Check that one off the list!

So in my quest to figure out what I want to be when I grow up...I'm slowly finding things out along the way that I'm not cut out for!

This morning's event...

Brooke: Will you do my hair?
Me: Sure!
Brooke: I want a bump then a high ponytail...with no lines.
Me: No problem

At this point I do the "bump" with 2 clips then a high ponytail...with no lines! Brooke goes to check it out in the mirror

Brooke: Oh my god Mom you can't even see the bump! And there's lines everywhere!
Me: I'm sorry...didn't realize you wanted to look like Snookie! And those lines are your freakin highlights! Let me try again!
Brooke: You are terrible at doing hair! You're not touching my hair! I look like a freak! I'll just do it myself!
Me: Have at it kid!


So she redid what I did...and the end result was pretty much the same =P But of course to an 11 year old it looks SOOO much better! Because mom grew up in the Little House On The Prairie days where they all just wore bonnets and didn't worry about Snookie bumps!

So I can officially take cosmetologist off my list of things I want to be! I wouldn't dare want to mess up a Snookie bump on someone's wedding day!

Drew's first day of Kindergarten!

I've been anxiously awaiting this day for quite some time for 2 reasons. First- Drew doesn't like to leave me and I was worried about how he was going to do. He had already told me several times the day before that he was going to miss me too much to go to school! The 2nd reason- Drew wears me out! And call me a bad mommy...but I need a break for a few hours everyday from this little boy that doesn't stop...and hasn't stopped for the last 5 1/2 years!

He's in P.M. Kdg. There are normally 25 kids or so in a class. But most people want A.M. so the P.M. classes are really small. Apparently most kids this age still need to rest in the afternoons. If we went by that criteria Drew could've done P.M. at 1....he gave up napping then! There are only 12 kids in his class!

He woke up at the crack of dawn, got dressed and asked when the bus was coming. You only got 6 hours to go buddy! Then Matt came home around 11:30 to eat lunch with us and see him on the bus...which comes at 12:20. He told us he was going to go stand at the bus stop for the next hour and wait! Guess he is ready to fly the coop afterall!

He got on the bus with a big smile and I tried to take a picture of him in his seat but you couldn't even see his little head...the curse of my runt children!

I then came in the house, put Joey down for a nap and wandered around aimlessly wondering what to do with myself! I haven't had any quiet time since March 27,2005...the day Drew was born! And speaking of quiet....Joey took a 3 hour nap! He is usually interrupted by Drew barging in the room, bouncing a ball down the stairs, etc. P.M. kdg is going to be wonderful for us! ;)

When he got home he told me he had a good day but it was too short! Don't worry buddy....next year you get to go ALL day!

A new school year!

Well after severely neglecting this blog ALL summer I'm ready to get back into the swing of things! School started back yesterday. Hannah a sophomore, Brooke 6th grade and Drew will start Kindergarten next week! Thank god I still have Joey home with me :)

Here's some recent pics of all the kiddos....


Yes...this kid is my clone!


When did she stop looking like a little kid?!


Drew was sitting with me while I did this post and insisted I put up this pic of him and Ty :)


Don't ya just want to squeeze him?!


When time allows ( maybe during the nights where Joey keeps me up ALL night) I'll put some posts up about our summer days. We had a good summer swimming, Kings Island, boating and my cousins visiting for 2 weeks. No big Disney trip for us this summer since Joey doesn't do well in the heat. Yes we went in March...but I wanted to go in June too! I guess he's worth the sacrifice! ;) Oh...and I've gained 10 pounds! As Joey goes through growth spurts....so do I! =P Whoever said nursing makes you skinny is full of shit! All it's done so far is make my butt even bigger and my boobs are waving at my knees! Sacrifices galore for this kid I tell ya ;)

MUCH harder than it looks!

I've been wanting a DSLR for a long time. The pictures you can take vs. a point and shoot just can't be compared. Especially with kids! You just need that faster shutter speed to snap away and capture that perfect shot!


I've been complaining since the baby was born that I'm missing all these great photo ops with him because my camera is just too slow. So Matt ran out and got me a Canon Rebel with all sorts of goodies. He knows in the long run that this is MUCH cheaper than the other option....keep having more babies so I can get those perfect shots! haha

So I plopped the kids out in the yard and got this great shot right on the first try....ha! Out of the 50 or so that I took...this is the only one that is somewhat decent. The lighting is way off because the sun is behind them. Joey isn't looking straight on and I hate that I didn't notice my neighbors ugly swingset in the background. But believe me...it was by far the best!



This shot wouldn't have been too bad except Brooke looks like she needs to poop and Joey's doing what he does best...sitting there like a blob staring at nothing.




So then I decided I would have them face the other direction. At which point all 3 of them proclaimed that I was trying to blind them for life by making them face the sun. Just shut up, smile and open your eyes damnit! Do you see the baby there...he doesn't look real secure huh?



And here we have the very last shot...







Yep! They faceplanted the baby! At this point I declared them all brats, grabbed the baby and stomped inside. As I'm stomping away I hear Brooke simply say, "Mom's having a mood swing."

How do you freeze time?





Do you see that....he's growing! Stop it already! There has to be a way to keep this sweet baby little forever! Usually by this point I'm exhausted and ready to hand them over to whoever is willing! But little Joey continues to be my dream baby. Seriously this kid is down right perfect. Sure he still gets up at night but I don't mind the opportunity to cuddle and stare at him even more than I already do. In fact...if I put him in his own bed he would probably sleep longer. But see...he misses me too much and insists on sleeping within 2 inches of me all night long. Matt doesn't even say a word about it anymore. He just pulls down the covers, lays Joey's blankets in the middle, then goes to sleep facing the wall. He understands there's a new man in my life.

I don't really like to share him much either. Yes..I am FULLY aware that I am creating a monster. And in a year from now when I'm at my wits end because this kid ONLY wants mommy you can say " I told you so". But I don't care. I want to spend every possible moment soaking in that baby sweetness because it just doesn't last long. I would have 5 more babies if they were all like him! But just a quick trip down memory lane quickly reminds me that I only have a 1 in 4 chance of having another just like him...and those are odds I'm not willing to risk. Well that and I hate being pregnant and I would have to find another husband because Matt would leave me.




Do you see that smile? This is the smile that I got this morning when I realized he's cutting a tooth! Yep...at 3 1/2 months he's already getting a tooth. Of course...wouldn't you know it that the one baby I choose to nurse past 6 weeks is the one that gets teeth early. The others were all close to a year! I calmly explained to him that he needs to be nice and not bite or I'll take his boobies away. He really likes boobies so hopefully he continues to be nice to me. But seriously...look at that picture! What baby is full of smiles when they're cutting teeth? See why he's the perfect baby?

I promise I dote on the other 3 all the time too! Hannah continues to amaze me with her self-driven motivation in absolutely everything she does! Brooke does something to make me laugh every.single.day! And Drew is really doing well with leaving me for preschool and is so excited for kindergarten. For some reason he doesn't like to be away from me much. For some reason he seems to be a bit of a momma's boy...in which I have absolutely nothing to do with. ;)

slackity slack slack

Yep...that's me. Major blog slacker here. I WILL catch up...just not right now. Hands are full/overflowing as usual. ;)

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Today is Grandma's birthday. She would've been 106 this year. Hard to believe she lived to be 102....but I know we would've all loved it if she had lived to be 150!

Makes me sad that she will never hold Joey like she did all my other babies. But I know she sees him and is up there chuckling to herself that I have 2 boys now. :)

Happy Birthday Grandma!! Marions and a draft beer will be had in your honor this weekend. :)