Happy 4th Birthday, Gabe

My Baby Boy, the morning after you joined our family, 2009

Dear Gabriel,

Where do I begin? Except to tell you that if nothing else, you've taught me the lesson that time goes by far too quickly.


There hasn't been a milestone of yours that stayed long enough... there hasn't been a stage that you went through that lasted as long as I wanted it to.


You've proven that your Momma is mushy & that I'm actually a real softy.


And there are lots of reasons you've stolen all our hearts....





You still love Spiderman & have already claimed it as your Halloween costume.


You love cars & all things with wheels.


You have a penchant for tools.


You love your Momma.





You hate day care. You actually already "dropped out."


You don't like being away from your Momma.


You dislike being petted on uninvited.


And don't ever want to get your hair cut.


You just finished with speech therapy & went from 2 word sentences to us not getting a word in edgewise.


You love your sissy & hit her in the same breath.





You absolutely love church. If you think we're headed there, but aren't, it brings tears to your eyes.





And boy, are you handsome. Everyone who sees you & your Daddy, know exactly where you get your good looks. You tower over the others your age but can't keep your pants up with that skinny waist.





You have your Momma's sweet tooth & are the recipient of everyone's sneaky chocolate-giving.





You have my heart. You always will. And you make me proud every morning when you stumble out of bed & my heart bursts.





And if my love keeps growing with every year, I better have an ocean-full.





Happy 4th Birthday, to my Baby Boy,


Love,


Your Momma

Gabe, July '09, Not too sure about this posing-with-princesses thing

Touch of Magic

This is just a teeny tiny portion of the photos we have to preserve the awesome memories we made on our Orlando trip.

What fun. And I'm quite certain that the kiddos aren't forgetting anytime soon.

I'll share more later. But for now, here's the line up:

SUNDAY 2nd day of driving, arriving at our AWESOME condo (thx PeePaw & Gammy), swimming, a wicked trip to walmart, & a late bedtime.

MONDAY a trip to the beach. the kids' first time in the atlantic ocean & a parking ticket.

TUESDAY a trip w/ the WHOLE family to SEA WORLD, BREAKFAST w/ ELMO (compliments of Aunt Stef), & swimming again.

WEDNESDAY a time share schpeal for cheap disney tickets, an afternoon/evening trip to the magic kingdom.

THURSDAY another trip to the magic kingdom...rain again.

FRIDAY a trip to DISNEY'S "Quest" (a pimped out dave & busters)...downtown disney...rainforest cafe.

SATURDAY tie-dying shirts, swimming, downtown disney, the mall, late bedtime as we say goodbye to vacation.

A Week Of Firsts

Holy cow. It's rapidly approaching.
My baby girl, leaving the nest, leaving Momma Bird, & spreading her little kindergarten wings.
You didn't think I could have this milestone approach & not blog & cry about it, did you?
Also leaving his Momma Bird is my little Baby Bird. You know, BABY Bird. The one who wants to stay in his Momma's nest - like - forever.

Also a first is Momma leaving her own nest & going back to the schoolhouse. Momma Bird is soo excited about this.
Not excited: Baby Birds not being with her everyday. All day.
Well, kind of.
Sort of.
Don't get the wrong idea.

Okay, so last week was the first week back in the classroom .... meetings, getting the classroom ready.
Bubs starting day care.
PS Bubs hates it.
PPS Bubs told everyone yesterday @ his party (& everyone today @ church) that HE LOVES HIM'S NEW 'CHOOL.
Him does NOT like it. Trust me. Just ask me. Just ask his teachers. Just ask everyone within a 10 mile radius on Friday when the teacher pealed him from my leg & shielded her ear as he shrieked,
"MOMMA!!!!! MOMMA!!!! DON'T YEAVE ME!!!!"

Then ask me again... about how I went to my car & cried. And cried. And cried.

We'll get through it tho! It's the summer of the Perrys! And all those times we were passed up for this & that, it's all sand in that hour glass. The times have come to us now.

I want to "publicly" (is a private blog ever considered 'publicly'?) give God all the glory for how He directs our paths. How he keeps them straight. And how He not only considers what's best for us -- but He does what's best for us.
Thank You Father for doing that.

Birthday Boy

Ever had someone blog in reverse? That's what I'm going to do.

The party ended w/ some water balloon'ing.

It's good to have a BFF.

It's really good.

It's also good to appreciate cards & really enjoy your gift-opening session.

Especially when you have good help.

Looking good (hot, red cheeks, chocolate frosting, summer boo-boo scars) is also essential.

A "pida'man" greeting card is much appreciated.

Hello, anyone there?

family...and friends who you love like family.

"Catch me Momma" (because even when you're almost FOUR, you still need to be caught).

Got some help (from God) blowing out the candles.

fan club.

an out-of-this-world birthday.

Can't Believe My Boy

is going to be 4.
I just can't believe it.

Right now his favorites are
pirates (thanks to Disney World)
legos "yegos" (thanks to the Lego Store at downtown Disney)
Handy Manny (thanks to last year's gift from the Bartosch fam)
Spidey (altho he seems to be fading fast)

He wants to play soccer. fight bad guys. love on his momma. hang out with papa, peepaw, grammy, & nana. pretend he doesn't love getting tickled by "de grls", go to church, play with the zustiak's marble works, wear the same colors as daddy, & brush his teeth.

He goes to sleep with the body pillow over him & a pillow on his face for good measure.

His feet stink like his dad's.

He likes movies. And cars. And movies about cars.

He cries when I leave him. He doesn't like strangers. And people who don't follow the rules.

Green (or blue) is his favorite color. And he wants to know why boys don't paint their fingernails.

He loves babies.... wants to hug them briefly, then go about his business.

Can't stand anything warmer than room temperature, tomatoes, pepper, olives, & peas.

Never looks straight at the camera when you're taking his picture.

And he's going to be FOUR.

'Tis the Season

For much busyness...
Why the lull in blogging you ask?
For starters, this was our June calendar. And that wasn't even everything.

I passed this beauty this morning (the kidney stone, not the dime!)
This girl LOVES to be on the go, see her smiling face from all the busy activity!

Here is is tubing for the first time. We spent a day on the pastor's boat with the EP staff.

And Bubby, who was raring to go from the get-go.

Race for the Cure, in memory of my Grandmother (Flynn's namesake), who died at 28

Racing for the Cure

Not-SoSuper A

My girl's 2nd recital

My first niece to graduate

The INFAMOUS "Blue Horn" (which made it to the ceremony, against the rules)

Field Trips with great friends

And a few days/nights with this little sweetie & her baby brother

Of course, a day @ the zoo

And lots of other fun memories...

Packing for Vacay

Things overheard as I started to pack us for Orlando:

Who is Shamu? Is he the one that wanted to eat Dorie & Nemo's Dad?

We goin' to Sea World?

Maybe we can all wear green to Sea World. We can wear orange to Disney.

I want to wear the Hannah Montana pajamas.

I don't like how jean shorts feel.

What's Disney look like? Like those singing dolls?

Going Private

I'm going to have you email me again if you'd like to be added to the approved list of readers.  My email can be found on my profile.

If I do (have time) continue the blog, it will be private.  Or I might just start writing all thoughts back into notebooks for the kids (like I used to).

I'm sure you understand!

Time Flies

when you're having fun too busy to stop & enjoy it.

I so want to enjoy it.  So, we admittedly do squeeze in swimming... and park playdates... and visits with friends...

Gabe's hair was professionally cut & styled.  So, as we drove home I beckoned back to him behind me, "Bubby, you're hair looks soooo handsome."

Without a second passing by, he responded, "You handsome too Momma."

My hair has been straight now, for several days, apparently a style that doesn't sit well with my last born.  Today, while sharing a breakfast of scrambled eggs he peered across the table at me & asked, "Where your curly hair at Momma?"

And speaking of hair, he must've thought that the stylist was going to give him some curl... he asked while I was strapping him into the car seat, "Why my hair not look like Shelby's?" (Shelby is his cute little preschool girl friend, with beautiful natural curls)

Today while I plunked away on my lap top, looking out the glass patio doors at Jeff & Flynn, I thought about how lucky they are.  To have such a great dad.  A dad who is more than happy to throw a play place ball up on the roof, for it to roll off into the anticipating arms of a girl who is excellent at catching.  I'm quite certain she's inherited my skill love of the game.

Did I tell you that Gabe attended VBS with best friend Trey last week?  Oh, I didn't tell you?  Oh, I haven't blogged in two weeks?  Sorry.

Anyway, yes, he went & had a ball.  His favorite part? (besides playing with a classroom full of unfamiliar toys)  joining the singers on stage for worship time.  Who knew he had it in him.  It's no surprise that at least one of my off-spring is a ham.

Flynn has 2 days of summer school left.  She's disappointed, I am relieved.  She pretended she was a plinko chip (hello PRICE IS RIGHT) & plinko'ed through the arched bars of the slide approach on the playground.  We wouldn't have known, except I noticed that the underside of her arm was blue from just below her elbow all the way to her arm pit.  Then saw her forehead had an abrasion.  Then she was quick to point out the knot on the side of her head.  The most upsetting part? -- she was not taken to the nurse.  Was not given extra attention, or even ice.  And later on, in the bathroom, she wet a paper towel for her own head.  She said that she cried, but "Ms Amber" said she was fine.

I always thought head injury was cause for concern.  Silly me.

Exciting times ahead folks.  Our family is on the brink of so much change it gives my insomnia a reason to work over time (note, post written at midnight).

I hope the sheer need to write as therapy overrides the lack of writing time.  And that prozac comes in a salt lick.

Swimming & Having a Brother Who is Braver Than You

Yesterday we spent the ENTIRE afternoon swimming w/ "Madamine" & Matthew @ Jan's pool.  

Today I took the kids swimming to the Arnold Indoor Rec Pool.  

The kids had so much fun both days (I relished in the non UV rays today, but the kids don't care if they're in 100 degrees or 80).

Yesterday, when I was in the pool, the skids were having a hard time jumping form the sides...until I got out to get a drink.  Then they were jumping in w/o seond thought to Amanda.  Then off the diving board to Jan.

Today, Gabe made it up the step of the play structure & down the slide into an amount of water taller than him a trillion times before he convinced Flynn to go up w/ him.  She took his hand, & with her hands covering her eyes, he led her up the steps through the 'scary' sprays of water.  They even somehow synchronized their slides down (on the double slide), so that they could keep their hands held all the way down.

They repeated this for over 30 mins until it was time to go.  But it was the best 30 mins of the year.  And if that means complete harmonious play for them, then I will immediately start the reconstruction of the basement into a water park.

They Keep Cracking Us Up

Before I tell this story, here's background info...

Uncle Yoren = Uncle Loren; Uncle Loren = My brother

Uncle Yoren is a hunter, with a lot of deer heads to show for his hobby.

Okay, let me proceed.

I was getting the kids together to take to my Dad's who was watching them for me while I went to an interview.

In an attempt to get Gabe to get his hat, I reminded him, "Papa will like it!"

His response, "Uncle Yoren yike it too.  Uncle Yoren yikes REINDEER."

And as if that didn't have me rolling in the floor enough, Flynn (who hears all, sees all) interjected with,

(imagine a voice here, an octave higher than her usual range)

"He SHOOTS them!"

Things I Miss

• smelling my hair (now it's too short)
• looking down at my kids feet & seeing baby feet
  
• nursing my babies
  
• sleeping in on weekends
  
• camping
  
• having a flat tummy
  
• baby socks
  
• not thinking twice about eating white carbs
  
• bubble gum ice cream
  
• restaurants having "small" drinks (now it's medium & up)

Ratted Out by my 2nd Born

I've made it abundantly clear that lately we are busy busy busy.

And so with that busyness comes the inability to do everything, including Gabe's speech homework.

And so, I may or may not have had to have him do it IN THE VAN between summer camp & therapy.  Not my usual forte for reviewing & practicing new material...at all.

Oh well so I think.... at least it will be done & his therapist will be none the wiser...for all he knows, we put Gabe's speech & all involved, as our top priority.

That is, until Mr. Jacob asked for Gabe's homework, took it out of his folder, & began looking at it.

My boy, who usually lacks for words, was quick to report,

"Me did it in my car."

Bubs Goes to Day Camp

Our baby boy is making as big of steps as his sis.  This week he is signed up for Day Camp @ the Y.

One of his challenges right off the bat was an "Icky boy who is mean."  I agree Bubs, icky people are everyone's challenge.

I remember the icky boy at mustard seed.  He came home referring to him only as the icky boy.  And I convinced him to learn the boy's name...which turned into us praying for the boy... which turned into us spelling Icky Boy's name with fridge magnets & many conversations about Icky Boy.

It's hard tho, to be 3.  And to smash crumbs into the carpet & have your card turned.  And hard to follow the rules only to see Icky Boy break them.

Bubs...Life's Lessons.  There are Icky Boys everywhere.

If You Think that Kitten on Shrek 2 Was Cute,

Then I dare you to look at these faces & not melt into a puddle...

At about 7 pm

every night, I start getting exhausted. To the point that my 'brain feels dizzy' & I think that at any moment I could pass out.

But when you're a mom, you don't just get to go to bed when you're tired.  7 begins the whole night time process which means several several more hours until I get to go to sleep.

I get things ready for the next day.  Backpacks, lunches packed, papers looked at, signed, homework done, etc.

Get outfits laid out.  Make plans for who goes where, when, & how.

Get everyone medicated, bathed, snacked & down to sleep.

Then I start my work, church work, website work, housework (in that order).

And the mountains of laundry.  The piled up counters.  Mail, bills, coupons....

All I want to do is go to sleep.  Get much rest.  And wake up ready to tackle a NON-busy day of playing w/ my cute kids... and watching them love life.

Wouldn't that be nice? 

Eeny Meeny

Flynn just finished Day # 2 of SUMMER INSTITUTE (aka summer school) @ the school we have tentatively planned for her to attend kindergarten.

We go into everything with apprehension considering all that's on the line each time she's not in our care.

This step was a little easier since Hot Hubs is also teaching summer school in the same building.  He talked to the teacher ahead of time & at the pre-summer summer school meeting, each teacher was epi-trained.

That didn't stop Daddy from checking in on Flynn during her lunch time again today.  He found her sitting next to a cute girl ("with glasses momma... the glasses have lots & lots of colors on'em") who happened to be eating a ham-cheese sandwich.

Jeff was a tad worried.  He leaned over & whispered to her,

"You sure you want to sit here?  Would you rather sit at a table by yourself?"

Flynn wasn't sure.  She gave each option thought, "Well, yah... well..."

Remember, that new friend... and all those colors in her cute glasses, I mean, that's quite the decision.

So, like any reasonable 5-year old, she went with a completely well thought out decision making process,

"Can I do eeny meeny miney mo?"

We Did Some Scratching but it didn't Itch

Happy Seven Years Hot Hubs...

7 years ago today

Last night

(still in love!)

My Life is Crazy

but not too crazy to update our happenings...



Like the first food fight, ever, at our house. Started by Gabe. Ended by Gabe. Eggs & noodles.



Or how Gabe is obsessed with body parts...of all kinds. Everything from esophagus to, you guessed it, the body part most boys like to talk about.



And Flynn, who I was almost certain would don glasses by kindergarten, is saved by a hair. Her crossed-eyeness & far-sightedness falls within the normal range. Letting her K teacher know & watching to make sure it doesn't get worse, was all it requires.

But, I never want her to have to get her eyes dilated. Ever. Again. PS Super dark eyes are harder to dilate than lighter ones. 5 years + 2 SETS of dilation drops = whiny kid for the rest of the day.



Flynn starts summer school soon. Daddy will be teaching in the same building (which is why she's going). She's so excited.



How does time go by so fast? On the way to niece Hannah's graduation, I thought about how she was just weeks old at my graduation. At that time, I could never have pictured her on that same walk, about to take on adult life. But it got here. In a jiffy. Too fast.

It makes me want to keep taking those pictures in my mind, and freeze time.



Preschool graduations, dance recitals, trips to the zoo, summer school, Mommy working 3 part time jobs, birthday parties, church stuff, park playdates, graduations/parties, you name it... it's on our schedule.

Life's too busy.

Me Got a Question For You

My little jokester has been working hard on spinning his knock-knocks & one-liners.  Sometimes he remembers them correctly, sometimes he makes them up as he goes along.

I'd like to say they're always funny, but that would be a stretch.

My favorite thing about all of it is his approach,

"Hey Momma, me got a question for you..."

And when I hear that, I can't resist.

Okay, You Look At this & Try Not to Cry

See?  I told you, IMPOSSIBLE.

And so, that's exactly what I did Tuesday.  Cried...and cried...and cried.  And I didn't care who saw me.

I used to be a closet cryer.  Actually, I didn't even cry in the closet.  I just rarely cried anywhere.  

And now?  Now that I'm a Momma?  I cry at everything....Hallmark ads....Johnson & Johnson commercials, you name it.

So imagine my floodgates opening up when my girl who used to make the cutest little "O" with her mouth when she was a baby, who bit her baby brother's toe when she was 1 & he was zero, who has managed to make me fall in love with everything about her (including her penchant for pink),

walked up to the microphone donning a paper grad cap and said,

"Thank You."

And when her BFF's name was called (one of the first) to receive her diploma, I went ahead & started sobbing.  Not just silent, subtle tears, but loud ugly sobs that made even Hot Hub's head do a jerk.

I might as well start stockpiling kleenex for kindergarten.  Less than 90 days to find the perfect waterproof mascara.

Wish me luck.

Possibly One of the Cutest Things She's Ever Said

We're happily diving into a tub of summer clothes, mostly stocked by HAND ME DOWNS by our favorite hand me down'ers.

I came across a shirt (I think from our pastors), which is kelly green with bright yellow writing (that alone could make me love it).  It has JOE on the front, MAMMA on the back.  Haha.

Like I do w/ all her clothing, I put it on her, and explained what it said.  I laughed as I said it.

About 5 minutes later, she approached me, 

"Momma?  Was this YOUR shirt when you were little?"

"Um, no..."

"Then why does it have your name on the back??"

Questions

My kids are asking me questions all the time... that I find myself unequipped to answer.

Here are some of them:

• What kind of 'animals' are the Fraggle Rock characters
• Why did God make 'icky' animals
• How many days 'til my birthday
• Can I ride the giraffe at the zoo
• Why can't we have more babies

That's just a small sampling. Sometimes I muster up a response...sometimes I say, "I don't know."
Sometimes...I say...
"Ask Daddy."

Not Bragging On My Kids

This time I'm bragging on me.

I've lost 30 lbs in 6 months. Which now that I see that in print, it doesn't seem that impressive... like who can't lose 5 lbs a month.
But, does it sound better if I say that 25 of those 30 lbs have been since February?

One clothing size down.

And the biggest benefit, is bending over to tie my shoes & it not hurting. Or running after the kids & not having to stop & take my pulse.

Okay, 20 lbs to go.

His Dad's a Science Teacher...

so why should expect differently?

Like when he & his sis get in a scuffle (regular occurrence) & he comes to me, crying...

"Momma... Fwynn hit me... she hit me... in the esophagus...."

I've Heard of 'Break a Leg', but this is ridiculous...

Monday, on account of me being busy with the tv spot, Papa was roped into dropping Flynn off (as well as picking her up) at dance.

It sounds as if she wasn't getting into her seat & strapping herself in right away. So Papa did his uncanny approach of coercing her into her seat,
"Flynn if you fall out of the truck on the way to dance, you won't be able to dance if we run over your leg."

This was no threat to Flynn,
"It's okay, I can dance on one leg."

Were You Outside on TV Momma?

As if my few tv appearances haven't been confusing enough to my kiddos, today's segment included a clip of me OUTSIDE (pre-taped) garage sale'ing.
I came home & Gabe was as confused as could be.
We may have gotten it straightened out. Not sure.

Want to see the vid? GO HERE.

And don't worry, I don't typically make it a habit to give my friends & family garage sale 'stuff'. :)

I Used to Hate School Pictures (chapter 2)

The really sweet thing?... he was most proud of his shirt in this picture. The super thing is that I didn't even buy the shirt. It was handed down to us (not sure by whom, but thank you!).

And by the way, I don't think he's a handsome little devil because he looks just like his daddy. It's just 'cause he is.

Happy Mother's Day!

My old college buddy Monica gave me the nicest Mother's Day gift a girl could ask for (that is, besides a nose-piercing, of course), she nominated me for MOTHER OF THE YEAR!
And guess what?, I won!

Check it out HERE!

Happy Momma's Day to my Momma! And to Hot Hub's Mom! And to all the other Mommas in my life!

I'm ALMOST Ashamed

(but am more entertained than ashamed)

because I FINALLY cleaned out our van. Gross, gross, gross.

Yes, that's 3 cups & little girl undies you see. And pitchers. And coupons, and gloves & insane amounts of coats.

You're wondering how?

Me too.

Strange Is Love

Who doesn't think their kid is the cutest? Seriously.
But mine really is. Both.
Warning, about to brag on the oldest....

My sister called me. She told me how my youngest niece had hot plans to audition for the local college's musical, which was featuring a handful of roles for children. KK suggested that Flynn try out as well.

I've always wanted Flynn to have more exposure on the stage, she hasn't had near as much as I had at her age. So I figured it was a plan... and yesterday, asked her if she was interested.

"Okay." And got increasingly interested.

I explained the process to her, how she'd stand in front of a group of people, who'd be STARING at her (she sometimes has a problem w/ this) & she'd be asked a question or two, then be asked to SING for the group... and that I wouldn't be able to help her, that she might not even see me.

She didn't seem phased. And then I asked what song she wanted to sing. "How about 'Jesus Loves Me'?"

I was cool w/ that. I figured, she's sang no other song as many times. It's the song she sings to Baby Levi every Tues. & Wed.

But then, she had an idea. "How about Syliva & Mickey?" (Love is Strange)

I agreed that would be a strong choice. I figured it featured a bit more personality & taught her the title, as I figured that'd be a question they'd ask.

Fully prepared for her to chicken out on the way to the front, she shocked me by looking at the director & answering his questions with a straight face.

"Flynn, you're five?"

"Yes."

"Where do you go to school?"

"I dunno."

"Okay, what will you be singing for us?"

"Strange Is Love."

The director commented that it's one of his favorite songs, even though that title is most likely not a song (altho Love Is Strange is).

And she gave it her all. Never stuttered or had a loss. And even threw in a hand motion or two. And if it wasn't midnight, I'd wake Jeff & ask for his memory card to upload the very-amateur vid.

So, you'll just have to take my word for it that she's a shoe in. That she broke a leg.
And...

Strange Is Love.

You Finally Have a Big Boy Bed

About 6 mos ago, Nana asked Mommy if she had plans on getting you a "better bed". Mommy knew your mattress/box springs were A-okay & didn't give it another thought. But it bothered Nana that your set sat on the floor. Mommy thought it was kind of cute, your sock monkeys were skirted by a chocolate brown & she knew if you rolled off, you didn't have a far fall.

Then Nana called one Sunday, about a month ago & talked to Mommy about a new bed she saw at the furniture store. "It's really nice & has big drawers underneath." The drawer thing picqued Mommy's interest, as she's a sucker for storage. Nana told Mommy that she & Papa wanted to get Gabe a bed...and that picqued Mommy's interest even more. "Okay" Mommy told Nana.
Then, a few Saturdays ago, your bed was delivered to the store & Papa went & picked it up w/ his truck. He & Nana delivered it & you couldn't have been more thrilled. You wallered & rolled & put your feet on the wall.

Along with other things I can't explain.

And drifted off into dreamland. Big Boy Dreamland that is....

Orange You Glad?....

I am. Glad that is. Glad that we took the few days & attended what was probably the best conference I've ever attended. For so many different reasons.
It was refreshing... the team you see above has given so much these last 9+ mos. Given to be sure that kids not only learn about Jesus, but learn in the best ways & environment possible.
So, three days just for us to receive, be refreshed, & have new ideas poured into.

Not only that, but we got to have our photo taken in this car which is hands-down, the COOLEST vehicle I have ever sat in.

Queen Cutie

As if I could be more proud of her, my eldest niece (the first one to steal my heart), was crowned Prom Queen (this after just 1/2 her senior year there!!).

Post Coronation with my twin older sister