Some kid fun!

I was looking through some pictures and wanted to share.

This one is very common in my house. Emma loves to push Timmy in his dump truck!


Emma is holding up a Valentine she received from her "Aunt" Andrea in FL. As you can see, Timmy had decided to take the sink out and sit in its place.


And here is Timmy sporting his new bike helmet with matching elbow and knee pads! Doesn't he look adorable!!!

Proud Doesn't Come Close

Who needs Italy when you have Nursery School Olympics here in NY? Not us!



The excitement has been building for a couple of weeks now. The children have been practicing and making all the decorations for the big day. The day they would come together and compete in front of their families. They were the athletes and the stars of the day.

At 10:30, the parade of athletes began. As the children got ready to walk in, my heart started pounding and you can hear me on the video praying that Emma could do it. What was her biggest obstacle you might be thinking? It is being in front of people. That is right, I wasn't worried about if she was capable of any of the events. I was worried that my girl would revert back to the shrinking flower.

For everyone that doesn't know, last year Emma didn't speak at all to her teachers and very, very rarely to any children in her class. This year has been different. She loves her friends and has been participating in class a lot more. Why would I think she couldn't handle this? During her Halloween parade, she saw me and started crying and that was the end of the parade for her. Emma can't handle being in front of a crowd or in the spot light. She is a lot like me. I so wish she wasn't.

But back to the parade of athletes. This is MY daughter...

She is the second from the right. AND this is their second time around marching!! Can you say PROUD??? She did awesome. Right then, I didn't think my day could get any better.

Then it was time for the Pledge. That took a little while since many of the children couldn't figure out what hand to use. After that the children shouted "Let the Games BEGIN!!!"

The first event was Slide Skating. This was too cute. The children stood on wax paper and slid down to a cone, around and then back to the finish line. It wasn't a big group of children. They did it 2 at a time. This meant the spot light was full blown on those two children. All of the children participated in every event. So as I sat and waited I prayed that my daughter would have the courage to do this. It came her time and she got up and waited for the wax paper to be put on the floor and then this happened...

I sat watching with tears in my eyes. This was the moment my little girl had conquered her fear! At this moment, I was the proudest mom in the place!! All of the other children, never had a problem participating. These children have been together for 2 years and it was always Emma that dropped out. Not today! Today my girl did it. And she did it well!!! She won her competition. Not that there are winners or losers, but my girl crossed the finish line, when the other child was just getting to the cone. My baby did it!! She was in the spot light, had a smile on her face and succeeded!!!

Next up was the beach towel luge!! This was so funny!! One child lays on the towel while two other children pull them down to the cone around and back. Emma went 2 times. That is right TWO!!! She was the "Layer" as she called it. It was cute and the children did a good job pulling her. The second time, her "boyfriend" (that's what he says) Jake and her friend Lauren pulled her. I so wish I could put the video of that up. You would be doubled over laughing. They pulled her so fast (remember she is a light weight) that the other children weren't even to the cone when they crossed the finish line.



Here she is being the "layer"!

The next event was "Four Wheeled Curling". We didn't get a good picture of her, but here are her friends Alaina and Skylar getting ready to push their cars. They had to push them and get them in a brown square. And if you are wondering, Emma did it!!



The last event was the Snowpuff Toss. The children throw the little puff that you wash your skin with. It was cute. After that, they ran up to us and had a snowball fight with it. Here is Emma after she threw it at me.


We then had the medal ceremony and the national anthem!!




Here she is after all of the events. She made the torch and flag at school. The medal is from the awards ceremony. It was a GREAT day. One that her father and I will never forget!

And then came 7 PM

The day was relatively uneventful, compared to the day before, until 7 PM!

I ran down to the basement to get some night time diapers for little man. I found them on a high shelf slightly behind a huge Sam's Club box of Huggies diapers. The shelves are slatted so I can put my hand through the bottom and try to push the diapers out from there. What I didn't realize is that the bigger box was starting to move. So as I manuevered the diapers the big box came down an hit me on the head and then bounced off my thigh. I was so stunned and dizzy, I thought I was going to pass out. So, of course, I finished getting the diapers and made my way back up the stairs. Pretty much the first 5 minutes after that are a fog. When the box hit me, I heard my neck crack in a couple of places. For those that don't know, I have a bulging disc between my 3rd and 4th cervical spinal column. So any trama to the area is not a good thing. I wasn't that concerned about that, I was scared I had a minor concusion(?). The dizziness subsided before I fell asleep, but my neck is pretty bad today. If my neck didn't hurt, I would totally be laughing about the whole thing.

So on to the second part of the night...did you really think that was it? We were getting the kids ready for bed in their bathroom, you know teeth brushing, vitamins, flouride rinse and yes the fighting over the winnie the pooh paper cups! So David gets more cups out of the closet and hands them to Emma to put on the counter, me still being in a fog didn't hold Timmy long enough for Emma to put them up. So he bolts over to where she is and pushes her. Which really is nothing new and no big deal but she landed.... are you ready? Sara, if you are drinking swallow now!! She fell in the toilet! Yes, that is corrected! The toilet and the counter are next to each other and there is a small space between them where Emma usually stands. Well, Timmy wanted in there to get to the cups and just pushed her, not hard but hard enough for her to lose her balance and land in the toilet! David pulled her out and all she could say was, "Dad, I think I fell in the toilet?! And my heiny, underwear and nightgown are all wet!" It was quite funny.

So that was our night!! I am also happy to report that I was able to watch all of my shows the other night! They were GREAT!! I really wanted that Brenna chick booted, but hopefully next week. She really bugs me. Dancing with the stars was GREAT!! I just want to dance like these people. Well I would need David to be able to dance also for it to work. Drew Lahey and his partner were AWESOME. They did a freestyle dance to Big and Rich's "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" song!! If I was Drew's wife I would have had a big chatwith him afterwards. He keep hugging his partner like that had something going on. His wife looks like she is ready to give birth at any moment. Anyway, it was such a fun dance to watch!! I have actually watched it 3 times since Thursday night. Thank goodness for TIVO!!

I apologize for any spelling errors. I'm still a little out of it.

Raising Tim Tim

What is it about the second child? Or is it that he is a boy? Or is it that I named him Timmy? My mother told me that name would be trouble. Or is it that he is living up to our expectations with the name Timmy? Whatever it is, Emma has gotten the short end of the stick today.

It started out with him biting her finger because he wanted something. Not just the normal, "feel my teeth, now give me that toy" kind of bite. The kind of bite that leaves marks. The kind of bite that reminds me of the triplets. You know what I am talking about, Kim. And this was at 8:30 this morning.

Then Susan (speech teacher) came to work with the kids. Timmy was up first and we attempted playdough, but that was not good. He kept putting in his mouth. So on to plan 2, get something out of Susan's bag of tricks. Well that didn't go well either. He was fired up today, so it wasn't a good speech session.

After lunch it was naptime. I don't think Timmy got the memo on that. He played up there and then decided to scream and cry for me to get him. I finally brought him down and then 30 minutes later, he was beating his sister on the head with their toy fishing pole. What the heck is going on???? I am really, give me a break. So now Emma has a bruise on her forehead and a scratch by her eye.

Then while cooking dinner (did you think the day ended with the fishing pole?) he was puching his dump truck and split his lip with his tooth. Thank goodness it wasn't bad, but it could have very easily been bad if it was a little harder.

So if the next time you see me, I'm bald or all grey, know that it was the workings of a little boy named Timmy. Or as he likes to refer to himself as Tim Tim while slapping his chest. Yes, he is quite a character!!

So they are now in bed and my problem is what to watch on TV from my recliner. There is just too much. I have the first elimination on American Idol, the finals of Dancing with the Stars and the skating on the Olympics! Why can you go forever with nothing on and then BAM! there are 3 things you want to watch!! So all of the TIVO's in my house will be working like crazy. Wish me luck on watching everything. Have a great night everyone!!

Wishing for Spring!!

I am having a really tough time lately. I can't seem to get out of my own way. At first, I thought maybe a mini mid-life crisis. Now I am thinking, it is more the winter blues. I don't know, could it be any of these things, all of these things, or more stuff that I just haven't thought of. Sometimes I feel like I just want to jump out of my skin.

I haven't been able to workout lately. Well, I guess that is actually a lie. I worked out 3 times and then tried the next couple of days with too many interruptions from the kids. Then it got to let me eat something for lunch first, wow I ate too much, let me just sit in the recliner and watch something on TV and then aw, Timmy is going to be awake soon so I can start now. Yes, all excuses!!! Then I get mad at myself. Another wasted afternoon! This is also a part of my rough time. I am just not motivated to do anything, I mean ANYTHING!! Oh wait, I am motivated to sit in the recliner and eat cookies.

On another note, Jake is recooperating very well!! Actually, I am thinking he needs the lump put back in. He has been a royal PITA lately!! I mean really, does he need to lick his paw at 3 AM!! Or stand in front of me and bark as soon as I sit down. The dog has more energy lately. Was the lump weighing him down? Whatever it is I am so happy that he is ok!!

Oh, and for everyone laughing at the dog food incident, I laughed too!! Come on, it was hysterical. Timmy was just staring at me like, "You're on your own Momma!"

Speaking of Timmy, I put him to bed tonight and came down stairs (to my recliner) and then hear soemthing. What was it...oh and make sure you read it fast! "come momma, come momma, come momma, come momma, come momma, come momma, come momma, come momma, come momma, come momma, come momma, come momma" Timmy needed me. I laughed all the way up the stairs. It was like a chant. I had told him that if he needs me, not to cry, but to say come momma and I would hear him and come. Well it worked and boy did it bring a smile to my face.

It is official, Timmy will be receiving OT. Hopefully, it will start next week. I have mixed feelings about it, but if it will help even a little, it is worth it.

Emma is doing great!! She is very excited about school. They are having the Olympics next Monday. I will be sure to take pictures. I am keeping my fingers crossed that she participates. She is usually a shrinking flower in front of crowds, but so are her parents.

Well I need to end this. American Idol is on and I can't miss the boys. And yes, since I am older than all of them, they are boys!

Have a great night everyone. Wish for Spring and beautiful weather. The kids and I really need to get outside and have fun!

Did you ever just know...

that something not so good was going to happen?

I went to Sam's Club yesterday with the kids and my mom. She took Emma in her cart and Timmy and I decided to conquer the store. Halfway through, I realized I forgot the dog food. So back we go to get it.

I wheel the cart right up to it (it weighs 44 lbs) so I can slide it in. So as I slide it, I feel some pieces hit my fingers. Thinking there must have been a few on the bag, I look back and see a mess of dog food on the pile of bags. "Hmmmm, I hope that isn't from our bag Tim." So as I look, YUP, there it is. Ugh, so now I have to lift the thing (44 lbs!!) out of the cart. As I go to lift I hear what sounds like a big rip. Well, no need to look...dog food starts spilling in the cart, on to the floor, well just about all over. Thank goodness an employee rounded the corner. I apologized and then asked him to get the bag out of my cart. So with a new bag, we were off to finish shopping.

While getting all the groceries out at the checkout counter, dog food fell off the box of diapers. Quickly I swept them under the checkout so no one would get hurt. Thinking that was the end of the dog food saga...I put on my mittens to find....you guessed it more dog food. Unbelievable. I am just glad Emma was with my mom, otherwise I wouldn't have heard the end of it.

A Year Ago

Where were you 1 year ago?

This is were I was...


If your not sure what you are looking at, I was at the GREAT AMERICAN RACE!! That's right, The Daytona 500!! With some of the best seats in the place.

This year was quite different. I sat in my living room in front of the big screen TV. Which was ok, because right now I am typing this and not standing in a mass of people trying to get back to our car. Last year it took 2 hours to get the bus which brought us to the field were our car was parked. Then another hour or so to get to my girlfriend's house. She lives 10 minutes from the track!!

For those of you that have no interest in the race, I was like that when I first met David. Then I started watching and understanding everything that goes on...it is pretty wild. When you are at a race, I have been to two of them, you really need to rent a radio that allows you to listen to the drivers in the cars. That is quite entertaining. My first race was at Pocono Raceway. Definitely not as exciting as Daytona. This race is considered the Super Bowl of the racing world. There is just something about this race.

Last year I was so lucky to get tickets to give to David for his birthday. My girlfriend has a connection with a higher up and I was so grateful to get them. The best part, Jeff Gordon won. David's favorite driver...could it have been any better!!

Well now I am off to watch Extreme Home Makeover!!

Healthy Teeth!

The 2nd cavity was filled today. Can I just say, it was awful!! I just wanted to grab her and run out. Mind you, this procedure should have taken only 10 minutes. Yeah, right!! So 35 minutes later I feel sick to my stomach and almost tell her "we are going to Disney, so just open your mouth so we can get out of here!!" Anyway, it is done! Thank Goodness!!!

What a Day!

The day started out saying goodbye to our beloved pet as he went off to have surgery. The children were fine with it. We assured them that Daddy would be bringing him home after work. I think Mommy and Daddy weren't so sure of that. We were nervous! Before Jake went I was sure to get pictures of him with the kids.


And then he was off. So excited to go for a ride. He used to go for rides all of the time. Then Emma came along and poor Jake lost his ride. Our vet makes house calls so he doesn't even get to ride there anymore. The kids and I went on a field trip with Emma's school to the dentist's office. It is actually Emma's dentist we went to visit which was great!! Especially since we are headed there today for her second filling. Timmy was really well behaved. He even loved getting a ride int he chair. He didn't want to get out. David said I should have offered the dentist $50 to look at his teeth right then and there!




After that it was home to wait for news about Jake. If I didn't hear anythig by 3 I was going to call them. Thankfully, the doctor called a little before that to say my furry baby was fine. He made it through like a champ. The lump was bigger than we had thought and it was being sent out for testing. His teeth were cleaned and nails clipped. I was so relieved. I told Maggie (our basset hound) that Jake would be home soon and she sat by the window waiting. She didn't eat or drink all day. She just slept. When Jake had left she sat by the window until I convinced her he wasn't coming home until later. She was so sad.

So I sat with Maggie by the window waiting for Jake. We were all excited to hear David's truck coming up the road. I tied Maggie to her lead and the kids and I waited at the front door. This is what we saw...



We laughed!! Maggie's tail couldn't have wagged any faster than it did! We were all so happy to have Jake home with us. Then I got a good look at the insicion...



Not pretty and MUCH bigger that I thought it would be. He did great though and that is all that matters. So that is my report although I can't leave you with that picture of my dog....so here is one taken yesterday morning.



And this is Timmy with his girlfriend, Isabella. They will be starting school together in Sept. 2007.

Sorry for the Delay

Hi everyone,

Well, I'm not even sure I remember everything that has been going on, but I will try.

Friday, we had Emma's parent teacher conference. She is doing GREAT!!! She is coming out of her shell and participating in class. The teacher say that she is very smart. Actually she looked at both of us and said, "I don't know if you realize how smart your little girl really is? She can hear or see something once and it is in her brain forever." Um, yes we know. It is just that we are not the kind of parents that go around telling everyone at every moment that our child is so brillant. Maybe we should start. Don't get me wrong, we tell her all the time!

After that I went on a shopping spree to Kohl's. It was supposed to be for me, but Emma was the winner on this day. She is definitely ready for Spring!! My parents came over for dinner and were suprised to see my hair. My father didn't say anything. I actually think he thought I just got it cut. My mom said "Wow, you darkened it and got it cut." That was it. I know she doesn't really like it, but that is ok.

Saturday, we got the big screen TV! My aunt and uncle came to see it. My aunt didn't have much to say about my hair either. To be expected.

Sunday, SNOW!!!! It was beautiful!! A lot of shifting of furniture. I actually suggested taking the high tower down, and was met with 3 NO's. Oh well, the high tower stays.

Yesterday was nothing out of the ordinary, which in this house is a good thing!!

Tomorrow, my big dog "Jake" goes in for surgery to have a huge lump removed from his back. I am not happy about it, but he needs it off. It has changed a little. I fear losing him some day and pray that when the time comes he goes in his sleep. My love for this dog is so deep. The last time I had a dog, I was in 5th grade. So it took a good 16 years for me to have another. He was here to keep me company during my bedrest with Emma. I talked to him all the time. He is the one that kept me sane during that. I can honestly say he is the best dog! He is great with the children and actually greated them at the door when we brought them home from the hospital. He is our baby and a huge part of the family. With this great breed (Greater Swiss Mountain Dog) comes many health issues. Bloat, cancer and the one that plagues him hip dysplasia. It is severe in him. But we do what we can for him. As long as he is happy, we are happy. I fear that tomorrow will be the hardest on Emma. The last time we needed to leave Jake at the hospital she cried. Thank goodness she has a field trip to the dentist tomorrow with her class. That should help for the first part of the day.

So that is it from here. There is a fight brewing with the children so I need to run.

What a couple of Days!

Well it has been an interesting couple of days. Let me see, yesterday started out with this

This is the work of, who else, Timmy. I had a little cup of sauce from the pizza place in the refrigerator and he wanted it. So that was the first mess.

Later on in the day, I went into the bathroom to find and empty toilet paper roll. No big deal because I have extras in a little cabinet David made me. But this is what I found...

What you are looking at is a roll of toilet paper that was held half way in the toilet. I found it in the cabinet on top of another roll. So now the problem, who did it? I called Emma over and showed her the roll. This was our conversation:
Me - Emma look at the roll of toilet paper, what do you think happened to it?
Em - (with big eye) I don't know.
Me - You don't know what happened?
Em - (shaking her head with big eyes) No Mommy, I don't
Me - Do you think maybe someone held it in the toilet to see what would happen?
Em - Yea Mom, I just wanted to see what would happen (said innocently)
Oy! That girl. Needless to say, she spent sometime in time out.

Last night, David had a little elective surgery. He is fine. I decided to wait in the waiting room with the children. I brought the portable DVD player courtesy of LLS and McDonald's. It went pretty well until the end. Timmy would up in timeout. That backfired! He lasted 20 seconds and then started yelling. Oh well. I don't blame him, I was ready to go also!

Today, I changed my look a bit. I was tired of the reverse skunk. Those of you that foil your hair, know what I am talking about. So went crazy. Below you will find the front, back and side views.






My makeup should have been refreshed before these pictures but it is mainly for the hair. Emma wants me to go back and get the old color. That is all I heard from her tonight. The child is so bad with any kind of change.

So that is it. I hope you all enjoyed!!!

Lesson Learned!

What lesson would that be? Do NOT exercise while Timmy is awake. You may sit and ponder that for a moment. I am sure many of you are thinking, what did he do know? Well, how does that saying go? Don't cry over spilled milk!

As I was trying to get a workout in, Emma came in the room to tell me that Timmy had the milk. Not really understanding what she meant, I went to investigate. Yes, Timmy at one time did have the gallon of milk. But know the rug was graciously soaking it up! Ugh! Now it wasn't a full gallon. I would say it was more like a quarter full.

Apparently, he wanted more milk and went to the refrigerator to get it out. Then proceeded to pour himself some milk in Emma's tea set. He did manage to get some milk in the cup. If you are waiting for pictures, there are none. I was to upset and didn't think to get the camera. I just wanted to get the milk up as quick as possible.

Drill Instructor!

That is Emma's new name as of today! Why you might be thinking. Today was the day I decided to start exercising.

Let me start by telling you about 4 or 5 months ago I purchased The Firm. Yes, it was an infomercial. And yes, when it comes to workout stuff that isn't too expensive I am the one that has to talk myself OUT of buying it. I have Winsor Pilates and tried it once and never again. Actually, I didn't try it. I sat on the couch and watched it.

Well The Firm came with 4 dvd's and a HUGE 2 sectioned step. I decided to just try it today. When it started it said it was 55 minutes long. My thoughts, "Holy CRAP, I think I might pass out." But determined to finally start something, I continued on. I was doing pretty good. I was about 20 minutes into it and trying to get the steps. Missing some here and there, but I kept moving. Emma finally got a glimpse of me doing something. I think her eyes were bulging when she fingured out her mother wasn't just sitting in front of the TV or on the computer. She came to watch and ask questions. That is when I realized she is good to have around because she made me talk during it. That is a lot tougher.

Then she started. "Mom, you aren't doing what they are." "I know Em, Mommy can't figure out the steps, but I am trying my best." "Well, try harder. Look at all those girls do it." The look of disapproval as I marched in place because I couldn't get a certain routine. Then it came to a bunny hop. At this point, Timmy had gotten up from his nap and now I had two of them. While trying to do the routine, Emma explained "Mom you MISSED the bunny hop. You know how to do that. Keep up!"

Did I tell you she is my drill instructor. So tomorrow, I will try again on a different dvd. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Tax Time!

Right now, David is at the accountant. I cringe to think what is going on. We usually make out really well, but this year will not be like that. His side business maked quite a bit of money. I thought that the big loss that mine took would balance it, but he told me no. Oh well. We will do quarterly taxes this year. He is hoping that they are not too bad, he is really hoping to get a big screen hi-definition tv.

Not much else going on really. Emma has been very funny lately! She is now reasoning with us about things. I guess Peanut 2 was the beginning. Tonight she told her dad that he needed to put a light in her playroom, so when she comes down in the morning she isn't in the dark watching tv. And yes, she comes down by herself. The child isn't allowed to get out of bed until 6 o'clock. You can hear her in there waiting. One morning she woke up at 6:15 and was so excited she didn't have to wait. So once she is up, she says hi to us and goes downstairs to watch noggin. So back to the light...there is no ceiling light in that room. I have asked him to put one it (there is a small attic he can go through to get to it) but he doesn't want to do the work. Well she started with him tonight. He just shook his head.

She also looked up at the ceiling above the kitchen table and asked why there was a hole there. When we hung the new light he tried to put a hook in to swag the light so it would be centered. Well the anchor broke and he hasn't gotten a different one yet. So she was telling him he needed to get it so the light could be center. Oy, this girl and the way her mind works is really scary at times.

Will there be a Peanut 2??

For those reading that don't know, I had a rabbit named Peanut. I got him right after I got married and let him run around the house. He was litter trained until Jake (the dog) came along. He died while I was in the hospital with my placental abruption.

Here is a picture of him or her, huh, I'm not really sure.


This picture is actually when I realized that he was sick and I would have to decide what to do with him. As fate has it, I was put in the hospital a week later with complications from my pregnancy. A week after that, he had died.

So fast forward to my conversation with at today at lunch. While sitting at the table, we could hear Rolie Polie Olie on the TV. The father said something about being old, which sparked this conversation.

Em: Mom, when are we going to be old?
Me: What do you mean, Em?
Em: You know, when you are old you go to heaven. (we have been having this conversation on an off for a couple of months now)
Me: Em, we aren't old. We aren't going to be old for a long time. Beside you need to be old and very, very sick. Grammie Ball is old, but she is not sick, so she is going to stay here with us.
Em: Oh, but Peanut was old and sick.
Me: Yes he was.
Em: Well, maybe someday we can get another Peanut. Peanut 2
Me: I don't think that is going to happen. We want to go camping, and we can't bring a rabbit with us.
Em: Well Maggie and Jakie don't go with us. Someone stays here and takes care of them, so they can take care of Peanut 2.
Me: We are not getting another rabiit.
Em: Yes we are. You know my birthday IS coming up.

And with that she walks away. Who knew a conversation that starts with "When are we going to be old?" Would lead to her getting a rabbit "Peanut 2". Which by the way...she is NOT getting. I do not want to clean anymore cages!