Getting Ready

We are starting to get things lined up for our trip. Of course, we aren't making as much progress as I had hoped, but you know what... In a little over 24 hours we will be on the road, clean house or not. All we need to do is get in the car, throw a few clothes in and get some snacks. All the rest is just extra. I've got the neighbors all set to watch the critters and the garden. We're about ready to roll.

James is going through a phase right now... at least I pray that it is just a phase. He is really starting to show his temper. The other day, he threw a fit for about twenty minutes because he was removed from the swing outside. Yesterday, we attempted to go to Meijer... and the same story. We didn't let it last that long, though. I'm not sure what to do. Of course there are two schools of thought... ignore it and/or "give 'em something to cry about". For now, I am trying the ignore it. I don't want to do anything positive or negative to reinforce the behaviour. Doug says that Amanda went through this, too. I guess that I blacked it out... I don't remember it. I just hope that James hasn't acquired the bad temper gene from his namesake...

I started strengthening exercises at therapy yesterday. We'll see how that goes. This morning, my left wrist is quite tired and a bit pained.

And, a Few More...

Well, the angels are still sleeping, so I thought that I would put out a few more pictures. These are from our return trip from Augusta. We stopped at the Cumberland Gap National Park for a break from the car ride. The stop was awesome. We drove up to Pinnacle Point which had just recently been re-opened. The last time we stopped by, it had been closed. Anyway, the view from the pinnacle was absolutely breathtaking. We saw a train from as high as the birds - the kids thought that was the best. James thoroughly enjoyed the hike... and was quite the trailblazer. Amanda became good friends with a millipede we found on the way back to the car. Enjoy the pictures!

As promised...

Here are some pictures from our trip to Augusta a couple of weeks ago. Sorry that it has taken so long to get them out. Better late than never, right?

The birthday girl with her Daddy and Mommy:


Anzie and her Elmo chair... a gift from us:


Yummy!! Birthday cake is even better if you wear it!


Amanda playing with some bubbles in the back yard:


A proud Uncle Doug with the birthday girl:


Three Generations:


Grandpa and Anzie:

Unsettled

As you've noticed, I've been missing in action for awhile. James has recovered from his bout with strep throat... and, Amanda has had it and since recovered, too. We have been busy with everything from a day trip to Ohio to the normal stuff... Sunday we zipped over to Columbus for an open house for one of our nephews. He is finished with high school, but didn't pass the statewide graduation test. I personally think that these mandated tests are for the birds. If the teachers do their job, teach and grade fairly, then what is the need? Just unnecesary paperwork and beauraucracy if you ask me... but, nobody does. The day was nice. We were able to watch the 500 live on TV, which was a nice bonus. Too bad about the rain during it... I hate to see races red-flagged and/or ending under yellow. Let 'em race...

The 500 is still the Greatest Spectacle in Racing... however, it seems to be back to the same old story... It's either Penske or Andretti/Green or Ganassi winning. Boring. And, Milka Duno - what a JOKE! I cannot believe that they allowed her to even attempt to enter with her lack of experience. Danica Patrick - there is a real woman racer. You can just tell by looking at her... she is always very focused and serious when she is at the track. Milka... well, she seemed to be more focused on smiling for the camera and looking good. How sad is that? Going 220+ m.p.h. Isn't about looking good... it is about being focused and driving safely - for yourself and for the others on the track beside you. Good grief. No surprise that she crashed early in the race. I'm just thankful that she didn't take any innocent victims along with her. So, Dario won. Oh well. He wouldn't have been my choice, but it's better than having an Andretti (as a driver) win.

I've been very unsettled lately. I wish that I could pinpoint what is causing me distress. If I could figure it out, I could fix it. Not knowing causes that much more anxiety. We do have a lot going on right now... the normal house stuff, kid stuff, getting ready for a trip, new tires on the truck, yard stuff... oh yeah, and I'm still doing therapy on my hands. Too much... All I want to do is just play and have fun. But, if I let the house go, I feel like I'm letting Doug down. Of course, if I work on the house, then I feel like I'm letting the kids down. How to balance??? Who knows? I think that this might be the true source of the stress, but I'm not sure.

We are going to West Virginia next week with Doug's mom and Russ. Should be fun... but, could be a bit much. I just hope that we aren't expected to do everything as a group. I need to have my "family" and "alone" time... especially when we are on trips. When we go with my family, it is nice, because we maybe do one or two things the whole week as a group. Of course, we are all together in the morning and in the evenings back at the house... but, I'm not sure what the expecations are. Maybe this is some of the stress, too. Everyone needs some breathing space...

Well, I need to go fold some laundry and get another load moving through... I am still planning on posting pix from GA... haven't forgotten, just haven't done it yet.

A Week of Appts

Good grief! It seems like all I've been doing lately is loading up the family truckster and heading out for doctor's appointments. James wound up having strep throat... which I'm pretty sure Amanda is now developing. We take her in later this morning to have that verified.

I've also been continuing with my physical therapy on my wrists. I think that there has been improvement... She is going to retest me soon to see if it is time for strengthening exercises. It really has been a challenge for me not to do certain things - mow, clean the fish tanks. I have been a little bit bad... I got a birdhouse at JoAnn the other day and have started to paint it. I've kept my splints on though, and I got some ergonomically correct paintbrushes. I'm hoping to hang it out by the woods in hopes of attracting some more house wrens. Also, I've done just a wee bit of gardening. We've planted everyting now - tomatoes, peppers, green beans, carrots, basil, sunflowers and zinnias. The zinnias and sunflowers have started poking through already. Yeah!

Well, Amanda is up. She doesn't feel too warm, but she is talking a bit strangely. I'm sure that her throat is hurting her. I need to get things going so that we aren't late for our appointment... More later. Perhaps some pictures, too!

Fever...

Well, James has a fever. Drat! Right now, he is asleep... He had been a bit grumpy this morning, but pulled through it and did fine at music class. On the way home, he fell asleep, which still isn't anything too unusual. He woke up as we were pulling into the driveway and was very cranky. I picked him up and found that he was very warm. I took his temperature... it read 102.1 in one ear and 103.2 in the other. I gave him a dose of Tylenol, after which he fell asleep. I just hope that he doesn't start throwing up everywhere... Amanda has just been the sweetest. When I put him down to nap, I looked in and she was laying right next to him "protecting him". She will probably be the next one to pick up the germs...

I do have our trip pictures downloaded, but I haven't even had the time to look through them. I will try to get some posted soon. We'll see how this sicko thing pans out...

We're Back!

Hi all! We have returned from our whirlwind trip to Augusta. We got in yesterday afternoon around 4 or so. It was an awesome trip - so fun to have the whole family down there. Little Anzie is a doll! She is taking some steps now, and she is really getting around quickly in her little walker thingie. Poor thing, she is working on some of her 1-year molars right now. Not an easy task...

The birthday party was a blast. Lots of awesome food and great people. The temperature was in the low 90's. Hot! Hot! I'm not sure how many people were there, but suffice it to say, the house took about 12 hours or so to recover to a comfortable temperature. Anzie got lots of goodies - clothes, toy, and of course, the handmade letters and pegs that sent me into an official Carpal Tunnel Syndrome diagnosis. Since everyone has now seen them, I can post the picture here.

The drives down and back were good... long of course. On the way down, we drove 8 hours the first day. We stayed in Spartanburg, SC. That worked out well. We only had 2 hours left to get to Augusta on Saturday morning. On the way home, we left after lunch (at Raising Cane's - YUMMMMMM!)... we made it to Berea, KY. We made a stopover at Cumberland Gap National Park. Very nice. Pinnacle Point was open this time, so we were able to go up to that. AWESOME views!! James was quite the little hiker. He led the way up and down the trails for us. When we returned to the parking lot, we stopped at the little restroom shelter. We discovered a millipede crawling on the wall. Amanda was quite taken by it. We all felt it... and, then before I knew what was happening, she had it crawling up her arm! Amazing!! I guess that she is cool with bugs again?

I have therapy later this morning. I will probably get an "F" today. Since we left, I really haven't done my exercises. Perhaps I should stop typing (especially at a non-approved "workstation") and do them... Yeah, I guess so... I'll try to post some trip pictures later.

We Have Elmo!

Amanda and I had a great time decorating Elmo last night. Doug helped out by taking James out to do some Mother's Day shopping. They did a great job, by the way! I got a big Special Dark candy bar and an awesome Life Is Good shirt. It is pink with a flower on it... Perfect!

Anyway, the cake is great. I just hope that it makes it to Georgia in one piece. Speaking of which, I have about one million things to do before we leave this afternoon... enjoy the pictures!

Dark M & M's

A beautiful iris in our backyard:

James "driving" Papaw's truck:

Amanda preparing the soil in her brand new garden:

James pretending to be a plant in Amanda's new garden:


Doug brought home two bags of Dark M & M's last night... to be used in our trail mix for our trip. Of course, I had to crack open one of them. I swear that they taste just like M & M's used to taste when I was growing up. Strange. Doug mentioned that maybe they changed the formulation of regular ones to be sweeter? I don't know... Anyway, I'm sitting here eating them as I type my blog. It doesn't get any better than this.

The Elmo cake is baked and all of the icing is made. I will do a dance for the cake decorating gods and try my hand at putting the icing on the cake tonight. I just hope that it turns out ok and that we can get it safely to Georgia... which by the way, we are leaving for tomorrow afternoon. I cannot wait!?! Presents are wrapped and laundry is done... just need to pack. That is a huge task, though. I would also like to clean up the house a bit. I am totally embarrassed by the thought of the neighbors coming to take care of the pets and having to trip over toys.

Yesterday, I went to the physical therapist for an evaluation and a mini-treatment. Today, I went back for a full treatment. Today, she did an ultrasound therapy on my left wrist. Both wrists got heat treatments and stone massages. As much as I enjoy massages, I must say that the stone one really hurt. And, it is supposed to hurt even more tomorrow. Great. Note to self - pack the extra-strength Ibuprofen. I am wearing a splint on my left wrist, which tested worse than the right one. I will eventually have one on the right hand, too... they have to order one for me. I was worried about how the kids would do at the appointment this afternoon. Amanda did great. She sat right beside me and watched very quietly the whole time (when she wasn't coloring). James slept the entire time. It couldn't have gone any better. Next time I will pay for certain.

Oh, James was probably worn out from Music Class this morning. He had the entire class in stitches. He is usually fairly reserved and doesn't stray far from me. Today, it was like he had stolen my coffee and consumed every single drop of it! He went over to a dad (who had never been there before) and plopped down on his lap. I guess that he needed some "guy" bonding. Anyway, he sat there for two entire songs. Then, he was just running around in circles. During the "instrument" song, he would take breaks from playing his drum to tilt his head nearly upside down to flirt with one of the girls in class. Unbelievably funny...

Thanks to Dave for the feedback the other day :) It's good to know that somebody out there is reading my blogs. I don't even think my own family does. I guess that they gave up on me when I was on my several-month hiatus...

Getting Old

Yesterday, I finally gave in and went to the doctor about my tingling, numb hands. I had had some trouble with both hands when I was pregnant with both Amanda and James, but it subsided after I gave birth. Lately, I've been having a bit of trouble with them. What was the final straw? Well, my hand started going completely numb when I was working on painting Anzie's birthday present (which by the way, turned out AWESOME!!!). So, the verdict is that I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Not really a huge shock. I had been researching it online, and I was experiencing the classic symptoms. For starters, the doctor prescribed some Ibuprofin for the pain. I am also to go to physical therapy for evaluation and treatment. They will also make splints for me to wear. I need to get that scheduled asap. Also, while I was at the doctor, he noticed a dark mole on my arm that he wants to remove. He'll do that when I go back in for a follow-up in a couple of weeks. So, yeah... getting old is great...

Doug got stormed out of golf last night. I was very selfishly happy about that. We all went to Burger King and the library together. It was fun. I really miss getting to hang out with him. He has been working so much lately... and, it seems like when he is here, we are working on some project... or rather, one person is working on a project, the other is hanging out with the kids. I know that it is just a phase and that it will pass. I'm just being selfish.

Don't know if I mentioned this, but our neighbors are moving. They are such great neighbors - quiet, friendly, always keep the place looking top-notch. Well, Doug is interested in looking at their house. He says that it is just to look... what harm is in that? Well, I say that if we aren't really interested, why look? I think that deep down, he really does want to upgrade and buy it. It is nearly 4000 square feet... nice, but how on earth could I manage that?!? I can't even keep our smaller place clean. And, then, what would we do with this place? It is not ready to be sold. The kitchen and laundry room have walls that are half bare / half wallpaper and glue. Yikes. Plus, this place is really home to me. I think that it is a perfect size for us. We have done so many things to make it our's - inside and out. I think that I would have a problem living next to "our house" and watching someone else make it their own. I know... it's only a building, who cares? Look at it as an investment... I just have a hard time doing that.

Ok, for today's picture... what should I post? Hmmm... I would love to post my Anzie present, but I am afraid that Mendi might look at my blog. Today's selection is the neighborhood cat... her name is Buttons, but we call her Butts (because that is what Amanda called her early on in her speech). She is such a gentle creature. She and James have a very special bond. She loves on him and lets him do the same to her. Very sweet...

Friday!

Whew, we have nearly made it through the week. It has been a rather long one... The kids and I went up to have lunch with Doug today. It was nice. I think that he really appreciated it. It seems like forever since we have gotten to just hang out. All of last weekend was spent working on the playset... then, this week has been a rough one at work. He said that they are going to issue code at 5 o'clock this afternoon, and that will be it for this week. He shouldn't have to work any this weekend. Yeah!

The above pictures are of the kids in music class yesterday... except for the last one. That is of James' ouchie.

James seems to be healing quickly from his boo-boo yesterday. The outside wound looks like it is scabbed over and doing great. The inside wounds look really gross - all white - but are healing, too. I just know that in the future we will have more injuries, probably much worse than that one. I need to dust off my Red Cross books and review them. I think that the last time I had them out was to consult them when I burned myself with hot oil... not really the best time to review, huh?

As I am typing, my "trial run" Elmo cake is baking. If all goes as planned, I am going to be making one next week for Anzie's birthday party. Actually, I am not too concerned about the baking and decorating part... it is the transporting part that I'm a bit on edge about. I just wish that I could do the whole thing down there. It's just not going to work out that way, though.

The past few days, I have been following some people's favorite blog links. Some of them I decided to add to my daily rotation. I have no idea who these people are in real life, but for one reason or another, their online journals have struck a chord with me. In looking at some new (to me) blogs, I've decided that blogs are much more fun to read when they have pictures included. I've tried to add a few this week... and I will continue to add them in the future. Hope that you will enjoy them.

Happy Weekend to all...

Scars are Souvenirs...

you never lose. An appropriate quote from a favorite song of mine five or six years ago. I think it was by the GooGoo Dolls. Anywho, it's appropriate today, because James is more than likely going to get his first scar from a run in with a table today.

He was trying to get into one of the aquariums, which we have been trying to break him of... I got him down off of it and tried to reposition him in front of it on the floor. He lost his balance and wiped out. On the way down, he hit the edge of the table and a couple of his teeth tried to poke out underneath his lip. There was a lot of blood, and I wasn't sure what to do. I finally wound up calling the doctor and made plans to take him to the ER. By the time I got him in the truck, he had calmed down. I instead took him to the doctor's office. The doctor looked at it and decided that he didn't need stitches - whew! However, she said a couple of different times that it will scar. She also recommended having a dentist look at him to make sure that all of his teeth are still seated correctly. Wow. I guess that is what I get for wishing that I had something to occupy some time this afternoon... that will teach me.

It's a....

... house wren!

I finally had the chance to consult my bird guide this morning. Mom was right... gotta remember that Moms know everything :) I even verified the bird song with a clip that I found on the internet. Cute. Now I know! Speaking of birds, somebody ate all of the food out of Amanda's birdfeeder last night. She is excited about that. We need to refill it.

I started scraping the garage door on the barn yesterday... it looks like we're going to just need a new one. The lower panels are all rotten. It would be like painting cardboard if I painted it. So, as always, what I thought would be an easy job turned out to be more difficult (read, more expensive).

Yesterday was my grandfather's birthday. He just amazes me. He's in his 90's... I need to go check exactly how old he is. His health is failing, but for his age, I am still impressed with how sharp his mind is.

Today is Music Class and a late work night for Doug. It will be a long day. I need to plan some fun stuff for all of us later this afternoon... Hmmmm. Any ideas?

Cute Birds... and Cute Kids

Since we have been spending so much time out in the backyard lately, I have really been enjoying all of the songs of the birds. There is a cute little bird that has made a home in the Ohio State birdhouse... I just need to figure out what kind of bird she is. Perhaps I will have some time to look into that this afternoon.

It looks like it is going to be a long day today. Doug called and said that he is going to have to work late. Yuk. The only good thing about this is that he will get "free" time off later for however long he works over. That will come in handy when we go to Georgia. It's always nice to minimize the number of vacation days that he has to use.

The kids and I have been busy today. We played out on the playset quite a lot this morning. Then, we took off for errands. We took in the recycling (including some hazardous household stuff). We hit the library... and then picked up a few things from Home Depot. I've got some Petunias that I would like to pot and hang from a bracket off of the playset. Hope that they don't attract bees... anybody know anything about that? I also am going to start scraping and preparing the car door on the barn to paint. It is in horrible shape. We got a quote to paint the barn and it is going to be as much as the house was. I think that we're just going to do it ourselves... or let it go for awhile. Either way, the doors need attention now. They should be easy and relatively cheap.

James had another tooth pop through yesterday. Only one left!! This one has apparently been giving him fits. Yesterday was a very rough day for us all. Whew. Oh, speaking of James... he told Doug "night, night" and "love you" when he was going to be a couple of nights ago. Very sweet. He is such a doll.

Go-Go

Isn't it funny how one small thing can just totally make a child's day? Isn't it too bad that the same can't happen for adults... usually. I know that I get so caught up in the "noise" of the day, that I often just let the little things that should bring me joy just pass me by...

Anyway, last night we went to Menards to get the supplies for Amanda's garden. After a few tears when she thought that her garden was going to be a rectangle instead of a square (it HAS to be a square - LOL!)... we had a lot of fun browsing the flowers and gardening accessories. We picked out some seeds - Purple Prince Zinnias (carefully selected by Amanda), carrots, green beans, basil... I don't think that they will all fit in her garden, but hopefully between the two, we will be able to get everything stuck in the ground. I also wanted to get her a pair of gardening gloves. On the way to search for those, we found some garden decorations. I let Amanda pick out one for her garden. She picked a cute pink/blue/purple dragonfly that has springs on its wings. I think that the only time she has consciously let go of it was to brush her teeth. She did drop it while she was sleeping, but realized it as soon as she woke up. She hopped out of bed, retrieved it, and got back in bed to continue sleeping. Oh, it has been named Go-Go.

James is still sleeping, too. All of this glorious sunshine and fresh air is really wearing everyone out. I love it :)

I really need to get a game plan together. We will be heading to Georgia in a couple of weeks for Anzie's first birthday. I have a lot that I need to accomplish before then... perhaps it is time to make a list?