This week in review

Well, another busy week has passed by. It is really beginning to feel like summer but the boys still have 23 days of school left. It is going to be a long month.

Tee's last day of preschool was on Tuesday followed by an end of the year picnic on Thursday.

Tee with his teachers at the park!

He had a really great time in preschool this year. We are going to miss the teachers. If he had enrolled for next year he would have had the same teachers. I can't say enough good things about the school, except for the fact that the days need to be a little longer.

The boys had field day at school on Friday. The kids love field day!

Jay with his buddies. The one on the left is his neighborhood friend.

E and his neighborhood/school friend. They are becoming good buddies.

Lots of baseball this week and weekend. The boys had a make-up game on Tuesday. Then practice on Wednesday followed by the start of the weekend tournament on Friday. They lost the tournament game on Friday. They played again on Saturday. They won their first game on Saturday. It was such a good day. They played great.

Now the parents (the other team) on the other hand did not behave themselves so well. The umpire was not very good. In the first inning, he did not make a call that he needed to make. The first baseman was running to second when a kid from the other team got into his way. Interference should have been called. My husband argued, yes my husband, Mr. quiet easy going husband. I thought he was going to get ejected from the game for being too vocal. The ump said he didn't think the first baseman would have made it to second. My husband argued that the decision whether he made it or not was not his to make. He needed to call interference. The ump was telling the other team he didn't see it. That started off the game.

Apparently, the parents from the other team were saying stuff to our coach who was standing on third base when our kids were at bat. Then there was a parent standing at the opening of the dugout dropping the f-bomb. These are 7 and 8 year olds and I personally think using any kind of foul language is inappropriate. I have to say that made me extremely angry.

They lost their game on Sunday. I have to say I am a little glad they lost. If they won, they would have played again on Sunday. It was nice to have Sunday afternoon to relax.

We had the coach and his family over for dinner and swimming. The coach works very hard managing the team. He is lucky to have several Dads who help but he does a lot of the communications and then handles the equipment etc. It is a lot of work.

Monday we lounged most of the afternoon. A few families came over to swim in the pool. I think everyone had fun. I know my guys are very tired.

Tee ended up falling asleep on the couch before dinner this evening. The husband woke him up but he was still half asleep when he put him at the table. Tee was eating with his eyes closed. I have to say it was absolutely hilarious. And that is how we ended our long weekend.

It is looking better

The day didn’t start out in a great way. I was still very tired this morning. Jay had been up in the night with a stomach ache. This has happened a few times. He was up for a long time because he came back in our room an hour later.

Tee is an early riser. He came into my room before six. I was so tired that I don’t remember looking at the clock. But I woke up a little after six and was told that Jay had to wipe Tee’s behind because he had gone to the bathroom and I didn’t hear him calling for me. What a nice big brother!

As I drove Tee to preschool this morning, a car almost backed into me. I was stopped at a light and she started to back up. I saw her out of the corner of my eye but I thought she was backing out the other way. When I realized she was coming straight for my car I laid on my horn as fast as I could. Crash avoided.

After drop off, I headed to the boys’ school. I was chaperoning Jay’s class on a walk to an old school house that is located next to the school. I believe she asked because Jay told her I was upset that I did not get selected for the last field trip. Love how he repeats what I say.

It was just like on Little House on the Prairie. The kids got to practice writing with quill pens (this was my station and it was not easy and certainly very messy) and on slate boards. In the olden days, the children had to kneel on rice as punishment. There are many more ways the kids were punished back then that I am sure are illegal these days. But the kids were able to see what it felt like. They also played an old fashioned game outside. It was a fun time with the kids.

Then back to pick up Tee from his last day of preschool. He had a great first year of preschool. I really do hope his teachers next year are as wonderful as they were this year. He learned more than I thought he would and he had such a fun time. Thursday is an end of the year picnic.

So even though the day started out a little rough it is looking better. Now if the boys could only win their baseball game tonight. That would certainly make it a great day!

Finally a post

I guess the trend is to stay busy. I am ok with that but I do miss my computer time. This past weekend was beautiful weather. Good thing because we had 12 yards of mulch to move from our driveway to our beds. It is hard work but we only do it once a year and I guess it is good exercise.

I have been working on a project for the school PTA that has really frustrated me. I had to wait for information and I am not good at waiting. I am working with a company that will provide parents the opportunity to purchase all school supplies for the next school year. You order the “box” for your grade and it will be waiting for you on the meet the teacher day. Sounds like it should be an easy job but I have a lot of coordinating to do. I am hoping by the end of the week I can get it completed. It may be wishful thinking but it is my goal.

Sunday evening the husband and I finally had a date night. We definitely don’t do it often enough. We went to one of our favorite restaurants for a good steak. It was yummy.

It seems like the trend has been nice weekends and then it rains. It rained all Monday and Tuesday morning. But even with all of the rain, the boys still had baseball practice last night. Thank goodness the husband was able to make practice.

Speaking of the husband, he took Tuesday off to play in an afternoon golf tournament. He took care of getting the boys off to school and I went to the gym (missed all morning activities) and then came home and cleaned the house before having to go pick up Tee from preschool. It was nice to have a morning off. It is hard for me to not be so controlling. I do have to tell myself that the way my husband does things may be different from the way I do them and that is ok. I know…I am working on it.

Today I had a going away lunch for my friend that is leaving at the end of the month. I am very sad she is leaving but I know she is looking forward to going back to Seattle.

Erin is the second from the left. Believe it or not her daughter took this picture of us.

We gave up on getting good picture of the kids. So this is a picture of the kids being kids.

We had a really nice lunch and now my house is a little disastrous.

A tea with T

A few weeks ago I was given an invitation to attend a tea at Tee's preschool. On Wednesday, I talked with Tee about the tea. He was very excited to have me come to his school.

The kids walked in the room and sang I'm a little tea pot. Appropriate right?

Waiting to be told to go sit with his Mom.

Tee and Mom!

We had a really fun time. Only 3 more preschool classes left for the school year.

I want my Mom.......

Although it would be nice to get a little break every once in a while, I love hearing Tee say “I want my Mom”. He is a Momma’s boy. And I love being a Mom to all my very sweet and precious boys.

Today is Mother’s day. I always knew I wanted to be a Mom. I wanted to be a young Mom and have my children close together in age. I have learned, you don’t always get what you want when and how you want it. A key to having children was to find the right mate.

Luckily, the mate came along in my late 20’s. We were married a year or so before the clock started ticking so loud that it could not be ignored. So after a little convincing, we decided to give it a shot. After 9 or so months it got to be very depressing because nothing was happening.

We spent about a year working with a fertility specialist. Each failed attempt was getting harder to accept. I was always thinking well if this doesn’t work then what are we going to do next. I was NOT going to give up.

We were so excited to find out that we were having twins. I think my husband was even more excited that it was JUST twins. You never know what you are going to get when you start taking medication.

I still remember the day when E and Jay were born. I remember thanking God that they looked so different that I would be able to tell who was who. They are such a blessing to us. And they made me a Mom.

After E and Jay got a little older and were not as much work, I started working on the husband for another child. I felt like our family was not complete. Since I was advanced in age, we went directly to the same specialist. The treatment was going to be much different this time. I was scared but ready.

The month we were supposed to start treatment is the month that I found out I was pregnant. It was so hard to believe that we did it our own. It was so fun to tell my husband.

Tee came 4 weeks early. I remember having a terrible night’s sleep. I woke up to contractions. So what do I do, I get in the shower to shave my legs. I was not going to give birth with hairy legs even though I knew I would have a C-section. I had planned to meet the husband at the office but the pain was so much that I had to wait for him to pick me up. Luckily, the hospital and Dr’s office was only a few miles from our house.

The doctor examined me and my water broke on the table. I was immediately taken to the labor and delivery floor where Tee was born. I remember after they pulled and tugged at him to free him from my belly I didn’t hear anything. I held my breath until I heard that first cry. He was just as precious (and small) like the first two. Although he had a rough few weeks of life he is doing great.

I love my role as Mom. It is not always easy but I would not change a thing.

On this Mother’s day, I was lavished with gifts. I got beautiful earrings, workout shirts and shirts. My boys made lovely cards and crafts at school for me. Josh completed sentences about me. I love that he thinks the best thing I do is cook. And I am as pretty as a “delicate flower”. Tee brought home a flower in a pot. On the flower pot is a big sticker that says he loves me because I take him for walks. I will cherish all of these gifts.

Happy Mother’s day to all!

One more grading period left......

And so we come to the end of another busy week. I am hoping for a quieter week next week. Although I have commitments that I will have to work on.

The last 4 or so days have gone better for Tee in regards to sleeping. He woke up a few nights crying for me but I was able to console him quickly and he went back to sleep. I dusted off a book that I have had since the twins were young. It is called Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by M. Weissbluth. I love the book and think it provides a lot of great information. I determined that what Tee is going through a normal stage for this age. That is right it is just a stage which means he will outgrow it. Hopefully, that will happen soon.

The boys got report cards this week. It is very hard to believe they still have 1 more grading period left. I have heard many people say that teachers are having a hard time with the rowdy kids. It is going to be a long month plus some.

Report cards were good for the most part. E improved his score in writing legibly and working with precision and remained the same in everything else. Although I was shocked to read that he did not pass the Reading Level M benchmark. It just so happens this has to be passed before year end or he will be considered below grade level going into third grade. He has been working ahead of the time line all year and to have this happen is a bit of a surprise. So we will start having him read and drill him with questions. He loves to read but he has to be able to retell the story, comprehend and make inferences. Jay's stayed the same on most except for Math. It appears his effort is lacking. I am waiting for a response from the teacher regarding what is going on.

Tee also received a report from school. He is "as expected" on all of the objectives. It is amazing how much he has grown from the beginning of the year. He has gone from wanting to play on his own to playing with others. He also is participating a little more in class. Of course, here we are at the end of the year and it will probably start out the same next year.

I am looking forward to Mother's day tomorrow. It is nice to have one day that is just for you. I try to do as little as possible on Mother's day and that mainly means NO COOKING. I am looking forward to another baseball game at 2 tomorrow. The weather is going to be cooler.

And so the week ends.....

It has been a very busy hectic week for me. I am not sure that I have had a moment to relax at all this week. I am extremely tired and looking forward to a little relaxation tonight.

Last weekend I put seeds in my garden. I am going to try to grow green beans, zucchini and cucumbers. I ended up getting an earth box to grow a strawberry bush. I may eventually move the bush, if it grows, somewhere in my yard. I was told I had to have 2 berry plants for cross pollination. I am hoping my garden does as well as it did last year. I may have a big problem though. My husband saw rascally rabbits eying my garden. I am thinking I may need a fence around the bed. Hint! Hint!

It has been 7 straight nights in a row that I have had to battle the evil bus that keeps entering my house in the middle of the night for Tee. Come on already….go visit someone else. I am tired. Last night was the first night that he did not wake up however I woke up at 4 am probably out of habit.

Speaking of Tee, he had a really bad day this past week. He peed on my office chair 2 times in one day. Yuck!

The older boys are now practicing 2 days during the week and have 2 games (one weeknight and one on Sunday) a week. It is hard having the boys go to sleep late on so many school nights. They get tired and cranky. A tired and cranky boy mixed with a tired and cranky Mom is not good, believe me on this one.

Tee and I were excited to take in Lemonade and Hot chocolate to E’s class this past week. We offered to help the teacher out and she was so thankful for our help. Doesn’t sound like a good combo to me but the kids loved it. They were extremely hyped up on sugar. Next time, I may try to find a reduced sugar drink. I made 12 cups of each drink and it was basically all gone by 17 kids. Yikes.

The person who bought our old house in NC is friends with my on FB. I am not sure why I accepted but I did. She emailed me a few days ago to ask me a question about the playset in the back yard. I really have not had a chance to respond to her. I have barely had a chance to be on my computer period. This is her 3rd or 4th question to me about the house. I take it that was the reason she probably befriended me in the first place. As I was walking out the door on Friday, I just happened to check my phone and had a voicemail and 2 text messages from a friend of mine who lives down the street from the current home owner. The home owner asked my friend for my phone number because she needed an answer right away. Thank you friend for not giving her my number and I am sorry I have not called you back. I checked it while I was dropping the kids off at baseball then had to run to the grocery store and then had to get pizza. Pizza for some very hungry guys, read on.

My husband had 4 of his college buddies come in town this weekend. They all stayed at our house last night. Yes, that means I had to clean the house and get the beds/sheets ready. Tonight they are going to a baseball game and staying downtown for the evening.

I tried to get breakfast items ready the night before because this morning was garage sale day. I made blueberry soda bread that I did not cook long enough and the middle was all doughy. I got together an egg and sausage frittata but it didn’t cook that well this morning. I was going to make biscuits in the morning but realized I didn’t have self rising flour and didn’t want to go on the internet to find out how to make my own. What a disaster.

But at least my garage sale went well. I got rid of a lot of stuff and made $100 while I was at it. My husband thought I sold things to inexpensively but it is out of the house which was my goal. My friend who is moving to Seattle sold some of her stuff also. It was fun!

And tonight I get to vegetate and watch whatever I want. And if you are still reading this post, God bless you.