Friends

My best friend came to town! Lisa (then Anderson) and I have known each other since we were 7! She and her family came down from the Chicago area to do the whole Disney thing...its a once a year trip they make! So, every time they come, we are sure to catch up somewhere. Last night we went to the resort they are staying at and played on the playground with all the kids.

Chloe looking lost!Josh really didnt want his picture taken!Chloe and Emma!!

Then we went out to dinner....what an experience! We went to Rainforest Cafe, which is a fun place, but if any of you have kids, you probably know what happened. The animals scared Maddison, so she cried when we got there. Chloe screamed cause she was tired and hates loud things. Maddie told me she wanted to go home, but we convinced her to stay to eat the food. Then, after we got them all settled, the rain came....and the thunder....and the lightning. It is so loud that is scared all the kids. By the time the 3rd storm came, they were used to it. In the end, we had a good time and good company!

Hana, Lisa and Emma on the carousel

Last night, we had open house at the girls school. It was so good to see their classes. They usually come home from school and I ask what they did, they say "I dont remember"...so I never know what they do. Hana's classroom, I saw all these pictures of her making things, projects she has done, paintings, tons of stuff!!! I even found out she had a math test yesterday....I didnt even know she knew what math was!! In Maddie's class, there were paintings, books she had made, again, tons of stuff! I was so proud of her when I saw all the things she has done. Her teacher said she does well, their only concern is when they do centers (when they can go to different centers to play, read, color, build blocks etc.) she usually goes to coloring center and doesnt interact with the other kids. They have a hard time getting her to play with kids. I told her that she has always loved to be by herself and she loves to color. I asked Maddie why she didnt play with the other kids, she just told me that there are too many of them! It is something that we will work on....

I came home last night and was emailing people, looked down and saw this....

I have seen scorpions in Florida before, but they have all been small...about 1/2 inch or so...this one was at least 3 inches long....gross....I guess I am calling Massey today to come take care of our house!!!

Our fun filled weekend

My dad came to visit us this weekend. It was tons of fun. The girls had a blast (so did I). I just can not believe it has been a year since we have seen him!!

We played outside....this is Hana with Tex, our puppy (more on that story to come!)

We went to a great park which the kids loved. It was so hot, but we had fun anyway!!

There is something about the swings that Maddie loves. Ever since she was a baby, she just giggles her little heart out when on them. Chloe loves them too! She also loves to wear her glasses upside-down!!

We also went out on the boat Saturday afternoon. It brought back many childhood memories with dad on the boat. We all went on the tube, Bryan flipped! Then we just drove around....all of the girls fell asleep...something about the engine of the boat always does it!! In all, it was a great weekend...hopefully we can do it more than once a year!!

Weekend Tea Party

A friend of mine is having a baby so there was a shower for her over the weekend. (Mommy to be Shelly with the red hat!!) It was perfect. Complete with antique teapots and teacups, all the food you could imagine that would be at a teaparty, glorious hats. And, let me just say, there is nothing like sipping tea out of a delicate teacup.... It brought me back to the days of Big Deedee's Mad-hatter teaparties! She would have been in her glory here...the only thing missing....those big wax lips she loved!!!

Summer is over and you can feel it. We were outside the other night, there was a breeze in the air and it for a moment, it was bearable. The girls wanted to go jump on the trampoline but it turned out to be more of a modeling contest...to see who could take the prettiest pictures....they all won. Then Hana pointed up in the sky and said there was a spider inbetween the trees. Sure enough, there was a huge one...no kidding, it was as big as my hand...HUGE!

What to do

We are known not to keep any pet for longer than a year. It just happens. We get animals and then get rid of them for one reason or another. I think we are just plagued with getting bad pets. We have had good luck so far with Bubba. He will be 1 year next week. That is the longest we have kept a dog! Now, not many people know we have a cat. She doesnt like people, she stays in the bedroom, she doesnt play with the kids. But, we have had her for 3 years...that is a long time for us. Well, for the past few months, things have been getting bad for her. She poops outside of her litter box...she throws up at your feet...and now, she gets on the table and eats food off your plate, while you are eating. When do I say enough is enough? Is it really so bad that I need to get rid of her? Will I regret it? Should I just stick it out and deal with it? I need help.

Could it be true?

So, Chloe was out of a high chair a long time ago, she was in a big girl bed ealier this year....no high chair, no crib in our house...and now, for the first time in 6 years, we are not using diapers! She started potty training this week and is doing great! She has not had an accident, and we have been out every day! She wakes up crying to go potty....I just can not believe that 6 years ago, we were preparing for the birth of our first and ever since then, I have had at least 1 in diapers...so for the first time in 6 years, I dont have to go to the store tomorrow and buy them...and I wont for a long time...and I am not even pregnant....I have gone for more than 1 year without being pregnant!!! I am just real excited about this! Kinda sad....my babies are growing up...but excited I dont have to spend $15-$30 a week on diapers ....

First day of school

Hana started Kindergarden yesterday and Maddison started pre-K today. Hana was awesome...she had such a great time and did so good. She has already made friends. Maddison had a little more hard of a time, but when I picked her up, she had a big smile on her face and said she didnt cry anymore and had so much fun. Now, its just Chloe and mommy!

Mommy, pretty

...those are the words I heard as I saw Chloe putting my lipstick back into my purse...

Our flower child

Chloe always seems to be naked. If she isnt in her swim suit (which she loves to wear) she is in her birthday suit. In fact, her happiest is outside, naked, playing in the dirt. If she had a dirt house, she would be in her glory. I think we should just set up a permanant tent outside for her to live in!!!

Faces of summer

We have had such a fun summer...it is hard to believe that only a few more days till school starts and then I will have just 1 child at home. We have taken pictures and here are just a few!

Our new puppy

Yes, I gave in and we are taking care of 2 puppies whose momma died last week (she was hit by a car). They are now 5 weeks old and so cute. They are French Bulldog/Boston Terrier and so sweet. We are only keeping one, our friends are taking the other as soon as they can eat and are old enough to be apart. I have fallen in love with the other one, though.

I only have pictures of Gus Gus...

Our quick trip

Bryan surprised me for my birthday and took me to the Keys over the weekend. I have never been there so we dropped the kids off at my moms on the way and went Friday and came home Sunday. I was told by several people that Key West was just a big party place and if you dont drink (which we dont) there is nothing to do, so I really didnt want to go. We drove there anyway. On the way, it was gorgeous. All the untouch swamp lands. What the REAL Florida looks like. It was nice. We got to Key West and checked in our hotel...gorgeous...and went out to eat. We walked around Duval St. and made fun of the drunks then went back to the hotel and to bed. It was late. When we woke up, I had the feeling that the bed was soooo comfy and I wanted to stay, but there was so much to do and see, so we got up and went out for breakfast. Not the greatest! Waffle house....ants on the table, little kid behind me knocking me in the head and coughing all over....but not a big deal! We explored in the morning. We went to Fort Zachary Taylor and saw all the old Civil War stuff.....it was really neat. All the history that went with it...pretty cool. There was a beach there that we went snorkeling at and played in the water. Then we left and explored some other keys. We went to lots of parks and marinas. It was busy because lobster mini season is this week. We found a little campsite/marina and they had a site left that was right on the water. We decided to camp out that night. So wonderful. It did storm for a few hours, but it was great. We woke up to find a little Key Deer outside of our tent. The rest of the morning was spent exploring more Keys on the way home. It was nice and relaxing. Missed the girls but good to be away just the 2 of us. I am going to attempt pictures here....

Wonderful kids

There are days that I hear about other peoples kids and husbands and how wonderful they are and helpful...and I think, why isnt my family like that...well, this past weekend really showed me... Saturday was lazy day. Bryan worked around the house and outside, finishing our bathroom and building a bench by our old oak tree. The girls and I just hung around. That night, Bryan was going to take Hana to the video store, he wanted to get Narnia...and then to pick up pizza. Maddison, usually being a mommies girl and not wanting to leave me, wanted to go too! So, they left. A little while later, they came home and Bryan said "your girls are amazing". Usually he is telling me that I dont discipline them enough, they are spoiled, all that. So, when they were at the video store, Hana saw "Bridge to Terabithia" and asked for it. Bryan said "they dont have it" ...."I saw it right over here, daddy"..."no, that one is to buy, you cant rent that"..."Oh, OK"...he said it melted his heart that she didnt ask for it. So, he bought it. I told him that when we go to the store, I never just buy toys for them or whatever, so when they see something they like, they dont just expect to ask and get it. He was very happy!! Sunday, I woke up with a terrible migrane and was in the bathroom with my head in the toilet most of the morning. Usually if I try to stay in bed for more than 5 minutes, someone is in there calling me, wanting me to get breakfast, not daddy, so it never works. No one came in. They all knew I was sick and were so good. I heard Hana tell Maddie that the end of the movie last night was sooooo good, she would love it! A little while later, I heard something about a diaper. Not paying attention, Bryan came in and told me what happened. I guess Chloe had a dirty diaper....Maddison took it off, wiped her clean...had dirty wipes all over the room and could not find a diaper to put on her. I later asked to why she would do that....she said simply, she was trying to help out. Never again will I question my children and wonder why they dont help out!!!

I have been bad about updating here. Girls are growing fast. They start school Aug 20th, which will come very soon. Maddison is a mommy's girl and she will not leave my side. She sleeps in bed with me, will not go to sunday school, cries when I leave the house without her. So, I have been worried about how she is going to take going to pre-k. I found out that she is in afternoon school, which will be better for her. That way, she is not rushed away in the morning right when she wakes up. IT will give her a little bit of time with me before she goes. Hana is excited, especially now that she found out a boy from church is going to be in her class. She likes boys. She gets along better with them than the girls. They are mean sometimes and she doesnt take that very well. The boys have more of a whatever attitude and she takes that better. We better watch out! Chloe is talking a little more now. She has the vocab now that the other girls had at 1 year. It is fun to hear her try to talk. She talks a lot, but you can not understand it. Its more like "MOMMY....blah blah blah...." So, I just say "Really" "Yep"...when we can understand something, we try to repeat it for her the right way and she sometimes gets it. A lot of things are backwards....like chips....she was trying to tell me she wanted a chip...it came out backwards and was more like she was calling me a bad name. I started laughing and she started laughing...even though she didnt know what about. One of these days, I will get more pics up here. I know this was short, but its kinda hard to right a long post these days. I think most of you understand!

Hana lost her first tooth on Tuesday. Just another sign she is growing up and not a little girl anymore.

Summer fun

Its been a month...sorry. Lots of things have been happening. Maddison turned 4 a few weeks ago, Chloe turned 2 last week. My kids are growing. I signed up both Maddie and Hana for school last week. Only 2 more months. We have spent the last month getting over sicknesses...Hana had the chicken "pops"...watching Bubba catch a snake in our back yard....riding ponies at Disney...riding horses at our house (Hana's sunday school teacher brought her horse over)...blowing bubbles...playing in sprinklers....swimming in pools...planting flowers...riding bikes....all the summer fun that you can think of. Chloe has started talking. She thinks she can tell you a story, but you can not understand a word she says. At least she tries. She did learn how to climb up the ladder to Hana's bed...I did not know this until I saw her in there! Maddison learned how to ride her bike finally and thats all she wants to do. She has many bruises and scrapes on her legs...just like a little kid should! Hana just likes to take care of everyone and make sure everyone is happy. We were planting flowers last week and she said "Mommy, you know why I love planting these flowers? Cause they are pretty just like you!" how sweet...she is always telling me I am pretty, every chance she can get. I am going to miss her when she goes to school! So, I hope everyone else is enjoying their summer as much as we are. I will try to get on here more!

The horses

Girls just wanna have fun

Sick again...

Bryan's little sister turns 9 today and Saturday she had a big party. We drove down to West Palm, 2 hours, Wednesday to spend a few days there before the party. I was able to spend some time with my mom. She took the girls to Build-a-Bear for Maddie and Chloe's birthdays. They had a blast. for a few days, Maddie kept saying she didnt feel good, she had no fever, or any symptoms, just didnt feel good. Thursday, we were at the house, and she was fine one minute and the next, she was burning up. I took her temp, 103.8....dinner was in the oven, I could not leave the house till my mom-in-law got home. I called her doc back home to try to find out what to do. We dont have insurance, so any way to get around taking her to a doctor away from home, I will try....they didnt answer the phone. Her doc sold her practice and is now at the health dept. and that is where we take the kids now. the only thing, they dont care about kids the way a real office would....so, I couldnt get an answer. I gave her motrin, she felt better. I thought it may be an ear infection again, and if that was the case, I could load her up on motrin till we got home and take her in today. Then, Friday, she woke up and said her mouth hurt. I looked and just saw red, her mouth is so tiny. I tried the docs again to see if they would call in an antibiotic for her. No luck, no answer. After a few hours of phone calls, talking to my mom....the doctor she works for just said he would call one in for us!!! Thinking she had strep...we gave her the meds, no other choice at this point. I hate self medicating....but, there was nothing else to do. Sat we went to build-a-bear again for Bryan's sisters birthday party. They had so much fun....we left to go home....Maddie's temp shot up to almost 104 again....got home 2 hours later....she was covered in hives. She was scratching and had huge bumps all over. I gave her more motrin, more antibiotics and put her to bed. Woke up yesterday, her mouth still hurts, still has a fever, no more hives....after being on meds for 2 days, looks like it isnt strep but a virus. She had this last year and her mouth was covered in ulcers...her doc told me that there was nothing to do but ride it out......looks like we have to do the same here. She didnt have a fever this morning, but her mouth still has huge sores all over. She keeps asking for the purple medicine!! Mothers Day....I have a wonderful husband who works hard, but when it comes to doing things, he is not very thoughtful. He loves me to death, I love him, I have just over the past 7 years come to not expect anything big for holidays. And thats fine. My past mothers days have been just aweful, so no big expectations this year. I woke up yesterday and he got out of bed to get Chloe....a huge deal! When I rolled out of bed at 7, he was in the kitchen, making cinnamon rolls...well, taking them out of the can!!! He made eggs and sausage too! Wow....I was so impressed! I did have to clean up from breakfast, but at least I didnt make it! We went to church, I left before sunday school starte cause Maddie's fever spiked again. Put her down for a nap....when Bryan came home, he got in the kitchen and made dinner (our church starts at 1pm and sunday school is over at 4)...he made taco salads for dinner. Once again, I had to clean up, but I at least didnt make dinner!!! He even made guacamole...my favorite and he hats it!!! Its a start! I took a pic of Maddison when she fell asleep on the couch yesterday. She looked so sad with her fever....

Big girl

Chloe got a big girl bed the other day. She loves sleeping. Well, maybe not sleeping, but she loves laying in her crib and cuddling with all her blankets and has always been a great sleeper...she goes to bed at 6:30...and has since she was 10 weeks old! So, we got her a big bed, just a regular twin bed, but big for her. We set it up and the first thing she did was climb up, cuddle with her blanket and suck her thumb. It was all over from there. She loves taking naps, and going to bed at night. There was no problem with the transition. She wakes up in the morning and lays there till somone opens the door and then still lays in bed for a while longer. No more cribs here. The first time in 5 years we have not had one set up. Wow.