Still sick

Well, it worked it's way to Chase starting around 6:30 am. It hit Avery again around 3pm and then me around 4. I'm actually feeling a bit better but Stew is feeling queasy. It's really doing a number on us.

Looking forward to fresh air and open windows. Tired of all these bugs being spread around.

not out of the woods

Not out of the woods yet. I hear Owen at the top of the stairs, "mama, I think I'm gonna..." I think you get the idea. Looks like we'll be getting the carpets cleaned next week!!:)

Reality continued

The puking continues! Poor Owen puked every 20-30 minutes and then dry heaved until about 2 am. Macie joined in the fun around 1:30 am. Thankfully she only missed the toilet once but was up with the same issues until about 6:30am. I checked on Avery in the midst of all this and lo and behold, she had puked in her bed. Stripped her sheets and cleaned her up and she was back to bed. No other puke sightings from her thank goodness. Luckily, Chase snoozed through the whole disgusting mess. He was off to school this morning with a bounce in his step. Stew left for work exhausted, but secretly relieved that he actually got to leave!! Macie and Owen are feeling better. Lazing around watching reruns of Full House and sipping water and juice. Avery went down for a nap while I continue to tackle the enormous pile of sheets, mattress pads, pillow cases and pajamas--I am disinfecting everything. Lysol is my best friend today. Owen just came down and asked for food. He says he hasn't eaten in 8 days and I'm starving him! Must be on the mend. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the rest of us steer clear of it!

Back to Reality

Owen was in a foul mood at dinner. He is quite an eater so for him to turn down a meal is unusual. I figured he was just full from our afternoon trip to Sam's where he sampled pizza, fruit and a smoothie. I really didn't give it any thought. He was very grumpy after his bath so I asked him if he wanted to go to bed. He said he did, so I tucked him in at 7:15 and he was asleep by 7:20. I laid on my bed with Macie and Chase while they read books and talked to me until American Idol came on at 8:00. We watched the results show and during the last commercial I asked them to go brush their teeth. They came running back in screaming, "there's throw up all over the bathroom!" I went in and sure enough, there was puke all over the floor, toilet, wall, tub and shower curtain. I went and checked on Owen and it was all over his floor and on his bed. He was sleeping soundly. I called Stew to help, he took the floor while I got the bathroom. I commented, "how did he get it in so many places?" Stew said, "Haven't you seen CSI? High Velocity Vomit Splatter." I heard Owen rustle, grabbed a bowl and ran. He made the bowl, mostly dry heaving at this point. Poor guy had no idea he had even thrown up. I sent Chase to sleep in Macie's room. They were ecstatic at the idea of a slumber party on a school night. I changed his bed and put the bowl by his head, reminding him to try and hit it if he could. Looks like I'll be having a slumber party of my own sleeping next to him in Chase's bed. Not exactly the kind I'd like but that's OK.

Easter

We spent Easter morning at Mimi and Pop's church in Florida. The kids enjoyed going to "kid church" and Avery ventured to the nursery. You see, their church, though lovely and welcoming, isn't really the type you bring a 13month old too. I didn't think she'd last long in their nursery and Avery proved me right. About 1/2 way through, they buzzed me to come get her. She had been crying almost the entire time. This is new territory for me. Macie, Chase and Owen NEVER cried when I left them. They have always been very gregarious and ready to head into the world with anyone at anytime. At times, this is not always a good thing(like when you are trying to explain the concept of stranger danger!) but for the most part it is a blessing. Avery is different. She is always happy and friendly but does not take well to being left in strange places, or even unstrange places for that matter. I have tried time and again to leave her in our church nursery only to have them apologetically bring her to me part way through. I have tried to get into the routine of the gym but she won't have it. On the rare occasion she has made it through my workout, it has been when her siblings were in there with her. She will stay with my good friend Margaret who gets her girl fix so that I can attend a school event or get my hair colored. Anyway, once I picked her up, she was fine. All smiles for me.

After church we went to Steak and Shake. Not exactly Easter dinner fare but it hit the spot. We headed home to put Avery down for a nap. Pop is not a beach kind of guy so I asked him if he would listen for her while we went with the "big kids" to the beach. He was more than happy to get in a nap too while she slept. We hadn't been gone 5 minutes when she woke up. He said he let her talk a little while and then went and got her. They played and walked around and had snacks. He even changed a poopy diaper!! He said he could see her get an idea of where she thought we were in her head. She'd go in that direction, when she didn't find us, she'd just move on to something else. Finally, they headed outside which is where they were when we came home. She was quite pleased to see us but not upset. I think that time alone with Pop did them both some good.

We enjoyed our last day at the beach. The kids swam in the ocean and dug in the sand until it was time to head home. We went home where Mimi fixed a real Easter dinner. We packed our bags and hit the hay early for our flight the next morning.

Other than a very rude gate attendant, our flight home was uneventful. We were exhausted after getting up at 5:30 and having a 3 hour layover in Cincinnati. The Gateway Arch was a welcome sight from the window of our airplane. It's always good to go on vacation, but there really is no place like home!

Fun in the sun

  Our kids just love the beach.  They could play in the sand, jump in the waves or walk along the beach for hours.  They always have.  I remember going to the beach when Chase was 9months,  Macie was almost 3.   She ran around and built volcanoes and sand castles to her hearts content.  He crawled all over playing and eating sand.  Owen has been coming to the beach since he was 3 months old.  He is a water bug with boundless energy and excitement for it all.  Luckily, Avery loved it equally as much.  I think she watches them and sees them doing so many things and just jumps right in.  Never even crosses her mind to be timid or afraid.  I'm so thankful for that.   It's so wonderful to just watch your kids live in the moment.  The excitement of each wave, each different shell written on their faces.  I have such fond memories of going to Galveston, TX with all my cousins and grandparents.  I hope our kids have the same happy memories of their trips to the beach too.

Chase's BIG Day!

All kids are excited about their birthdays.  Chase has been doubly excited because we would be in Florida to celebrate.  The boys spent most of the day swimming in Mimi and Pop's pool.  Macie lounged around reading and catching up from the late night before.  Stew took the boys to the park while Avery napped and Macie ran errands with Mimi.  The boys came back and they all just hung out for awhile.  Some of Mimi and Pop's friends came over so we visited for a bit.  Then we had Chase's birthday dinner of pigs in a blanket, corn pudding, baked beans and cole slaw.  We topped it off with a fabulous Oreo ice cream cake and the opening of presents.  Two of his favorites were his new Nintendo Gameboy and his Kentucky watch.  He was quite pleased with his new digital camera too. The boys jumped in for more swimming until they were all ready to collapse.  From the late night, swimming, park and partying, we were all ready to collapse.  And we did.  

It's so hard to believe that he is 7 years old.  I can remember the day he was born and the joy I felt holding my new baby boy.  I still feel that joy every time he laughs or makes a joke.  Every time he smiles at me or asks me to lay with him just a little bit longer.  Every time he says "Mama"  and flashes me those big brown eyes and dimples.  Happy Birthday Chaser Racer!  I love you more than you will ever know.

Florida

Well, we arrived Monday night after many issues with the airlines.   Seating issues, ticket issues and finally luggage issues.  Issues with Avery--no nap.  We ended up at Mimi and Pop's house around 11:30pm Monday, hungry and exhausted.   We were all so pleased to finally join Mimi and Pop in Florida no matter how long of a day it had been.  Our luggage decided to join us too, at 6:45 the next morning.

We're Off!

We're off to Florida in a little over an hour. We are going to visit Mimi and Pop in Bonita Springs. While we are there we will celebrate Chase's 7th(tomorrow) bday and Easter! The kids are chomping at the bit with excitement! I am sure we will look like the Griswold's minus the station wagon but with plenty of luggage! We should arrive tonight around 9:30 barring any unforeseen delays! Wish us luck and stay tuned for more Spring Break madness!!!

Monkeying Around

Finally we have had a few bright spots signaling the end of winter. We have had two beautiful days of weather. Yesterday in the 60's and today, blue skies in the 70's! What a relief to be outside and smell the fresh air. As much as I love living in the Midwest and enjoying the beauty of all the seasons to their fullest, their is just something wonderful about the approaching days of Spring. Today we played baseball in the yard, rode scooters and bikes, went to the park, jumped on the trampoline, played in the tree house, shots hoops out back, washed my car and climbed some trees. We are all going to sleep well tonight!

Praying Mantis

Here are a few pictures of Chase from his first grade musical, "Don't Bug Me I'm Thinking." He was the Praying Mantis. He did a great job. He seems to like getting up in front of people. The thought of getting nervous never even crosses his mind. Oscar, here we come!!

Bumps and Bruises

It was bound to happen. First Avery fell face first into the coffee table on Saturday morning(on Stew's watch!) That left her with a horizontal bruise that gets darker each day. Today she woke up from her nap with a small scratch on her left eye. To top it all off, she fell face first onto our concrete driveway(on my watch!) leaving her with a scraped nose and a bump on her forehead. Luckily for her(and us) she takes it all in stride. She's easy to distract and quick to get over it and move on to the next thing. She's still pretty cute though, even with all the mess on her face!

Spring Break

So far, so good. We are on day number 4 of our Spring Break. Since we have year round school here, our kids get a 3 week break 3x a year and then a 6 week summer. Our break is only 2weeks this time b/c of the multitude of snow days we have had. Today, e all slept late thanks to the time change. Once groomed and dressed we headed over to our good friend's, the Johnson's. While I helped Margaret "freestyle" her kitchen, the kids, Clayton8,Chris Martin9, Chase(almost7!), Carter5, Owen4 and Macie9, headed out to the backyard decked out in camo gear and play guns to play a little spygame. Avery stayed inside and let Margaret get her girl fix, while I rearranged her newly painted kitchen and eating area. By noon, I headed home with Owen and Avery. Avery went down for a nap and I took Owen to preschool while Stew worked on the computer. Macie was dropped off by a neighbor b/c she was tired of playing with the boys. Once Avery awoke, the girls and I headed to Target for some exchanging and purchasing of bday gifts for Chase. Picked up Owen and headed back to the Johnson's where Chase had been playing all day. I let Owen play outside while I finished up in Margaret's kitchen. Headed home after finally finding Owen at the neighbors(hiding inside with Carter). The kids had a little down time(tv) while I fixed dinner. We ate together and Stew then left for his Monday night business class. Avery, Chase and Owen all bathed and then they all played for awhile in the family room. Tucked Avery in around 7:15 while the others played the wii. Now M,C and O are cleaning my baseboards with baby wipes for fun! Ha, I have lots more fun where that came from, like folding clothes, taking out trash, wiping down counters. All in all it was a pretty busy day. Nothing hugely eventful or memorable but full nonetheless. No major catastrophes or sibling arguments so in my book, that's a good day! Stay tuned for more Spring Break madness!!

Tapeworm

I think Owen must have a tapeworm. This boy eats more than anyone I have ever seen. Already today he has had 2 bowls of cereal, a banana, 2 glasses of water, a whole turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, a juice box and 2 cookies all by 11:30. This may sound like a reasonable amount of food only because I won't let him eat EVERY time he asks. He finished lunch about 10 minutes ago and has already asked for something else. He asks for numerous snacks throughout the morning and I am constantly putting him off. He does hit the ground running every morning around 6:45am. I usually can hold him off until 8 so that I can feed them all at the same time. Contrary to his belief, this is not a 24 hour all-you-can-eat buffet!! I can only imagine what his appetite will be like when he's a teenager and on top of that, our grocery bill! The one good thing is that he will eat just about anything. He is open to trying new foods and generally once he's past the first bite, he's hooked. Now he's off to school where he will get another snack and also another one when he walks in the door. He'll want something else before dinner and then eat every bite and want seconds!!! After a second glass of milk, he'll ask for dessert. When I'm tucking him in, he'll ask for yet another snack. The answer will be "no." He'll have to be satisfied with dreams of apples and peanut butter and anything else that will fill up his bottomless pit!

ps-looking at the picture I just noticed that Owen's nails are painted! He found his sister's nail polish and thought he'd experiment! He did a pretty good job. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing??!