I have a new blog!

I got a blog makeover courtesy of Be Design and decided to rename my blog to go along with the new look! Come check us out here. Be sure to leave me a comment letting me know you made it.

Feeling hot, hot, hot

It has been so flippin' hot this weekend! Ryan had his Tball award ceremony yesterday and just standing outside for an hour left us all very sweaty and cranky. He was supposed to have a game afterwards but it was called due to heat. Thank goodness or there would likely have been some kids sent to the ER. It was even too hot for the pool. Today was hot as hades too but we did get some pool time in. Tomorrow it's supposed to be 98. Summer is here!

Happy Birthday to my dear hubby. Yesterday was his 49th! We celebrated by shopping at Target sans kids and going out to dinner. It was nice to have a date as it had def been a while. Today we had Gam and Pop Pop over for cake. The kids are all about the cake when its someone's birthday. Gam made a chocolate cake from scratch and it was delish. Left all three kiddos zinging for a while too. I did take a few snaps and will post those later. Right now I need to hit the hay.

Oh, btw, I am trying to post everyday. There's a blogging site NaBloPoMo site that has a contest where you blog every day for a month. Just seeing if I can do it or not before I sign up.

Cereal bar beans

So the other day I was driving Ryan to his last day of camp and out of the blue, Kate asks, "Where do cereal bars come from?" Molly quickly replied, "Cereal bar beans, silly." Um yeah, think my kids are obsessed with cereal bars?

So Molly and Kate picked out some new big girl panties the other day. Apparently that is the trick as they have been doing so well with going potty. Yee haw. After 5.5 years of diapers, I am more than ready to be done with them.

Ryan had a big day yesterday. He went fishing with Pop Pop and caught 5 fish! Then last night he went to a Blue Rocks game with his pal Max, Daddy and Pop Pop. I don't think there was much watching of baseball but apparently they had loads of fun.

Ryan has his awards ceremony for Tee Ball tomorrow followed by his last game. Stay tuned for some pictures.

We are loving the neighborhood pool so far. We pack lunch and stay up there all afternoon. I shower the kids and dress them and once we are home they are good and tired. That is where you will find us this summer in case you come a visitin'. LOL

No More Rat Poison!

I am officially off Coumadin! And yes, it is actually rat poison. Not something I knew until I was on it and my doctor told me. Apparently it is put in rat traps, the rats eat it and bleed to death. EWWWW! I guess that would be why you have to be so carefully monitored while on it. Speaking of rodents, I came home from Cirque du Soleil last night and there was lots of thumping and bumping in one of the kitchen cabinets. Yep, a mouse. We did not use Coumadin to take care of our furry friend. Lucky for us he was stuck in a glue trap. Enough with the rodents already.

Cirque du Soleil was awesome! For Mother's Day my mom wanted to see it and I was lucky enough to be invited along. Thanks Mom! We went to dinner and saw the show. Always nice to have an adult night out.

Speaking of nights out, I get another one this weekend. Kev is turning 49! We are going to dinner to celebrate while Gam and Pop Pop babysit. :)

I think I've lost my mind

One of my favorite shows these days is Jon& Kate Plus Eight. My favorite line is in the opening credits when Kate says, "Today I think I'm going to lose my mind." It makes me chuckle everytime I hear it because that's how I feel most days. I love my kids dearly but man, are they challenging. We are going through a hitting phase, big time, all.day.long.

Whack!


Closely followed by loads of crying and the infamous, "She hit me!" or "He hit me!" Boo hoo hoo.

Today was the girls' last day of preschool. Last day. So I pick them up after school and their teacher tells me how Kate was beating on Molly all day. Gggggrrrrreeeeeaaaattttt. Last day of school and this is how it goes.

So another sign of me losing my mind, I agreed to be President of the local chapter of Mothers of Multiples. In addition to being on the board for MOMS Club and a coordinator for MOMS Club International in which I oversee 6 other chapters. Who me? Bored? Need more to do? Nah.

Mother's Day 2008

I had a wonderful day. It started with Ryan coming into my room and wishing me a Happy Mother's Day. In fact, I was wished HMD, many many times by all three of my kids. Awwww. We went to brunch at my fav place, Winterthur. Delicious as always. We normally take a tram ride through the gardens and visit the Fairy Garden but it was really buggy out. Those darn gnats. So we went back to Gam and Pop Pop's for a bit and visited Brady. He has gotten so big! The kids like seeing him through the sliding glass door but not up close. He has a bit of a jumping problem that needs to be worked on.
Afternoon naps happened all around and then we finished out the day with dinner at Aunt Annie's house. A very nice day indeed.
Oh, I got a Ritz Camera gift card as I always love camera stuff, a mug with a picture of my family, new sheets and new towels. Yay!

Some Photoshop Actions

There is a contest on a blog I frequent where the winner will win lots of Photoshop Actions if you post the link. So here it is....



I am getting the photography bug back and feeling more up to playing with my camera and post processing my pictures. Yay me!

ETA: Darn! I didn't win. Oh well...

DISNEY

We are home! It really was a magical trip. A great time was had by all. I think the thing that did it for me was on the way home from Epcot by ferry, after her day at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and lunch with the princesses, Molly said, "Wishes do come true. I turned into a princess today." AWWWW!

I am so pooped. I need a vacation from my vacation. We've all been trying to catch up on sleep and get back into the swing of life. Our nanny is done and momma's on her own again. Still gimping but getting stronger every day.
I have a TON of pictures from Disney. It is my goal to get them to a site for viewing by the end of the weekend. I need to work on some MOMS Club stuff first.

More Disney details to come!

One down, 19 more to go!

Ryan lost his first tooth on Tuesday April 15th! We were on our way home from a hair cut and he was having a celebratory Twizzler. (He always gets to pick a treat from the "Treat Jar" after his hair cut.) I hear from the back of the mini van, "MOM! I lost my tooth!" He was so proud and I was all choked up. My baby is not so much of a baby anymore.
He left the tooth under his pillow and the tooth fairy visited. He is now $5 richer and less one tooth. He is saving up for Rocky. His other tooth....still hanging on. More updates as they become available.

Loose teeth!

Ryan has two loose teeth! I cannot believe my baby boy has loose teeth. We found out the other day when he went to the dentist for a check up. We also found out he has two cavities. :( He has to go back on April 10th for the first filling and sometime after that for the second. The second one they may have to put a cap on. That's it, no more sugar for the kids.

Kevin is working all weekend and I am sick. Again! Bronchitis revisted. So I am back on antibiotics and inhalers. And no one wants to come anywhere near me so I am on my own with the kids. Today went pretty well. Ryan was itching to get outside but since I am sick as are the girls, I was able to beg off from that one.

So we played babies instead. Molly was the Mommy, Kate was the dog and Ryan was the Mailman aka Daddy. We counted 20 babies and I asked, "Who is the daddy to all these babies?" Ryan's reply, "The mailman." I almost spit out my coffee laughing so hard. Where do they come up with this?

I am taking my wheezing, coughing self to bed. I should be tagging for the Mothers of Multiples resale next weekend. Oh well, maybe tomorrow night.

Perfectionism...

is often times my worst enemy. If I can't do something perfectly, I don't want to do it. Always been a battle with me. I want to master something and fast.

For instance, photography. I have been so out of touch with my camera. I've finally gotten the urge to take pictures again but I get frustrated because I can't move around like I want or get the shots that I want. So lots of snapshots result. Nothing other than really cute pictures of my kids. Which is all good. One thing I have learned over the past several weeks, being perfect is overrated.

Without further ado, some pictures of the kids....

Happy St. Pat's




Molly on the hunt



Kate cheesing it up



Ry boy



And the reason for my not being able to do what I would like....



I am about 12 weeks post-injury. I see my surgeon tomorrow for a follow up and have physical therapy (aka torture) in the afternoon.

P.S. There's a couple more pictures on my flickr page. I have some more coming but my camera battery needs to be charged and I need to go to bed.

Walking and driving and vacuuming! Oh my!

Yep, that's my big news!

I am officially walking, well limping but hey, at least I am upright! And yesterday I drove for the first time since 12/30/07. And I vacuumed! Yes, I am a bit strange but as I lay on the ground on that oh so fateful day waiting for the ambulance to come and rescue me, the thing that ran through my mind the most was the fact that I was likely not going to be able to vacuum....for a long time. Vacuuming is my happy place. I think its the hum of the motor that allows me to tune out the chaos... er I mean kids in my house. I also love the instant gratification of having vacuum marks in my carpet. Yep, I did tell you, I am weird like that.

So I saw my orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday and got the go ahead to bear weight and walk. I still have my boot on (a very heavy and very bulky walking cast, kind of like a ski boot) but he said I should try to wean myself from it over the next few weeks. I also started physical therapy to help get me into top form for Disney in April. So yesterday I decided I would surprise Ryan and go pick him up from school. He's been asking me lately when I would be better and be able to take him to and from school again. His reaction was priceless, "Mom, you're here?! Who's going to drive us home?" I think I made his day. :)

Ryan has been having a rough time lately. I think all the upheaval in his life is getting to him and he's been having some issues at school. When I spoke to his teacher she assured me she thinks it's all directly related to everything that's been going on at home. Which I know, but it doesn't make it any easier to swallow. So picking him up yesterday was really just what the doctor ordered, all around.

Molly and Kate have been well, Molly and Kate. Those two have got to be the craziest three year olds around. Molly is really letting her Irish temper shine through. She is prone to getting mad about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING while running up to her room in tears. How old is she again, thirteen? Oh and lest we forget, the nail painting incident. White out, all over her hands and nails. Boy did she look pretty.

Kate has been living the life of hard knocks. She had an anaphylactic reaction to something we had for dinner on Valentine's Day. We think it may have been sesame bread or possibly some cross contamination with peanuts. We'll have her tested for a sesame allergy at her next doctor's appointment. During dinner she began to complain of a stomach ache and soon was pretty much lethargic. Very frightening for all of us. I managed to keep it together and administered the Epi Pen. She had a ride to the hospital via ambulance and after some monitoring, she was declared well and sent home. The funniest part of that evening.... while sitting on the stretcher in the ER, she declared, "Mommy! You da bad guy! You poked my body!" while demonstrating how I jabbed her thigh. We had a good laugh with that one.

So less than a week later, Kate and company were out back running around and Joanie (our savior of a nanny that we recently hired to get us through the end of my recovery) comes in with a screaming, bleeding Kate. Apparently during some rough housing Kate was pushed by Ryan and did a full frontal face plant. Her mouth was streaming blood and I once again felt that panic build up that has happened so many times before with my children. They are really getting good at scaring the bejeesus outta their momma! So back to the ER we went. She ended up with three stitches right above her top lip. A little Versed and a hug from the papoose board and she was good to go.

And then, the other day she had a collision with a brick wall. Whilst playing her favorite game of "puppy" down on all fours, she ran smack dab into the brick wall in our family room. She scraped up her left cheek and now it is a lovely mix of purple, green and blue bruises.

I swear, I used to be a social worker people and if I didn't know better I'd be thinking that child needs a safe home!

Kevin and I along with both of my parents came down with some lovely respiratory thing that turned into a week in the hospital for Gamma, two very sick and tired parents and a still sick Pop Pop. Antibiotics, steroids, breathing treatments and several doctors appointments later, hopefully we'll have some health and well being coming to this family soon.

Have I mentioned what having three kids does to one's bladder control when you have a wicked cough?

Yep, I LOVE my kids. Really I do. They give me loads of grief and reduce me to tears at times but truly they are the greatest miracles one could ever hope for. They are growing so quickly and I am awed by them every single day. Life has certainly been rough these past few years but I wouldn't change a thing. Well....maybe a few less ER visits.

I really need to pick up my camera. It has been sorely neglected these last few weeks. Now that spring is around the corner, we'll be outside more and hopefully I'll find some inspiration. I'll keep ya posted.

Screwed!

This, my friends is why I haven't updated in so long....



I fell on 12/30/07 and really did a number on myself. I was just finishing up Welcome Neighboring and was heading to my car to go home. It was raining and as I stepped with my right leg to get into my van, I slipped and fell. At first I didn't feel anything. I was flat on my back with both legs in the air, my basket contents strewn all over the ground and then, I knew it was bad. How bad, you ask? My left leg looked like a stump at the end and my foot was facing the wrong direction. About this time, shock started to set in. I was hysterical. Luckily I had my cell phone in my pocket and was able to call 911 and was even able to tell them where the hell I was. I kept trying to call home to tell Kevin but kept messing up the number. I did manage to call my mom and tell her. The worst part of all of this. I was laying on the ground in the rain, by myself and no one came out of their house to help me AND the 911 person told me to call back if I got worse or needed anything.Click. Call back?! I thought they were supposed to stay on the line with you until help arrives! It seemed like forever but finally an ambulance came. Quickly followed by the Paramedics. They managed to get me off the ground and into the ambulance and fashioned a sling for my leg. They got an IV started and got the drugs pumping. On the way there the Paramedic was joking with the EMT about how he had just sat down to eat or something and thought it was bull that they were calling for the pain meds within 10 seconds of their arrival. He then looked at me and said, "Now, I can see why!"

So at the hospital they put me to sleep and put my foot back into it's proper position. I came too and the doctor came in and said something about surgery on Wednesday. Surgery?! Wednesday?! Apparently I broke three bones in my ankle and needed pins, plates and screws to fix it. So they splinted me up and sent me on my way. Except one thing. I.COULD.NOT.MOVE. There was no way, no how that I was getting up off that stretcher and going home. So they kept me overnight and kept me nicely drugged. The next day they gave me a walker and I was home in time for New Years Eve.

Due to the fact that I am on Coumadin, they had me stop taking it and we had to wait for my level to decrease before they could operate. So I spent the week hanging out. Friday 1/4/07, was surgery day. I got some nice metal placed in my foot. I can't wait to set off the metal detectors at the airports when we go to Disney. :)

I have been getting around via walker and wheelchair and I even have my own private commode. I really am only 37. Some days I wonder tho. So I've been doing a LOT of sitting and waiting, waiting and sitting. Hoping these bones heal up quick so I can get back to my regularly scheduled life. My husband has been a true gem, waiting on me hand and foot,...er ankle and taking vacation days to watch the kids. The kids seem to be used to mommy and her boo-boos. "Mommy has a broken foot and needs a wheelchair." Kate has even been seen sitting with her foot up saying its broken and that she needs a wheelchair.

I go back to the orthopedic surgeon a week from tomorrow and am ever hopeful that I can at least start bearing some weight. As I would love to be able to climb the steps to my own bed and take a shower standing up. (I've been camped out on the family room level of our split level home. I eat, sleep, hang out in my recliner and sit on a shower seat to bath. Glamorous life I tell ya.)

I am sincerely hoping that after all of this excitement dies down, that 2008 will turn out to be peaceful, calm, boring even. What I wouldn't giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive for boring.

Let's hope so!