slowly getting there...

First if all, I want to report that Reilly's finger has mended well. Over the weekend, we changed the gauze and actually replaced it with just a bandaid. Not even sure if it will even leave much of a scar, so that is great. Tonight was one week since it happened and therefore his night for dishes and he asked me to dry the knives...poor kid! it will probably take him a bit before he attempts to dry them again.
Secondly, Zack had a track meet at school last week and qualified in three events to move on. That meet was held today and he placed first in the 800m so now he is off to regionals...not sure when but I'll keep ya updated. He was quite happy to show off his red first place ribbon!!
Next...hmmm...Gavin is going on a tour of the Kindergarten Thursday and to meet the teacher. He's sooo excited. Half of my Pre K class went today and the rest go next class. My Pre K kids also had graduation photos taken today...they are totally cute, complete with cap and gown! It is a surprise (the best it can be when 4 and 5 year olds are involved...lol) for the parents. I'll give them to each child next Tuesday during a little presentation at our year end party. I am making each one of the kids in my class a "Kindergarten Survival Kit" and will post pics when they are done. They are also getting a copy of the book, 'The Kissing Hand'...which is about a little raccoon who is going to school for the first time and is worried about being afraid. It's a great story and I hope will help them a bit at the beginning of school.

Gavin was very proud of his lego family. Left to right is Daddy, Gavin and Mommy....
Carsyn's party invites and plans are complete for next weekend...should be fun! You pull out the pillow and it has all the details etc on there. I thought they turned out pretty cute. Brian says I am going to get him beat up at school (especially with the poem I wrote about being 8 and staying up late).
The yard is coming along nicely. Still much to do but we're getting there. I won't say we'll be done soon cause with a house and yard are you ever really done...? Always seems like there's something I am finding. Here are some pics I took this weekend in our backyard:
bees in the crabapple tree
tried out the macro setting on my camera
this is the inside of an orange tulip
I wanted to see what the coals in our fire pit would look like
is it just me or can anyone else see a face in this one?
Brian was pretending to be a buckin' bronco for Carysn. Most of the pics they bounced out of shot but there were a few I got.

then of course they had to wrestle cause that's what daddy's and sons do right...?lol

Still have lot's to do before this weekend arrives but I'll get there and if some stuff isn't finished...too bad right!! The bbq will go on and noone will probably even notice what I didn't finish (except me of course). And I'd have a better chance of getting it done if I get off the computer. On that note, I'm outta here.

all good things must come to an end...why?

The long weekend is over and even though the weather wasn't all that great here, Brian was home for 4 whole days and it was sooo great!! We did get a few things done in our yard but until the top soil and the sod gets here we are kinda on hold with any major landscaping...except the flowers...I'll be taking care of that this weekend and hooking up the fountain...hooray, it's finally all coming together. And just in time, as Brian will be ending his 30's next weekend and we are having a bbq for him as he enters his 40's!! Yep, that's right, my husband is turning 40 next week...too bad he doesn't look it...bugger! He is for sure getting better looking as the years pass while I am doing all I can to grow old gracefully...men, they have it pretty easy hey? Also, Brian's parents will be here that weekend too and I'd like the yard to be in a bit better shape.
Our family watched Shrek the Third this weekend and all of us but Brian loved it. He was pretty disappointed but the kids and I laughed like crazy. If you haven't seen it, you should!!
A few other things that have ended for me are all my favorite shows...boohoo right? I am a Desperate Housewives addict and now I have to wait until the fall to find out what is going to happen...not fair (insert stomping feet, arms folded across chest and pouty lips...lol)! Why can't it be on all year long?
We are heading into our busiest month of the year with birthdays, Father's Day and a wedding...every weekend in June has something happening and that is without Brian working any of them either. The upside is that this summer will definitely be different than last as we will NOT be living in our minivan this year. The kids want to spend more time at home, hanging with their friends. So when June ends, the rest of the summer looks good!
Last night, while drying dishes, Reilly almost took of the end of his left pointer finger with a stay sharp knife...man fingers bleed a lot! I had a hard time getting it to stop so off to the hospital we went and after an hour, he just needed some liquid stitch and steri strips. The way the nurse gauzed it up makes ya think that there is something pretty serious under there but it's really not that bad. He does have to miss his first day of swimming lessons with his class today so I need to pick him up at lunch before the class heads out.
And on that note, this post shall end, as I promised Gavin we would walk to the school so he could play at the park.

proud Mommy moment

Gavin has finally taken an interest in learning in the last few months. Makes me realize that we made the right decision to keep him home an extra year last fall. He really wasn't ready for Kindergarden then and we can really tell now. It's not that we didn't try to get him to print his name, sing his abc's and that kind of thing....he just didn't care and it wasn't worth the fight. When he was ready, he absorbed it all like a little sponge!!
So, I have to share with everyone that Gavin has learned to write his name and of course I had to grab the camera when he himself took the magnetic letters off the fridge, lined them up in the right order and copied them onto a piece of paper....see...


Reluctantly, he let me keep the piece of paper so I can include it on the scrapbook page that is swirling around in my head...lol!!

Pre K is winding down for me and I may consider taking on a sub position at the elementary school in the fall. I would love it, but at the same time, it will be the first time in 14 years that I will have my kids all in school (2days one week/3days the next for Gavin) and am thinking it might be nice to have some "me" time. I will have to think about it over the summer I guess.
Summer...soon it will be summer. We've been doing a lot of yardwork and it's starting to look good, just need to go to the greenhouse this weekend so I can add some color. We need to get some topsoil and sod for half the yard and then it will be done...finished and ready to enjoy hours out there.
Speaking of enjoying, I just have to say how much I have been enjoying the music of Micheal Buble' lately. I never really listened to him before but when I heard a clip on a commercial for his "Save the last Dance for Me", I had to find his music and I am lovin' it!! Check him out of you aren't familiar.
The long weekend is fast approaching, so make sure you spend some time doing what you love with those you love. I know I will!!

Happy Mother's Day

Before I Was A Mom

Before I was a Mom
I made and ate hot meals.
I had unstained clothing.
I had quiet conversations on the phone.
Before I was a Mom
I slept as late as I wanted
And never worried about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.
Before I was Mom
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to lullabies.
Before I was a Mom
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom
I had never been puked on
Pooped on
Spit on
Chewed on
Peed on
Or pinched by tiny fingers
Before I was a Mom
I had complete control of my mind
My thoughts
My body
And my mind.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child
So that doctors could do tests
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby
sleep.
Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
When I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
Could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my
body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry
baby.
I didn't know that bond between a Mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
Could make me feel so important.
Before I was a Mom
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
Every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay
I had never known the warmth
The joy
The love
The heartache
The wonderfulment
Or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before
I was a Mom.

long overdue update

Not too sure where the last 10 days has gone. It has been the same old same old around here but time is flying. Maybe it's the fact that the weather has finally turned to Spring and we are spending more time outdoors and when we come in, hours have passed. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I was gone for the weekend and just getting back into a routine. Who knows...just trying to make the most of it! One of the added advantages of the nicer weather is that the kids are getting along much better, which makes being around them way more enjoyable. We all seem to be really enjoying each others company. They aren't even fighting over their new trampoline...lol!! Uncle Neil delivered their Christmas gift a couple of weeks ago but the weather and Brian not being home prevented it from being assembled so it sat in the garage teasing them. Until this past weekend...Brian put it together while I was gone and the boys spent the whole day outside jumping and hanging out with each other. On Monday morning, Gavin ate his breakfast extra fast and disappeared into his room. I went in to ask him what else he wanted (he'd only had a bowl of cereal) and he was slipping his shirt over his head and said he didn't have time to eat anything else, he had to go on the tramp!! It was 10 to 8 and out he went....crazy kid!! I still need to take some pics of them on there and send them to my Brother...he really is the greatest Uncle and the boys told him so Sunday afternoon when they called to Thank him again for the coolest Christmas present!!
I guess that has been the highlight of our week...except for my scrap weekend. It was my personal fav. It was in celebration of National Scrapbook Day (stop laughing all of you non-scrappers...lol). We stayed at a hotel and perhaps the best thing for me, was the meals were all catered....no fast food and I didn't have to cook it! I probably would have thought pb&j tasted like heaven if someone else made it for me...hehehe!! Anyway, I'll leave you with some of the stuff I accomplished over the weekend. Have a great rest of the week all!
Carsyn was determined to get to the top of the tree in our front yard...what a monkey!
still needs journaling but what do you say about this mess...and he's proud of it!!
when you forget to bring your laundry to the laundry room, Mom teaches you how to do it!!
these 2 should be reversed...oh well