Journal: January 3, 2013

Woke up this morning and straightened up the house. Still not perfect. Will finish tomorrow.

Entered my time. Didn't get my trip reports finished like I wanted, but will get them done tomorrow.

Had a Jimmie Dean turkey sausage, egg white biscuit for breakfast and took my pills. Feeling a bit better today.

Spent some time reading Eat That Frog. Good advice on overcoming procrastination. Now if only I could stop procrastinating on implementing those strategies.

Christina came up so that we could scrapbook. Unfortunately, Ms. AGP was having a pretty rough day and didn't settle down until late so we didn't get a lot done. We're going to schedule more days like today and try to make scrapbooking more of a priority.

I hadn't scrapbooked since November 29 - that's far, far too long.  Going to work this weekend on figuring out what my goals are for the year, scrapping and otherwise.

After Christina left, I looked around for lunch and unfortunately noticed the pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in the freezer. Ate that for lunch. Bummer.

Downloaded some books including Gena Showalter's Last Kiss Goodnight and Larissa Ione's Immortal Rider. Started reading the Showalter's book. Enjoying it so far. She's opening up enough mystery about the main characters that it's keeping me reading.

Took a nap until Stew got home. Then headed to Jersey for WTK's birthday party. More time in the car. Awesome!!!!!

The party was in full swing by the time we arrived, but WTK'S seemed pretty happy to see me. He was quite the little snuggler today. He came up to me three times just to sit with me. Almost had me asking who this kid is and what happened to my kid.

Laura hosted a Trashie and Angry Bird birthday party. She made the cutest cake. It was a garbage can with insects all over it.

And the decor was Angry Birds.

Two of WTK's favorite things.

Dad made pizza as he did last year.  It was yummy.  Here's Stew enjoying a slice.

Other birthday festivities:

 Laura got him candles where the flames change colors.  I couldn't get a good picture of the different colors.

 Blowing out the candles.

 Cutting the cake.

 Opening presents.

 His favorite of all - an Angry Birds trash can.

 As soon as he opened it, he had to start putting the wrapping paper in it.

 He also got an ice cream maker.  He kept pestering his dad to make ice cream tonight.  Dad finally was able to persuade him that they'd do it this weekend by offering him some already made ice cream in his favorite flavor:  Breyers Waffle Cone.

We had a good time at the party but we couldn't stay long since it's a work night.  Another 3 hours logged in the car today for me and another 5 for Stew - I think we're both looking for a day where we don't need to see the inside of a car.  Maybe Sunday?  Though, I'm going back to church on Sunday and we probably have to go to the grocery store.  Sigh.....at least they're short trips.

 Some notes about the kids from today:

1. CEH said her first word today.  It was "mine."
2. MNP was in the hospital tonight.  He had heart palpitations, though his EKG is normal.  The doctor wants him to follow up with his regular pediatrician.  I hope my little man is okay.  I'm going to have to get in touch with his mom and see what's going on.
3. Stew keeps going around saying "holy smokes" a la EAP.
4. The WTK section:

• Found out that one of his favorite Christmas time things is Nutcrackers.  I had no idea.  Found out while looking at his Christmas ornament that mom made for him this year.  It had a Nutcracker on it.  Go figure.  Unfortunately, WTK's dad is, well, he's something.  He's taught WTK to say to people, "Give me your nuts", "Put your nuts in my mouth"
• Favorite Christmas gift was his coin sorter - no real shock there.
• He's obsessed with doorbells.
• WTK's school does a Friend of the Week so the kids can get to know one another.  This week is WTK's turn.  He and Laura made a poster board of all of his favorite things.  Laura said that it was made of 6 12x12 pieces of paper and that it had room to spare.  One of the categories is his favorite foods.  He named garlic bread and bacon among the top runners.
• When one of the girls at his party was going to leave, she was going up the stairs away from her mother.  WTK told her, "You come down here, I don't want you up there."

POTD: June 18, 2012

The kids at the mini golf course with their heads inside the shark.

POTD: June 17, 2012

Stew and I with 4 of the 5 kids - we couldn't get EAP to come to us and I don't think any of us noticed where GEP decided to store the ball he won at the arcade.

POTD: June 16, 2012

All snuggled in to watch Cars on the iPad after a full day at the beach and in the pool.

POTD: June 15, 2012

On our way to the beach - this is how my little one was sleeping.

POTD: June 13, 2012

A surprising picture of all the nieces and nephews.  Except for the fact that MNP isn't smiling and GEP has his usual silly face - they all are looking at the camera, which I consider a huge success.

Journal, March 17, 2012

Do the Irish say Top O'the Evening to ya - or is it bottom O'the evening - either way, another full and when I say full, I mean, packed day.

The kids woke up far earlier than they should have this morning considering the time they went to bed.  The problem with having them all in one room is the minute one of them is up, all of them are up.  My MTP is usually the first one to open her eyes and she wakes GEP up and then inevitably MNP is woken up and GEP and MNP aren't normally happy about it.  This morning we had the added layer of WTK added to the mix.  Laura was concerned about him not getting enough sleep, but nothing, not even hell or high water was going to get that child back to sleep.  So I sent Laura back to bed and took the four munchkins downstairs with me.  MTP played with the boys for awhile, they were playing Hungry, Hungry, Hippos, but she soon bailed out in order to play with her Barbie house and then when she grew bored of that, she went to draw.  Every time MTP comes over, I have more artwork than I know what to do with.  In fact, yesterday, when she arrived she pulled out her school bag and gave me some of her school work even.  Writing, drawing and coloring are just her thing.  The boys on the other hand had a heated discussion about the rules of Hungry Hungry Hippos - GEP wanted to play one way, in the very orderly one marble at a time, by the rules, kind of way.  WTK's idea was to just let all the marbles go at once as fast as you can and let all the hippos gooble them up.  MNP didn't care about the rules as long as he won.  It was an interesting interaction.

I let them watch some Phineas and Ferb on tv - the one show they all agree on and then I got them started making shamrocks.  WTK wasn't interested in the least.  Apparently he doesn't do crafts outside of school - so no shamrock for him.  He sat on the couch and continued watching Phineas and Ferb while the other three and I painted and glued to make shamrocks.  They dove in feet first and left with green hands.  Poor Laura - it seems the only time WTK wants to do crafts is at school.  He's such a little ornery one.

Kids were finally ready for breakfast so once again I sat them down in the kitchen and they helped me cook.  I let them crack the eggs and mix the pancake batter.  Unfortunately, they didn't get to turn their pancakes this morning because I had the heat up too high and the pancakes were getting done way too fast.  I put green food coloring in the pancake batter to make them green - unfortunately it wasn't enough, but the kids still had a good time.

After breakfast was story time.  I picked up a few books on St. Patrick at the library and we sat on the couch to read it.  We had a long discussion about saints and God and then MNP told me that Jesus died by a crocodile.  Now, I'm Catholic, his family is Baptist - but still, I've never heard of any such story.  MNP told me, "Yeah, Jesus died by the crocodile and then came back to life."  MTP saved me from my confusion.  She said, "MNP, not a crocodile, the crucifix."  Giggles abounded after that.  It's amazing what kids' ears hear sometimes.

We got them dressed and shipped them out front.  They spent a large amount of time blowing bubbles.  All four of them running around the yard blowing and chasing bubbles.  WTK liked to blow his bubbles directly on the sidewalk so that he'd get a very big bubble there that he could pop.  By the time it was over, they were mostly a soapy, sudsy mess.

Didn't stop them from playing ball (we banned tackle football this morning - touch football only), doing cartwheels and just generally running around and having a good time.

(MNP watch your head!)

(I just love how he stuck his bubble stick thing in the belt buckle of his pants.  So inventive, that child)

While we were out there, the mail carrier was making her way around the cul-de-sac.  Since our mail box was blocked, I knew we weren't going to get mail so I ran down to the mail truck to collect the mail.  GEP ran down with me and the mail carrier asked if he could come out in the street.  She gave each of the kids a lollipop - they were the hardest lollipops to open, too.  I eventually got some scissors to use.  Unfortunately, I snipped GEP's a little too hard and cut right through the stick.  He still ate it, but I made him sit with me while I did.  I got some pretty cute pictures out of that.

 (They look so grown up here - and I don't like it.  I don't like it one bit.)

Laura tried to get WTK to pose with everyone else and you can kind of see them behind the kids in this picture - but it was no dice.  He was done having his picture taken.

What he was interested in was going around the yard and picking up any kind of yard debris, like leaves and sticks and putting them in the recycling.  That boy and his recycling, too much.

It was bath time next.  Got them all set to take what GEP likes to call "daddy showers".  No fooling around - we have to go.

Then it was off to see The Lorax.  I thought the movie was cute and surprisingly except for one trip to the bathroom near the very end of the movie MNP got through it.  GEP and MTP of course loved it.  WTK thought it was good, but he didn't get to sit in the very front like he wanted.  Maybe next time.

On our way out, each of the kids were given a tree to plant.

There's a mini golf course right across the street from the movies.  I wasn't quite ready to go home yet so we headed there.  Thankfully it wasn't crowded and all the kids could play by their own rules, which sometimes included just picking the ball up and putting it in the hole.  Mike and Stew played and kept score.  I'm not sure who won - I think it was Mike actually.  I was on bathroom duty.  I'd take one kid to the bathroom just to come back in time for one of the others to tell me that they had to go.  They couldn't have all decided at the same time - nope, that would have been too easy.

We headed back to the house after mini golf.  Since I drove MTP down to the movie theater, she rode back with Stew and I took the boys.  She told me when she got back that she kept asking Uncle Stew "are we there yet."  I was surprised to hear he kept telling her, "not yet," instead of "five more minutes" a la Nan.  She told me that she did it to get on his nerves.  It didn't work.  We're still trying.

MTP and Stew picked up Little Ceasars on their way home.  WTK devoured the breadsticks and all of the other kids like them as well.  After dinner, WTK, Laura and Mike headed home.  I got the other three ready for bed and they went without complaint.  Right to sleep.  Must have worn them out.

I know they wore me out.  Stew and I finished the night with just a glimpse of the TV before we crashed ourselves.

Journal, March 16, 2012

Very full and awesome day, though it didn't start out that way.

Few weeks ago realized it was time to go for my yearly check up.  I've gone to the Walmart in Dundalk for, oh my goodness, years, since 1998 or something like that.  I loved my doctor there.  Thing is, she's gone now and though she hasn't gone far, the trip to Dundalk every time I need something done for my eyes is a drag.  I decided to make an appointment at the Walmart up here in Aberdeen.  What a flipping mistake.  Today, I finally went in to pick up my glass lenses.  I love my glass frames and only ordered replacement lenses since my eyes are getting worse and worse - it took them forever to finally fit them despite taking forever to measure the glasses when I ordered the lenses.  Now I have my contact prescription for the next year and my glasses and I don't have to go back there - I'm good with that.

After getting my glasses, I headed out to pick up MNP and MTP.  I had four of them with me for the night - nothing could make me happier.  Laura was coming down with WTK and GEP's parents were bringing him.

MNP and MTP were excited to show me their dog and they were ready to go.  It's funny to me that I need to remind them that they need to say good bye to their mom.  I know they love her but in all of the excitement of the weekend, they forget. 

We then headed to the grocery store.  These two...hahahaha.  At first they fought over who could sit in the "car" part of the cart.  They solved this by both squeezing in - then complained about how cramped it was.  Taking two kids to the grocery store is an interesting endeavor.  I'm still not sure how my mother did it with four of us - other than she had the fear of God on her side.  I let the kids pick out ice cream and donuts.  The decision to pick out the donut they wanted took a good long time and then they had to pick a special one out for GEP, too.  That was pretty cute.  MNP kept asking me which one I thought GEP would like.  I mean, it's pure sugar, right?  Which one wouldn't GEP like.

We get home just in time to see GEP get out of the car.  The kids are beyond excited.  They're running around like crazy and happy to be in each other's company.  Each of them are wearing their green for St. Patrick's day tomorrow.  MNP's shirt says he's pinch proof.  I had no idea what that meant - so I pinched him anyway.  HA!

The cries of I'm hungry consumed them next and it was time to settle them down to make some grilled cheese.  I like to have all of them cook with me and tonight I let each of them assemble their sandwich and flip it while it was on the stove.  They really enjoy this.

MNP's grilled cheese was missing a little bit of a vital ingredient - I wonder why!

After dinner, WTK arrived.  This is the first time that these four have had a chance to interact on this level and it was good to see that WTK fit right in.  The other three are a rambunctious sort but WTK missed nothing.  They played Hungry, Hungry Hippos.

They played with the cars.  They played with the balls in the toy room.  They had a blast.  MTP received a Barbie Playhouse for Christmas that we didn't get a chance to put together while she was here last week, so that was top on the priority list.  Laura and I sat down to assemble it with the help of little hands. 

 Laura and I are both mechanically challenged, so it took awhile but we eventually figure it out.
It was hysterical though that after we finished putting it together all of the boys wanted to play with it, too.  Poor MTP.  All of her cousins are boys except for SMP and SMP's in Germany and all of her brothers (MNP, A, and her two step brothers) - no little girls for her to play with.  After the boys realized that there were only girl Barbies they moved on to other things, namely the Wii and MTP and I played Barbies for awhile and then she played with them by herself while the energetic boys were in the other room.

She eventually wandered into the family room as well and all of them played the Wii, in between "beat up Aunt Gina" time.

Then it was pj time and movie time before bed. 

Bedtime was interesting.  This was WTK's first sleep over and the kids weren't doing a whole lot to help him get some sleep.  It's funny because I'm used to this - when the three kids are here, I'm used to the giggling and the chattering and the fight to get them to go to sleep.  Laura isn't and she was worried that WTK wouldn't get enough sleep with them disturbing him - which is probably true, but I think that's part of the fun of a sleepover.  These kids are always up later than they should be. 

We finally got them settled down though and they were all huddled in their sleeping bags in the living room sacked out.

Pretty normal day when the kids are around - the house is an almost disaster.  I'm exhausted and very, very happy.  We have a full day planned for tomorrow.  I need some sleep!

I forgot to mention that all of my kids got their St. Patrick's Day cards with the exception of WTK - his probably came today but he was already on his way down here.  GEP wore his to school and was sad that it broke, but his mom fixed it so it was okay.  MTP wrote me a thank you note which was so precious.  She drew animals on it to represent herself and MNP - and she wrote that the animals could be cats or dogs.  Awesome!


(I should mention that while all of this craziness was going on, Stew decided to head to the auction - no one can accuse that man of being stupid.)