The Cuteness

Cuteness is how I describe Lucas's class Christmas party. I cannot imagine how any mom could NOT want to be present for these fun and games. I know not everyone has such a flexible schedule, or a job that allows for this stuff, nor do all parents want to necessarily, or have other kids to attend to, but this stuff is classic. Its also fleeting. It goes so fast and these cute days will be gone before we know it.

This party was a LITTLE bit more organized than the halloween one, very little : ) but its is a great group of moms who are trying hard and I am getting to know them and their kids. I love that when Lucas says something about a kid in his class, I can match the name with the face and even at least one parent from sight. These are most of the kids he will go to school with and be friends with til at least 8th grade at this school, so its nice to know who they all are.

Lucas gets SO excited when I come to his school, I get all kinds of hugs and gratitude. He notices that I care I suppose lol. I am still looking forward to those days of payback when it embarasses him for me to be there. CAN> NOT> WAIT, I am that mom with the sick sense of humor.

I got assigned to be in charge of the Snowball relay game. Basically I had to explain the game every time a new group of kids was ushered over and kind of help. yeah, I am not THAT mom, its kind of a free for all with me, but the kids had fun I think. its was funny watching the kids that were in such a hurry to be back to their bucket that they don't even bother to go all the way around the cone they are supposed to : ) and then there were those who were SO careful with the 'snowball' on their spoon it took them days to get back to the start lol too cute!

Then it was snack time, there was a lot of opening waters and peeling oranges and cleaning up, but thats where I get to watch Lucas interact with the kids and I get to have conversations with them as well.
My conversation with a little boy named Kristian went like this
"So, Lucas's mom, I hear you are off today" (obviously, I was standing there talking to him)
"Yes, I took off to come to your party'
"My mom is off today too"
"and she is not coming in today?"( I meant to the party, his mom was not there)
"She will pick me up at the North exit"
LMAO O-KAY then!

Then there was Lucas every time I moved he was up my rear end, not unlike every other moment of the day we are together and he says
"mom, I am going to follow you around ok?'
" Lucas, you always do, what would be different today?"
"I am going to tell Mrs Hopkins I am going to follow you around " O-Kay again lol

And ultimately I got annoyed as I usually do with a little boy named Anthony. he is cute and the tiniest one of the class, but this child cannot keep his hands to himself, and I know him and Lucas are really good friends. His mom and I have even had a conversation where the teachers have told her has has to stop hugging and touching faces etc. Ugh, I cannot tell you how many times I had to tell him to please keep his hands to himself if the teacher missed it (she was really on the ball about it though) because the kid's hands were always on MY kids face! Oh the OCD in me freaks the **** out! it is cold and flu season! And the week before Christmas and all I get every other day is a note someone has the flu or Strep in his class, and this kid cannot stop touching Lucas's face. So gross. And after I saw how Lucas rolls around the gym floor acting the fool and him trying to get me to eat pretzels he had strung in HIS own dirty fingers, I was done, the boy needed a bath and so did I haha. GOOD TIMES : )

But it was fun, I got a few pics and will get them up soon

Time

Time seems to be going so fast. I have stuff to say, then time gets away from me and I don't post.

Lots of goings on in the past month or so. Some hightlights:

Most have heard the story of Lucas doing Show n tell that we learned at this parent-teacher conference, for those who don't........While some kids stand meekly and scared of public speaking behind their toys they bring in, our son does not have stagefright : ) We have always called him 'our politician' for his ability to work a room, and this further proves the point. When its Lucas's Show n Tell day (every Monday) he not only puts on a full demostration of what his toy does, telling the class anything and everything he can think of about it, when he is done with the presentation he takes questions and comments. Yes, that is Lucas

other important things we learned about Lucas at this conference is that Lucas is doing really well. He not only gets along well with his classmates, he is the first to offer to help someone in need with anything and shows lots of empathy whenever someone is upset or hurt. That made me very proud, those are very important skills. He sometimes does not want to sit still as long as he has to, but when that occurs his teacher gives him odd jobs to do for her to occupy him. I LOVE that she is willing to do this for him rather than give him the opportunity to get into trouble instead. And knows how to do all his work, but when he does not feel like it, he scribbles and hurries, but when made to do it again, he does it perfectly. Go figure, that seems to be a lesson we all take a lifetime to learn, do it right the first time hahaha.

But he is doing great in school. He loves going to the extra classes(gym, music,omputers) and has been getting 100% on all his computer tests : )and the librarian is finally letting the Kindergarteners take out library books, he feels very accomplished to be allowed to do so. he is learning to add and loves math so far and his spelling and reading are coming in leaps and bounds every day. Almost gone are the days of spelling things he does not need to know about ; )

I really feel like we made a great choice by sending him to St Anthony, its a great school with lots of wonderful people working there, really well run, not to mention I think Lucas got an awesome teacher for his first year in grade school, could not be happier with my choice!

I got to volunteer at his Halloween party, that was cute and intend to do so for the Christmas party. next week i am helping out at the Secret Santa Shop as well. So many opportunities for parents to be involved, so i am getting it in before Lucas decides its embarassing for mom to come to school, now it makes him happy. I will still volunteer when he is embarassed though,thatwill be fun torture, I am that mom.

Its been a month since Faith, Joe and the girls have gone to Fl : ( Its still sad but the time has really flown. I am glad they are adjusting and enjoying the new home, but I miss them so much that sometimes when I get off the phone after speaking to them, I cry. Esp when Michaela asks me if I want to come to their house : ( Of course I want to come to their house! Soon, I hope, soon. Lucas misses them a lot too and still asks if they are coming or going to be somewhere we are going, but he does like the idea he will probably need to take a plane to see them; )

Just gearing up for Christmas now, trying to get the shopping done and start on wrapping. This weekend we are making the reip to Bass Pro Shops to see Santa and do the Winter Wonderland activities. Looking forward to it and will undoubtedly have to run and speak to Santa when Lucas leaves his lap cause my darling son will not tell us what he wants from Santa. "I am not telling you" is his answer. GRRRRRRR

Its that time again.....Christmas gift ideas for the boy

I know people will wonder, and since Lucas wants everything he sees on tv, he should not be too hard, but here are some highlights of what he would like/need:

Dvd's:

How to Train Your Dragon
Shrek the Final Chapter
Despicable Me
Maters Tall Tales

Smartcycle game:

Scooby Doo

He needs a new Slinky Dog from Toy Story, his old one has been played with for years and is a mangled mess, He would also like any of the new toys from the Toy Story 3 movie, he has the basics, like Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Bullseye and Rex

Originally I was going to say he wanted Moon Dough, right up til he got a free sample and I found out how awful and messy it is, so I say please NO MOON DOUGH, however, he can have more Play Doh if someone wishes : )

He is still very into his Super heroes, particularly the Super Hero Squad, but he has most of the two pak characters, but some of the accessories like their vehicles and stuff he does not have

He would never turn down anything Star Wars still

Clothes wise, he is in size 5 for pants and size 5 for shirts mostly, sometimes if they look like they run small, he fits into a 5/6. Anything he does not fit in now, I save, so no worries if its too big

Lucas loves any 'ready to read' books, sometimes they are are a category 1 if the brand does a number system on their books, anything that is easy, rhymes, has sight words for beginning readers, we are always glad to get new bedtime material

For some reason, he keeps asking for Wrestling guys, although he never has seen wrestling, must just sound cool to him, so there''s an idea, he is just all boy, if it looks crazy, rough, or dangerous, he is in

Good Stuff

Its been busy again in our world (when isn't it?) We got all three cute kid's pics done, went to have some pumpkin fun and Mapleside, had a great time at the stables for Michaela's bday. We have the Circus coming up this Sunday, and next Saturday is Boo at the Zoo, followed by halloween. Lucas has his Iron Man costume and is excited! he has a party at school Friday and then in the evening he was invited to his friend Zach's bday/Hallowen party. It will be more non stop fun!

Everything is going pretty well these days. Lucas had his first field trip where he got to ride the bus out to Mapleside last week, he had a good time!

Just gearing up for the sad part of the season where Faith and the girls get ready to leave: ( Trying not to consciously acknowledge this at the moment, cause its too hard to think about)

All Kinds Of Crazy

First off I must say that I love it when Lucas thinks noone can hear him in the shower and he bursts into song, and usually its Usher's OMG. HILARIOUS. Just had to share : )

Next, oh the wonders of the busy mommy brain. It almost cost me several hundred dollars though this time. Last week on Wed I picked Lucas up from Jill's ouse, where he had gone after school. he was not wearing his glasses, not unusual for after school, but I got sidetracked with his immediate whining that "he did not want to leave, was hungry,thirsty, was not going to wear coat, shoes, or socks, etc. At the same time Emma started in on her mom with the whining and it got crazy. I did not realize until I was getting Lucas ready for a bath that I had not seen or picked up his glasses. I looked in his coat pockets, his book bag, the van, but no glasses. They must be at Jill's I figured. I called her and they had not seen them. But were concerned and going to search for them. After a few days went by they had not turned up. I figured I could wait til Monday to order new ones, but no later, he would be without them more than a week by the time new ones came in and he has another Opthamology appt next week to check progress with the new prescription. Poor Jill and Matt turned their house upside down looking for them. They assumed Brayden had gotten them and they really were nowhere to be found.
Monday rolls around and I had a periodontist appt (again with a new one) and was standing in my dentist's office waiting for them to give me Xrays, reached my hand itno my left coat pocket and pulled out his glasses! I about fell on the floor. I had been wearing that jacket all week. I still have no recollection or idea HOW they got there, I really don't but I rushed to call Jill, gosh I felt so bad for all they had been thru! But glad I waited and had not ordered the new pair yet. Fabulous.

Trip to Bloomington

Last weekend I was lucky enough to go with mom, grandma, and Lucas to visit Bridget at school. Before I get into the trip specifics, I have to say it was so awesome to see Bridget, get to visit, walk around the gorgeous campus and town on a beautiful fall day. I would love to go back, next time without my darling son.

It started out where I knew it could go either way. We had been out late last TH at Chuck E Cheese's, celebrating Carter's 5th bday. That was lack of sleep night number one. Fri was our early day, so he was tired. Then he had school all day, and was picked up as we were on our way out on the road, to eventually stay overnight in Cincinnati, leaving us with about 2 hours to go in the morning Saturday. Well, aside from my tired kid acting like a fool, a completely ridiculous fool in the car, we got lost when we were in the last leg of our trip. I still have not determined if the directions were wrong or if I missed an exit, but it does not much matter. I had mom call the Hotels.com 1-800 number, since it was the only ph# printed on our itinerary to get the local ph# to the Comfort inn and Suites and get directions. I knew we were not far, it was the same hotel we had stayed at when Larry and I went in April. After getting crazy and wrong, then right directions from the local hotel, we pulled in, an hour later than it should have been, it is now going on 9pm. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, I knew it was not the same hotel I had stayed at, and none of the rest of the surroundings were familiar, I had not been there before, it was not the correct hotel. They had given my mom the wrong ph#, to a different Comfort inn and suites somewhere in Cincinnati. Now I am livid. Not only were we not getting back in the car with my crazy son after 6 hours, I was mad that I knew grandma's credit card would be charged for not showing at the correct hotel. Well, this was Hotels.com's problem, not mine. As we checked in to this other hotel, cause luckily they were not booked up, I had the pleasure of speaking to one of the most bumbling of idiots on the Hotels.com staff, when I advised her she was an idiot and could obviously not handle her job, I asked for a supervisor. That supervisor told me I needed to call back in the am after 9 when there was a manager in at the hotel we should have been at. That we would have been at had they not given us the WRONG ph#

Lucas of course wanted to swim, it lasted 10 minutes cause he was so tired. By the time we all settled in it was 11pm.Anyone who knows Lucas, knows if he does not get to bed before 9pm, its worthless. he was up at 6am, need I say more? There was the drive to Bloomington then which lasted about 3 hors and I could not get out of the car fast enough. By now I was reminiscing (and having nightmares of) the time we took Lucas to Virginia when he was 14 mos old (yes, this is how he was acting).

Walking around I say he did pretty well, but then settled into wanting to know when we were going to the new hotel, over and over again. By the time we got to the hotel, he had fallen asleep, it takes a LOT for him to fall asleep at any point during the day, no matter how tired he is. It was dinnertime by then and Lucas was incessant about wanting to swim and not wanting to eat or get back into the car. So we ordered pizza and watched a movie, it was all we could do with this kid.

Sunday he was less "Are we there yet" and more slap happy and I would have been happy to slap him, believe me. We made good time and I told Larry that he better be home when I got there to take over with Lucas before anyone had to call 696KIDS on me. WOW, I have had better trips with him on longer drives to SC when he was even younger. This is why Lucas'sleep is so important!!!!!!!!!!!

So, now that that is out of the way, back to Hotels.com. I called back on our way into Bloomington Sat morning, and spoke with yet another idiot, obviously that is all they employ I concluded. After her reading the notes, and me re-explaining everything all over again, and her putting me on hold 15 different times, she finally called out to the original hotel we never made it to and told me they charged grandma's credit card cause we no showed. REALLY you fucking genius???? I could have figured out they were going to do that you sorry excuse for a human sucking useful air. I was quite proud of my non usage of every swear word in the book since grandma was in the car though I might add. I said at that point " Ok, and I told you that if the hotel was not going to refund the card, that YOU guys WERE"" So now do that, since this is your fault". I was put on hold again, each time she placed me on hold she asked if it was ok, each time I promised her I had all day and would be her bestest new friend til I spoke to every supervisor in the place, and as I advised them the night before, now was not the time to screw with me since I have spent 6 plus hours stuck in a car with my tired 5 yr old son.

So moron #2 comes back and insultingly offers me a 20.00 credit or a 50.00 voucher. Now, had grandma not been in the car, I would have told her exactly where to shove the credit AND the voucher, but at that point I let her know I believed she has LOST HER MIND and was to get me a competent Supervisor immediately. I was asked to hold again, and this time when she came back, she had gotten authorization from a supervisor to refund the whole amount (duh bitch) and I was offerred a million apologies for the trouble I was caused and the person who gave the incorrect ph# would be reprimanded (the idiots have no idea who gave that ph#) but I did not care, as long as the credit was given. : ) And it was there by Monday grandma informed me, btw.

When are people going to learn screwing with me is NEVER a good idea.?

Treading water over here

Wow, what a whirlwind the first 3 weeks for school have been! Lucas is doing great, thankfully, right into the swing of it and whether he is buying or bringing lunch, if its gym day, where he is going before or after school. Me on the other hand, while it has gotten easier, I am struggling to catch my breath most days, and paranoid and stressed I am forgetting to sign something (no, that has not gotten any better, FYI, still just as much crap to remember to fill out and /or sign every other freaking day) lol.

But, I am getting more used to it. And now they have tossed in 3-4 nights a week of homework for the kids as well, which is really for us in addition to the other stuff I have to deal with. its getting easier, i think. Sure it is.

Lucas just loves gym class, computer class and recesses, buying lunch at school and After school care : ) he dislikes when he has to go to before care cause they just sit in the library. But all in all, his feedback is much more positive than I expected from him. he is having a good time having Emma over some days and going to her house some days before or after school, I am trying to remember our schedules and plans from week to week, scared I am going to forget a kid somewhere in the mix.

He has grandparents day on friday, he invited grandma Jane : ) and Picture day tomorrow

I have a PTU meeting tonight, and VIRTUS trianing tomorrow night(I have to take this one time class if I want to help with parties/school trips or any school affair)

And we will keep on trucking until the men in the white coats with the straightjackets (please)come to take me away, haha, hoho,heehee : )

just kidding, sort of

Jonas Brothers concert

Tuesday I took Alyssa to the Jonas Bros/Demi Lovato concert. She had waited all summer for this, and was so excited. She even wanted school to start cause it meant she was going to go to this concert. If you know Alyssa, she hates school, so this was major lol.

She adores Demi Lovato, and I have watched them all grow up on the Disney channel, and know most of the songs they sing. And really, I have never been shy about watching the Disney and Nickolodeon shows even when there are not any kids around. They are fun shows : )

I figured if I could just deal with the screaming tween, it would be fun, and it was : )

I got to spend a girls night out with one of my favorite girls, she picked Friendly's as out eat out destination and we were off to the show.

There were a lot of screaming teens, but it was a really good show. Those Jonas Brothers know how to rock it out on the stage. And I think they have me successfully wanting to watch Camp Rock two tonight (yeah, I was goin g to watch it anyways, I already have seen the first one a million times)but now I really want to see it lol.

I danced and sung and stood for the whole thing and was reminded in the morning after 5 hours of sleep I am really getting old. I was exhausted and sore. I still am a few days later. And I was relieved when even Alyssa told me she thought Demi's skirts were too short, cause I was thinking it the whole time but was not going to say anything cause I figured it was just me getting really really old. She is 18 now after all and it is a concert lol
But I am glad I got to take Alyssa : )

Little Big Man goes to Kindergarten!!!!

The day finally came! I was so nervous and anxious myself about it I really could not wait just to get it over with. Lucas was a bundle of nerves that morning, especially once we got to school. Right down to he was not going, his throat hurt, his stomach hurt, he was going to throw up, would I come with him? I told him he would not throw up, to take a deep breath and we would go in together.

Once we got in his classroom, he began to cry at the thought of me leaving. I actually did not cry, I knew he would do fine as soon as I left, so I kept it short, sweet and positive. Once he had been in there not seeing me for awhile, we peaked back in, he was coloring, laughing and smiling with the kids at his table. he came out of school that day smiling and by Monday this week his nerves were all gone and yesterday he and Emma walked into school together without me . I am very proud of him, he is adjusting really well and enjoying it. he loves After school care too, so no worries there, he did not even want to leave there when I cme to pick him up Monday. Big relief!

He is adjusting well, albeit a bit worn out. I however, am all kinds of screwed up adjusting. Not worried about him and school anymore, but I cannot get my own act together. I spent a near sleepless weekend overwhelmed with all the things I had to remember now, its such a different routine. School supplies, filling out forms, signing forms, before care, after care, pack a lunch, cafeteria menus, uniforms, gym days, money for this and money for that, who is picking him up, who am I taking to school what days. I got myself a bit worked up. My new schedule started at work last week, I am working 34 hours a week now, sucky moneywise, but it gives me extra time for him in both the afternoons and mornings, and life at home has been so much less stress since, loving that. However, I was thinking I could take him to school and still be on time every day. Travelling later in the mornings at peak time means too much more traffic and I ended up being late both monday and Tuesday, even with my later schedule. Upsetting, but this morning I sent him to before care at 7:30, so he only had to be there 15 minutes before the bell rings, and I amde it on time. So this week is an adjustment, a learning curve for me and it will all settle in soon-I hope-for my sake : )

Conversations with a FIVE year old!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, FIVE years old today! Happy Birthday to my son, I love you to the moon-and back as one of our favorite books goes : )

I woke him this morning with my rendition of Happy Birthday and the dogs gave him bday kisses, even Omar, believe it or not (Omar is stingy with the kisses). Lucas came out to the kitchen and saw the decorations I had put up while he was asleep last night and exclaimed " It really IS my BIRTHDAY"! lol

he was very clearly proud of himself, he had a big grin on his face as he told me he definitely has gotten taller-since he is 5 and he needs bigger clothes now-since he is 5 yrs old. He informed me he listens and behaves now-since he is 5 yrs old. Wow, all that overnight? Awesome hahaha.

Then he asked if Emma was still 5, and I said yes, she is still 5 as well, and he wanted to know if Ethan and Turk were still 5 and I informed him they were as well. he was very glad he had reached the ranks that a few friends had ahead of him, and he was satified. he was pleased as punch with the promise of presents later from mom and dad and the balloons, cupcakes and present grandma Jane had set out when we got there. She was also making him bacon for breakfast, the kid adores his bacon so much I do not buy it often, he loves it too much.

Today is filled with fun at Chuck E Cheeses with the cousins and grandmas and Aunt Faith, followed by Dairy Queen and presents later from the parents, and a big birthday bash coming on Saturday!

its a happy birthday indeed, a big one, and I cannot believe how fast those 5 yrs went

Skechers

I was looking high and low for white tennis shoes for Lucas for gym class that would not break the bank, finally found some at Payless.com for 12.99 and it was a BOGO sale. Score! i got him 2 pairs for less than I would have anywhere else. I told Lucas I finally found him gym shoes and he asks:

'Oh cool, are they Skechers?'

What? No silly boy, they are not, they are cheap Payless shoes cause your feet grow every few mos, as much as I love Skechers for me and would love to get him a pair, I cannot justify the money for a kid whose feet are still growing so fast, and what possesses a 4 yr old to ask that anyways lol

I guess I could have said yes, he does not know the difference, and he cannot read yet, so yes, Lucas, sure, they are Skechers : )

Wow, I guess I am overdue

I have not updated in awhile, not cause there is nothing going on, but too much, for sure. Also, I have not gotten a reply on here for so long I am not even sure anyone is reading anymore, and that's fine too. But, I know whats going on in my life, so I figure if noone else cares, why write about it lol.

Lets see. Bee stings, camping, disasters and catastrophes, the boy, the dogs, swimming lessons, tball. That sums it up really.

Toby got stung by a bee, so we assume, a few weeks ago which landed him in his first emergency vet venture. It was a Sunday afternoon, (of course) and his face swelled up to the size of Scooby Doo, the Emergency vet would not tell me a dosage of Benadryl over the phone since they wanted to make sure it was not going to affect his airway, plus I had no idea how much he weighs, cause it had been about 6 weeks since the last vet visit and he is a growing 7 month old puppy. So 146.00 and 2 1/2 half hours of waiting later, he got a shot of benadryl, steroids and was fine. But I do now know his Benadryl dosage as well as the fact he weighed 28 1/2 lbs that day : )

Lucas finished Tball last week, he really had a good time with it, and so did we. it amazes me how a kid who is an ALL Star in the backyard, hitting balls three houses away, throwing like a pro and knowing all the rules to baseball since he has been playing it and watching it since he could walk, can completely flake out on the field. Once these kids get together, all they do is stare at each other and look like they are in la-la land. They hit the ball and just stand there. No movement, do not know what to do, balls go sailing past their faces and they stand there. Now, Lucas did flake out the first couple weeks after hitting the ball, but as far as the ball goes while he is fielding, the kid is a ball hog, or his usual "fame whore" self as we call him. This kid had to get talked to by us every week for knocking other kids, including girls out of the way to get the ball, no matter if he was close to where it landed or not.Oy

We went ACTUAL camping finally 2 weeks ago. Larry's mom watched the three stooges for us so we could go. It was so much work, and it was fun while Jill and her family were there, but then after they left Sat with their campers, it got exhausting walking to the restrooms, and the 3am hikes to the restroom were brutal. I was done and wanted to go home and very crabby. Good family times. But Faith and the girls got to come out the Sat for a few hours and got to ride horses, they had live bands the two evenings and most was pleasant. Lucas got in all the swimming his little heart wanted between the lake and the pool, and he loves the water.

That brings us to Swimming Lessons this past two weeks. He LOVES them. This child will probably need to keep going in this cause he is learning so much and is loving it so much. he is treading water, doing the dead float on his front and back, swimming underwater, learning to swim on his back, and I cannot keep this kid out of the water,its very impressive the stuff he had already learned himself and seeing how much he has learned in just a week so far.

And of course there are catastrophies, there usually are, but last week was the week from hell. Larry's truck has a brand new calipur loose, our AC unit went, and cannot be fixed, this has resulted in a new Furnace as well since our unit was 26 yrs old, sigh! So a week with a window unit we were lucky enough to score from Larry's mom, several missed days of work for Larry and I and having my mom have to be dragged into keeping an eye on these guys since it took them 3 days, and it is finally all in today, we hope. Of course the same time our computer takes a complete crap, we have probably completely lost July's entire pictures, including Lucas's baptism ones and all the other stuff we had done, like Joe's party. That upsets me more than a new furnace and AC. I love my pictures. Our dishwasher was recalled so now I have to wait to have someone come repair it on my day off before it burns my house down, cause I have not stopped using it. I refuse to hand wash dishes still. I am sure there was more but I am now blocking last week out.

School and birthday are the focus now. School is 2 weeks away, so just concentrating on getting the uniform stuff all set, still gym clothes to get, but other than that, the supplies are bought, time off form work requested. I ordered Lucas's Buzz and Woody cake the other day for his party and hoping that this year the weather cooperates and is neither rainy or the hottest day of the year. Last year it was the hottest day of the year and I did think I might die that day from heatstroke. Looking forward to getting everyone together to celebrate the BIG 5! And the beginning of yet another new chapter!

A couple more bday ideas

I was thinking a family member who loves the movie as well might want to get Lucas a DVD of The Princess Bride (Kelsey, Faith, any aunt?) It occurred to me he would LOVE the movie and I realized we do not have a copy of it.

He also has asked that Harry Potter legos be added to his list. Why? cause he sees the commercial on Nick every 5 seconds, but if its too many little pieces or for kids WAY older than him, don't worry about it, he just keeps mentioning it over and over again, so I thought I would toss it out there.

Invites will go out for the bday party right after I get the Thank You's for the baptism mailed out ; )

Fun in the Sun

Long time no post! We have been busy having summertime fun the last couple weeks! What have we been up to you ask?

Well, Lucas has learned how to ride a two wheeler, he did it all on his own overnight, he woke up the next morning after having the training wheels off and just took off. he is very proud and so are we. he has only had one major spill that resulted in some scrapes on the face and body, but he is very steady these days. This has also simultaneously helped him learn to ride his scooter with ease as well.

Last week, we spent a day at Swings N Things with Alyssa, Liv, Noah, gramma-gramma and mom. We played putt-putt, which Lucas was very good at and di not even cheat anywhere near as much as I did. It was chilly on the bumper boats so he only did that once, but the Go Karts continue to be a favorite, doing those 3 times. He also got to play Laser Tag for the first time. Any game with a gun is a good game to him.

Then Friday we spent the whole day out at Jellystone with Jill and Linda, and all the kids, which include Jill's nephews and Linda's niece and nephew. We had a blast. Swimming, the beach, hanging out at the campsite with the sprinkler and slip n slide. Good friends, good food, awesome weather, could not get any better. Lucas loved it all.

Sunday we went to Jill's parent's house for Ethan's bday get together for more swimming, good food and friends. We did not go see fireworks this year but there were a lot going on around the house, so we stayed outside with sparklers and watching the ones we could see.

Of course dressing up our Toby as a cowboy (just kidding, that was an impromtu dress up that lasted only as long as the camera took to take the pic) he hated every minute of it but was a good sport. he is now bigger than Riley, and comes running from wherever he is when I say " Toby, come give mommy kisses" , only to put a paw on each of my shoulders and slobber my face with kisses, does it get cuter than that? I think not, still in love with that little guy.

We have joined the Summer Reading Program at the library, and it has gotten me back into reading all the time, I cannot keep up with all the books I want to read, I wish I had more time to read. When I was young you could always find me with a book curled up somewhere, its been fun.

Lucas also started Tball a couple weeks ago, he is on the Captains team, and he loved his first practice, they will have oone more practice next week and play four games, I absolutely cannot wait, priceless to watch all these kids chasing after the ball. That will be a summer highlight for sure

This month while Joe is here Larry will take next week off work to play with Lucas, they are planning bowling, swimming, backyard camping, fishing for themselves. I am off a few days the following week to do fun stuff. We will be going camping at the end of the month for real, hanging out at Joe's bday party at Dave N Busters, and of course Lucas's baptism is this Sunday already! we are all ready for that and looking forward to it, the heat is due to break just in time. Lucas also has some Little Gym camps coming up the next couple weeks as well, so we are busy, tired, but happy. And I am the only one who has gotten sunburned, but as long as its not Lucas, thats ok.

Lucas's newest excuse for not doing what he is supposed to is "My brain stopped working" Well I say it sure has is frequently my response : ) he always has an excuse and thinks everything is up to negotiate. I keep telling him I do not negotiate with terrorists. All in all, I have seen slight improvements in the attitude lately, its at least going in the right direction

Its that time again-Birthday boy ideas

I cannot believe Lucas will be 5 yrs old in 2 mos. That went way too fast.

here are the birthday ideas I have so far, of course everythign he sees he says " Put it on my birthday list" I can't keep track of it all

Leapster games he would like and does not have

Toy Story (new)
Spongebob
Any Star Wars one
Wolverine and Xmen
A dinosaur one I do not know the exact name of

Smartcycle game

Toy Story (new)

The Playdoh ice cream swirl shoppe

he loves games, so any games in his age range. he already has Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, Ants in the Square pants

ANYTHING "Superhero" He is so into Superheroes, does not matter which kinds. Marvel has these little 2 packs of the smaller Superheroes that are the size of the Galactic Heroes he gets in Star Wars, anything in that line is perfect. Batman also does a similar thing, they have the different guys and then cars and sets for them.

he has been interested inn Iron Man stuff

he would love any kind of big Super Soaker type water guns

he does not really need any clothes, he will be wearing a uniform to school and we have so many clothes that will still fit him next fall, but he could use a couple pairs of size5 jeans, adjustable waist. Not slim, cause although he is so skinny, they tend to shrink up fast and get too tight faster.

Any of the new Toy Story toys out

He loves his Hot Wheels, so thats always an idea as well

Thats what I have come up with for now, I will let everyone know as it gets closer if there is anymore good ones!

Another week in paradise

The updates first: Lucas has continually improved with the throat and belly pain. he still complains a bit, but yesterday I did not even give him the meds. He is seeming now to only complain at bedtime (of course) or when he is supposed to do something he does not want to, or when he eneds to eat. it certainly seems the anxiety is playing up now, not the actual pain. If he is busy, he never says a word. So we will just see how this one goes.

Omar does not have an ulcer, Pannus (an autoimmune Shephard breed disease of the eye) or glaucoma. We found out in 10 minutes, and 65.00 later, my delicate flower of a 75lb dog has allergies. So now he is on a new allergy eye drop. he is much improved. of course he is. I certainly want nothing wrong with my baby, I am glad he is ok, but still, really?

Lucas, who has never met a place with other kids he did not like, was so nervous about going to Vacation Bible School this morning, I could not believe it. Last night he said he was not going cause he was nervous. We talked to him forever about how its only one week, just games and a snack and back home, it will be lots of fun etc. Finally he went to sleep, he had a hard time falling asleep due to his nervousness.

This morning, his tummy hurt, he could not go. he would not like the snack they would have and therefore would not eat it, he was sure it would not be fun, or that they would not let him use the bathroom if he had to. he told me he was not going, he was mad, but also near tears, he argued and argued all morning. My mom and I took him and told him to just SEE when we got there, gave him the old "you never know unless you try' speech. he said he would go but if he did not like what he saw, he was not staying. we told him we would talk about it when we got there.

The place was all kinds of chaos when we arrived, it was their first VBS and it showed. They had pre teens and teens helping, they did not really have a clue, but they tried to help. There were lots of kids though. One teen got his nametag and showed him the kids of his own age and where to sit, got him situated with crayons and a picture. I took him to the bathroom cause he insisted he had to try. Then I told him it was starting and the grown upd had to leave, it was time for the kids to have fun. The teens assured him he would have so much fun. he decided we could go after all, he was eyeing the three boys his age sitting across from him, I could tell. he loves to make new friends.

The actual conversation when he called me after mom had picked him up went like this:

Him: Mom, I LOVED it!
Me: Thats awesome Lucas, I knew you would, mommy would not send you somewhere she did not think you would like it, now would I
Him: nope
Me: What did you guys do?
Him: We had chocolate chip cookies for a snack, and I liked them, so I ate them. i was not allowed to go to the bathroom with the 7yr olds
Me: Cause they were too big for your age, did you get to use the bathroom?
Him: Oh yes:
Me: Good, and I am glad you liked the cookies. What activities and games did you play?
Him: Umm, I don't remember
me: Well, do you want to go back tomorrow?
Him: YES

So apparantly he was fine, like I knew he would be. Cause I know nothing at all, just a dumb mom, a grown up who has no clue, right? KIDS

In other news, Lisa's APL Fundraiser was Saturday night, oh how our little politician loves stuff like that. The turnout was not as great as they were hoping, but it made up for it in raffles and tickets sold. it was a nice time and Lucas was the star helper, of course. He stood at the door asking people who came in if they were "there for the puppies?" Always put a cute kid at the door when asking for donations of any kid, for it will surely work. he went around the bar selling raffle tickets for the 50/50 raffle, called out numbers as he picked all the winners for both the 50/50 raffles and the basket raffles. he ran around mingling and playing the bowling machine for the full 3 hours, endearing himself to pretty much everyone there, he knows how to run a show, when he is not being a grumpy pants. I wish I got the pleasure of that Lucas all day every day, cause he sure is the fun Lucas

Summertime

Seems to be in full effect. Lucas has certainly not complained about not going to school, thats for sure. He is going thru an even more difficult than usual behavioral stage which is maddening, oh boy. He truly is 2 yrs old again, in the sense he just screams and tries to hit when told no, or is frustrated. Really charming, I am so proud. he gives my sister and his grandmothers the roughest way, and I get really tired dealing with it. So I am constanly plotting new and evil punishments that may actually get thru to him. I really need to put them into play and see what works the best.

Nothing says summer like a yard sale either. Faith and I had one at my house this past week, originally it was to be at my mom's house, but her loony crazy, morons for neighbors made us think changing the venue would be the best idea, and it was. Successful especially on my end, still had some large, not being used baby items and most of it went. it was like lifting a big load out of the house. Lucas was glad to see it goes cause the amount of storage we recovered, he thinks equates to how many presents he will get for his birthday in a few mos. At this rate I will cancel a bday party (not really, but a good threat perhaps)?

Of course, as my life predictibly goes, the night before the yard sale, while trying to get stuff set up, and guess what the weather would do in Cleveland, our son had us on a roadtrip to the ER at 9pm, why not, par for the course I figure. But really, the poor kid was complaining his pee-pee hurt, which was a new, alarming symptom besides the throat and stomach pain and lack of eating that had gone on for a few weeks that we had an appt for the next day at the peds office. The dip test came back a trace of blood, and they said they would treat for UTI and send out a culture. By the time we got hom from finding a 24 hour pharmacy that is NOT Walgreens, since my medical does not got thru them, it was nearly midnight when we got home.

My husband was kind enough to go into work late and help me finish getting the yard sale stuff ready, Lucas woke up screaming his throat hurt, but said he was fine otheriwse. We saw one of the pediatricians I like, but who is not his actual dr later that afternoon, and she suggested some of his pain was either viral or allergy related,a nd dismissed it all as him being anxious, much like his mother, which I buy to a certain extent, but Lucas has never said something hurts and cried about it if it did not hurt. She also said his UTI was not a UTI, culture came back clear, stop the antibiotics, and the pain in the pee-pee may just be irritation. But that we would also try Zantac to see if there is some reflux issues going on


Fri morning rolls around and my son wakes in throat pain, i give him Zantac which he pukes up shortly thereafter, great, I will never get him to take that again, I am thinking. But then is the slight diarhhea, oh boy, yard sale day number two was shaping up great by 7am. My poor baby LOOKED awful and literally laid on me for two hours, he does not do that even deathly ill. Call the dr office back, they say I can get his thorat swabbed ( should have done that the day before) I say no, he does not have strep. Lucas finally has some 7UP and miraculously recovers for the day. Running, playing, only mildly complaining of pain, eating a little etc. OKAY, well, good?The weekend goes by and he is ok, eating a bit not complaining a lot.

Monday comes, he throws a massive fit when I go to leave for work, even though grandma Jane was over to watch him, one of his favorite things. She calls me less than an hour after I leave to say he has been in the bathroom 4 times and complaining of UTI symptoms again. I call the dr office once more and they say he needs to come back in (Ya think)?

This time we see his dr. I picked this guy cause he replaced Dr Wilson last year, my beloved pediatrician we had from when Lucas was born, plus, awesome Nurse Linda came with him and I did not want to give her up. Plus, he was available and I had a nice chat with him about what I would and would not tolerate form a dr pretty early on, we decided we would let me pretty much tell him what to do. he likes to hear himself talk a lot and repeats useless stuff a lot, but he really does this more to Faith than me, she also takes the girls to him. I tend to be a bit more formidable and nip things in the bud with him lol. But he realized my son has cold sores in his throat. THAT makes sense! Finally! he always has a cold sore, for the most part, esp when he is fighting something off. And coupled with the fact he uses the allergy nasal spray, it makes him more susceptible. And little did I know, cold sores and abdominal pain go hand in hand. its an easy fix, 1tsp of Benadryl and 1tsp of Maalox. Now, the bendadryl makes him a bit crazy, as it does me, but the throat pain goes away and he eats again! Could not be happier about that one. The UTI COULD have been a kidney stone, I have them so there is history, but the two subsequent pee tests TH and Monday test clear. We are also taking him off the nasal spray since pollen season is coming to an end. The throat culture we finally did says clear for strep. We just decide to keep him hydrated and put Aquaphor on the little boy part and see how that goes. crisis over..for the moment, I never hold my breath it lasts long but I will take it.

In other news, next week he goes to Vacation Bible School for the week. I think he will like it, and hopefully there is little resistance, since its only a week.

Puppy Update on my sweet Toby-Woby Tubba Wubba. Yes, it was in my sweet high pitched baby voice, love that little guy.
he can:
Sleep thru the night, no more midnight potty breaks for him
Sit, lay down and shake paw on command
walk pretty well on a leash
do all his pottying outside
goes right in his crate when I say its bedtime
and he is getting so big!

In other doggy news, Omar has had some kind of conjunctivitis infection of the eye we had to get drops for. A week later its better but not gone, so he has to go back to the vet SIGH

Riley is as usual, like steel, and sweet as usual, and perfectly fine lol

The adoarableness(is that a word, who cares)of it all

The preschool graduation exceeded my expectations, these are the reasons, if no other, to have kids: ) The unorganized, craziness of it, trying to find a plcae to sit or stand to get good videos and pictures while in a crappily lit banquet hall. The off key singing of 25-30 4 and 5 yr olds is music to a parent or family member's ear as well. Lucas, of course, had an entourage. he would not have it any other way. he participated with rosy cheeks and big smiles thru the whole thing, as opposed to the Christmas program, where he mostly stood there haha. He was proud of himself, and a little bit glad to be done with school as well.

We got to bring home and "all about me" book that they put together thruout the year, it was adorable. And we got his last progress or report card. Things he needed help with back in feb, were all plus marks this time around, meaning he can successfully do it. It saud he was increasingly more cooperative (really) in doing and completing his school work. And that he was ready and mastered everything he would need for kindergarten (again, really? After the hell you put me thru earlier this year about it? But whatever, it was glowing.

He chose Red Robin for his graduation lunch, he actually ate and so did Michaela, it was good stuff. Then he got to play in his pool and have Turk over for a ew hours as well (oh boy). he considere it a successful day, and so did we, as proud parents. Its sad, and exciting, a new chapter opening, one closing. I suppose it will always be like that. I feel more sad than excited about it at this moment, but I know that will change as we gear up for real big boy, true bonafide school this fall!

Leaps and Bounds

Our little sweet Toby is one thing that is growing in leaps and bounds, I can barely pick him up already, he is growing fast! He learned "sit' so far, and we are working on other commands. I say he is potty trained for the most part, and has not wanted to go out at night a few times this week, so my days of taking him out in the middle of the night are over, yay on that one. he just has really fallen in line with Omar and Riley and is a really sweet, good, affectionate little puppy. I can never stop gushing about his little sweet face. he is a mama's boy, naturally, like all my other boys. Him and Riley have since become fast friends, and they play together constantly. occasionally I even catch grumpy ol' Omar chasing them around the tree in the backyard : )

Lucas graduates from preschool this week, Thursday at 11:30am. I am sure I will cry, but I will try not to. I think the kid just cannot wait to be out of school so he can play all day. We plan to take him out to lunch after the ceremony and maybe the new bouncy house place later that day.

I got nothing to say, thats unusual

I have really been struggling to find witty, fun things to talk about. Lately my brain is mushier than usual, and even trying to think of Lucas's funny stuff escapes me.

Lucas has been a lot of whining and arguing, to the point it exhausts me, esp after working all day long. Add to that all the other stuff I have going on constantly, and a new puppy, I just got nothing. hopefully that will change soon.

The weather is getting better again, so perhaps my attitude will as well. Omar has recovered form Kennel Cough. Toby still has the same small amount of small congestion while sleeping that he always had. The vet wants to give that a few more weeks, saying that a doggy cold can just irritate the lining of the airway and may need a bit longer to clear up. I suspect allergies as well. Omar and Riley have both had bouts with allergic skin and the puppy scratches a lot, and there are no fleas, I check daily out of paranoia.

other than that, we went to Kiddie Park first time of the season Sunday and that was fun, Lucas was ecstatic. Sad to think he maybe has one more good year there before he is too big to ride most things.

His graduation is next week and it hit me that tomorrow will be the last time I take him to and pick him up form preschool. Sigh

May is going fast

Lucas only has a couple weeks of school left! He graduates on May 27th, it will be so very cute, I cannot wait! He starts school for real on Aug 26! Yikes!

I got our parent handbook, his school supply list, uniform info etc at my orientation last week. it was a lot of really great info in a short amount of time, I admit I was quite overwhelmed. But we have a few mos to get it all together and we will. I get to go to an orientation with him for an hour and a half, in his classroom on the 24th of Aug. That will be even more class specific info and hopefully make Lucas feel comfortable. Hhe has been asking a lot of questions about Kindergarten lately.

The sad part? Lucas will not be in either Emma OR Carter's class : ( I am really bummed out for him in that aspect, and he was really counting on being with Emma. Jill suggested I could call and ask to change his rooms, esp since I like the teacher Emma is going to have a little better, just form meeting them a few times, but do I really want to be THAT parent? he is not always going to get the teacher he wants, or all the kids in the class every year he wants and I do not want him to think I can just call and make it so every year, so we will probably just leave it at this point. He makes new friends fast anyways, and he will see Emma and Carter every day anyways.

Poor Omar and Toby have Kennel Cough. Mr Omar has always been my 'delicate' (dramatic) baby, so of course he got it, mr never anything wrong with him tough as nails Riley is showing no signs of it. its just a doggy cold and easily treated with antibiotics. The puppy only sounds congested laying down sleeping, but poor Omar is snotty and coughing and sneezing, I feel bad for him. I will just watch them and make sure they get better, then we won't have to worry anymore, it came form the APL with the puppy, we don't go to dog parks or kennels.

Oh the joys!

Pup Update

I have to take a minute to brag about my new little one, Mr Toby. I am not sure if we are just really lucky to get such sweet, good dogs or what, but I am really impressed with this little guy. He has only had one maybe accident, (Larry was not sure if he had really peed ont he floor, and it was during his watch, not mine). Other than that, he responds to Go Potty like the other two do, responds to his name, sleeps in his crate without fuss and gets to go out once during the night still. That will last a month or so, I think, with his age.

He has put on just the slightest bit of weight already and looks less skin and bones and is getting a little round puppy belly. I called him "Tubby wubby was a Toby" last night when I noticed it. He is sweet, calm and affectionate, not crazy and rambunctious 24/7 like Omar was as a young pup. He has run off with the occasional sock of Larry's but he drops things right away when you tell him to and takes a dog toy and chews on it nicely. He cries when we leave him during the day in his crate , but he has to get used to it. After a few weeks and once his pottytraining is a little farther along, he can just stay out in the kitchen with the bigger boys.

Rily is warming up to him and even playing with him now. He will take his ball and drop it in front of the puppy and wag his tail. But last night they scrapped a little bit cause the puppy refused to share the ball. Then they got over it and we told everyone to get along and love one another. Toby and Riley are a lot like Lucas and Michaela, fine one minute, fighting the next, then back to fine and the other is always trying to agitate when one is minding their own business, see, brothers already!

He has a vet checkup with Dr Hart scheduled on TH, I will get his offical weight, have her tell me when he needs his next shots, etc

Toby

Soooooooooo, never going to APL again, but on the plus side, I only brought home ONE dog, because I wanted to bring ALL of them home with me.

This is Toby, he is approx 3 mos old shepherd, who knows what mix, they say he weighs 10lbs, I find that hard to believe, you can see his ribs he is so skinny. I want to put some meat on his bones. Yes. I have officially and completely gone insane. But as usual, I will be too busy to notice. Not sure if thats good or bad........ anyways, he's a sweetie and a cutie. No inside accidents yet and sleeps nicely thru the night.

Lots of good stuff

A super special thank you to all the friends and family who helped us raise money for the Cleveland APL, the Balaga family raised $150.34! Could not have done it without your help, the Hairy Homeless will certainly appreciate it! If you can, come join us June 12 at the Union House in Parma for the fundraiser for the APL being organized by Lisa, my sister in law. Its a spaghetti dinner and tickets are 25.00 apiece. We will be there.

We went to the Cash Counting Party at the Rainforest Wed night. We got to eat amongst the animals, hang out with Wilde and Fee. I was working my way up to going to get a picture with them, when I turned around and there was my son already chatting it up with Rebecca Wilde, such a flirt! And today I am taking him down to the Radiothon so he can give his goodies to them he picked out all himself for the puppies and kitties. I love that he gets it. I love that he is still so compassionate and unjaded when it comes ot helping people or animals. I am so proud of him for wanting to be so involved. And we will see if it is him or me that you have to drag out of there without getting a new little furry friend to take home. Chances are you will have a harder time getting me to leave all the dogs there : )

On another note, Lucas will be baptised on July 11th, so save the date family. This way he will be all set when he starts school, gets to do all the church stuff with the other kids. Plus, Joe will be home on leave and he and Faith will be Lucas's godparents.

5 MORE WEEKS!

That is all Lucas has left of preschool. Then it is preparing for 'big boy school'. Sigh. I really thought I was going to be happy, could not wait for kindergarten, cause it would mean less child care woes, etc. But it is really bugging me that he will truly be a big kid, learning all the bad and good things the big kids do. he will no longer be as innocent. Maybe its cause he is growing up so fast all of a sudden, and he is the only baby I am ever going to have, but its really sad for me. I am no longer looking forward to it. But time must go on.

Soccer is going well, he really is enjoying it. I am very glad about that. He is signed up for a couple Little Gym summer camp sessions in July, to break it up and give him some structured activities with kids his age in between school sessions. That will be fun!

Lucas usually does not get really enthused about new shoes, but this weekend at Childrens Place he got a pair of slip on canvas black and white shoes with skulls on them and he refuses to take them off. he wants to wear them every day cause they are his 'pirate shoes' lol. Guess I need to get him some more clothes that will match them, I did not realize what a hit they would be. its very cute

I cannot stop laughing

Lucas is young, but its never too young to start learning about the do's and don'ts when it comes to girls

Yesterday my mom called me after she got Lucas home from school. It was his first day back after spring break. And apparantly he and the other boys in his class (there are only 8 kids total in his class, only two are girls) were teasing little Torie. Torie is this teeny tiny red headed spit fire, she is as cute as she can be. Not sure what they were saying, but it was some sort of sing-song tease. She kept asking the boys to stop, of course they didn't and since my kid was dumb enough to be the closest one to her, she got fed up and hauled off and smacked him. LOL. Thats what he gets.

Poor Torie got in trouble and had to sit in the hall because noone is allowed to hit a 'friend', but the boys were warned that next time they would be sitting in the hall. Oh my goodness, I was cracked up, good for Torie. I cannot stop laughing.

I asked Lucas what he learned at school when I got home. he kind of smiled and said " I don't know, but don't tease Torie" I said never tease a little girl, you got what you deserved.

This kid is determined to learn everything the hard way LOL

Busy weekend

Saturday was Lucas's first soccer class. He really enjoyed it, he got to wear his new 'soccer shoes' that mommy insisted he have even though daddy said they were not necessary. Most of the kids had 'soccer shoes' and I cannot have Lucas left out. But it was outside and he was energetic and came off the field smiling, not to mention it was funny for parents to watch. I highly recommend that anyone who is able get to stop and watch at least on soccer practice class, cuteness and funniness, the kids are 3-5 yrs old with no previous soccer experience, you do the math.

Then it was off to Miss Morgan's 1st bday party, it was a success, she especially loved her cake. She wore it like a champ and did just what she was supposed to do. michaela and even my dear 4 yr old BOY have been fighting over the one year old toys. Poor Morgan is lucky if she gets to glance at one of her toys, meanwhile my boy is fighitng with his 2 yr old cousin over an Elmo PURSE. I am so proud. Unbelievable really.

But Sunday we went and saw How To Train Your Dragon, and it was a cute movie, Lucas and I both enjoyed it. We saw previews for the newest Shrek and Toy Story 3 movies due out this summer and are very excited to see them when they come out.

We decided we will sign Lucas up for Tball this year at the rec Center. The kids get a tshirt and will get to play actual games at some point, and its on TH evenings for 6 weeks in the summer. I know he is not fond of using the tee, but we do want him to have the skills and team playing before he is old enough to do the league of regualr baseball. if he waits, he just may not have all the coordination and experience he needs. Sta y tuned for those details a bit later on.

i also hesitated putting him in swimming lessons at this moment, I was originally going to sign him up for the ones that are Mon and Wed nights form 6;30-7pm for 4 weeks, but with how iffy his allergies/colds can be in the spring, I was worried he would get sick, as they do not do make ups for these classes and also with him getting to bed so late on a Monday, I would feel bad doing that to my sister on a Tues (or his teacher) cause if that kid does not get enough rest, everyone suffers. So i decided waiting til summer session may be a better idea.

Thats all the latest and greates with our schedule!

Sometimes

Sometimes it is the husband who says the funny stuff, instead of the kid : )

After we saw the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie, the Squeakquel, it prompted Lucas to sing a lot of Beyonce. And Larry had not gone to the movie with us, and later the song came on the radio and Lucas was getting into it and I hear Larry singing " All the Scenery" and I turned down the radio and said, "All the what..../?" laughing.

He says " All the Scenery" isn't that the words? LMAO, even Lucas said "Dad, its All the SINGLE LADIES"

I forget sometimes he is not up on his top 40 pop chart hits, and only listens to Big Hair 80's music and talk radio!

We found it hilarious and now frequently sing about " All the Scenery"

Husbands are funny too : )

Vacation!

It sure was nice to get away for a couple days. We packed a lot into those three days and had a good time, and got to enjoy weather sunny in the 80's! Does not get better than that, esp at the beginning of April. Lucas was just excited to stay at a hotel, he really did not care what else was planned, the hotel had a pool as well, so he asked frequently to go back to the hotel and go swimming haha, typical kid.

We left before 7:30am TH and got to the Cincinnati Bass pro Shop by 11am, just in time to grab a quick hot dog from their little cafe place. The store was not nearly as impressive or like an 'experience' as other Bass Pro Shops, but we killed a couple hours there and eventually dragged Larry out of there : ) Then it was about 30 more minutes to our hotel. We got all checked in and let Lucas swim a bit. It was not long before he was jumping in and going under water all on his own (in his lifejacket, that is ) so he has decided he does not need swimming lessons, he can swim. The odd part about the hotel location, right down the street form the airport, was that there were no immediate food places around, just found that odd. So we drove a couple exits up to this nice outdoor type mall, had dinner at Hoggy's and walked around, went back to the hotel and got ready for bed!

Sleeping the first night was non existent, the people above us were playing basketball all night-and there must have been ten of them and they must have weighed 500 lbs each. I complained at 6am when they managed to wake Larry and Lucas too. But we had a big day ahead of us, so we got up and moving.

We were off to the Newport Aquarium, which is situated on the river, directly across form downtown Cincinnati and in a fabulous Riverwalk called Newport on the Levee. That was impressive and beautiful, esp on a nice day. Lots of shops and indoor/outdoor restaurants right on the river, we enjoyed our time there. Later we still had lots of time and decided to try out the Cincinnati Zoo, which we did not know originally if we had enought ime for. That was not so fabulous. its was overcrowded, it was hot by then, lines everywhere for everything, and most of the zoo was under construction. We would not recommend that to anyone. And by the time it took an hour and a half to get back to the hotel due to traffic, we ordered a pizza and let the boy swim.

Sat morning, we headed up to West Chester, and waited a short amount of time for the Entertrainment Junction to open. That too was an impressive place, full of detailed model trains, arranged in the different eras, and a Railroad Museum, as well as a great kids play area with a huge climber, train tables, etc. We had a great time there and would absolutely go back. Then we packed it up and came home, and picked up our puppies who were good while we were gone but were missing us!

Easter was yesterday and Lucas enjoyed searching for his basket, and egg hunting. it was another gorgeous day! now he is on spring break from school all week. We are exhausted and sore form walking, but Lucas was good, and kept up well, quite a little traveler. I have at least 7-800 pics to go thru and will get them up on FB and Photobucket as soon as I can, I promise!

Kindergarten

Lucas had his Kindergarten testing this past Monday morning. It was nice that Emma had hers at the same time, so they got to do it together, I am sure they both felt more comfortable. Of course neither of them would tell us what had been tested in that hour and 15 minutes they were away form us, when asked it was the typical " I don't know". Seriously? We did manage to get out of them that they had to write their names, hop on one foot, and they did not get to say their phone numbers, both were dissapointed about that. Later I would learn that the kids got hearing, vision, and speech tests, along with needing to draw a person, etc.



The conference was yesterday, and it was just me and the three K teachers, well, the two teachers and their aide. But I have met them all a couple times now, and I really just like them. I get a great vibe and can tell they love what they do and the kids they teach, they put me so much at ease. Lucas passed all testing acceptably for his age range. We discussed their few reservations about his maturity level and ability to keep up with some of the 'older 5's' with being a young 5. They were not nearly as worried or heavy aobut it as his preschool teacher was, just wanted to speak with me and get some more clarity, since they have spent all of maybe close to an hour with him, and I see him all day every day. After I explained what I felt about Lucas and his abilities, such as I KNOW he can do this, our babysitting issues for the upcoming school year, and how I believe it would be more harm than good due to all of that to hold Lucas back one more year at this point, they observed how well he sat quietly during the conference, on the floor, playing with legos and agreed it did appear he has a good attention span. They gave me til the day after Easter to call and say I wanted him in or not, but I plan to call them Monday. They also said if we decide to send him, they would be glad to have him. Everyone agrees how cute he is. That and he seems sweet til you get to know him hahaha.



So Lucas is going to go to Kindergarten this year, we really don't have a choice, but even if we did, I know he will do ok. he would be more devastated NOT to go and start with Emma and Carter at this point as well. its a lot that goes into this. But the aide did tell me, which I loved, that whatever decision I made, it is the right one and to make the choice that is my gut feeling, and never look back. if he has a slip up here or there, never question the what if's. he will be ok. And she also asked if I had any reservations before the preschool teacher put doubt into my mind about sending him this year and I said NO, because I didn't. She told me then that is my answer, my gut feeling, I know Lucas the best.



I know no matter what, I will have doubts and in my head play the what if's, no matter when he was to go, so I have made the decision and we will not look bac, and do whatever we need to to help him succeed

So I was wrong

I thought everyone was on the mend, right up til 11:30pm tues night when Lucas threw up all over our bed, my poor baby. There was no sleep that night, and he was sick all night right up til 3 or so. I thought he was done, but he puked all over the couch around noon wed. I spent two days doing nothing but taking care of him, scrubbing the couch and mattress and washing over and over just about every blanket, sheet, towel and clothes we had in the house. I am surprised my washing machine still works. But Lucas is better, and as a birthday miracle for me, I have not gotten the bug as of yet. What a week!

my bday plans changed a lot, and we missed the fiesta at school. But Jill assured me that while it was cute, she expected more and the performance was only about 15 min long, the n it was hanging out and eating chips and salsa, so nothing too fabulous that we missed.

So Monday is Lucas's Kindergarten assessment, we already have the time and date for his preschool graduation, its going to come up so fast! may 27th at 11:30am is his graduation. My little boy will officially be a 'big kid' going to big boy school in the fall.

I admit I am a little nervous about Kindergarten. I will be alot mroe responsible for stuff, like homework, etc. Right now, he makes it to school as much as he is not sick, but since its just preschool I don't care if he misses a day here and there for no good reason, after all, its just preschool. He misses too many days in elementary, they come after the parents, just a lot of responsibilities for him and the parents, I am a little nerve wracked about it. he will be a big kid, and learn all kinds of lovely and no so lovely 'things form the other big kids. Oh boy, the adventure is just beginning!

Everyone is getting better

Finally! The baby girls are showing improvement with their nasty coughs and colds, the sun is coming back out.

Lets see, the latest- Lucas has his kindergarten assessment next Monday morning at 9:45, and my follow up conference for the testing is next thursday at 9am. I should know then if Lucas is in, since the following week is New Family night at the school. Very exciting for it to be official.

This week is busy, busy as usual. Tomorrow is the Fiesta at preschool, and my birthday on thursday. To celebrate we are taking the kids back to Pump It Up so they can bounce for a few hours, then we will probably have some lunch, and then go to dinner later as well with the inlaws, very exciting!.

Lucas only has 2 more weeks of bowling left. He starts soccer April 10th, and I plan on signing him up for the swimming lessons that start on April 19th and go for 4 weeks. Spring is in full effect!

Lucas funny of the week:
As he put on his cool new sweatshirt jacket last week that has cool flames on the arms, he said " I want to wear this to school to show Ayden that I am ON FIRE" as he struck a 'Lucas' pose. He IS on fire lol

Good...then not so much

The swimming party last weekend, as I mentioned, was a success, the kids LOVED it, esp our little water baby Morgan. How cute are these kids in bathing suits? Morgan's bikini is too much.

Then a few days later the bottom fell out, with Lucas being sick and on antibiotics, running a fever for days, and he is just getting to the point where he no longer needs the breathing treatment. Then Poor Princess Michaela started coughing Saturday, and had been running a fever since Sunday, up until about today. Poor Morgan got a tummy bug, which Faith got the next day, along with the cold. Morgan seems to be coughing and not feeling 100 percent still today, but she had been doing a lot better. Crazy creeping crud grabbed on and has not let go for them. Luckily, Lucas seemed to have missed the tummy bug for now, lets hope. I have had him at Ms Heather's this week to keep him well and so noone sick has to watch him. I am hoping everyone is all better by the weekend.

Lucas was so excited to play at Heather's with Carter yesterday, they really have no seen much of each other since Lucas started his new school in Sept. Carter wanted to know why I made Lucas leave midday to go to school, and why couldn't I let him skip school that day to play with him? Lucas is smart enough not to have to go to school everyday LOL, Kids are too smart, he is right, but I would have had to pay the sitter 10 more dollars, and pay 171.00 per mo for him to go to school, so he was going hahaha.

Since Lucas got well by the weekend we have really been enjoying the taste of spring we have been getting. Lucas has been able to ride his bike a little bit so he is a happy camper, the dogs have gotten more walks, its been awesome. The sun does a lot for a crappy mood as well, I no longer have one once the sun starts to shine and I am not freezing, go figure.

Next up, this week I need to go to the DMV for new stickers AND a new drivers license, the thieves. Since next week on my real birthday Lucas has an Opthamologist appt that will undoubtedly last all morning til he has to go to school. Wed, I go to school to Lucas's Mexican Fiesta....on St Patrick's day......at the greek Orthodox Church lol. It will be good fun, and I will take the camera of course

Mish Mash of updates

First of all, thanks to everyone who has so far donated to the Pledge for Pets so far! Lucas and I have raised about 50.00 so far and we are only a few weeks into it : ) yay!



Sunday Lucas, Faith and I and the girls went to a swimming party for Emma and Bbrayden at the Seven Hills Rec center and OMG did Morgan LOVE that water! it was the cutest thing, and I need to get pics up soon, cause she was fearless, jumping, splashing, wiggling to be let go, like the kid thought she was an olympic swimmer or something, and purposely face planting the water and coming back up an laughing about it, a water baby for sure, it was priceless. Lucas loves his water as well and so did Michaela. Lucas was pretty fearless as a younger guy and sticks to what he can do these days, but enjoys it nonetheless, Michaela is a bit more conservative about it, but she tried some jumping moves from the steps as well. needless to say, noone wanted out of the pool that day, even if they were shivering, except for me and Faith of course haha.



I was going to sign Lucas up for swim lessons that start next week, but with his current illness, decided to wait. They have new classes start about every 6 weeks, so we won't push it just yet.



Lucas made it almost a year without the breathing treaments, right up til this week. Poor baby is so sick right now, we went to the dr yesterday and I truly 'broke in' his new ped. it had to be done, Lucas now has 5 days of zithromax, or a Zpack, it would be called if it were for an adult. By the time we got home he cried about his ear hurting and ran a fever all night, it was rough. the coughing is probably the most persistent issue, but I believe he will improve quickly now. Hopefully he gets his appetite back soon, he has barely eaten in a week.



I should find out this week hopefully when Lucas's Kindergarten testing will be, looking forward to that, and also attending Lucas's mexican Fiesta at school on St Paty's day, always look forward to the school stuff!

Q Cash Captain

I am a Q Cash Captain for Q104 and the Cleveland APL collecting Kitty Cash and Doggy Dollars now til the 28th of April.

Every year Q104 (104.1 FM) is one of the APL's biggest sponsors. They do lots of fundraising and their biggest one by far is the annual Radiothon that takes place the end of April/beginning May. I think its such a wonderful cause, seeing as how I wish that I personally could rescue every animal (esp dogs) that does not have a proper home. Every year I give a pledge, but I really have a hard time listening to the radio those two days they do the telethon, because they tell us story upon story of individual cats and dogs that they at the APL have taken in, and their circumstances and outcomes. Althought the stories are heartfelt and usually with a happy ending, I sit there and bawl, and cry, and bawl some more, so I just do not put myself thru it, its hard to believe what people do to animals, or what they can withstand and overcome.

But this year I decided to do more to help. I want to help collect donations, I got my little kit in the mail Saturday. All I have to do is ask friends and family to give some spare change or a more significant donation if you wish, and I will take it to the counting party on April 28th where all the Cash Captains bring their money to turn in. Even if you are not comfortable with giving me the money (not like I would steal it ) please consider donating to the APL, it can also be done via their website. It does not matter how it gets done, but please let me know if someone wants to make a donation, I have my own little special canvas money bag and I have stickers for anyone who donates!

Please help! Lucas is very interested as well in helping the puppies and kitties who don't have homes. When I explained to him what I was doing and why, and how some animals do not have loving families like Omar and Riley, and food to eat and a yard to play in, he said " We need to go help those animals, we need to feed them and pet them and play with them"! How sweet is that? I plan to take him to the APL during the Radiothon so he can see these animals himself. I really want him to grow up compassionalte and ready to help. I want to set the example that just a few people CAN make a difference and he should always try, no matter how insignificant the effort may seem

Half birthday

Lucas got to celebrate his half birthday at school yesterday. They do half birthdays for the kids whose birthdays fall in the summer, very cute.

Lucas was very excited that I was going to come to school yesterday, we went to the store and he picked out sugar cookies for the snack, and decided I would read Llama Llama Mad at Mama to his class. he asked me all morning what time I was coming to school.

When I got there at my designated time, he got all embarrassed I was there, only giving me sideways glances and smiles. Pretended I was not there for the most part. I found it hilarious.

Then when I got to the part of the book where Llama and Mama are at the store buying 'new socks and underwear", all the kids were giggling, and little Andrew could not contain himself, he kept saying 'underwear' and giggling.

it was the most fun I had all week, 4 yrs old is a great age

Thinking Spring

Wishfully thinking of spring, that is. Or at least planning for it so it does not seem SO very FAR away.

Lucas is officially signed up for soccer. Originally we were thinking the City of Parma's league, but I had been told from a reliable source it sucks. So instead he will do 6 weeks of Pee Wee soccer at the Seven Hills Rec Center, starting April 10th . They really have the best prices for the activities from all the research I have done. he is dying to just get into playing sports for real, so this will be a good start.

Some time this spring I also want to sign him up for swimming lessons there too. They also have the best bang for your buck, and their lessons are two times a week for 4 weeks a session, seems doable. Water safety is very important and Lucas is a little fish that likes to do tricks in the tub, I want him to build on that before he loses it. Kids are amazing at just DOING things and I want to give him as many opportunities before he gets old enough to be jaded like the rest of the population. Really adults are so binded by the "I cannot do that" limitations that happen to us when we lose that kid spirit.

I know he would like to do karate as well, and we will look into that a bit into the future. Next week I am taking him to a trial class at The Little Gym. We went to a bday party there a couple mos ago and I was so impressed with the place and the kids had a ball . It is preschool gymnastics, really working on their dexterity, large motor skills, balance, etc and my kid is a monkey and wants to daredevil with the balancing beams and learn flips, he can do a backwards somersault from any position before the blink of an eye. I just want him to build on those skills too, it will help him in sports, karate, and in playgorund antics. So if he likes the free class well enough, hopefully I wil sign him up for a session of that as well.

aside from the attitude, 4 really is a fun age, esp for all kinds of activities

The boy can Wii

Saturday we went over to Lisa's house for some food and Wii gaming. I myself, had never even set my hands on a Wii system, its cool. Lucas had not really either, with the exception of playing some duck hunter type game at Tina's a long time ago.

But all he needed was to be shown once on the bowling game, and he was off, that boy kicked every adult's butt all night long. Even Lisa's who has obviously played this game a lot since getting the Wii. he was on fire!

Not only was he on fire, but he was all kinds of cocky about it too LOL. it was hilarious. He kept making snarky comments like " I told you I would clean that up" " Thats how I do it cause I am on fire" and "Grandpa, I beat you Hahahaha". he also had a lot of swagger. Now only if he bowled like that in real life. He is so in love with it he wants a Wii.

He told me Sunday morning he wanted the bowling game. I told him mommy and daddy did not have 300.00 for a new game system. He says to that " Fine, I will ask Grandma and Grandpa" and as soon as we walked in their back door Sunday, he says to grandpa " Grandpa, I was wondering if you would buy me the bowling game". He really is too smart, mommy and daddy say no, just ask grandma and grandpa.

Lesson Learned in Church

Yesterday we went to 10:00 mass at St Anthony's. Lucas was very good and excited cause Emma was there. The two of them spent the near hour looking at Lucas's Star Wars book he had brought with him. At one point, I did not hear what Emma had said but I hear my son say
" Don't tell me what to do"

Larry and I looked at each other and could not help busting out laughing. We told him to get used to it, cause he is the guy and there will be a woman telling him what to do for the rest of his life LOL. He learned a lesson : )

The rest of the day was good. After mass we went over to the school's Open House. It was a little crowded, crazy and overwhelming, but we saw all the rooms we needed to, got some info and were able to speak with teachers.

Then jill and I met up with faith and we took all the kids to the Great Lakes Science center, they had a ball. Then we got rid of the kids and had a girls dinner out, jill, Faith and I with our friend Tina. We missed Linda due to her and Nicole being sick, but we ate and talked for nearly 3 hours without kids interrupting every 5 seconds, it was bliss. The food rocked too, love Carraba's!

That was a busy and fun day : )

My little smart mouth, cannot imagine where he gets it from, can you?

My little boy's mouth is going to get him in MOST of the trouble he will ever be in, but we all knew that.

He actually got in trouble bigtime without his mouth, which is unusual this week, however. He thought it was acceptable to act like he was two and hit grandma Jane and Aunt Faith while they were putting him in a timeout. Imagine my horrible embarassment, he has not hit since he was two himself. If he had just taken his time out for getting into a shoving match with Michaela(Michaela had just done her time out) things would have resumed as normal. But no, he hit them. Oh my lord help me.

So I decided to do something that would get his attention. I took his Star Wars toys away form three days. ALL of them. Put them up on the fridge where he could see them but not get to them, and made sure we were clear on why they were there. he has claimed NEVER to hit again btw.

Day two of toys on the fridge, and he is having a fit over his dragon castle not working properly and the fact he wants to play with it, yet I said it was bedtime. He was flopping around, whining and fussing like a baby. So I threatened to put the dragon castle on top of the fridge as well.

he stops dead in his tracks from his fit, looks me in the eye and says with a nasty tone " IT WON"T FIT"

That was it, I yelled, " I WILL MAKE IT FIT< GET IN BED" LOL

Smart ass

A literal Laugh Out Loud

Well, since I had been worrying and worrying about doing whatever it takes to bacome a member of the parish of St Anthony's mostly to reduce our tuition by 1200.00 a year, we got an envelope in the mail form the church on saturday.

What would you think would be in it, esp if you were being accepted into the parish? A Letter of welcome perhaps? Some inkling that says "on this date we welcome you to our church, blah blah blah" but no. However, I am pretty sure we are members because:

We got an envelope full of money envelopes, all with our names and the dates on them for the next two mos or so. LOL It does say Welcome to our Church ON the money envelopes. It just really cracks me up, ah Catholics. I love it, best thing that happened in awhile, both for the laugh and the relief of the difference of 100.00 per month in tuition.

I went to the informational night Thursday. Got to meet witht the principal, two K teachers and their aide, saw the classrooms, and heard and saw about their curriculum and a typical day in the life of the Kindergarteners. All in all, I liked it really well, what they do, what they have to offer, the classrooms. They will be accepting 33 little ones to K this coming year. I am glad for the smaller classrooms, which is a big draw along with the all day K. I just hope Lucas is one of the 33.

next week on Sunday is the school's Open House, which we will take Lucas to so he can see it. perhaps we will even attend mass, since he will need to learn to sit thru it.

So today I am going to confirm with the recotry we are indeed parishioners (LOLOLOLOL) and call the school office to make sure they put it in his paperwork packet that we are when it comes time to talk about tuition, and find out if Father Dale wants us to finish our sacraments, talk about getting Lucas baptised etc.

Good times!