Baby Blues

Allie was a little under the weather with a painful diaper rash tonight. I had the opportunity (or rather, was commanded) to keep her company as she settled down to sleep. I sang the “Wheels on the Bus” about twenty times and had a good chance to take a long look at my baby. She’s now more a little girl than a baby. It’s hard to believe that she will be two tomorrow.

When I found out I was pregnant with a girl I was scared. I’m not sure if that is a normal reaction but my true emotion was fear. There were logistics involved that were scary, I don’t have any baby items that are girly, but my real fear is that I would mess her up.

Scientific study has found that the person who makes the biggest impact on your life is the parent who is the same gender as the child. I always knew that is why we had boys; Bob is a fantastic father, husband, and all-around great guy. When I found out that Allie was on the way I figured that there must have been some mistake. Didn’t anyone realize that I was not good with girls? Just tonight as I was singing to Allie and thinking about that time in my life, it dawned on me that Allie was not born for what I could teach her but rather what she could teach me.

It never ceases to amaze me to think of how much love there is in my heart for each of my children and Allie is no exception. What a marvelous creature full of life, affection, and conviction. She is so determined to accomplish the goals she has set out for herself (most currently involve popsicles) and it is wonderful to watch. She is strong, funny, and she loves her Mom. When she is tired and I pick her up, she tucks her arms in her chest and lays her head on my shoulder; I love that. I love when she is sitting on my lap and she says to anyone within earshot “That’s my mom!” I love to hear her sing and I love to sing to her.

It makes me a little sad to think that in the not too distant future, I won’t be able to carry Allie around when she is tired. Soon she won’t want to sit on my lap and claim ownership, or have me to sing to her. So, on the eve of my baby’s birthday, I write these words to my daughter. Happy birthday Alexandra. Your mommy loves you. Don’t grow up too quickly.

Christmas Morning

Well, the craziness has past and my kids are exploring their gifts. Our morning officially started at 7am but there was activity as early as 5:30 with kids restlessly mulling around upstairs (they had to wait until 7 to go downstairs). After coming downstairs we discovered that, while coming through the chimney last night, Santa knocked off the pesky fireplace cover. I think the opening was too small for him to get through. I have to try to get that thing back on (stinky Santa!). It was a bit too crazy to take pictures of the kids opening presents but here are some pictures taken soon after. Here are my smallest guys eating a hearty breakfast of Christmas cookies, various chip products, and green rice krispy treats in the shape of Christmas trees. Ah, the breakfast of champions!


Here's Pete enjoying his new Nintendo DS game.


Here's Matt checking out his new Pokemon cards.


Here's Bobby taking a nap with Allie's new Diego. I think Bob was conscious for about 30 minutes this morning before conking out on the couch. I'm hoping to get next shift soon. =) We were up way too late last night!

The rest of our day will be rather quiet (hopefully!). This evening we are going to Jeanne's house (Bobby's sister) for a traditional Christmas meal. I have to bring mashed potatoes... not too bad. Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Eve

We had a lot of fun last night. Bob's parents and Margaret's family (Bobby's sister) came over to our home. Our evening was a bit untraditional as Lola and I decided a while ago we did not want to cook. We ordered Chinese food and pizza and served it buffet style. The kids seemed to like it and if the adults minded, they didn't say anything. We then hung out and sang Christmas carols while Bobby played the guitar. The violin even made an appearance after many years of hibernation. After singing for a bit, we realized that we had lost a few voices in the chorus. Here's my brother-in-law Richard.

Here's my father-in-law. We sure know how to host exciting parties!!!


I seem to have a knack at photographing sleeping people. In my defense, they hold still which makes them easier to photograph. =) No but really, Margaret asked me to take this picture of Richard so I happily obliged. I took Grandpa's picture for good measure.

Cha Ching

I have seen my future grocery bill and it is bleak. I picked up a 5 pound crate of tangerines last night thinking it would probably last through Christmas. The kids discovered them at 1pm today and by 6pm they were gone. I knew they liked tangerines but never imagined it could be like this. It was like watching a pack of wolves. Wow, I have to go sell some more houses to subsidize their habit!


PS- "Bear", the sweetest kitty in the world, was put to sleep last night. My heart goes out to Bear's family. We'll all miss the little guy.

Silly Hat Day

Here's a photo of the boys heading out to school. While Silly Hat Day is not a school sponsored event, I think the title is quite appropriate. They did wear the hats to school and I can only hope with the activity the raccoon hat has been getting that all my kids are critter free!

Quiz

I'll give you three options as to what Allie is doing...


1. She is planning a trip to the Middle East in the near future.


2. Is hoping to land a role in the upcoming production of Fiddler on the Roof.

3. Is watching her favorite TV show "Dora" and is so overcome with joy that she is unaware of what she is doing or any of her surroundings.


If you guessed #1, you are correct. Allie is planning a month long journey to all the regional hot spots and expects to be back in a month. Good Luck Allie! =)

Band Practice

Every ten days or so our family has band practice initiated by Matt. This consists of Bobby playing the guitar while Matty sings his lyrics. The rest of the group will join in by pounding on tupperware, holiday tins, or plastic step stools. Really whatever can be found is pounded on. With all the pounding, the band practice takes on a tribal feel but the timing is so various that it sounds like you are in a showroom of a clock store. We were snowed in today so Matt was able to try a few new songs out.

Here are the lyrics to one of Matt's favorite songs. Not bad considering he wrote it when he was seven.

Various Photos

I seem to take more pictures of the little guys because they are home with me the whole day. I do need to try harder to get more photos of the big guys. In the meantime, I snapped these photos over the last couple of days. Here's Allie wearing a family favorite raccoon hat. Matt even likes wearing this one to school.


Tommy likes everything about his dad including his old ties. I thought this particular photo was cute.

Confession

I have a deep dark secret. Well, not really but maybe you'll read my blog if I write it as such. I have been meaning to write about this sooner but have been too busy pricing plumbing fixtures. Last Friday, after six months of sweat and toil, I became the Western New York Season 5 Poker League Champion. That little trophy is quite a hot item in some circles, and it's mine! I also get my name on the main league trophy. It started as a cheap monthly date night for Bobby and myself. Bobby had been involved in prior seasons playing with his friends and decided to sign me up so we could make it a date night. I was the only girl which is fine; I relate better to guys anyway and the guys have been quite kind to me but sometimes I wonder if I'm destroying their boy time. Aside from my initial apprehension it's been fun and even a little profitable. It's nice to get paid to go out! I must admit, when I realized that I could win the whole season I really wanted to win so a girl's name will be on the league trophy forever. *insert Martina McBride's "This One's For The Girls" music in the background* I'm not sure I'll play next season though, I might want to end my career on top. =) I'm off to go buy a faucet with my winnings.

O Christmas Tree

We decorated our Charlie Brown Christmas tree last night. I didn't want anything too large, that just felt too daunting and complicated. This tree was perfect for us and smells great! It's been years since we have had a real tree and it has been a nice change of pace.

Everyone helped put up the ornaments. We had the classic heavy ornament concentration on the lower front, but the big guys helped move them around a bit.



Allie had a great time but was not interested in being in the final picture. I guess she needed a little coaxing (she loves when her Dad carries her like that).

A picture is worth a thousand words

Visitors

It is rare to receive visitors this time of year especially anyone from a warmer climate but my parents braved the cold to visit the kids. It was nice to have them around although I was a little sheepish to have them witness the craziness of the household right now. I would like them to come when my home is perfect, I am cooking gourmet meals, and am rearing my children in such a way that would make Dr. John Rosemond proud. That is not slated to happen until 2016 so I guess they decided to visit anyway. It was nice for the kids to hang out and play games with them. I think we tired them out a bit though. My dad liked to take any opportunity to doze. This was, however, consistent with my childhood memories of my dad so perhaps I tired him out when I was younger too. Now that I think about it, lots of things must tire him out. I remember as a child I asked him about his eyes being closed during church meetings. I remember my Dad said "I listen with my ears and not my eyes". This would have held up except then he would start to snore and I can't imagine he could hear what was being said over his snoring. But I digress....

The funny/ fun events noted were that my parents were with us when we went to pick up our Christmas tree, that was fun. My dad was too cold to get out of the car though. After all those years of dragging us for what seemed like hours around the u-cut Christmas tree grounds! In his defense, it was really cold! Thankfully, we found our tree quickly and got out of there. It took us two minutes to find our tree, three to pay for it, and then five more minutes to get it up on our car. Nice and easy, that's how I like it! I think as far as the cold goes, Dad could not have left soon enough; he was always under a blanket. Another funny incident was when I ran into the local pizzeria to pick up an order. My dad told Allie I was going to be right back as she was nervous when I left the car to pick up the pizza. After waiting for a while she was upset it was taking a while for my return and Allie said to dad "HEY, she is not right back!" as if she had been tricked. My dad was trying to keep Allie happy in the car while they were waiting and when he asked what she liked on her pizza she told him "I don't want to tell you" (such sass already and not yet two!). The little kids also had a hard time reconciling the fact that they have two grandmas and two grandpas. It's not so bad for the grandmas because we call Bobby's mom "Lola" so there is less confusion but Grandpa was a tougher one to figure out. One afternoon Bobby's dad swung by to say "hi" to the kids and my parents. Tommy pointed to Bob's dad and said "Here's the real Grandpa!" Poor dad! I must admit I was slightly horrified although Tommy meant no malice. My parents were quite gracious and good sports about everything. By the end of the visit, my kids had figured out the Grandpa conundrum. As I was uploading the pictures just now for this blog, Allie walked by and said "There's Grandma and Grandpa!" so I guess it works for her.

My big omission was that I was going to take some pictures of them with the kids prior to them leaving today but scheduling got crazy near the end. I also just forgot to take pictures yesterday, or the day before, or the day before.... I'm still working on remembering to use my camera more. As a result, this is the only picture I took of them. It was cold and they were both dozing on the couch. They looked cozy and cute so I snapped the picture. Perhaps they could forward me some pictures of them with the kids and then I'll post those too. Thanks for coming by Mom and Dad, we enjoyed having you here!

The Other Bob

Very little attention has been given in this blog to the other member of our family. I was just cleaning out his tank yesterday and figured I'd take his picture and give him his due credit. Our crayfish came into our lives a little over a year ago when Pete's 4th grade class was studying crayfish in their science unit. They raised them from babies and studied them along the way. They also named their crayfish. Pete named his "Bob Big Butt". He said it was because he had a big tail and was one of the bigger and stronger crayfish and was not named after our own Bob. I think he was just looking for a reason to include "butt" in any situation. For the more civilized circles, we decided we would refer to him as simply Bob. When the science unit was over, they had the option to take them home if they had survived (which was about half of them). Pete, of course, signed up to take his home (without consulting me). After I was informed that we were now the proud owners of a crayfish, I told Pete that under no uncertain terms would I be taking care of him and it would be up to Pete to feed him and clean the tank. Pete agreed stating that he fed and took care of him at school without issue. When we went to the classroom to pick up the crayfish his teacher asked/ begged us to take the final remaining crayfish who did not have a home (their owners mom had the common sense to say "no") so we actually came home with two. As I was leaving Pete's teacher left me with this hope, "Don't worry, they only usually live a few weeks!".

The two crayfish never really got along and the other guy just spent his time hiding from Bob who really was quite big and strong. Before long it was apparent that time was short for "the other guy" (he never did get a name). One morning (about a week after we took him home) he was found lifeless and stuck to the filtration tube of the tank. So far, so good. One down, one to go. However, Bob had the digs to himself and seemed to flourish. He grew quickly and shed his exoskeleton many times. Suddenly he was no longer a little, ugly, pink crayfish but rather a big, ugly, brown crayfish. Pete became afraid to handle him to clean his tank and feed him because of his size and strength so of course I inherited Bob. I didn't want him, but there he was staring at me with his beady little eyes in my kitchen. I decided to actually read the "caring for crayfish" sheet that was sent home and start taking care of him as if he could be here a while. I learned from my babysitter in 9th grade that some of her friends in school still have their crayfish from 4th grade! I think I need to have a chat with Pete's 4th grade teacher as I think he was sent home under false pretenses.

I must say, however, crayfish are a ton more interesting than goldfish and they seem to live longer. It's absolutely fascinating to watch him eat and organize his tank. I do spend too much time feeding him peas just to watch him peel the shell off, store them and then eat them. Bobby now accuses me of preferring this Bob to him. It's mostly not true. =)

Pumpkin the Kitty

We went over to Sage and Zebbie's house yesterday afternoon to meet their new addition to the family. My kids love cats and would love to have one. Pete has allergies to all fluffy animals and although they are not extreme, we can't keep any in our home. It was nice to visit with such a cute little fellow.

Allie was really excited to see the kitty. She did pretty well but once she did squash his head a bit. Pumpkin was amazingly calm and sweet with the kids.

This was a special moment for Tommy as he likes to pretend he's a kitty. He loves all things related to kitties but rarely gets to interact with a real one.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Or really two steps forward, one step back. Here are the latest photos as of yesterday. The roof is now finished after a roofing lineup change. The windows are also in and we are now starting on HVAC. I had the whole story written out but Bobby made me pull it, if you want the details, you'll have to call. =)

Chaos

The boys were throwing large plastic checkers at the fireplace yesterday. The checkers loosened the clamps on the fireplace cover and it came crashing down. Thankfully no one was injured but it made quite a mess. The dots you see on the picture is the dust that was in the air. I can report today that the cover was successfully reclamped (I don't think that's a word) and the fireplace area has been cleaned up. What a circus it was!

Allie was enjoying every minute of it. Here she is jumping on the couch!

Balloons

There is so much going on and I have so much to post but today we had Matt's birthday party for his friends. There is always a half day of school the Monday after Thanksgiving and it's a nice time to plan a party as his friends are usually available. Also if we want to book at a party center, it's usually empty and costs less as it's during the week and during the school day. We celebrated at bounce magic, an indoor bounce house facility with lots of different apparatuses to jump on. It's a good boy party. As usual, I forgot my camera but we had lots of fun. Allie did not go because it interfered with her nap and so she stayed with her Lola. I did bring home the balloons and perhaps Allie had more fun with the balloons than the boys had at the party. Here are some picts from this evening.


I'm not sure if you can tell but Tommy's hair had lots of static in it and was flying up!

Baby's Favorite Pastime

It's been really busy over here. I hope to post more soon but for now I thought I'd post Allie's favorite activity. She loves to get into the pots and pans and have a recital. I think she owns stock in Bristol-Myers Squibb. She looked particularly cute tonight with her new "helmet".

Jack-o-lantern

Late yesterday afternoon, Sammy's tooth finally came out. He was nervous it would be painful to lose a tooth. Once the tooth was in his hand and not in his mouth he was so excited. He kept checking to see if it was time to go to bed. The tooth fairy left him $1, his Lola then gave him $3 today to commemorate the event. Lola's making the tooth fairy look cheap!

Progress

Here's the latest picture of the "building house". I had to maneuver around Pete's bulbous head (he needs a haircut and his hair is puffy) so the photo is a little crooked. The framers are almost done with only the garage to finish. The roofers started yesterday and we are hopeful they will finish by either Friday or Monday.

The kids get really excited to swing by after school every day. This is what they looked like today. Sam looks a little nervous because his first tooth is really loose and is scared it will hurt when it comes out, but is otherwise eager to be there.
Perhaps Pete is a little too eager. =)

Lazy Day

Ahhh... A day with nowhere to go and nothing to do (for the kids!). After a morning of various activities (including wrestle-mania 3), the kids settled down to enjoy an activity shared by all.... SpongeBob Squarepants. It's so pathetic. SpongeBob used to be banned in our home but I am getting lax in my old age and finally relented. Here are my kids zoned out in front of the boob tube. I wouldn't recommend it for every day but it's nice to take it down a notch just for today.

Jury Doodie III- Wait there's more!

I promise this is not a joke. I just received a summons to jury duty forwarded from my old address for the week of December 3rd. I guess they have my name written two ways, one with my maiden name included which has thrown them off enough to send me another summons. Their timing is great considering I fulfilled my civic responsibility just yesterday!

ps- I would have had to go in this time around because this juror number is 420- too low.

Jury Doodie II- The Final Chapter

Well it was rough, really rough, but I managed. My number was never called and according to the pleasant voice on the jurors hotline, I have fulfilled my civic responsibility for another 8 years. If I were to mark my life by jury duties I was pregnant with Matt last time I served and the next time I could be called Allie will be almost 10 (and Pete 18)! Weird.

The Day After

The girl scout cookies arrived yesterday. Need I say more?

ps- Jury duty numbers were up to 710 for this morning. This one will go down to the wire!

Lake Effect Days

Here are the latest photos of the "building house". I was shocked to see the framers on-site today as it has been snowing on and off. When my mother and father-in-law did their daily drive-by, the framers were just packing up (3pm) when it was really coming down. As anxious as I am to get the home framed and air-tight, I was relieved they wrapped up early as they are working on the roof and I would hate for someone to get injured. If you look closely, you can see the snow .

Jury Doodie

I was called for jury duty this week so my life is in a bit of limbo. I don't know how it is in other parts of the country but they don't let you out of jury duty here. I have to call in each evening to see if my number has been called for the following morning. If I'm called I have to haul my kids to my mother-in-law's, make arrangements to get my kids picked up from school, and rearrange any other real estate appointments that might come up. I'm juror #936 of 1500 to be called this week. They called up the first 500 jurors for Monday but when I called in last night the automated machine (which surprisingly had a very pleasant voice) said no more numbers will be called until Wednesday night. I'm not sure of the current protocol but I thought if your number was not called during the week you were expected to serve, you have fulfilled your civic responsibility. Is it possible that I could avoid jury duty this time around? I almost hate to put the thought in writing for fear I could jinx it. More updates to follow.