Funny thing...

This afternoon we all went to Walmart. THAT was fun! (did you note my sarcasm?).....Anyway, I had Dylan in my cart and Cody and Tyler were with Brett. As Dylan and I were heading over to the produce section we passed an elderly black man that was just kind of standing there. As I walked by Dylan says "Mom is he alive?" Oh my heck, I started laughing so loud. It was hilarious. I told him yes but I could see what he meant. He was standing pretty still! I so needed that laugh today.

And I should know this by now but never take hungry kids to the grocery store! I mean I think we bought one of everything. We also didn't go shopping last weekend due to the holiday and we weren't home but still............could hundred dollars later and it was all food! No fun stuff!!!

1st Campfire @ the Smith's!

Tonight we had the first campfire of the season at the Smith's! Just the 9 of us but it was fun. I love to sit around a fire. Here are some photos - enjoy!

The Campfire Gang!!

Daddy and Cody sitting around the fire!

The Smore Kids!!Dylan enjoying the fire! (Do you see the Devil horns??)Karly - such a GIRL and a total HAM for the Camera!!!

Dentist Visit

Cody had a quick trip to the dentist today. About 6 months ago, a few days prior to a teeth cleaning he had fallen and cut the inside of his lip pretty good. I had talked to the doctor over the phone and she felt that he didn't need stitches. Then we went for the teeth cleaning and the dentist said it really should of had a stitch and that because he didn't he now has a flap of skin that would need to be cut out during his next surgery (whenever that might be). So a couple of days ago he really started to complain that his lip hurt. I looked in and saw a lot of white so I called today and they got us right in. Good thing is - it's an ulcer. Just need to swish with salt water (which he is a champ and does it). Other good thing is is the flap of skin that needed cut out looks like it has re-attached itself to his gum and now this might not be an issue. We will see his dentist on the 11th for a cleaning so she'll probably be able to give me a little bit more info. And the best news was the visit was FREE! YIPPEE!!!! A little part of me felt bad for going once I found out it was an ulcer but when it comes to Cody's mouth - I take no second guesses. Especially after guessing wrong on the whole falling down/cutting lip/should of had stitches thing!

Tonight after work a bunch of us went out for drinks. A co-worker is moving to Virginia - still an employee just will be a remote employee. So it was fun and I probably had more than I should of. Especially when one of the guys said to the bartender "I've got hers, make it a double".....OK, really felt that one. Anybody that knows me knows I don't drink much so really 2 of them is enough for me. Not to mention all I drink are Amaretto sours, can you even get drunk off that? Not that I was drunk - just had more than my normal share!!! It was still fun though.

Things Kids say

Most people are probably thinking "oh gosh what did those boys say now"...but this actually has a little different twist to it. It was a cleft comment, by a kid, but still hits me right in the chest. I don't know if I will ever get used to it. Nor do I think I should get used to it. Maybe the hardest part was it was said right to me while I was holding Cody and Cody looking into my eyes and I was trying so hard to keep it positive when my heart was crushing. So the conversation went like this:

Kid: "Are they going to fix his nose"
Me: (Feeling like somebody just punched me as I wasn't expecting this at all) - "yes, the doctor will do more surgery"
Me: The other side of me: "What is wrong with his nose you little brat"
Kid: "where did he get those scars"
Me: "he was born with a cleft lip and palate and had to have surgery and the doctor sewed his lip together."
Kid: "yah I remember seeing him with his lip like this"...then she took her finger and pressed it up.

I had to get up because I honestly had a hard time with this. I do realize it was a kid and they don't know what to say or even how to say it. That doesn't mean it's any easier for me. You can be 1 or 100 and I still don't like it. Now I know I have no choice - this was a rode chosen for me. Maybe it's the timing - we see the craniofacial team on July 2nd and even though it's just over a month away I still think about it and what is yet to come. I am a planner a like to know kind of girl a hate surprises person - so this waiting and seeing and long process is a killer for me.

This will get easier or so I hope so. It might not of been so bad had Cody not been right there but then again he's probably going to be around for these type of comments. He was just looking at me and me at him and he was just looking into me to see what I said. I guess I just never want to let him down.

Our Long Weekend

We had a super long weekend. Went home Friday and came back today. The weather was nice - best two days were Sunday and Monday.

Friday we got into town just in time to see John's b-ball game. We miss out on these games so it was nice to see one. While we watched the boys played and I realized how badly the town needs new playground equipment. I think that stuff was new when I was little. But either way - the boys had fun! Saturday was a bit chilly but the boys were anxious to get out to the barn to see the cows and pigs. We spend A LOT of time with the animals. Sunday Brett and his Dad went golfing. He realized he's not the next Tiger Woods but he had fun. I got to visit with some friends and see my Dad. It was so nice. We did a lot of cooking out on the grill and spending time with family and just vegging out! We didn't see everyone we thought we would but realize everybody is busy with their own families.

Here are some pictures to highlight our weekend!

Cody riding a cow!!!

Daddy and Tyler on the 4-wheelerDylan is out after a long, hard day of playing!!!Grandpa and Tyler - they were best buds this weekend!Tyler and Papa riding the 3-wheeler. (well Tyler is actually pressing the gas)

Two different views

Cody's View!

Today I emptied out Cody's backpack and removed the drawings that were sent home. One thing I have found is that these kids draw A LOT in preschool. The teachers send EVERYTHING home. Every little scribble gets sent home. Sure I should probably save them all but honestly where on earth would I put all of it. I do have a bin for all of their "special" projects but I just can't save everything.....UNLESS it has a story behind it. So I got out this picture and said:

ME: "Cody what is this"

Cody: "It's a car with my family in it"

Me: "Ahhh....who's in the car?"

Cody: "Daddy, Gimmie, You, Tyler, Dylan and Me"

Along comes Dylan.......

Dylan: "NO" (snatches it from my hand, flips it over) and says "It's a truck with a lot of wheels!"

Dylan's View!

I pondered on this all day. The two of them have such different minds. Now I know they would as they are two different people but they do share a lot of the same likes. This just happens to be one of the differences between them. I love how their minds work.

We are heading to the in-laws for the Memorial Day weekend. The boys are so excited to be going to Grandma and Grandpa's house. I'm sure we'll be spending lots of time outside as the weather is supposed to be beautiful. Anxious to see some friends too!

Have a great weekend!

American Idol

Woo Hoo - David Cook!!!!! He is the American Idol!!!!!

What a great show tonight! Both David's did a great job all season and I think will do well in their careers. I pulled for David Cook - he just had that rocker side to him and I liked that. David A. seemed a little young and his voice got to me at times. I liked Carrie Underwood's performance - could she get any prettier. I of course ticked my children off as I made them watch that tonight as they were going to sleep instead of their show. I bet they get over it.

Cleaning out closets

I've found a task that is just never ending....cleaning out closets. We are hoping to have a yard sale at the end of the month. Just so much stuff to get rid of. The boys aren't babies anymore and we need to get rid of that baby stuff and make room for the big boy stuff. However, I'll admit closets are a great place to put things, shut the door and make it seem like your house is clean! Come on - we all do it. Well maybe not all of us, my sister has pretty clean closets. But she's got her storage room. Anyway - my goal has been to tackle the boys closet. The pile kept getting higher and higher. So slowly but surely I've pulled things out. I still had some of their first set of shoes. Sad part was some of them still look brand new. Then clothes!!! OMG...it is never ending. Especially with having 3. Plus with the twins I have two of everything (my choice). I'm happy though that tonight I can see the floor! Ahhh........

Birthday party

Today Cody and Dylan went to Alana's birthday party. This is one of their little girl friends from school. They had a bounce house and the kids had a blast. There were 7 other of their school friends there also so it was fun. Alana's parents are super nice and so is her family. At one point her sister came up to me and said "so this is Cody and Dylan". Apparently Alana talks about them a lot. As do Cody and Dylan. Alana's uncle came by also - he is a fire fighter. So he had one of the big trucks and of course the kids loved it when he turned the lights on and blew the siren. I of course now have a little "in" with hoping to get a fire truck for our family day. The weather held out for us and only sprinkled on and off. It started to really rain as we were all leaving so we got lucky. Hopefully tomorrow won't be such a wash out. Brett had Tyler and they went and did the grocery shopping. I had to laugh as they got home because Tyler came in with a new book. Seems Brett caved! :) I always cave and Brett yells at me for doing that. Ha,ha....he did it too!

Last night we went shopping for the birthday present. I had NO IDEA what to buy a girl. The only girl I really shop for is Karly. I'm just used to buying trucks! It was fun though looking at all the girl stuff. We got her a swimming barbie with dolphins. The boys wanted to open it when we got home. It did look like fun. Tyler saw lots and lots of stuff he wanted. He's turning 3 in just about a month.

Pizza Uno Field Trip

Today the boys had a school field trip at Pizza Uno. It's a great pizza shop that really specializes in Chicago style pizza. Both classes met so there were a decent amount of kids. It seems though that even as young as pre-school they have their clicks. So Cody and Dylan sat with all of their friends while making a pizza. The staff did a great job. They took about 1/2 of the group and did a tour of the Restaurant. The kids got to see all the ovens, the pantry, the guy washing dishes, the big walk in fridge, soda station, etc....Then we got to go back and make our own pizza. They each had a chunk of dough that they had to press out. They all loved this. Then sauce was added and they were given cheese and any toppings to put on top. Cody of course had to have pepperoni. Dylan is a "just cheese" kind of guy! Then the pizza was off to the oven and when it came out the kids got to eat their masterpieces. Everyone had a great time!

Karly's Spring Concert

Tonight we all went to Karly's spring school concert. It was all the kids in the 1st grade. They sang a bunch of songs and she looked as cute as ever. Brett had the night off so he went to. He commented on the way home how nice it was to see her performing and that she did such a good job. He doesn't get to go to many of her things because he is usually home babysitting. Hard to believe she is ending the 1st grade. Where did that time go? I remember the day she was born! Now she is loosing teeth, picking out her own clothes, spending the night at friends house, having boys write her love notes and totally has a girls attitude! Yet she loves her 3 cousins like no tomorrow.

Mother's Day Photo's

Me and my boys!!!!

The boys having some Trampoline Fun!


Gimmie and her Five little ones! (Dylan didn't want to get his picture taken)

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mom's out there. I had a great day (with a couple bumps in the road). The boys actually slept till almost 9 so that was super nice. We met everyone at Phil's for lunch. It was great and the kids were super. Went to leave and (bump) I had locked my keys in the Van. Brett had drove too because he had to work today. However, he doesn't carry a spare key of mine on his key wrong (still rolling my eyes on that). So we had to do a little bit of driving to come home and get them. Then we went to Tanya's for gifts and the kids played. I got from my gang the Two Together Willow tree figurine. I love these and this one is two babies that resemble twins. My mom got me some little shelves that I wanted. Plus I got a nice card from my sister. The kids had a blast outside playing and jumping on the trampoline. Tanya jumped with them for a little bit and every two seconds Cody was telling her he needed a break. Then I had to jump and lets just say that was a sight to see. :) I'll share pictures in a separate post. I hope everyone had a great day!

I was sent this poem from another mom and while it's not fitting to everyone - this fits me perfectly.

Happy Mother's Day: Mothers Lie
By Lori Borgman
Expectant mothers waiting for a newborn's arrival say they don't care what sex the baby is. They just want to have ten fingers and ten toes.

Mothers lie.

Every mother wants so much more.She wants a perfectly healthy baby with a round head, rosebud lips, button nose, beautiful eyes and satin skin.She wants a baby so gorgeous that people will pity the Gerber baby for being flat-out ugly.

She wants a baby that will roll over, sit up and take those first steps right on schedule (according to the baby development chart on page 57, column two).Every mother wants a baby that can see, hear, run, jump and fire neurons by the billions.She wants a kid that can smack the ball out of the park and do toe points that are the envy of the entire ballet class.Call it greed if you want, but a mother wants what a mother wants.

Some mothers get babies with something more.

Maybe you're one who got a baby with a condition you couldn't pronounce, a spine that didn't fuse, a missing chromosome or a palate that didn't close.The doctor's words took your breath away.It was just like the time at recess in the fourth grade when you didn't see the kick ball coming, and it knocked the wind right out of you.

Some of you left the hospital with a healthy bundle, then, months, even years later, took him in for a routine visit, or scheduled him for a checkup, and crashed head first into a brick wall as you bore the brunt of devastating news.It didn't seem possible.That didn't run in your family.Could this really be happening in your lifetime?

There's no such thing as a perfect body.Everybody will bear something at some time or another.Maybe the affliction will be apparent to curious eyes, or maybe it will be unseen, quietly treated with trips to the doctor, therapy or surgery.Mothers of children with disabilities live the limitations with them.

Frankly, I don't know how you do it.Sometimes you mothers scare me.How you lift that kid in and out of the wheelchair twenty times a day.How you monitor tests, track medications, and serve as the gatekeeper to a hundred specialists yammering in your ear.

I wonder how you endure the clichés and the platitudes, the well-intentioned souls explaining how God is at work when you've occasionally questioned if God is on strike.I even wonder how you endure schmaltzy columns like this one-saluting you, painting you as hero and saint, when you know you're ordinary.You snap, you bark, you bite.You didn't volunteer for this, you didn't jump up and down in the motherhood line yelling,"Choose me, God. Choose me! I've got what it takes."

You're a woman who doesn't have time to step back and put things in perspective, so let me do it for you. From where I sit, you're way ahead of the pack.You've developed the strength of the draft horse while holding onto the delicacy of a daffodil.You have a heart that melts like chocolate in a glove box in July, counter-balanced against the stubbornness of an Ozark mule.

You are the mother, advocate and protector of a child with a disability.You're a neighbor, a friend, a woman I pass at church and my sister-in-law. You're a wonder.

Lori Borgman is a syndicated columnist and author of All Stressed Up and No Place To Go, her latest humor book now available wherever books are sold. Web reference unavailable. (Thanks to Andera K. on the EOHarm discussion list.) -ed.

Shrine Circus

Circus Pictures!!!!

Today we took the boys to the Shrine Circus. We all had a blast. The boys were probably the best behaved in a super long time. They all sat in their seats and enjoyed the show. Our show started at 3 - so we got to the arena at 2. Once inside we bought our $8 a piece light swords and found our seats. They had pre-show fun going on and the boys were hoping to ride the elephants but for whatever reason they didn't do that this year. They were disappointed but instead went down the bounce slide. They love those ever since our trip to Ocean City last year. The show started with lots of trapeze and I was surprised it kept their interest. At times they did look like they would fall asleep but didn't. They saved the Tigers and Elephants until the end of the show and that was their best part. Although if you ask them what they enjoyed the most they said the cotton candy, bounce slide and swords. Guess we could of saved the money for the actual circus. I am so happy we went and they enjoyed themselves. It makes spending all of that money completely worth it. Because let's face it - it is a small fortune to go to those events.

I love the Shriners though. They do so much for kids and their families who are going through cleft lip and palate repairs, cancer and burn treatments and it's all FREE to the families. So if the Shrine circus comes to a town near you - go and support them, they deserve it!!!

Going out with my husband is like going out with my sister. They run into a ton of people they know. Brett saw one kid that he hung out with at Brockport that he hasn't spoken to in years. Guess he also works in insurance here in town. Plus a couple people from his work and as we were leaving a clown says to him "see you on the football field". Well at first he had no idea who he was under all of that makeup but finally figured it out. It was another football official. So you know what that means folks - he is so hooking us up for our family day in August with a clown. Brett has to call him but I am sure this guy will do it and maybe bring along a couple others. How exciting!!!

My Mother's Day Breakfast

Today at school, all the kids had invited their Mom's to a special Mother's Day breakfast. They have been talking about it all week and the only thing they would share is that we were having danishes and fruit. I had my Mom come with us as hey I have 2 kids to take. We did have danishes and fruit, plus bagels, egg sandwiches, watermelon, cinnamon bread and juice. It was wonderful. They had made place mats for us to sit at. The kids played and watched a Momma duck and her 10 ducklings out in the courtyard. They really kept the kids entertained. Before we left we got our "gifts". They had made some heart shaped ornaments and glued jewels on them. Very pretty! Then made a card and on the inside it said "My Mom is" and I'm only assuming the kids had to fill in the blanks. Cody's said "My Mom is Nice - I love you!"....Dylan's said "My Mom is I like you". With the cards was a special hand print and a beautiful poem that I cried over. So we had a very special morning. While being a Mom of multiples plus one more hasn't always brought out the best of me - I would not change this for anything!

*Don't mind my glasses*

*Cody giving the girls his wisdom*

*Dylan enjoying his breakfast*

Ranting about work - sorry!

We got our toner cartridge today. Yeah. It's so nice to be able to use your printer at work. Although another annoying thing happened today. J had given his notice last week. Instead of giving 2 weeks he gave 1. Not what your supposed to do but at least it was a notice. Yesterday he came to work - although a 1/2 hour late. Nobody said anything because he is the type he would of just quit. I believe he was waiting for somebody to say something to him so he could just walk out. So today he just doesn't show up. Now I think that is rude and shows no class. Not to mention your total disrespect towards your other co-workers. His last day would be Saturday. Now what ticks me off is that work took him back after he left the first time. He left the first time with class and he was moving to NC. Then he got married last year and we collected a nice gift of $$ for him. Just recently was a party at another co-workers and he came. We had a good time and never said anything about quitting. We have a small department and this was just plain ole rude! I guess what he doesn't realize though is that in order to collect his last paycheck he'll need to come turn in some keys and badge. Won't that be awkward - FOR HIM!

On to better things - we have a very busy Mother's Day weekend planned. Tomorrow at school the boys class is hosting "breakfast with Mom". I really can't wait! Then Saturday we are taking them to the Shrine Circus. Sunday, Mother's Day, we are meeting everyone out for lunch. Should have a few new pictures.

Eye Update

I went back to the eye doctor today for a follow up. To my disappointment the eye still has a service tear and he wants to wait a few more days before putting back in my contacts. I was sad to hear that but will follow his orders as I don't want to screw anything up. The eye feels good so the tear isn't bothering me which is a good thing. He told me to wait until Saturday and then put them in for a couple of hours and gradually work up to a day. I go back next Friday for a contact check up.

Today was just a frustrating day at work. Now I normally don't complain much about my job - well at least not out loud. Who doesn't complain about their job to other co-workers. A couple of days ago our toner got very low. I called our IT dept. and they came and put a new one in. Within a couple of hours it stopped working - obviously bad cartridge. So he took it out and put back in the old one and we are still using it today. Come on! The toner is so low you can barely read what you print. Why on earth its taking this long is beyond me. We have a Staples about a couple minutes away. To which my boss said today - do they sell toner? Um, yah! Then he says "make sure to print sales orders to a different printer because I'm not putting my name on those". Ok why is that? Because it is horrible and you don't want other departments to see it. Not like we are just ignoring the problem. That kind of irked me today. Give me the Staples card - I'll go get one.

Something did make the day better though - Kristie had her 16 week doctor visit and baby Flower is doing well. They were able to hear the heartbeat with the doppler - this was the first time. I remember hearing that heartbeat for the first time. So neat. I can't wait for her to start feeling it move. She goes back in 4 weeks for the big 20 week ultrasound. They will take all the measurements and hopefully check out those lips. While I don't think there is anything to be concerned with - it still needs to be checked. Not to mention - we will hopefully find out if I am getting a niece or a nephew. Yeah!

In case your wondering....

When you open the defibrillator box it makes a loud noise!!!!!

Want to know more? Last night I had to run to Walmart to get a few more groceries. Before I left I made sure everyone had went to the bathroom. As I am standing in the card section, Cody says he has to pee. Of course you do! So I pick out my card and we head to the back of the store. I park the cart in front of the pay phone. Suddenly nobody had to pee but they sure wanted to play with the phone. So we go in the Bathroom and of course nobody could go in the same stall. Great - now what do I do? I can't go in with one - that leaves 2 unattended. So I stood guard outside the stalls and waited for them to appear. Only hoping nobody is deciding to play in the toilet. :( We leave and have to take a quick pit stop at the water fountains. Now everyone is soaked. Stressed is a word running through my head right now. As I am putting everyone back in the cart....Tyler finds this cute little white box with a handle on the door. What kid wouldn't want to open it? So he does and this most loud, shrieking noise comes from it. OMG! Thankfully when you close it the alarm goes off. I was waiting for 1/2 of Walmart to come running. Weird thing though - nobody did. That's probably not a great thing...anyway....At this point I have FRUSTRATED written all across my forehead. As I look up there is a lady sitting on the bench. She obviously has been watching the whole time and she says "it's fun isn't it?"...............Phew - she obviously knows what it's like to take kids shopping.

I go back to the eye doctor tomorrow for a follow up on my eye. Today the eye has felt the best. Sunlight did not bother me. I am very anxious though to get back in contacts.

A better Sunday....

My eye is starting to feel better. Still sensitive to the light but not as bad. I attempted to drive today and at times I wondered if that was a wise move but we did arrive at our destination safe and sound. It should get better every day. I just can't wait to get back in my contacts.

We went to Tanya's for the afternoon. Brett had to change the oil in my van. They had made chicken and biscuits for dinner and it was so great! I love my sister's gravy! The kids played. Outside for a little bit and then down in the basement for a while. They managed to destroy the playroom and some how got out of picking it up. My sister and I are just dumb! But hey - the kids were busy riding the 4-wheeler with Uncle Shaun. They all went in the wagon and off they went. Apparently got stuck in some mud. In order to get out - he had to carry all 5 of them to dry land in order to get un-stuck. Then they were all freaking because they had got mud on them. I only wish I had seen it to take a picture. Next time!

Back to work and school tomorrow!

Scratched my eye

So it appears that I managed to scratch my eye. I have no idea how I did it but I do know one thing - IT HURTS! Yesterday morning it was fine, even at lunch it was fine but had started to water. At 4 I had to leave work because I couldn't take it anymore. I pretty much sat around all last night while my eye watered non stop. It acted as if I had been crying for hours. Tears just poured out of my eye. So I called my eye doctor first thing and they got me in. He numbed it up and gave me some drops to use. I hate this feeling. So on top of having a cold, my eye is killing me. You know how it is when your eyes water it makes your nose run. My nose was already running with the cold. UGH! All I want to do is shut it but that's hard to do with 3 kids running around. I am sure they would love it if Mom ignored them for a while. I could only imagine what my house would be like. So the shades are drawn, curtains closed and we are in the dark today. I told the boys lets pretend we never paid the electric bill. They just looked at me and thought whatever! So I go back on Wednesday for a follow up.

Confused

I am so confused - is it spring or fall? For most it's spring - it feels like fall here. I am so tired of this weather. I have a nice spring cold and I hate it. Last week it was in the 80's and felt like summer. Ugh - what can you do right?

Tonight we ate out. Well if you call McDonald's eating out. My kind of food though - fast and easy. Then Tanya and Shaun came down for a while. The kids played and we got to chit chat. My nephew Connor is hysterical. The little things he picks up is to cute. You should see him stand with his hands on his hips and thrust himself at you! Crack me up!

A Moment with Twins

This morning as I dropped C&D off at school - I got a big ole kiss from each of them on the cheek. At the same time! What an awesome feeling to have two of them kiss me and then they were off to play with their friends! The teacher smiled! While that was a calming moment - not all are like that. Try getting 2 of them up and ready for school at the same time! :)