Inconsistency

Who wouldn't want to sleep here? It's warm, comfy, and smells like Mommy and Daddy. This is my big problem. She would much rather sleep with us than alone in her cold, flat, boring crib. We should be well beyond this at 18 months of age, but this morning when she started crying at 4a and my oh so tired brain thought it was after 6a, I scooped her up and brought her back to bed with us. It's that knowledge, that if she catches us off guard or we are feeling incredibly vulnerable we will go against the norm and let her come to bed with us, that continues the cycle of Amanda waking up and screaming bloody murder in the middle of the night. Leave it to baby number three to give us that extra kick in the pants.

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This is Sarah with her cousin, Ella, who is visiting for the week. My sister has a business trip here and decided to bring Ella so the girls could spend some time together. They are wearing the tie-dye t-shirts they made together at the Estes Park YMCA at our family reunion last summer. My sister, Kathy, has curly hair and I have straight hair, go figure. This little exercise of adding one more kid to the mix has confirmed my belief that if we had a fourth child I would
go insane. Good thing the factory is closed.

Big, Big Girl

We spent the long weekend in Chicago with my family. All of the cousins were there and the kids had a blast. Andy never even got out of his pajamas on Saturday, basking in the glory of spending the entire day in my brother's man cave in the basement playing Little Big Planet 2 on his huge screen tv. Yes, it is really that big. My brother summed it up when he said that Andy's attention span for video games was amazing. Several of the kids came and went but Andy kept playing the entire time and never looked tired or lost focus. He only came upstairs to eat, and I don't even think that included lunch. Yes, we're so proud. If that kid didn't get such good grades his lifestyle would seriously have to change. He is my brother to a T.

The girls did all sorts of things to keep busy and there was hardly any crying or whining the whole weekend, except from Amanda, who cried anytime anybody looked at her. She'll get better, but it's getting a little old. Luckily for her she's cute so everybody forgave her.

Despite her clinginess, Amanda demonstrates her independence a little more everyday. This trip it was all about pulling the backpack. Everybody in the family has their own backpack for travelling, filled with things to occupy their time during the flight and any downtime we have on our trip. Amanda doesn't have one, but will get Sarah's old one on our next trip. She wanted so badly to pull a backpack like the big kids. At first Sarah wasn't too keen on Amanda stealing her backpack and pulling it through the airport, but then she realized if Amanda had it then she didn't have to pull it. Somebody else was doing the work for her!

Our next big trip is in a few weeks, we'll see how it goes. As Charlie reminded me, we're going to have to build in some extra travel time now that Amanda isn't being whisked through the airport in the stroller. She wants to walk and she' going to do it her way.

If you can't see the video above, you can click on the following link to see it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mxf5xYpsvA

Snails

A few weeks ago at Nature School Sarah made some artwork with four snails on a leaf. Two of the snails were purple and two were pink. She told me they were a snail family, a Mommy and Daddy and two daugther snails. Sounds like our family, missing one very important member. So I asked her, "Where is the big brother snail?" Her answer, "He's at college. Snail college." That's good to know, I'd hate for him to have been eaten by some mean creature or something.

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Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

Superbowl XLV

I make an effort to refrain from writing about Charlie's work for several reasons. One reason is because that's his story, not mine. Another is because a lot of times I write late at night when I'm not necessarily thinking straight and in a way where I just blurt it all out there. I don't always restrain my thoughts and after a long day with the kids or when Charlie has been traveling it's possible I could write something that doesn't come out right and I might just later regret. It could also be because I love my husband so much and see how hard he works at the office and at home that I may not have the most unbiased view of all his hard work and dedication. Or it could have something to do with the fact that I've read about one person who blogged about the office and soon lost their job over it. Whatever the reason of the day, I'm still not going to say much.

That being said, a few people have asked about the Superbowl. Due to the nature of Charlie's job, we were extremely fortunate in that we were able to attend the Superbowl this year. It was truly an amazing experience and I am so grateful for the opportunity. It was a whirlwind weekend and not something that we will forget anytime soon. Unfortunately we didn't have a favorite team in the game, but we were pleased that the team we were rooting for, the Packers, won the game.

Being huge sports fans, we were so excited to be able to check a Superbowl off our list. Now we just need to get to a World Series game, Wimbledon, and a few other major sporting events and you'll have two happy campers.

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Lady, stop taking my picture and just get me my stinkin' milk!

Okay, now I will smile for you. Love those chocolate chip pancakes!

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Beautiful flowers from my wonderful husband for Valentine's Day. He happens to be on a golf trip this weekend, but he would have sent them regardless, because that's the amazing person he is.

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Andy and his cousin, Albert, in the front yard over the weekend.

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This is what happens when you get too close to a battery operated car. She was not happy with me for taking this picture.

This is Starting to Become a Pattern

The kids are out of school today due to Inclement Weather. Do I sound like a broken record? Did you accidentally click on a link from last week? Nope, we're at it again. I don't think it was as bad this week, I think they're just gun shy now. It did sleet last night and the roads were covered with ice this morning, but I think some of it has melted by now. Technically I don't know because I haven't left the house, but I heard it's not bad.

We are going to go out as soon as Amanda wakes up from her nap. With all the weather days last week we didn't go anywhere and then Charlie's brother and nephew came into town for the Super Bowl and Charlie was hosting partners at the Super Bowl and we were just crazy busy this weekend. I kind of forgot about Sarah's Valentine's party. Okay, that's not really what happened. I remembered the party, I just forgot that we actually had to bring valentines to give to the other kids at the party. So we have to go to Target to pick up some Tinkerbell or Princess or other fancy girly cards and a bit of candy to tack on. Fun.

Speaking of Valentine's Day, last night I took the kids to get their pictures taken for the great holiday of love. I only take them to get pictures three times a year - Valentine's, Father's Day and Halloween. I'll take Sarah for her fifth birthday and Amanda for her yearly birthday (until five) as well, but only those three times with all three kids together.

I would compare taking my kids to get their picture taken with child birth. It is a horrible experience, something you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy, yet somehow over time you forget how bad it is and decide it's worth trying again. Only to remember, too late, that you swore you'd never do it again. I'm pretty sure I wrote a post around Halloween about how horrible it was to take them for pictures. I completely forgot that experience because I have this adorable picture of my kids sitting in my kitchen office. Oh, I should do that again? No. No. No.

The big problem these days is that I can't get all three of them together until late in the day. Or the weekend, which I refuse to do. So it's late in the day, when they are hungry and tired and don't feel like cooperating. This time Andy was a dream. He was so helpful and did everything we asked and then some. The kid is starting to grow on me. Amanda was the typical baby. Afraid of the photographer but willing to warm up if you give her a chance. This time Sarah was the nightmare. She didn't want to help, she didn't want to do anything we asked, she just wanted to do what she wanted to do. By the end of the session I was so done with her. One of the ladies in the lobby told me I seemed very calm. That's because if I didn't stay calm I would have really lost it. I wasn't calm, I was tuned out for the safety of my children.

In a couple of years I'm sure they will all behave, but the pictures aren't going to be as cute then. Hopefully just as I do every few months, I will erase these memories and go back and do it all over again. One of these times the kids will surprise me and they will all be wonderful, but then there will be so many good shots I won't know what to pick. Hmm, maybe it is better, at least for my check book, when they don't cooperate.

Picture of the Day

A little super hero action today!

On The Fourth Day, It Snowed

Finally, it snowed. Makes the whole Snow Day thing kind of worth it. Here is a picture of our backyard. Very weird to see snow on a diving board and pool.

And here is a picture of Sarah looking at me through the window while I take the picture of the backyard. My kids aren't dummies, we're staying inside for one more day!

Snow Day*

Andy and Sarah have been out of school since Tuesday. Meaning, the last day they went to school was Monday. Let me just say, it's been a long week. For the most part, they've been great. There hasn't really been that much fighting until today, and that's more because Andy is just bored and antagonizing Sarah, which is one of his greatest skills. There is, however, such a thing as too much family time.

The crazy weather came in on Monday night. We had a gorgeous weekend, I think it was in the 70s on Saturday, and it just went downhill. It rained and sleeted all night and the next day everything was covered with ice. The problem with ice is that there's not much you can do with it. You can't shovel it, you can't drive on it, you just have to wait for it to melt and go away. Usually when we have an ice storm it only lasts for a day and then the sun comes out and that's the end of it. Not this time. The temperatures have not gone up and the sun has been hiding. The roads are awful and there are no salt or dirt or other trucks to make the ice go away. So, we sit and wait. Everyday they cancel school again.

You can't call it a Snow Day because there really is no snow. They've gone all fancy on us now and call it an Inclement Weather Day. We're supposed to get up to two inches of snow tonight, so maybe tomorrow really will be a snow day. But that will be even worse, because then you will have snow on top of ice and then you really can't go anywhere. At least now you can see the ice. If it snows on top of the ice and you can't see the ice it is just not safe to drive.

So all the moms in my area are going crazy. Working moms, stay at home moms, it doesn't matter because if the kids aren't at school then you have to stay with them whether you work or not. Even if the kids are behaving it's still very difficult to be locked up in your house all day. We're all just craving for a schedule. Almost every extra curricular activity they have was cancelled as well. We have absolutely no reason to leave the house other than we can't stand it anymore. Plus, Christmas break is too fresh in our minds, this would have been much better if it was a month from now. It's too cold to go outside plus who wants to? I live in Texas so I don't have to deal with this weather.

Tomorrow is Friday. We just may survive the week. I'm hoping to do some Cub Scout stuff with Andy and have the kids pick out some toys that they don't want anymore, but that has been my plan everyday this week. We've got a lot planned this weekend so if we can just make it through tomorrow everything will be okay.

Then back to school on Monday. No, really:)


*this term is used very loosely, kind of like the asterisk after the 61 home runs Roger Maris hit for the Yankees in the 1961 baseball season.

Picture of the Day

Sarah and Amanda playing Dance Dance Revolution on the Wii. I'll just tell you, there's no way that Sarah does well at this game, and she certainly isn't going to do well with Amanda standing on her dance pad. But today was Inclement Weather Day 3, so our mantra for the day was No Drama.

Picture of the Day

Today was the second Inclement Weather Day in a row for the big kids. Every single activity we had today was cancelled, which is saying a lot because they have a lot of activities on Wednesdays. Amanda's up to her old tricks, and today she found Andy's boots and got into them all by herself. She was so proud. The big yellow thing she is standing next to is the head of a toy box we have that is shaped like a Fisher Price Little Person. We use it as a storage unit for boots, shoes and other outdoor clothes instead toys and keep it by the front door.

A Fine Line

Over the last couple of months Amanda has become a much better sleeper. In fact, although she still struggles with me she even does beautifully when Charlie puts her to bed. He's got it down.

However, she's still waking up way too early in the morning. Sometimes 5:00a, 5:30a, 6:00a, all way too early for me. When she does get up that early it's not like she plays in her crib happily. No, she screams louder than you have ever heard any baby scream. Charlie and I were just talking about the fact that we don't remember either of the other two ever being that loud.

So, after waiting about 10 minutes, if you can stand the noise that long, you have to do something about it. Even though the older two have a noise maker in their room, you can still hear her over it so if they wake up then it's really big trouble. If it's still so, so early, we go into her room and tell her that it's still night time and everybody is sleeping and to go back to bed. We do not take her out of her crib. This sort of works most of the time, but she'll still cry a little bit in protest and often will start all over again 30-45 minutes later.

If it's after around 6:45a, it's a little trickier. She's most likely not going to go back after that. So, we can pick her up and start your day, pick her up and rock her for awhile, or pick her up and bring her back to our bed to sleep a little longer. Either way, we're taking her out of that crib. She's finally at the point where she likes to cuddle with us, so if we bring her to bed she may sleep an extra 30 minutes.

That's where the dilemma lies. If we bring her into bed with us, we can sleep a little bit more, or at least not have to be so functional. However, if we keep doing it, she's going to come to expect it and want it. Which could lead to us doing it earlier and earlier in the morning, which totally goes against the one and only parenting rule we have stuck to with all of our kids - do not let them sleep with us. Of course, that's just our rule. If you want to co-sleep with your kids I don't have any problems with it, just don't ask me to watch them overnight.

At this point Amanda is almost 18 months old. I know, I can't believe it either, the time has flown by. She is so close to getting on the wonderful sleep schedule the older kids are on. We are so close to finally getting a good night's sleep every single night day after day after day. We can't mess it up now.

But she's so cuddly in the morning, and warm, and most important of all she's our very last baby to cuddle in bed with. I do not want to go back on our lone standing rule, but it sure is nice to hold that cuddly baby who isn't going to want to cuddle much longer. I hope we have the will power to carry on.

Picture of the Day

The kids have a snow day today (you know, there's like an inch of snow on the ground and a lot of ice) and Amanda wants to go out and play. Yes, she's got Sarah's boots on, her feet are not that big.