Comment Lovin'

Wow, you all are amazing! I received so much comment love yesterday, my head is still swimming. I could hardly sleep Sunday night, wondering how everyone would like my blog, if I picked the right posts to highlight, if I would make any new blogger friends...

Luckily, the kids were in school, Gabe was in preschool, Joe was at work, the dog was busy chasing the cat, and the laundry was done, 'cause this is what I did all day long:


I'm pretty sure y'all caused a traffic jam of epic proportions in bloggerland trying to make that left hand turn into "This is the Day" (I hate left hand turns, don't you...that's for you, Mom). I so appreciated each and every comment, and I can't wait to spend the next couple of days sitting right here, visiting everyone and commenting right back. 'Cause that's what it's all about. (Okay, now I have the Hokey Pokey song in my head...darnit.)

I hope many of you will be back...it was great to be the hostess SITSta of the day!

Welcome, Autumn!

This past Monday marked the official beginning of my favorite season. Now that Mother Nature has decided to bless my part of the universe with some authentic fall weather, I am truly in the mood to "welcome autumn".

Here are some signs around our house that Autumn has arrived:

Leaf garland around the front door...

Beautiful mums lining the front porch...

Fall decor and spicy-scented candles all around the house...

Isabel's new kitten, named for the season in which we adopted her...

Yep, I'm a sucker (thanks for the email, Catherine). If y'all remember a few posts back, Isabel has been begging for a kitten. No, I said. Not enough money, I said. No litter boxes in the house, I said. Isabel pleaded her case, determined to save the money. I called our vet yesterday to get a price list of all the vaccinations, visits, declaw and neutering fees for our sometime-in-the-far-future-kitten-to-be. They just happened to have a kitten they had rescued from the side of the road in the office, begging to be adopted. Everyone there had fallen in love with this kitten, and they were determined to find a good home for her. "Do you want to come and look at her?" she asked me. My response: "Darn you all to heck! I'm not ready for a kitten yet.". Dr. Rich worked me a deal with the spaying (she's a girl) and the declawing, to be done at a future date. I talked it over with Joe and received his blessing, and when Isabel got home from school, I let Joe tell her the good news. She was SCREAMING with excitement. We couldn't get to Four Paws Animal Clinic fast enough. Once we walked through the door, it was love at first sight. No turning back, no way out. We are the proud parents of (another) pet.

Welcome to the family, Autumn. You have made Isabel one very happy girl, and I know this is a day she will remember forever.

Sleep...

Sleep is a natural state of bodily rest observed throughout the animal kingdom. It is common to all mammals and birds, and is also seen in many reptiles, amphibians and fish. In humans, other mammals, and a substantial majority of other animals which have been studied — such as fish, birds, ants, and fruit-flies — regular sleep is essential for survival.[1] However, its purposes are only partly clear and are the subject of intense research.

Somehow, it seems like everyone else in my family gets way more sleep than I do. Most of the time, that is just fine with me. I like to have that quiet time to myself...to read, scrapbook, blog, pray...whatever suits me at the moment. Yesterday, when Joe was taking a nap as I prepared dinner before I went to work for the night, I wasn't even irritated (okay, maybe I was a little tiny bit annoyed that he was resting instead of me, even though he was going to get to go to bed in several hours while I was going to be up all night long at the hospital, but really, that's neither here nor there).

Where was I?

Oh, yeah, sleep, or the lack thereof for me, the momma. I remember being young, getting a full 8 or 10 or 12 hours of sleep a night, waking up in the morning feeling refreshed and perky (yes, I have always been a morning person). Then, I turned 18 and started nursing school, working two different part-time jobs to help pay my way. One of those jobs was a secretarial position at the hospital, working night shift. I could hardly stand it. Around 5am, I would start daydreaming passionately about (my pillow). I could barely stay awake on the drive home. Between working and studying and going to clinicals, I never got enough sleep. (Didn't have much of a social life, either).

Fast forward to becoming a mom. Those first sleepless nights with a newborn. Then with a sick baby. Then with a toddler climbing out of bed and into yours 'cause they just want "to BEEE with you" (yes, Isabel, I'm talking about you). I don't even want to think about the sleepless nights caused by a teenager missing curfew yet. Just can't go there...

I often wondered how on earth I would be able to make it through my life on 3 or 4 hours of sleep at any given time. Now I know. God gives you the strength that you need when you need it. Sometimes He takes that strength away when He knows that what you really need is rest. For example, on Wednesday morning, I woke at 7:15am to get the kids ready for school. I went to Muscle Max class with Becky. I went on the field trip with Gabe. I cooked dinner. I worked a 12 hour shift at the hospital. I went out to breakfast with friends. Then, after being awake for over 26 hours, I drove home and fell asleep for 3 1/2 hours, til it was time to get Gabe from the sitter and bring him home for his nap. Then I had to function as a mom and a wife for the rest of the day, and get the kids to bed, and now here I sit, blogging. I'm not saying this to toot my own horn. Not at all. I am tooting God's horn, for giving me the energy I needed to get me through to now, bedtime. Truly, He is my rock, helping me stand when I need to, giving me a place to rest my weary head when I can't take another step.

Next month, when I am able to cut my hours down at work and do fewer night shifts, then my sleep time will be restored somewhat. And I will maybe have a few less wrinkles around my eyes than I do now. (And be a little less cranky towards the kids at bedtime). But for now, I am leaning on my rock, and getting recharged so I can do it all again tomorrow...

Field Trip!

Yesterday was Gabe's first preschool field trip. The school he attends has a field trip of some sort planned for every month of the school year. I love it! Joe even took the afternoon off so he could come with us, which made Gabe very happy. He was the only boy with both parents there (and he was lovin' that).

For September's field trip, we visited a local apple orchard and learned EVERYTHING there is to know about apples, and picking apples, and sorting apples, and storing apples, and making apple cider, and selling apples, and...well, you get the picture. I think the preschoolers were done learning about apples after, oh, the first five minutes of standing in the 82 degree sunshine, with the bumblebees buzzing all around and the poison ivy beneath each tree, mocking me with its three-leafed red-stemmed stance. (Can you tell I hate that stuff? I am so allergic, I'll probably wake up covered with itchy bubbles just from looking at it.)

There are about 50,000 types of apples, and we learned the name of every one. Okay, okay, we learned about five of them. Here is a Melrose apple. Or a Macintosh. Or a Red Delicious. (Clearly I wasn't paying enough attention to Miss Sherry.)

It was a neat experience to see how the other kids respond to Gabe. Macy is another strong personality in the class, and she is drawn to Gabe. At any given time, Gabe was surrounded by two or three girls. The boys, not so much. I think they are a bit intimidated by him. I love the look on Macy's face:

The orchard is owned by Macy's grandpa, so her class got special treatment, it seemed. Gabe was thrilled to be able to sit on the donkey (and he was actually quiet for five minutes!).

Love this face:

I think Joe was just as excited today. He has never had the chance to go on a field trip with any of our kids. He is blessed to have a job and a boss that allows that now. God is good.

Anytime I called out to Gabe to say cheese for the camera, every kid in his class would look up and shout "CHEESE", too. They are so stinkin' cute! We are really lucky he is with such a good group of kids. (I'm hoping the peer pressure of being well-behaved and good listeners will work.)

In addition to the donkey, there were tons of other farm animals there, too. I'm not about to post every picture of every animal (yes, I took a picture of every animal...hey, I'm a scrapbooker at heart, ya know). But I loved this one of Gabe watching this pig waddling up to the fence, hoping for an apple handout.

What a fun day! What I'm really looking forward to is the pumpkin patch/hayride field trip. As Gabe would say, "Dat's my faborit!"

White Chicken Chili

First, I have to confess that this is not a picture of my white chicken chili. Actually, I'm not sure whose it is, but they make a beautiful presentation, so I had to borrow it. Hope they don't mind.

Several people have asked for this recipe,and I have been promising it to them (sorry for taking so long, Catherine), so here goes:


Ingredients needed:

1 medium jar Great Northern Beans
1 large onion, chopped
1 stick butter
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup (or more) chicken broth
2 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper (or black pepper)
2 4-oz cans chopped mild green chiles
5 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1/2" pieces (I bake mine in the oven for 30 minutes first, then cut when slightly cooled off)
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

**********************************************

Saute onions in 4 Tablespoons butter until soft and translucent.

In a heavy pot, melt rest of butter, then whisk in flour, stirring constantly for three minutes (do not let butter get brown). Stir in cooked onion and slowly add broth and half-and-half. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add seasonings according to taste (I double the chili powder and Tabasco if I want a spicy chili, and sometimes add half can jalapenos for a kick). Stir well.

Place beans and chiles in a large soup pot. Add chicken pieces. Pour in cream mixture. I usually simmer for a couple of hours, and sometimes add a little extra chicken broth if needed. Just before serving, I add the MJ cheese, and serve with tortilla chips and sour cream.

Be prepared to have extra copies of this recipe ready. I am always asked for it whenever I make it for a new group. It was even a finalist in our church's chili cook-off two years ago!

Perfect for a chilly fall evening, especially with a pitcher of margaritas nearby :)

I couldn't resist...

Okay all you commenters out there who clearly don't mind cleaning out litter boxes and paying exhorbitant vet fees, I have one thing to say to you:

Isabel is coming to live with you, with her kitten.

No, I haven't caved in yet. But I know I'm gonna. Probably in December, when she turns 9. The girl is so sweet, and well-behaved, and does well in school, and helps me out with Gabe immensely. How can I say no?

Your comments did NOT help my case. But Isabel loved reading them. "See, Mom, look what Becky wrote" (I'm so getting you for that, girl). And when she prayed tonight, it was all "Dear God, please please please let mommy change her mind about getting a kitten for me. Amen." And then it was, "I'll just ask for money for my birthday, and if I get presents, I'll sell them on eBay and use the cash for my kitten". Man, this girl is determined. Who am I to stand in the way of that?

So, the hard part will come in December, when we have to pick the right kitten. I was looking at photos on the internet tonight, and came across these adorable balls of fluff:

Awww, how could you not just love these kitties?

And then, I came across this one. WTF?

Apparently, this is the cat born to Cyclops. I'm sorry, I just could not resist posting this picture. It kind of cured me of the kitten-fever, for now anyway. I have not let the kids see this, and I probably won't go out of my way to show them, either. Too much risk for nightmares. Although, it might cure Isabel's case of kitten-fever, too. Hmmm...

*Shudder*. Naah, I'll just keep this one between us, okay?

How to...

How do you get this face:


to transform into this one?

Simple, according to Isabel.

1. Get in mommy's van.

2. Drive to Jack's Pets.

3. Buy a kitten.

4. Drive home with kitten.

5. Live happily ever after.

Oh, if it were only that easy. You see, we already have a cat and a dog. Sugar has been our cat since Isabel was a baby, so she doesn't remember those adorable kitten days. And now Ellie is full grown (though only 10 pounds), so her puppy days are over. And Isabel has that itch to take care of a baby animal (oh, she is so much like her mother it's not even funny).

Here's the thing. A kitten costs money. A kitten needs a litter box. The litter box needs to be cleaned. And I clean up enough poop for a living; I don't need one more creature to clean up after. I would really like to think that Isabel would take care of the litter box. She is a very responsible girl. However, she is also only eight years old. After about a week, the cleaning up would get old. Then I would be stuck. Not to mention the vet bills, getting the kitten fixed and declawed and vaccinated...And then, by the time you shell out all that money, it's no longer a kitten, it's a cat. And Isabel will be wanting a new baby to take care of.

So, as much as I would love to make my daughter's dreams of having a kitten come true, I just don't think it's gonna happen. Sorry, Isabel. Until I finally cave in, I will just have to suffer through reading school writing assignments like this one:

"Dear Mrs. Francis, I really want a new kitten but my mom says 'no, it's to much money', so I guess I'm not getting one 'till I can afford it. I love animals, I hope you do to! Your friend, Isabel K."

Jeez, girl, twist that guilt-shaped knife in a little further, wouldya?

Oh, SITS...

Dear Tiffany and Heather,

Thank you for the creation that is SITS. I don't know if you have any idea how SITS affects our lives on a daily basis. I doubt if you had an inkling of how crazy popular this blog of yours would become. I'm sure you have days where you are exhausted just thinking about all the comment love you would like to return, but just don't have the time for. Please know that even if you personally don't get to comment on our blogs, you have made it easy for other people to find us and leave their comments. I can't speak for everyone, but that's okay with me. So, to sum it up in poetry form...

SITS, why do I love you? Let me count the ways:

1. I love roll call in the morning. I love seeing people with their bedhead hair and circles under their eyes, trying to leave a coherent comment before the coffee kicks in.

2. I love the contests (although I am not a lucky person, and therefore probably will never win).

3. I love the saucy blogs list, and the featured blogger of the day, and the comment love that everyone spreads so willingly.

4. I love that without you, I never would have met Lula, or Jen, or Betty, or Katy, or Lizzy...well, just check out my blogroll. I only had about three blog friends before SITS, now I have more than I can count. (I would hyperlink all these names, but it's too much work. Really, just look at my blogroll if you need to.)

5. I love that maybe someday, I will be the featured blogger, and I will get lots of comment love, and make even more blogger friends.

6. I love when I have a funny post, people leave funny comments. And when I have a guilty-mommy post, people leave encouraging comments. Honestly, it's free therapy, and I seriously love that.

7. Perhaps most importantly, without you, I would not have discovered the magic that is Twilight. And Edward. Amen.

I am sure that manning SITS is a lot of work. But you have affected our lives in so many ways, and we appreciate it. We love you, man...

Aussie Shoutout!

I am so excited today! I am participating in my very first overseas exchange with a sweet girl from Australia. Katy of What Katy Did was featured as a "saucy blogger" on SITS a couple of weeks ago, and as I was perusing her blog, I found a couple of really cool items she makes herself. Now, coming from a girl who failed sewing in Home Ec in seventh grade, you've gotta know how impressed I am with people who can create something out of some fabric and thread with their own two hands and a machine. Katy has since opened up a shop on Etsy, so I am giving her a shout out here to promote her adorable stuff.

Here is one of the things I love about SITS: They feature a blogger (Katy). Being a SITS member, I find Katy's blog and leave a comment about how much I love her blog and her cute creations, especially the DS pouch and the Little Louie dog. She comes to my blog and comments back. I tell her I would love a Little Louie for Gabe, but don't know how I would go about paying her for it (I am scarred from a bad eBay/Paypal experience). She responds back that if I would give her my address, she will send me one for FREE. What?! I say no, how about if I send you something from America instead, and our idea of an Aussie-American exchange was born. I am sending her some fabric and other goodies, and she is sending me the DS pouch and the dog. Is this girl awesome or what? She has even been sewing in the middle of having to get teeth extracted...you'll just have to read her blog.

Anyway, here are the pics of what I am receiving, hopefully sometime next week:

And here are the links to the posts where she featured these products:

http://whatkatydiddesign.blogspot.com/2008/08/birthday-girl.html

http://whatkatydiddesign.blogspot.com/2008/08/my-new-creation.html

Please, go check out Katy's blog. Who knows...maybe we've started a trend. Katy, thanks for being my first ever Australian blogger friend. I can't wait to hear what you think of my package, and my kids are so excited to be a part of this, as well!

Fun for a change...

After all the Ike-induced drama these past few days, being tagged by Betty was a much-needed diversion for a fun blog post. Thanks, Betty! I included one of my favorite pictures from our Hocking Hills vacation this past July. How often do we put pics of ourselves on our blogs? About as often as I do a scrapbook page with me in it...not often. I like remembering how much fun I had with Joe and the kids on that trip.

Now, here goes the meme:

1. Where were you ten years ago?
I lived in Middletown, OH, and had just had my first baby at the age of 24. I was getting ready to start a new job in the CCU at Middletown Hospital (I've been a nurse since I was 20 years old, over 14 years ago now). Joe and I were getting ready to celebrate our 2nd anniversary.

2. What is on today's To Do list?
Sleep first (I worked night shift last night). Pick up Gabe from preschool at 3:15p. Make dinner. Take Elijah to flag football practice. Catch up on my fave blogs. Homework with the kiddos, make sure they bathe, put them to bed. Sleep again.

3. What would you do if you were a billionaire?
Hmm...obviously pay off all my debt, make sure my kids were taken care of until their adulthood, makeup for all the past tithing I haven't been able to do at my church, take another cruise, then go from there.

4. Name five places you have lived:
Hartwell, OH
Harrison, OH
Fairfield, OH
Middletown, OH
Lebanon, OH
(Yes, I have always lived in Ohio. No, I really don't ever want to leave.)

5. Name three of your bad habits:
Shopping (even when I don't have the money).
Finishing my kids' sentences when they are trying to tell me a story.
Procrastinating (when it's something I don't want to do).

6. What are your favorite snacks?
Chocolate chip cookies (homemade)
"Oven popcorn" (cooked on the stove, with real butter and garlic salt...yum!)
Chips and homemade avocado-corn salsa

7. Who will you tag for this meme?
Any of my blogger friends who want to play! Tag, you're it!

Still without power

Many of my friends and family are still without power. Now much of Butler County is under a "boil water advisory". That definitely sucks on a normal day, but... how are you supposed to boil your water when you HAVE NO POWER? Oh, those poor people.

And here I sit, blogging and sipping hot coffee while I am surrounded by the remnants of this disaster. My kids are enjoying another day off of school due to "unsafe road conditions" (still power lines down in the roads in some neighborhoods). Life for us is getting right back to normal, and I am feeling so guilty. I have offered my house and food to those that need it, but everyone wants to save their gas and not drive too far (the lines at the gas stations that do have power are a mile long). So I pray, and save my gas, and hope that life can go on for the loved ones in my life soon.

Summer goes out like a lion

Our weekend in Ohio started out hot and muggy, and ended up suffering the tail end of Ike. Saturday, I was itching to decorate for fall, despite the 90 degree heat. My MIL and I went mum-shopping, and found a nursery selling gorgeous mums 3 for $15! I only bought two for me, and I'm dying to get some more. Anyway, here is my front porch, after my hard work (and before Ike arrived).



Saturday night, Catherine's girls came to have a sleep over with Isabel. They get along wonderfully, and we had so much fun together. We went to the park and hiked and played, then got ice cream, then came home and played some more. Don't even ask what they are doing with this doll...I didn't even want to know...

Sunday morning after church, we drove to take the girls home. The winds were picking up on our way there, and by the time we arrived, Catherine's street was closed due to downed power lines! We stayed for about thirty minutes, until it was clear that Ike had arrived, and we needed to get home. Driving out of their neighborhood was like being in a war zone...trees and power lines down everywhere, huge trees being split in two right before our eyes...it was scary. The kids were freaking out, Gabe in the backseat declaring "We're gonna die!" (Where has he heard that one? Probably from his older brother.) When we finally got home, we were without power, and the winds were ferocious, up to 72mph we discovered later. I had just stocked our freezer and fridge with groceries on Friday, and I was stressing that all that food would be a loss. Thank God, we had power back on by 6:30p. We are the lucky ones. A few lost shingles, a piece of siding, and lots of broken trees are all that we have to contend with today. My two sisters and my mom are still without power, as is Catherine and Becky's mom, and so many others. Duke Energy had sent a lot of linemen down to Texas to help, so they are very shortstaffed and working hard to get the 570,000 people without power back online.

Just this small taste of Ike has got me feeling so bad for the people down south who are suffering so much more. I have been praying like a madwoman, both for being spared here, and for the people I don't even know who are struggling to make it through their days. Please join me in praying for quick restoration of power, protection against the dangers that come with lack of power (fires, lack of emergency assistance, etc.). God knows their needs; let's just help plead their case.

Goodbye and good riddance, Ike. I didn't like your namesake, and I don't like you.

Buddies, Gabe and Thomas

Recently I read a post on another blog stating how the person couldn't stand going to blogs where the main feature was that blogger's children. Wow. I was taken aback. For me, that is one of the reasons I started blogging; so I could share my mommy experiences with my family and close friends. I feel like I should post a warning here: kid pictures ahead, beware...

Now that I have that off of my chest, I can post about our fun day yesterday. The rain held off while we were visiting Thomas, and the crowds were not bad at all (hate to see it this weekend, though). I have been looking forward to spending this day with Gabe for weeks, and it totally lived up to all of my expectations (and I think his, too).

Living so close to the park where Thomas was stationed, we parked a little ways off and walked (ran) to see him...



After buying our tickets at the train station, we had some time to play before our departure. Although the price of the tickets was pretty outrageous ($16 per person), most of the activities were free. Gabe played putt-putt (that boy is a great putter)...

His first tattoo (well, not really, it just sounded good)...

There is a real train parked next to the track where they do little lectures about train history, etc. Gabe kept shouting "Alllll Aboarrrd!", and "Take my pitcher, mom!".

After about 45 minutes, it was time to board the train. You could feel the excitement pouring from this boy, let me tell you. And I'm such a sap, I was totally tearing up, watching his eyes and facial expressions, filled with such joy and wonder. I'm so glad I saved this day to be just the two of us, because I was able to concentrate on Gabe and Gabe alone. I relished in this moment.

This was one of my favorite pictures of the day. I already have a scrapbook page in mind, even. Right after I took this shot, Gabe started yelling out the window at the passersby "Hey, I'm here! You wanna hop on? Huh?! I'm on Thomas, you hear me?!" I was cracking up! I doubt people could tell what he was saying, but they waved and smiled just the same. (How could you resist?)

This next pictue is blurry, because I couldn't keep him from coming toward the camera. But the joy is just contagious, and sums up the day, so I had to share it:

I'm not usually a huge souvenier person, but I wanted Gabe to have a little something to help remember the day. We headed into the gift shop tent, where he promptly picked out the $129 train. Umm, I don't think so, baby. I steered him in a (cheaper) direction, and he picked out this battery operated train for $16.99. Fairly reasonable, I think. And the hours he has spent playing it since yesterday have totally made it a great buy.

For the past three years, Gabe has loved seeing Thomas. Next year, he'll be five when Thomas comes to town. I wonder if he'll still be as excited as he was this year. Kids are so fickle, you just never know. I'm so glad we had this day together, to treasure right now, and years from now when we are looking back at our scrapbooks.

Thomas update

Well, I must have some pull with Mother Nature, because the rain held off for the two hours we were there to see Thomas.

I'll post some pics later; we had a great time, Gabe was a chatterbox full of excitement, and I felt like a good mom again.

Now if she'd only listen to me about Ike...

Mother Nature

Dear Mother Nature,

We need to talk.

You see, Thomas is in town. And I have a four year old boy who was promised a (very expensive) train ride today for having a successful day at preschool on Wednesday. A boy who will be devastated if we don't get to see Sir Toppham Hat and Percy and Thomas himself. We really need to get on that train.

I know you have sent some "heavy rain and thunderstorms" our way, destined to hit at approximately the same time the conductor is shouting "All aboard". What I'm asking is for here is a small favor. Could you just hold things off a bit, maybe until after noon or so? Really, a boy's happiness is on the line. Would you be able to live with yourself, knowing you ruined his day (and mine, too)? Please...?

(And while I'm asking here, could you also please soften the blow that Hurricane Ike is preparing to wreak on the state of Texas? I have friends there, you know, and I would appreciate it if you could look out for them.)

Thanks for your time,

Heather

From football to tattoos

Okay, first off, you all have to check out Becky's blog today. It is the first time someone has made a tribute post to me (and yes, I cried. While at work. A little embarrassing. Thanks, Becky.)

Today is not only a sad day of remembrance for those lost in the tragedy of 9/11. Today is also a day when two moms met on a YMCA flag football field and somehow became the best of friends. It was through our sons Elijah and Jake that our friendship began, and it was through God that we made our relationship a priority, in the midst of kids and husbands and jobs and families and just surviving.

Becky, you are the childhood friend I don't keep in touch with anymore. You are my high school BFF who parted ways after graduation. Although we have only known each other one year, I feel like it's been our whole lives. With all the crazy things we have in common, it's really pretty amazing that we didn't find each other sooner. Your friendship is a gift that I will treasure forever.

"If I had one gift that I could give you, my friend, it would be the ability to see yourself as others see you, because only then would you know how extremely special you are."~B.A. Billingsly~

Love, Heather

Update on Being Undone

First off, let me just thank you all for your prayers and your sweet comments after yesterday's post. You don't even know how much that meant to me, and helped me get through the day. Catherine was asking for an update, so I thought I'd just make a post about it (what every blogger does, right?). So here it is:

When I pulled up to the church to pick Gabe up, right away I heard the sound of his laughter on the playground. A good sign. When Mrs. Edwards told the kids to line up at the gate and get their backpacks, Gabe was one of the first in line. Another good sign. Then I noticed he was wearing different clothes than what I had dressed him in. Hmmm. When Mrs. Edwards opened the gate for Gabe, she told me he had had a little accident (probably from waiting too long to actually go to the potty, I'm sure). I swear, if it's not one thing, it's another. At least this wasn't too big of a deal. He was worried I would be upset, though. I reassured him, praised him for doing all the right things at school, and we went on our way.

Today was a great day! Becky and I survived our first "Muscle Max" class (man, am I sore), and Gabe did well staying in a different nursery at this new Y-express we went to. After a delicious and well-deserved breakfast at the ole Cracker Barrel, we were off to school. He went right in, cheerful and excited, promising to be "a good boy". And he was. The afternoon went off without a hitch, he was still happy (and dry) when I picked him up, and was so excited to show me his "work" from the day.

The bad news is, he is off of preschool for four days (only goes M-T-W). I hope we don't have to start all over on Monday. I really think he is getting the hang of it (and I am, too).

Now, it's off to work for the night for me, saving lives and cleaning up poop; what all ICU nurses do best, huh, Jen?

What's a Mom to do?

As many of you have probably gathered from reading even just a couple of posts from my "flog", my third child is definitely my most challenging child. Poor Elijah and Isabel take a backseat sometimes to the chaos that is Gabriel; thank God they have the personalities they do, being understanding and very mature about it all when Gabe requires all of my attention. I have very good intentions about spending more one-on-one time with each of them, and now that I am decreasing my hours at work, I am determined to do just that. But until the end of October, I have to learn how to stretch myself even thinner than I usually do, to try to help this baby of mine learn how to function in society.

We are struggling with preschool. Every day is a new and different issue. The first two days, he was so excited to go that he refused to leave when I came to get him. To the point of running away from his teacher and screaming, "I'm not gonna go!!!". Well, Mr. Gabe and I had a "discussion" about that, and he promised not to behave that way again when it was time to return to school on Monday.

Monday comes. We go to school, excited and still wearing his Elmo backpack, determined to be a good listener and be ready to leave with Mommy at the end of the day. When I return to pick him up, he's not one of the kids playing on the playset. Because he's on the bench, sitting with his teacher. In trouble. Apparently, when it was time to clean up before going outside, Gabe decided to dump a whole bin of toys on the floor and defiantly refused to pick them up. So he lost his recess privileges. And when he saw me, he fell apart, crying that his teacher was mad at him, sobbing hysterically. Gabe is nothing if not dramatic, if you haven't noticed. His teacher was NOT mad, and she was so sad to see him being so sad, and it was just a bad scene. On the way home, we had another talk about appropriate school behavior, and how this wasn't it. He promised to be a good boy tomorrow (which kinda broke my heart...he is a good boy...just, well, sometimes not very easy to deal with).

Today I take him to school. He's been up since 6:30am at the sitter's house, since I worked last night and needed to sleep. He fell down the stairs while playing there, she told me. He's fine, but had a rough morning. When we walk in, instead of running into his class, he hangs back in the hall, hesitant to look at Mrs. Edwards. She welcomes him to the class with a singsongy voice, and he eventually goes in. No tears, just this...hesitation. That alone was enough to make me cry. I want preschool to be a good experience for him, like it was for Elijah and Isabel. Gabe needs to learn that there are rules in every part of our lives, and sometimes you just have to follow them, even when you'd rather just dump a bunch of toys on the floor and play. Mrs. Edwards is so consoling to me, telling me "we'll get the hang of it, mom, don't worry". I just hate being the mom with "that" kid. I've never been in these shoes before, and I don't like the way they fit. I am praying so hard for God to make me be the mom that Gabe needs, 'cause I don't think I'm doing a very good job of it right now. If you're the praying kind, please lift me up today, 'cause I am struggling here.

God has given me these sweet kids to love, adore, raise and teach; I feel like I'm failing in the raising and teaching categories. Gabe is so full of love and energy and emotion, and I don't want to destroy that in my efforts to get him to just behave.

Oh, I hope today is a better day when I go to pick him this afternoon. Please let it be...

Weekend Fun

We had more fun this weekend than should be allowed, one night without kiddos, the next day with the whole family. Just had to share some pics with y'all...

Saturday night, I made reservations for six at Maggianos. Becky and Mike, Catherine and Kipper, and Joe and myself all got babysitters for our collective nine children, got dressed up and headed down to Kenwood for a great time. The food was delicious, our waitress was a doll (she took this photo of us and joked around with us the whole night). I think we were there for over three hours, and never once did we feel rushed to hurry up and get done. (I can't wait to eat some leftovers, yum...).

Joe's favorite dessert...tiramisu. It was even pretty to look at.

We were home to relieve the sitter by 10pm, which was late enough for us, since we had our Sunday School kickoff the next morning, and Joe is one of the teachers for the "Dads" class. This was Gabe's first experience outside of the church nursery, and he did great! We have finally turned a corner, since he's a big four-year-old now. He even had his first communion (we do communion the first Sunday of the month at our Methodist church). Wish I would've had my camera for that one :)

After naptime, we headed out to the local retirement community where we always have our church picnic. The weather was beautiful (75 and sunny), and every single one of us had a good time. I was not raised in a church family, so I delight in these kind of events, and I'm so glad my kids love them, too. We ate ourselves silly, played games, went exploring, and enjoyed fellowship with our friends and churchmembers, young and old.

This girl of mine is just too much for words. I am truly dreading the teenage years when boys start knocking on our door...

Finally, I chased Elijah down and convinced him to stand still for a picture. He was so busy playing football and baseball with all the other boys, he didn't want to take too much time out for his mom (jeez, mom, hurry up!).

Gabe hooked up with another little boy, Phillip. Man, that boy is just like his dad when it comes to sports. He has never played this game before (bocce ball, I think, or jai-alai); yet he could toss that ball up like a pro!

Joe spent a lot time doing this (cornhole), when he wasn't busy feeding his face with all the yummy homemade foods at the potluck :)

I have only one picture of myself to even prove I was there, taken by a fellow parishioner. Not the most flattering, but beggars can't be choosers, right?

Overall, the weekend was a blast! We are so blessed to have so many great friends and a terrific church family, and the good health to be able to enjoy it all. And now, it's back to school and work and laundry and cooking and cleaning and...well, Gabe says it best in this picture:

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Sometimes we just don't want the fun to end...