Birthdays!

Birthday party day!  Happy birthday Justin, Jace and Ashlee. I like parties. I like the way the house starts out clean. I like the noise, the people, the chaos. I don't really even mind restoring the house to its pre-party state. But oh how I hate how fast the birthdays keep comin' round. Stay little guys, just a while longer.

Justin 1994





 

Ashlee, 2005. Just look at all that hair!




Baby Jace, 1 week old



Ashlee and Jace



I'm tired

Up early
Bowling practice
Soccer game
Another soccer game
End of the season soccer party
Clean house
Make dinner
Shop for birthday party
Make three (yes 3) birthday cakes

In between, drop kids off, pick kids up, swap kids out, bring home some extra kids, change diapers, give kids bathes, put kids to bed.

Whew, I'm tired. Really, really tired.

Can I just mention that I love my baby. Not because she's the sweetest most precious thing ever (she is) but because she SLEEPS. She sleeps WELL. On a schedule. For a long time. She goes to bed at 8pm. She sleeps until 8:30 am. She loves her bed, sometimes she giggles when I put her there. She never wakes up at night.
Oh, if only the rest of them would get with the program.....

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This is what Rosie does while we bowl. Undresses. Why yes she is in her pajamas. Have I mentioned that bowling is really early in the morning. Don't judge me.

Havin' a mommy day

Remember all that stuff I wrote yesterday? Yes, I know I sounded a little smug. Don't worry I got my just rewards today.  Lesson learned:  never ever brag about how sweet and kind your kids are. It'll always bite ya in the a**.

a little praise

Today Rosie had speech . I encouraged her to show off her signs. She signed " more, please, help" and when I asked her to "show" Miss V her new sign (peanut butter) she got out of her chair and went to the pantry to find it. Too cute right. I gave her some on a spoon and she tried to share it with Miss V, who said she was cute and sweet and super smart. At soccer Betsy stopped during her game to give her friend Bri a high-five for making a goal. Bri's mom said Betsy was the kindest little girl she knew. Rosie played ball with another teammates little sister. The girls mom said Rosie was a good sharer. At Leah's game her friend asked me if Leah could come to her birthday party. She said Leah was the nicest kid on the team.While we were there Emma was talking to some girls at the concession stand. When I went up later to get some napkins one of the little girls asked me if Emma was my daughter. She said Emma had a great sense of humor. You know what, they are cute and sweet and smart and kind and good sharers and nice and funny. All of that praise felt like a big ol pat on the back to their Mama.  





Funny things kids say:

Leah says that if  horse are a herd and birds are a flock
then a bunch of kids is a riot, 
 "but the funny kind, not like the crazy kind that smashes things and steals stuff"

pray for me

Mahaley got her learners license today. Yay for her. She's thrilled. Me, not so much. Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy for her. I mean this is an important milestone in a teenagers life, her first real taste of adult responsibility and freedom..blah..blah..blah. What I'm really thinking is "what idiot thought it was a good idea to put a little kid in charge of a hunk of metal going 50 miles an hour,"and "holy crap, I have to teach her to drive?"   So seriously, pray for me.



Hey Mom, when do I get to drive?

Not for a really, really long time baby (I hope).

one year ago

We were here. Children's Hospital.



getting ready for surgery






this morphine's good stuff, mom!

Rosie's surgery went well that day and it wasn't as long or invasive as her jaw distraction surgery but it was still a really difficult day. She was in so much pain afterwards. The next week was one I would like to forget.
Despite all of that we are glad that her repairs were done so early. She just had her one year post-op and it looks like she won't need any more palate repairs, Yay!



Madison Rose October 2010



Sad Mama

Dixie, 15 years old

Why does this make me so sad?

Dixie, 4 years old

Because now this cute little four year old only lives in memories and photos.

Don't get me wrong, I love my beautiful, bossy, opinionated, determined, smart, wonderful 15 year old with all of my heart ; but oh how I miss my beautiful, bossy, opinionated, determined, smart 4 year old:(

I took Dixie for her yearly checkup last month. She has stopped growing. Nothing wrong with that, it's completely normal she's just reached her adult size. I almost cried. I wanted to say " stopped growing! but..but.. I'm not done raising her." I know in reality I have lots left to do, she's going to need her Mom for her whole life maybe the most in these hard teenage years. In my heart though I feel like someone has stolen away my baby.