I am not a panicky parent. I leave that for Nick. When it comes to illness or injury, I'm more laid back. Not to the point of neglecting their care, but I am not one to turn a little cough into end stage lung cancer. Please don't think that I'm saying Nick reacts that way...I'm just trying to illustrate that I don't normally panic.
The one thing that makes me panic is the mere thought of losing my kids, or somebody taking them from me. That is why I don't take them to the park by myself. There is no way I can run in three directions at once, and if I'm running after one, than the other two are vulnerable to getting lost or stolen. I can't handle it, so I avoid all public places unless they can be contained, or I have another two or three adults to help watch after them.
Joey's bus stop is right across and one house down from our driveway. I am so glad it is close, I can't imagine asking him to walk a few blocks away, even. I like that I can see it from the end of the driveway and know that once I see the bus, he should be showing up a couple minutes later. I stayed with him at the bus stop this morning, but we talked about him being a big boy and coming home on his own. He rode the bus home for the last third of the year last year, so he knows where to get off and how to cross the street to our place. It's not that difficult, and Joey is one smart cookie. So instead of meeting him at the corner as I did all last year, I waited outside the house for him this afternoon.
I saw the bus pull up to the stop, I couldn't see the kids getting off, but I could hear when the bus left, so I knew Joey should be showing up any second. Then I saw one of the other kids that live in our developement walk up, but no Joey. I waited another minute thinking that Joey was just walking slower. Then I went to the end of the driveway where I could see the corner. NOTHING! There was nobody there!
Immediate panic set in. Nick and Ethan were still sleeping, and I was afraid that maybe Joey thought I was going to pick him up and he was waiting for an hour at the school. It was ten minutes to four by this time, and school gets out at 3pm. But I should have been called by the school if that were the case. So I called the school to make sure he did, in fact, get on the bus. In my uber-emotional state, I was barely holding on to my tears. I was frightened more than I remember being frightened since nearly drowning at the coast as a kid.
The receptionist paged the driver who confirmed that Joey was on the bus, and she was sure that he got off at the right stop. Could he possibly have gone home with a friend? No, not really....we don't know anybody around here, and he knows to ask first. Before the receptionist confirmed with the driver that he got off at the right stop, she asked if it was possible that he got off at a different stop. Of course, again, it's possible, but highly unlikely. But the visions I had in my head at that point of him lost and crying and having no way of knowing how to let me know where he was....I lost it. I was doing my best to keep the tears from my voice. Finally, the receptionist heard from the driver that they just found Joey on the bus. Apparently, he fell asleep, and popped up when she reached the barn. So they brought him home right away.
I couldn't keep the tears from my voice any longer. I was so relieved, but still feeling that absolute helpless fear. I felt bad when they showed up, because I couldn't stop blubbering all over Joey. Thankfully, they understood I was VERY pregnant and that possibly had an affect on my emotions.
So, to recap my first day of school memories:
Kindergarten; Joey cried when I picked him up because he wanted to ride the bus.
First Grade; Joey falls asleep on the bus, misses his stop, and scares the living daylights out of me.
I don't know if I will survive the first day of second grade.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Featuring Avi
Kathy takes amazing pictures of my boys. She is then generous enough to showcase them on her blog, which just makes me feel so spectacular. I mean, I think my kids are cute, but to have that belief validated by others, people who have never met me or my kids (based on the comments recieved) is refreshing and makes my heart smile.
I am not an amazing photographer like Kathy, nor do I have a fancy-dancy camera like her. But I was able to capture some cute pictures of her adorable daughter, and I wanted to show Avi off on my blog.
It was so nice that John and Cindy could come to the boys' birthday party and an added bonus that they brought Avi. Kathy and Ryan were out of town, and were sorely missed (okay, who noticed they weren't there?) so it was fun to have Avi. Ethan, especially, adores her.
Avi is doing her best to enjoy her cupcake. I didn't really see her smile until later in the afternoon.
Megan showed up and that is when Avi lit up like the Fourth of July. It was so sweet!
A beautiful picture of Grandma and Granddaughter.
And I just drool over those luscious curls! I am still feeling the loss of having to cut Joey's off. One more reason I needed a girl; I'd never have to cut her curls! Oh well.
I am not an amazing photographer like Kathy, nor do I have a fancy-dancy camera like her. But I was able to capture some cute pictures of her adorable daughter, and I wanted to show Avi off on my blog.
It was so nice that John and Cindy could come to the boys' birthday party and an added bonus that they brought Avi. Kathy and Ryan were out of town, and were sorely missed (okay, who noticed they weren't there?) so it was fun to have Avi. Ethan, especially, adores her.
Avi is doing her best to enjoy her cupcake. I didn't really see her smile until later in the afternoon.
Megan showed up and that is when Avi lit up like the Fourth of July. It was so sweet!
A beautiful picture of Grandma and Granddaughter.
And I just drool over those luscious curls! I am still feeling the loss of having to cut Joey's off. One more reason I needed a girl; I'd never have to cut her curls! Oh well.
Big Boys
We have a couple big boys in the house. A big start to the week for Mommy to say the least. We took the crib down and separated the bunk beds yesterday and started Ethan sleeping in his very own big bed. We skipped over the toddler bed and went straight for the twin. He is so tiny in that bed! He is having a hard time adjusting to not getting down and playing, and of course, Nick doesn't help much because he still plays for awhile before falling asleep. But I'm sure he will learn soon enough.
And then today Joey started his first day of first grade! I can't believe it! It doesn't seem possible that a child so tiny, could be able to handle a full day of school. He had a hard time sleeping last night, was up three or four times wanting me to sleep with him because he was a bit nervous about today. It was so funny this morning though. He got up at 6:30am and came into my room saying "Something strange happened." When asked what was strange, he said his alarm clock wasn't beeping. I said, "Maybe because it's not supposed to go off for another half an hour!" I stayed with him at the bus stop this morning because he asked me to, but I told him that after today, he had to do it by himself. After watching him walk onto that bus at a quarter to eight in the morning, knowing he wouldn't be home until a quarter to four in the afternoon, made me teary-eyed. I have never been good at letting go.
Ethan took his first nap in his big boy bed yesterday. You can hardly see him in there.
I wanted to show how big the bed was compared to him. Find him if you can. He doesn't take up much room!
Joey is all set for his first day of school. First day pictures are a tradition I will carry on. Thanks, Mom.
And then today Joey started his first day of first grade! I can't believe it! It doesn't seem possible that a child so tiny, could be able to handle a full day of school. He had a hard time sleeping last night, was up three or four times wanting me to sleep with him because he was a bit nervous about today. It was so funny this morning though. He got up at 6:30am and came into my room saying "Something strange happened." When asked what was strange, he said his alarm clock wasn't beeping. I said, "Maybe because it's not supposed to go off for another half an hour!" I stayed with him at the bus stop this morning because he asked me to, but I told him that after today, he had to do it by himself. After watching him walk onto that bus at a quarter to eight in the morning, knowing he wouldn't be home until a quarter to four in the afternoon, made me teary-eyed. I have never been good at letting go.
Ethan took his first nap in his big boy bed yesterday. You can hardly see him in there.
I wanted to show how big the bed was compared to him. Find him if you can. He doesn't take up much room!
Joey is all set for his first day of school. First day pictures are a tradition I will carry on. Thanks, Mom.
Miscellaneous
Here are just a few miscellaneous pictures.
We had a lightning storm a few weeks ago. It was beautiful! I love watching lightning and hearing thunder. It was like 1:30am and Nick couldn't find me until he checked outside. I was standing on our patio trying to take a picture of the lightning. Of course, you never know when the lightning is going to strike, and with a camera that takes 45 seconds to snap a photo.....I ended up deleting about forty pictures of our back fence! Then I switched to landscape mode, which helped, because it took the picture faster. It still came out a bit blurry, and there is the bight spot in the middle of the lightning, but you can still see the fingers of lighting, and that it wasn't just a flash of light. Even though far from perfect, I love this picture.
Here is what I like to call Black Eye Number 5,492. I didn't even tell Nick about it when it happened, so he came home from work and said, "What did you do this time?" I think this happened when he walked into the corner of the dining room table, hitting at just the right, or wrong, spot on the bone to do the most damage. This picture was taken several days later actually. I threatened to wrap him in bubble wrap before going to his check-up at the the doctor...I didn't want to be accused of abusing him. Thankfully, our doctor is a young dad as well, having two boys that are six and four, and a girl who is a bit younger than Ethan. He says all the time, "That's what a little boys legs are supposed to look like. If I didn't see the bruises I would be worried."
Who needs a fork, huh? I don't know why he has started doing this. Ethan doesn't eat like this at meal times, just when it comes to dessert. Pie, cake, whatever (thankfully not ice cream) he is chowing down using his face rather than fork.
We made turkey meatloaf the other day and the boys each wanted a letter on "their" loaf for their name. So we have a "J" for Joey, "N" for Nick, "E" for Ethan, "M" for Mommy, "D" for Daddy, "L" for Luty, "A" for Andrew, and a heart because we love each other!
We had a lightning storm a few weeks ago. It was beautiful! I love watching lightning and hearing thunder. It was like 1:30am and Nick couldn't find me until he checked outside. I was standing on our patio trying to take a picture of the lightning. Of course, you never know when the lightning is going to strike, and with a camera that takes 45 seconds to snap a photo.....I ended up deleting about forty pictures of our back fence! Then I switched to landscape mode, which helped, because it took the picture faster. It still came out a bit blurry, and there is the bight spot in the middle of the lightning, but you can still see the fingers of lighting, and that it wasn't just a flash of light. Even though far from perfect, I love this picture.
Here is what I like to call Black Eye Number 5,492. I didn't even tell Nick about it when it happened, so he came home from work and said, "What did you do this time?" I think this happened when he walked into the corner of the dining room table, hitting at just the right, or wrong, spot on the bone to do the most damage. This picture was taken several days later actually. I threatened to wrap him in bubble wrap before going to his check-up at the the doctor...I didn't want to be accused of abusing him. Thankfully, our doctor is a young dad as well, having two boys that are six and four, and a girl who is a bit younger than Ethan. He says all the time, "That's what a little boys legs are supposed to look like. If I didn't see the bruises I would be worried."
Who needs a fork, huh? I don't know why he has started doing this. Ethan doesn't eat like this at meal times, just when it comes to dessert. Pie, cake, whatever (thankfully not ice cream) he is chowing down using his face rather than fork.
We made turkey meatloaf the other day and the boys each wanted a letter on "their" loaf for their name. So we have a "J" for Joey, "N" for Nick, "E" for Ethan, "M" for Mommy, "D" for Daddy, "L" for Luty, "A" for Andrew, and a heart because we love each other!
Angie's Visit
Aunt Angie came and stayed with us for a weekend. It was great to spend time with her, especially because Nick was out of town that weekend. She brought all sorts of treats for the boys, their favorite being the 3-D sidewalk chalk. And of course, they love to play all the games on her cool phone.
The boys are surrounding Angie, I believe, to watch a video of them that she filmed with her phone. The love to watch themselves "perform." It makes them ham it up even more. Just what I need.
Nick is getting ready to jump from the top of the play structure. It still takes my breath away when they play rough and rowdy. You would think I would be used to it with three boys.
Joey is taking his turn jumping from the top. They had so much fun impressing Aunt Angie.
Thankfully, Ethan couldn't quite make it up to the top all by himself, or he would have tried jumping, too. I'm sure I would have been taking him in for his first broken bone, if that were the case. This kid just doesn't know when to stop and take it easy. At least he is way cute!
Somehow, and I'm not sure entirely, (note the sarcasme in the voice) the boys and Angie ended up with more chalk on them, than on the ground. They thought it was hilarious to erase the chalk with their hands and smear it on each other. Angie was a good sport.
The boys are surrounding Angie, I believe, to watch a video of them that she filmed with her phone. The love to watch themselves "perform." It makes them ham it up even more. Just what I need.
Nick is getting ready to jump from the top of the play structure. It still takes my breath away when they play rough and rowdy. You would think I would be used to it with three boys.
Joey is taking his turn jumping from the top. They had so much fun impressing Aunt Angie.
Thankfully, Ethan couldn't quite make it up to the top all by himself, or he would have tried jumping, too. I'm sure I would have been taking him in for his first broken bone, if that were the case. This kid just doesn't know when to stop and take it easy. At least he is way cute!
Somehow, and I'm not sure entirely, (note the sarcasme in the voice) the boys and Angie ended up with more chalk on them, than on the ground. They thought it was hilarious to erase the chalk with their hands and smear it on each other. Angie was a good sport.
Birthdays
Nick and Ethan both had birthdays recently. Nick turned four on Aug 12 and Ethan turned two on Aug 18. It was great to be able to come down and see the family and to have everybody celebrate with us. Thank you very much to everyone. Especially to Mom and Dad for letting us stay again and generally wreak havoc on your house and lives for the weekend.
Nick is getting ready to dig in to his banana cupcake! The wind made it extrememly difficult to light any candles.
Ethan is just too cute waiting for his cupcake. In another picture, you see he couldn't wait any longer and snuck himself a taste!
We had a good amount of people help us celebrate. It was a nice day to have a party at the park. Of course, the wind chilled it down too much for some, but I was finally feeling comfortable with the temp!
Nick was so excited to start opening presents. In fact, as we were unloading the truck, he started opening a gift that wasn't even his, before we even got the party started. He and Ethan made out like bandits, though. They had a great time.
Ethan had a lot of help opening his gifts. All the kids were willing to assist him. He loved it.
Nick is getting ready to dig in to his banana cupcake! The wind made it extrememly difficult to light any candles.
Ethan is just too cute waiting for his cupcake. In another picture, you see he couldn't wait any longer and snuck himself a taste!
We had a good amount of people help us celebrate. It was a nice day to have a party at the park. Of course, the wind chilled it down too much for some, but I was finally feeling comfortable with the temp!
Nick was so excited to start opening presents. In fact, as we were unloading the truck, he started opening a gift that wasn't even his, before we even got the party started. He and Ethan made out like bandits, though. They had a great time.
Ethan had a lot of help opening his gifts. All the kids were willing to assist him. He loved it.
Computer Fix
We sent our laptop off to get fixed....it hasn't been fixed yet. But while we were waiting to hear about the laptop, Nick decided to check out our PC again. We have two monitors hooked up. Nick thought that the issue was a broken video drive. Then he decided to unhook the main monitor to see if that was the problem. So the good news is, we still have a working computer! YEAH!
So, now I have to try to catch up on everything that is going on. I think I will do that best by doing several small posts, complete with pictures, rather than try to remember everything at once.
As far as baby news goes; last week at my appointment, the doctor told me that to schedule an induction (unless medically necessary) I would have to show that I was favorable to it...for example, be fairly dialated. So after doing an examination, she declared that she didn't think I would have a problem being ready! The plan is still set to induce on the 14th. I have another appointment this Wednesday, and one set for the following Wednesday, both of which I will be examined again to determine progress. Then I should be having a baby six days after that! WooHoo! Can't wait to show him off!
So, now I have to try to catch up on everything that is going on. I think I will do that best by doing several small posts, complete with pictures, rather than try to remember everything at once.
As far as baby news goes; last week at my appointment, the doctor told me that to schedule an induction (unless medically necessary) I would have to show that I was favorable to it...for example, be fairly dialated. So after doing an examination, she declared that she didn't think I would have a problem being ready! The plan is still set to induce on the 14th. I have another appointment this Wednesday, and one set for the following Wednesday, both of which I will be examined again to determine progress. Then I should be having a baby six days after that! WooHoo! Can't wait to show him off!
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