Lauren Got Mail!

I was surprised to see this come so soon, but there it was in the mail yesterday! I've sent away to the White House for a birth greeting on all three kids now. Not that I am really a huge fan of George W. at this point, but he's still the President so we'll let the other stuff slide. Just a fun little something to include in their baby books. It took me three (!!!) separate requests after Greg was born before it finally came - so seeing this two weeks after I requested it was a shock. Maybe their administration is finally getting their act together???
I've been busy around here - I went to hang curtains in my office and found that they were about 6 inches too short. Grrr. I love the curtains but had bought them two years ago for a different room, and there was no way to return them at this point. So my mom and I got crafty and did this:

Hooray for $2.00 fabric and braid trim at Wal-Mart. I wanted to get super crafty with the fringe but I know my limitations and my sewing machine is on the fritz anyhow. So I was thinking this was a decent start at home crafting. I think my talent lies more with flowers, but I'm working on that!

Here is the finial - I won't show you the whole thing because then you would see my messy bookcases on either side of the window. That is a whole other organizational project (YAY! I love buying a good something or other to put something or other IN!) But aren't they cute?

Dear Jessica Seinfeld...

My 5 year old and 3 year old sons ate butternut squash, carrots and avocado tonight. Happily and without question.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Mrs. "I am going to kill myself if I hear them say 'I don't like this!' one more time after spending an hour in the kitchen cooking dinner" Olsen

My New Find!

I could be a bit behind on this, after all, it takes a VERY brave woman to head into Victoria's Secret with a stroller, a 5 year old and a 3 year old running loose at the END of a shopping trip. But tradition holds high that if I drive 35 minutes to a Pediatrician appointment, you can bet I'm making sure I stop by the one mall in my state that I can handle 3 kids in.

Add to this my $10 gift certificate for my birthday came in the mail from VS burning a hole in my wallet. The silly 17 year old sales girl needed a refresher course on what you can sell and to whom. Like I was really wanting to try on a padded (um, hello, REALLY?) bra to one who obviously is not needing that NOR would ever be likely to be waltzing in to try on bras with 3 children in tow, boys especially. Maybe in dire times, but please just show me the makeup quick so I can cash this sucker in and get out of here before Greg starts putting bras on his head. Oops - too late, but they were undies anyhow and the boys thought that was SOO funny.

So my last lip gloss was the $17 Lancome one, which is nice, but come on. That's a lot of $$$ for gloss to wear to Target and soccer games. The VS Beauty Rush ones were on sale, 2 for $10 and I love them! The colors are so pretty and they don't feel sticky and gooey like some glosses do. I love it when I find something new I like. I felt this was all the more victorious of a find due to the fact that I had been shopping with my little troopers for two hours at this point. I call it prepping them to be good husbands and learn how to tolerate the mall. Without the undies on your head part!

PS...Graham turned to me in the Gap dressing room all sad - "Mom, I asked L (a girl at school) to marry me and she said no."
Me: "How did you ask her?"
G: "I said, Can you marry me? And she said she couldn't."
Me: "That's probably beacause she's only 5 and her parents won't let her sweetie. Ask her again in 20 years and I think she might change her answer."
G: "Ok."

This is a big deal - Graham doesn't share a lot of preschool things with me. I know of the crush these 2 kids have had on each other the past 4 months but I had no idea we had progressed to marriage. I was just tickled at my son making his first proposal. Hoping his first serious one will be answered by a very sweet girl who will be nice to me and will love and adore him, answering him with a big YES!

Oh Happy Day!

Greg got his first bike today! We had been planning to take him as soon as the weather turned nice. Poor kid has a February birthday - so we can't ever give him outdoor toys at Christmas or birthday time, what fun is it to get when you have to tell the kids "You'll have to wait a few months to use it." We've done this with Graham a few times (October birthday, so same thing.) It's so fun for Dan and I to load them up in the car and the next thing they know they are getting something they didn't even think about! He wouldn't take off his flip-flops (a boy after my own heart) so the riding wasn't as good as it could've been, but he did okay. In his prayers tonight he said, "Please bless my new Thomas bike." How sweet is that?

This Will NOT Do!

Me with the famous jaw clip...so 5 years ago I think. Or in this case yesterday afternoon.

Me and the one time I highlighted it. My sister-in-law's sister Reagan did my hair (best cut I ever had in my life) and this was my hair 3 months later. She moved out of state and I was afraid to have someone else do it again!

Have you ever spent some time on your make-up and hair and then see pictures and think "What the....?" Yeah, well I have been thinking this today...what the...

I have never been super adventurous with my hair. Why mess with what works? Or maybe what I am comfortable with. I've almost always had long hair with some sort of bang. I've gone short to my shoulders a few times but never shorter. (Never will - I look SO bad with short hair.) But I am not loving my hair in pictures. At all. I spend time on my hair people. It requires at least 3-4 round brushes, back combing, hairspray and other product, etc. etc. There is no "wake up and go" luxury to my tresses. So to spend all that time only to end up pulling it back into a jaw clip (feeling sort of 2001 about that) or to have it look like "eh" is not acceptable. I had MUCH better hair in California and for some reason my hair has changed texture with each baby that comes. The top is flat, but for some reason my hair underneath is corkscrew curly now. Another "what the..." (And is it bad that the boys are now walking around saying this phrase? Nah...)

And my make-up is a whole other story. Could I BE any more pale? You'd think I hadn't seen the sun in months! (And you would be thinking correctly.) I need some face tanner and quick. Looks like another happy excuse to hit Target tomorrow. But here is your chance to critique my hair and give me your 3-4 cents (the more the better) and I promise to only be semi-offended. And if you are going to be rude you had better have amazing hair once featured on a Pantene commercial or something.

Some Picture Proof

Dan and I before dinner. The boys chose Red Robin...this is what moms do. They let their kids choose where to go for their birthday dinner. Tip of the day: Bring a small pot of Play-Doh to break out at the table after you order. It kept the boys busy enough while we waited for our food that Dan and I actually had a mini conversation at the table. I learned of this trick though my sister-in-law, Kelly. She is brilliant!!

Graham, Lauren and Gregory with mommy. Graham had soccer practice at 6 p.m. so he wore his shirt to dinner. Lauren and I hung out in the car with my friend Camille who was there while the boys practiced and played on the playground. Brrr..it was cold!!

This is my all time most favorite EVER picture of me and Graham. I really mean it. I love Graham. Sometimes I get a vibe from him that he just tolerates me. There is no love - I am just the crazy lady who bosses him around and makes him wear a coat. But he wanted to help me blow out my candle and Dan captured LOVE on the camera. I now have proof. How could the look on his face be anything else? What a sweet boy.


So this is the visual proof that we celebrated, that I am a mom and these are my kids. I find that I am usually the one to take the pictures so I am never IN any of them!!

It's Our Birthday!

My brother Mike and I were born on the same day two years apart. Thankfully I am the younger one. Not feeling quite so young anymore but I guess it's not too bad.
My poor mother had to give us two parties every year (mine in the morning and then his in the afternoon with all our different sets of friends.) She made 72 cupcakes one year so we both could take them to school for our classes. I think she was relieved that we were close and had a lot of the same friends when we were older so we started having parties together! And then there were the family parties. I swear birthdays at our house last all week. As it should be!

Happy Birthday Mike! Hoping we both have a great day!

Am I the Only One?

I'm not too opinionated about American Idol. I love the show but fast forward through most of it except for the few I think are pretty okay. Last night was no exception. But I am curious to know if anyone else was REALLY hoping that George Michael was going to bust out onto stage and start singing with Carrie Underwood? I love her, she is amazing, but no one does that song like he does. It could be I'm just old and most of the tv audience either A) never had heard the song before or B) have no clue who George Michael even is.
Was anyone else waiting for this to happen? Anyone?

Something to Blog About

I've been boring this week. Not so much to blog about. Unless you want to hear about loads of laundry, bad hair (thinking of cutting it all off) and my musings on when the official cut off date is for wearing maternity clothes after you have the baby. (I'm saying 8 weeks, if you have a different number for yourself, oh, say like "I wear my size 2 jeans home from the hospital!" keep it to yourself and take me off your phone list as we now cannot be friends.)

Lauren is doing amazing aside from the now and then cough. I take her back in to see Dr. W tomorrow for a check up. Poor thing has been through so much. She probably needs some new clothes to make her feel better. Speaking of which, I checked out that Pottery Barn Outlet two weeks ago and came across this:


For $2.50!!! It has the little matching undies with it still too. I am snipping out the monogram (since she is not WOB, or whoever that was) and I'll put a ribbon or flower or something to cover that part up. But for $2.50 I couldn't leave it in the bin. What a fun store - next time I'll go without the kids, but there were some great deals there! (Thanks for the tip, Heidi!)

More birthday fun has been pouring (ok, trickling, but I'll still take it, things trickle when you get ready to hit the upside of your 30's) Ouch - that hurt to admit out loud. My brother Mike and his family sent me a gift certificate to my favorite spa. (YAY! They do great pedicures there.) Today we got a package from my former neighbor Cathy. Cathy lived across the street from us in my old neighborhood. She always looks super cute, has great hair and always has a smile for everyone. She sent Lauren the cutest outfit and me these:

Aren't those earrings darling? Cathy is really into making fun cards. You would die if you saw her craft room that she had done - I'd love to have a room (with locking door) just to make fun things in. She is such a sweet and thoughtful friend - it was a fun surprise to get her gifts today!

On another clothing note - did anyone else get their Children's Place coupon in the mail? I think the postman stole mine. I've got 15 things sitting in my on-line cart and I refuse to check out till I get a coupon code! I was up forever last night trying to find one on-line with no luck. Grrr....

Coming Home - Take TWO!

She's home!!
She did so great Friday night when Dan was with her at the hospital! She is a daddy's girl already and just needed to be with him I guess! They took her off oxygen Saturday morning and by yesterday afternoon Dr. W said she was able to come home. I was so surprised at her quick turnaround, but I know it was because of the many prayers given on Lauren's behalf. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. We were really expecting a tougher recovery and a few days longer in the hospital from what we had initially been told.
I was able to take Greg to watch Graham play his first soccer game this season Saturday morning. Brrrrr....were we cold! It was great to get my mind off the hospital and concentrate on the boys. Let's just say Graham is not the new Beckham, but that kid runs with the biggest grin that you have ever seen. He got a few kicks in and was thrilled with himself over it. He is so joyful out there, I think he's just pleased to be having fun with the other kids and part of the team. In the meantime we'll keep practicing!
On a side note: Moms, take a listen to yourself at sporting events. If you notice that you are the ONLY one screaming your child's name over and over - coaching and criticizing her from the sidelines over a FIVE YEAR OLD SOCCER GAME WHERE THEY DON'T KEEP SCORE, then silence yourself. You are sucking the fun out of it for others around you and your child. Trust me.
Anywhoo....
Afterwards I took the boys to see "Horton" at the movies. Another distraction for me and fun for the boys. They were as good as gold and I didn't mind the movie either. Except that kangaroo. Does anyone else cringe when cartoons use a word like "stupid" when you are trying SO hard not to teach those words to your kids at home? So I tell them that's not a nice word and yet the kangaroo says it loud and clear. Oh well, at least even little Greg got that "the kangaroo was not very nice at ALL mom!"

It was a beautiful thing to hold my daughter at home last night, rocking her to sleep without cords, wires and tubes. I dressed her to come home from the hospital in her special outfit Grandma bought her to come home in after she was born. Hoping this time it sticks and there are no more visits back anytime soon!

My Brave Girl

This is little Lauren tonight as Dan and I did a "shift change" at the hospital. Her breathing was so labored on Wednesday night that I made yet another appointment to see Dr. W. He sent me over right away to the hospital with her to get chest x-rays, run blood tests, etc. etc. After being super careful about taking her out...Lauren has RSV. Who knows if we got it while out or if one of the boys brought it in...but she got it and it has been a very long and rough past 48 hours. She was terribly dehydrated so they had to put an IV in her HEAD. Oh my gosh when I saw that I burst into tears...I was really expecting it to be in her hand, not her sweet little, tiny head!

We had a sad night too when there were 3 nurses and a respiratory therapist working on her to get her breathing back to normal. She was sucking air so hard that her chest would practically cave completely in. Scared me to death. I am so grateful that Dan and my dad were able to give her a blessing and have faith that she would be alright. But it is so difficult watching your baby in pain.

Dan is spending the night with her tonight so I can get some sleep (I've had about 2 hours worth in the past 48 so I'm a little wiped out) and I'll go back to see her tomorrow. Bringing her something pink - those hospital blankets are so rough and scratchy and not "girl." Good news is we think she has turned a corner and with the oxygen, IV and the suctioning they have done she is getting progressively better. Dr. W says we might get to bring her home as early as Sunday so that is some happy news.

Good night!

Let the Birthday Month Begin!

YEA!!! I like nothing better than getting fun packages in the mail. Handwritten notes seem like a lost art (although I do love my email) but it still is a very fun thing to open up your mailbox to find a letter or package. Don't you think?
Today I got the new Pottery Barn Kids catalog (great to steal ideas from) my Chevron bill (smaller than expected so that was nice) and a package from Kathryn. Isn't that the cutest compact you have ever seen? I love it and it has already found a nice home in my make-up bag. Thank you Kathryn!!!

As for the Lauren update - my sweetheart is sick! She has that cough still and an ear infection. We are watching her carefully hoping this is not RSV. She threw up twice yesterday after her doctor's appointment and again this morning after her medication. But she has slept most of the day on and off and has kept down some Pedialyte and some formula in small doses. I was up until about 2 am with her last night (anyone seen the movie Kate and Leopold with Meg Ryan - yeah me too, this was viewing number ???) My kind father played with Greg today while Graham was at preschool so I could take a nap with Lauren to catch up on my sleep.

The boys are playing upstairs alone - which means I might have a gigantic mess on my hands later. At least it's quiet downstairs for now though!

For Natalie...

Just so Natalie will know she is not alone, I took this picture just for her. I woke up to this on Saturday. And giggles from the loft. I couldn't get mad...they made a game of picking them up and throwing them down again for the next 30 minutes while I got showered and dressed so it was a win-win.

And this is what I got ready for, my hot date with the boys to Cabela's to hit the shooting gallery. Can I just emphasize how much I dislike this store? They serve Elk in the cafeteria. (Ewww) There is camo everywhere. Camo clothing, camo guns, fishing poles. I even spotted a camo valance set in the Home Decor section. YES - they have a home decor section for those wanting to bring the outdoor hunting experience indoors.
Being in this store for more than 10 minutes proves to my two boys that yes, mommy really does love you.
After walking around ooohing and aaaahing at so many dead animals in a room that would what I assume to be taxidermists heaven on earth, we were able to leave and make it to the in-laws for a pizza party.

As for today's adventures? I get to take Lauren to the doctor as it seems that she has come down with a cold. Not sure if it's from being passed around 800 times this weekend or it's just something that got brought in from who knows where. Either way it makes me mad that my 7 week old has got a nasty cold, yuck cough and won't eat. If anyone asks to hold my daughter this week it's a big ole'
NO.