Monday, October 06, 2008

Boo hooo

My digital camera is dead. I'm not sure what happened. It worked Saturday night and then Sunday morning, I turned it on and all it shows are verticle lines and takes black pictures. I'm heartbroken. I don't have anything but the crappy cell phone to take pictures now. A mom without a camera? It's just unheard of. Guess I better start shopping around. The holidays are quickly approaching.

Friday, October 03, 2008

Random and cute


My Tiger Scout



We ventured to Nashville, Hilsboro Road to be exact, to the Boy Scouts of America Center to get Silas' uniform and book today. They had all kinds of cool stuff there. Camping gear to scrapbooking goodies (the camping bug is biting me bad). I limited myself and the children to just the neccesities. On the way back, I missed the turn to the interstate so the children received a nice tour of Nashville. That's why I don't like driving to Nashville by myself. I'm familiar with certain areas (Baptist Hospital, the Belmont area and 2nd Avenue). It didn't help much that Savannah spent about 90% of the car ride crying about either the choice of music or the boys hitting her. It made for a very nervous drive. Anyway, we made it home safely (thank you Jon). So this picture was taken this evening of Silas in his partial uniform (like I said, we just purchased the neccesities).

I must come to an end, the premiere of the new Star Wars Clone Wars cartoon is coming on now (Cartoon Network). The kids have been counting down to this for a couple of weeks now yet they are busy playing Nintendo with their dad.


Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Monday, September 15, 2008

Quack, Quack



This picture looked much better on the phone before it was sent. They still look cute even though they are stretched a little. Anyway, I took the munchkins to feed the ducks today. I guess they haven't been fed in a while because they were crazy. Savannah got bit by an overly agressive goose which scared her. She cried for a few minutes and sat the rest of the time. The geese and mallards were a little too confident for my comfort. I had a fear of ducks for a while there but John helped me over come that fear. Well after today, that fear creeped back. Too many hungry critters getting too close for my comfort.

After feeding the crazy feathered friends, we ventured over to the small island thingy where Aidan and Savannah decided to throw rocks. What is it with my kids and throwing rocks? After many arguments with Aidan, we headed to the park. BIG MISTAKE! I attempted to conquer my fear of swinging things (thanks to the change in my equalibrium) and got on the swings. That made me sick/dizzy and I wanted to go home. I toughed it out long enough for the kids play and get filthy. So we're heading out of the playground and Aidan decides he's going to throw the biggest and loudest tantrum he's ever thrown. It was embarrassing and annoying but I won! I probably looked like a horrible mother but I got both kids out of the playground and in the car. My trick? I walked away. I told him goodbye and Savannah and I started walking to the car. Of course that pissed Aidan off even more but he eventually came running and crying to me. Aidan earned himself a good nap after that and Savannah and I got one too (my reward). Woot! Aidan woke up in a much better mood and was able to enjoy the rest of the evening.

Too bad I can't say the same for Silas. Poor kid was sent to bed 30 minutes before his regular bedtime. Same story, different day with him.

I do love my kids and am very blessed to have happy, healthy and active kids. It's just sometimes they test my patience a little too much. One day I'll look back and wish for days like this again because that means that they want to spend time with me. The days of being too cool to hang out with mom are quickly approaching.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Random


I found this picture on my computer while I was posting the previous pictures. Weird, very weird.

Pictures

These were taken with my cell phone.





Tuesday, September 09, 2008

pictures and songs

Ok, this is the umpteenth time I've blogged today.  Silas is in bed so Aidan and Savannah and I decided to have fun with the camera. Here are the results. 














Savannah being goofy and Aidan hiding in his shirt.  He loves this picture.



Savannah singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"




The rare photo with me included. We had fun taking this. It took several tries to get the right one.  Poor Aidan kept getting cut out of the picture.






One last video of the two singing together.

The Park

I took the kids to the park this evening. The weather was nice, the ducks were extra friendly and the kids behaved. They usually do at the park. It's just hard keeping up with all of them. Anyway, they pretended they were pirates on the Pirate Ship. They were really cute running around and Savannah making her pirate noises. If they behave tomorrow afternoon, then we'll go back and hopefully this time I'll remember the camera.

Silas lost his 8th tooth this evening. We were on our way home from Grandma's when he asked me to pull his tooth (it was barely hanging in there). I reached back (I was driving) and yank that sucker out. He's expecting $600 and a pair of heelies (sp?) from the tooth fairy. That child has high expectations. He claims he looks like a vampire now. He's my snaggletooth.

Savannah sings

Savannah has a new bedtime routine. Shelays down, crawls under the covers and then sings her favorite songs until she falls asleep. Her favorites are Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Monkeys jumping on the bed, Itsy bitsy spider and The Alphabet song. She's so cute. She's been doing this for almost a week now. She's the only child of the three that enjoys singing. Aidan loves to dance and is really good at it. Silas hasn't found his niche yet. Maybe he'll play an instrument. I took piano growing up and hope to take guitar lessons next semester. Maybe he'll want to play one of those but with my luck it'll be the drums he'll enjoy. The violin would be nice.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr

Silas tried to put a cat in the microwave last night. What more can I say.

I'm invisible

I've given up for now on trying to update the look of this blog. I have spent several nights trying to upload new templates and mess with the code just to get the right look and everything in the right spot. I have a BS degree and can write computer programs but cannot figure out the stupid template on the blogger thing. I feel so stupid.
I feel so down today. Maybe it's the lack of sleep, the fact my caffeine hasn't kicked in yet, crazed hormones or the lack of respect I get from my children and husband. I just feel like a lousy mother and wife. I read other blogs about how wonderful their children are, how wonderful their husband is, blah, blah, blah. Do these other moms not have to deal with the same crap I have to deal with? Am I the only mother out there brave enough to admit that being a mom and wife sucks at times. I lay awake at night wondering what I can do to make things better. I wonder if my mom felt this way and how did she deal with it. I'm a single mom from 6:45 am until 9:30 pm a majority of the week. When John is home, he's either sleeping or playing games on the computer. Yes, I too play on the computer but I know when to quit and walk away. I just feel like I'm doing most of this on my own. And how can I get my children to respect me when their father doesn't give me the respect I deserve? I'm sorry I'm using the children's blog to vent. I usually save this crap for my Myspace account but I'm sick of reading and hearing how perfect everyone lives are (or they at least want it to appear that way) and let other moms know that there are other moms out there who feel the way I do and deal with the same crap that I deal with on a daily basis.

Anyway, I've received this email from several people and I had to share. It made me cry a little.

Invisible Mother..... (and I sure do feel invisible)

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously, not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England ... Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:
'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.
The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're going to love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

So you're a . . .

new Tiger Cub Den Leader. Yup, that's me! Like I don't have enough to do already, I signed up to be a den mother. I have six little 7 year old cubs to entertain and guide over the next four months.
I really don't know how this got started. I picked up Silas and was informed there was a boy scout meeting and he wanted to join. I rush to get the other two little munchkins from their Grandma's and hurry up to White House. After sitting through the meeting, fighting Aidan and Savannah the whole time, none of the parents would volunteer to be the den leader for these six boys. I was not going to disappoint Silas so I volunteered. After my couragious act, two other parents volunteered (at least they said they were going to). So now that I've paid mine and Silas's dues, I have to go through some online training and then get my little pack together every week or so and start learning how to "Search, discover and share" together. Does this mean that I get to wear a sexy khaki shirt and orange neckerchief?


Life is good.

Safety Day



We spent our Labor Day in White House visiting Saftey Day at the park. The boys were able to ride the small firetruck after watching the jaws of life tear apart a car.

Oh Silas, My Silas

What am I going to do with this child? Monday night, while the kids were supposed to be brushing their teeth for bed, Silas decided to play barber shop and Savannah was his victim. I know the outcome could have been really bad - his goal was a mohawk, and Savannah looks adorable in the end, but did he have to cut off all the curls and long hair I've been waiting for her to grow over the past two odd years? Monday I was finally able to french braid her hair and it look adorable and she loved it. For once she kept her hair styled longer than 5 minutes. We made it a whole hour and a half.

















In less than 5 minutes and lots of giggling, she turned into this. By the way, John is the one who discovered them.



















These pictures were taken last night. I had to finish what Silas didn't get a chance to complete (which wasn't much). My baby looks so grown up now. She likes her new 'do' and it does look cute on her. All the scissors are now hidden.

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Random photo



John begged me to stop at Worsham Market (what's left of it) in Hendersonville on the way to White House to take this picture. I'm not really sure what he's going to do with it but it is odd so I thought I'd share. The market burned down and someone left a shopping cart in the middle of the parking lot - why, I don't know. But nature decided to turn it into something somewhat pretty. -random

More to come. . .tomorrow.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

My boys

Boys will be boys, right? I swear my boys are determined to have me go grey within the next year. It's always something with them. One minute they are getting along (either by playing together or getting in trouble together) and then the next they are at each other's throat.
Last night while I was cooking dinner, Silas decided to pour a full 20 oz bottle of Diet Pepsi and a full 20 bottle of water all down the stairs. He never explained to me his reasoning for doing it. I asked Aidan why he didn't bother to tell me about this since he jumps at the chance to tattle on Silas (which we're happy about). Aidan's excuse was that I was busy cooking dinner. That has never kept him from bothering me before. Anyway, my stairs that were a beige/tan color now have a nice dark brown stain half way down them.

Here they are playing Lego Star Wars II on Gamecube. They are getting along for now. I expect them to be fighting in about 10 minutes.


Here's Aidan taking a break long enough to smile at me.


And of course, Silas didn't want to give me a smile so he pouted.


I must bring this blog to an end. Savannah just passed out on my lap. Poor kid was too pooped to blog with me.

Good night!

Our new babies



Here are our new critter babies that we're fostering. They are already drinking water and hopefully will start on solid food any day now. They love running and bouncing and wrestling with each other. The kids can't get enough play time with these little ones. We visit them in the morning and at night. The rest of the day, they are locked away in the upstairs bathroom so no one can bother them.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Is it Christmas break yet?

Here we are into week two of first grade. It's going to be a long semester. Silas was ready to go with no problems on day one. By the end of the week, he was literally being carried out of the house. I feel bad for him. He says he likes his teacher and he gets to spend time with his buddies on the playground. He's not a morning person - never has been - so he may always be a difficult child to get out of the door in the morning.

Poor Aidan. I swear that child is accident prone. He's always tripping over his feet, bumping his head or getting wounded when all three of them wrestle. Last Friday Aidan decided to flip out of a shopping cart in the parking lot of Target. I'm not really sure what happened because I was putting Savannah in the van. John said he flipped out of the cart because he was standing up (after repeatedly being told to sit). I freaked out (as usual) and was worried about his spine so I took him to the ER where I was treated like I was an idiot. By the way, they won't do an xray or CT scan on them for falls like that. Anyway, Aidan's fine. He has a bruise but is jumping around like normal.

Here's Aidan being cute (not sure why he's wearing gloves and the hat).



Savannah is still being Savannah. Bossy, stubborn and such a DIVA! Here's my little Princess Diva striking a pose in all her cuteness.



My good deed for the year: Like I don't have enough to take care of already, but now I have a mommy cat and her 5 babies to add to the mix. I found animal control in our neighborhood digging the family out of the storm drain. They were going to take them and put them down so I stepped in. They are living in our upstairs bathroom for now. The kittens are healthy and the mom looks healthier too. We've had them a couple of weeks now. They are walking around and climbing out of their box. They are absolutely adorable. Now I need to look for homes for them. So if anyone would like a blonde kitty, let me know! They'll need homes in a few more weeks. Hopefully I can post a picture some time this week.

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Some pictures - finally

Good grief - picture problems again. Now I remember why I stopped posting pictures on this thing. Half the time it doesn't show them.
Anyway, supposedly this picture is of Savannah and Silas. Savannah got herself all dolled up in her "Hantana" makeup and clip on bows. Silas jumped in the picture and made his normal photo face.




Well it's doing the same thing on this picture too. Good thing I know html to actually edit the code. Anyway, this picture was taken back in March or April of 2008. Here's my gang at the Gallatin park one late afternoon.





Here are some pictures of one of our zoo trips. I think this was when I went with Silas on a field trip.




Here's an old one. December 2007 at their Neena's Christmas party.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

June 2008 Update

We're still here. I just suck at updating. New job, house work and kids trying to kill each other leave little time for blogging.

Silas will be a first grader in August. I can't believe it. He loves reading and math. He has issues with wearing clothes and leaving the house though. Hopefully he'll outgrow this before August 7 when school starts. Silas's new love is Legos. I'm tired of finding them everywhere and stepping on them. They hurt!

Aidan just turned 4. He's still a momma's boy but I'm not going to complain. He knows how to peddle a bike now (with training wheels). He's learned to enjoy the swimming pool this summer which is nice. Last year he wouldn't go in the big pool. Aidan is still facinated with critters. He's going to be an elephant doctor when he grows up. He tells me I can take care of the lions and tigers. :)

Savannah is almost potty trained! We're not making it through the night without a pull-up but she goes potty during the day. It's awesome!! No more diapers!! Savannah loves Hannah Montana and the movies Enchanted and Alvin and the Chickmonks (as she calls them).

I do have a funny to share. It wasn't funny at the time but other parents may enjoy my pain.
Back at the end of May, I was dropping the kids off at Grandma's so I could go work. Silas was not in the mood to leave the house (it was his first day of summer break). We were already running late since John and I had to fight Silas to get him dressed and out the door. Anyway, while I was getting Aidan and Savannah out of the car and into the house, Silas thought it was be fun to lock himself in the van, along with my keys and cell phone. I literally spent 15 minutes arguing with him to open the door. John's mom even tried to get him to open the door. I threatened to call the police and fire department but Silas just sat there enjoying his own little world he had escaped to. Finally I decided to call John to have him come and get this kid out of the car. Luckily John's cell was on and so was mine. I was able to get a hold of John and he called my cell. He talked to Silas a couple of minutes and then the kid opened the door, got out of the car and went off to play with his siblings. He acted like nothing happened. Anyway, I found out later what John said. It was nothing that I expected. He said he asked Silas what he was doing and he told him he was sitting in the car. He asked him to unlock the doors and that's it! I spent 15 minutes yelling and threating the child and he didn't budge but all it took from his dad was "Open the door for your mom." Why is it children listen to their dad's but completely ignore their mom's and treat them like crap?! Anyway, I finally got to work, 30 minutes late. My coworkers got a good laugh at my misfortune. I'm glad someone did.

I need to do better at updating with funny stories about the kids. They are entertaining when they aren't fighting with each other.

Here's another one John got to experience. John, the boys and I have been playing Lego Star Wars 1 & 2 on Gamecube recently. It's the boys favorite game. Anyway, Aidan was trying to explain Chewbacca to Savannah one morning when they all woke up, but she kept saying, "Bacca?" and Aidan would say, "No, hoobacca!" and then she'd say, "Me bacca? My not Bacca," and he'd go, "No, sister! Hoobacca is my favorite, not yours," Then, Silas sat up and said "CHEWbacca, chew, chew, like with your mouth!"
Also, Aidan thinks Wicket, the Ewok, is a kitty who shoots hairballs (he shoots dirt/rock balls with his slingshot). Aidan will tell the bad guys, "Eat that hairball!"

Well my B key just popped off my keyboard. Savannah keeps picking my laptop keys off. I'm on my 3rd keyboard in two years. Luckily, the keys pop back on this one pretty easily. Toddlers and laptop computers don't mix.

Ok, I will do better with blogging. I have so many pictures to post. Fourth of July is coming up so I should have some good stories to talk about after that - along with pictures.

May the force be with you always,

Dana