Monday, November 2, 2009

Happy 16th Jakers!

My little "but not so little" bro is 16! My mom wanted to throw him a surprise party so she enlisted my help as usual. Don't get me wrong, I love throwing parties. (It is the only way my house gets really really clean.)

As he entered he didn't do a great job at pretending he didn't know. Later he told me one of his friends told him about the party - Teenagers!

Highlights of the party:

Eating Pizza
Singing Happy Birthday with a bunch of teenagers
Watching them "cuddle" and "flirt" with each other
Playing the UNWRAP game to find a Coldstone gift card at the end
Watching the boys wrestle for the Coldstone gift card

Happy Birthday Jake!

Fall is in the Air

The Arrington Grandkids

Grandma Julie took the cousins to pick pumpkins at the pumpkin patch. After 2 wagons full and a lot of running around everyone got their perfect pumpkin. Fall just isn't Fall without Football!

It's a witch hunt! For family night we went to Gardner Village to see the witches. We went on a witch scavenger hunt. The kids had a blast searching for the silly witches...




HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Unfortunately I have been very sick for this Halloween week. Despite the sickness for family night we attended a night out at the local park. My kids had fun pumpkin bowling, listening to stories in the cometary, getting their fortunes told by sixth graders and watching the fire department drop pumpkins from the top of their ladder. Marshall insisted they were the pumpkins that were stolen from our front porch - yes the ones Grandma Julie got for us at the pumpkin patch. We had to explain that fire men probably wouldn't steal from the neighborhood. I was in charge of Hilary's and Marshall's parties at school and from bed Tuesday morning I had to call for help. This is not something I normally do. No, I don't think I had the swine flu but something along that line.


I did make it to Calli's parade and class party where I got to experience a little of how she is at school. As you can see she is right up there with her teacher while she is reading the class a story. This is her friend that always asks me if Calli can play, No wonder they are friends. Andrew had fun doing all the activities but after 3 hours we were both spent.



Back to School


Marshall 5th Grade

Hilary 6th Grade

Calli 1st Grade



Andrew and I will have a lot of time to spend together while the kids are at school. I can't wait! This year our schools went to traditional. I am so excited to have more time off in the summer when we can play outside in the sun.

Cowabunga!

Marshall
Hilary
Max & AndrewRosie and Kate
Calli - this is the only photo I got of Calli. She loves Cowabunga so much that I never see her when we are there.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

The Nice Cousins

(This is as official as a picture gets with this bunch!)

Zach, Calli, Simeon, Corinne, Marshall
Miles, Cody, Eliza, Andrew, Hilary

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

I just need to laugh...

The morning started off with COLD! It is finally here. Yesterday it was 90 degrees and today maybe 50. I dropped off the kids at school and headed down the road home. Andrew in the back seat said "diet coke"? So, we headed down to sonic to utilize the drink sticker that makes Route 44's a buck. We came home and stayed in our PJ's until noon. I did some wash and then I quickly realized I needed diapers and a prescription and Calli was going to be home in 15 minutes. I jumped in the shower and the bus pulled up right as I was getting out. Needless to say I had to run my errands. I usually do these without the company of my darling Calli but I decided to take her to Toys R US and Target. BAAAAD IDEA!

You know when your child asks you questions over and over until they get the answer thy want to hear? Well, that is Calli but on steroids. The questions get tiresome. Especially,"Can I play with a friend?" So, at Toys R Us (the place I purchase diapers with my rewards =) ) she would not listen to me at all. People must think I am crazy and the worst mom. I am very vocal because I am afraid of losing her at a store. It starts out something like this: Calli (in a sweet voice), Calli (a little more firm), Calli (demanding), and finally CALLI where are you? (almost yelling. We get done and I noticed they charged me a dollar too much, yes a dollar. If I am going to drive all the way to Toys R Us I am going to get my dollar back no matter how bad the kido is being!

We get into the car and guess what Calli says, "Can I play with a friend when we get home?" AHHHHHH!!!

Our next stop is Target. I stragetically walk through the store to the pharmacy to hit all of the clearence endcaps I can without really stoping. We get to the pharmacy and the girl working ignores me. She walks around, I think pretending she is working, and then acts like she didn't see me standing there. I say "I need to pick up a perscription," "Last name?" she says. "Nice." No one ever get's it right. It is so simple, just the way it sounds, N I C E - not the way I sound. While she is getting the perscription Calli starts to scream. There is blood everywhere. The girl loudly tells me her nose is bleeding. I look at her and say, "do you have a kleenex?" It doesn't stop and Calli won't let me help her. She thinks if she continues to wipe it will stop. So, screaming I rush her to the bathroom where it continues to bleed all over the sink. It finally stops and we head back to get some popsicles and cheetoes. We get checked out and are leaving the store and Calli stops to check out her nose in the window mirror. You know, the one we all check our selves out in as we pass and hope no one is on the other side watching us. She is making the funniest faces while she is trying to see UP her nose. After about a minute, I start to laugh at her. All of the sudden there is a knock on the other side of the glass. Calli was very confused. Oh what people must think of her!

Earlier this week her teacher sent home a note saying that her class is the most challenging she has ever had in 39 years of teaching. I've heard that one before.

Today I am frusterated, happy, angry, laughing, questioning... Thanks to all who accept Calli for who she is. Also for accepting me for who I am - a mother trying to figure this girl out. I know sometimes Calli and I can be high maintence but hey we are a package deal. Thanks for the friendships and encouragement.

I just need to laugh... Calli named her baby dolls Jody and Adam. So cute and Adam is wearing the most beautiful white dress!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Disaster Stirkes the Nice Family

As the old saying goes: "Bad things happen in threes!"
1.
Andrew and I were taking a shower one morning, while I was getting out I heard a big thud and I just knew it was bad. As I picked him up I could see his skull and LOTS of blood. I do not do well in those kinds of situations. I grabbed a towel wrapped him up laid him on the floor took off my towel and put pressure on his head. I had him hold it there while I threw on some clothes and frantically looked for the phone. The first person I thought of was our neighbors the Allen's. I dialed their number several times to get... "this local call now requires ten digits" WHAT? It was about 3 days into the new change and it was not registering. So I called my friend Sarah. She happily answered the phone and rudely I interupted and said "Andrew fell in the shower and cut his head open." She immediately came over thinking I was exagerating. NOPE, it was worse than she thought, but luckily she didn't mention that. Shaking I drove us to the hospital while she took care of Andrew. So, here are a few lessons learned while we were at the hopital:
1. Head wounds bleed like crazy and then stop.
2. Little boys with their skull showing still have no fear and climb all over the chairs and jump off in the emergency waiting room.
3. The needle is the worst part until they strap your baby to a board and he is screaming for his Mommy.
4. A sucker and teddy bear doesn't make a child like those people who just tourtered him.
5. It isn't about how many stitches for some doctors, it is about the ruler. Aparently Andrew's wound was over an inch long, WOW.


2.
I was taking Marshall to baseball practice when I stopped for a little family crossing the entrance to the park. All of the sudden I heard this big BANG and then I realized it was us. Some one slammed into us. He was not paying attention - NO SKID MARKS. The speed limit on 1300 East is 35 MPH. I am assuming he was going at least 35. Marshall was a little shaken up, Calli and Andrew had no idea what was going on and I was way sore. One of the dads from Marshall's team was a life saver. He came and stayed with me and helped me with the kids until the police said I was OK to go. The next day I went to the Dr. and everything checked out great. I was still way sore so the Dr. ordered me some physical therapy. It was great, a few weeks of massages every other day. After a long process of getting the car fixed, it still isn't all the way fixed to my satisfaction. I have a really annoying creek in the drivers window or door. I need to get it back in but I can't be without my car. I am afraid it will never be the same.
3.
I really, really, really HATE willow trees! All of the neighbors surrounding our house seem to have them.