A Breakthrough! (knock on wood!) :)

Well, I didn't even know if I should dare utter a word of praise today about this, but what the heck...even if it's a little thing to most it's a BIG thing for our household...and an even bigger transition (possibly?) for our BIG boy (aka vomit-man :))......sooooo, without furter ado...I must tell you....

Dylan ate a bunch of solid food today and DID NOT vomit one single bit...HALLELUH!!!! :)

Ok, can you tell I am just overjoyed, elated, smiling from ear to ear...yes, I am....cuz first let me backtrack to yesterday and the cryfest I had over him barfing yet again....

I was sitting at the kitchen table yesterday eating some crackers and Dylan heard me and scooted over to the table as fast as he could and started grabbing at me and making finger movements to his mouth...now, he's never really done this so I didn't know what to really make of it...was he really trying to tell me he wanted "my food"? Anyway...so I was feeling daring and just not really thinking about vomit (yes, even I can forgot that we have a vomiter in the house...gasp!)...so I let him take some small bites of cracker...and, guess what...it actually went ok...he ate...he paused...there was no gagging...no vomiting...cool....hmmm....maybe this was the day I had prayed about for months....maybe he had just "snapped out of" the vomiting era of his life??!! Anyway...so I let he sit in his high chair and eat a cracker....he actually finished off most of one (with my help) and I went to get the video camera to record this mile marker in his life when I heard him choking and gasping and then....yep, the vomited flowed forth :( And that was it for me...I cried....now, maybe I'm just hormonal at the moment, but I just felt so completely sad for Dylan...sad for him that he actually WANTED to eat normal food and sad cuz he just could not...and I just pictured him in my mind as this 2 year old still eating jarred baby food and I just sat there and sobbed......I had lost all hope last night that our newest little toddler would ever be a "normal" eater :(

So....today I decided to "forget yesterday" (kinda)...and focus on today...that it was a new day to "try new things"...I wasn't really planning on feeding him anything like yesterday...but this is how it all went down.....

Shelby and I were sitting on the carpet in the playroom eating fruit loops (yes, I know....how, awfully healthy of me...ok, so sue me...I have a sweet tooth....normally I don't get the sweet cereals, but today I just felt the need...)....so....we're sitting there snacking and Dylan hears us from the across the room and comes full force at us with a big smile on his face and pushes his little fist right in the bowl and grabs a whole handful. So, he got the point across that he wanted some and I started letting him bite little teeny pieces off....oh my....the boy was in heaven! He was chewing those little sweet colorful pieces of sugar all up, drooling all over and just grinning away. I was happy to see him happy but still ever skeptical considering yesterday's agenda to "eat solids" had failed. So I put him in his high chair and gave him a bunch of little pieces to try.....and....he ate every single one of them....with NO gag...NO vomit....nothing.....he was so excited by the whole ordeal that he was almost shoveling them into his mouth....I took some pics that I'll have to download later cuz you will crack up....it's like he could not get that sugar in his mouth fast enough...it really was priceless. And that was that....simply put....it's now 2 hours later and there was no vomit that reared it's ugly head (praise the Lord!).....the boy ate and ate and ate those little fruit loops until his tummy was turning into a fruit loop...and, yes, I know it's a small hurdle for most babies, but for Dylan it was a huge monumental event! I was so proud of him and I think he was even proud of himself. Now someday I might regret making his first real food girl scout cookies and fruit loops, but for now we're proud of our little guy! :) Ah, things are looking up today! So, there ya' have it. Some good news to start the weekend. I'll keep you posted on what "new things" we might try to eat this weekend. For now I have a call in to his occupational therapist...we'll see what she says....But, bravo to our sweet little man!

A day without naps :(

Don't you just want to pinch these sweet cheeks?! What a honey :)
The girls by their fav. creek (it's getting dark, but there is indeed water behind them)
Me and my fav. little man...it was a beautiful evening for a family walk...
Huh? What did you say? All this walking makes me tired!! :)

I love how my already crazy hair blows in the wind!
Oh, the pain we endure for a walk around the neighborhood :) One of Shelby's many boo boos! Ouch! :(
Bet you didn't know good ol' Bloomy has a waterfall :) Yep, look at that beauty! :) Hee, Hee

Well, that about sums it up...those of you with napless children will agree...a napless day makes for a long day. Not that I'm really complaining....Lil' D and Big S have been remarkable non-grumpy without their usually necessary naps, so I know things could be worse. But, I'm the one who starts to get a tad bit grumpy when I don't get my "alone/quiet" mommy time that I so despirately need to get stuff done and just bask in the quietness :) Oh well...it's just been one of those days. Like I've been telling people lately...I've realized how fast these "child-rearing days" go by and it's been making me a bit emotional/irrational/crazy....I hate to see my babies growing up so fast. So, I know before I know it Kev and I will be sitting on our porch swing (which we don't actually have :)) sipping our coffee (which we don't drink) as ol' 60 year olds wondering where the time went and wishing for those crazy days of kids in the house making you pull your hair out. Anyway....so I try my best to keep it in perspective. Shelby has had a great day, I'd say...she got to take a walk on the trail (ok...rephrase...she begrudgingly had to sit in the stroller with Dylan while mommy and our neighbor took a nice walk :))...Shelby made is clear she did NOT want to be in the stroller...but she still got to go outside technically so that was better than being cooped up indoors like we so often are....then she went to her favorite open gym and played with her fav. buds Ben and Cami....and then went to Wendy's for lunch and then got to skip her nap and watch a movie instead...and even go outside again to play with Ben...it's been a busy day for our little almost-3-yr-old :) So, it was a good day for Shelby....and she was fairly well-deserving of "no-nap status" :) Dylan on the otherhand is in bad need of his nap that he won't take....he's still dealing with his nasty cold and is Mr. Grumpypants. I imagine he'll want to nap right around dinnertime which is a "no-no" in our house b/c if we want sleeping kids at night we don't let them sleep after 4pm usually.....

Anyway....so the day has been busy and long, but like most days do it's gone by too quickly. The weather is back to being sunny and hot and it's just so wonderful...gotta be thankful for the lack of snow and rain and cold....the heat is warmth for the soul. Well, I know I could come up with some funny thing to say about the kids, but Hailey's bus is due to arrive any moment and I wanted to post a few outdoor pics of the kids. Oh...I will say we had a few "vomit" issues yesterday...and surprisingly they were mostly Shelby related. I don't think I've mentioned lately that Shelby has been having some choking issues. Very strange, but true....my mom said she choked badly on mashed potatoes last week (huh?? mashed potatoes?? How??)...very scary...and yesterday she choked on tacos at dinner....not cool at all. Now before you go saying "of course a kid can choke on tacos"...well, there was no shell involved and only meat and cheese....ugh! But, she choked badly and then threw up big time, which made Hailey run from the room gagging as well (good thing Nina from FL wasn't here! :)) It was a lovely sight :( Don't know what the deal is with our little Shelby choking and barfing? We think sometimes she eats too fast or too much...who knows? But it's scary! Then right before this little episode Dylan barfed big time in our play area and when I looked at him he was a dangerous shade of purpley/blue. Turns out there was a big ol' plastic ring in his vomit that I imagine he choked on....that was terribly scary too....I have no idea where the ring came from but I imagine it was Shelby's. Those things make me nervous as you just can't watch your kids 24/7. I was very thankful Dylan "saved himself" cuz I had no clue he was choking until I heard the large projectile vomit occur and saw the pink ring covered in slime :( Ugh.....somedays just wear me out! So, with that I will sign off as I have a little boy crying by my side begging for a nap (hopefully). Til next time.....

(I had a few other very cute pics that my mom took on her many walks with the kids, but for some reason thay are all downloading sideways, which I didn't think you guys would appreciate looking at...so, sorry....just imagine another few pics of Shelby walking her baby in it's stroller and throwing rocks in our creek...it's a cute thing, trust me! :))

Some days you just need a nap...

all dressed up and ready to go to the ballet...
me and my "baby" looking pretty in black...well, she looks pretty...I ran out of time to do my hair so it's just "up" and kinda crazy

Nina and Hailey are definite ballet beauties!

Even Shelby dressed up--complete in her new Dora nightie--for her evening with "the boys" (aka daddy and Dylan) :)
What excitement...nothing better than the ballet...Hailey even packed her own little black purse with goodies (thanks, Sharon!) :)

Shelby says, "I want to go to the ballet too!!!"
Gotta get a picture by the billboard even with the rain coming down :)


Mommy explaining how seating works and how to read the ticket...very tricky stuff, but wise mommy knows all :) first intermission and time for a little smackerel of something...thanks, Nina for the drinks, gardettos mix and big ol' choc. chip cookie! YUMM!

Here's the somber mood of Hailey as the night went on....oh, how we realized she cannot handle night performances...
the group taking a final bow...yes, I know it's against regulations to take pics but I didn't figure a little ballerina would fall due to flash while bowing :)
Final shot for the night...this about says how Hailey feels...TIRED :(

....and today was one of them for me. :)

There won't be much of a post today cuz I am WORN out with a capital W! Somedays are like this...ok, most days are like this for me, but it is rare that the kids cooperate and I am able to get a few moments of shut-eye. Actually I am shocked that I think I slept for almost 2 hours...cuz I distinctly remember Dylan crying at some point (sorry, buddy...you must have gone back to sleep...hope you didn't have a big ol' pooper diaper or your usual wet mess)...and I think my mom tried to call too (sorry, mom...I'm guessing you must have figured out I was snoozing :)). Anyway....last night was filled with house shaking thunderstorms, kids running into our room filled with fear, cell phones going off cuz things were wrong at work (poor Kev)...and just a good ol' lack of restfulness. I don't actually think I got out of bed, but I didn't get my good REM sleep that this busy mom needs...thus the WORN-0ut-ness I am feeling now. Anyway....so not much in the blogging mood today as my eyes are like little slits just waited for night-time to come back. Had to get up early (ugh...not my thing), and go to Hailey's "family share" at school (her monthly "come in and see what we're doing at school" thing...it was all good, but I'm just not a morning person so it was a bit hard to put on a happy face after not sleeping well. Tried to go out and take a walk after that with one of our fav. neighbors...but stepped out the door and it was drizzling...ugh! So, it was a "no-go" for that and Shelby was mighty unhappy not to walk her baby and stroller off the beaten path....instead it was indoor fun with play-doh and time for me to sweep the floor (a thing I don't like to do, but something our house needed despirately...unfortunately I picked a bad time to do it...cuz play-doh on the table basically means play-doh all over my kitchen...so now we need a re-sweep anyway...)....oh well...and that takes us to naptime and the present....oh, how easily the day slips by. Soon it'll be dinnertime and I have nothing planned (sorry Kev) and then off to church for me and the girls....ta-da...another successful day done and not much to show for it. Ah well.....with that I think I'll just post some pics of us at the Cinderella ballet last Friday...maybe those will brighten the day (though when you see Hailey face in some of them you might not feel so "bright" inside :)). Hope you all are more rested than I today....ho hum :(

(on a side note I will say again how amazing the ballet was last week and how great it was to have my mom here to share it with us. Hailey and I had seen this same ballet 2 years ago and loved it...the jester made her laugh even at age 5...so it was even funnier at age 7 (who knew ballet could be funny :))....my mom seemed to thoroughly enjoy the evening too and we both agreed as we left the performance that my grandma would would have loved it. It was a wonderful ballet and beautifully performed. Hailey was most excited to see her old and new ballet teachers dancing the lead parts. Oh, how she wants to be that prima ballerina! Time will tell....but, it was a great performance and aside from Hailey being in a horrible mood at the end and basically falling asleep, it was a great time....now we know to go to matinee's from now on :))

We have a new WALKER in the house! Whohoo!

Here's the proof, my friends, that our little vomit-man can and did eat and keep down his very first girl scout cookie :)

Here's Shelby showing off Hailey's old 2nd Easter dress....she played in it all day this day...at least we put it to use again...too bad it's too small to wear outside the house :)
Too darn cute :)
Whohoo...I'm a big boy who can stand all on his own...and soon mommy will show you my "walking " pics...I love this toddler stuff!
Mommy and her biggest girl on her b-day :)
Yep, standing again...with my fav. remote in hand :)

"Hello!" Did you know that remote controls ring and you can talk into them too! :)
whoa...crazier hair than normal!
yikes...crazy green-eyed girl!

Hailey's first time on toe shoes...my old tattered ones... boy, this real ballerina stuff hurt the toes!

Well, it finally happened last night....big boy Dylan became a walking little man!!!!! I get a little misty-eyed even talking about it (I know I can be a softy sometimes :))....my little boy is growing up :( :( He's been working up to this point for quite some time now...I think he first stood up when he was a mere 7 mos old and he crawled right after that...but since then he's been quite content just to do those things....and maybe he'd venture to scooting around the house with his "walker toys". And while my mom was here I know I posted that he'd get so giddy with glee when he'd find himself standing alone in the middle of a room...it was so, so funny! And I know he even took a step to my mom a few times....

But last night he took a few steps and they were good enough to claim the prize "of first time walker" in my book :) I think daddy was most proud cuz he walked first for him. I think it was good for the daddy ego to see those first steps...as poor daddy usually misses all the firsts cuz for some reason they occur while he's at work or doing other stuff. Last night I was the unlucky one and was washing dishes at the time of the "first walk" (bah humbug to those tedious household chores!)...but Dylan was kind enough to do a second presentation for me later on. We are so proud...and I must say I'm a bit sad that my baby is walking...I've been secretly happy that he was what the medical field calls "a late walker"....and I do have to add that he beat Shelby by 2 days when it comes to walking...she walked 2 days before her 14 month b-day and he walked 4 days before his! Go Dylan! Not that this is a competition or anyhing and not that I'd compare my dear, sweet children to each other...what kind of mother do you think I am?! :)

Anyway....so that is big news in our little bustling household. We now have an official toddler in the house and it's a bit intimidating :) I'm sure he'll just add to the craziness now and before we know it he'll be running all over instead of walking :) Well, it's been a pretty uneventful day with not too many humorous things to share. It's been another gloriously odd, hot March day...in the 80's ,I think....Shel and Dyl and I took a brief stroll down the trail and checked out some interested birds and bugs and sat on our favorite bench and ate a snack and talked about how we miss Nina and wish she was here still (sniffle, sniffle :)). Shelby took a couple good falls and scraped up yet another place on her scabby arm and leg...but she seemed more concerned about her scraped up baby that fell out of it's stroller than her new booboos :) She's such a good mommy :) She's still putting up a good fight right now to not take a nap as it's been over an hour and she's still chatting in her room to herself...gotta love our long-winded Shelby girl...she has a strong will like no other! And Dylan, bless his heart, is sick as a dog...poor boy...he's had a long (surprising) stint of healthiness for the last few months, but caught some nasty bug and has been pretty miserable last night and today...praying it doesn't turn into something worse as I hear pneumonia and strep are on the rise....stay away from us, you nasty germs! :(

Oh, and before I forget to post about this again (thanks for reminding me, Amanda)....I wanted to briefly tell you what's going on with Shelby...I think I mentioned, before I took a blog hiatus over spring break, that Shelby was having some medical issues. While it is nothing very serious she will most likely have to have eye surgery sometime this summer. I say "might" right now cuz we decided to wait and watch for the next few months (until June). For those of you who don't know...right after Shelby turned one, I started to notice her eyes didn't focus on things correctly and one eye (her left one) would wander off and not come back right away (possibly a lazy eye, I thought)....anyway...I kinda thought I was seeing things cuz I'd mention it to Kev and he said he never saw it and then I said something to Kev's dad and he never saw it either (and he's a doctor)...anyway....so a few months went by and we spent some time with my mom and she noticed "the eye" after a nap one day, I think, and said something to me. Then Kev's dad noticed it soon after that. Anyway...to make a long story short we went into IU optometry right away...and even they couldn't see anything wrong until they put the dilation drops in her eyes...then it was obvious she had what they call "an eye turn" (which I believe is different than lazy eye, but I'm not 100% sure)...anyway...so her left eye turns out at times...usually when she's very sleepy and usually only after a nap or after she wakes up in the morning. Here's the kicker for me....I actually thought a few months back that it was getting worse so we took her in and they said it looked the same and to come back in a few months....so we did...and this past time I actually thought it was better as I've hardly seen the eye turn the last 3 months. We were stunned to learn it was much worse (or to say it better...that the left eye was not "compensating" as well anymore) and that surgery was probably going to be our only option. It was the week we were dealing with Dylan's procedures and lots of other stuff and just hearing that we'd have to go to Riley in Indy (where I used to work...children's hospital)...and have this surgery...well, it was some hard news to swallow. The optometrist was very nice though and he said it was wise to wait and watch for 3 more months as she could have just been having a "very bad eye day"...so for now we are waiting. I have a feeling though that we will end up in Indy for a consult in June....not to be negative, but I just get that vibe. And I guess the surgery is fairly routine there, but it's still surgery and no one wants their baby to go through any procedure much less surgery. And I will be honest...eye stuff kinda wigs me out...I have always had issues with touching my own eyes....it took me like a year to finally get a contact in my eye...so to think about my baby having the muscles in her eye cut and reworked...that just makes me a big nauseous to say the least :( :( But, I'm trusting the good Lord to just give me peace about all that. I guess our optometrist had the surgery twice and he survived :), so I need to just chill out! (easier said than done for any mom, I think :)) Anyway...so that's the low-down on that. I don't really have many details cuz I just really don't remember all the "eye mumbo jumbo" he used...all I know is her eye turn has something to do with her eye muscles not working together correctly (in her left eye)...and I guess her depth perception is starting to be affected which isn't good, of course (though we are happy to report her actual vision is fine...we were worried about blindness in her eye for awhile, which as you can amagine scared the crap out of me!) So, that is what they would correct with the surgery...and, of course, there is the possibility and likelihood she would have to have the surgery again as she gets older...it sounds like it's common to have it more than once. So, just please be praying for Shelby....she melts my heart daily with her big hazel eyes and I'd hate for anything to happen to them. And just pray for wisdom for Kev and I this summer. It is ultimately up to us if she has the surgery. She is not a candidate for therapy or glasses as her eye turn is not minor enough (aka...it's bad enough to warrant surgery)...and to be honest I'd want surgery anyway...I can't imagine keeping glasses or a patch on Shelby....she's too stubborn for stuff like that! But, we can decide to not do the surgery and just wait til she really needs it (when she's in school)....but I'm opting for the surgery if it's recommended....

Anyway...I need to get cleaning. This house is being invaded by dustbunnies and I fear they will overcome us all soon if I don't intervene :) It's gonna be (and already has been) a busy week for us....lots of school/church stuff going on. Tonight it's Rock and Read at school with a free spaghetti dinner (not sure what the night will entail, but I'm sure it will be "fascinating" :))...and, yippee, I don't have to make a meal! :) But, I will tell you I'm getting burned out (with a capital B) on activities. I'm to that point in the school year where I just want summer to be here...I'm am worn out and tired of being on the go! (yes, even "super mommy" Kel get's worn out and tired of constantly doing stuff :)). But I keep trecking on and putting on that (mostly) happy face so that Hailey and Shelby can do all their "fun" stuff. But, I must say the countdown is on to summer, especially with this nice weather teasing us all! So, adios until next time and hope you all are doing well.....

Back to Reality...whether we like it or not :(

We loved having Nina here for the big 7th b-day!
Thank you, Great-Grandma (in heaven) for these beautiful ballerinas you saved to give to me...I love them and they make me think of you and your love of dance :)

Did you just say I could get my ears pierced here??!!! NO WAY!!!! (I love the expression when we told her, don't you?!) :)
Then there were some somber "white faced" moments of sitting in the piercing chair "rethinking the ear piercing decision" :)
Marking the piercing territory...
Maybe I will hold the piercing bear to help me not be so scared :)
One, two, three...pierce! Umm...ouch!

New, proud owner of pink sparkly flower earrings...and red ears to match :)
We love Claire's....
We love our daddy even more...
...and mommy too....and Shelby loves her lollipop...

Big sis and little bro...aw, so sweet :)

We love our "almost" Aunt Candy :) (this was taken the day after Hailey's b-day...but I thought it was a great pic taken by my mom)
Is this choc. cake all for me?!
a crazy group shot outside of O'Charleys....don't fly away, balloons!
I love my Island Fun cake that mommy made :)
Happy Birthday to you.....

New American girl clothes....
More AG clothes....
Dylan and one of his fav. things...balloons...yes, I know it's a safety hazard :)
New books...whohoo! I love Junie B. Jones!

I love Littlest Pet Shops too...yippee!

Well, like my title post says...it's back to reality and back to "life w/o Nina (aka Grandma)". It's been a wonderful (almost) 2 weeks with my mom here and now it's over....it's back to the grindstone for me...and back to "not getting one-on-one attention" for the kids...it's all gonna take some getting used to (and already this morning there have been many hysterical tears and sobs of "I miss Nina")...we get mighty spoiled with my mom in town...she takes very good care of us, helps cook, helps clean, is a great personal dishwasher...and, well, mostly she's super awesome at just spending time with the kids, which means the most to them and me.....Ok...so I just wanted to put it out that how thankful we were to have her here for so long...not every grandma in the world is able (or wants) to take that time away from her life to spend with her family....we are thankful and we love you, Mom/Nina! :) Now it's back to our humm drumm life and with that I just wanted to do a few bullet points and simply just post a "few" pics...I have tons of pics of the last two weeks, but I guess today we'll simply stick to Hailey's actual b-day which was over a week ago now and of her big "piercing" at the mall...I love b-day pics so I'll post those today....

• Life with the little vomiter continues...He's had some up and down moments in the last week....On a high note: I felt compelled to feed him a girl scout cookie (don't ask me why?)...and guess what, my friends...THE BOY ATE IT WITH A HUGE SMILE ON HIS FACE AND NO VOMITING TO FOLLOW!!!! I was completely overcome with joy, but at the same time a bit skeptical and confused. Could it be that our boy will NOT vomit as long as he's eating junk food (not that girl scout cookies are junk...I'm sure they are very nutricious)?! Anyway...so he ate the good ol' "All Abouts" that night and was in all his glory. I think he was even proud of himself and he most thoroughly enjoyed his first cookie complete with chocolate coating :) So, thank you girl scouts for making something our boy can eat....well, kinda....the "lil' cookie lover" digressed the next morning as he tried his fav. sweet treat again and ended up vomiting in his sister's bedroom in front of good ol' Nina who ran from the room trying not to vomit herself (sorry, Nina!). So, that was the end of his cookie experience. I again felt the need to try a solid substance this morning and gave him a ritz cracker...bad news....he vomited immediately.....that's all I'm gonna say about that...I'm used to the vomit now, but still sick of our boy "getting sick" over food :(


• Ok, so I don't know why I started a new bullet point, cuz this one is still about vomit...but I will say that Dylan successfully grossed his Nina from FL out a few times with his vomit tactics. He "tossed his cookies" at the dinner table this weekend and then proceeded to throw the orange chunky vomit on our newly painted walls....let's just say Nina ended up sitting on our toilet in the bathroom eating her pizza (yes, she has some gaggy/vomit issues herself....I'm starting to see where our vomiter is getting all these vomit issues...can we say "genetics"???!!! :)) Ok...enough about vomit....


• We are still very much up in the air about moving. We got all excited about looking at floorplans this weekend...and spent a good couple hours at our model homes in our neighborhood and with our "home counselor" pouring over figures and upgrades and this and that...all the stuff you do when you build a new house (which we have never done...our current home was "being built" when we bought it almost 5 years ago)...anyway...we're having a hard time deciding whether it's a good idea to move or to wait??? I keep hoping to wake up one morning and just know what the right choice is....but I guess that's life...and the "unknown" of being human and having choices to make. I will say this...we've found a houseplan we "mostly" like and it would so amazing if we could afford it without me going back to work (I had hoped not to go back to work til Dylan was in Kindergarten...4 years down the road)...but we'll see if "our plan" is "God's plan" and what doors he opens and closes. I have no doubt that in the next 6 months we'll have made our decision. Maybe in the next couple weeks I'll write a post about why we want to move and why we want to stay and maybe you guys can help in the decision. Anyway...it's been fun "dreaming" about a new house...about maybe having a fireplace (finally!) and about having room for all our stuff and having a floorplan we love! It would all be wonderful! Of course, there is a downside to everything...and we'd miss this house and our neighbors and having the basement (aka free storage space!)....so we'll see what happens.....


• I'm happy to say (or at least hoping) that our big "plumbing issue" is solved??!! We had our plumber out here again to look/listen to our "banging pipes". For those of you who have been in our home for more than a few hours (which isn't many of you, I guess :)), you might have been overcome with fear to hear our house actually moaning and groaning like it's walls were possessed....actually I guess it would be our pipes. We're not sure of the issue really and neither is our plumber, but every time we'd turn off water to a shower or even flush a toilet the house would shake and cause the children to cry...it was scary at times even for an adult to hear. Anyway...we think the problem has been "fixed" with a pressure valve or some wise plumbing tool to keep our water pressure down...we think our water company is actually to blame...so "thank you, City of Bloomy for costing us a 100 bucks in plumber bills"....things like that really get me! :(


• To stick to the subject of "more money down the drains"...we had to replace all the tires on our van this weekend...we had yet another flat probably due to all the nails in our neighborhood (due to new construction...thanks, Beazer homes!)...so now we've just payed for a new transmission for our van...let's just say that was a few thousand...new tires for our car...ummm...hundreds of dollars, and now a "few" more hundred on more new tires...not to mention plumber bills and other issues....money stuff stresses me out...good thing I have a very laid back hubby who doesn't worry...and good thing for our big chunk of change tax return that we already got! God does provide...I am thankful for that!


• Shelby has been back to her usual antics lately....her obsession today and for the past week has been to say, "Mommy, you're a boy!!!"....meaning...she likes to call me a boy and to see my reaction. It was kinda funny at first like a week ago, but now it's just plain annoying cuz she likes to do it in public and when I don't answer her she gets really loud saying "YOU A BOY, YOU A BOY!"...like nothing in the world is funnier than that....ugh! I am glad to say that she at least does not want to be a boy anymore...there were a few days there where she was insisting that she was going to be a daddy NOT a mommy and that she was a boy herself....and now she's warmed up to the idea of being a mommy...phew! :) And, I know I posted this before, but she's actually been very loving towards me lately...she even cries when I'm gone now....it used to be ALL about daddy...but the tides have changed...awww, I love it, it's nice to be loved :)


• Another cute Shelby moment...yesterday, out of the blue she said to me as she was brushing her teeth, "Jesus loves Shelby"..."Jesus is so nice to love Shelby"...awww...isn't that so cute :) I love this sweet girl :) She does say the sweetest things "sometimes" :)
• Since we're still on the subject of Shelby....it finally happend yesterday....we lost her (briefly) in Target :( I'm actually surprised it hasn't happened sooner than it did...but sure enough...Kev was with Dylan and I was with Hailey and we both thought the other one had her....nope...she was aimlessly wandering around the jewelry dept looking for something to adorn herself with (she loves jewelry lately) :) Luckily she wasn't out of our sight for too long, but still...it was a bit heart-stopping and scary even though it was thankfully very brief :) Ugh....so as you can see three kids do get the best of us and we are definitely outnumbered some days :( We love you Shelby Gracie...sorry we forgot about you yesterday.....
  
• Hailey's big ol' roller-skating b-day party is coming up this Saturday...whohoo! I know she's very excited. I'm sure I'll snap lots of pics so I'll have to share all the specifics with you then. She can't wait...it'll be her first "all girl" party...she really wanted to invite all "her boys", but that would have added like 10 more to the already 12 and I didn't really want to mess with that...so, sorry to all the boys out there that Hailey loves...maybe next time :) Anyway...the cookie cake and balloons are ordered and all we have to do is get treat bags ready and stuffed.....it's almost party time! And if you know our biggest girl you know that she LOVES a good party and loves to just be surrouned by her friends....


• The newly pierced ears are hanging in there...daddy has been banned from "ear duty" cuz he causes pain (and bloodiness) to the new piercings...but other than that Hailey loves her ears pierced and so far things look healthy on the lobes...she can't wait try her new earrings in 5 weeks....


• Can I just make one comment on the glorious spring (aka summer-like) weather! Ah, sweet sun and heat! I love it...it's been in the 80's....I think I even heard a rumor that we were warmer than FL this weekend? That is heaven to me! We have surely enjoyed all our long walks and bike rides and time outside....usually March is full of rain and cold and gloominess, but the good Lord must have known we needed some sun and warmth in our lives! Thank you!!!! It was great to have the weather nice when my mom was here....she spent lots of time outside with the kids....the only thing that would have made it better was if my dad was here too...we missed you, dad/Poppi!


• I've very bummed to say that we won't probably be visiting MI this summer :( :( We had hoped and planned on spending time in either June or August at my parent's cottage in Muskegon (on Bear Lake...just an awesome place to relax)...I guess my dad can't get time away from his job so we're gonna have to nix those plans for this year :( It'll be sad not to have that time on the lake...we love it there and the kids just love that time with my parents--boating, fishing, sailing, swimming, etc....oh well...maybe next year...at least we still have our time over the 4th of July at the cabin in NC and a trip to WI for my grandparent's memorial in Aug....so we'll still be summer traveling fools as usual :)


• Hailey is gonna be trying out a new sport in May...the ever popular tennis! Whohoo....it'll be fun to watch her play...I used to take lessons and loved tennis as a child....it'll be fun to see Hailey learn something new....she just got her racket and has been swinging it all around...oh joy!


• We thoroughly enjoyed the Cinderella ballet last Friday night...I'll have to post pics later cuz I got some really funny ones of Hailey....she was so thrilled at the beginning of the night but as the evening went on it was clear that our bright-eyed 7 yr old was not a night owl...she was sleepier and sleepier and grumpier and grumpier as the night went on...it was evident that evening performances don't work for her. It was a great ballet though and we even got preferred seating...we moved front and center (expensive seats) halfway through and could see all those beautiful ballerinas close up...awesome! It was a great time and brought back happy memories of my grandma...she would have loved to watch that with us....

Well, I have lots more to post about, seeing as I've "been out of blog commission" for 2 weeks or so, but I really need to get some things done before we run off to girl scouts for the afternoon. Hope everyone out there is enjoying this spring weather...and taking full advantage of it...cuz you never know when the rain and even snow might blow back in :( GRRRR :(Well, toodleloo til next time....I don't know if I'll get back on my daily blogging saddle, but we'll see how the days go...)

p.s....regarding the b-day pics...as you can see we had a smashing good time that day...Hailey got tons of gifts from family and friends...thank you all of you that sent stuff and for all the cards, emails, stickers, gifts, money...you all are wonderful and the birthday girl thoroughly enjoyed everything...and I made the cake...it was named "island fun", I think and got it from my fav. cake book (thanks, Aunt Sue!)...it was the cake Hailey requested and I got many snide comments about my the big eyes on the bears...oh well....the frosting did not cooperate...this wasn't one of my best creations, but Hailey liked it and that was all the mattered (I just noticed how she blew all the graham cracker crumbs on the table when she blew out her candles :)...Nice...)...she also had a big yummy 5 layer choc. cake with our dinner at O' Charleys! Yumm!