Here Comes the Sun

I took this picture out the back door on December 23rd. This is a regular sight. I am amazed at what I was missing in my subdivision living. The sky is absolutely breathtaking.

Christmas Programs

Xavier's preschool Christmas program was held on December 10th. The preschool and pre-k kids each perfomed a variety of songs then had a cupcake reception in the gym. It was so cute! I had tears in my eyes watching my adorable little boy concentrate to hard to sing and do the motions to four different songs. I wish, wish, wish I had it on video.

Brooklyn's Christmas program was held on the following Sunday. The second graders at Trinity are required to memorize 16 verses of the Luke 2 Christmas story...in the King James Version! I am amazed at the poise Brooklyn shows on stage(thanks, dance teachers!) The moment the spotlight hits, she drops her shoulders, lifts her chin, and beams. The actual program was, once again, the fifth and sixth grade show...but it didn't bore me to tears this time. Can you find Brooklyn this year? I put in her mall hair and put a GIANT bow on her head. She was pretty easy to spot!

Stockings and Stuff

We didn't haul out the holly the weekend after Thanksgiving this year. Because of scheduling conflicts our Christmas decorations didn't come out of the boxes until the evening of December 5th...just in time to hang up our stockings! The ornament box was open a total of 30 seconds before the first bulb was broken. I'm not sure which child handed Isaac the breakable ornament, but sadly, it did not survive. Isaac was given the honor of putting the angel atop the tree this year. I am a very bad parent and have no photos of the older two decorating the treee.
The kids enjoyed digging through their stockings. Brooklyn received a pitcher plant and Xavier received a venus fly trap. Most of the morning was spent gathering dead flies from the windowsills to feed the new plants.

We are officially insane...or just plain stupid.

Brooklyn has been begging for a cat for years. The answer has always been no.
1. I have fairly severe cat allergies
2. I do not like cats
When we moved to the country we were told we would need to get a cat. Otherwise, we would have mice. I let the advice roll off my back until, less than two weeks of living in the house, we found a live mouse in our basement. Andy and I had some discussions about living arrangements, got some advice from some cat owners, and decided to get a cat. It would live in the basement during the winter and outside during the summer.
We drove to the humane society and surprised Brooklyn with the go-ahead to pick any female cat out of the cat room. She was shocked and so excited! She eventually decided on Velma, whose name was quickly changed to Violet. She was litter trained and already spayed. So far, so good with the cat. I haven't had any allergy issues. The kids are doing a great job keeping the litter box clean. She comes running when the kids go to the basement to visit.
After Brooklyn chose her new friend, I had a blue eyed little boy looking very forlorn. "Why does Brooklyn get a pet and I don't?" We had recently toyed with the idea of getting another dog. I adore Ellie. Although she is not one of my children, she is definitely a favored member of the family. She is my therapy dog. Truthfully, though, she will be 10 in April. She is getting old for a large dog and has had two seizures in the past year. I get panicky thinking of our family without her, but I know it will come eventually. All of this to say, we looked at the dogs and fell in like with Penny the Treeing Walker Coonhound. She was sweet and gentle, got along well with Ellie, and suckered me in with her super soft, long, Ellie-like ears.
Things aren't going nearly as well with "Winnie." We named her after the Winchester brand gun because we're pretty sure she was a hunting dog. She is 3.5 years old and I don't think she's ever been inside. The housebreaking is in its fourth week and we're still having issues. She climbs on my kitchen counters searching for food. She's so skinny! She likes to chase and tackle Isaace when he's running through the room. Isaac thinks it is funny when he's on the carpet...not funny when he's on the tile kitchen floor. I know these are all behavioral issues that can be fixed with training(I hope!) but with three young kids and a new house with no fenced in yard, IN DECEMBER...I don't know what I was thinking!



Poor Xavier got scratched by one of the kitties.

How Did I Let It Get This Bad?

On November 30th, Isaac had his first hair cut. He is my only child to have anything that resembles a curl. He looked so adorable with the little ringlets sticking out from behind his ears. I wanted to get his 18 month photos done with the curls. I was afraid once we cut his hair, the curls would be gone. Well, days turned into weeks, which turned into months, etc. My sweet little boy was being called a girl on a regular basis. Because we have to put Aquaphor on him twice a day, his hair was a frizzy, greasy mess. When I combed it after a bath, it was past his shoulders. I'm embarrassed that I let it get that bad! Finally, I'd had enough. I made an appointment at Cookie Cutters and prepared myself for the end of my curly-locks. He was excited to get into the driver's seat at the hair salon and picked an Elmo movie to watch. Then, he got a look of terror and started to scream. We tried distractions. We tried suckers. Nothing helped! Then, Andy's mom showed up at his side with a balloon and started whacking me in the head. He cracked up! All was well after that. When the haircut was over, the stylist left it a little longer, and his head was covered with tons of little curls!

The Before Picture. Yikes!



The After Picture. Doesn't he look sweet?

Hot, Hot, Hot. Hot Chocolate!

Brooklyn's dance studio participated in Marysville's Christmas Walk. The downtown businesses stay open late and usually serve treats to the visiting patrons. This is the first time in 5 years that it wasn't raining, sleeting, snowing, or bitter cold. There were a lot of dancers and a lot of parents this year! Each age group performed a Christmas song on the street outside the studio. Brooklyn's group performed Hot Chocolate from The Polar Express. She worked really hard to become one of the kick line members and felt really proud when she succeeded. I love being able to prove to her that hard work pays off. She already had her splits, but had to practice almost every day to get the counts of the kick line correct. Good job, B!

Giving Thanks

We shared Thanksgiving with Andy's family this year. We had delicious food and wonderful family time. After the meal, Andy and I perused the Black Friday ads to plan our annual shopping trip. We decided to head out at 11:30pm on Thanksgiving night. We returned home the next day at 11am. Twelve hours of shopping on no sleep is too much for me. The lines seemed much longer this year and people seemed grumpier. We'll still plan on shopping next year.

Home Sweet Home

I've heard that having two mortgages while trying to sell a house can be extremely stressful and taxing on a marriage. It was nothing short of a miracle that we never had to experience this. When we went to the Sheriff's Auction on August 4th, we didn't believe we would actually win the house on which we planned to bid. When the unbelievable happened, we had to get our current home on the market as quickly as possible. In six weeks we had to get our master bath finished(it was still studs and subfloor), the house decluttered and clean, paint the entire main floor, stairs, and upstairs hallway, and still live as a family of 5 with 3 small children. We managed to get everything done, thanks to some wonderful parents. Then, we waited. We had one showing in two weeks. I was starting to feel extremely nervous. How could we afford two mortgages when I stay home? On the day our house was on the market for 3 weeks, we had another showing. They put in an offer! In this market! After countering a couple of times, we came to an agreement. They wanted us to be out by the end of October, if possible. After a few weeks of waiting and wondering about closing dates we were told we would tentatively close on November 13th. We planned to move on Nov. 7. On Wednesday, October 28, we were notified we would be closing on Friday, November 6. We had to move on a weekend in order to get help from friends, which meant we'd be moving on October 31. We now had two days to pack up the entire house, get a truck, and get some help from friends. Yikes! It was a frenzy of boxes and tape, but we managed. The only problem? We didn't yet own the house into which we were moving! Yes, we moved into a house that we didn't own. We were squatters. It was a very unsettling feeling. Nobody felt at home. Finally, after some pestering by my husband, we had a close date. We are now officially homeowners again. The house is lovely, although we're starting to refer to it as the money pit because of all the repairs we're having to do. But, we love the yard, we love the neighbors, and we're loving being home.

Halloween

The kids were easy on me this year with their costumes. Brooklyn wanted to be a witch which(ha!) we borrowed from a friend. Xavier wanted to be Jack Sparrow. My mom made this costume for him two years ago! We dug it back out of the dress ups, stuffed him into it, and sent him on his way. We borrowed an adorable Mickey Mouse costume from another friend for Isaac. Done!
The kids enjoyed their last trick or treat on Saffron Dr. We moved on Halloween day and came back to the empty house to hand out candy, trick or treat, and eat our traditional chili and cornbread supper. Isaac was too cute! He is able to tolerate Dum-Dum suckers without too much of a reaction. The first 10 houses we visited all had dum dums! He wouldn't put them into his bag. He carried them all in his hands while repeating, over and over, "I got two la!(lollipops)" After our supper, we took the 10 minute drive to our new house to sleep for the first time.

The Rest of It

Xavier's birthday celebrations continues with a family party. We had apple crisp because I couldn't fathom decorating another cake. On his actual birthday, we purchased a s'mores cupcake from a local bakery. Sad, I know. This year, we lost our minds and purchased a skateboard for our new five year old. So for, he hasn't broken anything. Hopefully I won't eat those words.

Xavier Turns 5!

This year, I actually planned Xavier's friend party more than a week ahead of time! I was so proud! We knew we had to have a destination party because our house was on the market(little did I know we'd already be in contract) and I didn't want to have to worry about quick clean-up if we had a showing. We held his party at the Watson Wellness Center on Honda's campus. What fun! We had 45 minutes in the pool where the 14 kids splashed, jumped, and swam as much as their little hearts desired. The gender division was still lopsided with 3 boys(including Xavier) and 11 girls. But, what a great group of kids! After the pool, we headed into the gym for 30 minutes of party games and a great rendition of Tootie-Tah. After a few rounds of pin the tail on the donkey, knocking down cups with marshmallows, a pinata, and the fabulous sing along, we headed to the party room for cake, snack, and presents! Xavier wanted a Bakugon party, so I had to come up with a cake that fit the theme. Now that I am such the experienced decorator and have watched a few episodes of Cake Boss, I decided to make a round cake with styrofoam head, arms, and wings. Andy set to work on creating all of the appendages while I started to decorate. I was really happy with the result and Xavier was thrilled! It was a great party.
A special thanks goes out to Brenda for wrangling Isaac during the party and to Beth for taking photos while I was in the pool. You guys are awesome!





P.S.-It has been brought to my attention that I failed to mention that though I am blogging about this at the end of December, Xavier's birthday actually falls at the end of October.

My Funny Guys

It is so fun to see my boys growing up together. I didn't have a "normal" sibling experience, but what I'm finding out is we were pretty normal. They love on each other, crack each other up, and fight like cats and dogs. I can't wait(insert sarcastic tone here) until they are making armpit farts, giving each other horse bites, and torturing their sister together.
Their different personalities are obvious:
Xavier is my intense guy. Whether he's playing board games or sports, laughing like crazy, or fighting mad, he does it with all his heart. He loves it when I pile the warm laundry on top of him while I'm folding.
Isaac is my ham. He'll do anything for a laugh and loves to make us smile. His most recent material includes knock-knock jokes. They go something like this...
Isaac: Nah-Knock
Us: Who's there?
Isaac: Sue(aka shoe)
Us: Shoe who?
Isaac: Ah ha ha ha ha!
I can't help but laugh!

Finally!

On October 5th, Brooklyn finally lost her first tooth! I do not like teeth. I used to cry when I had to pull my own teeth. I wasn't looking forward to the job of removing my daughter's pearly whites. On this day, I was in luck! Brooklyn was in the bathroom, wiggling desperately so she would no longer be the only 2nd grader that hadn't lost a tooth. She chased down my mom, who was visiting for the day, and asked if she'd pull her tooth for her. My mom tried to decline because she was afraid she was overstepping her bounds or stealing my joy. Brooklyn told her I'd be happy to pass on that responsiblilty. So, my mom ripped her tooth out...literally. It wasn't quite ready. It still had a bit of a root attached. There was blood everywhere. The giant gaping hole showed no sign of the new tooth emerging. Yuck. Brooklyn was THRILLED! She ran outside to show the neighbors. She skipped up and down the street. She couldn't get to dance class fast enough to show everyone her new missing body part. Did I mention the blood? It took forever to stop bleeding. Yuck. But, I'm so happy for her!

Massive Update for Kid #2

As everyone noticed, most of my last post focused on Brooklyn. I do have two other children!

Sept. 9(I was wrong in the last post)
Xavier started pre-K(aka four year old preschool) at Trinity. He was so excited to meet up with his buddies(Molly, *sigh* Megan-he adores her!, and Matthew.) He continues to do well academically and (although I can't believe it) is a joy in class.



August 29-October 17
Xavier once again dominated the field with his mad soccer skills. He is so intense and aggressive. At times it makes me cringe. But, he is developing some great ball handling skills. If only we could keep him off the ground! He goes so hard, he loses control and falls down. Yeesh. It got to a point where the coach wouldn't put Xavier and another boy on the field at the same time because it was unfair to the other team! Andy assisted with coaching again. Unfortunately, the team jersey was "safety green." The team's nickname was "The Highlighters." Ugh!


October 5
Xavier's pre-k class went to Leed's Pumpkin Farm. What a blast! The weather was perfect! Xavier ran around with his friends, fed goats, jumped on a giant orange bouncy thingy, drove pedal cars, rode the zip line, rolledand picked a "pie" pumpkin. In true Xavier fashion, he had to find the largest pumpkin in the pie patch. He found a massive pumpkin and volunteered me to carry it back to the car. The employee of the farm took one look at his pumpkin and said, "that's not a pie pumpkin." but didn't make him find a new one. Since I am such the rule follower, I still feel guilty about taking a non-pie pumpkin home.

Massive Update

For Michelle and Beth:

I know, I know...It's been a while. I have way too much on my plate for any sane person. Guess that means I'm not sane, right? Here is the quick version of my blog updates.

July 28-29

My friend Julie and I took our daughters to the American Girl Store in Chicago for their seventh birthdays. Brooklyn and Avery opted for a road trip, a stay at the Hilton Suites, and a day in little girls' paradise(aka the AG Store)instead of a birthday party. I'm truely not sure which would be more expensive! We had a wonderful time! We did some shopping, toured Navy Pier, ate at Gino's, and wandered the store. Twenty-four hours in Chicago is definitely not enough, but I could do without the traffic.

August 1

Brooklyn's dance team performed at the Union County Fair. Big time! Brooklyn waited 3 years for her class to be selected to dance on the big stage.

August 5

Brooklyn's dance team's 'end of the year' party. Played, danced, canoed, received the coveted "competition team" trophy.

August 11

Brooklyn asked for a trip to Libby Lu's from her Oma for her birthday. Unfortunately, the glitter infested store has spritzed its last giggly customer. The Polaris mall just opened a close sibling so we visited Sweet & Sassy for a spa day. The diva for the day had her hair cut, mini mani and pedi, mini facial, makeup application and hair style. Brooklyn loved all the attention!

August 25

Brooklyn started the second grade.

I haven't even uploaded the pictures of Xavier's first day(September 12th) because of this...

We purchased a forclosed property at the sheriff's auction on August 4th. We have been getting our current home ready for sale(it's already in contract. Yahoo!) and muddling through piles of paperwork, boxes, etc., to get ready to move. The new house is twice the size of our current house and on two acres in the country...all for close to the price of our current home. It will be beautiful when we fix the cosmetics. I'll post more photos when I have more time. Maybe 2011?

Pop Starz

Brooklyn attended a week-long Pop Starz dance camp where they learned dances to Hot and Cold, Tell Me Something I Don't Know, and the Hoedown Throwdown. It was a hoot! As usual, Brooklyn's favorite day was Friday when they got to dress like pop stars and perform for the audience.

Reunited

Andy's mom's family hosts a reunion every year. It rotates houses from Indiana to Texas, Ohio to Phoenix, with an occasional Wisconsin thrown in. We rarely make it to one outside of the midwest. This year, the reunion was held at Andy's parents' house. It was wonderful to catch up with family we hadn't seen in a few years and meet some new faces.

Marysville's Best Kept Secret

During the month of July, we joined the Bautsch family on some of their park adventures. When Julie invited us to meet her at the Allen Township park, I wasn't sure I remembered the park even existed! We ventured a few miles out of town to join her at the best park I've been to in quite a while! The park had a beautiful covered bridge, swings, climbers, sandboxes, a walking path, tunnels, and multilevel slides. It was awesome! After lunch and some playtime, we headed next door to visit the fire station. The firemen were above and beyond helpful and friendly. They took the kids on tours through the trucks, let them sit in the driver's seat, and showed them all the equipment. The kids were in heaven! Little did we know, we'd be bidding on a house just down the street in a few weeks. Amazing!

A Month of Fundays

Between two vacations and two weeks of Honda shutdown, we've had our share of good times this summer. While Andy was home and not working on our yet-to-be-finished bathroom we ventured out to the zoo and the Powell splash pad. We saw the baby elephant, visited the lions, and were transfixed by the manatees. I love watching Isaac discover each of the animals just as much as the other two kids. It never gets old! The splash pad was fun, but chilly. We spent most of our time at the playground. I have realized that my greatest happiness is when my family and I can enjoy all of God's and man's creations together.

Dublin Spray Park

My mom and I took the kids to the spray park this summer. It was Isaac's first experience with the Bunny Hill. He slept through half of it! The kids ran through the fountains like maniacs. Brooklyn was concerned because she was stung by a bee there when she was 3. I really think she is part elephant. She doesn't forget anything! Xavier thought it was hysterical to hang his bum over a low fountain and wait to get sprayed. Boys...I don't think I'll ever understand.

July 4th

We started the day with the fabulous Marysville parade. Brooklyn walked the parade route with her dance team while Xavier and Isaac gathered candy. By the time evening rolled around, it was raining and yucky. We had to improvise on our usual s'more and fireworks tradition. We made patriotic sundaes before we left for the fireworks, changed the kids into their PJ's, grabbed our umbrellas and headed off to the fireworks. Isaac was asleep before we arrived and Xavier fell asleep under his umbrella during the show. It was a great day!

Norris Lake

Each year, we travel to Norris Lake in Tennessee for a week of boating, fishing, swimming, and relaxing. It's always a wonderful getaway! This year, our vacation in TN fell just one week after returning from Myrtle Beach. I barely had the laundry done when I had to repack it for our next adventure. Thankfully, it is only a six hour drive compared to the 12 hour trek we'd just completed. We loaded up van and SeaDoo and headed south again. Norris Lake is always a true vacation. The kids are constantly occupied by their Oma and Opa, and the owners of the lake house, Kevin and Betty. I read three "adult" books while I was there! We spend our days putting around the lake, skiing, tubing, swimming and fishing off the dock, playing games, and sleeping. Paradise!




The weather was a little cool this year and it rained more often, but we made the best of it. Xavier did really well with his broken collarbone until he fell off a barstool midweek and reinjured it. Poor kid! Isaac was definitely Daddy's boy while in TN. He wanted to be with him every waking moment. He wasn't a big fan of his life jacket, but the boat almost always relaxed him to sleep. Brooklyn was happiest when she was fishing off the dock. She'd wake up each morning and beg someone to take her down to the lake. We are already looking forward to next year!

Broken

We were home from Myrtle Beach a total of 30 minutes before the next noteworthy event occurred. As I was unloading the car, I asked Xavier to carry the buckets back to the sandbox. After complaining, arguing, and negotiating as only Xavier does, he begrudgingly took the sand toys from my hand and headed for the backyard. Less than 15 minutes later, I couldn't find him. I went into the house and found his shoes in a pile at the bottom of the steps. I yelled up to his room and the only response was the click of the lock on his bedroom door. I picked up his pillow and headed upstairs. I used the key to get into his room only to be greeted by a very panicked little boy telling me to "get out!" I kindly told him he was welcome to stay in his room, but he was not to lock his door. I assumed his odd behavior was from being tired from our trip and left him alone.
A while later, Andy called him for supper. When he finally came down, he acted very strangely and didn't touch his food. I was really starting to worry about the little guy. I began planning to get the bucket from the basement and wondered how many times I was going to have to change his sheets that night. I assumed he was getting sick.
Finally, when it was time for bed, Andy couldn't get Xavier's clothes off. Xavier couldn't raise his left arm at all. Andy coaxed the truth out of him. He had climbed the fence(which we'd told him not to!) and fallen off. He was wearing his bike helmet, but landed on his shoulder.
We decided there wasn't much we could do at almost 10:00pm, gave him some ibuprofen, and sent him to bed. He was up 4 or 5 times in the night, literally, screaming in pain.
Do you think we went to the doctor in the morning? Noooooo...we went to soccer camp! Xavier was supposed to have a week long soccer camp. He really wanted to go and really didn't want to go to the doctor. He convinced me he could do it. As I watched him try his best on the field, really favoring his arm, I called the doctor. After a trip to the family physician, a trip to Dublin Close to Home for x-rays, and a visit to the Urgent Care, Xavier came home with a figure eight brace/Clavicle strap to wear for the next two weeks. No soccer, no gymnastics, no bike riding, etc. No fun!

The next few days were a little rough. His face was so pale and he complained he was cold all the time. The doctor prescribed some Tylenol with Codeine that really helped!

The moral of the story? Xavier will tell you...Don't climb the fence when your parents tell you not to.

A big shout-out to the Marysville soccer camp at the high school. They not only refunded my money, they gave Xavier a camp shirt too!

Myrtle Beach...Finally!

It's been so long, I barely remember what happened! So far, summer has been a whirlwind of vacations, camps, trips to various medical facilities, etc. So much to post, so little time!

Myrtle Beach was a fun vacation. We spent almost every morning on the beach, back into the condo for lunch, then on to the pool until it was time to drag the kids in for baths and dinner out. The hotel was right on the beach so the sand was just an elevator ride away. The kids searched for shells and sharks' teeth, built castles in the sand, swam in the ocean, and rode the waves to shore. At the pool, they floated in the lazy river, dove for rings, and cartwheeled into the pool. All this, plus their best friends at their disposal. It was wonderful!

I'd have to say, supper out was not the top of my list. I love seafood, especially fresh seafood, but with Isaac's allergies, we were fearful of setting foot in any seafood restaurant. Plus, it seemed all the seafood options were giant touristy buffets. Not my thing. Almost everything seemed to be large and touristy, but I guess that is what defines Myrtle Beach.

Isaac loved the beach. He carried buckets, poured water, and ran up and down the sand for hours. He wasn't a huge fan of the water temperature but eventually let us carry him out into the waves. The sunscreen, salt water, sand, and chlorine didn't help his skin, but it could have been much worse. Our biggest problem was that he was allergic to the sheet on the pack 'n' play. He kept me up at night listening to him scratch in his sleep.

Xavier loved our vacation! He spent most of his time playing with Jack and Cole in the waves and sand. I think he was thankful for some guy time. At first, he wouldn't get into the pool without his floatie. He was sure it was too deep. By the end of the week he was diving for rings in that same pool. I think the highlights of his week were seeing the real Power Ranger costumes at Planet Hollywood and throwing paper at everyone at Dick's Last Resort.

Once we found Brooklyn, all was well with her. She was fearless in the waves, a fish in the pool, and hung out with her dance buddies every day. Her dance team performed on Thursday. They received a First Place ranking and won the Best Costume award for all the groups ages 11 and under. Not too bad for their first year of competition dance! After the competition, we housed four six year olds in our hotel room for a sleepover. Wow, girls giggle alot! They were all so tired from the sun, swimming, and dance, it wasn't too difficult to tell them it was time for bed.

The drive was long in both directions. I don't know that we are in any hurry to return to Myrtle Beach. But, we had a great time with my family and friends!