Happy New Year & Happy Birthday to me!!!!

I just realized I haven't posted since Christmas Eve...I feel like that was just a couple days ago but it was a week! Time flies!!

I will rewind a bit to Christmas :-) It was so much fun with the boys! Gavin was really into it this year and would jump up and down when he saw the "big brown truck" outside the house (which I will admit was every day leading up to Christmas Day, ek!). Last year he would always ask "WHATS IN DA BOX?!" This year, he automatically assumed it was for him and only him. The best was when the UPS guy showed up to the front door with a huge box. All the boys were in the foyer by the front door and I was in the kitchen. I knew the UPS truck was outside but I didn't think anything of it. Suddenly I hear, "MOMMA!!! I WANT TO RIDE THE TRAIN!!!!!! MOMMY! MOMMY!! MOMMY COME SEE!" I go to the foyer and see  three little head looking out the window and the UPS guy has eyes as wide as saucers! This was in the big box and there was nothing covering the big picture of a train on the box :-P

I opened the door a crack the he asked me if I would like him to put it by the garage and I said yes please :-) Thankfully they all forgot about it by the time they woke up from their naps :-P

We went to church on Christmas Eve....it was crazy! The church was packed and there were no seats by the time we got there. We didn't expect to really sit still anyways so we were prepared to stand. We actually were offered seats by 3 different people, so thoughtful! I know you all know I have mentioned that I don't experience this often around here :-P One person was a young guy around 15 or 16, very nice young man :-)
There were no meltdowns, just a lot of running around after J&K. Gavin sat in the stroller and just chilled out with his snacks :-D Then we went to Marcin's parents for Christmas at their house. And then Christmas Day we were able to stay home, take our time opening presents, playing and just relaxing. Then we had family over that afternoon for brunch, it was a good day!

We had a wonderful Christmas! I can't wait for next year when J&K are able to get more into it. Jakob thoroughly enjoyed ripping tissue paper! Kaleb would just scream with excitement when he saw something new. Gavin wanted to open everything in sight and then get more to open :-) It was so much seeing it through a child's eye, make it all brand new again!

And now it is New Years Eve and here I sit, blogging :-D Exciting times LOL Life changes a bit with 3 little ones. I can remember a handful of times that Marcin and I have done something for New Years Eve and they were fun. But the past 4 or 5 years, we have stayed in and cooked crab legs. I guess it has become a bit of a tradition. We like it....less expensive, less people and the drunk drivers make me nervous. There was a time when I wanted the opposite....expensive, more people the better and I was the drunk one, not driving though! I can remember one New Years I went to Epcot with my friend Lauren...so much fun!!! With the time zones, each country celebrated New Years at different times and then people would find out January 1 was my birthday and shots would be lining the bar. Then another time my friend Michelle and I went to Orlando to bring in the year 2000 and the hotel actually left us a gallon of water and flashlight outside our door. LOL  Y2K! geez...so silly but fun! I have some wonderful memories and I am continuing to build memories with my family. I wouldn't change a thing :-)

Most people like to start their New Years Resolutions. Eh....I like to think about things like that but I have to admit I am not that great at sticking with them. Maybe that could be one of my resolutions this year, hehe There are always things I want to change, work on and set goals for. 2011 was a great year....I am hoping for 2012 to be a good one also!

A friend of mine shared this on Facebook today and I love it,

Eight resolutions for the rest of your life:
1. I will do my best every day to be kind to my self, my family and my kids.

2. I will remember that I’m raising the child in front of me, not the one in the book or the movies and I’m not re-raising myself.
...
3. I will remind myself during the good times and the bad ones that this is a moment, not forever. Cherish it, value it or just get through it.

4. I will not micro manage my partner or husband by expecting him to parent my way.

5. I will not let a little mess and chaos ruin everything.

6. I will simplify, simplify, simplify, realizing that nothing needs to be all that complicated.

7. I will remember to speak to my child as politely as I expect him to speak to me. If I wouldn’t use that voice with my friend or coworker, why would I use it with my child.

8. I will forgive myself for occasionally losing my mind, temper and cool because nobody needs a perfect mother.

I am going to try really hard to stay up and see the ball drop not only for the New Year but for my birthday :-D geez....I will be turning 34 years old in 1.5 hours. hmph...I don't feel 34. Well I guess some days I feel it. I definitely don't feel the same way I did at 24 :-P When I was 24, 34 felt much older than I feel now, ha!

When I was younger, my best friend and I Michelle would stay up every New Years Eve/Day until 3:35 a.m. (the time I was born) and wish me happy birthday and crash into bed! I was always told I was the 2nd New Years baby born in Savannah, Georgia. The first baby got $100 and I got $50. Dad, is this true?!  New Years Day is a fun day for a birthday! Everyone celebrates with you, doesn't get much better than that!

Why is Carson Daly still hosting a New Years Eve show? We are watching the Ryan Seacrest Times Square....I think it is safe to say that Jenny McCarthy has had some work done. That or she just irks me to begin with, ugh.

Happy New Year everyone!! I hope that 2012 is a healthy, prosperous year for you!

Do you feel it?!

The holiday spirit?! I need to get a little mushy for a minute.....yesterday Marcin and I were discussing how it didn't 'feel' like Christmas. But today, have to say....now it does :-D Gavin is SO excited, watching the news and all the last minute shoppers and people really getting in to the spirit of the holiday but most of all...the boys. The boys make it so much fun! Gavin especially since he is older.

Marcin and I spent all of last night putting toys together and wrapping. 3 rolls of tape, 4 rolls of wrapping paper and we were done. I was tired, my back hurt and my butt from sitting on hard floor for so long. It did feel good to know that it was done. All stocking stuffers are accounted for. We have one more toy to assemble tonight and we are ready!

I can't really recall last Christmas. I know Gavin was excited but he didn't truly get the idea of it all. Not to mention, we had 2 little almost 4 month olds.

Even Gavin looks different, he still had a bit of a baby face last year.

And of course, Jakob and Kaleb have changed alot!

Many positive changes have come to our family over the last year and I think every day how blessed we are to have these three little guys in our lives. I am so thankful for Marcin's job that allows me to stay home with them and for our friends and families that have put up with and helped us juggle being a family of five.

I absolutely love experiencing Christmas through a child's eye...it is amazing to see and hear the excitement. Next year is going to be even more fun with them all being older and Jakob and Kaleb getting in on the fun!

Enjoy your time during the holiday with your family, friends and loved ones. I will be missing my family in the southeast and my little brother in China but everyone is always in my thoughts and prayers.

really? Christmas in just 3 days?

Today is gorgeous out! It really feels like a South Carolina December day....makes me feel better :-) We had quite a productive morning! Gavin and I (well....ME) made some sugar cookies and peanut butter blossoms. I am pretty sure peanut butter blossoms are my favorite cookie. I mean, does like get any better than peanut butter AND chocolate? Gavin made a huge mess with the flour...such is life, he had fun. Works for me :-D J&K were napping. After they woke up we went to Wal- Mart so Gavin could get a gift for Jakob, Kaleb and Marcin. I have no doubt he understands the 'getting' part of Christmas gifts but he seems to be a bit confused on the 'giving' so I thought we would get started on that :-P Wal-Mart of course, was a lil crazy. Then we went to grocery store...also crazy. All of this we got done and were back home in within 2 hours...that to me is impressive :-D

Gavin had a tough time getting dressed this morning. As a matter of fact, he flat out refused. I guess we can officially say Gavin has finally discovered that it is fun to run around the house in his birthday suit....and cape.

And as you can seem he proudly smiled for the camera LOL He is such a goof ball! And in a much better mood today. Yesterday was a rough day, to say the least. I lost my patience with Gavin a couple of times and had to put myself in time out. I yelled at him. I rarely lose my patience like that. I felt awful and guilty but the kid was pushing every.single.one.of.my.buttons and then some. He wasn't listening, he was pushing, hitting, taking toys, etc. It was just one thing after another. So to see him in a better today was nice and much appreciated. I feel like he may be done with napping. It used to be he slept from 9-6:30 and then napped from around 1-3/3:30. The past month or so, he goes to bed at 8:30 but wouldn't fall asleep til 9:30/10:00 and then wake up at 7:30a.m. Of course, he still wanted a nap around 2-4:00 (if I would let him, I usually woke him up at 3:30) but then the cycle begins again and he doesn't fall asleep until later. So this week I've tried something new. He still has his 'rest' time in his room for about 1.5 hour with his books, singing, jumping, yelling at people on the street from his window. He still gets in bed btw 8:00/8:30 but he is asleep within 10 minutes until 7:30/8:00a.m.....this works for me :-) he is happy, we are happy!

Jakob seems like he would like to drop to one nap but just depends on the day. Kaleb is not even close to dropping to one nap :-P He will skip his a.m. nap if we are doing something and snooze for a few minutes in the car. But they both seem to prefer an hour morning nap and a 1.5/2 hour afternoon nap. Who am I to argue with that? All the boys are great sleepers so I cannot complain and I am not one to discourage napping :-)

Yesterday Kaleb had me laughing so hard! The Sprout channel was on tv and I was in kitchen cleaning up. Kaleb was sitting in his usual spot when watching tv (=0....the horror, YES they watch TV!), he likes to sit on the ottoman in front of couch. The weirdo Wiggles came on and suddenly Kaleb starts crying with tears streaming down his face....he was running away from the TV and into the kitchen and kept looking back at the TV like the Wiggles were scaring him. Smart kid :-D Kaleb has been really funny lately with imitating us and laughing out loud more. He is more of a grinner and quiet laugher, so it is cute to hear him laugh. He loves Gavin...he watches him in complete amazement, I love it! He is giving high fives and finally will Sign when he is 'all done.' I have only been doing it for the past 6 months :-P

And then later that afternoon, Kaleb was watching tv...yep again. Gavin comes along and says, "I want to sit by Kaleb." I said sure. So Gavin gets on the ottoman and is being his rough, energetic self. I explained that he cannot push Kaleb while he is sitting on the ottoman because he will fall and get hurt. I get the typical deer in head lights look. Gavin then tells me he wants to hold Kaleb's hand. I said that sounded like a fabulous idea.

How cute are they?!

I won't get into the whole tv&children debate. Our kids watch TV. They don't sit in front of it all day long but they do watch it. It allows me to cook dinner without the being under my feet and keep everyone calm without fighting for 10 minutes. So yep...they watch it. Feel free to judge, it is what it is ;-)

I took Jakob back to the pediatrician yesterday because he has been wheezing since Saturday and  the nebulizer treatments weren't working. I hated going back...Sometimes I feel like they think I am that crazy mom but seriously, do you think I want to lug all 3 kids to the doctors office and entertain them while waiting? um...not really. I think Gavin knew I had lost all patience with him so he was really good while we were there lol Jakob has another ear infection in both ears. He just had one in the right ear after Thanksgiving. Now the tube is falling out of the right ear. Which I find ironic because I have noticed that he has fiddled with his right ear ever since the surgery. I have to wonder if the placement wasn't 100% or something like that. But we will wait and see if he get more ear infections before replacing that tube. I was REALLY hoping to get through the winter with all tubes staying in place *sigh*

Jakob is taking it like a trooper. He is still sleeping pretty well. He was pretty cranky the past couple of days but he is also cutting a bottom tooth , so I figured that played a part. I cannot imagine when Jakob starts cutting his molars. He is sooooo very dramatic about everything, so I have a feeling we (I) will be having some not so great nights once he starts cutting molars. Jakob gets his drama from his father, truly...he really does.

Other than that, Gavin and Kaleb seem to be healthy!! YAY!!!!! Jakob is hopefully on his way. Marcin and I are healthy too!!! Finally....2 months later we are healthy, sheesh. At least it is in time for Christmas :-)

Oh and some other good news for today....I got on the scale this morning and I have somehow miraculously lost another pound, putting me at 15lbs total! I was shocked and very excited to see that scale reflecting 159! My ideal weight would be between 145-150, that is a good weight for my height at 5'8. I am pretty sure I can do that within the next 2-3 months, WOO HOO!!!!

I guess I should start wrapping some of the pile of Christmas presents we have hidden downstairs! There are also a few things to put together.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, etc.

So yesterday I was chatting with Amazon customer service online because I was having issue returning item. The person signed off and said, 'Merry Christmas.' I was surprised by this since it seems the politically correct thing to say is "Happy Holiday" if you so choose to say anything at all. Then again at the mall last night, I would say 8 out of the 10 stores I went to wished me a merry christmas.

In my mind, I am not offended either way. We celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus. However you can wish me Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, etc. whatever you celebrate...I respect that. I don't understand why everyone can't just respect each other's holidays and move on. I could go on about this for a number of things that I just wish we could all be respectful of each others differences. In a perfect world, it may go that way but let's face it....this world is far from perfect. We will just try to teach the boys to respect others and learn to be leaders not followers.

Ok, stepping down from my pulpit LOL

On another note, I REALLY need to get more organized with my Christmas cards. I got a majority of them out and if I didn't get one to you, I do apologize. I tried but I have addresses all over the place and I need to just make a document of labels, put it in a Christmas storage bin so it is already there for next year and go about my way. That would be great to do...once I find some time. I was pretty proud of our Christmas cards this year. I made them :-) Each year I get overwhelmed looking at all the cards online and the costs. oh vey. we usually send out about 60 and once we are done picking them out, they cost way too much! And the postage is ridiculous! I may do postcards next year :-P So I decided to make our cards because 1) I enjoy doing that sort of thing 2) it saved us about $50 :-) It has been a sort of DIY Christmas around here, which is fun because this time last year.....I had NO time to do anything! So it is nice to do things now :-)

We are going to our lawyers office....again to hopefully finally close on our refinance. This has been in the works for over 6 weeks. We got a really rate (3.25) on a 15 year, so we are excited! This also means cutting back on the monthly expenses but if we stay in this house for duration of that loan....we will have our house paid off by the time boys start college. So it works out well :-) We went to lawyers last week only to find they needed to resend the papers back to underwrite. This has been quite the process since Wells Fargo cannot get their act together, ugh

A friend asked me yesterday how much weight I had lost. I then remembered that I haven't posted a weight loss update in a while :-P There isn't much to report this month LOL I have had way too many treats in my house but I have lost a total of 14 lbs since October 1 :-D That to me is progress!!! My old 'skinny' jeans are getting too big, love that! I haven't gained any weight this month but haven't lost..I will get back on track in the new year, you know...with the rest of the country LOL I also made another appointment with a plastic surgeon. I wanted to get a consult with a different doc just to see what he says. I am losing weight but the extra skin is awful. I hate looking at it and I figure it will only get worse the older I get :-P Marcin and I were talking because lately I was thinking I would wait til I am 40. But then he suggested waiting another year and doing it once I turn 35. I like this idea :-) So we shall see. The procedure scares me but I feel like in a year I can come to terms with it, save more money, Gavin will be closer to 5 y/o and J&K will be 2.5 or 3 y/o so that will be easier also.

ok must get to lawyers office! wish us luck that we finally close!

months of year, days of week, numbers!

I have to brag :-D Gavin knows the months of the year, days of the week and Marcin told me he could count to 40. I asked Gavin and sure enough, he did!!! Makes me so proud! It is so much fun watching him grow and learn. He is starting to pick up things like telling me, "MOM, I am serious!" Or if I ask him where something is, he will tell me, "It's probably over there."

I can't believe in just two short years (because I know they will fly by) that J&K will be talking and joking like Gavin is now. And Gavin will be 5.5 y/o....I can only imagine what he will be up to by then :-)

Some days these boys drive me crazy and I often think of the scene in Sex and The City movie where Charlotte is trying to bake with her oldest daughter and her youngest is screaming. She goes into the pantry to hide LOL I think she goes in there to cry....I am not crying but sometimes I do need a time out for myself. I remember this scene vividly because when I went to see the movie with some girlfriends, we had just found we were having twins. Slightly stressed :-P

A majority of the time, I watch our boys in amazement at the things they are learning, playing together, Jakob and Kaleb's personalities developing more and problem solving (read: Kaleb figuring out what else he can climb. Jakob being dramatic because it didn't go his way. Gavin having to have whatever someone else has). It is usually crazy at my house but I feel so blessed to have three healthy sons. I have to remind myself that they won't be this age for long and I need to slow down so I can enjoy them while they are little and still want to hang out with me :-)

I had such grand plans....

....for nap time but then I get the boys in their beds and I lose all motivation, get distracted (by blogging) or just lose track of time!

The house is a mess, as it is every day at this time. Clutter, clutter and more clutter! I hate clutter. It drives me nuts! And I have a pile of laundry already...when I was pretty sure I finished it all (wash/dry/fold/put away) yesterday only to find another 3-4 loads piled in the laundry room. I cannot imagine the loads of laundry I will have as the boys get older and start activities! oh vey!

I finally got all of my out of town Christmas gifts out! whew! Cutting it close but I did it! More baking & yummy things to make this weekend. My friend shared a yummy treat with us last Christmas or maybe Christmas before last of the Rolos and pretzels...I must have been under a rock for these because once I discovered them, it seemed everyone new about them! Lol On Pinterest I saw something similar but with M&M's on top....the ones on Pinterest used round pretzels but I couldn't find them so I did the square, rolos and M&M. I made them for Gavin's Christmas show at school yesterday. They turned out cute & festive!

Gavin was too funny at his Christmas show. They have been practicing for about 3-4 weeks. I have heard bits and pieces of songs at home so I had an idea what his class was singing. I wasn't too sure what he would do once on the stage and saw all the people in the audience:-P Surprisingly, he stayed there and was still. He didn't sing or do the motions for Away in a Manger, he had his hands in his pockets!!! He is just too cool for that sort of thing :-P He seems to be really enjoying this school. I feel like we made a good decision and things worked out for the best.

Back to the baking. I also decided to try making body sugar scrubs. Another idea from Pinterest (love it!) and I think they turned out pretty well. I added some Peppermint to make them festive. I was mixing them and asked Marcin to come help me. It was tough to get the sugar and oil to blend well. This probably won't surprise you but he came up with this brilliant idea...and I do mean brilliant, it worked perfectly!! He put one of the mix beater on his Dewalt :-P

So you may have seen on FB the other day that I took all baby gates down except for the ones on the steps. This may have been a moment of insanity and I am starting to slip, please everyone keep close tabs on me just in case this is how it starts :-P We had a gate at the entrance to dining room and one at the entrance to foyer from family room. This blocked off the front of the house. As some of you saw on FB, Kaleb figured out how to slide under it thanks to his big brother Gavin :-P Marcin went to Home Depot to get some plexiglass to attach to bottom but we never got around to it, imagine that! So once Kaleb would slide under....Jakob would run over and either cry or start climbing the gate because he wanted to go too!!! So then I would open said gate...this would lead to Kaleb opening/closing the gate with Jakob on the other side and someones fingers would get squished, fall down, etc. = more crying/screaming. GEEZ Let's add to this mayhem Gavin also trying to climb the gate while J&K are somewhere around the bottom.

Someone find me a glass of wine!!!!!!

So Monday I said screw it...I quickly assessed the front rooms, decided it was relatively safe and if I missed anything, I was positive the boys would point it out or fall off of it :-P This is day #3 without the gates and I have to say, so far so good. I would have never taken the gates down for Gavin at this age.....absolutely NOT!!! These gates were up til Gavin was 2.5y/o! It was treat to go to the front of house for him, hehe This is a big step for me! I find that I have become a tiny bit more relaxed the second time around :-P Today Kaleb let me know that the piano bench needed to go in the office....he somehow manged to climb on top of the seat and was trying to climb onto the piano. See? I told you they would show me. Oh and I had to take the drawer out of the coffee table because Kaleb was opening it and sitting in it. They don't bother the tree though, we are thinking of moving it to the family room after all :-) J&K would pull the ornaments off at first but then I guess the novelty wore off :-P

That's all that is new in our world. I am almost done Christmas shopping :-) I need to wrap, assemble toys and get a couple more things. I cannot believe Christmas is in 11 days. How is that possible?

Please keep my younger brother Reh and his team in your thoughts and prayers as they leave this weekend on a mission trip to China for two weeks.

I need this house straightened up. And go hide some Christmas presents :-)

What to do with Beef Ribs? this is delicious!

I have never cooked Boneless Beef Ribs before. But on one of my coupon shopping trips to Safeway, I found some beef ribs in the 'clearance' section. They expired that day but they can't sell them past expiration date...my luck and what a deal! $1.50 a pound! With that said, I had no clue what to do with them lol

So after some Googling, I found a recipe that looked pretty good. I wanted something like Korean beef ribs. This almost is exactly what I had in mind! I served it over rice instead of mashed potatoes, I didn't have potatoes. I also didn't have the sweet chili sauce so I made that too!!! I will be definitely be making that again for other dishes for dipping, YUMMY!!!

I thought it was very tender. I mean, it was falling apart as I was cutting it. Marcin disagreed and felt it would have been better with bone in ribs. Maybe I will try that next time but I would pretty happy with what I had, hehe

This recipe would go great with chicken or pork also, enjoy! Just adjust the cooking time for whatever meat you are cooking. Did I mention its a crockpot dish? Even better, right? :-D

Beef Ribs Recipe
http://dunkincookingthesemi-homemadeway.blogspot.com/2009/06/crock-pot-boneless-beef-ribs.html

Sweet Chili Sauce
http://www.food.com/recipe/thai-sweet-chili-sauce-120670?scaleto=1&mode=null&st=true

Whew...what a week!

TGIF!!!!

I feel like I just can't get caught up. Christmas is in just TWO WEEKS!!!!! Thanksgiving snuck up on me and I feel like Christmas is doing the same. One minute, I felt like I had plenty of time to get things done and now I am stressed that I don't have enough time *sigh*

Oh but wait....if Christmas is in two weeks, that means my birthday is in three weeks, hehe :-D Are you reading this Marcin? I like to count down and constantly remind him because my birthday is 24 hours of getting my way all.day.long :-)

It seems like everyone is starting to feel better, except for Gavin. J&K are still coughing a little. My cough is pretty much gone....4 weeks later :-P I went to get my ribs checked out mid week because my right side was killing me any way I turned. I just wanted to know that it wasn't broken. So I got it xrayed and it didn't show anything broken :-P The doc said it could be a mild fracture not visible on the xray or there is cartilage that connects your ribs that can become inflame from excessive coughing. Who knew?!

Gavin was taking what I like to call a toddler z-pac. Five days of antibiotics. He seemed better but then mid-week started getting congested again. When he was given the antibiotic last week, doc said 5 days on it, 5 days off and then another 5 days. He starts it tomorrow again so hopefully this kicks it. I have to wonder if his ear infection is back because he is complaining of his teeth hurting (possibly from ear pressure) and the congestion. Who knows...I am not ready for this winter. I thought I was but I changed my mind.

Gavin has a Christmas show at school on Tuesday....very interested to see if he will sing with his class or just stand there lol He gets shy when we catch him singing at home so I would imagine with a church full of people, he will be very shy :-) I do love listening to him practice at home though! So cute! What isn't cute is Gavin's opening/closing door obsession. It drives me nuts when I am trying to get in and out somewhere and get home! He must open the automatic doors and then stand there waiting for them to close. As they are closing, he will kneel down to watch all the mechanics in how it is closing. He has done this for as long as I can remember, over a year at least. Door hinges are also interested. Escalators and elevators are heaven in his eyes :-P I shouldn't be surprised, he has never really played with toys the way they are meant to played...he wants to know how it works. Speakers, telephones, drums, computers, tv's....anything, he first wants to know how it works. I often wonder what he will be when he grows up and what his interests will be as he gets older.

Jakob is babbling up a storm! It is very cute and seems to make complete sense to him. He is following Kaleb's lead and climbing on things, oh vey! His latest achievement is climbing up on the couch so he can fall face first into the pillows laughing and giggling :-P He is also loving playing ball and being chased around the house. And he can give some really good hugs!

Kaleb is still sliding under the gate :-P We haven't fixed it yet...he forgot about it after we came back from North Carolina for Thanksgiving. It took him a few days to discover the train by the Christmas tree...once he saw that he started going under the gate again lol He also has a lot to say...I have no idea what he is talking about but he sure does! He is very bossy..when it comes to something he wants. He has also learned the art of dancing....adorable! I will try and get it on video. He sort of shuffles his feet while walking in place. Jakob has been dancing a while but Kaleb would just stand and look at him like he was being ridiculous :-P 

As you may have seen on my FB video, J&K have also learned how to play catch :-) Gavin couldn't grasp this game at their age. I remember this because we started Little Gym when Gavin was 1 y/o until he was a little over 2. He would never play catch there or at home.

It is so much fun to watch all three interact and play together. It is also stressful to constantly referee and redirect/distract them when everyone has to have the same toy. Seriously...if you have been to my house, you have seen all the toys. Can't everyone find something to play with and be happy?! The Christmas train is the latest battle....Jakob wants to play with it on the track, Kaleb wants to throw it across the room and Gavin wants to push it on the hardwood floor.

I have also learned a lesson this week...when outnumbered by 3 mobile children. Do not open the garage door until at least one child is strapped securely in their car seat. Usually when myself and the boys are getting ready to go somewhere, Gavin likes to 'push the butt' (push the button) to open the garage door. He is slightly obsessed with doors as some of you may know....really more the mechanics of how it works. So he will open the car door and J&K will walk to the car. Can you guess who the trouble maker is in this scenario?! KALEB! He makes a run for it every time....he laughs and runs for the driveway! Gavin is yelling at him to come back but then Gavin doesn't know whether to keep Jakob away from his things in the car or run after Kaleb, LOL

Time for bed...it's Friday and I am exhausted! Have a great weekend!

J&K 15 month stats

J&K had their 15 month appt today :-) They are doing great and seem to be developing right on target for their age!

Kaleb weighs 28lbs (90%) and is 32.5 inches (90%).

Jakob weighs 23lbs (25%) and is 32 inches (75%).

It still amazes me that 5 lbs makes such a difference because Kaleb feels significantly heavier to me than Jakob :-P

Kaleb is in between 18-24 month clothes while Jakob is just getting into 18 months for length but pants are usually too big for his skinny lil waist, hehe

When they were born, I was hoping Kaleb would be able to pass his shoes onto Jakob. Kaleb's foot is about half a size larger than Jakob's. Kaleb's foot is also fat and wide, coming in at a size 6.5 wide. Thankfully Gavin had the same big feet when he was Kaleb's age so at least Kaleb will be able to wear a few of those. Jakob has a little narrow foot at size 5.5 so he will not be able to wear Kaleb's shoes once he grows out of them *sigh* Oh well, I was hoping to save a little money in the shoe department but honestly once Gavin hit about 2 y/o, he destroyed most of his shoes. I kept the ones that were in decent shape so the boys can use them as outside shoes and beat them up some more :-P

They showed the doctor all their climbing tricks while we were at the office :-P Kaleb pulled every toy from the bin and shoved it in the doctors face so she could see. Jakob would run up to her and start laughing :-P Goof balls! They did not get any vaccinations today. They have been feeling miserable enough and are still coughing, so I was not adding to that with vax side effects and injection soreness. Not to mention, they aren't getting any of those vax right now anyways. I forgot the 15 month vax are Hep A (they can get that when they are much older if they want to), Chicken Pox (they can get that before preschool) and MMR. We held off on the MMR for Gavin...not due to the false research study about it linked to autism but simply because it is 3 live viruses at once. That thought alone just doesn't sit well with me. Add that to them being so young....we just don't feel they need that at 15 months. Gavin got his MMR at 2 y/o. The day after he got it, I was terrified because he woke feeling awful with 103 fever and very lethargic. Come to find out...he had hand, foot, mouth virus but my first thought was side effects from the vax.....scared me to death! J&K can follow in Gavin's foot steps and get the MMR at 2 y/o...but hopefully not the hand, foot mouth :-P

Our kids get their vax but they get them on our schedule, not what is convenient for the doctor :-P I keep up with what they need and when. They will usually get 2 vax at one appt and we go back in the next month of so for the other two. If the kids were in daycare, we would probably think differently but because they are home with me. I just don't understand why they need them all so quickly! I remember getting vaccines when I was younger but not this much. I remember when Gavin was born, I was reading Dr. Sears book and one fact stood out. In 1980, kids in the US received 10 vaccinations by age 6. Currently, kids are suggested to get 36 vaccinations by age 6!

On another note, I am pretty sure I have a fractured rib. You are probably laughing at me right now but I am serious!!! I had the annoying cough for the last 4 weeks. A couple of weeks ago, my ribs on the right side were really hurting....alot. Especially when I coughed. The coughing has gotten much better but my ribs have not. So I went to good 'ole WebMD and self-diagnosed myself with a fractured rib :-P There isn't much I can do but take alleve so it won't hurt so badly.

The boys seem to be feeling better so that is a relief! I will enjoy their better moods and healthiness (is that a word?!) while I can because I am sure something else will come along....tis the season!

TGIF and more ear infections :-P

So you all know that we aren't the healthiest bunch lately..I feel like there is something healthy people aren't telling me. I take my vitamins, the boys take their vitamins...I clean hands and anything else I can when we go out. Yet, we all still end up sick *sigh*

Gavin and myself went to the doctor Tuesday. My doctor gave me an antibiotic and cough suppressant with coedine (great stuff!!). The cough suppressant does not suppress my cough but it does knock me out so I can at least get some sleep! Gavin has a bad double ear infection...poor little guy. So he got a toddler z-pac for 5 days, let's hope that kicks it! If not, he will wait 5 days and do another 5 days! Take that germs!

Today I took Jakob and Kaleb to doctor. They are coughing, runny noses, not eating much, etc. This morning when I woke up, I thought maybe I should just reschedule their appt. for next week that may be I was overreacting and it was just a virus that needed to wear itself out. However, when Jakob woke up, his right ear was covered with dried up stuff and there was a strange liquid looking stuff coming out of it. I have been told that after kids get tubes, if they do get an ear infection that it should drain out. I wasn't sure what to look for besides something other than wax coming out the ear. This was more than wax coming out of Jakob's ear. So we kept the appt and we all went to the pediatrician with the ipad in tow to keep Gavin occupied while we waited :-P
Jakob has an ear infection in his right ear :-( Thankfully the tub is still in place and it is doing its job by allowing the pus to drain out but doctor explained that the things draining out can sometimes cause a blockage that creates pressure. He got some ear drops and antibiotic.
Kaleb has a sinus infection (read: a cold lasting longer than 2 weeks). So antibiotic for him too.

So we are all on antibiotics but Marcin :-P If this doesn't kick whatever is going on here, I don't know what else to do!!! Keep us in your prayers that we are all better soon!!

I have been looking forward to this weekend!!! Tonight I am meeting a friend that I haven't seen in a long time. We are going to grab a bite to eat and then go see Breaking Dawn. Yep you read that correctly, I am a Twilight fan.....TEAM JACOB!!! (And no, not because my son's name is Jakob!) I just think Jacob is less selfish than Edward. I always love to see how they create the books into real life...I completely expect the movie to be cheesy and dramatic, at least I hope it will be!!!

Tomorrow we are going to get a REAL Christmas tree!! Yep....Marcin came to my side. We are getting a real tree!! I am so excited to have that smell in the house! I love it!!!! There is a place right across the road from our neighborhood that sells trees for $30...any size! DEAL! I have my friend Kathleen to thank for telling me about this place. I have seen the signs but never payed very  much attention since we always have a fake tree. I drove by the other day and they have a lot of nice looking trees so I am sure we can find what we are looking for. I have always wanted a train set to go around the tree but with 3 little ones, I knew we couldn't have one of the nicer sets. It would get torn to pieces! Soooooo I had a credit on amazon and got the Geotrax Christmas train set :-)

Perfect for little hands and should be able to withstand their craziness. Usually we put the tree in the family room but I am pretty sure if we did that, Kaleb would find some way to climb it. So we are putting it in the dining room in the bay window. We put it there once before when Gavin was 1.5 y/o and it worked out well.
So Saturday will be Christmas decorating day!!!! :-D Gavin is really into Christmas this year and I have to say, it is rubbing off on me. Kids really give an entirely new perspective on things....I love it and reminds me of things that I had forgotten from when I was a kid at Christmas.

Then on Sunday I get to meet other friends for dinner at the Melting Pot...need I say more? Great company and yummy food, doesn't get much better than that!

Only 23 days til Christmas! AH!!! I am almost done with my Christmas cards :-) Then I will start baking and get things ready to ship out! While we were in the mountains, my step sister Katherine, who is an amazingly talented photographer took some family pics of us :-) I had wanted to get one for our Christmas card and she definitely helped us out with that!

Gavin taking advantage of a 'teachable moment' :-P



I love Gavin's smile in this one!



This is his 'ladies man' look lol

Christmas card pic? I'll have to see if Marcin approves :-P

love love this one! We have THREE kids!!! wow

need I say more? lol

Here are a few that she took :-)

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Gavin's first dentist appt!

I made this today for the boys lunch. I make a yummy baked mac and cheese (if I do say so myself :-P) that I thought for sure they would love. Not to mention, not entirely processed. Um....nope. They turned their noses up at it and prefer the Kraft, hmph. Same with pizza....they would rather have 'triangle' pizza as Gavin calls it...Papa Johns. I can't blame him...I do love some Papa John's pizza and butter garlic sauce! YUMMY!!!

Both the Kraft mac & cheese and pizza have such good memories for me. I feel like my life revolves around food. I remember when I first met my friend Christine at Big Brothers, Big Sisters...we shared an office for a while. I am pretty sure we talked about food, our favorite restaurants or what we wanted for lunch (but couldn't have due to our wedding dress diets) everyday :-P The Kraft mac & cheese reminds me of Michelle. She is my first cousin but we grew up like sisters. Every weekend when we were teenagers, we would be at one another houses. And every weekend we would rent 3-4 horror movies and make either Kraft mac & cheese really soupy or a big pot of spaghetti at around 2:00-3:00 a.m. And we would eat it all...this was back in the day when our metabolism was ridiculous and we could eat whatever, whenever we wanted. My how things change in your 30's :-P So every time I taste Kraft or cook for the boys, I think about those late nights with not a care in the world except for how to get our chores done quick enough so we could go do something fun!!!

When my mom and I lived by my grandparents in Mississippi, I spent alot of time over there. I loved to help her cook. I try to pass this onto Gavin and J&K later when they are old enough. One of my favorite things she used to make was pizza. Just a simple pizza with thin crust, hamburger and cheese. I would 'help' by eating most of the meat & shredded cheese before it made it on the pizza, hehe It was scrumptious!!! I would eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner until it was gone!!! When Gavin started to liking pizza, I started making my own pizza. He does loves to help me (read: make a big mess!) but if I cut into squares he won't eat it. Occasionally if I cut it into triangles like Papa John's, he will eat it.

Now I am getting hungry....sheesh

On another note, we are still sick and it stinks, big time. We have all been coughing but it would seem that we have now all acquired a cold on top of that. I am 100% blaming that darn play area by Target that we went to the Friday before Thanksgiving. Every time we go to an indoor play area....my kids get sick. Even though I disinfect them thoroughly *sigh* These boys are going to have kick butt immune systems! I finally got in with my doctor today, I got at 3:30. And I am taking Gavin back at 4:20. Our doctors are right by each other so hopefully we can make it. Gavin has been coughing for 4 weeks.....I just want to make sure it is not in his chest at this point :/ J&K are also coughing and sound terrible. They have been coughing for about 2 weeks. My friend suggested I put Vicks vaporub on the arches of their feet for bedtime....she says it works, I am willing to try it!!! I am going to try on mine too because I didn't fall asleep until 1:00a.m. last night due to coughing. I figured after 2 doses of nyquil in a 2 hour period, that should knock me out! Sick  Mom plus FOUR sick boys = exhaustion and short on patience. I really hope our doctors can do something to give us some sort of relief.

I took Gavin to his first dentist appointment today! He did really well! The dentist was nice and really good with Gavin. He would explain to Gavin before he did anything and let Gavin touch it....being that Gavin loves to explore how things work, this was a big plus in Gavin's book that the dentist let him touch it! They took x-rays that didn't turn out....I told them they probably wouldn't being that involved Gavin to sit still :-P Then they cleaned his teeth and brushed them. Gavin has a discoloration on his front top tooth from when a chair fell on his face when he was a little over a year old. The dentist not to worry because it is not a cavity and once that tooth falls out, the permanent tooth will not be effected, whew! Dentist said his teeth look great! And he has more space in the back teeth than front, so maybe the orthodontist bill won't be too expensive for us :-P My teeth were a mess growing up, I had braces for at least 7 years....head gear, retainers, etc. So I am sure the boys will need them also. The dentist also let Gavin pick a special surprise from his treasure chest to take home. I asked the dentist about what age to bring in J&K. He said the American Dental People (I forget the right name) suggests 6 months after their first tooth is in. He then followed up with that based on how good Gavin's teeth, he can tell we take good care of his teeth and would guess we do the same with the twins (Yes we do, thanks!). My only concern there is Kaleb's thumb sucking but the dentist can't take off his thumb and he sure can't reason with a 15 month old to tell him its not a good thing to do. So we will cross that bridge when we get there :-P

lol this was a very random post but I figured this was better than 2-3 different blogs in one day :-P If you have been reading this long, I am sure you can keep up! here are a couple recent pics of gavin being silly!


This was outside the Cheese/Butter Factory in NC




A toy soldier at Christiana Mall....Gavin thought it was great!



It's Been a Good day! YAY!!

Despite the icky, rainy weather...it has been a good day! Gavin had school and as soon as we walked, one of the morning activities was playing with shaving cream that was put on the table...with bare hands! His teachers are brave to do this with 16 3 year olds lol At first, he didn't want to stay at school which I figured since he was off last week but he got distracted and I snuck out :-P

Jakob, Kaleb and myself came back home so they could take a much needed nap. These coughs, along with Kaleb cutting molars and Jakob working on some teeth, have not made it easy for them to rest at night. They are still sttn ::knocking on wood:: but just not getting good rest. So while they were napping, I walked/ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes while reading my new book (more on that later). I took a shower....in peace! Blissful! A little laundry done, kitchen cleaned up...this is a productive morning for me!

When I picked Gavin up from school, he was grinning ear to ear! This isn't normal...I usually get some whimpering/whining that he wants to go home. lol We all got lunch, played and I cleaned some more with three little helpers under my feet :-P geez....you all ask how we keep our house clean?! lol And then its nap time for everyone, YAY!!!! Floors got cleaned (don't know why I bother because they will be destroyed by tonight but it makes me feel better!). Listed some more toys on Craigslist, sorted out my pile of coupons, worked on Christmas cards AND got some blogging time in.

I really need to stick to the treadmill. I feel much, much better when I exercise regularly. I have more energy and more motivation, unless I am reading a good book :-P

You may remember last week I started the Matched Trilogy. I was very excited to read the first 2 books because they are similiar to the Hunger Games. After reading the first 2 books in about 4 days, I was excited to get started on the 3rd. HMPH...the 3rd book doesn't come out until next November. Please remind me next time to check on this before starting a book series. I would recommend the series though...easy read and a different society just like in Hunger Games.

On our way home from North Carolina Saturday, I started The Passage by Justin Cronin. According to Barnes& Noble this book was #1 book of the year in Times Magazine. I am not seeing it yet...I am somewhere around page 300 of 800 and it took about 200 pages for the plot to develop. Eh...I will finish it, maybe it will turn out better than it started.

boys are waking up!

EK! Christmas almost here!!

With the way time flies at my house, I feel like it is next week!! so much to do!!

But first we had a wonderful Thanksgiving in the mountains :-) The drove down there was terrible but we made it :-P Gavin has had a yucky cough for almost 4 weeks now. Originally doc thought it was sinus infections but after 2-3 weeks of antibiotic we decided it must be something viral. And since the rest of us in the house also started coughing....we think that must be correct. Sinus infections are not contagious :-P So lots of coughing = lots of yucky mucus. This sitting on a little person's tummy while sitting in car for long time equals puking, lots of it for 8.5 hours in the car. I wanted to hang my head out the window, the smell makes me nauseous. We opened up all car doors once we got there to air it out, it was bad. I felt awful for Gavin, I just wanted to help him feel better. Once we got out of the car, he was 'fit as a fiddle' as my grandmother would say :-) I called pediatrician who told me I could give him Dramamine for the ride home :-)It worked...the ride home was puke free, whew!!!

We didn't do a thing while in the mountains, a trip to wal mart for some groceries, the cheese shop to get lots of cheese and yummy butter to bring home and freeze until we can get there again and stock up!

My brother,his friend and I wanted to go see The Muppets but the small 2 screen theater there wasn't playing it yet. the movies are FIVE bucks and THREE dollars for matinee! That is great!

Our Thanksgiving meal was very delicious...the fried turkey being my favorite. YUMMY! My brother, Reh, made a yummy buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese (Which I need the recipe for please!!) and a banana pudding. I am no a big fan of banana pudding....its a texture thing. But I tried his and it was pretty good, once I added some more nilla wafers for a little crunch :-P

We came home a day early to avoid the Sunday traffic and to also keep Gavin in the car for as short amount of time as possible, just in case ;-) The house is a disaster. I just feel like I can't get it organized. Whether its toys everywhere, little socks, laundry, gloves, hats, this & that...it is just everywhere. I need it to have a place!

I just can't get it done....if the boys are awake, I tidy up here and there but I need to pull everything out of closets and redo it! Throw things away!!!!

I also need to finish our Christmas cards and the wish list. People are asking what we want and Marcin isn't the easiest to shop for. I have done wish list on Amazon in the past, I love amazon! Except for the fact that they will double or sometimes triple the price of an item around this time of year. Talk about taking advantage. I mean I guess if someone wants it or needs it that badly, sure... but it irks me. This year I noticed I can go to other websites and add to my amazon wish list, LOVE this! I am an online shopper, its really all I have time for. Much easier than working around feeding/nap schedules, taking the chances of at least one melt down at the mall or store ( do I need to remind about the day we went to see Santa?!) and I can do it from the comforts of home with more options. So this year, I made us all wish list on amazon with the boys having the largest list of course :-P

I really like wish list. I used to have the time to browse the stores for cute ideas for birthday's and other gifts but I don't have that time anymore. So I always ask people if they have a wish list set up so I can just go there, pick out something I know they want or need and I am all done! Wish list also help me remember things that I may see while searching for something else. Surely, I am not the only one with this line of thinking :-) Also, gift cards!! Those are great too!

Speaking of shopping, the boys and I were at Wal Mart this morning and this nice, older lady stopped us. I was expected a 'you've got your hands full' comment but instead she tells me, "You are a brave woman!" I asked why she says that and she replied, " I always thought twins would be fun but it scared me. Myself, I had NINE singletons." To that I replied, "SHE was the brave woman!" geez....NINE!

Ok I think I have rambled on enough for now...my mind is going in a 100 directions (as you can see from this blog!) and I need to clean, do laundry, work on christmas cards, and figure out whats for dinner :-P

sheesh....discombobulated!

Discombobulated is one of my favorite words!! It is just fun to say :-P We have been SO busy! I should be packing and doing all those things you do before getting to travel for the holidays but I just needed a break from it all. I have been running around like a crazy person all day trying to finish getting the 11 ebay packages packed, postage printed, taped up, etc.

Then Marcin text me that it is ok for us to leave for North Carolina tomorrow instead of Wednesday! AH! I am excited because hopefully we will miss some of the crazy traffic on wednesday and we get an extra day with family. BUT I have LOTS to get together for tomorrow. I am waiting for last load of laundry to dry, I vacuumed out the car (it was a mess!), the boys and I went to the grocery store for a few last minute things and I have lists all over the house so I don't forget anything!!

For some reason, I am not as stressed about this trip as I was for SC. I think the last time we drove it with Gavin, it took us 7-8 hours. That's nothing compared to the 12 hour trip to SC! hehe

So I wanted to get these pictures on here because yesterday was a beautiful day here! It was at least 65 and sunny! We were all outside enjoying it all :-) I am getting braver taking all 3 boys outside...I am still a nervous wreck because I feel like I can't keep them all safe. I am worried someone will fall off playset, tumble down the stone basement steps, wonder to front of house while someone else is up on the play set. I could go on about possibilities forever. But I figured I might as well learn how to do it, right? So Marcin was taking care of the millions of leaves in our backyards and the boys had a blast!!

Kaleb climbed right up and down...by himself! I don't know who was more worried, myself or Gavin :-P

This beautiful day was followed by some shopping with a great friend and then a girls night at Brio. I, of course, had the roasted red pepper bruschetta and fried ravioli's :-) It was delicious and the company was great! My friend and I had a pretty successful shopping trip to DSW and Joanne's...I think I have everything I need for my Christmas cards and packages!!! Now I need to find the time to get all this done :-P

I have tried really hard to blog every day this month, I think I missed one day so far. I have a feeling I will miss a few more over the Thanksgiving holiday. But considering the craziness at our house, I think I have done pretty well so far and if I have time to blog, I will. If not, we will be back next week!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Enjoy your family, loved one and friends!!!!

Thomas the Train!

A very good friend of mine asked us a while back if we wanted to go ride Thomas the Train :-) After figuring out our schedule, we were able to get tickets and go! It was so fun! Gavin isn't really into Thomas specifically but he does like trains. I know he would have enjoy it more if he could have gotten under the train and thoroughly inspected it to see how everything works ;-) But he had to settle for riding the train and a few other fun activities they had there. It was a perfect day for it...sun was shining, a brisk 40something degrees and not too crowded when we got there around 10:00 a.m. We were trying to get there at 9:30 but well it just didn't work out that way. And even if we did, we still wouldn't have been out of the car until 10:00. MY GOODNESS....getting 3 kids bundled up in their layers, hats, shoes, socks, etc. That is a lot of work! I felt like we were packing for an overnight stay with all the stuff I had to take in the car!

It was great to see our friends, they also have twins, boy/girl, and now a sweet 3 month old son. Of course, with 6 kids the adults didn't get much conversation time but we were at Thomas the Train..that is for the kids, hehe It was worth a try!

Gavin had a blast! J&K were ok. Kaleb napped on the way there. Jakob did not. If I had to choose one to nap, Kaleb would be it. Jakob handles being tired better than Kaleb. They weren't thrilled to be in the stroller...they wanted to walk around, everywhere. It was getting too crowded for that. Marcin got brave and walked around with them both while trying to hold their hands, hehe

It was a fun morning! I wish I felt better though.... I didn't get much sleep last night. Gavin has had a cough for the past 3 weeks. In the beginning, pediatrician suggested it was probably a sinus infection because his lungs sounded clear. Three weeks later (2 of which he has been on antibiotics with no improvement) he is still coughing (mucusy stuff) and so are the rest of us. Last I checked, sinus infections are not contagious so if I had to guess, we probably have bronchitis and there isn't much we can do for that besides wait it out. I am still taking an antibiotic too, just to feel like I am trying to do something for myself :-P

I need to get some ebay packages packed up and ready to pick up on Monday. And then hopefully tomorrow I can get some cooking done for Thanksgiving...thats my plan anyways, we will see that works out :-)

Did you see that mom at the mall?!?!?

No? Ok good, then the authorities were not contacted. I was that mom with the 3 year old having a full out meltdown in from Target to H&M as we made our way to the car. About a 5 minute walk. But I will tell you how we got to this point first.

We had a great morning! Gavin is in one of his 'good' phases. Since turning 3 y/o he has 'good' and 'bad' phases :-P This week has been good, thankfully! Last week...not so much. So after J&K took their morning nap we set off to meet Marcin at the mall for some pictures with Santa. Gavin has been saying all week that he wanted to go visit Santa. We weren't too sure if he really knew what he was in for and if he would in fact want to sit on Santa's lap and talk to him. J&K....we definitely didn't know how they would react. Gavin's first visit to Santa when he was their age was fine, he didn't mind it.

We got to the mall and Gavin was so cute! He was super excited to see Santa and all the things in the mall. He used to spend alot of time at the mall when he was younger but well, I just don't get there as often with all 3 kids. I don't think I need to explain the reason for this :-P

We found Santa and Gavin immediately waved at Santa. There was no line, thank goodness! ( I had some other places I was hoping to get to while we were there!) So we got the babies out of the stroller and began walking over to Santa. Gavin was perfectly fine with it. He let Santa pick him up and put him on his lap. Gavin then proceeded to ask Santa if he was building his drum set and when he would get it :-P That is really all Gavin was concerned about it.....that drum set! Then we decided to 'try' and get a picture with all the boys. As soon as I put them on Santa's lap, J&K started crying and squirming! Santa had a good grip and no one fell. The picture is classic, we are always going to get a good laugh out of this one!

So then a friend of mine text me that she was at the play area by Target. We were on our way to Target so Gavin could look at the toys...he loves to go to stores and just look. Seriously, he knows that we won't be bringing it home :-P J&K were ready to get out of stroller anyways and the area is pretty well contained so I could easily keep my eye on all three without stressing out too much......My heart always stops for a few seconds when I can't immediately see all of them at once, sheesh.

The boys had a great time playing! J&K little faces just lit up when I put them down. They had a blast playing with all the kids! I just don't get out with J&K to do those types of things too often. It just isn't easy for me to do by myself. I feel like J&K get enough social interaction with each other and Gavin. We do playdates but that's it for now. Gavin had fun too, he had  little friend he made who told him it wasn't time for him to go home yet :-P I then used almost an entire bottle of santizer and container of wipes cleaning everyones hands! I am not a big germophobe but indoor playplaces are just a breeding ground for germs, EW!

I told Gavin that we were going to get ready to leave when my phone beeps (I do this often, he seems tro transition from different activities this way) because we need to get home for naps. He says that's ok. He keep talking about seeing something being built. I have no clue what he is talking about.....it was one of two things, he either wanted to go back to Build a Bear or he wanted to see the bulldozers working around the mall. I am not sure, I never found out because as soon as we got to the door to the parking lot....he lost it. Full out meltdown tantrum mode. J&K are calmly sitting in stroller eating a snack. Gavin is laid out on the dirty floor, screaming " NO NO NO NO NO NO" I count to 10 to give myself a minute to chill out because I am not sure what to do. He will not come with me, he was pretty adamant about staying right there. So I walked away to the bench outside. Relax...I could still see him :-P So he came outside and fell out again, more screaming. Hmmmmm....he wouldn't hold my hand to walk, he wouldn't let me carry him....he refused everything. And forget listening, that was not happening!

Gavin has never behaved this way while we are out in public, so I am still perplexed on what the best course of action is here. He was screaming and refusing to move. Thankfully he wasn't running around like a maniac...there were cars driving around. We had about a 5 minute walk to the car...it seemed like hours as we were walking lol

My first thought is that I need to keep us all safe and I can't do that if he won't hold my hand. So the only, safe way I could get him to the car was carrying him like a football! I picked him up around the waist and carried him sideways like a football all the way to the car. The entire time he is still screaming. He was so wound up, he couldn't calm down if a drum set was placed directly in front of him right then and there. There is no reasoning with him when he gets like this, so I just ignored it. Plus I didn't want to reinforce the behavior by reacting. I just wanted to get to car! We walked by Target, Cheesecake Factory, Barnes & Noble, Forever 21, H&M....people were staring but what could I do? I was not going to be that person screaming at their kid in the mall parking lot. I thought for sure someone was whipping out their cell to call child services! J&K were still calmly sitting in stroller watching the cars.

We FINALLY get back in the car. It seems as though a switch has been turned off, Gavin stops screaming. He looks at me and says 'Mom, are you sad?" I said, "yes I am super sad because you are not being a good listener." He says "I give you a kiss and you will be happy?" (this usually works but not this time!) I told him that I would have to think about it on the way home. He didn't talk all the way home. Then we get out of the car and he gives me a huge hug and 'lots of kisses,' while asking me "Are you happy now Mom?" darn cute kid....yes :-P

I can't wait for this phase with twins! Are you sensing the sarcasm here?! ;-)

Thankfully we got home and all the boys went to sleep. A much needed relaxing, quiet afternoon :-) Date night tonight with Marcin! Let's hope Gavin sleeps off all his crankiness!

The Counselor Mom

In my previous life (BC- before children), I acquired my Masters in School Counseling and was working as an elementary school counselor before Gavin was born. Obviously, I did not go back to work....yet. I hope to once the kids are in school full time. I really enjoyed working with the kids. I have always had some sort of job with children. I worked in the psychiatry department at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the commute was awful but the work was interesting. The work was assessing bipolar/depressed children and teens. Then I worked as a case manager for Big Brothers Big Sisters while getting my Masters. Ideally, I would like to find a part time job as a contracted out counselor (if finances allow) that will allow me to be home when the boys get home from school. My mom was always working very hard and was not able to do that. I know that she wanted to, she expressed it often but fortunately my grandparents lived right across the yard and I went to their house every day after school :-)

I digress, there is a group on Facebook that I belong too and they posted about this blog, The Counselor Mom. Immediately I had to check it out and it is full of excellent information that Marcin likes to refer as my 'school counselor mumbo jumbo' when I start discussing discipline, communicated, postive/negative consequences and reinforcing behaviors both postive and negative. So I wanted to share in case you weren't part of this group. She has a really good post today about the top ten myths of toddlers, LOL

happy reading!
http://www.thecounselormom.com/

Needed a new book!

I finished the Game of Thrones, well through book 5. There is a book 6 coming out eventually but I will not be wasting my time. The first three books were pretty good, there is a lot of character development due to there many many characters but having watched the first season on HBO, it gave me a better idea of what was going on. So I stuck with it. I don't know what the author was thinking but he really lost alot of readers with book 4 and 5. They pertained to the series but he introduced even more characters from out of nowhere....they had nothing to do with any other part of the storyline. I was very disappointed.

I read ALOT so when I posted on Facebook today for suggestions (thanks so much for your suggestions!), I had already read alot of them, hehe I love to read, it is my escape and down time. I sometimes read while the kids nap in the afternoon and always before I go to sleep. I read anything from The Help to Twilight Series and mysteries.

I have spent the last 30 minutes on B&N reading book reviews and seeing what I want to read next. My niece suggested the author, John Green, his books do look good. I added them to my wish list. Along with Sarah's Key and a 1000 Gifts.

I decided to start the Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie,
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/matched-ally-condie/1030802839?ean=9780142419779&itm=1&usri=matched%252bmatched%252btrilogy%252bseries%252b1

It was compared to the Hunger Games and I LOVED that series. So I will let you know it is and if it is worth the read :-)

Thanksgiving next week?!

So hard to believe, I thought I had another couple of weeks for until Thanksgiving then I looked at the calendar and its next week! We, of course, very excited for our trip to the mountains and to see everyone again!

I love Thanksgiving! There will be lots of yummy food and leftovers. I think the leftover turkey and ham for sandwiches are probably my favorite part!

And the fun AFTER thanksgiving, CHRISTMAS!!! I have to say, I am usually the person who does not start Christmas things until after Thanksgiving but this year was different. The Elf on the Shelf appeared at the beginning of November, Santa already got his letter AND replied to Gavin, Gavin has been watching the movie Santa Paws for about two weeks and I stopped the radio station the other day when The Chipmunks song, Please Christmas Don't be Late came on! I immediately switched it after the song was over but that along with "Please Come Home for Christmas" and "Santa Baby" are my favorites!!! I blame all of this Christmas spirit on Gavin!! He gets so excited when he sees lights, christmas trees, inflatable Santas, etc. that it is contagious!

I know I said this last year and I will probably say it again next year when J&K are older and have an idea of what the holidays are about but this Christmas is going to be fun!!!!

Boys are waking up from naps, let the craziness begin! The quiet time was nice...I tried to nap since I didn't sleep last night due to a lovely sinus infection but I can't stop coughing to sleep. I went to doc today and they gave me an antibiotic so hopefully it kicks in quickly!

"IS THIS ANY WAY TO LIVE?!"

:-D these were Marcin's words about this time a year ago. It has now become an ongoing joke in our house but boy it was not funny at the time. J&K were just over 2 months old and our house was crazy to say the least. This particular night Gavin was already in bed (thankfully!), we were still trying to figure out J&K's reflux issues and find that magical combo that would work for each of them and not getting any sleep. Jakob had projectile vomitted everywhere after his bedtime bottle...and I mean everywhere on everything. It was like something out of the Exoricist movie. Kaleb was refusing his bottle and screaming because his reflux was awful. Marcin and I each had one of them and then switched off a few times. He finally looks at me and says 'IS THIS ANY WAY TO LIVE?!" I start crying because I don't know what to do besides press on and be as patient as I can be with no sleep. Believe me when I say, my patience was running very thin.

We were talking about this the other night and it just reminded me of this story. It was a tough first few months but we survived it. I think it makes such a big difference that he and I work so well together. Honestly, if we didn't, it would be a disaster. Even now, it takes both of us working together and helping each other out when we need some quiet time or just to get out of the house for a bit. Don't get me wrong, we have fun but sometimes we just need a break from all the craziness!

:-D And now we have two sweet little toddlers who also survived and are now a little over 14 months old walking, babbling and have the best personalities!

Kaleb is a quite the climber with absolutely no fear. He climbs anything he even thinks he may be able to climb, he falls and gets right back up to do it again. No wonder the child likes to sleep so much :-) He is either climbing or reading a book in his basket.

Jakob isn't quite as adventurous until he gets the idea from Kaleb and then he tries it, falls and cries like you ripped an arm out of its socket. He has two volumes....quite and super loud. It doesn't matter if he is hurt or someone takes his toy, he cries the same:-P But I will say, he is persistent because he will go back and try the obstacle again later until he gets it. He is a cuddler, he is always chasing after Kaleb to knock him over and hug him. And he loves his cars, rolling them back and forth.

Gavin is the best big brother! He tries his hardest to keep them both safe and away from his 'drums' (aka..pots, pans, tubs, anything he can turn upside down and bang with drum sticks). Oh and did I mention that Gavin is pretty much 100% potty trained!? I never thought it would happen but he decide a couple weeks that he didn't need his 'sleepy underwear' for naps and bedtime. He wanted to wear to his "big Boy underwear." What could I say to that besides ok? (While quietly hoping and praying for as few accidents as possible!) So far, he has done great! We are so proud of him. Everyone said it would happen and it did. Please remind of this when it is time for J&K to start lol

My oldest child, Marcin is slowly but surely coming to the realization that he has three children. :-D We still look at each other in amazement sometimes and say to ourselves that we have three sweet, healthy boys and how very blessed we are to have them in our lives, crazy or not.