Where did the weekend go?

Where did the weekend go?  My days off seem to go by too fast.  We have had quite an exciting few days as well.

Friday I enjoyed the day with the munchkins hanging out and doing some housework.  Daddy got to come home a little early and then Missy and I went to the grocery store to load up on much needed food for the pantry.  It was nice to spend some one on one time with my little girl.  She was so good and sat in the cart the whole time without complaint. 

When we got back home we unloaded the groceries in record time and piled back in the car to go to Long John's for dinner and then to the baseball fields to pick up some gear. 

When we got home it was time for the bedtime routine.  I left Daddy to finish putting everyone to bed and went to church for a Ladie's Pajama/Movie Night.  I had a great time visiting with some wonderful Christian women and watching an inspring movie called Faith Like Potatoes.  Very good movie based on a true story.  I would recommend it.

Saturday we were up bright and early.  The boys were very excited because they had their first T-Ball game at 0900.  Thankfully the rain we had stopped and the fields were not too muddy.  They were so cute during the game.  They so enjoyed themselves and both hit the ball well and ran the bases like champs.  Schnooky was the littlest guy on the field.  Daddy said all the coaches on the field were amazed at how cute and small he was running the bases.  One dad even asked if he was doing his homerun jog, but Daddy said nope that is all out!!!  He was going as fast as his little legs could carry him.  Woobie did really well too.  He was a great little first basemen.

We "celebrated" at McD's with burgers and ice cream after the game then home for the rest of the day.  Daddy and Peanut did yardwork and I cleaned house a little and tried to organize a bit.

After getting everyone to bed the sickness began to emerge.  First Schnooky awoke at about10pm crying and complaining of his brain hurting again and running a fever of 100.8 At this point I am very worried and looking up brain tumors on the internet as this is the second time in a week he has complained of this.  He finally settled down and fell asleep in middle of the family room floor.  I slept on the couch and kept vigil over him through the night. He woke a few times and bounced from the floor to the couch and then in the bed with Daddy. 

Round about 2am or so Missy awoke with a fever of 101.6. By that time Schnooky had made his way back on to the couch and I put Missy in the bed with Daddy and then went back on the couch with little man. Oh what a sleepless night to say the least.

Sunday morning it was up early to take Peanut's car to get new tires and spend an unexpected $700 more dollars to replace his front brakes which were completely shot with the left front caliper seized up and rubbing metal to metal.  Thank God for an emergency fund!!!

When Daddy and Peanut returned from dropping the car off, I took Peanut and Woobie to church.  It was my last week to teach Bible Buddies!  We came home to the sick house around noon to find Schnooky feeling fairly well, but Missy Miss had a temp of 102.6. 

We spent a quiet afternoon hanging out at Grandma's and watching movies while Daddy and Peanut went to play 9 holes of golf.  They met all of us at Grandma's for Sunday dinner.  Not a lot of eating from the littles due to still being under the weather. 

Monday it was back to work for me! Pretty steady day, but not too crazy.  I arrived home a little after 8pm and was summoned about 930pm down to Grandma and Grandpa's house where the kiddies were staying because Schnooky had awoken in another crying fit and not opening his eyes. As I drove I continued to think the worst about his condition.  He was now however complaining about his throat hurting and upon inspection his throat looked eerily like that of someone with strep!  Finally settled back down to sleep I went home to crash myself.

First thing yesterday morning I called and made Schnooky an appointment with Dr. K to have his throat looked at and discuss his headaches.  As I suspected he did test positive for strep and subsequently so did Missy and Woobie!!!  The mystery of the week and a half illness running through our home finally solved!!!!  I also was feeling much less anxious about the headaches as this is a common finding with strep throat.

After almost 2 hours at the doctor's office we loaded up and headed to lunch and then to the pharmacy to pick up everyone's antibiotics.  I was so upset that they had to be on antibiotics.  I took great pride in the fact that my sweet babies had never taken them ever until now.  But at least we had a confirmed bacterial infection that we were treating and I would never take the chance of the possible complications associated with untreated strep no matter how rare the chance.

All the way home Schnooky was begging to take his medicine.  I thought okay this may not be so bad since he is so eager.  Ordinarily we have to force even motrin down his throat when he has a fever so I envisioned an all out war with this. 

It was pouring down rain the whole way home which made the drive much longer than usual.  Schnooky was tired of sitting in his carseat by that time and was screaming for me to hold him and at the same time Missy was singing Rain Rain Go Away.  As the rain got louder she would say "Sing louder" and start singing even louder than the last go round.  It was total chaos and you had no choice but to sit and laugh at the whole comedy of it all.

Well, we finally arrived home a little after 4pm.  Mind you their appointment was at 1115 that morning so it had been a long day.  It was now time for Schnooky to put his money where his mouth was-let's just say he was all talk no action.  He screamed and yelled and pitched a holy fit.  I finally had to just hold him down and squirt the medicine in as he screamed.  What an ordeal.  I just kept thinking it was going to be a long hard 10 days.  The other two took there's like champs thank goodness.

Daddy was on bedtime duty as it was Tuesday night Bible Study for the ladies.  A much needed time to get away and focus on our marvelous Creator with my sweet ChaCha's. 

Everyone actually slept pretty well last night. Missy got up around midnight and ended up sleeping on the couch until after 0800 this morning.  Woobie and Schnooky slept pretty well too, however at some point they ended up on the couches too.

I was off to work earlier than usual today because I had to cover part of a shift all the way down at our Sandlake clinic.  It took me an hour to get there.  Won't be volunteering for that duty again if I can help it.  Meanwhile, on my way to work I get a frantic phone call from Grandma because Schnooky has spit out his medicine all over her.  I very matter of factly told him that if he did not take his medicine he would not be able to play baseball.  When he was still refusing I told him I was calling Daddy to tell him that he couldn't play baseball and hung up the phone.  Between the time it took me to call Daddy and have Daddy call home he had consented to take his medicine like a good little ballplayer!!!  It was blackmail I know and I am not ashamed!!!

I got home from work a little after 2pm and did a few things on the computer and then Grandma came to pick up the little boys for Wacky Wednesday.  Missy Miss stayed home with me and Daddy.  About 530pm we took the little princess to dinner at Tijuana Flats.  She is such a sweetie.  It was nice to spend a little one on one time with just her and Daddy.  She sat so nicely in her booster seat and ate pretty well which I was very pleased with as she hasn't had too much of an appetite the last few days.

Then it was home to watch an episode of Dora and off to bed.  She went right out for us.  Hopefully she will sleep well tonight.  The boys got to have a sleepover with Grandma and Grandpa after Wacky Wednesday.

Finally, I think I am caught up.  I tell you where did the weekend go?

Hectic week!

It has been several crazy hectic days around here.  I have worked several of them which makes it even crazier.  We have had baseball practice and sick children to throw into the chaos as well.

Mr. Schnooky Bear finally got over his virus on Monday and then Monday night Woobie woke up in the middle of the night with a fever and tummy ache.  He was a pretty miserable pup for about 48 hours.

Tuesday was coop day and Woobie stayed with Aunt Ninny while we took the other two to coop.  It was cow eye dissection day. I dissected a total of 3 cow eyes in about 3 hours.  We had different age groups come through.  I was quite impressed with how well the K-2 group did and how eager they were to touch the parts of the cow's eye.  We brought an extra one home so Woobie can have the experience since he missed it.

After coop it was time to hurry home and get ready for baseball practice. I succeeded in keeping little Missy awake so that she would go to bed at a decent hour. Unfortunately, Woobie had to stay home with me and Missy Miss.  He was a little disappointed, but we told him that the needed to rest up so he could play in their game coming up Saturday. 

I managed to feed everyone and get Daddy and Schnooky out the door on time and then get Missy Miss to sleep about 5 minutes before they returned around 650pm just in time for me to leave for Bible Study. 

I worked Wednesday and Thursday so didn't get to see the kiddies too much.  I also haven't gotten a lot of sleep in the last several days due to restless sleepers up and down all night.  I have spent the last few days hopping from my bed to the couch to Missy's bed.  Crazy kids!!!!

This morning before heading to work my sweet baby girl kept saying "Don't leave".  Just melts my heart.  I am so glad that I am off the next three days.  Also, Woobie was quite emphatic that he was going to go to practice today when Grandma questioned his fitness to attend.  So cute how serious he was about it.

Had a busy day of work, but had a nice lunch with hubby so that helped make the day better.  We talked about my upcoming start of the ACNP program at UF in January.  I am nervous and excited at the same time.

So I close tonight very ready for a good night's sleep!  Let's hope the kids comply!!!

Birthdays, Baseball and Bowling

Wow what a great day we had today!  It started about 0700 with all of the littles rising bright and early.  We spent about an hour or so snuggled on the couch watching Disney Channel and then it was time for breakfast.

Our birthday boy was up around 840 and was off to baseball practice at the school.  I hugged him tight and wished him a happy happy birthday!!

After Daddy got up, Grandpa Rob and I took Noni for a walk.  It was nice to have some one on one time chatting it up with my Dad and of course burning some calories.

We kicked it into high gear after we got back and got ready to head to baseball practice.  We couldn't have asked for nicer weather.  It wasn't too hot and we had a nice breeze to boot.  Woobie and Schnooky were so cute hitting the ball off the tee and running the bases.  The first time Schnooky hit the ball he headed full steam ahead to third base.  He was quickly pointed in the right direction.  Let's hope he remembers which way to go when we play our first game.  Woobie did well too.  He was a great little first base men. 

It will be interesting the first couple of games when they all converge on the ball in the field at the same time.  Hopefully they won't fight over who gets it too much.  It should be quite a sight to watch them play and grow throughout the season.

At the end of practice they all got their uniforms.  They were so excited!  Schnooky is #1 and Woobie is #2.  They are going to be so cute all dressed in their Reds uniforms.

We loaded up and headed to lunch at McD's.  Schnooky wasn't feeling well and was complaining that his brain hurt.  I always get so worried when he says that.  He has only complained 2 other times about his brain hurting and both times he ended up with a fever and was that was gone he was fine.  He didn't eat a whole lot, but did manage to polish off a yogurt.

Once we were fed up we piled in the van and went home to pick up our birthday boy!  Yes, my first born turned 18 today.  At 721pm 18 years ago he made is debut!  What a journey it has been.  He has grown into a wonderful young man. 

We then piled back in the van and went to the bowling alley.  A fun time was had by all.  Missy Miss slept through the first game on Grandpa's lap and woke up in time to play the second game.  Schnooky fell asleep during the second game on my lap and slept all the way home.

Woobie was so funny as he exclaimed "That was more fun than a belly button" when Peanut flipped him over his shoulders and back to the floor.  Then he and Missy proceeded to show each other their belly buttons!!

Dinner consisted of leftovers from the birthday bash last night.  Then it was time for jammies and night night time.  Before tucking everyone in, Missy Miss came out of her room and announced there was an ant in her doll house.  I looked, but didn't find any creepy crawlers.  She then came out and stated "I want to call the police to come kill the ant"  She proceeded to pick up the toy phone and make her 911 call!!!

Everyone went down pretty easy and I took Noni for a quick calorie burning spin arouond the block.  As I write this I am chilling on the couch with Dad and hubby watching college football.

It has been a great day for all!!  Back to work tomorrow!

Birthday Celebration!

Thursday morning dawned early with Missy Miss clomping down the hall in her butterfly flipflops at 0543.  I tried to take her in my bed to go back to sleep, but after 45 minutes she was having no part of it and wanted to go on the couch.  I promptly put her on the couch and she actually went back to sleep for a while.

I got up a little after 0700 to find Woobie snuggled up next to her.  I climbed back in bed for a few more minutes of much needed sleep and about 0715 was awakened to Missy Miss yelling at Woobie to get out of her spot!  She apparently woke up and was quite unhappy to have her big brother in her space.

Grandma arrived just in time so I could get ready for work in record time and I still left late.  I just couldn't get my act together and get out the door.  I am very unmotivated these days when it comes to going to work. 

Shortly after arriving at work I got a frantic call for Peanut to report that he once again locked his keys in his car.  This is the 3rd or 4th time he has done this in less than a year.  I had him call Grandma and after almost an hour of tearing our house apart she finally found the key on top of the tool box in the garage.  She then loaded up the littles and headed out to Mt Dora to rescue the absent minded teenager, who when told he needed to be more careful in the future stated that he would rather lock his keys in the car then be late for class!  The logic of teenagers!!  Scary!!!

Just after lunch I got a nice treat and got to see the munchkins for a few minutes.  My mom had them over at the Family Fortress dropping off some stuff for next week and stopped by the clinic so I could see them and get some hugs and kisses.

Oh and we had a visit by local law enforcement that morning after I left for work because Woobie called 911 and then hung up so needless to say they were at the front door in no time to see what was going on.  The police officer gave them a lesson about the importance of only using the 911 system in a true emergency.

Last night I ended up in Missy's bed when she woke up in the middle of the night and then around 0700 Mr Schnooky Bear climbed up in the bed to see his sissy to which she excitedly cried "Brother" and he gave her a big hug.  He then grinned and said, "I think she likes me".  So sweet!

We ate breakfast and then we were off for our morning power walk with all kidlets strapped in a stroller so we could make it around the block in less than an hour because I had a lot to do to prepare for the big birthday celebration.

Yes, we celebrated Peanut's 18th birthday tonight with all of his favorite foods.  Grandma, Grandpa, Grandpa Rob, Aunt Ninny and Uncle Smitty joined us to help celebrate our beautiful first born's 18th birthday.  We had prime rib, green bean casserole, cornbread casserole, corn, stuffing, mashed potatoes and for dessert a very hard sought after Red Velvet cake with cream cheese icing and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream!!  I am drooling again just thinking about it.

It was a nice evening spent together with family.  I still can't believe that tomorrow my baby boy will be 18 years old.  He has grown up all too fast.  I pray he knows how much we love him and how proud we are of the young man he has become.  As he continues his Senior year in high school I pray that he stays focused and does not succomb to the many distractions of this world or the infamous Senioritis!!!

Well, it is time to say goodnight! 

Baseball and Bedtime!!

As I sit here and write this tonight I am completely exhausted from an almost 2 hour battle with the 2 year old over bedtime.  She has been quite the little tyrant when it comes to going to bed lately.  She just keeps going and going and going.  I don't know where she gets all of her energy!  If only I could bottle it and sell it on ebay!

On Monday, the boys were so excited from the moment they woke up because they were going to have tball practice that evening after Daddy got home and Daddy promised to let them practice in the backyard before going to the field.  They drove Grandma batty asking her every 2 minutes when Daddy would be home.

I also had the special treat of getting a little Daddy time during my lunch break when I met him at Tijuana Flats for a date.  It was so nice to spend a little one on one time with each other and catch up on what is going on in our crazy wonderful life!

Then much to Grandma's delight he arrived at her house after lunch with me to pick up the boys.  She texted me that she thought she might be even more excited to see him then the boys when he walked in the door.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be at practice because I was still at work, but I hear it was lots of fun.  I am looking forward to their first game and seeing them in their cute little uniforms.  They must ask Daddy about 20 times a day when they are going to get their uniforms.

Tuesday was our second coop day.  We took all three littles with us because Aunt Ninny wasn't able to watch  Missy Miss.  We also had to take 2 cars because I had to leave early with Woobie for our dentist appointments.  Woobie was not really feeling "school" much either.  He was complaining that he was too hot being out on the patio during their art time.  It was definitely a little toasty outside.  We only had time for one of the afternoon sessions which happened to be the one that I set up on the sense of touch.  It went pretty well.  I had different objects in paper bags for them to reach in and feel like sand, a silk handkerchief, an ice pack, cotton, etc.  Then they had to describe how the object felt and we wrote down the adjectives they used to put in their adjective bags.

The dentist appointments went well.  We met Peanut there who had an appointment at 2pm.  No cavities for him, but he needs to have his wisdom teeth pulled soon.  Woobie did great!  He and I got our teeth cleaned at the same time,but in two differents rooms.  He had no problem being by himself.  I could here him the whole time just chatting away to the hygienist.  He had 2 little cavities between some molars, but nothing that needed to be filled.  They said his oral hygiene was great, but he needs to floss!  Mommy is the world's worst flosser so I need to be a good example and start being more diligent with everyone's flossing.

We got home from the dentist and Daddy took Peanut out for some practice and then came in and took the little boys out for a while too.  Meanwhile, Missy Miss who had fallen asleep in the car on the way home from coop at about 4pm slept peacefully as I made dinner.  Despite all the noise I was purposely making and little kisses I was giving her she was not about to get up.  She would just open her eyes briefly and turn over.  We were in big trouble for sure because when she did get up she would be good to go until a very late hour.

Daddy put the boys to bed and Grandma and I headed to our Bible Study with the Cha Cha's.  I got a text from Daddy about 730pm to inform me that "my daughter was awake".  Needless to say Missy Miss was still wide awake and sitting with Daddy watching Dora when I got home a little before 930pm.

I attempted to put her to bed and waged battle until almost 1030pm when she finally wore me down and I put her on the couch where she finally fell asleep about 11pm!

Today we spent a pretty lazy day at home.  We took Noni for a walk after breakfast and then the boys went with Grandpa to get "pinches" and Missy and I hung out at home.  I did some work on the computer while cutie pie watched Diego and then the boys came home a little after noon.  After they ate I attempted to put them down for naps.

Sometimes I am not sure why I bother.  It took me an hour to get Missy Miss to sleep and the boys well you guessed it never went to sleep.  So I did some schoolwork with them and then we played games until it was time to go to Wacky Wednesday.

After Wacky Wednesday we picked up the little boys and went to Long John Silver's for dinner.  The boys ate pretty well, but Missy Miss just wasn't into eating dinner.  It was a yummy change from our usual fare and pretty reasonably priced too.

Peanut as usual was not with us as he was working.  Sure do miss him!!  It is hard to believe that my first born is going to be 18 in just a few days.

We ran by Target on the way home to look at a few things and I am sure everyone in the store knew we were there.  The kids were so loud as we walked down the aisles.  They weren't being bad or anything, just very boistrous. 

Once home it was time to tackle the bedtime routine.  The boys went down pretty well, but as I said earlier Missy Miss was a totally different story.  In the end, Daddy came in and she said she wanted him to lay down with her and within 10 minutes she was out like a light.

I am now ready to call it a night!  If only they all sleep till the am!!

T-Ball, Tantrums and Princesses

I was so excited for Saturday to come because it was going to be Woobie's very first T-ball practice.  We packed up everyone and all of our stuff including water bottles, baseball gloves, diaper bag etc. and headed to the fields.  We stopped and picked up Grandma on the way so she could help out and watch his practice.

We arrived at the sports complex and boy was it like strolling down memory lane.  We hadn't been there since Peanut was 15 and he will be 18 in a week.  Daddy met up with one of the little league board members and picked up the equipment.  He is going to be the coach which is something he hasn't done since Peanut was playing Little League.  Woobie was so excited, however Schnooky was not very happy at all because he couldn't understand why he couldn't play.

We went out on the field and waited for the rest of the team to arrive.  Meanwhile, Woobie and Schnooky donned the oversized batting helmets and thought they were the cat's meow.  So adorable.  Missy was just enjoying being on the field wearing her baseball cap.

It was so blazing hot out despite the fact that it is the middle of September.  Come on Fall!!!  Once practice was starting I had to take Mr Schnooky off the field and he screamed like I was cutting off his arm and held on to Daddy for dear life.  I felt so bad for the little fella!  He continued to holler and cry for Daddy and Woobie for the next half hour or so.  There was just no consoling him even when we promised that he could go back on the field with Daddy after practice.

After practice as promised Daddy took Schnooky and Woobie back on the field for a little more practice.  Grandma and I headed to the van with little Missy and met up with Andy and were telling him of poor Schnooky's plight and when he found out how old he was and that he would be 4 in February he told us that the League had recently changed the age requirements and now Schnooky was eligible to play.  We were so excited and told Andy to let Daddy know the good news.

When we pulled up to the front of the complex to pick up the boys they were pulling up on a golf cart and you could just tell by the glow on Schnooky's face he had heard the good news.  I opened the door and he excitedly told me the good news that he was allowed to play on the team.

We then met Grandpa at McD's for some lunch and a little playground time.  The boys were very eager to tell Grandpa their good news too.

Missy Miss was very into the whole Princess theme all day.  In the morning she insisted on Princess pancakes for breakfast and then when we were at the field Woobie was introducing himself and his siblings to some of the team and when he introduced her she very matter of factly informed them that she was not Missy Miss, but that she was a Princess.  The theme continued through lunch with her announcing that she was eating Princess yogurt and then she wanted Grandpa to give her a Princess cookie.  The funny thing was that if we didn't present it just the right way as the Princess object etc then she would get upset with us until it was presented in just the right fashion.  Such a true Princess she is!!!

When we got home Daddy mowed the yard and I did some house cleaning while the little ones played.  Daddy finished up the yard and then took the two little boys outside to practice baseball while I made dinner and watched Missy Miss. 

The boys came back in all sweaty and happy.  They both hit 90 balls off the tee and Daddy reported that they were both very good and paid attention to his instructions.  Woobie was so sweet as he told how well Schnooky had done.  He said " Schnooky is doing so good.  I can't believe we're going to be on the same team.  We are going to win".  So sweet and supportive of his little brother. 

We had dinner with all 6 of us which is a rarity these days with how busy life is and our varied schedules.  The littles ate so well I couldn't believe it.  They gobbled up the steak and greenie beanies as well as oranges and peaches.  I was so proud of them.

After dinner it was time for the bedtime routine.  The two boys went down pretty well.  They were exhausted after their busy day.  Missy Miss was a little more challenging but Daddy finally got her off to dreamland.

I left around 730pm to have a girls night out with the Cha Cha's.  It was so great to just spend some time catching up with my 3 best girlfriends.  We chatted about all that was on our minds and then topped off the night with a sweet treat from Coldstone Creamery compliments of Miss Lisa.

I got home around 11pm and hit the bed.  The littles all woke up at 0630 this morning rearing to go!  They let me doze for a little bit while they watched cartoons.  We had breakfast and then it was time to get everyone ready for church. 

The boys ran around all morning calling each other "Baseball player Woobie' and Baseball player Schnooky'.  They truly are so excited to be playing ball together.  They kept asking all day when Daddy would be home so they could don their helmets and play ball.

I taught Bible Buddies again this week and Schnooky insisted he was staying in class with Woobie.  Grandma tried to convince him that since he was now a big boy and playing baseball that he should go to his own class.  He however turned her logic around and said that he had to stay with his team now that he was playing ball.  How do you question that?  He is his mother's son.  I could always figure out how to get what I wanted when I was young by out 'logicing' my parents.

After church we ventured out to get Missy Miss some new sandels.  Little did I know that it was going to be quite the adventure it turned out to be.  Finally after hitting 6 stores we found her some cute little white sandels that didn't cost me a small fortune or were not the right color.

Finally, we got back to Grandma's about 330pm and took it easy until dinner time.  We had a yummy dinner about 630pm and then the littles jumped on the couch cushions for a while and then it was jammy time.  Missy Miss was very excited to wear her new Dora pajamas that I got her today.  After she put them on she announced that she was now Dora and when you would say her name she would tell you that she was Dora.

They are all so sweet and I am truly blessed.  We missed Peanut this evening, but he had to work until 8pm tonight. I thank God every day for my beautiful children and their health.

Time to call it a night.  Work dawns early in the morning.

Friday!

Grandma dropped the kids off around 0745 and the fun began.  I let Peanut sleep in and then he headed for school around 0900.  I let the littles watch Mickey Mouse until 1000 and then we attempted to start our school day.

We had Bible time and then I set Woobie up with the laptop to practice some math and let Schnooky Bear work on Starfall on the other computer.  I then tried to read Missy Miss a story while going back and forth between the boys.  Then I let the boys switch computers and let Schnooky practice his math and tried to get Woobie to work on spelling, but to no avail.  He just kept saying he would do school tomorrow.

Oh boy, this schooling thing is going to take a lot of patience and perseverence, but I am dedicated to training up my children along with Grandma's help.  It is not always going to be easy, but the reward will be worth the blood, sweat and tears.

We had lunch around noon and then I attempted the whole nap thing, but clearly that wasn't happening.  So instead of having all the fighting and nashing of teeth I had everyone sit on my bed and watch cartoons so I could get a little work done on the computer. 

Daddy got home around 230 and then we went swimming for about an hour or so.  It was nice to just splash around with the kids and relax.  It is amazing how well they all are swimming.  Schnooky can now dive down to the bottom of the shallow end and pick things up off the bottom and he is only 3.  Missy Miss is doing well too and can swim half way across the pool.   Of course, Woobie is quite proficient at swimming and diving under the water.  I am so pleased that we invested the time and money for the ISR swimming lessons for all of them.

Peanut and Nikki arrived around 4pm and visited with everyone until we all left a little after 5pm.  They went to the church to leave for Rock the Universe and we took the little ones to Tijuana Flats for dinner.

 The kids actually ate really well and pretty much gobbled up all of their cheesy tortillas and applesauce.  All in all a relatively relaxing meal!  At one point Missy Miss wasn't giving Schnooky Bear the sprite and he was so hurt.  His little face was so sad, I almost cried myself.  I have been an emotional basketcase for a while now over little Ava and things that otherwise wouldn't stir up such emotion seems to put me over the edge now.

We got back home about 630 and got everyone ready for bed and then watched one TV show before tucking everyone in for the night.  They all went down pretty easily thankfully.

I then took Noni for a quick walk around the block with Grandma and then settled down to watch America's Got Talent and catch up on my blogging.

I am now caught up and am calling it a night!!

Celebrating Ava 9/9/10

Thursday morning my mom and I left the littles with Aunt Ninny and went to little Ava's memorial service.  It was such a beautiful service so full of God's presence and honor for a precious little girl that was taken way too soon.  The steadfast faith shown by her family throughout their whole journey with her illness has been so amazing.

The music and the eulogy as well as the video montage of little Ava throughout her life was just so touching.  I cried and mourned for this precious girl that I never really knew as well as her family.  There was even some laughter sprinkled in as we watched silly photos of her while her favorite song ABC by The Jaskson Five played and while her Uncle Issac retold stories of her "moxie".

I was so glad that I was able to attend her service.  It was touch and go as to whether I was going to be able to make it because of work, but in the end it worked out because I know that is where God wanted me to be.  I also was so pleased to be able to see Linda who I had met several weeks ago at the clinic who was very close to her family.  We had talked and cried together about little Ava and I so wanted to see her again.  When she saw me we hugged and cried again as we left the sanctuary.  She told me that I was the only person she was hoping to see as I was hoping to see her as well.  We walked out together and shared our God moment as she called it. 

My heart still aches and the tears still come sometimes, but I know it does not begin to compare to how her family feels.  Her father, mother and older brother got up and spoke during the service and I was so amazed at the strength and faith that they maintained while speaking about their sweet daughter and sister.  Her mom was such a pillar of strength as she shared about her daughter's fight and bravery throughout her illness right to the very end.

I was eager to get back to Grandma's house and hug my children.  I was so glad that Missy Miss was still awake.  She reminds me a lot of Ava.  She has a lot of "moxie" herself and definitely holds her own with three big brothers.  She also loves to sing and dance just as little Ava did.  During part of Ava's service they played a video clip of her singing "My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there's nothing my God cannot do"  So precious! 

When we got back to Grandmas Missy started putting stickers on the rocking chair in the family room and when asked why she was putting stickers on the furniture she said " I'm making it pretty".  She is such a little princess for sure!

Once again, I had to leave and head to work that afternoon.  My heart was definitely back at home with my children for sure.  My eyes ached from crying so much.  They felt like I hadn't slept in days. 

Then to add to the emotion of the day Peanut called me a few minutes after 4pm to tell me that he was having problems with his vision going black and pressure in his head.  I told him to stay at school and had my husband and stepdad go out and get him.

 Meanwhile, I began freaking out that he may be having an adverse reaction to his Accutane called Pseudotumor Cerebri where people develop increased intracranial pressure.   It is very rare, but of course my mind was playing the worst case scenerio.  I called an Ophthamologist that we refer patient's to and he agreed to meet us in the ER.  I was praying and very preoccupied to say the least while I saw a few more patients before closing early around 540 and meeting Daddy and Peanut at the ER.

Long story short, he is just fine.  Eye exam completely normal, as well as labs and CT Brain!!  Thank you God!  We finally left around 10pm and went to pick up Peanut's car at Grandma's house and then home to eat a quick bite and go to bed.  We have held his Accutane and will speak to his Dermatologist on Monday as well as followup with the Ophthamologist next week.

The littles stayed at Grandma's while we were at the hospital and had fun playing dress up.  She tucked them in at her house for the night although Woobie was still awake and playing iphone games when we arrived to pick up the car. 

Needless to say it was a day that was a drain on my emotions for sure. My whole body sighed in relief when I finally hit the bed for the night.

Doctor's visits and Haircuts 9/8/10

Wednesday dawned early as most days do with three little ones.  I took the morning off to take Woobie to his GI doctor for a followup for his constipation issues which are much improved.  Grandpa picked up the boys about 0845 to go for the usual Wednesday pinches and Missy Miss stayed with me.

I was at the computer when she came running in and announced that she found a ladybug.  She was carrying her stuffed ladybug and I asked her if she was a ladybug and she said very matter of factly "No, I'm a butterfly".  She is so precious!

We left about 0945 with Grandma and met the boys at the doctor's office for Woobie's appointment.  They were all so cute in the waiting room as they played ring around the rosie together.  We finally got called back and we all piled in the exam room.  All three of them climbed onto the exam table and laid down next to each other.  They are such good buddies! 

On the way home, Mr Woobie was all out of sorts for some reason and Missy Miss started singing to him and said she was singing to calm him down. She loves her big brothers so much. 

Unfortunately, I had to work that afternoon so I dropped everyone off at Grandmas and went home to get ready.  I seem to really dread going to work lately.  I am growing tired of the same thing all the time, but moreover I really hate leaving the kids.  I have been really missing them more than usual since little Ava's illness and it is hard to leave them.

Nevertheless, I begrudgingly left for work around 2pm.  The clinic was fairly busy, but not too terrible thank goodness.  I finished up pretty much on time and then hurried home to take Peanut for a haircut.  He had to get his thick blond locks shaped up before his Senior photos on Friday.  We dashed out the door to try and make it before they closed at 9pm. 

By the time we arrived back home I was ready to call it a night.  However, stayed up until 1030 chatting about the whole Advocare thing.  Still undecided!  I tried to go to sleep after that but was very restless and ended up on the couch until the two little boys awoke about 1230 and had to settle them back down.  Finally after 0130 I crawled my weary self to bed.

Co-op Day 9/7/10

Tuesday was our first official co-op day and the boys were very excited.  Missy Miss was excited to go to Aunt Ninny's for co-op too.  We arrived a little before noon and the kids got to play for a few minutes until we started knees at noon which is a brief devotional time where we all gather to put our focus on God and share some prayer time.

Then all of the children separated into their classes.  Schnooky Bear went to pre-k with Grandma and Woobie went to K-2.  I was assigned to help build the ear that the kids were all going to crawl through later in the afternoon. 

I had two great moms to help put our ear together, and I must say that it turned out really well.  It was complete with ear wax aka peanut butter!  The kids really got a kick out of crawling through a giant ear too.  They even got to look in a real ear while I held the otoscope.  Miss Melanie has never had so many people look in her ear in her whole life.  The kids were so funny about it.  Some of them were thrilled and others thought it was gross!

It was an exhausting but fun first day of co-op.  We left about 415 and headed home.  The boys had a great time.  They are very excited to go back next week.  On our way home we were discussing that I was in charge of coming up with an activity for touch next week and Woobie asked if they were going to crawl through a finger!  So cute.  I guess he thought since he learned about hearing and crawled through an ear this week they would crawl through a finger when they learned about touch next week.

We picked up Missy at Aunt Ninny's and then dropped everyone off at Grandmas for a little while so Daddy and I could meet with a friend who sells Advocare products.  We are contemplating beginning Advocare as a wellness program as well as perhaps the business.  Still very undecided though.

I picked up the kiddies about 715 and then it was home to bed for all. 

Mixed emotions!

It is with a heavy heart that I  begin my blogging tonight.  My heart is aching for the family of a beautiful 5 year old little girl named Ava who lost her fight with a very rare and aggressive brain cancer today.  From the time of diagnosis until her death is was barely over 2 months.  I just cannot even begin to imagine the pain that her family is feeling at this moment.  They have put their faith in our sovereign God throughout this whole journey and it is going to be that same faith that must carry them through the upcoming dark days they will experience as they mourn the loss of their precious daughter.  I have myself cried many times today and hugged my own children as I think about their loss.

It is hard to not question "Why?" when something so tragic happens to one of God's precious little children, but I know that we must stay strong in our faith and know that ultimately He is in control as hard as it is to wrap my mind around that.  I truly believe that God crys when one of his precious ones dies, but that if we trust in God and confess that He is Lord and that we believe in the death of His son Jesus for our sins that one day we will all gather in Heaven with our loved ones and be able to embrace them and live with them for eternity.  I pray that God will embrace little Ava's family that is left here without her on this earth and comfort them and help them to find that peace that passes all understanding as He has so mercifully promised to do for His people.

As I mourn for little Ava's passing I am able to cherish the good times that I have had together with my family this weekend and thank God for their health and safety and not take a moment of that time for granted.

Saturday morning Peanut and Dad left bright and early for an all day baseball clinc/scouting camp which took place in Sanford.  Coaches from about 20 different colleges as well as coaches from a local travel league were there to evaluate all of the players.  Peanut did pretty well and we will just have to wait and see if he caught the eye of any of the college coaches or the travel team.

The munchkins and I along with Grandma and Aunt Ninny headed out around 930 to hit the local farmers market.  We started at the Sanford market, which was kind of barren and then decided to bite the bullet and venture down to the Winter Park farmers market.  We definitely hit the jackpot there.  There were several produce stands to choose from and I got lots of fresh fruits and veggies for us.  Hopefully we can get them all eaten before they go bad.  It always seems to happen that way.  I get lots of yummy fresh produce and then don't manage to get it eaten before having to throw it away.  I hate to waste good food and money.

The little boys got to try their hand at playing the guitar.  A nice man was playing his guitar in a gazebo at the market and he invited them to play.  They were so tickled to strum on the guitar and make beautiful music.

Missy Miss fell asleep on the way there and slept in the stroller most of the time we were there.  She woke up shortly before we left and they all shared a couple of bananas that we had just purchased.  We then to Schnooky's delight tasted some fresh made Kettle Corn.  Oh my goodness, I have never really cared for kettle corn myself, but this was the best tasting popcorn I have ever had.  We ended up with two large bags of the stuff and to my delight it is low calorie!!!

We then made our way to McD's in Lake Mary and met Grandpa for lunch. And true to my word they did not eat chicken nuggets.  I bought the chicken select strips which actually are 100% chicken with apples and yogurts.  They also had only water to drink instead of sugary soda and didn't really complain at all.  I was very proud of my little health nuts in training!

Then we let everyone play on the playground for a few minutes before heading back to Grandma's house to drop off everyone so that I could hit the grocery store.  Oh yeah! I was however on a mission to find groceries without high fructose corn syrup as well as grassfed beef and organic products that still allowed me to stay within my budget.  I am proud to say that I did it!!!!  Of course not everything I purchased was organic, but I do believe that nothing I bought contained high fructose corn syrup.  I am really trying to reach a new level of wellness for my family whether they like it or not!!!

I also bought Missy Miss a new pair of shiny butterfly flip flops.  She was so excited when she saw them, but they were a little small for her.  You would have thought I cut off her leg when I took them away and told her we were going to get ones that fit better.  After Daddy and Peanut arrived home we all loaded up again and exchanged Missy's shoes and then met Grandma and Grandpa for dinner at Smokey Bones.  I had a $10 off coupon, but it still cost us $50 to eat (there went the dining budget for the month) and the service was less than perfect to say the least.  It took over 30 minutes to get our food once we ordered, and if you have ever been to a restaurant with three young children that is a long time to entertain them until the food gets there.

Of course none of the littles wanted to eat what we gave them.  Finally Miss Donna gave Schnooky her cornbread with cinnamon butter and he was like a pig in slop.  Grandma offered Missy Miss some but she gave it back because she said the butter was, and I quote "disgusting".  Yes, she is only two, but going on twenty-two!!

We finally paid for our meal and left a little after 8pm with four crabby kids in tow.  Then it was home and to bed for all of them.  Missy Miss crashed within about 2 minutes of her head hitting the pillow and stayed in her bed all night until almost 0730 this morning!!!  Schnooky stayed in his bed until almost 0700, but of course Woobie our poor little guy who can't sleep through the night to save his life was in our bed around 0400.

It was this morning just before breakfast that I heard the news about little Ava, so needless to say I was very sad as we started the breakfast routine.  I gave extra hugs to all this morning as I mourned for her and her family.

Peanut and Dad took off a little before 0800 for day two of the baseball camp.  Reports throughout the day were that he did well pitching and that no one even got a hit off of him.  He was clocked in the mid 70's and one at 81 mph.  Dad said he did even better hitting today then yesterday.  So we shall see if he hears from anyone.

Grandma came down around 0830 to help me get everyone ready for church.  She truly is such a blessing to me and my family.  She took the boys with her and headed out around 0930 and I followed shortly thereafter with Missy Miss. 

I was in charge of Bible Buddies today so got there early to make sure everything was ready.  After the children's story along with my helper we herded about 10-12 kids to class.  I have to say it went pretty well.  Mr Woobie was my worst discipline issue of the morning, but he settled down and they all enjoyed the class. 

For their craft they all made crowns like King David and wore them into the sanctuary for communion.  Schnooky was in Treasure Hunters and he asked the teachers if they could go to communion too.  He kept asking, but they couldn't make out what he was saying at first until he said you know the part with the blood and the bread!  Miss Wylene said he was so cute!!

After church we all went back to Grandma's for lunch and naps.  The two little ones napped for quite a while and Woobie went with Grandpa to hunt for the evening meal and some groceries.  The quiet time was nice as Grandma and I got to do some much needed homeschool planning.  We found some really great free websites for spelling and math.

I also ordered our subscription to the IXL math website for both boys and even got the online version of Weekly Reader which I remember growing up with in school. 

Dinner was yummy yummy swiss steak and zucchini.  The littles ate pretty well, except for Schnooky of course who seems to always give us fits when it comes to dinner. 

After dinner it was time to wind everyone down and get jammies on.  The boys stayed at Grandma's and Missy Miss came home with me.  She was so funny when we left.  She had little stickers all over her face which she was so proud of.  She watched an episode of Dora and then I attempted to put her to bed around 8pm.  She has been quite a bear lately when it comes to bedtime.  She flipped and flopped and played with all of her stuffed animals until she finally gave up the fight a little before 9pm.  She is so imaginative and her little mind just keeps on going just like the energizer bunny.  Grandma even mentioned that she would break out in song after everything Grandma was doing in the nursery today!!  She is so precious as are all of my children. 

I am truly blessed!  I go to bed tonight with mixed emotions of great sadness and thankfulness at the same time.

Crazy Days!

It has been a crazy busy couple of days.  Tuesday was coop teacher prep day so we had to get ready and head out by a little before noon.  Before we left Missy Miss was singing with Grandma about God making everything.  They sang about God making the trees, etc and then she told Grandma that they needed to sing about how God made the polka dots!  My sweet little singing bee.  She truly loves singing and memorizes songs unbelievably well.

We headed out and picked up Aunt Ninny and then on to the Family Fortress.  Aunt Ninny came along to watch the threesome while Mom and I were planning for coop with the other moms.  Missy Miss fell asleep on the way there and she slept on the couch for most of the time we were there.

The boys had a blast of course running around and playing with the other kids.  They were very excited to be going back to the big house.  They didn't even want to go thru Chick Fil A drive thru for lunch they were so eager.

My job was to help three other moms design a big ear for the kids to crawl through next week.  It was a lot of fun fellowshiping and planning with other moms who are so excited to be teaching our children.  Hopefully we can pull off a giant ear complete with ooey gooey ear wax!  I will be sure and post photos next week.

We also got to talking about the health of our children and how hard it is to know what to feed them and not feed them so tha t they can grow to be healthy and strong for God.  We talked about raw milk and organic beef, etc.  I am really going to try and have my kids eat more nutritious and take in less processed foods and high fructose corn syrup.  It won't be an easy task, but I pray that I can make strides in improving our families health and wellbeing on a budget!  My first initiative is going to be cutting out McDonald's chicken nuggets, which by the way aren't even 50% chicken.  There are 38 different ingredients in their chicken nuggets, most of which I can't even pronounce!  Scary!!!!

We arrived home from coop a little after 5pm and then it was dinner and bedtime.  We finally got everyone settled down a little before 8pm.  Then Peanut and I ran to the store for shampoo and deoderant so that he wouldn't smell bad!

Wednesday dawned bright and early as seems to be the trend lately with the before 0630 wake up time.  I really need to adjust their little body clocks to at least 0700.  Mommy is tired!!

After breakfast we loaded up and went for a walk around the block.  What a circus that was.  Woobie was riding his bike, Schnooky was on his trike and I had Missy Miss in the stroller with the dog in tow.  Of course Grandma was there to help as well.  Woobie kept stopping and saying he was too tired and sweaty which made the adventure drag out even longer.  We vowed we wouldn't do that again.  They would all be strollered up the next time so it didn't take half the day to get around the block.

When we finally got back home we decided to get ready and go to the park before going to get pinches.  However, before we could get our act together, Mr Schnooky Bear came in my room and announced that Noni had gone in his room and pee'd on the floor.  I had serious doubts about this claim as the dog hadn't budged off the floor since we came home.  So I went to investigate the allegations and found that there was indeed urine on the floor, however it wasn't from the dog.  Mr. Schnooky Bear had pee peed a lovely pattern on the floor of his bedroom.  I couldn't believe that he had done this and then to add insult to injury he tried to blame the poor dog.  It took quite a bit of interrogation for him to finally plead guilty to his crime.  We have really been having a problem with him lying for a while.  We continue to try and teach him that lying is a sin and it makes God and Mommy and Daddy very sad when he lies.  We will continue to be diligent and teach our little fibber to tell the truth!!

We finally got out the door about 1100 and went to the park.  Grandma played soccer on the fields with the boys while I played with Missy Miss on the playground.  She was so funny.  She kept climbing up the little ladder and saying she was climbing to get away from the purple dinosaur.  There actually was a purple dinosaur bouncy ride on in the park.  Grandma and the boys met us at the playground for a little more playtime and then at about 1200 we loaded up and headed to lunch at Steak n Shake.

After lunch we still had time before being able to get Woobie's "pinches" so we went to Target.  We hit the dollar section and it was a homeschooler's dream.  There were so many educational materials in the bargain bins.  We stocked up on little workbooks, flashcards, dry erase boards and manipulatives.  And of course they had to have a few fun things too.  The boys got spiderman socks and little stuffed toys and Missy got Tinker Bell socks and a Tinker Bell lunch box. 

Finally, we checked out and made our way to the ENT to meet Grandpa for pinches.  Poor little Woobie is really not digging his pinches lately, but he is a trooper and they have really helped with his allergies. 

Our final stop before heading home was McD's for some icecream.  The boys each got a little sundae.  Missy Miss had fallen asleep in the car on the way there so Grandma stayed with her.  I wasn't exactly thrilled that she fell asleep so late because it was going to make for a long night after she woke up.

We arrived home around 320pm and Missy pretty much slept until 630pm.  Oh boy was I in for a long night.!

We had tacos for dinner and then Peanut played with the boys for about 30 minutes and he read them stories and put them to bed.  It was so great to see him playing with his little brothers.  They just eat it up when Big Brother Peanut spends time with them.

Noni and I went for a double spin around the block at about 730pm while Daddy hung out with Missy Miss.  Daddy had to go back to work about 830pm so it was just me and Missy Miss for the bedtime dance.  She was having no part of going to sleep and finally and 10pm I put her in bed with me.  She finally gave up the fight a little after 10pm and I put her in her bed.

Everyone slept pretty well last night, but of course by 0630 this morning they were up and ready to go!!!  Grandma arrived about 0700 and then it was time to kick it into high gear and get ready for work.  I finally made it out the door a little after 0800 and zoomed off to work.

All went pretty well at work today and I got out pretty much on time.  Grandma and I walked the Nonster around the block and then it was home to settle on the couch and see my hubby and record my thoughts.

All for tonight.  Another work day awaits me tomorrow and then off for the weekend!!!