One of those Times

For all your parents out there.....

Is there ever a time when your kid wants you to pick them up, but for whatever reason you just can't pick them up in that moment? And what usually happens? A temper tantrum? Crying? Pouting? Here's what happens in our house:

Our child passes out. Literally. This is Max post-pass out. Really....all he wanted was for me to pick him up, but I couldn't. Stubborn much?

MAX - a Synonym for T-R-O-U-B-L-E

I have learned several valuable lessons from my adorable son these past two days.

Yesterday, we arrived home from school. Alexis was not with us because she went home with a friend. Step one: We pull in the garage. Step two: I drop my keys inside my bag, hop out of the car, unsnap Maizy, and unbuckle Max. Step three: I proceed to tell Max to get out of the car, but he ran to the opposite side. I had Maizy's carseat in my hand still so I couldn't exactly jump in after him. I had a brilliant idea....I'll bring Maizy inside and then come back out so I can properly "handle" Max. BAD IDEA! When I came back out, the door was closed and Max was happily bounding around the front seats. I go to open the door and it won't open. His button happy little fingers apparently hit the lock button.

So I don't freak out yet, but try to coerce him to push the button again.

He tries, but mostly ends up pushing the window button or the seat heater or the other random buttons on the door. Even when he would push the lock, he was not pushing it hard enough to unlock. I come inside to look for a spare key and can't find one. Max, by the way, thinks this is hilarious and the best time of his life. Here is some evidence of that.

I call Ben and he thinks a key is upstairs. Nope, can't find it. Enter, panic mode. I am frantically telling Max to push the button while he continues playing and this scenario is playing in my mind: Me calling AAA and telling them my 2 year old son is locked in the car in our garage and them silently berating me for being a terrible mother. Only problem......AAA card was also locked in car. Just as I was coming inside to get the phone number off the computer, Max finally pushed the button hard enough and crisis was averted.

Lesson learned: Don't ever leave Max alone in the car unbuckled for ANY reason.

You may think this is the end of the story, but, ah,, my friends, 'tis not!

This morning a friend of Alexis's was dropped off at our house so I could bring her to school because her mom had to be somewhere. With 4 children 5 and under in my care, we load up and head out (on time even!!!). We back out of the driveway and I thought my car felt a little funny, but there were tons of wet leaves in the street so I thought that was the problem. We keep driving and it seems fine. But every time I turn, my wheels won't turn all the way. I start freaking out, and turn very, very slowly and carefully. It seems like it is only happening on left turns. Luckily only a two left turns to school. I call Ben because I didn't know what to do. No answer. I call again. No answer. We have a rule that he keeps his phone on silent at school, but if I NEED him, I call two to three times in a row and then he knows to pick up. So I call again. No answer. I text him. NO ANSWER. I drive a little in the parking lot and it seems okay. So I drive to the dr.'s office because Max has an appointment to get a shot and from school to the dr. office is only right turns. As I'm driving, I quickly realize it is not ONLY left turns. It is any time I turn the wheel more sharply than just a gradual turn.

Freak out again. Call Ben again. Still no answer. I now start realizing that this is going to be very problematic because I can't get three carseats in a regular car if someone else were to have to pick me up or I were to have to use someone else's car. I call Ben about 3 more times and text him 2 more times, and email him. NOTHING! By now, I'm desperate, so I call the front office at his school and ask them to have Ben call me ASAP. He finally calls and he says he is going to come over and call AAA. Wow, second time in two days. Great! So I go into the dr. and Max gets his shot. When I come out, Ben calls and asks me to look under the radio and see if the knob is turned to the 2WD or not. Sure 'nuf, it's turned to 4WD. Little mister happy hands, turned the knob for 4 wheel drive when he was messing around in the car. Ben arrives, gives the car a test drive, and it was perfectly fine. Geez, Max!!!!!!!

Lesson learned: NEVER LEAVE MAX ALONE IN THE CAR FOR ANY REASON!!!!!!

Side note: When I ask Ben why he did not answer after I called probably 16 times, he replies, "well, my laptop was in my lap and I thought the buzzing was just my laptop humming". ARE YOU "BLEEPIN" KIDDING ME??????????

Ahhhh, now on to the rest of the day.

Max's Mouth

One never knows what will come out of it. He is always saying something funny, humorous, or inappropriate (I wonder where he learns that from, Ben?). Here are just a few of his latest:

Me: Max, you are such a big boy.

Max: No, I am a guy.

Max: I need my paginas on.

Me: WHAT?

Max: My paginas.

Me: WHAT?

Max: I NEED MY PAGINAS ON (in case I couldn't hear him)

Me: Oh, you want your pajamas on.

Max: Yes

Me: We really need to work on that word.

Me: Max do you want to watch Mickey with me on tv.

Max: No, I want to watch football.

Alexis: (said with the best whine) mooooommmmmmyyyyyy

Max: Lex, I don't know what your pwoblem is.

Me: Me either

Alexis: Max, stop doing that.

Max: Lexi, you a bad word.

Me: Max you need to get dressed.

Max: Can I wear a dress?

Me: No, boys don't wear dresses.

Max: I'm not a boy.

Me: Then what are you?

Max: A boyfriend

Worldless Wednesday

Child Labor or Allocation of Resources????

We have been having this debate lately about how much to put Alexis to work. Is have her get out of her double stroller with Max to push Maizy's stroller through the airport because we don't have enough hands to push/carry everything cruel child labor or just allocation of resources? Is having Alexis sit with Maizy on the bed and entertain her while I fold laundry or something equally as exciting abuse or division of work? These are the questions we have been pondering lately as we use our 4 year old to her utmost capacity. And is it work when she enjoys doing and actually asks to "babysit" Maizy? She really just loves her sister, I think.

Is forcing Alexis to hold Maizy in pictures wrong if she seems to like it so much? She is so proud. I look so forward to the day when they are quietly chattering in their rooms together, sharing secrets, and getting in trouble together. But for now, I am also cherishing these moments when Alexis can be her caretaker and her "babysitter" and her friend.

Embarrassed and Ashamed!

I am quite embarrassed and ashamed that it has been nearly two months since a blog post. What the HELL have I been doing? I've clearly got nothing else to do, but seriously, I enjoy posting so that I can look back on things I never would have remembered and laugh. So I am officially turning over a back to blogging leaf! Here is a quick summary of the last two months. We have MOVED! Yes, that's right, folks. We are no longer nomads, but have a place to call our very own. It is going to be a long work in progress, but we have plenty of space. Over time we will just need to make that space our own and bring the house into the 21st century and out of 1982. We have made a huge dent in that endeavor just by redoing all the carpet, putting in wood floors, and painting every square inch. As soon as I can clean enough to take some "after" pictures, I will post the before and afters. It is pretty amazing. On top of moving, taking care of three children has become second nature :) Most of the time, they are pretty good and easy, but on days like today, I think to myself, "holy shit, this could be a long 18 years".

Maizy is 3 months old now and has some slight torticollis and neck muscle strength issues. No worries, for some reason, I happen to know a great physical therapist (at my office) who has been helping her out. She is pretty small so perhaps that has something to do with it. In fact, just last night, we were with another baby who is two days older than her and he looked like he could eat her for breakfast....actually, make that a snack. He was this adorable, yet incredibly large baby. I know they are both at opposite ends of the normal spectrum, but it really dwarfed Maizy. Not sure how much she weighs....maybe 10 or 11 pounds. I guess we'll find out for sure at the end of the month for her 4 month check up. But she did recently make it across the country to Seattle for a visit (look for that post coming soon). She was the best kid (of our three) on the plane if that says anything.

I also don't have any pictures from end of August to end of September because I lost my camera. I know, smart one. And of course with the move, we didn't have a computer for a while so I hadn't downloaded pictures in a while. So there went documented memories from August 22 to September 18. Big bummer! But I did learn a valuable lesson.....download pictures often.

Shampoo, Conditioner, and a Babysitter

I have begun my school year work schedule of working for a few hours on Tuesdays and since Alexis will be in school for the morning, I needed a babysitter for Max and Maizy. Luckily, I found a great one! Her name is Xhuncu (or pronounced Shunku). After last Tuesday, her first time babysitting, we were driving home from the office and Max says, "I love shampoo". My first thought was, "wow, I guess he really likes how the new shampoo I bought smells in his hair". Quickly though, I realized that "Shampoo" was a proper noun said with the articulation of a 2 year old referring to Max's new-found friend Xhuncu. And today, he had another great day with "Shampoo".

Tattoos, Goldfish, and Death

The prologue: About a month ago, we were blessed with two goldfish from camp. The kids learned a very quick lesson about how long exactly goldfish last.

Last night Max and Alexis both experienced their first tattoos, kid style. We all know those tatoos that kids LOVE to put on and then they NEVER come off. (Although, I have heard they do with baby oil). So they each got a tattoo from a friend. Alexis got a pony and Max got a goldfish. By this morning, however, Max's tattoo was more than halfway off and had really rubbed off to a pretty pathetic looking fish. When I got Max out of his crib, he says, "Look at my tattoo". I say, "it's okay, don't worry about it". He then says, "My fish is dead". I laughed for a really long time!!!!

Random Funny Events of the Week

A few random blog worthy (I think, anyway) things that have happened in the last week or so. The first is Alexis's first manicure....not that she has gotten, but one that she has given. She has herself received many a manicure (not spoiled at ALL), but she really desperately wanted to GIVE me a manicure. I obliged, but here were the results. Needless to say, she was devastated when I told her I had to take off the polish :)



One day on the way home one evening, we had very tired children. Alexis kept complaining that Maizy's crying was bothering her. So she decided to put her blanket over her head. The next thing we knew, Alexis stopped complaining, but Maizy was still crying (hmmm...unusual). Yup, she had fallen asleep with her blanket over her head.



Not only had Alexis fallen asleep, but Maxwell had as well. Two sleeping children and one screaming one....heaven!



A few days later, we went to help my mom set up her school for preparation for the first day. While there, Alexis started screaming blood curdling screams that her stomach hurt. Like imagine screaming enough to make me ponder the fact that we were going to end up at some Urgent Care or ER. She screamed ALL the way home. The car ride was actually quite amusing as Maizy was crying (typically car behavior for her), Alexis was crying and screaming, and Max was happily singing. A very loud car ride! Anyway, of of no where, Max says, "Mommy, Alexis is crying." Really, Max? I hadn't noticed. She continued screaming at home. I told her to sit in the bathroom for a while, but she sat down on the floor and then layed down. All of a sudden the yelling stopped. I looked in, and she was asleep on the floor. She stayed there for about an hour. After she woke up she was better. No clue.



The last event to date was that Max got his 3rd haircut. Since his first two were primarily disasters, I basically outlined exactly what I wanted this time. Click here for what happened the first time. And I guess 3rd time is a charm because he got a very cute hair cut.

Grammar Lessons

Being a speech pathologist and all, I pride myself on my children's language acquisition and like to think that I had something to do with their early language development. Max at two years old uses sentences the length of an 8 year old and vocabulary at the level of a 5 year old. He really is ridiculous! But I found his flaw yesterday. He did not want to go up for his nap so I decided to play along. I started chasing him and he said he was going to hide. Which to a two year old, hiding means stopping wherever you happen to be, closing your eyes, and putting your head down. Do they actually think we can't see them? So I played along and said, "Max, oh Max, where ever could Max be?" He pops his cute little head up and brightly says, "There me are!" How can you resist this face????

Role Acquisition

Since Maizy has arrived, Alexis and Max have each taken upon new roles. Alexis has proclaimed herself Maizy's second mother. She always wants to hold her, kiss her, rub her head, hold her hand, give her a pacifier, etc. Max has acquired the role of protector. He will protect her toys from others, always asks where she is if he doesn't know, reminds us to put her blanket on, check on her while she is sleeping, etc. It just makes me ponder how this happens. How are these gender roles so innate that at 2 and 4 we already can see them? I mean how does that happen? I might not know these answers, but I do know that Maizy is an insanely lucky girl to have Alexis as a role model and Max as her main man.

Maxwell Joins the Ranks

My posts used to be about Alexis's funny comments. Now Max is finally old enough to say funny things that warrant blog postings. He actually is way funnier than Alexis, but I'm also way busier so you know how it goes.

We decided to take the kids on a little field trip the other day to Fernbank Science Center. It's free to get in and then they have a $4 Planetarium show. Sounds perfect for us. On the way there, I asked Max in the car, "Hey Max, are you happy". He casually replies, "No, I'm not happy. I'm two". Really? I didn't realize you had to be one or the other. It is actually even funnier because if you ask him how old he is, he usually says four. I guess because that is what Alexis's answer is to the same question. He is also learning "lovely" other new habits from her. Mostly, screaming "FINE" and whatever I ask him to do that he doesn't really want to do.

Good Dog

Seeing the photo of Maizy with Riley made me reminisce what a good dog Riley really is. I mean seriously, how many dogs would endure this time after time. Here is Riley with baby Alexis:

And 2 1/2 years later with baby Maxwell:

And 2 years later again with Maizy:

Thank you Riley for being the best dog a family could ask for.

Recent Funny Comments

So Alexis and Max have been quite busy lately. They really love their new sister! But that does not mean the funny and random comments that take place on a daily basis have stopped!!!! Here are a few clips.



Alexis and Max both came home from camp with goldfish the other day. FAB-U-LOUS! Who the hell needs two more living things???? I prepared them that goldfish don't last very long. The next day Alexis's died. Her comments were "well, why did mine die and not Max's" and then "well, when is Max's going to die?" In response, I said, "I have no clue" and "I hope very soon", respectively. Two days later.....we are once again a fishless family. Thank goodness!



When food is hot during dinner, we usually poke holes in whatever it may be with a fork to help it cool faster. Last night, we went out for pizza. Max's pizza was hot so he wanted to poke holes in it. Then he took a piece of pizza that was Ben's. He decided to poke the holes and then say, "I forked daddy's pizza". Not funny itself; however, imagine it said by a two year old who does not pronounce his R's properly. It has now become "I f&c$ed daddy's pizza". At least it wasn't apple pie!!!!

Sweet Siblings

Alexis and Max have been lovin' on their new sister!!!!! Here is a compilation of the fun!!!

And even Riley has gotten in on the action......

So Far Behind

Well, life has gotten a little crazy over the last month since my last posting. Here are a few updates:

First and foremost we welcomed our 3rd child and 2nd daughter into our beautiful and amazing family on June 22, 2010. She weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces of perfection!!!

It was a very easy entrance as compared to the other two, but then she decided to go and stop breathing on us! The day after she was born she was sleeping in her cart and started making some noise. My mom picked her up and she started making some weird noises. Then I realized that she was beginning to turn blue and not breathing. My mom ran out of the room and luckily right outise of our door was the nursery nurse. She ran in, grabbed Maizy, and ran out. She came back a little while later and said that she had a lot of mucus balls in her airway. She sucked them out and said there was one more she couldn't get so she would give her some formula to try to get her to swallow it down. Great! Then she came back to our room. At 3pm, they came to get her for her 24 hour PKU test. While she was down in the nursery for this, she stopped breathing again. This time they hooked her up to the pulse ox machine and all sorts of other monitors, had her in a little incubator and took her down to NICU. We were able to visit with her down there and feed her every three hours. She was also very jaundice so they put her under the lights. She had some really cool shades on:

She behaved herself in the NICU so the next morning they moved her to the special care nursery. She was still hooked up to all kinds of monitors, but didn't need the one on one care. I was discharged from the hospital that night and we had to leave our room by midnight, but Maizy had to stay. I could not envision myself walking out the door without her soooooooo.....we stayed in the lobby. Literally, we slept on the "couches" in the lobby. And I use the term "sleep" very loosely because every three hours I had to go upstairs to feed her so we were only in the lobby for about 2 hours at a time. But unfortunately at her 2am feeding, she started dropping her oxygen levels while eating. We thought it was maybe positioning, but she did it again at 8am. So she had to stay another night to monitor her eating behaviors. We think the problem was that she only had the suck-swallow part of the suck-swallow-breathe cycle. Luckily the neonatologist took pity on us and let us stay in the "Nesting Room" that night. Basically, in the special care nursery, the babies there all need monitoring for some time so this is a room where parents can stay with their babies as a trial run before taking them home. They are still monitored, but the parents are responsible for caring for them rather than the nurses. Here we are with Maizy in her cart in the background and Ben on the so called bed:

Finally, we got to come home!!!! Maizy could not have a happier brother and sister!!!!

Welcome to our family, Maizy Daniella!!!!

My Life Managed by a 4 year old

Yesterday, I took the kids to play at a play gym for the morning. They only take cash there so I had to stop at the bank. I also happened to have a check that needed deposting so I figured I could deposit the check and then get $20 out. I tell the kids we have to run by the ATM. I pull into the bank, put my card in, deposit the check, drive away. As I'm pulling away, Alexis pipes up from the back seat. "Mom, you didn't get any money". CRAP! I did not even accomplish my whole entire purpose of going to the ATM. I mean Alexis remembered that I needed money. Why the heck couldn't I? So we circle back around and pull up the ATM, again. As I put my card in, a little voice from the back says, "mom, don't forget the money this time". Thank you my darling.

Things You Should Never Have to Say

This whole 3rd trimester of pregnancy really has not been good for the blogging experience. Hopefully, once I have an infant, I'll be able to blog more often while I'm awake at 3am. Anyway....

I noticed while I was driving today that I have said so many things in the course of the morning that should never have to be said. But when you have a 4 year old and a 2 year old, for some reason, all of these things came out of my mouth this morning:

"Stop licking your feet"
"If you throw another shoe at my head while I'm driving, we will be pulling over"
"Can you stop letting Riley lick your pancake"
"Please get your hand out of there"
"Do not jump on his head"
"Stop playing tug-a-war with Riley" - picture Riley as the rope
"Riley is not a bicycle"
"No you cannot have another vitamin"
"I know that tastes gross, you just put hand sanitizer on your hands"
"You cannot do a flip right there"

I wonder if I should keep a diary of all the ridiculous things you say that you never imagined yourself saying prior to children. That could make a good book one day.

Aging Gracefully

I really hope that when I am old, like 85, that I have kept my wits about me. And if I haven't, I hope they are gone enough to not realize that I've lost them. It is with both sadness and humor that I write this post because it is so sad, yet so funny.

I decided to be a good, helpful granddaughter today and take my grandma's dog to the vet because the place where she now lives is going to kick the dog out if she doesn't get her shots. (Which we would be totally cool with her getting rid of the dog because it is such a hassle for us to keep her, but that is a whole 'nother post). But the dog hasn't actually been the vet in....hmm.....let's see.....basically.....EVER! Or probably not since she was a wee little pup. Not the best dog parenting skills, but surely economical.

Anyway, I go to pick up the dog and she asks if Alexis could stay with her. Alexis first declined, but then said yes. I felt fairly comfortable since there are hundreds of other people in the same building and besides, I would just be gone for like 45 minutes to run down the street to Pet Smart, get some shots, and be back (ha!). She also asked if Max could stay too. For a moment, I pondered the thought of Max running down the hallway at top speed with an 82 year old woman "running" with her walker after him. Next, I pondered the moment when Max wanted to be picked up and carried around, which I can barely do, and I foresaw, Alexis being the one to accomodate. Momentarily considered when Max held his breath and passed out, what her reaction time would be. But instead of saying what I was thinking, I simply said, "I think it's better if Max comes with me". So, Max, Penny (the dog), and I head out.

The dog immediately starts shaking like a 7.0 earthquake has taken over her body. At least she only weighs 8 pounds so I can pick her up despite her objections and cart her to the car. Yet, she will not sit in the seat and ONLY in my lap. Might I remind you that I don't really have a lap right now. Pretty much my belly and the steering wheel are best buddies when I drive these days. So the dog ends up sitting on my stomach. Great! We arrive at Pet Smart, and I go around to get Max out of the car, and come to find that he has no shoes on. His newest trick in the car is taking off his shoes and chucking them as hard and as far as he can. Fine enough, but today, I was searching everywhere for them and cannot find one of them. I am about 2 seconds away from taking him in with only one shoe and hoping that no one notices. But Eventually, I do find it. Walk into Pet Smart, go up to the counter, start talking to the lady and Max takes off down the aisle of the store to "find the bird". Ummm....excuse me while I go chase after this two year old with my 9 month pregnant self running with a dog in my arms. Ok....back at the counter. Ushered into the 2 by 4 square room. The same 2 by 4 square room that Max and Penny and I proceed to sit in for 2 hours. Yes, this process took 2 freakin' hours. After much debate about whether to pay for today (which by the way somehow my grandma thought $70 was going to be enough so that's what she sent with me, yet it was $189), or sign up for some plan which allowed for more visits, her gross ear to be checked out, and her nasty tooth to be pulled. I hate making decisions for other people. Anyway, the entire time, Max is saying, "I'm hungry" and "I want a snack" because in the process of looking for his shoes, I put down his snack and it got left in the car. Max really was an angel for about an hour. But then tiredness, hungriness, and annoyance set in. And by annoyance I mean his AND mine. Super fun!

Finally, we get to leave. Alexis was still in one piece when we got back and Grandma asked if we wanted to go to lunch. Sure, Grandma, if we can eat here because I'm not taking all of you guys out somewhere....a pregnant chick in her 9th month carrying Max, managing Alexis, and helping her didn't sound like my idea of a blast. Her response, "I don't need help". Really? Who is going to put your walker in the car, drop you off at the front, help you up the inevitable step up on the curb, walk at turtle speed next to you so you don't fall, etc. Really? Seriously? I mean let's be a little realistic. Next idea please: She says the cafeteria is still open so let's just go downstairs since they have sandwiches and salads. Perfect! So we make the walk across to the other building which would take about 4 minutes at walking speed, but at walker speed takes 15. As we are about to cross the walkway, I say, "Grandma, there is a sign here that says on Wedneday and Thursday this week you have to buy a ticket at the front desk to eat in the cafeteria." She says, "oh well, if Sharon is there I'm sure it's fine". Okay, sure! We continue our walk and are almost to the lobby of the next building and she says, "I'm not sure if I'm going the right way". Really, I mean don't you eat here like all the time? I mean you have lived here for a year. "Oh yeah, but I usually get lost getting there". Well, okay. We make it to the desk and she asks the lady if we are going the right way to the cafeteria. "No, you have to take the elevator down to the terrace level". WHAT? You don't even know that we have to get on a freakin' elevator to even have a chance of finding it. Seriously, she used to eat dinner there every Friday night and eats lunch there every so often. The lady then explains that you have to have a ticket because it's a holiday. I think that I have to walk back to the other building to get a stupid ticket and then walk back again, I'm running straight out the door. Luckily, we can buy a ticket there. But she says it's a set menu not cafeteria style since it's a holiday. I look at what they are serving and think that there is no way in hell that the kids are going to eat that and a slim chance that I will. So I say forget it and we have to leave. So we make the "trek" back to her building stopping 18 times along the way to chat with random people. Finally, we leave and the music in my ears was "I'm hungry", "I'm starving", "Are we eating?". Okay, fine, let's stop at the Chick-fil-A right here. Pull in, no parking spaces. Damn. We try the McDonald's across the street because we are desperate at this point. Go inside and smell that Max needs a diaper. The changing station was in one of the stalls (farily common) so we go in and Alexis says she has to pee. So she goes while I start changing Max. Remember earlier when I said Max likes to kick his flip flops off if he is not standing on them or walking. Yeah, kicks his flip flops off......right into the toilet. Yup, with her pee in it. Awesome. Pull out the pee flops, wash them in the sink and put them back on him. Sorry kid. Pee flops are better than walking on the floor of McDonalds.

Eat lunch, play, and drive home. Thankfully. Is today over yet????

Flower Girl Take #2

Brooke bravely asked Alexis to be her flower girl despite the fact that the first time Alexis was a flower girl, she bailed and went running backward down the aisle crying. And a second brave move she made was asking Max to be her ring bearer. Basically, we have been talking this up with Alexis for approximately 7 months. She kept promising that she wouldn't cry. We even gave her this big responsibility to hold Max and Morgan's hands to make sure that they made it down the aisle with her. She felt like such the big girl!!! Fast forward to April and we made the big trip across the country with me 30 weeks pregnant, a 4 year old, and an almost 2 year old. What the HELL were we thinking????? When it comes time for the rehearsal, all three kids get their turn to take a practice walk down the aisle and BAM.....they all 3 start crying. Oy, this is not going to go well. Luckily, a little later, Alexis did take a few practice walks once everyone else left, but knowing that 200 people were going to be staring at her the next day did not make me any more confident. But as Brooke's big wedding day rolled around, Alexis got to spend the whole day with all the girls in the bridal suite. She felt super special. She got all dolled up.....

It came time to line up and she was pumped. First, Morgan started to cry and I though it could be down hill. Then, all of sudden, Max wanted to be carried. And every time I put him down, he started to cry. Great! As the bridesmaids start walking down the aisle, Brooke whispers a change in line-up...."just carry them". So Morgan's mom carries her, and I carry Max.

And my big girl, walks all by herself down the aisle!!!!! Proudly with a smile on her face!

Flower Girl Take #2 was much more successful than Flower Girl Take #1. She is now a seasoned veteran and available for hire should anyone so desire!

The Final Goodbye

We have been ferociously packing our house this week of spring break.......why you ask? Our house is officially sold and it is 99% going to close on April 30th. The area of the house that took the longest was the dining room. We have a ginormous dining room breakfront that was like the clown closet and just kept on comin'. I'm not really sure of the answer to the question as to why we own 6 sets of dishes.....some of which are so delicate that they require individual wrapping of each dinner plate, salad plate, bowl, mug, serving piece, etc. I seriously hope we never move again. Which may be a possibility, but I'll leave that a mystery for now. Anyway, I became quite sad when packing because we'd be leaving the kids' first rooms, house, etc. So before I packed, I took pictures of their rooms so they would remember them. And I'm posting it because this has become our family scrapbook so regardless if anyone else cares, I can look back through the blog and see their "old" rooms.

Of course this is Alexis's second room, but her first room was pretty much Max's room with a little more pink.

The final goodbye will come right before the closing when the movers come and we never come back to our house again!!! But hopefully we will have something bigger and better to move on to.

March Excuses

I know there were no posts in March. So unlike me :) So either our lives were totally boring (unlikely) or our lives were so crazy that updating by blog became very low on the priority list (highly likely). So here is March in a nutshell for us. At the beginning of March, I either had a stomach bug or food poisoning that caused more puke than you ever could imagine thus dehydrating me and necessitating a 24 stint at Northside Hospital. Fun times! It took about a week to recover from that.

Then it was Purim and we hopped around from carnival to carnival with two dressed up children. Alexis would be nothing other than Dorothy. Luckily, when I was about 6, I was Dorothy for Halloween and had a costume already made. And, yes, my mom kept it. So Alexis got to be Dorothy after a manhunt for red shoes, because her silver sparkly shoes were not good enough and my idea of wearing red socks and no shoes didn't go over so well either. After finding red shoes that met the criteria for a 4 year old, I then had to find Max a costume. Not that easy in March as opposed to October. But we made do. Here is Max man the pirate and Alexis with Bess. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of her full body length to view the shoes. Sorry!

Next, we took a trip to Athens for the Gym Dogs meet. Always nice to head back to the ol' stomping ground and reminisce. The kids loved it and we even had nice enough weather to walk around downtown.

Really the rest of March is just a blur because right about this time is when our house went under contract. Like literally we decided to just suck it up and lower the price on a Saturday and then on Sunday someone came to look and by Sunday night made an offer. So the next couple weeks were spent going through inspection, appraisal, fixing a couple things, starting to pack, starting to look at houses, cleaning out my mom's bonus room and basement (so that we can stay with her until we find something). Really, I can't imagine why I did not have to make a blog post. Oh, and speaking of her bonus room.......WOW! We needed to clean out the closets and empty the room so we can stay in there. And I'm telling you, clown closets. Crap just kept coming and coming. 20 years of stuff. It was incredible.

We then held our 4th Bi-Annual Blood Drive in honor of my dad on what would have been his 54th birthday on March 28. We had about 25 people donate blood and we are very thankful for that and being able to continue his tradition.

Then all of a sudden March was about to end, but of course, we needed Passover stuck in there just to add a bit more fun. So we moved into my mom's house for the week so we didn't have to clean and get two houses ready for this crazy week! And then all of a sudden it became April. Time is ticking by and getting closer and closer to June. Oh CRAP!

At least, I'm already beating the number of posts in March this month. One down! I promise to be better. Well, who am I kidding........

A Lesson in the Truth

Alexis apparently has gained a conscience. This morning as I was straightening up the house, I could not find our album of Disney pictures that is usually next to the TV on the entertainment center. I wondered aloud, "hmmm....where are the Disney pictures? Oh, well, I'll find them later".

Fastforward to arriving back home this afternoon after picking Alexis up at school. We put Max in his crib and get into our room. Alexis says, "mom, I have to tell you the truth". Oh, god.....what did she do????? "Ok, Lex".

"I have to tell you the truth and the truth is about the Disney pictures". Sure, Lex, what about them? "Well, the truth is that I hid them". Where did you hide them and why did you hide them? "Well, the truth is that I hid them behind the chair in the family room because I didn't want you to find them. Well, clearly, but why? "The truth is that I didn't mean to do it." Didn't mean to do what exactly? "Well, the truth is that I ripped a page by accident and I didn't mean to". Well, let's go down and take a look.

What it appeared was that she was flipping a page and one of the holes ripped (it's like a 4 ring binder type photo album), and then she continued ripping all the holes so the entire page came out.

Ok, Alexis, it's not a big deal, but you should have told me right away if it was an accident and you didn't mean to do it. I can fix things when you tell me about them, but you can't just hide things. "Ok, mom, sorry".

I should also add that I got a phone call this morning from Alexis's teacher. She was calling to check and see if Alexis was supposed to go home with her friend today because apparently the two girls were trying to convince her that was the case. She was NOT supposed to go home with the other little girl today. She was supposed to go home with her on Monday, but the other girl got sick so the playdate was canceled. I told Alexis we would reschedule, but clearly she took that upon herself today! I guess they were pretty convincing if the teacher actually called me to check! Maybe they should be lawyers!

What Happens When Children Get Overtired......

......why they fall asleep eating of course!!!!


Max woke up at 6am the other day and this was the result!!! He spent all morning wearing himself out at my mom's school and by the time I got down there to pick him up, he was exhausted. And by exhausted, I mean unable to hold his head up. But, since I was eating my lunch, he decided he wanted to eat as well even though he could barely speak coherently. So, I gave him a cracker and we walked out to the car. After I buckled him in his seatbelt, I walked around to my side of the car, hopped in, and looked back. And this is what I saw! Hilarious!!!

My Little Spiritual Girl

I received an email from Alexis's teacher that went to the entire class about an incident that happened at lunch one day. Basically, the kids have been learning about "investigating" lately. And that the Puppies (what her class is called) have been putting on clear safety goggles, carrying around a magnifying glass and looking at things in the room, down the hall, out the windows, etc. One day, the teacher told them, "Every great investigator needs a clipboard so he/she can write/draw about what they see." They took turns sharing the clipboard and drawing the things they were investigating. On this particular day, it was puzzles and magnetic marbles. The teacher asked them during lunch, if they could investigate or find out more information on anything, what would it be? Here were some of the responses:

• balls
• princesses
• how did God make himself
• blankets
• shoes
• "I'm wondering somehow did...how does God make everything?"
• painting
  
• a banana that is yucky
• how do lights turn on
• costumes
• how do people make light bulbs
• how did God make princesses

I thought this email was cute enough, until I got a second email sent just to me. Here is the email she sent: Today at lunch (from the previous email, you can see we all had lots to talk about!), Alexis leans over to me and whispers, "God is a butterfly." I replied, "Alexis, I love that thought!"

I don't know where she comes up with things sometimes, but I agreed, and thought her statement was quite beautiful.

Baby Names

While Alexis affectionately dubbed the baby, "Pixie" long ago, she came to the realization a few days ago that this would not be the baby's real name after it was born. Of course, all along, I was worried that if it were a boy, "Pixie" is not a very manly sounding name, but after Alexis and Max were born they both lost their fetus names very quickly, so I wasn't too worried. My dad named Alexis, Regis, after a very embarrassing story about myself that perhaps I will reveal later and he named Max, Plugis, because that is how Alexis said "Publix" at the time. Without my dad around to properly name the fetus, Alexis jumped into the task. If you don't already know, she has a love of Tinkerbell and Tinkerbell lives in Pixie Hollow, so hence the name. After the ultrasound, Alexis kept talking about Pixie. We informed her that the name was going to change once the baby was born. Alexis looked very seriously for a moment and said, "well, then I guess when she is born her name can be Alexa". We both just looked at her for a moment. Alexis continued, "I want it to be almost like my name, but not really like my name, so it should be Alexa". Makes complete sense to me, but not exactly practical. She has not yet realized that the baby's name will not, in fact, be Alexa, but I guess we'll cross that bridge in June.

Max's Obsession

Max has a new obsession....the ultrasound pictures of the baby. He enjoys carrying them around and you would think that he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between one picture and another. But even if he could, you would think he might like the one of the profile.

Perhaps, if that wasn't his favorite, maybe the one of the face with the arms showing.


But, no, that one doesn't really do it for him either. His favorite one, of course, that he will pick out to carry around 10 times out of 10 is the infamous crotch shot. With a nice little arrow pointing to it and everything. It is pretty obvious that nothing is hangin' around there so I'm pretty convinced that it really is a girl. But, really, Max, does this one have to be your very favorite?!?!?!?!?!

A New Experience

There is always an inner struggle of do you find out the baby's gender when you are pregnant or not. For our first two children, the struggle was limited and we decided to be surprised. This is about the only thing I can think of that you cannot control in life and you can be completely surprised. So we were surprised twice....first with a girl and then a boy. What more could you ask for!!! So for the 3rd time, I thought we'd change it up a bit and find out around 20 weeks (actually 21 because I got off schedule in the beginning with appointments and weeks). Today was our opportunity! We had decided to take Alexis with us because we thought she would be excited to see the baby on the screen, but we were unsure about Maxwell. We figured he really didn't understand the whole concept and wouldn't really get what we were doing there anyway. But in the end, Max ended up there with us. And he totally surprised us! He sat completely still on Ben's lap and Alexis was perched on a stool next to me. As the tech was announcing body parts they were both staring with big, wide eyes at the screen. Finally, she shows us a bottom view clearly of a tush and two legs. She asked us if we knew what it was. Since I thought I saw legs with nothing in between....I thought, "is it a girl?". And she said, yes, indeed, it was a girl. Alexis immediately says, "I knew it was a girl". She starts showing us other views, and Max starts labeling body parts with the tech and was getting so excited. Finally, after seeing all her beautifully perfect parts, the nurse was done and turned off the monitor. All on his own, Max says, "bye baby". So sweet!!! Then all he wanted was to look at the pictures and hold them. Then he would not give them up. I didn't want him to ruin the pictures so I made him his own photocopies of them. He carried them around ALL day. We stopped by my mom's school to tell her and Max rushes in screaming, "Bubum, baby girl, baby girl, Bubum, baby girl". I honestly think he might have been more into it than Alexis. Although Alexis was quite excited too. I have to admit, it is quite the different feeling knowing what it is but not being able to hold it for 19 more weeks. We are used to not being attached to any one gender or the other during the pregnancy, but learning in the moment and then having a baby in our arms. This is definitely different, but just as fun! Now I can dig out the right set of clothes!!! Welcome to the family baby girl!

This Time.....Mommy in the Doghouse

I officially claim the award.....bad mom of the day. So every Wednesday in Alexis's class a different mom comes in to make the challah dough for Friday Shabbat. I did it about a month ago and it was quite cute. However, today it was my turn again. It was written in my planner and last week I distinctly remember telling people when discussing this week's plans that I had to be in Alexis's class at 12:30 today. However, that did not quite happen. Because I completely forgot to show up. Actually, as I was driving into school this morning I saw a sign that said 2-10-10 on the elementary school next door, and I thought to myself "why does that day sound so familiar". I guess I know why now. So I went to pick her up at 1:20 and her teacher came to the car and asked if I forgot the challah. At first I had no idea what she was talking about.....then I remembered. I mean who forgets to go to their child's class when I KNEW I was supposed to be there. I felt awful. Luckily, Alexis didn't really seem to mind. Hopefully, I can find another day to go in and do something in class to redeem myself. I feel as though I can cut myself a little bit of a break because I have been feeling so badly lately, but that excuse will only get me so far. So I accept my fate as crappy mom of the day.

Redemption

Even though there are days when I want to pull my hair out and run away from home (see previous post), they are few and far between. Most days I look at my kids with awe. I feel confident that I already have many of those posts so I don't need to justify it too much. But I thought I would add this one thing that happens most nights at our house. Alexis adores Max so much. She reads him a story at night and sings the Shema with him since he usually goes to bed first. While that is sweet, not the sweetest thing she does. She has a Tinkerbell music box that she loves. Each night she places it outside Max's bedroom door so he can hear it as he falls asleep. And each morning she retrieves it when we go get Max out of his crib, and she puts it back on her shelf. I guess that redeems them from the other day.

A Very Long 36 Hours

Hopefully this post will make whatever sort of day you are having not seem so bad. So, yes, I will just be complaining. Yesterday afternoon after naptime, Max started acting really crabby and crying for no reason. He has had a cough and runny nose for a couple days like every other kid so I thought he just didn't feel well. It should have a been a signal since he passed out 4 times yesterday, but that is not his record high so I guess it didn't really cross my mind. By evening time, it was quite miserable and I thought maybe he had a fever. Of course, when I went to put the thermometer in his ear, he passed out (one of the four, not an additional). So who knows what his temperature was, so I gave him Tylenol anyway. Can't hurt. Alexis had her 4 year old check up scheduled for the next day so I thought maybe we'd take Max as well. Then kids both went to bed fairly early because we just were done! But last night, Alexis got up twice during the night. Not usual for her at all. The bad news was that she was awake twice, but the good news was that she was screaming "DADDY" so I figured it was best just to wake Ben up and send him in since that was what she wanted :) He probably slept in there for about 2 hours with her.

Anyway, today started out well. And by well I mean the time between opening my eye lids and my feet hitting the floor. Those 2 1/2 seconds were great! Because for some reason, this last week, everything I do makes my heart race and be completely out of breath. So getting up, ready, cleaning the house (on the off chance our praying works and someone comes to look at our house), makes me feel like a ran a marathon. No worries, I"m sure it's just the extra 15 pounds I have packed into one location, but I'll be getting it checked out at the dr. next week). To continue, Max woke up, got dressed, ate, and then passed out because I walked out of our bedroom into Lexi's room to get her clothes. Great! We had to leave in about 20 minutes to make it to the chiropractor before Alexis had speech (working on those R's). We finally leave, and I call the dr. in the car to see if they can see Max at the same time as Alexis and they can (small miracles). We make it to the chiro and to my office without too much ado. Leave for our dr. appointment. Once we get there, I pay my copay which I did not realize had gone up to $35 starting in January. So I left $70 lighter. Max will not sit still in the waiting room, he laughs uncontrollably at a kid wearing a flu mask, and throws all the magazines on the floor. Finally, they call us back. While the nurse is questioning me, I'm screaming my answers back at her because Max is screaming because I won't let him down because the nurse left the door to the room open and I'm sure if I let him go he'll dart out faster than a racehorse who has to pee. Sal, the other nurse (who Alexis has hated since the day she was born, but is actually the nicest guy), tries to do her vision test, but she won't talk to him. He's asking her what a variety of pictures are and she is sitting there like an idiot. Finally, I interrupt the other nurse, "Alexis, answer him, or you will be in trouble". Finally, she has a voice and passes her vision test. Then they both leave, door closes, Max is free. Oh, but then Alexis starts wailing because she heard the nurse say that she would be getting two shots. And when I say wailing, I mean as much as if she were getting them that very moment. The doctor comes in, examines Max first, and he has an ear infection. That would probably explain why he passed out when the thermometer went in his ear last night. Also, I ask for a new prescription for his Singulair to try chewables instead of the granules (this will come into play later). Ok, Alexis's turn next. There is only so much room on my lap right now so imagine both children sitting in what is left of it. And you can stop laughing now! While the nurse is trying to talk to Alexis and ask her questions, Max keeps running up to her and giving her a hug (sweet, but I was afraid they were both going to fall on the tile floor, forgetting the fact that the doctor is trying to have a conversation with her and she can no longer concentrate). So I grab Max and won't let him down....so he passes out AGAIN. IN FRONT OF THE DOCTOR! Well, then he went to sleep and Alexis finished her check up in peace. Doctor leaves and Sal comes back with two shots. Alexis went into panic mode. Total and utter chaos broke out. The screaming, wailing, crying began. She was holding down her sleeves so he couldn't roll them up. Now Max is still passed out over my shoulder so not exactly easy for me to tackle her. Finally we wrestle her down and get one arm done. Switch to the other side and start all over again. Finally, two down. She is freaking out like the man just cut both of her arms off. Yes, Max is still passed out over my shoulder. Gather my belongings and try to leave. Walk through the lobby to make Max's follow up appointment with Alexis trailing behind screaming wanting me to pick her up. Now, you thought 15 baby pounds was making my heart race and be out of breath, add 24 more because now I'm carrying Max, so FORGET IT SISTER. Make it to the door, and look outside and SHIT it is pouring! No, I did not bring my umbrella inside. Make a dash for the car. Get everyone piled in. And think, must I go to Target and get Max's medicine now???? For a brief moment, I considered going straight home, but thought better of it. Thank god for Target's covered parking deck. Bring the prescriptions in to the pharmacy and the pharmacist asks me what Alexis's birthday is. I'm about to respond when I realize that Alexis should not have a prescription. Well, the doctor wrote out the Singulair in Alexis's name. I think, no big deal, it doesn't matter whose name is on the bottle (she takes Singulair chewable already). But, no, they won't give it to me because we just had a prescription filled for her on the 14th so no more until Feb. 14. Are you joking? Screw it....not worrying about the Singulair now. So we wander around Target for 15 minutes while Alexis gimps around like she has no arms, pick up the amoxycillin, drive home. Get home, fight the fight to get Max to take the antibiotic, and go to get the Motrin for them both. Max passes out again while I run upstairs. I think this signifies early nap time. After Alexis throws her fit, she finally settles in to watch a movie. After about 1 1/2 hours (the best 1 1/2 hours of my day so far), I hear freaking out screams. Oh dear god, what next? Alexis peed on my bed. Really? I really hope that someone has secretly videoed my entire day just for the pure entertainment of others. Strip the bed, remake it, and REALLY desperately want to collapse on it. Instead, however, Alexis brings some toys in and we play. Now I sit venting on my blog. And about 2 minutes ago began hearing Max waking up. So I better muster up the strength to get him up while I take a moment to pray that Ben gets home early because he is going back to school tonight for some meeting. Oh and did I mention that during my 1 1/2 hour quiet time, a realtor called to say she is coming by tonight with a client so now I have to really go clean the house knowing that someone is in fact coming at 7pm. So please join in my many moments of prayer today that this will be THE ONE!

Oh, and to baby #3, enjoy it in there while you can.

Pure Joy

Finding absolute, pure joy in something solely for another person is almost humanly impossible. I mean think about the times in your life you have actually felt complete satisfaction and enjoyment for someone else that had absolutely nothing to do with you. I really think it is human nature not to feel this way for anyone other than your children. Luckily for me I have two of them (almost 3!). I have to say this is what I felt when at Disney World with Alexis. I found myself to be completely content just because she was so happy. I could not wipe the smile off my lips or my heart simply because she was happy. It is so cliche to say there's no place on earth quite like Disney World, but when looking through the eyes of a 4 year old, it is oddly true. There is some bizarre aura that allows you to forget about everything that you have left behind and be so completely engulfed in the moment. I have to admit I can't even remember the last time I could say I was totally immersed in a "moment" where I did not have 15 other things rotating through my mind. But for 3 days, I was there. Only experiencing awe and amazement. It is so refreshing to view the world through Alexis's eyes where Cinderella is real, Tinkerbell flies, and the biggest worry is finding Daisy Duck. At first, I thought "why does life not stay as simple and magical as when we are 4"? But to answer my own question, it can. All I have to do is look at Alexis and I can relive the magic.

Alexis meeting her idol!

Traditions

I love traditions. It's what makes every family and every relationship unique. So far, for Alexis's 2nd, 3rd, and now 4th birthdays, my mom has taken her to a tea party (of course I get to go to by default). It is quite adorable and they have clothes to dress up in and hats to wear. The place is called Tea Leaves and Thyme. She thinks it is pretty awesome! I just think it's awfully fun and really exciting for her to look forward to something every year. And each year, we have had Alexis take a picture in the same hat to see how she has grown.

So here is Alexis at 2 years old:

At 3 years old:And now at 4 years old:

So hopefully they never get rid of this hat!!!! Because then our tradition (of the picture) will be over! She actually really enjoyed the little bite size sandwiches this time and especially the peanut butter cupcakes for dessert!

Home Sweet.....Get Me Outta Here

I'm soooooooo tired of our house being on the market. I mean how fun is it to make your house spotless every single time you leave it. And I've now been doing it since June 2009 ----- that's 7, going on 8 months. Through puking and nausea, through children making disasters, and now moving on to the difficulty of bending down to pick up all those little toys as my stomach grows (which is has seriously done in the the last two weeks). I'm soooooooooo ready to be out of here. All I dream about is leaving to take Alexis to school in the morning and not worrying if I picked up that wrapped up diaper or poured the bowl of cereal down the drain. We have not had a visitor since probably October. Finally, last weekend, someone calls at 9am on Sunday to say they will be here to see the house at 10am. Really, folks? Only an hours notice on a Sunday morning. We were still in bed. I don't think I've ever showered in under 5 minutes like I did, busted my @$$ to clean up, get children ready, and pull out of the driveway by 9:59am. After a few days, we get some feedback. They came to our house by mistake....they were really looking for 4 bedrooms. COME ON PEOPLE! Isn't that the first thing you look at when you pull up a listing? So we busted our you know whats for nothing. And spent all week hoping that someone would come this weekend. So far.....not good. Unless, of course, we get another 9am phone call tomorrow.

The Meaning of Forever

What exactly does "forever" mean? How does a 4 year old interpret the word "forever"? Alexis asks questions all the time about my dad, but this one seemed to really be meaningful. Alexis was reading a book about Mickey Mouse at the beach in the car to herself. Then she says, "I want to go back to the beach." I said, "me too, I love the beach". But that wasn't quite what she meant and she elaborated, "No, I want to go back to the beach with Opa". Now, that was exactly a year and a half ago, which made her 2 1/2 at the time. But she has very clear memories of being there. I asked her what she liked about being at the beach. She said, "building sand castle birthday cakes with Opa and then the waves washed them away and floating in the ocean and tasting the salty water". I told her that we can go back to the beach and think of Opa when we are there, but he cannot come with us. Then through tightly gritted teeth, she says quite angrily, "why does he have to be with God forever?" What a question for a 4 year old. Does she understand what forever means? I didn't think she did up to this moment. She would ask often, "when is he coming back from God" or "when he's done with God, I'll see him" or various things like that, but never indicated that she knew it was forever. She used to accept my answers so easily that I envied her ability to be "okay" with the facts and not have the ability to analyze and obsess, but as she is getting older, it isn't pacifying her anymore. After a few back and forth comments, she didn't want to talk about it anymore and the conversation was over, but a very enlightening and difficult conversation for the 9am drive to school.

Crazy Max

Max man is a mischievous little monster!!! I went to get him out of his crib, and when I walk into his room, this is what I see on the floor.
Max had a great little Shema pillow that he made. But for some reason, even though it's been in his crib for months, on this particular morning, he decided it would be cool to take all the stuffing out. And he was quite proud of himself.

Proud

Alexis's 4th birthday was Sunday, which is unbelievable. It is so crazy to me that 4 years can go by so quickly. 4 years ago I was overcome with the joy, stress, and worry that came along with my baby girl. I never imagined it would be this amazing. This past year, I have enjoyed watching her begin ballet and tap, make her own friends, and be the most loving big sister.

For her birthday, she wanted a rainbow cake. So, of course, a rainbow cake was what she was getting. But not just any rainbow cake. A rainbow cake made by her mama. I know, I know....those of you who know me well can stop laughing at the fact that I was actually going to bake something. I decided that not only was I going to make it, but I was going to go ALL out. 6 layers of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple caky goodness. 6 streaks of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple smooth as a baby's tushie sweet icing. And it tasted freakin' good too.Of course it was adorned with footballs since it was a football and cheerleading party. And, when it was cut into.....just perfectly gorgeous!!!!Ok, ok, enough about the cake. Yes, she wanted a cheerleading party, but we had to expand to include football for the boys. So we used our resources and hired 4 students from Ben's school to come and perform and teach the kids about football and cheerleading and have them participate in various moves and cheers. Alexis's favorite part was the two cheers they made up specifically for her using her name. Here are a few highlights:

Alexis dressed up for the day.
Max with the dudes.

Hayden trying out the gear!

Erika catching a ball!Amanda kicking a field goal!
And cheer time!Bess trying on a uniform and posing with a real cheerleader!

And of course a special guest.....Corky the Longhorn!!!! You'll never guess who was inside :)And a group shot, minus a few kids!

We had our tailgate at the tables with a sack lunch. Then, of course, the cake. I think we heard enough about the cake, but Alexis was so happy with her cake, that this picture says it all.....