The BIG Christmas gifts of the Year

The BIG Christmas present of the year for the kids was a trip to Disney World. We are taking them to Disney for a week in January. YEAH!!! I do not know if Barret is more excited about the trip or getting to miss school but we should all have a really good time.
Along with the Wii, Mimi and PopPop got the grandchildren their first gas powered four wheeler! It was a huge hit......
Nana and Grandaddy brought down the house with a Guitar for Barrett, DS for Logan, an American Girl Doll for Cooper, and you guessed it, MORE Lightning MQueen stuff for the Park Man. The kids had a fabulous holiday and were so gracious and truly thankful for all of their presents. They certainly made Chad and I proud. Thank you to everyone, we love you!

CHristmas Photos 2.0

Okay, more pictures.....
Barrett and yes MORE Power RAngers, Cooper and her Polly Pockets, Parker and yes MORE cars, and Logan and her DS

Promise photos of Christmas Morning/ Santa

Here are pictures of Logan and her new boom box, Parker and his Lightning Mqueen, Barrett and his power rangers, and Cooper and her FABULOUUS booster seat.......

Time for a quick update

SO I did give a little post on Christmas day with an update but we have now had the Gill fam christmas celebration as well and the kiddos did indeed get the WIi. Funny story, we got home that evening and we made the kids go to bed after some very long nights. Then Chad and I proceeded to hook up the Wii and stay up until midnight playing it....NO LIE!!! It is really fun and I love watching the kids play on it. We have not gotten much into the games yet but the sports are awesome. I promise to post some holiday photos soon, after I load them into iphoto. Hope everyone is well and enjoying their holidays......

Merry Mery

merry merry merry merry christmas! I hope all had a wonderful day filled with lots of smiles, giggles, gifts, family, friends, good eats, and most of all love. I certainly did. I am ending my wonderful evening listening to my three older ones talk and play in bed with their new loot while enjoying a glass of wine in my new wine glasses and watching Chad try and figure out his new DVD player and universal remote....
too much fun!
love to all!
pictures to follow tomorrow......
PROMISE!

Let the Festivities begin

Christmas break has officially started! YEAH! The kids have made easy bake watched movies and built multiple forts and this is just day ONE. What do the next two weeks hold in store for me? Well one good piece of news is daddy is closing his office tomorrow at 5pm and not opening until Jan. 5th. That's right folks, almost two weeks home with my five favorite people in the world. Nothing could make for a better Christmas break....... HONESTLY!

17 minutes

......until the bus arrive and everyone is home for 16 days. I am torn between being really excited and not that enthused. I guess if they can all get along and behave it could be a really good break. Jammie mornings and movie nights, dinners out together and playdates with friends, peaceful afternoons with four children happily playing with their new loot from the big man in red....
Fingers crossed......

no nice voice

We all have it, our NOT SO NICE VOICE. It tends to come out of us mostly in tough times or times of turmoil. Well, mine came out this morning and I am sorry for that. I should not have let it slip but I get so frustrated sometimes. My friend was talking about someone and it gets my blood boiling when the topic comes up. I am ashamed to admit it but it is true. I try and try and try to think positive thoughts, but I just can't. I am sure we ALL have these people in our lives so do not think poorly of me but at least I am trying. Anyway, to my friend from this morning, I am so sorry I used my no nice voice. Please, forgive me and do not think less of me......love you!

can't sleep

can't sleep......
up too late.....
what to do.....
don't really know.....

the Big Man himself

So, we went to see old Saint Nick on Sunday at the Children's Museum and had a wonderful time. We went with my parents and the children were able to play in the museum while Daddy waited in line. Some might feel for sorry for the Daddy who had to stand in line for TWO HOURS to meet Santa but come on, look at the facts, he was allowed to stand in line ALONE for TWO HOURS surfing the net on his iphone and chatting it up with friends while my mom, dad, and I chased four crazy children around the Children's museum for TWO HOURS....I want to color, I want to dress up, I want to play with the boats, I want to climb the tree and this was ALL AT THE SAME TIME! But all, in all, we had a wonderful visit and all the children told him what they hoped would arrive in their stocking. Sadly, some are going to be disappointed. I am afraid because Santa is not bringing FOUR GUITARS with multi colored flames on them. I hope they will be happy wit what does arrive. I would tell you what they are going to get but then that would ruin the surprise when they happen to check my blog :):):):):):):) I would post a picture of the day but all I have is a vertical one and I have not figured out yet how to rotate pictures to post. sorry! Just close your eyes and imagine.......yep it was pretty darn cute!

All Wii want for Christmas......

I was reading on one of my favorite blogs....

http://www.largerfamilies.com/wordpress/ (check it out!)

about technology and parenting and it got me thinking. (also, she is having a contest and I always love a good contest) My children have been asking for a Wii for Christmas for sometime. They mentioned it last year and I shook it off as a craze and hoped they would forget about it. However, they have not. AND it has only gotten worse. My reasons for being against the system were simple. Why bring home a video game that will place the children in front of a screen when they still enjoy going out with us. Why have them bowl in the living room when they would love even more going to the bowling alley. I felt it would discourage our family time together and cause them to spend more time in front of the TV. My husband disagreed though and he had some good reasons. His main one was sure they like to go out with us, but do we take them? And, we find ourselves having a large bit of downtime on the weekends while the youngest is napping that we are forced to stay at the house that we could be playing with the kids. Good point but I was still not convinced. Well, my mother in law solved the problem. She has bought them a Wii for Christmas. I am so excited for the kids and I have come to peace with my reservations about the gaming system. In fact, having her buy it was the best case scenerio because I did not have to admit that I bought a system for my kids yet they still get one. I guess we all win. Now I just need to make sure the Wii has a place in our life but we do not let it consume all of our time.

Sleep

A good friend of mine over at lovebugandrolleypolley (see her blog in the side note) writes quite often about her family and their sleep issues. I read her posts and feel sorry for her and her sleep deprived self. Well, I am starting to feel her pain a bit. Parker is having some sleep troubles lately and I am not sure of what to do. He seems to be waking up every night sometime between 10:45 and 12:00am. This does not sound like a true problem because it is early on in the night but no fail it is right when I have drifted off to sleep. I could try and stay up and he still seems to wait until right after I fall asleep. Then it takes me quite a bit of time to fall back asleep. We have tried the crying it out method and the immediate response method. I have gone in there and Chad has gone in there. The problem is he is easily soothed and returns back to sleep every time but I am up for awhile and it occurs again the next night. I feel bad for letting him cry because I know this will not go on for ever but he is getting less and less of a sympathetic mommy each night. What it HAS done is reinforced YET AGAIN that I do not want any more children. I am DONE with the middle of the night waking. So, I have resorted to crossing my fingers each night that this will be the night he will sleep though and each night am sadly proven wrong. But maybe tonight???????? Keep your fingers crossed! (the picture was taken during naptime, when of course he sleeps very well! Why can't he look this peaceful in the middle of the night?)

What to do, what to do?????

So it is naptime in the Gill house but for the first time in I do not know how long, my two younger ones are playing happily and QUIETLY together on the kitchen floor. I want to take Parkman up for his nap but I hate to ruin the fun. What to do???????

Facebook

What is this new craze? I have joined Facebook and several of my friends have found me but NOW what do I do? I do not really understand it OR how to work it. It seems to me that they keep creating more and more ways to communicate with others online that pretty soon, we will no longer need to meet our friends for coffee or even call them on the phone. Who finds that a little sad??????? I mean there is something about seeing and talking with good friends face to face. I certainly enjoy it more. SO, I am destined to continue to check my Facebook home on a somewhat frequent basis but I refuse to give up the good old telephone and face to face meetings!

Mommy Sense

My children have what I like to cal Mommy Sense. It is just like Spiderman's spider sense but with my children. NO matter what time I get up, they are very quick to follow. They some how sense my being and want to be with me. They do not seem to be the same way with their father, unfortunately. He can get up and enjoy a nice cup of coffee in the peace and quiet of the house but not me. The minute my feet hit the floor, THEY SENSE IT!!!!!! So, I try to hide in my bed. I try to snuggle down under the covers and not let my feet hit the floor until they are already up. It makes for a more difficult transition in the mornings, but it is better then having to deal with "mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy...." at 7am. So, hopefully, they will outgrow this Mommy sense, but until they do, I take my quiet mornings moments when I can.

Turkey Day

Well our Turkey Day did not go at all as I had planned. Chad woke up grumpy, the kids fought, I fussed, Chad's family was to sick to visit, and Parker has a double ear infection. SO, I chalked yesterday up as just one of those days and forged onward today. I awoke with much anticipation as to how our day was to go. You see, the day after Thanksgiving is always decorate for Christmas day at the Gill house and Chad HATES decorating for Christmas. He loves what it looks like when it is done but hates the process. So , I was afraid the day would go as well as yesterday but I was wrong. Everyone got a good nights sleep (except me and Park, remember the double ear infection?). We all got dressed, went to get our tree, and spent the rest of the afternoon scurrying about the house decorating. We are all done, except for the tree and it is not quite 4pm. That is some GREAT NEWS!! We are going to tackle the tree once Parker gets up from his nap then hopefully snuggle down on front of a Christmas movie. Sounds like a wonderful way to spend the evening together as a family, doesn't it?

Early Dismissal

So my friends and I at the bus stop decided what is the point really of early dismissal days? I mean come on, by the time you get them all off to school, get cleaned up from breakfast, do one or two of the errands you have to run, they are arriving home again. AAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!!! Come one, who really needs to get out half day the day before Thanksgiving? Really, How many of these children are doing the baking and cooking?? Christmas, maybe. In addition, my school district has decided to be closed for 16 days for the Christmas holiday. 16 DAYS!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? What am I supposed to do with the kids that long? Maybe I should tweek my Christmas list a touch for more survival aides for the long break. HHHHHHHMMMMMMMMM........................

Get Ready for BBALL!!!

Well it is that time of year again! BASKETBALL SEASON!!!!! And boy are Chad and I psyched. We love watching pretty much any college team on tv (or in person), especially, anyone in the ACC. SO, I talked Chad into getting season tickets to UVA home games this year and we are taking the entire family to the games. Yes, you read that right, ALL SIX OF US to the games. We head up tonight for the first of what I hope will be many really fun times. Heck, at least it is inside (heated and air conditioned) and USUALLY the games last no more than 2 hours. I know UVA does not have a good team this year but that will probably be better for us as well, not too many close calls and overtime games. AND we will get to watch all the other really GOOD ACC teams. So, if you run out of things to think about tonight, say a little prayer for me and my sanity and hope we have a good time, I am sure we will.......

Perfect Day

Yesterday was the perfect day. We skipped church and hung out in our Pjs for the morning. We had a big family breakfast and a fire in the fire place. We played with the children and the TV did not get turned on ONCE all day! Imagine that! The best part of the day by far was watching Chad make homemade noodles for our dinner with the girls. The following pictures document this labor intensive task he took on. Afterwards, he felt the need to get away from the girls....I guess two entire hours of Daddy time was enough. I did give him 30 minutes then he had to turn it on again for dinner time, bath, books, and bed. I don't mean to sound cynical, but I think God really intends for us to take a break sometimes and enjoy time with our family. Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, right? Anyway, ours was PERFECT!!!

Super Star

Well Barrett got to star in a commercial this afternoon. We have a friend who works for Comcast and he needed some Boy Scouts to star in a commercial with some Richmond Renegades Hockey players and he asked if Barrett would want to join them. WELL OF COURSE!!! What kid would NOT want to get out of school a little early, star in a commercial, AND meet some Hockey players? My neighbor told me he might even have a little bit of a speaking role. I will keep you posted as to when and where it will show.

Peace and Quiet

Kids are quiet and peaceful.... felt the need to post but do not want to waste this precious moment..... more tomorrow OR when things are not so peaceful.....

One Down

One down and so many left. That could refer to the teeth or all the other childhood things she will lose. Right now, I am going to focus on the teeth. Anyway, Logan lost her first tooth this morning. She took it to school to show her teacher and cannot wait to place it safely under her pillow in hopes the tooth fairy aka The Molenator or ROY will visit (anyone seen The Santa Clause 2????) We will see.

A Day in the Life.....

I guess I should say a morning in the life of Chad GIll but you get the picture. I got to spend a few moments this morning experiencing what my husband gets to experience most mornings and boy was it blissful. I woke by the alarm and the house was QUIET. I quickly got dressed and was out the door before anyone stirred. While driving to the gym, I was able to listen to anything I wanted. I arrived at the gym and had no one to check in but myself. I was able to quickly drop off items in the locker room and head to the treadmill, where I was able to run without the constant threat of interruption by the Kids' zone. After running, I wandered into the locker room and took a nice HOT shower without having to lock the doors or share the bathroom with someone else going potty beside me. I dressed at my leisure and even got to blow dry my hair. From there, I had enough time to go to Starbucks and then again drive in peace and quiet while sipping my liquid nirvana, a triple venti soy no foam no whip gingerbread latte.....ALL BY MYSELF! I would have to say, I do not think ANYONE could have a bad day if it starts like that.

I mean, it's okay BUT......

How many of you women out there have heard this from your husbands when you ask them to do something or plans might have changed in some way? Well tonight it certainly happened to me and I needed to share. I had asked Chad to go to work an hour late tomorrow so I could go to my drs. appointment. Yes, my yearly woman check-up. Something so fun for us women that we really should not have to explain why it is we can not take several young children with us. Anyway, I tried to get Chad's attention as he was leaving for his GUYS POKER NIGHT after just having sat at a restaurant for 45 minutes waiting for him to come from work to sit and NOT EAT and then had to rush home bathe 4 kids, finish homework, read, and put everyone to bed BY MYSELF. Wait, I digress, ANYWAY, I tried to stop him to remind him about my appointment in the am. He rolls the window down with exasperation...... and I tell him I would like to go to the gym before my appointment and then shower and leave from there. It is supposed to be raining and I would not be able to run and it did not make sense for me to drive to the gym and return home again before leaving the house at 8:20. So he says, "So I guess that means I would have to get everyone off to school by myself. WEll, I guess I mean that is okay BUT it is more that I was expecting and was asked to do." I guess me asking him to head to work one hour late did not include any parental interaction with his offspring until he had to start the car and drive by the school to drop them off. COME ON!!!!! REALLY???? Like I am asking him to take the day off so I can go to the SPA!!!!!! Either it is okay or it is not and frankly, I don't care which it is because my butt is headed to the gym in the am. Try and stop me buddy!

But Mommy say YES

This is Parker's newest phrase. Anytime he wants something and someone tells him NO, he looks at them and says, "But Mama say YES!" Hey it is worth a try little fella but it won't get you too far. Especially at preschool when you are hitting your friends and the teacher tells you to stop. Yes, I got my first naughty child note home from school and it was from my Two Year old's teacher. Parker, evidently was hitting his friends, not staying in time out, and saying......yes you guessed it.... "but mommy say YES!!!" No mommy did not say we could hit our friends, no mommy did not say you could get out of time out, no mommy did not say you didn't have to listen to you teachers. Do you think this bodes well for things to come? I don't either. Oh well, I guess I deserved to have ONE give me a run for my money in the bunch. At least he is a cute little monkey!

Candy, Mountains, Polls, and more....

Well it has taken me awhile to post and and we have been lots of places. We went trick or treating in our neighborhood, drove to the mountains of North Carolina to visit the cousins, voted on Election day, and got everyone back to school after a five day break. (side note, five day break because the older kids had to take the day off on Friday to go get flu shots and check ups) Over the weekend, we got to scout for food and visit Baby Hunter for some baby time. Today is Monday and we are finally back on our regular schedule so I had a chance to catch up my blog. Phewwwww........
I get to take a breath this afternoon, drink a cup of coffee, and try and finish my book for Book Club. I wonder if I will make it 2 or 3 pages before falling asleep???????

He's HERE!

He's here....
he's here....
he's here....
My nephew made his debut into the world yesterday afternoon and I got to love on him ALL MORNING!!!! There is nothing like new baby smell. His name is Hunter GIll Hodges and is absolutely precious! And to answer everyone's question, NO this does NOT make me want to have another. I am so blessed with my four that I could not ask for anything else. My four are plenty......
Hugs and Kisses to Courtney, Darrell, Hayden, and Hunter.......

waiting......

I am just sitting around my house today waiting to become an aunt again. My sister in law is having her second little boy today, as we speak. After going through childbirth four times, can sympathize with her not wanting to call and update and talk to people but THE WAITING IS KILLING ME!!!!!! Hopefully, it will not be to much longer....keep all your fingers crossed.......

BIG NEWS

WE GOT THE HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL SOUNDTRACK 3!!!!YEAH!!! The kids (park and coop) have spent the past 40 minutes running around the kitchen dancing........too much fun!

Goodness Gracious

Well we went to the grocery store this morning and GOODNESS GRACIOUS food can be expensive. I had a very rude awakening about how expensive it can be to feed a family of six, and sadly realized that it was not going to get any better in the future. In FACT, it is only going to get MORE expensive!!!!! AAAAHHHH!!!!!! I am going to need to take out a second or third mortgage just to feed the family. BUT, I DID get some good stuff and we should be set for at least awhile. We will see?!?!?!?!?!

Yeah for ME!

I did it! I did it! My goal was to try and post at least a little something each day this week and I DID!!!!! It is friday afternoon and things are quiet. Chad is coming home on time and the kids can just relax. Hopefully, these are signs of a good weekend to come. Oh yeah, and I already bought tickets to see High School Musical 3 on Sunday with the crew. I am such a good mom......

Mommy jeans part 2

One of my good friends made a comment the other day about my mommy jean conundrum and I thought I needed to share. It upset me a little but I had to disagree with her. She said now that we were mommies, we would never again be cool and I should buy only for comfort, not for style. WELL, I beg to differ. I think we can have the best of both worlds ( now how many of you burst into Hannah Montana after reading that, because I certainly did:):):)) I think just because we are mothers, does NOT mean we can not be stylish as well. I strive to wear the typical Mommy Uniform with style and flare. Turtlenecks and tee shirts YES but form fitting ones, khakis YES but low rise or boot cut at that, tennis shoes yes but cute fun ones, so jeans YES but Mommy jeans NO WAY! Therefore, I continued my search to find the perfect pair and I went to the denim Mecca of Kohls. They had at least 3 BAZILLION styles, colors, and fits. I tried a ton on and think I found my match! Dark blue, boot cut, mid/low rise AND a NO GAP WAISTBAND!!!! What could be any better? I am going to wear them soon so I will keep all posted on whether I did indeed hit the jackpot. Look for updates soon! I am SURE all of you will be waiting with baited breath...................

The Joy of a Playdate

For anyone out there with younger children, I KNOW you will agree with me when I share my joy about playdates. I know when we were growing up, our moms and dads did not have to plan out our days with playdates and lessons and gym classes but in this day and age it seems to be the norm. I try not to do so. I try o keep each child's life as simple as possible but we still do schedule playdates with those friends we do not see very often. So, as of right now, my house is completely quiet. Parker is napping and Cooper is playing outside happily with a friend. Thank heavens for playdates...... when they go well, they are truly a mom's little gift from God.

in a rut

in a rut....
do not have much to write.....
doing same old same old everyday.......
check back tomorrow!

The Twos

A typical monday in the Gill house. Parker and I spent the morning reorganizing the house and putting everything back where it belongs after super crazy weekend (no crazier than anyone else has with a young family but crazy just the same) The cute thing that happened was while I was putting Barrett's clothes away, Parker was playing fetch with his stuffed dog. He would throw the tennis ball then make DOGDOG run after it and carry it back in his stuffed mouth. TOO CUTE!!!!! Then, he played on the Build A BEar skateboard for another half hour. He was wonderfully behaved while I spent the morning scurrying around. I have now decided that I love this age....2 1/2. He has gotten so fun and cute........ Everything is new and exciting for him. He laughs so deep and smiles so freely. He is willing to help me and shows me how wonderful life is and how good the world can be.........
Remind me of this next time he decides to do something not so cute..........

Sleep anyone???

I guess I should have realized that with four young children and a dog sleep would not be a very abundant commodity in our house but I did think I was past the awful times of up all night since the children are not babies anymore. Well, the past four nights have proven me wrong....here is how the last few nights went:
Saturday- 12:45 Logan woke up, threw up everywhere, and I was up until 4:30, Chad's alarm then sounding at 6:30 for work
Sunday- 11:30, 1:45, 2:30, and some other time when I did not look at the clock Parker was up crying
Monday- Barret came home with the throw ups so all night was slept with one eye open waiting to be beckoned to the bathroom
Tuesday- Cooper woke up three times to go potty and wet the bed
What do I have in store for me tonight? All that is left is the dog or my husband, both of which I might have to threaten with bodily harm so I can get some rest.
I suppose the best way to look at is at some point in the future, I will be having trouble sleeping because it will be too QUIET in the house.

Out to get me

So I could not go for my run today because one of the kiddos was home sick. I think they are out to get me and my fitness levels. Every time I seem to be on a good roll, someone throws up! What is it? This trend does not bode well for my fall and winter if kids are already home sick from school. Maybe I can run again in the spring?????????? AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Mommy Jeans

I need some new jeans. My jeans I have right now are great but I am constantly pulling them up and down and all around so as not to reveal my underwear. As a side note, my friend suggested I change the type of underwear I chose so that when it showed, it was more hip BUT my problem is I do not want my underwear to be HIP and show I want it to NOT SHOW!!! So, I began searching for a good pair of jeans. I tried on 9 pairs at Walmart and found a pair that fit really well. They are No Gap Waistband and are great. I really think they would work well but they are not the coolest style. They look more like Mommy jeans than I would really like. SO, the issue is, buy the jeans that fit well and are super comfy, OR keep the jeans I have that do not fit super well BUT look cool. What to do, what to do???????

My Brave Boy

Things are just about back to normal here after Barrett's surgery. I would say his is pretty 100%, despite the cam cast on his left leg. He has run wild in the yard, played tackle football with friends, gotten on and off the bus without help, and went to school today without his crutches. I am so proud of my little guy, who is so brave. I do not know if I would have chosen to have surgery on my foot and go through what he did. Especially, if it meant not being as mobile for awhile, but as I said before, the cast is not slowing him down a BIT!!!!! I had a picture of him posing but it is vertical and I can't figure out yet how to rotate the photo. So, the Gill household is back to normal, or as normal as a house with four children can be!

Fall Fun

We went to Carter's Mountain over the weekend for the Apple Harvest Festival. The kids and I (and Chad) had a wonderful time. We chowed down on Apple doughnuts, rode a hayride, picked (and ate) apples from the trees, listened to music, and saw some friends. The weather was gorgeous and the children were awesome. We finished the day with a yummy lunch out then home again for quiet time. Here are some pics from our weekend adventure......

Favorite Time of Year

For those of you who know me, you know Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the changing leaves, sweatshirts, colors of orange and reds everywhere, and anything fall food or flavor related.......have apple or pumpkin in the name??? I LOVE it! So, because this is my favorite time of year, naturally I buy the kiddos new Halloween tshirts each year. So, as tradition, I take a photo of them on the first day of October in their new Halloween shirts......
Here it is.....

The boys tshirts read...
Who Needs Halloween? My sister scares me enough.....
It would be more fitting for the girls to have something catchy about their wild brothers but those were not available. Anyway, at least the weather was perfect today for our long sleeve tshirts. Do notice in the above photo Barrett's camouflage cast. He is VERY proud of it!
So, Happy Fall Everyone.......

Little Taste of Freedom

Barrett went to school today for a half day SO I had a little taste of my freedom back. However, I did have Wildman home so it was not completely free. ANyway, I picked him up at lunch and he did great. Hopefully by Friday it will be a full day affair! Keep all fingers crossed.......

Week Two

WEll today is the beginning of week two with the BearMan home. Things are going great. We seem to have weathered out the worst of the storm and he is recovery at an amazing speed each day. I cannot believe this is my same little boy as last week. Anyway, despite the nice recovery, he is still home from school because he is not quite mobile enough for public school days. I MIGHT send him later this week for a few hours because I HATE for him to miss so much (is it that I do not want him to miss anymore school or is he cramping my style??? who knows???) but I need him to be much more confidant on his crutches by himself before I feel safe sending him out into the world again without me. BUT, I am counting down the days until he can go back......

Home again Home again

Well yesterday was Bear's surgery and they already sent him home. In fact, he went from staying overnight to them trying to throw us out before noon. I guess their philosophy is cut him open, sew him up, kick him out! Anyway, the surgery went wonderfully well. The doctor is very pleased with how the foot turned out and with Barrett's response. He is home on the sofa enjoying some one on one time with Mommy (don't let him know I said mommy because he asked for me to stop saying mommy and only say mom but that is an entirely different post) He has a cast and a walker and crutches. we go next week for a one week follow up where he will get to pick a different color cast. He has already chosen camouflage but MIGHT go with black with a colored stripe. Who knows? So we are safe and sound and in our own place, spending good time healing and getting better. Thank you to everyone for their thoughts and prayers. I felt so blessed with each and every note or call. You are all such wonderful friends!

Here and There

Well things are going very smoothly this week but I am feeling a small sense of panic that I will not get everything done before next Tuesday and then even more panic that I will be stuck in the house for multiple week.s I keep trying to console myself by saying it might NOT be three weeks and I might NOT be homebound going stir crazy in my house but I am not doing a very good job of making myself feel better SO I have been running here and there and everywhere trying to cover all my bases. However, no matter all I accomplish, I still find more to do. HUH? Will it end??? Anyway, my wonderful neighbors are bringing us food so I won't have to worry about that. YEAH! No cooking for me for 4 whole days! Chad is trying to cover his bases as well so he has been pretty scarce the past few days but I know I will see him again on tuesday. I am rambling to I am off to dry my hair before the bus stop.

Divide and Conquer

Last night began Chad and I's school year adventure game of Divide and Conquer. When you have several kids and they each participate in activities, invariably these activities will end up on the same day at the same time. We go through it each year and it only promises to get worse as Cooper and Parker get older. Anyway, last night was Back to SChool NIght for Logan and Den meeting for Barrett. My wonderful mom came to save the day and watch the 3 while I scooted of to school and Chad and Barret scooted of to the Fire house. We had decided on this division of duty because I felt I needed to touch base with Logan's teacher and surely Chad could handle getting the necessary information from Cub Scouts. Well I did get what I needed and took notes and asked questions. When Chad arrived home, I quickly asked all the obvious questions. What do you think I got? NOTHING!!! NADA!!! ZILCH!!!!!! He took no notes, asked no questions, found out no information. It was harder than getting my children to brush their teeth to find out what was even discussed. n fact, I am not sure what he DID do besides play with Barrett and sign me up to be a DENNER for the month of October. Yes that is right, next month and I DO NOT KNOW WHAT I AM SUPPOSED TO DO!!!!! AAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!! A little part of me wonders if he probably did it on purpose so he won't have to divide and conquer anymore. Sneaky, huh? Maybe next time, I should send my mom.....

Not much to say

Well I met a friend for coffee today BY MYSELF. I t was the first time my good friend and I had every gotten together without children and both of us were a bit weary of conversation. WOuld we have anything to say to each other? What would we talk about to fill our time? Anyway, we had a super duper wonderful time and in fact, I was almost late to preschool because the conversation kept flowing without a hitch. Of course the majority of the conversation was about children or husbands BUT we did at least have much to talk about. I guess that is the same as working folks talking about their days at work. Anyway, those quiet few hours spent with a good friend were absolutely wonderful. I am looking forward to many other Tuesday like today.......

SURPRISE

Well we had a wonderful surprise over the weekend. MY sister and two nieces came home for a surprise visit. YEAH!!!! It had been three months since we had seen each other and I do believe that is the longest it has ever been. We got to play all night Friday, all day and evening Saturday.... with only a few meltdowns, everyone had a great time. It is so wonderful how comfortable and happy we feel around our own family. Here she has been gone for a while but as soon as she arrives, things are right back to normal..... like no time has past. Mom looked so happy to have both her girls under the same roof for awhile and my kids were so psyched to play with their cousins. Even wildman behaved himself, which is saying quite a lot because he normally likes to pick on Lily. Anyway, she headed back home on Sunday and things felt kind of empty again, knowing she is not so close by anymore. BUT, we have a visit scheduled soon so we get to make the trip down there and see their new town, home, school, stomping grounds. I can't wait!

Fall clothes

This week I decided to ......"GO THROUGH THE FALL CLOTHES" Any of you who know me well, KNOW this is a very daunting task. I have tons of boxes of clothes up in the attic in all sizes and I have to pull each down, sort through what might fit and what won't, make sure and repack those things that don't fit the older siblings in order to have them for the younger ones, have each child try each and every piece on, and then pull out what doesn't fit anymore from their drawers. So, I thought I would do one child a day so it would only take me four days. That didn't quite work. So, after four days of clothes, I have completed Parker's and Cooper's fall attires completely, Logan and Bear have big bins in their rooms to try on and then I will have to put the rest away. I guess that is not too shabby for a few days work. THEN, after they finish trying on the rest of their clothes, I get to go shopping for them. That could be fun if I can find some good deals and sales. Otherwise, trying to buy enough clothes to outfit the family could be very depressing. Luckily, the two little ones need nothing. In fact, they have so many clothes, I gave some away to friends with younger kids. I guess after I am done with the kids, it will be time to tackle my closet. That can be fun or not so much as well. Depending on what does and doesn't fit. Let's hope for some good news on the scales and lots of things to fit. I can not afford to buy myself a new wardrobe as well. (I forgot to mention Chad has lost 25 pounds since last fall so he will be needing new clothes as well) What is a mom to do???????

Just realized

I just realized it has been almost a week since my last post. I am so sorry. I am am Sure TONS of you out there were devastated that you had not heard from me in a whole entire week! Anyway, I have been busy doing the things we SAHMs do everyday. With that said, I gotta scout Lo to her fisrt Hip Hop class. As a side note, I had a GREAT night sleep last night. Has anyone really sat at thought about how a good nights sleep can change your entire day and outlook. I woke refreshed and awake and ready for the day. I was able to handle the daily toils of my children's morning routine. They even all made it on the bus without being fussed at. Pretty amazing, huh? Off to dance......

BYE MA!!!!!

It is one thing to raise children in this world today but it is another thing to attempt to raise children who are confident, self assured, and independent. I saw a small glimpse today how how I am doing and I have to say I am pleased with the outcome so far. My littlest one, aka WILD MAN went to preschool today for the first time. I parked and got out of the car with intentions of walking my youngest into his classroom for the very first time. Instead, armed with his Batman backpack ( a hand me down from Bear because I was too cheap to buy him a new one) backpack he grabbed his sister's hand, tossed me a wave, and shouted," BYE MA!" and off he went. No turning around, tears, or looking back. I was left standing all alone watching through the door as he embarked on his new adventure. I have to say, it made me very proud of our little guy. It took a lot of courage and confidence to go into that new place by himself. I guess Chad and I are doing a good job after all..........

Tomorrow

The house will be clean, tomorrow,
All the little monkeys gone to school then, and I'll be alone.
So thinking about tomorrow, makes me a bit sad but also happy
That their gone.......
Just think of the time I'll spend in quiet,
Think of the things I do all by myself....
The house will be clean tomorrow
All the dishes and the laundry will be done in peace
Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love you tomorrow
Your only a day away...
TOMORROW TOMORROW I LOVE YOU TOMORROW
YOUR ONLY A DAY AWAY!

O Happy Day!

O happy Day! O happy DAAAYYYY! When the school bus comes, when the bus comes, when the school bus comes, when the bus comes, to take the kids away! (to the tune of o happy day in Sister Act 2)
School started today....two down two to go! The other two darlings start on thursday. That is when the real celebration begins! Normally, I am waking my kiddos up and dragging them out of bed in time for the bus but EVERYONE was so excited for school to start that all kids were up, dressed, fed, and outside by 8:10. That is an HOUR before the bus arrives. So, we decided to walk to school because it was such a beautiful day on some many levels! I hope everyone out there who reads this had a wonderful first day of school and I wish a wonderful year to each of your children.
As a side note, Chad called this morning and was feeling a little sad about the new year starting. He was realizing how much the kids have grown and was feeling a little nostalgic. He then said if I loved them as much as him, I would feel the sad also and I told him if he spent as much time with them, he would feel not so sad! I do hear what he is saying and feel the same way deep down. Our kids are getting so big...... first graders and second graders, fours class and twos class. Pretty soon it will be high school and college. If I stopped and thought about it for awhile, I would probably getting pretty choked up but for now I am focusing on the little gifts public school gives me..... going to the grocery store alone, taking an uninterrupted shower, looking at clean floor for 5 minutes! I love my children so much but I really love them more when they go to school! So....sing with me,
O HAPPY DAY!!!! O HAPPY DAY!!!!! WHEN THE SCHOOL BUS CAME, TO TAKE THE KIDS AWAY!

We Made It.....

We ran our race this weekend and we made it! We finished it in 2:31:59. That's pretty good for two nonrunners like Chad and myself. We felt so good afterward. We were tired but not terribly winded or sore the next day. Now we are thinking about what we are going to do next..... we have a busy fall but I think we are going to find a good race in the spring and do it together. We have also already signed up for the Rock and Roll next year! Thanks of all the thoughts and support!

Can I make it?

Some of you might be thinking about the race I am going to run this weekend....whether or not I can make it for 13.1 miles but actually NO, I am talking about the last four days before school starts. Can I make it?? This week has really been a doozy with the kiddos and I am absolutely positive I would not make it another full week if that was the case. My sanity would be compromised and instead of doing dances of joy at a bus stop, Chad would be packing the kids to come and visit mommy at her new "HOME" (aka...the looney barn) Anyway, As i sit here and type this, one is screaming in his room and those other three are slowly but surely demolishing my family room and all items in it. They have taken most furniture apart and now some hammering is occuring. I am a little afraid to turn around! What will my house look like buy tuesday? Take a guess.....

Rain rain go away.....

Well as luck would have it, it rained this morning. The only reason this is important is I had planned an outdoor party for Coop and her friends this morning. I even went to Target last night to purchase a second small pool and pump and had both filled with water early this morning with the sprinkler in all of its glory in between the two pools. Of course, I had no alternative plan. If I had, it would not have rained but I didn't so it did. I made the girls stay outside for as long as they could stand it but 20 minutes into it, they were all freezing, teeth chattering, and huddled up in their towels; therefore, as a good mom of four can always do I IMPROVISED! We played playdough, colored, had a mini dance party and made our own ice cream sundaes to eat on the screened in porch. Not what I had planned or invisioned; however, the girls seemed to love it and Cooper had a wonderful time, so I guess that is what matters. Anyway, the four year old birthday celebrations are over and now we can officially begin the countdown to school starting. One week from today for two, one week from Thursday for the other two.

6 days and counting

So Chad and I run our half marathon in six days. I think we are ready, I hope we are ready, if we are not ready than we can do nothing more about it. We head to Virginia Beach on Saturday, get a good nights sleep and then hit the pavement at 7am sunday morning. Thanks to my wonderful parents, we will get to stay in Va. Beach for Sunday night as well because the award ceremony is that night AND because my parents must love me a ton and lots and bunches and know that I really need a night or two away. I guess they figured watching the kiddos is cheaper than some alternatives, however, wouldn't health insurance pay for the mental institution? Anyway, they are keeping the monkeys for us so we can run and have a some time for ourselves. Thanks mom and dad! I really owe you and love you both a ton! You guys are the BEST!

pics of the beach and my little rock star!

Her are the pics of the beach and my little rock star....

Lots to Say

Okay, so I have lots to say and blog about but instead of doing it in individual posts, I am just going to do one post with all the info in it SO hang with me if it gets a little long. Then, on the next post, I will include all the pictures....
First things first, we just got back from vacation and I can not say ANYTHING bad about it. We had the most wonderful and amazing time last week. We went to Bald Head Island with my inlaws and nephews. We shared a house with 5 other people and then the other four stayed close by. Things could not have gone better or more smoothly. Everyone got along and behaved. It is so much fun to see all the cousins playing together and getting to know one another. Chad did an amazing job separating from work and he was a joy to be with all week. He relaxed and played with us and took a break from work for awhile. You know how sometimes you click with your spouse and sometimes you don't?? ( see previous posts...) Well during the past week, Chad and I definately were clicking. We were on the same page and really enjoyed each other and the children. It can change the entire tone of the house or vacation when you get along so well. It also makes for a peaceful return to the real world. He is at work today but that is understandable but should be home early.
Secondly, we celebrated my little girl's fourth birthday. The actual day was yesterday and we were driving home so we had a party at the beach with her family. We had pizza and noodles and lots of cake. Side note, the cake was store bought and she was SO EXCITED to have a store bought cake. I normally make my kids birthday cakes and this was the first time ever ( 17 birthdays altogether) I bought one. She loved the pink flowers and said it was her best cake ever....sniff...sniff...sniff.. How sad is it that her perception of wonderful is store bought when most kids would KILL to have their mother make their cakes. Anyway, we are going to see my folks tonight and then have a small friends party on tuesday for the big day. Looking at her, it is hard to believe she is four years old. She has always been small but I say what she lacks in stature she makes up for in sass. She has developed into a sweet caring big sister and little sister with lots of fire and spunk. She won't take a lot of grief from anybody, especially her siblings and then sports that super cute smile and all is right in the world. Forever, she has called this her derfday until 3 days ago the word birthday came out of her mouth. It was the biggest sign that my little peanut butter is growing up. So long derfday and dora.... hello hannah montana and camp rock. She certainly is my little rock star! I love you Cooper, Happy Derfday! ( i can not let go quite yet.....)

Been gone but not forgotten

been gone to the beach and had no internet access which I have to say was pretty doggone nice...... no computer, even for Chad! YEAH!!!! BUt as we returned home, I have to spend many the hours catching up on emails and my blogs I love to read. Today is Coop's birthday so we are also immersed in birthday celebrations......I promise to write more tomorrow and some pics of the beach AND the birthday girl! till tomorrow.......adios......

PANTS

This week I have been on the search for pants. Pants for my Logan. Pants that are not too tight or too big, not too long or not too short and I have decided that they do not EXIST!!!! I have looked EVERYWHERE!!!! You name it, we checked it and tried some pants on. HELP!!!! My next attempt will be to order three sizes from Land's end and hope for the best. ( they have plus sizs with the shorter length...) She might have to go to school in leggings for the next few months until she evens out in size. AAAAAHHHHH!!!!! And to top it all off, it really does not help when you factor in her opinion on clothes. She could not be much pickier. I can only hope Coop does not go through the same phase and if so, it is with the same size PANTS!

Couple Days off

I know it seems I have taken a couple days off form blogging but I have been having to share the computer with my three older children. They have gotten attached to Webkinz so any chance they get, they want to use mommy's computer. What that means is, any down time in the house....they are in front of the screen instead of me. Hopefully, we will be getting them their own computer soon so I do not have to share OR I might have to wait until school starts to get a chance to have some time for myself. Anyway, we are headed out for our second beach trip on Saturday, return a week later and then in one week SCHOOL STARTS!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!! Can you sense the excitement in my typing?????? And right before that, we have our race and get a night or two off. How sad is it that I have to be willing to run 13.1 miles in order to get a night off! Well, they have emerged from cleaning their room so you know what that means, if mommy wants peace, Webkinz we are bound.......

Quiet Time

I had a minute of down time. 3 watching a video and i waking from a nap. We went to the gym, pool, lunch out...... I TRIED my BEST to tucker them all out so each one would chill for awhile. I did have enough quiet to take a shower and empty the dishwasher. YEAH FOR ME!!! Oops, spoke too soon, the wild man has been awaken.....gotta go.....

Make me Smile

This picture makes me smile. I do not know why, but it does. It shows my family in a nutshell, six pairs of tennis shoes.... lined up on the steps, waiting for their owners to slip them on and take of for the next great adventure life brings along. We are ready to go!

An Odd Sort of Happy

Yesterday it was decided that Barrett is going to have a tendon transfer surgery done on his left leg in September. We made the choice to do this so as to hopefully eliminate the brace he wears everyday. However, it sounds odd to say that you are happy that your child is going to go through surgery. He has been wearing a brace of some sort for 6 1/2 years and he is done. He is tired of explaining to others what it is and why he wears it. SO, we met with the orthopedic surgeon and he recommended this procedure. It will involve a one night stay in the hospital and 6 weeks of a cast. He will then wear his brace for six months and THEN, in the words of the doctor, "HE WILL BE ABLE TO KICK THAT BRACE TO THE CURB!" Yeah! We are very excited for him and nervous and apprehensive and everything all mulled into one but mostly excited at the thought that he will no longer have to be a little different. It is difficult thought to make the decision for your child the have surgery, elective or not, but we have made the best decision for him. SO, be thinking about us on September 23rd as we embark on this next adventure and hope that doctor is right! If he is, next summer Barrett should be BRACE FREE!!!!!!!

Fresh Start

We have all had those days. The kind that you just want to scratch from your memory the moment it is over. Well, I had not only a day like that but a week last week like that. Things were not jiving in any way, shape, or form. Kids were fighting, Chad and I were fighting, the dog was misbehaving, traffic was terrible, you get the picture. Something had to give. So, come Saturday afternoon, Chad and I had a discussion.... and we decided to forget every part of this past week. EVERY PART!!!! Start fresh on Sunday...
SO, Daddy day was awesome and come this morning, our week looks much better all around. It is really a wonderful feeling to have someone in your life that brings such passion and emotion from you and also allows you to simply forget and start over.
I hope everyone has the chance once and awhile......
Stop, think, breath, and start over.....
It sure is an amazingly freeing opportunity.

ABCD day

So we had ABCD day take four yesterday. That is, Anything But Church Daddy Day episode 4. We ventured to Natural Bridge and the Virginia Safari park. I would have to say I was pretty impressed with both of the places, especially Natural bridge. Then, the most fun part was driving back home via Lexington and we got to visit our old stomping grounds.....VMI and Sweet Things for a milkshake. We were also able to talk about old times and bring up memories from long ago. All in all, the best way to spend a Sunday, with the 5 people I love the most! Thanks Daddy!!!!

Murphy's Law

What are the odds that Chad does not read the blog for months on end and get to enjoy all the wonderful posts I have made about him and how great a dad and such a super duper amazing husband ( I would insert several links to previous posts here but I do not know how) YET he decides to start reading two days ago when I post a slightly mean comment about him. ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? Of course I will probably have to hear about this one as well but what is a mom to do. I am supposed to provide an honest and accurate description of the daily happenings of the Gill family and if for some reason Chad is not shown is a good light every time, maybe he should think about his behavior.
However, the somewhat negative post of earlier this week did earn me a night off from the dogs. He said he would let them out or in in order to avoid another negative comment on the blog. I guess I should take a win however I may get one!

WILD CHILDREN

My children are wild. Especially when it comes to being around water. Barrett and Logan's absolute favorite game to play at the beach was let the wave come crashing in, knock them down and under, and then flounder up......repeat.....repeat....repeat until I could not take it any more and I had to head up to the house with Coopster. THEN, today at the pool Parker started a new game. Run along the side of the pool then jump in at any moment, no matter the depth or the location of mommy. I Love that he is not afraid of the water but give me a break! I think I have lost several years off of my life from all the cardiac arrest over the past 10 days.

Don't even start with me

Have anyone out there ever noticed that when one of the children has a hard time sleeping, that is when Daddy seems to sleep more soundly than anything and then has the GAUL to complain about not sleeping well. The other night Parker was up and then last night Chad thought it was a good idea to tell me he was wide awake and having a very hard time sleeping while Parker was crying but he just didn't have the energy to go and get him. REALLY??? Like I wanted to be brought out of my precious slumber to go and appease the monkey?????? Next time, keep the thought to yourself..... or better yet, GO GET THE CHILD!!!!!

Being the Mommy

So there are definatley times when it is good to be the mommy and times when it is good to be the daddy. Good to be the mommy when the snuggles, kisses, smiles, and laughter are abundant. Good to be the daddy arriving home to four children running out to great you and dinner is ready and all you have to do is sit and play with the kids. Last night I was noticing how good it was to be the daddy when Parker woke up yet again in the middle of the night crying. He was even crying for Chad but I was the one who went in to check on him. As I walked in, grumpy because it was the middle of the night and I was really REALLY asleep and had to get up in a few hours and I left the warm bed with my husband snoring beside me, Parker looked up at me and said , "Wock mama...wock" MY little boy wanted some snuggle time and can you blame him? All day he shares me with his brother and sisters and we go go go.....when does he get that down mommy and park time? Bummer it has to be in the middle of the night but as I scooped up my little monkey and rocked him, I realized it really WAS good to be the mommy sometimes! I can sleep later, he won't want to rock much longer..........

We are BACK!

We are back from Sandbridge. We had a wonderful time and I was really not ready to come back and join in the rat race. Chad left for work 2.4 minutes after unloading the car and will be working through the next 18-20 days until we leave for Bald Head. He seems to take 5 days off and have to make up for it for the next 3-4 weeks. Hopefully though, he will get all finished so he can enjoy our time at Bald Head Island....which is a family trip with HIS FAMILY so he better be there, physically and mentally. I guess those are the joys of owning your own business, you never really do get vacation time.
Any way, I have lots of pictures from the trip and I will not bore you with most of them but these are a few of my favorites.....

Quick Pic...

Here are a few pictures of our vacation so far.......
Do notice, there are none of mommy. All the moms out there unerstand why, if mommy doesn't take the pictures, they would not get taken! We're having fun.... lots of silliness and very little bickering! YEAH!!!!!

Quick Update

Quick update......
we made it to the beach yesterday safe and sound and TRAILER FREE!!!! I would have to say, Chad did not give me enough props for how efficiently I packed us. It is pretty impressive that I got our family of six to the beach in four reasonable duffle bags, three back packs then beach chair and boogie board, and five bikes on a bike rack! Good Job Ginny!!! WIll try to post some photos over the week but I am not promising anything. I am going to try and take a break and a well deserved vacation....
if that is possible with 4 children!

The Trailer

Okay, so you guys know we are headed off to the beach on Saturday for vacation but what only some of you know is, what I like to call..... THE TRAILER ISSUE '08. I guess I really should not put '08 behind it because it has been the issue for the pst few years but only this year do I have a really good excuse. You see, Chad wants to bring the trailer to the beach. Yes, drive the super large suburban AND pull a trailer. How do we NOT look like the beverly hillbillies?????? All I need now is for my mom to ride in the back in her rocking chair. NO JOKE!!!! You see, his main argument was we could not fit the 5 bikes and all of our stuff in the Tahoe, even with the pack on top. Yes, that was true but now we own a Suburban. Can you find a bigger car????? I think not! And, we got a bike rack that holds five bikes!!! We have the pack that goes on top and we should be ready to go BUT NO!!!!! He STILL wants to pull the trailer. SOunds like a no win argument, huh?
However, I saw my first glint of victory today. He is going to have to work on Saturday and drive up late that night so my parents are going to ride with me and then he is going to bring their car later on in the evening. I CAN"T DRIVE WITH THE TRAILER!!!! I have a hard enough time driving the large car but do not try to add another 10 feet in length. I would probably get stuck in the middle of 64 east back to back traffic and not able to move so if he wants to work on Saturday I think we will be leaving the trailer at home. I will keep you posted on who wins the argument because it IS only thursday and a lot can and will happen before Saturday!

Getting Ready

SO we are headed out on vacation on Saturday SO, the preparing for vacation marathon has begun. Why is it that most times getting ready for a vacation takes so much energy that it takes three days to recoup while your on your trip THEN you have to start getting ready to come home. Was there ever a time that things were easy? SHove a toothbrush and a suit in a bag and hit the road? I guess Chad and I have traded that for years of fun vacations, rather Adventures, with 4 kids. Not so much relaxing or fly by the seat of our pants but I would have to say, MUCH MORE FUN! and, the best part is we will be at that point in our lives again (in about 17 years) so we get the best of both worlds......( and yes I did phrase it this way because I think we are on episode 7 of Hannah Montana in the other room!) Anyway, the kids are happy and I am able to post on my blog! I LOVE the video babysitter!

Day with Daddy 3

Okay, so here are the clues Daddy gave us........
1. We are going to a place
2. Parker is dressed very appropriately (he was wearing orange and blue)
3. It is the house of a person whose first name is the same as Granddaddys
(do you know yet?????)
4. He was the founder and designer of UVA
5. He was a president
6. He wrote the Declaration of Independence
You guessed it! We went to Monticello and had am amazing time. Again, all four children behaved and the older ones even got something out of the trip. They were able to tell Nana and Granddaddy lots of facts they learned over dinner.
Way to Go DAD!
Pictures are to follow...........

I forgot

I forgot to post a picture of out outing last weekend so here it is. The four kids at the Aviation museum!

First Real Day of Summer

Okay, so this morning started off my first real day of summer. I say that because it is the first morning since summer started that my children have fought. And I mean really FOUGHT!!!! They started the morning screaming at each other and it escalated to hitting and spitting by 9:20 am....(fyi: they did not get up until 8:30) And the BEST part of the day was I had to take them to the grocery store! What fun! Let me tell you, I could not ask for more fun on a friday morning!
It IS finally quieter here now because Bear has gone to a friends' house for a sleep over and Cooper has a friend over. Logan's friend will be arriving in an hour then Cooper's goes home and we are going to have a girl night sleepover. Pizza, ice cream, and a movie! Want to come along? I am sure Chad will change places with most anybody if he was given the choice.

Super Find

So I heard several comments about my flip flop quandry and I thought I would update everyone on how it was resolved. I found some great flip flops called SWITCHFLOPS at a local drugstore. YOu can CHANGE THE STRAPS.....Yes, you heard me right, CHANGE THE STRAPS.... So, you buy a base flop, then you can make the straps match any item of clothing you want. They sell over 40 different tops for the shoes. YEAH!! the best part is, my MOM AND DAD got them for me AND 3 CUTE tops. SO, I now have black, brown, and a PRECIOUS yellow daisy strap. And, I have the ability to match a whole lot more! Hip Hip Hooray!

Really Big step.....

So I took a really big step yesterday, in fact it was more of a jump or leap! WE SOLD THE CRIB!!!!!! And all the bedding to go with it. WOW! I am not sure if I feel relief or sadness. I think it is a little of both. I got some cash that I am now gong to use to decorate my little boys new room. I can't call it the baby's room anymore now. He is a little boy. Next step, potty training.....
Actually, it will be awhile for that. As I said in an earlier post, close you eyes and imagine me with all four this summer trying to visit every public bathroom in richmond in order for Parker to go potty AND lugging all four out of the pool on a very frequent basis for the same reason. Now open your eyes, NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! Maybe this fall.......until then, my little boy will continue to grow up and play with new toys and sleep in a big boy bed BUT the little part of me who misses the baby can keep changing diapers.

Day with Daddy take 2

Okay, I know you have all been waiting until this next post to see where in the world Chad was whisking us off to this week for Daddy Day. Well, we had a few constraints this week so we did not travel as far. The Park Man has Hand Foot and Mouth AND an ear infection SSSSSOOOOOO, we did not want to spend long amounts of time in the car. We went to the VIrginia Aviation Museum and everyone LOVED running around looking at the airplanes. We then got to go out for a pizza lunch and go see Kung FU Panda AND get popcorn/candy/treats. I think the concessions at the theater were the biggest hit BUT we were all together and did somethings that we do not normally do. We had good together and Parker really hung in there like a champ. Yeah for Daddy two weeks in a row......
Stay tuned for the Next adventure of....... DAY WITH DADDY.......

big Big BIG BOY

Well we did it this weekend. We moved Parker OUT of his crib and into his toddler bed. I have to admit, I was a little sad but his pure excitement definately curbed my sadness a little. He was runing around like a crazy man saying, "BYE BYE BED.....HI new bed!" So, now I need to decorate it up and I think I will feel better. We have already broken down the crib and are selling it tomorrow. Sadness...... no more little bity babies all swaddled up in our home. We have now moved on to blankets and toys and big boy beds.

Flip Flop Quandry

Here is my problem, I got some wonderful flip flops last summer that I adore but they are looking a bit worn SO I am thinking f purchasing new ones BUT what color do I get? The same ones? Brown? Black? I could get three pairs but spending more on flip flops than groceries this week is not an option. Also, do I really need new ones NOW, we are almost a third the way through summer???? What to do.....what to do.....

Day with Daddy

Okay, so Chad has decided to institute a new "tradition" for the summer and we had it's first trial run yesterday. He claims it is part of his "ABC" program (anything but church) and it involves the family going somewhere and doing something or experiencing something we would not normally do together. As I said, yesterday was the first go of it and IT WAS GREAT!!!!! Before I go on and share with you our adventure, let me explain a little bit of its origin. Chad and I and the kids have been attending a wonderful church for about 5 1/2 years and we really enjoy it. We love the people, the children, the atmosphere, and the location. However, lately it has not been hitting us. We find ourselves making any excuse there is to not go on Sunday mornings. We don't truly enjoy service and our Sunday School has been not as interesting to us as well. We have given it several tries lately because the kids love it and I KNOW you get out of church what you put in it but after yesterday...... I am all about a little break. Chad decided we would go out into the world and experience God's wonder hands on. Each week he will pick a new place and give us clues as we travel to our unknown destination. Yesterday, we ended up at Lurray Caverns. It was AWESOME!!!! SPECTACULAR!!!! AMAZING!!!! And I do not mean only the caverns. The children got along, no fighting, Chad was in a great mood and we really spent some wonderful family time together which we do not do enough. In addition, we saw some of the most amazing sights..... true evidence that God does exist!
So, we are going to be a taking a little break for a few weeks and try out Day with Daddy. Maybe, after seeing his work in the real world, we can be more attuned to him within our church setting. I certainly hope so.
Below, is a picture of us inside the caverns....

WIndow of Opportunity

Okay, so all mom's and dad's know there is a window of opportunity with all children, even more so when you are out in public. Now, while this window is open, the children laugh and play, get along and generally follow the rules. HOWEVER, once that window begins to close WATCH OUT!!! I had the most excellent example of this window not only slamming shut but shattering and broken glass covering all surfaces. We went out last night with my parents, sister, her husband and the 7 children for dinner, ice cream, and a build a bear visit. We did this last night because my sister moved away today. She has lived in Richmond all her life and she is now moving to Cashiers, NC for Jack to take a new job. SO, we were out celebrating our last night and for the first hour and a half the seven children were spectacular! They were Stellar! They were so wonderful, my sister and I did not want the evening to end. Unfortunately, that window I spoke about earlier, not only began to close but as I said before SLAMMED SHUT AND SHATTERED GLASS FLEW EVERYWHERE. One minute we had 7 happy children, the next Rylie is screaming because Parker took a huge chunk of her arm ( I told her he wanted to have some of her to keep once she was gone) Parkers is screaming because he is being punished, Cooper is crying because she wants me to carry her and Lily is too pieces because her playmates are now leaving. So, my sister and I quickly hug each other and each of the kids and we have to wisk everyone away to our homes. Not the good bye we were really looking or hoping for! To top it off, I was rocking Parker before putting him in his bed and he decided to vomit all over me. FUN FUN FUN!

Internal Chatter

I have just finished reading my newest book for book club and it has brought up an interesting point. The boo is called My Stroke of Insight and is written by a neuroscientist about her personal experience of suffering a stroke at age 37. SHe is a stroke survivor and talks about what she went through and what she learned during and after her experience. One of the main things she discusses is losing the internal dialogue or chatter between her left and right part of her brain. She talks about how wonderfully liberating and freeing it can be to have silence in your head. Well I started thinking about this more and more and realized that there is no way to turn of my internal dialogue. Every time things seem to be quiet or passive, my brain starts not only having a dialogue but a full blown discussion between itself. I have tried and tried to quiet some part just to experience a little of the peace the author describe but I have had no luck. It seems that the more I try the louder the conversation gets until both parts are screaming at the top of their lungs and I am saying BE QUIET< CALM DOWN< STOP TALKING< in other words, it sounds like a typical breakfast table in my house on any given day. So I guess I was just wondering if anyone out there in cyberspace had ever figured out a way to quiet the chatter and have some quiet?