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!