Two little boys, only one inflatable hammer

You can imagine my delight when the kids were given this interesting hammer as a gift today. Thanks in advance for your sympathy!

Of firehouse dogs and packing.....

It takes a lot to interest my five year old boy who has (at least it seems to me) the shortest attention span of any child I've ever met and my three year old boy who cannot keep still even if his life depended on it. To help with the boredom of the long summer we've been going to the free movies on Wednesday mornings. Normally we go to the local theater but today they were showing a movie we own and have worn out so I decided to go across town to another theater to see a movie we'd never seen before. It was the most fun we've had at the movies this Summer. My boys were TRANSFIXED during a large part of the movie and all the kids laughed out loud several times. I found myself getting teary eyed at the end and when I looked over at Leia she was teary eyed as well. I wasn't expecting a whole lot from a movie entitled "Firehouse Dog" but it was great. I think I enjoyed it more than Wall-E and we paid close to $50 or something ridiculous like that to see it.
And I've decided that packing to move is therapeutic. It gives me a chance to cut loose on a lot of things I really don't need. Cutting the clutter is wonderful. It's like turbo charged Spring Cleaning. That's my story and I'll be sticking with it!!

Candy

Yesterday was just one of those days. The kids and I are kind of sick of one another and there was a lot of conflict going on. My usual outlet (Gary) is gone until Friday and so I have been turning to my old and dear friend chocolate. Last night I retired to my bedroom with two mood enhancers - a book and some chocolate truffles. I always go into the kid's bedrooms before I turn in to check on them and when I checked on Nathan I was holding the truffles. I dropped the package as I leaned over the bed. Nathan looked to me to be completely asleep yet he whispered one very distinct word. "CANDY". I wonder if sensing the presence of chocolate while asleep is the new sixth sense. I suspect I might have the same talent!

"FORE!"

Today after our house scrubbing detail, we decided to get out of the house for a bit and have some fun. We ended up at a mini golf course. It was interesting to say the least. Here we are before we teed off.

Nathan was having a great time. He took his ball and each time he dropped it on the green a few inches from the hole and when he had tapped it in he jumped up and down and said "I did it".


And then there was Spencer. He was having a hard time holding the club correctly and in the end he decided it was a lot more fun to keep dropping his ball into the water hazards and fishing it out with the handy nets. Needless to say his ball was confiscated several times.


Leia took a while to get the hang of it but by the end she was really catching on. She even got a hole in one on one of the holes. Without the distractions of boys running around in the path of the ball I think she could have given it a real shot.


The heat was a little much. In the end Nathan just sat down on the green to watch me on my final hole.


And speaking of myself. To coin a phrase used by one of my sisters-in-law, I "kicked Gary's trash". I'm not sure how I pulled that one off as he pretty much always beats me but I am energized to repeat the performance!

Auntie Sarah again

We had a great time with Keith, Kari, Lukas, Mom, Jim, and Sarah this evening. We grilled some food and then after the kiddos were safely tucked up in bed, we played Cornhole. Keith and Kari beat both Gary and I and Mom and Jim although they only beat us by one point I might add. We can't wait for a rematch but it's going to have to wait. This was our last hurrah before they leave to go to their new home in Virginia and we leave for our new home in Colorado. We'll miss them very much. Here I am with my adorable nephew Lukas. I think I'm pretty good at the Auntie thing.

Cruel and Unusual

Before


During


After

Even if Nathan wasn't thrilled, I feel much better. Cooler. Less itchy.

Bits 'n' pieces

Being a Mommy is extremely embarrassing at times. Of course I am endeavoring to teach my children to take care of their bodies and not smoking would be one of the ways to do it. So what do you do when your 7 year old approaches a man and woman minding their own business while smoking a cigarette and says "Smoking is bad for you"? And not only does she say that but she keeps repeating it as though she is expecting them to suddenly say "WOW, I didn't know that. Thanks for telling me", while simultaneously extinguishing their cigarettes.
The other day I almost disowned my 5 year old in the Wal-Mart bathroom. I was relieving myself in one stall and he was innocently waiting outside (or so I thought). Next I hear a very indignant woman say "Stop looking underneath the toilet stalls young man". Sure enough it's my child who's the peeping tom. Am I wrong for wondering if I could get away with pretending he's not mine - at least until the woman in question has exited the bathroom?

Green and Fuzzy

The little furry friend the kids discovered in the backyard. Unfortunately we've seen these before and they turn into very ugly and scary moths. Needless to say the children enjoyed the creature until Daddy feared for it's life and placed it out of reach.


I don't think I exaggerate when I say these are the cutest children ever made.


More baby's bottom, less sunburned in he#*!

At the end of the day..........

You know, when Gary and I decided to have our family I know we were unbelievably excited. When I held Leia in my arms for the first time my head was filled with pretty pink things and giggles and smiles and beautiful experiences and feelings. And then you suddenly have three of these little ones and the experience of being a parent is so serious and encompasses so much more. There is nothing in my life that has caused me to experience such a wide range of emotions from elation to sheer desperation. The job of taking care of them is so fulfilling yet so exhausting and taxing. How can something so wonderful also make you feel like running back to your parents house and hiding under the covers of your childhood bed? And somehow, when things aren't right with your children, everything else seems so wrong as well.
This morning I looked at Nathan's face and arms and there was a pit in my stomach. It looked like he had a million insect bites with hives and sunburn all rolled into one. To top it off, Leia had a fresh batch of rash on her stomach. Everything in my world was topsy turvy. Granted, I have some stress in my life at the moment but I thought I had it handled fairly well. However, this morning I felt like nothing would ever be the same again. We'd be sure to never sell the house, EVER. Gary would disappear off to Colorado and we'd never see him again. There was no chance we'd get the house ready for viewings, and as for the kids, well they were just going to be covered in the rash thing forever.
In the end I knew we should just go to Childrens and see if we could get a second opinion on what was going on with the kids. We've had so many opinions and so much speculation over what's been going on that I was concerned that it would be hard to trust another doctor. The kid's regular doctor obviously was stumped and vaguely decided on poison ivy or something but I knew that wasn't what it was. When you're a parent you just know sometimes and this was one of those times. And then there was my theory, the only one that made a tiny bit of sense, that it was all a bad reaction to mosquito bites.
Well the doctor at Children's after asking many questions said she was confident in a diagnosis of scabies. Now for all of you that haven't heard of this before, like myself as of this morning, scabies is the name of a condition caused by tiny mites that burrow into the skin. It's very contagious in family groups and can also live on fabrics for a small period of time. It's extremely itchy and can become infected. The treatment is a cream that is worn on the skin for 8-14 hours to kill the mites and then all the lines, towels and clothes that have come into contact with the skin have to be washed in hot water and dried in a drier.
At this point I'm sure no one is imagining that I would be singing Hallelujah but in fact I was. I'd been feeling so utterly helpless and now there was something I could do. You can be sure I have been doing laundry like a mad woman and throwing out pillows and such and getting an immense sense of satisfaction from the whole process. The kids are now covered in cream, laying on squeaky clean bedsheets (now I don't want anyone to think I don't normally clean my bedsheets because I do), and brand new pillows. I have thrown out several things which may have been harboring little guests and the cushion covers have been treated as well as all my afghans (of which I have several). Later on we are vacuuming this place to within an inch of it's life. Thankfully that will achieve more than one end.
So here I am at 8pm having been constantly on the go all day and I'm a bit tired. But I feel good. Nothing like the feeling that I was at the mercy of this morning. I just feel that this time we've got it right and that all will be well. Perhaps we will sell the house eventually. Gary might not actually go off to Colorado never to be seen again, and maybe, just maybe, the kids will get better!

Daddy's home!

As usual, the kids were thrilled to see their Daddy after a week long absence. I am so grateful that Gary is such a great Dad. The children close to hero worship the guy. I think he likes it!



As you can see from Nathan's face and arm, he appears to be experiencing the onset of a similar reaction to what Leia has just had. At this point I am convinced that poison ivy is out. I've read up on it and there is no incubation period. Once you touch it, things start to happen straight away. And I have been extra sure to keep the children away from any plant life that I'm not 100% sure is safe since Leia's reaction happened. I'm thinking it has to do with mosquito bites. Who knows what mosquitoes carry around and Nathan and Leia were both bitten several times just prior to the flare ups. It certainly makes life difficult and I'm hoping that there are a lot less mosquitoes in Colorado since it's drier and higher altitude. I hate to think I am doomed to be dealing with mosquito bite related issues every summer. Last year it was infections from scratching bites.
Life is never boring with three active children. I think by the time we're all safe and sound in Colorado I'll have been blessed with some gray hair.

Is there any better sight in the whole wide world?

Lately....

Leia seems to be on the mend and we have been enjoying summer. Here are a few shots.

Playing at the park

Monkey

Double dark chocolate with sprinkles mixed in, in a cone dipped in fudge and sprinkles. What could be better than that?


Me and the crazies before the dreaded allergic reaction hit!

Steroids

Why do steroids sound ominous? At least to me they do and the thought of my 7 year old taking them orally and topically is not so great. But if it does the trick then I'll be fine.
This morning she woke and her face was really swollen. She couldn't eat properly because she couldn't open her mouth very far. I took one look followed by Spencer's exclamation of "HOLY COW" and managed to catch Gary before he was out the door. Thankfully he was able to take her to the docs again while I stayed with the boys.
Now I enjoy modern medicine as much as the next person and I don't expect doctors to be perfect. However I think that if a doctor is not sure then he could at least get a second opinion from a colleague instead of just guessing. I will say that this time he has agreed to call us tomorrow even though it's the 4th to check back in on her progress. At this point, all we can surmise is that she got bitten by something since all three of the children play in the exact same surroundings so it can't possibly be poison ivy or anything.
It's a mystery I guess. I am tempted to tear apart her bedroom to make sure there aren't any suspicious insects hiding anywhere.
And even I can't toy with her by bringing out the camera this time. Hopefully by the time anyone else sees her again she will be back to her old self.

I'm not trying to make you jealous but......

I seriously have the best daughter in the world. Today she woke up with a swollen and red face from some kind of reaction to a cluster of mosquito bites on her face. She was so embarassed with how it looked bless her. We had until the afternoon to wait until her doctor's appointment so we decided to go to a movie to take her mind off all the itching. She was in a lot of discomfort and whenever someone looked at her she was hiding behind me or covering her face with a sweater. But she kept on smiling.

Then this afternoon, one of my best friends took care of the boys and we jogged off to the doctors. He kept staring at her. It was rather obvious he didn't know what was going on with her. In the end he prescribed antibiotic ointment as well as telling me to give her Benadryl in case of either infection or allergic reaction.

Once Gary got home, me and Leia went to pick up her prescription. We had to wait a while so we wandered around the store. Leia told me she loved shopping with me and that this was a great day because I had promised to take her to the library after we had her prescription.

She has such a sunny disposition and I love to be around her. She loves to read and going to the library which I am sure you'll know thrills me! She has had an itchy rash on her face all day which would have sent me straight to bed for the entire day.

And then she even let me take a photo of her. She was a little wary but true to her personality, she said okay and even smiled.

The other day I got a letter from her on my pillow when I woke up. Here's an excerpt.

"Thank you for taking care of me. Your the best Mom ever. PS. I love you so much"

She's ready to help me whenever asked with a smile. She's always enthusiastic about new things. She's just amazing. I wonder sometimes what I did to deserve her. I hope that I can be the role model she needs.

Despite the rash and the running around, today has been a good day. I am happy.