Hello Beautiful!

Yep, that's what I said when I walked outside today and saw this.

I was soo excited to see this sight that we spent ALL. DAY. OUTSIDE. LOOOOOOOOVED it! It got up to 77* yesterday! That is totally acceptable March weather that warrants a full-on, summer-lovin' kind of 'tude.

Owen and T rode the gator until the battery went dead.

I gave myself an outside pedicure and admired the way my toes looked in the grass.

Betty and Rachel soak up some Vitamin D.


I got a kick out of Eli rockin' this outfit.

AND- I barbequed chicken for dinner and we ate outside. Ahhhh, spring/summer. I can't wait for you to be here!

A letter to my eldest

Dear Owen,

Have I told you lately how much I love you, how special you are to me? The day we found out that you were on the way, changed us forever. As our oldest child, you hold a very special place in our hearts. You will forever be the person who made us, "Mommy" and "Daddy". I thank God for you every day, you are a treasure in my life.

I remember one day when I was pregnant with you and Sara's mom told me that every baby needs a song, and did I know what yours was. I didn't, but I made up my mind to "find" you one. I soon realized that this wasn't something that I could just pick; it just didn't work like that... Then one day I was driving, listening to the radio and a line of a song brought me to tears... "I hope you don't mind that I wrote down in words, how wonderful life is while you're in the world." It was Your Song. If I'd only known that simply googling, "Your Song" would have given me the answer :)

Right now, you are 3 years, 9 months old. You are attending preschool two days a week, and you can breathe the life into a room. You have so many admirable qualities. You are smart, determined, motivated, inquisitive, funny, and kind. You can bring down the house with your sense of humor. You live your life fearlessly, and with such passion that it frightens me sometimes. Nothing stands in your way when you set your mind to something. You have the makings to be something great, you have it in you to change the world. I love watching you grow and change. I love seeing you learn new things and master new skills. I love seeing the pride in your eyes when you've acheived a goal. My heart overflows when I look into your eyes. You have changed so much in the past three and a half years, but yet, you're still the same. You're my baby through and through, (even though you'd never admit to that!)

Owen, I admire you, I hold you dear, I love you more that you can imagine. Thank-you for making me a Mommy. You made my dreams come true just by being born. Thank-you for being you. I love you.

Mommy

My Day in photos

Friday, we went up to my parents' house because Owen and I had dentist appointments. We still go to my childhood dentist, Dr. Glenn Smith, because well, he is the best dentist to ever walk the face of the earth. Ever. I've explained to him in detail, that he is never allowed to retire. He explained to me that when he starts coming at me with a drill in his shaky, old man hands, that I will be begging him to retire. Owen started seeing Dr. Smith last summer, and he did so well. Dr. Smith was great with him, and as a result, Owen is starting out on the right foot for feeling good about his dental care.

Owen had his first "by himself" appointment scheduled and when the hygienist, Elaine, came out to get him, she asked, "Owen, are you ready to come back and get your teeth cleaned?" He looked at her like she was crazy, and said, "No, I'm not ready yet." I convinced him to go back, and I stayed with him until they were ready for me. I'm so glad that I did because I was able to snap some great photos to commemorate the event.

Did you notice who else was present for the cleaning? Yep, that's right, Cheetah. Owen told Elaine that Cheetah needed a bib too, and she happily obliged. She humored him in all of his concerns and totally gained his trust. He allowed both her, and Dr. Smith to check and clean his teeth. I was proud of how well he handled it, (better than me) and so thankful that we have such an awesome dentist!

After we were done at the dentist, we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's. I have to say that most trips to my mom and dad's are interesting...This is mostly because of the wide variety of wildlife that resides there. I love the animals and they remind me that I'm home because I grew up in a zoo of our own creation. :) There are of course plenty of toys and vehicles to occupy one's attention as well.

So our day went kind of like this....

There was four-wheeling

There was the sweet-talking of a conservation officer

There was a raccoon who decided to plow her not-slim body into the side of my head

There was a little baby loving on a big, spoiled horse

There was the showering of a Macaw

Oh, what's that? Your Friday wasn't as exciting as mine? Didn't think so. :) I love my mama and papa, and I love going to their house because there is truly never a dull moment.

How'd they know?

I don't think that Degree realized how much I needed protection for all of those OMG moments when they came up with this marketing campaign. Of course, my OMG moments might mean something a little different than what they were going for- but still, so appropriate for my life! Wish that I would have had this deoderant last Christmas Eve!

Where a Kid can be a Kid!

Thursday, I had another treat when picking Owen up from school, a THIRD good report. I had a fun play date planned for him, but it was dependent upon positive news from school. I was soo excited to be able to call Emily and let her know that Owen and I would be meeting her and N at Chuck E. Cheese for lunch. Owen had never been to Chuck E. Cheese before so it was a pretty special treat to be able to go there. I was surprised and pleased to find that it was reasonably priced as well! The second that we got in the door, the boys were itching to go play. They LOVED that they got "money" to spend on whatever they wanted to do. The package that we got included 130 tokens, and those lasted them ALL day because each ride/game only takes 1 token. Both boys were pretty impressed with all of the choices of things to do. They played while we waited for our pizza to arrive, and then Emily and I had the fun task of wrestling both boys into submission to eat. We ended up playing there for about 4 hours! It really was a fun time, and I look forward to taking him back there.

One of my favorite parts of the day was near the end. There was a race car that the boys had enjoyed riding in several times throughout the day, but it was a fairly gentle ride that just sort of rocked back and forth. It was three o'clock, about two hours past nap time, and Owen was one tired boy. I looked over and there he sat in the race car, rocking back and forth, and he was just almost asleep. The ride would stop, he'd pull a token out of his sweaty little fist, restart the ride, and then almost fall asleep again. It was super cute.

The other thing about Chuck E. Cheese is that on many of the games, you can earn tickets for playing. Owen was pretty good at some of the games and he was psyched to get tickets for playing. He ended up winning 165 tickets! His friend, N, wasn't so much into the games and ended up with only 10 tickets. When Owen went to redeem his prize, he found out that he could get two lizards and two suckers with his tickets. I couldn't have been prouder of him when he chose to give one lizard and one sucker to N. What a sweet boy.

I really hope that this trend of good school days is marking a turning point in his maturity and enthusiasm towards his education.

Another Great Day

I think that we're finally all on the mend and feeling better. We had a rough week and a half, but I have my fingers crossed that we're over all that was plaguing us. Today, Owen had school and I'm happy to say that I received another positive report about my little man today. That's two school days in a row! WOO HOO! That's cause for celebration in my book, so we went to our favorite little bagel shop and had lunch and then we went to Jo Ann Fabrics to get some things that I needed.

Back up a little. Since Christmas, when Matthew and I exchanged bathrobes, Owen has been talking about wanting a bath robe. I have been promising that I would make him one when I got my machines out. Well today was the day. He had already picked out the fabric that he wanted from my current stash, but I told him that we could get a "sticker" (applique) to put on his robe. He was sooo excited to look through the assortment of "stickers" that Jo Ann had to offer, and although I *may* have steered him away from a few more "feminine" options, he ended up choosing a great little dump truck. He was thrilled to carry that little dump truck around the store, and I was thrilled that it kept his hands off of all of the other things in the store. He was cracking me up because he stopped several different employees to tell them ALL about his new robe. If you know Owen, you know that he doesn't spare you any details- and these employees all got to hear waaaay more than they ever wanted to know about Owen's new bathrobe. :)

It went something like this...

O "I have a dumptruck sticker."

(E)mployee, "Oh you do?"

O, "Yup, I'm going to put it on my wobe"

E, "You have a robe?"

O, "Nope."

E, "Oh?"

O, "Mommy and me are making my wobe, and it's going to have a dumptruck sticker."

E, "Oh, well that will be nice."

O, "Mommy's going to get her snowing machines out, both of them, but I'm not allowed to touch them. I'm going to help with the other parts. Mommy, you'll help me with the other parts right?"

Me, "Uh huh."

O, "Yeah, Mommy will help me with the other parts. We're going to make my wobe when we get home after my nap. I don't want to take a nap, but mommy says I have to take a nap. After my nap I'll have a snack. I'm going to have a bagel for my snack because that's what I had for lunch. Mommy put the piece I had left in a sack and she said that I can have it for snack. It was a french toast bagel. After I eat my bagel snack, I can help mommy make my wobe. It's going to have a dumptruck sticker on it."

E, (Inching away) "That sounds good. Enjoy your robe." (Bolts)

I hope that when he starts writing that he puts his knack for including the details to good use! :)

Without further ado, here are some photos of the little man modeling his new robe and matching pajama pants :)

What was I thinking?

I don't have a clue who that boy was that I was speaking about in my post yesterday. Today, the boy who came out of the tent where I swear I stuck *that boy* yesterday was a different kid. He was kind, compassionate, funny, sweet AND well behaved at school. My heart just sang when I got the report from his teacher that he was, "A good listener, paid attention, and waited patiently for his turn!". Thank goodness for days like today. One of his good days every now and then remind me of what a joy he is to my life and help me forget what a booger that he can be on his bad days.

After school, I had to run into the store to grab some milk and Owen went in with me. Now, I never EVER allow Owen to get something when we're in the store. I just think that it's a bad precedent to set, and I don't do it, but today, when he asked me with his best manners if he could have some wafer cookies, I let him. :) I asked him on the way home if he knew why I let him get something and he told me, "Because I was nice at school, and I didn't make Mrs. Hughes say, 'Owen! Go sit on that chair!'". Ohhhh I had to try so hard not to laugh at his impersonation.

Poor little Eli is still not feeling very well. Yesterday, he took a 6 hour "nap" from 10:00 am-4:00 pm, and then went back to bed at 8:30 and slept until 10:45 this morning, when I had to wake him to go pick O up from school! He took another 3 hr nap today. When he is awake, he just lays on my lap and snuggles.

Please pray that this virus that has hit us this week doesn't re-activate my reactive arthritis. It's finally gotten a lot better, and I only have to take my anti-inflammatory every 48 hours. I am praying like crazy that I'm done with that!

Even when I don't like him

I love him.

Lately, he loves to play the game, "Do you love me when I______?" Sometimes he fills in the blanks with things like "when it's dark?" or "when I'm at school?" But usually he fills in the blank with something more like, "when I pick my nose?" or "when I hit my brother?"

Of course I always respond with an enthusiastic, "YES! I love you all of the time. Always and Forever!" And while I do always love him with all of my heart, it's sometimes really hard to enjoy his company. Today was one of those days that I just didn't like him very much. I hate, hate, HATE to say that, but it's true.

When he's in a good mood, he is the most charming little boy that you could ever want to meet. But when he's being the worst version of his three-year-old self, I just want to scream! I know that I am not the first mother to have said this.

Trust me.

I know.

But I am living this right. now. and it's hard. Hearing, "Wait 'til he's a teenager." or "It gets even harder." are not helpful statements in this phase of my life. I want to enjoy him always. I want to always feel truly is tappreciative of the gift that he o my life. When I see other adults who don't *really* know him that are super annoyed by his behavior, I just want to hide. I wish that they could see the precious little person that he is capable of being- not the hellion- that he is being in this stage of his life.

I love him. Always.

A two thumb day

If you know my youngest child, you'll know that he will NOT be bathed unless he is accompanied by me. He will literally scream his fool lungs out if you try to put him into the bathtub. (Sara can attest to this!)

Well, last night the poor baby threw up all over his bed and then rolled through it- a lot. I was trying to get Owen ready for school and realized that I was going to have to deal with this --and quickly. I picked him up out of his bed and carried his puke-covered self to the bathroom. I stood him in the empty bathtub (traumatizing event #1) so that I could strip him- and then quickly ran to throw all of the stinky bedding/clothing into the wash.

I came back and looked my sweet little baby with his hair crusted in vomit and knew without a doubt that I love him an awful lot- but there was NO WAY that I was getting in that tub to give him a bath while he was still covered in puke. I proceeded to hose him down and wash his hair (traumatizing events #s 2-3) and he screamed harder than I have ever heard him scream. You would have thought that I was making boiled baby soup in that bathtub! I got him cleaned as quickly as I could and pulled him out of his personal hell and wrapped him in a towel. He continued to cry for a few minutes, but then finally found solace in sucking his thumbs. Both of them. At the same time. The poor little baby was so traumatized that he had to suck both of his thumbs at the same time.

The good news is that his day improved from then on out. He wasn't sick the rest of the day and aside from sleeping a little more and being a little more clingy- he acted fairly normal.

Bedtime tonight was pretty funny. We all knelt down to say prayers with Owen- (including Cheetah who folded his paws nicely) and afterwards Owen gave us all hugs and kisses. Owen leaned down to kiss Eli, and Eli looked back up with him with his mouth wide open to give his brother a "kiss". Owen looked at him and said, "I just want to kiss him on his head!" Eli tried his best to give his brother a big, wet one- but he was denied. :) Matthew and I both got a big kick out of that little interaction.

Hope you're all having a great week.

Blah, blah, blah- excuses.

Sorry that I've been absent lately. I've just been crazy busy in the last week or so. Fortunately, most of it has been fun and positive.

Last week, on Tuesday I met up with my mom friend, Emily, and several of the moms from Owen's class. We took all of our kiddos to Jump and Play for a great afternoon playdate. It was really fun and it was great to see all of the kids playing together.

Wednesday, I had T&Q all day- and then that night I went to Ash Wednesday services and RCIA while Matthew took Owen and Eli to gymnastics.

Thursday, after I picked Owen up from school, we headed down to S. Indiana to spend some time with Mom/Dad, Grandma/Grandpa Gessner. We went sledding, and FINALLY got to build a snowman. We had a wonderful time, and I actually WON at scrabble against Mom Gessner!! That NEVER EVER happens!

Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures while we were there. (Boo Me)

Friday, on the way home, the boys and I had lunch with my friend, Noelle, that lives in Lexington. We went to the Claudia Sanders Dinner House. (Colonel Sanders' wife) The restaurant was located inside the Sanders' home, and it was really neat. It was super fun getting to meet up with Noelle as well!!

Saturday found us trying to have a "date" night WITH our boys in tow.

Sunday, we had to be at an early mass for the Rite of Sending and then we had to be downtown at the Cathedral that afternoon for the Rite of Election.

Sunday night-Monday- Matthew and I caught a stomach bug and moped around the house pathetically.

So- there's our last week in a nutshell. Mostly just my lame excuses for not blogging in forever.