Labor day fun

The weekend was relaxing and enjoyable, thanks to Gustav deciding taking a hit on Louisiana. Saturday I took Smoochie to a birthday party for a boy in her class. She was the only other child there for half the party until a family friend showed up. I felt so bad for the mom. The boy didn't seem to notice.

Sunday, we enjoyed spending the day with family at my aunt and uncle's house. My cousin and her boyfriend had a big announcement. After eight years of dating and seven of living together, they made it official and stopped by the JP last Friday.

Monday morning we felt like doing something fun together as a family since it is now a rare event that both hubby and I are home at the same time. We picked up his folks and drove to the Kemah boardwalk. The sky was overcast and a cool breeze kept the temperature quite nice.

Not sure I agree with this...

And instead of blogging about all the exciting events of the weekend (I'll get to that later)...

You Are Elmo

Sweet and innocent, you expect everyone to adore you. And they usually do! You are usually feeling: Talkative. You've got tons of stories to tell. And when you aren't talking, you're laughing. You are famous for: Being popular, though no one knows why. Middle aged women especially like you. How you life your life: With an open heart. "Elmo loves you!"

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

Back to school

Smoochie laid out an outfit for the first day of school days before school started. Note the attention to detail- the headband, lipstick by the collar, necklace and fingernail polish laid out where the hands would be. I did talk her into wearing something a little less formal the first day.

Hubby decided it was a great idea to draw a skull and cross bones on Bubby's back in permanent ink the day before school started. Friends had invited us over for a back to school party. After tattooing their son's back, we probably won't be invited again.

Aren't they sweet when they're not fighting?

I love this picture of hubby helping Smoochie with her backpack and the school bus in the background.

All went smoothly the first day back. Both kids were up and dressed before school even opened. Smoochie went into her classroom, sat down and didn't look back. Hubby had to drag me out of her room. I probably would have stayed all day.

I just don't understand

Ahhh, family. So wonderful and yet so irritating at the same time. I am trying not to be completely and totally pizzed off at hubby's brother (W) and sis-in-law (L), but it requires a lot of energy. First, they get into a huge argument with their folks which happened while my father-in-law, who crawls in attics for a living, was helping out late in the evening with an electrical problem at their house. They don't speak for weeks, they ignore father-in-law's birthday and send flowers but don't call for mother-in-law's birthday. I try to overcompensate to make sure they know they are loved.

Then, they are a no show at Bubby's birthday party. No phone call, nothing. Weeks later they show up unannounced to drop off a present for him and also to invite us to my niece's party the next evening. Timing is suspicious.

We attend niece's party and bring invite to Smoochie's party. They happily accept and say they will be there. Halfway through Smoochie's party, L shows up with only one of their three kids. It was a lunch time party at a pizza place and L says they were late because they went to lunch first. Huh?

Smoochie has been begging to see the cousin closest in age (Flower). Flower is one year older. Hubby calls W several times last week. W finally answers phone last night. W insists we not only pick up Flower, but also her younger brother, Fish, because he gets his feelings hurt if Flower goes anywhere without him. Fish is three.

Hubby tells me over and over not to let any of this get to me. Please send zen thoughts my way because this might be a greater task than my capabilities.

Olympics fever

I love watching the summer Olympics- the swimming, the diving, the gymnastics...I know the television will be on continuously for the next two weeks. The opening ceremony last night was unbelievable. The Chinese went all out. It is also educational for the kids. They are not only exposed to different languages and cultures, but different governments and the impact they have on their citizens. For all of our complaining, we are truly lucky to be born into a democratic society, even will all the flaws.

In other news, the life of leisure for the kids is almost over. School starts two weeks from Monday. The days keep flying by faster and faster. Next Friday we find out who the teachers will be and the following Friday is the open house to meet the teachers. I don't think Smoochie quite understands what she in for, but I know she will adjust quickly. The best part is no driving the kids anywhere in the morning- just walk them a few houses down to the school.

And the best news of all- our tax consultant finally finished and filed our taxes! And still seven days to spare (since he already filed an extension). Considering that we gave him the information the FIRST WEEK IN FEBRUARY, it's about time. Over six months. Ridiculous. Even I could do it in that amount of time.

Gotta run- I hear swimming in the next room...

Goodbye Nurse Karen

Last week hubby and I attended a memorial service for the kid's nurse at the doctor's office. We have known her since Bubby was born, eight years ago. Nurse Karen was such a special person- calm, sweet and reassuring. Although it was never spoken until it was too late, she was the reason we looked forward to taking the kids to the doctor. Neither of us had any idea of the struggles Karen was going through and we wished we had the opportunity to tell her how much we cared for her and appreciated her. Fortunately, we did get the opportunity to tell her family. You will be missed Nurse Karen.

Court

I feel like so much has happened in the past few weeks. Smoochie turned 5! Her party was at Incredible Pizza. That evening we let two of her bestest friends spend the night- her first sleepover. The next day was the family party at our house. With 17 family members in the area, it is just too many at the kid party so I have two parties for the kids. Luckily, Bubby's falls around Father's Day, so we combine the celebrations. Smoochie's birthday is close to hubby's and my cousin, so we do a joint party for them.

Incredible Pizza

The Morning After

Hannah Montana Jr.

Baby needs a hair cut!

Thursday was the long anticipated court date with Conn's. We could not arrive at an agreement at arbitration- their offer was supplying us with a new panel at cost which equated to 2/3rd's the price for the tv. And we won! The judge ruled in our favor and the next step, if they so wish to choose, is to double our winning for bond and move on to a jury trial. I would doubt they would try that as jurys are almost never sympathetic to big business, but then again I wouldn't put it past them.

Back to work

Summer vacation is over for me. The week before last was Bubby's 8th birthday. His birthday party was at Minute Maid Park with a tour of the ballpark. The adults found it enthralling, the kids thought it was boring. We spent the last few days of my freedom traveling to my parent's cabin in Hallettsville and spent one day at a water park in the area and then headed to Temple, Texas to visit friends. I started back at work on Tuesday and it felt like I had never left. My cousin had a 4th of July part at her house Friday and we decided to brave the crowds and went down town for the fireworks. Since my company pays for the display, they get a 'special area' just for employees along with shuttles, food and drink. It was way more crowded than I expected, but well worth the effort. We all thought Sudsy would throw a fit since he cries at any loud noise, but we stuffed cotton in his ears and hubby held his hands over his ears and he really enjoyed watching the fireworks.

In the dugout:

Conversation with Biggio:

Birthday dinner at Johnny Rockets:

At Splashway Water Park:

At my parent's property:

Full on press

I have few days remaining at home. The 1st of July is back to work and I am dreading and looking forward to it at the same time. Our pace of life will increase tremendously, I will miss all the one on one time with Sudsy, and I will get probably 3 fewer hours of sleep a night. However, it will be nice to use that mushy stuff in between my ears again and I do look forward to having adult conversations without constant interruptions from little mouths. It will be a solid 6 months of work as I have used up every drop of vacation for maternity leave.

I have frantically tried to finish projects around the house because I know nothing will get done when I go back. A technician is here right now installing the alarm system, the gutters go on in a few weeks and Hubby's putting down the last palate of grass. He also installed the basketball goal which was Bubby's birthday present from last June, just in time for his birthday on Wednesday. I've organized the scrapbook room and it is not only usable but being used. I am now only 10 months behind. The final big tasks I would like accomplished this month are clearing out the garage and finishing the fence.

Speaking of the garage, we replaced the Focus with my dad's old suburban being that 3 kids won't fit in the back of the Focus. It will be an interesting experiment to see if an F-150 and a Suburban will fit.

Traffic

Most of the traffic on my site is for one post, located here. I'm not sure whether to be amused or scared about the level of intelligence around us. Second highest ranking post here.

What a week

Last week was crazy. Monday, hubby, Sudsy, mother-in-law and I flew to Oregon for his grandfather's 90th birthday party. The older kids stayed with my folks for the week. The party was a surprise and I'm thinking surprising anyone at 90 years old is not a good plan, but all went well. It was Sudsy's first flight. He slept through both up and back. We stayed at the Village Green Resort, which was absolutely beautiful.




We arrived home Friday afternoon in time for Smoochie's dance recital rehearsal Friday evening and the recital Saturday afternoon. It was also Bubby's baseball championship game Saturday afternoon. Then we went over to friend's house Saturday evening for dinner and play time on their Wii. Sunday was a birthday party and we all crashed early Sunday evening.

Summer fun

Graduation, a wedding, and Memorial Day fun...

Nicknames

Since I now have two sons and one daughter and calling the new baby 'the baby' will quickly be inaccurate (I can't believe how fast they grow up!), I will follow Sara's lead and give them all nicknames. And since they all have nicknames in real life, this shouldn't be difficult at all.

The Boy = Bubby
The Girl = Smoochie
The Baby = Sudsy

Speaking of nicknames, Daddy called the girl Smoochie the other day and she proceeded to tell him only Mommy can call her that. Such attitude from such a little package!

BBB and graduation

No response to my Better Business Bureau complaint. I really did not expect one. I got what I needed out of it already- just for him to know that he screwed up and we know it and would never in a million years recommend him to anyone.


Mother's day was nice. The kids got me two new pairs of pajamas and I think daddy might be second guessing that choice as I have not changed out of them all day today. The girl made her bed and mine, so I no longer accept the excuse that she does not know how to make the bed. We spent the day with the extended family and enjoyed the unseasonably cool and dry weather.


Tomorrow is the girl's graduation from pre-K. I remember when I found out about the ceremony for the boy and thought to myself how ridiculous to have a ceremony with caps and gowns- it's pre-k for goodness sake and then proceeded to bawl like a baby through the entire thing. I'm prepared this time. Kleenex is already stocked in the purse.

Baby is doing well. He has slept through the night 2 of the last 3 nights. He is smiling and belly laughing and even though the ceiling fan gets the most smiles, I do manage several myself. Here is a video of him talking to the fan....

Life moves on

Today I registered the girl for kindergarten. It is hard to believe that she is already old enough. Sudsy is 6 weeks old today and he has seamlessly entered into our family. The older ones fight over who gets to hold him and they track how long to make sure it is equal. He slept through the night three times last week- twice for 7 hours and once for 8 hours. I went out with a friend Saturday night to see the comedian Brian Regan and my parents babysat all three without a hitch. I also went with a friend to the Astros last night and let daddy have a night alone with the kids. The calendar has been so full that I barely get any down time. I'm wondering how I fit work into this schedule!

Big sis always gets a smile


Baseball season has begun- opening day parade

School Carnivals

Word of caution about Jim Waller- do not use this builder!

I have been meaning to write this post for months as I hope it saves one person from the grief we have experienced over the past year in building our dream home. There is a saying that in any project you can have quality, schedule, or cost- pick two. Unfortunately, with our new home, we received none of the above. We were promised a 90 day construction, barring any weather delays. We finally moved into the unfinished home 8 months after the foundation was poured. The budget is currently 25% over and we are still finishing on our own to save money. I had to bring in two carpenters, painters, roofers, and plumbers to fix and finish what was not completed. The builder walked off our job last December and we have not heard from him since. We lived through multiple subs walking off the job and the ones who stayed, doing subpar work and complaining about the builder.

If you are considering using Jim Waller, who has several company names- MasterMark Enterprises as well as Calvert Christopher homes, I strongly encourage you to look elsewhere.

Kids say

Hubby and the boy attended my last ob appointment before Sudsy was born. While in the waiting room, the boy picked up a magazine about pregnancy. Inside were sonogram pictures, one of a boy and the other of a girl. He brought it to me and said- this one is a girl and her name is Labia. I told him to go tell his father and we both were brought to tears we were laughing so hard. A little later he wanted to know why it was so funny and we explained 'labia' was a female body part.

Later that afternoon, we stopped by the store to get jeans for hubby. There was a shirt that said I don't give a with a picture of a rat and a donkey. Hubby and I chuckled when we saw it and the boy asked- why is 'I don't give a rat's horse' so funny? I explained that it was a picture of a donkey and another name for donkey is a curse word. Since he's such an expert on curse words with not only knowing how to use in context but also how to spell them on (read back to the 'f' word incident in 1st grade) he caught on quickly and then asked if he wore that shirt to school what would happen.

Arrival

Wednesday, March 12th was the big day- 'Sudsy Pumpkin Pie' so aptly named by the girl made his big debut. I was induced around 9 am and he was born at 4:21 in the afternoon. Not so fast for a 3rd baby, but he was turned sunny side up, so I had to work for it. Overall, it was as pleasant a delivery as I could have ever wanted- night and day different from the first two. It was quiet, peaceful, controlled and not the least bit stressful. Obviously medicated as well :)

He's doing very well and other than a little jaundice that will lead us to 3 doctor visits in one week, no issues. I am feeling much closer to normal than I would anticipate at this time. The siblings are adjusting well and want to be with him and hold him all the time.

Artist

This evening, hubby decides to draw a sketch of himself and the girl:

Then she asks for one of Mommy. I give him the evil eye and before he even begins, he knows he is in trouble and starts laughing so hard he's crying. Apparently, I have one really swollen leg and a tiny head.

Baby baby baby

I find out today whether next Tuesday or Wednesday is the big day. I am nervous, excited, anxious and almost ready. Physically, I'm ready. I still have work to finish up- writing a report, transferring information, setting everything up for the time I'll be out of the office. I've resigned myself to the fact that the house will not be finished in time for baby, but we have made lost of progress the past month. The grass is mostly down, the fence is part way up and the water heater issues are fixed. Most exciting are the gas lights that are finally installed on the front of the house.

Weekend before last we took the kids on the sibling tour at the hospital. They practiced holding and diapering a doll baby and were officially crowned the toy police to make sure baby doesn't play with dangerous toys or toys that are choking hazards.


Last weekend was a baby luncheon given by my mom and mother-in-law. It was mostly family with a few close friends and was wonderful to get to catch up. I really am lucky to be surrounded by so many wonderful people in my life and I do not take that for granted.

I survived the first two days of work this week which I had been dreading. A group of 10 from Canada were in town for tech assurance purposes on our project on Monday and Tuesday was a workshop to identify risks. They both went well and I'm glad to have that behind me. My project team also presented me with a very nice card and gift cards to Babies R Us, which was totally unexpected but much appreciated.

Kids

I apologize for the lack of posting lately. I'm trying to get the house organized and put together before baby comes, because it definitely matters to the baby. I have made quite a bit of progress with the nursery but still feel like I have miles to go on the rest of the house. Hubby is making quite good progress with putting down grass and if the rain would ever stop long enough for the ground to dry out, we might get a fence.
The kids are getting excited and also regressing a bit, especially the girl. She's been clingy and whiney and I have been tired and exhausted and lack any sort of patience these days, which makes it all worse.
Here are some pics that I finally downloaded.

She is fascinated with the spinning of the washing machine.

I wonder what she's dreaming about? Pinewood Derby- Judge's Favorite!
TV issue still not resolved, so right now, it's just a dream...
Yes, I am this huge and bloated!! And my friends are too good to me.

Shower

I finally finished the book Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka and it was an ephiphany. It has completely changed the way I view my son and and I am slowly working on changing my reactions to include less anger and more empathy. One of the messages in the book is to try to understand why they are acting the way they do and it is not because of defiance or because they are out to get you.

One of the big struggles we had was getting the boy out of bed and moving in the morning. When I looked at it from an angle of understanding, I realized that it takes quite a bit for his father and I to get out of bed and get moving in the morning as well. My routine includes a warm bath and a cup of coffee while hubby prefers a long, hot shower. As a trial, we replaced the boy's evening bath with a morning shower and the results are amazing. He still doesn't bounce out of bed, but 30 minutes of begging, pleading and yelling have been replaced by a five minute warning that the window to take a shower is closing. He is then a happy, agreeable child after the shower. The more subdued morning has spilled into his school day and he goes off to school happy and is now having more good days than bad. All because of a shower!

True colors

I knew that my mom leaned towards the right on her thoughts and ideas, but I had no idea just how closed minded she was until the other morning. We had a conversation about politics, which I always tried to avoid. I tried to ignore the fact that she called all the candidates by their last name, except for Hillary, which I do find a bit demeaning. Her hatrid for Clinton has long been clear. Not that she's my choice for president and nationalized medicine for all scares the wits out of me after learning about how well Canada's system works, but I do think she deserves the same amount of respect as the others. How much respect politicians deserve is a whole other conversation, but I digress.

I made mention that I was so glad it did not look to be another right wing extremist in the running on the republican side. I stated that I could not take another 8 years of it in office. She mentioned that she liked Bush and that she thinks he did make our country safer. I couldn't disagree more on that point, but when she added that she's terrified because of all the Muslins moving into our country, I nearly flipped my lid. I tried to remain calm as I explained that it is actually a peaceful religion and that radicals exist in every society. I also mentioned the very fact that our country is 'the melting pot' is what made us great. Then she proceeded into a tirade on how difficult it is to work with this nationality or this other nationality. I think she needs some serious diversity and inclusiveness training. Like maybe making friends with some people outside her tiny world. I'm still irritated by it all. Certainly not to say that I don't have my biases and prejudices, we all do, but I do at least try to understand where people come from and understand how cultural differences can affect our interactions.

Monkey

One monkey off my back this weekend. Well, actually two. I went through the 6+ months of boxes stuffed with the 'to be filed' papers and sorted and filed and organized. I hate filing. The even bigger monkey was finishing up the books for both businesses and incorporating all the comments from the bookkeeper and organizing all the data and dropping it off with the tax guy. Whew! I hate tax time.

The next major task at hand I've nicknamed Operation Baby. We need to prepare the nursery, stock up on baby supplies, buy and install infant car seats, pack the bag for the hospital, take the kids on a sibling tour at the hospital and probably the most challenging is to agree on a name.

I've already warned hubby that completing Operation Baby just means that I'll next be on him about finishing up all the little projects around the house. Aren't hormones fun?

The windows

Hubby and I have been trying to reframe the way we look at the house. It is difficult because each and every day we find more flaws. Speaking of which, we finally hired a real plumber to come out and assess the damage. If anyone is interested in installing tankless water heaters, I've become quite the educated resource. Where was I? Oh yes, positive reframing. It really is quite amazing that we are now living and breathing in a space that we envisioned and created. We are more than pleasantly surprised with how easy and nice it is to live in this house and how well it really does work for us.

Three windows that we had the architect add on the east side of the living room frame nature perfectly. I can lay on my couch and watch the sky change colors and trees blow in the wind. It is a picture frame that changes throughout the day. There is a similar window in the master shower on the second floor that I equally enjoy.

I finally made the phone call I have been dreading and brooding over for months. I called the architect to give feedback on his recommendation, our builder. He was more than appreciative for the feedback and immediately stated he will never be recommended again. I had a brief twinge of guilt, although I don't wish our experience on our worst enemy.

In other news, hubby had the luxury of taking both kids to the doctor to get a strep diagnosis- the boy on Tuesday and the girl today. Luckily we got it early and they are up and playing like nothing is wrong.

Boom box

Yesterday evening as I walked the boy home in the cold drizzle (seriously people- enough of the cold and the rain- this is Houston- we're not supposed to have winter here), we ran across the neighbor boy down the street and his friend. The boy shouts out- Brian! Brian! Hey Brian! Is that a radio? They nod and then the older kid turns to me and says- this is an old timey radio- like what you used to have? It's a circa 1980's something boom box with a tape player and I solemnly nod yes. The kid responds with our stuff sounds a lot better.

When did I get old? How did this happen? And since when is a boom box considered an old timey radio? Isn't that a phonograph or something?

Actual Door

Not the best picture and the trim has to be painted before it can be installed, but you get the idea...

Door

We finally received our long anticipated, very hard to find, custom craftsman front door last week. This is what we ordered, although ours is stained ebony. I'll have to update with a picture of ours this evening. The locksmith came and rekeyed all my locks Friday, the carpenter installed the door on Saturday, and we had people out yesterday to stain it. The carpenter still has to install the trim around the door, but has to cut the stone first to make more room.

In other news, we are heading to arbitration with Conn's over the tv issue. We filed a small claims lawsuit and they denied any responsibility for selling us a smashed plasma. Unfortunately, the courts are backed up and it could be March before we get a date for arbitration. Looks like we won't be having the SuperBowl party at our house. I'm really not up to it either, I am still terribly exhausted and now it hurts to sit, to move, to walk. I don't remember this from the first two, but I'm sure its part of the blocking bad memories so our species will survive.

My in-laws brought us a housewarming present yesterday....a Keurig single cup brewing machine. We've decided to put it in the master bathroom as our bedroom is upstairs and the kitchen is downstairs. We have something similar at work, so I'm already spoiled, but having a coffee bar in our master suite has me all a flutter.

Still much, much, much work to do on the house, but we're very slowly getting it punched out. The builder has dropped off the radar, which is ok with us because now it is all in our control and nagging him to get things finished wasn't working very well. Hubby is insisting on laying sod himself and I've tried to convince him of the folly of his idea. I replayed the story of him insisting to move our possessions into storage and the many treatments required by the chiropractor to fix him. He insists laying sod will not screw up his back. I insist he's not 16 anymore as he was when he worked as a landscaper and that I need his help more inside to prepare for the baby!!!! Approximately 9 more weeks until our life is completely turned upside down again.

Crossing

School started back today. The kids really had a hard time getting up and going, which is understandable since the last two weeks have been late nights followed by late and lazy mornings. I'm fairly certain I didn't get out of my pajamas before noon (sometimes 5 pm) except one or two days. Today is also the first day the boy has been a walker. The girl and I walked him the 2 houses down and across the street the school. Also had a quick chat with the crossing guard. This is what we've spent the last nearly two years dreaming about!

Nano

Moving stinks. Boxes seem to multiply when placed in the house. And none will magically empty themselves.

I've been more tired than usual. Doctor's office just called to tell me that I am anemic.

We still don't have grass. This is especially fun with a dog.

I received an IPod Nano for my present from hubby. My seven year old is teaching me how to use it. This could take awhile.

A Christmas poem

Twas the night before Christmas, when my son finally asked.
Mom, there is a secret I really need to know.
Some kids at school say it is their mom and their dad
who leave all the gifts, it's all just a show.
Others say Santa is true and they just don't know.
I am really confused and don't know what to believe.

I answer with a question, surprised it has taken this long-
Are you sure you want to know?
A quick nod of the head from the boy and I answer, yes it is me.
I knew it he says with a cheer.
So soon you will leave to buy gifts for sister and me?

No honey, I will not leave, all the gifts are already here.
Now that you know, from your sister this secret we'll keep
and we'll all still believe in the magic in this time of year.

Wednesday, December 19, 2008

The official move in. The kids were so excited it was nearly 10 pm before they fell asleep. The dog didn't know quite what to think and was pacing nervously around the house. Hubby and I spent the majority of the evening unpacking to make sure we knew where all the essentials were for the morning- towels, soap, shampoo, coffee maker, filters and mugs.... When my head first hit the pillow in my long anticipated wait for my pillow top king sized mattress, I had to let out a sigh of relief. Home sweet home.

CO

I didn't want to post anything until it was official, lest I ask for additional problems. Now I can safely say that we passed the electrical and plumbing final on Friday, and the mechanical and building final today. Which means.....the city will issue us the certificate of occupancy!!!!

Cursed

Yep, I'm fairly certain our new house is cursed. Another day, another two failed inspections. We finally unwrapped the 50" plasma and it looks like it was shattered by a baseball. Over half of our brand new appliances have dents or scratches. And of course, no one wants to take responsibility. Sure, why not us? Although none of this is our fault, we keep paying through the nose. Fair? Who cares! Screw the little guy.

Gone

I've often wondered what the other side of sanity would look like. I've walked the line between sane and insane before. I was fairly certain I'd know when I got to the other side. What I am finding out is that it is actually a fine line and stepping over it is not obvious.

Here is just a small sample of the things I have done lately. Saturday evening, I stopped at a red light like it was a stop sign and then started proceeding into the intersection. Fortunately, I slammed on the brakes when I realized what I was doing.

This morning, I showed up at my dentist's office for my appointment. It seemed like I had just been there, but hey, it was on my calendar. I signed in, sat down and alarms went off right when the receptionist was about to tell me I wasn't scheduled for that day. It then dawned on me that Dr. Teller is my dermatologist, not my dentist. Teller/Janik- one can see how I would get those confused.

Monday, I called for the gas meter to be installed. Again. First time the guy came out, and he made a list of all the reasons why we weren't ready. Something about lines not being installed yet. Second time, he put the meter on, and it started twirling around. Everything should have been capped off or connnected. Well, there was one line at the oven that was not capped. So, the plumber fixed all and I called again. Now the lady tells me we have to get an inspection first. She was not sure why the order went through the first two times. We can't move in until we get gas (i.e. heat and hot water). I cried. I threw things around in my office.

Did I mention that I ran my checkbook through the wash? You know- the one we're using for building the house and has the record of what we've paid to the subs.

Quite frankly, I am afraid I am a danger to myself and others. I find myself pulling incredibly stupid maneuvers in the car, flying off the handle at the slightest issue, and crying when something doesn't work out the way I think it should. And somebody help me if my husband doesn't do exactly what I want him to do. Like when the glass people installed a mirror in my powder room, even though they were not supposed to as I have a decorative mirror to hang there. I told him to make sure they remove it. He said it looked nice and we should just leave it. He got an earful of expletives and finally complied. Just for good measure, I left a nice message for the builder that was saturated with sarcasm. Even people at work are starting to fear me.

None of this is good for my health or the health of the baby and I have never had blood pressure issues until the last few weeks. Everyone is telling me to rest. Hah. I need to get away. Far, far away.

Move in

I've started and restarted this post four times. The house (or lack thereof) has been weighing on me heavily and I have not been in the best of moods. I am seriously lacking the confidence that the house will ever be finished. Tiler #4 has failed to show up for a week straight. There's only about a day's worth of work left. The HVAC guy won't return my builder's phone calls. Each day brings a new problem, issue, disappointment. I know this will all pass and hopefully one day we'll look back on this and laugh, but right now, it is all consuming and extremely anxiety inducing.

Even though nothing is finished, all is about 90% there, we are planning moving in our belongings Wednesday. I do not know when we will be able to follow. If a small miracle happens, and we actually can get gas and electricity connected, we may be able to follow suite. But nothing, I repeat nothing will be finished.

But here are some pictures......

Playoffs

I have mentioned the boy's baseball team this season. They are the number one seed and we are in the middle of the playoffs. They lost the first game of the playoffs on Saturday and it was a nail biter. The other team really stepped up and ours played worse than they had ever played before. Luckily, it is a two game elimination, so we moved into the losers bracket after the game Saturday.

Instead of playing Saturday, Thursday, and the following Saturday to win the championship, our schedule is Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. We won last night's game, so it is the next round this evening. The kids are nervous and hopefully last night renewed their confidence. The parents are holding their breath the entire game. Go Riverdogs!!

Butterfly princess and the ninja

One of those days

You know the kind of day that the only thing pulling you through is the thought of a huge glass of wine at the end of it? That was my day today, only I can't use my usual crutch, so the only thing pulling me through was that it would eventually end.

The day started off innocently enough. The kids were in a good mood this morning when I was trying to light a fire under them so they wouldn't be late for school. I started in on my work and was happily minding my own business when I was notified that my project had been shelved. Then I sent out an innocent email about working from home tomorrow and shortly received a mass email from my new 'I'm stuck in my ways and don't care how the world operates these days because I am 182 days away from retirement' boss that is trying to micro manage.

Help me out here. If he doesn't need to know what I am working on every day that I am in the office and my anticipated accomplishments for the day, why does he need to know the gory details when I am working from home? If I am not a trust worthy employee then I shouldn't be working there in the first place. But don't worry, I sent a snarky reply that met all of his requirements while letting him know what I think of his demands. I'm sure Monday will be pleasant when I return to the office when I receive my reprimand.

Oh yes, back to the rest of my day. Several in my department headed across town to check out the venue for our holiday party. The traffic was horrible on the way home and I made a panicked call to my mom to get the kids before they closed. Then I remembered I still had to pay the boy's after school care, so I rushed to his school to drop off the check. And the director wanted to talk to me about the boy's behavior. After stressing to get there by the time they closed, fighting traffic for two hours, getting my job canceled, and my boss irritating the ever living you know what out of me, I told her it would have to wait until tomorrow. I was afraid she'd lose her head if it didn't.

So, please. I am begging you. Someone drink a large glass of wine for me!

Gifting

Since I don't have control over much in my life, I love to take charge of the things I can control. Like holiday shopping. I am halfway through my list with either items I know I will purchase or ones I already have. I even have a few of the hard ones out of the way. I do have a dilema with my neices and nephew. Their ages are 5, 3, and 1. They don't have as much family around like my kids do, but I do know they are not hurting in the toy department. I might be projected my own feelings onto those of my bro-in-law and sis-in-law, but I know that it makes me sick to think of all the money wasted on toys my kids will never use.

So, should I buy one big gift for all the kids, something that they will use? Hard to know what that range of age could all use though. Or should I buy them all savings bonds? Not exciting for them to open, but quite useful (although not nearly as much with the dollar as weak as it is now). I know I should discuss with the parents, but we still have not caught up with them to drop off the 3 year olds birthday present from four weeks ago.

It's a ......

Boy! Not that I was surprised- I was fairly confident since I was first pregnant. Actually, I knew I'd have a boy then a girl than a boy. Everything looks good, growth right on track.

The weekend was nice. The boy played with friends on the street most of the day Saturday and Sunday. Saturday morning, Mom and I drove halfway across town to spend 10 minutes at a place that sells stone to pick out the slate for the hearth then scrambled around looking for birthday presents. Saturday afternoon, hubby took the boy to a birthday party (hence the scrambling for the presents) and the girl and I checked out the ArBOOretum. Sunday, I sorted through the piles of mail and got caught up on our books for both businesses. We ate dinner at the in-laws last evening. It's nice when hubby's home for the weekend.

I'll try to take some pictures of the house and post soon. It really looks like a house now. Electric fixtures should all be installed today. The stairs are halfway stained. Kitchen cabinet doors painted and installed this week, along with all the hardware. Counter tops go in Thursday or Friday. HVAC wrapped up the end of this week. Electricity run by the middle of this week, gas is going in today. Water turned on today, so the plumber can install fixtures and toilets. Hopefully, the trim work will also be complete so the touch up painted can be finished by the end of this week, beginning of next. That just leaves flooring and the final cleaning, I think. It will still probably be a month more, though. Just trying not to get my hopes up.

Unrealistic expectations

I would like to say that every day that passes we are one day closer to move in, but it does not appear to be the case. More like every 3 or 4 days that pass.....

I am afraid I have set up completely unrealistic expectations for when we finally are in the house and settled. We did spend nearly a year designing the house- not for the way we want to live, but for the way we actually do live and tried to anticipate the changes for when the children grow older. I seem to think our life will be simple and perfect when we move in- it will all be organized and clean. As much as I would love to live that way, it hasn't been that way since we had children.

I have always wanted a vegetable garden. Me, the one who has killed ivy in the past. And the landscape architect has incorporated my wishes. The space in the backyard, behind the garage, is dedicated for my garden. I want the children to love vegetables as much as I do and what better way than to nurture and grow vegetables themselves? Yet the lemon tree I owned for 5 years is still nothing more than a few sparse twigs.

Living the way I want to live- peaceful, organized, will require change in every one's behavior. Am I being unrealistic?

Two days!!!!!

Arghhhhh!!! The painters finished up this weekend. The house should be crawling with people. Electricians, plumbers, carpenters- oh my! But NOT ONE person has been at the house working Monday or Tuesday. I am so angry right now I'm afraid my head might pop off. And the builder has not returned calls from last evening or today.

I hate to say it, but the next innocent person to irritate me is likely to regret it.

Just when you think all hope is lost...

Something amazing happens. Just to give a little background information, the boy not only struggles in school, but also in baseball. Coach started him off as catcher but soon sent him to outfield due to his lack of attention. During practices, he is regularly sent to the bench for goofing around, disrupting others, not listening. His father and I stand out by his position at left field so we can yell at him to stop playing with his hat, taking off his glove, talking to his friends on the other team....

That is why batting practice took all of us by surprise Friday evening. He stepped into the cage and was determined and focused. Coach couldn't find any flaws in his technique and was amazed after he hit time and time again. He told me after practice he'd seen kids turn around, but never that soon in the season. He was truly amazed. Saturday morning was the game and the boy again brought that focus and determination. He even brought in the winning run.

After the game, the coaches give their take on how it went overall and the head coach gives out the game ball. As soon as he started talking about the turn around in attitude and amazing batting practice, I knew it was the boy. The boy knew as well because he turned around to look at me and gave me a knowing nod. I cried I was so proud. I retold the story to his father later that afternoon as he was working and missed the game. He cried as well.

It is wonderful to see him reaching his potential and being recognized for it.

It was the best of days....and the worst of days

Yesterday started off great. Even though I had to wake up an hour earlier than usual, all was right with the world as I was heading across town to play in a golf tournament on one of the most perfect days since last spring. We didn't win, be we did have a great time and I actually had some good hits despite the fact that is has been 4 months since I've touched a golf club.

Yesterday afternoon was parent/teacher conferences. Now I knew it was not going to be pretty for several reasons. First, it involves my son. Second, his teacher has the reputation of being the meanest teacher the school. Third, I have been getting notes home with the same theme- he doesn't listen! Not cooperating! And lately, they are written in all caps, underlined with many exclamations marks following.

Of course hubby has perfect timing and is out of town for this event. Right when I walked into the classroom, she jumps on me because the boy did not put his things back in his desk at the end of the day. Yes, the only one in the room who did not. It went downhill from there. She thinks he does not receive any structure or discipline at home and that he is disrespectful. I can see how she would get that impression, but I do not think she knows who she is dealing with. I've been known to scare friends when I throw the kids 'the look'. And I never, ever cave and we have been structured and disciplined with him since he was a young toddler and already becoming quite the handful. The 30 minute supposed to be only 10 minute discussion ended with her saying that he will not win. And some alluding to corporal punishment on our part and locking him up in a sparse, nothing but a bed and a book bedroom. It was times like these that make me really regret I can't down a fifth of whiskey. Or even a shot.

We're considering seeing a professional to help us deal with him. It is possible that we are doing something terribly, terribly wrong. Or at least they can help us deal with the anger building up because of his behaviour.

New Braunfels

This weekend was the much anticipated annual extended family trip to New Braunfels. It was also our 11th wedding anniversary. Hubby and I took advantage of all the family and spent Friday evening over a quiet dinner in Gruene. The weather was perfect- warm enough to jump in the fresh, cool spring waters of the Comal and cool enough to not have to stay in the water. It all passed much too quickly and it is back to the reality of our crazily busy daily lives.