us out here http://www.cavalierfamilyskating.com/ (shameless plug). It is an experience, to say the least. May have to start a whole new anonymous blog to catalog it all. You know, in my spare time.

Kids are all still with us. They continue to eat and grow...and grow.

That about covers everything.

ON TO TODAY!!

We have been promising the children since we moved in down here that we were going to get a crab pot. Well, today was that day (did I mention we are moving in a few weeks? Always on the ball, that's us). The guy at the crab shack told Todd to use perch for bait. This gave me the perfect excuse to pull out the fishing rod. Fishing has always been my most FAVORITE thing in the whole world to do. So, I was happy to lend a hand for the cause of fresh crabs. While catching perch I also snagged this beautiful catfish, weighing in between 6-7 lbs. and measuring about 24"

(I would like to point out here that I have no clue...aside from the huge bloody fish I am holding, why I look like a dude in this picture. I don't think I look like a man in real life. RIGHT??)

My wonderful husband nailed him to a tree and skinned & cleaned him for me *swoon* Later I fried him up and served him with cheese grits, coleslaw and spicy shrimp. He was delicious!

After eyeing my big catch Walker and Everett wanted in on the action as well. So we spent the afternoon catching perch hand over fist. The boys and I had a blast. So we cut the perch up into chunks (ew.) and stuffed them into our brand spanking new crab pot.

Then Todd and Walker loaded the pot into a tandem and took off to find the perfect spot. Walker got the enviable job of holding the dead fish filled crab pot while they paddled out.

The kids are about 7 kinds of excited about all of the crabs they will be raking in. Walker, always the capitalist, is already thinking about how much money they could make by selling crabs on the side of the road. I see disappointment in his future. LOL!

It was a great Sunday even though we didn't make it to church, AGAIN. The hour long drive is just killing us. The closer we get to move day the harder it has become living so far away from everything and everyone. But we are counting our blessings (and the days until we move!).

These are the Days...

2011-02-09T00:41:00.000-05:00

It occurred to me that I haven't really blogged much (I know, I could end the sentence right there) since we moved down to the River House. I really should be because this entire experience is going to be one we will all want to remember. One day when things are really hectic and nuts, we'll be able to look back on these days and the schedule that we kept and realize we don't have it so bad. Not that where we are staying is bad, because it is most definitely not, small and hectic, but not bad.

It Is Noon Time....

2011-01-04T12:59:00.000-05:00

...and I'm taking a break. Yesterday was Monday, our first day back to lessons since before Christmas and it went splendidly. This fact should have put me on high alert that disaster was looming on the horizon, but instead I was lulled into believing that I was actually in control of my life, my children, my dog...my chickens :-) Today is Tuesday, and I have most definitely been sucked back into reality.

Today, my oldest son cannot remember one. single. math fact. Nor can he retain the simplest information.

Walker spent half an hour looking for the gallon of milk that was sitting right in front of him on the table (I admit that one was kind of fun to watch *snicker*). I ended up having to show him where it was. He thought it was funny too.

Our most beloved chicken, Barbra, has taken ill and does not seem to be getting better. Today we had to quarantine her and hope for the best. This has caused the oldest, most dramatic child, to wallow in a funk. He is moping around saying things like, "There will never be another chicken like Barbara," or "I just have so many dear memories of Barbra," followed by long heavy sighs. Admittedly, I do not react well to this kind of stuff so it does not help the situation when I reply, "Oh Quentin! She's not even dead yet. Come on." Yeah. Day 4 of 2011 and I've already lost the Mother of the Year Award.

Then Boss-Dogg got into the chicken house and did his best to eat one of the chics. Guess who found the massacre?? You guessed it! The dramatic one. There was much shrieking. I rescued the chic from the jaws of death and she is fine (THANK GOODNESS!!). I told Q just to go inside and settle down, I'd be there in a minute. When I came in he was at the piano, composing what he called a "funeral song". *sigh*

Maisie woke up this morning and decided that she will spend the remainder of 2011 watching endless episodes of Shaun the Sheep while surviving only on candy and a sippy cup full of sweet tea. When I explained that this was not possible, she didn't take the news very well.

Is Tuesday the new Monday for 2011? If so, why didn't anyone send me the memo??
Well, lunch is over and I'd best go round up the children and get back to lessons. Here's to a better afternoon and a less Mondayish Tuesday!

Cheers.

Happy New Year!!!

2010-12-31T14:11:00.000-05:00

Well, 2010 is nearly at a close. All in all, it's been a great year. Sure, it had it's hiccups and all, but all years do.
We had 2 kids break bones.
The house we thought would be our forever home turned out was not for us, but looking back we can see God's guiding hand.
We tried to buy several houses from sellers who could not afford to sell. Yep, that was God too.
We did the one thing we did not want to do, which was build our own home and move to Mom & Dad's River House for a year while we wait for it to be started...and finished. But we did it and we are learning more and more about how to live with less stuff (a valuable lesson indeed!).
We started raising chickens and helped our kids open their own egg selling business (check out Chicken Scratch on facebook :-) ).
Todd took a gamble and left his AOL to go to Comcast, which ended up to be a great move!
We sold our kayak rental and snack shop, which was sad, but with all of the moving we had to do there was no way I could have run it again.
We made new friends and strengthened old friendships.
We had the privilege of sitting at the bedside of a war hero as he took his last breaths. Uncle Roy touched all of us deeply and taught us all what it means to live and die with dignity. We miss him every day.
We have watched our kids grow another year older and wiser...we hope!!

My Goals for 2011:

In 2011 I would like to stop buying diapers!! Get Maisie potty trained and never have to diaper one of my own children again (it will be the first time in 10 YEARS that we have not had diapers in the house!!).
In 2011 I would like to move into and settle into our new forever home!! Nestled in the woods just down the road from Mom & Dad. OH WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD THAT WILL BE!!
In 2011 I would like to continue to steam ahead, recognize and seize the opportunities God puts in front of us and not see them as obstacles.
In 2011 I would like to grow spiritually and watch my children continue to do the same.
In 2011 I would like to hold my friends and family close.
In 2011 I would like to milk a goat and learn to make cheese.

I am sure much more has happened in 2010 and there are many other things I would like to accomplish in 2011, but for now I will leave it at this.

Happy New Year, Everybody!
Cheers!

Merry Christmas, Garner Style.

2010-12-14T19:12:00.000-05:00

Making Clouds

2010-10-19T14:58:00.000-04:00

Today we studied Uranus and Neptune during our science lessons. (Just try keeping a straight face while saying Uranus over and over in front of a 9 and 7 year old. Just try it). We learned that they are both "gas giants" (seriously, do astronomers not have children??), meaning their atmospheres are made up of gases. For our project we made a cloud in a jar. Quentin became really excited and said "OH! I know this! It's like the water cycle! Evaporation, constipation, precipitation and accumulation!" Yeah, that was a lesson stopper for sure. ROFL!!

The experiment was pretty cool. I took it from our Apologia text, Exploring Creation with Astronomy and thought I'd share it because all kids love cool experiments (and I am all about 5 minute science experiments!).

You will need:
A glass jar
Some ice
A match
A ziplock bag
Some very hot water

Remove lid from the jar
Fill it half way with very hot water (we used water run through the coffee maker)
Fill bag with ice and zip closed
Strike a match and drop it in the jar of water
Place the bag of ice on top of the jar, covering the opening
A cloud will form in the air in the jar.

Why it works: The hot water evaporates, turning into a gas (water vapor). The vapor rises, then cools as it hits the cold air from the ice. The cooling causes the vapor to become liquid again, forming the cloud. The match gives you some particles in the air, making it easier for the water to turn into a liquid when it cools.

Enjoy your science and it may not hurt to stress the difference between condensation and constipation.

Boring School Stuff

2010-10-14T14:58:00.001-04:00

Well, I amazingly have a few free minutes and thought I should jot down how and what we are doing for school this year, so next year when I feel completely overwhelmed I can look back here and say "OH YEAH!! That's how we did it!"

After much trial and error we have settled into a schedule that really, really works for us. We do a 4 day school week with the 5th day being a "flex" day to concentrate on testing, projects, field trips or catching up on stuff we may have missed. The other thing we are doing differently is alternating long school days with the boys. Each of them is required to do math every day, first thing after breakfast (oh how those math facts do love to slip out of their little brains without daily practice). Then I will take one boy and work one on one through all of our language arts, doing at least 2 days worth of work. The other boy is in charge of keeping his little brother and sister occupied so we can get school work done (see?? He's learning valuable lessons too). Once language arts is completed we usually break for lunch, and then do history and/or science all together. And Bible we do together as a family in the evenings.

The other elements that are making this year such a success is the curriculum. I really love everything we are doing. Usually there is a subject (or 2) that I dread and will inevitably push to the back burner, but not this year.

Here's the break down:

Quentin-4th Grade:
Math-U-See-Delta
First Language Lessons-4
Writing with Ease-4
4th Grade Lit via Veritas Press
History-Story of the World
Science-Apologia-Astronomy/Zoology
Bible-Who is God?-Apologia

Walker-2nd Grade:
Math U See-Beta
First Language Lessons-2
Writing with Ease-2
2nd Grade Literature via Veritas Press
History-Story of the World
Science-Apologia-Astronomy/Zoology
Bible-Who is God?-Apologia

Everett-Preschool (his formal lessons only take a few minutes each day and the rest of the time he sits off/on with the boys as they do their lessons):
We are working on letters via http://www.first-school.ws/INDEX.HTM
And using a bit of HWOT
Working up to Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading.

I have found the things that work best for us are the no-nonsense-just-give-me-the-facts-not-the-fluff type of curriculum. I am blessed with hard working children who generally try their best (even if it is so they can just get it done and go play) and we are usually done with our day between 1:30-2:30, allowing me a little time to start supper and get a few chores done before Todd gets home. So far so good for the 2010-2011 school year.

The Singing Army Guy

2010-10-08T13:40:00.000-04:00

When Everett (4yo) takes a bath the tub has some water, a small naked boy and LOTS of army guys. It is an epic battle each night. Well, the other night he told Todd that he did not want the "singing army guy" in his bath anymore. Of course Todd was confused, but Everett was emphatic. So Todd searched through the 100+ little plastic guys asking "Is this the one?" over and over. Finally Everett hands him a little yellow guy and says, "Here he is! See he's singing. I don't like him." This is what he was talking about:

Love that kid!

A Very Sticky Situation

2010-09-08T13:18:00.000-04:00

It is barely noon time and it has already been an eventful day.
Everett and Walker were in the kitchen getting plastic bags so they could go collect their army guys and create some large scale battle. I heard some rustling, a whine and then a "MOM!!!" from Walker.
I walked into the kitchen to find Everett with this

stuck to the back of the bed. What is that thing?? Well, it is a fly stick. The flies have been so bad here lately, that I bought 2 of these things. One I hung outside and the other I had sitting way up on the window in the kitchen. Oh, and that cup there at the bottom is filled with honey and the stick is completely covered in some sort of gooey substance. The boys are still very hush-hush on what exactly happened, but when I came around the corner Everett was crying with this thing plastered to the back of his head. I didn't think to run and get the camera until after I pulled the thing out of his hair (quite a bit of hair came along with it). This is the mess that it left.

So, I had Everett and Walker (b/c I am still not sure of his innocence in the whole situation) get into a bath full of water and army guys and started shampooing, and shampooing. I am pretty sure I heard the sticky stuff laugh at me. It didn't even loosen a little bit.

Then we tried peanut butter.

FAIL. Even after much shampooing the gooey stuff was still in there. So we took a break for lunch and then broke out the big guns. Vegetable oil.

We went outside and spread it on thick!

Then we combed and combed until the sticky stuff was all gone.

SUCCESS!

So there you have it folks! This is step by step directions on how to get fly paper out of a young boys hair.

Lab Rats

2010-09-02T20:33:00.000-04:00

Tonight while brushing teeth and getting ready for bed with the kids, we somehow got on to the subject of lab rats (because that's normal). After discussing what they were, how they were used, who used them etc. my animal loving, tree hugging boys decided that lab rats were actually heroes. And not only were they heroes, but there should be a statue erected in their honor.
I am afraid I see an elaborate sand statue in our future.
I can't help but think that a wrong turn in parenting may have been made somewhere along the line :-)

Things I Wish I Didn't Have To Say

2010-09-01T00:53:00.000-04:00

So it seems I have been presented a challenge from my friend, Rachel, over at Deo Volente. The challenge is to come up with a list of things I wish I didn't have to say to the kids. The task seems almost overwhelming, but I'll give it a go.

1. Please wait until after church to pick your scabs (told to 7YO).
2. Where are your clothes? (said daily to the 3YO and am always answered with a shrug of the shoulders).
3. Do not touch yourself there, we're in public (said to each and every one of our boys WAY too often).
4. Get your finger out of there, it's not polite (again, the boys...but Maisie seems to be picking up the habit now too).
5. If you keep squeezing that chicken it will poop on you (to the 3YO who has no fear of chickens...or poop, apparently.
6. Did you poop in the yard again? (to the 3YO who never. ever. wears clothes, and is much too busy to stop for a bathroom break).
7. You know, you don't always have to pee outside, we do have indoor facilities (to the then 4YO who woke up every morning, strolled through the kitchen to "make water" off the back porch. We were living downtown at the time. I'm sure the neighbors loved it).
8. Put the chicken down! (told repeatedly to the 3YO and 7YO who are constantly wanting to "cuddle" the chickens)
9. You know that you are not actually that chicken's daddy, right? (said to 7YO who rounds the chickens up by saying "Come to Daddy.")
10. Did you brush your teeth? Are you sure?? (asked of the boys twice daily. Funny, they are rarely ever sure).
11. Taking a shower means that you have to use shampoo and soap. Getting wet does not get you clean (to the 9YO and 7YO).
12. It's called going commando. It's cool for boys. Really! I'll get to the laundry as soon as I can (to the 9YO and 7YO many, many times).
13. I have saved this one for last because it is my husband's favorite. I don't remember exactly what the boys were doing in the back of the van, but it had something to do with toys and most likely arguing. So after many failed attempts to quell the situation, I turned around in my seat and said, "If you boys don't stop (whatever it was) I will take those toys and THROW THEM OUT THE WINDOW! (insert pause) And you know I'll do it!" The boys were all suddenly silent and doe eyed. As I turned back in my seat I looked over at Todd, who was driving, and he just laughed and said "Nice." My parenting style seems to be just teetering on the razor edge of complete nuts. I like to keep them guessing, ya' know? Yeah. Not my finest hour, there.

I am sure there are many, many more that I will think of and have to add to this list as soon as I post it.
I am also sure Rachel and I aren't the only ones who have a running list, therefore, I extend the challenge. What are the things you wish you didn't have to say?

Cheers,
Em

My Progressive Son

2010-08-28T22:31:00.000-04:00

Well, it appears my worst nightmare is coming true. One of my children seems to have a Progressive leaning.

Have you ever seen such undue hatred toward a Tea Party??

Where's the phone???

2010-08-26T21:45:00.001-04:00

The other day Todd needed to make a phone call for work. He picked up one of the cordless receivers and found no dial tone. Hmmm...the other receiver must be off the hook (is that still even a term??). So off we went wandering around the house, which is not very big, looking for the other phone. We looked under the beds, outside, under the couches. It was no where. Finally, one of us suggested we peek in Maisie's room, who was napping at the time, as she is known for her love of all things telephonic. This is what we found.

Poor thing had chit-chatted herself to sleep.

Now to answer a few questions that I am sure I would ask regarding this picture.

1. Why is your baby sleeping on the floor? Are you really so hard up that you can't give your baby a bed? You cannot tell by this picture but there are actually two beds in her room. Both twin size and decorated with beautiful quilts. We tuck her into one for each and every nap and bed time. However, we have lived here for a month now and she has made it abundantly clear that she prefers the floor. So be it!

2. Is your baby sleeping in a broom closet? What is up with the over turned vacuum cleaner?
Well, as I mentioned before, the house we are in is small. Add six people and it is tiny. So in order to make as much room as possible we're kinda "double purposing" Maisie's room as a bedroom/storage room. We decided that due to her age she will most likely be the only one of our children who will have no memory of our stay here. So by using her room we feel we'll have a better chance to not have to endure all of the hey-remember-that-year-you-made-me-sleep-in-the-junk-room-stories at Thanksgiving dinners for years to come.
As for why the vacuum is overturned, I haven't a clue. We should probably pay better attention.

3. Is that a coffee table I see behind the vacuum?
Why yes! Yes, it is. Again, I'm going to use the tiny house/no storage room excuse here. As for why a coffee table...Well, my mother is an awesome woman, an awesome woman who has never met a piece of furniture she couldn't put to use somewhere. And most of that furniture has ended up here at The River House. And our family, being many, well we decided to stack (yeah, I said stack) very sturdily, mind you, all of the extra pieces in, where else?? Maisie's room!

4. Oh my! Isn't that dangerous??
Well, it's not stacked to the ceiling. And again, it's a sturdy stack.

5. Did your baby wake up when you pulled the phone out from under her?
HA! Are you kidding?? No phone call is so important that we chance waking a sleeping baby! We unplugged the charging station from the wall and sent a text for people to call us on our cell phones if they need us.

September 5th! September 5th!

2010-08-25T23:49:00.001-04:00

Everett's birthday is September 5th. I know this not only because that is the day I pushed him out almost 4 years ago, but because he has reminded me of this every day for the last month. "Mom! My birthday is September 5th. It's almost here!! Did you hear me? September 5th!" Yeah, he's excited.
The anticipation is so much greater for his birthday than any of the other kids' because Maisie's is August 5th and Walker's is August 20th. So the poor guy, who being the 3rd born naturally feels he is constantly overlooked and MUST HAVE ATTENTION, has to endure watching his sister and brother receive all of the accolades on their day and the anticipation just simmers and simmers for weeks. He may literally explode from excitement on September 5th.
He had me help him make his birthday list last week:

Everett's Birthday List

Legos
GI Joes
Star Wars Guys
Army Guys....A LOT of them!!
Dinosaurs
Stuffed Animals "Dinosaur Ones"
Books
Silly Bandz (ugh)
Guns with bullets "Play ones. Not like Dad's"
Cake and Brownies and Cupcake

Todd and I always enjoy the 4th birthday. We say it is the year when our children become human, instead of the little hot-headed-temper-tantrum-throwing-screaming-banshees they have been up to that point (We obviously know nothing about raising toddlers). It seems the year our kids turn 4 they mellow into the fine young boys we've been begging and pleading for them to be. They become reasonable. No more being "that mom" in Wal-Mart. No more leaving the restaurant doing The Heisman with a kicking and screaming toddler under your other arm. No more need to carry "spankers" in the car or my purse. No more helpless, pleading looks to strangers as my child does the wet noodle in the middle of the mall. No more pulling the "OK, fine. If you won't come with me then I'll just have to leave you here" and then he calls me on it and shimmies up next to some other mom (GAH! That one still stings). No more having to say to the other kids, "Just plug your ears, that's what we did when you were his age." Nope! Just sweet mellow bliss.
Well...that's what we think anyway until we look over our shoulder only to see the other little child, who just turned 2, picking up the baton of toddler-hood that her brother just passed to her. We are just praying girls are a little more level headed than boys.

Cheers,
Em

Hello? Anybody Out There??

2010-08-24T22:21:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's been a looooong while since I've been here. It took me forever to remember the password. I blame facebook and their short little status updates that take no time or brainpower to create.

There is really no way to catch up on everything that has happened in the last year. So, maybe an overview via bullet points will help.

Maisie is now 2 years old.
Everett is about to turn 4 (I'm scared to say it out loud, but we think he's finally getting over his tantrum stage)
Walker just turned 7
And Quentin is 9
We moved again. We tried to buy the house in the woods, but the owners wanted way more than it appraised for. So we are building a house beside Mom & Dad and are living at The River House until it is completed (we haven't broken ground yet).
We are trying our hand with raising chickens.
Todd has a new job.
We sold the shop :( When Todd took the new job he was going back to commuting, so it was a no brainer. Now however, he is back working most days from home. Oh well, it was a lot of fun to run the shop, but the time away from the family was hard on everybody.

Well, yeah that pretty much sums up the last year and half, or so.
Aaaahh!! It feels good to be back! I am thinking of making some changes here, cleaning up the old blog a bit, even if I am the only one left reading this :-)

Late Night Posting

2009-05-30T00:56:00.005-04:00

WARNING: It's really late and I am waiting on the laundry which I neglected earlier to finish up, so this may be more of a rambling than anything else.

We've been busy, busy, busy here. Our summer is almost in full swing, just waiting for Q's school to be over. The Shop is open and picking up right where it left off last year. It is so great to see all the locals and chat with the tourists etc. The schedule is a bit hectic right now, but those details always iron themselves out.

We are still loving our new place! In the last week we've had a raccoon treed in the yard (thank you Boss Dogg), had a bear in the backyard until Boss Dogg chased him away (thanks again!) and found an injured bird which we tried unsuccessfully to nurse back to health. We are spending most evenings around the fire ring, roasting marshmallows, playing guitar and such. We discovered an awesome creek right off the river, perfect for the kids to play in. It really seems like paradise for us right now. We are so thankful!!

Maisie is still growing like a weed and starting to show signs that she may be interested in getting up on those hands & knees pretty soon. At 9 months she is 50th percentile for height and weight (20.5 lbs) and 95th percentile for head size!! Yes, she is definitely one of our children :)

Everett is really starting to expand his vocabulary which is starting to FINALLY quell his temper a bit. YEA!!

Walker has completely skipped over his kindergarten reading and gone straight into first grade! He is so proud of himself and we are so proud of him too!!

Quentin is blowing our minds with his musical ability. It comes so easy to him! He heard and watched his friend play a classical piece on the piano the other day and then came home and could play it perfectly from memory! He was playing for me a new piece last night, it was very pretty, then he took his hands, crossed them (so the left hand played the right hand etc.) and played the piece again, perfectly! The kid is crazy!!

Well, the laundry just buzzed so here are a few random pictures :)

The Great Train Race 2009

2009-05-04T15:25:00.013-04:00

Well, it was the first Sunday in May so naturally it is The Great Train Race!! One of my favorite days of the year! Even though this 2009 brought us rain by the buckets full, we all still had an outstanding time cheering on all the kids. And the wet weather did nothing to deter the kids from giving it their all!

For the first time we had 3 runners, yes even Everett got in on the fun this year! Quentin did his usual mile run and had an all time personal best time (for competition) of 9:21. So proud of him!

And Walker really let his competitive juices flow in the quarter mile. He wanted to run the mile this year, but by the time we figured out he actually COULD run a mile it was too late to change his registration.

Here is a little look into Everett's pre-race conditioning.

Everett ran the Caboose Run (1/4 mile) and fought (literally) the entire way down the hill! LOL!! He was screaming and fighting until he saw all of us standing and cheering for him and he just gave us quizzical look and then went back to his run and his screaming. Too funny!! Once he crossed the finish line and received his medal and accolades he was one happy kiddo!

As always, there were many friends who ran as well.
Emma & Tim

Will sprouted wings and flew!!!

Here are Charlie & Margarete (Will's dad & little sister).

Will also had a younger brother who ran, but he was too fast for my camera :)

And lest we forget little Lowell, running with his mom, Kate! TOO CUTE!

It was a wonderful day and we are all looking forward to next year!

Moving On Up...

2009-04-18T19:19:00.009-04:00

Or out anyway. This week has been spent packing and unpacking boxes. Many. Many. Boxes. But I am proud of our progress! Each and every member of the family is in love with the new digs, me included! It is absolutely perfect for us. When Everett throws a temper tantrum, he is no longer underfoot, he is waaaaaaayyyyyyy across the room! AAAAHHHH!!

Today the kids and I took a nice break from unpacking and went for a little jaunt into our woods to explore the new property. OOOOOO the wonders of nature!

Another cool side note, is that we found out our neighborhood and the creek that runs through it, was once a gold mine. So the boys now have visions of striking it rich, they are working on a system to start panning tomorrow. LOL!!

Here are some random pictures from the last few days.

We found a dead tree and the boys pushed it down. We then found that it was infested with termites :)

Also on our walk today we found a grave whose homemade tombstone had fallen over. It was the resting place of someones beloved dog or cat named Harry. The boys took this VERY seriously, vowing to pray for the family who lost Harry. They set the grave marker back in it's proper place and had a moment of silence.

2009-04-13T20:51:00.004-04:00

Easter this year has to go into the books (or blogs) as one of the best ever! Filled with excited children up at the crack of dawn, a beautiful service at church, followed by an enormous dinner filled with family & friends.

Maisie and the boys were up and at 'em a little after 6:00 on Sunday. They were thrilled to find that the Easter Bunny had left them baskets of candy and...fishing tackle (the Bunny is looking out for our dentist bills). After they were loaded to the gills with sugary treats and the floor was covered in Easter grass, we were donned in our Easter best and off to church. The service was wonderful and spot on as usual, filled with classic Easter hymns (love those!!). And as always there was much fellowship after the service.

I want to take a minute here and just say how much I truly love our little church. A year ago, I never would have thought I'd hear myself say this. I just wasn't sure about it. But now a year later, I know that we are supposed to be here. I know I can learn a lot from, not just my pastor and his family, but the entire congregation. They make me long to give more and do better.

So after church, it was off to Mom & Dad's, where the whole family (in-law's too) and Uncle Roy's family had gathered to fellowship and feast! There was ham, smoked game hens, a huge beef tenderloin, Melissa's potato salad (the best EVER), pea salad, macaroni salad, homemade macaroni & cheese, roasted potatoes & carrots and hot buttered rolls. THEN there were the desserts! Strawberry/Rhubarb pies, upside down pineapple cake, cupcakes, dessert breads and so much more! Seriously, it was incredible! We ate and the kids played. We ate some more and took the kids on walks to the barn or the pond in order to digest. We told old stories and new stories, watched the kids hide & hunt their Easter eggs, we laughed a lot.

It was a wonderful Resurrection Sunday! A time to celebrate and be thankful for the great sacrifice our Father made for us and to realize His wonderful grace and drink it up.

Happy Easter!

OK, that last one was from last week, but it's just too cute not to post!! Don't you just want to pinch those cheeks?!?!?

Where Are We Now??

2009-04-07T17:58:00.005-04:00

Well, I know it's been a while, but we are still here and kickin'

Actually, we are kicking really, really hard! In less than a month we will have moved to a new house and opened the shop up for the season. The thought of it all makes me want to crawl into bed and pull the covers up over my head! But I know we will get it all done and we will survive.

We are all very excited about the move! It is a much bigger house on 10+ acres and it is walking distance to the Rappahanock River. Basically it is in the middle of no where! AHHHH!!!! HEAVEN!!!! We will miss being so close to all of our friends, but a change had to be made and we believe we've made the right one. Q will remain in school until the end of the year and then all of the kids will be home schooled again (live & learn I suppose).

As for the shop, things will remain pretty much the same. We are painting the inside to give it a fresh new look and we will be adding nachos to the menu (this will require great restraint on my part). We will try to push the boat rentals even harder this year, and are hoping that having each one equipped for fishing will help.

As usual things are plugging along at a frantic pace. I guess we must like it that way, because we always seem to wind up going 100 miles an hour, never reaching for the break.

The boys are getting bigger by the second! And each night I go to bed thinking "How in the world are they going to be men in a few years?!?!?" It's a scary thought, but with lots (and lots) of work and even more prayer I suppose it will happen.

And if you watch closely you can actually see Maisie getting bigger right before your eyes! Seriously the child is HUGE! We don't have an official weight, but we are guessing she is between 22-25 lbs! But she is 25 lbs of absolute joy! She is happy no matter what, when or where. When she is at home she is all smiles. When she is out and about she will stare a hole, with her great big eyes, right through any stranger who tries to talk to her, but rarely does she make a peep. And in this family that is a real and true blessing!!

In her 7th month she started saying Mama, Dada, Buh-Buh, and lately Dadeeee. Poor The Dude doesn't stand a chance.

Quentin is trudging right along in school, though he finds most of it pointless and mundane (which it is). We've had to have many conversations about doing our best in ALL things, even when we find it pointless. His marks are outstanding and we are very proud of him. And on the bright side, he has made many great friends that he will get to keep in touch with through Scouts even after we move to No-Man's-Land. It has been a difficult year for Q. He has not had the time to delve into all of the things he loves so much, but in a way it has been good for him too. He's come out of his shell and grown up so much. The child never ceases to amaze us.

Walker started his Kindergarten curriculum and is doing wonderfully! We had planned to take this year "off" but that wasn't working out too well, so we plunged right in. He has also started cub scouts and earned his first belt loop last night. It was for marble shooting, his pap-paw will be so proud! He is loving every second of scouting. He is also learning all kinds of mad skills in his rock climbing class! He's learned how to tie a figure-8 knot, a double figure-8 knot, how to repel and run a zip line. Cool stuff!! Walker has become the absolutely sweetest boy in the world! He loves his family, and pretty much every person he meets, so unconditionally and he expects that love to be returned, he feels it is just natural, that's the way it is supposed to be. We could learn a lot from him!

And last but never, EVER least (or last for that matter) is Everett. Where to begin? He is still the feistiest little guy God ever created. HOLY COW! And just when you think he's completely out of control and you can't take another second, he goes and does something absolutely hysterical and he'll have you rolling on the floor. He's a quick study and knows where the line is and treads it often. Though he puts us through the ringer each and every day The Dude and I both firmly believe that we will not have to worry much about this one in life. God has great things in store for him. He is a born leader who commands (and demands) attention and is absolutely fearless. He does not wear his heart on his sleeve like his brothers, but when it comes down to it he does have a big heart, he jsut shows it differently. Heaven help the person, animal etc who tries to get in his way!! He will come to his brothers' aid gladly with both fists swinging!! And don't even THINK about messing with his baby sister! Though it is rough around the edges right now, we find this all to be good stuff!

So our not-so-little-family is coming along quite nicely. We find keeping our expectations low is a good thing. Right now we consider it a successful day when everyone eats at least one well balanced meal (doesn't have to be at the same time), everyone has all limbs in tact and no facial bruises or lacerations, and at least one person in the house gets a bath or shower. Today was a success.

Rental House

2009-03-06T19:18:00.006-05:00

For those interested in the rental house, here are few pictures. Please pardon our clutter as we live with four small very active children :)

The living room.

The Dining Room. The black wall is painted with chalk board paint, great for writing messages and such.

Primary Kitchen.

This is one half of the finished basement. Shows wood stove.

The other half of the basement. The bar is to the right.

The secondary kitchen in the basement, located on the other side of the bar.

Bathroom on the main level.

Half of one bedroom on the top floor, connect to the other bathroom.

This is the other half of the bedroom. (Please pardon our clutter, this is an active household!! :) ).

This is half of the bathroom on the top level of the house. It connects to the bedroom pictured above.

This is the other half of the bathroom. It also holds the closet and washer & dryer. We are leaving the washer & dryer in the house for tenant's use.

I will try to get the other photos posted of the other bedrooms and other parts of the house. 2 of the other bedrooms are very large with hardwood floors and large closets. The other bedroom is smaller, located on the main level of the house and has 2 closets.

The house also has a very large screened in back porch which connects to an open deck. The back yard is fully fenced. Off and on street parking is available to UMW students. It is approximately 2,400 finished sq. ft.

Feel free to give me a call to set up a time to come and look at the house. We are flexible on the start time of the lease. Thanks!

Emily

How's This For Embarassing????

2009-01-22T09:01:00.003-05:00

Everett has been struggling with an ear infection for quite some time now. So, yesterday I decided to take him back to the doctor to see f the meds were actually doing any good. It was just the two of us so he was being exceptionally good. He was still loud, very repetitive and rambunctious but he had captured the attention of the absolutely packed waiting room, which was his ultimate goal. In fact the place was so packed E & I couldn't even get a seat when we first got there. After a while a couple of seats opened up and we moved into them.

Our ped office has rows of chairs set up back to back so the rows are facing each other. The row where E & I were sitting was facing the door and facing a row of only 2 chairs. And soon a very large bald black man and his 6YO son came in to occupy those two seats directly in front of Everett and I.

I must stress here what I mentioned earlier. Everett is loud. His voice is much like mine, LOUD. And if he thinks he is being funny, he is even LOUDER. And because he's the third kid he is repetitive. He often gets drowned out by his siblings, so he has picked up the habit of saying things over and over and over until you repeat what he is saying.

SO, back to yesterday...No sooner did the large, bald, black man take his seat no more than 3.5 feet from us then Everett stopped what he was doing, took a couple of steps toward him, pointed and said (crystal clear!!), "Mom! Barack Obama!, Barack Obama! Barack Obama!..." And on and on he went. I tried to quiet him by whispering, "No, that's not Barack Obama." But he was not having it. He kept pointing and saying it over and over. I looked at the man, who was most definitely looking at me. So, I just sort of shrugged and embarassingly said "I'm sorry. We watched a lot of the inauguration coverage yesterday." He just sorta gave a smile. Finally, I dug in my bag and found a lollipop and plugged the whole.

UGH!! I've never heard the child say any two words more clearly. I can just imagine what that man must have been thinking! LOL!!

A Christmas Story

2009-01-06T23:12:00.002-05:00

This is a story that I have been meaning to post for quite a while now. My sister posted about Christmas traditions and such, so I thought I'd dig out a story about a Christmas present.

I was probably about 4 or 5 which would make Thomasina about 8 or 9. That year she received a chemistry set. Now, this was a 1980's chemistry set. There were no experiment booklets or any directions, just about a dozen actual chemicals, some cool test tubes and sharp tools.

So one night, not long after Christmas, my parents had some dinner guests over. I don't recall who they were, but I do recall that we were in our nice clothes. I suppose dinner must have been over and the adults had adjourned to the living room for drinks and casual conversation. Thom & I were in the front room playing with the chemistry set. OK, she was playing, I was watching as I was not allowed to touch it. We were hunched over it at the coffee table, taking in all it had to offer. I watched as Thom carefully took out a test tube and put in a little powder chemical, then another kind and another. OOOO this was getting good! Then a little liquid chemical, and another liquid, maybe a little more. The anticipation was growing. It was thick. The mixture was starting to fizz. So she did what any future bio-chemist would do, she put her finger solidly over the top of the tube, picked it up and shook it vigorously.

The liquid in the tube turned the most beautiful shade of blue-green I'd ever seen! The science was amazing!! I looked at Thom, she was smiling. Then the smile started to fade. "It's getting hot...the pressure." She was beginning to struggle. I could tell that all of this fun was about to come to an abrupt end. The look on her face was intense, she could no longer keep her finger on the tube, and it was still getting hotter by the second. With all her might she tried, but it was no use. The force was too strong. Her finger started to give to the pressure, it was going to blow! And blow it did!! I jumped back, and watched as a the tube fell to the floor (on Mom's carpet!!) and a stream went right into Thom's eye. It scared her so bad that she wet her tights! The horror!!

So, right then and there, I looked at the beautiful and bright blue-green stain on the carpet, my sister clutching her eye in her now wet tights, and I did what any little sister would do...I beat it into the living room and sat like a nervous angel without a word right beside Mom, who was still chatting with her friends, completely unaware of the experiment-gone-wrong in the next room.

I don't know how much time passed, it felt like hours. How was she going to handle this one? What would be the repercussions? Did I get out in time to avoid any punishment that was sure to come? We STAINED the carpet!! All of this was running through my head when around the corner appeared Thom, still clutching her eye, doing the awful I-just-peed-myself-walk, with her knees all clutched together in her wet tights. She only had to utter one word. It was a shaky "Mom?" When Mom looked up and saw her she rushed over and ushered Thom to the bathroom to clean her now red & puffy eye and get her some new clothes.

I don't remember what the punishment was, or even if there was one, but I do know that chemistry set was never allowed to be played with in the house again. I think there may have also been a "goggle rule" put into place. And the carpet, well, Mom tried her best to get that stain out, but it stayed there for years as a reminder until the carpet was replaced.

I told this story to Quentin this year when he received his first chemistry set at Christmas from his Aunt Thomasina.

Picture Catch Up

2008-12-17T21:26:00.019-05:00

So I pretty much suck at keeping up lately, and I am not just talking about my blog. Life in general seems to be kicking me where it counts. But after this past summer I can say that I am thankful that all of us are healthy and able to do for ourselves.

Since the kids are finally all in bed for the night, I thought I'd take a sec and post some pictures that I've been meaning to put here. Just random shots that we've taken.

First, a rare shot of all three boys sitting still.

One must always remember that when wielding a sword always wear safety goggles

Walker's Nightly "Westle" with Daddy

Maisie is now enjoying a bowl full of cereal each night. Here's a picture of her very first delightful bite.

Walker has always been our "dress up" kid. If there is a costume he will don it. If there is not a costume he will create it. Here he is showing his little brother the fine art of dressing up.

And I can't leave out Boss-Dogg. Since winter temps are upon us we've started letting him in at night. And even though we bought him a bed of his own he continually chooses to snuggle up here.

Speaking of winter temps...Our town Christmas parade always seems to fall on the absolute coldest day of the season. This year proved to be no different, not only was it bone chilling cold, it was SNOWING!! Due to that fact, I decided to skip it this year and keep Maisie home, leaving The Dude to brave the parade with the 3 boys in tow. Quentin walked in the processional with his Scout Pack. Luckily, our BFF's Camm & Tim helped The Dude out in handling the other two boys. That is until Everett could take no more and threw a fit sure to be remembered by all standing on the corner of William & Princess Anne! The Dude had no choice but to bring him home, and then rush back to sit with Walker & BFF's. What a good dad!

I've been volunteering at Q's school quite a bit this season and I'd like to thank Mammy & Boompa for picking up the slack for me!! And look what they created while I was gone!

Santa Claus came a little early for Maisie. I could not bear to see her sit in that swing any longer, I am so scared she's going to get a flat head because I can't pick her up as much as I did the boys (due mostly to the very small very fast and very angry boy who lives here). So out came the Bumbo. I think she was a little disoriented at first judging by the look on her face.

This past weekend we held our annual cookie decorating party for the kids. The day leading up to the party the boys and I rolled, cut and baked 150 sugar cookies. During the process Everett thought he would get a laugh by dumping a can of flour on his head. He succeeded in getting the laugh.

The party was a huge success! Although I only had a chance to get a couple of pictures.

And here are their creations.

After the party Everett helped in cleaning up.

We also decorated our Christmas tree this week. I let the boys do it all by themselves this year and they did a fantastic job! We only broke 4 ornaments.

I also have a video that I need to post of Q's Christmas recital for his piano class.

So it is a busy season for us, but we are having a lot of fun! Christmas is upon us and you can wrap yourself up in the anticipation in this house!!

Merry Christmas!

Random Braggings

2008-12-03T22:50:00.005-05:00

First things first: FOR THE BABY BOOK (should I ever actually buy one):
Maisie ate her first bowl of rice cereal tonight. She loved it. Every time I'd stick a spoonful in she would stick her pudgy little hand in her mouth so she could feel it, then give one of her bigger than life smiles! AWWWW!!

Earlier today I put Walker & Everett in front of the babysitter (a.k.a the TV) and Maisie under her toy to go upstairs and switch out the laundry. All was well until I heard Walker very calmly say, "She doesn't like apples, Everett." Those words sent me flying down the steps with visions of Everett trying to stuff an entire apple into the baby's mouth. Instead I found him sitting happily beside his sister, eating his apple. He immediately looked up at me and said "Baby. No apple." I have no idea what went on before I came down those steps.

A few other random things:

We are so, so, soooo proud of Walker! The kid is reading like a pro and loving it!! And it is pretty much all thanks to Headsprout. He loves it, I love it, it's all so, so, great! I did go over some blends and phonics cards with him today, just to make sure he could read stuff not in video form and he was perfect!

And Quentin will be playing the lead piano in his Christmas concert coming up! WOO-HOO!! He is just dynamite at the keyboard! He plays like he has been doing it since birth and just absolutely loves it. I think he has stumbled upon one of his natural gifts early in life.

And Everett, he is doing good things too! We recently moved all three boys into one room. We thought we were nuts for doing it, what with E's habit of getting out of bed and trying to kick the door down if he's not ready to go to sleep, and such. But thankfully we were wrong! He loves it and has made huge strides into big boydom :)

Cheers to good kids!!

Quentin's 8th Birthday!

2008-11-23T22:37:00.017-05:00

Quentin will be 8 years old on Tuesday! I can hardly believe it! He never ceases to amaze us. No matter what situation he is thrown into he meets it head on and comes out on top. He excels at every single thing he does. He is an incredible and hard working student. His piano playing has stunned even his instructor. He is giving. He is the most kind hearted child I have ever met, thinking of others always. And the list could go on and on and on. But through it all he is still a fun loving kid.

Every year he chooses to forgo a birthday party (always his choice) and the family goes to Great Wolf for a night. It is always an awesome time and looked forward to by not only the kids but by The Dude and I too. This year was no exception!

The boys had a great time on the slides. They are at a great age where they can have just as much fun on the little kid stuff as they do the bigger stuff.

E was enjoying going down the slides with Daddy until the lifeguard told him no adults were allowed on the kiddie slides. Everett still wanted to go down, so Q said he would take him up so Daddy could catch him at the bottom.

And he did...

...and lifted him up (such a good big brother)...

...and then SHOVED him in the back down the slide!!!

Poor Everett shot down that slide like a bullet! Spinning and turning the entire way down!! (Unfortunately, he was going so fast this was the only shot I was able to get. But I swear he didn't go down face down the whole way!!).

After he was caught and safe in Daddy's arms, he didn't cry, he just said, "All done. No more slide. No more slide." Thankfully, the shot down the slide didn't make him swear off swimming altogether, but he did take a break.

After about 4 hours of swimming it was back to our spectacular room (more like a condo!!) for Q's party. I brought a cake last minute from Paul's to help celebrate the occasion.

Then it was time for presents! He received a coin collection from Mammy & Boom-Pa

and his big gift from us was a Playmobil set that he had been wanting,

but his favorite gift was the DYMO LetraTag QX50...a label maker. Yep! He has been labeling everything from maps and toys to making a sign for our bedroom that reads "Todd & Emily's Room".

After presents, The Dude took the big boys out to play the coolest interactive Magiquest game throughout 2 floors of the lodge. It is way cool and the boys had an incredible time. And poor The Dude was passed out by 9:00!!

And the kids were back up by 7:00 the next day to do it all over again!
Here they are waiting for the water park to open up!

So Happy Birthday, Q!! We love you so much and could not be more proud of you and your willingness to tackle anything set in your path. You never cease to humble me with your compassion and kind heart. I learn more from you each and every day. I know that God has blessed our lives with the gift of you. You truly are an amazing person!

I Feel Like a Terri

2008-11-20T00:47:00.002-05:00

I don't want to be a Terri, but as I walked past the mirror this evening I realized I look like one. I am frumpy. I have no time to shower, paint my toes, do my hair (which I am hating right now!!). Let's put it this way, if I remember the deodorant, it's a good day. And these last 10 lbs. of baby weight are not helping matters. I have never been a girly-girl, but basic hygiene means a lot to me (and my family).

I go through this after every baby and it gets worse with each one. I AM ON #4 PEOPLE!!! So, it's bad!! By the time everyone is fed, bathed, teeth brushed, tucked in, dishes done and kitchen cleaned I am wiped. DONE. You would think the fact that my entire pre-baby wardrobe, which I can't fit into, staring me in the face would be motivation to go run each night. And I suppose it is. But I live with 4 energy vacuums that simply suck everything out of me each day. I'm leaving it all on the field each and every night, there is nothing left.

I know it will get better, they will grow, stages will change, but right now I need to not be a Terri!!

No offense to anyone named Terri who may be reading this :)

Here's to caffeine! "She's a helluva drug."

Maisie at 3 Months

2008-11-13T00:21:00.002-05:00

These were taken on 11/8/08

Fun Fall Friday in Virginia

2008-11-08T19:26:00.010-05:00

Walker, Everett and I spent the day raking a HUGE pile of leaves and then enjoying them and the awesome weather. After a few hours Q got off the bus and we realized that we needed to share our pile, so we invited some friends over to join in the fun. Here are a few pictures I took early on in the day.

And when the boys' friends went home at dark we ate a quick supper, loaded the littles into the stroller and walked down to the football game.
GO JACKETS!! They easily won and are headed to the playoffs.
The games in town are always great! Everyone in town goes to cheer on our high school team. The boys see friends they know and run around and act like crazy boys they are. But Everett and Maisie tuckered out around half time (E threw a mind blowing fit) and I walked them back home.

On days like this I am so happy and thankful we live here, close to family and wonderful friends. What an awesome Friday!

Well, There is Always This...

2008-11-05T08:01:00.000-05:00

Halloween

2008-11-03T10:50:00.007-05:00

This Halloween was great! The boys dressed up as Alvin & The Chipmunks and their costumes were a hit.

And Maisie wore her cute little Gymboree kitty outfit (thanks Kara!!)

Q's school held their annual Wonder Walk for the March of Dimes. All of the kids got to wear their costumes and parade around the school. Q dressed as Indiana Jones.

The boys made quite the hall this year!

For The Baby Book

2008-10-30T09:05:00.000-04:00

Maisie FINALLY slept through the night last night! I pray it continues!!

OK, OK, Back to Picture Catch Up

2008-10-29T23:49:00.008-04:00

In late September we took our annual trip to Emerald Isle, NC. It is always such a great time, but as I mentioned before, it is very different with small children. Not quite as relaxing as it used to be :)

The boys had a great time kayaking with The Dude in the sound almost every day. Check out their finds!

Even Mom got out on the sound!

It was so nice that Mom, Dad & Uncle Roy made it down. If they hadn't come I doubt my toes would have ever touched the sand. And heaven knows I never would have gotten to go fishing!

Even though Melissa's kids and mine are pretty far apart in age, they all play so well together. Here are Austin, Savannah, Jack, Quentin & Walker playing with Thomasina on the beach.

And Walker really took to the water this year! He had such a blast playing in the waves.

And he also discovered video games. UGH!! His little tongue gets quite a workout while he plays :)

So that pretty much sums up the beach. Unfortunately, I did not take a single picture of Maisie and Everett was only in the background of one or two. BUT I know for a fact that Thomasina has some great ones of both of them if she would JUST SEND THEM!!! HINT!! HINT!! :)

It was a great trip and we are already looking forward to EI '09!

Check me out!

2008-10-28T17:43:00.010-04:00

Guess who got quoted in the paper yesterday! ME!!

Sarah Palin came to our town and Mom, Dad Maisie & I were among about 8,000 people who showed up. It was awesome! We all walked down to the rally from my house at 9:00 and got our place in the already very long line. Sarah was not due to arrive until 1:00. By the time we made it to the front gate I had already been told that there were no strollers allowed. UGH! So, I didn't get to actually go into the small barricaded area with Mom & Dad and get close to her. So, Maisie & I stood on the street in the overflow area and watched from afar.
I had a primo spot, even for being so far away. A reporter from our local paper interviewed me and a few others that were milling about. And this morning I received emails and phone calls telling me my quote was on the front page. How cool!!

Anyway, here is a link.

As the day wore on it got colder and colder, and was threatening rain. There was no way I could keep Maisie out in that weather, but I knew if I left there was no way I was going to get my awesome spot back. But I had to get her home. So, I speed walked the mile back to the house. On my way I saw one lonely protester standing in front of an auto body shop wearing a Palin mask.

The sign read:
SCARIEST CANDIDATE
Pro War
Animal Killer
Loves Bush Economics
Intellectually Challenged
No Friend to Women

I am sure it was well worth his/her time to stand on the corner.

So I made it home and handed the baby to The Dude who urged me to go back and get the best spot I could. So I walked back down to the rally. On my way down I could already here cheers and a man speaking to the crowd. I knew this was going to be a waste of time, but I plunged ahead. As I got closer, I could see the crowd in the overflow area (they were no longer letting people into the park). So I elbowed my way toward the huge jumbo-tron to try and get as close to my old spot as possible. And as I got through all of a sudden the crowd parted, there was a HUGE clearing, right by my old spot! There was just one man standing there, I saw him from behind, he wore a cap and had on a flannel shirt. IT WAS MY UNCLE DONALD!! I ran up and gave him a hug and immediately knew by the smell of his breath why he had no need for a jacket :) He too had been turned away at the gate because, as is usual, he was carrying a pocket knife which he refused to turn over to security for them to hold.

On an aside...my sisters and I could seriously write an entire novel about Uncle D! And it would be the funniest and sweetest thing you've ever, EVER read. The man has lived life to the absolute fullest and mostly not on purpose.

Anyway...Uncle D & I regained my old spot and we ran into an old friend from high school who was there with her two little girls and husband. Uncle D was cracking jokes and poking fun as is his usual way. Having a laugh or two with the State Troopers who were manning security. A national news service was milling about and set their sites on Uncle D for an interview. I knew this poor reporter was in trouble, he did not know what he was in for and I decided it best to keep my distance. He asked Uncle D one question, which I did not hear, and though Uncle D said many things the ONE phrase I heard come from his mouth was "towel head". I cringed. The poor reporters eyes bugged out of his head as he flipped his little tape recorder off. It was almost as if he were struck by a blow as he staggered about in the middle of the street and disappeared back into the crowd. Uncle D was laughing so hard he could hardly catch his breath. He knew exactly what he was doing. He was playing, trying to get exactly that reaction from the unsuspecting reporter. The reporter however was not in on the game.

So, we stood on still waiting for Sarah to make her arrival, then out of the blue former Governor Jim Gilmore stood before us. So I asked him if he would pose for a picture with Uncle D.

After Uncle D left my old friend turned to me and asked "Who was that man??" to which I replied, "He's my uncle and we love him." She laughed and said, "Oh! We have those in our family too."

Right at 1:00 Sarah made her arrival!
I could only get the tail end of her bus

Yes, it was the same stump speech that you've heard on the news, but it is so great to see it live. And to hear a REAL person who has had REAL experiences and who isn't nor has ever been a lawyer (which is more than I can say for the majority of Congress!!). She is a mom. And any good mother, in my opinion, is MORE than qualified to make executive decisions. Here are some of my pics, although they are not too hot b/c I do not own a zoom lens (hint! hint! for those thinking about Christmas presents!!).
See the tiny little person in red with her hand sticking up? That's Sarah!

Here's a better picture :)

Here's to a great day!

Holy Freakin' Cow Part 2

2008-10-27T22:19:00.012-04:00

And this time in pictures!! You asked for it so here it is!! The Dude finally got me back online and I am running at full speed.
We will start way back in August with some pictures of sweet Maisie:

And while we were all suffering through our awful sickness, Thom came up and took all three boys to the park for the day. SO NICE!! And from the looks of these pictures she took, it looks like they all had a great time!

More Maisie on 8/30/08 (taken only 12 days after the ones above!!)

(This one's a little disconcerting isn't it??)

Now, I have to mention here that Walker had his 5th birthday on 8/20. HOWEVER I have no pictures. My sister has pictures of the festivities and I have video (I can never seem to get both, just one or the other). So, maybe if Thom reads this she will send me some pics and I can add them in.

Everett's birthday was on 9/5 and we got pictures of this one but no video. E's party was as a 2 year old's should be. QUICK. Do the cake, do the presents, only invite those who love you and will not judge you by the screaming chaos. So, that's what we did and Everett and his brothers & sister loved every second. It was a baseball theme since that is STILL all that Everett ever plays.

And also on Everett's birthday, The Dude & I said "Hey! Since the boys are all hopped up on sugar why don't we try to take a family picture! You know preserve the moment!" This is as good as it got. Yes, there were worse ones.

More time with Maisie! I have never seen a tiny one enjoy a bath as much as she does.

Nap time with Dad

Big Smile!!

SURPRISE!!!

Everett trying out his sweet new shades before we head to Emerald Isle.

And the EI pics will have to wait until tomorrow! I am pooped!

For The Baby Book

2008-10-25T11:46:00.002-04:00

At approximately 2 months old Maisie is 11 lbs 10 ozs
She is 22.5" long.
Coming along quite nicely :)

HOLY FREAKIN' COW!! Part 1

2008-10-14T00:00:00.003-04:00

Has it really been that long since my last post??? GEEZ! I am worse than I thought!!

So where to begin....

First, we went on a week long and much needed vacation to the usual destination of Emerald Isle, NC. Family and fun abounded. Oh, and screaming, lots of screaming from Everett...(how many days until he turns 3?) Screaming aside, we all did have a great time. But I must point out that vacation is very....ummm...different than it used to be, now that we have a herd of small children to keep up with. And I am so very thankful that Mom & Dad and Uncle Roy were able to make it down for a few days!! Them arriving meant that I not only got to spend a little time on the beach, but that I actually got to go fishing!!! It is better (and cheaper) than therapy!! It is my very most favorite thing to do. And it was even more special because I got to fish with Uncle Roy. Awesome!

Being on vacation and away from home gave The Dude and I some time to talk about how stuff is going with the family. Funny, because even though he works from home and we are always, always together we rarely get the chance or take the time to really dive into great discussions about the kids. We hit the bullet points as we rush by each other and we work as a team with the kids, putting out all the fires throughout the day, but by the time all of the littles are washed and put to bed we just kind of sit around in a comatose state. So, vacation was the perfect time to hash out a lot of stuff that has been going on around the house. Point number one was Everett. The Dude has taken the lead role with E. Everett is a daddy's boy without question and I have been shirking my responsibilities with him for quite a while due to lessons with Q, the new baby and now lessons with Walker too (Walker dropped out of preschool due to boredom). So E has kind of been pushed aside and has started to REALLY push back. So after much discussion and much prayer we decided to put Q in public school starting Monday. The Dude and I have a great peace about our decision and though it may not be long term it is what we have to do for now. Quentin is excited and nervous all at the same time. We have no doubt that he will do very well! Last week we took Q and met with the principal and were very pleased at all they have to offer.

Other things that have been going on are doctor's appointments. Last week both Everett and Maisie had appointments and even though I looked at my planner that morning I still took the wrong kid to the doctor!!! AHHHH!!! The sweet ladies that work the front desk seriously think I need to be committed (and they may be right). Fortunately, even though they were supposed to see Maisie they took Everett anyway.

Everett at 2YO STILL WEIGHS 26 lbs and is about 36" tall. The child has not gained a pound in 6 months!! And I swear it is because he never EVER sits still!!

Maisie on the other hand is filling out at a rapid pace!! At 2 months she is 11 lbs 10 ozs and is 22.5" long.

Maisie is such a sweet baby! She reminds me a lot of Walker when he was that small. She only cries if she is hungry or has a bubble in her tummy. And thank goodness for the swing, as that is the only thing she will sleep in! She smiles whenever you talk to her and loves any attention she can get. She seems to be a real charmer, so far. And no child has ever been loved more by her brothers! If she cries and I am not in the room Walker is the first one there mimicking the way I talk to her in a high pitched voice. And Everett is not far behind with a "fadoo" a.k.a pacifier. Everett can hardly be in the same room with her without asking to "say hi" which means rubbing her head very gently (that is the only thing that child does gently!!). It is all so sweet to watch!

There is so much more to catch up on, but it is late and The Dude is going into the office tomorrow, so I have to manage the herd by myself and I need some sleep. I will try to finish tomorrow.

G'night!

For The Baby Book

2008-09-17T11:40:00.003-04:00

Maisie at 6 Weeks is:
10 lbs. 2 ozs.
21.5" long
75th Percentile.

I guess all of those early morning, mid morning, late morning, noon, early afternoon, late afternoon, early evening, evening, night, late night, late late night, etc. feedings are really paying off! :)

Killing Me

2008-09-14T23:10:00.002-04:00

Yes, it is absolutely killing me that my stupid computer is still down! Maisie started giving her first real smiles 3 days ago and I cannot post any pictures of them!! OK, I have to admit that I have not actually been able capture any pictures of them yet, but I've been very, very close several times and I just know it is going to happen any day.

Wise Beyond His Years

2008-09-10T00:20:00.005-04:00

Anyone who knows our oldest boy, Quentin, knows that he is, in a word, unique. He has a grasp of the world that is far beyond his years. Though he is all boy and shares the interests that most 7 YO boys have (bugs, frogs etc.), he also has many other interests. He loves money, so much so that it is like pulling teeth to get him to spend it. (We recently discovered he had well over $100 stashed away in his room!! All earned from .50 to $1 chores!! We took him to the bank and opened a savings account, of which he now keeps meticulous track). He and I have shared many a conversation about investing. How many seven year olds do you know who can tell you the difference between a stock and a mutual fund? He also tries to stay on top of how much is in his and his brothers' college funds.

He understands the fundamental differences between a democrat and a republican. And the differences between a conservative and a liberal. He loves to learn. His latest obsessions are languages, different cultures and geography. Last week he took it upon himself to learn all of the US state capitals and quizzes us on them whenever he can find a way to work it into conversation.

Q's 8th birthday is coming up in November and this puts much pressure on The Dude and I. We want desperately to get him a gift that he will truly enjoy, and the past couple of years we have struck out miserably. So I started peppering him with questions the last couple of weeks and giving him all of the toy magazines that come in the mail to peruse.

Here are a few of the things that topped his list:

A sport coat or suit

Some new ties

Some antiques

A McCain/Palin bumper sticker

Something Chinese

Some Rare Coins

A stamp collection

After looking over his list it was obvious to us that almost 8 years ago we gave birth to
Alex P. Keaton

After much prodding and asking questions like, "Wouldn't you like a toy or something a little more, you know...ummm...fun?" he did finally throw us a bone and say, "I am kinda into Pirates of the Caribbean action figures...*sigh*"

So, I guess a sport coat it is!

You can't pick your child's interests, this I have learned the hard way. That being said, we couldn't be prouder of our little Alex P. Keaton!!

Here's to kiddos that know what they like.

Bedtime Giggles

2008-09-08T20:08:00.003-04:00

It is a little after 8:00 and we have to get up early tomorrow to get Quentin to class where he has tests in both math and spelling, and Everett & Maisie each have a doctor's check-up before 9:00 am. The boys should really be sleeping, or at least playing quietly. Instead they are up there laughing hysterically and talking loudly. And even though I really should march up there and play the mom role and tell them to be quiet, I just can't bring myself to do it. I remember all too well when I used to share a room with my sister, and even though we may have argued with each other all day long and driven my mother nuts, when it came to bed time, all of that was gone and the fun began!

We used to smuggle tiny flash lights into bed with us and play catch with them in the pitch black. We used to play fight with those little balls that were covered in velcro, by throwing them at each others voices. Those things would stick in our hair and on our flannel night gowns like glue. I am sure Thom can remember many other games we used to play. But they were all hilarious and more fun than an amusement park to us!

And now I am listening to Q & W do the same thing. Thinking, I'm sure, that they are really getting away with something just like we did :) The games they play are different, but the bedtime giggles are all too familiar.

Here's to bunking with siblings!

FIRST THINGS FIRST

2008-09-05T15:16:00.003-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EVERETT!!! AND A BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO WALKER!!!

When we last left off I had just come down with a fever. Needless to say I caught the nasty virus. I was down with a fever for a couple of days and when I thought I was better I Maisie and I were back out at the shop. Well, that didn't last long. I noticed Maisie acting like she was very uncomfortable and was having sharp stomach pains. And that night, I realized that, just like The Dude, I had pulled the muscles in my chest and all along my right side just by pulling kayaks! By the time I went to bed it hurt to breathe and it felt like I had broken all of the ribs on my right side. The Dude, still nursing a bad back himself, had to get up each time Maisie ( who was also still acting weird) needed to eat and hand her to me. I had to "sleep" sitting up because I couldn't breathe when I laid down.
We were a mess!
My wonderful sister Melissa came and picked up the boys and took them to her house for the weekend so we could recuperate.
By the next day, we were not only nursing the same aches and pains but Maisie seemed to be a little worse. The Dude took her to the pediatrician who said she needed an x-ray to see what was wrong, which meant a trip to the ER. Turns out she was constipated but they also found that her liver numbers were WAY WAY OFF as were her platelet numbers. After 5 HOURS in the ER they let us go home and said if she started running a fever she needed to come back. About an hour after coming home, she started running a fever. So we went back to the hospital and this time they admitted her. And as is the custom on an infant they tested her for everything under the sun, even though I kept explaining to them that my ENTIRE family has just gotten over this virus and chances are that is what she has. Unlike pediatricians, hospital docs DO NOT LISTEN. And after that it was like we were trapped in the movie Groundhog Day. Each morning a fresh doc would come into the room, look at her latest rounds of blood tests and say "She looks good! I just want to watch her over night and you can go home in the morning." Then morning would come and ANOTHER NEW DOC would come into the room (they work 12 hour shifts) and say "She looks good! I just want to watch her over night and you can go home in the morning." By day 4 or 5 I had had it! And the poor little Jamaican doctor that came in that morning saw the sleep deprived and desperate mother bear that lives inside of me show its teeth. We ended up leaving against medical advice with a lot of help from our pediatrician, who I called out of desperation. And truthfully I think all of the nurses were glad to see us go! By day 2 I had informed them all that my baby needed to be nursed and she would no longer be tethered to all of their monitors. If they REALLY needed to watch her respiration and blood pressure and heart rate they would have to do it the old fashioned way and I would call them in when she was not sleeping or eating. I am sure Maisie and I were all the talk at the nurses station! My normally cheery disposition was gone.

So, finally we were home! And Maisie immediately started to get better, sleep better etc. And while I was in the hospital The Dude had made a therapeutic massage appointment for me which totally helped my pulled muscles.

Today, we are all healthy and back to what we call normal! And after living through the last 3 or 4 weeks living with 4 small children, homeschooling and running a business etc will be an absolute breeze!

During all of this, we celebrated Walker's birthday and Everett's birthday and I have pictures and video of both. However, sometime during all of this mess my computer died so I currently can't post any of them. Q & W have also started back to school, martial arts and piano and scouts start up next week and we are thinking of putting E in soccer tots if we can fit it in.

Also, I couldn't post this without saying a HUGE thank you to my family who made sure the boys were well cared for, my church family & incredible friends who made sure my family was well fed and prayed for and my BFF's Camm & Tim and their girls who took it upon themselves to make sure The Shop was manned while we were out of commission. It is during these rough times that you realize how valuable good family and friends are. I honestly do not know what I would have done without these selfless people coming to our aid without ever being asked. They see a need and they fill it. THANK YOU!!!

So hopefully I will be back to regular blogging and have something to write about other than sick children :)

OH. NO.

2008-08-18T23:46:00.001-04:00

I HAVE A FEVER!!!

Quentin's Piano Recital

2008-08-18T08:43:00.002-04:00

I am trying to catch up on some video postings! Can you tell??

Quentin has been taking piano lessons at Yamaha Music School for a year now. We are so surprised and pleased at his progress and the absolute LOVE he has developed for music. Here are some videos of his recital that was held earlier this summer.

Q & W Meet Maisie Video

2008-08-17T20:03:00.005-04:00

Here is a video of Quentin & Walker meeting Maisie for the first time. It is kind of long (I forgot how to edit, sorry), but well worth a viewing.

Every family has a kid without a filter. Walker is ours. Whatever crosses his mind comes out of his mouth. It can be quite funny and QUITE embarrassing at times.

Anyway, pay close attention to Walker as I unwrap Maisie so they can see her legs & feet. The hospital had done several blood tests on Maisie and had pricked her feet. The pricks and poor circulation had turned her little feet a nice shade of purple. When Walker notices this he immediately draws a conclusion...

You see we know several friends who have adopted babies of different races into their families. So, to Walker it seems that some babies are black and some babies are white and some babies are Asian, just the luck of the draw.

We found this hysterical!!

And Now For Something Completely Different...

2008-08-12T19:24:00.002-04:00

Yes, everyone is still sick here and I have had no more than 3 hours of sleep per night for the last seven days, but I am sick of talking and typing about it.

So, lets talk about the kiddos and what is going on with them!

Maisie is now one week old! And she is great. Sweet and cuddly (never had cuddler before). She is still in the eat & sleep phase, but the last couple of days she has been concentrating more on the eating part and it is paying off. She is growing like a weed. She is also starting to have longer periods of awake time when she is not eating. She just kinda chills and takes everything in, looks and listens.

Today I was reading a friend's blog (The Lipani's) their kids are around the same ages as Everett & Maisie. Anyway, she had written down some of their oldest's "language" and I thought that was a great idea for Everett, so I am stealing it.
Figure that is the least I can do seeing as how I never even purchased a baby book for him.
So feel free to skip this post as this one is really for The Dude and I to look back on one day when the haze of childhood has lifted from our home and try to remember some of it.

Everett Speak:

Wahkah - Walker
Kin - Quentin
Mees - Maisie
Beebee - Baby
Monk - Milk
Tea - can mean any drink other than monk
pee-buh poon - peanut butter spoon (his favorite snack which absolutely grosses his mother and brothers out)
#!%! - Fork (use your imagination)
Reerreer- Airplane (he tries to imitate the sound instead of saying the actual word...we think)
Wasat - What's that-this is a painstakingly long game which he plays whenever he has nothing else to say.
Wannaeat - "I want to eat"
Anana - Another
Beeble Baf - Bubble Bath
Peez - Please
Bee-bah - Baseball
Duke - This means he has to poop.
Nay - Horse
Sea Nay - Sea Horse
He Go - Here you go
Dah - Thank you (he also speaks Russian)
Pop - Lollypop
Side - Outside

That is all I can come up with for now, but I know there are more. Everett communicates quite well for his age. I suppose being the 3rd in line he has to keep up. Don't get me wrong, he still throws major fits if you don't understand what he is saying the first time around, but he is amazingly verbal. Some phrases we hear quite often and crystal clear are "I don't like" and "I don't wanna".
He is warming up to his little sister, not that he didn't like her, he just didn't find her very interesting. But now when he sees her he will touch her and say bee-bee. He thinks her feet are pretty funny, I guess because they are so small and skinny. And today I asked him if he wanted to give Maisie a kiss and he said yes and bent down and put his head on her (his equivalent of a kiss). Everett really is a sweet kid but he is 110% boy and tender moments are a rarity.

So there, I feel like a decent mother who is actually paying attention to her children as they grow up at lightning speed before my eyes.

The Plague & Other Stuff...

2008-08-11T23:11:00.004-04:00

Well I have to admit that this has not been the homecoming week I had envisioned.

Quentin is just now getting over this horrendous virus, which not only comes with vomit but also a disturbingly high fever and it seems to last for days. So we thought we were seeing the light but then we got a call from Todd's parents on Sunday (Everett & Walker were spending the day with them. Have I even mentioned that my in-laws have moved here??
Well, they have. More on that another time.) to tell us that Walker felt a little warm and was taking a nap. Then we got another call saying he was burning up and throwing up. So now The Dubs has been struck. Thankfully his tough little body is doing a great job of fighting it off and his fever does subside during the day.

By the time The Dude got home from the shop he too was reaching for the thermometer. I put a stop to it though. I told him he was not allowed to be sick, if he has a fever then just take some ibuprofen and try to muscle through it, we do NOT need to know what the actual temp is. When he sees the actual number it always seems to make him feel worse and he tends to obsess over it, taking his temperature every half hour.

Today Everett has been napping more than usual and throwing himself around a bit more, all signs of sickness, but thankfully so far no fever.

And even my poor mother has come down with this nasty bug!! She has been a HUGE help around here, making sure we are all nourished and the house is kept clean and running interference with the kids so I could catch a few minutes sleep here and there. When I called her Sunday she wouldn't admit she felt bad, but I could tell (the woman is incapable of telling even the whitest of lies). But she did sound better when I talked to her today.

So through it all I have been trying to shelter little Maisie. She really hasn't seen much outside of our bedroom. But even through her quarantine she is progressing quite well. She has a funny blood type which made her a tad yellow, but she got a clean report from the doc today, YEA!! Her liver seems to have kicked into gear and she is looking more pink by the minute! She is also working on some mad new skills
like sucking her thumb

She also decided that she no longer wants to breast feed, bottles only please...ummm...huh??? So I spent the day pumping and bottle feeding, which takes twice the time of nursing. Then I found this wonderful little device
Behold the "Nipple Shield"! I think the clever name and shape give all the description needed.

I guess Maisie just likes silicone??? A modern girl, I suppose?? I don't care, it works and it is keeping both she and I happy during her 3:00 to 6:00 AM nurse-a-thons.

And today started a parade of meals being delivered to our house, both from friends and members of our church. WOW WHAT A BLESSING!! I do NOT know what I would do without them. Having meals delivered is always such a great help, but this time it was more than a help it was a necessity. Thanks to all of you who are helping us out during this nutty-nutty time.

Well, everyone in my house is asleep at this moment, a rarity lately, so I am off to join them.

More Maisie Pictures

2008-08-08T10:39:00.006-04:00

The Dude & I were so excited to bring Maisie home and see what Everett's reaction would be. He has known that something big was going to happen, but he really didn't grasp what it was. We figured he would be curious and want to see her eyes and ears etc.

But as it turned out all he really wanted to do was play ball.
He was completely unimpressed by a new baby. Every once in a while he would go over and point to her and say "Has a head" just to let us know that she was human. And really, that is OK with us. I'd rather have him completely uninterested than OVERLY interested at his age :)

Walker on the other hand is just beside himself. He loves his baby sister soooooo much! This morning he held his sister for the first time. I think his face says it all.

Walker is also full of advice and questions. Things like "Don't hold her by her head." "Where are her muscles?" and "What part of you does she eat off of?" I will try to post some absolutely hysterical video of Walker and Maisie.

Our first night at home was a little rough.

While Maisie spent most of the afternoon snoozing away in her cradle she spent most of the night demanding to be fed, each. and. every. hour. At one point I woke The Dude and asked him just to let her suck on his finger for a while so I could get a few minutes of sleep. He did and it worked for about 45 minutes or so!! Finally around 6:00 she decided she'd had enough and went to sleep. AHHH!! Rest!! But wait, what's that?? Someone's in our bathroom. OH NO!! VOMIT. Q woke up at 6:30 with a high fever and apparently a stomach virus. So we are spending the day pumping him with fluids and keeping the baby away. We are hoping that the ick does not spread through the entire house (HAHAHHAHAHA!!! Yea, right!).

Welcome Home Maisie

2008-08-07T18:32:00.005-04:00

Well, it finally happened! Maisie Boone was born on Tuesday, August 5 2008 at 6:52 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 8ozs and is 18.5" long. After a MUCH longer than anticipated labor Maisie and I are both doing great and are glad to be home today.
She is cute as a button, eats like a champ and sleeps like a log, what more could you ask for in a newborn!
Well here is what you all really want to see the THE PICTURES! We think she looks like Walker.

And here is Maisie meeting 2 of her older brothers for the very first time (Everett did not make the trip to the hospital).

And she has a head full of black hair!

Maisie and her very tired mama.

And a very tired little Maisie.

Spending a little QT with Daddy

That is all for now, more pictures to follow. Thank you all for all of you encouragement, help and prayers.
Off to catch some much needed sleep!!

My Dr. Thinks I'm Psycho (she may be right)

2008-08-03T09:09:00.003-04:00

I finally had my LAST OB visit until after Maisie makes her arrival!! WOO-HOO!! The week prior my doc and I had picked out a date and time to induce labor. That date & time were the only things getting me through the week. I could finally see a light at the end of the long stinkin' tunnel. Anyway, during this weeks visit my doctor started looking over my chart and saying things like "Hmmmm. OH!. Uh-huh. Hmmmm." As a patient laying half naked on a table I am starting to get a little nervous. Finally she speaks up and asks, "What do you think about waiting another week to do the induction?"

I did not hesitate. The words did not even have time to fully process in my brain. All I knew is that I shot up off of that table and said "NO. Absolutely not. I will be having this baby on (the day we planned). You are more than welcome to attend, but if not, that is OK too, someone WILL deliver this baby."

Ummm...thinking back. I probably could have worded that a little better. I'm pretty sure I scared her a little because her eyes got really wide and she said, "Oh! Ummm...OK. Sure. Another week will really not make much of a difference." But I did get my point across that this pregnancy was over this week. The baby is done cooking, time to take her out of the oven before I and my entire family go insane.

So that is the big baby update! The next post will hopefully be one of rejoicing and chock full of pics of our new little girl!!

Today Could've Been Better

2008-07-25T19:49:00.003-04:00

Today could be put into the category of not-so-good.

I had my doctor's appointment this morning and it looks like I will be with shorty for a little while longer. BUT I DO HAVE AN INDUCTION DATE and it is SOON!! YEA!! But she also said she would not be surprised to find me in the hospital this week on my own. So we are back to discomfort and waiting. But at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

When I pulled into the parking lot to the doc's office, it was full as usual. So I had to park on the street. As I was pulling in, I scuffed another car. I couldn't believe I had done it!! It was not a scrape or a scratch just rubbed paint. And I couldn't have done it to some regular gold Accord or anything, no this was obviously a Nascar fan who had his Chevy Caprice custom painted. UGH!! So I left a note and hurried inside. NOT a good way to start the day!

Later that day The Dude had the boys playing outside and unbeknownst to The Dude Everett had crawled up onto Boss while he was chewing on a bone, and like any dog Boss snapped (he is an adopted dog and has a little ghetto in him when it comes to food. It is to be expected). He got Ev right between the thumb and forefinger. It looked like it may need a stitch. Lucky for us our awesome ped is just down the street so The Dude rushed him over there and she confirmed that it did in fact need a stitch, which would require a trip to the ER. On a Friday. At 5:00.

This would be The Dude's first ER/Kid experience. It was long, but not as long as it could have been. I have to hand it to our local ER they tend to notice those who have actual injuries and try and get you out of there. And the docs gave Ev a popsicle to try and keep him occupied. It must have worked b/c he didn't even make a peep when they gave him 3 shots to numb the area!! And he still didn't peep when they put a stitch in his little hand. What a trooper!

And when I took the bandaid off and he saw his stitch he looked at, held it up and said "flag". And anyone who knows Ev knows how funny that is!!
So here are the pics of Everett and his "flag".

And one other thing...while The Dude & Ev were at the ER, Q & W were downstairs playing. Then as calm as can be Q came upstairs, walked into the kitchen and said "Mom, ummmm..." I turned around to see the bottom half of his face completely covered in blood!! I mean COMPLETELY. And it was gushing out of his nose, like a flood! Of course he was totally cool and calm as I ran around the kitchen speaking in broken sentences grabbing paper towels and anything else absorbent. It was unreal!! But we got it all cleaned up and he was fine, just a freak thing.

And the guy who's car I "hit" called and after some talking things over with The Dude we settled for about $40. WHEW!

So, that was today. Hopefully tomorrow will have better things in store :)

Random Pictures & Things

2008-07-23T15:50:00.012-04:00

My life went from 100 mph to 0 mph overnight. Today, I tried to trudge through the contractions, discomfort etc and did some cooking so to put some meals in the freezer. That made me feel a little better, but now I am sacked out again. UGH!

So, I thought I'd take this time to post a few pictures we've taken this summer.

This first set is of Walker playing a game he calls "Dirty Pirate". This is a favorite game after a rain storm.

And here are a few pictures of the shop on opening day. It was so hectic that day, but we had so much fun!! The first few pics are of the front of the shop, where the snack bar is and the second couple are of the back, where we rent the kayaks. The pics give you a good idea of what we have to work with, but we have already made SOOO many changes.

And here is a couple one of the front of the shop, now it is decorated with a pretty cool sign and banners. And then there are a few of the boys playing in front of the shop.

And here is how we put Everett to sleep when we stay at the river. He LOVES to ride on tractors!

And here are the guys testing out the new WaterBee. We desperately needed a commercial grade paddle boat and after much arguing with the dealer it finally came in and we LOVE it!!

And finally, last week family & friends celebrated my nephew's, Jack, 11th birthday at Mom & Dad's. Everyone had a great time! Here are some pics from the event.

One of the hits of the party was a game where the birthday boy gets his head piled with whipped cream and the party goers see how much cereal they can stick to his head. Anyway, the pictures tell the story!

Ummm...OK, somehow either my computer or my camera ate the rest of the pictures of the kids throwing cereal at Jack's head?!?! Sorry! Check Melissa's blog I am sure she will update soon.

Here's to a better week!

Tough Week

2008-07-21T15:51:00.004-04:00

It has been a really rough week here.

First, we are all in mourning because our Jack Russell, Stella got out again and was hit by a car. Stella spent every night sleeping with Q and he took the tragic news the hardest. But the child never ceases to amaze me in his maturity, judgment and logic and with each passing day I see him getting a little bit stronger.

In other news, it seems as though Maisie has decided to try and arrive a little early, at least that is the way it feels. We have had to shut down the shop until she comes, which is about to drive me out of my mind!! I hate the thought of the shop sitting there empty and the beach full of people. We did put a sign in the window explaining the circumstances, but I am having a very hard time dealing with it. I am pretty much on semi-bed rest. I have been having contractions for days, they are getting progressively stronger, but they are not consistent. It sucks. But all signs are pointing to baby, so I am trying to stay focused on that aspect. With my quick labor history, it could literally go from feeling fine to pushing in a matter of an hour or two. So, we are sticking close to home.

I am up here in my bed, bored out of my mind!! I try to get up and help out with the boys, only to have my knees buckle and have to go sit back down again. The days are dragging now.

The Dude is trying to hang in there, but I think he is wearing thin as I have noticed a lot of huffing and puffing and the kids are spending a lot more time in their pj's. Unfortunately, Everett is not making things any easier on him. That is one busy, busy child with a very volatile temper. But as long as you can give him ALL of your attention and play baseball with him 24/7 he stays pretty happy. *sigh*

OH! And on another note...The Dude hates our furniture. Who can blame him, it is old and gross but it has always seemed pointless to replace it until the kids get older since they are the "gross factor" in the equation. So, the other day he had had enough and told me to sell the old furniture and we were re-doing the whole place. I did. It sold surprisingly quick. He knew what he wanted (leather so it can be wiped down) and went to buy it only to find that it is on back order for 5 weeks. SO, we are without furniture in the main room of our house. Well, with the exception of a huge TV and a spudbag. It is so white trash! But when we get it all done it will be really nice :) I'll take pics!

So, needless to say our household is in a bit of a tizzy lately. We REALLY need to have this baby, this house is badly in need of their hard-nosed drill sergeant mom again.

Think baby thoughts!

2008-07-17T13:27:00.002-04:00

Blogging is kinda hard to keep up with when you have absolutely no time. At least no real free time. But we are still loving what we have going on this summer. The boys have come quite accustomed to sleeping wherever they land. Quentin is becoming quite the little cashier and getting better and better at counting back change. Walker is still king of the beach, the child has never met a stranger and anyone who wanders into his territory is welcomed with open arms to come and bask in his kingdom of sand & surf. And Everett, well...he's still not allowed at the shop, too much sugar temptation for one little guy and there is no satisfying that child's sweet tooth! The visit always ends in a screaming temper tantrum, so we think it best just to avoid the whole mess altogether until he's a bit older and has better control of himself.

July 4th has always been one of my favorite holidays and this year was no exception! Mrs. G (aka Mammy) came up to watch the boys for us and stay at the beach house while The Dude and I ran the shop. (A MILLION THANK YOUS!!!) The shop was unbelievably busy!! At one point I stuck my head out of the service window and could not see the end of the line! We rented out every single one of our boats. PLUS we get a front row seat for the fire works, as they set them off on the pier right in front of our shop. And it was such a goose bumpy feeling to watch the fireworks and to actually be living the American dream, to be doing what this country was originally set up to do, to allow people to set out and DO FOR THEMSELVES. AHHHH!! Such a good feeling. The Dude and I were truly inspired. We went home that night having with sore feet and backs, having never worked so hard and never feeling better.

And on an aside, if you want to be truly inspired (I mean to the point of weeping) pick up the book The 5,000 Year Leap it is an easy read and an outstanding study of the founding of our country. Very straight forward and gets back to the basics of our founding. I feel it is a must read before going into an election booth. OK, OK, I'll stop now...

In other news the arrival of Baby Girl Garner....OK HER NAME IS MAISIE (pronounced MA-ZEE)...is getting close, VERY close. I expect to be laid up in the "Fredericksburg Ritz" sipping a glass of champagne within the next couple of weeks. WOO-HOO! This pregnancy has flown by and been virtually problem free up until the last week or two. Lots of "false" labor and other pregnancy pains, but according to our doc all of the labor and pain are progressing things along.

I have soooo many pictures and videos to post too, maybe I'll catch up this fall when things slow down a bit.

Until then (or the next time I can find a second), Cheers!!

A New Do

2008-07-01T16:53:00.003-04:00

I have been putting it off for a REALLY long time. Everett's dreaded first trip to the barber shop. I could no longer tame his wild & curly blond main any longer, it had to be done. I went with visions of the other 2 boys' first trips still fresh in my mind. The screaming. The squirming. The trying to jump out of the chair. OHHHHHH THE SCREAMING! And Everett is not only a screamer he is a scrapper, being the youngest of 3 boys he is not scared to throw the first punch at.all. Yes, I was gearing up for the Battle Royalle.
And as the boys so often do, he surprised me!! He sat up in the chair all by himself he didn't move or make a sound the entire time, and it was a long time the kid has a LOT of hair. He was perfect. Even the barber-lady was shocked!
Thank you Everett!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for not making your hugely pregnant mother get into a wrestling match in the middle of the barber shop. Thank you!!! I love you!!

Window to the World

2008-06-27T14:07:00.005-04:00

So we have been officially "open for business" now for a little over a month. It took a little while, but we now have a schedule laid out so the boys lead a more "normal" (by our standards) life. This has meant The Dude is working more from home and taking on more of the Mr. Mom role. That is no easy task, but of course he is doing it wonderfully and the boys love having Dad around more.

The shop is doing wonderfully, better than we expected at this point and we are already talking with the town about possible exciting expansion plans for next year.

The shop is not without it's challenges, of course. Most of our customers are delightful families visiting from all over the state. I love chatting it up with these folks, finding out where they are from etc.

Then there are two types of "locals", the newly planted--mostly retired and loving spending their golden years here at the river. These people are always stopping to talk with us and tell us about the local gossip and always say how happy they are that we are here.

Then we have the "real" local. I am not really sure how to describe them. These people's families have been here for generations and they don't take kindly to newcomers. They each seem to have dozens of children and the younger generation seems to fit the description of "babies having babies". The older generation is just down-right angry. I have gotten to know a few of these characters.

There is the mentally challenged 40-something lady with the thick mustache. She comes to my window several times a day in only her dripping wet speedo and asks for strange things, "Will you light my cigarette?" (poking her dripping head waaaay in the window with a cigarette dangling from her mouth), "Can I use your phone to call Wayne?" and when I answer no to her requests her face falls and she yells "OH POOP!" at me and walks away, only to come again with more strange requests.

Then we have the trash guys. It is their job to empty the public trash cans on the beach. There is Steve who wears a bright yellow cap which he has hand written "P.T.L." on the front (Praise The Lord). Steve will only stop to chat if I do not have music playing, apparently my taste in tunes offends him.
Then there is homeless-looking trash guy. He always stops and his teeth are so dirty and green that with my weak stomach I can hardly bare to look him in the face without literally gagging. The last time he stopped he was all excited about the sale he found on cigarettes at the Discount Grocery! (He swore that was his only bad habit, not sure I believe him).
Then there is idiot trash guy. This is a really gross and constantly sweaty guy in his 20's. He too always stops at my window and asks really really stupid questions like "Workin' hard?". But today took the cake! He actually asked "You pregnant or sumfin'?" I replied an exasperated "yes." He then followed it with "Yeah, my old lady is like 4 or 5 months or sumfin'" Yeah, he really drives me nuts.

But not as nuts as the local village idiot. I hate to sound so harsh, but if we ever get our web cam hooked up you will be able to pick these characters out, NO PROBLEM. His name is, well we'll just call him A. A is an older teen who rides his bike everywhere and is super-dee-duper effeminate. To add to the picture, he is skinny with braces and has never come near a stick of deodorant. Seriously, this kid could be a skit on SNL!! He'll stop by the window almost daily and ask, "So, what y'all sell here?" I direct him to the menu, to which he screeches "WWWWHHHAAAATTT???? $2.00 for a hot dog??" I am not kidding, daily he does this. I finally told him, in my most stern and motherly tone, to move along if all he was going to do was stop in each day and complain. Now he is a little leery of me and just waves wildly yelling "BEEP! BEEP!" as he pedals buy.

So there you have it, a little peek through my window here at The Shop. It is a hoot! And I am really working on The Dude to help with the web cam!

Bridging Over

2008-06-09T22:11:00.008-04:00

Tonight was a momentous occasion in Q's life as a scout. Tonight he bridged over for the first time. He is no longer a Tiger, and has crossed over to a Wolf. Way to go!!

Off with the old kerchief.

And here he is receiving his new kerchief from a Weeblo.

So proud.

And here is our fine young scout walking his little brother down to the play ground, not because he had to, but because that is what a good scout would do.

Walker is anxiously awaiting his turn at scouting!

By the way, the boys were not wet from swimming, it was 102* FREAKIN' DEGREES HERE TODAY!!!

And one more piece of news on the scouting front!! The Dude has volunteered to be the assistant den leader for the Wolves this fall. He never EVER would have volunteered for such a thing with our old pack, but we love our new pack and our den leader, Charlie, is the tops.

Is it June Now??

2008-06-07T10:17:00.009-04:00

Has it really been a month?? WOW!! So much has happened!!

First, Quentin finished the first grade with straight A's! We are so proud of him!! Way to go, kiddo!!

AND he finally lost his 3rd tooth (top, front). He looks so cute! (Pictures coming soon!).

Then Walker graduated from preschool!! Can you believe it??? How is he almost 5 years old?? HOW????

(Sorry Camm! But everything always ends up on the blog :) ).
The preschool class put on an incredibly cute program about Creation and walked up the aisle with their caps & tassels. So proud (and cute!!).

Other things...Lollygaggin' Outdoors is finally OPEN FOR BUSINESS!! We opened on Memorial Day and all has gone much much better than we ever expected. The last 8 weeks or so have been some of the toughest our family has been through. We have never worked harder, slept less and learned more about business, government and each other. Now that the doors are open we are all settling into our new schedule (and living arrangements, as we are staying at the river quite a bit) and we are having FUN. Q is becoming a whiz at the cash register. Walker is King of the Beach here in front of the shop and is an expert kayak cleaner. And Everett is great at making a Hawaiian Ice look so good as he eats it, he can sell dozens just by going for a walk on the boardwalk!

Also be on the lookout for a new website coming at lollygagva.com!! The Dude is working on it as he gets time, but we are hoping to install a web cam down here for security (and some entertainment) because as my BFF, Tim, put it "This place is like Pete's Pond!!" So that should be fun if it all comes together.

Well, I am at the shop now and the temps are supposed to reach over 100*!! Hope it will be busy!! More pictures to post soon!!

Let's Get Ready To Go, Go, Go....

2008-05-07T22:17:00.011-04:00

That is the first line in a song that Q plays and we ALL sing along to Let's Go To The Zoo. It's a real ear worm! Anyway, go to the zoo is exactly what we did today. We met Walker's preschool class at the National Zoo in DC. I took all 3 boys up there and we did the entire zoo from top to bottom.

It was a perfect day. The animals were out and frisky and we saw almost all of them.

Walker's favorites were the Meerkats and the Prairie Dogs.
Quentin's favorite was the Giant Pandas (b/c they are from China--an obsession of his).
Everett's favorite was the Bird House, especially the flamingos!
The boys have developed a fascination with bears, it all stems from "The Bear Song" by the Barenaked Ladies. I tried to get a picture of all 3 boys when we first got there, but Walker was in a really bad mood and darted out of the picture at the last second (notice the little red croc on the bottom right).

FLAMINGOS!! Did you know they make a sound kinda like a goose??

Mesmerized by the elephants.

And then there were tigers! The tigers were awesome! Actually, they were a little too awesome and super frisky and excited. There is no doubt in my mind these things could jump over that fence if they really wanted to!!

And Walker later made up for his earlier missed bear picture :)

Shortly after this picture of the sea lions was taken, Everett passed out while eating an apple, literally mid-bite. I was so scared to wake him up I stopped taking pictures.

And I have to add that it has been 3 years since I'd been to the zoo and the last time it was a little depressing. The animals looked droopy and a little sickly. But this time it was sooo much different!! The animals were awesome and healthy and the staff was great! There was someone at each exhibit (mostly elderly volunteers) who were more than happy to tell us all kinds of cool tid-bits about the animals. It really was a great trip. I highly recommend it!

White Belt Ceremony

2008-05-07T21:48:00.009-04:00

Yesterday was the big day for Walker. They finally gave him his well earned white belt in a ceremony after class. He was so proud of himself and we are so proud of him for all of the hard work and practice he has put in.
WAY TO GO WALKER!!

Here he is receiving his belt.

He was so excited that he tried to come running over to us to show us, he's not much for ceremony :)

Then he received his white belt certificate and report card. Certificates and report cards are not nearly as exciting as a sweet belt that you can wear!

But I think one of the most impressive things to W (besides his sweet new belt) was when this happened

His instructors bowed to HIM! He thought that was pretty cool.

And finally here he is back at home showing off his sweet belt.

And one with his ULTRA PROUD big brother!!

Now we just have to google some directions on how tie the thing!

And finally the night ended by Walker picking out his favorite book before bed time.

Congrats Walker!! We are so proud of you and love you so much!

The Great Train Race 2008

2008-05-07T21:07:00.006-04:00

We could not be more proud of Quentin and Walker! Both of them competed in The Great Train Race this year and did an incredible job.

Here is Q finishing up his 1-Miler strong. He ran the entire thing by himself this year. After the race he said "I didn't even start running until I saw the finish line!" He is pretty awesome and he felt so great when the race was over and he was so proud of his medal.

And after the race he took some time to rest and think about his accomplishment.
And while Walker also ran this race (by himself too!!), I was down at the finish line trying to get Q & E an ice cream when W's race started, so I didn't get a single picture of him running his race. (I couldn't feel worse!!) BUT...Mammy says she got several really good pics of him and I am *patiently* awaiting their arrival in my inbox *HINT* *HINT* :)
But here is a great pic of the boys with one of their best friends showing off their hard earned medals.

We are just so, SO proud of our incredible kids. And we could hardly keep Everett in his stroller so I think he will be running next year!

This Is What Progress Looks Like

2008-05-02T10:15:00.003-04:00

Before:

After (The Dude got up at 5:00 am this morning to go down and paint while the weather was good):
This picture was taken with his cell phone, so the quality is not the best, but the color is a bright blue/green.
And there is loads of stuff being done on the inside, but no pics of that yet.

And here is the debut of our sweet logo that The Dude came up with!

Everyone has been working hard to get this thing pulled together. A LOT has happened in a month!! I pray that our inspectors are nice to us and give us a pass on the first go around so we can take advantage of this early season nice weather.

Belt Test

2008-04-27T20:04:00.014-04:00

I feel like this blog is turning into the All Walker All The Time Blog, but he has a lot of big stuff going on in his little life right now and I want to be sure to get it all in here.

Yesterday was Walker's first belt test in his MMA class. Though we do not yet know the results, we are so proud and know that he gave it his absolute 110%! This was no little kid test, this thing lasted for about an hour and a half!! HE IS FOUR (the youngest in his class) and I have never seen this child do anything for an hour and a half! But yesterday he listened to his instructors, paid complete attention and gave it his all. We could not be more proud of him.
The test started by the kids doing as many push-ups as they could in a minute (W did 21), as many sit-ups as they could in a minute (W did 9) and as many squats as they could in a minute (W did 55, real ones!!). And after he had done all of the "warm-up" exercises he looked up at Master Mark and asked "Can I get my belt now?"

Here he is with very Master Mark, the head instructor (looking very Elvis-like in his black suit) demonstrating proper fighting stance and punch. (You have to click on the pics to get the full effect).

High Block in perfect form!

And here are some kicks.

Excellent pad work!

Awesome break aways!!

And check out those mad sparring skills (no actual touching aloud at this level)!!

And check this out!! Walker broke his very first board! We had no idea that this was part of the belt test, so we skipped the board breaking class that they offered. We figured that W was WAYYYY too young to break a board. Well, boy were we wrong. Walker not only impressed us with his sweet ax kick but he REALLY impressed himself and brought his broken board home to show off.

And lastly was the mental test. Each child had to stand up and answer a question from the judges.

And finally, it was time to bow to the instructors and to the American flag and shake hands with the instructors.

And the afternoon ended as does most big stuff in our lives, with a trip to Carl's.

Don't you just want to squeeze him?? And let me also point out that for the entire hour and a half during the test Walker had a big brother in the audience saying prayers for him! MAN, I LOVE THOSE KIDDOS!!!

Fireman Walker

2008-04-24T20:56:00.010-04:00

Walker wants to be a fireman. Actually he has his entire life already laid out

"When I'm a man I am going to marry Sydney, be a fireman and when I get old I am going to the North Pole to be an elf."

Not a bad plan, really.

Well, his preschool class took a trip to the local firehouse. OH THE EXCITEMENT!!

He sat, hanging on every word that Fireman Reggie had to say. He was amazed.

He was called on to demonstrate the stop, drop and roll technique in front of the entire school. (It must be fate!)

He was un-phased when Reggie put on all of his gear and his alarm sounded.

He was even able to sit in the fire engine!! Look at that face!!

It was a great day! There is nothing better for me than watching the boys do something they LOVE. And Walker LOVED that field trip, he left there feeling like a real fireman.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

2008-04-23T16:24:00.003-04:00

It is getting just plain nuts around here!! But it is mostly all good stuff and good news.

On The Shop Front:
Progress is being made!! And it is even visible! WOO-HOO!! Still unsure about the grand opening day, but we are trying to be flexible and just say May...sometime in May we will be open. That is our goal. We hope to be ready for the health inspector and the building inspector in about 10 days. Once those are done (and passed) everything else is just cosmetic. I bought a 5 gallon bucket of paint yesterday in the color Ocean Whisper and we are just waiting for a stretch of nice weekend weather to slap it on. And I have been scouring concession catalogs and have found a semi-local supplier for all of our concession needs. Another yea!! So, as for now everything is moving in the right direction.

On The Family Front:
Quentin is just.about.done. with first grade! YEA!! And he looks to be pulling it off with straight A's **GRIN**. He is gearing up for a few major events in his life. First is Sportsman's Day/Camp Snyder Jamboree. It is a big deal and it is even more special because Q sold the most popcorn in his scout pack, he earned special VIP passes for the whole family. (He is our little over achiever). The day after that is The Great Train Race. Always a great time of family, friends and running. Q is getting seriously excited about it this year, he really wants to come in at the front of the pack. It is so great to see his competitive spirit start to blossom (finally something I can relate to!! :) ). And sometime in May he will have his first piano recital. We are amazed at not only his skill of playing, but also his love of it!! He (of course) goes above and beyond his lessons for the week and has even begun to write his own songs (he has a unique style, that is for sure). We never ever have to tell him to practice, but we do have to tell him to give it a rest once in a while (looking for a good pair of headphones).
AND we have finally switched cub scout packs!! We were formally in a pack of mostly home schoolers. That was a HUGE mistake. The parents were all micro-managers (and of course unorganized) and the kids were mostly scared of their own shadows. Just not really our kind of people. So we found another pack in town that is full of rambunctious public school *gasp* kids and great energetic yet laid back parents. A much better fit for us it seems.

Walker is almost done with preschool. That is so hard to believe. The year between 4 and 5 is the most amazing of childhood. You can literally watch them go from baby to kid. And W has been no exception. We are still wavering on what we are going to do with him as far as education goes next year (a half-day K, another year of PS, homeschool??). We do know we want him (and probably Everett and new baby) to go through 2 years of either PS or K-5 due to their birthdays. This gives us options on schooling later on in life (they will be the oldest instead of the youngest in their schooling and be more in line with their age in sports). Options, options, options! I love them!!
On Saturday Walker will be testing for his very first belt in MMA!! I am a nervous wreck because there are days when it looks like W has NO IDEA what his instructors are asking him to do. Walker is completely un-phased. He knows he will be successful, so we will just go with his gut on this one.
AND Walker (and I) made a friend at MMA. She has a little boy (who reminds me so much of Q) that is W's age. And they homeschool and appear to be normal!! In fact, we even have a mutual friend (who I called to do a background check on the new friend. Can't be too careful with these homeschool types :) ). I am very excited about this. Walker needs a friend of his own so bad! One that is conveniently close and nice and normal. This one seems to fit the bill.
And W will be running in the Caboose Run again this year. Again, he is convinced he will come in first and the crowd will hoist him onto their shoulders while chanting "Walker! Walker!" over and over. I wish I were kidding about this. Soooo, we're hoping he'll be happy with a finishing medal and big hugs from family and friends.

And that brings us to Everett. Hmmmm...what can I say here...He is becoming more verbal. In fact, he has reached that adorable age where you can get him to repeat just about anything you want. The boys are having great fun with that as you can imagine. He too has been working on his running and has become very fast. Unfortunately, he usually only runs after he's just kicked the dog or a brother for no reason. And though he is using more and more words he still chooses to use his fists first. I've never seen anything come more natural to a child. Every thing seems to be "fightin' words" lately. A positive here is that his baby sister will be well protected :)

So, as you can tell we are at peak season here. Please keep us in your prayers (especially The Dude who has to burden much of the manual labor load due to my giant belly and ass). We are having a lot of fun through it all and we are all sleeping very well at night :)

We Made It!

2008-04-13T21:15:00.004-04:00

WHEW! We made it through Hell Week in one piece. It wasn't easy on any of us, and we did skip a MMA class, but we got through it. YAY!! And the week ended with a cub scout camping trip for The Dude, Quentin and Walker. They came back today looking pretty tired and full of hysterical stories.

This week we have the joys of dealing with our lazy contractor, learning how to build counters (due to lazy contractor) and painting our building. Then on the list of things to get done, all of the crap our insurance lady wants from us (it's a lot), put finishing touches on brochures, get car magnets, call coke, call ice people, learn how to use the equipment that is taking up all of the space in my house, move six kayaks a paddle boat and a bazillion pfd's and paddles and all of our equipment into our newly secured building, deal with the health inspector (that is a whole other list in itself), get a list of supplies together that need to be ordered and put finishing touches on rental agreement, prices etc...

OH! And school my eldest child in my free time. It is another busy week here. I think I will be saying that a lot. But at least this week The Dude and I will be accomplishing things together. We do not do as well apart. It should all shake out by Saturday or so.

Speaking of school, I have to take a moment to brag about Q. We received his report card last week and the kid has a 99% average overall! He has not one grade below an A!! We are so proud of him!! We threw him into this new school a month and a half after it had started, totally different curriculum and schedule and said "You'll be fine, just do it." And whadoyaknow?? HE DID!! And did awesome!! He has accomplished more this year than I ever thought possible and gave it his best at each and every turn. This school is tougher than most and they expect a lot from their students, even the little guys. Q really rose to the challenge and we could not be more proud.

We have almost reached the end of the school year, only a few more weeks left!! With all the other stuff we have going on it is getting harder and harder to sit down at the table and get our lessons done. But we are doing it (although we DID skip Friday b/c it was 80 degrees outside!! I am not cruel! But now we have to double up tomorrow. UGH!).

In other news, while the big boys were camping this weekend, Everett and I got to spend a little quality time together. It was nice and he was very sweet to me. He was very sweet until The Dude pulled the truck back into the driveway and E literally pushed me aside and barreled through the door for Daddy. I'll do in a pinch, but I don't hold a candle to Daddy.

He's so cute.

And baby #4 seems to be doing nicely as well. She is getting more and more active and my belly is getting bigger and bigger. I was asking The Dude if I got this big, this fast with the boys and he said "Em, you're over half-way there!! It's time to get big." He's right. This pregnancy is flying by!! Which is a very, very good thing for me and all of those around me. And we have accomplished some stuff regarding the baby. There are a few tiny pink outfits hanging in her closet. Her crib bedding is on the crib (although Everett is still using it--need to add "Move E into big boy bed" to my list above). The nursery has been painted a very light green. Everett's big boy bed has been put together (need The Dude to tighten screws on bed before I can move Everett into it...I have zippy arm strength). So, stuff is getting done.

Here's to another productive week!! Here's to conquering all of this crap together!!
Cheers!
~Em

Hell Week

2008-04-06T08:27:00.003-04:00

It is getting really busy around here and it does not seem that it is going to let up anytime soon. This coming week we have named Hell Week. If we can get through Hell Week we will be OK. Quentin has to take the wonderful state administered test to prove he actually is learning something. This means he has to be at school (over 10 miles away) by 8 am every.day. Not too big of a deal, but the problem is he only goes a half-day each.day. It sucks to wake, feed, dress and drag all of the boys out that early only to turn around and have to do it again a couple of hours later. It messes with the entire day.

And on Monday, Wednesday & Friday Q & W's schools let out at the same time. HMMMM...that poses a problem. Luckily Mom has volunteered to pick up Q for me so I don't have to be 2 places at once.

The Dude has Hell Week at work too. He is starting a new position, which is really good news, the problem is he has to learn all kinds of new stuff, fortunately
learning is his strong suit (which is why they sought him out for this position). As soon as he absorbs the info he will be back at home with us. This week is when it all starts and will be a pretty intense. Early days and late, late nights.

Somehow I not only have to get the boys to school (got that one covered) but also to martial arts and piano. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you throw Everett in the mix that changes things.

I've mentioned before how something happens to my boys at around 18 months. The temper tantrums start and they are angry most of the time. Everett, much like Walker before him, has taken this to a whole 'nuther level. In a word...MEAN. I hate to say it about my own kid, but it's true. My mother describes his hitting, head-butting and licking (????) as "determined". She's so sweet isn't she?? But I know what it really is, meanness.

The last time I took Everett to martial arts, I went prepared with a bag full of goodies, EVEN LOLLY POPS!! It ended with him screaming that ear piercing scream, taking the gross, sticky lolly out of his mouth and winging it across the room. As I was trying to make a quick exit, doing my best impression of the Heiseman Trophy, he was kicking, hitting and trying to lick (again, ???) the entire time. And there is never ANY warning. These are not things you can see coming, they erupt. So the rest of the class was spent with E strapped in his car seat SCREAMING and me, looking like Mother of the Year, watching the rest of the class through the window from outside.

And I don't even want to think about what piano lessons will be like!! For those we are all packed into a hot, tiny little room with 8-10 other 7 YO's armed with keyboards. I need to get a game plan for that one.

Everett reminds us of a little mob boss. He will be laughing with you one second and (I'M NOT KIDDING) if you look at him in the eye for too long his laughter stops completely and he gives you that "Are you lookin' at me??" stare. And then he starts swinging. Yes, determined, that's a nice word. And having had experience with my boys I know that Everetts Hell Week lasts about 18 more months.

Please pray for me :)

Easter Break 2008

2008-03-31T22:02:00.010-04:00

Spring Break was a super busy for us this year! But it was filled with fun, fun, fun!!

We went to Mammy & Boom-Pa's for a long Easter Weekend. The boys had a great time visiting and The Dude & I took advantage of the free babysitting to head over to Appomattox to buy our boats for the business. Everett tagged along too.
The guys at the boat shop were awesome, gave us a phenom deal and loaded all 6 of our boats on our van. We (and they for a time) didn't think it could be done.

We were definitely more of a spectacle than usual!

Easter morning was a scene! Everett was the first one up. He found his basket of goodies and just kept looking at us like we had finally flipped, letting him eat candy first thing in the morning.

The next one down the stairs was Walker, jibber-jabbering all the way!
And Q made it down shortly afterward.
He was a little subdued and very skeptical about the whole Easter Bunny thing. I think we are going to have to come clean with him soon *sniff* But he did liven up during the morning egg hunt!!

And here are a few gratuitous pics of E in his little sport coat. Walker said "He looks like a president!!"

That afternoon we were off to Melissa's house for an Easter celebration. That is best captured over at Thom's blog. I could just squeeze E's little head off, he is so cute in her pictures! She always captures my kids just perfectly. She always gets their true personalities!

The rest of the break was spent at the river, hanging out, having fun and getting some odds & ends done on the shop.

OH!! And an update for family & friends!!! WE'VE CHANGED THE BABY'S NAME!!!! At least the first name (the middle name is staying **thpppptt**). We ran across a new name and it just jumped out at us, we knew that was IT. And we are really keeping it a secret this time! *tee-hee*

What's Mama Do?

2008-03-28T14:23:00.006-04:00

Well, there is no denying it. Everett is definitely one of our kids. He proves it several times a day by making fun of me, well my protruding belly to be exact. As my belly gets bigger by the second (or so it seems to me) I have developed a habit of standing with my hands on my hips to support my back. Well, Everett has caught on to this and every time he seems me do it he copies me, OR if The Dude asks him "What's Mama do?" .

The other boys used their smarts for good things, this one is using his to make fun of people at 18 months. Yep! He's one of ours.

Away For Now

2008-03-27T18:06:00.002-04:00

Well, we are in full swing of dusitng off our diamond. I am way behind on my postings, but my pictures are on my computer at home and we have some doozies from Easter weekend. I will get those done this week. I WILL! I WILL! I WILL!

First, Congrats to Dy and The Crew on the latest little pink addition. He is awesome! Well done, as always :)

And a huge danke to Melissa and her brood for the wonderful Easter digs. Not only was the food awesome as always it was beautiful too. Who else, Martha not included, can make BUTTER in the shape of a beehive and decorate it with hand done sugared violets??? Yes, yes always quite the hostess. Thanks a ton! Everyone had a great time and Dubs was out like a light before we hit 29 :)

We are down at the river for a few days getting refubishments underway on the building. And the boys are having a blast playing at the shore, as always. It is beautiful here. Everyone should visit. And while you're here you shoudl rent a kayak! ;)

Pictures coming soon!

Can't Stop Grinning

2008-03-17T21:14:00.003-04:00

So I've spent the last several days wandering around with a goofy smile on my face. At first I was in total shock. I just didn't think the baby was a girl. There have been no girls born on The Dude's side of the family for a very VERY long time. It just doesn't happen. So when the tech told us that "You did it this time!" you could have knocked us over (or off the examining table) with a feather.

The boys had mixed reactions over the news of a baby sister. Walker was thrilled! Claiming he knew it the whole time (and he did). Quentin was less than thrilled, all he would say on the subject was "Great! Now we have to shop in the pink aisles. Blech!" Q has always been very freaked by change (it's that 1st born thing), but I think he was secretly worried about me. I've always made comments to people like, "Oh! I wouldn't know what to do with a girl!" Of course it was always (mostly) in jest, but Q doesn't always get those kind of jokes. *sigh* Such the worrier that one. But over the last few days he has warmed to the idea considerably.

And now that we've had time for the news to sink in and a few pink things have been purchased and are hanging in the closet we are all getting used to the idea and getting OH SO EXCITED. The Dude is over the moon!! He cannot wait. He loves all tiny humans, but especially our own :) He can't wait to see what one of our kids looks like in female form. And I really just can't stop grinning! Of course I knew I'd never be disappointed with a boy or a girl, but I never expected to be this excited about having a girl. It all feels so new!! (Unlike Q, I live for change!!)

And thanks to all who left such sweet comments and kudos. We are all grins & giggles over here. And my friends have been absolutely incredible! Offering all things pink that they have stored away in closets. Thank you so much guys! You are great!!

And since I think I made my sister literally nauseous when I told her, I think we will keep our lil' sweet pea's name a secret for a while longer.

And more good news, we sign the lease on our shop at the beach tomorrow! We were supposed to go today, but they had to postpone a day so they could "fill in the dates on the lease and print it out." (Guess that takes a while??) On Friday I am picking out our boats which will be a ton of fun. And on Monday we start demo on the building. We picked out a color for the outside of the building, it's called "Ocean Whisper" it is a light, bright, blue-green perfect for the boardwalk. Next week both boys have spring break and we are hoping to get a lot of work done. I'll be sure to post pics of any big changes.

So that's the haps around here. All good stuff. The boys are hosting an Easter Egg decorating party here on Wednesday and I have over 4 dozen eggs to boil and should probably get a head start.

STILL GRINNING!!! :)

DRUM ROLL!!!!

2008-03-13T17:33:00.003-04:00

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-03-12T20:22:00.007-04:00

Tomorrow is the big day!! We find out if the baby is a boy or a girl. Everyone is so excited! I have almost our entire town taking bets and praying that we have a girl this time. The Dude and I still have strong boy vibes, but this baby is much more docile than the others have been. After the sonogram I am meeting most of my best girlfriends over at a HUGE consignment sale in town to stock up on pink or blue.

I am so excited and am going in armed with a list. This is the first baby since Q that I actually have to buy stuff (I gave it all away as Everett out grew it *DUH*). I have to say they have made some pretty cool and handy stuff in the last seven years. I was pretty amazed!

Like this:

Mine came in today and it is so WOW! I am in love! It is the stroller of my dreams and Everett loves it too!!

The next handy little thing is the Caboose Potty. My cousin showed it to me and I immediately added it to my list of things I must get.

And have you seen these???? GENIUS!!!
And the Medela Swing! WOW! Pumps have come a long way. What happened to the huge suitcase I had to lug around with me?
And of course the Hooter Hider! I am getting 2 of these, AT LEAST!! They have a zillion beautiful designs and fabrics and have a great plastic ring thingy at the neck so you (and ONLY YOU) can see the baby. NO MORE PEEP SHOWS!!

And for as many great ideas that have come out there are at least 3 times as many idiotic ones!
This one still tops my list! Sure to have your kid getting beat up daily at his playgroup! But dammit his fragile head will be protected! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Show & Tell

2008-03-10T19:36:00.003-04:00

Monday is Walker's day for show & tell at preschool. Today he took one of his favorite stuffed dogs. He says it is a cocker spaniel. Naturally he named it Cock. The Dude apologized to the teacher upon arrival. Luckily Mrs. White has a wonderful sense of humor :)

The Handy Dude

2008-03-09T22:07:00.003-04:00

Ten years ago The Dude could hardly tell which was the working end of a hammer. OK, OK, that's a bit harsh, but I'm trying to make a point. But in less than 24 hours this same man diagnosed and fixed a leaking toilet, fixed a broken dresser drawer, fixed a dryer vent, and replaced the ball cock (take a wild guess as to how many times he tried to work the words ball-cock into conversation today. Big fun!) with an inlet valve in our other toilet so that it no longer gurgles and squeals for an hour after each and every flush. Now that is what I call progress!! Way to go Dude!! You've come a long way, babe!

Good Friends, Good Food

2008-03-09T13:29:00.004-04:00

Due to our lack of a baby sitter the only way The Dude and I can socialize together with friends is if we have people over. Which we do not do often enough. Thinking about having to clean the house, dress the kids, fix a meal that is fit to sever others etc. always seems like a gargantuan effort. But when it comes down to it, it's not. Martha Sturart, I am NOT. Hell, I'm not even a Rachael Ray!! But when I throw caution to the wind and realize that these people are my friends and will not judge me for my dirty floors or the mis-matched outfit that Walker threw together himself. As it turns out they are usually in need of social interaction just as much as we are and look past all of that stuff. Maybe they even find a certain comfort in it??

Anyway, last night we some dear, dear friends and their kids over. OH MY THE FOOD!! The Dude is quite a maestro with steaks on the grill and he fixed some of the thickest and juiciest NY Strips I have ever seen!! Cooked to a perfect medium-rare. Tomatoes with mozzarella & basil, a big garden salad, baked potatoes with butter & sour cream, baked sweet potatoes with butter & cinnamon/sugar, fresh baked rolls. Andy, Kate & Lowell contributed some homemade shrimp jambalaya (OH. MY. GOODNESS!!) and Tim, Camm, Annie & Emma brought over Peach Lust topped with Carl's for dessert. Everything was topped off with good wine and beer. We all left the table feeling like we had just eaten Thanksgiving dinner. Now, that is a sign of a good evening!!

After dinner Camm & Kate were so nice to help clean up. The big kids played downstairs and the babies played at our feet. Then the rest of us sat around and talked, laughed and watched a bit of basketball. Everyone cleared out a little after midnight, and the boys went to bed just as full and satisfied as The Dude and me.

It was a wonderful night. We are so blessed to have real friends who we do not have to try to impress, and accept us and our dirty house. People we can just relax around.

Maybe We Need A Girl

2008-03-03T16:24:00.003-05:00

Spring is in the air!! It is 75 degrees outside, the windows are flung open and the sounds of children playing outside are filtering through the house. We are all just sitting around breathing it in. AHHHHHH!! Just what we needed around here. We seem to have a new lease on life and a better perspective on things.

Better perspective...yes, even on one of my biggest fears, birthing a girl into this family. My new perspective came over dinner about 2 nights ago. Now, I do not remember how this topic of conversation was brought up!! My guess is we were talking about Walker's girlfriend, Sydney, or maybe we were talking about Everett's hang-ups with bowel movements, I can't be sure.

Anyway, the subject of poop came up and Walker piped up "Girls just make water, they don't make poo. That's too gross for them!" And he was dead serious. Quentin, obviously had never thought of such a thing, was trying to ponder it, but couldn't get past the fact that Walker had just said 'poo' at the dinner table. He was doubled over with laughter struggling to breathe like only a 7 year old can. Walker was still serious, "No Way!! They do NOT!! It is disgusting!! Girls don't do it!"

The Dude just looked at them and said "You boys better hope and pray that Mama has another little brother because you are in for very rude awakening." A truer statement has never been spoken.

Somehow, my boys have this warped idea that all girls are like Scarlett O'Hara (before the war), talking with a deep southern drawl, wearing only frilly dresses, never ever looking a-muss, without a care in the world, but always getting themselves into jams and needing to be saved by a big strapping man. How they could get this idea when I, supposedly their greatest female influence, am their mother, I have no idea! But as Walker told someone last week "That's not a girl. That's my mom." I guess that says it all. The Dude thinks it is all of those old-timey cartoons I let them watch (Bugs Bunny, Penelope Pit-Stop, Wacky Races etc).

Who knows? But I'm betting another female in the house would bring the boys down to earth within about the first 7 days of us bringing her home. Guess we will find out in just 10 DAYS!! *squeal*

February Sucks

2008-02-24T13:19:00.003-05:00

Maybe he's coming down with something??" I am pretty sure that is how I put it in my last post, regarding Walker. Boy, what an omen that was!!!

Yeah, he was definitely coming down with something!!

In 2009 I think our family will just skip the month of February and go straight into March. Maybe start a petition to just nix the entire month from the calendar.

I'll start from the beginning. (Anyone who needs a pick-me-up from their daily lives, prepare to feel better!!)

As you know The Dude brought home Boss-Dogg at the first of February (and he really is a bright spot in all of this. Great dog!! We all love him!). And just a few short days after bringing him home The Dude left for 5 days for W.VA to go on the annual ski trip with 12-15 of our closest friends. Being pregnant, skiing and all of the other antics are not really an option, so I stayed home with all the kids. The Dude deserved this trip!! But being here alone and out numbered not only by children but also by dogs was no cup of tea come day 3 or so.

The Dude made it back all in one piece and with a slew of new skills to add to his resume. Things like, beer-pong, flip-cup and karaoke (I am still asking for pictures :) ). *sigh*

As I said, The Dude did need that little vaca because the day after he got back he had to go in for "The Big Snip". No. Fun. Not only is he all drugged up for 24 hours, but he is almost immobile for about 72 hours! And then limited mobility after that! And in this house, immobility is not something any of us do well. So, he quickly over did it and was down for another day and a half.

This brings us to my last post and the, Maybe he's coming down with something??" line. Well, he sure did it was that nasty strain of flu that is sweeping the country. W had a bad cough and high fever for about 2 days and then Q caught it. Q luckily kicked the fever in about 24 hours. Both boys are still battling the coughs. Then on The Dude's first day back at the office since the skit trip, I had to call him out of a meeting and beg him to rush home as my fever started to soar up to 103. And thanks to my crappy pregnant immune system, the fever lasted for over 4 days, along with body aches, teeth chattering chills, seal-like coughing, vomiting etc. You name the symptom I had it. Leaving The Dude with all of the kids and dogs to care for.

We are so fortunate that my parents live close!! I wouldn't let them come over, for fear they would contract the plague, but they fixed wonderful meals for the entire family that The Dude could go pick up. THANK YOU!!!

Finally, 2 nights ago my fever broke!! My clothes touching my skin was no longer painful. I could move without crying. I was on the mend. That lasted for about 5 hours, before I was attacked by an excruciating sinus headache. And as though, that wasn't enough...I had "other bathroom issues" for the rest of the night. I was in tears. It was all just too much.

But it got worse. That night Everett woke up with the croup. He could hardly breathe and was running a fever. We did all of the usual things parents do with a croupy kid to make him comfortable. I called his ped the next day just to be sure we weren't dealing with something worse than the croup. As it turned out SHE had the flu too and was out of the office.

OH!! And during this time the alternator went out in the van, so it was running solely off the battery. Not. Good.

By Saturday, Everett was much worse. We were no longer able to make him comfortable and his breathing was becoming more labored even during the day time hours. I found and urgent care facility and rushed him in. I took the van because it was a short drive.

When we got there, there was no place to sit. It was full. Full of really sick people. I bundled up E and we waited outside in the cold damp air (it had to be better for him then crammed in w/ all of those sick people. One little girl walked in holding a bucket!!) We waited an hour just to fill out paper work. There did not seem to be much rhyme or reason as to what order they saw patients. Everett was crying, and coughing. It was lunch time and I had nothing to give him. I was at the point of tears, it is such a helpless feeling. I called The Dude and asked him to bring E some ginger ale and something to eat. He did. Then he told me that Boss-Dogg had jumped the fence in the backyard and was gone. He had been outside all morning so there was no telling how long he'd been gone. The Dude and the boys left to go hunt for the dog and call the pound etc.

About an hour later Everett was finally seen by a doctor. He had the croup and bronchitis. And by the time we walked out of the office I had a text from The Dude & the boys saying that Boss-Dogg was at the pound and they were on their way to get him. YEA!! Things were looking up.

As Everett and I were driving home the battery died in the van. And of course it died on a tiny, but very busy, little 2 lane road (Fall Hill Ave, for you locals). I called The Dude, he was about 15 minutes away. It is in times like these you learn how truly miserable human beings are. Only one person offering to help and the rest treating me as though I had held them up on purpose. Like I did this to THEM. People suck.

Then my wonderful and awesome neighbor (the only other young people around us), Matt, and his dad recognized us and pulled over, at the same time The Dude arrived. They were able to push the van out of the road and unblock traffic.

Meanwhile, I look in The Dude's car (an older Volvo Wagon with no heat) to see Q, W and Boss-Dogg all looking back at me. They had come straight from the pound. We still had to fit Everett in, with his seat, me and The Dude. It was not a pretty site, but we made it home all in one piece.

The van is under warranty and will be fixed on Monday. Whew!

Unfortunately, the van was the straw that broke the camels back for me. I was a mess. But what was really wrong was that through all of the sickness and everything else, I had not felt the baby move once. I hadn't told anyone, because there was nothing anyone could do and I just didn't think I should pile on more crap. I know it is still early but I was already feeling flutters every couple of days, but not now. Nothing. It was all just too much sending me to my knees at the toilet, yet again. This time, maybe the entire time, due to nerves.

After pulling myself back together that evening, I decided to just curl up with some Ben & Jerry's by the fire and watch a movie, something I never, EVER do. It was cathartic. The movie was mindless. I could just sit and not think. And after about 2 hours, I felt a little flutter. He/she was still in there swimming around and doing fine!!

This morning The Dude and I woke up as new people. Still suffering from the sinus thing, but that is nothing compared to what we have all been through. And I know the boys are glad to see Mom out of her pj's and showered and looking like Mom again, just really, really pale. And after 24 hours on his meds Everett is doing much better! Waking up only to socialize last night, not b/c he couldn't breathe (his little circadian rhythm is totally blown!).

We will be happy to see February go and will be even happier to usher in spring!! (Mom, we can celebrate your birthday in March next year, OK?).

Just one of Them Days

2008-02-16T21:23:00.004-05:00

It is 9:23 and my ears have finally stopped bleeding. Well, not really but it sure does feel like it. If I hear one more child scream or throw a temper tantrum my head my actually catapult from my shoulders. The Dude has taken refuge downtown with some friends and if I were not with child I would be there in his place most assuredly. But good for him for being able to escape.

Walker had one of his days. Thankfully they come much less frequently than they used to, but they are always, ALWAYS bad (and loud). Usually we can see it coming and realize that he'd had too much sugar or watched too much TV etc. But today came out of nowhere (unless it was a delayed reaction from V-Day). So it was screaming fit after screaming whining fit with him today. It all came to a climax at the supper table (as usual) where he was sent to bed (and that just sucks). He was asleep 15 minutes after climbing up to his bed. Poor guy, maybe he's coming down with something.

And as hard as it was dealing with Walker, Everett was not to be out done.

Let me just take a moment here to say I don't know what it is we do to our children where their bowels are concerned, but each of them has had some serious hang ups!! They are absolutely terrified of their own p00p!?!?!?! And each one starts earlier than the next. All (but W, still working hard on that one) have excellent and extremely healthy eating habits. We are a well balanced and regular people!!! I don't know what happens to our children. Thankfully they all eventually out grow their fears.

Everett has taken to going maybe once a week!! And that is better than it was!! Can you imagine?? This is with the help of mineral oil (yick!), prune juice (yickity yick!!), dried fruits, veggies, etc. When p00p day finally does roll around, like today, Everett spends the entire day angry and in pain. When it gets really bad he drops to the floor and lays flat on his stomach. And when it gets REALLY bad this happensTotally asleep.

The begining of the day I start out patient and compassionate toward my screaming child, "Awww!! Poor baby. It's okay. I know it hurts." But I must admit by the end of the day my response to his screaming at my feet and head banging temper tantrums is "Just P00p!! Everybody does it!! Please, p00p!!" Never my finest hour. But luckily today did finally end (after 7:00) with glorious p00p. YEA!!

And in celebration of p00p the UMW set off a huge display of fireworks!! OK it was really in celebration of their centennial. It was awesome and we had a front row seat in the comfort of our warm and wonderful home. (Yes, we woke W up so he could enjoy too).

Before The Dude made his way downtown I said "Hey! Isn't it great that we're having another baby? We get to talk about p00p for at least four more years!" I am pretty sure I saw his pace quicken as he headed toward the door. Hope he comes back!! :)

Good night! And may each and everyday be a pleasant p00p day at your house.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA

2008-02-15T15:39:00.003-05:00

I found this on Glenn Beck's site.

The caption underneath read: Some helpful advice to those with fake IDs
When making a fake ID, attach a picture of yourself only... no matter how much you love your girl.

It struck me as really really funny!!

YEEEE-HAAAAW!!!!

2008-02-15T14:37:00.003-05:00

I just got back from my monthly doctor's appointment and they have moved up my sonogram date!! We will be finding out if it will be a boy or girl on March 13!!! I cannot wait, the not knowing is killing me!!

Also, I am really enjoying my doctor and her staff. She is so understanding and patient. She totally gets the fact that I REALLY want drugs during l&d and she understands why and is willing to work with me. She also promised that she will NOT let the mean L&D nurses send me home, like they always do, when I am in labor only to have me coming back in mid-push an hour later. So, yea!! I am feeling good about things.