Goodbye Frosty!

We love the snow, but sometimes it's time to say goodbye. Frosty passed away this weekend. He was only about 5 days old, which is about 10 years old in snow life. He will be missed, but we are looking forward to meeting his cousin Warmy very shortly!

Shane's Party

Grandma and Grandpa brought Wyatt back from Michigan on Sunday morning. They were supposed to come back on Monday but decided to head out early to beat the stow storm heading their way. So we moved Shane's birthday to yesterday so that Grandma and Grandpa could celebrate with all of us. Unfortunately the big dinner/ birthday cookie/ present celebration happened to be at the exact same time as the snowstorm hit Pittsburgh and John wasn't able to get home from work in time to celebrate with us! A trip that usually takes about 15 - 20 minutes took over 2 hours due to the road conditions and car accidents. It was impossible to change the party because the kids had been getting more and more excited about it all day and would have been devastated if we told them that we were going to postpone until the next day. So we made the best of it and Shane had fun!

Biker Jo

Last year he was too scared to ride this bike, but now we can barely get him off the thing!!!!

1st Sleepover

Wyatt is having his first sleepover this weekend. He is visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Michigan until Monday. I drove the kids this morning and met my Dad half way between our two houses (which turned out to be about 2 hours). We met at a DQ for lunch and then Grandpa and Wyatt left for Grandpa's house and I drove the other three boys back home with me.

It was such a nice drive both ways. On the way there the boys were so excited to be seeing Grandpa that they sang and laughed the whole time. I brought my ipod and listened to my own music. I can not even begin to say how wonderful it is to listen to my own music while feeling the nice warm sun beat down on me and know that spring is just around the corner! The drive was so therapeutic for me. I get time with my own thoughts while seeing signs of spring everywhere with 4 smiling happy faces beamed in my rear view mirror. It was a re-birth of sorts. I LOVE this time of year. I thanked God for giving me such blessings.

We got home and my three little guys and I spent the next 4 hours playing outside. But not before I forced Sam and Jonah to pose for some very-late-official-4-year-old-photos. (click on photo to enlarge)The boys were filthy by the time that John got home from work, but they enjoyed themselves. Now they are upstairs "trying" to sleep in Wyatt's bed. We will see how long that lasts! We are all sure hoping that Wyatt and Grandma and Grandpa have a good time together so that they will be open to entertaining a couple of other boys in a few more weeks after they have had time to rest up!

My Snuggler

Shane is such a lovable little guy. He makes me smile all day long. He likes to snuggle together on the couch and have me rub his head or count his fingers and toes. He likes spending quiet time alone with me every day and sometimes 2 or three times a day. He gets angry if one of the other boys comes over to snuggle with us too. He likes to pretend that he is my only baby! Sometimes he whispers secrets in my ear and then laughs. It is so funny and cute!


I always tell people that it is a good thing that he was born last because the other kids would seem soooooo horrible in comparison. I just don't want this little guy to grow up....I want to freeze this time in our lives forever. I can't imagine that it can get any better than this!

Happy Birthday To Me!!!!

Today was the official birthday celebration. I started out the morning by opening gifts from the boys... a medicine ball, gum, nail polish, and a book. The we headed out to the gym. Then I took the boys to lunch at Chik Fil A which is a very rare treat. They were so excited. Sam even told the check out girl that it was my birthday today! Next we headed over to the ice cream store to pick up my ice cream cake and I let the boys each have a small cone for lunch dessert.


After that we headed home for naps... which didn't really happen and then we left to go meet John for pizza. Upon arriving at the pizza restaurant we were greeted by a wild turkey that decided to stand guard outside the door of the pizza place. The boys and the turkey and I had a staring contest until the bird decided that we were more than he could handle and moved aside. We enjoyed eating our pizza but liked the ice cream cake even more.


What a wonderful day. I can't believe that I am 29?!?!?

Happy Valentine's Day 2011

Valentine parties, Valentine cards, Valentine candy, Valentine cookies, and Valentine books...we did it all today and these boys couldn't be more exhausted! I hope that all of their Valentine's Day are filled with this much love!

Trial Run

Today we did a dry run for my birthday on Tuesday. Originally John was going to be out of town on my birthday so we made plans to celebrate today instead. Then John switched his travel dates, but we decided to keep our plans anyways.

So we took the kids and headed down to the Strip district in downtown Pittsburgh and made the rounds to our favorite hot spots. We loaded up on chips, guacamole, salsa and chips at the Mexican food store. The kids wanted me to pick out one of the pinatas hanging in the store for my birthday but I talked them out of it.

Then we watched them making tortillas from scratch. They started with a mixing bowl of dough and it went through a little machine and came out cooked and ready to package on the other side.

It smelled sooooo good in there that we ended up eating lunch at their outside stand even though it was freezing cold!



Then we hit the baklava lady and picked up my birthday baklava tray. She wanted to know when the party was. I didn't have the heart to tell her that it was all for us! But it tastes amazing!

Next we hit the seafood store to check out the big fish and lobster tanks in the back of the store. The kids loved the lobsters especially when a customer came over and reached into the tank, picked up a live lobster, and held it up for the boys to see.

Then the boys got some free apples from a fresh fruit stand and loved eating them whole (I usually cut them up). Sam said that his teeth work on apples now that he is 4 years old!

The boys were exhausted so we only went into a few more stores before heading home.

The boys napped and John and I started a fire in the fireplace and took a nap in the family room. It was soooo relaxing!

Then John made his famous tacos for dinner and we all went into a food coma.

We had so much fun together today... it was my favorite present yet!

Smiley

This child is going to be the death of me yet.......

Sweat Shop

I helped the kids fill out their Valentine cards today. Do you know how painful it is to get three boys to sign their names on more than about two Valentine cards. "Am I done yet?" "I don't want to do this anymore" "Why can't you do this?"


I was having flashbacks to doing my wedding thank you notes.....

Yes Kathie I know that John won a poetry contest, but I haven't seen anything since..... I'm just saying....

Anywho, this year Wyatt signed his cards very quickly without complaining and even wrote his name in the designated box using small neat letters. Then he made little gift bags filled with Nerds and tattoos for his whole class of 10 kids. I gave him all of the materials and he went to town and got it all done on his own. It was much more enjoyable than last year.

It still takes Jonah a while to write his name, so he was a little irritated when I set a stack of 10 cards in front of him and asked him to sign them. But he powered through and finished in about 15 minutes with minor complaining along the way. Then he went to work sticking a lollipop onto each card. Although he might deny it, I am fairly certain that he ended up having fun.


Sam still needs a handwriting assistant. He needs to be reminded of how to start an "S" EVERY time that he writes his name. Back- forward- back. After the "S" he can write the "a" and "m" quickly without help. But sometimes the "M" has 4 or 5 humps in it. And each and every time that he finishes writing his name, Sam holds his paper up and looks at it with complete surprise. I am sure that he is thinking "Hold cow, Did I just do that????" "Wow, amazing!"


Then Sam says "OK, I'm done now." And I have to say "No, actually you have 8 more cards". Then he starts with "Why?" "When am I going to be done?" "I don't want to write my name any more!" until my ears bleed.

All I have to say is that the little girls in Sam's class better appreciate all of the blood, sweat and tears that went into their Valentine's Day cards from him. Somehow I have a feeling that he isn't going to be a love letter writer when he grows up.... I have a feeling that he is going to be more of a love song kind of guy!

Update: OMG I just checked the school closings website and the schools are delayed again 2 hours for the third time this week for COLD weather! Our day is going to be so screwed up! Aggggghhh!

We Need a Helmet

I can not believe how lucky we are that he didn't hit his teeth! Although I still can't figure out how Shane keeps falling onto his face without putting his arms out at all!?!?!?

It's a good thing that I have strong arteries because my blood pressure fluctuates dramatically on a daily basis. Will these kids ever stop trying to kill themselves?

Private Park

Yesterday afternoon I put a huge pot of chili in the slow cooker and made a loaf of cornbread while the kids napped. Then when the kids woke up from their naps I had them put their snowsuits on and we went for a hike in the woods at a local park. The boys walked and I pulled Shane in a sled.


It was so peaceful. We were the only people in the park and the nature trail was fairly easy walking. The boys found sticks and were writing their names in the snow. Then Wyatt ran over to a tree and said "This stick is perfect for smacking a snow covered tree" and I realized that he was repeating a line from the book "A Snowy Day" by Jack Ezra Keats! Too funny!


We walked the whole trail and then found a hill that was perfect for sledding. There was a swing set at the top of the hill so Shane played on the swings while the boys went up and down the hill on their sled. They had so much fun and were completely exhausted by the time we got home.


The boys filled up on chili and cornbread and were practically asleep before their heads hit the pillow! I don't know if they will remember these kind of days when they grow up, but I sure will!

Edited to add:
If you notice from the bowling picture from yesterday, Shane's nose and lip finally healed up from his fall last week. Then today as soon as we got home from the park Shane fell in the driveway and did the exact SAME thing again! I seriously can not believe it!

Bowling Fun!

We were supposed to get hit by a couple of huge winter storms this week. The first one was supposed to be an ice storm. Most of the schools in our area canceled school the night before the big storm hit just to be on the safe side! Then they were probably embarrassed the next morning when it was raining and there wasn't a lick of ice in sight!

So I took the kids grocery shopping in the rain and we were literally the only people in the ENTIRE grocery store from 8:30-9:30 am! It was amazing! The shelves were stocked. Employees were available and helpful. The kids ran all over the place and I wasn't worried that they were disturbing other shoppers! It was like grocery shopping Christmas!

The second storm was supposed to be rain that turned to snow, but that fizzled out too!

By Thursday we had cabin fever and the kids were BEGGING to go bowling, so we packed up and headed to the bowling alley. I can not even begin to explain how much the boys like bowling! They would bowl every day if I let them.

I have been letting each kid get 2 tokens to play arcade games after bowling and they really enjoy that too! They collect tickets and then trade them in for prizes and candy at the front counter.

That part usually doesn't go so well. The boys always want to get a prize that requires more tickets than they have. So, there is gnashing and arguing, but they are catching on. This week they all wanted atomic fireball jaw breakers. I said no. They insisted that they had enough tickets, which they did, but I held firm. Looking back maybe I should have let them learn the hard way.....who knows?

It is so fun to see them enjoy an activity so much together. I can't wait until Shane joins in the fun!

Snow Day #7564

If we have any more snow days this is going to be my new hiding spot too!

10 and 25

Jonah and Samuel had their 4 year old well visit at the pediatrician this morning. I prepped them for shots all morning.

"Yes, you are getting a shot. It will only hurt a little bit. Then you can get some special candy and that will be really fun right?"

"No, I don't want to go. I'm staying home"

New tactic

"Ok, if you don't get a shot then you can't go up North with us on vacation this summer. Everybody needs shots before we go there."

"Mom, I want to get my shots today!"

Excellent

When we got to the doctor's office Samuel told the nurse that he was older than Jonah because he is a "little bit bigger".

Then he followed it up by telling her that he is "in charge of Jonah".

I said "No, you're not in charge of Jonah"

Then Sam said "Yes, I am in charge of him when we are in our bedroom because I am bigger."

And it turns out he is right. Samuel is in the 25% for height and weight and Jonah is in the 10% for height and weight.


And it turned out that they didn't need any shots.

But my two little peanuts are healthy and that's all that's important...no matter who is in charge!

Free Free Free!!!

John and I had a free night out on the town last night. We met a couple of friends for dinner. They had 4 kids in 3 1/2 years just like us. Dave, the husband, works in sales and John's company is a client of his. So, we ended up having a business/casual dinner with them and Dave's company paid the bill. It was so nice to hang out with another couple that "gets it"...the chaos, the noise, the mess, the fun that we have with all of our kids!


Our babysitter was a girl that works for John. She gave John a "free babysitting" as a Christmas gift this year! I can honestly say that it was my favorite present! She brought her husband with her and they got all of the kids tired out, in bed, and asleep before we got home! Yipee!



We had a great time together and are looking forward to doing it again soon!

Sharkey

Somebody is a little nervous about cutting the ties....literally!

Snow Day

School was canceled today. We had some snow last night and it was apparently too much for the plows so they canceled school. Honestly, though, by 1pm the roads were melted down to the cement. I have a feeling that school was actually canceled for cold weather. And boy was it cold! We ended up hanging out inside for most of the day.

When boredom sets in becoming a superhero is so appealing!

The Trio

These two have tons of fun together! Sam is so attached to his Daddy it is amazing! They went sledding down the hill in our yard the other day over and over and over again. I got tired just watching them from inside the kitchen. But Maggie never got tired of chasing them down to the bottom of the hill and back up again. Pretty good for an old girl huh?

Brainstorming

I have started researching garden supplies again. I am probably CRAZY to try this again this year after the poison ivy and animals wrecked everything last year.... I know. But if we can figure out how keep it together after having 4 kids in 3 1/2 years then I am optimistic that we can do a simple garden right this time!


The first issue was the fence. It was too short and not flush with the ground. So deer would lean over the top and eat the plants while groundhogs and rabbits would crawl right into the garden through gaps at the bottom of the fence. It was basically the most ineffective garden fence ever. The only things that we kept out of the garden were the kids and Maggie.

So here's what I'm thinking. We need to dig down around the perimeter of the garden and create a layer of cement block or railroad ties. Then the fence can sit flush on top of the cement block/ties. The fence will have to be about 6-8 feet tall to keep deer out. I am still researching fence options...wood, metal, solid or open. I don't know yet??? The fence itself will have to be attached to a frame for sure. If there is any gap between the fence and posts then the animals slip right through. This part of the plan still needs work....


The poison ivy looks like it might be able to be controlled by Brush B Gone. It's an Ortho product that can be sprayed on the ivy. Apparently it has to be used several times if the infestation is bad before it kills for good, but we can do that. We are going to spray the entire green space behind our house for as long as it takes to nail it ALL!

I will be so relieved if we can get rid of the poison ivy! I was SO worried last year about one of the kids wandering into the woods at the back of the yard and getting covered. I am highly sensitive to it and I was concerned that one of the kids might be allergic!


It feels good to have a plan moving forward...even if it is not totally complete yet. I know that we will be more prepared this year than last year. Of course I am sure that other issues will arise with the garden, but at least we got a head start this time!