Went to visit Bryan's family this week.

We took advantage of a few days of no school and no work and drove over to North Fort Myers to see Bryan's parents and grandmother.

It was a short stay - only 24 hours, but I think that any longer we'd wear out our welcome.

Bryan's father, Steve, kidnapped me and took me to lunch (at his favorite Mexican restaurant), then he took me to get an hour long massage!!!

He told me that he felt bad because every time we've visited, he has taken Bryan out for a game of golf and lunch; but he realized that they always left me home with Bev to watch the children.

So he wanted me to have my own special day out, without kids.

I was touched - really touched.

I should treat myself as good as he treated me that day.

Here is some photos of Nanny or Bev with the baby.

It was a nice visit.

Dirty towels!!!

Yesterday, I had the entire day to myself - which hasn't happened in many months.

I took advantage of it and cleaned out the kids' closets and drawers - not to mention the amount of laundry I did AND put away as it came out of the dryer.

It was an exhausting but productive day!

So, can I tell you the fury I had this morning when, after a quick shower, I looked for a towel to use on my hair. (I usually use two towels - one on my head and one on my body.)

I'm not picky - they don't both have to be clean and I KNOW I just washed three loads of towels yesterday, so how dirty can any towel be?

So, dripping wet - I march into the closet and find two towels on the floor!! I'm thinking,'What is the matter with this family? Can't anyone reuse a towel even one time!!!'

So I grab the closest one - very wet and too bulky for my head.

Then I grab the second one - lighter and only slightly damp.

Great!, I think, and begin to towel off my hair.

But, before the towel makes it to my head - I give my face a quick wipe...

BIG MISTAKE!!! I found out WHY the towel was only used once.

Can I ask you... is there anything more disgusting than a towel that smells like B-U-T-T????? And I planted that part of the towel RIGHT ON MY FACE!!

HOW DISGUSTING!!

Worst thing about it is... I don't know whose butt I was smelling - I'm hoping it was at least one of the kids.

I love my husband but not THAT much!

My Dad's 70th birthday!

Thanks to Aunt Linda and Lisa, who came over to watch Wade and Paige, Bryan, Me, Olivia, and Meredith were able to go out to dinner with my parents and my brother, with his fiance.

It was a nice dinner. The girls were bored - they like attending a buffet better than ordering a meal - and were constantly asking about when the food would show up.

Other than that - it was pleasant.

Here's some photos of the dinner.

Organization is the key!

It used to be that I'd take the kids out and people would offer free advice. Most would see me struggling with 3 kids and want to interject how they think I should be doing something to better accomplish my task.

Now, however, since Paige was born, it seems like people just don't say anything other than... 'Are they all yours?' and 'God bless you'.

I guess that they figure since all four kids are well fed, hair combed (usually) and don't have any bruises (showing) that I must have figured out how to raise them all.

I do hear a lot of 'How do you do it?'. Which made me think... how do we do it?

I'll tell you... the key is organization.

My mornings start the evening before. I make the coffee and set the dishwasher to go off during the night.

I lay out the clothes for the morning on the couch and make sure I at least know where everyone's shoes are.

I find the kids' favorite brush and return it to the bathroom.

It's like running a race. I think that the more you rehearse the day in your head, the better the day goes.

Last week, Thursday was splash day for Wade. He was supposed to arrive in a bathing suit and flip flops, with a bag of clothes to change into.

Well, Bryan got him ready and I was distracted with other things. I didn't realize the mistake until we were walking out the door. So, he went to school with the bag full of water clothes. I'm sure I can't be the only parent who forgot.

But I did manage to get his hair cut that afternoon, so in my head, all was even.

The preschool is bumping Wade up to the 3 year old room next week. Talk about pressure! He needs to be potty trained to be in that class and guess what - he's not.

Although, the staff tell me that he is VERY trained at the school. Time will tell. They want him moved up because he is just too advanced to stay in the 2 year old room. I'd thought they would at least wait until the kid turned 3, in Sept., but they said no, now is a good time.

I'll keep you posted.

A long overdue update...

I don't even know where to begin. I'll start with the important stuff...

Wade is doing much better. Not to say that he was ever sick, but that lump on his neck got smaller with the antibiotics that the ENT doctor gave him. It pops up every now and then, kind of odd, but the doctor says that it isn't anything to worry about and he is not concerned. YEAH!!!

Paige is great. What a mild mannered, easy to take care of, kid. She is a dream. Only cries when she is feeling pain... which is never... and when she is ready to go to bed and no one is putting on her PJs.

She is losing her hair, though, slowly going bald... which would be funny if she lost all her dark hair and it regrows back blonde.

I went back to work last week... one of the reasons I haven't updated. It was a tough first day, but we all survived and I have to say that I like the new preschool better than the old one AND it is much, much cheaper. So I think we are good in that respect. Just waiting for all the colds, coughs and runny noses to start.

Gotta end for now. Bryan made it to national news because of a murder in Pembroke Pines. I wanto to go watch.

I'll write more later.

Going back to work

Well, this week has been full, to say the least, but I think that the most powerful change is my decision to go back to work (next month).

I had really hoped to stay out, working one day a week, for about a year - but I just don't think that we can make it.

Every time I fill up my truck with gas it costs $100 and that doesn't fill it up.

I'm spending $120/per month in just milk and bread alone! Not to mention the cost of diapering two children, one of whom is on formula.

So, I stopped by a new day care center, just to check it out, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I know the owner and several staff members.

Turns out that, four years ago, the older girls were attending a day care center that changed owners. The new owners had to deal with a some wonderful teachers leaving... this is where they all went.

We haven't signed up the two little ones, yet, but I will - probably next week.

I'm thinking that I'll just put myself down to work on Tues. Wed. and Thurs. from 8:30 to 4pm.

planning on keeping Wade in for those 5 days/week but only leaving Paige in for the 3 days.

Switching to this school would be $800 less/per month than the other school was wanting to charge us... so I'm very hopeful that it'll work out.

Keeping our fingers crossed.

July 4th week

I can't believe that the year is half over - Paige is almost 3 months old. We're still adjusting to the reality that we have her here at all.

This is the first year, in 8 years, that Bryan and I are not hosting a July 4th party.

We just are tapped out - who isn't, right?

Whenever we have the party - we end up spending $500 - DJ and bounce house, food and paper products, not to mention FIREWORKS.

This year, we've been invited over to the Bamford's home and we'll be spending it over their house.

They asked us to stay and watch the fireworks with them - but honestly, the thought of being anywhere with all our kids at 9pm - 10pm is just too much for me to handle. I told Bryan to think about dropping me, Wade and Paige off at our house and have him take the girls over to view the Davie fireworks.

With our luck, it'll rain.

This week the kids were off from camp and I'm really getting a good dose of parenting. By the end of each day - I'm just toast.

Too much yelling.
Too much cleaning.
Too much stepping over toys left out.
Too much cooking - three meals a day for the week. (can't rely on going out - too much $$$)
Too much shopping - to cook the three meals a day.

We're just busy.