Our summer as a family

Something about Christmastime

2011-12-24T04:08:00.000-08:00

Well it isn't summer, although the tempature is pretty close. It definetly doesn't feel like Christmas eve. We are however approaching another Christmas rapidly. As I ask myself every year, where does the year go? I was looking back at pictures from Christmas 2007 and I am astonished that it was four years ago. I guess I will have to get over how time keeps speeding up and the kids keep getting older, and cherish every moment we have and celebrate the new stages.

This is my favorite day of the year. It was a huge holiday tradition throughout my childhood and I love to see the excitement on my children's faces. I even got really excited when I tracked Santa a few minutes ago. He is in figi! There is nothing like seeing the glow of smiling, happy children.

merry Christmas Eve!

Half way!

2011-07-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

Really? July 25th already? Where oh where does the summer go every year? Well, I haven't been writing. Not because we haven't been having a good summer, but because I have an old school journal at home and well summer has been buuusssssyyyy! My last week of summer school is this week, but I still have two papers due. One of which I am avoiding doing right as we speak!

So what have we been doing? Ella did her first overnight camp this year. She loved it! It was only a half week program (Teddy Bear Picnic) and we all wished that she had the stayed a full week (LOL). That was the week of the 4th. She missed Fourth of July with us. :( Every since she was in my belly she I have dressed her to the nine on Independence Day and most years (even nine months pregnant). This year she chose that week though because it was her birthday week. So we went to the parade and to Missy and Joe's house afterwards without Miss Ella. It was still fun. Weston loved the large combine and all the tractors. Lately, he is also into tractor trailer trucks for some reason. He likes to count them on the highway. LOL!

Speaking of Ella's birthday what a day! Her actual birthday I had to work and had school, but I left work early to spend a few hours with her. My sister, Brady, Weston, Ella, and I went to the Dinosaur Place in Montville. The kids have been dying to go for years but it is so expensive for what they offer. Don't get me wrong it is a nice place. They have a splash park, trails, playground, maze, and lots of other things to look at but for almost $20 each... It was a nice day though. HOT!!! I went to school very sweaty that night.

Her birthday party was here this year and we got ponies! Which were a big hit with her friends. It was a nice day. The next day her friend Ava called and invited her to her birhtday party. Ella was very excited and I was happy for her. She was upset at not being invited to many parties this year. Plus, she was driving me crazy that day so I got five free hours while she had fun!

We have been to the beach a couple of times. Once with Laura, Molly, and Ryan. Another time with Missy and nine kids in all!!!! Ella's friend Ava came along. Nine kids is way too many to supervise. Thankfully we had two eyes and soem of them were older and good swimmers.

The kids have slept over my in-laws house twice this summer and went to the beach both times. We also have done the summer reading program again. Which is always fun. Last week was Vacation Bible School. Unfortunetly, Weston never stayed. Which was weird because he loved it last year. Oh well. Ella had a blast. Last Friday was their little production. I love that program.

Ella is at Day Camp this week (My favorite Color is Pink). Which means Weston and I get to chill out (and hopefully write some papers!). Today we went to the library and he played the game. They had reserved a bunch of tractor books for him from other libraries so we had to go pick them up. We also brought Mack to the vet for shots and Weston got his hair cut.

I am hoping that next week Weston will do Farm camp. I've been telling him about it all summer so I have to follow through. It is only a half day program and goes from Monday to Thursday. I had hoped to get them both out of the house at the same time, but sometimes it is nice to have only one at a time and spend some special time with them.

I cannot wait for summer school to be over so I can enjoy the month of August and read for FUN!!!! Yippee!

Here again!

2011-06-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

Here we are again! I'm in denial. Today while driving I realized that I am in spring break mode rather than summer vacation mode. I'm trying to avoid thinking about the kids being with me 24/7 for the next 10 weeks. As always though I will be making the most of our time together and by the time September rolls around I will be sad to see them go back to school (and a little happy too).

Well we started off with a bang this summer. I had Brady on Friday and he was having a tough time with Lizzie getting all the attention, so while Kris and Scott went to her graduation we went to Chuck E. Cheeses. Fun! Really. It was! My kids really loved it. We hadn't been there since Ella's birthday party last year. Ella didn't even care about the rides anymore. That girl was on a mission to get as many tickets as she possibly could. 381 tickets for her! Once she found a machine that produced the most tickets she stayed there. We may have a a gambler on our hands! Weston loved playing the games too. Brady loved the pizza and the ice cream...and then wanted to leave after that, but he was a trooper and stayed for another hour while the other kids used thier tokens up. That night we hosted a mock awards ceremony were the kids got certificates for the accomplishments they did over the year. I think the kids loved it. Ella got an award in her class for being the classes star reader! Woohoo! I'm so proud of my girl!

Saturday the kids and I went to Lake Compounce since we had free tickets! Free parking, free admission, free soda all day, and a free dinner. Can't beat that!!! The kids had a blast! Mostly they loved the water park. Ella loves her waterslides and water rides. That part was a little scary since it is hard to keep an eye on both kids at once. The rest of the day was spent with Laura, Tommy, Molly, Julio, Katie, and Junior. It worked out well because Weston could go on the kiddie rides with the other little kids. Ella definetly thought she was way too old and cool for those rides. While Ella and I went on a roller coaster, Weston stayed with the others. I came back and Laura apologized for traumatizing him. Apparently he wanted to go on the mini "drop" ride were you sit in seats and they drop you. He wanted to do it, but was terrified when he got up there. Later we went by the adult version and he said "I wouldn't do that!" It was just a great day all around. I felt refreshed from being in the sun all day and having fun with the kids.

Yesterday we stayed at home. It was fathers day. Unfortunetly Andy had to work most of the day, but we worked in the yard mulching the front flower bed. I woke up sore this morning. The good kid of sore! I also woke up at seven today which is sleeping in for me! It was great!

Today, we went grocery shopping in the morning. I did a little school work in the afternoon. Then Ella wanted to do something and she asked to go to the aquarium. I caved because I thought the library had a free pass. Unfortunelty, it was only a discounted pass and I still spend $57. Ugh! Then an additional $3 each for the 4d movie theater. Ofcoarse Ella wanted something at the gift shop. I made her spend most of her own money. It was still fun...well except for when Weston peed his pants and when I say pee picture a bucket of water pouring into his shoes and on the floor. I used all the changes of clothes I had for him in the car on Saturday's trip to Lake compounce because we were soaking wet when we came out of there. So I did like any good mother and let him walk around like that. LOL! He didn't care and after paying that much money I wasn't willing to leave, neither was Ella. The 4D movie was cool. The penguins were cute. The beluga whale tried to eat us through the glass. Afterwards we had to stop at Drawbridge Ice Cream. We HAD to. While in Mystic it is a must. Oh yum it is so good.

So that was our summer so far. Tomorrow is school and work all day, so we'll see what Wednesday brings!

The End!

2010-08-29T07:41:00.001-07:00

Well here we are at the end of August already. Ever year you know it goes by way too quickly and you want to savor the sun, the heat, the leaves on the trees, and the outdoor adventures....but Autumn comes too soon. School starts tomorrow. My baby gets on a big boy bus without me and makes his first step in gaining his independence from me. I am going to bawl my eyes out. I already know it. However, I am very excited about having three days of free time. I'll have about three hours each day. WOW!!! Oh the possibilities. How do I fit everything in to that time? I will have to make a list of projects and then get back on an exercise program. So the first day will be filled with crying. It is inevitable. I will grieve his infancy, I will celebrate his moving on, I will wish that time could stand still for just a few minutes at least, I will think about his future and what it holds (good and bad), I will be happy for him and happy for me. So many emotions will come out when I am crying over my baby growing up tomorrow. Then on Wednesday I will be ready to conquer the peace and quiet! :)

What a summer we had though. This past week has been filled with school orientations and getting prepared for this week. Plus, we had to save some money after that awesome vacation we had!!! It was sort of nice to hang back and just clean and have the kids relax and watch TV. I think they needed that.

Did I ever write about our last day in N.H.? I don't think that I did. We went to Santa's Village which my husband claimed that he remembered that it sucked. He was proven wrong when we got there. I love, love, love that place. I am not a huge Disney Character person but Santa Claus? He is my guy!!! We actually didn't get to see him though. My favorite is the reindeer though. Feeding them....magical to me! Obviously I am a huge dog fan (btw, Mack looks like a deer) and something about animals that is so calming. (when they aren't tearing your house apart) The reindeer are always my favorite part of the Christmas characters. We all went on the sleigh ride and got the most amazing picture of our family. It was finally one where everyone was looking at the camera and smiling and the kids hid me so I didn't look as overweight! LOL! The kids had a blast and went on this water park thing (although it was a little to chilly for it). There was water slides for little kids and medium kids and every 10 minutes or so the bucket on top let go and dumped water over everything. The loved it! Both were crying when we left because Ella didn't get to go on all the rides she wanted to and Weston saw a tractor in the gift shop on the way out that he wanted (good marketing for Santa's village to make you leave out a gift shop!)and he had already gotten a toy. They were exhausted and had an awesome time. Andy and I decided to leave that night so we could have all day Sunday to unpack. It was a long ride home, but we made it!

What an amazing vacation. My husband actually enjoyed himself and admitted that after Weston was born he buried his head in the sand and told himself that by working all the time he was providing for the family when really he was just avoiding CF. He really was able to let his work and stress go and enjoy the kids. He said he finally got to know them over that vacation and that they were really awesome people. It was great for me as well. I had some help with the kids and someone else to enjoy them with. I honestly was wondering at the beginning of summer if after the kids were all grown up if my husband and I were going to have anything in common. This proved that we can still have fun and he can do things other than work hard. I feel very very blessed to have been able to have such a great vacation!

I want to make a correction. Weston called his hood a "lid" not a "top". Some other cute things they are doing. Ella is thinking that "I dare you to" will work on me when I tell her "no" about something. Like I am going to succumb to peer pressure! Weston was chasing the dog around with his symbols the other day and he said "Mom, I think if I stop playing instruments in front of Mack than he won't be afraid of me anymore". Then he thought "Well maybe I could still play the piano because that isn't too lousy (Lousy is the word he used for noisy)." Then he told me that he and Mack had a situation in his room where he was trying to figure out why Mack didn't like music. LOL! Poor dog.

Still having a blast!

2010-08-21T05:03:00.000-07:00

It is Saturday already!! We have been here for a week already and this is our last full day. It is bitter sweet because we have had so much fun and it has been really nice having Andy around. He's really been an awesome dad /husband this week. Thursday he took the kids fishing in the river by the campsite for two hours. I got to relax and read my Sookie Stackhouse books...which I just finished the last one last night. :(

Yesterday we also went fishing but at a different spot. The kids love it. I brought my book. It is nice to see Andy get time with the kids. then we went to Franconia Notch and walked to the Basin which is a "pot hole" in the rocks. This place is so breathtakingly beautiful. the Kidd loved playing in the clear spring water. After warning Weston many times not to jump, he slipped and fell in the water! He was crying for a bit until he saw that an older boy had also fallen in. We walked back to the car and changed. Then we drove to the flume gorge. this one was a two mile walk and we wouldn't have had enough time to hike it, but the kids really wanted to go to the gift shop so we did. Andy got a hat and a book, a got a jacket, and the kids got stuffed animals. Weston named his dog Bones and Ella named her bear Honey. By then it was time to come back to the campsite for dinner. The kids played, we read....relaxing! It is cold up here though. It warms up between 2-4pm, but the rest of the time is Jean weather.

Yesterday Weston came into our bed after he woke up and asked me for something to eat. I asked him what he wanted and after he told me he said "but can you shower first?" This was an odd request because usually he has no patience when it comes to food. I sake him why and he said " because you kind of stink" I guess my breath was really bad!

2010-08-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

I had to put some groceries away that I forgot about. It is so relaxing here that time just doesn't matter...until you have spoiled milk! So Tuesday was another adventure day I didn't anticipate this vacation being so adventurous but I am loving every minute of it. Andy has been able to relax and enjoy the kids as well as keep his mind off of work and have a good time. It has been the perfect experience. Every night we are thoroughly exhausted, but the good kind of exhausted where you know you did a lot of fun things, got great exercise, and made wonderful lasting memories. Then you get to sleep in a camper with the windows open and catch all that fresh mountain air. It is great! Tuesday we ate a late lunch at the place so basically we came back and got the kids ready for bed and crashed.

Yesterday was Wednesday...right? Seriously, I am amazed at how time flies here and although I feel the need to know what time it is there really is no point when you are on vacation. So yes, Wednesday we decided to go to Storyland. The kids had been begging and it was a day to do kid things. Storyland is about 1 hour away from where we are camping at the Lisbon/Littleton KOA. The drive there is just amazing, amazing, amazing!!! Mountains, rail road tracks across mountains, the gorgeous Mt. Washington Hotel...just so so beautiful. I wish we could have stopped at all the lookouts, waterfalls, cascades, trails. I could spend a whole vacation just exploring those mountains. But the kids wanted to get to Storyland so we just went straight there.

Storyland was of coarse fun because it was nice to see the kids have a good time. Weston's favorites were the train ride, the tractor ride, and surprisingly the roller coaster! Ella's were the bamboo chute (flume), the water raft ride, and the roller coaster! Ofcoarse. I thought the bamboo chute was the only one worth the time waiting in line, but again they had fun and that is all that matters. It was pretty exhausting and there were many things we didn't get to see, but it was another great experience with the family. I can't believe that it had been five years since we went there. Last time I was pregnant with Weston. When I told him this he responded, "You better not have a baby in your belly this time because I'm not doing that!" LOL! Thankfully there are no plans for more babies in my future or I would have a problem with that one! The kids were over tired when we got back yesterday. Oh vey! That is the only downfall of the vacation...neither get enough sleep for the activity level we have them going at.

So today was a relax day. I think we all needed it. Well really I am finally relaxing right now, but for me it was catching up on laundry (Weston has peed the bed most nights including one night he peed both of the beds) and grocery shopping. Not bad though. We just went to the 99 and got lobster rolls and the kids had lunch. Then Andy went and bought fishing polls so the kids and he could go fishing in the river behind the campsite. They are there now. We'll be making dinner when they come back and putting to bed another awesome day on vacation. It is going to quickly, although I do sort of miss the dogs and the house. Plus everyone is posting on Facebook about school starting next week and that is making me a little anxious. I feel like I don't have things in place. Oh well, I can deal with all that when we get back. Atleast I finally know that Weston got into AM kindergarten (after I advocated for him) and who his teacher is.

2010-08-19T13:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, were did I leave off? Saturday? We got here. The kids played. We set up. I think that was pretty much it other than dinner and roasting marshmallows. I forgot to mention that on the way up here I was pointing out the mountains to Ella. I was surprised when she wasn't more impressed by them since she is such a nature kid. When I pointed them out again she said "Mom, they look like trees to me!" Ha ha. I explained that there were trees on the mountains. Then when I pointed out mountains with rock on the top she said "Now those look like mountains because they are white on top." Apparently she has only seen pictures of snow caped mountains and green ones didn't resemble mountains to her. I love when you see something from a kid's point of view.

Sunday,we were going to hang out and relax which we did for a while, but then we wanted to do a little exploring so Andy found a place that did some adventure four wheeling up the side of a mountain!! Woohoo adventure! So the four of us went to Lincoln, NH to Alpine adventures and got into a special truck/bus thing that went up a mountain and did some extreme four wheeling. It was a lot of fun. Everyone appreciated it except for Weston who looked at us during the ride and said "Why did you guys pick this?" with this look of pure fear in his eyes. I really though he would be okay with it since it was like a hayride...sort of?! He isn't the rough and tumble person like the rest of us are. He was a good sport about it though and didn't cry, whine, or complain. He liked it when I put my arms around him and made him feel so secure. Ofcoarse I may have gotten a few more bruises because of it. :) Afterwards we went out to eat. By then Weston had pretty much had enough and was very whiney. We didn't get a nice peaceful sit down dinner, but he was able to make it through till we got in the car.

Monday since it was supposed to rain we decided to go to Clark's trading post since they had some inside exhibits. Also, we owed Weston a train ride since that is what he really wanted to do the night before. This day was also a lot of fun. We saw a bear show, a acrobat show, Ella got to climb a rock wall, Andy got to go on a segway tour, and Weston got to ride the train twice! The train brings you over a covered bridge into "Wolfman's territory" where a guy pretends to be wolfman and sets off fireworks trying to get you off his land. Ella was afraid of this guy and Weston was not. Weston also came up with a new name for hoods on a sweatshirt on this day. We got out of the car and he said "looks like we have to put our tops on". LOL! Love that kid! Andy had a lot of fun at this place as did the kids. Weston was most excited about a digger on the play ground. Ella always enjoys the rock wall. My favorite was the bear show. There was a baby cub whose name was Tula. She was so adorable. The older bear swang from a swing and Tula took a ride on a scooter. It was a good show. I couldn't believe how much time we spent there because it really didn't seem to have a lot of things to do, but we were there for probably 4-5 hours. It was really well kept too.

On Tuesday Andy and I had a taste of adventure and wanted some more. I had my sights set on the zip lines. The one at Alpine Adventures only had ones that kids couldn't participate in and it took two hours. There was no way for Andy and I to do it without doing it sepetarly and it was expensive. Luckily, we came across Loon Mountain that had zip lines, rock walls, pony rides, mountain biking, a gondala ride, and a euro bouncer for a package deal. We knew most of it Weston wasn't going to be interested in but Ella was able to do the zip lines which she wanted to do. No fear that one! So we went. First of the agenda was zip lines. Ella went first! I couldn't believe she went off first. It was about 35 feet off the ground! She hesitated a little, but she jumped off! Then it was my turn. I am not a huge fan of heights but I wasn't going to let that stop me. I went slowly off the platform. As soon as I felt my body supported by the harness I was okay. It was an awesome ride. We got to go across and back over 700 feet across a river. Pure awesomeness! Ella loved it to. Then we did the gondola ride up the mountain. Weston enjoyed this except that he wouldn't let us stay at the top of the mountain. We were able to look around a little and there was a look out tower up there were you could see for miles all the mountains. It is so breathtakingly beautiful up here!

Afterwards we went back down the gondola ride and off to the "pony" rides. I say "pony" because they were really horses. Weston loved this part and was a little impatient to get on. The woman who gave him the ride said "This kid has no fear" so apparently when it comes to animals Weston isn't afraid. Ella also liked it. Weston said he was just disappointed that they didn't go all the way up the mountain with the horse.

The rest of this day consisted of Ella climbing a 35 foot rock wall!!!! I can't believe this child she's only seven! Andy also enjoyed climbing. I made a total idiot out of myself, but I had fun to and would have tried again if I didn't have to wait in line. Weston tried the euro bounce (trampoline) but didn't like it. He really doesn't like feeling out of control. I give him credit for trying. Plus he was getting tired at this time. Andy did the zip line also and Ella did the euro bounce a few times. She ofcoarse LOVED it! Weston enjoyed the swingset they had there. LOL!

New Hampshire!!!

2010-08-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

I've been attempting to write about our adventures for the past four days, but that silly old IPAD Andy has will not allow me to write in the dialog box. I will have to sum it up.

Saturday, we set off around 10:30 am and drove and drove...actually it wasn't that bad. Only four hours. Weston napped and Ella was relatively quiet. The whining only started when we were about 1/2 hour away. We got here around 4pm and set up. Our camp site was awesome with a river directly in back of it. The kids were off on their bikes within minutes. Crap, the battery is dying so I need to finish this at some other time. WE are having SO much fun!!! I have so much to write about!

V a c a toon....we,re gonna have a ball!

2010-08-15T04:57:00.001-07:00

Flying by.....

2010-08-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it is almost mid-August!! Seriously! Now I am in total panic mode since we still haven't gotten Weston's kindergarten assignment. I have no idea if he is AM or PM kindergarten. Ugh! We leave for New Hampshire on Saturday!!! Whoop Whoop! That means however that when we come back I only have seven days to get prepared for school. I really hope I can get this kindergarten thing squared away before we go.

Today we went to the beach with Erica, Emma, and Nick again. They drove so we got in for free. Woohoo!!! I have been really trying to lay a little lower these days and spend less $$$$, so we can save for our vacation. It is going to be so much fun! Monday we went to my mom's house. They had just got back from Vegas and wanted to see the kids. The neighbors daughter was there so Ella had fun playing with her for hours. I brought Molly to the groomer. I am hoping that if she isn't shedding that my parents will want to keep her when we get back. LOL!! She smells perty now and her fur feels so much better! :)

Cheerleading has started. I dread it every time we have it because Ella isn't into it. I shouldn't have signed her up. I thought she would like it better than soccer though. I am still holding out hope that she will learn to love it once games start. Tomorrow night we split into squads and hopefully I will be able to make it more fun. Two practices a week (an hour and a half long) and a game. Oh vey! It is going to be a LONG couple of months. Why did I tell Erica I would help coach?

Not much else has gone down in the last week or so. We are just counting down the days...two to go!!!

August already!

2010-08-02T04:25:00.000-07:00

Well here we are August 2nd! Seriously?! 29 more days of summer vacation for the kids. Who is counting? LOL! I am torn. Part of me can't wait for them to go back so I have some time during the day to get things done and so I don't have to constantly entertain them, but these past two summers I have really made a great effort to enjoy them and our summer. I do enjoy going out and exploring with them. I also enjoy the weather, the beach, and all the summer activities. Fall activities are nice too, but fall is short and soon winter will be upon us again...wow that is depressing! We should take up skiing or snow mobiling so that we have something other than Christmas to look forward too. LOL!

Friday, I dropped Ella off at Rec and Weston and I went school shopping. The Children's Place was having a sale on denim jeans for $10. Weston was mostly interested in the accessories such as a belt, a hat, and shoes. He picked out some cute things though and is wearing his belt every day. Then we came home and I paid bills and tried to straighten out our health insurance situation. Ella had a fun time at Rec because it was pajama day! She had been waiting all year for the school to have a pajama day so she was very happy. We hung around for the rest of the day.

Saturday, I had the idea to go to the sunflower maze at Lyman Orchards. I had heard about it from Weston's daycare provider, Miss kathy. Since we didn't take our traditional pictures at the Sunflowers for wishes and because I LOVE sunflowers I thought it would be a great event. Plus a $1 for every ticket bought went to the pediatric cancer center at CCMC. I am always a sucker for a good cause. So we made the long trip up there. It took about 1 hour 15 min. It was a nice drive though since I got back my 90's on 9 (satelite radio) last week. Yippee!!! Well worth the money!

The maze was cute and beautiful. It was shaped like a turtle and had different turtle facts at every post with a card that asked questions and gave clues on how to get to the next post. Ella had a blast, Weston was wilting in the sun after running for the first 10 minutes. I just enjoyed the moment and the beauty. Afterwards we were able to look out over the field of sunflowers to take some pictures. Then we got some Kettle corn that they were selling. I was the only one who liked it, but it was yummy! The kids wanted to pick apples and blueberries. At first I thought it was way too early for apples, but apparently not! It felt weird to be picking apples in August...as well as going through a maze that is usually saved for the corn maze. It sort of felt like we were rushing fall. Plus it was cooler this weekend. Still high 70's but not 90's and humid like it has been, so it was perfect weather. Then we did blueberries. It was a fun little outing.

Afterwards the GPS took us a different way. The same amount of time, so now I know two ways to get there and a saw a part of the state I have never seen before. I always love an adventure. We ate at McDonalds and I let the kids play on the playscape. Then we picked up tile for Andy since we were closer to the store than he was and he was in the middle of working. After that we went to get Ella fitted for her Cheerleading outfit!!! Yippee!!! I am so excited and a little nervous that she won't like it. I know, I know, I am so living my childhood through her and I need her to make her own mind about what she wants to do, but cheerleading is my passion!!! Plus, I just spent some serious money on her shoes, bloomers, and bodysuit so hopefully she'll stick with it. After we got done with that we went to visit Andy at the job site. He is trying to finish this house so he can go on vacation without any distractions. He has been gone all week and weekend though. The kids are starting to miss him badly.

Sunday was a relax day. I am trying to save some serious money for our New Hampshire trip, so while I was going to go to Sun and Fun day at their swim school I decided to that grocery shopping and saving money won out so that is what we did. I visited my parents in the afternoon since the kids asked to. They have fun playing outside there on their bikes and the swing set. Then Andy came home so we did too. The neighbor's children were out playing so Ella and Weston played with them for the rest of the evening.

Today we will probably make a stop at the library and Ella has her first cheerleading practice tonight. We'll see how it goes!

Virus be gone!

2010-07-30T05:19:00.000-07:00

This will be day three of the kids feeling better....knock on wood. This darn virus appears to be gone and then comes back to attack them, so I am proceeding with caution! Monday we stayed around because they weren't feeling well. Ella happened to look at the calendar and she saw that I had written the library was having the mystic aquarium touch tank that day, so we did venture out for that. I NEEDED to get out! The whole day I had been attached to this computer. I would clean a little and then find myself back on here checking out facebook or my e-mail. I could literally feel my brain cells dying! Something about being STUCK here all day makes me not want to clean at all. The more we are around, the messier the house becomes. I am just that type of person who needs to be out doing something.

Tuesday it was off to work. The kids went to my sisters house. Weston had a rough day. He was apparently exhausted or still sick and wouldn't stop crying for her. Then he fell off the bed which made it worse. She was able to calm him down and he fell asleep. Ofcoarse hearing him sob on the phone while I was at work just broke my heart. Normally I would have left, but I was in a training and well I always leave for things like this and sometimes work and my own sanity needs to come first.

Wednesday we went to East Matunuck beach in Rhode Island with Erica, her kids, and Toni and Sam. I decided to meet them there just in case the kids were still not feeling well, but other than a 10 min. period of Weston complaining about side pain they were fine. Ella got to boogie board and her and Emma spent hours just jumping the waves. Weston was even in the water jumping them by himself. It always amazes me how he has no problem just playing all by himself. Ofcoarse he did follow Nick around most of the day. He is a little obsessed with him. Nick said that if he had a fan club Weston would be president. LOL! Emma brought a Barbie pool that Weston really enjoyed too. Then all the kids flocked to a little pool of water when the tide went out. They looked like a flock of African birds next to a pond. LOL! It was SO nice to get out of the house, be at the beach, and enjoy adult conversation!!! I love those days!

Thursday was another work day. Yippee! LOL! Weston went to Miss Kathy's again and they went to a playground down the road. Next week they are supposed to be going to a slash park in Colchester. Weston will love that! I just LOVE that she takes them places. Ella went to Rec and had a less than fantastic time since apparently some girl stole her ice cream money and another child threw a dodge ball right at her face twice. Both kids apparently got time-outs, but Ella's story also changed a little so who knows what the truth was. :) Ella told Weston that he shouldn't be friends with the boy who kicked the ball in her face (Weston and this boy went to pre-k together) and Weston said "He doesn't do that to me." and then he said "Ella I am sure his mom tells him not to do that". I just thought that was so funny! Kids perspective on different situations.

Today Ella wants to go to Rec again since it is pajama and stuffed animal day. She has been looking forward to pajama day all school year and they never had one, so this was huge. I am looking forward to five hours with just Weston to get some stuff done around here. That would mean I HAVE to stay off of this computer though! LOL!

Castle

2010-07-25T03:28:00.000-07:00

Thursday evening Weston was complaining about back pain. He was screaming in pain over it which is unusual for him. The last time he was in that much pain he had RSV and was complaining about chest pains. So I brought him right into the pediatrician. By the time we got there he had a fever and was complaining of a sore throat and stomach ache. The other pains had subsided. The pedi thought it was probably a virus. Then when I got out of the office I called my mother and she informed me that Hopeville Pond had been shut down due to high bacterial levels!!! That was the day after the kids were with Kris camping and swimming in it. Ugh! So needless to say I was in a full blown panic. I called pulmonary and he wasn't worried about this cold being related to the bacteria.

Friday we were supposed to go to the beach but due to Weston not feeling great the day before we opted to stay at home even though he felt better. We went to Target and they both got a toy (which cost me way more than the beach but oh well). Target was having a summer black Friday so they were all good deals. Plus the kids played with the toys for the rest of the day. By 4:00pm, Ella had just about enough of being in the house. We had picked this week to lay low and not do much and we were all getting a little bit of cabin fever. So I called my parents and ordered a pizza to bring over there. Weston and Ella had their last night of Vacation bible school and they were performing a little concert. We went to the concert after dinner. It was hysterical. Weston who had only actually go to VBS twice was up front. He had the biggest smile on his face and was hamming it up for everyone. When the instructor twirled her hand in a circle all the other children turned around in a circle...Weston just imitated her. LOL! Then he caught on and turned around but stopped with his back turned to the audience. He kept doing the motions while backwards. It was priceless! I SO wish I had brought the video camera. Ella did great too. One of the songs she was supposed to step and tap her feet while singing and doing hand motions. She couldn't manage all three. She just kept looking down at her feet. Next to her was Emma who is a dancer and was all into the moves. Too cute! They did a really great job. I will definetly be sending the kids next year. That was awesome! Sort of nice to have something for them to do at night time.

Saturday we woke up and I knew that we had to get out of the house or else the fighting would begin and never end. To my surprise they actually got along for most of the morning and weren't so motivated to get out of the door. I was thinking of bringing them to the dinosaur place but opted for a cheaper route. We went to Gilettes Castle. $8 for all of us....can't beat that! Well free would have been better but the library pass was checked out. Oh well, still better than the $60 it would have cost us at the dinosaur place! It was HOT! The kids were pretty miserable at first. Usually I can count on Ella to be excited no matter what the weather so that was odd, but we tried to get in the castle as fast as possible to get out of the sun. I've been to the castle twice before. Once as a child and once when the kids were really young. One of these days maybe I'll go when I can actually read and listen about the historic value! LOL! We just walked around and the kids went from room to room. I tried to teach them some things. Soon we were back outside though. The view is spectacular! They didn't want to look because it was too hot. Then they found the fountain. The sign read something like "Leave the splashing to the fountain". I wasn't sure what that meant but it said nothing about not getting in, so I let them take off their shoes and get in. Well apparently that is what "no splashing" meant. We got asked nicely to get out. We decided to walk down to the river where there would be more shade and maybe the kids could put their feet in. The walk down is pretty. The beach down there was even more beautiful. It looked like something tropical. You would never know that you were on the Connecticut River. The kids ofcoarse decided that sticking their feet in was just for wimps and sat in the water fully clothed. Before I knew it they were drenched. There was also a sign that said "no swimming" but there were other kids swimming and technically my kids weren't "swimming". I was sort of grossed out by the water given that Hopeville had just been shut down but they were already in and again it was so HOT! Plus they were having the times of their lives. While we were walking up the hill Ella started complaining that her stomach hurt her. The virus had hit her. We tried to get to our car as quickly as we could to get out of the heat and drove over to a nice shaded picnic area. None of us ate much due to the humidity and Ella not feeling well. As soon as we were packing up rain clouds came in and it was gently sprinkling. We got in the car just in time.

Last night we drove Adam to the train station. We were going to go out to eat but Ella was really not feeling well again. We did however get to see Adam's train leave which was cool for the kids.

Vacation Bible School

2010-07-22T06:10:00.001-07:00

I remember loving Vacation Bible School as a child. One clear memory I have is of a boy who said that the glue looked like bird poop. Ofcoarse as a young kid I thought that it was hysterical. As you can tell by the fact that I have remembered it 20 plus years later! Ella is also loving it as I knew she would. It is right up her alley with singing, arts and crafts, recess, snack, stories, etc. What could be any better? Weston has liked it the times I have gotten him to go, but the first night and last night were a no go. I think it is just too late in the evening for my little man and he is tired. Monday night Andy and I went out to dinner with our two free hours...so nice! Tuesday I got to do grocery shopping which was nice without kids. On Friday they are to have a end of the week celebration. I have celebrated it every night! LOL! $5 a child for a whole week...can't beat that.

Other than that we have mostly stayed in. Monday and Wednesday were cleaning days and we did stop at the library to play the summer reading game. Ella made it through her whole sheet and got a BIG prize!!! She picked out a baby doll. I think Weston is a little bummed so we have to read more to him so he can get one too.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!

2010-07-18T14:14:00.000-07:00

Keri ended up calling us up yesterday and she was on her way down with Danny and Emily. They invited us to go blueberry picking at Kevin's house. It was 90+ degrees outside again, but we had nothing better to do, so we said yes. We did some picking but had to go inside to get out of the heat for a while. Then we decided to go get ice cream down the road. Afterwards we were still freakin' hot so we went to my sister's pool to cool off. Wow, that was refreshing!

Then the kids and I came home. Andy had just gotten out of work and so we all went to Home Depot to get supplies for the job he is working on. Then we dropped them off at the job site and went to Paul's Pasta for dinner. My favorite!! The kids did alright. I talked up the spagetti and meatballs and watching the boats on the deck. Thankfully we got a seat on the deck and they got to see some of the boats. Weston ate all of his spagetti! Yippy! Then we went and toured one of the HUGE houses that Andy is building in Mystic. Wouldn't I love to live there. Although the deck off the third floor kind of made me nervous. I think I would be okay once a railing was there. The view of the Mystic River was beautiful. The sunset coming home was even more breathtaking. My favorite time of day! We really do live in a beautiful area.

Today Will and Ben came down because Dave was working. The kids played in the morning. They got into the basement and pulled out all of the Christmas trains so it is Christmas in July at our house today. Christmas music has been playing all day long! They made quite the mess but had a lot of fun. Then Andy came home from work and we went to Buttonwoods for the annual Sunflowers for Wishes!!! My favorite event of the summer. What can be better?! Tractor rides for Weston, sunflowers to take home for me, a perfect photo opt, a great cause (make a wish foundation) and sometimes ice cream! No ice cream today because the lines were too long, so we bought our own at the store and made cones at home. It was HOT! Atleast the line for the tractor rides were in the shade though. The sunflowers were so beautiful as always. I think the kids had fun minus the heat. Then we came home and chilled for the rest of the afternoon. Now I am hoping to get the kids off to vacation bible school for a couple of hours. So far Weston wanted to go and Ella didn't. Then Ella changed her mind and so did Weston. Ugh! Kids mommy needs a couple of hours kids free to clean up this mess!!! Maybe read a little Sookie too?! LOL!!

2010-07-18T14:13:00.001-07:00

Busy, exhausting, educational day

2010-07-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

Thursday I thouroughly enjoyed leaving my children to go to work. Wednesday had done me in. Ella went to Kris's house before and after Rec. She had a fun time on her second day of Rec this summer. I also like that the kids have some time away from one another. It is good for the both of them. Weston seems to be enjoying Miss Kathy's too and hasn't had a problem going yet. I keep thinking he will be upset when we drop Ella off at a relatives house but he doesn't. Thursday evening we went to my parents to celebrate my dad's 63rd birthday. The kids ofcoarse had fun.

Yesterday was very very busy. I had planned on sticking around in the morning to get some housework completed and to kind of take a few seconds to relax (what was I thinking?). The kids had other plans however. Ella kept asking to go to the dinosaur museum. I really didn't want to spend the money, but then I looked online and found out it was only $17 for the three of us. Compeletly do-able. However, we did have a play date scheduled with Ella's BFF EVan at 1:00pm so we were going to cut it close by driving an hour away. It was still early enough to pack lunches, shower, and get us dressed and on the road so we...were....OFF!! The drive up there seemed to take forever! Atleast the children were quiet the whole way though. Phew!

We went to Yale Peabody Museum. The kids were mostly interested in the gift shop...ofcoarse! The weren't even that impressed with the huge dinosaur skeletons!!! That is what they have been asking to see for months now. Oh well. I thought they were amazing and we then decided to get the gift shop done with so they could concentrate on other things. Ella got dinosaur dangling earings and Weston got an egg that you put in water and it hatches a dinorsaur. Both were inexpensive. We then saw rocks, stuffed animals such as bears, deer, etc. They also had a discovery center were the kids could touch things. It was cool, but definetly something we'll have to go back and see in a few years when they are older to enjoy. I would have loved to read everything and learn more and I think Ella would have too if Weston would have waited.

We ate a picnic lunch on the lawn and then we...were....OFF!! Running late ofcoarse, so I had to call Evan's mom. Oh and I forgot my swim suit at home so we had to stop here first before Evan's house. We got to Evan's around 1:30pm and the kids played and mostly swam in the pool. The hot summer sun and the running around with no water had made me start to get a headache though and I was happy to leave around 3:30pm. Plus that afternoon lull you get into after being out in the sun all day. So we came home and relaxed for about an hour and then we...were...OFF!

Kristin and Doug had a picnic at their house. The children didn't really want to go but I reminded them that I had been doing things they wanted to do ALL day and it was my turn to relax and have fun with my friends. LOL! Luckily, Ella's friend Emma just moved down the road from Kristin and they were there as well. Then Missy showed up with Matt for Weston and other kids started showing up. This is one of my favorite parts of summer and I haven't had it yet. Picnics in which your children are completely entertained with their friends and you get to relax, sit around, and talk with your friends and family. It was perfect! Well other than some mild fights between Emma and Ella. It was really hot at first but as the sun set it became very comfortable. This was really the first picnic I had been too this year and usually at Kristin and Doug's events the other kids are younger than Ella. I have really missed being able to enjoy a picnic. It kind of makes me want to host one just so I can enjoy it again! LOL!

Today is Saturday and we are just chillin' at home for once. I think we all needed a little down time. Plus the house needed some attention. Andy should be home in a few hours and we might go to the mall were it is AC'd (its in the 90's again and humid!!)

NO FUN!!!

2010-07-14T16:41:00.001-07:00

Today was no fun...at all! Okay, so we have been having SO much fun that I guess reality has to set in at some point but BOO!! Today we met with the nutritionist and social worker at CF clinic. Weston hasn't gained weight, but he did gain height and is still at the 50% mark so not SO bad. The children how ever were HORRIBLE in the office. I was mortified and remembered why I don't bring Ella with us to Dr.'s appointments. When does school start again? Ugh! Fighting, crying, yelling, whining, you name it they did it! We even brought things to keep them entertained but it just caused more fights. Oh and running out into the hall for hand sanitizer. Seriously stressful. Not that I needed extra stress because we have insurance issues and a child with CF who hasn't gained weight in over a year!

I did get a lot of helpful information about different recipes to boost up calories and we are doing bollus feeds before bed and during the day through the syringe. This sounds like a pain in the butt, but actually I can probably go to bed at a decent hour now instead of waiting for the pump to go off. It is a little hairy in scheduling it though because I did it after dinner but then I don't want to do vest therapy right afterwards and make him throw up. Just more added onto the plate, but if it gets him to gain weight than it will be worth it.

We packed a lunch and ate in the cafeteria at the hospital. Ella thought about how she could make it up to me (about how they acted at the visit) and decided that she was going to clean the house for me. I have yet to see this though! :) She did however wipe down the whole table with a wet one for the ladies who were going to sit there afterwards. I nice gesture!

Then to pick up dog food and diapers. Petco and Walmart. They still weren't listening that well, but my tolerance was also gone so whatever they did do irritated me. I was close to leaving them there (not really but I felt like I was). Then it was raining so I thought that swim would be canceled but no. So I was soaking wet and finally home and had to go back out! Atleast they were busy in the pool and that gave me some time to relax.

Then home. We made two milkshakes with extra fat. Weston didn't like either, Ella and I thought they were delicious. Ofcoarse! The home made pizza was a hit at least. Then a pasta salad with mayo, italian dressing, and chix (I know it sounds gross but the kid likes weird things and it was over 400 calories and 33 grams of fat) He hated it, so I had to go with plan B for lunch tomorrow. Then bollus feeds which he was fine with and said he didn't even feel it going into his stomach. Then he was STARVING again so I just made him lipton soup with crackers. Why is this kid still skinny?! I am SO ready for them to go to bed. I hate cooking!!!

Birthday party time!

2010-07-13T06:11:00.000-07:00

Ella ended camp last week which she was very sad about. I am hoping to try and afford another week at the end of the month. It is good for her and good for me because I got to catch up on some house cleaning and such. I just loved seeing the smile on her face every evening when she came home and hearing about all the fun things they did. It was sort of like living childhood through her eyes again.

The kids went over Mammy and Poppy's house on Saturday and stayed the night. This is always a great break for me. I am now into reading the Sookie Stackhouse series and it was so nice to have peace, quiet, and no interruptions. Well, I did have to go grocery shopping that was an interuption. I can't complain about being able to go grocery shopping without my kids though. That is always far more enjoyable. Andy and I went to Providence Place Mall that night and ate out a Pizzeria Uno. Yummy. It was nice to get out together. We are planning a camping trip to maybe New Hampshire in August. We are thinking of borrowing his parents camper so it will be affordable. The kids will have a blast and so will I. I love NH. I think it is because that is where my favorite vacation was as a child. I love that my husband is getting interested in outdoor activities as well. Yippee!!

Sunday the kids came back early and then it was off to Chuck E. Cheeses for Ella's birthday party! How awesome that I got there when the birthday started (instead of before to set up) and was able to enjoy and mingle while the waitress did EVERYTHING including cutting the cake. What a treat! All I had to do was pass out tokens and make sure Weston was getting his enzymes. So well worth the money, and really it would have cost me more to have the outdoor backyard party we usually do. Thankfully we didn't because WOW are we still in a heat wave. Ella had a great party. I think she was a little afraid of Chuck E., but she'll never admit it. She loved that she got a special crown and metal, but hated being the center of attention. We just relaxed for the rest of the day.

Yesterday was another beach day!!! We went to URI beach with Dianna, Adam, and Carly. The kids had a blast playing and Ella got to use her new boogie board that she got for her birthday. I got adult conversation!!! I just love adult conversation. :) It was nice to see them since we don't get the opportunity often enough. Ella and Adam always fall right back into being friends. It is nice to see. Ofcoarse I packed up lunch, snacks, and drinks and I left them on the table at home!!! Damn kids were fighting while we were getting in the car and I forgot to go back for those bags. This meant we had to leave early since I had to get food into Weston. He is looking so skinny that it is truely frightening me. We have CF clinic on Wednesday which I am dreading. We were lucky that Dianna let us share some of the food she brought, but he wasn't into sitting and eating when there were better things to do with his time. As we were leaving some lady found a starfish!! It was so cool. The kids picked it up and made sure it was watered.

After a stop at Mcdonalds on the way home (so much for trying to save money, but atleast he got the cals), we went to the library and played the summer reading game. The kids got lots of prizes! They let me off the hook and I didn't have to pay for the book that the dog ate! LOL! They think I am just a crazy person at that place. Late fees, lost books, returned books that weren't theirs but had been the book I misplaced, and now one that the dog ate. Seriously! I think I provide them with comic relief.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

2010-07-08T17:49:00.000-07:00

My baby girl turned seven yesterday. Seven! I'll say it every year...where does time go? I am going to blink and she'll be 17. Ugh! She has been in girl scout camp this whole week and lovin' it! She asked today if she could go next week too. I so wish I could afford to send her every week because it is totally worth the smile that she comes home with. Okay, and the peace and quiet when she is gone. LOL!!

So for Ella's birthday she went to camp which she was happy about but sort of wanted to stay home on her birthday. I told her that maybe they would do something special and so she was happy to go. I did feel a little mommy guilt shipping her off on her birthday, but she was having so much fun. The whole bus sang "Happy Birthday" to her on the way up and the way back. Plus they sang to her at opening ceremony in the morning (the whole camp) and another time during her small group time. Ofcoarse she loved this! She also had to miss swim class on her birthday. I thought she was going to have major issues with this, but she just said her usual "no fair" and moved on. I think she is having so much fun at camp that it really doesn't matter. I did pick her up from the bus that day and brought her back her for a impromptu birthday party with family. Andy's mom couldn't go to the chuck e. cheese party planned for Sunday so this worked out nicely since Ella still doesn't quite understand why her birthday party isn't on her 'actual' birthday. Adam was down this week again to work with Andy and my parents came as well as Ali, Dave, and the boys. It was a good time. We had pizza, cake, and presents. Ella got so many clothes and gave us all a fashion show of the new wardrobe. You should have seen the look on her face while she was showing off all her outfits. The girl loves her clothes! Today she was able to go to camp with a new backpack, two new outfits (one to wear, one to bring), a new bathing suit, a new beach towel, and a new wallet. Almost everything was new! Lucky girl. Lucky mommy too since it is all stuff that I would have had to buy. LOL! She was very happy with her party and said it was the best birthday she has ever had!

Weston and I have just been hanging out around the house cleaning. It has been kind of nice. He likes to just chill and play quietly. It was nice to have a break from the running around for me. I do kind of miss our fun outings, but sometimes you need a little break. I am currently awaiting the Sookie Stackhouse book series though and I can't wait to get a chance to read them. Plus, we do have to get back to the library soon. Maybe Saturday.

Weston went and hung out with my dad today. Yesterday he told me "I only know one person who is REALLY old and not dead. It's Pa (my dad)." Poor dad, but that is hysterical to me considering that my dad isn't the oldest person he knows or that much older than my mom. LOL! Weston is doing wonderful in swim class. He is swimming underwater and it is wonderful.

In other great news, Mack finally listened to me today during one of his "freak outs". I tried to pull him away from the window when he was going crazy at a woman who was walking up and down, up and down, up and down our road. I kept saying "leave it" and tried to pull his attention away from the window. Then he snapped at me and did touch my arm with his mouth, and I said "NO!" He looked at me, sat down, and bowed his head like he was so ashamed. I couldn't believe it! After that everytime he started to bark I have said "NO!" and he stops!!! This could be a huge break through!

2010-07-08T17:44:00.001-07:00

Fourth of July

2010-07-06T05:21:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a weekend! I just love the fourth of July. Thank the heavens our forefathers decided to declare independence in July, huh? Saturday we went to the parade. I got Ella all snazzed out in her fourth of July outfit which she didn't like (apparently our colors should be pink and purple), but boy did she look so adorable. Weston wore a red sox shirt. It works out that our favorite baseball team has the same colors as our nation! :) The parade was pretty long. No marching bands (which are my mom's favorite), but plenty of tractors for Weston and candy thrown for Ella. Ella kept stuffing them in the pockets of her skirt, and when she couldn't fit anymore she held onto them for dear life. That girl hates to share anything and she was so afraid that I was going to steal her candy. Which I totally would have! LOL! Weston was running for the candy too. He was faster than the rest. Which is saying a lot considering how slow that child is. He was So excited about the tractors! There were a lot of politicians too. Apparently it is a voting year?! It was just a great time sitting with family and celebrating the birth of our nation. LOVE IT!

Then we went to my parents house and had lunch there. Outside! The kids played for a little while and then we went home because Andy was going to be home for a few hours. We hung out in the house and then left for the Crossley's house. The kids had a lot of fun here as well playing with the kids, running through the sprinkler, and riding bikes. I got to have some adult conversation with another mom. It was good. Then as we were leaving they were letting off those small fireworks. The kids were impressed ofcoarse. LOL!

Sunday, was the actual 4th of July even though it didn't feel like it as much as Saturday did. I got up and cleaned (not much of that happening lately with being gone so much) and then when Andy got up we went for another family bike ride!! Woohoo!! It was really hot and I had to do some major convincing, but he went and we had fun. I pulled the kids for a short way at the end of the ride. Those kids are HEAVY! It feels as though someone is pulling you backwards as you are trying to peddle forwards. We are hoping to get Ella the attachement that makes the bike a tandum ride.

Sunday afternoon we went to Walmart to get Ella a new bike helmet and a water bottle for camp. Andy came with us. Then we all went to my sister's house for a family picnic and a dip in the pool. We are in the middle of a heat wave right now and it was HOT! Today it is supposed to reach 100 degrees and over with humitity. Yicks! The pool was so refreshing and Andy even went in for a short period. He likes to tell the kids he is afraid of water! LOL! Then we had a camp fire and roasted marshmellows. We all enjoyed smores except for Weston who really just likes the roasted marshmellows. Then the kids went bike/scooter riding on the road and driveway. This is a delight for my kids because we don't have a paved driveway to ride on. Weston did so great and was really enjoying himself. Scotty let off some fireworks that night too. Then we had to go home because my kids were fighting. Can we say OVERTIRED!! Plus, Ella had camp the next day, so she needed to get off to bed.

Monday, Ella's first day of girl scout camp!!! I'm so proud of my independent little girl. She was so excited and didn't mention being nervous once. She just got right on the bus and headed off to camp without a second glance. Her friend Kylie was on the bus so I was happy to know that she would know someone there. I went to my parents house after dropping her off so that Weston could say hi because my mom is on a mini-vaca this week. She ended up taking him for a few hours so I could go home and clean the house. AWESOME! I did a thourough cleaning. Cabinets, windows, carpets, doors, etc. I could have used a few days to get the whole thing done but it will do. Weston was quiet for the rest of the day and played nicely downstairs with his tractors so I was able to clean a little more. Then we picked Ella Belle up. She had a smile from ear to ear! Apparently they sing songs the bus ride up and back. I was worried about the long ride (50 min.), but she didn't seem to mind because they make it fun. Ofcoarse she forgot many things that happened during the day and I was dying to hear about EVERYTHING that went on. She kept singing the theme song all night long so I think she had a blast. The poor girl is going to be HOT today. I can't wait to hear how her second day went!

Week 2...going strong

2010-07-03T04:15:00.002-07:00

I have to admit that I was happy to go to work this week. LOL! We attempted to stay at home for short periods of time so I could get things done around here and it just didn't go well. My kids need to be busy or else they fight and drive me crazy. Tuesday night I picked them up from my sister's house after work and went to my parents house because Andy was working late and I knew they were going to be fighting at home. They play nicely there and are entertained. Plus I get some adult conversation which is important!

Wednesday we hung around in the morning and I got some cleaning done. There is nothing like coming home from a busy day and having your house already clean. I hate coming home to chaos! Then we went and did some letterboxing in Pachaug Cemetry. We found three of the five. I think I needed a compass for the other two. Walking around a cemetry is spooky in one sense, but really interesting in another. There were gravestones dating back to the 1700's. I didn't realize that it was that old! I saw a monument that said 'civil war veteran'. Crazy! We also brought the puppy. I think Mack is getting annoyed that we are gone all the time and he is acting up by chewing things and being crazy when we get home.

We were going to go to Hopeville and have the kids ride bikes afterwards, but Weston wanted me to bike them there and Ella wanted to go and ride bikes, and I just wanted to do something different than walk around after my kids. So we decided to go to Mystic and go on the boat taxi down the river. The kids liked the idea of the boat and I liked the idea of the tour. Plus it wasn't that expensive and a few weeks ago Weston said that this summer he wanted to go on a boat. He did mention it being a BIG boat, but well you can't win them all! So we went to Mystic. We took the boat and got to go under the drawbridge! The kids are fascinated by that bridge so it was cool for them. Half way through the 40 min. boat ride the kids started to get antsy because it was a little chilly with the wind. They were able to maintain themselves till the end of the ride though and enjoyed it. We then got Drawbridge ice cream....yummy!!! I think Weston got more on his body than in his mouth though.

It was than off to swim class!!! Again, the kids did wonderfully. After they got out a man came up to me and said "Is this your Creon?" First of all, no one but other people who are affected by CF would know what Creon is. So I looked at him and he said "Hi, I'm Mike and I have CF". Apparently he had heard that Weston had CF too from someone there. It wouldn't be hard to figure it out since his G tube is exposed. Apparently he walks at the NL site with us. Small world!

Wednesday was the day that Eclipse was released in movie theaters so I got a night out with my friends. Yippee! It was so fun and I really feel sort of drunk with happiness afterwards.

Thursday was Ella's first day of Rec. Weston went to Miss Kathy's again and I went to work. After a morning of running around so that my dad could see where to drop Ella and Weston off, I got to work and my computer went dead after about 10 minutes in use! Oh vey! So I left and came home to work. Thursday evening I also spent some time at my parents house when I picked Ella up for the same reasons. Ella had a blast at Rec. She didn't play any of the sports, but did some arts and crafts and went out for "recess" three times. Plus the ice cream man comes and that was the highlight of her day. She knew some friends there from the bus as well as Weston's friend Rileigh so she was comfortable.

Friday we went to Misquamicut again. This time we met Missy, Joe, and the kids there for Missy's birthday. Missy's friends were there as well. The kids were whiny at first because there cousins weren't there to play with yet, but as soon as the others arrived they had a great time. Matt and Ella pair up all the time and were playing so nicely. Weston sort of played by himself for most of the time, but did play with Matt when Ella went into the ocean to play with the older kids. Plus, my friend Heather from high school was walking the beach with her daughter Ellie who Weston met at Miss Kathy's last week so they played for a little bit. I saw Ellie asking Weston what his g tube was. Funny how kids are so curious and have no problem asking. Weston also has no problem explaining it. Miss Kathy had read a story about differences the day before and every one had to share what is different about them. Weston said "I have Cystic Fibrosis and a g tube" as he flashed everyone his belly. I am glad that so far he isn't self concious about it. That is what I am hoping for as he grows up and kids get mean. Yesterday was great for me because I had adult companionship. I realized this week that it was time to start planning play dates so I have other adults. Next week Ella is in camp and on Wednesday Weston and I will be going to Davis Farm in Massachusetts with his friends from pre-k and there moms. The week after that we have a play date with Dianna, Adam and Carly so that will be good.

Today is July 3rd! We'll be going to a parade in Canterbury this morning. We don't have big fourth of July plans this year. I wish we had a family picnic to go to where the kids could run off and play with other kids, but oh well. Big picnics aren't in anyones budget these days. Happy Independence day!

2010-07-03T04:15:00.001-07:00

Celebrating my kids and the great outdoors!

2010-06-28T15:10:00.001-07:00

Weston did fantastic at his first day of daycare at Miss Kathys! She was impressed with him. Ella had a fun time with Pa and even spent some time with Aunt Kris and Brady at the pool. Pa also brought her to Home Depot and Hopeville to walk around and check out campsites. She loved every minute of it. Any time spent with Pa is a good time.

On Friday our plans changed due to Joe's injury. We decided to go hiking and dabble in letterboxing at Devil's hopeyard. Laura had told me about letterboxing. It is like geocaching but you don't need a GPS and you use stamps. I like the idea of clues because it feels like a treasure hunt! Also, a great way to get the kids involved in hiking. I LOVE Devil's Hopeyard. It is so beautiful and there is always someone else around. It makes it less creepy walking in the woods with two children. You never know what can happen like falling and injuring myself to the point I couldn't walk back. There is a good chance someone would come by. It is these things you think of when you are in the woods with two small children! Also, the morning had been an emotional one after I heard that a seven year old boy passed away from CF. The mom's blog was so touchy and heart breaking, but what I decided was that I was going to use the horrible news to enjoy my children. So we enjoyed each other! We didn't end up finding any letterboxes, but we did have a bunch of fun attempting to find them. We saw some great things in the woods such as funky looking trees, and a chair made out of rocks. I had to carry Weston a lot of the way, but he did much better than I thought considering we probably walked over 3-4 miles and up hill for a lot of it! Ella has a new favorite waterfall. Thankfully since her last favorite one was the dam in Jewett City. LOL!! Weston got soaked in the river, and I thought that was why he was wet when I was hiking with him. After a few minutes I smelled the real reason. The smell of pee just gets more intense when you are sweating!!! Ewww... Oh well it was still fun. The outdoors just makes me smile. :)

We stopped at the library on the way home. Summer reading program!!! The kiddos have to keep up with their learning. By the time we got home that night I was EXHAUSTED!!! Weston had a 20 min. power nap in the car and was wide awake! He kept talking and talking all night.

Saturday, we woke up and Andy wasn't feeling well. I didn't have any set plans, but I had promised Ella that we would go letterboxing at some point because I was just too tired to go the night before. I also had to deliver tupperware to people who had ordered it. Mary invited us to her beach house since I had to get the tupperware to her. The kids actually didn't want to go! I think they had too much fun last week and wanted a day to chill. We went anyway! They fight and drive me insane when they are home all day. They ofcoarse had a blast. Both got to go in a tiny boat in the ocean for a short little ride. We only stayed a couple of hours, but it was just nice. Something about the beach just brightens your day. As soon as I pulled down the street and saw the ocean, the people walking and biking, and the boats I couldn't help but smile! Oh that summer breeze off the ocean. Perfection!

I got the kids some McDonalds on the way home and we went to my parents house because Weston's agenda for the day included hanging out with Nana and Pa. My mom agreed to keep him so Ella and I could go letterboxing. Yippee! Ella and I went to Hopeville and went searching. At first I thought it was going to go the same way as the day before, but nope, we found one!! Actually we found three and one with two stamps! Score! There is nothing like the feeling of finding the "treasure". It is absolutely thrilling! How appropriate that the first one we found was an awareness for a child with tourettes syndrome. I thought that was fitting.

That night we went out to eat as a family because Andy was feeling better. Ella wanted to use her coupon that she got to Chilli's for homework hall of fame. So we went there and ate a nice dinner.

On Sunday, we hung around most of the day. It needed to desperately be cleaned since we have been out and about so much. We also did some grocery shopping. We've been going through a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches lately! Last night though we went for a bike ride as a FAMILY. All four of us!!! I can't believe I convinced my husband to go. He even towed the kids in the bike stroller and used the word FUN! He said he would go again! Yippe. We went to Hopeville and back two different routes. We attempted to find letterboxing with no luck again. Oh well. We didn't put much effort into it.

Today, we went to the mall. That is what the kids picked. They wanted to ride the little rides. We also bought them each a bathing suit. Weston has gotten so thin that none of his stay up. Lands End has ties in the bathing suit. They also bought toys with their own money.

Afterwards we went and played the game at the libruary. Ella stayed up for two hours past her bedtime reading the other night. 20 books! I'm so proud of her! That is what a competition does for the girl. LOL! She won three toys and a book. Weston won one toy and a book.

The rest of the day has been relaxing and irritating. First they were good. Now they are fighting. Ugh!! Bedtime can't come soon enough!

2010-06-28T13:47:00.001-07:00

Beachin' it!

2010-06-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

Time is already flying!!! Ella starts summer rec next week and then off to girl scout camp. After that is the second week in July already. Yesterday I made plans to go with Dianna and Adam to the beach on July 12th because we are both booked solid until then. LOL! Ella had a blast at the waterslides the other day. Weston enjoyed his last day with Mr. Joe at daycare and today he starts Miss Kathy's. So far she says he is doing wonderfully. Yippee! Ella was with Pa today but ended up at Aunt Kris' because she wanted to go swimming.

Yesterday we decided to go to Laura's house on Patchaug pond so we could go to the beach. Emma came along since her parents were busy unpacking their new house! The kids had a blast as always. Did you know that ponds have sea shells too? I learned something yesterday. Apparently there is some form of clam in the pond?? Who knew. The girls swam out. Weston went in pretty far as well. They ofcoarse collected a bunch of rocks and shells. Laura's daughter Molly was there with her nephew Ryan. Weston told her that he "hates babies". Lovely. It was really beautiful there. Boats were going by, jet ski's, and beautiful houses. You wouldn't know you were in Griswold.

Afterwards Emma wanted to come back to the house to play, so we did. Mack was really well behaved for Emma being new to him. He only jumped a little when he got out of the crate. The kids went outside to play on the tire swing and in the sand box. Then it was time to go to swim class! We drove Emma home and got to swim class a little earlier so we could play on the the play scape. Ella's friend Evan joined us too. Weston and Ella did wonderful at swim class. Mr. Nate came over and got Ella wet. She giggled through it. Weston had no fear and was really happy to be in class. He even did the bar bells which he told his other instructor Miss Selene that he hates! I guess that is a favorite new word. He was kicking on that with no one holding onto him. Awesome! Ella is in Butterfly I for the first time and did amazing! She swam all the way down to the bottom of the pool to retrieve a little ship. I was really impressed with both of them.

Afterwards we went home and made dinner and the kids played with Dylan and Griffin from next door for a short period of time. We are really working hard on our tans and oh boy we are already quite bronze. Hopefully tomorrow we will be going to Hopeville with Missy and the crew, but Joe just had an accident at work and cut off two of his fingers. They were re-attached and hopefully will take. It will depend on how he is feeling. We also need to sign up for the library reading program which started yesterday. Busy, busy, busy!!!

Bringing in summer...AGAIN!!

2010-06-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

Summer, summer, here we are again!!! Wow, did that school year fly by! Weston is onto kindergarten and Ms. Ella will be in second grade! I cannot believe it. This school year was great. They both did wonderfully and really overcame some serious learning problems and delays. I am so proud of my little cuties! So onto summer!!!On Saturday (which technically wasn't summer vacation yet since the kids got out on Monday) we bought beach pails and shovels at Target since they were in the dollar isle. The kids asked if we could go to the beach. Andy was working all day, so even though it was already 10 o'clock I said "why not?". So we swung home to get our bathing suits on and picked up some things. We quickly stopped at the little league field because it was the last day for Ella to sign up for cheerleading so we had to get that done, went to the ATM for $$$ for parking, and then job lot quickly to buy a beach chair because I knew it was going to be crowded and sitting on a blanket in the water is not comfortable. LOL!! Then we were off to misquamicut. I haven't been there in probably seven-eight years?! Oh how I have missed it. That beach is my childhood and teenage years all wrapped up into one. Oh how the children enjoyed themselves too. Belly laughter galore!!! This was the first time we went to a beach with waves. We have been to the ocean before but only in coves were there are no waves. Ella had a blast jumping over them and going up to her chest (a little too deep for my anxiety level, but I was watching her). She pretty much spent the whole time in the water. It was pretty cold in there! Weston ofcoarse mostly enjoyed the sand and driving his tractors and playing with the new sand toys. By the end of the day though he was begging his sister to "bring him out" into the waves. He was afraid of them at first and made a game out of running away from them. So adorable. I just sat in my chair and enjoyed watching them have so much fun. While getting a nice tan (well some sun burn too) ofcoarse. Honestly, I didn't have a book or a magazine or another adult to speak with but the day was just so perfect. When I look back at life these are the days I want to remember and I hope my kids do too. I want to feel the sun on my face and hear the belly laughter of my children. It was perfect!Yesterday was the last day of school. We decided to make it a tradition and go to buttonwoods to celebrate. Mocha chip ice cream is to die for!!! Yummy! When we got home there was a call from Ella's BFF Evan who invited us to come over and enjoy the pool. Yippee! Again the kids had a blast swimming. Well Ella mostly. Weston was done after about an hour and was more interested in Evan's peddle tractor and the drum set in the garage. All last night he tried to talk me into gettting him the same tractor and he even asked Evan's parents "Does Evan ever play with that tractor?" LOL! You know what he was hinting around about! Ella and I got to wear our new bathing suits. Mine was 50% off. Woohoo!! It was much needed since mine was breaking. Oh and I bought a new beach bag yesterday since I have a feeling we are going to be there A LOT!Today I am at work, but Ella is off with Kris and Brady at the waterslides at Misquamicut. Which is awesome because she wanted to try them out and it is something Weston wouldn't be able to or want to do. Weston still has his last day of daycare. Woohoo

Two cute things

2009-08-30T04:55:00.000-07:00

Before I forget these sayings:

Weston and I were having our "special time" last night before bed and we were discussing school. Weston told me that sometimes his teachers and friends made him angry. When I asked why he told me that they "ruined his heart". OMG! I asked why they ruined his heart and he said that they say "na, na, na, na, boo, boo, your a baby and stuff". I believe this to be a total fabrication, but how cute, they "ruined his heart".

Ella and I went shopping yesterday with her own money. We got in the car and I look back to find her sniffing her dollar bill and saying "Oh I love the sweet smell of money" Ha Ha!!!

The end of summer approaching soon

2009-08-30T04:37:00.000-07:00

Well as we wind down the end of summer (where does time go?) I am starting to look forward to the school bus arriving. At the beginning of this project in June I was not looking forward to dealing with two children constantly fighting every minute of every day, so I set out to have a fun summer and do things with the kids that I also enjoy doing. I have prevailed! Well to some extent...there were moments!

Swim class has officially ended for summer and soccer has begun. The kids had a very productive summer of swim. Ella has turned into a little fish. She swims with no problems and has really gotten much better on her back float in the last few months. Weston actually goes under water now and ENJOYS swimming. That was a huge task. It all stemmed from his swim instructor Nate who he seemed to bond with. West has also enjoyed jumping in the pool with me. He's gotten much braver.

Our last swim class was followed by our first soccer practice. The day was extremely hot and humid. Picture dressing too children in shin guards, those hot, long soccer socks, cleats, and outfits in a small dressing room outside. Oh vey!!! Plus I had a schedule to keep, so if I didn't do it in a timely manner we weren't going to make it to practice on time!! Luckily, Andy was early to practice and had everything set up and ready to go. I had to leave to take Andy's place at the soccer meeting right afterwards, so I missed watching the kids practice that day.

Last Monday we went to Southwicks zoo again. This time with Dianna, Adam, and Carly. It was fun still. The kids rode on the camel again and this time we rode on the "train" which Weston really wanted to do. No sky ride because Weston and Carly would be too small, but they did go on one ride each. We also got to see another one of the shows about birds, and turtles. It was interesting. This time though the deer were more scattered and scared. They didn't come right up for you. That part wasn't as fun. The goats on the other hand did eat out of our hands. Unfortunetly, I forgot to take the map out of Weston's hands before we went into the feeding area and they all crowded around him. He started screaming "Mommy, Mommy, pick me up". I did and then a few minutes later put him down. One of the goats snatched the map right out of his hand and ate it!!! LOL!

The rest of this week was a lot of errands and getting stuff done. We got Ella's physical done on Thursday and dropped some papers off to the school for them to get ready to start. School starts this Thursday. Yippee!!! Ella has orientation on Wed. Weston's is on Thursday. Today we are off to the Brooklyn Fair...Double Yippee!!! Andy is coming with us. I think this may be our first official family outing this year. It will be nice to all be together. Oh and Weston will see the tractors and animals while Ella will enjoy the rides!!!

Hump day!

2009-08-19T06:41:00.001-07:00

Today I have Matthew over. Ella and Matt are ganging up on Weston ofcoarse! "You can't be in our club"...blah, blah, blah. I hate when kids don't just play nicely together. It's so much easier on me! :) Tonight we have soccer practice and swim class. Plus, apparently I have to fill in for Andy at a soccer meeting. OH vey! Oh that reminds me that I have to try the kids cleats and shin guards on. (got to love the things you can pass down between a boy and a girl!)

My sister is off to Ireland. I'm so jealous! That sounds so awesome! I am stuck at home still bringing my clothes to her house and drying them. LOL!

We haven't done much this week. Monday was HOT!!! We took a tour of Ella's new school. It seems so small and was extremely hot in there. I am hoping that September has some cooler weather for the kids to learn in. Then the rest of the day was spent in the house with the AC on. I did get a lot accomplished since I went through all of my paperwork and made phone calls, etc.

Tonight is our last summer swim class. :( and our first soccer practice :)....where did summer go? The kids go back to school in two weeks! Oh vey! At the beginning of summer I dreaded being with them for all these weeks, but now that it is coming to an end I'm kind of sad. Ella will be in full day school which will be very nice. Weston will be in pre-k for three days a week. Which will leave me two days where I have two hours free. That will be very nice!

Next Monday we are supposed to go to the Boston Children's Museum with Dianna, Adam and Carly. That should be a good time. I'm trying to plan a camping trip to Hopeville for next week as well. If I can get a few more fun activities in I will be happy!

Ella and I are still having special time at night. Last night she told me that she wanted to be a fireman when she grows up so that she can slide down the pole and because Will is going to be a fireman and they can be on the same team!!! LOL!

Weston has had a potty training set back. He has started pooping in his pants a few times a week. Ugh! So his special time with me is looking at tractors on the computer. I told him that if he has a poopy accident that he will not be able to do this with me. He also is getting candy again. He keeps telling me everytime he has an accident that he wants to "start over". WTF!

Finally training!

2009-08-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks I have been feeling like the "to-do list" has gotten longer and I have not crossed anything off of it. Since Andy's surgery and Ella's lyme I feel like we have been running all over the place. The dryer situation doesn't help much. Plus, we just got dental insurance a few months back so I have been making up for lost time in their office. It hasn't been all a wash though. We have had some fun times.

Last week:

Monday: Hung around during the morning and cleaned. The kids were well behaved and actually playing nicely together. Then we went to Hopeville to "ride bikes", but Weston decided he was too tired when we got there and did not want to ride bikes. So Ella got one trip around the campground and we had to leave. It was really hot anyway. I promised ice cream to get them to leave. Thankfully I was able to talk them into grocery store bought ice cream because I had to go shopping anyway. Then we went to Kris's pool for an hour swim.

Tuesday: I worked. The kids went to Kris's house and swam.

Wed: Ella had a check up in the morning. Her face is about 90% back to normal. Yah! The doctor said that she should finish the medication (two more weeks) and she'll be fine. Yah. That was a quick appointment too.

Then we came home. Off to the dentist at 12:00, so my sister watched them for an hour. My FINAL cleaning until February. Yeah!!! (I had two cleanings and two cavities filled). I picked up my kids and some of my laundry (thank you Kris) and was able to fit in an appointment to get Weston's hair cut (long over due). Then back home for a few hours. Swim class at 4:45 (threatening rain again), and back home again. Phew!

Thursday: Ali came down with the boys. She wanted to take Ella out on a special date to try and bond with her. They went to see the movie Ice Age 3 and bought some "girly" items at Bath and body works. The boys played here nicely together and Ben fell asleep on the couch. In the afternoon we did a bunch of errands (bank, laundry, food preparation at my parent's house...I don't have a food processor and needed one). Then home again. This night we went to Dairy Queen to get blizzards. Proceeds from this event went to the Children's Miracle Network which Weston's hospital is a part of.

Friday: Work again. I dropped the kids off late at Missy's because she had a dentist appt. and I had to work a little later than usual. Chewbacca (her dog) died the night before. Matt came up to Ella and Weston and said "Guys I have some bad news for you, Chewbacca, died". I had already told Ella this, but I forgot to prepare Weston who is a dog lover. I looked at Weston and said "yes, honey Chewbacca went to live in heaven". Trying to break the news in a better way. Matthew says "No he didn't. He is in the ground over there". Too funny how literal kids can be!

Work was good. Busy day which is always better than being bored. Last night I got home right before dinner, so we ordered pizza. Andy went up to Adam's apartment to celebrate his birthday. I stayed home and relaxed with the kids.

This week I have also been starting a new "tradition" with Ella. She's been pretty clingy lately, so I decided to have special time at night. I take about 10-15 minutes to cuddle with her, talk, and read books. She has a hard time letting me go back downstairs, but I think it is good for her to have this time with me. Especially since Weston gets special time while doing treatments.

Today: Mammy and Poppy came down to take the kids geo-cacthing (sp?). You go out into the woods and find treasure that people place there. It was the kids first time doing it and they loved it. I got to finally start training for the MS bike tour (one of those to-do list things that I haven't gotten to). I biked 17 miles!!! Not bad for my first time. Now I have 55 miles left to go and have to get up the next day to do another 75. Yicks!!! I've done it before, but I was 10 years younger and in a lot better shape. It was a great experience though. The wind on your face. The quiet of the road. The smells of summer!!! I miss, miss, miss this part of single life. I guess I will just have to suck it up and put the kids in the bike stroller and take them to train. The stroller is really too small for them now though and they fight. It's not pleasent to bike up hill while two kids are fighting in the back. So annoying!!!

Going by fast

2009-08-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

Well it's still been a lot of running around. We've had lots of doctors appointments and between the broken dryer and our new eating habits (blood type diet) I feel like I've been running around. We have had some fun though. Last Monday, Mammy came down and we went to Hopeville where we walked along the hiking path and went to the beach. Once again, Ella swam and Weston played with his tractors at the edge of the pond. It was a good time and the kids had a lot of fun.

Today we went to Hopeville again. This time to ride bikes but Weston wasn't feeling it, so we had to leave. We went to Campbells Farm stand and the grocery store for ice cream. Then we went to Kris and Scott's house to swim in the pool for an hour or so. It was HOT!!!!

At Campbells Farm stand Ella was running around in circles and I said "Ella stop running in circles you are going to annoy people" She says back to me "No, and anyway I'm not running in circles, I'm running in ovals". She also told me this morning that clorax was great for cleaning things and some other cleaning solution. She loves to watch the commercials and tell me about all the products out there.

Last Friday we went to see a youth production of Cinderella at Glastonbury High School with Keri and Emily. The kids did really well considering that they didn't have anything to drink there and it was way past their bedtime. Ella came out of the auditorium and said "That was awesome!" Weston was pretty tired and was able to be calmed by the pacifier.

Saturday was Jack's fourth birthday party. It was a pool party and ofcoarse I was the only mother in a bathing suit. There were a couple of fathers in the pool though! It was nice to catch up with Tiffany again and the kids had a blast. Weston began calling the dog "weird dog". I have no idea why. Saturday night they slept over my mom and dad's house. Thankfully because Andy and I went out and had a little too much fun. It was a rough Sunday for us.

August already?

2009-08-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

Well things have been busy around here, but we haven't been having as much fun. With Andy's surgery, Ella's lyme disease, and all the running around we just haven't been doing as much "fun" stuff. This past week we did find time to go back to the children's museum. Thankfully this time Keri, Emily, and Danny came so I had atleast one adult to talk to and I also went and got the libruary pass, so we got in for FREE!!! Gotta love that. The kids had a blast as always. Ella had a doctor's appt. in Old Saybrook so we went there to be closer to it. After her appt. we went to the mall because it was the Gap's friends and family event. 30% off our favorite jeans!!! Weston was an animal in the mall, but Ella was able to pick out some shoes she loved (jewels on the top, ballet shoes). Then we found a dress to match. The woman working at the gap called her a "little diva" when she heard how particular she was being. I got Ella to agree on one pair of jeans because they have a butterfly design on the back, but she made sure that I knew that she still though jeans were "stupid". Then Andy met us there and we went shopping for adult jeans. Buy three get one free!!! I am now the proud owner of five pairs of jeans!!! Wow, that hasn't happened in years. I almost have a full week of jeans!

After shopping we went to the Olive Garden for dinner. Yummy!!! The kids were exhausted so I was thinking it was going to be an awful experience but it was so wonderful. The food came out quick so they were able to eat fast because they were starving. Our dinner was delicious. It was a great experience. I have to say that while the kids are still horrible in stores, they really have been behaving in restaurants.

The best part of this week though was that Weston has pooped on the potty without any accidents for eight days in a row now!!!! Holy crap I can't believe it! I really was at my wits end with potty training and he just got it this week. He is now putting himself on the potty without having to be brought and fought with. Today he took off his pants and pooped on our lawn. Oh well, not on my floor or in his pants!! I'm so glad he didn't do that yesterday at Darren's picnic though. It was bad enough that he peed off of the second floor porch while people were trying to walk under it. When I saw what was happening I knew immediately that it must be Weston. How embarrasing, but pooping on the lawn would have been much worse!!

Today we went blueberry picking with Keri, emily, and Danny. Then Amy came with Gracyn and we went to the park down the road. Then off to McDonalds for lunch. We came back here and put some hand me down clothes in bins. Then off to buy Weston's reward for pooping for a week straight...a tractor!!! We then went to Nana and Pa's to get some fans and our laundry. In two weeks time our dryer, lawn mover, and air conditioner broke! While getting the fans I found an AC of ours from Warwick. SCORE!!! and it was small enough for me to carry down the stairs and to put in our window since Andy still can't lift anything heavy and neither can my parents!! Sweet!! Oh, and our car broke too (on the way to the dr.'s with Ella) Apparently it was a death trap and would have taken my legs off in a very short time. I just paid more than a mortgage payment to fix that one! Ella does have Lyme disease and they want to put Weston' on overnight G tube feeds. Ugh! It's been quite a couple of weeks, but it's looking up!

What a day!

2009-07-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

Today was quite challenging in many ways and awesome in others. First thing this morning I wake up to find that Weston has yet again pooped on his rug. Ugh!! This is the second day in a row that I have had to shampoo his carpet. New house and his room smells horrible. We need to rip out that carpet as soon as he is potty trained. Then I am busy cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast when Ella yells "Someone pooped all over the rug down here". Seriously!? I went downstairs to find two huge pills of Weston poop. Apparently he had pulled shorts on after his first accident and didn't put on underwear. It's my fault that I didn't check and that I forgot to put him on the potty after breakfast, but the kid is going to be four in Oct. could he go on the potty this century...Please! So now I have to shampoo the WHOLE downstairs rug. When I start cleaning up toys I see that he has also pooped in other places but covered it up with train tracks which is a new trick of his. It doesn't usually work to hide the poop but just gets the train tracks full of it so that I have to throw them out. Ugh! While this is all going on I am also waiting for a phone call from Andy who was getting discharged from the hospital today. I finally get the carpet done just in time for the phone call. Thankfully the children were playing very nicely upstairs together so I was able to get the whole thing done. Before we left I quickly put the dishes in the dish washer and vaccumed our bedroom as well.

So I drop the kids off at my mom's house. Who isn't home, but thankfully my dad was so he took them. I picked Andy up from the hospital, dropped off his med script, dropped him off, and then went to pick up the meds and the kids. That all went fine. Then we came home. I decided to bring the kids to Buttonwoods Farm because they were having their annual Sunflowers for Wishes event which we go to every year and I take pics of the kids in front of the sunflowers. It is only right down the road so I knew Andy would be fine for a few hours.

We went to the event. We got some great shots of the kids in front of the sunflowers, took the hayride through the fields (which Weston loved ofcoarse), and got some ice cream (yummy). It was a great day. The kids were really well behaved and waited patiently. That makes all the difference. Well, a few days back I noticed that Ella's eye was looking weird. The eye lid was droppy and looked like a lazy eye. I had checked it and thought it was a bug bite because there appeared to be a bump on the eye lid. Well three days later it was still there, and with her smiling and squinting in the sun it made it more pronounced. So I was worring about it all day. When I got home and looked at the pictures on the computer I really started to get nervous. So I called my cousin who is a pediatrician because ofcoarse it is Sat. after hours and Sunday my pedi isn't on. Well my cousin wasn't home and wasn't answering her cell phone, so I tried my on call pediatrian. When I explained it to him he wasn't sure what it could be, so he said put a cold compress on it and give her benadryl just in case it is an allergy. I just didn't think that would help and I'm a person who stays calm and cool in these situations but I really was starting to freak out because I knew something was really wrong.

Finally my cousin called me back and by this time I had noticed that in the pictures her smile was crooked too and that is why she looked so weird in all of them. My cousin told me to make her shut both of her eyes, which I did, and I noticed that the eye I thought was the "good" one was not closing all the way (she had been claiming that the "good" eye was itchy too). Then she told me to look at the upper part of her lip and make sure it was in the middle. It wasn't...that too was moved to the side of her face. The eye that has the bells palsy was the eye I thought was the "good" eye! Apparently bells palsy is brought on by many things, but lyme disease could be one of them. I just pulled a tick off of Ella about six weeks ago. So I called the pediatrician back and they are seeing her at 10:30am tomorrow morning. Ugh! What a freakin' day! I didn't even eat dinner I was so stressed out and I'm still not hungry.

I'm hoping everything turns out o.k. tomorrow at the doctors. The sunflowers were a lot of fun today even with the worrying. All the proceeds go to the Make a Wish Foundation...Love it!

Nature Center

2009-07-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

Today I packed up the children and our lunch and we took a trip to the Dension Nature Center in Mystic. I have heard a lot about this place in the past years and have been wanting to go. I wasn't sure if you had to pay or you could just use the trails, but it also said there was a museum so I figured "hey what the heck". So I paid the $18 to get in. I had heard such great things about the place I figured it must be worth it. Well, I think I may have missed a bunch of stuff because I didn't really find it to be all that wonderful. We toured the "museum" if you can even call it that. I mean what there was to see was mildly entertaining, but there wasn't much TOO see. The kids really wanted to go outside to see the owls and walk the trails, so we didn't stay long in the "museum".

When outside we went on the trail around the duck pond. I was told by the lady working that this was a great trail for the kids, and I believe she said with a lot to see. Well I have no idea where the "duck" pond got its name because there were no ducks, and I though this was a nature preserve? I saw a bird or to. The trail was very short (my kids had no problem completing it in two minutes). I was thinking "I paid $18 to walk in the woods?!" Then we went on another trail and I was realizing that the misquitos where out with full force in the middle of the day. Oh, at least we saw one animal! Well then Ella was saying she was itchy, so we took the short cut out of the woods. My god she got bit up!!! She was so busy taking pictures with my camera that she apparently didn't swat them away like Weston and I did. They are on her face and all up and down her arms. Poor kid was scraching so hard! We went over to the owls but only looked briefly because Ella was in misery and complaining. We decided to go in and see if they had any itch spray at the gift shop which they did not. I convinced her to go downstairs and watch the "movie". I was really determined to get some of my moneys worth. The "movie" was cute. It wasn't a movie, but it was an exhibit where you go into a dark room and it makes the sounds of animals at night and lights up what animals they are. Ella said she didn't like it because she was scared and Weston wasn't sure, but I thought it was cute and the best part so far. Then we looked around the "museum" a little more...It was better than I thought (still not worth the $ though).

After that Ella seemed to be feeling better so we went outside to have our picnic lunch near the center so that the mosquitos were not out. We were able to eat in peace and the kids played on the big rock formations. Ella asked if we could come back sometime, so apparently she really enjoyed it even with the bites and all. This promted me to go inside and ask about more information. I have heard such great things that I had to be missing something. I think the woman at the counter may have been new because she appeared to not know much. I ended up buying a membership because they took into account what you already paid. I figured if I pay the membership fee we can come back, full of bug spray, and do more of the hikes. They are great hikes for kids. Plus we could look into the other programs and get them at a reduced price (plus camp is reduced price) and it sounds like the programs are were the fun and cool stuff is offered. Apparently they are open year round and you get newsletters in the mail, so something to do on weekends in fall, winter, and early spring maybe!

We then went off to walk downtown Mystic. I figured we were already out that way we might as well make a day out of it. I figured the downtown Mystic walk may be boring for them, but I also knew that they enjoy boats and the ocean so maybe this would captivate them for a few more minutes. Wow! We sat on the dock for 30 min. just watching the water, the boats, and waiting for the drawbridge to open up! They were amazed at the bridge (to be honest so was I). While I worked in Mystic it was always a nuisance because it created traffic, but to sit and watch it was kind of interesting. I can't believe how high in the air it gets!

While sitting there I noticed that they give boat ride tours for $5 a person. Not bad at all, so I am keeping that in mind for next time. Maybe we can do the nature center in the AM, and boat tours afterwards. Maybe fit that seaport in there (free passes at the librauary).

After the bridge we went to drawbridge ice cream. Yummy! Then we came home. On the way we passed buttonwoods farm and saw that the sunflowers are starting to bloom...this weekend it is!!! Yay!!!

Last weekend was quiet. We hung around the house mostly. Kristin and Doug had a picnic at their house to celebrate Karis' christianing. The kids had fun in the kiddie pools.

Saturday we stayed at home...oh and made a trip to Home Depot. Friday I worked. Thurs. my sister took the kids in the AM so I could clean and we went grocery shopping in the PM. Basically four days of hanging out after keeping a busy schedule. Ella sat in front of the TV all weekend...sponge bob marathon! She must have felt deprived!

Weston has been SO obsessed with Tractors ever since I showed him the john deere tractor website. He is talking NON-stop about what tractors he is going to get Andy and he truely believes he is going to be able to buy them! We asked where he was going to get the money and he asked Andy "Daddy, where do you get the money at your work". Apparently he thinks you can just go to work and take money!! LOL!

Ella told me today that Mammy makes better egg sandwiches than I do and Daddy makes better pancakes. I gave her a look and said "I know you think everyone makes something better than mommy". She waited a few minutes and said "Mom, you make the best.....(had to think about it for a long time)....applesauce!" There is no hope for me! Poor kid!

The beach!

2009-07-15T17:52:00.001-07:00

Today we got up early, packed a lunch, and our beach toys and went to meet Dianna, Adam, and Carly at the URI beach. We got lost a few times (well took wrong turns), but made it there in a little over an hour. What an awesome beach!!! You can park in a parking lot right on the beach. It is small and so kid friendly. Rocks to walk on, no waves, pretty clear. Perfect! As always Weston brought a huge bin of tractors and shovels. He played mostly with that but got brave and went in with the other children quite often. I was surprised. Ella and Adam instantly started to go off and play. I am always amazed at how quickly they fall back into being the bestest of friends. It's awesome to see. The kids did just about everything. They explored the beach, climbed rocks, swam, build sand castles, etc. The weather was perfect. It was only about 80 degrees which would have been hot inland, but because of the breeze off the ocean it was just right. I did however get a sunburn on my back. It feels good to have been out in the sun all day though. I even went in to the water to my thighs. The water was freezing though. Weston enjoyed me swishing him around in the water though. Oh and the views from this beach. Newport bridge (I think), Jamestown bridge (I think), boats, houses,..awesome! We decided to pack it up at about one o'clock. Dianna was concerned about her kids burning and Carly needed a nap. She had to help me get my car out of the parking lot because someone wedged in back of my car. Oh, and the ice cream man showed up before we left so the kids got ice cream again...lucky dogs!

We traveled home to relax for a while, but before we got here I stopped to get some corn and blueberries at Campbells Stand. When we got home I did a few things around the house like laundry, dishes, and then cooked 1/2 dozen cobs of corn. OMG!!! So delicious!! The kids and I each had two. Yummy!

Then it was off to swim class. I swear three weeks ago I went to swim class with a boy and he has turned into a fish!!! The child who hated to go underwater is now BEGGING to "do it again"!!! I am LOVING it!! He even wore his red sox hat to impress his swim instructor Nate (because Nate wore one last week). Too funny. Ella continues to do great as well. She was going all the way to the bottom of the pool underwater today.

Since it was Pa's birthday we stopped to wish him a happy birthday. We ended up eating dinner over there and having cake and ice cream. Kris, Scott, and Brady stopped by as well.

Another great summer day!

sicko

2009-07-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was supposed to be a run around kind of day. We had lots of things to do. Weston woke me up around 4:30am with a fever though and didn't go back to sleep. He was very liabile until I got some motrin in him. We had already RSVP'd to Ella's friend Kyle's birthday party though and I knew Ella would be disappointed if we didn't go. Plus my mom had already said she would watch Weston for me and bring him to our second party, Taylor's graduation party.

Kyle had a party at skate-Inn. I brought my roller blades thinking I was going to have to skate with Ella. On the way there though I was very apprehensive about it. I think it has been seven or more years since I was on skates!! Thankfully I had the time of the party wrong and we got there a half hour early. So I strapped on Ella's new skates on her feet and my rollerblades on mine and we practiced. I didn't do all that bad, but I could tell we would have taken each other out if I had to skate with Ella. Thankfully she learned quickly and was able to skate on her own. I took off my skates when the parents arrived and didn't have to put them on after that at all. Phew...crisis averted!

Then we went to Taylor's graduation party. It was actually kind of nice. I new a few people there (other mom's from the school) and was able to talk to them. They had a DJ which made it a little difficult to hear anything. We stayed for a few hours. Weston still wasn't feeling well, but was able to enjoy himself anyway. We decided to skip the tractor race that Jake invited us to and the fireworks at Dorothy's house because Weston wasn't feeling well.

Sunday was a lay back kind of day. Weston's fever was gone but he started complaining about mouth pain. I looked and sure enough he had mouth sores. I assumed it was hand, foot, and mouth. I don't think we did much of anything this day. The kids played outside with Ella's barbies and Weston's tractors (I love when they play so nicely together). I had a pedicure (Love it) while Andy watched them. Oh, and we took Molly for a walk (the kids and I) what an adventure. I was so worried about her pulling the kids or getting in a fight with another dog that it really wasn't enjoyable at all!!! Molly and the kids did enjoy it though so I guess that is all that matters. Plus, it was exercise!

Monday, Weston seemed to be feeling much better. I did let him have soy ice cream for breakfast but he wasn't complaining about his mouth at all. So we went and bought bikes (I was only going to buy Weston a new one because he has really outgrown his tricycle, but Ella put out the water works and I couldn't say no). So they got bikes and we went to Hopeville to ride them. Weston fell twice and each time he said "I didn't want this bike" because he was so discouraged. Ella could have rode all day, but Weston was done half way through the second ride around the campground, so we packed up the bikes and made our way to the beach part. Ella went right in the pond and made a friend with a little girl named Grace. Weston stayed on the shore and ate lunch (priorities) and then played with his tractors and sand toys. He didn't go in the water much which is typical for him. Ella pretty much stayed in the whole time which is typical for her. It was a little chilly when the sun went in especially because the kids were wet. The kids then got ice cream from the ice cream truck that parks itself in the parking lot for a few hours. By this time I was starting to get a headache and become really bored. I should have brought a book, but then again Ella made me nervous out in the pond so I had to keep my eye on her at all times. I got Ella out of the pond and Weston was ready to go. When I got home I realized how tired I was and how bad this headache was getting. By the time 4:00pm rolled around I was in pain and nautious. Weston was crying to be picked up and when I did he fell aleep in my arms instantly. That is how the rest of the day went. All I could do was close my eyes and lay there. Thankfully Andy got out of work to come home and watch the kids. It was awful.

Today I worked ALL day. Which was kind of nice. I like to enjoy the kids, but it was nice to have all that time without them. Perspective! No headaches today..thank god. Weston's mouth seems to be much better, but then again I didn't have any time with him today.

Tomorrow hopefully the beach!

Ella's birthday and today

2009-07-08T17:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Ella's "actual" birthday. I took a few hours off from work because I had to teach class at night and Andy also had to work, so I didn't want her to be left to babysitters for the whole day. Ella decided that she wanted to go to the children's museum, so that is where we went. We got there around 11:30 and wow was it packed! The kids had a blast playing. It was a little boring for me at first because I didn't have any other adults to talk to, but we ran into Toni and Sam and ended up staying longer than I was going to (three hours!!!) I was amazed at how well Weston could hammer in a nail at the play tool station! I think he was born to be a working man. The other fun things were the restaurant and the fish market. The kids both enjoyed waiting on me and cooking me food in the restaurant (and some stranger kids too). Weston would have played with the train table the whole entire time if I would have let him. I couldn't supervise both children at once in different areas. Both kids picked out a few toys at the gift shop. I don't know why I am such a sucker for these things. We then went to Burger King for dinner and ate inside (the kids favorite thing to do!!!) On the way home we got stuck in ANOTHER lightning storm and the sun roof to the car wouldn't shut so we had a small leak in a couple areas of the car. Then last night the kids went to my mom's for a few hours while I worked.

Today started off as a lazy day. It started off as another rainy day and then got HOT. We decided to get out of the house around two to run errands and go to the libraury. We went to the Canterbury libruary and played for a while as well as picked out books that are easy for Ella to read. They had a large dinosaur (as big as Weston) that the kids were playing with. While Weston was looking the other way I put it next to him and when he turned to look I said "Roar". He jumped so far. It was hysterical!!! LOL!!

Then we were off to swim class. Yay, the rain held off!!! The kids did SO awesome!! Weston was going under the water all the time. He LOVES his instructor Nate. He didn't even ask to get out once! It was so nice. Ella did great and learned how to use "pizza arms" (her arms in a triangle) under water. It's so great to see them blossom, learn, and be happy. I especially like sitting on the sidelines!!

Then we were off to Ella's t-ball pizza party. It was supposed to start at 5:00 at Lisbon Meadows Park and I knew we were going to be late. When we got there at 5:30pm no cars were to be found so we left. I am still unaware if we missed it or not. Hmmmm....

I took the kids to Slater Libruary after that to play the summer reading game. Both kids got two prizes and a book which they love. Weston didn't get to pick any prizes last time so he was happy. They also love to play with the puppets and pretend to put on puppet shows. I wish I could go hide out in the upstairs adult section among the books, but oh well! :)

Now we are home and the kids are in bed. Tomorrow is an early day because we have to go to Ali and Dave's house to watch the boys because they have meme's funeral to go to. I'm sure the kids will have a blast there.

Another successful day of staying sane with two crazy kids!

exhausted!

2009-07-06T17:55:00.000-07:00

What a busy but awesome weekend we had!!! You just have to love summer, warm weather, picnics, good food, and family...so refreshing! It started of on Saturday...the fourth of July! We went to Lisa and Scott's picnic. It was a graduation party for Jacob and a 16th birthday party for Thomas combined. At first I really didn't feel like going, but it ended up being a nice time. They created an adult slip and slide with a case of AJAX soap...OMG! I really didn't want Weston to go down it because it looked like there were a lot of rocks and people were getting soap in their eyes, but he really wanted to so I let him. He had a blast!! Usually he is the cautious kid, but he got right in there and slid down on his belly. He was so tiny that it acted like a waterslide and he went so fast. It was so cute to watch him. Ella had gone with Kris and Brady to their house to go swimming. I had a fun time chatting with Missy and Courtney Smiley. It was a good day. We left to come home to get ready for Ella's birthday party and see if we could locate Molly who went missing that morning.

Sunday was Ella's princess/ballerina/cars party...OH Vey! Good news was that the house was already nice and clean and I had already done some of the cooking. I am trying to go low maintanence with my birthday parties now. I am all about the deli meat and sandwiches that you can put out before the party starts and be done with the food! While setting up for the party Missy Berry's brother and his wife came by and told us they saw a sign a few houses down that read "Found dog" and there was a German Shepard in the yard. Molly!!! So I took off down the road and sure enough there she was making her a new home! The people brought her to a picnic and then were about to take her to another picnic. They bought her food and treats. I almost felt bad taking her home! She didn't want to come home anyway because she was trying to get in their car.

So anyway Molly made the day. Ella's friends showed up along with the family. It was so adorable to see little girls running around with princess costumes on! We had a pinata which was just crazy because the kids were running for candy and there were SO many kids! Not enough candy apparently. The girls made necklaces out of beads, the boys played baseball. I had Danay make the cake so I could take that off my list (anything to make it easier). Ella got a boat load of presents. It was a good party. Then I had told her that her cousins could sleep over, so last night Nathan, Neely, and Megan stayed over. Katie and Matt made it to 10:00pm and then went home. I am so tired!!!

Today we woke up and the kids hung out for a few hours before Missy came and picked them up. Then Weston went down for a nap at 10:30am (so tired). I had to wake him up at 12:30 to eat and go to the dentist for a cavity filling. The dentist wasn't able to get it though without risking traumatizing him, so we have to make an appointment for the children's dental association. Ugh! Afterwards though we did some errands and then went to Hopeville Park to take Ella and Weston biking and practice Ella's new roller skates out. The kids did great biking. Ella was really frustrated with the skates and Weston was going to far ahead that it was making me nervous, so we decided to walk the wooden paths to the beach. Now I am extra tired because I had to carry Weston some of the way.

When we got back to the car I decided to take the kids to Buttonwoods Farm. Weston's favorite part of the day was seeing the tractor bailing the hay. We had some yummy ice cream and came home for the evening. I really need to go to bed because I am (again) exhausted and have a splitting headache!

Another great three days. Tomorrow we are off to the Children's Museum for Ella's "real" birthday. It is supposed to rain again but atleast we had three really nice days. Summer!!! LOVE IT!!

Summer???

2009-07-03T16:28:00.000-07:00

Although this summer hasn't seen much of that thing called the "sun" it has still been quite a lot of fun. The day Ella got out of school this year we picked her up, went to get ice cream, and then went to the pool (one of the few sunny days). We've gone to the libruary a few times. Summer reading programs rock! Fun, educational, and indoors!!! Ella and I have also made flashcards of her sight words to prepare her for first grade. She is doing really well! The other day while sounding out words she accidently said "cunt" instead of "cut". Yicks! I almost spit out my coffee!

On Monday, June 22nd (I think that was the date) we went to our friend Mary's beach house at Groton Long Point and hung out there. This was not such a great day weather wise, but we still had a blast! The kids loved playing in the sand. Weston drove his trucks. Ella build sand castles and collected sea shells. Perfect for both of them! Ella was even brave enough to go in the water. Brrrr!!! It was overcast in the morning, but warm enough to be outside in short sleeves. We then went to the playground. Here is was cold and started to rain a little. The wind was crazy all of a sudden. I think it was just the location of the playground. The kids didn't notice, still in their wet suits they were running around playing on everything they could. Ella just hoped from one thing to another without stopping. Her favorite thing was the big tower of ropes that she climbed up on and "could see the whole playground". We went in for lunch after that and had a nice time with Mary's mother and sister, and Mary ofcoarse. My kids were picky and didn't eat much of anything though. They just wanted to go back outside to play which we eventually did, but by then it was raining significantly so we decided to pack up and leave.

On Monday, June 29th we went to Southwicks zoo in Menden, MA. I had planned to just take them to the children's museum to get them out of the house, but by surprise my friend Jasmine called and wanted to get together. She mentioned that she would love to go to the Southwicks zoo and I've been wanting to go there for years now, so we decided to go for it! The directions were straight-forward and it appeared to be right off the highway. I calculated that it would take me about 40 minutes. Oh vey, is that a long way off the highway!!! 30 minutes of back roads later we finally got there...about 1/2 hour late. Thankfully Jasmine knew we were going to be late and was a little late herself. It may have taken a while to get there, but SO worth it. What an awesome place! We first saw the elephant show. That animal is older than I am! Then we went and saw the lions, tigers, and leopard (my favorite animals of the day). After that we stopped at a playground. The kids had a blast playing on the zip cord thing and took turns. Weston loved the HUGE sand box. Then the kiddos spotted the sky line, a ride that looks like a sky lift, and wanted to go on that. So we started our journey of trying to find it without a map. The Ella's were very impatient about this part, but the things we saw on the way were not to be overlooked. They have a deer park where you go into a fenced off area and feed the deer. They come right up to you and eat out of your hands. It was so amazing. I loved this part as well, so did the kids. We FINALLY made our way to the sky line and it started to rain. Thinking we would be o.k. because they have roofs on them we decided to go on. The girl almost didn't let Weston board because you have to be 42 inches tall (and he is far away from that), but she was nice enought to let him pass when I begged. Really, can you imagine...we had just spent atleast 30 minutes hearing about how much they wanted to ride the skyline I didn't want to hear about it if we couldn't. Well as soon as we got on the skyline the heavens decided to open up and we were drenched (our pants anyway...the roof kept the top halves of us dry for the most part). The kids really enjoyed the ride though. After the sky line we found the petting zoo. Here you could feed goats and sheep which we attempted to do, but almost got stampeeded by the animals once they saw us putting money into the machine. Yicks! Those horns and hooves hurt!!!! The kids still had fun petting the animals....well that was until Weston got knocked down by one. He was a little afraid after that. At the end of our day the kids got to ride on a camel and an elephant!!! It was kind of pricey but so worth it. How often do you get to ride on a camel or elephant when you live in the U.S.! What a great day. Both kids fell asleep on the way home...I almost did too!

Today we had to stay home and wait for the cable guy to finish installing our cable, but Keri came down with Emily and Danny. It was so cute to see Emily in her purple dress, purple tiara, ring, and wings as Ella was prancing around in her ballerina costume. They went outside and played with the riding cars. Weston had to dive to the ground when Emily was driving because she almost ran him and Danny over! That girl is one crazy driver!! After the cable guy left we went to McDonalds and brought the food over Kris's house to go swimming. Weston LOVES to jump off the side of the pool while holding onto me. It's really the only thing he enjoys about the pool. Ella is a fish and would stay in all day, but we had to pack up because yet again we heard thunder and felt sprinkles. It was still fun though. The rest of the day consisted of shopping for Ella's sixth birthday celebration. I forgot it was the 3rd of July...oh vey! The grocery store was packed and the kids were a complete handful. I hate shopping experiences like this!

I forgot to mention that on the first Thurs. of summer vacation we went over my friend Erica's house and played with Emma and Niklas. Ella came down with a funky hairdo that Emma apparently created. Girls are too funny. This was also a nice time. It's so good to have adult conversation and entertainment for the children. It is how I am keeping my sanity during these "summer" months and all the rain!