Away

I am typing this from a computer in NYC. Ca-ray-zy! It's so strange being away from the kids. At moments I actually ache for them. Leaving them wasn't as hard as I expected, but Sam cried and basically broke my heart. Ryan said if he had known it was going to be so difficult for me he would've made me do it sooner because it's healthy and blah blah blah. Anyhow, now that I am actually away, it feels nice. But I have an irrational fear that an anvil will fall suddenly on both of our heads and leave our children orphaned. Scary stuff. And if something were to happen to me, just in case anyone needed to know, my will and trust are on top of the washing machine (there's a file holder there waiting to be hung on the wall) and my kids need to know that I loved them more than life itself. There. I feel better already. Off to have fun with my college girlfriends at one of my best friends' weddings. Pray that anvils won't rain today or tomorrow.

We've been hit!

Ugh. We've been hit with the flu! Sam and Liv have been running a fever off and on for a week, and the doc and I finally decided it was time to check it out yesterday. Because of Sam's egg allergy, he can't get the flu vaccine, so she decided to do a flu test. In her words, it came back "ragingly positive" with an ear infection to boot. A DOUBLE ear infection for poor Olivia. But 24 hours on antibiotics, and everyone seems to be on the mend. Makes for some LOOOOONG nights, lemme tell ya!

Olivia

Olivia is changing and growing up so quickly now. The things she says just crack me up, and I wanted to document a few before a. she stops saying them and b. I completely flake out and forget them!

1.) Sammy = Hammy and it is SOOO cute to hear her say it. Especially when she's bossing "hammy" around.

2.) She came running out of the playroom tonight with the kitchen timer in her hand yelling at the top of her lungs (and topless, no less!) "IN A MINUTE!" - too cute!

3.) We were playing patty cake today and she was loving it! Hearing her say "padee tate" and doing all the motions melts me. And if Daddy is anywhere nearby, she has to call out to him so he can watch her as she beams. love it

4.) She is a complete helper now, and shockingly REALLY helpful. She helps unload the dishwasher and correctly matches sippy cups to their lids. She also tries to wipe me after I go to the potty, but we won't dwell on that. Eww.

5.) She sings her ABC's all the time now and is fairly accurate. It's good enough that other people can tell what she's saying and are amazed.

6.) She also sings Happy Birthday all.the.time. but it goes like this "Hap bir-day to ew, Hap bir-day to ew," and that's it. Then she just dances for the rest of it (because of course we all join in as soon as she starts!)

7.) She hangs out with the boys more than ever. She follows them, imitates them, and loves them all the time. That is, when she's not wagging her finger at them, screaming like a banshee when they come near, or head butting them when she doesn't get her way.

8.) She and Sam are like my siamese twins right now, constantly competing for real estate as close to me as possible, be it my lap, being held, or just being RIGHT next to me. Sometimes it makes me feel good. Most of the time it annoys the crap outta me.

9.) When we were in Roanoke 2 weeks ago, she began playing with my neices (11 and 9) and two of my nephews friends (girls, age 6) and they turned on music. She immediately started dancing and the 5 of them formed a circle. Either Olivia would lead and the girls would crack up at her dance moves, or she would imitate them, VERY accurately, which would also make them laugh hysterically. And of course that only egged her on more. She was in full on hammin' it up mode. I hope I never forget it.

10.) I love to listen to her say thank you "day doo", you're welcome "you walcum," and sorry "soshi" all the time. I love to hear her say something new, like wandering into the kitchen to ask for soup, or chips, or cookies. I love every time she does something that lets me know she "gets" a whole new concept. I love the way she sometimes hurts the boys or me deliberately just so she can say she's sorry and snuggle us. I love (and hate sometimes) that she is so loud and bossy and full of herself. I know one day soon I'll miss it more than I can imagine. I only hope the memories remain vivid as she gets older.

Olivia, you are definitely the light of my life. Having a girl is different from the boys, and although I love them the same as you, they have each other and so our relationship isn't the same as the one I have with you. I love you more every day and I'm so glad you're my daughter.

Valentine's 2009

Last week was filled with activites for the kids and me. I spent pretty much every evening getting ready for their Valentine's Day parties at school. I bought 30 of those cute tin mailboxes from Target and bunches of craft supplies to decorate them. We made about 35 of the chocolate covered marshmallow lollipops, not to mention the regular Valentines that needed to be ready to hand out to their friends! All in all, I spent a FORTUNE (which is so unlike me) but there were just so many cute things that I wanted to make and do this year!
Wednesday, we attended a Valentine's party for the kids on our street. Thursday was the parties with both of their preschool classes. Friday we had a playdate come over. And Saturday was the big day!
It was relaxing and totally lazy. Ryan got me 2 dozen roses, and the kids presented me with a jar filled with nice things they had said about me that Ryan typed up and actually made cute! I know it took alot for him to be so crafty! My mom and stepdad and Ryan's mom sent care packages filled with goodies, and my dad had a flowers.com gift box of yummies sent, even though he's currently living in Italy. It was a great surprise! We ordered Papa John's for dinner, and generally just rested, watched movies, and read books all day. Couldn't have asked for a better day.

Manners...or not!

The kids and I spent the last couple days at my mom's house, and while my sister and I were out shopping, Sam needed a bit of an attitude adjustment. SOMEHOW, pointing that out to him only made him madder. But after a few minutes of stomping behind me, he began sweetly saying "Excuse me, Mommy. Mommy, excuse me. Excuse me Mom," because my sister and I were talking to one another and he knows it is rude to interrupt two adults. When I turned and said "Yes, Sammy" I was expecting to hear an apology for his attitude, or some other sweet revelation, but instead he looked me right in the eye and said "I don't like you." Humph. At least he used his manners. Kind of.

Sam's third birthday party

All in all, Sam's safari party was a complete success! I was thrilled to use fondant for the first time in a cake decorating attempt, and it actually worked out pretty well. I made binoculars for each of the kids out of toilet paper tubes, and they went on safari for animals with their names on them that their parents had hidden around the house. They also played "Simon says" with jungle animals, and we danced to some playlists that included Jungle themed songs like "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and songs from "The Lion King" and "Jungle Book." The themed food included "Warthogs in a blanket," "Tropical fruit kabobs," "Ants on a log," and "Chips with quicksand" and I draped the entire first floor in green streamers (intended to look like vines, but whatever!) My good friend did face painting for the kids, and Sam had a blast. Time to start planning for next year! Happy Birthday my sweet big kid 3 year old boy!

SERENITY NOW!

New Baby Brother Jonah

Crazy friends camping out with me for
preschool classes ;-)

I loved that episode of Seinfeld, and could totally use a dose of it right about now. My week has gone like this thus far:
Sunday: go to 10 stores in search of a coveted party favor for Sam's upcoming safari birthday party. Come up empty handed
Sunday night: get picked up at 8:15 to spend the night trying to catch sleep either on the ground in front of the preschool or in the back of a minivan in the preschool parking lot. Have big plans to organize coupons, synchronize calendars, solve world peace, etc. etc. Accomplish nothing, including sleep.

Monday morning: arrive home at 7:45 having successfully registered all three kids for preschool to a quiet house with sleeping kids and a showering husband. Talk to hubby for a few minutes before he dashes off to catch a 10 plane, handing you a paper before he leaves to take care of for him. Paper is a traffic ticket, for which the court date is TODAY at 9:30. Call to make payment and discover payment cannot be made over the phone. Make mental note to kill husband. Call neighbor to come to your house and feed your kids frozen waffles while you run to a friend's house to fax necessary info to the courthouse with a 45 min deadline. After several failed attempts, success at last! Catch husband on cell before he boards plane to threaten that if this ever happens again, jail will be preferable to living with extremely pissed off wife. Husband understand and apologizes profusely. Run home to shower and get kids ready to get in the car. Drive an hour and a half to sister's house to meet Dad, stepmom and new adopted baby brother for the first time. Spend the whole day there and leave at 8:00 still functioning on no sleep and listen to Olivia yell "MOOOOMEEEEE" over and over the whole way home. Fall asleep on the floor of the boys' room at 9:30 and sleep there all night.

Tuesday: Rush to get the boys to school on time, then run errands like a madwoman. Pick up boys from school and run home to make lunch/put Olivia down for a nap. Talk to neighbor (and best friend!) who needs you to caulk her ceiling TONIGHT cause she has a showing on her house tomorrow and it has to be done. Decide to run errands with kids in the afternoon instead of after bedtime because that time is now allocated! Come home to make dinner and begin crafts for Sam's party. Finish around midnight and collapse into bed. Comfort Sam who crawls in my bed around 4:30 am and begins coughing. Medicate him and fall back to sleep with him sharing my pillow around 6.
Wednesday: Get up late and finish crafts for the birthday party. Clean and organize upstairs and down, make frozen pizza for lunch, and prepare for a playdate in the afternoon. Playdate comes, house is trashed again. Invite playdate to stay longer while making salad for a neighborhood girls' night birthday event because why not at this point, and hope hubby gets home soon!
Dash out for some fun and wine, and come home to a house retrashed. Do dishes and reclean playroom. Current status: sitting in the glider waiting for Jack to fall asleep and listening to Sam cough. Thinking anxiously about all that still must be done and the 3 other social obligations in the next two days, not counting school. Sigh. No wonder I'm so tired. I need a vacation!