why I havn't been blogging...

number one...

'nuf said... ok, moving on...

number 2...

ugly as sin, but now super clean and ugly as sin... these hideous things are our basement stairs which have not been mopped since Mazzy was alive...(for those of you who do not know the history of our doggie Mazzy, I am not going into detail because that would allow you to realize how disgusting that last statement was. For those of you who do know how long it's been since Mazzy died...well...know that I am ashamed...)

number three...

A mad attempt to get my husband to overlook the chaos that has become our lives, and fall madly and deeply in love with me all over again...(hopefully the pie turns out...still in the oven as I type)

number four...

the "help" I received doing number three and the clean-up it required...(look out Jamie Oliver!)

number five...

and we've come full circle...hello sweet girl!...she's awake...

until next time...

Parkapaloosa 2010

I found a great idea in the last issue of Family Fun. A Mom wrote in with her idea about ending summer with what she called "Parkapaloosa". She'd wake her daughter up one morning and they'd hit one park, then another, and another...all day. She packed breakfast and lunch and headed home about dinner time. So cool.

So, feeling ambitious, I decided the Friday before school started we would begin our Parkapaloosa tradition! To make it even more perfect, Sarah and the kids would be back visiting from Tennessee. She bravely agreed to join in.

Eden - 6mos.

The clowns! Ty, Holden, Colin and Asher

Eden and Sloan...a blossoming love?

Park no. 1 went well. Weather was beautiful. Holden, Colin and Ty decided to "swim" in the sandy "volleyball court". Asher being smart enough to avoid that mess! We decided to move on when I got a text from Chris that stormy weather was heading our way.


Park no. 2. Big hit!

The boys couldn't get enough of the "spider web".

Sloan and Eden remained pretty content. We hit a school playground within walking distance and left when it started sprinkling. Parkapaloosa would be rained out! Bummer! But we did have a small trick up our sleeves... an indoor playground! Thank God...we salvaged it a little bit.

Bottom line, the kids still had fun. It was totally worth it...

And we all got worn out... i.e. easier evening for me and hopefully a sleepier bunch for Sarah's long drive back to Tennessee Saturday morning!

*miss you and love you TN bunch!

3 weeks ago and $70.00 richer....

Meet Rex. Then say goodbye. RIP Rex. Victim of Ick. (Here I thought only Henry Huggins' fish got Ick and died...I guess not.) He was Colin's pet for less than 2 weeks.



Meet Max. He had ick too. He survived. Yea.

Now, meet the snails.

These are but two of the hundreds...no, I am not exaggerating...of snails who are currently taking over our 5 gallon tank. Apparently snails can reproduce at a seriously, crazy rate. It's called 'snail infestation". Infestation has never been a word that I wanted to use to describe anything happening in my home. But here we are...

"If I'd known then what I know now" applies here, I think...

If you give a boy a camera...

he will probably elicit looks from his brother that no one else can.

He will probably reveal why he gets those looks...

You may see some things he likes.

He is sure to reveal his muse...

If you give a boy a camera, you will see life through his eyes...

and it will be a gift.

The End.

if at first you don't succeed...try Picasa again!

Ok...so here are the pictures from the first week in July. July 4th...my birthday...37 years old! Way too close to 40 to feel good about, but it beats the alternative so... Happy Birthday me!
My sister Karen and her family were here for the first week of July so that Lilly could attend day camp at Living History Farms. My boys had so much fun with their 2 weeks of swimming lessons that Karen decided to sign Jack up for the week. He was a bit apprehensive at first, but that kid was so brave, and by the end of the week he was a little fish! My boys got to play in the pool while Jack had his lesson. They had a blast!


My Mom and Karen and I spent Friday taking Jack, Ty, Eva and Eden to Living History Farms while Lilly and Colin finished up their week-long day camp. We met up with the campers at the end and took that cute cousin picture on the right. My kids love having their cousins here...and, I gotta say, I love having them here too. I wish we all lived in the same town. I miss my sister horribly!


Overall, it was a great week. We hope that every year we will get a week to spend together with all the cousins! Love and miss you guys!

the return

ok.

I've had my time out.

My blog tantrum is over.

I have forgiven Picasa. I will try it again when I have an ungodly amount of unscheduled time. (ha ha)

As for not blogging anymore...well...I cannot do it, or not do it, I mean. I truly do blog for myself. It is my creative release and my family's story...my journal of our daily lives, however crazy it gets. It is my social life. It's where I get to share my stories with others. It's a community where I get to be inspired or taught or entertained by the blogs I read. Let's face it...it's hard for a Mom of three to get out and about. This is where I come to feel connected. It's where I come when I want to feel close to my best friend...to see her sweet boy's faces, and where she needs me to be when she's feeling alone. It's where my very busy sister and brother-in-law can quickly check in with me. It's where I make new friends. I cannot stay away.

So...I'm not going anywhere. I'm here to stay. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Although, it was suggested that I try and keep the ugly, manic moments unpublished (thx Kan-do). I suppose it may be better to leave those posts in the form of an unpublished draft... :)

Love you all.

FRUSTRATED BEYOND I DON"T KNOW WHAT!

I'm teetering on the edge of insanity. I cannot spend an entire day (yes...trying to navigate picasa has taken me my entire morning!) trying to post pictures from the last 3 weeks while my children are running rampant and Chris' head is about to explode trying to deal with them. I feel like I'm going to explode. I want to post pictures from the last 3 weeks...we've had a lot going on. However...I apparently don't have the time, energy, or support to keep up with a blog. I'm contemplating just ending it ( no, I'm not suicidal...I'm talking about the blog). I have to work. I have family obligations. I have to do laundry. I need to sleep. This blog is my way of recording memories from our life...like a family diary. Not a way to compete with the rest of the blogging world or my BFF. My personality is such that if I'm going to do something I want it to reflect me... I like things to be cute...for me...it is an outlet for my creativity. Some apparently view my blog differently. I would argue that I only have 3 readers...who else would I be doing it for if not me...i mean, really...? as if i were that shallow...

I'm frustrated. I'm hurt. And I'm done posting for a while.

fire-dog

For those of you who know my mother, you are aware of her interest in all things acupuncture-y (it's a new word...I just made it up...). And for those of you who do not know my mother, lets just say that she has taken a deep interest in Chinese medicine since she started having acupuncture about 12 years ago. She is highly intelligent and in the 12 years since an acupuncture needle first pierced her skin that woman has become a well of knowledge when it comes to anything Chinese-y ( again...its a new word...). She has more than once imparted her Chinese wisdom on all of us...sometimes until our ears bleed ( just kidding Mommy). So, needless to say, we're all a little wiser than most when it comes to anything eastern medicine-y. Where am I going with this? It's a darn good question...the answer?...Chinese horoscopes. You weren't expecting that?

OK...now, how do I not get too involved in the whole explanation of the Chinese horoscope? (It's a bit complicated). You probably know from going to Chinese restaurants that each year is assigned an animal... I am an ox, for instance. You look up your year, you find out what animal you are. Each animal has traits which should describe you...the ox is strong and hard-working...amazingly correct ( :) ). OK...then depending on the day or the month or the moon or the weather or something, each person is also assigned an element: earth, water, wood, or fire. Each element also has traits. I am water...water is emotional...(duh). Chris, on the other hand, is wood...they are stubborn...again, amazing ( :) ). Anyway...there are so many levels...all very interesting...and, for the most part, pretty "dead-on" the deeper you go.

Meet fIRE-dOG: fun-loving, artistic, hot ("sweaty"), and explosive ( that can be good...or bad...).
And, once again, correct.

All of that explanation just to show you how his little artistic mind works. Ty loves to draw, color, paint, you name it... But, my favorite art that he does is this:

and this:

Just takes the normal everyday stuff and sees the art in it. Then hurls it across the room in a fit of rage when you ask him to pick it up. :) Just like the little fire-dog he is.

The End.

this is my life

Here I am. Almost a month after my comment "I will be posting again soon...no worries...". Good golly! Seriously people, I must be horribly unorganized because I honestly haven't had a moment to sit down and do this! I'm even playing beat-the-clock right now because I'm on dock to pick up Colin from a birthday party in 10 min.!!! Nothing like pressure...

So...one reason blogging was so hard for me...little league...2 games a week. However, Mother Nature won this season, raining out several games and then also our make-up games...but usually not until we were in route or already at the field, so we didn't miss out on the crazy!
Chris was an "assistant coach" this year...I think he actually enjoyed it a bit...

And, since then we've been running to swimming lessons every day for two weeks. The boys have had an absolute blast and are swimming around like fish! So proud of them! They've worked so hard and learned so much. Colin learned to dive...

Ty loves to jump in and totally submerge himself...

And Eden...well she's just chill...hangin' by the pool keeping the sun off her face so she can keep her youthful good looks...

Now I gotta run...times up...

Hello Sunshine!

Eden 17 weeks

*I'm still here and will be posting again soon...no worries...

retail therapy

It's been four days since Sarah and the boys have left. I'm coping. I spent Friday, my day off, at Target. Not the entire day, but close enough. And I feel a little better. Just a little.