Our Italy Trip - Arriving Day

Even though we went to Italy over a month ago - it still is so fresh in my mind. The trip was great - especially for Patrick and me to regroup and spend time as a couple sans the kids. The flight was great. We flew EuroFly and had our own tv screens to watch movies, play games or listen to music. Since it was a red-eye we spent most of the time sleeping - except for when the 3 year old next to us was screaming for over an hour. Poor kid and poor mom. Anyway, it was a pleasant trip. Upon arriving, we waited for over an hour for luggage until we realized it was on a different belt then what they said...so once we figured it out, we picked up our stuff and met Denny and Katia right away!

One thing I was not prepared for was the amount of graffiti and trash there was. And how much gas cost!!!! But I guess their government is way different then ours. It was still beautiful, despite that. It took about 2 hours to get from Rome to Terracina by car - but what really amazed me was the craziness of the drivers. Denny calls it "organized chaos". Pretty true. People would go whizzing by - even if it was only one lane. And there were scooters everywhere! It was actually fun - once I just imagined I was in a video game, and not real life. If I would think it was real I would have been petrified!

Denny dropped us off at our hotel (which was so gorgeous) and we spent a bit of time sleeping on the beach. Then we were off to Denny's brother-in-laws place. They live in old town which is this ancient part of the city (older than Rome) up on top of the hill that overlooks the Mediterranean. The streets were cobblestone and it was 100% old-Italian charm. It was exactly what I wanted to see! We arrived at this small house/apartment - but inside they used every inch of space to capacity. And his bro-in-law (Danielo) was a designer so it was so chic/modern/beautiful. They had a great table that opened up to accommodate all of us. Me, Patrick, Denny, his parents, his aunt and uncle, Katia, her parents, Danielo and his wife. It was great. And the food was fantastic! True, authentic Italian! Of course, we weren't prepared for the SEVEN courses, so Patrick loaded up on course one because he was starving, and barely made it to the final round (dessert). I saved up my room just for the dessert! It was a perfect evening, and even though I didn't speak the same language as half the people there - it was still so welcoming and loving.

One funny moment - Danielo was giving Patrick and me some really good wines to taste and he pulls Patrick over and asks him (in the best English he could muster), "So, you lika my wife?" (instead of wine). Patrick didn't really know what to say!!! He immediately realized his mistake - but it was the running joke of the week.

Another funny moment - When Denny says the only way to keep an Italian woman quiet is to tie up her hands.

Be back soon!!!

Somehow this trip keeps getting longer and longer - with NO email and internet access!!! What started as a 10 day trip, ended up close to a month. Some people may think it is silly of me to go away for this long - don't I miss my husband? Don't I miss my house, my bed, my routine? YES. Yes, yes - a thousand yeses....but I also know that my husband needs a break too, and even though he works 100 hours a week...us being gone is really a break to him too. He got to go to a bachelor party with no guilt, he had his best friend over for a weekend, he worked on the deck, studied, finalized his grand rounds paper and got to sleep - with no guilt. When we irst started dating, we figured out that sometimes we need some alone time to do things without feeling bad for not spending that time with our significant other. So, for the past 3 summers I have been going to Myrtle Beach (or some other beach) with the kids for a few weeks to get out of Patrick's hair. We miss each other dearly, but it is very healthy for our particular relationship. I can't wait to get home to him this weekend - but I know he is enjoying his time, as I am enjoying mine. The only thing that would be better would be for him to not have to work and he could enjoy the beach with me!!!!!! But while he is working his ass off - I will get out of his hair once in a while and make sure he knows I love him and miss him!

Check back next week for a complete update on my past month in Italy, Myrtle, Charleston and the Outer Banks. We were just invited to fly out to Tahoe for another week - but I think I have had enough!!!!

Stolen poem from Mary

My girlfriend Mary posted this on her blog and it is exactly how I am feeling now (especially after a long trip away and tons of housework to catch up on)...

I Love to Be a Mother
Author Unknown

Some houses try to hide the fact that children shelter there.
Ours boasts of it quite openly, the signs are everywhere.
For smears are on the windows, little smudges on the doors,
I should apologize, I guess, for toys strewn on the floor.
But I sat down with Gavin and Evelyn; we played and laughed and read.
And if the bathroom doesn’t shine, their eyes will shine instead.
For when at times I’m forced to choose the one job or the other;
I like to be a housewife but I love to be a mother.

Ciao Ciao!

So we are back from our trip to Italy. It always goes by way too fast, but it was so nice to see the kids again! There is no better feeling in the world than to see your kids (in a sleepy haze because we got in so late) open their eyes and finally see you after a week, and just smile and hug you. Of course, they are letting us have it now by not letting us put them down or leave them for a minute. But I don't blame them...I don't want to be gone from them anytime soon anyway. We have tons of pics that I will downoad and attach a link to, as well as many funny stories. I have way too much playing and fun to catch up on now so I can't write much. My kids are waiting...

Passport fiasco

Never get a passport. Or if you do, apply for one, like a year early. Or two years. Patrick tried to warn me of the governments' ineptitude about paperwork. We applied for our passports OVER 4 months ago and when they still had not arrived in late June, I started freaking. We are to fly to Italy on July 14th for our friend Denny's wedding. We have had our tickets booked forever and the hotels - so no worries, right? Wrong. It seems like everyone and their Grandmom was in our situation though.

So like I said, when they didn't come in June I called the passport information center to find out what to do. They told me to call back when I was within 14 days of travel (this was told to me after 45 minuted on hold). I was 16 days out as I called on June 29th. So I waited til the following Monday, called bright and early, and was only on hold for 25 minutes this time. The guy told me he would put a request in to expedite them and they should arrive to me no later than wednesday, July 11th. He put lots of hope in my head but at the end of the conversation he added, "Of course we cannot guarantee they will be done by then so you should make an "appointment" at the local regional office." Ok - he was being political and had to say that, I made an "appointment" but he was so nice and reassuring that I knew they were going to come. Wrong again.

I called again on the next Monday, making sure they were processed and about to be sent out (overnight mail) to receive them on Wednesday. Turns out they weren't even done. Not close. So they put another rush on them. I called tuesday, and after 40 minutes on hold, the computers were down. I called again and they said they were in the final stages, just had to be printed then shipped. Cool. I call 1st thing wednesday. Mine is done and is being printed. Patrick's is still not done but should be within the next few hours so they will both get printed and shipped overnight so we will have them by thursday. I call later that afternoon (now mind you, each time I call it is at least 45 minutes on hold and 5 times the computers were down and I had to call back later) and mine is printed but was not shipped. Patrick's is still not done. I call late that night (like 10pm) and have them overnight both to Patrick's parents house so we might receive them on friday. I call Thursday - Patrick's is still not done, and mine did get shipped...to OHIO not PA where we are going to be.

So after all those minutes wasted on the phone, we still just ended up at the regional office in Philly. Our "appointment" was at 9:30 so we left extra early to miss traffic and so we could have a nice breakfast in the city. I keep putting air quotes around appointment because we arrive way early and there is a line around the block and onto the next block already formed. We were warned of lines 5 blocks long, but since we had an apointment I thought we were fine. Wrong again*3. The appoinment was just a way to get you there, then you had to stand in this god awful line. We got there at 8:15 and didn't get into the building until noon. And we were semi-close to the front. I took pics to document the horridity of it all.

We did stand next to very nice people which helped the time fly by. And it was gorgeous weather and we did not have the kids (like some poor fools there). You could hear everyone say - "But I had an appointment". Yeah lady, end of the line please! My back hurt from standing so long but otherwise it was actually a strangely, weird in a good way, experience. Once we were in they told us that both of ours were already processed (Patrick's had just gotten done that morning at the head office in New Hampshire) so they just needed to reprint them. We were only inside for about 20 minutes or so and they told us to come back at 3:30pm. We saw the "come-back" line with thier times and people again were all over the place. Your time meant nothing except you couldn't get in earlier than your time. During the break, I got a pedicure, Patrick did a crossword and we got lunch. It is a beautiful section of Philly so it was cool. Then back in line at 2:30 (hoping we would make it to the front near 3:30). Well, we finally walked out of there, passports in hand, at 5:00pm. 9 HOURS!!!!!! Insane, but screw them - We are off to Italy tomorrow :-)

Lesson learned: Apply way early for passports. If it is about to expire, apply for renewal way early. Apply for your kids passports now, even if you have no plans. You do not want to go through this!!!

Messy Art Party

So today we had our 2nd annual messy art party. I couldn't make it last year so we were excited to be part this year...although we thought it might get canceled due to bad weather. But the weather held out and was actually a great day! It was at Ashli's house and the kids got to use pink or blue paint to put their handprint on a shirt. Everyone had a blast (even little Evie) but Gavin was too sissy pants to get his hands dirty (am I mean or what?) Honestly, this boy gets so upset when he gets dirty. Very anal and type A - definitely not from me!!!! So his best bud Nathan stepped up (like a good friend does) and made TWO handprints so Gavin could pretend one was his. How cute? Here are some pics (you'll notice Gavin has his shirt off in case he came too close to anyone with paint...)

Sick, sick, sick...

So there is this Dr. Seuss book that we read to Gavin every night that has the ABC's in it. For the letter "S", Silly Sammy Slick sips six sodas and gets sick, sick, sick. It's one of Gavin's favorite versus because it is easy to say (well, the sick, sick, sick part is for him). Well, yesterday - I woke up in the morning running to the bathroom! I don't know what is was - maybe some type of flu, but I was ILL! Our friends had it, and I think Evie had a touch of it, so I am just glad it happened before we left for Italy...although I had to cancel my hair appointment. Anyway, I swear kids can tell when you are not feeling well, and Gavin was super snuggly to me and asked, "Is mommy sick, sick, sick?" How cute!?!? I think once he saw me throw up he knew the answer was yes!!! He sais, "Mommy threw up and made a mess". Yes, son, very observant.

So until about 5 o'clock, I just laid around on the couch and put every movie we had on, threw all the toys on the floor and let the kids go at it. Not mother of the year! But once I started feeling better, I cleaned up (a little) and took them outside for about 20 minutes then bath and early bed! I slept 4 hours during the day (during the 2 two-hour naps Evie took) and went to bed myself at 9. But I feel much better today! I just hope Patrick doesn't get it!!!!

We still don't have our passports. I call twice a day (20-30 minute hold times each) and they just say they are in the process of them. They were supposed to be mailed yesterday to be delivered today but not as of last night! So Patrick switched his call shifts so he is working tonight instead of Thursday and we will head back to PA tomorrow so we can go to the regional Passport office there to get it. We'll see. I am still hoping they get it done today and ship it overnight to us and we get it tomorrow before we leave. Wishful thinking!

Turning one day into three...

How to make one day with daddy seem like a whole weekend (since he was on-call for 2 of the 3 days):

1. Go out to breakfast the second he walks in the door.
2. Make our weekly trip to Lowe's.
3. Help him work on the deck.
4. Let him shave Gavin's hair.
5. Have him watch Gavin play on the slip-n-slide.
6. Show him how Evelyn can "walk" (grab onto) one toy then to the couch.
7. Watch him change the oil in his car.
8. Make a really good filet mignon dinner and eat nicely as a family.
9. Put the kids to bed early so mommy and daddy can chill and watch a movie (almost like a date)!

Bye Bye Awesome Gavin Hair

So even though Patrick was on call last night, he got lots of sleep and is good to go today. After breakfast, we came home and were going to play outside with the kids - but it was so hot! So I decided - Enough is enough - we have to cut Gavin's hair. It was getting pretty long - and very cool looking...but not very cool feeling. He was sweating a lot and it was getting to be a pain. So here are some before amd after shots...

Happy 4th of July!

Patrick started his first call shift this morning over at Children's. He didn't get home until just before 8 last night and was asleep by 9 (as were the kids). There is a huge festival called red, white and boom in downtown Columbus - but I knew there was no way we would make it with all of them being so tired -so I stayed up until 10:15 to watch some of it (on tv and in my yard) - but fell asleep even before the fireworks display was over. So this morning I felt a little more patriotic and decided to take the kiddies to the local parade.

My neighbor, Angie, and her 3 girls (Kelly, McKenna and Camille) headed out just in time before they closed down the roads and got a great spot for parking and found our friend Leah and her family and sat with them. The anticipation of the parade was very exciting - I wish I could say the same about the parade itself. Unfortunately, it was 2 HOURS long! Way too long for the kids. But we were stuck in it! Luckily, Gavin was in a pretty chill mood and Evie slept in her stroller for most of it. The candy helped occupy the kids but soon enough you could hear them telling their moms, "Mommy, my belly hurts". Yeah, no crap. That's what 6 lollipops, 14 tootsie rolls, 4 lemonheads, 2 packs of smarties and 10 sticks of gum will do to ya! I'm just kidding around - but it was cute to see them eat all that candy! Again, lucky for me Gavin was chilled and didn't rush after or care for the candy too much. I brought a few lollipops (as I always do) and just let him have 2 of those. The parade was fun for the first 1/2 hour but then it was just the same old thing. But it felt good to be surrounded by so many people in red, white and blue and to see some veterans and how happy they were to see the kids so excited! We are not going to any picnics or parties today and will be asleep before fireworks tonight since Patrick won't be home and the kids haven't had an afternoon nap. But we will honor the troops supporting our freedom and thank all that have served our country in the past!

Oh, yeah...Evelyn is standing up/pulling up on her own now and is cruising around holding onto things. I hope she doesn't start walking any time soon - I am NOT ready for two kids that can run away from me!!!

sweetest pic ever

OK - So this may look like a silly picture to some of you...even ones with kids. But the story behind the picture tells you of how truly sweet kids are. Josh (the little guy in the middle) had run towards the swings while Sophia (the little girl on the left) was swinging. The adults saw it happen but couldn't move quick enough to stop it so all we could do was scream "NO!" which scared the kids even more. THWACK! Josh went to the ground. Thank God for Hank's product, RubbaMulch. It probably saved a huge head injury because his head hit the ground first - although we knew Josh was more scared than hurt. Sarah (Josh's mom) picked up and try to soothe him and make him feel better and set him down on this bench with his sippy cup to distract him from what had happened. Well, Gavin and Sophia wanted to help make him feel better - and that is what my friend Becca captured in this picture. Look at how motherly Sophia is - talking to Josh and telling him he is okay. And check out Gavin - who gave Josh his train to hold (which is huge in my book) and hugging him so tight - like I do when Gavin gets hurt. The sweet innocence of childhood friends...

Shot in the a**

So my right eye is now swelling up from this stupid infection. It was so swollen and goopy and oozy this morning I called the Doctor AGAIN (they know my name and number by heart now) and went in for a quick appt. She decided to shoot me up with a massive steroid injection which they had to give me in my "hip". I don't know why they don't just say ass. It was "Please lower your pants and bend over". If they wanted a meaty area they should've done it in my belly as anyone who knows me knows I have the boniest butt around! No meat there! Anyway, it stung a little but not bad.

After that, I met up with Sarah, Josh, Becca, Sophia and Gigi. We went to a park near Becca's so she could take pics of the kids. Another beautiful day and the kids played so well and we got some great pictures. Once she sends them I will post!

What a great weekend!

So this weekend was absolutely gorgeous weatherwise! High 70s - Low 80s and sunny with a light breeze. Just the perfect summer weekend. Patrick was stressed about starting at Children's today so I feel he missed out in enjoying the beautiful-ness of it. Luckily, his friend Glen recommended a great movie that got Patrick back to enjoying the moment. Living in the present. Appreciating the ordinary - and realizing that nothing is ordinary...every event is extraordinary. So some people may have had a boring, ordinary weekend...but we sat down last night and realized ours was extraordinary. Here are some of the extraordinary events that happened:

- The lights Patrick hooked up to the stairs on the deck finally worked.
- Our kids played together in a hammock.
- I pushed both kids on the swing while they squealed in delight.
- We went on a date Saturday night while neighbors stayed at our house and watched the kids.
- We went to our normal breakfast place on Sunday.
- We went as a family to fountain park and got to watch Gavin play like a big kid.
- Patrick got sunburn on his back from working too much without a shirt on!
- Our kids were asleep by 7:30 on Sunday so we could watch a movie together and reconnect.

I am posting some pictures I had (from our camera phone). Hope you enjoy!

Fire Trucks!

This morning I had a first. It was the first time ever (that I can remember) that I woke up on Saturday morning and went to the gym. It is nice to have someone to go with because it really does help motivate you to go. I told Ashli I would go so I didn't want to back out. I did 40 minutes of cardio then we packed up the kids and went to the Library because they were having a firetruck special. One of Hilliard's firetrucks were there, along with 4 firemen. They got dressed up in their gear (to show kids not to be afraid of them in their uniforms) and then one of the guys read some books about firefighters. It was cute. Afterwards, the kids got to run around and touch things on the truck, walk through it, etc. Ashli took some pics which I downloaded from her since my camera is still not working.

Then we made a quick trip to Target for come tankinis for mommy - to cover her yucky belly while still looking cute. And back home for a nice long nap for Evie, quiet time in his room for Gavin, and 2 hours of writing emails, paying bills, etc for mommy. Patrick is still hard at work on the deck - and it looks great! Some guy stopped at our house the other day and asked Patrick if he gave estimates....thinking he was a professional contractor! He was so thrilled! The biggest compliment he could've gotten! I try to tell him as often as possible how great it looks - but I think he thinks I am saying it out of obligation. But it really does look great!

Oh...and the party last night for the new intern class and their spouses was a huge success. We had 20 people sign up for our group. Ok - 12 women signed up and 8 men signed up for a golf/beer drinking group. But either way it was great. Nancy and Weslea had made these cute favors to hand out which helped so much while Cara and I met with everyone. Ashli and Cara's sister-in-law played with the kids at the party, letting them "fish" and drawing on tattoos. It was a very nice time!

Stupid rash - AGAIN!

So it's back. The nasty itchy yucky rash is back. The day after my meds were done it came back. Not as bad - but it still drives me crazy. I luckily got to the dermatologist today, where he spent all of about 5 minutes looking at it and talking to me. He says it doesn't matter what form of "contact dermatitis" it is - all that matters is that it should stop within the next week. If not, back to the office next friday for a hard-core injection of some shot! Please God, let this be gone by then! The old wounds are healing finally so I don't want to look like that gross leper anymore. The doc gave me some cream to rub on to help the itch but we'll see if it helps.

I am attaching some cute pics my friend Ashli took yesterday while she watched my kids (while I was at my primary docs office). Her mom just got her kids a ball pit so this is them playing. You can see how big they are getting! I am also attaching a pic my friend Mary took of some cards I (and some other friends) made for her to sell to raise money for Down's Syndrome. And Patrick says all I do is spend money on scrapbooking stuff and never make anything! Well here are 48 cards to show him!!! 16 sets of three cards!!! It was so fun to make them and I like the way they turned out!

Tonight we are going to the Intern Welcome Party. I am excited, and our friends Nancy and Weslea made some great favors to give out. What I am not excited for is that the place we are going is filled with poison ivy - so I am going to try to stay inside as much as possible!!! NO MORE FUNKY RASHES FOR ME!!!! (I feel like I sound like a $5 hooker).

Fountain Park

So we had our weekly playgroup at fountain park today. This place is so cool. It is this giant cement area (not the greatest surface for kids) that has these sprinkler like things that shoot water out. Some are really high, some low. Some are waterfountains. Gavin ran around like mad for over 2 hours, as well did most of the kids. Sarah and Josh also met us and we had a great turnout from the group. The Youngs, Welshes, Williams, Petersons, Stuckis, Elliotts, Johnsons and Carozzas (I think I got everyone) came, as well as three new moms!!! Britt DeMill (ortho), Angie Christensen (anesthesia) and Jessica Clearfield (family med). Evelyn chilled in her stroller for a while so I was able to mingle which was nice. But each time I would try to go play with Gavin he would say "No! Mommy go play with other moms". He's too cool for me. He would play with his friends and then go off and run around by himself too. I am glad he is independent and confident enough to do that! It makes me crazy thinking how fast he is growing up! I posted some pics other people took since the camera is still broken. In the one pic you can see me trying to spot where Gavin is since I wasn't allowed too near him. I put him in a bright orange rash guard shirt so he was easy to see.

They both obviously took good naps after that so I could relax a bit and clean up. Patrick worked all day (which is unlike most days this month) but he came home and we had a nice dinner. Low Carb of course!

And for those interested - I am done the predisone but as soon as I stopped - my rash/ivy is back. I am seeing the doctor tomorrow and will probably need an emergency derm appointment (since it takes a year to make one). It is spreading and the old stuff is coming back. Whatever it is - it sucks!

Friendly neighbors

So we were introduced to some new neighbors of ours accidentally. One of the members of our spouse/moms group brought a new spouse/mom from her church whose husband will be starting anesthesia this year at Patrick's hospital (if that makes any sense). Turns out, they moved in right across the street!!! Well, a little diagonal but a spits distance away regardless. Her name is Angie, her hubby is Cory and they have three daughters. We were obviously meant to be friends because listen to her kids names: Kelly (5), McKenna (2 1/2) and Camille (4 months). Ok - so no relation to Camille but Kelly and McKenna?!?! How weird is that! For those not in the know - McKenna is Patrick's mom's maiden name and Evelyn's middle name. Anyway, they are these cute little red heads and Gavin already asks to go to Kenna and Kelly's house! Today we stopped by to play in their little pool in the back and have some Popsicles. I posted a pic of the three of them! Too cute!

Ashli Welsh and I also went to the hospital to meet the new intern class during orientation and give any info to them regarding our significant others support group. We had lots of people sign up their spouses - let's see how many spouses actually come! There were a lot of women who wanted their hubbys to join but I doubt that will happen. Guys get weird with stuff like that. I hope they join - but am not holding my breath. We will meet them all on Friday night at the intern welcome party so we'll see!

Deck Progress

So Patrick is getting pretty far along now with the deck. His dad left on Saturday and he did not get to work on it at all on Sunday but still has this week pretty much free to work on it. Here are some pics to show their progress...

Ortho Party

Sunday June 24 - One of Patrick's attendings (Dr. Tesner) hosted the annual good luck/going away orthopedic surgery parties tonight. It was at his house in Upper Arlington which was gorgeous! Although I love our quaint little house here in Hilliard, it is nice to see what the future could hold. It was just so nicely put together and landscaped. That was the nicest part. We were not supposed to have very good weather, but it held out and actually was the nicest part of the day so the kids could play outside and run around and everyone had plenty of space to roam. Patrick got his a** kicked last night on-call so he was not in the best/liveliest of moods. But none-the-less it was still very fun. I get such a kick out of watching all the ortho guys get together. If you know one ortho - you basically know them all. Sort of egotistical, very competitive and perfectionists. I am allowed to say this since I am married to one - but I know you are all thinking I hit the surgical nail on the head. So getting together with a group of them is quite enjoyable. Luckily, they all have a mutual respect/understanding for one another and just love to talk shop! Thank goodness for the wives! I am so grateful I have such a good group of friends through playgroup as well as getting to know some of the ortho girls. I already am close with a few through the spouse group but some more will be joining...and for those who work or don't have kids yet - it is great to get to talk with them. Not that you can do much talking when you are chasing kids around, but you get the point. After Gavin jumped feet first into the waterfountain area (yes, the waterfountain next to the outdoor fireplace section, next to the courtyard, next to the grassy/garden area), and Evelyn was getting sleepy and Patrick had DEFINITELY hit his limit - we took off around 7:15. Right before we left I was talking to Mrs. Tesner who was interested in getting involved with our spouse group. She said she could arrange some of the other attending wives and we could get together for cocktails or tea or something else that they do. Give us a break from daily grind and relax and get some tips about the real ortho world from them. I am really excited about this possibility and think it could be fun. Plus, when the attending wives like us wives, it is better for our hubbys! Hopefully!

This pill is driving me crazy!

So one of the "funny" things that happened while back in PA was that I got a nasty case of poison ivy. And since I am allergic to it - I was not a pretty site. Patrick wouldn't even hug me - not for fear he would get it (because he is immune to it) but because I was so hideous! Anyway, after a week of itching, scratching and spreading it all over my body - I finally went on some medication (Prednisone) to control it. I know some of the side effects - but still had to take it.

The worst is the mood swings. I was warned I would feel great for thee first three days (and did - "inappropriate happiness" is the side effect then) and then I would taper down and start to feel more "down". Patrick was laughing at me and my craziness/moodiness last night because he could totally tell it was the meds talking!

The other bad thing is that I am trying to lose these last G.D. 10 pounds that my lovely daughter gave me while I was pregnant with her. I am working out, eating better (trying the south beach thing) and getting good rest - but to NO avail! I actually have gained 2 more pounds. Until Patrick reminded me last night that people on prednisone get swollen, puffy, retain water, etc. I was about to kick the diet and working out - but I guess I'll keep trying to see if I get results after this medication.

The worst part is I still look like a leper or something. I have these lesions that are scarring over but I look like I have herpes all over!I am just in one of those "I feel fat and ugly" moods. Patrick says I should stop watching "The Girls Next Door (the funniest show ever about the playmate/hugh hefner girlfriends) because I am getting depressed that I don't look like them. Not that I ever did!! :-) But I just can't get my belly back to shape. I know all the moms out there are reading this and laughing...some gave up, some got surgery to help it and others just suck and lose it no problem. But with Italy 3 weeks away - I want to look better. I have the "mom pants" look, the FUPA, whatever - so please give me any ideas to help!!!

OK - I am done with the rant. On another note - Gavin is in the potty training process now! We found a cool training kit with Toy Story stuff (his newest fav) so it works perfectly. He has not gone yet - but sits patiently which I thought would be the hardest part for him. We are really going to work on it this week because it is Patrick's last week before he starts Children's. Keep your fingers crossed!

PS - The pic is one my friend Leah took at our scrapbooking/stamping class. I don't have any of myself because I am always the picture taker so I thought I would post for those who haven't seen me in a while. This does not show my fatness too much! But notice the long sleeves - I am covering my poison ivy up!

Skipping a few weeks!

Ok - so I am not very good a backdating entries so I will just start continuing my blog from here and get caught up to date. We are bummed because Patrick's dad just left after being here for almost a week. I know we just saw them in PA, but he came here to help build our new deck and I think it was just the thing both he and Patrick needed! I don't think PopPop even thought about his crazy work stuff once!!! And Patrick is on a very easy/light rotation so he was home a lot. They would work until there was no light left - or no energy left in their bodies. It was such a true male bonding experience for them. I know it was exactly what Patrick was hoping for. He even stayed an extra day...although there is still a ton of work left to do. Patrick still has one more week before he starts Children's (which will leave him NO time to do anything) so he will be working non-stop when he is at the house! I will post some pics of the two of them working.

The kids and I stayed busy and out of the men's hair as much as possible. It's always crazy in the summer anyway but we tried extra hard to get out and do things so Gavin wouldn't want to "help". We had playgroup, went fishing, went shopping, went out to lunch. One of the funnest (yes, I said funnest) days was on Thursday when we met the Napoleon's at their country club pool.

When we got there we ordered lunch right away and chilled out and caught up a bit. Then we ventured into the 1 ft. baby pool where Gavin was content playing with these little trucks he found. But the girls, Gia and Carina, were getting bored there so we stepped it up to the 3 ft section of the pool. Carina was sweet enough to let Gavin borrow her arm swimmies but Gavin still just hung around the steps. Around 2 o'clock, I had to feed Evelyn (who LOVED the water) and she just passed out so I put her in her stroller which was under the shade right near us and let her sleep while I went back to join everyone. By this time the girls got Gavin to wonder to the 4-5 ft section by letting him grip the side of the wall the whole time. Carina was learning how to jump in so she would jump from the side into her mom's arms. Gavin saw this and started sitting on the edge and going "1-2-3 jump" and sliding in to me. Then he would get comfortable doing that and he would kneel and do it, until he was eventually basically running and jumping in full speed at me, dunking under the water, coming up and reaching/swimming to the ladder to get out and do it again. We did that for almost an hour and a half! I told Amy Napoleon that it was one of those moments I know I will remember for the rest of my life. It was exactly like I thought I would feel - so proud that he was so brave and just a kid having so much fun!!! He slept for over 13 1/2 hours until we woke him up the next morning! It was fun!

Thursday night I got to get out alone and go to the spouse group. We were making tons of cards for Mary to sell and it was so much fun. We stayed for almost 3 hours!!! And made tons of cards! I hope she makes a lot of money from them!

What a trip - Day 6

Monday, May 28th - Today is Memorial Day. We had a nice morning with MomMom and PopPop and then headed to TishyMom and Kiki's house. We chilled out for a bit once we got there...getting used to new surroundings and getting used to each other again. We headed to Target for some much needed baby supplies and some other necessities and then back to Tishy's house. This was a basic transition day which flew by with not much done.

What a trip - Day 5

Sunday, May 27th - Today we went to breakfast with MomMom and PopPop at our favorite place in that area - King Street Grille. It is always so good, and reminded me of when Patrick and I would go there every weekend (or everyday when I was post-due with Gavin). They would get so nervous seeing me so big, but loved the business. A 42 week pregnant lady is sure to eat a lot! The kids did surprisingly well so it was very enjoyable. After that we went home and got ready for Tori's big birthday party. It was a 90+ degree day and the party was outside so we made sure to dress the kids appropriately. Luckily, they had a pool, sprinkler and slip and slide to keep everyone cool.

What a trip! Day 4

Saturday, May 26 - Today was a pretty fun day. First thing was to get up and eat with mommom and poppop then we were heading off to Lowe's for our bi-weekly trip for Gavin to make his project there. This week was a race car so he was very excited to go. Mommom was on the phone with Erin (my sister-in-law) and Erin wanted to go somewhere but her husband wanted to work around the house...so I volunteered to take their 3 kids with me too. Mommom would watch Evie and I would take the 3 girls (Tori, Abby and Bridget) and Gavin to Lowe's and then Target. What a trip! The girls were very well behaved and get Gavin occupied too (except for one major melt-down at Lowe's so I just strapped him in to his stroller and let him wail until he was done). The race car was a bit challenging, so I basically had to help (okay, make) 4 cars! People looked at me like I was crazy for taking 4 kids by myself! Luckily, the nice lady overseeing the thing helped a lot too! The girls were so excited to get their aprons and official patches to put on them. They are looking forward to going again on June 9th (the next one). This time, I will make sure to bring help!

After Lowe's, we went to Target to pick up a few things (diapers, wipes, food). It was Tori's party the next day so I let her pick out her birthday gift..which she loved doing. I was also to look for a little wheelbarrow for the kids because Poppop had a lot of work he needed help with in the yard and had just gotten a dump truck full of dirt to drop it off in his driveway. So lots of dirt moving needed to be done! Perfect chore for these kids! I found the best little wheelbarrow, with matching shovels, rakes, and a little bench too - and they were on sale! We went back to the Bull's, had lunch and helped play/work in the dirt! What a fun day!

I left the kids playing while I went to exchange and pick up my car. I didn't speak to anyone - since no one seemed to be in charge. Just dropped off the car and picked up mine and signed some papers. No big fight - yet.

Later that evening, Beth and Brent Kunkle picked me up and we went to Emily and Dirk's place in the city. There was a horrific storm outside - but we made it safely! Once we got there, Emily had made these awesome Buzz Aldrin's - for those of you Philly people who know what that is (basically Tang, peach schnapps, triple sec and water - rimmed with tang powder) and it was so good! Too good and went down too easily. After 2 in about 10 minutes I knew I should slow down! Not used to drinking anymore. Anyway, it was another great night out with adults and great friends, and again...when I got home the kids were nice and settled and sleeping!

What a trip! Day 3

Continuing...

Friday, May 25 - Today we had plans to go to the Elmwood Park Zoo, this tiny, quaint zoo in the suburbs of Philly. We had all intentions of going to the Philly Zoo but were thankfully talked out of it and into going to this littler zoo in the suburbs. My sister-in-law and her 3 kids and mother-in-law were to meet us there...but first we needed to drop off my car and get a rental while they worked on it. I had expressed my distaste for the rental they wanted to give me and was in full hopes they would have worked on getting something better. WRONG!

As I was driving there, my brakes were squeakier than ever and as I went down the hill right before the dealership, I needed to brake for a red light and lo-and-behold...nothing. I felt like I was on ice. There was no traction or feeling of slowing down. I pumped the brakes and eventually came to a stop - well beyond the place I should have. Thank God we weren't hurt! I marched into Bergey's Ford and let them know (maybe not in the most polite way) that there was DEFINITELY something wrong with my brakes and they needed to fix them ASAP. Again, the guy that is my dad's friend was not able to help - but it was probably for the best. I might have embarrassed him by the way I was acting. It went something like this -

I ask, "Okay - what car do you have for me to use while you figure out and fix what is wrong with my car?"
Their response - "We have a roomy Taurus that you will enjoy."
me - "No, I won't enjoy that. It is the same car you offered me yesterday and I did not want it."
them - "Well, due to the holiday weekend, it's all we have."
me - "I live in Columbus, Ohio. I come all the way to Bergey's Ford in Pennsylvania to buy a $35,000+ car, my dad has worked for Ford for almost 30 years, and this is how you treat me? I expect a comperable car. Latch system for the car seats, automatic everything, and a dvd player would be nice. Not a beat-up smelly car. Can I please speak to Scott (the manager). Last time I was here he helped me out and gave me a used demo mini-van that worked perfectly."
them - "Scott is not in today. All we have to give you is this Taurus. The specialist is coming soon and says he can fix your alarm problem in a few hours. We should have the car back to you today."
me - "What about the brakes? Something is severely wrong."
them - "We will check them again, but the tech looked yesterday and didn't find anything."
me (about to be late for the zoo) - "Fine. I'll take the car for today and will come back after the zoo to pick up my car".

After this exchange with the service people, the bitchy rental car lady came for me to sign papers. She asked for my drivers liscence and credit card. Credit card? For what? She says in case of an accident or not enough fuel, etc. She also pressures me to get the insurance which Ford doesn't cover (by threats or how much it will cost if I don't get it and get into an accident). I decline and have to sign a million other times because of it. After feeling like I have been completely treated like crap - I have to sit there and transfer everything from one car to the other (which the dealership is supposed to help - even though they are not allowed to strap the car seats in - they can move them for you). So I have 2 kids, 2 car seats, 2 diaper bags, lunch bags, toys and a double stroller to finagle all myself. What JERKS!

Anyway - off to the zoo which was awesome! A perfect zoo for preschoolers. No elephants and giraffes - but cougars, and birds, and petting zoos, and otters....lots for the kids to see. Plus, tons of shade!!! And really nice, clean play areas that were not overrun by big kids. And ice cream at the end!!! Who could ask for more! My Columbus Zoo pass got me, my sister-in-law and all the kids in for free - which was a huge perk. Very fun afternoon and Gavin and Evelyn were really good the whole time too. That always makes for a nicer day!

After the zoo I called the Ford to see if they were done. Surprise, surprise...they weren't. So I went back to the Bull's and waited to hear from them. A few hours later they called and told me they fixed my alarm thing AND (get this) I needed ALL NEW BRAKES BECAUSE MINE WERE BAD! All new brakes? In a car with less than 7000 miles on it???!?!?!?!? And in a car they said they looked at just the day before and found nothing wrong with it?!!?!?!?? Total a-holes. They probably never even looked at the brakes. Figured I had no clue what I was talking about and said what I wanted to hear. I am so pissed they put me and my children in danger by letting me drive it. THEN they said they wouldn't be able to get to it until Tuesday at the earliest because of the holiday! I calmy told them "Do what you have to do to fix the car - but if you do not have my car for me tomorrow, I am going to Enterprise and renting a comperable SUV with leather, dvd, automatic start, etc and I will send you the bill (this was after Patrick told me I should say that)." Let's just say they had the car fixed first thing the next day. Sometimes it pays to be the squeaky wheel (no pun intended about my squeaky brakes). I still have not talked to the manager and it is over a week after this happened - but I still intend to strongly let them know how I feel!

After that whole fiasco I needed a drink so I met my sister and some of her friends at the new Melting Pot in King of Prussia. Great meal and nice to get some adult time without the kids (although my sister and her friends are almost like kids - just kidding Anna!). By the time I got home, Mommom and Poppop had bathed the kids and put them in bed! NICE! :-)

What a trip! Day 2

Continuing our trip details:

Thursday, May 24 - Today was spent on the road a lot again! I needed to go to the car dealership to get my brakes looked. Once I got there, the guy I usually deal with was not there (and he said he would be) but he called the service department to let them know I was coming. I tried to explain to the best of my knowledge what I was hearing/feeling in the car. They looked at me like I was crazy - and even said "It can't be your brakes - there isn't even 7000 miles on the car" (like I was thinking). I also showed them a secondary problem we've had since we got the car, where the car goes nuts and starts beeping in morse code like sounds when we use the keyless entry pad. This only happens once in a while - but enough to be really annoying...especially when the kids are sleeping and it wakes them. It is not like the panic button sound - but truly like morse code signals. Luckily, the alarm sounded when I was there (usually the problem never arises when you want it to) and they determined they needed a specialist to come and look at it and they might need it for more than a week! I wouldn't have minded except that they were going to put me in a POS Taurus that could barely fit my double stroller, stunk of smoke, and was just not comparable to what I am used to driving. The specialist was not available until the next day (Friday) so they said I could take the rental car now or bring the car back the next day - since they "checked" my brakes and "nothing was wrong with them" (the air quotes are meant to express my sarcasm) - I must not know what I was talking about. I chose to take my own car - since I had lots more driving to do and it was more comfy and had the dvd player for Gavin.

Next stop was to Anna's house to drop off the kids while I went to the salon for my waxing. Always a fun experience :-) Once I picked up the kids, I went to the local park where I knew some friends were with their kids. Gavin had fun and played with everyone. The park was across the street from my Godfathers house (who I did not expect to be home but was) so we went over and saw him, my aunt and their daughter Randi who was heading back to Utah - which was why they were all home in the middle of the day. It was a great surprise to see them all - and checked them off the list of "have-to-see-when-home". Good.

After that we went to visit my Poppop (aka pop-pop-pop) where I was nervous since Gavin was not in the best mood. But once we got there - Pop-pop-pop gave Gavin a lollipop and was his new best friend. I could not have asked for a better visit! Gavin was on his BEST behavior (as was Evie) and held pop-pop-pop's hand, gave kisses, talked to the little old ladies that lived in the apartment building, and was just overall the best he has acted since he's turned 2!!! Perfect timing since I don't think pop-pop-pop has the most tolerance for bad behavior! Anyway...a great visit!

Then, back to Anna's for some pizza and Lost (since I missed the season finale the night before). Anyone who watches it knows how good this episode was! Franks Pizza is my favorite pizza in the world - so it was a great night. Then back to the Bull's and asleep by 9pm again! Very good day - except my brakes were squeaking more than ever and felt like they were starting to not work...more about that in the next blog!

What a trip! Day 1

So far our trip has been quite exciting to say the least! Here it is so far (we are half way through) broken down by the day's events:

Wednesday May 23 - This was our travel day. Luckily - we had great weather and barely any traffic. We had one snafu when we were 2 miles from our exit to stop and eat and we hit dead stop back up from an accident. It was lunchtime, so the kids were getting a bit antsy, but more importantly in my mind - it was mommy's bathroom break time...an effect from drinking all that coffee and soda to stay awake. Let's just say I called some friends to take a quick poll - should I a) pee in a snapple bottle, b) pee in one of my kid's diapers, or c) pee on the side of the road. My friends thought this was hysterical - but not so funny when it actually happens to you. As I got out of the car and checked the miles of traffic ahead I decided to feed Evelyn and chose it was best to just do it on the side of the road. We were in the left lane, next to the barrier so if I opened my door and Evelyn's door I had a nice little "stall". The only downfall was a big truck next to me where the trucker could see everything. As I was debating my situation, the trucker leaned over and said he heard we were moving - and sure as heck - we were! So no peeing on the side of the road for me! We stopped in 2 miles and beelined for the bathroom. The rest of the trip was uneventful except for at the very end when we were a few miles from the Bull's house. All of a sudden my car started making funny squeaking noises when I braked and a whistling noice when I accellerated. It sounded like a beat up old car. When we finally got to the house, the car was stinkin' like burnt rubber or something? Definitely not right for a car we just bought and has LESS than 7000 miles! Not what I needed. I called the guy we bought the car from and told him we were coming in the next morning to get it looked at (that will be a whole other blog). Then, Mommom and Poppop Bull made us a nice dinner and helped give the kids baths and put them to bed. They were both asleep before 9 (which is pretty good for a travel day which normally throws them way off). I was out by 10. Except for the car issue - a very easy trip! But keep reading my future blogs to read some more days...let's just say some involve a lost phone, a HUGE arguement with the car dealer, a broken leg, and a McParty Bus.

Getting ready for PA

This has been such a gorgeous week weather wise (except for a few exceptions). We tried to take full advantage of it early with a spontaneous trip to the zoo on Monday. Luckily, many of my other friends had the same idea so we had 7+ strollers lined up in a stroller brigade through the zoo! Gavin was so well behaved so we were able to stay for a long time. It was a little rough navigating with so many people/strollers/kids but still a ton of fun! The animals were actually out and about and sometimes they were right up against the window for so great viewing. Gavin got up close and personal with a gorilla (not as up close as the lady in Amsterdam) but it was still pretty cool. He stood there making monkey noises and scratching his armpits hoping the gorilla would imitate. It didn't but it was still cool to look at.
Tuesday we went to Babies R Us and bought Evelyn her big girl car seat. We've been cramming her into the carrying seat because it is so much easier to port her around in it. But we were starting to get dirty looks from people (especially pediatricians) and we knew it was time. We ended up putting her in 3 or 4 different seats but we ended up with the same one Gavin has. She looked really comfy in it and we already know how to use it so it made sense to get that one. Plus it's only $79 as compared to $279 for the Britax brand (any mom will know what I am talking about). She actually didn't fit as well in the more expensive ones anyway. The only issue I have is it is totally black. Gavin's has a blue stripe down it to make it more boyish - so I am thinking of having her initials embroidered in pink on the head rest area. Just to give it a little flair. They only had 2 or 3 girly looking car seats - and she didn't fit well into any of them. After the BRU excursion, we had lunch at Whole Foods with our friends and bought daddy some Victory Hop Devil beer since it is the only place around here to sell it. He was still nursing a hang over but was happy I thought of him while shopping!
Our play group on wednesday was supposed to be at the zoo but it was raining a bit so we decided to hit the mall instead. I am always up for a mall visit! I had to get my watch sized (links taken out) but no one would do it since it is a Movado and I guess it needs special tools to fix it? I'll bring it back to PA to get it done where Mom got hers fixed.
Thursday was pretty mellow. Patrick had another journal club at Hyde Park (one of the nicest restaurants around here) and I had my wives club meeting, so we got the girl down the street to babysit. It is so nice to get out once in a while!!! We just decorated cupcakes - but the adult time with other women is what is so good. I am very fortunate to have such a great network of friends in Ohio as well as PA.
Friday was pretty low key also. We went to see one of our best friends before she left for Myrtle Beach. Her and her hubby and 3 month old daughter are staying at Dad's place down in Myrtle - but I will be in PA when they get back and then she and the baby are leaving to go to Germany for 2 months. So we won't see each other for over 3 months! It is sad because we rely on each other so much as friends out here, so when we don't see each other for so long we get lonely. But we will both be so busy - and will still talk on the phone and internet. Gavin ended up with a high fever later on so we just stayed in.
Saturday was exciting! Our neighborhood had a community garage sale and we whipped up some baby stuff in the basement last minute and put it out. We sold over $130! And didn't even try that hard! Patrick was just glad to get rid of it but it started to make me sad that we were done with babies (at least that's the thought for now). Considering I only get abotu 4 hours of sleep a night - I am okay with no more babies!!! But we are keeping the door open. It just won't be planned for anytime in the near future! But the money we made was short lived as Patrick went golfing with Matt Napoleon and I went to brunch with Amy and the girls! Bye Bye cash!!!
I am finishing cleaning, packing and getting ready for our trip home on Wednesday! Wish us luck for a safe journey home!

:-) Kelly

Life on Trauma

It's been a while since my last post - mainly because I can never get a free second to use the computer. Patrick started his trauma rotation at Grant Hospital and has been working like a dog since May 1st. This also means that I am working like a dog at home with the kids because I get very little help from him since he is never home. He usually is the greatest help - doing laundry, dishes, etc...more than I could have ever asked for. But since he is not home a lot, and needs to study surgeries for the next day - he hasn't been able to help as much. Plus, when he is on call now, he has to stay at the hospital instead of just going in if needed. It has been pretty stressful on us both, and we are much looking forward to next month when his schedule will be SUPER easy!

We (the kids and I) have been able to see a lot of our friends over the past few weeks - with trips to the zoo, the mall, out for ice cream or just to people's houses. We had 2 playgroups since my last posting... first to Franklin Park Conservatory to see the butterfly exhibit and also to the Columbus Park of Roses. Too bad the roses were not in bloom - but they had a kick a** playground for the kids and some shaded areas for the moms to sit around and gab. We are looking forward to our upcoming trip back to PA from May 23- June 11. So all of you PA folks - get in touch with us so we can get together!

Patrick did have off this past weekend for Mother's Day - which was a blessing. The weather was perfect and we spent a gorgeous weekend together as a family. Breakfast and Lowe's (our usual saturday morning) and a fun night with neighbors playing games. We were both nursing a bit of a hang over on sunday - but he was a champ and got up with the kids so I could sleep in on mother's day. I also was able to take a long nap with Evelyn in the afternoon while he watched Gavin (who is unfortunately giving up his naps). He also gave the kids a bath and put them to bed so I could relax, read trashy magazines and watch my Sunday night shows. It was a great day! We went to a Nursery and bought mulch for the yard - and he used the great weather as an opportunity to measure out and plan for our new deck that he and his father are going to build in June.

I want to say happy mother's day to all my girlfriends and moms out there! I hope you had as wonderful of a day as I did. And congrats to Amber on her new baby girl, Rilynn Corinne, and to Josette on her new baby, Victoria Lynne. Best of luck! And check out my hotty sis going to jr prom!