The Alumni Game

Last night I played in my high school's alumni basketball game. I was shocked to find out I was the oldest alumni participating at the ripe age of 34. I had a great time and am feeling pretty good - not too much soreness in my body. So I guess my youth is still on my side. Matt and his brother Drew came along with John and James. Once I found out it was an 8pm game I didn't feel I could have Patrick and Tommy attend. They would be miserable once bedtime came around. Luckily Kathy called me to thank me for the wonderful chocolates I sent her home with on Sunday so I could ask her to watch the boys. I got two t-shirts for participating. It was fun going back in the old locker room. I remember when I was playing how it felt like I lived there. I don't know why but I didn't think to bring the camera. I was very nervous about embarrassing myself. I don't think I did but I had an opportunity to make a basket and missed.

Tommy is still doing well. I just found another tooth on the bottom just breaking through. I was brave enough to stick my finger in his mouth this morning when I made the discovery. His top teeth aren't all the way through so it wasn't to dangerous. His hands are looking better to me although they are still sensitive. Last night I let him just "play" in some water to get his hands clean and he did not like it - the water was more cold than hot. He definitely knows what we are up to when we lay him down on his changing table. As I was getting everything ready Matt had him in his room where he was crying then he took him out in the hallway near the boys and he stopped crying.

We had a nice visit with my cousin Ashley and her son Matthew yesterday. Matthew is about 1 month and a half younger then Tommy but he is one active little boy. He is already walking. Tommy seemed to enjoy him and Matthew definitely enjoyed all the boys.

Tomorrow I go back to the Spa in the morning to finish up the Spa Package I purchased last week. I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully my hands will be super moisturized. They seemed to be doing better since I had my facial. I didn't realize that when you get a facial your arms, hands and shoulders also get moisturized with lotion. I'm also wearing rubber gloves when I do the dishes so I think that is helping too.

My mom called me from work today just to chat. Apparently the church has unlimited long distance so she took the liberty to call. I think that is hilarious that she did it. I think she was folding bulletins at the time so it wasn't like she was not working - she was just multi-tasking!

Christmas Morning

Here is how it all went down on Christmas morning.

We had a wonderful visit with my parents. It feels like it went to fast. James is busy playing with everyone's toys. John is playing Wii. Patrick finds trouble from time to time and Tommy is trying to cope with getting teeth and his hands healing.

Tommy's hands are looking better. Some of the dead skin on his palm came off last night. I think he is getting used to the gauze on his hands. He hasn't pulled them off too much in the past two days. I think his pain now is from his teeth breaking through and he now has a runny nose. Sometimes he doesn't mind playing on the ground or moving around but other times he just doesn't know what he wants so I let him cry on the ground where he rolls around. You would think he would be happy as nobody is trying to restrain him. He has a bad habit where he likes to rock and hit his head. Now when he throughs these tantrums he goes from the sitting position to throwing himself on to his back.

James had a perfect day yesterday! This is his second one. He is proud of himself plus he got his reward car back.

I think we are all set for New Year's Eve. I have ginger ale and chips for the kids. It will be interesting to see how late John and James stay up.

What a day!

Tuesday was full of promise - I was scheduled for a Spa treatment and we were to get ATT Uverse installed. Well I made it through my facial when my cell phone began ringing. It was Matt telling me that Tommy burnt his hands on our fireplace in the basement and they were on the way to the hospital and Lori had the kids. Tommy has second degree burns on both hands. I had to take him to the burn unit at Metro Health Medical Center to have it dressed properly and learn how to dress it myself. We will go back next Friday for a follow-up. The good news even though his thumb had a blister on it they said he didn't need it wrapped so he could still suck it. He was miserable when he couldn't have his thumb. The good news is I'm going back next Wednesday to finish my morning at the Spa.

ATT was to show up at our house what I thought was noon. Apparently it was a window of 12-2. Right before 2 they called and said it would probably wouldn't be until around 4pm they would show up. The guy finally arrived and went to work. After an hour of work he told us the sad news we were about 2000 feet too far from the box to have the proper signal for the service. I am so bummed out. I think I feel really bad because I had cancelled our service with cable because the new billing cycle started on Tuesday and why pay for another month when you just were going to cancel. So now I have to call them back to get a us reactivated. Hopefully they can send a truck out this morning. I don't think Patrick will understand when he wakes up why we can't watch the Wiggles. He is starting to wake now - so wish me luck!

Twas the week before Christmas

And now its time to put planning into execution. Sunday I made cut out gingerbread cookies. I even decorated them with frosting. They turned out really good so I think I will continue that tradition next year. Yesterday I made peanut butter cookies with the Hershey Kiss. But as I discovered last year, a mint Hershey Kiss is much better than the regular chocolate ones. I decided it is the Hershey Kiss cookies that Matt should enter into his cookie contest at work.

My Aunt Judie passed away last Saturday so that added a little more craziness to the week as my parents came in for the funeral on Tuesday. I took the boys to the funeral mass and they were very well behaved. I had my parents there in case someone other than Tommy needed to be held. The boys knew that Wendy's for lunch was the reward for good behavior so I think that helped.

Last night I ran an "errand" to my storage unit and got some things wrapped. That takes some more pressure off of me for next week. Now this weekend I need to make the sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles and chocolate chip cookies. I'm debating on making the chocolate chip cheesecake squares - but they are yummy and easy to make.

Yesterday John almost got hit by an impatient driver as he crossed the street after school. The lady in the car made me uneasy before he was even off the bus as she was at the apron of the driveway where I would pull out the van. John's bus was not too far away from that on the other side of the street. Then for some reason John wasn't one of the first kids off the bus like normal which got my mind racing as to where he was at. Then as John was crossing the street the lady inched up and that is when I began to yell at her - her windows were up so I don't think she realized how furious or scared I was. I think my yelling scared John as he began to cry once he got into the driveway. Today and from now on if there are cars I am going to walk out in the middle of the street so they realize someone from the bus is crossing the street. The person in the car wasn't a teenager - it was someone who should know better.

Today I took the boys to get their haircut. They all look handsome. Tommy was included in this haircutting session as his hair was growing over his ears again and I would rather have a professional try and cut it rather than me. He looks cute. Once he turns one I will have more of his hair cut but for now he will just have to be trimmed. The guys who cut the boys hair are always super nice. They only charged me for 3 haircuts and wouldn't take a tip (maybe it was good I brought a dozen cookies from them ;-)

I'm looking forward to tomorrow. John has his holiday party which I will be attending. Next week will be fun and busy too.

On Monday I'm meeting with my "virtual" boss to go over some new things he would like me to work on. Then in the evening we are going to the Farmpark to build a toy and hopefully have an enjoyable evening. The boys have been a bit scared of the animals but James has been asking to go so hopefully not too many tears will be shed.

Then on Tuesday I am using a gift certificate I got from my Pfizer team when Tommy was born. I'm going to get a facial, manicure and pedicure. I'm excited for the "me" time. I think being inside so much is getting to me as I'm yelling at the boys a lot. I hope I can start taking a deep breath and finding some patience. Then that afternoon AT&T is coming to install U-verse for our TV, phone and internet. Hopefully that won't be too difficult. We'll have to move the kids toys and clean up the computer area in the basement before they come.

My parents are coming back into town for Christmas next Tuesday and they will be staying until Friday possibly Saturday morning - it all depends on the weather where they live. When they returned home from the funeral they were about 35 minutes away from their house when they hit snow and it took them about 70 minutes. My mother does not travel well in inclement weather. She is not fun. I remember when I was pregnant with John - Matt and I traveled to Girard, PA the day after Thanksgiving just to buy Yuengling as gifts. Some of those roads off the lake were a little hairy! To this day Matt and I talk about how fun and crazy that was!

Could it be the light at the end of the tunnel?

I'm talking about James and potty training. John was invited to his first birthday party tomorrow. The kid who has his brother bring him over to play considers John to be his best friend. After I discussed with Matt via email whether or not we should let John attend, I then asked John if he would like to go. James said "No! Who is going to watch us?" I said John will be at the party and you will be with Daddy and your brothers. Well that just started a tantrum that went up the stairs and woke Tommy. He was lucky nap time was almost over. He insisted that he had to use the restroom. We shall see how he is tomorrow or when Matt comes home from work.

I'm a bit annoyed with John's teacher. Last week according to the school newsletter interim reports were to go home. His teacher has missed some time because apparently she moved into a new home - I only know this because her sister cuts my hair. I sent a note and an email asking if John was to have brought one home - to which I have had no reply. If the answer is no just tell me there isn't a report this quarter - but to leave me hanging is really getting under my skin.

Tommy is really moving and grooving up the stairs. He had a bit of a rough night last night that I think is all due to his first tooth. He was up a few times - luckily before I was in bed before the night. The tylenol seemed to be the trick to get him through the night.

St. Nick and Birthdays!

This was a crazy weekend as it was St. Nick's Day and Patrick's birthday. I guess this will always be crazy because both dates will never change! The boys enjoyed their presents from St. Nick - Cars for John James and Patrick and a baby flashlight for Tommy. St. Nick should have given Tommy a Cars car but he wouldn't get the full benefit out of it or his brothers would always play with it (that is exactly what is happening with Patrick's). They also got Shrek the Halls. That was more for me than them.

Patrick had a wonderful birthday - I suppose. He found himself in trouble a lot by doing typical 2 year old things. I think he really enjoyed all his presents he received. The fact that he is talking a lot earlier that James or John did it makes me think he is a lot older than 2. The cake I made was very tasty. I saw a recipe in the Krafts Food Magazine that was for cupcakes but I just made it into a cake. I made the cake part on Thursday. Instead of frosting I used Cool Whip to frost the cake. Then on top it was to have crushed candy canes on top - which I did. However, when I stored it in my Tupperware cake thingy the candy canes melted. It still tasted good - but I was bummed out that the candy canes melted.

I think the kids need a day outside and tomorrow might be the day. They are super whiny and not listening. Tomorrow the weather is to be a lot warmer and rain. I don't think I will care if they go out in the rain. I will just have to watch to make sure John doesn't get too muddy. I wish Tommy could enjoy the outside too - maybe I'll let him crawl everywhere and change him when he gets inside.

We had our pictures taken for the church directory. In January they will be celebrating their 60th Anniversary. The picture turned out pretty good. Tommy wasn't smiling - but he didn't smile in any of them. The other boys looked nice. We actually had a few pictures that Tommy was sucking his thumb because the photographer was more concerned about the other boys that he didn't notice to tell me to get his thumb out!

Sights and Sounds around our house!

Tommy is now walking with a walker. He is very proud of himself when he is walking. He smiles very big and kind of makes a snorting noise. He actually walks better then any of his older brothers did with the walker. He has great control.

Tommy is now eating table food very well. He is now getting more in his mouth and he enjoys drinking any drink out of a sippy cup. I still give his morning and evening milk from a bottle but we will slowly work out of that routine.

Patrick is and always be one determined little boy. He likes to do things for himself. This past week he has really mastered the skill of taking of his tennis shoes to which he exclaims "I did it! I did it!"

We can tell Patrick has German in his blood. When he talks about books or socks - he pronounces the K very hard.

John continues to read everything and anything. We have been playing Christmas music on the TV - it is a digital channel that plays music - not videos. But they have the name of the song and artist and then little facts about Christmas. John tries to pronounce every artists name. My favorite is Frank Sinatra - he once said it was Snotrod! I think his favorite song is Burl Ives "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas". He keeps singing it over and over.

James has an excuse for everything and he always tells you "Because . . . "

All the boys ate their thanksgiving meal very well. I knew John, James and Patrick would but I was very impressed that Tommy did too. They all love my spinach dish I made. I made the spinach dish instead of mashed potatoes. Of course they were all asking where the potatoes were!

Today we decorated our tree. The boys were very excited to see their favorite Hallmark Ornaments. I hope the ornaments and the tree survive this holiday season! Tommy has not been around the tree yet since it has been up - so stay tuned for those updates!

Busy week!

With Thanksgiving this week it has been a busy week of preparing. I'm cleaning the house, baking the goodies and getting everything set for the holiday season we are about to embark. This morning I just gave the boys haircuts. It is snowing so bad that I don't even want to think about taking 4 kids out with hats, gloves and boots on. I actually thought about it for 5 minutes but Tommy was up early for him and I didn't want to deal with him being cranky and taking a gamble that Patrick may not cooperate. I took the boys to Lowes yesterday to get some moulding for the basement bathroom. We didn't have enough time to look at all their Christmas decorations so I'm anxious to get back there. They have the most enormous blow up decorations I've ever seen.

Friday is the big decorating day in our house and hopefully outside too! I'm sure the boys will enjoy. We will have to see how Tommy does. He is just starting to walk pretty well with a toy walker. He is so proud of himself. I can see him and Patrick getting into trouble with the tree very easily.

Tommy's new phase

My hands are officially full as Tommy is now into his latest phase of exploring everything more than ever. He is trying everything from new foods to climbing the stairs and even low lying furniture. Of course for the last two months he has had the opportunity to watch how Patrick does it. He is now imitating him as you can see in the picture. Patrick always thinks its fun to slide across the end table. You can see how pleased Patrick is that Tommy has picked up this skill very fast by the smirk on his face. Now in the other picture - Patrick has entered a new phase which the other boys weren't too bad with - taking off our clothes for the fun of it. James likes to take his clothes off at nap time but at least he is in the privacy of his own bedroom. Patrick has no shame. I'm hoping these two phases will go very quickly!

I went back to the mall today because the red shirt I exchanged for the red jacket just didn't look right on me. When I wore the black sweater to church last night I knew this beautiful sweater would look great not only for the pictures but the holidays too. So I thought I would check to see if they have any comfortable looking sweat pants. I found a whole rack of them - they were on sale for $10. They had a variety of colors but the color I wanted - gray - they only had a couple left and they were too big. So I thought I would look in the Lands End section to see if they had any on sale. I never made it down to that section as I found another section that had the same $10 sweatpants. When I was looking at the size they said petites. I grabbed an XL - which looked like it would be the right length. Since I was without any kids I decided to try them on because I did not want to make another trip to the mall. They fit perfectly! After 4 kids I can wear petites!! Not really but it sounds good! And they are very very comfy!

We do not have our Christmas tree up yet but we are playing a lot of Christmas music and even pulled out the Christmas DVD's. The kids have enjoyed it greatly. It helps that it is snowing too!

James actually made it to 10 stars yesterday for potty training. Today he has fallen off the wagon - BAD 3 yucky diapers. I owe him a frosty but told him he better start pooping in the potty again so he can get the frosty. I was not going out last night in the driving rain when he reached his 10th star. He better step it up if he wants to play outside in the snow with the big kids.

I got out to the store yesterday afternoon during nap time. I decided that we would get Patrick Elmo Live for his birthday. I know he will enjoy it greatly. I feel bad because his birthday is in the same month as Christmas that I don't know which present should be for his birthday or Christmas. I think the emphasis should be on his birthday so that is why Elmo is his birthday present. I think Santa will be bringing him some pretty cool toys too! I was lucky enough to get the last one that Target had!

Our visit with Santa

Today was a fun day for everyone - maybe except Matt who did not partake in the Santa fun. I know the kids were a little revved up by the way they were picking on each other, fighting and just down right getting under my skin. We left for the mall early so to let Tommy get some sort of a morning nap in. Unfortunately he did not fall asleep until we almost got to the mall. My hope was to get him in the stroller or into the mall with him still asleep but that did not work out. We had lots of time to kill so I decided to join the mall walkers and enjoy some window shopping which I never get to do! The kids tolerated the walk pretty well even though we passed the play area and another cool rides area. We went back down by Sears because I decided to return the jacket I bought on Monday deciding that I probably could use the money for something else. My intention was to return the jacket and not see anything else but I did find a blouse/shirt that was about $10 cheaper and left the store with that! Then it was time to go see Santa. The picture takers greeted us and was telling me about their picture plans - skip the talk lady I just want a CD and 5x7 photo. "We are under a new company and don't offer that" was her reply. Ok - I'll just take the CD. We were allowed access to Santa now and as I was unloading the little ones I had John introduce Santa to them. At this point Patrick wasn't jumping out of the stroller so I knew he would need a little help. I first put Tommy on Santa's lap and then Patrick. I had James and John get on each side of Santa. The ladies had me get by them so I could have the boys looking at the camera and hopefully getting a smile. I tried to do a quick "going to getcha" on Patrick but that was making matters worse. So the lady snapped two pictures and I said ok - he isn't going to smile - the second one is cute. I then held Tommy and Patrick as we spoke with Santa. John and James were pleased that Santa said he would come to our house on Christmas Eve. This Santa is so good he was sure to tell them to clean up their toys and listen to your parents. The kids all got Candy Canes. After we paid for the CD we went by the Holiday Train and it was a Santa Miracle that someone was working the train. It was $2 per ticket or 4 tickets for $7. I said - oh can I hold the baby on the ride then? The girl working the train said they normally charge for an adult but since no one was around she would let me slide. So John James and Patrick got in the first train - John took the lead on working the bell. Tom and I got in the 2nd train and waved at them. It was a pretty fun ride although I'm a bit tall for the train. We headed home with the kids eating lunch a bit early so we were sure to have plenty of time for John to get ready for school. Tommy decided when I got him out of the car he still needed to nap so I put him down in his crib. Then John was like can I see the picture? I said sure let me go downstairs and print one out. That is when I discovered the CD was blank! I was starting to freak out - the Santa folks have no phone - how can I tell them not to delete the picture?? I called my neighbor who's son catches the bus at our house and asked if she could watch John and Tom. She said she could so I got Patrick and James and back to the mall we went. Luckily we were their only business for the day and they keep the pictures they take for the whole season - so I would have been ok to go back another time - in case this didn't work again today. James and Patrick just looked at the ground as we waited for the CD to burn. They were too shy to talk with Santa again!

Way to go James!

With the little snow we have on the ground James decided he wants to play outside in it. I decided that it is time I play hardball. I told him that he could play in the snow once he starts telling me he has to go to the bathroom and actually go. He said right then and there he had to go and he went. He earned his first sticker last night John was excited and then asked how many more does he need to get - I said at least 9 for a Frosty. Today as we were getting John ready to go off to school James was sad because he said he wanted to go. I told him he knows what he needs to do in order to go to school. A few minutes later I decided it was time for James to use the bathroom. At first he resisted but once he got to the bathroom he asked to sit on the potty and read a book. I left him as John's classmate arrived to get on the bus. A few minutes later James announced he was pooping on the potty! He earned 2 stickers even though I initiated the bathroom break because it beats cleaning up the mess in a diaper!

Patrick ended up falling asleep early during Sesame Street while I was feeding Tommy his lunch. That meant he was up a bit earlier than normal. He started to call my name before John got off the bus. I sat him by the side window and made him watch as I got John off the bus. But all hell broke loose when we came in. I was talking to John about his day and the next thing I know Patrick is in Tommy's room waking him up. I quickly got him out of the room and closed the door. As I was comforting Tommy back to sleep I heard Patrick moving the step stool in the bathroom around. Can this kid stay out of trouble?? Luckily Tommy was back to sleep in no time and with the help of John was able to get Patrick the hell out of there!

Holy Crap!

Well the kids are at it again - giving me good blogging material! Tommy has decided climbing steps is within his capabilities. Luckily he doesn't climb them all the time so I don't have to have another gate up . . . YET!

On Saturday John commented on how today was Saturday and we go to church today. Matt acknowledged that he was correct and asked him what his favorite part about going to church was. John's honest reply - "going home!" I guess we don't have a priest in the making after all!

Today John had no school because of Parent-Teacher Conferences. So I took the boys to the mall we had a great time despite the first of I'm sure many Lake Effect Snow squalls of the winter. I had the kids wear their lighter winter coats with hats and gloves so it would be a little less crazy when jamming them in the basket of the stroller. We started off by getting there before the mall opened - that did two things - got us out of the house sooner and let them play in the "kids area" which still left time for some shopping. Before we left I searched online for every printable retail coupon I could find for the stores I planned on going to. It worked out great as I used everyone but one and the one I didn't use is the store we didn't go to! I was SHOCKED today with the fact that Santa was at the mall already. I wish I had known because that could have been one more thing off of our list - now I am going to have to squeeze it before school one day soon. If John didn't have an orange Cars shirt on I would have probably went for it but I just couldn't do it. The kids still chatted with Santa from behind the ropes at a safe distance. James told him he wanted Cars, John told him he wanted to Legos and we guessed for Patrick and Tommy. James offered up a suggestion to Santa that Patrick wanted cash. I told the boys we must go back again and get our picture taken and tell him want you want again as he might forget being so early. Hopefully the train ride will be going so I can bribe them to get closer than 50 feet!

The kids were good enough that I could actually shop a little for myself at Sears. They had a great sale. I was looking for something that I could wear for the holidays and our family photo for our church. They are going to have a photo album for their 60th anniversary. I found a nice sweater and jacket. I was also able to find some "holiday" pants for Tommy. I found out last night when we took our holiday pictures that the bibs that went with the outfit he was going to wear were a little short. I'm hoping the size I bought will work - I will try them on him soon. I broke down and bought John dress shoes. He looks so nice in his khaki's, white dress shirt and tie that I can't let him wear his dark tennis shoes. The brown shoes are nice and I had a coupon!

James decided he wasn't tired this afternoon so I let him stay up. As I'm typing this John is playing Wii and James fell asleep in the chair. He will be sorry at 4pm that he didn't go to sleep sooner! Ok - I need a drink - unfortunately of the non-alchoholic kind!

Awesome weather!

The past two days have been fantastic weather wise. John had off school on Tuesday due to the teachers having an in-service day. So with the weather being super warm we headed off to the zoo! The Cleveland Zoo has just begun a major remodeling stage for their elephants plus there is a bridge that goes over the zoo that ODOT has torn down and are now in the process of rebuilding. They must be getting closer to finishing the bridge because you can no longer walk to one section of the zoo - you have to take their tram service. The zoo and ODOT planned for this closure because they knew the attendance would be down with the colder weather. I was bummed because this is my favorite part of the zoo as it houses the wolves, bears and sea lions. The tram that was going to this area was very small - maybe 3 rows for people to sit in with no other cars attached. Normally their trams have 3 cars attached to the main car tram. With the double stroller I wasn't going to wait or inconveince a lot of people. So we took another tram up to see the monkeys and fish and their play area. After we spent time up there we walked back down the big hill to see the giraffes and rhinos. After that the kids were pretty much toast so we headed home. After what seemed like an abbreviated nap time, we hung outside again and had a late dinner. I am happy the next few days will be nice!

James said to Matt on Sunday - knock knock - who's there - James - James who? - James Keough loves you! TOO cute!

Kid police and the garbage truck

John has been on "Kid Police" lately. What I mean by this is that he is sticking up for his brothers when I need to do what a parent has to do to ensure their safety. Like last week we went to Target and we purchased a few things. It left me carrying Tommy, a package of diapers, my purse and then Patrick did not want to cooperate when it was time to "walk" to the car so I had to carry him as well. He is so lucky he did not get dropped on his head as he was wiggling the whole time. When I got to the car I gave him a little push to get into the car to which John called me out saying that I pushed him. Why of course I did - it is for his safety otherwise he could get hurt a lot worse! I think later in the day I was saying something under my breath in frustration and he said I was the worst mother in the world! That landed him right in time out. He seems a little better this week of course we have not gone to too many stores because with the super high winds I don't want to go out! I'm sure he enjoys getting away going to school. Although he told me he does not like his teacher because she yells a lot. I told him she needs to discipline the kids who do not behave so he learns what she is teaching.

Speaking of Patrick, he is my garbage truck. I think he loves Tommy most of the time. After all, he likes to feed him his "baby food". However, after Tommy is gone from his chair Patrick is quick to gobble up the leftovers - even the ones that fell in the chair! I have to monitor that he doesn't over stuff Tommy. I'm impressed at how well Tommy eats little table food lately. I think I might try some Stage 3 food with him next.

I'm getting ready for the boys to have their Christmas portraits taken. I got John a dress shirt, khaki pants and tie over the weekend. I also bought James a sweater vest. Tommy is all set - he is going to wear the adorable outfit James wore for his first Christmas. I need to go to the storage unit to see what I have for Patrick to wear. I also have to find khaki pants for James and Patrick too. I have until next Sunday - that is when my brother-in-law will come over. I bought some big fake candy canes for the kids to hold at the Dollar Store. Matt even let me buy a blow up snowman for outside!

Everyone is geared up for Halloween. I think I will take them out to the Pfizer Office in the morning to walk around then get John ready for school and his party. I hope doing that won't screw up Tommy's naps. Then trick-or-treat starts at 6pm. The weather is supposed to be a lot warmer than it has been - thank goodness!

Fall is in the air

We had a great weekend. Matt had off Friday and Monday and it was a great family weekend. On Friday we went out to a Nursery in Perry and let the kids pick out pumpkins and a few things to decorate our front porch. We had a great time listening to the Halloween music too! Saturday night we went to the Penitentary Glen for their Halloween party. The price of admission included a very cool train ride. Then we walked around to different buildings where they were showing off animals and we collected stickers which turned into faces for the pumpkins they gave us to decorate. James wanted to stay longer but Tommy was starting to get restless by not moving around himself. We did great without any strollers. It was a bit chilly on Saturday so I was able to keep the kids warm with heavier jackets or extra layers underneath the costumes. I brought gloves in case but we didn't need them - which was a bit of relief so we didn't lose any of them. On Sunday evening my parents came in to town so they could attend Grandparent's Day activities at John and Carter's school. They stayed with us which was great to have the extra help. I asked the boys what was their favorite part about Grandma and PapPap coming and James said playing football and John said the air matress they got to sleep on in Patrick's room! Too funny.

Patrick and now Tommy are having runny noses and I'm sure a bit of a sore throat. Patrick has been up a few nights lately because of it and with the older boys in his room that meant I had to get up with him and let him drain and then put him back to sleep. Last night after I did this Tommy was fussing so I had to sit up with him for a little while too. I'm hoping this will pass soon so I can get some rest. My plan is to go to bed relatively early so tomorrow I can watch The Office.

I can't believe how many leaves are down. The boys are enjoying jumping in them. Unfortunately it is to rain all weekend so I don't know how much jumping will get done!

The first quarter of school ends on Friday. I can't wait to hear from the teacher how John is doing. We have the Parent-Teacher Conference on November 5th or 6th - I better check. Tomorrow is Open House. I'm excited about that but am dreading all the people, dealing with the kids and the warmer coats. Yes, as much as I love the fall I prefer an Indian Summer with no coats!

It's Wednesday

and I think we are finally over the grumpy Monday's! Patrick has been in extra cranky mode this week and wants to do everything his way. It's driving me nuts! It would be nice that once he hits two he would cut that out but I'm not counting on it.

I think Tommy might be teething - he keeps putting everything in his mouth although I don't feel anything. So maybe he is just extra curious and explores everything with his mouth! It's funny how you forget about when stuff like that is supposed to happen. I remember that John and James had cut a tooth by now but Patrick got his teeth later.

John has the sniffles - I think the back to school germs are starting to hit. I really love that he gets dropped off right outside our house. It is SO much easier that waiting an extra 10 minutes and walking down the street. I hope next year they just put us on this stop for pickup and drop off.

James is doing ok. He still tells us after he went the bathroom in his pants. I actually ran out of underwear today - luckily I had already put a load in the wash and it was in the dryer. I can't wait until he and Patrick are trained - hell you might as well through Tommy in there as well - potty training sucks!

I'm looking forward to Matt & my night out this Saturday. I could use some time away from the boys. I love them but man do I need a break! I'm getting my haircut on Friday evening so that will be another thing to look forward too!

What a week!

The weather is getting colder and my fear about being inside for the next 6 months is slowly becoming more of my reality. A few nights we were able to get out. The nights we didn't get out during the "witch hour" I was turning into the witch! The boys just couldn't help but touch each other, take each others toys or just being themselves. Oh the fun we are going to have this winter. I will just have to think of more things we can do to keep the witch in me inside!

Last week we received John's interim report. The teacher said he is doing quite well but was marked that he needed to work on knowing his phone number and address. I know John knows this because I'm trying to teach it to James and he keeps giving him the answers. Sometimes though when I haven't asked John in a while it will take him a little while to remember. Not sure why - maybe he is waiting for the "I'll let you play Wii" bribe. Anyways yesterday morning the truth came out. Matt and I were helping him get dressed and he said that he didn't tell his teacher where we lived because he didn't want her to come over. Matt and I couldn't help but laugh at that one. That is Reader Digest material there!

John had a field trip today at Patterson's Fruit Farm. Matt took the day off and was one of the chaperons. They both had a great time. I took the little ones out on a field trip to the store. I was thinking the mall but James said Target. Apparently he was up for a snack and to look at toys. We also hit Gabriel Brothers as I was hoping to maybe find a few long sleeve t-shirts for a good price. I was able to get 3 at various prices that added up to $15. We then went to the Gabriel Bros in Mentor tonight and got him an in-between coat for $13. I am hoping the in-between coat fits in the Spring too. I got him a Size 7 but it almost looks smaller than that.

Today was the first day I was out with the boys at the store without the infant car seat carrier. That meant Patrick had to hold a hand and Mom had to get creative when it came to Patrick & Tommy in the cart at Gabriel Brothers. I ended up putting Patrick in the seat buckled and Tommy in the basket. It worked out pretty good Patrick did well with holding hands when walking to the car. James wanted to see how fun things could get by telling me twice at Target that he had to use the bathroom. It's always fun trying to keep Patrick from touching everything in the public restrooms. We all survived without too much touching.

We have a busy weekend on tap as our church is having an Oktoberfest and Sunday is my nephew, Carter's, 7th birthday party. It's hard to believe in a few weeks we will be "falling back" and changing the clocks. Hopefully Patrick will get off this getting up before the crack of dawn kick before that happens! It is now starting to rub off on James and John! Yuck!

Our family

It was eight years ago today that Matt asked for my hand in marriage. That was the start of a wonderful family. Who knew we would have 4 kids by now!

James is really sick. He started with a fever late Wednesday evening. Yesterday he was ok - just a low grade fever. Last night he woke up twice - once with a fever and the second time because he was cold and complained of pain in his back - it was his car he took to bed. When he woke up this morning at 6am he was breathing heavy and was shaking. I immediately took him to the Pediatric ER. They gave him motrin and a throat culture as he complained about his throat hurting. As we were waiting for doctors you could tell he was feeling better as he started to perk up. He didn't have a bowel movement yesterday so they thought he might be constipated. An x-ray confirmed that was the case and he had to have an enema. They said he is probably fighting something viral - the culture came back negative for strept to keep treating his fever with motrin and tylenol. He was fine until a little after lunch - which he didn't eat much of - he had a fever again. James, Patrick and Tommy are all napping now. Patrick has continued to get up before the crack of dawn so he was out just around 12:30. I'm hoping for a restful night but I'm sure not going to count on it. I hate that its the weekend because I'm going to have to decide before noon if he needs to see a doctor again - either that or its back to the ER or wait until Monday. I hope he starts to pull through this and that the other boys do not get it.

You win some, you lose some

So the bad news on Sunday night was that I got outbid on the Darth Vader costume at the final minute. I figured that would happen but I wasn't willing to pay a dime more than I had bid on. The good news is John still hasn't asked me about it. The bad news, our friend who's kid wore the costume last year never made it back up to the attic so they can't find all the pieces. The good news I went back to ebay found an ad for the same costume for a very reasonable price and bought it. So I will be super mom once again.

As of yesterday, I had still not heard back from the transportation department regarding my request to change John's bus stop. So last night I composed and sent an email to the principal of John's school seeking some assistance getting this pushed through. In the email I put the information down on his current bus stop. I was typing this as I was watching DWTS and screwed up the house number of his current bus stop. So this morning before I got dressed I recalled the message and ended up deleting it and whipped up a new email with the correct information. I think today's email was a little better and I was a little less emotional when writing it. I finished up and sent it just before 6am. The principal had emailed me back a few minutes after 6 saying she would look into it. I received a phone call from the principal around 9:30 am letting me know she spoke with the transportation supervisor. Basically she told me this process could take 4-6 weeks (they should tell their operator that who told me 2-3 weeks) and I should probably hear something by the end of the week. Well low and behold I received a phone call this afternoon that starting tomorrow I need to be watching for that bus a little before 3pm! Yea! The only bummer part of the deal is that I may have to go through this again next year because bus stops may change based on need.

So far today James has had no accidents! The poor kid was playing outside yesterday - we had the whole neighborhood over again - I was talking to one of the mom's and I heard a big thump - it was James' head hitting the pavement. John accidentally barrelled him over I guess. I think James was behind John and John fell backwards on James. James ended up with a pretty nice goose bump and a little road rash from hitting the sidewalk.

I think John is coming around too on tying a shoe - actually my shoe. I worked with him on it today and I think he is starting to get it. Next pair of tennis shoes for him will definitely have laces.

Sometimes I feel like I have these uphill battles with the kids - shoelaces, potty training, eating with a fork, riding a bicycle and slowly but surely they get it and it is such a relief and a bit rewarding.

I was checking my bosses calendar with Pfizer and found out that his special assignment ends on at the end of January and not February like I had thought. That is a bit of a bummer. I'm wondering if my boss gets used to not having someone there if he would continue to have me on board or what am I thinking - it is so much easier to pop out of your office and say hey Joyce schedule this meeting with so and so and me for this date. We shall wait and see. I did find out I am entitled to vacation time that I would have accrued had I worked while I was on leave and I can still earn some at a different rate. I'm waiting to hear what that is. Cool beans for me!

Why don't we just have the whole neighborhood over?

John is now in school and he is making new friends. I'm proud of him. I guess I'm being overprotective but I really don't like when kids just show up and want to play. I think I have gotten used to the wild brothers down the street although I prefer just the boy that is in John's class. I definitely don't mind the one boy across the street who comes to our house to catch the bus. Today my biggest fear had come true. I know this sounds un-neighborly of me but the boy across the street (he is a year older than John) that just moved in had his older brother bring him over to play with John. The parents have rented the house across the street for the last two or three years unsuccessfully. They decided now that they would live in this house. Every time this boy and his 3 brothers were over they were bored and would be up to no good. I didn't know really how to react because John probably could have used some company but I said it was fine but we were eating in a half an hour so John would likely be coming in soon. I overheard the boy telling John he could come over to his house later. That is fine but I don't think the parents would have a clue that John was invited over and again - I really don't want John around this kid because I don't trust him. When dinner was ready I told him he needed to go home and that I would watch him cross the street. I told him to go when the traffic was clear and then headed to the house. I didn't realize he didn't go - not sure why - but his older brother who "dropped him off" made sure he got across. It almost appeared that older brother was hanging out in the driveway until I told John to come in - that was good because I was listening but not watching them closely. When I was telling this boy to go home - he kept calling John "dude" and I did not like the snot-ass look he was giving me. I just can not believe that other parents would let their kids go over to someone else's house (especially at John's age) without talking to the parent first. I've decided I'd rather have John where I can see him so I know what is going on and the first kid that doesn't follow the house rules is going to be tossed (just like from a baseball game). If there was a good thing in this whole thing this afternoon was James and Patrick were napping and when they were up they were fine with staying inside and watching the boys play out the window. Tommy was entertaining himself well enough too that I could get dinner ready for me and the boys. This is something new that I hope I can accept and let John grow socially.

Oh boy Oh boy Oh boy!

So here is the latest drama in my life. John is dying to be Darth Vader for Halloween. That is fine however I am not paying $50 for the costume he sees in the catalog that came in the mail last week. I'm going the ebay route in hopes to spend less on the costume. We have a bid on one that the auction ends on Saturday - so far we are in the lead but you never know someone might want to spend more than I'm offering. Yesterday as I was looking for a good costume for a low price, John says to me - if we don't get this costume I'm going to cry. Great. No pressure on mom at all. I did post an update on my Facebook page saying I was looking for Darth Vader costumes on ebay and our friend might still have one from last year in their attic. Good for me that there is a Plan B.

In the meantime James then says he wants to be Lighting McQueen from Cars - another costume that was in this catalog that I now have to remember never to show the kids again. Found the "racing" outfit online for $20 - much cheaper than this catalog. There is an actual foam car that you can wear too - tried that on ebay but not much luck there. People are spending $50 for this puppy. No thank you. I think James would be happy enough with the outfit that comes with a headphone. I think that is the whole point of being Lightning.

The kids are in a funky mood today that is annoying. I guess I should call it "they are acting like spoiled brats". It was very hard for them to do the things they need to do to get out of the house this morning (like go the bathroom, put on shoes and coats). Maybe they don't like the fact I'm making them do it for themselves because they need to learn. After 100 times of asking James to go to the bathroom Patrick tells me he has to go so I get him on and he goes. That is wonderful however I'm not sure if I want to worry about 2 kids having wet pants until James gets a little more consistent with having a BM in the bathroom and not his pants.

In the at least they are cute and patriotic category - my boys make me sing the national anthem before we play any baseball in the front yard or driveway. This includes them making fake fireworks noise and James yelling "Play Ball". It looks like the Captains playoff game left quite the impression even though they claimed to be miserable when the fireworks went off.

In the good news section - I have John doing the breakfast dishes. He takes a while but I'm fine with that. Today I think the novelty was wearing off as he was complaining a bit too much. Can't wait for him to do them again tomorrow!

And lastly, today we are at BJ's. They have their blow up Halloween decoration up. I point it out to the kids who think its cool until one thing pops up that looks a little scary and then James goes through the store with his hands over his ears. Not too wierd. Did I mention he was wearing the hood on his jacket too? Don't ask me why. John and him must think its cool to have a hood on a jacket.

Virtual Job #2 is now underway

I picked up my computer yesterday to continue working with Pfizer. It was a little frustrating as the person who filled in for me during my leave told me - which I'm sure he was told - that I needed to activate a special card that connects me to the Pfizer world would have to be done at the Regional Office. Turns out it did not. The kids were good. I was in my "do what ever you want within reason" mode as I was on the phone with the help desk trying to get it to work. I came home with a lot more equipment that I had thought I was getting. I didn't grab things from my desk I did need - however I have someone at the office sending them to me. The kids were good. The only thing that was difficult was Patrick used the highlighter on himself instead of the paper, Tommy wanted Mommy only and was a grabby little Gus and James had an accident - which wasn't too big of a deal as I had anticipated that happening. We made it home - grabbed some Wendy's and got John on the bus in time. It was a nice treat for me and the kids to have Wendy's. As soon as it gets a bit colder I'm going to suggest soup for lunch as I am tired of making PB&J sandwiches.

Yesterday evening Patrick was giving Matt and I a little devil smirk. Very very cute. He actually did this yesterday before nap too and I tried to capture it on camera but didn't have much luck. That kid has the bluest eyes. He was up at the crazy hour (for a one year old) of 5:30am. Matt had him hang out on our bed as I dried my hair. He was just staring at me and I swear he didn't blink and his eyes looked just like baby-doll eyes. Too weird!

Tommy is actually have a good nap now. He has been in this routine of taking about an hour's nap in the am and then maybe 2 hours in the afternoon. As long as I can get some work done and maybe have time to blog or surf the net before John gets home I would be one happy mama.

John is totally loving school. He waited for the bus at the end of the walk way before he had to today and it was drizzling out! I said John - do you like going to school and his face lit up and said yes. I now feel like I missed out on something by never taking a bus because we lived so close to school. Bummer for me.

We are going out tomorrow night. I'm super excited. As much as I would love to hang out at Mick's for a few hours and watch football and baseball - I want to make sure we get to Target. There are toys I want to show Matt and possibly purchase and throw in our storage unit before we hit maybe another bar. Hopefully the kids will sleep into at least 6 am on Sunday so I can sleep in a little bit (maybe 5:45?)

Ugh I have the back to school cold!

The kids fought it off pretty well but I guess staying up later than I should for the past two weeks has taken its toll on me. The last two days I've felt like "sure kids do what ever you want". Which has turned out good and bad for me. The good - the kids have behaved pretty well because they are doing whatever the hell they want. The bad - I forgot that Patrick likes to sometimes follow James. James was told to go in the bathroom to use it but Patrick made it in there first and put James' pajama top in the toilet. Lucky for me he didn't flush and it was just clear water! The other bad - the mess of blocks and toys. I'm starting to not let Patrick get away with messing things up. It's time he faced the music!

This morning I found a recipe online for pumpkin gobbs. Matt's company is holding a car wash to raise money for the Leukemia Society and thought about having a bake sale to go along with the car wash. Matt didn't volunteer me to make anything but once I thought about the idea it sounded good so off to the store we went. We only needed a few ingredients. James and Patrick enjoyed the car part of the cart. Tommy enjoyed looking around and John had no choice but to enjoy either pushing the cart or putting the items we needed into the cart. BTW I was told I was brave by another shopper when entering the store. The kids enjoyed the outing and to top it off we got to watch some guy being confronted when he was trying to steal cigarettes. Anyway, we got home and I decided to make the gobbs. I misread some of the instructions on what needed mixed together - I ended up mixing the wet ingredients and then adding it to the dry ingredients. I don't think that harmed anything. My scene was harshed when a tray of about 6 or 7 gobbs waiting to go into the oven got bumped from the counter and on the floor which went right into the garbage. I think the rest ended up turning out ok. I had to cook them longer then the directions but I also think I made them larger than maybe I was supposed to. The directions really didn't say how big to "drop them on the cookie sheet". I used an ice cream scooper. Maybe if I make it next time I will use a small spoon. It was easy enough that I will definitely do it again. After lunch and John was off to school I made the icing part. As I am gobbing up the cakes I look over and there is Patrick on the floor with his leftover breakfast and lunch (toast sticks) trying to feed Tommy. Very cute. It didn't work so well and they both ended up back in the living room at some point where Patrick would make a noise and Tommy would laugh very hard. Pretty soon it will be Tommy stuffing my toilet with God knows what while he follows Patrick. Oh the things I have to look forward too!

I have been fortunate enough this week that everyone in the 3 and under column have been cooperating enough at naptime that I have been able to catch a nap myself. That has definitely helped me feel a little better.

James has been doing awesome with potty training. I'm really proud of him. He somehow doesn't make it to the bathroom in time when he has a bowel movement but he does go every time I tell him too - which is about every hour. I thought about giving him a matchbox car last night because he only had one accident with the big boy underwear however I did tell him he has to have no accidents to get one - so the M&M's have been working as a reward in the meantime.

John has a soccer game tonight. The rain has moved through so that will be good as we will not be confined to the car to watch the game. Ok I must move on - only 45 more minutes of peace to myself!

I'm liking this Kindergarten thing

John had a great 2nd day of school and was all smiles after getting off the bus. He definitely had one thing on his mind which was to play Wii. He went to the library and the teacher explained you can take out a book but be careful if you have pets or other siblings so they do not hurt the book. Apparently this scared John and he did not take a book out.

John began his soccer career last night and did very well. He scored a goal and saved a goal - he also let the other team score a goal :-( I'm guessing because it was our snack night John received the good game award which is a certificate to a free meal at Beef O'Brady's. I know some people think T-ball is hard to watch but to me Soccer is hard to watch because the kids kick it the wrong way or are so close to getting a goal and then they miss it.

In the potty training news - James thinks wearing big boy underwear makes him a big boy. However we have had our share of accidents. I'm guessing that is ok as long as we start to minimize them sooner rather than later. Hopefully he will continue tol wear a pull up for me at nap as he has been. In the mean time - he is damn lucky I stay at home and can do laundry everyday - not that I want too!

John's 1st Day of School

was really good. I think he enjoyed riding the bus however he wasn't sure when he was to get off. The bus driver asked me if I was waiting for someone and I said yes. John was sitting in his seat being very quiet. I have requested that his bus stop in the afternoon be changed to the stop that is across the street on the Willowick Drive side. I think this will be easy for John to remember when to get off the bus as it is the first stop. It will also be easier for me to meet him at the stop and not worry about the other boys who should be sleeping.

We had a great weekend. The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed each others company. Some of the kids that John rides the bus with invited themselves over to play ball in our yard. It wasn't that hard to get rid of them which was a bit of a relief.

James had a really good day of potty training yesterday. He wants to wear the big boy underwear and I let him until I'm out of clothes for him to wear. He has been doing pretty good - rather I have been doing pretty good at making him and getting him to go about every hour. Hopefully this will be the start of him going on his own.

Tomorrow it's back to school and John's first soccer game. I'm sure he will enjoy it. I hope the kids like the chocolate chip muffins I made for snack.

Tomorrow is the big day!

John will start Kindergarten tomorrow at 12:15pm. I know he is ready. I took him for his literacy test today and he scored 26/29. It was funny as I was filling out a teacher survey sheet about John I was testing him to make sure he knew some of the stuff I said he knew. He enjoyed the fun quiz. The teacher sent home a sheet of "no excuse" words - otherwise words he should look at and recognize. John knew just about everyone of the words. He said "We'll practice them everyday". Sounds like a plan!

Also I think tomorrow will be a big day for James. He has had 2 AWESOME (THANK THE LORD) days with potty training. So I think I'm going to have him wear "real" underwear. I think the new books I pulled out has put some interest into the bathroom. I am the one who is still asking him to go but I am very encouraged that he is getting control. He actually had BM's in the potty!

Ok got to run John's bus will be coming down the street soon - I have been making him watch it go by our house this week and talk about what he needs to do when riding the bus.

I had a "what was I thinking" moment

Over the last couple of weeks Tom has really been on the move. The thought came across my mind that not only will he be getting into more and more things, he will be climbing up the stairs and exploring everything! I was so relieved when this stage past Patrick but here we go again!

Matt had a similar experience as we came out of church. He said "what are we going to do when its winter and we need coats and mittens on everyone?" We are lucky John and James will hopefully be self sufficient but we will be wrestling with boots and mittens with Patrick and Tom.

Why are the kids afraid of animals??? For some reason John and James have grown a fear for dogs, cats or any animal for that matter. The other boys are learning this fear as well. John and James were around Scarlet - my sisters dog who has since passed away. I just don't get it. We were at the Farmpark today and I kept telling them the animals were in cages and they couldn't get out. They were not calmed by these words. Then we were in the "Barnyard" where the Billy Goats were. They had some young goats who started to move around shortly after we arrived at their little barn. Tom started to cry which made the young goats curious and they squeezed out of the gates! This made all the boys cry - let's get out of here mom - let's go home. I'm so glad we just renewed our membership. I'm thinking we are going to the Zoo tomorrow. You don't get so close to the animals there!

John turns Pro

in Wii bowling! OMG! He got a new crazy looking ball too! I hope the kid doesn't blow his average so he can keep his status.

Wow what a week! John seemed to enjoy the bus orientation on Wednesday. He and the boy across the street will be riding together which will be good for both of them. The boy across the street will be going to latch key so John will be on his own on the way home. I think that will be the easy part - as long as he got on the right bus!

Yesterday Lori and I took the kids to the Memphis Kiddie Park. They enjoyed it very much. I knew it was going to be warm but this is probably the last year John would be able to ride the rides because he is close to the height limit. It was hot - not terrible. Lucky for me John and James wanted to keep riding the Speedway cars and the line was in the shade! Patrick enjoyed the first ride then we put him on the roller coaster. I didn't know how jerky it would be otherwise I would not have put him on it. John, James, and Patrick all hated it. You have to buy their food so lunch was a little pricey for the 4 of us and Patrick didn't eat much. They consider the ride home long enough for a nap which put me in a bad mood because it was not long enough for me!

Last night we went to the Captains game. It was Willowick night and John was invited to parade on the field with the other baseball, t-ball and softball teams. We had a great time and stayed till about 8:20 - not sure what inning maybe 4th or 5th.

I think Tommy is fussing. I'm increasing his table foods hoping that will decrease the bottles so we can get on milk in 3 months!

A great evening at Progressive Field

Matt's brother gave Matt, John and I tickets to the Cleveland Indians 2008 Hall of Fame Celebration. They had a ceremony introducing the players, tons of food and drinks, and the coolest part you have a half hour to meet and get autographs of all the 2008 Indians.

When the players were walking down to their seats I was snapping pictures and John was naming the players. After the ceremony we had a little to eat but there really wasn't any seats to sit down so we continued to mingle around. I told Matt we need to make sure we all go the bathroom as I don't want to have to get out of line to go. So I started the potty parade and then we decided to hang out outside the autograph area. It was the best move of the night. We were able to find out where Grady Sizemore and Cliff Lee were in the signing area and came up with a strategy to get the autographs. John was growing a little impatient as was I about when we were allowed in. It didn't help there were some kids from the RBI Leauge kept inching up and crowding us. When we were allowed in I used my basketball skills to block them out so we would get in first. Our plan worked out perfectly as we did not have to wait in too long of a line to get any autograph. The long line that we decided to skip was for Ryan Garko, Jamey Carroll and Andy Marte. It turned out as the players were coming out after the autograph session ended we were able to get Ryan and Jamey's autograph.

John's uncle asked that we get the current backup catcher's autograph, Sal Fassano, on a ball. The rule was one autograph per person so we sent John up with the ball and Matt had the homeplate that Drew made for us to get autographs on. John was nervous and actually started to tear up. Sal asked what was wrong and I explained that John was very excited about this experience. He told this is fun and not to worry about it and shook his hand. The next table David Dellucci gave him the rock and from then on John enjoyed himself immensely. For some reason a fan gave Kelly Shoppach his own card from when he played with another team. When we told Kelly John wore his number this past summer - he gave the card to John.

I hope John remembers this for a long time - I know I will

The kids took their PITA medicine today

I don't know why but today was not a good start for me and the boys. John and Tom and even Patrick wasn't that bad - but dear James is pushing my buttons and he is pushing them hard. First of all I'm ready to believe this child is never going to be potty trained despite all of my bribery efforts. This week I unveiled a little matchbox car as a reward if he stayed dried and pooped in the potty all day - I'm asking a lot but the kid goes when you ask him too but never tells you. The last few days he has started this "I'll do this on my terms. I will not only take FOR-EV-ERRR I will annoy the hell out of you while I'm doing it". He insists on taking damn near every piece of clothing off EVERY time he goes the bathroom. So this morning I turned off the TV with 25 minutes before we needed to have John at Bible School. I took care of Patrick and Tommy and John takes care of himself thank goodness. James did as I mentioned above. Then it came time to put on his shoes. He insisted on wearing socks to bed so that meant he would want tennis shoes on. He started to put on his "Cars" tennis shoes, which I'm determining have become too small, on the wrong feet. Matt's co-worker gave us another pair of used "Cars" tennis shoes that are a half size bigger and fit James. So I went and got those which started a huge tantrum. For some reason Patrick wanted to join in on the crying parade and wouldn't move unless I carry him - sorry toots Mom's arms are full with Tommy you'll have to wait for the next trip - which made him cry even harder. After I got John and Tom in the car I came back for Patrick who then decided "forget you I want to do this on my own" but I had already picked him up and was on the way to the car when he decided to throw a bigger fit. Let me tell you strapping him in the seat (because there was no way I was going to let him wander up to the front seat) was no easy task. I go back in for James is still pouting. I then took off his socks and got his Cars sandals and said lets go. Some how I got him in the car and in the car seat. I remember it not being pretty. My neighbors must love me by now. When we got to school the yuckiness of James continues where he doesn't want to get out of the car. Luckily our neighbor offered to stay by the van with the boys while I took John in. He had finally settled down by the time we left the church parking lot. Apparently because James cried so loud this made poor Tommy cry too.

The rest of the morning has been better. I wouldn't be surprised if Patrick started climbing out of his crib anyday. He is climbing into Tommy's walker and today he was climbing in and out of the double stroller (the back seat). I don't know if I'm ready for that.

I was able to get the house cleaned up a bit and the living room floor vacuumed - it desperately needed it. Then John and I headed to the garage to see if we could get the nickel out of the CD player. Well the nickel is no longer in the way of the CD but its not out of the player either. It is in the back of the player but not hurting the CD's anymore. That was the best I could do and I'm fine with it.

Before nap time I cleaned up the mess in the boys room. I hear some things rattling around up there it better just be James kicking the wall.

Today's Matt's birthday - I'm sure the kids will enjoy the cake. We really didn't get him anything - other than a case of one of his favorite beers. We'll have to give him lots of hugs.

I'm going to John's school meeting tonight. I think I will enjoy the time away.

We had a great time at the fair last night. It wasn't super crowded. James and Patrick were freaked out by the cows - which suprised me because we see them at the Farmpark all the time. They enjoyed the pig judging and the one horse exhibition. I think their favorite part was the big bouncing house.

OK this blog was very therapeutical for me today. I think my "time out" is over.

Olympic hangover

Since the Olympics have started I have been staying up later than normal. Its pretty sad now that I fall asleep with the TV on just in case I wake up to see Team USA get another gold medal. It has made nap time more important - so I can rest!

The kids (Patrick and James) are super cranky today. James didn't nap yesterday for some reason and Patrick had a rough night - I'm guessing it his last tooth coming through or he was too hot or cold. What ever the reason it has been hard today. It doesn't help that he tripped a few times.

Today after we dropped John off at Bible School I was talking to one of our neighbors as James and mostly Patrick played in the front of the van. I should have stopped them but I didn't. I finally get in the car and notice a nickel in the entrance of the CD player. I tried to get it out but it got pushed through - yikes! Looks like Matt will be going fishing for a nickel.

I think I'm going to take the gang to the Lake County Fair after dinner. It looks like everyone got a pretty good nap and the rest of the week is busy. We have never taken the boys and this seems like a fun outing since Bible School is taking up our morning fun time. Hopefully baths will go well and everyone has a good time without costing me an arm and a leg.

Tomorrow I go to John's school to get the law of the land by the principals. It is also Matt's birthday so he will have some quality time with his boys!

And the crazy week continues

Yesterday I used the bathroom basement and discovered that the floor was making a squishy noise as I walked. Not good - what is leaking?? Talking it through with my Dad I discovered it was the hot water tank valve. Luckily with some tightening it was fixed. Matt's brother just brought over a dehumidifier to hopefully dry the floor so we won't have to replace to much of the flooring.

Today I spoke with my boss at Pfizer and I am officially going to start back to work from home part time on September 2nd! I'm so excited that I will continue to make some more money and keep my connection with Pfizer. What is really cool is I will get paid weekly - compared to monthly like I do with my virtual job. I just hope I am able to make this work and be there for the kids. I'm also excited that I will be able to purchase the sandal crocs I've had my eye on!

I'm anxiously awaiting to find out if John will go to kindergarten mornings or afternoons. I was hoping a letter would be in the mail today but I just got his information for Bible School that starts next Monday.

We took the kids to the Captains game last night. It was probably a good thing that we went into rain delay as we ran out of popcorn so who knows how much longer Patrick would have sat and watched the game.

Ok - I should go do something with John now.

The Vacation Weekend

We had a great trip to Pennsylvania to see my parents this past weekend. The only issue we had on the way in was that James got car sick. Apparently he can not watch a DVD while going through the mountains of Pennsylvania. Luckily we were almost to my parents house when he got sick. John said "He's spitting up again" - I'm thinking Tommy, no its James. On the way home the kids mostly slept and when they were awake there was no way I was taking a chance on him getting sick so there was no DVD on the way home. Not to mention I gave him some Dramamine.

The kids had a blast spending time with my parents. We got to do just about everything on their list they wanted to do. They got to go fishing, play putt-putt, my Dad took us on a boat ride, and play with Grandma's toys. I think the only thing I wish we could have done was have a camp fire but they have been getting so much rain that their backyard was a swamp.

We came home on Monday because John's Water Show performance was Tuesday night at 9pm. It turned out to be a good plan because we weren't too tired from being in a car all day. I tried to get everyone to nap with the late night ahead of us but it didn't really work out. I was nervous about getting a parking spot so we left about a an hour before the program began. It turned out to be a great move. We were in line early enough to guarantee us a seat. John was a little nervous about going with his group until his cousins arrived but after they arrived he seemed ok to be without us. James and Patrick were definitely getting tired as we waited in line so I suggested that Matt take the boys to the playground. It gave them a chance to move around and they could also say hi to John who was "back stage". We finally were allowed in and we got settled. Luckily they were selling popcorn as this is just the snack James and Patrick needed. John did wonderful and it looked like he enjoyed himself. He said he would like to do it next year - which made me happy.

We got home got everyone settled (it is now roughly 10:30). A little before 3 am I started to hear it rain. I thought "Oh crap a few windows on our back porch are open but that is tough". I couldn't not believe my ears as the rain was so loud. It almost sounded like a big mop was being dripped on our house. I was also hoping it wouldn't wake the kids because it was so loud. The next thing I heard around 2:57am was a siren letting us know there was a tornado warning. I said to Matt - that is a tornado warning. So we both went upstairs. He got John and I got Patrick. He then went back up for James and I got Tommy. James and John were on the couch still sleeping for the most part but Patrick and Tommy were awake. We turned on the TV to find out any information. We saw the warning was to expire at 3:15 am. After a few minutes of being downstairs we could tell it stopped raining. Then we saw on the Weather Channel that the warning was cancelled. Everyone was put back in bed. I had to rock Tommy back to sleep after he got over a case of the hiccups.

We were all very sleepy this morning but John still made it to swimming lessons today. I had a chiropractor appointment. All is well with my back so I only need to go back when it starts to get sore again. After lessons I took the kids to Target. The wash ruined one of my favorite bras so I was on the hunt for a new one. We stopped at the snack place and had some popcorn with my sister and her kids. She then took the kids to look at the toys while I shopped for a new bra. I could only find one bra that I liked in my size - and it was pink. I bought it - well actually Lori bought it as I had so much stuff I forgot to put it on the counter and luckily Lori was still checking out when I discovered I was about to steal a pink bra. While in the store I heard another siren. I thought "Oh god, I hope they are only testing the siren". I then remembered it is the first Wednesday of the month and it was around 11am and that is when they normally test the siren. It works alright! Everyone is napping right now - thank goodness - hopefully we can get back to "normal" soon!

Taking the plunge into becoming a SAHM

Today I informed my boss at Pfizer that I would not be coming back. I think he knew in the back of his mind that would happen but he was and is being generous at giving me the opportunity to stay with the company whatever way that works best for me. He was even was willing to let me work just 2 days. The temp they hired for my maternity leave is about to get a position within Pfizer out of another sales office. My boss is about to start a special project so he will be left with no support. He could lean on another person in the office but like I said he is being very generous. He is going to talk to his boss about letting me work essentially one day a week from home but the assignment will be flexible enough that I could do it when it fits in my schedule. We will see how that works out. Now in the mean time I'm figuring out what we need to do to get on Matt's insurance and when my last day should be at Pfizer for our health benefits sake.

As this whole scenario is going down with my boss, the kids got up from nap, we ate dinner and John's friend called to see if he could go over his house to play. This is where the fun and craziness comes in. I have John watching for his friend's dad's car, James in the bathroom - making him use the bathroom because he made the little plane on the pull up disappear, Patrick outside the bathroom in the hallway flipping the light on and off and Tommy fussing in the highchair because I'm sure he would rather be held at this point then sitting in the highchair. John's friend comes - I get him in the car. I'm out of the house maybe 3 minutes. Tommy is almost putting himself to sleep, Patrick and James in the bathroom together. Patrick has the potty chair that sits on top of the toilet and he is jamming it in and out of the water with James watching. I really wanted to scream but I remained calm and got them the hell out of there and got it cleaned up. I was thinking tonight as I was giving them a bath and remembering this incident that I wish them to have girls and boys (more girls than boys) because I would want them to be paid back with all the gross stuff they put me through. Then I thought maybe not because their poor wife would probably have to deal with it. It is amazing I'm sitting here and not having an alcoholic drink in my hand while I type. Hopefully I will get my fill when I visit my mom this weekend.

James was sad that John left. He was crying when we were getting in the car to run errands. I said what are you going to do when he goes to school? Of course this is when I mentioned - if you were potty trained at this point you could be going to school too - but I think this is where he tunes me out. Lovely. However, Patrick is loving the fact he gets to sit on the potty chair. I have him sitting on the potty just as many times I have James going to the bathroom. Patrick's final teeth are almost more than just spikes. Then its bye bye binky. I'm sure he will try and take Tommy's more.

I am beat

What a weekend! Yesterday we went to Matt's company picnic at Wendy Park which is near Edgewater Park in downtown Cleveland. It was a great place for a picnic. You could see Lake Erie, the Cuyahoga River, the Cleveland skyline, all kind of freighter boats and planes coming in and out of town. The food was great and they had great giveaways for the kids to play with. John and James both got to fly a kite - we have been wanting to do that with them but have never had the chance. Last night it was almost 11 before I got to bed as Matt and I enjoyed people watching on our front porch and then our next door neighbor came home from a walk and talked to us for quite a while. With the picnic making nap time crazy we decided to go to church on Sunday instead of Saturday. I was hoping to go to the first one but Patrick slept a little later than normal.

I think I had 2 or 3 short naps today but I still am beat. Tonight to cap off our weekend we went to the Willowick Lakefront Park for a concert. We have been attending them for the past 3 weeks. The band that played tonight was pretty good. They played mostly summer and beach themed songs - rather anything that you might use a steel drum in. John and I agree that we liked last weeks band the best - I think he like the polkas alot - thank you Wiggles for that influence. A nice lady came up to us at the intermission while we were packing up letting us know we are very lucky to have such a beautiful family and she enjoyed watching us interact very much. It is so funny how we hear that most times when we are in public. Of course when we get home and Patrick is being difficult about getting his jammies on Matt cracks the comment "That lady should see how lucky we are now!" LOL!

On Friday I talked to my boss at Pfizer and he offered me a part time position with no job share. I think the offer was there because he is going on a sebattical for 6 months. It looks like I will be turning it down as it won't make sense to work between the cost of childcare, gas and my benefits (I would still have full benefits with working 3 days). I think this will be best as we won't have to flip a coin when the kids are sick and they won't have to get used to someone new coming into the house.

Ok - I'm off to bed - another busy week on tap - John has watershow practice on Tuesday and Friday evening, I have to run out to Mayfield Heights tomorrow for my virtual job, I'm taking the boys to the circus on Thursday since we scored 4 free kids tickets and oh yea we are going to visit my parents next weekend. The kids will probably realize Thursday or Friday because there is no way I'm going to try and secretly pack their bags. It was too hard last time.

Not bad for a Monday

We had a pretty good but hot weekend. Saturday night Matt and I went out. My brother in law, Paul, was having an opening of his photos at a local hair salon that displays artists pictures. Matt and I started out at our favorite Irish pub - Mick's, then we went to the art gallery, off to another bar, the bank for more money and then our last bar - Rumpus Room and home. It was so nice and relaxing to be out. I needed that so much that I can't wait to do it again. The only downer, which I knew would happen, is the kids get up early. I swear they wake up to make sure you are still there.

The boys got there haircut on Saturday. Matt took Patrick back to the chair and asked if I wanted the top short I said yes - but not thinking that meant butch. Patrick looks nice but I would have liked to kept it a longer for more of the summer.



Then after we got home he was playing in the living room and fell and hit is eye on one of the kid chairs. He scratched his eyelid pretty good and got a bump below his eye. I took him to the doctor - I'm glad I thought to call our pediatrician rather than the ER. It was not as expensive of a trip and just as fast.

Yesterday was pretty uneventful. It rained hard late in the morning and everyone was still catching up from the night out. We took the kids to the park for the concert. I liked this band the best. Matt said it reminded him of a "Stevens Family Reunion" (which is my Mom's side). It was very true - a nice mix of oldies, patriotic and polkas. We stayed for almost the whole concert (which ended at 8:30). It took a while for the kids to wind down even after they were in bed. It really made for a nice morning as they slept in and were in a pretty good mood until after swimming lessons. I think the heat was getting to them but we packed up a lunch and headed to the Splash Park which has cooled them off.

My back is about 90-95% healed. I was able to wash my hair in our utility sink which is a huge plus! I went to the chiropractor today and will go back in about 2 weeks. I think I will be able to make it but I always have the security of making an appointment.

I hope the rest of the day is a good one. John and James are playing Wii now so hopefully they won't be grouchy when I tell them turn it off.

Pretty Good Week

This week hasn't been bad I like my new chiropractor. I actually went to high school with him. I just worry about paying for the stuff the last chiropractor did that wasn't covered by the insurance and next week I finish the sterilization process so I'm sure there is more cost included there. As hot as it is I keep thinking about Christmas and what can the kids get and will Tommy really notice if he gets toys that we already gave to his older brothers??

We had a fun and hot morning at a friends pool. John is doing really good in the water. James could touch the bottom and still have his head above water and with water wings made me feel a little better. Patrick and Tommy seemed to enjoy the water too. James actually asked to go the bathroom a couple times. I think he really didn't go in the swim diapers. It would be nice if this made him turn the corner but he is my child and can be lazy!

Well I got to keep moving - can't stand or sit too long as my back stiffens up!

Good News, Bad News

Let's start with the good news - John passed Level 1 in his swimming lessons. He is quite pleased with himself. He had been trying very hard this past month. He will now try to learn the back float.

The bad news. My chiropractor told me today that she is no longer an "in network" doctor for my insurance so I'm a "cash patient". Maybe I should have switched when I started having trouble. I just assumed she was still in network and I went back because I was comfortable with her. I am super bummed out because I now owe them more money for my first few visits before this.

Yesterday the kids were playing in the driveway riding bikes and then disappeared to the backyard. John James and Patrick were all huddled around something. John told me it was a worm. Great. The next thing I know Patrick is picking it up. I just kept thinking please do not put it in your mouth.

Ok - I better go fold clothes before my back stiffens up too much from typing.

Hot and fun

We had a great Monday. After John's swim lessons for a change of pace I took the kids to the park at Manry where John has his swim lessons. After that we dropped off library books and headed to Dudley Park. This time I was prepared with my camera so I can get more "about our town" photos to submit to STO. The kids played on the playground while I fed Tommy. We then ate lunch and changed for the Splash Park. It was so humid I was dying to get a little wet which was hard to do with me carrying around Tommy. The kids did cooperate for a few photos. I was pretty beat as was Patrick and Tommy by the time we got home. John and James were not and not much later after we got home Tommy woke up. I kind of snoozed while holding Tommy. Unfortunately John and James took a nap much later - like almost 3pm and then they were very hard to get up when dinner was ready. Patrick on the other hand was up early but he also fell asleep early so it wasn't a win-win situation for Mom. Oh yea- Tommy took the late 4pm-6pm nap just for fun.

At dinner as John and James have their head down while I was patting their heads and tickling them trying to get them to wake up. Well Patrick thought that looked fun so he kept patting John on the head. I was amused as it helped me out.

I forget what happened but Patrick did something that earned him a timeout. He knew what that meant and he marched right over to the time out corner. Beautiful - you get the concept now you will be seeing a lot more time there! Also he keeps throwing the kids shoes off the steps - I guess just for fun but it annoys the hell out of me - anyways I yelled at him and then with his head down crying he picked up the shoes one by one and slammed them back on the steps.

Before bed the kids were playing and James was behind me. Matt said "James give Mommy a massage" So he put his hand on my back just right about where my bra was - I was actually waiting for him to snap it!

John says to James tonight "What do you want to do tomorrow?" Good question. It is going to be hot. Maybe a trip to the mall - we'll have to see. I enjoy hanging outside but I don't think I can get John to agree to the splash park again. The chlorine has apparently been high in the pool and splash park so John's eyes have been burning. Who knows - my back has been good again today - I think being in the warm weather has helped - so we shall see.

Great holiday weekend!

The weekend was fantastic both weather wise and time spent with the family. On Friday we went to the Zoo. The kids enjoyed it a lot. They were pretty worn out by the time we got to the car and home. Saturday was normal with shopping, church and visiting Matt's parents. Today we had a picnic at Dudley Park and played at the playground and splash park. We saw John's swimming lesson instructor and she said he is getting very close to doing the front float and his ball float is getting better as he is hold his breath longer.

The kids were pretty worn out again tonight with baseball being played on and off all weekend. We were sending John to time out when James went to the "time out" corner. Matt said James you aren't in time out. He replied "yes dad, I'm bad". Matt and I were in tears. Thursday night Matt and I were watching TV, enjoying some adult beverages and special philly cheese dip that I made. Not long after the boys were sent to bed John and James came down the stairs letting us know that they were aware we were having a "festival". They happily made themselves at home in their chairs in the living room looking for something to drink. We kindly gave them a small sip of water and sent them back upstairs.

The only bummer thing of the weekend is that my back is still bothering me. It was fantastic before I sat down to the computer tonight but I'm sure I be very sore in the morning again. I wish I knew when I will be pain free again. I want to be back to normal as soon as possible. Well I better get the clothes out of the dryer.

This and that

It just seems like it has been a crazy couple of days. My back is still sore in the morning but I'm hoping it gets better fast. By the end of the day I have mostly pain free mobility. I'm ready to go back tomorrow to get cracked again.

John has been doing awesome in swimming lessons. I wouldn't be surprised if he passes to the next level but I'm happy to see the progress he is making this year. He decided he wanted to be part of the Water Show and he wanted to play Soccer this fall. I'm hoping he will make friends in Soccer that are in his class when he goes to school.

Patrick slept in this morning thank god. He fussed at different points early in the morning but managed to go back to sleep. It looks like the teeth are finally breaking the gum line. I hope this will help him settle down a bit. Today at the park the camp kids were playing on the big equipment and he was just going around them to go down the slide. At one point he fell (not off the whole thing just down a step he was climbing) - I ran over and he just got up and kept on going. The counsler who was watching the kids was quite impressed. Just by talking to the young lad it looks like being a counsler is good birth control for him. He was mentioning how the kids never listen- yep I know how that is.

Tommy is still a wonderful baby. He wants to see what is going on more and more. He is starting to army crawl on the floor. I mentioned to my mom today - great just what I need another kid storming the bathroom when I'm working with James. Eventually he will learn how to roll from tummy to back but he has perfected back to front.

I'm looking forward to the 4th of July. I think we might get crazy and load the kids in the car so we can watch fireworks at Classic Park. I think we'll just park it somewhere in a parking lot. I wish they were at my old high school then we could drink in our driveway and watch the fireworks.

Ahh Relief!

As I mentioned in my previous blog - my back was hurting. It seemed to get worse and worse every morning. This morning I decided to go back to the chiropractor I saw when I was pregnant with Patrick. I was worried about taking the kids and how they would behave and if the chiropractor would want me to come back a zillion times. Well my sister called this morning - I think to tell me she wasn't going to swim lessons but then she stepped up to the plate and offered to take the kids. The chiropractor was wonderful. I am back in alignment and I don't have to go back a zillion times maybe just a few more and then maybe once a month won't kill me. I just got up from a bit of a rest and how relieved I am that I can get out of bed without much pain.

We had a great weekend. The weather cooperated and through the kindness of our friends, we were able to take the boys to the Indians game on Saturday night. John and James had a blast as this is the first time that they were really aware of their surroundings. There wasn't enough to keep Patrick occupied and Tommy didn't mind snoozing. It was fun to see the joy in John and James' eyes despite the rednecks from Cincinnati that sat around us. I think I would be crazy enough to take them downtown for another game but maybe sit in the Pronkville instead. Taking the boys to the Captains games are much easier though.

We have a mixed CD of songs that we made up that I play in the van when we are on adventures. One of the songs is "I'm still a guy" by Brad Paisely. John is going around with mardi gras beads singing that song - so is James but he only has a pull up on. For some reason he likes to be undressed more than he is dressed lately. Oh boy.

Tired kids suck

So for some odd reason Patrick has been getting up early the past couple days. By early I mean before 5:30. Today apparently he had a good excuse as he was soaking wet according to Matt. After swim lessons I took the crew to WalMart to look for a stove guard to keep Patrick from touching the stove. The other 2 did not so why does he have to start now?? They did not have the guard and the boys left sad because we did not look at the toys. We had stopped to use the bathroom and this is when I discovered that James had a very very wet diaper. I was not willing to let him float through the store and a new diaper was in the swim bag in the car. Getting Patrick in and out of the car is such a chore especially when he is lacking sleep. He fights you and then John and James thinks its fun to instigate all kinds of trouble with each other. The next thing you know swear words are flying out of my mouth.

I feel like a detective this week. We have had a moderate ant problem in the kitchen and I found two spots around the house where they have been congregating. I got the ant spray down so hopefully we will see less and less of them. I also got rid of the stench that was on our landing going to the basement. I kept going by the area wondering what it was. Then I moved our Spring coats off the hook and found a bag with old potatoes that I forgot about. So down came the coats and the bag of stench. The good news is that I found $15 in my pocket because I was washing every coat that was hanging on the hooks! Another bonus was I found the pee shield to our good portable potty chair. It too was in the "stinky" area.

In other gross things that happened in our house this week - last night we took the boys for ice cream up the street. They enjoyed it and we beat the storm that blew through our area. As I was getting Patrick ready for bed he started to choke on his saliva which then became "spit up" as John calls it. Thank god I have a steam cleaner. I think it looks a lot better. Patrick also peed yesterday in the backporch as I was changing him from swimming. I found this sort of amusing because he looked like he was trying to stop it. Good thing the porch is like a "mud room"

John has a late game (7pm) tonight so hopefully everyone will make it through and they all can get a bath tonight. We are going to the Indians game tomorrow as long as the weather cooperates. I hope the kids sleep in tomorrow - at least until after 6:30 am!

Everyone is healthy

Yesterday, with the help of my SIL Kathy, I took James Patrick and Tommy for their well checkups. The three boys are all about 10 lbs apart and boy when you pick them up you can feel the difference. They are all healthy and thriving. I was most impressed by Patrick because he didn't cry when he got his shot. I wish he would have got his 2nd shot he needed but apparently their is a shortage. I just don't know what it will cost us when we go on Matt's insurance. Well checkups & shots are covered 100% on my insurance.

We went to the History Museum today with the Lenders. We had a lot of fun. Patrick enjoyed his controlled "freedom". It is now starting to rain lightly. I hope this passes so we can go play t-ball tonight. We play Paige's team so it should be fun.

I saw last night on STO that they want pictures of fans from your town so I think I will take the boys around Willowick with their Indians gear and snap some photos to submit. It should be fun. I was actually up around 5 am thinking about this. Tommy was a bit unsettled last night from the results of his shots. I think I need to find some face paint so we can do something on the boys bellies - after all they are guys!

The annual cousins picture turned out pretty good I guess. There isn't really one great picture of all the kids or at least my 4. If John has a nice smile then Tommy is looking somewhere else. If Tommy is looking at the camera then John has a weird look on his face. I wonder if that is something the camera man needs to work on.

Tommy is fussing - got to run!