I just typed my Daybook for today and it was long and wonderful…and despite realizing that it probably wasn’t saved, I went to another screen.  I hate when that happens.  So until I find time to write again, go check out what I had to say about the end of Big Love.  I was sad and found myself with little to watch last night.  But hey, if Big Love ending gave me the chance to write for ApeDonkey, I guess I’m okay.  If you like television, movies and people who make you laugh, this is the place for you.  (His blog, not mine!)

I think any man who loves sports dreams of the day when they can share that love of sports with their sons.  I realize that it happens when men have girls too, heck, my love of football comes from my dad and brother.  And while my dad has taken me to the National Championship Games, I don’t think that was his dream for me when I was born.  But I would guarantee that was one of his dreams for my brother the day he was born.

Lance is no different.  He has waited and waited to share  a love of sports for almost sixteen years.  Squirt turns sixteen in May, and years ago, I remember him telling us that he hated all sports except soccer!  It was a dagger to the heart.  Thankfully, his views have changed, but still, he doesn’t live for sports.  And that’s fine.  Lance is more than just a sports guy, and has other interests that he shares with Squirt.

However, sports is a huge part of our lives, I know, big news.  And to be able to share his love of sports with his sons is so important to him.  I can say that watching Lance with Goose and the Baby Hulk tonight only made me love him more.   The joy of watching him with the boys, the rush from the game that all of them had: it was just awesome!

Sweating the game

“Why Butler?” you might ask.  It started last year, somehow the boys latched onto Butler early on in the Tournament and watched every game with such intensity.  I was only sad it wasn’t my Longhorns.  Then they lost to Duke in the championship game.  They were crushed and are now life long haters of Duke.  Goose received a Butler shirt and basketball shorts for his birthday last year and wears them OFTEN.

The first of many stressful situations as a sports fan

I wondered what the boys would think of Butler this year.  I shouldn’t have.  They certainly haven’t forgotten about last year, and they have faithfully watched each game.  (And to be honest, Duke’s loss the other night was almost better news than Butler’s win.)  Goose even skipped school on Friday because he stayed up late watching Butler on Thursday night.  And with the Final Four in Houston this year, Lance and I have been each praying that they kept winning.  Because yes indeed, we are taking a six year old to the games.  And no, we didn’t get free tickets because of his job.  (I wish.)

Right now, Lance is walking around in a daze.  I am not kidding.  It’s like Butler is his team, but his joy only stems from the joy of sharing something you love with your kids.  I get it.  I have that same feeling when Goose sneaks a book into bed at night or tells the swim coach that “OU sucks”.  Some people might think this is silly, but the dreams you have about your children never are.  I love the smile on the faces of Lance, Goose and the Baby Hulk right now.  We’re off to celebrate with pizza right now!

Pure Joy

Right before the buzzer

Victory

I love pictures, I love kids, but taking pictures with kids can drive me crazy.  Add the fact that I like to send entire family photos for our Christmas card and picture taking becomes a dreaded event in the house.  I don’t ask for much: just that everyone look forward with their eyes open and a huge smile on their face.  Easy with seven people, right?

My kids don’t seem to cooperate as often as I would like.  THANK GOD for digital cameras.  Seriously, how did people take pictures before we had these?  I remember taking pictures of a baby once, like about 5 rolls, and maybe two pictures were good.  TWO freaking pictures.  And I had to pay to get all of them developed to find out that only TWO pictures came out.  And it wasn’t even pictures of my kid!

Really, I don’t have any advice, I just wanted to post more pictures of the kids!  Okay, I do have one word of advice: the first picture taken is generally going to be the best.  Very seldom do pictures get better.  I know this, and still, I had my sister-in-law take almost five hundred pictures of my family a couple of years ago.  What was I thinking?  She hadn’t married Mike yet, so maybe she was sucking up to the family?  I can imagine she had some nasty thoughts about me afterwards though.

Almost all there...

What is the rule? Look at the camera!

Kids completely distracted

Ditch the small one and just smile!

I'm trying to capture her smile and the cute outfit.

No smile still.

Do we call this a smile?

Love the baby lip.

And we're done with pictures.

I guess the only other thing I can say is to know when to cut your losses!

For today…March 20, 2011

Outside my window…the sun is shining, there are hints of the summer that will soon be here.  But for now, we are enjoying every second of this weather.

Spring is here!

I am listening to…my boys play together.  I love the sounds of their laughter and the games they play.  Plus, No David is really getting big.  He is so fun to watch now.  He plays cars with the best of them.

The start of Spring Break, a huge slumber party.

I am wearing…a longhorn shirt!  It’s March Madness.  Funny thing about clothes: The boys LOVE Butler, first team they ever cried over.  So after last night, Goose wanted to wear one thing today, his Butler t-shirt and shorts.  I’m glad that he likes Butler, but the kid needs to get his priorities straight.  Longhorns play today, you wear burnt orange.

First time in Burnt Orange

Sweating the Butler Game

I am grateful for…a week with my kids, low maintenance children that appreciate such simples things like watching a movie together, a mom who watches my children without notice for hours on end, who also likes to play outside with them, a father who thinks my kids are perfect and is willing to spend time and money on them, friends from Chicago who not only love me, but my husband and kids, the chance to have lots of good food, hot baths, new friends for my kids to play with and the love of my husband.

I am praying for…a fruitful Lent, a chance to grow in virtue that will last.

Around the house…40 Bags in 40 Days!  I saw this challenge somewhere online.  Basically, you bag up 40 bags worth of stuff during Lent.  So far, I have 13 bags.  I have been getting rid of stuff for the past year, so I’m a bit worried about actually filling 40 bags, but with some detachment, I think I can do it.  The big area is going to be in the kitchen.  The cabinets are packed, I need to get rid of stuff.  The goal is at least 2 bags from the kitchen.  The attic and garage also count!

From the kitchen…let’s see, we had company in town, El Real opened this week, it’s basically been nonstop eating.  So we’ll go back to eating healthy.  After tonight.  It’s breakfast for dinner night and we’re having biscuits and eggs!

From the learning rooms…we’re onto R week.  I am so happy to be back on track with the Baby Hulk.  I am hoping to start Singapore math with him this week.

I am researching…vacation spots.  The best option for us is the beach, it’s cheap, easy, but there is the slight problem of me and Lance not really liking the beach.  Yet, it really makes sense for our size family, especially if we find a place with a pool.

To be fit and happy…I still haven’t bought my spin shoes.  And now I wonder if I should.  Spin starts at 8:30 and there is no way I’ll make the class all summer long.  I will not rush out the door with the kids to make an exercise class.  That being said, I will enjoy that class until summer arrives.

I am reading…Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster.  Funny reading.

I am hoping…that I don’t fail in changes I am trying to implement at home.

One of my favorite things…praying the Stations of the Cross with the kids.  This is such a great tradition for us.  And I think the kids enjoy it as much as I do.

A few plans for the week…

• the gym, a lot
• Art festival
• a Baptism
• swim lessons

A picture thought I am sharing…

My little Cowboy

Could he be any cuter?

The Baby Hulk won this monster!

And all Goose got was this Koala chew toy.

I’m a little late with this post because after hitting the publish button, it vanished.  Hate when that happens.

Baby Z is three months old today.  She is really starting to look like a baby.  I no longer have a newborn.  Starting tomorrow, she wears 3-6 months clothes only because I have purchased so much for her.  She’ll have a new outfit every day for the next three months.  (Slight exaggeration, but not much.)

I still marvel at her presence, but today I am a bit saddened because a year ago I lost another baby.  It was our fifth miscarriage.  I was devastated.  I had been sad about the other miscarriages, but that one got to me more than any of the others.  Maybe because it finally seemed like too much for me to handle.

So today, I think of that lost baby.  And while there is still a huge part of me that misses her dearly, I am happy to know I have another Saint watching over our family.

Baby Z: three months in and things are better and better.  I love you more each day.  Your smile brightens the room.  You are a great cuddle bug.  Your brothers LOVE you so much.  Goose tells me (often) that he loves me and you.  I hate for time to pass so quickly, but I promise I am loving every minute of you, not thinking of you growing up, just living where we are today.

To our little Saint: I miss you and love you.  I wish I had met you in person, but know I will one day.  Hmmm…I hope to!  There I go assuming I’ll be in heaven one day!  Please watch over us and pray for your little sister!  Love, mom

I’ve been holding off on this post for a long time, mainly because I didn’t want to hear anything from my parents about how certain behavior isn’t that bad.  But I can’t take it any longer. I have to say it to someone besides Lance: Goose can be a really big jerk a lot of the time.  Honestly, most of the time.

Tonight is a perfect example of his behavior.  He wanted to come inside for some reason, and when The Baby Hulk tried to follow him, he locked him outside.  His reason was because somebody has to stay outside with No David.  Good point, but never have we told our kids to lock the others outside to make sure No David isn’t alone.  And Goose knows this since he has tried to do this before now.

He was sent to his room and sat there quietly for a bit before asking to come out.  As he was walking back outside, Lance saw that he had some folded papers with him.  When Lance asked what he had in his hand, his response was “I just want to show Baby Hulk something.”  Lance asked to look at the papers, and Goose refused.  (This is further proof of how smart he is.  He knows he will get in trouble, so he tries to be sneaky.)

Here is what he wanted to show his younger brother:

In case you don't understand what XXXX means, "worst brother"

One boy saying: "Mom loves me the best" while the other one is crying.

BH was to earn 6 chocolates over a few days, but Goose was sure he wouldn't earn any at all.

These drawings are all so wonderful, I’m not sure which one is my favorite.  I can only be grateful that Lance actually saw Goose before he went outside to show the Baby Hulk his work of art.

I’ve known for awhile that Goose views Squirt and Baby Hulk as competition, but this behavior really pisses me off.  And I’ll admit, it scares me a little.  Is he going down a path like Nicki Grant?  His only concern right now was that he was caught.  In his mind, Baby Hulk made him mad, so he deserves what he gets.  Plus, he really feels like I love him best.

I had a very calm talk with him about how much I love both of them, how his behavior was so hurtful and mean.  His apology was similar to a robot’s.  Goose has always been a bit colder than the others.  He has no problem saying who he loves best and isn’t really emotional.  He is kind of like me, only I don’t remember ever trying to hurt someone’s feelings.  Even now when I have a great target, I don’t do it.  At least not to their face.

And just in case anyone (mom, dad) thinks his behavior was a one time thing, here is an example of his mean from this morning…The Baby Hulk was wearing a green, white and blue polo shirt.  BH’s Snoopy was dressed in a shirt of the same colors.  BH ran to Goose to show him how they were mathcing and the only thing Goose could think to say was that they weren’t matching because the patterns were different.  Yes, indeed they were different, and yes indeed, the Baby Hulk was crushed.  His Snoopy is only dressed because Goose’s Snoopy is dressed.  He so wants Goose to like him, and sadly, Goose just doesn’t always treat him nicely.  Is there a patron Saint of brotherly love?

Is it embarrassing to admit that I am now keeping a notepad (a Snoopy one) in my purse to write down ideas I want to blog about?  Yes, I really do take notes on things I might want to write about later.  I seriously have no shame, but hey, this is my blog and basically my kids’ baby books all in one neat and tidy place.  I can’t forget all the important details of our lives…

So, here are all the things I think you might want to hear about in my life:

I have always said that my kids can’t embarrass me.  I spoke too soon.  Last week, I was at the homeschool store, a store which basically reinforces EVERY stereotype about homeschoolers, and the Baby Hulk LOST IT.  I will take part of the blame for his meltdown in that we had been there for about an hour when it happened, BUT in my defense, he had two kids to play with and a play area in which to play.  It started with him bullying No David, which led to a screaming/crying episode from that child.  When I asked what happened, the Baby Hulk informed me that he had in fact hit No David.  I calmly informed him that he must sit in a chair (in the play area) for the duration of the visit.  At that point, he started to scream/shriek so freaking loud and for SO LONG, I wanted to die.  Every time I am at that store, it is empty.  That day it was packed with moms.  I guess it is time to buy next year’s curriculum.  I am positive that everyone thought I was homeschooling because he is EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED.  I was still so upset by the time I returned home that I asked Lance if we needed to test BH because his behavior was just simply NOT NORMAL.

As an aside, this is another reason I don’t spank my kids.  Because I can honestly say that the only reason I would have spanked him that day was because I wanted him to shut up, and I was so mad that he was embarrassing me.  Not really a good reason to spank.  And probably not a way to calm the situation.

As most people realize, Lent started last week.  Here is my dilemma: what do you say when your kid is about to break their Lenten sacrifice?  Do you let it slide since it’s their sacrifice, their relationship with God?  Or do you gently remind them of what they gave up for Lent?  Or do you make some snarky comment about how they aren’t living up to their Lenten promises despite Jesus dying on the cross for them?  Thus far, I haven’t had to deal with this, but my personality veers toward the third option when confronted.  (I didn’t grow up with Catholic guilt, but I can sure hand it out.)  I basically hold my tongue when Squirt goes to confession, but always wonder if he is confessing things I “think” he should be confessing.  Where is the line between guidance, manipulation, small reminders and basically good parenting without guilt?

Last week I received the sweetest text from my father telling me that he loved me.  I responded in kind.  A few minutes later he sent another one telling me that he loved the kids more.  WTF?  Really, dad?  You love them more?  First, I am your daughter.  Second, I had those kids, so you should love me more just for giving you so many grandkids!  I hope that one day I will be able to have grandchildren, not too soon Squirt, but I don’t ever think I can love anyone more than I love my kids.  Ever.

I have been working my ass off at the gym for the past six weeks, and I’ve lost two pounds.  Yes, two pounds.  I go to spin three days a week, do weights and walk twice a week, and I have tiny results to show for it.  I can fit into my “big” jeans.  I love these jeans and not just because they are my big jeans, they were my first expensive jeans.  Now to fit into my other jeans.  But just in case I was feeling good about myself, I have the lovely YMCA mirrors to  make sure I know exactly how much weight I still need to lose.  You would think the gym would have more flattering mirrors.  I mean, we’re all there working out, throw us a bone already.

Last week was Q week for the Baby Hulk.  I thought we’d study Quartz and rocks.  We went to the museum to look at the stones and such, and he was so not interested.  Regardless, we had an amazing week.  We painted with Q-tips, studied Quarters (money and measurements), played Quarterback and looked at Quilts.  I loved sharing my grandmother’s quilts with him.  And while this sounds really gross, when I opened the trunk with my quilts, I could smell my grandmother.  Now that I have a girl, I really wish I had learned to sew and do all the things that my grandmother could do.

Looking at my list from my handy little notebook, I still have two other topics, but I’ll save those for later.  If anyone is still reading, they must be bored.

I have to share one more thing: Lance gave me the most amazing flowers last week.  Just because.  I am so very lucky to have him for a husband.

Oh, and Paul and Brian are here!!!  So happy!!!

Yes, I’ve got  a new blog address.  David Stagg offered to set up a new blog for me, and since I loved how Sidelineview turned out, I figured why not.  So bare with us while David works a real job and finds time to fix this blog.

Happy days are here:  Paul and Brian are here!  I can’t explain how happy this makes me and Lance.  We’re like junkies trying to get a fix.  “Can you spend this day with us?  What are your plans that day?”  We have such a great time with them and selfishly want to spend as much time as possible with them.  So as I type we’re off to Kingwood to play games with his family while my dad spends time with the boys.

Last night we went to the Alley Theatre and saw August: Osage County.  WOW.  I hate to let everyone know, but if they missed this play, they missed the best play they might ever see.  And I feel safe saying this since I’ve seen what I consider some of the best plays out there.

The backstory on this play: Tracy Letts wrote it for the cast at Steppenwolf before taking the show to Broadway and racking up several Tonys.  I had the chance to see it with the original cast in New York at the invitation of Paul, and I didn’t go.  Why?  Because I am huge baby when it comes to flying.  I’ve mentioned I don’t fly alone anymore, especially without Xanax.  (Because if the plane goes down, I want to make sure my kids are left completely alone as opposed to being left with one loving parent.)  I was pregnant at the time and despite having my plane tickets, room and shows all paid for, I didn’t go.  When I said I don’t have regrets in life, I might have forgotten about this incident.

When we heard the Alley was performing the show this season we were stoked.  Then Paul and Brian decided they wanted to see it again.  It worked out perfectly, they could meet Baby Z, see the show, family and us!  I admit I was a bit worried about what they would think of the show.  I mean, they had seen the original cast!  The cast who won the Tonys.  I shouldn’t have worried.  The show was fantastic.  And not just to me.  There were actually three in our crowd last night that had seen the show, and they all loved it.  I think the biggest complaint of the evening was how short the intermission was.

The show was the perfect way to start our visit with Paul and Brian.  And thanks to my amazing mother, we were able to go to dinner and the play, seven hours total.  Seriously, we would have had to pay a babysitter $100 for last night, which meant we wouldn’t have been able to go out for the rest of the week!  We are so lucky to have my mom.

Last night also reminded us how much we love the Alley, so Lance and I decided to buy preview tickets for next year.

It’s Spring Break here in Texas, and I’ve been thinking a lot about my past Spring Breaks.  I must admit I’ve had some really great trips.  Starting with the ones my parents took me on as a youngster to the solo trips starting as a Senior in High School and beyond.

And now, we just sit and relax.  Sometimes I feel like we are the only people who don’t leave town for Spring Break.  Maybe when the kids are a bit older, but for now, all we can handle is one “big” trip with them a year and some side trips to Austin.  And they are fine with that, I just sometimes feel a bit guilty considering all I was able to do.

Chelsea is in Paris for the week, which reminds me of so many fun times.  See before I met Lance, all I did was travel.  And mostly I did it alone.  I am so excited for Chel, it’s her first trip to Europe and Paris rocks!  I can’t wait to hear the stories over a glass of wine.  (Because she will be 21 when she comes home from school this semester!)

Anyway…I’m excited about the updates I’ve been getting and fondly recalling my past life as a single girl who travelled.

My parents must realize that it’s Spring Break too because I got this text from dad this week: “I can’t believe I let you go to Europe by yourself.  What the hell was I thinking?”  To which I reponsded, “no joke!”  Dad, “no way Baby Z goes by herself.”  I didn’t even remind him that he let me go to Padre by myself as a senior and that he paid for it.  At least I paid for the Europe trips myself, well mostly.

The other day I decided that I needed to make myself look good. Presentable. I ran into a friend from the swim club at Costco and there I was: hair up, still in my gym clothes. And I was embarrassed. Because I always look like that. This lady has never seen me look good. So I decided that the next day I was showering immediately after the gym, drying my hair and would look good for my husband.

I took the shower and my plans fell short after that. How do these women do it? I don’t waste any time during the day, and still, there is no way I can do my hair before Lance comes home from work, or for that matter before Squirt and Goose come home from school. We go to the gym, I shower, then we start school, then have lunch, then play, then back to school, then it’s time to pick up Goose. In between all that, I play with the baby, feed her, pump and referee the other two.

I really want to look good for Lance. I remember years ago, my mom had a friend who always made sure she looked her best before her husband arrived home from work. My best friend does this too. I have to say this isn’t really a bad thing, looking nice for the person you love. And I want to, I just don’t know where to find the time.

Maybe if I had a housekeeper or I sent the kids to preschool, I could do it, but until then Lance should consider himself lucky that I shower after spin class.