Is it really February?

We have had such a mild winter so far.  As I was walking the dog today, I had to take my jacket off.  It felt like a spring day.  I had to come home and check the calendar to make sure we are in February and winter is not over yet.

I have to admit I am a little miffed that we have not had a good snow.  One where the kids could play, make a snowman and even go sledding.  I am hoping for one good snow and then off to spring.  Nothing but a little rain and mild temperatures for the next week.

We had a great weekend.  The Mother in law came in for a visit.  She was able to experience our chaotic days.  The boys had a great time visiting with her.  She was able to see them play basketball and practice baseball.  The visits always seem to go by so quickly. 

I was so touched on Monday, after school E says I wish Grandma was still here.  It does suck to live so far away from family. 

Well, I finally took my test and passed.  So I am officially food safety certified for the next 5 years.  How exciting.

Report cards were issued on Monday.  I am so incredibly proud of them, they both came home with straight A's.  Wow.  I was not expecting that.

I also had a conference with Tee's preschool teacher.  I just came out of the conference thinking it was a waste of time.  I know what he knows.  He knows all his letters but may get confused on a few.  He knows all his sounds.  He can count to 100.  But really that just doesn't mean that much to me.  I want him to have fun because after this it will be non-stop learning for the next 13 years.  I am not sure what I expected.  Maybe I wanted her to tell me that it was such a pleasure to have Tee in class.  Instead I got that he needs to be reminded to keep his hands to himself or doesn't share toys.....and it just goes on.  I feel like the other boys' preschool experience was so different.  I feel like Tee has missed out on something good.

This week has been non-stop so far and will just continue on through the weekend.  We have birthdays to celebrate and a scouting event. 

Time

I have come to the realization that it is just so hard to keep up with everything, including this blog.  So much has happened in the last few months.  So many cute stories to share.  But short on time.  I personally just want to get it down so that I don't forget it. 

I have always been a huge PTA supporter.  I join and have held a position for the last 4 years.  This year I am the 2nd Secretary and Website Administrator.  Someone created the website for me and she showed me how to update.  This year I have had a change of heart.  There was an issue that happened at the end of the year that caused the President (my neighbor) to resign.  So the 1st VP stepped up and found someone to replace him. When he took over, he made a few remarks about the website and how I was not an expert.  So the 1st VP decided he was going to create a new website.

Really???  Who does that?  I had the website and was updating it.  Don't you think that it would have been better to sit with me and let me know what you would like to see?  No, he decided that he was taking it over.

I decided at this point I was not going to spend any time updating something that was going to be changed.  So I stopped updating it.  He has created a new layout and is in the process of trying to transfer the domain name.

I will keep my Secretary role for now but will not be signing up for anything next year.  I am sure I can find another organization that will appreciate what I have to offer.  Yes, I am a bit bitter.

So, I get extra time on my hands and what do I do?  Volunteer for something else.  I have been studying to be certified in food safety.  Not sure why I agreed.  In order for the scouts to serve a hot meal at a banquet that is held in February, there must be someone who is food safety certified.  The person who is certified can't make the banquet.  Yes, I should be studying now.    

Sadie has been a handful.  She certainly understands that Dad is top dog.  But she fails to realize that she is not second in charge.  We have a trainer who comes to the house to help us train her and work through any issues I am having.  We have moved from a cloth chock collar to a metal choke collar.  This has helped me a lot.  She still wants to "play" with me.  "Playing" entails her attacking my ankles or biting my clothes.  The she sits back and starts jumping around and barking.  It doesn't take long with the choke collar to get her under control. 

Last week, Tee got a stomach bug.  A lot of kids at his preschool had it so it was just a matter of time.  So I wasn't shocked when Jay got sick on Sunday.  He started throwing up on his way home from baseball practice, in someone else's car.  I still feel terrible about it.  He threw up the entire afternoon.  I felt terrible for him also.  What really surprised me was when E got sick around 10:30.  Of course, he got sick in his bed, made a trail to the bathroom and then didn't hit the toilet much.  Even the dog got sick this am in her kennel.  I am done with the vomit.

It made us think.  E already had a stomach bug during our holiday.  So we feel like they got food poisoning from out dinner out on Saturday.  They both had eggs.  Of course, we will never know for sure.  But one thing is for sure....they will be back to school tomorrow.  They had the day off today for a teacher work day.  Me?  I spent the day (my birthday) striping beds, doing a ton of laundry and making beds back up.

Christmas at our house

It seems like we sped through the Christmas season.  We got our tree, put it in the stand and waited a week to decorate it.  The majority of our Christmas decorations and ornaments didn't make it out.  Yes, it was such a hectic season. 

Our church offered a service on the eve of Christmas eve.  We decided to attend that service, which was a very nice candle light service. 

I started not feeling well on Christmas eve.  I managed to get the turkey in the oven and started baking the other dishes to our meal.  By mid-day I knew it would not be possible for me to actually eat dinner.  So the husband cut up the turkey and put away all of the other dishes I had made.  I spent a lot of the day in bed, catching up on the housewives of NJ.  I knew I was going to have to rally for the evening activities.

Can you guess what I got for Christmas?

I got it a little early

 And was able to catch these images of Tee.

 You guessed it, a nice camera.  I wanted to be able to use it for Christmas day.

The annual reading of Twas the night before Christmas!

The normal stop on the step before letting them run to their pile of presents!



Santa visited!

Having fun looking at their presents.

Santa was so nice, he installed the xbox in the playroom.

Mom and baby!

Dad and his oldest sons!

 

There was a bit of a mess when all was said and done.

We had a very nice day.  The boys indulged in all of their gifts and we watched them.  The best part was that we only had to warm up our dinner.

Tee has still been singing some Christmas songs, which seems very funny to me.  He enjoyed hearing the songs on the radio for about the 2 weeks leading up to Christmas.

Insanity

It seems as though the season has been so much more hectic then in years past.  I am not sure if it has to do with our addition, Sadie or if we are just have too much going on.  But we made it through and we had a great Christmas.

Sadie is definitely a lot of work.  I have had to change my schedule a bit to get home for her so my morning errands sometimes have to be cut short.  She is like a little baby, putting everything in her mouth that she can find and biting like crazy.  I can't tell you how many holes she has put in my clothes and Tee's.  She likes to use Tee as her personal chew toy.  Tee just loves her so much and wants to kiss her all the time.  E has really bonded with the dog and helps us care for her.  Jay on the other hand is very scared and doesn't want much to do with her.  Hopefully, once she gets a bit older this will change.

Sadie is now 11 weeks old.  I was able to regain some sanity once I got a play yard for her.  She did have several accidents prior to the play yard.  It is nice to be able to put her in there so that I can get things done in the house without worrying about what she might be into.

There has been so much that has happened in the last month that I don't know where to start. 

Tee has a preschool Christmas program.  He was adorable.  They sang Feliz Navidad and a Kwanzaa song.  Yep, not sure how the Kwanzaa song plays into our Christian preschool, but whatever.  He sang so loud and while on stage he says hey Mom.  He says the funniest things sometimes.  The other day he said Mom will you still love me with boogers on my face?  I said of course, I will always love you.  Then he proceeds to wipe his nose on my pillow.  Another time he kissed me and said every Kiss begins with K.  Maybe a little too much TV.  We have looked at him recently and realized he is growing way too fast.

Jay had been in some trouble lately, the story for another day.  He has asked the big question many times.  You know, is there really a Santa.  I have blown him off saying that you have to believe.  Well, he has a week ago again.  My husband asked me what to do.  We decided that maybe he was ready to know.  So he took him to his room and told him the truth.  Jay cried for a long time.  He was so sad.  Of course, we threatened him if he spilled the beans to his brothers or his friends.  The husband has explained that nothing has changed, we love doing Christmas just as much as they love Christmas.  I think he is ok with it.

E has been doing well.  He was so excited for Christmas.  It is funny because he never asks for much.  He had two things on his list.  We decided last minute that we should at least get one of the items.  I don't know that he will ever ask us about Santa and I think by this time next year we will need to sit him down.  He has been really good in helping with the dog.  He will even help pick up the poop in the yard.  Once the dog settles down a little, I think they will have a great bond. 

The husband is on vacation this week.  This week will be about regaining some sanity, organizing and getting ready for the new year.  I will post pictures of Christmas soon.

Thankful for so much

Thanksgiving week was a great busy week.  The husband took the week off from work.  The boys had a few half days off from school.  Attended the boys conferences.  Celebrated Thanksgiving with family.  Took a trip, picked up the dog and wrapped up the weekend with the festival of trees.  Whew!

The boys did amazing on their report cards.  I am so proud of their hard work.  We keep them very busy with extra activities and they manage to keep it all up.  The teachers had such nice things to say about the boys. 

Thanksgiving was celebrated at our house with my brother and three of his children.  We feel very blessed that we were able to be with some family.  It is hard to be away from our families.  We would love to be able to be with everyone but it is not possible.  I can't believe I didn't snatch one picture.  It was a nice relaxing day.

We woke up Friday morning and headed to Hershey Park for their Christmas Candy lane.  We went with friends of ours.  The have an older daughter, a son E and Jay's age and a daughter Tee's age.  So it works well with our family.

We could not have asked for better weather.  It was a gorgeous day.

We started at Chocolate world when we first got their.  We received an education on chocolate and the best thing was we were able to taste lots of chocolate.  We then took the tour that explains the process of making chocolate bars. 

We then made our way to the park.  There were no roller coasters open but there were 30 rides open.  We split up a little because the younger kids did different rides than the older kids. 

In chocolate class

Tee liked this ride!

Tee did not like this ride!  I didn't think it would ever end.

Family picture

It was a warm day but that didn't stop Frosty.

Our handsome boys on the train ride!

We were able to see a light show at the park and then headed to dinner.  Dinner was really good.

After dinner we headed to the Sweet lights.  A 2 1/2 mile drive of over 600 light displays.  It was nice but a bit long. 

We finally called it a day after that.

The next morning we woke up and went shopping at the outlet that was really close by.  I had no idea it was there.  Then we headed home to pick up Sadie.

She cried some of the way home.  I don't think she likes to ride in the car.

The boys absolutely love her.  Jay seems a little scared of her, Tee can't keep his hands off of her and E has a real connection with her.  He is very responsible when it comes to her.

Sunday we headed to our annual visit of the Festival of Trees.  I was a bit disappointed in the Santa but I really wanted to get the picture of Santa with the boys.

The boys racing cars.

Tee and Dad were the big winners.

It was a jam packed week but a good one.  This week it has been back to our routines.

Temporary Insanity

I remember in 1997, we decided to get a puppy.  We had just moved into our house so it was the logical next step.  Charli was the last girl puppy left in the litter.  She was adorable.

Shortly after we brought her home, my husband was put on an assignment in Boston.  I did the single puppy parent for a good long while.  Those first few months were very difficult.  She was a handful.  But every time I walked into the door she was always so happy to see me.

Charli was such an awesome dog and a member of our family.  Unfortunately, we had to put her down 4 years ago.  We were crushed when she left us. 

The boys have been asking for a dog for a long time.  I love dogs but they do add a lot of work/attention to an already hectic schedule.  Vacations now mean that we have to figure out who will watch the dog.  And don't forget the dog poop that needs to be picked up.  I have not budged from the answer of NO for a long time.

Recently, we started talking about getting a dog.  All I had to do was mention it and the husband was all over finding a breeder nearby.  Conversations ensued.

So without further ado.......meet Sadie!  Our soon to be addition to our family.  I can't tell you how excited every single boy is in this family. 

Sadie, the dog with her right nails painted blue!

She has big shoes to fill after Charli.....but look at that face.

The boys know that they will have responsibilities with the dog from walking to feeding to picking up poop.  I walk around the house and look at all the junk on the floor and tell them that Sadie will eat everything on the ground. 

Tee has been going around making sure there is nothing on the ground.  In fact, he think Sadie will be sleeping with him in his room so every morning he ensures that there is nothing on the ground.  He is very proud that his room is so clean.  He has also started making  his bed. 

Sadie is about 7 weeks old and will be joining us on Sunday.  Tonight we made our trip to the pet store to stock up on puppy supplies.  Yes, I plead temporary insanity. 

I love having twins.  I really do.  But sometimes it is hard to make sure everything is fair.  What I do for one I like to be able to do for the other.  Sometimes it is just not possible.

I volunteered to go on the field trip with the 4th grade class.  I thought about requesting both of my boys but in the end I didn't.  Jay was able to pick who he would have in his group.  E had not heard who's group he would be in. 

I had 5 boys in Jay's class.  One of my friends was also chaperoning and she had 5 boys.  We decided in the very beginning that we were making our boys all stick together. 

The boys were well behaved on the bus ride over.  We were running a little late.  As soon as we got to the science center, we were shuffled to the planetarium.  I saw E and was able to sit next to him.  He unfotunately was not with ONE of his friends.  It made me a little upset.

I asked E if he wanted to hang with my group and after waffling a bit (yes he is not such a good decision maker) he said yes.  Jay's teacher was sitting next to me and I asked her if it would be ok.  She hesitated a bit but eventually said yes.  This teacher also has twins who are just 1 years old.  I told her that she would see that it is not always easy. 

E was very quiet the entire time.  We didn't have much time to roam.  We had to eat early and then head to the 3D show.  Once we left the 3D show, E decided to head back to his group.  The field trip was ok.  We did have several people that we had to watch closely because they kept wandering.

When the boys got home from school, E was very quiet.  I didn't really think anything of it.  He acted strangely at basketball practice.  The husband and I discussed his behavior and decided I would speak to him before bed.

I spoke with him and finally got him to admit something was bothering him.  It took a while.  His brother was at a sleepover/birthday party.  I thought he was upset at that.  He ended up telling us that his feelings got hurt when he went up to the boys in Jay's groups and they told him they didn't want him in their group.  I had heard a little bit of teasing going on but they were just joking with him.  I tried to explain that to him but I am not sure he agreed.

I felt guilty because I feel like I pushed him into staying with us.  Next time I will ensure that I have both boys in my group.

Speaking of Jay's sleepover, that did not go very well for the parents. 

I dropped Jay off and the Mom mentioned that her son got in trouble because she found out that her son was stealing matches and starting (or trying) fires in the woods.  It took a lot for me to not walk back in the house and take Jay home.

The Mom called the Fire Marshall and has enrolled her son in a fire safety class.  Good punishment!

I picked up Jay a little early on Saturday because we had a busy day planned.  The Mom looked at me and said that she felt Jay was really trying to do the right thing but the kids were awful.  They had not slept at all.  They were so loud (they slept in the basement) that she was down there at 2 am and at 5 am.  She could not get them to calm down and sleep.

Jay mentioned that he was trying to sleep on the sofa but someone got a glass of water and poured it on his head.  He was really trying to sleep and the other boys were goofing off.  I do believe him because he needs his sleep and is not used to staying up that late. 

Sunday is when we had a discussion about when you should talk to your parents if your friends are doing something that you know is wrong. 

Fun times!

The week

The husband has been working a lot lately that he decided to take a few days off.  It is always nice to have him home.  It does throw the boys off a little bit as they don't get how he takes a "vacation" day and he is vacationing at home.

Basketball season has started.  This year the boys will have 2 games and 1 practice a week.  Games do not start until December but the kids practice 2 times a week.  The husband is the assitant coach for the team.  Our friend is head coach.  He also coached the boys for flag football. 

The boys will continue to have baseball practice through the winter.  Practice is set for 2 times a week.  As luck would have it, one day conflicts with basketball.  So most weeks they will only be able to practice one time a week.

The boys have continued scouts this year.  We meet 2 times a month.  Luckily, our den leader is very  good about changing our meeting day based on all of our sports schedules. 

Recently, I found out that E was being pulled out of class 2 times a week.  So, of course, I inquired with questions.  I determined that the assistant was pulling him along with several other kids.  They play games.  I decided to send a note to the teacher to get some answers.  She explained that he is getting a little more assistance with being able to summarize and cause and effect.  This would help him with his class writings. So we ended up deicding to get a tutor.  We are having both boys tutored for the time being.  I think they could both use help with writing.  I am just sad that the school doesn't have more resources for this.  But in the end my goal is to just make writing a little easier for them.  We have a former teacher who taught  middle and high school English.  She comes on Thursdays to help with their writing assignment for the week. 

Tee is taking a swim lesson once a week.  He is taking the class with one of his friends.  I am hoping to keep him in swim shape for summer.  After the holidays, I may try to get him involved in a sport.  He says he wants to do soccer again.  He has a very busy social life.  Some weeks he has many play dates. 

This past weekend, we were invited to the  Univ of Md vs. Notre Dame football game.  Tee has been asking to go to a Ravens game.  We were hoping this would cure his curiosity.  We went early and tailgated a little.  Unfortunately, the game was late so we weren't able to stay long.  It was a fun evening.

This week will be another busy one.  I am having a Pampered chef party tomorrow evening.  I love PC products.  On Friday, I will be chaperoning the older boys' field trip to the Science Center.  I have been on this field trip before.  It is a hard one to chaperone because the kids want to separate.  I had not signed up but the teachers sent out a note asking for more volunteers.  Tee will spend the day at his preschool.  Luckily, they have an afternoon class that he will be able to attend. 

A second apart

Every year the boys prepare for the Golden Shoe race.  A class is a team and the team must run a mile.  The goal is to have all of your classmates/teammates run as quickly as they can.  The Golden Shoe is coveted by all, but only 1 class can win.  The boys' first race was in 1st grade.  Neither class has ever won. 

PE class prepares the boys for the run.  I hear the boys often talk about how far they have run.  The teachers do keep track of how many miles they run.

The boys both started off strong.  A few time Jay stopped to walk.  It is so fun to cheer them on.  Jay came in at 7:11 minutes and E came in at 7:12.  They were both a little winded, but they did great.

In the end, E's class won golden shoe.  They get to proudly show it off in their classroom for the entire year. 

I was very proud of E as when he finished he went back out and ran with people to push them to the finish line.

It was so close!



But in the end, Jay pushed a little harder.