1/21/10

Again this morning Brayden was scared of the stairs!  I don't know what to do.  I do know that he has not fallen down them and that this is something new.  Hopefully a weekend with dad will help.  Due to a lot of no listeners we were running late out the door.  All kids got to school on time but some of us were still in PJs in the car.  I am so tired of hearing Bridget fuss over her seat.  I decided that I would ask Travis again for help.  In his defense he is working hard and has a huge list of things that need to get fixed/done around the house (his list not mine).

I was finally fed up of no showers in the morning.  Since there were only 2 kids at the moment I grabbed the pack-n-play an placed it in my bathroom.  I then began to put toys in the bottom.  By this point the two kids I had were very interested in being inside (yet I knew the enthusiasm would end once they were inside).  Who to put in?  Bridget was the answer due to all the danger she could get into and not out of.  Brayden was very upset over this decision.  I quickly put on a "mom approved, previously taped" show to attract his attention.  Shower time!!!  Ok, for those of you who are moms, I am sure you understand the joy of finally getting into the shower for the day(s).  After about 2 minutes or less my bliss was gone.  Brayden was bugging Bridget and Bridget wanted out.  But I had my two minutes!

For some reason Bridget wanted a nap this morning.... badly.  So off to nap for her.  What can I do with Brayden to keep him quiet???  Ok, we are going to clean out the van and change around Bridget's car seat.  I tried calling Travis to see if there is any info I need to know about the car/carseat that would help.  Ok, not reachable.  I can do this!  I pulled a lot of summer toys out on the empty half of the garage.  Brayden decided to climb into the van.  Great :(  My "helper" insisted on staying in the van and helping me throughout the carseat ordeal.  So everytime I leaned the carseat forward to see the seat or to find something he would push it back hitting me in the head.  He kept doing the opposite of what I was doing.  I was starting to get annoyed about being in pain, so I put him in his seat.  I was mad, I didn't even buckle him in.  He said bye, climbed out, and headed for the now "cool toys".  Why didn't I do that to begin with?

By the time we were done it was time to pick up Rebecca (almost late).  I always feel bad about waking up any child to go out.  Poor Bridget gets woken up every afternoon and here I was doing it to her mid-morning.  I put "grumpy" Bridget in her seat.  "Cool" came out of her mouth then she looked up to me with a smile.  I am now thinking "Alright! Finally a happy baby."  The entire ride to get Rebecca Bridget stared at me smiling.  My guess is that she thought I disappeared when I drove and now she knew I was there and can look at me.

Nap time was a normal struggle.  Bridget more so today since she had a morning nap.  Picking up Marisa was better since Bridget can see the world.  I still feel the need to complain about crazy drivers!  It would be nice to pick-up Marisa just once without "almost" getting into an accident because the other driver isn't paying attention or doesn't care.

I am trying to include the kids in mealtime decision and preparations.  Last night they learned that picking side noodles is a democracy(Marisa's choice of words).   We had two options that we voted on.  Marisa and Dad won the noodle option.  Rebecca won the vegetable option.

After supper we enjoyed a "visit" from Nanny and Wello via the webcam.  The kids had a hard time recognizing Wello with his mustache gone.  Travis noticed how much Brayden looks like Wello with his mustache gone.  The kids started to play "computer games" (game cube) while still on the web cam.  I think Nanny had a great time watching them play, fight, and borrow the controllers.  After that Mom was wiped and happy it was bed time.

1/20/10

I knew it was going to be a long day by breakfast.  I woke up later than I wanted so I got up got dressed and started dishes.  Travis was getting ready for work.  The two girls come downstairs and head straight for dad.  Ok, that is normal around here so not much worry yet.  I ask what they would like for supper and nothing is said.  I ask again and there is silence.  Travis is running late so he grows impatient and asks.   Finally answers!  I help get them settled in and ask yet another question.  This time I get impatient eyes from Rebecca and complete silence from both.  I hear whispered next to me "Hope your day gets better".  Travis already realized it was going to be a long one for me.  I giggled.  I also asked if he wanted to stay home (jokingly of course).  He laughed.  We were the only two laughing.  Marvelous!

Brayden is awake.  I am so excited I am going go finally get a hug!  Wait, nope, he is now scared of stairs (well going down) suddenly and cries instead.  Will anyone be my friend?  There is Bridget's cry from being woken up by Brayden.  Of course, she is all smiles for me, I am her food still.  At least I get hugs from one.  I have been trying to give her milk/water/juice from a sippy and she just won't take anything.  What a stubborn little girl!  She will run around giggling proud she has a cup but spits out anything she gets in her mouth.  I can see this will be a long struggle.

The morning got a little better.  Marisa warmed up to me.  She even told me how good of a cook I was and how much she loved me!  Becca was back to talking to me.  Brayden still scared of stairs.  We had our normal drive to school and back with Bridget crying.  Becca was happy to be back home and playing.  Since everyone was in interesting moods I decided to sit on the floor and play before I began "my chores".  That turned into a fight over mom then disbandment to get into trouble.  Brayden was slamming doors on Bridget.  Becca was wining over anything.  Bridget finally got through to the "big" pillow to bounce and hit her head on our bed.  Then both Brayden and Bridget got into the wires from the game cube.  They the two decided to pull down anything they could reach on our desk. 

Finally lunch. Again I couldn't get lunch right for Becca.  I wish that when she made up her mind she wouldn't change it.  She then asks me to dance.  Ok, here is my chance to get on her good side.  So I silly dance. Not good enough.  "Dance for real", I don't know why but I did "The Twist".  She says "no, jingle bells".  "What is that, show me".  A proud little girl climbs down from her chair and begins to shake her hips.  With every shake she says "jingle bell".  I started laughing.  How cute!  We are back to liking each other!

Nap time was quiet of sorts.  I keep busy while reminding everyone to sleep.  Right now I am sitting in the hallway like yesterday typing and yelling.  Helps Brayden fall asleep but it keeps Bridget up.  "They" say that babies can smell their milk from a distance.  If it is true this little on proves it.  It is like I am holding a plate of hotdogs out here and she wants it.

After picking up Marisa we out voted Dad for mom not to cook.  Ok, didn't take much to sway dad.  The next question was where to go?  Apparently we needed to call Nanny and get her opinion and help on this question.  Ah, my children.  Marisa chooses Minervas in Yankton, SD.  She was very upset that it was too far away.  China food is her final choice.  Rebecca decides on eating at "the rocket ship".  No one knows where that is.   After a long conversation with Nanny and enlisting the help of Uncle Tim and Wello to secure the plane that would be needed to get to the rocket ship that she got to drive she was content on leaving the house.  Brayden wanted sausage, Dad wanted pizza, and mom didn't care (I just didn't want to cook).  So I load the kids back up into the van just in time for 5pm and the arrival of dad to the house.  We ended up at a China buffet instead of HuHot where dad wanted to go.

Rebecca was still wanting to go to "the rocket ship" as we heading shopping again.  According to Marisa all Best Buys are the same even if the are located on different streets and that if you go into one don't bother going into the other.  To Dad the second Best Buy store had a lot more "stuff" to look at.  Marisa was ok once we go in there.  She got to play with the drum set for Xbox.  Cool she said.  I got to try out Mario for the Wii.  I now know I have no clue how to use the controller for the Wii.  We get home late and Rebecca talks Dad into playing a game on the game cube.  Wow, a late night and a tired mom

1/19/10

I am posting a little late due to a huge day yesterday.

It all began with our normal chaos of getting out the door in the morning.  This morning there was a little surprise.  Ok, a few surprises.  For one, I woke up early.  Early to me is before the kids wake up.  For one of the few days of my life I was up, showered, dressed and with coffee in my hand before the first stir of kids.  The girls slept in to 6:30 so it was triumph for me.  Travis and I also had some time to talk or actually see each other before he left for work.  So far a good morning.  The little patters of feet above our head began.  That usually means running down the stairs would be next.  So we waited.  And waited, and waited.  Finally Travis went to see what the hold up was.  As he walked to the stairs he could hear the girls excitedly talking about going to school that day.  He said good morning, no one answered.  Finally the trampling down the stairs began.  Two bright eyed little girls were at my feet saying "good morning, we made our beds alread!  Where's Dad?".  I was in shock!  Beds made before leaving their room to even go potty.  What have we started!

At some point I hope to get it all figured out.  I am sure as more kids can dress themselves it should get a tad easier.  It was a 2 stop day.  Marisa being stop one.  Oh, they count and keep track of who is first, second and last (at some point they will realize that they need to make room for 1 more).  All were sad to see Marisa leave, then it occurred to Rebecca that she was next.  Excitement in the car again.  Drop off 2.  Brayden is usually pretty sad about Rebecca going to school now.  Rebecca likes to just about push me out of the class room.  She is enjoying this play time and learning time with new friends.

I begin to drive.  Brayden lately is more aware of his surroundings as he asks me, "where going?" since I turned the opposite way of home.  "A surprise!" I respond back to him.  "Oh" is all I hear back until a truck drives by.  As I pull into Bakers I hear "HOPPING!" from a very excited little boy.  We were at the grocery store.  He gets excited over this because he doesn't have to share the "car" that is attached to the front of the cart with Becca.  He actually behaved the whole time in the store.  Well, we weren't there for long, just for some lunch meat.  Bridget was tired so she didn't do so well.  I wish she didn't give up morning naps!  After shopping it was home for an hour, then back in the car to pick-up Rebecca.  Bridget HATES cars.  So she is no fun.  Every time I mention getting kids in the car or driving imagine an 11th month old who is screaming the entire time.  I have a headache by the time Travis gets home everyday!  Rebecca is always so full of energy when I pick her up from school, today was no different.

We never have a quiet meal at our house.  Then nap time.  Ahhhhh........nope no relaxing for mom.  Fought with 2 to nap.  While I was still fighting with Brayden to nap the phone rings.  I have to admit from 1 to 3 if my house phone rings I cringe with anger.  I am afraid someone will wake up.  I was happy to hear from my Nanny.  I haven't talked to her in awhile.  I was also relieved that finally the kids were asleep by the time I was done talking.  Oh, wait now I need to rush and get Marisa.  No rest for the weary.  I hate driving to get Marisa and the snow is worse.  At least when there was no snow it was entertaining to "people watch".  Now it is just crazy drivers stuck in snow.  I have to leave super early so I can park close to the Kindergarten side so I don't have to drag the other 3 kids out to get Marisa.  It is such a mess!  I wish people would learn to park on one side of the road only.

After some talking time with Marisa, play time with all 4 it was supper time.  Long ago Marisa decided she didn't like French Toast.  This happens to be my favorite breakfast item (especially with porkroll or bacon) but I never get to have it.  Rebecca was next to ban this item from our menu.  Brayden was the final hit last year.  With some coaxing Travis talked me into trying it again.  It was GREAT!  All kids enjoyed their French Toast and even declared we can have it again.  Bridget was most enthusiastic over French Toast (that is my little girl!).  Then it was off to shopping.  We needed a few things like milk, eggs, bread, and a computer game.

Poker Night got canceled. So, it was declared "game night".  We called up Wello and tried Age of Empires 2.    Well, that did not go so well so round 2 tonight has been declared with a different game.  At 11 when we couldn't get a connection to play with my dad, it was asked if I would play.  At about 1am we were finally heading to bed.  That is why this blog was late.  Since Travis had the computer monopolized I couldn't blog, and I was not bogging at 1am.  Well, that's it for now.  

1/18/10

Monday.  It is always hard to get back into our routine every Monday morning.  Since there was no school today it wasn't hard to let the kids play more this morning.  Oh, did they have fun!  As the fighting began I started to including them in my cleaning.  We started a chore chart combined with an allowance about a couple of weeks ago.  Marisa has caught on quickly.  She has not missed a Friday "payday".  Though she is really good at keeping me on task once she starts helping.  She runs down her list and asks for more to do.  I know this enthusiasm won't last long so I am enjoying it.  I make sure she does take some play breaks often.  I got a lot done considering the craziness of the day.

No school days can be fun.  Even though I cleaned the kids played around me with lots of laughs and giggles.  They lined up the dinning room chairs as a train while I swept and washed the floor.  All of them helped with switching the laundry, or so I thought.  I hear "my turn, my turn" from Brayden so I thought I would peek in and see what was going on.  He was pushing his older sister into the washer wanting his turn next.  I had to explain to them not to climb into the washer or dryer.  As I folded clothes the kids did gymnastics on our pillows or "helped" fold clothes.  Bridget just had fun rolling in my nice piles of clothes or carrying the clothes throughout the house and dropping them randomly for me to find.

Nap time was the usual struggle.  I finally gave in to Brayden and cuddled with him for nap time.  I expected to sneak out once he fell asleep but instead the two of us slept until Bridget woke up.  He was so cute giving me a kiss to go to sleep and snuggling in.  Then when he heard Bridget he kissed me again and snuggled as he talked to me.  Tonight when he went to bed he wanted me not dad (which is rare) to put him to bed.  We normally don't cuddle or rock him, but I fought him for an hour and was tired of disciplining him.  The two older girls did not nap which showed tonight

The highlight of the kids day was web caming with my parents today.  It was so cute!  They all fight over who gets to talk/read to Nanny and Wello.  Then Marisa proudly made a list of words she would like to know in spanish.  So she asked me to call Wello, "he knows better than the computer."  It was so cute watching her call.  She was very proud to study the words most of the day.

Once the kids realized that Dad was working late they began to go wild.  I quickly sent them to the basement (where they can run and have all their toys at hand) to get some energy out so they were not at my feet.  That worked for 5min as they began to fight.  So back upstairs in corners then to cleaning and cooking for all!  I give them plenty of chances to play, but if they fight it's to work they go.  Most don't like it but I don't like all the fighting.

I am typing this while watching the news and listening to our neighbor's loud music.  I hate not owning our own home.  I know it will be a long time before that could ever happen again, but I still long for our peace again.  The kids still talk about our "other house" so it can be hard to explain  the grown-up version of why we are here.  We explain it the best in their terms as we can and keep honest with them as we can.  We have been honest and true through the whole experience and we don't plan on changing that.

So, off I go to wrap up the night for a new day. 

1/17/10

I did not miss a day.... I am just winding down my day and found a great time to blog.  Sundays are a mixture of fun and relaxation for us.  Breakfast is usually relaxed and big, girls had dunking eggs and cinnamon rolls (which is currently an ongoing debate here, which are better?) and a nice big cup of coffee for mom and dad.  As usual it is a rush ending as we begin the chaos of getting ready for church.  I have learned through the years to line them up and work down the line.  The two older girls run off to find dresses (this is their favorite day of the week!) and I head to get the younger two outfits, Travis heads for the shower. With all kids dressed I then work on hair.  Well, the girl's hair today. 

Brayden was in the bathroom as Travis was doing his hair this morning.  It was so cute!  Everything Travis used Brayden wanted used on him.  So he had his hair combed, hairspray put in, cologne on and deodorant (none was actually used)put on.  He was such a proud little boy!  Then the teamwork begins I hand the kids over with socks, boots and jackets needed as I jump into the shower.  When I am done I head the 3 older out and pack the diaper bag as Travis is "wrestling" Bridget's boots and jacket on.  Then off to church.  The two older girls head into Sunday School.  They love going there!  We like it too.  They read the children's version of the gospel for that day.  They also say part of a rosary every week so they are learning lots of prayers.  They get to play and work on projects too!  We were on time today..... okay, mass started late but still we were sitting and waited a little in quiet before mass started.  That is a victory for me!

Mass went well with the two little ones.  For the most part the behaved.  It helped that I brought some snacks with us.  I had the pleasure of listening to the first two readings as I nursed Bridget in the "nursing" hallway.  It is a little different at the church here.  The hallway is used as a "family/nursing room".  Sometimes it is great sometimes not.  I go off to the side were there are these really tall chairs which help a lot.  I put Bridget down for a moment and she saw Aunt Ann and Mary down the hall.  So, off she went running.  I chased her down as she got to the bathroom door.  Bridget was quite perplexed that they just seemed to disappear.  For a little girl who hates anyone who is not mom she was disappointed she missed them.  I started to sing the communion song and Bridget looked at me, smiled then snuggled into me and fell asleep.  She hasn't fallen asleep in church for months!  We were right by the organ and she slept through them playing Amazing Grace.  She even slept through me putting her in her car seat.  She gave up that thumb without a fight as I buckled her in.

After church we headed to the car wash.  The two older girls did a good job of scaring Brayden a while ago with the car wash so it is always interesting in the car.  Travis suggested doughnuts would be fun to have through the car wash.  I didn't quite agree since it was lunch time. So, we compromised.  The three of them shared one doughnut.  Bridget did not make it asleep through the car wash.  She was not happen to be awake or in her carseat.  That is one thing she hates, the carseat.  I get to hear her scream all the way to and from Marisa's school.  The other 3 were not bad with driving, but Bridget hates it.  She rather run around the house than get in the car.  It is like I am torturing her.  Unfortunately I must leave the house daily so, I guess I will be the mean one for awhile.

Nap time!  There was a nice nap time.  Travis was nice enough to let me nap as long as Bridget.   It is rare to sleep anymore while she is.  I know I am very thankful for that long nap!  I was awakened nicely as it was supper time.  We kept it light with tomato soup and sandwiches.  Everyone had to have a completely different sandwich.  Oh, the fun!  Tomato soup is the only soup the girls will eat.  Brayden still has the opinion that no soup is good.  Tonight Bridget couldn't get enough of the soup.  She was so cute!  She had to "show off" the fact that she was eating the soup to me.

Tonight was soccer night!  We lost.  I just like to get out on the field and play.  I push my body when I get out there and play hard.  I figure if I can't give it my all I shouldn't be out there.  The best part for me is that it is still fun.  Yeah, I get frustrated at myself and angry for not being as fast as I used to but it is still fun.  I don't care about the score (sure my team might yell at this), just my effort for the game.  Since I am by far the oldest, it seems like I have a lot of catching-up to do with my speed.

After running, I got the pleasure of shopping.  Some may not think it a pleasure to shop at Walmart at 9:30pm on a Sunday night.  Look at it my way.  The store was half empty: quiet.  I had 0 kids: quiet with sanity.  Do I need to explain anymore?  When I arrived home I was surprised to see we still had some fried mac-n-cheese left at the house.  There goes all that running!  I think it is getting late enough for me.  Off to switch the laundry, run the dishwasher, and pack Travis' lunch.....goodnight!

1/16/10

After last night ending late.... too late, this morning arrived too early.  At 6:15 our children woke up excited about going to the zoo.  We were surprised with the request last night but decided we were due for some fun family time outside these 4 walls we live in daily.  So, I packed lunches as the kids ate breakfast.  They quickly mapped out our trip for the day.  It is amazing at how the entire family was up by 7:15am (thank you Travis for letting me sleep in!) but we didn't leave the house until close to 9:30.  I wish that all the kids would learn to listen but I think we have quite a long time before that happens.

We got to the zoo and it felt almost empty.  The kids quickly spotted the peacocks on our way through the front of the zoo to our destination.  We started with the Jungle.  Ok, some might think that it was cold outside today.  Though when you get into the Jungle it is quite warm and humid.  We were not able to finish the bottom of the Jungle last time so that is where we started.  It was so nice not to be pushed around and to be able to take our time through the Jungle.  It was a little muddy so I was glad that they all wore their boots.  There were birds every where.  The caves and waterfall were their favorite spots.

After the Jungle was completely explored we ventured to the Aquarium.  The kids enjoyed the new Kidzone in front of the penguins.  The kids ran with the swimming penguins.  The coral reef was fun for them too.  Marisa liked the "little crabs".  There was lots of oohs and ahs when we got to the shark tank/tunnel.  They had a blast watching the sharks, fish, stingrays, and sea turtles swim around and over them.  We decided to eat lunch there with all the fish and sharks.  The kids had a blast.  They really liked the jellyfish and school of fish swimming in round tanks where they can run around them.  Marisa even found Nemo!  Bridget had a blast walking around finding the low tanks.

The next stop was the giraffes.  That is Rebecca's favorite animal to visit.  Though Marisa doesn't like going there due to the steep hill to walk back up.  After the giraffes we ventured into the Caves under the Dessert Dome.  It is not one of my favorite spots but the kids had fun.  It is completely dark and it houses bats, snakes, crocodiles and many more things.  The smelliest part is the bat cave.  The spookiest part is the bayou with lots of crocodiles and alligators all around you in the swamp as you walk over moving dock.  Kids loved it but I couldn't wait to get out of there.

After our scary adventure we were off to see the gorillas.  There was a baby gorilla there sleeping in one of the worker's arms!  She brought him up to the window for Bridget and I to see.  It was actually pretty cute.  The kids enjoyed the "big" gorillas.  Down at the bottom one was eating.  Marisa still tells the story about the Gorilla tearing apart the cheerio box.  Rebecca pointed out how the Gorilla enjoyed carrots, though she wasn't planning on eating any of hers.  They weren't paying much attention to the Gorilla as it was walking around.  As they began to look back into the enclosure the Gorilla stood up, their eyes grew huge and they backed up.  The Gorilla just sat down and finished his snack.  Finally Bridget fell asleep as we entered Orangutan corner.  They discovered a couple of very young orangutans playing.  The kids had just as much bounce around energy as the orangutans.  Finally we were off to home!

The entire family napped for 30min, then the kids started to wake-up beginning with Bridget.  We could easily tell the were over tired when they were web-cammed with my parents tonight.  Though they will not fall asleep right now.  I can tell you that I am very tired.  Travis even more tired than me since he was up a lot later than me. Wish I could go to bed soon!

1/15/10

This morning started off a lot better than yesterday ended.  All the kids were up early so they got to see dad.  That put all of them in a great mood which helped me out this morning.  We were actually early for school this morning!  That is always so rare.  As we pull up to school Marisa begins to cry.  She doesn't want to go to school today.  Why? She wants to spend the day with her mommy.  She misses her mommy so much.  I am sure it had a lot to do with seeing me upset last night.  I took a few minutes to talk with her.  She was happy to hear that in about 4 months she gets 3 months home with mom.  That sounded ok to her.  I then got to walk her into school.  I think there might be a special night planned for her.  She wanted to go to the zoo tomorrow so I am sure we will spend the morning there.

As I got home I realized how much work I have to do today.  I began with de-icing infront of the garage so I could get the recyclables and garbage out without killing myself.  Then inside to do dishes, play, webcam, clean livingroom, play, laundry, play, lunch, play, more laundry and now naps.  I have begun to realize that laundry and dishes will be an everyday adventure in this house for a long time.  I do have the actual help of the older 3 with these "chores".  They will put all dishes away that belong below the counter, so their dishes are on a bottom drawer.  They will switch the laundry for me and even start the dryer.  They even wanted to learn how to fold clothes.  They only fold towels and socks right now but that is a lot of help!

I remembered a story from yesterday.  Travis has been complaining for weeks now that Brayden does not have enough "boy" plates.  So that was one of the things we got with yesterday's shopping.  He had a choice of Transformers or Cars.  Since he knows nothing of either movie, he picked the Cars one since it had a car and he likes cars.  I got the plate and bowl out for lunch.  He found away to get the cup out.  I hear this noise of filling a cup of water from the refrigerator.  When I finally realized the sound and that no one should be touching that I turned around.  I was just in time to see Brayden pouring a cup of water over Bridget's head, who happened to be sitting next to the fridge.  Poor Bridget!  She had no clue it was coming.  Note to self: keep those buttons locked!


Well, yet more laundry is calling.  Oh, and the dishes, supper, vacuuming, floor washing, bathroom cleaning, shower.......

1/14/10

I have been inspired!  (thank you Adam) With all the crazy things going on I have decided to blog daily.  What about? Probably about my family since they are the center of my life.  So here is to day 1!

The morning started out normal with 2 girls crying that dad was not there, and Brayden searching the house for "dad".  Brayded would only respond to me if I called him "Braydenman" (like Spiderman).  I did have an amazing surprise when I went to get coffee.  Travis set up the coffee maker for me.  I finally had warm (not burnt) coffee this morning.

I am still in baffled that it takes me over 20 minutes to get all 4 kids in snow gear and into the van before I can leave to go anywhere.  Bridget no sits by the shoes and watches and "the big kids" get all geared up.  You might find her stealing a glove or boot from time to time.  Brayden just like to bug his sisters as he gets ready, oh and poop.  Every morning this morning I get them all geared up and realize that I need to change Brayden's poopie diaper.  Then Bridget brings me her jacket and boots.  As each kid is ready to go and we double checked the back packs the line up in the laundry/mudroom and wait for me to get a jacket on.  Off to school we go.

I made the mistake of grabbing Marisa's snow pants this morning for Rebecca at school.  That did not go over well with Marisa.  I didn't realize that snow pants were so special.  So she wasn't happy going to school today, but I am sure she will get over it quickly there.  Dropped Rebecca off at pre-preschool.  She about pushed me out the door.  She loves seeing her "friends" and teacher.

Then off to "shopping" I go with Brayden and Bridget.  Just the normal middle of the week run when I realize that milk, diapers, and bread are almost gone.  Though today was a little bit about mom getting out of the house while the sun is up high in the sky.  The kids loved it!  Well, for the most part.  Still trying to go to the bathroom while holding Bridget and begging Brayden not to leave the stall makes the trip no fun at all.

Well, they should be napping but I am hearing crazy noise up there so off I go to put them back into bed.

Merry Christmas

We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!  Our holiday was spent warm and cozy in our home as a blizzard roared outside.  Some of the drifts are up to our windows.  We decided to stay home with Interstate, churches and many more things closing throughout the state.  We missed our families a lot and enjoyed web-caming with them.  Though webcams don't replace hugs, we hope to web-cam a little more through this week/weekend. 

The kids were excited that Santa still made it to our house.  They said that it was Rudolf's year to lead the sleigh and he did a good job.  Since they got to sing that song for their school programs it was a favorite this year.  Now Marisa has memorized the 12 Days Of Christmas song.... so has dad :)

Marisa was the first one up and full of energy.  She was proud to read everyone's name and pass out gifts to all.  We were happy we didn't have that job and got to sit and help the little ones tear into the wrapping paper.  Marisa seems to have grown so much in the past year!  She has become such a great helper and wanting to take on more tasks.  Since napping no longer exists in her vocabulary the nights can be a little touchy but she keeps busy reading and doing crafts all day.

Rebecca was the next one up.  The look on her face was amazing.  She has been learning to ready her name so she quickly spotted out all her presents.  She is approaching 4 and now has this ability to be "grown-up" at times.  This morning it was hard to keep her still and away from gifts as we tried to fix some problems with the webcams.  Rebecca enjoys talking and running.  Yup she sings  and talks as she runs laps around the house lately.  She has been wearing her "tapping" shoes and princess shoes all day long.  We need to pry them off for bed times.  She was very happy with what Santa brought (well, no Dora that morning but she got a camera so it was ok).

Brayden was a little shy coming down the stairs until he saw a DINOSAUR!  LOL  He was so much fun that morning.  It was his first Christmas morning that he knew what was going on.  We couldn't keep him still or from tearing into gifts.  He just picked up presents and began opening them (which caused minor issues for the girls who knew they weren't his, luckily they were family gifts).  His favorite words all season were "Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas!" yet with such a cute little voice.  It is funny how he will annoy anyone (including dad) and then have this sweetness of kisses and hugs to try to get out of trouble.  He has been converted to a "big boy" bed.  We built a "tent" around the twin mattress to help him transition and he loves it. 

Bridget was smiley and confused that morning.  She couldn't decide if she was hungry or wanted to play.  Eventually hunger won but not for some time.  She wasn't interested in unwrapping the gifts but had fun playing with the paper and all the other toys.  Bridget would grab a toy and go waling off.  As she was chased she would pick up speed.  This girl is about to run.  She has been mastering walking throughout the house.  In fact she refuses to crawl at all.  She is now almost 11months old..... wow, this last year went by so fast!!

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!!  (pictures to follow soon)

11/23/09

Happy Thanksgiving!
Ok, I know it is early but I know I will not get back on here for awhile.  What is the family up to for Thanksgiving?  Well, with Travis' work schedule we will be staying home.  So that means I get to cook.  I received my "list" of requests the other day from the kids and Travis.  There was a slight panic that there may not be any pumpkin pie this year.  Travis was excited to see that I had gotten stuff to make pumpkin pie about 2 months ago so we are covered here.  Travis is still working 10hr days 6 days a week.  We will be eating "Turkey dinner" at 11am so we can fit the rest of his day in.  Yup he has it planned.  Christmas tree is going to go up and decorations too.  Since the outage has been officially extended to the 10th of December and unofficially until the 3rd week of December he figures he won't have much time to decorate later.

Marisa is having a "feast" in school tomorrow then has the rest of the week off.  The feast should be interesting since the food requested was a lot of sweets.  Rebecca has Grandfriends day tomorrow.  She will be having soup and songs with mom, Brayden, and Bridget since we were the only family able to attend.

We have had a round of sickness going around.  It started 2weeks ago with Marisa, then to mom Rebecca and Brayden last week.  Now it is to Dad and Brayden is still going through something new.  We are fighting a fever today with Brayden.

Bridget is determined to walk.  She wants no help in the feat.  She is stubborn about it too.  So far she gets 4 steps before wobbling to her but.  Her 2 top teeth are almost in.  She has been loving "patty-cake" and peek-a-boo.  Marisa is losing her 2nd tooth.  The Tooth Fairy may just visit before Thanksgiving but more likely closer to Christmas.  Brayden has taken a leap in language.  He is now trying to learn names of everything he sees.  He is starting to have a little more sentence structure.  Rebecca is excelling in pre-preschool.  She still doesn't want to clean but loves to color and put together puzzles.

I am staying sane through all this with playing soccer, and the visit from my mom (I really missed her and wished my dad didn't have to work).  Now if I can work on not getting hurt and running a little more while I am on the field.  Well I have been discovered.

10/26/09

It has been quite some time since I have been able to get on here and write.  I would like to blame the computer crashing mulitple times and a busy life for my lack of typing but to be honest life is always busy.  What have we done this month?  A lot.  We were able to make a trip back to Hartington for one night.  It was a quick trip that we all wished we could stay longer.  We even had a little girl in tears about leaving.  It is so wonderful to see the bond our kids have with family.  The tears were not fun but the love for Grandma and Papa was amazing to watch.  It is sad to know that we will not be able to go and visit again until December (hopefully not late December with Travis' work schedule changing soon.) 

Marisa's soccer is over.  She had a great time playing!  It is so funny how distracted kindergartners can be out on the soccer field.  While she got to play Travis and I got to chase the other three around the field.  We got to watch a little though.  Brayden was determined to get out on the field with his sister.  Becca was better once she found her "friend" from school and they got to run and play together.  I am also still playing soccer.  It has been painful but lots of fun.  I am relieved that my team is so understanding that I am nowhere near a good player on the field.  It is great to be playing again, and with a fun, good group of people.  I am starting to get "back" into the game again.  A few of the players remind me of my dad and brothers, so it really feels like I am playing with "family" out there.  Ok, they don't tease as much but the skill level is impressive.

Marisa had her parent-teacher conference and she is doing amazing in school!  We are such proud parents!  She is reading and putting together sentences.  Her penmenship is amazing!  Marisa can be very detail oriantated and serious about her work in school.  She is loving PE and art.  Library has been a treat for the whole family.  She loves to bring home new books and have me read them to the family.  Dad got to have lunch with her last week.  She still has not stopped talking about it since then.

Becca is loving preschool!  Last week we were able to  go to the pumpkin patch with her  Another parent nicely took Becca and Brayden on the hayrack ride to the pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins since Bridget was hungry and didn't want to wait.  The kids had a blast feeding and playing with all the animals.  I still need time to upload those pictures from my cell phone. 

Bridget is crawling and "walking around the coffee table and couches   Well, that's all from in this blog.  Little ones are getting up.  Hopefully I can get on here again soon!

9/29/09

Yesterday I learned that even though a day can start great, it can quickly turn into a very challenging day.  Brayden became this crying monster in the afternoon.  He was very tired but obviously hurting.  He would just scream for my arms.  He even fell asleep in my arms.  That was strange but absolutely wonderful.  He did not like me putting him down to go get Bridget.  Well, he threw off supper and arrival time for Marisa's soccer practice and game.  It also gave everyone some strange moods.

Marisa did great at her game.  She almost scored her first goal.  It was so close!  She was very proud of herself.  Her coach (no me) is doing great.  The team was passing the ball and really getting into the game.  If Marisa stays focused on the game she does great.  If she loses focus, you can find her playing with another team (lol the fields are right next to each other).  It was funny but she is not the only one.  The other three enjoyed being outside and playing.  Bridget didn't mind the grass at all.  Brayden started to feel much better when he got his gas out.  Rebecca had a great time kicking the ball around.  Though I have to admit Brayden's soccer skills are pretty awesome.  While dribbling (yes he can dribble quite well) down a slope the ball slowed, he quickly recovered with a simple adjustment and continued with perfect flow to dad. 

On the way to Walmart after the soccer game Rebecca had a "wella moment" (that is what Travis likes to call it).  Bridget started to fuss:  "Mom, Bridget has a stinky diaper" "Thank you Becca, how do you know?" "She is crying" Marisa then asks "Did you smell it?" Rebecca replies "Marisa, I don't want to hear that"
Travis and I couldn't stop laughing.  It was like she was tell Marisa to "shut up" but not using aggressive language just a strong tone.  Once Becca knew we were going "shopping" she was content to let Bridget fuss a little.  Oh, Bridget did not have a stinky diaper, she was tired.  Bridget is now demanding to sleep about 7-8pm nightly.  Any time not at her perfect moment is a struggle.

I thought I just looked at October calendar and it was practically empty.  One morning and the calendar is starting to fill.  I still need to get Marisa's school schedule today and the rest of Becca's on Thursday.  I officially have 4 calendars I maintain here at home.  First is the daily kids calendar for date, weather, holidays, birthdays and a few events.  The second one is my personal paper calendar that gets all info.  I like it because it is permanent and a good record keeper (for example all happenings with building house is now very helpful in court).  I also now transfer that info into the computer for reminders and an easy share with Travis (calendar #3).  Then is the final calendar for Travis.  It is a dry erase board with a cork board.  This is where I put my calendar up and Travis puts important info about work stuff.  I also am able to post all the kids stuff daily there so he always can see everything.  And it is a spot for our "to do" list.  I can see how calendar #4 is going to keep us connected in some very long days and weeks soon to come.

Well, it is off to get things prepared for when Travis comes home.  Hoping to get time to post some pictures.

9/27/09

What a weekend!!!  Finally everyone was starting to feel better so there were better moods to go around.  Thursday night the girls and I decided to make homemade pizza on the grill.  When Travis came home I found out that the grill was out of propane.  So it was homemade baked pizza.  The girls had a blast mixing the dough and "smooshing" the dough on the pan.  Becca insisted on hotdogs for a topping.  Yes, hotdogs.  I was so happy I had my own little pizza so that I didn't have to taste her's.  She enjoys making the pizzas but won't eat them.

The girls are enjoying Sunday School.  Brayden and Bridget enjoyed having mom and dad to themselves for 1 hour.  We had some good "cleaning" days.  Travis got the garage organized enough to get both cars in.  I got the kitchen, laundry, rest of the house cleaned and a body pillow sewn together.  I need to head out and get more filling for the pillow.  I am still in awe on how fast the house becomes a mess.  Bridget is now become part of the destroyer team.  It also means that I need to keep everything super clean on her level and keep Brayden from dropping all the toys infront of her.  Bridget is everywhere!!!  She is even trying to pull herself up on things.  Her favorite spots are the princess couch and coffee table.  She even enjoys playing under the table.  Bridget is really proud of the fact that she can crawl anywhere then sit up.  She is also is learning how to clap and wave.  So when she sits up she claps for herself and then when I walk into a room she waves.

I made this really good cauliflower dishes that includes cheddar cheese.  Travis and I love it, well the kids weren't so sure about it.  The cheese was cool but that is about it.  They asked where the "dish" is from and what we thought about it.  I told them that it was Grandma's recipe and Travis agreed with me.  So the next day I was eating the leftovers for lunch.  The girls freaked out.  They were concerned that Grandma and Papa were not going to get any of their supper.  I explained that Grandma could make the same thing for Papa and that we will go visit soon.  Rebecca has been "doing" so many things for Grandma.  I have heard her "playing" with Grandma. 

Well, I am tired so I will type again soon.  Hope to get pictures up tomorrow :)

9/24/09

Yesterday I crashed.  Marisa was also home sick yesterday and today. Both days with a fever.  Her coughing is not as much but I am having a hard time to keep her temp down with out meds.  I knew it would be a tough morning yesterday when I woke up with major sinus pressure and my throat in lots of pain.  When I went to do anything from walking to taking care of kids I felt so weak.  I made it to nap time. Last night was horrid for me.  By the time Travis got home from work I could barely lift my head from the couch.  He was awesome.  He sent me to bed and took over.  He brought Bridget in to nurse a couple of times then it was morning. 

Today has been much better for all the kids.  Rebecca loved school today.  She barely said good bye to me but was "push" me out the door.  She was very happy to see me and gave me a big hug when I went back to pick her up.  Bridget has been proud of her crawling today.  She has roamed the house today.  She was very proud of pulling herself to standing on the stairs.  I noticed that she was not strong enough to climb the stairs but it will be here soon.  Brayden has had fun terrorizing everyone.  He has sat and laid on Bridget and dumped the seashells on her head.  He then started to bug Marisa.  Marisa wasn't handling having him around so she ended up getting in trouble for hitting her.

Bridget napped this morning so I got some cleaning done.  I am still getting used to cleaning after 6 constantly.  I can't wait until they are able to help a little with the cleaning.  By this time of the week I get exhausted cleaning the same spots over and over again all week long.  Why do kids need to just drop toys and walk away.  Brayden has decided to only eat while walking around the house.  It is driving my crazy!!!  I don't allow it and usually send him back to the table.  He has gotten good at sneaking it and talking dad into letting him walk around.

Well, nap time is over.  Back to work.

9/21/09

I made it through the morning!  I got up so late (all the kids slept in) that I was not sure everyone would get where they need to be on time.  Everyone made it with little resistance.  What a weekend.  We ended up not going anywhere since Marisa start to run a temp on and off.  Brayden and Becca seem to be on the up swing.  Now Bridget and Marisa are going through this mess.  I guess I am battling it with some chills at night and a low grade fever.  I am a little congested in the morning.  I go around the house every morning and night with Clorox wipes and Clorox anywhere spraying everything down.  I am about to make myself a belt to hold all my "tools" or I guess I could just go out and get a shower caddy.  Yesterday Marisa cleaned all the doorknobs for me.  She had a blast!

I have some very motivational friends!  I have decided to make more time for "me"and not at midnight.  So I called into the local Soccer stadium and put my name on a waiting list to play soccer.  I am excited and nervous.  I have not played in so long that I am not sure how I will do.  Though once a week will not hurt me and should be lots of fun.  Another thing I started was blogging again.  I love to write but never have time.  This is my "writing" time.  About 10min a day when all the kids are asleep.  I figure it is a good time to keep "grandmas" up to date on the kids (grandpas too) and relieve some stress since I have no "out" right now.  Now I just need to figure how not to feed it into Facebook.  I am sure that everyone on my list doesn't want to hear me blabbering everyday. 

Last night I realized how hard Mondays can be for Mom.  I had so much to do and Marisa was just bouncing off the wall with excitement for school.  It is nice to see her excited for school but not so nice to see all the papers I needed to sign and fundraiser I had to fill out.  Travis was not happy about the fundraiser.  He wanted me to write a check out and just give it to the school.  Wish we could do that sometimes. 

Marisa and Rebecca started Sunday School yesterday at church.  They were excited to be in the same class.  Travis and I just had Brayden and Bridget in church.  It was nice yet weird.  We could actually pay attention more and hear what was going on.  Brayden was such an amazing little boy compared to normal with the girls being around.  He had our attention which he liked.  Bridget was tired so I just rocked her down while in the pew.  I am so happy she is used to noise because she just fell right to sleep.  Bridget makes the days so much easier with her happy, laid back attitude.  The first break for Sunday School is Thanksgiving weekend. Marisa asked if there was Saturday school anywhere, she would like to go to that.  LOL she can make me laugh.

I turned on the computer today to start working on "legal stuff" and realized when the computer crashed we lost what I was working on.  Yes I did save the file.  Some how with recovering our system I lost the 3 last files I was working on.  Ahhhh.  Back to the beginning for me.  I feel like I am never home to clean lately.  I have been to the doctor too many times and all this school and soccer stuff is driving me crazy.  I am nervous about the outage in November and how crazy it will get then.  I understand it is "scheduled" for 30 days but to be prepared for 45 or more days of Travis working 60hour weeks possible night shift.  From what he said no traveling from 2 weeks prior to 2weeks after.  I worry about him, the kids and lastly me (vacation for me in Jan?).  I am trying to think positive and be the center juggler so all are happy.  First I need to get through October when Travis will be gone for a week and the girls have so much school stuff going on, then I can worry about Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I realized that we can celebrate around Travis' schedule and all can still be happy.  Seeing my mom not just survive stuff like this with us, but come out of it so strong, has given me the strength I need to start.  That doesn't mean I won't be calling a lot, she is my mom and I love talking to her and getting advise (hope I am not bugging you too much).

Since tonight is Soccer/Frisbee night I need to go start supper.  I understand both may be canceled due to rain and Travis working late but nothing has been canceled yet so I must prepare.  Soccer 5:30 - 6:30 and Frisbee from 6:30 to 8pm???  When do I feed supper?  too early for my liking.

9/19/09

GO BIG RED!!!  Husker game is on!  Travis and the kids are watching the game.  Well Travis is while chaos occurs around him.  That happens here.  Anytime the "adults" want to watch/do something or are occupied (like on the phone or in the shower) the "kids" feel like it is the perfect time to test their boundaries.  Where am I while they are watching the game?  Cooking!  Yup someone has to feed all those bellies who will soon be entering my realm to but me and inflict chaos.   Here comes Brayden hunting in our cabinets.  He really enjoys tearing everything out of the cabinets and trying a little of everything he finds.  He just approved my croquettas for me.

The girls have been "helping" around the house today.  I guess I am slowly sneaking in chores for them to do.  She was helping me with lunch today.  "Mom, I like helping you cook.  I really love helping you cook", "Thanks sweetie, I like it when you help", "I only help though, at lunch and supper.  You are cook great at breakfast."  LOL.  I gave are a big kiss and hug and thanked her.  I know my morning are crazy but I got to see it through the eyes of my 5 year old.  Then at lunch, towards the end, she asked me to look at her tooth.  She said that there was something stuck behind it.  When I took a look there was something there.  So I further investigated it to find out that the tooth wiggled.  Yup, our little girl is losing her first baby tooth.  Travis' eyes were so mixed with emotion.  I just felt lost for moment.  We never thought it was time for her to start losing teeth.  She has grown up so fast!

Bridget has gotten a new gear or army crawling.  She is all over this house.  She has found a shortcut through where the two couches met.  That really impressed Brayden.  Bridget spends the time searching out new "toys".  She as already learned if she is hungry to find the kitchen, that is where food and mom are.  She has yet to discover that Brayden enjoys dropping his meals on the floor.  Bridget has learned how to sit up from crawling.  She thinks it is pretty cool.  Brayden and Becca are starting to learn that Bridget can now get into all their toys that are out.  Brayden does not like the fact that someone else can bug him.

Brayden.  Wow!  He is becoming such a handful.  I have always know that boys and girls play differently but wow.  I am starting to give "wrestling" time and destruction time for him.  I may not be a good wrestler but I sure try to keep him active.  Destruction time has been fun, like ripping up a paper we just drew on before throwing it to recycle or to have him shred my spam mail.  He is having a tough time expressing his emotions.  He is just going to hitting and biting.  Of course after a couple of days of this it hits me: this is a phase all kids go through just differently.  So, I now get to enjoy following the screams and showing him how to react.  Not that my day wasn't busy but it gets busier every day.

Off to bed for me.  I am starting to get what the kids have. Low grade fever and chills.  Not fun but I need to get this out of me quick, there are no days off for me, but I will take the rest of the night off to wake up tomorrow and still have the same disaster.  Ahhh, being mom.

9/18/09

Yesterday was Travis' birthday!  Yeah Travis!  I can say that when he was home he was well spoiled.  I know that at work he got to go out to lunch with some coworkers and had fun.  Travis enjoyed all the phone calls from family!  He had a smile on his face all night long.

For me the past 2 days have been chaos.  Well, I guess I am learning that chaos in normal in this house.  We had some computer problems so off I was to get it fixed, or drop the computer off to be fixed.  I think I was home for a total of 2 hours during school hours and until Travis got home.  I was wiped out with everything.  During our nightly checks with the girls, Travis noticed that Becca had a fever.  When I got up there it was 105.  So, a nice cool bubble bath, Motrin, and "juice" party occurred in the kid's bath at midnight.  Travis was awesome.  I was so tired and scared.  I couldn't even stand still.  He played with her in the bath and I checked on all the other and did dishes.  He cuddled with her in her towel to help the shaking she was going through.  She slept in our bed last night so we could monitor fever and give tylenol at 3am.  Needless to say we got no sleep. 

Today, Brayden and Becca have been fighting nonstop.  I didn't mind the running around.  The hitting, biting and screaming were out of hand!  I finally was able to pen them in for lunch.  I took one look at Becca and knew she was not feeling good.  Her temp was up to 104 again.  So Motrin and a call into the doctor.  I started to put a cool washcloth on her while waiting for the call back.  Then off to the doctor's office.  So, he said to treat her symptoms as I am and a stronger antibiotic for the sinus and ear infection.  They weren't going to test for the swine flu because it seems that she is getting better and treating the symptoms is best.  So far her temp is back down and staying down.  Doctor said perfectly fine to take her to the AppleJack festival if we keep her temperature down today.

Even though the kids have been sick they are in some great moods, well most of the time.  The girls are loving school.  Brayden loves his extra reading time.  Bridget is loving her new mobility.  Marisa has been doing a lot with apple this week.  She said she is making applesauce today.  Marisa was so excited to go to school.  That is why Travis picked the Apple Festival for tomorrow.

Hopefully there will be one day in the following weeks I can stay home and clean.  Sounds funny but I feel like I am barely in this house to clean.  I am always out taking kids everywhere or grocery shopping.  Some quiet time home and even time out without kids in tow would be nice.  Since there is no chance at that I will enjoy my late nights of quiet moments. 

One interesting thing I noticed.  Why do I spend the week (especially Thursdays and Fridays) peeling children out of bed at 7:30 or even 8am but on Saturday morning all kids are up before 6am, the one morning I get to sleep in?    Well off to round up kids and pick up Marisa. 

9/16/09

Last night we stayed home. No rush out for soccer, grocery shopping, or doctors. It was nice. Travis worked late so hotdogs and leftover pizza worked great. Lots of laughs and giggles. Baths, homework and bed for the kids. It is strange to say it was such a relief to put them to bed. Both girls were over tired and in such interesting moods. Brayden was still stuck to me and cranky. Bridget was so tired for not taking any naps yesterday. The silence of the house was amazing! We got a few phone calls down and cleaning done. Just as I was about to settle into more questions and answers from the lawyer, Travis asked if I wanted a break. We probably shouldn't have but we played some video games. We have not done that for over 5 years now. It was such an amazing time together!! It reminded us both about what we used to do for fun years ago. Since we met (almost 10 years ago) we used to love to play computer games and video games together. Staying up laughing and eating (ask my parents, they were a hub of games on weekends we visited). It was what Travis and I needed. With no babysitters and our schedule getting full (it happened fast) there has been no down time for me or us. I felt a little refreshed today. Though staying up till 1am playing was not smart, fun but not smart.

Patience. So wish I had more today. Becca got up in such a mood. I just put her in the car with PJs on and no shoes to take Marisa to school. It is still nice out so no big deal. She was not happy about that. So we get home and she gets dressed. Brayden fills his own snack bowl and Bridget starts rubbing here eyes (yes! nap time). So I nurse, burp and start rocking. Brayden thought he would be big brother and "sing" to Bridget. So now I am rocking a very sleepy cranky baby as my 2 year old screeches some unreconizable song. Bridget is getting spooked just as she tries to fall asleep multiple times with these little eyes begging me to stop the noise. Brayden then gets offended as I try to keep him about a leg distance away. Becca and Brayden have decided to enter a new way of playing together which involves a lot of wrestling, hair pulling, and hitting. Oh fun! I decide to bake Travis a birthday cake (his mom's chocolate cake recipe). Brayden decides to explore the cabinets as I begin to pray Bridget can sleep through all the noise. Brayden then hands me a great find. The small powder sugar container! Than he points to his shirt. Yup, you guessed it I am sure. He was covered in powder sugar and the floor behind him marked his trail from the cabinet. Off I went to get the dustpan to clean him and the floor up. I even got a kiss after it was all cleaned :)

Of course, Bridget wakes up. I sit her down in the living room so she can play. Just after I get into the kitchen I feel a little tug on my pant. Brayden grabs my hand and says "ick" and drags me back by Bridget. She spit up, a little but he insisted I clean it up. Another kissed earned by mom. The normal chaos of lunch then occurs. As I am cleaning up I noticed the middle two fighting again at my feet. I glance in at Bridget and she was at a Cheerio buffet and proud of it. Brayden and Becca were fighting over their snack bowls. So, off I went to "drag" them back to scene for clean up. I sit them down each with a piece of cut off cake to hopefully keep them quiet while I nurse Bridget. While I am nursing Brayden comes crying with his hand covered in something brown. In my head: "ok I did not give you that much cake, wait that is a lighter brown..." Out loud: "BRAYDEN MICHAEL WHY DID YOU HAVE TO TOUCH YOUR POOP IN YOUR DIAPER!!!! GET BACK HERE!!!!!" Bridget was not happy to stop eating but this needed to be dealt with. Lots of antibiotic soap and hand sanitizer was used to clean everywhere on that boy. Patience..... that is my word for today. I understand everyday will have its ups and downs. I am beginning to understand that everyday will be very busy and overwhelming but since I am mom God knows I have the strength and yes patience somewhere in me.

Now time for some coffee and lunch.

9/15/09

First half of my day has been interesting. I woke up early today. Well early for me. I am going to guess about 6am thought the alarm started at 5:30. It is all part of that master plan of waking up early to get a shower, breakfast and a few minutes to talk with Travis before he leaves and the house wakens from its slumber. Going to bed after midnight did not help me wake up with a cheer mood but the shower helped me take hold of my day. Few minutes with Travis didn't work but, still I was going to start my day off well. Kids still asleep? check. off to check e-mail. Have you ever gotten one of those e-mails that just by the title you don't want to open. Yup, first thing for me was that dredged e-mail. So the world around me thought my day needed to start not so well.

By the time I sorted out the horrid e-mail enough for the day all kids were up and bouncing around the house. I thought that getting 4 kids fed in the morning at one time would get easier as they get older, but nope it gets harder. I guess being a short order cook for 4 doesn't help. Bridget fruit and rice cereal, Rebecca gets waffle, Marisa wants dad's cereal with milk, Brayden wants..... well he not much of an eater so "juice" small bowl of cheerios and he discovered my toaster strudel so no breakfast for me yet. All, settled? Nope fights over who is blowing on them, looking at them and singing at them at the table ensue and Bridget wants to nurse not eat cereal. Still I promise my self that we are all leaving the house with a smile. We rush to get everyone dressed and 2 backpacks filled. Yup I said filled. Marisa need apples, oh gosh I forgot apples. Open fridge to find that Travis went out last night and got apples, YEAH DAD! Ok now the fight over what shoes to wear. and then into the car. Drop two off and home I go.

Thought Bridget would nap. Why would she? So fuss with her while I am quickly reminded that boys are very hard to take care of when sick. So I nursed Bridget with Brayden "monitoring" all contact on my lap too. If I moved he moved. It was like someone taped him to me. I would peel him off and run to do things (like potty) and he would scream after. Ok, today is not getting better. Another round of phone calls settles completes my morning to do list. Now books, make lunch and pick up Rebecca. Brayden's lesson from lunch: M&M's melt in applesauce. Peanut butter cups don't fair well or taste great after being stirred into applesauce.

So now I vow that the day will end with smiles. Brayden may still cry to be in my arms but he will be happy overall from the day. Now I am off to hopefully put Bridget to nap and then wake her up and the rest up to pick up Marisa. I pray she can be in a better mood after school today.

Wow! Today was one interesting day. I was in full mommy mode as my day came to a crashing halt....Brayden got sick. He has had this nagging cold for a few weeks and an ear infection on the first but wow he was sick. He was screaming in bed covered in puke. As grossed out as I was I picked him up, hugged him and calmed him down. Cleaned the bed and him up. Cuddled on the couch to listen to his breathing stop. He panics, cries and back into mom's arms he goes. We grab everything we need and cuddle on mom's bed. I gave Nanny a quick call. Ok I was panicking and needed advise. So, I went to the one person who has all the mommy answers, my mom. She talks to him and he is proud and happy to have his blankie and nanny (well phone and her voice but it works). Reassurance from my mom that I am doing my best and back to some cuddle time. Quick call back from doctor and off I go to pack all the kids up. Yup, it took me 1 hour to pack all 3 kids up to pick up Marisa. I know, crazy that it should take me that long. I had to get 4 kids snacks and drinks packed. Diapers changed, one on potty. 3 shoes on and 1 girl's hair done. Oh, and wake the other 2 up and nurse Bridget. Becca was such a great sport. She tagged along with a great big smile an became such a great big helper. Marisa stepped in and helped after I picked her up. All sat nice and still had their snacks as we wait for the doctor. In walked DAD. The excitement rose and all cheers (I mean screams) began for him with the running and hugs. (I would love for this to happen to me just once) I love watching how much they love their dad. The two younger girls took it pretty well that they were getting the flu shot. Marisa not so much but she got over it fast. Brayden was even in line for a shot, but he will need to wait until next time. Then it was off to find medicine and supper. Soccer was missed tonight but we made it to the open house for Marisa's school. She had such great reviews from her teacher! I am so proud of her!! I can't believe how much she is reading already.

Lesson learned today: Even if mom is getting a lot done around the house, nothing goes as planned and that if you have amazing support (thanks mom and Travis) then you can conquer sick kids and everything else.