GRRRRRR..................

All I can say about today is GRRRRR!!!!!!!!! The day started off well enough. I was able to get Catie to school on time and report to Karen's. Max was in a pleasant enough mood and Charlie slept most of the morning. It was going well.

I got home around 1:00 after getting Chas's paycheck and going to the bank. Max laid down for his nap, Kristen watched TV while I took a shower, and Charlie slept in his car seat upstairs. I got ready in 20 minutes flat (love the new hair!) and waited for Karen to get Kristen.

Karen came to get Kristen and sat with Max until Chas got home and I ran out the door with Charlie to the bus stop to get Catie. We headed over to the doctor and Catie had her stitches removed and Charlie got diagnosed with Rosieola (sp?). Still not too bad until my phone died. It will not hold a charge and for Chas paid for it, I should be able to talk on it all day and not have it die by 3:00 in the afternoon. The thing that really pissed me off was that I barely talked on it all day. After we left the Dr I dropped the kids off at home and headed over to Verizon Wireless to get the phone fixed. That is when the trouble started. They replaced the phone and I am now waiting to get the new one. I leave with my spirits high and get in my van to go home. I put the key in the ignition and turn it and......................nothing. It was dead. I wasn't in the store but 20 minutes. I called Chas and he comes up to jump start it and it still doesn't start. It appears to be the starter. Long story short we had it towed to our mechanic who can't get to it until Saturday and now we are sharing 1 car. Thank God Chas is off work tomorrow.

Charlie is screaming, Catie is mad because the pool is closed and she can't go swimming after having her stitches out, and Max is melting down faster than a candle in a hot room. I suppose it is time to get off here and go back to the reality that is our life. It all seems crazy today but tomorrow it won't seem so bad. I hope.

Cats! and Dogs! and Crabs!!! OH MY!

The morning started out a little hectic since Catie got to bed so late without a shower! It took forever to drag her out of bed and then actually get her into the shower and drag her back out! She got the "I hate mornings" thing from me because I hate mornings. Since she got her new haircut I have to blow her hair dry so it doesn't dry all wonky and even though it only takes 5 minutes to fix her hair, we had 15 minutes before we had to walk out the door and the boys weren't dressed. I got Charlie dressed and woke Max up (bad way to start his day) and we ran out the door. Poor Max didn't even have shoes on his feet!

She made it to school on time and I got to Karen's house to sit with grandmother and Kristen and as I was getting the boys out of the van she was running out the door. I hauled the boys up the front steps and opened the door and the dogs greeted us with happiness! Max greeted them back with a howl and started to cry. For some reason he doesn't like dogs right now. He wouldn't come in the house until I got the dogs away from the door. Mind you these are small dogs. Trying to hold the door open with one hand and hold the car seat and get Max in the house while holding back dogs is no small chore and I was tired before I even got everyone in the house.

Max went to go wake up Kristen (much to her annoyance) and I pulled him out of there and went to feed Charlie. Max settled in the floor to play with a toy and low and behold the cat came waltzing in and started messing with Max. The cat ran its tail under Max's nose and rubbed on his shirt and my little "Don't touch me" boy freaked out! I chased the cat away while still feeding Charlie and calmed Max down. Talk about multi-tasking!!

Finally Kristen woke up and came in to play with Max. They decided to go play in her room and since she is almost 6 I let them play in her room while I got Charlie changed and set for the day. I went in to check on them about 20 minutes later and saw them huddled around this baby doll diaper and went to investigate. God Bless! It was a hermit crab. I HATE CRABS! Kristen was okay with getting it out of its cage since it was still in its shell but Im guessing crabs like diapers and he climbed on out of that shell and no one wanted to put it away. Gross. I went in the kitchen and found some tongs and gingerly picked up the crab (which wanted to hold on to the diaper for dear life) and placed him back in his cage. I was totally grossed out. Here lately things like poop and vomit and crabs and things that are scaly or slimy make me quite sick to my stomach. Having 2 boys means that I have way more of things like that to come so I hope I get over it pretty fast. The tongs went it the sink and by that time it was time to wake up Grandmother. She didn't get up willingly and it took a few tries but we were successful. Karen came home for lunch and after Grandmother was fed and medicated I headed out the door with the boys and Kristen.

When we got home Max got a nap, Charlie got fed and laid down, and while Kristen watched TV I took a much needed "nap". When you have this many kids you don't really get to take a nap. More like resting your eyes as my grandmother puts it so accurately. I know what is going on and who is doing what and I'm never quite asleep. I get just enough rest to recharge my batteries (which seem to be draining quickly these days) and hopefully finish my day.

Catie had a good day at school and got on the right bus today! Yay!!! Chas had a decent day and is grateful that Greg is back from Aruba. Only one more work day left and we get to start our always hectic weekend! We are headed to the Farmers Market on Saturday after my coaches meeting for soccer. There is a great park (free) that is by the Market and it has this really neat spot where water shoots out of the ground. Catie and Max should have a blast. Sunday is reserved for mowing mom's yard and I think we are working on dad's yard as well. Fun times! Chas loves to mow so it is a nice break for him although I wonder how he will feel about mowing after this weekend since it is supposed to be 98 degrees. What a guy!!

Yesterday was school....Today is work

So Catie had the best day ever on her first day of school! After I left my crying child at school I called my friend Karen who we all adore and asked her if she would mind going to eat lunch with Catie. Not only did she show up for lunch but she brought Catie a Happy Meal! She thought she was hot stuff and I was relieved and grateful to Karen for helping make Catie's day better. I did get called to the school around 11:00 to take her some pain medicine for her chin and she seemed better even then! She made some new friends and had a pretty good day. Second grade is pretty tough and she brought home actual homework on the first day of school! We practiced her words for the spelling test on Friday and I was happy to see she is quite the speller!

Today was the first day of my new job and I really enjoyed it and look forward to going back tomorrow. It is so hard to be a stay at home mom and not have friends take you seriously. I am really tired of people telling me I live on easy street because I don't work and I stay home all day and I guess according to them I sit on my butt all day. Little do they know what really goes on around here every day. My starts as early as theirs and ends much later than theirs does and that is every day that they work. I am lucky enough to have a great husband who lets me sleep in until all of 8:00 on the weekends, maybe as late as 9:00 and I am so happy to have those extra hours. Keeping up with Max and Charlie is a full time job in itself! It isn't just about keeping the house clean or grocery shopping. Its about keeping up with Vanderbilt doctors and medicines and making baby food and keeping up with Max's appointments for his teacher to come and work with him once a week! I do alot and while our home is never neat and tidy and there is always laundry to be done, I play with my kids and make sure they feel loved and safe. I miss going to work everyday. At one point in time I had a great career and the potential to make great money. I traded in my business suits and briefcase for yoga pants and a diaper bag. I miss adult interaction and getting a paycheck every week. I don't get paid to do laundry or dishes. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being a mom and I LOVE my kids with everything I have but I am just as tired at night as my husband and friends who go to work everyday. They all say that even though they work all day they come home and do family stuff and do my job at night. Just because it is 5:00 doesn't mean I clock out and stop. There is tons to do and granted I have Chas who is wonderful in the evening and really steps up to give me a break. I am working now in the mornings in addition to keeping up the stay at home mom stuff and coaching soccer and going to school fulltime and taking Catie and Max to gymnastics once a week. I am blessed to be working for a great women who I love to death and I am blessed to be able to take my boys with me and be 2 minutes from Catie's school. I am still tired! I do enjoy spending time with Grandmother and enjoy the adult interaction as limited as it may be some days.

So this afternoon Chas gets home from work around 2:30 and we sat and talked about our day and he headed off to the bus stop to get Catie from her first time EVER riding the school bus. I worried about that child all day and the fact that she was taking this huge step towards being more "grownup" as she puts it! So Chas calls me from the bus stop to ask me if Catie knew she was supposed to ride the bus and I answered yes I was sure she knew as a ball of fear hit my stomach. I immediately called Karen since she lived by the school and all I said was Catie wasn't on the school bus. She said she was on her way to the school and I hung up and called the school. Some lady answered the phone and here is how the conversation went:

"Byars Dowdy Elementary, can I help you?"

"Yes, my daughter wasn't on the bus"

"Is her name Candi?"
"No! It's Catie"
"Batcheler?"
"Yes thats her! Is she okay?"
"Yes, she got on the wrong bus"
"Come again? The WRONG BUS!"
"Yes ma'am, please hold"
...........(me on hold worrying and about to cry)...............
" This is Ms Blackburn, the principal, I have the bus driver on the radio"
"AND??????"
" Your daughter got on the wrong bus and we are trying to figure out where she is right now"
"Okay, where is she?????"
" The bus driver said he will drop her off at the bus stop in 15 minutes, please be waiting for her"
(Like Im going to sit on my couch and wait?? Yeah right)

I said thank you and headed out the door to walk to the bus stop and wait....and wait.....and wait.............

15 minutes later I see the bus coming up the street and I can see one little child sitting in the front and I suddenly wanted to cry. The bus stopped and off ran my Catie and she was so composed until she got into my arms and she totally lost it! She cried and cried and cried. She was so scared. I later learned she kept calm when she realized she was on the wrong bus and answered all the questions that were asked and didn't crack even a little. I was terribly proud of her and very upset with the school. I think it is a little irresponsible to expect a child who has never ridden the bus before to remember the bus number and find the bus and follow all the rules and regulations that comes with riding a bus. She was probably nervous as can be and it didn't help that another little girl told Catie to go on that bus just to be hateful. I am writing her bus number in her hand in permanent marker tomorrow to help her remember. I am grateful that a potentially bad situation had a happy ending and while I think the school was negligent in not helping a child to the bus that is not only a new student but a new bus rider, they handled the situation very well and Catie made it home safe and sound. Im glad to have her home safe and sound and pray she isn't traumatized forever.

Well I am off of here for tonight. Max threw up all of his dinner and feed and smells terrible and now Charlie is up in the bath tub screaming. Joy Joy Joy!

1st day of school

Well my little sweet Catie started school today. She was not thrilled since she was going to a new school but she was very cooperative this morning. We got to school and as Max and Charlie and I walked her to her classroom we almost had to drag her since she was so scared. We got to her new room and we told her teacher about her lip and I got her out of PE for the week (that made her happy) and as we found her desk and were about to leave she melted down. The desks were in clusters of 5 and she was the only girl at the table. A combination of a new school, her busted lip, and the thought of sitting next to all boys was all too much to handle and she cried and made me feel terrible! She didn't cry her first day of kindergarten or even Pre-K but today was different. I almost wished she would have cried on her first day of Kindergarten but instead she skipped right in and went to work! It would have been easier to leave on that day with a crying child but the only person crying 2 years ago was myself. Leaving an older child at school was terrible! When they are little they quickly forget that you left and are so easily distracted. With a 7 year old they aren't so easy to manipulate. Her teacher moved a little girl named Emily next to her and I think that helped a little PLUS this Emily girl was very sweet and hugged Catie and talked to her about how scared she was when she started a new school. I always think of Catie as being this older child that takes on a lot of responsibility and I forget that she is still little. I left the room and hesitated to look back but did anyway and I saw her sweet little face and that new haircut and that fat lip and realized just how little she still is and it made my heart happy to know that I still have a little girl and not an older girl as I refer to her most of the time. I know she will shine in the 2nd grade and make lots of friends and bring joy to her teachers heart just like she has done every year for the last 3 years. I will still miss her during the day and watch the clock until she gets home just like I have done every year since she started school. No one seems to put in the books how hard it is to watch your child grow up! They talk about discipline and how to raise them but they don't tell you how to make your heart stop hurting when they do go out into the world as little people ready to learn and become who they are supposed to be. I have 6 hours to go until she gets home and I will watch the clock and look forward to her hug and excitement over the 2nd grade and her new school and all the new friends she made. I hope the time doesn't crawl by like a snail. I'm ready to hold my bug-a-loo!

Catie's mouth today!

What a day!

So Saturday started out as any other day. I got up and went and volunteered with mom and then we hit a yard sale and I came home. Max was in a great mood and his skin was so much better. Catie and I were counting down the time until we went to Aunt Em's fancy salon and Charlie was asleep. I threw some hot pockets in the microwave and Chas put Max down for his nap so that Catie and I could eat in peace. I was letting Catie eat in the living room so she could watch the Disney Channel and she got up to go get a drink and then it happened. I heard this loud crash and a blood curdling scream and knew whatever had happened was really bad. I ran into the kitchen and Chas was asking Catie what happened and then I saw all the blood. At first I just thought she tripped on her scooter that hadn't made it outside and cut her chin. There was blood everywhere! It was on her face, hand, neck, shirt, and she opened her mouth and there was a TON of blood in her mouth. I saw a bad cut on her chin and then saw this terrible cut inside of her mouth. I decided that with all the blood and the way she was screaming (not a normal scream of pain) that we needed to go to the ER pretty fast. I scooped her up with a towel and Chas helped me get her in the car. I flew to the ER and Chas got the boys covered and he came up soon after. Thank God the ER is less than 5 minutes from our apartment. Catie was still in her jammies and her hair was a wreck and she noticed it as we pulled into the ER and said through her pain that she was so embarrassed by her hair. We walked in and we got to skip ahead of everybody. When the doctor came in were we in for a shock! When Catie fell she bit ALL the way through her lip to the other side. Doc said she needed stitches and she came completely unglued. I guess when a child needs stitches it takes priority over most other people because it all moved pretty fast. It took 5 very strong adults to hold her down and numb the spot. She was so very upset and I cried as they held her down. They waited for the medicine to kick in and then started stitching her up! She was very brave for that part and I was very proud. In the middle of all the doctors coming in and out I got what happened out of my Catie. She went in the kitchen to get a drink in her socks and went "skating" across the floor like she always does ( this is news to me!) and crashed into the floor. She now has a very fat lip and stitches to start school tomorrow.

This was after we got home from the ER

When I got home Mom was here with the boys and we decided to all carpool to Brentwood to get our hair done (Catie's choice) and we left around 3:45 and got there an hour later. We expected to be home by 7 or 8 but had no luck with that goal! As Em cut my hair all off I freaked out because it wasn't looking like what I wanted and between that and the stress from earlier I totally melted down. Well my crying did nothing for Em's confidence and she started to cry. It was very dramatic. My hair is now very short and platinum blond. I LOVE IT! I feel like I look so much younger!Mom's turned out so cute and she looks very stylish! Catie looks like an angel despite her fat lip and stitches. I had Em cut all her hair off to help make her bangs look better. Catie's dad showed up and we all got to enjoy the antics of John Batcheler for a bit but it made Catie happy and that is all that mattered. Poor Chas had both boys all by himself for HOURS! We didn't get home until after midnight!! We did have a great visit with Em and she did our hair after the salon closed so we got to eat and hang out and relax and not behave. I was thrilled to get home since it had been hours and hours since I had nursed Charlie and boy did I hurt! I nursed him and he was SOOOO happy to see me!! Its nice to have someone in your life light up like that when you walk in the room! Chas LOVED the hair and I was thrilled!!

This is her before hair!


So this morning Catie's lip in HUGE and looks so gross! She is having a hard time eating but being a good sport. She keeps telling us that a brownie would make it feel better! I suppose I should give in a little!! I have tons of pictures to post and they will follow or be in another post.

I hope today is better!!
This is her gorgeous after shot!

A better morning

Max looking a lot better today and seemed to be in a better mood

Max and Charlie are starting to play and Max insisted on showing him how to work the toy

Poor Mr. Max

My little Max is having a bad day. He woke up this morning with a mild breakout on his face and while we were concerned we weren't really worried since he wakes up sometimes looking kinda rough. He was a little fussy but not bad and we went on about our day. He went down for his nap and woke up even worse. We chalked it up to the change in weather we had today and gave him his medicine and decided to go swimming. Normally the chlorine in the water will help dry up his skin. Not today. After the pool his skin still looked bad. We went to my in laws to eat dinner and after dinner we (Chas, Max, Catie, and myself) all started rolling around in the carpet and rough housing a little. I noticed that he was looking even worse and by 10:00 tonight he looked horrible. He had hives on his arms and legs and his little face was so broken out and hot to the touch. He cried all the way home and totally fell apart during his feed. We got him upstairs to get him in his jammies and to put his special medicine on him for times like this and he was so miserable.

It is times like tonight that I am not sure what to do anymore. This disease is so baffling and there are times that I wish he had cancer or something that had a treatment or even a department at the Children's Hospital. I know that sounds bad but his disease can go to his organs and bone marrow and could cause death. We don't think about that but at some level we have come to accept this as being one of the effects of this disease. Everyday is such a battle and on some days we win a battle and have a small victory but then we wake up to days like this and we realize that there is still a war to fight. He itches all the time and is miserable. The doctors are baffled and don't really know what to do anymore. It is so hard to see your child in so much pain on a daily basis. It is also very hard on Catie who is learning to walk on egg shells when Max gets a flare up since everyone tends to be stressed and grouchy. She is so sweet with Max when he is like this and asked us tonight what would we do if he stopped breathing. We told her we would have to call an ambulance and give him his special shot. It sucks that this is a reality for us and that our 7 year old knows that this could happen.

Well I am off to bed. Saturday is a BIG day for us! Catie and I are doing some volunteer work with mom and after that Catie and I get to go to Aunt Em's fancy salon and get our hair cut to start school. I am thinking something very short and very blond. I will post before and after pictures tomorrow. I am terribly excited and I need that after a day like today!

Second Grade?!?!?!?!

Where did my little baby Catie go? We went tonight to her new school for her to meet her teacher and see where she was going on Monday morning. She is in the second grade and I am in total shock. The teacher spoke with us about everything they would be learning this year and WOW!!! They are learning cursive and multiplication and division and FRACTIONS!! They are starting Social Studies and have actual books and real grades this year. Last year everything was graded on a scale of 1-5 and now they are getting actual grades. They are even having spelling tests and math tests. I hope I can keep up with her studying as well as my own school work. We were blessed for Catie to get the teacher we wanted and we are thrilled! We have known this woman since 1990 when we moved here and she is a member of our church. Catie has a lot of learning anxiety and Mrs. Barnes taught 1st grade for years, so she is prepared to go backwards if Catie needs some extra help remembering everything they crammed into her head last year. She was the top reader in her class last year and had a real talent for math so I am hoping her transition into the 2nd grade AND a new school goes well for my Catie bug.

After the school function we took Catie to Subway to let her get a $5 footlong and she had a blast picking out everything she wanted on her sandwich! She got the oven roasted chicken sandwich and thought she was hot stuff because we let her get white bread instead of wheat. We got home and Max was in a ripe mood. We left him with the neighbor because Caties new school isn't ready for the "beast". He had a rough day and his skin is a big oozy mess! I went to fix Charlie his dinner and Max wanted it instead and I am in no mood to argue tonight so Max ate fresh peaches and rice cereal. Poor Charlie had to wait until I could fix his dinner. He was starving and didn't even mind that he got peas instead of his yummy peaches. I make all my own baby food and my babies have to wait until I warm up their "ice cube" of food and it isn't always pleasant. I am bidding on some baby food containers on eBay so that I can retire the ice cube trays and have a more portable solution for the baby food since Charlie spends a lot of time at Chas's moms house. She loves our little monkey man and always wants to keep him for us!! His dad loves Max more than I could have ever imagined and so they are wonderful about keeping the boys so we can get stuff done. It is amazing how much faster we accomplish tasks around town if we don't have to lug a baby seat in and out of the store. We are blessed to have such great parents that help out when we really need it!!

Well all my boys are crashed out and I have to give Charlie his bath and talk Max into bed and read him his story and talk my hubby into coming up to bed. He loves to watch TV downstairs and then falls asleep and doesn't come up to bed. We have SOOO much to do tomorrow. We are going to dad's to pick blueberries and we have been promising to take the kids to the club to go swimming. Tomorrow will be another busy fun filled day! Thank goodness Chas is off work tomorrow!!

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Funny things Max said today....

"Whats in Mommy's tummy Max?"
"Mcdonalds mommy"
"What else Max?"
"Kroger's mommy"
"Anything else Max?"
" Yes mommy.....ice keem!"

I love my little man

I Miss Hair Bows

Catie is no longer my sweet little girl who likes to wear bows. Actually she never really liked bows but wore them because I made her (she was only little!) and she looked so sweet. She is now 7 and has an opinion about everything including her clothes and hair. She cut her hair not too long ago and gave herself a mini mullet. It was a disaster and I was able to put some girly bows and barrettes in her hair to help it look better. She then discovered the joy or headwraps and refuses to let me fix it anymore. I know I could totally over rule her decision to boycott bows but I do believe in giving your children an option to some degree. She has become such a tomboy here lately and is into softball and soccer and the days of ballet are over. She doesnt really like pink and I cant shop for clothes for her unless she is with me because she hates everything I like these days. In our area it seems like the really big clip bows are a status symbol and while I don't want her to wear them for that reason I would like her to wear them none the less. I suppose there comes a time when you have to boycott your kids on some things and this may be the time that I boycott her and the issue of no bows. You win some and you lose some. I may be losing this battle but I am going to fight my hardest. I see bargaining in our future!

The good old days of bows!

Spaghetti Dinner from Tuesday night

Last nights spaghetti dinner all over Max, he started to cry b/c the sauce got into his sores

Charlie Chan the Monkey Man even got into the Spaghetti fun

My sweet Catie Home at last!

My sweet Bug is home

Today was one of those days that happens once in a blue moon! Maxwell was very well behaved and the most pleasant child to be around. It must be a full moon or something. He sat in front of the TV and watched Elmo and Barney while I worked on school stuff. My Law 102 class was canceled for this semester and I had to do some fast thinking and I needed him to be good for me while I was doing that fun activity. I was able to get into a Law 100 class which is okay but that Law 102 class was only 5 weeks and way more conducive with our schedule. My new class is all semester and on a night that isn't perfect but will work for us as of now. I was able to get 3 of my 5 classes online and only have to go to the college for 2 of my classes which will be very nice. I am really looking forward to starting school in August and there is something about going back as an adult that makes me more excited than anyone can understand. Chas has been so very supportive and has pushed me into school. He stayed on top of me getting my financial aid and making sure I followed through with my goals. I think my excitement is contagious since he helped me get some school supplies tonight.

I wasn't able to get much done around the house because Charlie was being very fussy. It would be so nice to have both boys be well behaved for one day so I could get more done but I'm not looking for that to happen anytime soon.

Catie got home tonight and I was so excited to see her sweet face. She kept saying how much she missed us and we had a great conversation at dinner. In honor of her coming home we let her have a store bought pot pie which is one of her favorites. She left her bathing suit at Granny and PopPops and I had to run up to KMart and get her another one. The one I had gotten her at the beginning of summer had a longer top to help hide her tummy but I wasn't lucky enough to find one of those. I got her this striped number with a rhinestone "bling" on the belt and the top was one of those triangle tops. It was very cute and I was convinced she would like it more than the other suit she lost. She tried it on and was SOOOO excited and told me she thought I was going to get her a "decent" bathing suit! We all went swimming and now everyone seems to be melting down around me! Max is insisting on eat a peach and Chas has to go to the store for an ice cream run and Max seems to be convinced we are going to McDonalds. He is in for a shock in about 10 minutes.

Max and Chas go to Kroger quite a bit each week and while they always come back with stuff we need, I think they go to get away from Charlie man and Catie and of course me! When they walk into Kroger it is like Cheers. Everyone knows Max and if they don't say hello to him he yells at them until they come over and speak with him. He is too cute these days and makes me laugh all the time. The stuff that comes out of his mouth still blows my mind. It shocks me that a year ago all he did was cry and we were trying so hard to get him back on track. These days he seems more advanced in vocabulary than most 2 year olds I see and needs to be on a sitcom. He is SOOOO funny. I need to start writing down the things he says because I seem to forget what he says by bedtime.

I am sorry this is such a rambling post but so much has happened today and my mind is jumbled. I hope that writing this blog will help me with my English Lit class! It always sounds good in my head but I have such a hard time putting it on paper.

Well it is off to bed for 2 tired little boys and 1 very sleepy girl.

Potty Training

I remember potty training with Catie as being very easy. She followed directions and totally got the concept of using the potty and not have dirty pants. Boys are such a different story. We have been potty training Max for quite some time. He is starting to really get into the pee pee part but refuses to put his poop in the potty. He is still having some developmental delays and I'm not sure whether to blame it on the delays or the fact that he is a boy. He have read the books and bought a cool musical potty and even let him pick out his own big boy undies. If I remind him he will go but most times he wets himself. He is such a stubborn little boy and has to do things in his own time. I wish he would choose his time because having 2 in diapers is tough and expensive. I HATE pull ups and think they are a waste of time but he likes them. When I was potty training Catie I was more patient since she was the only child in my life and I devoted all my time to her. That included potty training. Now that there are 3 children in my life I can't devote all my time to just one child and I am not nearly as patient as I was at 21 years old. We are hoping he wakes up one day and decided today is the day to use the potty but knowing Max like I do, I am not holding my breath.

Max and the Train

About a year ago the Nashville area got a commuter train and we have been promising to take the kids for a ride. This afternoon Chas got off early and we took Max and Charlie to ride the train. Dad and Aunt Janet met us there and what a ride we all had this afternoon!

Max seeing the train come around the bend

We caught the train at 3:55 and as Max heard the train come around the bend his little face lit up like a Christmas tree! Trying to get all of us on that train was not fun. The aisles are not intended for infant carriers and it was a tight squeeze. Everyone wanted to sit at the top and I made my way up the VERY narrow stairs to join the others. Max was all about it until the whistle blew and it was loud! The engine started and off we went. Every time we stopped at a station Max would say it was over and it was time to get off the train. Charlie was very fussy this afternoon and didn't enjoy it much and I got motion sickness. The top of that train sways and rocks and it made me very ill and unhappy. I finally took Charlie and sat at the bottom of the train. My stomach got better and I kept Charlie happy while Chas sat up top with Max and enjoyed the view.

Our conductor was very cool and even let Max try on his conductors hat. When we got to Nashville the train filled up and Chas and Max came down to sit with me. On the way there the train was empty but the way back it was full to the top! This was when the boys decided to be unruly! Charlie finally let himself be rocked to sleep by the train and Max thought it was awesome to take pictures with my camera. We finally made it back around 6:00 and Max was ready to get off the train. He waved goodbye to "Thomas" and the conductor and we were on our way home at last!

Me getting VERY ill at the top of the train

Charlie Getting upset before the train even got there!

All in all it was a fun day and I am ready to go to bed!

Too early!

My goal was to sleep until at least 8:00 this morning but it didn't work! Explain to me why Max and Charlie decided to wake up at 6:00am???? Not only that but I woke up to a nasty text message from a friend. What a great way to start my day. I am hoping it gets better soon. It isn't even 8:00 yet! GRRRR!!!!

Another Weekend Over

This weekend was insane, as is all of our weekends. Normally Chas is off on Fridays and our weekend starts then but one Friday a month there is an auction and he has to work. Those are the Fridays I hate and this week was one of those Fridays! The boys had been sick all last week and gave it to Catie and me this week and by Friday I was REALLY sick. Chas had to work and I was here with all the kids alone. The government should give moms 5 sick days a year and let us call out and have someone come in and take care of our kids. Max seems to know when I am sick and takes full advantage of my weakness. My aunt Janet is in town and I was elected to go take her shopping on Friday since she is scared to drive in a town she doesn't know and boy did we have fun. I had to take Max and Charlie and they are no fun to take shopping!! Catie was at camp and I didn't have my little bug to help out and that wasn't fun at all! Finally Chas got off work and met me to get the boys and Janet and I went out to dads house to put our new purchases away. I helped clean some and did my weekly vaccuming and floor mop.

Saturday started out rough since I was still feeling pretty poorly. Chas got up and made breakfast and that always seems to start my day off nicely. He is a great cook and made eggs and bacon and pancakes and biscuits and gravy! He even went across the street and got me a LARGE iced coffee which was the icing on the cake. I headed out to dads to visit and get dinner started since we had company coming out that evening. Chas stayed home with the kids so the boys could get their naps. Max was wild all morning and I was hoping a nap would be helpful. I helped dad hang blinds and wash curtains and cook and then Chas, Charlie, Catie, and the BEAST arrived at dads house. Max was miserable. His skin has been bad lately and it makes him grouchy. Charlie is teething and wants to be held all the time. He is also starting on solid food and doesn't want to nurse as much so that made me a bit uncomfortable. Catie was her usual helpful self and was a pleasure to be around.

This morning Catie woke me up bright and early to remind me that John was coming to get her at 10:00am and I needed to pack her bags. Knowing John like I do, I rolled over and went back to sleep knowing he wouldn't be there by 10:00 or anytime thereafter. He didn't show up until 2:00 and Catie was ready to go for her 4 days with her other grandparents. She will be spending time with her brother Brandon and her sister Brittany and cousin Cooper until Wednesday and then starts school next Monday. They do this every year at John's parents house and every year she looks forward to this 4 day break from her 2 brothers here! I want a break from her brothers too!!! Max was in a foul mood which doesn't work well when we are out at dads (went back out for the afternoon) and made everyone grouchy. Dad doesn't like whining so that made for a long evening. Emily showed up and ate with us and not too long after that her boyfriend Robb showed up and it was all crazy.

On a funny note.....the Dr Phil show called tonight about an email I sent and we might be going to Los Angles to be on the show.........more on that later.

We are all home now and Charlie is asleep in his chair, Chas is asleep in the same position as Charlie in his chair and Max is crashed out in the floor. This is my signal to go to bed. Charlie will be up in about 2 hours to eat and I need a little sleep. I have to go register Catie for school tomorrow morning and need to get going pretty early!