Adjusting for School

Today was Tristan's first full day of school. Monday and Tuesday were only half days. Getting back into the routine of getting him in bed by 8:30 is a challenge. We started going to bed earlier last week (around 9:00) but 8:30 is like a marathon race some evenings! I don't get home until 6:00 p.m. and then we only have those 2 1/2 hours to finish cooking, eat, take a bath, spend a little time together and then it is bedtime. Tristan has noticed how little time we have and gave me a good dose of "Working Mommy guilt" this morning. He told me he hates it when I get home so late and we don't have much time together. During the summer the kids get to stay up with us and we get a lot more time together as a family. A couple of hours passes so quickly now! I know we all have to adjust to the new schedule and this will get easier. Even Collin is "acting up" because I think he misses his brother, although most days neither would admit it! Right now we are all pretty tired and looking forward to a three day weekend. My sister assures me it isn't any easier for stay at home moms. She feels the pinch as well as their family adjusts to the new schedule, they even started school three weeks before we did! I think we are all missing cousins too as we have not seen them since the end of July. They plan to come down next weekend for Collin's birthday party, so we should all enjoy some "reunion" time.

A Little Boy's Dream

Friday night we went to the Wiggles and the boys loved it! Collin literally got teared up at the end of the show and I asked him what was wrong and he said "I don't want it to be over, I want it to go all night long!" He was so pitiful. See how many Wiggles characters you can name from the pictures. No cheating and looking at their Web site. And if you can sing a Wiggles toon or two, you get bonus points. I know I will have "Fruit Salad" stuck in my head for a few days! :)

Get Your Groove On! :)


At one point in the show, they cut all the lights and have people turn on their cell phones, cameras, whatever lights they have and then everyone sings twinkle, twinkle, little star. It was very cool and our boys were in awe!






Nathan was fascinated with a little girl his age in the row ahead of him. He kept touching her face and trying to hug her. He even tried to climb over the seat to sit with her. Jim laughed and told him he could not get her phone number. I'm beginning to think we have a big flirt on our hands. Here is a picture of her, isn't she cute?

I'm OLD!

I have no shame or I would not be sharing this story with you. If you can't laugh at yourself what can you do? Ok, here is the story. For the first time in my life I was basically called "old" by a twenty-something year old. "Me?" How can that be? Remember when you were younger and 40 seemed ancient? Now, as I've gotten older, I've raised that bar quite a bit. Now, maybe 90 or 95 is ancient :) Ok, then to further add a blow to my ego, my friend (thanks Ang :)) pointed out that I am actually old enough to be the boy's mother. NO WAY. I've never thought of someone in their 20's as capable of being my child, but do the math. I've decided a major makeover, perhaps a little hair dye might be in order :) Perhaps some therapy to adjust to my ever increasing age? Siggghh...that's what a birthday does to you...

Lessons

What a day! Dalton ran a fever again today. I felt bad having to go back to work. It is very hard sometimes to be a mother and work outside the home. You are always being pulled in multiple directions.


Since I have such a long drive home, I do get to do some thinking along the way. Here is my parenting thought of the day:



One lesson I hope I am able to teach my children is one that I view as one of the most important in life. That is the lesson of acceptance and forgiveness. In my life I have people—co-workers, family, people I meet—who seem to latch on to the shortcomings in each of us. No one is perfect (except for Jesus). We have to learn to accept this about life. For each person we meet, we can find a reason not to like them. Seriously. We can build them up in our mind or tear them down. It is even harder when you love someone, a child, a family member. You want the best for them. You want them to be with people who love them, treat them well. Sometimes whether you want to admit or not, you would love for their spouses, their friends, their acquaintances, anyone in their life to be perfect. But they are never going to be. How many times do we hold people to higher standards than we even hold for ourselves (have you ever been mad at someone for telling a lie, for not doing what you thought was right…when we ourselves have at one time or another told a lie or done something wrong?). I want to teach my children this. If each person could learn to be more accepting, more loving, WOW, what a different world. Whenever I deal with someone, I also try to think "Am I treating them the way I want them to treat me or treat someone I love?" We should all ask ourselves "How would I feel if someone treated my child or my loved one the way I am treating them right now?" Might make you stop in your tracks...A saying that I love says something along the lines of "Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." Whenever you talk to someone remember you have been given a gift in that moment of time, you should choose to use it wisely. Cheer people up, treat them kindly, actions and words can make a difference.

Isn't He Pitiful?

Our day started at 4:30 am when Dalton woke up crying. He was burning up with a fever. We gave him Motrin which he then threw up about 10 minutes later. I took him to the pediatrician this morning and his temperature there was just under 103. They said his throat is very red, but his quick strep test came back negative. He has a virus that just has to pass. I stayed home today and all he did all day was sleep. He wanted to be held all day. I took this picture because he looked so pitiful :(





When the other two napped today, I carried Dalton outside and sat under the umbrella and watched Tristan while he swam in the pool. It is hard when one is sick and the others need your time and attention as well. Once Daddy got home, I took the three healthy kids up to the neighborhood park to let out some energy and do something different. Here is what Collin had to say on this adventure. We were walking around the walking track:



Collin: "This is a very long sidewalk!"



And then: "I was hot and sweaty and I tried to run to get cool, but it just made me hot and sweaty."



As a man went by jogging Collin turned around to look at him and said in such a serious voice "He is a very fast man Mommy, a very fast man." I laughed so hard!



It is the end of the day and Dalton is finally expressing interest in eating for the first time today. Let's hope this is a short lived virus!

A Celebrity Weekend!

Another packed weekend! The fun began on Thursday when the boys (with a lot of help from Annette of course) surprised me for my birthday. You can read here to see pictures and learn more!



I took the day off on Friday and spent the morning alone with Tristan. He goes back to school in one week! We had a blast. We started out at the coffee shop and they made him a chocolate mocha without the coffee of course. He played games on their computer with another boy and I actually got to read the paper and enjoy my coffee drink! From there we went to Walmart for our back to school sneakers and backpack, plus a few other things. We stopped by to visit Joy and asked her to meet us for lunch at Pizza Hut. Tristan then got in a quick game of bowling and then off to lunch at Pizza Hut. After lunch we picked up Collin. We went back to Palace Pointe and played games in the arcade for over an hour. They had a ball and enjoyed the candies and trinkets they got for their points in the end. We then went to McDonalds for the boys to play outside and to eat an ice cream cone. It started to rain so we had to cut our outdoor activities. We then went to Walmart and let Collin help us make us a list for his birthday. Of course there are so many things on this list that it would take us a few birthdays and Christmases to fill! I love though that little things bring him such joy. He was excited about a fake rubber snake and one of those recorders that you play in school. I think his imagination will carry him far in life. After Walmart, it was time to come back home.



I then got a girl's night out with Annette and Lisa! We went to Michael's and AC Moore and did I ever have fun. Those stores for me are like a candy store is to a kid! We then went to dinner at TGI Fridays and just enjoyed laughing and talking. Dinner without having to chase someone or change a diaper was amazing :)



On Saturday I went to a crop from 9-5. I took our beach pictures and put most of those in a scrapbook. It was great reliving our great vacation through pictures. I had not been to a crop since April so it felt good to spend the day doing it again.


In the evening we went to the drive-in in Henderson. They had a special event where the Star Wars characters were there 2 hours before the new Star Wars animated film. Other celebrity guests included Boss Hoggs and Roscoe P. Coltrain! My sister would have been in heaven as much as she use to make me watch the Dukes of Hazzard growing up! The boys played with their "light sabers" and really enjoyed the characters. Here are some pictures of the night of Celebrities :)










My Jedi Warriors!








Lisa's friend has a 3 month old baby girl. Needless to say the twins loved her. Here are some cute pictures of them kissing her. They said it was her first kiss :)

For Nanna

The boys just wanted to tell their Nanna they love her!






Chillin' in the chair :)





Collin quote of the night:


Tristan: "You are too Collin"


Collin: "I'm not two, I'm turning into four in September" (No, Tristan was not referring to Collin's age, and did anyone else realize you turn into your age? :))


Annette has created a blog to share pictures and stories of her days with the boys. Check it out at http://4boyzhavinfun.blogspot.com/

Check out these moves!

What's the matter? Haven't you ever seen a little guy with such big feet?





A Collin Moment...


Tristan and Collin spent the night with our friend Doug the other night for the first time. Collin has not really spent much time away from home so I enjoyed hearing the stories of the evening from Doug. Here is my favorite:


Collin: "Doug, do you have any cookies or chocolate milk?"


Doug: "Nope, I'm sorry buddy, I don't have any"


Collin: "Well the next time you better be prepared when I come to your house and you better get some chocolate milk and some cookies"

American Idol Here he comes!

Our Funny moment of the evening:


Lisa: "Collin, Did you poot?"

Collin: "Nope, but I pooted and it was quiet!"

All in a day

I was talking to one of my single friends last night about my daily routine. It was kind of funny because I hadn't thought much about it before, but my life is very different as a mom of four. Before children, I would take up to 1 1/2 hours to get ready. All the hair primping, jewelry, etc. Now I have it down to about 25 minutes, including my shower! No primping allowed! My time in the morning is spent trying to keep on top of things. I thought I would share what I usually accomplish each morning. I try to get up at 5:30 or 5:45 to get it all done. Here is the partial list:

- wipe down counter tops, stove, microwave
- sweep and quick mop kitchen floor
- sweep and quick mop the dining room
- clean the highchairs
- pick up the living room
- vacuum the living room
- fold and put away at least one load of clothes
- wash and put another load in the dryer
- clorox wipe the bathroom



Then I take a quick shower, get myself ready, and by then the twins are up and need to be changed and have a juice, etc. Evenings are spent feeding, bathing, and spending time together. I just do not remember how I spent my evenings in my "former life" :) What did I do with all that time? Did I get to read books, watch tv? I know one day when my children are all grown I will once again have free time. I will then miss doing all the things I use to do for them. Ironic isn't it? The grass always looks greener on the other side :)



I have a great husband and cannot imagine how we would get it done if we didn't work together. He takes care of the dishwasher and the trash and getting the twins their bath (plus a nightly ritual of wrestling!). A family of six makes a lot of dirty dishes and clothes! I told my friend last night to multiply her laundry times six. She could not imagine!



It is nice to be getting back to "normal" this week. Here are some photos of the week:


Cowboy Collin


Collin came out wearing this and told us that he is Cowboy Collin!





2 hats are better than 1!





The boys love working out in the yard with Daddy. I had to get this little wheelbarrow at Walmart when I found it. They will have a ball working with Daddy!




Tug 'O War...Who do you think will win?