Success...

Every year, Wyatt's and Henry's school sponsors a night out for the school families to a water park and every year we have been unable to make it because of the fact that Todd is out of town and 3 little ones in a water park by myself is a daunting task. Last year we we had our tickets and then Henry got sick and with no one to watch him, I had to devastate Wyatt and cancel our plans to go. It was heartbreaking.


This year, Todd's conference was moved to a different time frame so we made plans to go and spend the night. Wyatt was so excited and had been hearing about the park from all his friends so he was bouncing off the walls. I was just keeping my fingers crossed that no one would get sick. Henry, LC, Todd and I had a sinus thing last week so I was expecting Wyatt to come down with it any day. He never did and everyone else was coping so off we went.

Henry and Wyatt were so excited to get to that park, they could barely contain themselves. We picked Wyatt up from school and then came home to change their clothes and load up the car. We got up there at about 4:00 and checked in at the same time as all of our friends. After we got to the room, Todd, LC and I changed into our suits and we were on our way. It was the last time we would see Wyatt unless we sought him out. That kid was off and running with all his buddies that he couldn't care less about us. Thank goodness for all the swim classes he has had, we didn't have to worry that much. He had a blast going down all the big slides and doing the water obstacle course and the lazy river and the hot tub and being with his friends. At 8:00, I finally nailed him down to eat a slice of pizza for dinner. He swallowed it down and then was off like a rocket because god forbid he miss anything.

Henry and LC spent the bulk of the time in the kiddie pool, or as Henry called it, "The Cat Pool", but Henry did go down some of the mid-size slides while Todd waited for him at the bottom in the pool. He made friends with all the other kids his age at the little slides, though, while LC entertained herself with the fountains. She loved those things and would get her hands wet and then wipe herself down. A couple of times she got a face-full of water and then would go back for more. It was so funny to watch.

The pool closed at 9:00, so we went back to the room to change into pj's and put LC down. Todd stayed with her in the room while Hank, Wyatt and I went to a friend's room to continue the good time. The kids loved running the halls and watching a movie until 11:30, which is when I finally dragged them back to our room to get some sleep.

Promptly the next morning at 7:15, all three were awake and ready to get started. I fed them the breakfast I had packed for us and we all changed back into our suits and started it all over, again. We stayed at the park until about 1:30, when we decided to get going so the littlest ones could get a nap in. And nap they(we) did.

What a WONDERFUL time we had. I am so glad that the stars aligned (finally) and we were able to go. To see the pure joy on the kids faces was worth it. I love that the boys' school organizes this every year and can not wait to go next year.

Happy Valentine's Day, to me....

We don't celebrate Valentine's day here. I have no problem with that, either. in fact this morning before Todd left for work, I specifically told him to not feel obligated to get me anything, especially flowers. I love flowers but hate the thought of money being spent on them for them to just die in a few days. It seems like such a waste to me. Anyways, Heather called this morning and we were chit-chatting and she mentioned registering for her baby shower and I lamented how I wished I could go shopping with her as I love baby products. I love them. I really do. I love how they keep coming out with cuter, nicer, more practical things to make a mommy's life easier. Well, Heather suggested I come out the week of her spring break for a couple of days to relax and go shopping. So, I checked airfare and it didn't seem too outrageous, so, I called Todd and he said to go for it and even found me a better flight. We finished the conversation with him saying, "Happy Valentine's Day." I love that man. He is so kind and generous and so much more than I deserve. How did I get so lucky to have found him so early in life and for him to have been so perfect?

Nights out...

We have gotten a ton of snow in the last 24 hours, so Todd decided to take Wyatt skiing last night at Wilmot. They were gone for a good 3 hours, while I entertained the littlest two. Henry, Lauren and I had McD's and played Legos Star Wars on PS2 while we waited for Wyatt and Todd to come home. When they got home, Wyatt immediately came running in to tell me he went down a blue run, which is "harder than a green." He had bright red cheeks and twinkling eyes. He said that he fell down a few times but he got good at getting up towards the end. He was so excited and proud of himself for going up the chair lifts and skiing down on his own and his dad was super proud of him too. Todd has plans to take Henry next week for a lesson so that he will be able to enjoy the fun with them.

Wyatt also had a playdate at his friend Cameron's house this afternoon and didn't get home until almost 7:00. Henry was so anxious for him to get home and kept saying how much he missed him. I will admit, I missed him, too. After barely seeing him yesterday, not taking him to school this morning and then him being gone this afternoon, I feel like I've barely talked to him lately. He, however, is having the time of his life, being this busy and active and social and it warms my heart.

Sick Babies...

It was inevitable. We have had way too long of a run with out someone getting sick, so I knew it was going to happen soon. And so it did. LC came down with a nasty cough and cold late last week and has been miserable and cranky ever since. And when I say cranky, I mean cranky. Today, she bonked Wyatt on the head with her sippy cup for no reason after she hit Henry in the mouth with a PS2 game case. Needless to say, she was put in a timeout and cried like there was no tomorrow.

Tonight, though...she was a cuddle bug. She had a hard time staying asleep so I brought her downstairs to rock and the above picture is what I looked down at. It made my heart hurt a little bit. You see, for the entire first year of her life, LC would not take a nap without being held for the duration of it. If you tried to put her down, she would be up 1/2 hour later. It was frustrating and maddening at times. I would be lying if I didn't tell you how relieved I was when she started taking a nap on her own--finally--at 13 months old.

However, now 9 months later, I can admit that I miss those days of holding her close and watching her sleep and feeling so needed and wanted, so it felt good to rock her to sleep tonight and keep her with me for just a short time longer all comfy cozy under the blanket.

Let's just hope she stays asleep. And...if the other two are going to get it that they get it quick. We have an outing next week that Wyatt will be devastated if we miss it.

7 years...

How can 7 years go by so quickly? It seems like yesterday that I was newly pregnant. Those 9 months seemed to take so much longer than the last 7 years.

Today is Wyatt's 7th birthday and we just finished his birthday party. We had all his classmates and 2 of his cousins out for a bowling party at the new Raymond's Bowl. I think it went very well. It seemed like the kids had fun and everything ran smoothly. The important thing to me, though, is that Wyatt had fun, which I think he did. He is such a special kid that I think he would have had fun doing just about anything. Seriously. How did I manage to get so lucky as to have had a child like him? He is so eager to please, such a rules kid and such a nice boy. I hear it from everybody and it is evident in the way his friends treat him. His brother and sister look up to him, as well. They both light up when he gets home from school and can't wait to play with him.

Wyatt represents so much for our family. He came at a difficult time in his dad's life. Todd had just lost his father and was grieving over that fact, so, I think he helped him to heal. I remember Todd coming in the day after he was born and just hugging us and crying and telling us how important we both were to him. I had never seen him express emotion of that caliber. Todd also looked at him in amazement and commented about how this was the first person he "knew" who was blood-related to him. It surprised me that he made that comment. Luckily, Wyatt looks just like his dad.

The day I went into labor with Wyatt, Thursday, January 26th, I was working at Dr. Lakemaker's office. My contractions started at about 9:45 am and were every 6 minutes. I called my doctor at about 11:30 and they told me to go get checked. I called Todd and told him and he asked if i wanted him to come right now. I told him to go have lunch and then call me. The contrx never stopped so i had him come get me and we headed to the hospital. I was definitely in early labor, and I think the doctor took pity on the worst rash she "had ever seen" and kept me to help things along. I was so not ready, though. I was 15 days early and had nothing packed. My poor SIL had to wade through my dirty bedroom to get the stuff I needed.

It was a long night of labor and Wyatt was finally born the next morning of the 27th at 5:47 am. He was such an adorable baby with a head full of really dark hair. Everyone came to see him at the hospital. It was exciting, yet overwhelming at the same time. I could not believe that this little miracle had just been born. I knew things were never going to be the same.

And here I am, 7 years later, with one of the most incredible people that has ever come into my life. Happy Birthday Wyatt. You make me proud every day of your life. I hope to someday be the kind of person you already are. I love you.

Happy Birthday, Henry...

Today is my middle guy's 4th birthday. That age is so strange for me because he is no longer a toddler, in my eyes, once he's past 3 but he is not a "big boy", either no matter how much he insists he is. Four is like the limbo of ages--not a toddler but not a school aged child, either. I know that makes no sense...I have a hard time explaining it to myself.

Henry is my special boy. It took him awhile to join our family, but when he did, he did with fireworks. His pregnancy and labor are things I will never forget about him. We had a difficult time concieving after Wyatt was born and finally after 16 months and 2 miscarriages, Henry was on his way. His pregnancy was pretty uneventful, but his labor!

I will never forget the day I went into labor with him. I had gone shooping with Debi, Spencer and Wyatt and spent the whole morning at Woodfield. I headed home about 1:30 and immediately the contractions started. I got home, put Wy down for a nap and laid down with a glass of water and the contractions didn't lessen. At 6:00, we decided to head for the hospital and got there about 7:15. They told me they were going to keep me and we then had to find someone to take Wyatt. We were finally able to get ahold of Heather and Justin. In the meantime, my doctor decided to break my bag before my Epidural was in place. Never, again. I turned into an evilina. Heather walked in with Wyatt to see how I was doing and the only thing I said was "Get him out of here." She and Justin promptly left. Luckily his labor and delivery were very quick and pretty easy once the meds kicked in. He arrived at 10:57 that night.

His first month with us was rough. The poor baby had reflux something fierce and it wasn't until we started giving him cereal in his bottle on the advice of the doctor, that things started to get better. He was like a different child. He has always been very independent and stubborn....simply feisty. He has a mind of his own and no one will tell him any differently. He sticks up for himself and like his brother has a strong sense of right and wrong.

Henry started school this year and it seems to be going well. We have our first conference next week and I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't nervous. It will be interesting to hear what an outsode perspective is of Henry and I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't a little defensive of him. I am afraid of him living in his brother's shadow and hate when people compare the two. Our families have a bad habit of doing this and I know that teachers have a tendency to do it, too, so I'm apprehensive. I'm sure everything will be fine. It always is.

Happy Birthday, my blonde, scrappy, little boy. No matter what you say, you ARE my baby and always will be. There are so many things I love about you besides what I listed above. I love how fiercely loyal you are to your family--you always stick up for anyone you feel is being wronged. I love how affectionate you are and how you love to cuddle. I love your independence. I love how your personality is like your dad's. I love and admire you and am grateful you finally came into my life.

My little Lector...

The school that Wyatt goes to has a weekly Mass that the whole student body attends. Each week a different class does the readings, responsorial psalms, intentions and gift-bearing. This was the second time that Wyatt was picked to do a reading. Mrs. Rysso sends home the reading a week ahead of time so that we can practice at home, which we do. Wyatt has a tendency to fidget and rock back and forth. The kid is always moving. So, when we practice I am telling him, "Stand Still. Speak Clearly. Louder." because he also has a tendency to mumble. He was getting so frustrated that Todd and I backed off of him.

Yesterday, Wyatt went up to the microphone and BELTED out his reading. His dad and I just looked at each other and kind of giggled because he definitely spoke loudly and clearly. I looked at Todd and said, "well, he's got that covered." He did wonderfully, though. He was a teensy bit louder than he should have been, but spoke so clearly it was easy to hear him from the back of the church.

I am so proud of that big, little guy. I should have had faith that he would do well since he has already done it. I, unfortunately, projected my own nervousness onto him which is a stress that my sensitive guy does not need. It is something I am really aware of and am trying to work on.