Ben's nose

Ben is so smart! He is starting to point to a few different body parts. I won't tell you what his favorite body part is though!

When we ask him where his nose is he is so proud to show us!!!

I am pretty sure he loves to show us because everyone cracks up when he does it!!!

Memorial day

General John Logan, commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, officially proclaimed May 30th Memorial day back in 1868.

So what exactly is Memorial day? I would have to say that it depends on who you ask and what the day means to that person. I do believe that the true meaning has been lost to many. It's a day off from work, the start to summer, and a weekend for BBQs with friends and family....

Yes, these thoughts are part of it but they are not the REAL REASON for this day.

Having grown up in a military family I have a HUGE amount of pride for our country, The United States of America! My dad served in the United States Army for 23 years and I was raised on military bases surrounded by other military families.

I believe that when you are raised in this environment you are taught a different frame of thinking, respect, and love for our country. In no way am I saying that people who are not raised in the military or belong to the military don't love our country. I hope they do. We live in an AMAZING country.

Our country, our AMAZING country, would not be here if it wasn't for our military. Each branch of the military serves a different purpose in itself but as a whole they are ONE. Without these men and women we would not have the country that we have.

Plain. And. Simple. We would not have the country that the we have. We would not have the rights that we have. We would not have the freedom that we have.

So many men and women put their lives on the line for us to have the country, rights, and freedom that we have. And sadly, so very sadly, so many of those men and women lose their lives. For us. For our country. For our rights. For our freedom.

Memorial day is to remember THEM. To be thankful for THEM. To appreciate THEM.

So yes, go to your BBQ, enjoy your day off, bask in the sun of the beginning of summer but while you are doing this remember that one of the only reasons you can do this is because of our military. Because of those who have fought for us and made the ultimate sacrifice for us and for our AMAZING country.

Be THANKFUL to them.

APPRECIATE them.

REMEMBER them.

Because they are the HEROS!

Capturing memories...

Look at this girl complete with pink gum in the corner of her mouth!

Posing for me just the way I asked!

Surely wondering when I was going to be done taking so many pictures!

But being so patient with her Mommy that just loves to capture memories on the camera.

Memories that just possibly will be quickly forgotten.

So therefore must be captured!

I bet you are wondering what memory I am trying to capture on this beautiful day.

It's really hard to see in the pictures but there is something different and wonderful about Maggie today.

Maybe you can see it better now.

Yep, my big girl got her ears pierced today and did great! Not a single tear. Well, not from her anyway. I will admit that my stomach was a bit on the knotty side and I had some watery eyes full of pride.

This is a big step in a little girls life you know!

Oh, and speaking of steps, hers were a little cuter today with her toenails painted and her ankle sporting a cute anklet!

Wow, just wow, time is going by so very quickly!

We have butterfly earings, pink toenails, and a flower anklet to prove it!

Stipes

Have I ever mentioned that I am slightly obsesed with stripes on my children?I think I may have, once or twice...

a can of shaving cream

Keeping

Maggie busy and happy...

for a little while...was well worth...the cost and mess...of this can of shaving cream!!!

Frog hunting season has officially begun

It's official....

Frog hunting season has arrived!

And sweet Maggie caught this cute little guy for her big brother who wasn't feeling too great!!!

Look out frogs, the monkeys are looking for you!!!

stop and smell the roses

The last couple of weeks were a bit tough around our house. You may have read all about it here but if not you can click on the link and read all about it now.

This weekend when I was right in the thick of taking care of sick, miserable children, Maggie came in and tried to give me a rose that she had picked from outside. I, gosh this sounds terrible, basically blew her off. I didn't have time to stop what I was doing and smell the rose, give her a big hug and tell her how thankful I was for her sweet, kind gift. Although, I will say I don't think she even really noticed and if she did it didn't show.
Off she went with the rose and I didn't have a clue what she had done with it. To be honest, I didn't even think of the rose again for a few hours.
Then when I was in the kitchen I noticed it on the very cluttered and messy counters. It was sitting there, in a yogurt cup with water. I picked up the cup and my first thought was that I was going to put it outside, get it out of my way, most likely to never be looked at again.
But, I put it up to my nose and smelled the most wonderful smelling rose I have ever smelled. My heart immediately swelled and I was brought back to positive thoughts in the midst of a yucky day.
I needed that. I needed my Maggie to make me smile. Of course I instantly felt so very guilty that I had basically blown her off.
That rose didn't go anywhere but right back on my counter. But not until I went and found Maggie and thanked her the right way for her wonderful, sweet gift.
Since that moment I have picked up the water filled yogurt cup that holds my beautiful rose and smelled its amazing scent. Every time, every single time, I do it I am instantly relaxed. I am reminded that although being a mom of sick kids is not fun it will pass. I am reminded to look at the positive things going on and try not to focus on the negative.
I won't say I am perfect now, I am sure I will never be, but I will try and remember this.

So, next time life is crazy, and chaotic and overwhelming take time to smell the roses. Or lilacs if you prefer.

Try and see the absolute beauty that is a water filled yogurt cup holding a beautiful rose...

Thank you Maggie, I love you!

Tid bits

Katelyn: Asthma was OUT OF CONTROL last weekend and the albuterol was doing nothing but thankfully the oral steroids worked. After feeling a little better from that she was hit with a fever and sore body last Thursday. Stayed home from school on Friday and layed on the couch all day. Saturday was better but she relapsed on Sunday with a fever, headache and body aches again. She is home again today... I took her to the doctor to make sure it wasn't some type of infection but all checked out fine.

Connor: Started major puking and yucky poops in the middle of the night Thursday. Fever, just feeling yucky. Yucky poops have been terrible along with stomach pain that has caused him to be just MISERABLE! He finally slept last night so I thought maybe we were seeing the other side of the mountain but I was wrong! Today has been another MISERABLE day spent in the bathroom and on the couch whining and crying...

Maggie: Is the one that started the family with this stomach thing a week and a half ago. She was so sick and miserable that she stayed home last weekend with Chris while the other kids and I went to Vermont for a family reunion. (Which was great but I will hopefully get another post done about that.) After 5 days of feeling really yucky she feels a million times better now and is the only well rested and happy monkey in the family!

Ben: Puked all over Katelyn and the carpeted stairs last Friday. That was just the beginning for him. He did make me smile on Friday when I was cleaning up his puke. I was holding him on my hip and cleaning it up with my other hand and he kept saying "yuckkkkk" in the adorable way he says it. He also had it coming out both ends and was quite feverish. He just layed on me all weekend, the only plus to this crappy weekend, cuddle time! He has not eaten or drank a single thing in three days, other then a little breast milk which is more for comfort. He has lost over a pound and a half which is more than he had gained recently. Oh wait, he did drink a few teaspoons of water out of a medicine dropper, which is ironic because he won't take medicine out of the dropper.

So that's life right now. Definitely one weekend I would like to forget. Well, except the cuddle time I had with my monkeys...

Eden...

I read blogs, I love to read blogs. There are a bunch that I read about babies that were born waaay to early! I so enjoy "watching" as they grow and thrive!
This is baby Eden and she was born at 24 weeks, four months early! I began following her when she was first born and she looked like this....

Before long she had grown....

And her most recent picture with her pink giraffe just blows me away!!! Take a moment to compare the first picture to this picture! Isn't that just amazing?!?!?!

Her blog isn't regularly updated anymore but if you are curious here is the link.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/edenvigesaa/mystory

These stories just amaze me!

It doesn't just happen in the movies...

I used to believe that things like this only happened in movies....

But, I learned the truth a few years ago when I walked in and saw Connor hanging from the chandelier.

It must be a boy thing because today I walked in and saw Ben hanging from it.

Yikes!!!

(Just as an FYI, I took Ben off, grabbed my camera and then somewhat recreated the scene so I could get some pictures, but no, I didn't leave him hanging from it while I grabbed my camera!!)

I'm so proud of you Connor!

Late last summer I was such a wreck about Connor starting school. You can read about my raw feelings right here.


Now it is the middle of May and I couldn't be more thrilled about how Connor's year has gone and how proud I am of him.


He has grown in so many ways this year. His confidence has soared. He is reading, writing and doing "real" math. His social skills have come so very far.


I am so proud!


When you see him going to school it's hard to believe that the little boy who is running to line, playing "rock, paper, scissors" with a friend while they wait, is the same little boy who had to be pulled off my leg so many times last fall.


I am so proud of him!


Oh, and a couple of weeks ago when I wrote a note to his teacher and asked how he is doing she wrote back "WONDERFUL".


Can you tell I am so proud of him???

Silly me, why was I so worried???

Connor, I am so very proud of you and how AMAZING you are doing in all aspects of life!!! Keep it up!

Maggie's secret

Maggie just had to tell me a secret!

A secret for only me to know.

So she brought me to the playroom.

Behind the air mattress that was standing up against the wall.

The air mattress that was out because that's where Grammy and Grampy were sleeping at night.

And she made me promise to not tell anyone.

So, although I am sure you are wondering what the secret she told me was I can't tell you.

Because it was so important that we had to go behind the air mattress that was standing up in the playroom so no one else could hear.

I just hope that I when Maggie gets older she will always trust me enough to tell me her secrets. Where ever it may be that she chooses to tell me....

Katelyn and swim lessons

Katelyn is thrilled to be taking swim lessons!!! Can you tell???

JJ love

Even JJ got a little love from Grampy!

Although a few minutes was plenty!!!

This is the life...

Now this....

is the life....

My egg story

I decided to share about the eggs Chris brought home from the grocery store recently.
You know, because I am sure everyone is very interested in our eggs...
Look at them. Do you see what might make them share worthy???

Here is a different view, maybe that will help....

Amongst our normal sized eggs was one gigantic egg. It was just so funny! Well, to me at least. The sad part was that it was cracked because it just was too big for its little compartment.

So, there you go, that's my egg story...

I know, not my best story ever, but since it's my blog I can post about our eggs!

Mother's day and first communion

This past Sunday was a very special day for many reasons!
It was a wonderful day! My parents are visiting from their far away home and we got to wake up with them in the morning.
We all got ready and headed off to Church to celebrate Katelyn's First Communion.

She looked absolutely beautiful, like an angel.

She had been so worried about this day for a while now but she did great. The priest always asks the kids questions during Mass and she was terrified that she wouldn't know the answers.

She didn't need to be worried though, she answered the questions honestly and perfectly!

I am so proud of my sweet Katelyn! She is growing up so quickly and has a love for God and great faith!

Our family picture didn't go quite as smoothly though. After sitting through Mass the boys did not want to sit still for one more minute!


I can't complain though, as they did a great job during our big family picture with Father Don!

After Mass we had family and friends back at our house for a celebration of Katelyn's first communion and Mother's day!

Nana was holding Ben when he fell fast asleep in her arms. This so rarely happens now and I think this was one of her best Mother's day gifts!

I was just thrilled to spend the day with my mom and my two sisters!!! We are all getting together this weekend again and I can't wait!

The kids gave me some wonderful gifts for Mother's day! Home-made gifts that were made at school, plants picked up at the local nursery, jammies and a teddy bear ordered just for me!

I was showered with such love that my heart melted...

Then we all sat down together at the end of the day to take a picture of me and my monkeys along with the teddy bears!

When Katelyn was a baby Chris ordered me the mommy and Katelyn bear and when we welcome a new baby into the house we welcome a new bear too. Yeah, it took a little extra time to get Ben's bear but that's ok!

Right before bed Katelyn and I had this conversation....

Katelyn: Mom, did you have a nice mother's day?

Me: I did, it was a great day.

Katelyn: Why?

Me: Because it started with your first Communion, then we had friends and family over for company, and my kids are all healthy. It doesn't get better then that!"

Katelyn: What about if the house was cleaner?

Me: No, that really doesn't matter because you are healthy, I spent time with friends and family, and it just doesn't get better then that. These are the best things in life.

Truly, the best!