Sledding...with almost no accidents~my MOTY award is on its way

We took the kids sledding today to a hill I passed every year growing up in the summer, and occassionally in the winter, when driving to my parents summer cottage in Humarock. In the winter I would pine as we drove past watching the kids sled. It looked like so much fun.

This year I thought was a good one to bring all of the kids and it was. They all loved it and we made it through without any serious incidents, except for one that I caused.

Audrey was FLYING down the hill. These kids were going fast and it's a pretty significant hill. She is such a daredevil and has absolutely no fear. She was heading for trees and rocks, which were off to the side. The rest of the hill is pretty wide open and unobstructed, which also makes it such a great place to go. Of course, my kid heads for the side of the mountain where she can get maimed.

I was at the bottom of the hill and, in my fear, jumped in front of her and stopped her with my leg and foot. I thought nothing of it at first until I realized she looked like she was in awful pain yet couldn't cry. I had completely knocked the wind out of her. She began gasping for breath and I waived for my hubby to head down the hill to help me decide if we she have her looked at.

Good thing she didn't. Patrick fought us and went back up the hill to tell his father that I said they could have one more run down. He ignored my frantic waving and took the advice of the 10 year old. Oy...by the time this all played out she had gotten her breath and wanted to go back up the hill~although not before blaming me for hurting her. This is her heading back up:




Sean smashed his face in snow trying to stop himself on a fast trip down. He is scraped and red from the snow but, otherwise unhurt. He doesn't look too bad for someone who landed face down in snow:

Here I am after finally gathering up all the kiddos for a picture before we left:

They're all in one piece and happy. I would call that a successful outing!

ODing on Zac Brown

I don't think I can get enough of the new cd! Not sure how many times I can replay Knee Deep before I ruin the cd or my kids destroy it on me! Zac Brown and Buffett are a great combination! Hey, it's payback for having to listen to Big Time Rush!

Where I Begin to See the Light

Tonight I was reading the blog post of a blogger (http://www.piningfornordstrom.com/ ) I enjoy. She is very honest in her posts but also, unlike me, very funny. She puts a humorous spin on almost everything. In addition to enjoying her humor she, like me, has five kids. I also enjoy her blog because I feel I can relate to many of the things she writes about. Her latest post talks about her chaotic days with her five kids and how sometimes she feels like she can't handle it all. Although my kiddos are all fairly small still, she brought me back to those days, which are becoming fewer (thankfully).

The last five years (really the last 10) has been a time of fog filled, harried and chaotic days. Patrick never slept until he was about 8 years old. From when we brought him home he would cry right as I bent over to put him down in his cradle. He also would never take a bottle. The kid was a boob man! One with lactose intolerance to boot. As a result there wasn't much I could eat and my weight dropped to less than what I was in high school. A weight so low that my brothers commented that I was too thin and that they were worried about me.

Sean came along just short of two years later. He was a FABULOUS sleeper~that is until Patrick's night terrors started waking him at night (the story of the night terrors are an entire blog post in itself). When those began I would have to bring both boys into my bed at night to get any semblance of sleep.

Then wanting another baby very badly, and much before Sean turned two, I was pregnant again when he was a year. This pregnancy was going along wonderfully until I had a miscarriage at 14 weeks. In addition to the sleep deprivation and exhaustion from working part time and caring for an infant and a toddler, I soon plunged into a deep, anxiety ridden depression. This time was by far the worst time of my life. It lasted for 6+ months and I don't know how I ever made it through~nor how my husband and kids did (also a post for another day). In addition to the depression I got pregnant during this time. Fortunately I received great treatment and was on the mend before the baby was born.

Caroline was an easy baby, except for the sleep. She was more like Patrick than Sean in the sleep department. Not too long after she was born we had three in the bed with us. I can barely remember those nights because of the sleep deprivation.

When she was six months old we decided to move. For some crazy reason I thought I could take on a fixer upper. I had a "vision" I told my husband. He didn't see it. I hurried to renovate the house so that the "vision" I spoke of could be seen and my husband wouldn't hate me for insisting on buying this house. The vision took almost 8 months~this for only the kitchen and two bathrooms. The contractor put us on the backburner for larger projects and made my life miserable! By the time the house was done I was pregnant with the twins and the others were 1, 3 & 5.

The twins sucked the absolute life out of me. I was blue, lethargic, exhausted, had magnified sciatic nerve pain on both sides of my back and ate like a horse. I suffered a root canal and pneumonia during my prenancy with them as well. I slept every day and nearly all weekend when the hubby was home. We got NOTHING done on the house during this time. My poor boys sat locked in my bedroom in front of the tv that summer for hours while I slept.

The babies came at 39 weeks (yeah, I didn't even get bedrest or an early end to it all). They were WONDERFUL sleepers until almost their 2nd birthday. Shortly before they began climbing out of their cribs and into my bed. They have been with us ever since.

My weight after four pregnancies is another issue entirely. At the end of having all of these kids I was 44 pounds heavier than I had ever been in my life. I had trouble breathing at time and felt sluggish.

At times I still have four (sometimes five) kids in bed with me. Even with everything we've been through~we've made it and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am enjoying them all more each day~with a twinge of sadness that they have gotten so big so fast. BUT things are easier. My house which has been a disgusting mess for the last five years is getting organized, I'm purging what is not needed, I am back to myself. Myself used to be an organized, type a personality. I am glad to be on that track again (not nutty though~lol)! I am back to work and enjoying it. I am able to have coherent conversations with people without looking and sounding like I am going to fall asleep during a conversation! I can look them in the eye and actually understand what they are talking about. AND I am losing weight! I feel and look better than I have in a long time! It is nice to be at this place and have five healthy, happy kids.

Although I don't think she needs my sympathy because of her great sense of humor, I do feel for the other blogger because I recall the days of losing keys, missing appointments because I couldn't get it all together, walking around like a zombie and just hibernating in my house because I just didn't want to deal with anything more than I had on my plate at home (ok, she may not be as out of sorts as I am so I speak for myself only). Those days are nearing an end~with a bit of saddness~and a lot of excitement. I am enjoying my kids more and I hope they are enjoying me!

QOTD~Seano

Sean: "Mom, how would Santa get down the chimney if the fire is on?"
Me: "He wouldn't. We'll have to put the fire out that night. But maybe I won't so he can't get in."
Sean: "No! I've been doing better since Christmas is almost here."

Future Suitor

Caroline had a playdate at our house with a little boy from class. During the playdate she and Audrey got into a fight over whether or not Brendan could sit next to this friend. When Caroline objected Audrey called her stupid. The boy's response: "She's not stupid. Caroline, you're not stupid. I think you're lovely and I want to marry you someday." I'll be telling them this one when they're in high school!

One of Those Days

I'm in the same clothes I wore yesterday and slept in...gross, I know, but it's one of those days...*sigh*

Why Not to Take Kids to a Haunted Ship

The boys birthdays were this month. Originally, Sean was going to have a scavenger hunt through the neighborhood. I spend one afternoon at work (the phone doesn't ring) planning this scavenger hunt party. I had the clues made up and was ready to enlist some of the neighbors to help.

I came up with the idea of taking Patrick's friends to visit the USS Salem. Originally it was supposed to be a typical tour of the ship~learn the history, etc., etc. It then turned into this http://www.hauntedship.com/ .

Patrick loved the idea, and when Sean learned what we were doing, he wanted in as well. Scavenger Hunt party and all the work put into it (while mommy was at work)...scrapped.

Ok, so a haunted tour of the USS Salem it is. I checked with some parents and they seemed to think it was ok.

Off we went the night of the party. I dragged the kids out of my house where they were happily playing with Nerf swords and guns, chasing each other around the yard and into the woods (which was making me nervous because it was getting dark and I was worried I'd lose a kid in the woods behind the house). It was like pulling teeth to get them come in for pizza, cake and ice cream. They were all having too much fun (note to self~don't come up with any bright ideas when kids are having fun).

After eating we loaded into three cars and off we went to the ship. They were all excited and couldn't wait to get there. Not too many felt the same when we boarded the ship. Can you say DISASTER!!! The first child dropped out immediately when we got on the deck. They dropped like flies from then on. Brian had taken the first to the car to stay warm. I had to call him and have him come back to get the 5 others who wouldn't even walk to the entrance of the tour!

We finally broke into two groups and started the tour. We made it about half way when my group had to leave because Sean was terrified and one of his friends was crying. When I came up onto the deck I found that the other group (headed by my good friend) were already back at the entrance (not even on the deck)!

Total disaster! One of the 10 year olds even commented that it was the worst party ever! Really, the worst???? Yes he told me. The house was the best part and that's were he would have liked to stay. Several others asked if we could go back to the house to continue playing. It was 9:00 at this point, so that wasn't an option.

Next year~we play with Nerf swords and guns in the yard~and even the woods if they want!

Lost Teeth

Caroline lost her first tooth on Sunday, October 24th at 4 p.m. (how anal is that, but I've kept the date and time for the other two and have to do the same). She has been so excited for this and I can't believe it is here already. She pulled it out of her mouth herself and was so proud. I had just been running around looking for the camera to get one last picture of her with all her baby teeth and when I turned around this is what I saw.

Happy Birthday, Patrick!

As his actual birthday was October 15th, this post is long overdue, in part due to the busy schedule of my now 10 year old, Patrick. He is a go getter, an achiever, athletic, social, kind and smart. An all around stereotypical 1st child. Even without all those qualities, we love him so much and can't believe he's 10!

He is also a kid who takes him time doing almost everything (his most frustrating quality to date), which is apropo since he took his sweet time to be born. My water broke on a Friday night at about 10 pm and he didn't come into this world until Sunday afternoon at 3:30~and even at that point it wasn't willingly. He is still this way today.

I remember that day as if it were yesterday, and I can't believe it was 10 years ago. In those 10 years he has already done so much. He excels academically...and amazes me that he doesn't accept anything lower than a 90. I think he's only received a grade lower than 90 once in his short elementary career. He reads voraciously...loves nearly everything he can get his hands on. Harry Potter, Lightning Thief, history (my favorite, which I am so excited about)...he'll read books in a day. He loves sports, especially soccer and baseball. I loved playing baseball with him in the front yard of our old house when he was three and then with he and Sean when Sean was about the same age. It's one of my best memories of them when they were younger.

Above all, he is such a good person. He is kind, loving, a good friend, brother and son. He talks with everyone and excludes no one. In his 10 years I have never heard him say anything bad about anyone until recently (and that was to comment that another student in school, who has been mean to him, was not nice). Even this he has handled with grace and composure.

We are so fortunate to have him in our lives and love him so much!

Dear Mr. 4th Grade Teacher~

I moved to this town for the great school system. And a great one it is. I wanted my kids to have the best I could afford to give them in terms of that. I thought with that came the responsibility of the teachers to teach my kids. My expectations are for YOU to teach them at school and for them to come home with homework that they could do to reinforce the wealth of knowledge you gave them from 9-3. It's not exactly going how I planned. So, I have a request~could you please cut me some slack on the homework??? I mean it's killing me. Don't you know I have four other kiddos to care for after school, help with homework, break up fights between, drive to and pick up from CCD, soccer, hockey and daisies, entertain, feed, bathe, read to and get to sleep. This doesn't exactly leave a lot of time for ME to actually HELP with homework.



And while I'm at it~could you tone down the difficulty a bit? I wasn't a geometry genius in high school, what makes you think I can help my fourth grader with it 15 years later??!! And does he really need to read 1000 pages this quarter to get a 4 in reading on his report card? If he does, did you have to tell him that reading so much would get him a 4. He has become obsessed...an obsession I don't have time for!!!



To make it worse, I'm told by 5th grade moms that book reports will be added to this craziness! Where do you think I'm going to fit that in? The weekends~the only days when I actually have time to clean my house, in between driving to and from and attending soccer and hockey games, because my husband is home to entertain all of these kids for me!



So, please, when doling out the homework load...please keep the poor, tired, weary, overwhelmed, stressed and somewhat braindead (speaking for myself anyway) parents in mind. We could use a break.



Sincerely,

Patrick's mom

QOTD-Patrick

While walking through Walmart with Patrick and Sean~

Me: I love spending time with both of you.
Patrick: Yeah, you're almost as fun as Auntie Lou.

Gee~thanks for letting me know.

Audreyism of the Day

Before I started writing this blog I wrote all the memories I wanted to keep on my computer. I started the blog because I liked the idea of the layout and it seemed easier to keep organized. Unfortunately, I am not as funny of a writer as some of the writers of other blogs I read. I would love to get to that point some day.

What I do have (and I know I probably blog people to boredom writing about) are five kids who crack me up almost on a daily basis with the things they say. Sean's wit warranted his own special titles and I named his funny comments "Seanoisms of the Day". Audrey is the same, so I now have "Audreyisms of the Day". I still keep some things I want to remember on that separate journal, but thought I should share some of these "isms" because they can be so funny at times.

The other day while sitting in the dining room I heard Brendan yell from the hallway "mom, Audrey's writing on the wall with a green crayon". Followed very quickly after by Audrey in a whisper "shhhh, don't tell her something." I am in so much trouble with this girl!

Seano

Sean turns 8 today. He came into this world with a bang and has continued with an explosive personality ever since. He is funny, witty, sarcastic, wise, smart, emotional, animated, loving and sensitive. He is such a mixed bag and, although I could do without the sarcasm and animated outbursts for the most part, I love it all.

He was born four weeks early (although one of the nurses told me he was probably more like five weeks early) on a beautiful October day. He was 7 lbs., 13 oz. The dr. informed me that he would have been over 10 lbs. if he had been full term! We always joke with him that he was inside kicking and screaming "would someone get me out of here!" He is the same today~very demanding and impatient.

He doesn't miss a beat of anything that goes on around him. Recently I was talking with another mom at soccer about the craziness with all the activities, how parents go overboard pushing their kids and about how I feel most parents think their kids are going to get scholarships or even more if they have them on several teams. Sean was leaning on me at the time. We continued to talk about how we don't push ours and I told her how Sean chose not to play soccer this year, which was fine with us because he plays hockey (which is extremely demanding on the child and parents) and Caroline entered kindergarten this year which means that she was is now on the activity schedule as well.

A couple of days later Sean and I were alone together. He took this as an opportunity to hit me with a question he had, obviously, been thinking about for a couple of days. He had been listening very closely to my conversation the previous Saturday because he informed me that he does not like CCD and told me that, since his dad and I did not want to push them to do what they chose not to do, he did not want to go next year! Unfortunately, this is not an option!

Even with his demands and quick wit~he is so loving to his siblings, dad and I. He is so sensitive and completely in tune when it comes to the feelings of those around him. He loves to be hugged, snuggled and just to be close to his dad or I. We're happy to oblige.

He also loves to eat and eats almost anything I make. One of my favorite things to do is cook for him. He gets so excited and is so appreciative.

We always let them chose their meal on their birthday and an activity for us to do as a family. Today I'll be making him spaghetti and meatballs, pumkin pie for his "cake" and we're going bowling.

Happy birthday Seano~Daddy and I love you very much!

I Like Apple Picking!

We took the kids apple picking yesterday. It was such a beautiful fall day to go. We go every year~but our weekends have been very busy since September started and I was in a panic that this year we wouldn't be able to fit it in. To add to it~tomorrow is Sean's birthday and we always allow the birthday child to pick an activity that we can do on their birthday. He did not pick apple picking, so rush we did today after getting flu shots and getting in two soccer games.

We did it~by the skin of our teeth~we drove over an hour because most places were picked clean~to apple pick for about a half hour. Although we were rushed because we got there very late, it was worth it though because Audrey walked around the apple trees, following behind me, saying "I like apple picking, mommy" over and over. They all had a lot of fun~although I noticed Patrick became bored a bit quickly (too old for this family tradition??? I hope not.). The twins were really into it and it was so easy with them this year~as I'm finding most activities are now.

We also chose pumpkins~a little disappointing that the place we went too this year didn't have a pumpkin patch. The kids were excited all the same.

We had a great time and I'm glad we fit it in, even with all the rushing.

Family Pics and, oh yeah, Weight Watchers isn't going so well so you won't see any pictures of me for a while

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm not sure how to put a link in here, nor am I sure of how to refer to previous posts when I mention them in a new one. I still have to work on those two things, but I'm pretty sure I can post some pictures of the kiddos that I blog about. So, here they are:

It's not the best picture, but I actually couldn't figure out how to upload a picture to my blog (at least not easily), so I am going to bed and will try to figure out all (adding a link, referring to previous posts and pictures) when I am not so tired!

On another note~Weight Watchers is not going so well. It's not that the program doesn't work, it's that I am not applying myself and keep making excuses for why I'm not following the program. One result of my inability to lose weight is that I allow VERY FEW pictures to be taken of me. I do have a few, but not many since the twins were born. I'm off to start again tomorrow and am hoping for stronger will power!

Another Great Family Vacation!

We did it again! We had another great family vacation this summer! We spent this week at the beach (at my parents cottage in Humarock~so it was free too~how can it get much better). We had PERFECT weather!

It was such a relaxing vacation. We hung at the beach during the day, went out to eat a couple of nights, walked to the store for ice cream one night and walked to the donut shop one morning. The kids just loved it all~as simple as it was.

The ocean was kicked up a bit the first couple of days be cause of Danielle, but surprisingly calmed by mid week and later even though Hurricane Earl was following close behind. The kids still went in the water with the undertow and high waves. One of us just was sure to be in the water with them and hold the little ones. One day the waves were calm and the water warm (surprising for this part of the Atlantic Ocean)and the hubby and I were in the water all day with the kids. At one point, Patrick, Sean and Caroline were in with us while the twins sat on the beach and played. It was just perfect! The beach is wide open and, with very few exceptions, only neighbors around. That means very few other people around at all. We could see the twins from the water and had neighbors looking on them as well as us in the water. It's just such a great place. As with our trip to Storyland, it was so much easier this year with the twins!

We haven't stayed at the cottage for a week in such a long time and I am so glad we did~and the kids most definitely are too. Looking forward to it again next year!

Cupcakes, Cupcakes and More Delicious Cupcakes!

I was in Plymouth Harbor tonight with a friend and co-worker skoping out houses for a client. As we were driving around the Harbor, whenever we would come down the main road along the water, she would point out Cupcake Charlie's and tell me how delicious the cupcakes are (I wish I could figure out how to insert a link because the pictures actually look as good as the cupcakes themselves). She raved about the frosting, about the filling inside them and the cupcakes themselves. After about the10th drive by, and near the end of our search, I asked her if we should go. Well...more like asked if we could go. I have to admit~she had me curious.

Now, even though I am doing Weight Watchers, I caved the minute I walked in. I could see what she was talking about. They had cupcake flavors I had never heard of, some with filling, some not~but all beautiful to the eye and hard to resist. The frosting was the most delicious, creamy, not too sweet buttercream frosting I had ever tasted. I ordered a Lemon Drop for myself and got 1/2 dozen to bring home to my hubby and brood. I oohed an aaahed with every bite and the others did the same. Only one flavor was not a HUGE hit, but it still got eaten.

If you're ever in the MA area or are from MA~I suggest a trip to Cupcake Charlie's! Maybe some day I'll figure out how to attach a link to this thing so you can see for yourself!

Off to dream about more cupcakes! I can't wait to head back!

Baby Weight

As the two of you who read my blog now, I have five kids and the last two are twins. They are three. For the past three years I have said when discussing weight that I have not lost my baby weight. I'm not sure this is entirely true at this point. After three years, when the babies are no longer babies, does it truly count as baby weight? I have to stop fooling myself and admit that it is not in fact babyweight, but I don't take care of myself, I eat poorly and don't exercise weight. When it comes right down to it~I'm fat. My kids even tell me I'm fat. In fairness to them, they hear it from me all the time, so they are not truly being mean. They are actually concerned. They ask me not to eat certain foods that they know are unhealthy~Mountain Dew for instance (yes, at 41 years of age I am addicted to Mountain Dew). It needs to stop. I know it needs to stop. It's a clutch. I need the caffeine (I don't drink coffee), I like the taste and when the kids were younger it was my excuse to get out of the house~to buy a Mountain Dew. I would actually load all of them up into the car and go to the Dunkin Donuts drive through and buy just a Mountain Dew.

I have promised for three years that I will stop. I know I would probably drop 10 of the 35 lbs. I need to lose alone by just not drinking it. It's a matter of mind over matter. Of having will power. I am weak.

I got a wake up call this past weekend while getting a pedicure. I was sitting at the salon with my feet up on the foot rest and my stomach bunched up as a result. The girl doing my pedicure gave me a big smile and asked "are you pregnant"? I tried to laugh it off and told her that I've been lazy losing my "baby weight". Poor thing back tracked and tried to explain why she asked. Fact is, she asked because I looked it sitting there all bunched up. There's no place for the fat to go when I sit.

I'm starting tomorrow. For those who may be interested, I will post progress reports. I plan on doing Weight Watchers, which I have found in the past when losing small amounts of weight after my other children were born, was the best way to lose it. It just makes sense. Eat ALMOST anything you want (Mountain Dew excluded) in reasonable portions. It makes you think about what you're putting in your mouth in the realm of the real world.

I'll see how it goes...

Growing Up & Growing Old

I've been doing a lot of thinking about this lately. Although Audrey did dance with Caroline this past year, Brendan would bum around with me and I kind of felt with him not doing an activity that they were still little. Audrey was just following along because of Caroline.

I've always felt like there's so much ahead of us. I always new with each child there would be another to follow. I've kept clothes, extra diapers, bottles, sippy cups, bibs, binkys and all the other toys and necessitites that come with having babies and little ones. I'm now in a place where I no longer need any of it once the twins outgrow it~and outgrow it they do! So fast that I'm dizzy. With the excitement of the milestones they are making comes sadness. I'm sad to not be having any other children, although I also don't want to have any more children. I have all that I can handle. Yet everytime I see a baby I long for another. I think because it's kept me young. Now we have no where to go but for the kids to grow up and us to grow old. The twins are three and potty trained. It went by so fast. Although Audrey did dance with Caroline this past year, Brendan would bum around with me and kind of felt with him not doing an activity that they were still little. Audrey was just following along because of Caroline. I decided to sign Brendan and Audrey up for "nymnastics" (as Audrey calls it) and they took their own little class together. The first day I cried (out of sight of the other mothers of course). I cried because this means they are more independent and no longer babies. In a couple of months I will actually have that coveted "time to myself" when they go to preschool. I'm not actually sure I want this time.

Then I look at the others. Patrick is 9. I can remember when I brought him to the same gymnastics class 6+ years ago. Sean would run around the viewing area and I would be stressed trying to settle him and keep him away from the stairs. Where has that time gone? I long for that stress again. It was so much less than I am dealing with now. I never thought he would be 9 and Sean would be 7 and I would have three more. I feel as though I have not done enough with him and Sean since the others have come along. I feel that I haven't played with any of them enough and I'm losing my chance. If these first 9 years have gone this fast, I'm going to look back in no time at the next 9 years when they are starting to move on. My heart breaks at the thought. I feel like 9 years has gone by and all I've done is worry that I can't get anything done around the house, yell because of it and not spend enough time playing and just being a fun mom.

With all the growing up going on around the house, and although I feel I don't spend enough time with the kids, I ignore my parents as well.

Tonight I was unable to reach them at any phone~Milton, Humarock or their cell. After calling my brothers, who had also not spoken to them in several days, I decided to take a ride to Humarock to see if they were there. They were and they were fine~but they're not perfectly fine. After telling them why I was there and having them call my brothers to let them know they were ok, I chatted for a bit. A very important piece of info. to all of this is that my father LOVES Humarock. It is his soul. We have gone there since I was born~they purchased the cottage 6 months before I was born. He LOVES the beach and he LOVES the water. They informed me that they had been there all week. I asked my father if he had been to the beach and in the water at all. His response shocked me..."it's not the same anymore". When I asked him what he meant, although deep down I knew what he meant, he said that his breathing is so bad that he's unable to get there. He has emphysema. The house is only 4 houses away. That's how bad his breathing is. He can't walk the short distance to enjoy what he loves most. It was shocking and heartbreaking. My father has NEVER admitted he couldn't do something because of his health, especially something he LOVES so much. It must be killing him to be down there and not be able to get to the beach. His only reason for going anymore is to see the kids enjoy it now. That was so apparent. He mentioned that they were hoping I would have been down one day with the kids. Typically I am but have been busy running the kids back and forth to camps and with work (which I'm hating by the way, but that's a story for another day) was unable to make it down the past two weeks.

I feel that life is moving so fast and that even I cannot think of myself as young anymore. I'm not. I don't have little kids really. I'm going to be one of the older moms at preschool next year. I'm going to be the one with my youngest at the school and I don't like where I will be in the order of moms. OLD. I'm going to be the one with the older, wiser, fresher preschoolers because of their older siblings. The ones the first time moms won't want their kids playing with because they'll think they are so misbehaved and fresh. Maybe they are a little~but because they are older than the average 3 year old.

I wish I could stop my kids from growing up and I wish I could stop my parents (and me) from growing old. Time is too short and too precious.

QOTD

Caroline: "Mom, can you go out and sell a lot of houses because I really want a pool?"
Me: "I'm on that!"

An Example of How I Know My Kids Love Storyland MORE than Disneyworld

We have taken the kids to Storyland, starting when Patrick was not yet two, 5 times. We skipped last year because we took them to Disneyworld in April. All last summer I was asked were we going to Storyland, why weren't we going to Storyland, would we go to Storyland next summer (meaning this year).

Now in all fairness, I cannot say that they DIDN'T like Disneyworld. While we were there they had the time of their lives, but for some reason (as I mentioned in a previous post) Storyland seems to have more staying power in their minds.

Example No. 1~This year (a year after we had taken the kids to Disney and TWO YEARS after our last trip to Storyland) my 7 year old son had to write a report about his favorite memory. My husband and I were helping him with suggestions...your first trip to a Bruins game~no, your first Red Sox game~no, when we stay at Humarock and walk to the donut store when it's quiet in the morning and walk back on the beach (this has previously been a favorite memory)~no, DISNEY!!!~no. He wanted to write about Storyland and our visit to Diana's Bath's, as I mentioned, two years prior to this report. We were shocked! But we just took you ALL THE WAY to DISNEY last year???? Nope~didn't cut it for this kid. He wrote a report about Storyland, his favorite ride and our visit to Diana's Baths.

Example No. 2~my older son asked continuously, all year after NOT going to Storyland last year, if we would be going this year???

Between the two of them how could I disappoint?

The Best Family Vacation EVER!

Last weekend we took the kids to Storyland. For those of you who aren't familiar, Storyland is a little park up in NH that is targeted to younger kids. It's awesome! I love it and I'm 41! All my kids love it, even my 9 year old! When I say they all love it, I mean (and I'm not kidding)more than Disneyworld love! The reason being, the rides are all ones they can do~and THAT is what made this the BEST family vacation EVER! For the first time in 9 years I was not pregnant at Storyland and I did not have one (often more than one) child too young to go on the bigger rides! For the first time in 9 years Brian and I were able to go on all the rides together with ALL the kids (although we did learn that NONE of the rides seats more than 6 people so we had to split into two groups all the time~does anyone not realize that there are families who have more than two kids??). Nevertheless, no one waited while the others had fun! This was HUGE for Brian and I because we are amusement park fanatics! We went to as many as we could before we were married and after we were married, but before we had kids. We love all the huge rollercoasters~really any thrill rides. Although the rides aren't THAT thrilling~they are for the kids and that is so awesome! The kids ALL had a blast, even Brendan and Audrey who went on the flume, the roller coaster and the rafting ride!

I am setting my sights on Disneyworld again with the hopes that they will love it more next time!

Oh...and another reason this family vacation was the BEST family vacation EVER, with the exception of one incident, none of the kids really fought! It was great to get away and exactly what we all needed!

Brotherly Love~We Must Be Doing Something Right

Last night Patrick slept over a friend's house. He left from baseball, went out to eat with his friend and then back to his friend's house for the night. When Sean realized what was going on I saw his demeanor change immediately. He seemed sad, so I asked. He told me he wasn't sad that he was happy. I let it drop. We drove home and out of the blue Sean said to me "how am I supposed to get to sleep? I fall asleep listening to Patrick reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid to me." I almost fell over while I drove! It was the sweetest thing I ever heard! When we got home I told Brian the story and then suggested to Sean that he call Patrick to say goodnight. He said no. When I insisted he admitted that he was afraid he would cry.

We had a busy day today and Patrick's friend who he stayed with was with us. Sean also had a friend with him. We went to soccer and then to the cottage with all the kids to open it. The kids all played on the beach, the boys fished, we cooked on the grille and bought ice cream. We just arrived home a short time ago. While picking up in the kitchen I heard Sean in the downstairs bathroom where Patrick was taking a shower. Again, out of the blue, he told Patrick "I missed you last night. I almost cried."

I almost cried. It was also the sweetest thing I've ever heard. We must be doing something right.

Psychotic

Ok~so in my crazy, over protective mother mode because of the whole mean kids situation, I found myself going completely psychotic! The day after a playground incident, I decided that I was going to sit in the school parking lot during recess and watch the goings on. As I drove in, recess was already underway. I immediately spotted Sean in his Red Sox shorts and blue Red Sox t-shirt and focused in. My first sighting was of Sean walking away from a kickball game with his head down looking dejected. I then realized that Patrick~who had suffered a mean kid incident the day before Sean did (albeit not on the playground)~was smack in the middle of the kickball game tossing the ball to the "kicker". I watched him as he jumped for joy when someone missed a kick or got out. I then switched my focus (now with steam coming out of my ears for Patrick's lack of concern for his dejected brother) back to Sean who was now wandering aimlessly around the playground, going from one group of kids to another seeming to try to fit in, but not fitting in anywhere. My heart broke. I called Brian and two friends and sobbed to all. I was so angry at the boy who was causing him problems. At the end of recess, I left the school parking lot heart broken and crying on the phone all the way home. I couldn't wait for school to end and called the secretary to let her know that that afternoon I would be picking the boys up from school~unable to even stand the idea of waiting another 20 minutes beyond release time to get them off the bus.

As luck would have it, Caroline, Brendan and Audrey all fell asleep at the same time and at the time I had to leave to pick up the boys. I called a good friend and asked if she would get the boys when she picked up her own kids. I now had the extra wait anyway.

Her car pulled in the driveway and I ran to greet them, excited to ask them about their days and the recess situation. I was calm and was going to address Patrick in a calm manner when I asked him why he let his brother go and wander aimlessly~obviously sadden by rejection. I turned to Sean to address him first. When I did, I immediately noticed that his shirt was brown and his shorts were khaki~not the same outfit as the boy I watched and cried over for 20 minutes. My entire demeanor changed and I asked him what he did at recess. His response~"I played kickball." I asked a few more questions about what team he was on (Patrick's) and how it went (good~no mean kid problems). I almost fell over. I was watching another boy the entire time! Goes to show what happens when you let your emotions get the best of you!

Since things have been fine. Now my only problem is who was the boy I was watching? I've been worried about him ever since I realized he wasn't Sean!

I knew it...

up thinking about the mean kids! I knew this would happen! All I can think about is my poor little guy has to go to school with these kids today and they're both in his class to boot!

I Hate Mean Kids!

I feel a little better now saying that~I just hope it helps me to not stay up all night thinking about it!

Don't Ya Love it When You Know You Have a Really Good Friend??

I have the best friend anyone could have. She is a "new" friend~as in not a high school or college friend (of which I have the best friend anyone could have from high school as well, but I'm sure I'll have a story about her another day). A friend who is always thinking of you and always says and does the right thing~even when it's not expected (not that I expect anything).

Today I started my first day as a real estate salesperson. Took the class over two months from Feb-April, finally took the test a week and a half ago and PASSED (I have another entry about that, but I haven't posted it yet because I was trying to attach pictures and link to other sites, none of which I've figured out how to do~again, a story for another day). Anyway, today I am doing "up" time in the office where I was offered a position. My oldest son had a baseball game during my time in the office, which left my hubby with the other four to entertain for an hour and a half. Of course, the other moms were wondering where I was and he told them. Most knew I had embarked on this new endeavor, but did not know I was officially starting.

Well, the person I have to say I have considered to be my bff in town for a while (is that too high schoolish) just dropped by with her three kids to bring me flowers, congratulate me and wish me good luck! She's awesome! Thinks of everyone like this and is always so encouraging and excited for anything a friend does in life. I will get lots of congrats from other wonderful friends, but this friend always goes above and beyond! Such a positive person! She just made my day! I'm so fortunate to have someone like her in my life!

I Want My Teeth Back, The Tooth Fairy is Dumber Than I Thought

Sean lost two teeth this week~one day after the other. After forgetting to put the first lost tooth under the pillow the first night, we remembered the next night when the second fell out (btw~both teeth were actually pulled out, one by me and the other by the school nurse. Never done that before, but these teeth were really holding on, wiggling and bleeding.) He actually suggested it to me and then went to the nurse for the second tooth and she suggested it to him.

So, we remembered to put them under the pillow when there were two. That night the tooth fairy left $5.00. I thought that was pretty good~$2.50/tooth. Unfortunately, Seano thinks his teeth are worth more. As in $19.00 for both teeth. Well, this wasn't happening. The fit he put up was unbelievable to me. He told me that the tooth fairy is an idiot and that he was putting the $5.00 back under his pillow for her to take so that he could have his teeth back.

Unfortunately for him, the tooth fairy doesn't have a very good memory, nor does she care very much whether or not he thought $5.00 was enough (although she was hurt that he was upset). When he woke up the next morning the money was gone (probably fell behind his bed) but the teeth were no were to be found. He came downstairs that morning and announced that "the tooth fairy is dumber than I thought. I left the $5.00 under my pillow and she took it, but did not give me my teeth back." LOL! Brian and I almost died laughing.

What are the Qualifications for Being the Worst Mother in the World? Because I Think I'm It!

This weekend there was a neighborhood yard sale. Quite a few families participated, except for us because, as usual, I could not get myself "together" enough to put anything out to sell. I'm pretty pathetic like that (blogging about it on here doesn't exactly help). I'm always a mess, always disorganized, there is crap EVERYWHERE in my house~in the family room, on the counters, in the living room, on the stairs, in all of the bedrooms...blah, blah, blah... Well, this disorganization really does a number on my mind some days and Saturday, the day of the yard sale, was one of those days. I get to the point where I don't know where to start, my hubby was out clearing an area of the yard for a shed we ordered, and I was trying to pick up the house in between checking on the kids (especially the twins) and/or making sure my hubby knew where they were. It's not really a recipe for successful cleaning.

In between my checking and occasional cleaning Patrick, Sean and Caroline were running up and down the street checking out all the crap that my neighbors were selling. Sean, my most sensitive one, came back at one point to tell me that one of my neighbors had this "awesome glass thing with Mary and Jesus on it" that he wanted to buy. I told him that under no circumstances was he to buy this "glass thing" and that I DID NOT want it in the house. We have enough crap of our own that I can't get organized. He headed back down the street with two of the boys from the neighborhood and I went out to run an errand. When I came back he was carrying a brown paper bag and announced to me that he had purchased the "glass Mary and Jesus". As I was about to shoot back that I had told him I didn't want it in the house, my neighbors daughter commented with excitement that "yeah, he got this glass Mary and Jesus thing that's awesome!" Even with that, I shot back to Sean that I had told him I did not want it and he was not to bring it into the house. He responded that he did not buy it for me, he bought it for him and that he wanted to put it in his room. I could immediately see the hurt in his voice and in his body language.

Not one to let anyone miss out on enjoying the miserable mood I was in, I walked to the backyard to inform my husband of how annoyed I was that the kids were out buying other people's crap and that I was upset with Sean for doing what I had asked him not to do. He informed me that Sean had been all excited and told my hubby that he had purchased the glass Mary and Jesus for me. This I already knew from the way Sean had responded to my hearing he had purchased it. I had felt bad at that point, but unfortunately it took hearing it from my husband to make me really feel like the worst person ever.

I let it go and did not say anything for the rest of the day. The next day Sean and I were talking about an incident that happened with two of the neighborhood boys he was with. I was asking if they were being mean and he told me that one of them had said to him that the glass Mary and Jesus was the "stupidest thing he could have bought." My heart now fell to my feet. I fought back tears, told him that the boy was wrong and mean for saying what he said, ran downstairs and hung the glass Mary and Jesus (actually a stain glass picture) in one of the kitchen windows as fast as I could get it up there. I told him that I LOVED it and that it would be staying in that window forever~and it will (at least until someone breaks it, which is bound to happen around here). I then apologized to him and TRIED to explain that I am frustrated with how I can't get organized, but that I took it out on him, which was wrong of me. Even with that, all I have on my mind is how I cannot take back any of what I said to him on Saturday. He is the kindest sweetest boy and I know I made an awful impact~hence Worst Mother of the Year without question.

Now to go do what I should be doing so that I don't get in such a negative mood again (at least not for this reason)!

Can I Not Even Take a Shower???? Really???

This week is vacation week for the kids. It really has not been a bad week at all. The hubby took off Monday and Tuesday and we did some day trips, which the kids and we enjoyed. Wednesday was another story. Hubby went back to work and all hell broke loose~I swear they do this for my benefit only.

It was about 9 o'clock in the morning and at this point they had been sitting in front of Wii for about 3 hours (I cannot drag myself out of bed at the ungodly hours that they do), so that was enough. My hubby had gotten them breakfast and some of them dressed before he left for work, so they weren't completely ignored all this time. I cleaned up breakfast and finished dressing those who weren't when I woke up at about 8 AM. At about 9 I told the boys to shut off the Wii and go up to make their beds while I got into the shower. This is when everything went wrong.

As is typical, once I am unable to control what is going on, they started to fight. Patrick began taunting Sean and not letting him make his bed. Sean kept running into the bathroom to tell me, while I kept asking him to do his best to stay away from his brother until I was done. Unfortunately for all of us, they share a room, so this is nearly impossible when making beds. Chaos could be heard as I tried to quickly finish my shower the only time I (sort of) have to myself all day. The next trip into the bathroom Sean informed me that Patrick had dialed 911 and that a call had come into our phone that said "Massachusetts". Well, I'm not sure of everywhere else, but that always means a cell phone. My immediate thought was that Patrick was bluffing to scare his brother and that the call just happened to come at the perfect time and was from a friend.

Boy, was I wrong! Not only did he call 911 but there was an officer at my door as I found out from Brendan who was running back and forth in his diaper (ok so he wasn't dressed yet now that I think about it) from the door to the bathroom giving me the update. Caroline is now hiding behind the door of the bathroom crying hysterically and the boys are hiding upstairs. Now I had decided to take a shower in the downstairs bathroom so that I could hear what the twins were doing. This was a bad mistake as I have no curtains on my dining room windows through which a visitor can see straight into my hall where my stairs are, the stairs that I now needed to go up to get a bathrobe to answer the door for our "visitor". I yelled for someone to get me a bathrobe with no success. Fortunately, I remembered that I had dropped one in the living room in a failed attempt to put it away recently. Never have I been so happy to have something sitting on my floor. I threw it on and ran to the door to greet a not so happy police officer.

I'm not sure how long this poor man was knocking on my door, but by the time I got there he was BANGING! I mean close to knocking the door down as he explained to me as nicely as he could. To make it worse (can it get any worse??) I'm not even sure how well I had wrapped the bathrobe and the twins were pining at me to pick them up, which I did to seem sort of motherly as I threatened to hurt the others. I'm just hoping I did not expose myself to this officer. On top of that, my neighbors (and some other moms from town) do a boot camp at one of my neighbors houses (a boot camp which I may have been at had the kiddos not been off for vacation). Of course, the trainer had sent them running up my street as this was all going on. I'm surprised some of them didn't trip over themselves as they tried to figure out what the cop was doing at my door instead of watching where they were running.

I asked the officer to come in to let the kids know how serious their antic was. He would not. He did not want them to be afraid of police officers. Really? Because I do! He asked me to let them know that he was close to knocking down the door (yeah~he was out there that long) because all he could see were the twins and he did not know if I was "on the floor" somewhere in the house.

After my lecture from this officer, I went off to lecture (um~berate) my kiddos! I don't think I've ever been this upset with them. As my dear friend Kristin said, we will be laughing about this in a month (some others~the moms who were running up my street for instance~are alreay finding humor). You think? Because I'm really not finding any part of this situation funny right now!

For now I made Patrick (the sole culprit as I later deciphered) write an apology to the officer, chief of police and marched him down there to hand deliver it and apologize to the dispatchers as well. He is also grounded from Wii, tv, DS and friends for the next two weeks.

We'll see how long I get order after this ordeal. They were EXTREMELY well behaved yesterday after all of this, but I've noticed some slipping today.

Happy Birthday to the Twins!

The twins turned three almost two weeks ago. I honestly can't believe it and am a little sad. By the time any of the other kids were three I had another baby (in the last case babies)! I can remember my pregnancy with them so clearly~not only because of the fact that it wasn't so long ago, but that it was so very eventful from the very beginning. I was sicker than I ever was with any of the other kids, more tired, blue (don't recall feeling that way during a pregnancy with any of the others) and just plain blah! I was HUGE! I had gained 10 pounds in my first month and 13 by the time I went to the dr. for my first appt. at 10 weeks. I had people I didn't know very well asking me if I was pregnant at 6 weeks. I was already out of my regular clothes at that point. I just thought it was my fourth (technically fifth) pregnancy and that I "popped" sooner! At my 10 week appt. the nurse practitioner INSISTED that I go for an ultrasound the following Monday to check for twins. I INSISTED that it wasn't necessary because twins do not run in my family and I had three little ones at home. It was going to be difficult finding someone to watch the other three once a month~forget twice in a matter of 3 days. I came back at 14 weeks and went first to have an ultrasound. I recall telling the dr. that we were there to check the size of the baby because I had gained so much weight and was showing so soon. He put the little hand held part of the ultrasound on my stomach and pulled back right away. Having had a later miscarriage, I panicked and asked what was wrong. He asked if this was our first ultrasound and it was. He put the ultrasound back on my stomach and responded "nothing's wrong, it's just that there's two (or twins)". I was shocked~even though I was there to check for exactly that! I started to cry and panic. Brian was thrilled and very proud of himself (I quickly learned from the dr. that father's have NOTHING to do with there being two babies and that it has everything to do with the mother). That was the first deflated balloon of the day for him. Next I went on to ask my overly excited husband how he thought we were going to support two additional babies~we would have two babies to feed, two preschool tuitions, two sport fees, two college tuitions...I was in a panic. Also, how do you care for two babies at one time???

All of those concerns took a backseat as the pregnancy progressed. I was exhausted!!!! I have NEVER been that exhausted in all my life nor with any of my other pregnancies. It was an excruiating 9 months. I developed pneumonia, had to have a root canal, had a couple of early contractions that I went to the hospital to be checked for and couldn't move in my third trimester. I always loved being pregnant~this time I hated it!

Brendan and Audrey you were born at 38 weeks. You held on until the end~Audrey held on longer than that during the delivery! I delivered in the OR with tons of lights around and NO HEAT! I was freezing! Several drs., a student and an ultrasound on hand to locate Audrey who would NOT come out after Brendan was born. She just wasn't going to leave me. Some things never change!

These first few years have been tough and the other kids have suffered from lack of attention, but even with all of my concerns and any attention the three older kids did not get, it was all worth it! The dynamic of our family is AWESOME! They fight~but they love each other immensely and always have a playmate. Brendan and Audrey are so awesome to listen to. I really need to video more. There is nothing like two babies the same age growing up together~even ones who are a year apart. For all you mothers out there with kids one year apart~IT IS NOT THE SAME AS HAVING TWINS! I mean no disrespect because raising kids is tough no matter how many you have, but the dynamic of two the exact same age is just a whole other story.

Happy Birthday to my babies! I can't believe you're 3! Dad, Patrick, Sean, Caroline and I are so fortunate to have you in our lives! We wouldn't have it any other way!

Don't Ya Love a Bargain!!!

I know I do! Went shopping for birthday presents for the twins tonight and came home with a winter coat for my oldest-originally $60.00-for only $7.99!!! No kidding! Gotta love it! It's such an adrenaline rush to get deals like that~actually makes me want to shop more(not that I need a reason)!

Quote of the Day

While looking online for shoes to go with Caroline and Audrey's Easter dresses, Audrey yells out and points to a pair of shoes on the computer~

"I can't believe my eyes! Look at those shoes!"

Not even sure where she heard that phrase from. She doesn't miss a beat and is such a little character.

How to Explain Death to a Child

I feel like I'm being too serious with my posts (and this certainly is a serious one). I would like to be more witty and fun, but my main purpose of this blog is to keep track of my children's lives and the events in them. Tonight I had a doozie.

My oldest's mood deteriorated this afternoon after he got home from school. He and I had butt heads over his use of the computer (not like moms been on too much today) and lack of helping me with any chores. He was grumpy and downright mean to me. Finally, at bedtime, he asked if he could talk with me in his room. After some back and forth that made no sense to me, he finally admitted that he had been thinking of his grandfather who passed away four years ago. At the time my son was 5~who knew what an effect it would have on him. It has become obvious, especially tonight, that he is at the age where he is putting a lot of thought into life, love, loss and all that comes with the loss of a loved one.

Tonight he told me that he is bothered by his inability to change things in his life. After some questioning, I found that he is feeling guilty about decisions he has made (not serious decisions-but ones a 9 year old would be bothered by like not showing respect to his mother). He is obviously becoming concerned with the mortality of me, my husband and his other grandparents. And feeling guilty about times when maybe he hasn't behaved for us. I told him that, although he can't take back poor decisions he's made, he absolutely can change that behavior in the future and that we all need to work on that (including me). I told him that, although I wish Grampy were still with us, he lived a long, happy life with his family and he was fortunate with all he had. I told him that death is a part of life, but if you've lived a long, productive, happy life then that's all that matters. I told him that his father and I plan on being here for a long time and he is not to worry about us.

This boy is so sensitive and so much more in tune than I give him credit for. He told me that he is upset that his Grampy never got to meet the twins and hasn't been able to share any of the important accomplishments in his life. I tried to explain to him that his dad and I feel the same way, but that Grampy is watching over us and does see what he and his brothers and sisters are doing every day. The disappointing part for us is that we are unable to share these moments with Grampy and see for ourselves how proud he is of us.

My heart broke for him because I remember having these same feelings after my first granmother past away. Being a parent is so difficult at every stage and I can only hope that I did right by him with our conversation.

Have I Mentioned How Much I HATE Stomach Bugs???

Ok, I promise this will be the last time I blog about this stomach bug. I now hate it for another reason than just cleaning up after the kids (and the fact that my poor kiddos are just so miserable). Three of them have been throwing all day today, which means I have done more loads of laundry today than I have in the previous nine years! My house is on septic. Septic and homes with seven occupants, 3 of whom are vomiting hourly and, therefore, requiring multiple loads of laundry be done in one day is like oil and water~they just don't mix.

Add to that the intense rain that has been pouring down where I live for 6 of the last 11 days and is expected to do so for two more. When the rain started 11 days ago it was so bad that there was severe flooding throughout my state. Houses in my neighborhood, and throughout my town, were severely flooded. My husband and I bought this house four years ago and, after coming from one of the other homes in town that took on water, have been proud to say that we have never had a water problem. That was, of course, until today. After about the 10 load of laundry today (seriously, I was that far behind nevermind all the sheets and towels I've had to clean today), I was just in the basement to find water backing up from the septic through the floor where the wall and floor meet.

There are three more of us that have not gotten this "bug" yet. Lets hope we don't until the sun comes out to dry up my backyard because this is going to be one disgusting house by the end of all of this!

I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY Hate Stomach Bugs

Another one bites the dust. Just shortly after writing the previous post, I received a call from Caroline's friend's mom (to whose house I had sent her thinking she was not sick) that she threw up twice over there. We are now all home and settled in to stay this way for the rest of the day.

Ughhhh.......

I Really, Really Hate Stomach Bugs

Audrey is the latest victim and I am not feeling very good myself. Thank God it was quick for Patrick. I just want it through the house as fast as possible. Hate cleaning up sheets and pj's constantly with this sort of thing!

God, I Hate Throw Up Bugs

With as much fun as we had at the hockey tournament this weekend-it ended on a sour note with Patrick getting a throw up bug. He woke up early Sunday morning complaining that his stomach hurt and he had just thrown up. The one good thing is that he is old enough to make it to the bathroom. He looked so awful, pale and sick that we decided that I would take him home early and Brian and Sean would get a ride with one of the other families after the last game. We sat in traffic for two hours on Rte. 6 on our way home, which was a mixed blessing because, although the ride was tough for Patrick, the slow pace made it easy for me to pull over to let him hang his head out the door. He laid in bed the rest of the day once we got home-splitting his time between bed and the bathroom. He got sick once more during the night-the one time he didn't quite make the toilet.
This morning I had planned on keeping him home from school, but he bounced down the stairs all perky and happy and looked great! I sent him to school. Two and a half hours in and no call. I think we're in the clear. Lets just hope it doesn't go through everyone else!

Hockey, Hockey & More Hockey!

We had our first hockey tournament for Seano this weekend down the Cape. I had been hesitant to go, but had so much fun! It really was a blast and the kids all had a blast! They came in 2nd to boot! Seano did great and really is improving with his hockey skills. Although, the sport makes me nervous, I really do hope he keeps with it because it is such an exciting sport!

Potty Training Two, Part II

Ok, so I said I wasn't all gung ho to potty train and that I wasn't yet ready to give up my babies. That was before yesterday when the twins spotted Dora and Diego underwear at Target and were all gung ho to wear them! I went full throttle, bought the underwear and have tried day one of REAL potty training. Has gone so, so. They've both gone on the potty and both had accidents (but the not so bad kind). I caved after the accidents and put pull ups back on both. We'll start over again tomorrow morning and see how it goes.

Potty Training Two

I have to admit-I haven't tried very hard to potty train the twins. I think there are two reasons for this: (1) potty training one child can be a chore-the idea of trying to train two is just overwhelming to me and (2) they are my last and I'm not in a hurry to get out of the baby phase. My husband, on the other hand, has been good about getting them to go "potty" before they get into the bathtub or get dressed in the morning. Brendan has been really good with this and actually looks forward to getting on the potty at these times (I do not follow through during the day, though). Audrey not so much. She is just so opposite of Caroline-who was potty trained, through the night, at 20 months.

This seems to be changing and, therefore, puts the pressure on me to step it up during the day when daddy is not around. Earlier in the week, during the day, both twins asked to go potty. Audrey asked, then Brendan followed. I was shocked! Then tonight, after they were all in their pj's, Audrey told me she had to go potty, took off her jammies and pull up and hopped on! Brendan followed right after again!

I am so proud of them. My thought has been that it will come in time whether I push or not, but now I will have to put my energy into asking during the day-even at the risk of losing my babies. :-(

Altar Server

Patrick, my oldest, served his first mass as an altar server today. With the help of the other two altar servers, he did very well. I was so proud. So much so that I was grinning from ear to ear and was asked by Caroline why I was smiling so much. He is an amazing little boy with a great desire to do and experience all he can in life. He makes me realize how much I missed out on by being shy as a child.

It's A Wonderful Life

I have been reading blogs for a few years now and often wondered why people wrote them. Why put yourself out for others to see? I guess I've caught the bug. Mostly, I'd like to have a written keepsake of my children's lives. I have five-yes five. That is often asked in disbelief, which I find surprising because where I live there are so many families with five children. My last two are twins-there are also many sets of twins where I live.

Although I still get the disbelief when people learn how many children I have, and their ages (they are 9, 7, 4 & 2), in the beginning it was worse. When the twins were born my oldest three were 6, 4 and 21 mo. The comments were so much so that I was often shocked by what people would say-"are they ALL yours?", "do you have a daycare?", "I'd have to kill myself if I had that many kids!" In the beginning I would answer politely and try to explain that I had wanted four, but the last two were twins. I didn't have much control over that. Then I became angry (and tired of trying to explain my beautiful twins as if there was something wrong with them) and started answering back "yes they are all mine and I'm very blessed". My favorite response was to the last comment-"good thing you don't have this many kids!"

My Christmas card the year the twins were born had "It's a Wonderful Life" written on it. I actually had a friend call to say her husband asked if I was joking. I wasn't. My days are crazy, often out of control, but it is getting easier and they are so much fun. In this blog I'd like to track the fun times AND the crazy, out of control times-because everyone has them. I am happy to say I have more of the former, though! It truly is a Wonderful Life!