Aunt Michelle

In case you haven't heard...I'M GOING TO BE AN AUNT!!! Catherine is nine weeks pregnant and due on her husband, David's, birthday - December 30.

I'm currently an aunt to three nephews and one niece in Joey's family, but this time feels different. I don't think the amount of love I will have for the new niece/nephew (peanut from here on out) will be any greater, I think it has more to do with the relationship to the person growing the peanut. Since I was one of the first to have a child out of my group, I have thought of myself as the person people can turn to with any pregnancy or newborn questions. However, most of them have moms or older sisters to turn to, so I haven't been able to share as much of my "wisdom" as I would like. This time, though, I'm the big sister. Hopefully Catherine will feel like she can turn to me with the weird questions or things you think no else would think.

Another thing I'm excited about (and this one is a very weird thing) is getting to feel the belly. I've never really felt another person's pregnant belly or felt a little peanut kick (outside of my own belly). The only problem with this is that we still live quite a distance from each other. Dammit. Hopefully I'll be able to visit her at least a couple of times over the next 7 months and Lord knows I intend to manhandle her belly each time. She'll probably be thankful for the distance. ;-)

When she called to tell me she was pregnant, she began with "I don't think I'll be able to help you paint when I come down in June." I asked why and she said because the doctor said it wouldn't be good for the baby in her belly (by the way, I've since realized this is a sneaky excuse to get out of it - I painted with Grace in my belly and she turned out fine). My stomach leaped, but I immediately realized she was messing with me to get out of painting. So I proceeded with fake enthusiasm to ask how far along she was and when she was due. And as she answered all my questions, I began to realize she might not be kidding. "You're really pregnant?!" I asked in disbelief. After she confirmed it again, I started talking in a really high pitched happy voice, which sounded odd enough that the guy from the office next to me poked his head it to make sure I was okay. Needless to say, I was (and still am) crazy excited.

So that's my joy for now. Feel free to bask in the glow of my happiness.

Three Year Old Girl

Today my baby girl turns 3 years old. It's so difficult to believe. A lady that works at Grace's daycare, Miss Deborah, asked me if we're done having kids. Without hesitation, yes. We are happy with our little boy and girl and have our hands full enough without adding another kid to the mix.

We celebrated Grace's birthday this past weekend with a party at the park near our house. We invited a few kids from daycare (only one showed up, Grace's "best friend" Monica - a cutie patootie that looks just like a cabbage patch kid - in a good way), and a few friends from work. My mom came down and Joey's mom is still in town following his surgery, so she got to come, too.

When I went to bed Friday evening around 11 Joey and his mom were still up. I woke up at 1:30 in the morning to realize they were still up and there was a very bizarre noise coming from either our garage or outside. I got up to check it out, looked in the garage, and found them blowing up an air matress. I asked what the heck they were doing since everyone that was at our house was already sleeping in a bed. Joey gave me some bizarre answer about everyone needing to be more comfortable, which I didn't understand in that having just woken up way. I gave up and went back to bed. Joey followed me into our room to explain that his sisters, Missy and Becky (and their 4 kids) were on their way to surprise us. Ohhhh. Good thing I planned to have more stuff than I needed for the party.

I woke up in the morning to Grace's excitement over Mimi and baby Chastin coming for her party and a house full of people. Suddenly the 2 dozen donuts my mother in law had bought the day before made all kinds of sense. Mom and I escaped the zoo that my house became and went to run errands. We picked up the cake and got the balloons blown up and headed back to the house to grill hot dogs, gather supplies, and head to the party site.

Then we received another surprise guest in the form of Joey's Aunt Mary Ellen and cousin Shannon from Maryland coming to visit. I was thrilled to see them, but immediately began trying to figure out where the heck everyone was going to sleep that night.

Mom, Becky and I went to decorate the shelter for the party, which turned into putting some table cloths on the picnic table and trying to figure out how to hang the pinata. People eventually began showing up, including Monica and her parents, my friend Karen from work and her daughter Hanna, Rachel, my mom, Joey's mom, Missy, Becky, Dalton, Kaleb, Chastin, Breanna, Sidonie and her husband and son Jaden and daughter Shiann, our neighbors Julie and Chelsea and baby Bristol, and Joey's Aunt Mary Ellen and cousin Shannon. Everyone seemed to have a good time. We all ate hot dogs, Becky's baked beans, and chips. We had a lovely and delicious princess cake from Target. The kids got to swing a bat at the princess crown pinata, but Rachel got to do the actual breaking of the pinata. Karen brought some tents for the kids to crawl around in and they played with chalk and balls. In the end, all the kids were sent home with a balloon and goody bags that included bubbles, stickers, suckers, sunglasses, and princess ring stamps. Gracie got some wonderful gifts, although I think most of the fun came from pulling the tissue paper out of the bags to see what was inside.

All in all, the birthday party was a success and we had a wonderful time visiting with all the family who joined us. Now to start planning for Logan's July birthday.

Small Amusements

Last night, I asked Logan what he did in school that day. He tells me he needs a brown shirt. I have trouble connecting those two things, although in the back of my mind I'm thinking this might have to do with the Kindergarten program coming up next week which I've heard nothing about. He goes on to tell me he's going to be a bird and birds wear brown shirts. (Who knew?)He's also going to play the maracas. Aww, how cute. Of course I'll buy him a brown shirt. Just wish I could get confirmation from the teacher that this is necessary.

He also tells me they planted flowers.
Me: Oh really, cool. Where did you plant them? (I'm thinking some kind of child labor work force the school is employing to do some landscaping. )
Logan: In a pot...I'm going to bring it home for Mother's Day.
Me: Hmmm...you think that was supposed to be a surprise?
Logan: No, I just told you.
Me: Oh. My bad.

He cracks me up.

A Day In the Life

• Woken at 7am with Logan telling me the Easter Bunny visited while we were sleeping. Followed that with Gracie climbing into bed with me and giving me a huge scwunch around the neck. Realized I couldn't leave Logan unattended with all the candy that was in his Easter basket. Reluctantly got out of bed.
• Watched as my two children opened every single egg in their baskets. Realized I needed to find an alternative to the constant opening and closing of the eggs or Molly would be eating a lot of jelly beans.
• Opened various candy and treats for the kids. Became amused by the $5 Barbie doll I got for Gracie whose legs didn't bend and sounded like chopsticks when they clicked together. Ah well, she likes the pink hair and butterfly wings.
• Helped Logan put together the Legos he received. Fought hard to resist the urge to do it myself - not because he couldn't, but because I wanted to so bad.
• Decided to make some breakfast, but figured the kids wouldn't want any since they'd had tons of candy, some powdered donuts, and Cheese Its. Proven wrong as Logan ate two helpings of scrambled eggs and three pieces of bacon and Gracie cleared her plate of eggs and ate a piece and a half of bacon. Where the heck do they put it all? Are they purging after every meal? I don't get it.
• Decide to hide Easter Eggs for the kids. This is fun, until we've done it about 100 times. Gracie finally has had enough and we move on to snack time. I think they each eat about 2 or 3 mandaring oranges, some cereal, and a couple more pieces of candy.
• I make peach dump cake, one of mine and Joey's favorites. Don't have to worry about the kids on this one - Logan gagged the first time he ate it and now calls it the "throwup cake." Still tastes good, though.
• Finally start laundry. Don't really feel like doing it though, and am only on the second load as I write this at 9:30 in the evening.
• Put Gracie down for a nap after a small struggle. Think I might need one, too.
• Try to convince Logan that I do want to take a nap, and I don't want to play Monster Jam on the Playstation. I finally win and sleep for about an hour.
• Woken up by Logan telling me daddy needs me. Find Joey sitting on the piano bench because his legs hurt so bad he couldn't make it to the bedroom. Help him to bed so he can take some pain medicine and rest.
• Realize I'm about 15 minutes past when I wanted to put the ham in the oven for dinner. Put presliced ham in a casserole dish, pat it with brown sugar, and pour a can of pineapple chunks over it. Note: did not cover it.
• Grace wakes up from nap. Play with her for a bit, then go upstairs to take a shower. After the shower, help Logan build something different with his Legos, then build a helicopter he already had. Of course, we're now missing pieces. Grace decides she is going to play some strange version of doctor, and proceeds to hit me in the stomach (gently) with all of Logan's play tools, one at a time.
• While getting beaten by Gracie, I realize I should have covered the ham or at least should be basting it. She won't let me up until she's used every one of the tools. Finally make it downstairs to find two hours have flown by, and the top of the ham is scorched. Woops. Set the oven to warm, lay a piece of foil over it, and move on.
• Make awesome mashed potatoes, microwave some frozen Green Giant corn with butter, and enjoy a yummy dinner. Logan eats everything but the pineapple, and a second helping of mashed potatoes. Gracie uses the beater she got to lick after I made the mashed potatoes to eat her food on her plate. This is messy. Will avoid this in the future. She manages to find places to store 3 servings of ham. My children and their appetites never cease to amaze me.
• Go outside for a bit. The kids run around in their bare feet while I pick weeds. Logan falls running down the driveway. He actually managed to not only scrape both knees, but tear a whole in the knee of his pants. He cries like his leg will never work again, but handles the Band Aid version of peroxide that doesn't hurt surprisingly well. Is devastated to learn he still has to take a bath and might have to get his knee wet.
• Gracie melts down right with Logan and tells me she has a boo boo on her knee too. I must kiss it and rinse it just like I did for Logan. If she were a man with a pregnant wife, she would be the person who puts on the sympathy weight.
• Bath time is not fun. Logan doesn't want to get in. Finally coax him in. He wants to stand so as not to risk getting water on his knees. This works, until it's time to wash his hair. He ends up laying a dry washcloth over his knee and propping it up on the edge of the tub, still crying every time water touches the less wounded knee holding him up. Finally get him out, get bandaids on his knees, and get him in his pajamas. Oh the drama.
• Get pajamas on everyone, but need to clip nails - Logan's toes and Grace's fingers. Logan generally fights me on this, so I expect tonight to be especially bad since he's already wounded. Am pleasantly surprised that this is not the case. One of the easiest times ever. Finish his pedicure, give Grace a quick manicure, read some books, and off to bed.
• Now to finish the second load of laundry, finish cleaning the kitchen and start the dishwasher, get Joey's pills ready for the week, get my clothes ready for the morning, and go to bed. Jealous yet?

A Week Off

This past week was Logan's spring break. Instead of figuring out something to do with Logan, my mother in law and two sisters in law offered to watch both kids for the week. This works out well for a number of reasons. The kids get to see all their cousins, which they love because they're all around the same age so they have a great time playing together. The kids get to visit with their grandparents and aunts and uncles, whom they don't see nearly enough. And finally, I get a break. An awesome, week long, much needed break.

We headed out last Saturday about 8:30 and met them in Princeton, WV to drop the kids off. I came back to Charlotte and immediately headed to Target to enjoy some calm, slow, shopping. Sunday morning I inteded to sleep until about 1:00, but woke up at 8:30 and began thinking of the things I wanted and needed to do that day. So I got up, made breakfast, and watched The Dark Night on pay per view. It was good, but the sound quality was terrible. I had to crank up the volume just to hear the actors. I then mowed the grass, vacuumed, and did lots of laundry.

On Monday evening, I watched the championship game of the NCAA tournament. I had trouble deciding who to be for. I had some hometown love for UNC, but if Michigan won I would beat Joey in our bracket challenge. In the end, I was happy UNC won.

I finally watched the Sex and the City movie. It was awesome! I have wanted to watch if forever, but always found a reason to put it off. I finally managed and it was very worth it. I also watched Marley and Me. The whole time I couldn't stop thinking about how much better the book was, until the end when I couldn't stop crying. The end made the movie for me.

I went to three stores by myself, which in my world, is a huge treat. I went grocery shopping at Food Lion, returned a shirt to Old Navy, browsed around Wal-Mart, and visited Target a second time. Oh, and I got a much needed haircut. She cut about 5 inches off and thinned out my thick mane to a manageable degree. I love it. I needed something different and at least I feel like it has some type of style now.

Today, Saturday, I got up and headed out to pick up my kids. They have been wild from the moment they got in the van. I'm not sure if they're extra nuts after their vacation, or if I just need to get readjusted. Whatever it is, I am happy to have them home. Feeling their little arms around my neck and sloppy kisses on my cheek makes any crazy they bring worth it.

Too Much

I feel like there has been so much stuff going on it's been hard to keep up with. The kids are enjoying the warmer weather and doing hilarious things on a daily basis. Here's some highlights (that I remember)

• Logan started basketball about 5 weeks ago. He's not playing on a team, more of a class to learn the basics. He's very good at shooting and passing, but does not like dribbling. It's something that takes practice, and he gets frustrated very easliy. And when he gets frustrated, forget about it. So I was shocked when we went this past Thursday and we're practicing passing, and he decides he wants to dribble. And does it! Not particularly well, but he did it and he kept doing it. At the end of the class, he even dribbled up and down the court about 4 times each with the class. I was so excited. Up until then it was very frustrating to go and fight over practicing dribbling (sp.?). Next week is our last week and I know he's enjoyed it and he at least now knows the basics of what to do with a basketball.
• Last week the kids were playing in the backyard while I was fixing dinner. Logan pokes his head in the door and says, "I think Shawn wants to tell me something." Huh, who's Shawn? I looked to see what he's talking about and a kid he rides the bus with had been riding his bike and stopped to play. They played while I fixed dinner, Shawn waited while we ate, and they played some more. Even including Gracie. They had a blast. Well this past week I went to pick Logan up from the neighbor's house when I got home from work and there was Shawn and the little boy who lives behind us, Joshua. They all came back to our house and played. Shawn asks Logan what his last name is. Logan tells him and next thing I know it's, "Mrs. Rowe, do you have anything to drink?" What?! How ridiculous! Mrs. Rowe. It just sounded crazy. Joshua ended up staying for a while and playing PlayStation with Logan until I kicked him out. It's so cute, though. Suddenly Logan has little friends coming over to play. I love it.
• Gracie is doing so well with potty training. She's finally pooping more often in the potty than her underwear, which is awesome! She still has quite a few pee accidents, but those are fairly easily remedied. Her Aunt Mimi promised her a present if she started pooping on the potty, so last week we received a package in the mail. She had sent her clothes for her baby dolls, which Gracie loved. We spent the rest of the evening dressing and undressing them over and over.
• Joey finally got done with his IV antibiotic and they took out the pic line. Unfortunately, he isn't a lot better like we had hoped he would be. He is still in a lot of pain, and has now started an oral antibiotic which makes him over the top nauseous. We're kind of lost at the moment as to what to do next. We just keep praying he gets better.
• I'm trying to think of an update about me, but I can't. Hmmm. Am I loser or just boring? Neither are good options, I suppose. Oh wait, I am kicking ass with my March Madness bracket. I'm currently beating Joey, Dave, Mom, and Pete. Woo!

Hope everyone's doing well and I'll attempt to update soon!

SNOW!!!

We FINALLY got some snow here in Charlotte, NC. As it happened, we realizedthat this was the first time Gracie got to really experience snow. And she's almost THREE! I guess that's what we get for moving farther south. And she's seen a little bit of snow, but never gotten to play in it. Well, tonight we played! I dressed Grace and Logan in some winter weather attire and out we went. We even got Joey out. We had a snow ball fight, which included the highlight of Logan shooting one straight down my throat! We had a great time and can't wait to get back out tomorrow!