Where has the month gone?

I can't believe we are at May 31st already.  This month has really flown by.  Today is Samuel's last day of school.  He is very excited because next Monday he starts camp.  We signed him up for a summer camp and I am also really excited about it too.  He gets swim lessons in the morning, then arts and crafts, sports and lots of other things in the afternoon.  It should be a really fun two weeks.

Simone is military crawling and rolling all over the place. She is really getting up on her hands and knees, but hasn't figured out exactly how to crawl yet.  She also pulled up in her crib half way yesterday.  She was on her tummy and pulled herself almost up to her knees.  It is a good thing Dave lowered her crib all the way to the bottom.  I have a feeling pulling up to standing is coming very soon.

She hasn't been much of a eater lately.  She really just wants to nurse and then snacks a little bit on food.  I think it is because teeth are finally making there way in.  She got her first bottom middle tooth yesterday and I felt her mouth again this morning and I think the other middle tooth is about to come in as well.  I wouldn't be surprised if more start popping up too.  She has been very cranky, chewing on her hands and drooling like crazy.  Teething is not fun at all around here.

Other then being extremely busy with the kids, I have managed to start reading and am almost finished with the Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy.  I always get sucked into reading the popular books.  I just have to see what it is all about.  The books are not well written.  It annoys me when authors repeat the same descriptive words over and over.  I just don't like her writing style much.  There is a lot of sex in the books and I was truly shocked by some things.  Even though I want to hate the books completely, I can't stop reading them.  I am half way through the last book and it is better then the first by far.  If you want an easy entertaining read, then you should pick them up.  If only just to read what everyone is talking about.  After I finish this next book I will be starting Water for Elephants.  I have seen the movie, but I have heard the book is really good and we are reading it for book club.

Not much more exciting information here.  Have a wonderful summer!

Mother's Day

I had an absolutely wonderful Mother's Day.  Dave let me sleep in both days (getting up at 8 never felt so good) and we had a lot of family time.  It was really enjoyable.  On Sunday morning, we went across the street to our neighbors house for a huge brunch.  The kids played and got really worn out.  Then our babysitter came over to watch the kids for three hours.  Dave and I went to the driving range and did a little shopping (Dave got new golf shoes and a new driver, even though it was mother's day and I got some new golf clothes).  

I was pleasantly surprised at my golf skills.  I hadn't picked up a golf club or two years.  Right before I got pregnant with Joseph, I took a golf lesson (because the goal was to get better over the summer) and I was ready to play.  Then I got pregnant with Joseph and I had pretty severe side pains and my doctors told me "NO EXERCISE" of any kind in the first trimester.  Although golf isn't really a true form of exercise, they didn't want me to do any twisting.  (I had a very enlarged ovary because of taking Clomid to get pregnant and doing any exercise or twisting could have caused my ovary to twist around the fallopian tube and cause it to rupture.  Anyway, I bet you didn't know that could happen.  I sure didn't).  

Anyway, I stopped playing golf.  Then I got pregnant for Simone right when I wanted to start up again.  Now that we know no more kids are in our future, it was time to clean the cobwebs off (literally they were all over) and get back to hitting some balls.  I think my lesson actually helped.  I made contact and was hitting straight.  I am really excited to keep practicing and then one of these days get on the course and play with Dave.  

We finally got some pictures of me with the kids.  I barely have any pictures of me because I am the one always taking the pictures.  Some turned out pretty well.  Here you go:

The weeks have flown by

I can't believe that I last posted 10 days ago.  I have been in a strange funk lately.  Although the weather has been beautiful and we have been spending a lot of time outside, I have just been feeling very little motivation to do anything.  I am exhausted.  I was so stressed about Joseph's surgery and I was really hoping that no one would get sick before his surgery (because if he got sick we would have had to cancel it).  Anyway, everyone was healthy until the surgery and then Simone started to get sick (just a little cold) last Friday.  Then the last three nights she has slept terribly.  You know when she doesn't sleep well that means Dave and I don't sleep well.  Tuesday and Wednesday night I got only a few hours of sleep.  Last night was a little better, but I am exhausted.  I am so ready for the weekend.

Simone is now 7 months old.  She is still such an easy baby.  Other then when she is sick, she sleeps awesomely at least at night.  She has random days where she takes great naps, but most of the time they are pretty short.  It doesn't bother me that much since she sleeps so well at night.  She is so happy and laid back.  She is rolling around like a crazy lady and is beginning to military crawl a little bit.  She sits up great and is eating like a champ.  Still no teeth.  Hopefully soon because she is drooling and chewing on her hands like crazy.

Joseph surgery went well.  His two scars look great so far.  We took his dressings off on Tuesday.  The one on his bottom was cemented to him.  Dave was able to rip it off super fast in the bathtub, but it took a few layers of skin with it.  It is still pretty raw, but the actual incision looks pretty good.  I was so worried about the actual surgery.  I know I have mentioned it before, but Joseph hates doctors, doctor's offices, hospitals, etc.  I knew that he would be freaked out and not like this whole experience.  I had talked to his pediatrician and the surgeon about my worries of him no taking the relaxation medicine or issues with his IV.  They told me not to worry because the nurses and doctors deal with kids all the time and he would be fine.  We had the surgery at St. John's surgery center.  They really were wonderful.  They knew what to expect with the children, they were understanding and very easy to deal with.  They have tons of kids that have surgeries at that center and they are prepared.  They had little blue and pink wagons that they used to wheel the kids into the operating room and tiny little kid beds.  

After we got to the room and relaxed for a little bit, a nurse came in with the medicine that was supposed to relax him and hopefully get him super drowsy.  It was basically Valium for kids and a mind eraser quality so they wouldn't really remember the experience.  Dave and I tried to get him to take the medicine and he spit it out all over them place.  He probably got about a fourth of what they wanted him to take.  After they observed how freaked out his was, they knew he was going to be a difficult one.  They put down on his chart that he had anxiety.  Anyway, even though he got a fourth of the meds it did really calm him down.  I can't imagine what he would have been like if he took all of it.  

We were able to get him in his gown and nice and comfy.  The anesthesiologist came in to take him to the ER.  They put him in the wagon, covered him up in a warm blanket and wheeled him away.  It was one of the scariest moments, seeing your child go off for surgery and you can't be there with him.  Surprisingly I didn't cry, but I was completely stressed.  

When they called me back to recovery, I knew he was going to be a mess.  When I got close I could hear him screaming and yelling.  They said he woke up and he was really out of sorts.  The nurses said it isn't uncommon for kids to be agitated and mad when they wake up, but he was really out of control. They said when he woke up he immediately tried to rip out his IV (which I had a feeling her would do).  After only a minute, they got confirmation from the doctor that they could just remove the IV.  He could not really control himself and he kept calling for "Daddy".  They normally only let one parent in the back, but they ran and got Dave.  Dave was able to calm him down a little bit, but they finally offered him a popsicle and that was did the trick.  He went back in forth for a while wanting me and then Dave.  Soon we went back to the room and he finished his popsicle, ate some teddy grahams, drank some juice and then they checked us out and we went home.  

It was actually pretty short process.  We were in and out in about four hours.  Thank goodness it is over.  So glad to have one stressful part of parenting over, now on to many more.

Pictures!!!

A cute picture of the boys.  

Simone's 7 month pictures:

I love her hand on her hip.  I'm sure we are going to be seeing that a lot more in the future.

I just love this picture of the two of them.  They look so different.  Simon's eyes could not get any dark and Samuel's eyes are just so blue.  I love it!

Happy May Day!

Happy May Day! When I was a kid at school we would use ribbons and wrap them around a may pole. Just a little memory from my childhood.

Well, I am happy to say that we made it through the end of March and ALL of April with no child being sick.  What a relief.  Now we need to just get through then end of this week with no sickness and I will be happy.

Joseph is schedule for surgery on Thursday and everyone needs to be healthy until it is over.  The surgery is at 9:30 in the morning and he has to be there at 8:30.  I am so happy that it is going to happen in the morning.  He can't eat or drink after 5:30 am, so it is going to be a little bit of a difficult morning.  He doesn't normally sleep past 6:30 am and he always wants something to drink right away.  We will just have to keep him busy and get out of the house so he isn't tempted.

I'm am really dragging again today.  I think my allergies are really bothering me because of all the rain and then the super humid weather.  I have a killer headache.

I am going to relax because I have a very rare moment when both Joseph and Simone are asleep and Samuel is at school.  Alone time doesn't happen very often.

Don't stand so close to me

If I were you, I would stay as far away from me today as possible.  No I am not sick, I am just in a ridiculously terrible mood.  I am so worn out and I have bags under my eyes like nobodies business.  I have about three layers of bags.  It would cost me extra to fly today, if I were getting on a flight, my bags are so big and heavy.  

Anyway, last week and this past weekend was extremely busy.  I so need a break from my kids.  We had four birthday parties, but we only attended three.  Dave golfed on Thursday, then he had a work event on Friday night.  On Saturday morning, I had to get up early and I put on a legal seminar at Woman's Place from 9:30 to 11:30. Dave woke up on Saturday morning and started to feel sick.  By 10 am he was texting me that he was absolutely miserable.  Turns out he got food poisoning on Friday night.  Samuel was picked up by a friend and taken to T-ball and the Saturday morning birthday party, so luckily Dave only had Joseph and Simone (and Simone took a pretty good nap that morning), but need less to say he was miserable.  By the time I got home from the seminar, Samuel was being dropped off, Joseph was running around like a madman, Simone was hungry and Dave had a 102 fever and was in bed.  Not the best Saturday ever.  

Dave ended up staying in bed all day and night on Saturday.  We didn't go to the Saturday afternoon birthday party because it was a pool party and I wasn't about to take three kids by myself to a pool party.  I am glad we were stuck at home because we had huge storms and I would have been out driving in them with all the kids.  

Then Sunday rolled around.  Dave was still not feeling well.  Simone took a morning nap at the same time that I took the boys to another birthday party at the park by our house.  It was freezing cold and miserable.  The boys had a ton of fun though, which was what we all needed by this time.  The afternoon turned out to be nice, so I took them up to the school by our house and they rode their bikes and scooter, then jumped in tons of puddles.  When I got home, Dave was up and making us dinner, which I really needed because I was spent.  

This is a busy week too.  I have to go to the grocery store.  We have nothing in our fridge, which never happens.  

Also, on Thursday Joseph is having surgery to remove his birth mark on his bottom and a little thing behind one of his ears.  I am already freaking out, trying to stay calm, but freaked out.  It is going to be another interesting week.  

Here are some pictures of this kids:

Simone's first bow.  Samuel picked them out.

She's a rock star.  Her cool sunglasses for the summer.

The birthday party on Wednesday was a Pirate party and they gave the kids mustaches.  Samuel thought he looked like Papa.

The birthday party on Sunday had a tattoo lady there.  Samuel got a dog on his face, which will be there for days now.  Oh well.

Joseph got a little frog.

Eating cupcakes

Jumping in puddles.  

Baseball Player

Samuel started T-ball this weekend.  I think we might have found his sport.  He really isn't into soccer and we had to force him to stay out on the field and play.  However, he was so excited to play baseball, was into it most of the time, is ready to go back and can actually hit the ball.  

It was chilly on Saturday morning, so I brought Joseph and Simone a little later.  They all enjoyed being outside and cheering Samuel on.  

My adorable "little hitter".  So cute.

Dave is a great coach too!  

Here he is hitting the ball.  Look at that form!

Samuel took a little break to give Simone a kiss.

Joseph was asking "when my turn?"  Of course wearing his hat is a must!

Simone was enjoying swinging after Samuel played.

So happy!

My Big Girl

I took Simone for her 6 month appointment today.  She is a big girl.  Here are her stats:

Height: 27.25 inches (89%)
Weight: 17.20 pounds (66%)
Head Circ.: 16.89 inches (57%)

I knew she was tall, but holy cow.  I hope this continues and she is much taller then me.  I will be looking up to all my kids.

We have been so busy lately.  It seems like the majority of Samuel's classmates were born in April. We have a birthday party every single weekend and one during the week.  It is crazy.

This past weekend I ran the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon.  I am so sore today.  My knees and hips are killing me.  I hasn't really planned on running much of it at all because I didn't train at all.  The longest run I had done before the half was 5 miles and I didn't even run the entire 5 miles.  Once I was there, I figured I would try to run as much as possible and just see how it went.  I did it in 2 hours and 43 minutes, which I think is pretty good considering I didn't do anything to prepare.  My next half is in October in Detroit.  I am really going to train for that one and I hope to make it in 2 hours and 30 minutes.  We will see how it goes.  Both my mom and sister-in-law did the half too.  They both did awesome.  My mom made it in a little under 3 hours and Laura made it at exactly 3 hours.  It was a very hard course with a lot of hills, so I think we all did a great job.  Yeah for us!!!

Well, I am off to bed soon.  I am still exhausted and I want to catch up on sleep.

Here are some funny pictures from the other night.  I got Samuel some Lightening McQueen pj's several months ago.  I took all the kids last week to Target (which was an extremely exhausting trip) and Joseph saw the same pj's that Samuel had and wanted them and I thought it would be cute if they had something matching.  I put them both in the pj's and tried to get some pictures.  Joseph was being hilarious.  I was telling them to say cheese and these were the pictures I got:

And here are some cute pictures of Simone: