Just a general update here, not too much going on. Been busy this week coming back from traveling and having to catch up on stuff around the house. Mackenzie had soccer practice on Wednesday night, so we made a picnic and park night out of it. Yesterday I had my consult with the doctor. I think I've pretty much ruled out getting a tummy tuck. For one, the cost is high, more than I'd be willing to pay, and I think I would be more bothered with the scar left behind than my stomach the way it is. I will get an enhancement to my chest area at some point, but now it is just waiting for the money to be available. Maybe then i just won't be able to see my stomach to worry about it! lol Once I finally got home, it was a rush to get everyone fed and chores done and Aaron was at happy hour so it was just me and the kids. But they were being good, just had one little 15 minutes stint where everyone was whiing for everything at once and no one was happy, but then we all got settled in. This weekend I have big plans to work on our yard. it looks horrible. I need to weed and put down mulch, so I'm going to work on that ever availble minute I can. And Saturday afternoon I'm leavig to go to a girlfriend's house for an all girl's night - no husbands, no kids. It is going to be great and i can't wait. Sunday we don't have any plans. We may end up throwing an impromtu BBQ together, but we'll just see. Monday afternoon I have an appoitment to go get our picture taken. We need a new family photo. And at some point I need to go through the kids clothes and see what I have for them for the fall/winter season. I'm worried that it is going to be cold one morning and that I'm not goign to have anything their size to dress them in. So it is going to be a busy weekend, but hopefully a good one. I'm looking forward to us all being able to spend some time as a family. Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone!

OH, almost forgot...Austin is full crawling now! And I think I may be getting to my end of breastfeeding. He just isn't that interested these days, but I don't know, I go back and forth. It is hard to give up knowing he may be my last. Well gotta get to work..."talk" to ya later

She shoots, She SCORES!!!

My wild man!

My soccer STAR!

Mackenzie had her first soccer game of the fall season on Saturday, and she got her first goal! We were so excited. I am that obnoxious mom on the sideline going crazy, so I'm sure all of the other people are just wanting me to shut up - but I just can't help myself! So we got to go out for ice cream that night to celebrate. Way to go sweetie!


I left yesterday and am out here in Philly for 2 days. It was hard to leave everyone yesterday, especially Austin. But I set explicit rules for no one to grow up while I was gone, for Austin not to learn how to crawl, and to not cry when you call mommy because it will break my heart. Well, Mackenzie has been sobbing each time I talk to her, and Aaron called, no joke, before I was out of the subdivision and said as soon as he laid Austin on the floor when I left he crawled 3 times before falling on his tummy. Guess they didn't like mommy's rules!


Good thing did happen yesterday. Whole waiting for our flight, they were calling for volunteers to go on the later flight - well we took them up on it and got a $250 voucher!! If I could only get that offer again on the way home and Aaron and I could fly away for a little vacation. Who knows how I'll use it. So many options...use it to go somewhere myself like to my brothers for a "free trip", go somewhere with Aaron and only have to buy 1 ticket, give it someone as a gift, hang on to it to be able to use for our anniversary weekend - this is the most likely scenario. It will open up more options of where we could go. Well, guess I better get ready to start working today.


And Austin is saying MaMa!!!!!! This is the first kid that has ever said MaMa first!!! I kinda got it on video here. And I really think he says it like he is talking to me, of course he may have also just figured out that that sound is very useful to get mommy to drop everything she is doing to come over and shower me with kisses and attention!

Seriously Mom, you want to take a picture of the cotton in my ear? - Mackenzie

Well, it is one of the first times that she has ever had cotton in her ear. Now she looks a little bit like her momma! So what does that mean, yes, we've had ear infections. I'm actually not necessarily sure that they are ear "Infections" as much as pressure from sinus gunk they've had causing their ears to hurt. So I got some over the counter ear drops for Mackenzie and Turner, Mackenzie loves them, and I'm not sure if her ears are still hurting or whether she just likes getting ear drops. Turner HATES them and won't let me near his ears. So Wednesday I had taken off work to help move Caitlyn in to the dorms. I took Mackenzie to school that morning and within 10 minutes of me getting home they had called saying she was complaining about her ears. Yes, i believe her that they may have been "bothering" her a little bit, but I think she was putting on a little bit of a show since she knew that mommy was going to be home that day. So she ended up hanging out with the big girls all day, which was fine. We got Caitlyn all moved in. She is in an upperclassman dorm, so there are only like 5 people in her dorm right now, and she won't get her roommate till Sunday, so that stinks a little, but at least she got campus housing. Yesterday Nanny called about 3, and told me that when Turner woke up from his nap he was complaining about his ears - so I called the doctor headed out that way for an appointment. However, on the way home, I heard that the highway was shut down completely out by us, so had to take round about ways to get home (which everyone did) so ended up not being able to make the appointment and it took me over 2 hours to get home! Now, THAT is not fair! But hey, we made it right, and thankfully we weren't 20 minutes earlier and caught in the actual wreck, so we'll count our blessings and be thankful that at least we got to go home yesterday. This morning was a little chaotic too, so I kind of feel like I'm a step behind on everything, but then I got to work and started downloading my pictures to do this post, and things seemed to slowly melt away...

Now you can’t tell me that this picture doesn’t just melt all the stress away for just a moment and make you smile all the way deep inside - and it doesn’t just work once, I get a new laugh every time I open it. So if you start getting stressed today – just sit down at your computer and open and close this blog 10 times and I promise you’ll feel better!!

It's not fair

So it seems that my baby girls has learned a valuable lesson in life already. It is not fair! So what you may ask is it that is so unfair, let me share (from Mackenzie tonight)

1. It is not fair that I won't let her eat cereal for dinner tonight
2. It is not fair that I won't let her try to make Turner laugh (even though it was making him scream at the top of his lungs)
3. It is not fair that I will not let her sleep in my bed tonight
4. It is not fair that I woke her up this morning while she was still sleeping.
5. It is not fair that she had to go to school when she was still tired
6. It is not fair that she cannot go to the park because Turner doesn't feel good

So, me being the calm mother that I am respond in the only way that seemed fitting...

1. It is not fair that I had to go to work today even though I wanted to stay at home.
2. It is not fair that you are mad at me even though I'm doing the best that I can
Sorry sweetie, but there are so many things that are unfair, you just have to learn to deal with it.

Well I didn't really think that this would be a pre-K lesson in the first week, but I'm sure this will be one to revisit over and over throughout the years! lol

BTW - Mackenzie LOVES school. She says it is "even more fun than going to Nany's all day". Whew, I guess I did make a good choice. I love to pick her up everyday and hear the detailed version of everything that they did. Now tomorrow I have to send my sister off to her first day of school. That will be fun, seems like just yesterday i was moving in to my college dorm, wow what a different life I have now. I love to kid her about how much her life could change in the next couple years too! All for the better of course.

Well, Aaron got to be out at happy hour and softball tonight while I was in the midst of laundry, dishes, sick fussy kids, and I've only had the 3 minutes of writing this post to myself tonight - but hey, no one said life is fair! lol So nigh night - mommy bear is tired.

1st Day of School

"Heaven Scent" - Now this is just fitting for her - they could have just used her picture in the ad!


There was a lady behind us that I overheard saying "This must be her first day of school" I wonder what gave it away, me taking pictures of her eating her donut! lol The lady was there with her 10 year old on his first day of school and she teared up saying it just seemed like yesterday she was doing the same thing with him.


How stinkin cute does she look!


Mackenzie and Mason - both of their's first day


"Yo Mom, where is my sissy? Oh and check out how big I am in my big kid carseat! I'll be going to school next week!" - Austin



"I miss my Sissy :(" - Turner

Had to post all of the other stuff from the weekend first, because this is deserving of it's own post. Today was Mackenzie's first day of school. It is pre-K, but basically it is her 1st day of school. So I woke her up at 6:15 to lay in bed and watch cartoons, give her a chance to wake up on her own a little. She kept telling me that she was "nervous" still, so Aaron and I told her that was ok, that all the little kids were nervous today. So we got up and got dressed. She picked out her clothes last night and wanted to wear her "new outfit". Looking back at pictures, she wears this outfit a lot - it is the one Ellie got her. So we get her all ready, and all the while from 5:30 this morning Turner is having MAJOR meltdown. Don't know what is up, I think it is combination of maybe having a bad dream last night, being overly tired, and the fact that sissy was leaving for school. Finally we get out of the door, and go up to the donut shop right by our house. Mackenzie was in a great mood, never once said anything about not wanting to go to school or anything. So we are sitting there eating, her eating her chocolate long john (she is her mommy's girl!), and she gets done and says, "I'm done mommy, I'm ready to go to school". I push back the urge to tell her that we are going back home and climbing under the covers together, and smile and say "Well, lets get going then!" We get up to school and she just jumps out of the car and is ready to go. Once we got in the gym for drop off, I she started getting a little shy, but then she saw our neighbor Mason and went over to play with him. Aaron and I walked out and as I looked back, she was happily playing with Mason. Why is it that we WANT them to be happy and content to stay - all the while secretly HOPING that they'll cry when we leave! Oh well, we got out of there without any tears shed - not even any from me or daddy. I'm proud of her for being so grown up today. I can't wait to pick her up and have her tell me every detail of her day!

Camping with Friends

Mackenzie, Samantha, Turner, Claire

Doreen, Scott, Chloe (dog), Todd, Sadie (dog), Jennifer, Aaron
Scott and Todd were like 2 peas in a pod - they are both from same small home town- what are the chances!

Getting ready for their bike ride - Mackenzie, Turner, Sam, Claire

Off to the playground with Caitlyn


This weekend we went camping with friends. Went right up there after work on Friday. We were planning on staying through Saturday night, but ended up packing up after a late night round of smores on Saturday about 8:30 so we could all get a better nights sleep. The kids didn't get to bed till really late on Friday and didn't nap on Saturday. I ended up going to pick up my sister, Cheryl, on Saturday afternoon, so that took a little out of my day. The kids had a blast having other friends there with them, and we did too. Thanks guys, it was a blast. And Caitlyn met a group of guys while she was there, they ended up being all the football players from Lindenwood, so of course she is more excited than ever to start school. She ended up going to hang out at school with them again Saturday night.


Yesterday - I started unpacking and getting the laundry going first thing. Went grocery shopping and then my dad and Grandma came up since today is my dad's birthday - Happy 51st Dad! I had invited him up earlier in the week so that I could make him dinner and his favorite Gooey Butter Cake. The whole thing was delicious. Yesterday also happened to be Mackenzie's 4 1/2 birthday, so she had fun. She went grocery shopping with Aaron and I to spend "Special time" and picked out her gift - a doll, imagine that!lol Then we fixed brownies, went to the park to the train display and playground, then went to Grandpy's favorite spot for ice cream, and then went home to sing and do candles. It was a GREAT day and weekend overall. But very busy and I'm exhausted, but well worth it all.

What we'll be up to

So this weekend we are going camping again. Heading straight there from work. I can't wait. This weekend we have neighbors and friends from work joining us, so it will be even more fun. I can't believe how full my van is and we have to take Aaron's car too! But I still stand by that it is worth every bit of effort.
Mackenzie had her last t-ball game of the season last night. Soccer will be starting up again in the fall and she is looking more forward to that. And Sunday is her HALF BIRTHDAY! She is "So tired of being only 4" and can't wait to be 4 1/2. I don't know what she'll have us do for her on Sunday. Today is her last day at Nany's so she took her flowers and tootsie rolls (Nany's favorite!). I know that they will miss each other so much. Nany has been much more than just a babysitter to my kids. We love her dearly. Mackenzie has been there ever since Turner was born and doesn't remember any other way. I sure hope I did the right thing by putting her in school. I really do think I did, but doesn't make it easier.
Hope that everyone has a great weekend!