My first born

My baby boy, Brayden, is now 5 and a half. Next week is Kindergarten registration! I can't believe it. Being the good mom, and worry wart, I was the first one into the Kindergarten center to pick up the registration packet. :) (I had to get 8, for all of my neighbors too). I arrived at 8:30 and collected all the packets and distributed them before 9:30. After I finally got the girls to "take a nap" that afternoon (really they are just stuck in their room and they have the nerve to turn their light ON and play), I got down to business....

I busted out the 20 page packet and started filling out the identifying info and who is allowed to talk to, make eye contact with, or pick up your child.....then the home language survey, then the electronic information systems policy, media release policy, student residence verification (where I have to submit a utility bill, which I throw out and pay online, hopefully they'll accept a printed out version), McKinney-Vento Questionnaire form, dress code standards (shoot, I can't send my kindergartner to school with his I LOVE BEER shirt), three pages of vaccines explanations, certificate of immunizations, (who certifies it? My pediatrician, or the school nurse?), new student health history, K-information for the bus and a plea for the AM class so I can schedule some clients while the girls and B are at school!

Whew, I was sweating profusely, hoping I was doing it all correctly, then I ventured to the basement filing cabinet to pull out Brayden's original birth certificate. I do have a bunch of copies from flying with him so often, but the original is no where to be found. This means I get to take a fun trip downtown and wait in line with three children at the Department of Health and pay $20.00 for an original. I know, I know, this is my fault, who the hell knows where it is after 5 years and three kids??

I am crossing my fingers that I have everything filled out correctly and that I pass the first entrance exam to get my child into kindergarten! I am very grateful that I have a Masters degree and could forge through all of these documents. I honestly don't know how people who have a difficult time reading, or speak another language would manage this. I am willing to start a class, on how to enroll your child into kindergarten (if I pass the entrance exam).

Whew! Seriously, I am so glad that the school district is so thorough and they are doing everything they can to keep my child safe! It is hard to think that I will have no control over my baby the second he steps on that bus......when I worked in the school district I didn't get it. Those overbearing parents that hover, and wait, and check back again.... I mean, come on, let your kid be independent....I really hope that I will be able to let go and watch my baby make "good choices" and succeed. It's a whole new perspective when you're the mom.

Wish me luck, I will let you know if he gets "accepted!"

We've been busy

Ok, I am going to try to get back on track here.....it has been a rough few weeks. I am going to stay positive and write about the good, funny stuff that has been happening. I finally uploaded my pics. and they are from a month ago, some are super cute and I had to add them in to the randomness.... Ellie, Brayden and Dani snuggling in their new clean room.

B & D

Owen turned 2 in January and these are some pics. from the party.... oh man, and was it a party. Just with family and close friends there were 10 kids seven and under.

All the kids, horrible pic. but I couldn't get all of them in the frame.

Uncle Kelly and Owen and Ally.

Happy Birthday O's!

Goofiness at home. I was talking to my mom in my room (thank god she was able to visit us last week!) and the kids stomped in with my HUGE boots, tutus and panties.

Ellie took a spill that I thought would leave her paralyzed, but she thought it was hilarious, if only I could bend, twist and fall like that. I wouldn't be so sore after a workout.

Brayden Goo, loving my rainbow rain boots. Kalin, I stole these fair and square, but if you want them back (and you'll actually wear them) I will return them to you.

The first thing that comes to mind as I think about the last few weeks are the multiple floods and messes we've had in the bathroom. Why is washing hands and brushing teeth such a difficult feat? I am really afraid that we are going to have water damage to the bathroom floor, and/or serious leakage from our ceiling in the basement. One kid washing hands makes a mess....three kids makes a monsoon..... at least 4-5 times a day. I didn't realize I was going to have to be a bathroom monitor at the age of 31.

I found it very funny tonight as I was listening to the kids play, they were calling each other "sweetie and buddy." "Are you ok Sweetie? Hi Buudy!" I am more relieved than anything, I am so glad that all those names and thoughts that have gone through my brain have actually STAYED in my head these last few weeks. All right, I guess that ends this positive, happy post.... hopefully Kent being out of town all week every week won't last for too much longer, for the sake of all of our lives! :)

40 before I'm 40

I get to check off another thing on my list!  I bought a groupon for a cooking class for Kent and me.  It was a blast!  We made an Easter brunch:  Eggs benedict, Chicken cordon bleu rolls, lemon and white chocolate parfait, banana crunch muffins and a dutch oven fruit puff.  Everything was delicious and the teachers were fantastic!  It's a married couple who caters and their company is Two Cooks with Love.  Their last name is Cook, and they are so cool.  If you live in the Spokane area check them out! 

I have accomplished some of the things on my list! Have you?
1. Be more patient with my children. (I'm pretty confident that this will be a LIFE goal)
2. Take a cruise with Kent and ALL the kids. :)
3. Get all of the kids into swimming lessons. DONE
4. Teach Brayden to snow ski, and then the girls too.
5. Complete a sprint triathlon. Done 2 times!
6. Take a sewing class. Done
7. Take a cooking class with Kent. Done
8. Go to Europe with Kent.
9. Scrapbook at least the girls' first year of life.
10. Do a canopy tour in Costa Rica. DONE
11. Visit the East coast, especially New York City.
12. Volunteer in each child's classroom. Done
13. Become healthier with my diabetes. A1C = 6.5
14. Take a vacation to Lake Chelan.
15. Go camping as a family.
16. Learn how to crochet or knit (I'm not sure which is which).
17. Go to a natural hot springs.
18. Take a long girls weekend somewhere, ANYWHERE!
19. Take a nice getaway for our 10th wedding anniversary.
20. Expand my practice as the kids get older.
21. Get a will. Done!

*The list will grow as I grow older and think of more things that need to be completed or experienced. *

What are some of your goals and/or wants?

Therapy session #4939

Tomorrow is a new day, THANK GOD! I went to bed last night telling Kent, "Tomorrow will be a good day, I am going to enjoy the kids, play games, do puzzles and spend quality time with them." This was after our day of cleaning out the "art closet." I finally decided the hall closet could no longer be an art closet, it just wasn't working for me. Play-dough, paint, markers...etc. were not meshing well with my coats that were hanging in there. SO, I pulled everything out and started fresh. This took the entire day. The poor kids had to stay away while I tried to weed through all of the special projects that they didn't want thrown away. It was stressful to say the least. We made it through and I was glad for a fresh, new day, today..... a good work out and no clients today.... just some snuggle time with my kids.

This is just a typical day for all of you moms out there, I just need to vent and let you know you're not alone....when you see a frazzled mom with lots of little tots, please smile at her and give her some hope! (Instead of looking at her in disbelief like she's the worst mom out there).

It started out ok.... it snowed! We had a nice breakfast, got Brayden to school and headed to the YMCA. Ellie chose to not be safe in the parking lot and refused to hold my hand, lovely, great, perfect. I had to carry her like a sack of potatoes while I was holding Dani's hand for dear life so she couldn't bolt. I drop the girls off in the daycare and immensely enjoy my work out. I pick the girls up, they're as chipper as can be and the second we walk out, Ellie AGAIN refuses to be safe. This is a big issue for me, I get very upset when she is deliberately naughty and it's a safety issue. I got her in the car and she proceeds to SCREAM the entire way home, why? Who the hell knows? Maybe she had the wrong colored panties on, maybe she had a hang nail, maybe she just wanted to drive me nuts!! When we got home, she said, "I don't want to be a naughty girl." Do we really have a hormone/drama issue at this age, that she can't control? It's def. looking that way.

The whole morning I was thinking, 'they must be really tired, they're being so naughty, they'll have a good nap today.' Not so much. They were bold enough to turn on their bedroom light and play and cook and build. I frown upon this, but really if they're safe in their room, who cares? It's when they walked out into the living room and said, "What are you doing? I'm all done sleeping." This is a REAL problem.

I decided to make good use of this no napping thing and loaded the kids up to go downtown for an errand. I stopped in the Gap to try on some things, and

Ellie shouts, "What's on your panties?"
Me: "Stripes."
Brayden (screaming): "Those are really beautiful panties mom!"

Really it just goes on and on.....one of those days, but it concluded tonight BACK at the YMCA. I was enjoying reading my book and watching Brayden in his swim lesson when somebody POOPED in the pool. That's it, lesson over! Seriously? We have 15 more minutes of this peace before I have to go unleash (take home) my darling daughters.

We are now in a battle to get jammies on.....tomorrow has to be better right?

*Smile Mommys, these are the best years of our lives!*

Backhoe needed!

This won't be exciting for anyone to read, but I had to post because I have a huge sense of accomplishment for my 3 hour chore this morning!

I tackled one of my worst nightmares this morning.....cleaning/junking out the girls' bedroom. Wow! Who knew two little girls could have so much STUFF!?! It's not just one of a lot of things, it is mostly two of most things, it could be two baby dolls, or in our case 20 baby dolls (who needs that many)? Or two of every kind of coat imaginable.... I know I am complaining but I am very grateful for what we have, and what has been given or handed down to us, I wouldn't trade that for anything! BUT jeez louise, the time has finally come to get rid of some of it! It seems like I am constantly sorting through their clothes and passing them on, but today I did even more. I filled up TWO garbage bags worth of toys, stuffed animals and baby dolls. I am very happy to give it to someone in need! I am going to give some to a few of my younger clients and then take a few trips to the Goodwill. I am thrilled to finally be able to see the carpet in their room. When I was finally done they just kept running around in circles in their room, there was actually space to move! I know it doesn't look too exciting, but we were all thrilled! Here is D in shock. I also took down the changing table/pad and now it is just a regular "big girl" dresser! I am so glad that I can put pictures in their room now, hopefully they will last and the girls won't break them.....

I also got out the comforter covers that I bought a while ago and finally put them on their "big girl" beds. They were happy for new blankies too. Wow, I can't believe my girls will be three in two months!

Here are their cute little "twin" picture frames. They each have sayings on them that I love!

I also had to include these pics. of story time that I had with the cousins a few days ago when they were over. All the big kids sat in a semi-circle and were ready to listen. It was so cute!

Ellie decided she was going to read her own book to Owen.

*Take note, that pile of toys in the corner is no longer there!!! I sorted all of that stuff too, and I made a "baby station" in a corner of the living room where the two cradles, two doll high chairs and two strollers go, along with a doll changing table. We are set!

My Little Fish

My excited little boy: I signed Brayden up for swimming lessons at the Y. Now that we're finally members, lessons are half price. You can't beat that. B is thrilled! Luckily I signed him up the day before it started so he didn't burst with excitement within 24 hours, but that's all I heard for a day, "I CAN'T WAIT FOR SWIMMING LESSONS MOM!" I was thrilled that he was excited and loves the water as much as I do. He did great, it was the first time I've seen him have a hard time listening to a teacher because he was SO happy! He only got to swim with the teacher 3 times in the half an hour because there's five kids in his class. Hopefully next session I can find a class with less kids and he'll get more one on one time. While he was supposed to be sitting on the steps waiting for his teacher, he took it upon himself to venture out and test the waters. He went flailing into the open water and doggy paddled/splashed/sunk for a few feet. He thought he was the best swimmer there, you couldn't help but laugh at his bravery/pride! This was also the first time I witnessed him leading the naughty pack, by not following the rules. Not saying it has never happened before, but he is usually smart enough to not be outright naughty when I'm sitting RIGHT there.

As he was swimming back with his teacher, he yelled across the pool, "MOM, do you see me!?! Why aren't you taking more pictures!?! Take more pictures of me MOM!" My face turned beat red, what am I raising? I guess I should put my camera a way for a while!

It was a very fun night with a very proud little boy! We may not have a Michael Phelps on our hands, but we have one eager little guy!

~By the way, the goggles were a must, and they were lost after the first night. Who knows, they may turn up some day.

Party Time!

Last week we took "rainbow" cupcakes to my Grandma's to celebrate her Birthday. I think she turned 84 (?) The kids are thrilled to sing Happy Birthday to anybody and everybody. The girls say Happy Birthday to me everyday, and it's usually followed by a few verses of singing. They think it's hilarious. I frankly don't get it. But here they are partying it up: Brayden, Dani and Ellie

Guess, I caught Grandma by surprise. :)

And of course I had to add the Potty Party picture:

It's official! Ellie is now potty trained. She has done amazingly! We are quite proud of her. Now once Dani decides she's ready, we can start saving $80+ a month on diapers! (Towards the end, I was only changing them 2-3 times a day. I figured they should sit in their tinkles and be uncomfortable and WANT to wear dry panties. Dani doesn't really seem to care though. :)

Note: I took this pic. because D is actually wearing panties! She sat on the potty and tried, so I let her put "panties" on, even though they're really Brayden's old Elmo underwear. The minute she walked out of the bathroom she tinkled on her floor in her room....ok maybe it was 5 minutes later. You gotta love that sneaky girl. :)