Is Grandma Gonna see How Much I Growed?

Yesterday we spent a few hours @ Grandma and Grandpa's house. This was the first time the kids had been there in a week! My sister had some sort of radioactive medical treatment (which I don't completely understand) for her thyroid, and the doctors said the little kids need to stay away from the house. So after a very long week we headed over there yesterday morning. As you can see they spent a lot of time jumping on top of Grandpa! On the way out of our house Reagan had asked, "Mommy, is Grandma gonna see how much I growed?" Too cute! It struck me how long one week can seem to a child. As if she had changed so much in that week that my mom would actually be able to see a difference!

Of course there was a change @ my parents house, and that was the absence of Jude. However, the kids were very excited to meet Oscar. Yes, my dad decided he just need to have a new puppy right away, and he is a cutie. But, its not the same. I will say that at least it made it easier for my kids. They asked once about Jude, to which Grandpa told them he ran away, and they didn't ask again. They were too preoccupied with holding the new puppy and playing with him! All in all it was a joy to watch.

Tastefully Simple

A couple of weeks ago I went to my friend Jill's house for what I like to call a "product party". I have never been a big fan of these, why buy a bunch of stuff I don't need or won't use? But @ the time seemed like it would be a great way to get out of the house and spend some much needed time on my own. Don't get me wrong I love my kids, but sometimes I think I just need a few hours a week, out of the house for my sanity. So, I went to the party, not knowing anything about the "product", other than that it was food, and how can you go wrong with food? As it turned out, this stuff was right up my alley! It's called Tastefully Simple, and it is a line of food products that are semi-homemade, easy to prepare, and ready-to-go. I enjoyed it so much, I had a hard time deciding which products to order. So, I decided to have a party of my own. Then I could order more product, and get more down time with friends. Last night was my party, and I had a blast! I hope everyone else did too! There were about 15 of us, which was unexpected. I only sent 20 invites, so thank you to all of my friends and family for coming. It says a lot about the quality of the people I choose to surround myself with, you guys are excellent! Of course, as always I took pictures. But, after looking at them this morning, I chose not to embarrass all of these wonderful people by posting pictures of them stuffing their mouths with food! Thanks for coming everyone! And if you didn't make or just have an interest in it, let me know and I can hook you up with my consultant, Mel, who by the way is wonderful as well!

Happy Birthday Mrs. LaFontaine!

Happy Birthday to Gina! We are all so lucky to have her in our lives! She is the older sister I never had, and I couldn't have picked a more wonderful woman to be Dee Dee's Godmother. I know that even though she might not remember it, she will forever cherish being Gina's flower girl. I absolutely adore this picture of the two of them @ the wedding! Here's to Mrs. LaFontaine, wishing her the best birthday a girl could have!

Playdates and Bubbles

Sorry I took a couple of days off! It has just been crazy busy around here! I will be so happy once swim lessons are over! I don't have a whole lot of interesting news to post other than the fact that Reagan had her first "real" playdate today. I took her to her friend Sophia's house for two hours. They met @ preschool last year and now they are in gymnastics together. This was the first time I took her to someone's house and just dropped her off. I know I have left her places before and she of course has no problem with that. But, that has always been a friend or family babysitting. She couldn't wait for me to turn around and go back out the door. Today was different b/c I don't really know Sophia's parents that well and I had never been to their home. I probably made a much bigger deal out of it than was necessary, but I was a little nervous. It all turned out okay, and she didn't want to leave when I came to get her. If I hadn't had so much going on today, I would have thought to snap a picture of her with her friend! Alas, I only have this short video of the kids playing with the bubble machine. On Sunday night, Miah and Rachael came over and the kids had a blast doing bubbles that was a great b-day gift Rach). If anything should tell you just how busy I have been, it is the fact that I took this three days ago, and just now got around to posting it!

Did I Mention I LOVE Boardgames?

I love big get togethers! I love having a house full of people with kids running and screaming everywhere. I don't like the cleanup, but it is worth it to have a good time. I think I have said before that most of my friends happen to be Chris' friends or their wives. This still holds true, but one of the things I have been trying to do this summer is acquire more friends on my own. So, I was even more excited last night about adding some new people to our group. I don't want to ramble on about who they are and how they got here so I'll just say that Doug and Jaime recently moved here from Florida, as did Chris and Barbie. They both work for Scott and they both have kids that are around they same ages as ours. Aaron and Jill came with their boys, and Scott and Sara stopped by for a little while with H. Let me just say that I commend Sara for even wanting to leave the house at all as pregnant as she is! I would be miserable if I were her and she had a smile on her face the whole time they were here. I can't wait to hear the news when this little one finally arrives! We all spent most of the evening eating and talking, and getting to know each other. The kids mainly ran back and forth between outside and downstairs, and we managed to get by without any major fights or bodily injury. Us girls all decided that since the guys have poker and golf nights, that we needed to plan a ladies night, so I am very much looking forward to getting out of the house and having some "me time" in the near future. The guys spent most of the evening drinking beer and playing cornhole, but we did manage to talk them into playing some board games once it got dark. Did I ever mention how much I love board games? I absolutely LOVE board games. As an added bonus, us girls actually won! So, here's to catching up with old friends and making new ones! Life is a journey that is so much more fun with good people walking alongside you!

Ice Cream and a Haircut

For someone who thought she didn't have any plans today, I sure ended up doing a lot! To start with, Reagan went with Nini and Ana Cece to take Bella to South Bend to meet her dad. I had offered to babysit my sister Valesca and we decided to go have lunch @ Arby's. On the way we called Gina to see if she wanted to have lunch with us. So we picked her up and had a very nice lunch. While we were eating Ana Cece called me to ask if I could pick up her son Drew @ the racquet club, so after lunch we headed over there. Since I had two extra sets of hands and was down one child I thought it would be a good day to take Jack to get a haircut. When we got there the barber had a note on the door that said he was out to lunch. I asked the kids if they wanted to kill time by walking down to the ice cream shop. Off we went, and they all ordered this playdough ice cream which I guess is just a colored vanilla with sugar cookie dough pieces. After that we just started walking around the village, from shop to shop waiting for the barber to get back. It was a hot day and we stopped to get drinks somewhere else, and browsed around the pottery shop. All in all we just had a nice lazy walk, which I figured had to be more entertaining for them than sitting on the couch @ my house watching T.V. Of course we did end up getting Jack's hair cut and he screamed the whole time, but as soon as it was over we gave him a sucker and all was well. Personally I love his hair this short (see the after picture) it makes it so much easier to manage! Now, my parents have picked up Valesca, and Drew, Dee Dee, and Jack are all sleeping. It just goes to show, even what was intended to be a lazy day at home can be eventful enough to warrant a nap!

(eating ice cream)


(after the barber)

American Teen

It is quite possible that I am one of the few people who is actually excited to see this movie! It was filmed in the town where I live, the same town I grew up in. I actually graduated from this high school 10 years ago. I am curious to see how much high school has changed since then. From what I can tell people in this town either love the movie or hate it. The speculation has been building for 2 years. Some people think it is totally fake and set up. Others think it is a real insight into today's teenage life. I don't know. I've seen the trailer and read some of the reviews and interviews online and I can't decide which way it is going to go. I know that as a parent and an older sibling to future teenagers that will more than likely also go this high school, I'd like to see it. So, here is the trailer. I gets released in New York and L.A. today and premieres here Aug. 5th. I'll let ya'll know what I think after I see it.

A Sad Day...

This morning I am without words. My brother J.C. spent the night @ my house and when he called home this morning my dad told him that my sister Ally's new puppy Jude had died. I called him back to find out what had happened and all I found out was that somehow he got his head stuck in an empty Pringles can in Ally's room. Apparently he couldn't get it out and he suffocated. I am so upset, I hardly have words for it. I am angry and sad all @ the same time. I have a great weakness in my heart for animals and I am just beside myself thinking of how this poor dog suffered. Now, in all honesty this was not the first dog my parents have had in the last few years. I can't even begin to tell you how many they have bought and then given away in the last 10 years. I seriously don't think I could even remember all of their names. But, I had a soft spot for this one. For one thing, he was so cute! For another, growing up we had a dachshund named Odie and Jude reminded me of him. I will admit that when my mom told they gotten another dog I was pessimistic. I think I called her crazy and made a bet w/ my older brother that he wouldn't last 4 months. I wish now I hadn't said that. The minute I saw Jude he won me over, I was hooked. Just last night while I waited for J.C. to get his stuff I stood @ the door and held this dog as he licked my face, so excited to see me. The other thing about his death (that is upsetting me) is how do I explain this to my kids? I am so tired of having to tell them why these dogs that they fall in love with go away. I don't think my parents realize how attached my kids get to them. Then I have to tell them that Grandma gave the puppy away for whatever reason. I still remember 3 dogs ago was a little chiuahua/terrier mix named Ginger. For the longest time Dee Dee would ask Grandma "where Ginga?" It broke my heart. I guess I don't have to tell them Jude died, but either way it is a loss for them. I am at a loss, any suggestions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Here are some pics I took of Jude a few months back...

They're 2 they're 4 they're 6 they're 8...

I am always trying to find more "little boy" things for Jack, since unfortunately he tends to play with his sister's baby dolls and dress up clothes most of the time. When I went to the store to get new toothbrushes I found this. I was so excited! I don't know how much he is really into to Thomas the Tank Engine (he would probably rather watch Dora the Explorer) but I thought it was a must have. I realize now that I was wrong... very wrong. All of the kids love this thing and won't stop going into the bathroom just to play the song. The problem is that the thing doesn't turn off when the song is over. It just keeps going and going and going, until I go turn it off. Oh well, a small price to pay for the simple joy that can be brought into a child's life by something as silly as a toothbrush.



I guess I should have clarified that the toothbrush plays the Thomas theme song, here are the lyrics:



They're two they're four they're six they're eight

Shunting trucks and hauling freight

Red and green and brown and blue

They're the really useful crew

All with different roles to play

Round tidmouth sheds or far away

Down the hills and round the bends

Thomas and friends

I am Supermom!

You may remember awhile back when I vowed to be a better stay @ home mom. If not, read this. Well, I did try to hold myself accountable for that. I signed the kids up for swimming lessons and gymnastics camp, I even have an appointment today to get Reagan started with voice lessons. I really have been trying to do things for them instead of making their lives revolve around my schedule. Yesterday, I realized I was actually doing it, I was supermom! In the morning I took Reagan to her first gymnastics class. It was so much better than camp! The class size was smaller and she got to do more things that were appropriate for her age level. Another plus was that one of her friends from school, Sophia was in the class too! They were so excited to see each other. After class Sophia wanted Reagan to come over and play, and I would have let her, but I had a busy day planned! So, her mom and I exchanged phone numbers and promised to get the girls together soon! (Supermom right?) After gymnastics I took the kids the Ana Cece's to swim w/ their cousins. We were having such a good time I actually forgot to take pictures! I did manage to snap a few when we stopped to eat lunch. After the pool we headed home to try and get a nap in for Jack before swim lessons. Then it was back the YMCA @ 5:15! The girls are now in the same level (pike) and so I sat and watched their class and when that was finished I quickly got them dressed so that I could do the Mommy and Me class w/ Jack. By the time the day was finished it was all I could do to feed them dinner and get them in bed. Normally I would have stayed up late downloading pictures and writing all about it for you people, but last night I just didn't have it in me. However, as exhausting as it was, the only thing I have left to say is that it was worth it!

(Okay, since it was pointed out to me I will admit that yes, Jack is wearing pink floaties. I am sorry but with 3 kids you use what you have. Maybe I'm not Supermom after all!)

Bella's Birthday Luau

Here are a bunch of the pics from Bella's birthday party. The kids all had a blast even though it was extremely hot! As soon as they finished with cake they all went and jumped in the lake! Hope Bella had a great day!

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Happy Birthday Bella!

Happy Birthday to cousin Bella who turns six today! Hope you have a wonderful day sweetie! We can't wait for the luau party!

Havin' Fun @ the Lake

I have officially come to the conclusion that I take way too many pictures! I almost always have too many now to just post a few. I just can't choose my favorites! Yesterday we spent the afternoon @ Nini's house on the lake. It really felt like a Saturday b/c Chris had the day off. The only difference was the lake was so empty. Reagan is really turning into a good swimmer. I found a suit with the floatation in it and it has given her so much independence. Now she can start keeping up with Bella! We spent the day on the boat and just hanging out by the pier where it is shallow enough that the kids can touch. Then later in the evening Miah, Rachael and Austin joined us along with Tim. He brought along J.C. (my brother) who had been working for him during the day. We all had a great time! As I am sure you can see from my documentation! Everyone is always irritated by my camera, but 10 years from now they will all be happy that I captured these moments!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Reagan's First Sleepover

Last night Reagan had her very first sleepover! Now, I know that she has spent the night away from home more than once, and usually that would be a big deal. But, around here sleeping at Nini's, Grandma's, or even Gina's is just a common occurrence. However, having someone stay here was BIG NEWS to Reagan. She has been talking about having Bella come and stay ever since she got here two weeks ago, I'm glad the day finally came. Now I just have to hear about how fun it was for the next month or so. So, we did pizza and popcorn and the usual sleepover stuff. They stayed up late and actually slept in until about 9:30. Then this morning I made pancakes at Bella's request. Reagan wanted eggs, but she is quickly learning that when you have a guest in the house, that is the polite thing to do. I didn't take a whole lot of pictures, maybe because I've kind of been on overkill lately! Sorry! :)

Swim Lessons

Here are some of the pictures from swim lessons that I took over the last two weeks. I wanted to wait until I had a few to show all at once. The problem is they keep the little pool warm and it gets so muggy in there, it is hard to get a good picture. I finally found a setting on my camera that seemed to work pretty well. Also a big thanks to Rachael who took pictures of Dee Dee and I, and of Austin and Miah during the parent child class. She also took a fairly long video. I hope you can see how much fun they had doing this class together! Plus, I don't know who enjoyed splashing us more, Austin or Miah!

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A Crazy Day @ the Zoo

What a day we had today! The kids and I went with Nini and all of their cousins over to Ft. Wayne to go to the zoo. We're talkin' a four car caravan! Nini, Bella, Zach, Brianna (Zach's girlfriend), Ana, Alexis, Drew, Diego, Dominic, Piero, Rachael, Austin, Reagan, Dee Dee, Jackson, and myself. They all had a great time, and what a wonderful thing to do as a family. As usual I took a ton of pictures! Well, not literally a ton, but 82. Plus I took some video! the highlight of the day was definitely letting the kids play in the water fountains! Even though we didn't have bathing suits, or changes of clothes, it was worth it to see the smiles on their faces! Needless to say I am exhausted! But, it was great exercise pushing that double stroller all day! And let's face it, what good does it do me to be on this stupid diet if I don't exercise?

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Happy Anniversary Miah and Rachael!

Today is my brother in-law and sister-in-law's anniversary. I know that looks funny but I couldn't word it to sound right cuz Miah is not my brother, he is Chris' brother. Anyway they have been married for 3 years now! How the time does fly! I remember taking Dee Dee to their wedding as a newborn. Congratulations to both of them! I know you can't pick your family, but if I could have I would have still picked you!

My Kiddos New Favorite Thing!

This is a new favorite in our house. For those of you who don't know, GoGurt is yogurt in a tube. It kind of looks like those summertime Flavor-Ice popsicles. I hadn't thought about it but it would probably be great frozen too. Anyway, I like it cuz it is an easy snack, and it isn't too messy. The fact they all like the same thing and aren't fighting over who got what snack is a plus too! It is yogurt so I sort of feel like I am giving them something good for them. To be honest they aren't eating all that healthy right now. Chris and I are on a diet and our food is all pre-packaged. So, the kids have been eating a lot of mac-and-cheese and Chef Boyardee. I know I am a horrible mom, but I don't think I could handle cooking all that for them and not being able to eat. Hey, at least I know my own limitations! So, I am trying to balance out thier diet with fruit and healthy snacks. If anybody has any better suggestions (that wouldn't be something I would want to eat) feel free to share them with me!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Thought I'd better wish myself a happy birthday, cuz it's not like anyone's going to hack into my blog and do it for me! Today I am 27 years old, where did the time go?

My New Look!

Happy Birthday to me! (tomorrow that is) I decided about a month ago to give myself a blogover for my birthday this year. Yes, the time has come to start picking out my own presents. Well, it just so happens it was finished right on time! So, welcome to my new look, I hope you all love it as much as I do! Kudos to Rebbecca for putting up with me! I think I changed my mind about the color scheme three times! If anyone is looking for a new look I highly recommend her! She is still doing the occasional scrap booking design through Artistree which you can get to through my sidebar. Or if you are looking for a more streamlined look check out her new business @ popstudiodesign. Plus, you can feel good about doing it because she is using the proceeds to fund the adoption of her little boy who is waiting for her in China. I must also give a shout out to Leah who took the new pictures of my kiddos, which I have held off showing to anyone. So, this is their big debut! In other daily news, yesterday Chris spent the day @ the 4-H fair auction. When I went to take him his lunch (we are on a diet and he can't eat fair food) Reagan begged to stay with him. She came home looking like this! For those of you who don't know Reagan is going through a major Superhero phase, she loves Superman, Wonder Woman, Spiderman, Batman, you name it! One of the first live action movies she started watching was Sky High, which is about a high school for superheroes in training. Hope you all get a kick out of her superhero face paint. Even though it was so cute I didn't want to wash it off, face paint on the bedsheets was just not a mess I was willing to deal with! So, at bedtime we all said goodbye to SuperReagan until another day! I was sad to see her go!

Tagged!

Okay so I got tagged by Jenny I will play along. So, six random things about myself...

1. I always end phone conversations by saying "talk to you later." I have tried to change it, but I can't for some reason it just comes out

2. Most of my "friends" are Chris' friends. And most of them are guys. All of my girlfriends moved away, while I stayed in the little town I grew up in

3. I am just finishing up day 5 of a new diet and so far I've lost 5 lbs. Awesome right?!

4. I had three C-sections and had my galbladder removed within a span of 39 months

5. Chris and I started dating when I was 17, we got engaged 6 months later, and last month we had our 7 year anniversary.

6. Even though I am loving blogging, I don't have very many blogging friends. So, therefore I can only tag four people. And they are...

Leah, Rachael, Angie, and Shawn

Here are the rules:- Link to the person who tagged you.- Post the rules on your blog.- Write six random things about yourself.- Tag six people at the end of your post.- Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.- Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Jon and Kate Plus 8 - Kids Misbehaving

I absolutely love this show! If you have never seen it, you need too! It helps me to keep my sanity. I realize I don't have 8 kids, but mine bite, hit, and steal eachother's toys just as much as these kids do. It seems to be a growing problem around here! Sometimes I feel bad for Jack, afterall he is only trying to defend himself! But, his new thing is the headbutt, and let me tell you it hurts! Plus he has a permanent bruise now in the center of his forehead! Some days I think I may loose my mind, but then I think about this show and I swear that if this woman can survive her life w/ 8 kids, than certainly I can survive mine. Some days though... I just don't know. UPDATE: This video wan't working, but I am pretty sure it is now...

A Day @ the Fair

Sorry I didn't get to this post any sooner. On Wednesday we spent the afternoon @ the fair with Valesca and Gina. The kids had a good time eating elephant ears and drinking lemon shake ups! I would say they had fun on the rides, but Dee Dee was terrified, I am not sure what her deal was. Jack seemed fairly oblivious and was content to just sit in the stroller all afternoon. Reagan had a blast, and didn't want to leave. As you can see from the picture, Valesca couldn't wait for us to leave so that she could ride the big rides! When we took them to see the animals, I tried to explain to the girls that someday they would get to do this. " This" being raise an animal and bring it to the fair. Chris always did pigs when he was little and I know that is what he wants them to do. However, Reagan informed me that she does not like pigs, and she wants to have a baby cow. I told her she would have to take it up with her daddy, as 4- H is going to be strictly his department. I am dreading the day that I have to spend fair week in the barn in the sweltering heat. I am not an outdoor kinda girl. Maybe Chris can take a few vacation days for the fair? Now I wonder what he would say to that idea?

Playing in the Park

Yesterday we met Nini in the park. Reagan was a little disappointed that she didn't get to go all by herself, but Dee Dee was so sad about not going, that I had to tell Reagan "either we all go, or none of us go." It ended up being a really fun day. Playing in the park, lunch @ Applebee's (though that was an experience in itself!), and then back to Nini's for craft time. I took that opportunity to hit the grocery store w/ just Jack. Then I went back for the girls who ended up having a water balloon fight while I was gone! It was a quiet night around our house, considering that after swimming I took Reagan back to Nini's for a slumber party w/ her cousins Alexis and Bella. Dee must have been exhausted cuz she fell asleep early and I stayed up watching the finale of The Bachelorette. Is anyone else completely bummed about the way it ended? I so wish she had picked the other guy! I don't know why I even start watching these stupid shows, when they never end the way I wanted them to! Oh well, I think we are off to the fair today, and if not I should have swimming pictures to post soon, so stay tuned!

A Day on the Lake...

Today we spent the afternoon and Papaw and Nini's house enjoying the lake. Reagan happens to be super excited because cousin Bella is in town from Memphis, and is going to stay with Nini for a whole month! They always have so much fun and today was no exception. The kids got to go tubing, which around here is about a once a year occasion (at least for the little ones). So, daddy drove the boat while Uncle Miah rode the tube with the kids. I caught some pictures and video of my girls, but didn't get any of Bella, sorry. Unfortunately, Jack was extremely tired and was not behaving very well. I ended up going back to the house with him while everyone else went back on the lake for a nice swim. So, stay tuned this month for pictures of all of the fun stuff Nini has planned for the girls, plus we start swimming lessons tomorrow! In other news, please take a gander @ the blogroll over there and stroll on over to Hatten Living to share in their exciting news. After a long time of trying Chris' cousin Jen is finally pregnant! We couldn't be happier for them! WARNING! if you get motion sick, you might want to turn the video off @ the end when the kids are tubing, it is a little wobbly!

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Pictures from the 4th!

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! We sure did! A day @ Nini's on the lake and then fireworks in the evening. I don't think I have ever seen that many people show up at their house for the fireworks, but it was so much fun! Plus, my camera actually takes really good pictures in the dark! Enjoy

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone! We are headed to the lake today so I'm sure tomorrow I'll have lots of pictures to post! How do you like my cake? I spent 2 1/2 hours on it yesterday, and I hope it tastes as good as it looks! I'll let you know. Hope eveyone has a safe and fun weekend!