putting my spin on it...

School's Out for Summer!!

2011-07-24T18:27:00.001-07:00

Wow. It's been almost a year since the last time I blogged...

Having a great summer so far. We kicked it off with a cub scout pack camp out at Rotary. It just so happened to fall on the same weekend as the Young Eagle flights were going on at the Ray Airport. The boys got to fly alone with a certified airplane pilot. The roundtrip flight took about 30 minutes. Sam was very nervous about flying alone so he opted to wait until next year. Zack loved it. He wasn't the least bit afraid and I swear he was still flying high when he got off the plane. He had a huge smile and was so excited to tell us about it. Pretty cool.

The boys are in the Parks and Rec program at their school and they love it. Which means I love it! They go M-Th 9 -12. Fridays are optional field trips, which we opt to send them on! They've seen Cars 2 in a special showing at the Romeo Theater; picked black cherries at Westview Orchards; Sam went swimming at the high school (Zack opted not to go and we visited with Alice instead) where he learned to "swim" wearing a swim belt and flippers - came home asking us to buy him his own, and we got the flippers not the belt (more on this); and had a water field day event at the Romeo Rec center (it was in the 90s this week!). One field trip left for a Bingo day.

I took them to see Mr.Popper's Penguins when John was in Saginaw. Great movie, they loved it!

John changed jobs in May and now works for GM. His schedule changed a bit and he was getting home about 2 hours earlier (4 vs 6pm) and I had a hard time adjusting in the beginning. Now I love it! Love that he is no longer in management, carrying a Blackberry, and basically "oncall" all the time. We are all much happier with this new position. It's been a great blessing.

With the job change came an unexpected and last minute 11 days off so we used the time off to do a few fun things: Estate Sales- found some pretty neat things: at typewriter and metal table from 1931 in excellent condition for $12.50, some collapsible fishing rods for John, agate slices and UP copper for Zack, and a golf club and balls for Sam. Really great stuff for CHEAP$$.

We went to Huckleberry Railroad and rode the train and went on the boat, fun but hot, went to the Magic show and there were only 3 kids in the audience so the magician called all 3 on stage to do all the tricks with him. It was cute and cheesy. They liked it.

We rented the mini cabin at Metamora for 2 nights and invited Jonathan and Haley to join us. JV came and Haley joined us for dinner and smores one night. We even took Pumpkin although we were worried how she would do. She did great. The family enjoyed swimming, hiking, campfires and peanut butter cup smores (thanks Shannon!) It was a great time and the weather was cooperative.

We saw Rio and X-men at the drive-in. Sam has a thing for parrots lately (Echo on America's Got Talent) so it was perfect setup for everyone. I really like that we can save money bringing our own snacks. Sam watched Rio and fell asleep before X-men started. I made 1/2 way through X-men and John and Zack made it through both (I think).

Throw is some fishing, trips to the beach, and playdates and it has been a busy fun, fast paced summer.

This weekend John's parents invited us to join them at the cottage they rented. It's beachfront right on the lake and perfect, or so we thought. Jeff and Marilyn (with Ava) came up Friday night, we arrived on Saturday afternoon. The weather was hot. It's been in the 90s and even hit 100 on Thursday. Yesterday when we arrived the boys raced in to say hi to Grandma and Aunt Marilyn. John and I started to bring Pumpkin is and set her up. The guys get back and they are hanging in the backyard. The boys put on their bathing suits because there are shells to collect and swimming to be done. I'm unpacking the car. I see Sam's kickboard and fins in the back of the van and grabbed them to take to him. I stopped because I thought "No, he can have these once I'm in the water with him. I don't want him to try these on his own. and I'm not ready to go in yet." So I leave them in the car and grabbed my bag of clothes and some food stuff. and this is where it gets wierd.

You know how time and the concept of time just stops or goes in slow motion? Well, I swear I took the bag of food in and I start to make sandwiches for us when I go outside to see if they want to eat. I know that Sam and Zack have been in the water and Zack is still walking along the shore collecting rocks. I notice that John is soaked. His shoes, shirt, shorts, up to his armpits is soaked. I asked him in a teasing way "what happened to you?' (he doesn't like to swim at all.) He said "Sam went in to deep and I had to go in and get him." I wasn't really hearing him. Then it dawned on me what he was saying, Sam almost drowned. I asked where he was and they thought he came inside to get me. I went in and asked my MIL and SIL if they had seen Sam come in. He hadn't so I was getting panicky. I was calling him and he wouldn't reply. I found him hiding and sobbing in the garage. I made sure he was okay. He is. Thank God (literally)! He was embarassed and thought the adults would be mad at him! Of course we weren't. John told him that if something had happened to Sam and if he hadn't gone in to save him, everyone would have been mad at him(John). Sam was still really shaken and said he wasn't swimming ever again. I told him we understood he was frightened but that he had to go back in (with adults, CRAZY short beach area with a murky steep dropoff. Unlike any of the lakes we swim in around here. lesson learned for all of us!) and that we would make sure he was safe. After lunch, he used a float ring and we all went in with the kids. He did great and got really brave about how far he could go. Success. We called John a hero. Everytime Ava would get in the water with her ring and her mom and I right next to her she would cry "Uncle John, Uncle John, save me!" So sweet! Eventually it rained and we made a dash to get out of the water and get the towls into dry spots. After dinner the guys took all the kids on the rowboat to fish. Ava came in first, the twins stayed out with John and Jeff. We started the campfire and when the guys came back in we were ready for smores! The kids ate their smores and then we put them on the pullout couch all in a row with the dogs and the Transformers on while the adults enjoyed some beverages and the fire. Again, Sam and Ava were sound asleep by the end of the first rounds and Zack lasted to the end of the movie! After John's parents went to bed we stayed up talking with Jeff and Marilyn until after 1 in the morning. It was an amazing time.
The kids got up this morning begging for muffins and to know when they could go swimming! They didn't care that the wind was strong and everyone was wearing sweatshirts and jeans. John did take the boys and I out on the boat and then just he and I went out alone. Such a great time and a great weekend.
So thankful for our family and for my hero. I swear I love him more everyday.

Traffic Court

2010-08-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

Not sure if that is the technical term for going to court to fight a ticket. I wasn't fighting the ticket (speeding 10 over) just the points that go with said ticket (2). I have a great driving record and it was my first time ever being pulled over. The officer handed me the ticket and said to "go before the magistrate to have the points taken off because you have a perfect record". So I did. But gee officer perhaps when you looked up my record you could have decided to NOT give me a ticket. :) I know the economy is bad and cities are forced to cut the budgets so they need the revenue. SO I happily paid my ticket and the extra $40 fee because the points were waived. John kindly pointed out that a one time $40 fee is better than a $40 semi annually fee from increased insurance premiums. So I think the court basically blackmails you so they don't tell the insurance company!:)

Let me tell you about the people there waiting to go before the magistrate... First let me start by saying I did wear a cute sundress with a sweater to cover my shoulders (plus I get cold in AC) and bought new ballet flats because I didn't have black ones and I didn't want to wear flips or strappy sandals.
There were a few people (men and women) who dressed up compared to everyone else. Many women wore tank tops, strappy sundresses, flips. Both sexes wore jeans and tennis shoes. The guys wore baggy athletic shorts, tees, just crazy. By dressed up I do not mean formal or even business, just skirts and khakis, button down shirts, etc. Just so weird to me. John says it's the new normal. I don't know. When I was called for jury duty in April they said no tanks, jeans, halters, tennis shoes, sandals, etc. were allowed in the courtroom. Maybe different rules apply for traffic court.

until next time...

I heart Fat Guys!

2010-08-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

Well Two Fat Guys to be specific!

We went to a bbq contest in BayCity this weekend. I think the technical term is Pig Gig. The drive was nice and the bbq delicious!

We tried two pull pork sandwiches from two different vendors and the two fat guys from Ohio was really good! Loved the flavor of the smoked pork and you added your sauce on the side, we chose the sweet and spicy sauce mixed with some hot! YUMMY!!!

The Touch of Smoke team from MI had great sauces but the pork wasn't as smoky as the Fat Guys. We really liked the apple and cherry sauces and were surprised that the maple was fantastic too! We didn't care too much (as in not at all) for the jerk sauce they had. Funny I preferred the bun from Two Fat Guys and John liked the onion roll Touch of Smoke uses.

We had a blast several years ago when we went to a BBQ / Hot Air Balloon festival in London with some friends. (Hi Liz!) We have been to several Balloon festivals since but this was the first bbq one we've been able to make. So glad that the drive was a bit shorter (only 1 1/2 hours) and no border crossing traffic or backups.

The car ride was interesting. Every other song on the radio was Eminem. Luckily we like him so we just sang along.

I still need to post about our fantabulous vacation to the Upper Peninsula. 10 days and 1400 + pics. Feels like we never left and yet so fresh all at the same time. why is that???

Until next time...

I lost a small child!!

2009-04-13T07:50:00.001-07:00

here's the proof!!

Don't mind the sweaty girl in the pic. I just finished working out and was showing my sister how much difference there was from before

and after.

These are the jeans I wore to my first Weight Watchers meeting on August 13, 2008. I weighed 218 pounds!! (did I really just type that???) So far I am down 61 1/2 pounds (as of the Wednesday before Easter). I add that disclaimer because my FIL made some awesome cinnamon rolls for Brunch yesterday. And I ate my share. and probably John's too. :) they were that good! I also brought 3 home. 2 are left. I am in a size 12 comfortably. I haven't worn a 12 since high school. I also weighed less then than I do now. Is that Vanity Sizing? I have no idea but I do like being in a smaller size! I am still losing wieght. Ideally I'd like to lose another 21 1/2 pounds (don't ask!) for 83 pounds total. I workout an average of 3 days a week. Sometimes more. Sometimes less. Much less. Like zero. But it's okay. I want this to be something I can do forever. I've lost weight more weeks than I've gained. I follow the plan more than I cheat. When I do "cheat" or "fall off the bandwagon" it's NOTHING like it was 8 months ago. Now I cheat on baby carrots or pretzels, not chips and wine. I miss wine. I still drink it occassionally, just not weekly. I have different habits, different comfort foods.

My favorite Easter candy is the mini cadbury milk chocolate eggs with the hard candy coating. LOVE them. Sam's Club had a huge ginormus size bag for less than $8. I picked it up. I held it for a minute before I put it back on the shelf. I told myself I would eat the whole bag and that it wasn't what I wanted. If I wanted the candy I could get a small bag at Meijer. Which I did. I ate it for 4 days. Last year I could (maybe would) have eaten the whole bag at one time. There are still some left in the bag. But I've moved on to something else now. Remember those cinnamon rolls? In all seriousness... I am also picky about jelly beans. I only like the Starburst ones. I bought them for the kids' baskets. I ate 3 as I was stuffing their eggs. I spit them out. They were waaaay tooooo sweet. Didn't think it was possible.

Anyway here is an after shot without any props, but I'm still the sweaty red faced girl in workout clothes. NOT the most flattering pic by far. But at least it's proof that I do exercise. Hopefully I'll post a nice after pic soon.

Easter pics are still on the camera. That's a different post all together though, isn't it?!

Until next time,
Carm

ps... Thanks for all the nice comments on my last post!! So afraid of being judged and criticized. You're the best!

I can't sleep...

2009-04-10T01:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks Shannon. I hope you are! :)

So let's purge some of the thoughts in my brain and maybe I'll get a few zzz's before John gets up. Sam came in at about 2:30 and after laying (or is it lying?) in bed for almost 2 hours I decided to blog instead of thinking about what to blog about. It's your lucky day. I've got tons to say!

Where shall we start?

Sam lost his first tooth on March 20th. Already has a new tooth coming in! Came out while snacking on some goldfish crackers! Here is where we put it for the tooth fairy to find.

We just had his IEP meeting at school in March and he has tested out of Special Ed support for First Grade! Yeah! We are so proud of him. They will keep an eye on him and he'll get intervention if he struggles and needs it. He was so excited to read to the class during March is Reading Month. He chose to read Eight Silly Monkeys.

He still loves all things SpongeBob and yellow!

Next we can talk about Zack. Who just so happened to wake up and need my help getting back to bed. It's a good thing I was already up! ;)

He has been in Speech therapy since December and has made great progress. He works so hard on his lip exercises and announciating his "s", "l", and "f" sounds. He is also realizing that he misses sounds at the end of his words and is trying to self correct. It's not perfect but it's huge! My sister talked to him on the phone and commented to me that it was the first conversation where she understood everything he was saying! :)

He and Sam were talking tonight about whether we could go for a walk. Zack said "no, because it was night." (Normally Zack doesn't pronounce the "s" sound or pronounces it like a "t".) Sam thought he was saying "nice". So he didn't understand why Zack was saying no, they couldn't go for a walk! I had to explain that Zack was saying night and not nice. And boy was that nice to explain!! Anyway, I am so proud of how hard he has worked!! The submucus cleft seems to not be a factor according to the Speech Therapist. For that we are THANKFUL and blessed!

We also had his IEP meeting at school and he will continue with speech, occupational, and physical therapy in First Grade.

Perhaps the biggest newsflash here is that we will be separating the twins in First Grade. It will be the first time in three years they will not be in the same class. We're hoping that it will help their relationship and alleviate some of the competetion.

Not as many pics of Zack this time. He still doesn't have any loose teeth...

Let's talk about Jonathan shall we? There won't be many pics of him because he doesn't let me take them! But that's just the tip of the iceberg...

9 months old! Hard to believe that he's 18 already! I can't believe the young man that he's turning out to be. Yikes! MAN! I mean that in both a good and bad way. We have had our fair share of struggles in the pst few weeks and months. He has moved in and out of the house a few times. He needs to grom up and I need to let him make his own mistakes. It doesn't matter how much I want things for him. He has to want those things for himself AND be willing to work hard for them. Right now I'm just praying that he'll pull it together and graduate with his class in May. I'm happy that he's still working at Meijer and has been for over a year now. I think a strong work ethic is important. Certainly more important than a college degree. I'm trying to be supportive of him and his choices. It's hard! I had him when I was young. I have worked so hard and sacrificed (willingly and happily!) so much to give him what every mother wants for her child. I am thankful that John is here to help support me and we are a team. When I am sad and out of control angry, he is calm and reasonable. Jonathan will have to make some difficult decisions, but so did I. We both turned out okay then. We will be okay now too.

Blogger is being funny! I'll post more later. Brain purge almost complete and John's up! Maybe now I'll get some sleep!

until next time,
Carm

June was crazy busy...

2008-11-03T08:53:00.000-08:00

So we'll give it its own post. :) For the record I like blogging so much more when I add pics. Thanks Kelly for telling me how easy it is!!

Last day of school.

For the picnic I made these.

Two days later they went in for surgery.

Zack had some complications and could only have the tubes put in but not the adenoids removed. Two days later he was in the ER getting a spinal tap to rule out meningitis. SCARIEST day ever!!

He came through like a champ!

Father's Day
You are my rock and our children are lucky to call you dad! Truely blessed.

Strawberry picking.
I took the boys strawberry picking at Blakes with my family. It was girls against the boys (plus the twins) and the girls won! Woot!!

We picked four of these and then made this!

while the little boys played in the sprinkler.

We headed to Battle Creek for the zoo and water park with John's parents, brother, sil, and Ava. Here we are hanging out in the hotel.

and our annual pic from Binder Park Zoo...

also where we came home with these two furry friends - Thanks, Grandma!

The next day was spent at Full Blast Water Park and we had a blast!! This is my favorite pic from the water park. I smile every time I see this pic of John and Zack, probably one of my favorites!

There you have it, June reviewed in pictures!

No, Sam isn't waving. he's telling me to stop!

Until next time,
Carm

Let's play catch up!

2008-11-02T15:30:00.000-08:00

Since my last post here's what's been happening!
March 2008:
Easter

Jonathan, Sam, and Zack with sweet Ava.

Jonathan's first job!! He works at Meijer and was NOT happy that I snapped this pic of him. (he also just got a haircut! I was so happy to see the long locks GONE!!)

My 35th Birthday found us at the Ann Arbor Children's Museum. We also stopped at a famous burger place, Krazy Jim's Blimpie Burger, that we saw on Food Network's Dine Ins, Drive Ins, and Dives. The burgers were yummy!

Sam had his first alone sleepover with John's parents. We have never had alone time with Zack so we took him to play at the Bounce House.

Evidently nothing picture worthy happened in April so we'll move right along to May.

Mother's Day:

Me and my boys! I can't believe how much I love these guys!

Evidently the weather was nice pretty early on, here we are at the park.

John received a promotion at work and here we are checking out his new office! (love you, hon. so proud!)

I also spent some time volunteering at school.

We replaced the diamond earring I lost shoveling snow New Year's Day. :)

Memorial Day:

Despite the colder weather the boys had fun blowing the bubbles!

I think that's enough for now. Stay tuned for the next update!

Until then,
Carm

Happy Birthday, Kel!!!

2008-10-31T06:22:00.000-07:00

Loooong time no update.... Hopefully soon!

Just want to wish my great friend, Kelly, the BEST birthday ever!!

Here we are in Chicago (at the Bean) last November (right after her bday). She's in the bottom left and I'm right behind her. I've known her 4 years now and I love when we can get together. She's a great pal and I treasure our friendship.

Here's to you, Kel! Thanks for the push to update and uploading pics is easy! Who knew??

Carm

What does your name mean???

2008-03-17T06:01:00.000-07:00

I copied this from Shan's blog. Thought it described her pretty well. I agree with some points about me, but not all of them. (but more that I want to admit too.)

What Carmen Means

You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily.
You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind.
A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.
You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.
You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated.
You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want.
You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way!

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.
You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.
You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

Today is the day when everyone has a little Irish in them. We celebrate drinking some green beer and eating some Irish food. Corned Beef and cabbage, anyone? Okay, so we don't do that. But we could. If we ate corned beef and cabbage. But I'll take the beer, please.

Had an awesome weekend! Friday's meeting was emotional but we realize how mich Zack has grown and progressed. Next year will be amazing for him. Sam too. The teacher, principal, and staff seem wonderful. I'll miss Mrs. W., Mrs. B., and Miss Michelle immensely. But we're ready for the next road in our journey.

The crop went well. I think the DT waaaayy out did themselves this year! Huge shout out to Shan, Kel, Liz, Colleen, Monica, and Laura! Awesome job, ladies!

Saturday, we saw Horton Hears a Who with the inlaws. It was a great movie. Zack declared it "the best movie EVER!" Enough said.

Wehit Archiver's to did a bit of shopping for a certain bday girl. ;) Monica and I decided to take a clear album class at Archiver's in April. Those little albums are so intimidating and intriguing to me at the same time. I have one, Monica has one or two and neither of us have used them.

Sunday, Liz and the fam came out and we hit the bowling alley. It was fun! I think the adults could have used the bumpers as much as the kiddos. Except John. He bowled his best game ever, 176! WooHoo! You go Boy! :) After bowling we had pizza from our favorite place, Buscemi's original. It wasn't as good as it usually is though. We came back here and matched cardstock and paper for the kit.

Discussed going on a cruise this summer and the 4 of us would like to go together. We had a great visit with them. We need to do it again soon. The only thing that stinks is they live in Canada and we live in the US. When we first met it wasn't an issue traveling back and forth across the border. Now the wait seems like forever. Last August we were stuck at the border for easily an hour. I think it was more, but I don't remember. They were stopped for an hour last night. That's just hard when you're traveling with kids.

until next time,
Carm

I really should do this more often...

2008-03-13T05:39:00.000-07:00

Not quite sure why I have such a hard time committing myself to blogging. Lots of things have happened, not sure any are blog worthy, but I'll share them anyway. ;)

Let's see what's happened since my last post?
John's parents are home from Florida which means that I am no longer watching Ava during the day for Jeff and Marilyn. It also means that I haven't really cooked dinner on a regular basis in the same amount of time (March 3).
Some other interesting tidbits and things I learned about myself since the babysitting gig:

1. I like to clean. As long as I have nothing else to do. When Ava was here our home was spotless everyday. Of course I wasn't able to scrapbook. at all. I did go to a crop and scrapped 1 layout in February.

2. I love to cook! When I had to make the most out of the spare pockets of time I did have I threw together amazing meals. Now that time seems limitless (no napping baby, no schedule to adhere to) time slips away from me and John is cooking more often that not. Of course I am a great sidekick.

3. I LOVE scrapbooking! I always have loved it. But taking that month off from using my stash has really left me inspired and consumed with scrapping. I have created something everyday this week. Sometimes more than 1 layout. Who knew? BYOM is having our online crop this weekend and I've been scrapping away all week creating samples to go with our DT's challenges. I love it. I feel so inspired to do more!

4. While I enjoyed spending so much time with Ava, I really don't want another child. I certainly don't have the strong desire to try for a girl. I love my boys and I feel blessed to be their mom. (I think this one surprised me more than anyone. )

5. Babies really do have a way with people. The first few weeks we watched Ava, Zack wanted NOTHING to do with her. EVER. By her third week here, he was feeding her, holding her, sharing his blanket with her. They just bonded. The second time she rolled over she and Zack were laying on the floor staring at eachother with his blanket between them. Poof she rolls over. That makes me smile!

So what else has happened? We did the business taxes. Cost less that we planned, always a great thing! We didn't owe anything. Another bonus!

Did the personal taxes too. Also cost less that we planned, amended 2006 and are getting refunds. woohoo!

We still have snow on the ground. I hate snow. Especially in March!! Easter is early this year. I don't ever remember Easter coming before my birthday, but it is this year. I'm not ready for it. And I'm also hosting bruch. I hope the Bunny can hide some eggs outside.

Liz and the family are coming out on Sunday! We're hitting the bowling alley with the kiddos. Should be a great time!!

We're also having our bringyourownmemories.com Online crop this weekend! I'm so excited for that!

Oooh, there is something that I am MOST thankful for!! Daylight Savings Time! It was last weekend and I cannot tell you how HAPPY it makes me!!! The boys are sleeping longer! They were getting up between 6:30-7 each morning. Now they sleep past 8:30. Right now it's 9am and both boys are sound asleep! YAY!

Another thing to be happy about... Jonathan has a JOB!!! He had an interview at Meijer on Monday and was HIRED! He starts orientation on Monday. YAY! I'm so proud of him. He's really growing and maturing.

Friday we have the twins' IEP meetings at school. Getting everything lined up for Kindergarten. I'm nervous. Zack need some special services. He'll be getting PT and perhaps OT. They both will be receiving Speech Therapy.

I just realized I've talked about two of the boys and have yet to mention Sam. He did the sweetest thing for my inlaws. We went to a Dr. Seuss birthday party at the local teacher store. They made crafts, one happened to be a flower pot with paper flowers. When we left the store he said he was giving his to Grandma Fishy. (he calls her Grandma Fishy because she always gave them Goldfish crackers when they were little{r}. That night we came home, he and Zack created a 12x12 welcome home sign for them. Sam finished the layout by adding a pic of them with Ava. We hung it on their fridege so they would see it when they arrived home that night.

The boys are stirring so untill next time,
Carm

computer illiterate...

2008-02-22T05:06:00.000-08:00

yep, that's me. I really need to spend some time playing and familiarizing myself with this. I mean why have a blog if I don't know how to post pics and such. If there were more hours in a day or less interesting things to do I'd be all over it!

Anyway, Valentine's Day was low key. I took Ava to Marilyn's school for their Valentine Party and from there headed over to the twins' class to celebrate with them. (If I knew how to upload pics I would here.) Sam wanted to ride home with me and Zack insisted on riding the bus. It truly is always something with them. Most of the time everything works out. I beat the bus home by mere minutes and was able to get Ava in the house. I forgot how much work it is traveling with a little one. Even though she is a singleton it's still work I'm not used to. Might have something to do with my homebodiness...ya think? Anyway she was tired and hungry and so was I. never a good combination. John was picking up Chinese for dinner after work. (What a great guy, because I didn't have it in me to cook!) Marilyn came to pick up Ava and we both realized neither one of us knew how to install or uninstall the carseat base. I had to call John to hurry home and help us. The Chinese was great!

Friday started our Mid-Winter break. John took the day off to help with Ava and the twins while I packed for the crop! Laura wasn't able to come. (BOO!) Krystn, Monica, and I had a great time! The food was good, the company FANTASTIC! and the shopping was reasonable. very reasonable. I was the slowpoke and only finished one layout and started a second one that I still need to add the finishing touches to. Sometimes we like to challenge ourselves to use product or sketches... Monica's only challenge for us this time was to "Have Fun!" and we did! We also decided we need to do this more often, and I hope we do!

Saturday we took the boys bumper bowling. We had a great time! We played two games. The first game Zack was bowling amazingly, spares and one strike. Sam consistently knocked down 8 pins. The second game Sam started throwing strikes and at one point threw the ball so softly that it stopped ion the lane. Zack continued to bowl really well too. Me? I finished 1st in the first game and last the 2nd game. go figure. :)

The rest of the weekend was very low key and Monday was the last day of our Winter break and Marilyn's first day off for the week. So we haven't had the pleasure of Ava this week. And sadly, it shows. I have only cooked one night this week, and the house isn't as clean as I'd like.

Yesterday John took me to lunch at the Crazy Loon, LOVE that place! When we got back home I told him how tired I was. For the first time this school year I crawled into bed and went to sleep while the boys were at school. Jonathan came in to check on me when he came home from school. He ended up getting both boys off the bus and watched them until John came home. I still can't believe I slept for 3 hours! That will teach me to forget to drink coffee in the morning.

Today is another low key, nothing planned kind of day. Except I really do need to clean. Purple Heart is coming tomorrow morning and my sisters are coming to crop tomorrow afternoon/evening. I may even try to bake some cookies for the occassion!

Until next time,
Carmen

ps. So excited to have Ava back on Monday! It's my last week to spend with her before the In-laws get back on the first!

where has the time gone?

2008-02-13T05:40:00.000-08:00

Can't believe it's already February 13.

Let's see... we've enjoyed a few more snow days and Mid-Winter break starts Friday (thru Monday).
All 3 boys are healthy, as are John and I. I still have a lingering cough but that's it!
The snow and bitter cold are horrible this year. I can't get over how miserable it is. Lucky for me I am a homebody by nature and prefer staying in to shopping, running errands, and such. My favorite part of Winter is snuggling in a warm blanket with a hot beverage watching the snow fall. I also love the way the trees look outside our front woindow after a fresh snow.

In other happenings around here. We have a baby girl in the house!! Well, ok, she isn't our's, but she sure is a sweet gem! John's brother and sister- in- law have a 4 month old, named Ava. My mother-in -law normally watches her while her parents work. The inlaws go to Florida every February (LUCKY THEM!) so I volunteered to watch Ava! I LOVE having her! She is so sweet and good! She really helps me stay on a routine and use my time efficiently. I think John likes her being here too. Every day that she's here I make dinner. And not some thrown together meal either. We're talking homemade stuff... pork tenderloin, chicken breasts, chili, roasts, and the list goes on. The house is picked up. Laundry and dishes done. She jsut provides an overall sense of order. Another bonus for John... I'm no longer teasing him about having a little girl of our own. We can just borrow Ava. Even Jonathan likes playing with her, as much as any 17 year old is interested in entertaining a baby.

I'll be cropping with Monica, Krystn, and hopefully Laura Friday night at the Zone! We haven't cropped together in such a long time! We have such a great time chatting. and laughing. and eating! We do get a little cropping done. usually.

Hope everyone is staying warm.
Until next time,
Carmen

it only gets better

2008-01-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

That's what I'm telling myself.
Headed out to the school board meeting at 7 pm last night. In the dark. Did I mention the pouring rain? Or the fact that the twins were with me? So we park, go over the rules about how quiet we're going to sit. No whispering or fidgeting. When BAM! Zack is head first on the sidewalk with a HUGE goose egg on his forehead. (in my eagerness to remind them how well behaved they were going to be I forgot to remind him of the big step) I swear I have never seen a bump that big grow so fast. The screaming commenced, followed by the howling as I hurriedly put both boys back in their seats, flagged down another parent to ask them to relay that I had come but was leaving, and fill my glove with snow to use as an icepack in the car on the way home. Once we're home, he recovered quickly and Sam wanted to go back to the meeting. As did Zack. His know was still huge and we had put frozen corn on it. When Zack had a great idea about how he could go to the meeting. "I can take my ice with me (wrapped in a kitchen towel). That'll be a good idea." and Sam replies "Yeah, just don't let anyone see it's really CORN!" John and I busted out laughing! Zack and Dad stayed home while Sam and I went back. We walk in the door just in time to see a lot of parents bundling up and walking out. They addressed the Carbon Monoxide on our bus first thing and I missed it. All is well. The parents filled me in. And a note is in the mail.

In other news: Sam's feeling better. His cough is almost gone and he has just 1 or 2 fits a day. Zack's green bugger nose that turned into a faucet stopped running. For that we are MOST thankful!

Today is an inclement weather day at school. We don't know why. It's 40 degrees outside. no snow. Wind Advisory goes into effect later tonight. Ah, just as well. Maybe the Transportation guy needed a day off after the reaming he got last night. Who knows? We're having a jammie day!

Until next time.
Carm

carbon monoxide poisoning

2008-01-24T10:36:00.001-08:00

Found out yesterday from a friend that the boys' bus driver has been out since Friday with CMP. I should also add that the school district is NOT letting parents know about the bus testing positive for elevated CM levels. I think that's wrong on so many levels! Sam has been sick since Dec. 15 with respiratory issues that may or may not be related to CMP, but the fact that he's been sick and now is on a breathing treatment 2x a day isn't very reassuring. The district has pulled the bus off the road for now. Sam missed four days of school in a row. On his first day back, both he and Zack had fallen asleep on the ride home. Not a big deal, right. Kids do that. I get it. My kids have done it. Everyday that week BOTH boys, plus most (and on Friday, ALL) the kids were sleeping. soundly. I couldn't wake Zack up to get off the bus. I had to carry him. That happened twice last week. As soon as we got inside he was fine, wide awake, perfectly normal. BUT what if they had a longer ride home. Could I have the same results? Last year they rode the bus an hour to school. This year they have a 20 minute commute each way. I called our Ped. (I love her!!) she said that we could refer us to a Pulmonary specialist to have them tested. But that it wouldn't give us any concrete, positive, hard answers. And she wouldn't recommend putting them through the testing because of that. She said to be thankful the leak was caught and that they've pulled the bus. So I'm going to find comfort (but no answers) in that. They are fine. Nothing tragic happened to anyone involved. We should remember to count our blessings.

That's all I've got for now...

Eating Crow!

2008-01-17T06:27:00.000-08:00

I said I would NEVER have a blog. Ever. But look at me trying my hand at this. I truly enjoy ready others' blogs, stalking them to see what's going on in their neck of the woods, and such. It also seems to me that the more people have (and use) their blogs the less they share about their lives in online communities. So here I sit. Typing on a blog that I may or may not share with the general masses.

So it's my turn to eat some crow. I'll let you know how it tastes in a few weeks. :)

Carm

2008-01-12T06:24:00.001-08:00

will be back!