I love this picture. . .

Abby can be very dramatic at times. Yesterday was one of those times and the rest of us were not in the mood. Charlie was definately not in the mood for the drama. After Abby was spoken to by me for carrying on, she asked me, "Mom when can we. . .(we refering to her and Charlie)". Charlie quickly interupted her and said, "Abby, no more WE, US, OUR! I do not want to be involved with your BADNESS!" Would you be able to keep a straight face after that?!?!?!?!?
We had a great vacation even though it rained the whole week. It is great to be home. And today was GREAT because the sun was shining!!!!

Out of the Mouths of Babes!

We were driving by the cemetary the other day and we went past a burial in progress. Charlie, in his usuall inquisitive voice said, "Mom, why do they bury dead people anyway?". I paused to think of an answer and Abby quickly piped up. "CHARLIE, (in her I can't believe you don't already know this voice) SO THEY CAN GROW BACK!"

LOVIN' SUMMER

We are having a great summer! I finally downloaded pictures today. We are getting ready to go on vacation so I wanted to have my cammera ready. As I looked through the pictures I was downloading I realized my kids are growing like the weeds in my garden. William has tuned into a little big boy. He loves splashing around in his pool more than anything!

Look Out Hollywood. . . Here She Comes! ! !

Abby's dance recital is today. I will have an update to come!

A Belated Birthday Wish!

I have been feeling guilty because I never posted for my Abbygirl's Birthday!

ABBY!!!
I can't beleive you are four! Where did the time go? I am so lucky to be your Mama! So many people tell me that I am lucky to have a girl. I am not lucky to have a girl, I am LUCKY to have you!!! You are smart, pretty, fun, funny, and so full of life! You have grown up so much in the past few months. You love to be helpful. You love to make people laugh. You love to take care of all of us! I hope that you will continue to grow with the same confidence. I love you so much. We are all so lucky to have you in our family! Have a great year!

I LOVE YOU. . .

Tonight I let Charlie stay up a little later than usual. Donald was working late and Abby and William were completely exhausted from playing outside. Sometimes it is nice to sneak in some alone time with each of the kids. I took this as the perfect opportunity to have some time with Charlie. He was happy to sit up and watch some Scooby-Doo. When the second episode came on he asked if he could stay up even longer to watch it. I said, "Sure". He said, "Thanks Mom". Then came Eddie Haskel out of no where! He said, "Mom, I love you so much. I love you almost as much as those Spider Man shirts you got me for my birthday." Well being his mother, I know how much he loves those shirts. Never did I think that being loved almost as much as a couple of shirts would be so good. I wonder if he will ever know how much I love him?!

Just Thinking Tonight. . .

I was just sitting here catching up on some blog reading. I do not post everyday, but I try to read and jump around here and there. I have been reading about one blog friend's husband's serious surgery and his tough recovery. Then there is this amazing woman that just lost her baby at 21 weeks. My other good, bloggy friend is sharing her struggles after losing her beloved husband to cancer. Another woman's blog that I love to read just found out that her husband is being deployed to Iraq. The list seems to go on and on. Of course, there is always lighthearted, funny stuff too. It just hit me. This is life. There are ups and downs in every life. I have learned not to take one minute for granted. Never did I ever for one moment think that I would care so much about these people that I have met (kind of) on the computer. I have found myself reading with tears going down my cheeks. I lay in bed praying at night for my family, my friends, my blog friends. . .The list keeps getting bigger. My mother told me before that the bigger the family that you have equals more worrying. By hopping on this computer I have opened myself up to more to worry about. My prayers are with you all. For the ones that are enduring difficult times, I truly hope these prayers are helping.

Going to the Garden to Eat. . .

WORMS

We are having so much fun being outside! Abby wanted to get this worm a leash and take him for a walk around the neighborhood. It was a surprise that Charlie would pick up a worm. He used to be afraid of them. As always William has so much fun watching everybody and just being him! I love how everything is still so new and exciting with these guys! They are so much fun!

When Priests Can Fly

We were outside today enjoying the sunshine and the 50 degree temperatures. Charlie was practicing riding his bike. Abby was on the scooter. I was pushing William in the stroller. A priest pulled up and asked us if he was in front of the right house. He was paying a visit to an elderly neighbor who had taken a bad fall and broken her arm a couple weeks ago. I directed him where to go. In the meantime, Charlie got inpatient and was saying, "MAAAAAM Hurry Up! MaaaM!!! MAAAM! " What an inpatient little bugger! I said, "Charlie, do you know who that was?" (We are protestant so the kids did not recognize him by his outfit.) I told the kids that the man was a priest and they looked at me dumbfounded. I told them that he worked for God and Jesus. Charlie apologized for acting that way. Abby quickly piped in and said, "Ooohh, Mama, does that mean he can FLY?"

Who's that Kid. . .

Eating Oreo Cookies?!?!

Spring is Here!

It is so nice to be outside! I hope it is safe to say that spring is finally here!

Rule # 1

Do Not Wear Your Wife's Pants To Work!
Donald leaves every morning at 530am to go to work. He leaves early to beat the traffic. With traffic his commute would be at least an hour and a half. If he leaves at this time it only takes him forty five minutes. He has a gym in his office so he works out and then showers there. It saves him a lot of time and aggravation. He is a morning person and wakes up before his alarm. Since he began this job in January he packs his clothes the night before so all he has to do is pretty much wake up and go.
This morning was just like every other, but when he went to get dressed he could not fit his leg in his pants. The reason why, you might ask?!?! They were not his pants, they were mine! I got a phone call at 830am. It was my wonderful husband just letting me know he would be working from home today! We had a great laugh over this one!!!
His work is right near a mall. He could have stopped in and bought some new pants, but I think he missed me and it was a great excuse to get home!

I Remember. . .

The day you were born, Mary! Twenty-eight years ago today! My prayers were answered. I got my very own baby sister. Little did I know she would be the boss. She would be bossing me around and she would be calling all of the shots. You could not be a better sister to me and Amy. I feel so lucky to have you. You have turned into the best person that a MEME could be. I love you Murry, Mares, Meme, Miss KIllowatca! You are DA BOMB! Happy Birthday Sister!

Dear Abby. . .

Thank you for letting me use your blanky last night! You must have known I needed it! You were right, it is so soft and it smells so good, just like you!

Vagina Rhymes With China

I was putting the kids to bed last night. William goes in with out a hitch lately. All I do is say, "It is time to go Night, Night." , and he starts sucking his thumb and right in the crib he goes. Abby has been good lately too. I should knock on wood saying this because it seems like when bedtime routines start to go smoothly you can pretty much expect something will change at any moment. Charlie has always been a good sleeper and easy to put to bed, except lately. With all that he has had going on lately I guess I should expect his frustration to come out here and there. Last night after the usual bed time routine, I tucked him in said "Good Night!", got a hug and a kiss and came down stairs. I was quickly called back up. First he wanted a drink, then he wanted to talk. I did both of these things and came back down. He called me again. Now he is usually not like this. I was actually thinking that his voice sounded like Abby's. She is usually the one calling down to me! I went up for the third time, trying so hard to be patient. He said, "Mom, what is that called when you are naked?" as he pointed to my crotch. I started feeling faint. I was not ready for this. I am an adult. I am educated. I am a Registered Nurse. I could not handle this question from my five year old baby boy! I said, "It is called a penis on you." He said in a frustrated, know it all tone, "I know! I am talking about you!" I couldn't say it. I am immature. I am not ready for this. I could not say it! I hesitated and then I gathered up all the calmness I could find and I said, "It is called the female bum." I couldn't believe what came out of my mouth. I lied. I am thirty two years old and I couldn't say it! The female bum! He was quiet after that and went right to sleep. I went down stairs feeling sooooo guilty. I am the worst mother in the world. I know what I was supposed to do, but I couldn't. I shared the story with Donald and of course, he had a great laugh. I laughed too. All the while I had tremendous guilt. What is wrong with me. You are supposed to be honest. If he asked the question, I should be able to answer it. All night the conversation haunted me.
At 5:30 a.m. I got my usual wake-up call from him in the bathroom. I said to him, "Remember, last night when you asked me what the female bum is called?" He said, "Yes." and looked up at me squinting with sleepy eyes. I said well there is another word, "It is called a vagina." He looked up at me more awake this time and said, "Oh cool, it rhymes with China!"

What a Weekend!

We had so much fun this Easter weekend!

On Friday we decorated eggs. . .

On Saturday we went to an Egg Hunt in our neighborhood . . .

It was Williams first time walking outside and he loved it!

When we woke up on Sunday morning the Easter Bunny had been to our house!!!

We went to church and we got to see the whole gang. . .

We are sooooooo BLESSED!!!!

An Easter Preview

Things are going alot better here! Last night I tried Charlie's old Easter suit on William to see if it would fit him. He looked so cute. I can't wait until Sunday! It looks like it is crazy disco in this picture, but it is sere-sucker. I am sure he will be mad someday about this outfit, but they are only little for a short time. Happy Easter everyone!!!

Wishing............

for beach weather :)

Before They Were Blog Stars. . .

Would the real Amy Jean Kelly please stand up!

I Will be Sleeping Tonight. . .

I hope! I can't tell you the last night I got a solid night sleep. I know that once you have kids you never really sleep like you did before, but lately this has been ridiculous! It is all my fault. The sick wake up calls become routine, but once I have been woken up lately I have been finding it really hard to go back to sleep. I have been driving myself crazy with worry. After today, I feel so much better!
The kids are all feeling much better. We had are meeting at Children's Hospital today. I can not tell you enough about what a wonderful and amazing place that is! At a personal level, we were taken care of! They spent so much time with us. They answered all of our questions. They are taking care of my babe. Although, this is going to be something that he will always have and he will always have to be on medicine, I feel like he is going to be OK! Looking around at everyone else's babies, big and small, I felt lucky! They are working miracles there. Those doctors and nurses are not average, they are angels!
I have more energy. I do not feel as overwhelmed. I will be back to blogging. Thank you again for all of your kind words, thoughts, and prayers! Goodnight!

What a crew!

We have got one sick house here! This picture shows you what I'm dealing with. Abby and William have had the fever, cold, cough thing. She is finally starting to get some collor back in her cheeks. I think she is on the mend. For some reason she is always the first to get sick and the first to get better. William is just one big fever booger and all he wants is to be held. Holding him isn't a bad thing at all because he is so cuddly! Hopefully he will be feeling better by tomorrow. Charlie ended up getting what the other two have the day after being at the hospital. He is a trooper. For some reason Donald has a broken blood vessel in his eye and it looks like I punched him out. It is not hurting him, but boy does it hurt to look at!
I spoke to the Doctor on Friday and the tests for Charlie came back positive for inflamatory bowel disease. The doctor said right now because of where it is effecting him it is ulcerative collitis. He prescribed medicine for him which was really difficult to get but I will post about that another time. We have to go back on Tuesday to meet with a team. I have a million questions and hopefully we will get them all answered then. I know that it could be so much worse, but I still wish that it didn't have to be anything at all. He is my baby!
Thanks again for all of your kind words and prayers. We will get him on track and feeling better.

Sorry I did not get here sooner!

After a long day of tests yesterday, we still do not know everything. We should know more by the end of the day today. I am so releived to have yesterday overwith and to be close to knowing what is going on. Charlie is great, according to him, yesterday was one of his best days ever. He got to be with his Mom and Dad by himself all day and go to "one of the coolest hospital's in the world", and eat whatever he wanted when he was done. He also had some really crazy dreams! (he must have forgot to shut off his t.v.!) When he got home he got to chill out and watch Schreck. The really good thing is the stuff that I can not even say is rulled out. The tough part is that he is my baby and I wish there was nothing wrong at all. I would much rather it be me! We will get through this!
Thank you so much for all of your nice words, thoughts and prayers!

Calling All Blog Angels!!!!

I am writting this hoping that you read my sister Amy's post from last week. I am so slow at this and I don't have the time or the patience right now to figure out how to link it up. Well anyway, Amy did a really nice post about blog angels. We are needing some prayers over here! I am not a very good communicator, especially when I am worried about something. Needless to say, I am really worried. I do not want to sound any alarms before I really know anything and I am sorry for this. I was hoping maybe you could keep us in your prayers before I give you any details. I know this is selfish. I am hoping after tomorrow I will be able to say, "Thank God that is all it is" and carry on. All that I do know right now is that saying about, "being a mother is like letting someone else walk around with your heart" (that is definately not it exactly, but you can get the jist), well anyway, it is more than your heart. It is your whole heart and soul that they walk around with! Please, Dear God, Make Everything Be O.K.!!!

Couldn't you just eat these?

I just love these legs! He is on the run now, so I don't know how long they will stay like this. I just can't get enough of them or him!!

Just one of those days. . .

I woke up this morning to Abby and Charlie pulling the covers off of me in a desperate attempt to get me out of bed. I just couldn't get up. When I finally did pull myself out of my bed I looked at the clock and we were late. I stumbled down the stairs and put together a quick breakfast for the three rascals. As they ate I ran back up and grabbed clothes for each. I threw some clothes on this body and ran back down. I changed William and at the same time coached Abby and Charlie to get there clothes on. With William all dressed I put him in the play pen and got the other two to brush their teeth and wash their face and hands. We were a little backwards today, but, I was rushing!! We got shoes, hats, gloves, and coats on and off to the car we went. There was a dusting of snow so I got everybody strapped into the car, started it up and then scraped the snow off. Finally, we were on our way! We got to preschool at exactly 9:00. We made it! After all of that we were on time!
After I got them settled into their class room, William and I took off to get this momma some coffee. I was having one of those days. Aside from waking up late and rushing the kids off to school I was feeling stuffed into my jeans! This feeling comes along every so often, but lately with the winter months here and not excercising like I would like to be I am having that feeling alot! I went through the drive through at Dunkin Donuts and only ordered a coffee, thinking, no more snacks for this momma who is stuffed in her jeans! I stopped at my parrents house for a quick visit before going home to clean the disaster that I had left behind. I sat down with my Mom as my Dad took William into the play room to get some toys. I said to my Mom, " I am having one of those days. You know Mom, my jeans feel tight and I don't even feel comfortable in my undies." She said, "Oh Lisa, you look great. Just buy some new undies, that always makes you feel better!" We got up and went in with my Dad and William and I visited a little longer and then William and I headed home.
When I got home I put William in for a nap and started cleaning. I stopped to take a bathroom break and you wouldn't beleive what I found. I am sure I have put on a few pounds in these winter months and that is why my jeans feel tight, but maybe things were not as bad as I thought! The reason why I felt so uncomfortable in my undies was because . . .my thongs were on backwards!

My T.V. was Off?

This morning Charlie crawled in to bed with me while D-man was in the shower. It was still dark and Abby and William were still asleep(how wonderful!). I asked Charlie if he had a good sleep last night and he said, "Mom, I had the best sleep that I have had in a long time." I couldn't think what could he mean. He is five. He has not been sick. As far as I have known he has been sleeping just fine lately. I asked, "Why do you think last night was better than usual?" He responded, "Well Mom, last night I remembered to shut my T.V. off before I went to sleep."
Again...He is five, he does not have a T.V. in his room. I must have looked at him funny so then he explained. "Mom, my brain is my T.V. When I am trying to sleep it plays movies in my head. Sometimes, the movies are very scary so they make me not be able to sleep. Last night I remembered to shut my T.V off before I went to sleep so the scary movies could not keep me awake."
Wouldn't it be so wonderful if people that were kept awake by worries and fears could just shut their T.V.s off?

Feeling Guilty . . .

After all of my complaining and now that my three angels are fast asleep I have all of this guilt. Here are some random pictures of these guys over the past few days. I decided to look at the pictures rather than wake up those monkeys. Isn't it crazy that some days I just can't wait to get everybody into bed and then all I can think about is waking them up and stealing some hugs and kisses!!!! Wackadooo, that is me!

Hats, Coats, Mittens, Boots. . .

When I started blogging, which really wasn't that long ago, I didn't want to be the complainer, but here I go. . . I am so sick of putting hats, coats, mittens boots on three kids to go anywhere and come home. This weather is getting to me. I can't take it. By the time I've got all their stuff on to leave the house I am either sweating my butt off from bundling them up that I am forgetting my stuff so then I am freezing my butt off outside. Whaaa, Whaa, Whaa! I know, what a boring post. I need a pina colada on the beach somewhere under the hot sun. I wouldn't mind helping them into their swim suits. I swear I will never complain about sun block again. I promise... sunblock and bug spray rock!!!!!

A Safe House...

As always, picking up the kids from preschool is quite the trip!!! The conversations are priceless! After getting Charlie, Matt, Abby, and William strapped into my mystery van, (as the kids call it) Matt said, "When I grow up I am going to have SCARECURITY at my house to keep all the bad guys away." Abby said, "Will me and Charlie be able to come over and see you?". Matt said, "Well, it depends if they scare you away or not." Abby replied, "Matt, We are never going to play with you ever again!" She didn't like that she was going to have to go through his "scarecurity" to get to see him. She quickly got over it because later in the day she was asking to be his girlfriend. Charlie just wanted to know what kind of weapons the "scarecuriy" were going to have. Matt was sure there were not going to be any bad guys or ghosts at his house. "My house will be safe!", Matt assured us.
Where do they come up with these ideas?????

William's First Haircut

Everyone has been at me for awhile to get my babe's haircut. Now I look back and think, wow, he really needed it and what the heck was I waiting for!!! He sat on my lap and he did great! He got fidgety about half-way through. All he was trying to do was get his thumb outside of the cape and to his mouth. Once he got the thumb in his mouth he did great again! I could not find a good picture of his mullet before. I am sure Amy or Mary has one because they are like the paparazzi every time we see them. But, I thought this was a good one of my little football player with the mullet. Look close!!! I wish I could have taken a picture of him while getting the haircut, but I didn't have enough hands. Oh well, here he is in the car after. William looks like a big, little boy in this picture. I love his haircut!

After...

Before....

A Nice Clean Shave

I was thinking of something that happened to me, well it must be, 15 years now. Gosh, does time fly! I was in my first year of college to become a Registered Nurse and I took a job as a nurse's aid in a local retirement home. It was not a regular nursing home. It was a beautiful mansion and all of the people that lived there entered when they were well and spent the rest of their lives there. Many still drove cars and then as their health deteriorated they were very well taken care of. I look back on this job as one that I learned so much not just for my future career, but for my life! This was an amazing generation of people who had so many meaningful stories to offer from their life experiences.
I began with a group of ten girls. We had a couple of weeks of training and then we were on our own. My first day on my own, I was a nervous wreck! The Nurse that I was working with gave me my assignment for the day. The assignment had a list of people that I would be responsible to help get cleaned up and dressed in the morning, help with meals, help to the bathroom, and to help with activities through out the day. On my list was "Mr. So and So". I had a very nervous stomach and still do for that matter. As I was heading into "Mr. So and So's" room, Nurse Annie said, "Don't forget to shave him. He likes a nice clean shave." Doesn't she know that I can not even shave my own legs with out cutting them, I thought. I tried to talk my way through it as I entered the room.
I kept a smile on and tried to be as cheerful as I could despite how nervous I was. "Mr. So and So" seemed a little cranky during my first impression. His crankiness did not help my nervousness. I explained that I was going to help him get ready for the day and we would start off by shaving. He agreed to it and so I began. I lathered his whole face up. I made pretty big mess with the shaving cream. I think he sensed how nervous I was. I began shaving. I was using his disposable razor. My hands were shaking!. I was so afraid of cutting his face up. I was slow and careful with each stroke. I got through his whole face and I was so proud of myself that I had not seen any blood. I rinsed of his face with a warm face cloth and then I realized what i did. The cap was still on the razor. I had to explain to him and tell him what I did. He was a really good sport and he let me begin again. I did not cut him. I gave him a nice clean shave that day and many more after that. We became great friends.

Life's A Beach!!!

This weather is getting to everybody! We have had enough of the cold, wind and snow. We just can't wait to get back to the beach.

Thinking Differently

I was tagged by my sister Mary over at Happenings Today to think differently. Oh well I have been thinking long and hard about what to think different about. I have been down in the dumps lately for no good reason at all but here goes. Donald just started a new job January 2 and he has been leaving the house at 530 in the morning and not returning until after 7 at night. The way I have been thinking is "woe is me". It is a long day with three kids 5, 3 and 1. Blah, blah, blah! To think differnt I am thinking it must be tough on him not to see the kids during the week. Those are long days for him. I sure wouldn't want to be leaving in the dark and coming home in the dark. The kids miss him too. I am thinking I must stop feeling bad for myself and be the rock. Have more patience for the kids and be more supportive for Donald! I need to not sweat the small stuff and cherrish the time we have together as a family! Here goes!!!

A Nice Smile!

A mother at Charlie, Abby and Matt's preschool said today that her daughter told their family that she wants to marry Charlie. The mother asked her "Why Charlie?" The little girl said, "He has a nice smile." I am his mother so of course to me he has the best smile! Little does she know, every morning at 5:30 am, he whispers from the bathroom, "I'm all done". This is for me to come wipe!

growing up or... Growing Down?!

I was listening to Abby and Charlie play "house" this morning and the conversation went like this,

Abby: "Charlie, Momma is going to grow down and be the whittle gorl and you can be the Daddy and I will be the Momma."

As children we spend our days looking forward to going to school, driving, being a "grown-up", getting married, having a baby, and another, and another....
Imagine if we could grow down? Oh well, just a thought.

Happy New Year!

I know this is very late, but I am trying to get into the blog world! I enjoy reading the blogs out there!
On New Years Day we took the train into Boston to see the ice sculptures from the night before. It was quite the adventure! On second thought,isn't that the glory of having little ones to travel with? Everything is an adventure!