New Years...Thank GOD that's over!

Well, a happy New Years was not to be had in this household this year. We rang it in tending to three kids very sick with a stomach bug. UGHHHHH! LC came down with it first, then Henry a few hours later, and then Wyatt an hour after that. Thank goodness he was home, though, since he had spent his very first overnight at a friend's house the night before. I was worried he would get sick over there so had sent Todd over pretty early NYE morning to get him. We thought this might be coming since Heather and Olivia had been sick with it two days before but had hoped we would avoid it. No such luck.

Luckily for the kids, it didn't last that long. They had a few hours of praying to the porcelain god and were over it. The recuperating from the dehydration took a bit longer but all are on the mend now. LC's appetite finally came back today which was so good to see. She is tiny as it is so to see her refuse food was disheartening. Unfortunately for me, I got struck by the bug on Tuesday and was down with it all afternoon and night and, of course, was hit with it the worst. Todd also had to go to work yesterday so not only was I miserable but I had to take care of 3 kids, as well. Such is the life of a mother. Luckily, two of the three can do many things for themselves as well as help me out with LC. She did, however, stay in her PJ's all day which she thought was fun. Round three started today, with Todd coming home sick from work. We'll see how long it affects him since when he seems to get sick, he gets hit hard. Such fun we have been having.

Happy New Year. Let's pray this isn't an omen.

Christmas...Sad to see it go.

We had a wonderful Christmas this year with Heather, Olivia and Justin coming into town for it. It was so nice to spend it all together. Olivia is getting so big and is such a happy little girl and my kids just love her to death.

X-mas eve we went to Mass and it was packed. Thank goodness my parents were able to go early to save us a pew because when we arrived 1/2 hour early it was SRO. People were lining the aisles, it was that packed. The kids looked adorable in their holiday outfits and they just love dressing up, so it was fun showing them off. I love being able to go to Christmas Eve Mass, again. It was a tradition that I missed horribly so I am grateful that we have been able to restart it now that the kids are here and understand what it is all about. Wyatt was able to sing all the songs along with everyone else since he is learning them in school music class. I love that we are able to send the kids to a Parochial School. The Christmas holiday solidifies that decision for me every year. We went home and had a quick dinner with my mom and dad while the kids watched The Polar Express. At 9:30 we sent them to bed where Henry and LC promptly fell asleep but Wyatt couldn't quite calm down. He came downstairs at 10:45 crying because he just couldn't fall asleep. Poor kid. I went upstairs and laid down with him and promptly fell asleep myself. Luckily, I woke up at midnight and rushed downstairs to wake Todd up so we could get the gifts ready. We finally finished at 2:30am only to be woken up at 6:45.

Christmas day was a whirlwind of activity. The kids got up, opened their presents and got to playing while Todd and I got the turkey and stuffing ready for the oven. We both love doing this together and have such a system going that we have it almost down to an art form. I wanted everything done before everyone arrived so that we could just sit back and relax and enjoy each other and the presents. Heather and JJ arrived, followed very shortly by my parents and my other sister Kim and her husband Steve. The kids were extra excited because it meant more presents for them. Wyatt was a good sport and pretended to enjoy opening box after box of clothes while LC was genuinely gleeful to see "pink, my favorite color." Henry, on the other hand, expressed his disdain for th GAP boxes by proclaiming he wants toys, not clothes. *sigh* He is only almost 5 after all, so I will forgive his bad manners this once. LOL

Dinner was perfection, if I do say so myself, and Todd and I did it all on our own. The only mishap was my sweet potato casserole boiling over just a tad and causing the house to be a wee bit smoky for a few minutes. I had issued an edict this year that no one was allowed in the kitchen after the bird was out to control the chaos that is usually in there with so many people either helping out or stalking the skin. It ran so smoothly that I will definitely keep the order in place for years to come.

Everyone went home around 7:30 so it was a very long, but very happy day for me to be able to spend it with my family. I know my kids love having that tradition and hope it brings them good memories when they are my age.

I'll post pics when Todd gets them uploaded....

Chciago...My kind of town!

Todd and I went down to Chicago on Wednesday of this week for what was probably one of the most enjoyable 24 hours of my life. We went to the MAPS exhibit at the Field Museum, had dinner at N9NE Steakhouse, and saw The Phantom of the Opera, which is an incredible musical. On Thursday, we went to Millennium Park, walked around the Christkindlmarket, and shopped at the original Marshall Field's on State Steet--which is now Macy's but for one day I refused to call it that. We had a blast.

It was so nice to reconnect with each other as "Debbie and Todd, the couple" rather than just Mommy and Daddy. All we needed was 24 hours, though. We were both ready to get back to the kids and give them big hugs.

Me under the "Bean" in Millennium Park:



Our Hotel room:



The view from Hotel Monaco:

Winter Days...Busy Days

It's been a while since I have blogged and there are many reasons for that. I wasn't in the talking mood for awhile and then things got crazy busy with the holidays coming. But, here I am catching this blog up on the goings on in my life.

We had a major snow/ice storm last week and school was canceled a day after my sister and niece arrived. To say that my house was chaotic is an understatement. But, the kids get along wonderfully and are having a blast being with a baby, again, so it's been fun. They also love playing out in the snow so that keeps them busy as well as wearing them out, which is always good.



Wyatt had his Christmas concert at school and while it was enjoyable, there was something about this year's that wasn't as enjoyable as last year's. He, however, was as into the songs as he has ever been and sang like there was no tomorrow. I love watching him perform in these pageants. He has so much fun in them and makes it fun to watch. I can't wait for next year when Henry will be in them, too.

We also had our cookie making day this past Saturday and it was so much fun with LC this year. She was all about helping out and loved putting the M&M's in the pretzels. I love the age that she is at and love that she is becoming more and more actively involved in activities we do as a family. Once again, I am wishing I could freeze time. The kids are at such fun ages and stages that it makes my heart smile.







Merry Christmas, everyone. Have a safe and blessed Holiday!

Rough days...

Friday was a very, very rough day for me. One where I felt very alone and like I had no one to talk to. I spent a good part of the afternoon upset over some things and tried to hide the fact that I had been crying from the kids. However, being as astute as they are, they knew. The two littlest wanted to sit with me and cuddle and how could I resist. I was willing to take the comfort they were giving without them even being aware of it. Henry sat on one side of me and LC sat directly on my lap. Henry grabbed my hand and held on while LC tried to hold on, too. She grabbed a finger since Henry had the whole thing and wouldn't let go. We sat this way for at least a half hour as Wyatt sat in front of us watching a show. I grabbed my camera because it was something I wanted to capture and knew the kids would enjoy hamming for me. Wyatt thought it was funny that I was trying to take the picture myself so he tried to help me out. It is not the best picture, quality wise, but it captured what I so desperately needed at the moment. Love.

Trick or Treat...

And what a treat it is to see these kids in their Halloween costumes. Wyatt and Henry were NASA Astronauts and LC was the cutest little Ladybug you ever did see. This is probably the last year that Wyguy will be wearing this costume, but as you can see Henry has a couple to go in his.

They are all out right now with their dad walking the 'hood while I sit waiting for the doorbell to ring. We were out for an hour together and they just dropped me off at home so I could pass out our own candy. I asked if anyone wanted to stay home with me to help but they all, including LC, opted to go with daddy to more houses. Needless to say, I am not surprised at their choice.:)

It's such fun to watch them have the confidence to walk up to the houses and yell "Trick or Treat" and then so nice to hear them say, "Thank you" just as loudly. They are having a blast and I love seeing that.

Here's a pic of the back of LC's costume. I bought it on Monday at the new Old Navy for $11.00 She absolutely loves it and has worn it all day.

Swimming Lessons...

We signed LC up for her very first swim lessons a couple of weeks ago. This is about the age we started Henry and after a couple of incidences of LC being a little braver than she should have been over the Summer, we decided to do it earlier rather than later. I am of the strong opinion that swimming is not an extracurricular activity but rather a life lesson that must be taught as early as possible. Henry and Wyatt's teacher has been bugging me about getting LC signed up for about a year now, and I decided that now is the right time.


The teacher is a 60 year-old woman who is also the coach of the local swim team as well as running the swimming program at one of the local high schools. She has been teching lessons for over 40 years and doesn't take any guff from the kids. In fact, her favorite saying is "dry it up" when the littler kids get whiny or teary over doing something they don't want to do. I love that about her.

LC was a little unsure at first but after her initial anxiety she became all smiles and even jumped in at the end. I think it helped that her older brother was in it with her and was able to show her how it's done. It is amazing how well he swims for being only 4. The kudos all go to BJ for having the patience to teach the kids as young as they are.