fun again

We are trying to get in as much fun as we can before the rains are supposed to come! This morning we had gymnastics class for Gavin and Evie even joined in a bit. The kids all did lot better this week, because it was the same set up and they were getting used to the routine. Gavin absolutely loves the class and asks when he can go back! Check out the pics I posted or go to http://picasaweb.google.com/kellybull/FunInTheSun to see all of them.

We also went to the doctor to get Gavin's finger pricked again for a blood test (they did not get enough the first time). So afterwards, I promised him we would get a train, a movie or some paint for outside. We ended up with all three. So when we got home, Angie and the girls came over for some creative fun. The kids did great and actually painted for a while. We all went in for a while and then came back out for some play time. Evelyn was loving it too - and Christa came over with Ella and Silas. Angie watches 2 boys, so they were here too, and Leah was feeling under the weather so Angie had Brinley and Avery. All the kids had a blast! I truly love being able to stay at home and treasure moments like this. Nothing will replace the memories I have of hanging out with friends and watching Gavin and Evelyn develop into little people and make friends too. All the financial worries, stress about Patrick being gone (or home very little), being tired...nothing takes this away. I love being a mom - and am trying my hardest to cherish these days...

And then there were four...

Sadly, tonight, our fish cinco died. He lived a very long life of 3 weeks and 2 days. He will be missed dearly. Unless of course Gavin doesn't realize he is dead...then no worries. RIP old friend.

Yeah!

This weekend was so nice! We literally spent ALL day outside yesterday. From about 10am until 7pm. Partly because I was waiting for a stupid lawn care guy to come by (who said he would) but never came. It didn't matter - we would have been outside either way, but maybe not in our backyard the whole time! I am pretty bummed because I was having too much fun and did not get my camera to capture the moments. My neighbor did - so hopefully I'll snag some pics from her and post them.

Two of my favorite things about spring/summer is blowing bubbles with kids and grilling with friends. And we did BOTH! Besides playing on our new playset (and both of our neighbor's swingsets) I whipped out Evelyn's new bubble machine the Easter Bunny brought and some of our other fancy dancy bubble things. I literally sat with almost all the immediate neighborhood kids and blew bubbles and chased them for over an hour! Evelyn took a great long nap so I was able to act like a kid myself without having to chase her around too much! But even when she woke up she was just into playing too! She has quickly learned to climb up and slide down herself on our new playset and she loves to be a big girl and do it herself! And I love it because I can sit back and relax (with a watchful eye of course).

Then Angie and girls stayed over (their Daddy was on call) and we grilled some burgers and dogs and made some french fries. The kids didn't eat much - they were into playing - but just the smell of the grill makes me happy because I know warm weather is coming! I LOVE IT! It does make me miss Patrick even more though!

For the best man I ever knew

I am really missing Patrick these days. I guess I've never been the one staying here while he leaves - it's always been me leaving for fun places like Myrtle Beach or Philly. So I have been a little more sappy lately. I saw this somewhere today and totally thought of my Babe... I love the title especially.

The Best Man I Ever Knew

When we married, I saw you as perfect,
The ideal husband and more;
I thought I knew all about you,
All the things to love and adore.

But when you became a father,
I saw new qualities to treasure.
You enrich all our lives in fresh ways;
As a dad, you bring so much pleasure.

Our children are forever blessed
To have a father like you,
And I love you more than ever,
You’re the best man I ever knew.

Things that make Gavin go "Hhhmmmm"

This morning we were getting ready to go to the gym and were in the bathroom. As many of you already know, Gavin is fascinated with his "male member". He is just into that phase where he identifies who are boys and who are girls...and he knows that boys have a penis and girls do not. So today he watched me go to the potty and said..."Hmmm. Mom? If you don't have a penis, how do you go peepee?" I didn't really know how to answer without laughing.

Fun Day in the Sun

So today was another glimpse into possibly nicer weather. It was upper 40's or low 50's (a little chilly but nice) and SUNNY! So what a perfect day to neglect all the household chores and purging and to go outside ALL day! Basically from noon until 4 - we were outside playing. I found the playset I have been looking for on craigslist and my mom said she would buy it - so my neighbor was kind enough to help pick it up in his truck last night and then I put it together today (with the help of Ashli, Nathan, Carter, Angie, Kelly, McKenna and Gavin). It is perfect for the space I wanted it in and for the littler kids to play in. Even crawlers can enjoy it as there are tunnels, etc to play in - but the big kids loved it too (with 2 slides and a small tunnel to crawl through for them).

The second we got inside Gavin fell asleep. Unfortunately, when he woke up he had a super nasty rash - almost like a sunburn/sunpoisoning rash ALL over his back and chest. It was red with goosebumps and clearish little bumps. Poor thing was scratching himself on furniture, with forks, hair brushes - anything to relieve his itch. The doctor thinks it may be a strep rash - but I think it is from grass. It is sporing time here in Columbus and I know he has had reactions (although different from this one) before. We'll see. Anyway - we all enjoyed getting outside and forgetting about cleaning and purging for a while!

If you have a quick gag reflex - DO NOT LOOK

Since Patrick left this morning for Philly, I am trying to re-organize the entire house. I am starting with the kids stuff - since that is the majority of it anyway. It is hard for me to do this when Patrick is home because I tear everything out of it's place and then put back the stuff I want, give away the rest. But when everything is out - Patrick sort of has panic attacks because there is so much clutter. I eventually clean it all out - but it takes a week or so. So I have to do it when he is away.

Anyway, I am cleaning out the kids' rooms and I find Evelyn with this.... My first reaction was dry heaving, because my mind automatically goes to the thought of poop. But then I realized she just ate a brown crayon...still gross though!

monkeying around

This week we went to the zoo for playgroup. It was Leah (and Brinley and Avery), Ashli (and Nathan and Carter) and Angie (and Kelly and McKenna) and us. We had a great time. The weather was perfect - about 50 degrees and sunny. The only downer was that it was spring break so it was a little more crowded than usual for this time of year. But we still had fun! The animals were in rare form - and we caught some of the monkeying around on tape!

Patrick and Kelly

Our new official names according to Gavin...

Easter Morning and Easter Supper

This morning started off great! The kids came down, excited to see what the Easter bunny left for them! They LOVED the easter egg hunt and Gavin helped Evelyn find her basket that the bunny hid for her (after he found his, of course). I posted some pics from "the hunt". Also - for all those Stoneboro Easter fans - I added a clip movie from Gavin saying...
































"Thank you Easter Bunny"!

The rest of the day (after the whole York Peppermint Patties deal - see below post) was sort of yucky. Gavin was on the potty until 2 and then slept from 3-5. We woke him up to join our friends/neighbors for Easter Supper. Gavin was in a bummer mood until he got some grub in his belly...just like his daddy gets.

We had a delicious meal and enjoyed pretending not to miss home/family too much. Actually, I didn't really even think about it until after dinner was done...we were having a great time! Jessica and Hannah came by too which was so nice. And Angie (and gang) have a med student, Larry, who also joined us. So we had a big person table and a kiddie table to accommodate us all. We ate honey baked ham, sweet potato casserole, super yummy scalloped potatoes with corn flake topping, green bean casserole, bread and lots of desserts! I was (still am) so stuffed! Check out some of our cute pics with our friends...my favorite is Gavin hugging the girls (McKenna is licking his face!). I also love the ghost apparition crotch shot of Patrick (you know you all looked anyway!)

Thanks to Angie for hosting us - we are so fortunate to have friends like you!

Stupid York Peppermint Patties!

Yeah - they have egg whites in them. Not listed under allergy information - but they are in the ingredients (which I hardly ever read any more because it is REQUIRED to list them under allergy information). Oh well - I feel awful. I guess I can blame it on the Easter Bunny!


After the benadryl kicked in to keep his face from swelling even more, he had a horrible bout of diarrhea. Every 2 minutes it was back into the potty to pee out of his little 'ole butt. Poor kid. I have been feeling so guilty about it all morning. The pooh has slowed down - but he is still pretty miserable...

Easter Prep

Today we had a pretty low key day. Patrick had to round early this morning and was pretty worn out from not using his crutches. His knee is much better - but not great yet. He didn't want to be hobbling around in front of patients - but I think it really aggravated his knee worse than he thought it would. So he was resting it the remainder of the day. In the afternoon (during Evie's nap) Gavin and I worked on some Easter preparations. We dyed Easter eggs and got our famous pretzels ready to give to the neighbors. Gavin is getting really good about helping, so you will see I let him put most of the M&Ms on. Although, there were a few times when he would turn his head (all sneaky like) and eat some secretly (or so he thought). It was cute!

Then Daddy tried to get Gavin to wear off some energy since the kids were cooped up all day, so he tried to get him to do push-ups. It's so funny! Check out the video!

We hope everyone has a great Easter and gets to spend time with loved ones. Patrick is semi on-call (hopefully he will not get called in) and we are sharing Easter Supper with our friends/neighbors the Christensens (Angie, Cory, Kelly, McKenna and Camille). We are very blessed to have such good friends to celebrate these holidays with!

What a girl wants...

This term cracks me up, because as we all know - we don't know what we want! One minute we want straight hair, the next, curly. We want babies, then we want a good night sleep (which never happens with a baby). We b*tch and complain that our husbands are never home, then when they are we complain that they are in our way!

Well that's what has happened with me! Since Patrick's knee surgery last week, he has been home almost all the time (except for the occasional PT appointments and going in to work to work on a presentation). Being the wife of a resident is very difficult, and I have learned that we girls go into "survival mode" to get through these rough years. We make friends. We go to playgroup. We find hobbies. We go to the gym (gasp). Anything to occupy our time so we don't realize how much we miss our husbands. So then we get used to this "surviving". We put ourselves first (and our kids) and work our husbands in our schedule when they are home.

But what happens when the husband is unexpectedly home for a long period of time? Vacations don't count because you can prepare for them. Weekends don't count because that is scheduled time you expect also (and short-lived).

I was about to pull my hair out in the first few days when Patrick was home because he was interrupting my survival routine. Slowly getting up with the kids, tv time during breakfast, getting dressed and rushing out the door to go to playgroup or the gym. Leaving dirty dishes in the sink until we come home. Meeting up with friends for lunch (either out somewhere or at each others' houses). Home for naps (and possibly taking one myself) or doing school-time with Gavin, or the occasional cleaning time. Quick clean around 4:30 or 5 (before Pat gets home) and starting dinner (to appear to be the perfect little housewife when he gets home). But when he is home all day he sees these imperfections I have created while "surviving". I tried to stay on top of everything - but just couldn't. I started to resent him for being home a little bit.

What I didn't expect was this time to bring Patrick and I closer. I admit, I have been using him being at home to be selfish...going to get pedicures, going to run errands alone, going to the gum without the kids...and he gets to see a bit of what it is like to be home all the time with the kids and what I go through without him. This week has been perfect too, because the weather has been so awful - he can't even get outside to take the kids for a walk or play of the swingset. He is inside, all day, watching what we do. Seeing Gavin melt down because I turned the light on in the fish tank instead of him. Watching Evelyn pull all the books of the shelves THREE times (until he learned just not to pick them up until bedtime). Having Evelyn laugh at him when he tries to discipline her. Having both kids cry because I turned the tv off at lunch. He saw what I go through and I think started to appreciate me even more. And tell me so. And I saw that I was missing the kids a bit, and how hard it is for him to be away from the everyday (fun) things.
We are learning how to give each other the personal time and space we have grown accustomed to, and at the same time, we have learned to help each other and be understanding of each other too. I don't want to kill him still - and I will be really sad when we don't get to spend this time together like this anymore.

Stamp Club

This month at stamp club we focused on baby projects. So many of us know someone who is pregnant, or just had a baby, or are pregnant ourselves (NOT ME!). We did the cutest baby onesie card, a 6x6 scrapbook page and an attempt at the new rub ons - onto cute $1 piggy banks from Target. The rub ons were not great on the banks, but everything else turned out super cute. Once I showed the club members how to make the onesie card, they were given creative license to make their own version using any of my supplies. I didn't have my camera to take pics, but there were some great ones made! We also did a swap, and I got to see what type of cards/techniques everyone did. They were awesome! I will upload pics later. Everyone was so excited getting and giving their cards! And I was so proud to see the talent that everyone had! I have some great members!!! The pics posted are from Ashli's club (which we do the same projects each month).

follow up

We seem to be back on track with the potty today. I guess it was just a really bad day yesterday for Gavin's pants.

We also had Gavin's pre-school re-observation today. It is the preschool in our development (3 blocks away) and comes with rave reviews (plus it is governmentally funded - so tuition is CHEAP!) The school is designed around a special needs preschool program and they have "peer models" in each room. There are 8 special needs children and 6 peers in each classroom. The peers just have to be average toddlers/preschoolers. They have found that the IEP children respond well when integrated with children their same age who are "typical developing preschoolers". Check out http://www.hilliard.k12.oh.us/pre/BIP.html for more info on the school and it's programs.

Anyway, to get "accepted" the kids have to be observed to make sure they can follow directions, respond to questions, show understanding of how things work, etc. Most important is to follow directions since the special needs kids are looking up to them in a way and may follow their lead. So when a teacher says to do something - you best do it! Gavin did not want to change stations during his first observation (he liked playing with the trains - go figure) and had poor fine motor skills, so they asked if he would have a second chance and come back to get re-observed (it has been about 2 months since the initial observation). So we started our little home-school sessions and it must have paid off because today they told me he was stellar! He listened and followed directions perfectly, and even helped a kid who was scared to calm down and start playing with him. They also noticed a major improvement in his fine motor skills, from cutting paper, to writing letters. So we are very excited!

Now I am dreading that day when I ship him off for his first day - I get teary already. Time flies!

Figures...

In classic ironic fashion...

After my last post about buying the fishies for Gavin for being potty trained, he inevitably ended up having THREE accidents today (4 if you include the one overnight).

I went and met Cara and Ashli for some coffee for Cara's birthday and when I came home, Patrick informed me that Gavin wet himself while they were playing in the basement together. Odd - but totally understandable for a 3 year old to get wrapped up in play-time with Daddy. A little talk about remembering how important the potty is and how we need to stop play when we feel that urge.

Then I decided we would join the Welshes for dinner at Red Robin (a craving Ashli got after Cara said she went there for lunch). As I was on the phone with Ashli's hubby, I looked up and saw Gavin standing right in the middle of the kitchen peeing himself RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! He was just looking at me, waited until he was done, then said "Sorry". This is crazy, I thought! He hasn't had one single accident in forever (except barely making it to the potty one time last month) and now he has had 2 blatant ones right in front of us (and one at night). Another change in outfits, some questions about why he did it (no answers though), another discussion about the importance of going on the potty and a statement from G-man saying he understands and he will tell us if he needs to go again.

He was pretty good at dinner, so when we came home we called up Angie and the girls to go for our nightly walk. It was very cold - but sunny - so we bundled up and went. We had fun - but were relived to get inside. Well, I guess Gavin was too relieved because we got in, and we were heading upstairs for baths and he totally peed AGAIN on the stairs.

The night one - I basically don't even count. Then the first one today I was like "No big deal". The 2nd time made me mad (I know - wrong reaction) but the third time made me confused/worried. He didn't even flinch when it was happening...which is weird because when he feels it come on, he starts the peepee dance and/or tells us he needs to go. He even gets nervous and upset if he can't get his pants undone quickly, for fear he will have an accident. But today - nothing. Not even an ounce of regret. Afterwards, he sees our disappointment so he says sorry - but it's like he can't feel it.

If anyone has any suggestions or stories as how this happened to them - please let me know because I am actually concerned now. 4 times in one day - it just seems very unlikely.

Fishies

So as promised, Gavin finally got his fish for being potty trained. We got a tank from a friend who was done with it (thanks Fatema and Lauren) and it came with almost all the supplies we needed. We ended up buying some new rocks and plants for it - but otherwise it was good to go. So we set the tank up first to make sure it would run properly. Once it was all set, we took a family trip to Petland and got some fish. The guy there was super helpful and very knowledgeable about fish and tanks and understood that we needed some very sturdy fish. So he explained how we should get these "starter" fish - that are basically there to create the proper environment inside the tank - and then would die. Sort of traumatic - but I don't think Gavin cares. He was just excited to see them swim and feed them. We already had one casualty...but the guy knew the fish was almost dead when we got it - but it would have been a pain to get it out of the bag - so he gave it to us for free. And he was right. About an hour after we let them in the tank - the fish was a goner. All drains lead to the sea... I posted a picture of the tank (it's a bad shot - but you get the idea) and you can see some of the fishies in it.

Gavin loves it and has been good about remember to remind me to feed them! But, of course, once we got the fish, he ended up having an accident last night in his sleep. It was the first time in over 2 weeks - so I am not surprised. I was more surprised that he hasn't been wet more often in his sleep. I still put pull-ups on him during the night - so no big deal.

Speaking of potty training...Evelyn is still going strong. Peepees about 3 times a day on the potty and is going poo too. Not everyday - but still way more than I could have imagined!!! I would LOVE to be diaper free as soon as possible!!!

Surgery was a success

Patrick had his surgery yesterday and the doc said it was actually the best case scenario. They were very concerned before he went in, because the MRI looked pretty daunting. They could tell he had tears in 2 spots - and thought it was just one long one. But it was really 2 - so they didn't need to remove his whole meniscus - just about 35% which is good news for Patrick's future of his knee. Plus, his articular cartilage looked great (no signs of rubbing and arthritis) which was an even bigger concern. So all in all - good news. The flap of meniscus that was damaged was penetrating into the joint - so the surgery was necessary to remove it. Patrick was thinking he might be able to "man up" and try to not get the surgery, but was glad he did once he saw what was inside. Another good thing was they left his underwear on - so the nurses didn't sneak a peek at him naked!

He handled the anesthesia very well - with minor issues - like itchiness and a headache. But no nausea or allergic reaction (which is everyone's worst fear when going under I guess). Except for some knee pain and a huge wrap on his leg - he's crutching around with no problems! He is still helping clean up and watch the kids (although he can't chase them if they start getting into trouble). He went for his first physical therapy appointment this morning and was intrigued as to what it is like being on the other end of the table (after giving therapy to so many as an athletic trainer in a PT clinic). They pushed him hard, but he knows he needs it.

He goes back next week for a follow up but until then he is not supposed to put any weight on it or use his right leg at all. We'll see how well he complies. Doctors make the WORST patients!

A cute story from Patrick's surgery morning....We were waiting in the family waiting room for him to get called back. When he finally got called, he followed a nurse out. Since he works there, he knows most of the people there so he got some extra nice treatment (although most of the people there got extra nice treatment too - especially from James the guy who runs the waiting area). Anyway, on his way out this woman yells for James and asks if she should follow Patrick back to the OR. He said no and asked why. She said "That's my doctor. I should go with him. He works with Dr. Fada and is really nice and I like him the best. I want to go with him - he's my doctor." James explained Patrick was getting his own surgery and would not be in on her operation. She was a bit upset but happy to hear that the very doctors that work there, get surgery there too. But it was nice for me to hear what a great impact my husband has on patients!!! :-)

And a HUGE thanks to Angie for waking up at 6:30am and coming over to watch my kids!!! You rock! And Patrick promises to detail your car for payback!!! The picture I am posting of Evelyn is from what Angie did to her hair! Cute pig tails!

Cute Gavin pics

Here are a few cute pics I caught of Gavin on my cell phone this week. This first is of him and his buddy Nathan. We were at our friend Cara's house, and they found her daughter Hailey's dress up stuff. They came down stairs donned in feather boas, purple sparkly butterfly wings and princess wands and informed us they were ready to go into battle!!! Too cute! Boys will be boys - even if they only have girly stuff to play with!

The second is of Gavin in Petland. We went to get some accessories for Gavin's new fish tank (his reward for being potty trained) and he LOVED looking at the bunnies. So the manager got one out and let Gavin hold it himself! The bunny was kissing on Gavin's neck and face - and he LOVED it! I was super close to buying one for him - then I remembered Binicula. Anyone who has read the book, or knew my sister's bunny will understand. Plus Patrick would have killed me.

Speaking of Patrick, please keep him in your prayers tomorrow as he has to get surgery on his knee. He hurt it (again) on Sunday night and got an MRI and really tore it up. Luckily he knows some good orthopedic surgeons that would squeeze him in! Now he's nervous that all the nurses are going to try to look at him naked!!! I told him I would personally kicked their butts if I found out they did :-)

soup recipe addition

Ooops! I forgot to add 1 TBSP of soy sauce to the soup recipe! Please advise!!!

Any Guesses?

Oops! I went to change the laundry and this is what I found in the dryer...Can you guess what it is? (hint...occupational hazard)

10 reasons the blizzard of 2008 ROCKS!!!

10. It happened on a Friday night so it did not affect too many people at work or driving.
9. It accumulated more than 16-20 inches in 24 hours (depending on your area)!
8. Neighbors with snow blowers helped other neighbors with their walks and driveways.
7. It was the kind of snow you could pile into forts and make tunnels through.
6. It made parents feel like kids again!!!
5. You could make a crock pot meal (like we did) and feel super warm and cozy inside, drinking hot chocolate and smelling yummy meals after a long day in the snow.
4. Kids could jump off of porches or car roofs and land safely into a soft pile of snow.
3. Mommy got to reorganize all of our family photos and work on reorganizing our storage.
2. Gavin and Evelyn LOVED being outside (until some wind picked up and pelted their faces).
1. Daddy didn't have to work at all or be on-call so he could stay and PLAY!!! (and shovel of course!)

Apparently this is a record for Columbus with the amount of snow fall in one day. The wind drifts make things deceiving - but overall the areas are blanketed with snow. I love it! The snow was higher than Gavin's waist - and up to Evelyn's chest! We couldn't get that many pictures because it was a blizzard and the snow was getting on the camera!!! But I hope I was able to get a few. I can't wait to go out today and build a snowman or a fort!!! The kids don't realize how lucky they are to have such a great dad! Patrick (partly in being a kid himself) is so excited to build a cool fort with tunnels for all the neighbors too. And he hand shoveled our whole driveway and sidewalks (TWICE) by himself. He loves the workout and I love that he is so helpful around the house!!! Check out our pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/kellybull.

In my time reorganizing our photos - I came across a bunch of negatives. Patrick was laughing - saying our kids won't even know what negatives are since digital is the way to take pictures now. I agree, but couldn't part with them. I did, however, part with some old photos....which I didn't think I would do. But, honestly, I am trying to simplify my life (and my storage area) so why should I hold on to pictures of ex boyfriends and vacations we had together. Or old roommates. I might keep one or two pictures to remember what they look like when I am 80, but I don't find the need in keeping those memories anymore. My life is being filled infinitely with many more amazing memories and I don't feel like I have the space anymore for things that I don't cherish. Harsh, maybe. Therapeutic, definitely.

Hamburger Soup

Since we were going to get snowed in this weekend, I asked Patrick what type of soup he wanted me to make in the crock pot (since it would make the house feel warm and cozy during the snow storm). He replied "Hamburger Soup". I thought he was joking as I had never heard of this. But, I called his mom and lo-and-behold, there is a real recipe named hamburger soup. It turned out quite yummy - so I thought I'd share it with you too! It looks sort of gross - but is really good!



1 1/2 lbs Ground Beef (or Turkey) - browned and drained
4 C chicken broth
2 C water
1 C chopped celery (you can leave some celery leaves in the soup for extra flavor)
1 C chopped carrots
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1 C Macaroni Elbow Pasta (put in the soup mix with 1 hour left to cook)

Cook on low for 8-10 hrs. ***I needed to add about 3 more cups of water after the noodles were added***

This soup melts in your mouth! You could probably add more flavoring if you want - but I liked it just the way it was!

Sometimes...

Sometimes, you can't find the words to say to a friend or loved one who is sick.
Sometimes you just want to hug them.
Sometimes you can't hug them because they are too far away - so words are all you have left.
Sometimes you just want to tell them how special they are and what a positive difference they have made in this world.
Sometimes you just want to cry.
Sometimes you get mad, angry and confused as the "why" is this happening.
Sometimes you feel blessed for ever even knowing them.

I read somewhere that if a friend is down with the flu or has a stay in the hospital, you stop by the card shop or the grocery and pick up a card that says “Thinking of you” or makes cute little jokes about doctors and hospital gowns that open in the back. But suppose your friend or your brother or sister or your mother or father receives the news: cancer. Mastectomy. Chemotherapy. Radiation. Bone Marrow transplant. “Get well soon” suddenly seems very inadequate. What do you say to someone who may, in fact, be dying? Many people, in their discomfort, simply avoid contact at all, depriving the patient of comfort when it is needed most. Some try to act "normal" - because maybe that is what this friend needs...some normalcy in a time when nothing is normal anymore. Other's try to give advice and as much support as possible. Which person am I? I think a combination...

Am I the selfish one to get sad to think of a sick friend? Am I wrong to take this happening to try to re-evaluate my life and truly "live"? Or is this all part of "the plan"? Are we meant to learn from one person's hardships? Was this person brought into my life because of this? Or because of the many other wonderful things they have taught me and we have shared?

I pray for the strength of my friend Mark, his wife Amy, and their daughter Abby. He has reached 6 months since learning about his CML (Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia) and is dealing with this better than I think anyone I know could. If you would like to read more about Mark and his journey - please check out www.caringbridge.org/visit/markgardner.

Knock on wood...

So we have been secretly potty training Evelyn for the past few weeks. It started around bath - when Gavin always goes on the potty before getting into the tub - and Evie always peed on the floor or in the tub when she got in. So I started putting her on the potty too. She wants to do everything he does anyway... It's been almost 2 weeks and she has gone every night before bath. We make a big deal and she gets so excited because brother cheers her on and says how proud he is of her. I also started doing it during the day - and she has successfully gone a few times. Some times she just sits and nothing happens so she tries to hop down - other times she pees and then gets off.

But tonight, Daddy was playing downstairs with Gavin so it was just the girls upstairs. We walked in the bathroom and she went right to the toilet. I stripped her down and she sat up there and peed - but didn't try to get off. When I thought she was done I started to take her off but she started fussing - so I put her back on. And then she went poop. ON THE POTTY! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!??!?!? I was so excited and almost regret that I am writing it (for fear it will not happen again for a long time). I know girls are supposed to be easier/faster - but come on! I am sure it was a fluke - and I will be super happy with peeing before bath - but we were all pretty amazed. The boys heard my commotion and came running up the steps to celebrate too. She was so happy and clapping herself on the toilet! YEAH EVELYN!!!

LOST

So Stinkin' good last night! Anyone else out there a fan? Call me to discuss!!!

That time of the month again...

to pay bills. Month end/begin, pay day, and the bills are flowing in. I don't understand how some bills work. They seem so inconsistent with their due dates. Maybe it's based off the last time I paid them. Maybe they just like screwing with me. But for some reason, I can never get them all to be due on the same date (either the 1st, 15th or 30th). Some of them are okay - like mortgage and car payments. But others like insurance, gas, water...all seem scattered and never consistent.

This infuriates me more since we are so poor and live pay check to pay check. On the phone today I told/asked Patrick which bills we were going to pay on time. Not that we won't pay the other bills, but if one is due on the 12th and we don't get paid again until the 14th...I have to take money out of savings to cover it (or pay it late). And I never wind up putting that money back into savings. So I have to finagle the checks and balances a bit. Patrick insists we pay off credit card bills right away (although there is over $1000 that was from a conference "to be reimbursed ASAP (code for 3 months)". So where am I supposed to pull that $1000 from? Savings account just isn't saving anymore! It's more like a surviving account. And if it weren't for a super nice/lucky/caring/successful tishy-mom (who shall be remained nameless), that surviving account would have been in the negative a LONG time ago!

I know I can't rely on the future money that Patrick and I may or may not have. But it makes me sad that I am 25 years old and still living off of other people's dime (okay - maybe I am not 25) but still - I always thought I'd be in a different place right now. I LOVE staying home with the kids and always knew I'd do that and those would be some struggling times...but it is frustrating when your husband works harder and two or three times more hours than most people and doesn't get the benefits of it. I hope everyone knows I am just ranting - I do appreciate that we have more than a lot of people and are very fortunate...but I can't wait for the day I can buy some jeans that fit, clothes that aren't on sale for the kids, brand name baby wipes and a telephone that will automatically scream at those damn people calling to remind me to vote for Barack. I get it. But your call isn't getting me.

That off my chest - I am going to go clip some more coupons and hope my husband gets home for dinner tonight. Sorry for the negative-ness...I need some sunlight!!!! Winter sucks!