Memories

I thought this was neat...

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot-- or just from blogland-- anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Jude's Birth

Jude's birth story starts on Monday, July 19, 2004. I was having some pretty powerful contractions Monday night. They were timable and I was having to breath through them. I called the doctor on call who told me to try to take a bath and lie down and see if they would stop. If not, come on in. Well, they stopped. So I went to sleep and actually slept really well. So, Tuesday morning, we got up and went on to work at Park Structures. I didn't mention to Adam that the contractions had started up again. I didn't want to send off any false alarms. So we dropped Zoe and Sebastian off at daycare and headed to work. We both worked downtown so we rode together. I dropped him off at his office and went to mine. While I did my work, I continued to time the contractions. I kept track of them on a purple steno pad on my desk. Around lunch time, I decided they were regular enough and I was uncomfortable enough to call the doctor. I called her and she said I could come by and she would check me. I called Adam and we headed to the doctor. I told my immediate supervisor where I was going and that I would probably not be back for awhile. We got to the doctor about 12 noon and she confirmed that I was indeed almost 5 cm and that I should go home and get my stuff and meet her at the hospital. We got home and, since Adam was suffering from a sinus infection, he had a fever. So, he took a nap while I labored along, periodically stopping to breath through contractions. He took about an hour before I woke him up and told him to come on! He still felt terrible, but we headed to the hospital. I called my friend, Janice, who was going to pick up Zoe and Sebastian, our moms and Kim and Christine. My Mom headed this way (she lived in Memphis) to relieve Janice when she got here. Adam's family would come the next morning. Kim and Christine came to the hospital and walked the halls with me while Adam tried to sleep off his fever. Finally, we were left to labor on our own. Around 10:30 pm, I was seriously deep into transition and Adam's fever broke finally! It was perfect timing because that's when I needed him. The nurse came in and I told her that I wanted an epidural. While she was in the room, my water broke. The nurse left the room to go get the epidural and call the doctor. While she was gone, I felt an incredible urge to push and I couldn't stop it. The nurse came back in as I was pushing Jude out! She scooped him up off the bed! Then she called the doctor, who arrived about 20 minutes later to stitch a tiny tear I had. By the time the doctor got there, Jude had been cleaned and I was holding him. The Nurse Practitioner, who went to our church, had already checked him out and given him apgars of 9 and 9. He weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces and was 20 inches long. My sweet little man, Jude-a-licious!

Annabelle's Birth

I am going to post all my birth stories eventually, but I'm going to go in reverse order.
Annabelle's pregnancy was pretty routine, with very little morning sickness in the beginning and really no problems. I started having some mild, completely inconsistent contractions around 36 weeks, which is very routine for me. So, the next week, on Wednesday night, I started having them about 30-45 minutes apart, but pretty strong. So, the next morning, Zoe went to school and we took the boys to Moms Day Out and I headed to the doctor. She told me I was a little over four cm and since I was having regular contractions, I could go on to the hospital. I called Adam, who had just started his job on Monday and this was Thursday. He met me at the house and then we went and ate at Plaza del Sol, a mexican restaurant in between our house and the hospital. I was still having good contractions the whole time. We got to the hospital and got checked in and hooked to the monitors and, sure enough, I was having really good contractions in a good, regular pattern. I was getting to stay! We were very excited. Made all the necessary phone calls to family and friends and prepared for her arrival. Well, the contractions started to space out and, while they never stopped, everything slowed way down. My OB said if it stopped, she would send us home since I was still just 37 weeks...she didn't want to augment labor unnecessarily. My friends, Kim and Christine, came and visited and walked the halls with me. Then, they left to go have dinner and promised to come back. At this point, I was about 5 1/2 cm, so the nurse had mercy on me and brought me some hospital chicken tenders, which are some of the best chicken tenders! They tasted so good. Then, Kim and Christine came back at which point the nurse told me I was between 6 and 7 cm, which was good news because at least my OB wasn't going to send me home. Kim and Christine left around 11 pm, leaving behind a very tired and frustrated woman in labor. I couldn't believe how long it was taking! This was my third baby in three years - shouldn't she just fall out?? Anyway, labor began to pick up around 1 am and by four am I was having to vocalize through the contractions. My previous two births had been natural and I was hoping to have Annabelle naturally, too, but at four am, I was exhausted and asked for the epidural. She put the epidural in and I think she put a very low dose in, because I could still feel the contractions, but I was able to sleep in between, which was perfect. I hate to be out of control, which is why I was a little nervous about getting the epidural. Right before 6 am, I woke Adam up because I was feeling an incredible urge to push. My nurse came running in to check me. I had previously told my nurse that if my water breaks, she should not leave the room because there is usually a baby coming immediately. Right before she checked me, my water broke. She used the phone in her pocket to call the doctor on call. His name was Dr. Bolton and I had never met him before. I didn't care at this point. He came into the room, put on one glove and caught Annabelle. I pushed her out in one push! I pushed a second time, which I thought was the rest of her, but it was actually my placenta. I didn't tear at all, so Dr. Bolton left a few minutes later. She was born at 6:04 am, she weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. She didn't get squeezed enough coming out, so she sounded a little "wet". So she spent about four hours in the Special Care Nursery, which is not NICU. We could visit her anytime we wanted to and bring anyone back there. She came back to our room about 10:30 or so and was great!
I loved her birth, even with the epidural. I started labor around 9 am and she was born at 6 am the next day - 21 hours of labor. I couldn't believe it! My longest labor up till then had been about 11 hours, so she surprised me. The only thing I will do different the next time is to wait at home a little longer, but since I had two babies and Zoe to worry about, I chose to go a little earlier than necessary. But, it was great!

Counting Steps

Every now and then, certain things come to my attention of weird habits I have or quirky things I do. One of those things is that I tend to count the steps any time I have to climb or descend a flight of stairs. Why do I do this? It all started when I was pregnant with Annabelle and I was having to climb stairs usually carrying at least one other child. In our other house, there were ten stairs from downstairs to upstairs. It was not unusual for me to be coming down the stairs with at least one other toddler in tow and since I couldn't see the stairs because of my ever expanding belly, I would count them so I knew when I got to the bottom. I would also count the steps in the church where I worked (there are seven steps from the preschool building to the gym area) or my mother's house in Memphis (this one had fifteen steps). And, now, even though I am two and a half years removed from being pregnant, I still finding myself doing it. (There are fifteen steps in my house now and four steps from the front porch to the front walk)
Other quirky things about me...let's see...I cannot stand to put syrup on anything. I don't like the soggy mess it makes! So, if I am eating waffles, pancakes, or french toast, I always have a separate bowl for the syrup and dip it in there. Yes, it dirties another dish, but it has to be done. Still along the food lines, I also do not like ketchup at all. On anything! I will not eat a burger if it accidentally has ketchup on it. Since having kids, I'm at least not nauseated by the smell of it anymore, but still...
Let's see...anything else? I can't think of anything else...but, I'm sure there's more.

Today=much better

Yes, I'm in a much better mood today and much less frustrated. God is so good to me and I am so thankful for everything he has blessed me with! It's very amazing and humbling to think about Him sending His Son to die for me. Not just for me, but for everyone everywhere. Even people who He knew would reject Him and not ever thank Him. Not just not thank Him but basically spit in His face and choose other things to believe in. He died for me, for my family, for my extended family, for celebrities, for world leaders, for everyone! If I really stop to think about, it really blows my mind. How can you reject someone who has already done it? Our sins have already been paid for, whether you choose to accept the gift or not. How amazing is that?! He paid the price for the sins that you hadn't even committed yet, before we could even say thank you. "While we were sinners, Christ died for us." That is just amazing. I might have enough mercy to forgive someone if they asked for the forgiveness, but I know I could never pay the price for someone who would never thank me, knowing that they would never thank me and eventually reject me. I think about people who are scientologists and buddhists and other religions whose premise is based on there not being a Jesus Christ who was the Messiah. He knew they would believe other things and yet He still died for them. It's amazing! I am so privileged to have the opportunity to worship such a loving and powerful God!

Contentment

Okay, so recently someone told me that people need to be real on their blogs and not just a laundry list of what they did. So, here's a real post. I titled this one contentment because this is probably my biggest area of struggle in my life. And it interferes with everything! Discontent robs me of my joy so many times. Why do I let it? I don't know. When I say things out loud like, I have four very healthy children, a wonderful house that I love, a husband who loves me more everyday and who prays for me and helps me in so many ways...well, when I list them like that, it makes me sound so selfish and crazy. But, Satan always manages to creep in and point out all the things that I don't have. So frustrating...The other day, I took Sebastian to the doctor and the doctor asked me if he was allergic to any antibiotics. I had to tell him I didn't know because my three youngest have never been on any antibiotics! They are five, four and almost three years old! And, I am not a homebody, so I don't keep them at home or anything like that. That's amazing! God is so good to us. Why can't I just be thankful? Actually, the longer I type this, the more thankful I am and the more content I am. What is it that I want that I can't have? What do I need that God has not provided for me? I seriously need to just get over myself and be genuinely grateful. Make a list everyday of things God does for me...That will relieve my discontent and restore my joy. Actually, I am feeling way better now! God is so awesome and loves me so much! What more do I need???

Texas pictures

Me and Adam at the rehearsal dinner

Me and Adam at the wedding

Adam's dad, sister, Nicole and Jacob

The Texas Trip

Okay, well, Thursday morning, I got all the kids up and dressed and out the door for Mom's Day Out. I normally work it, but I had asked off so I could get ready to go. I dropped them off and headed to Target and then home to pack. I got a good bit done and some of the house cleaned. I had to pack me and Adam to go to Texas, Zoe to go to Meg's, Sebastian and Jude to go to Jake's and Annabelle to go to Lily's. About 11:30, I headed to the mall to have lunch with Kim and her kids. Well, while I was there, the MDO director called to say that Zoe was running a 101 fever! Oh, man! I about had a panic attack...So, I went and picked her up and made her a doctor's appointment for that afternoon. I came home and finished packing and then headed back to the church to get the other three kiddos. Then we headed to the doctor. Sure enough, she had strep throat-first time ever! The day we were planning to leave! So, she got a shot (had a choice between seven days of antibiotics or a shot-we took the shot) and we headed home. I was exhausted. The kids were very good and the doctor considering, but man I hate taking four kids to the doctor. By this time, I have talked to my Mom who agreed to keep Zoe for the twenty four hours until she wasn't contagious anymore and take her to Meg's. Zoe wasn't thrilled with idea, but that's all we could do. So, I took the boys to Kim (at Jason's dad's house) and took Annabelle to Christine's house. Then, Adam and I loaded the car and took Zoe to my Mom's. Then, we finally headed to Clarksville to stay the night so we could catch our 8:00 flight from Nashville. We finally got on the plane and headed to Dallas. We had to stop in Austin, but we didn't have to get off the plane. So it wasn't bad. We landed in Dallas at 11:30 and Josh met us there and took us to his house. We got to meet Dave, their boxer/lab dog! He was so cute! He's a puppy so he's very energetic, but so great! Then we went to lunch at a mexican restaurant that was so good. Then we went back to Josh and Allie's and just hung out which was so great. It was during our hanging out that Dave the dog got on Adam's back and proceeded to try to deflower him. It was so funny because Adam is not exactly a dog person, so it was so funny.
Then we went to the rehearsal dinner at a steak place called Texas Land and Cattle. It was delicious! We had a great time with Adam's family and just eating and enjoying ourselves. Then back to Josh and Allie's and pretty much straight to bed. Very tired.
Saturday morning, we got up and Josh made us homemade waffles! Oh, so good!! Then, we headed out to Uncle Jerry and Aunt Brenda's house which is on the other side of Dallas and took us about an hour and fifteen minutes to get there. Their house is so nice and we got to visit with his family again, which is always fun. Then we had to go home and get ready for the wedding. We did get to take a nap, uninterrupted and wonderful. Then we got dressed and headed to the wedding. The wedding was so beautiful. It was nice. The reception was in an old warehouse that they made into a place for wedding receptions. They had a fajita bar and chips and salsa and it was so good. We got to dance and had a good time. We got home after midnight and once again pretty much went straight to bed because we had to be at the airport again at 8:00. We did find out that Josh and Allie are pregnant right before we went to bed! Congratulations!! We are so excited!!
The next morning we went to the airport to catch our 9:30 flight to Houston and then on to Nashville, supposedly. Well, we were flying stand-by, so when we got to Houston, the flight to Nashville was full. And the next one was full. And the next one was full...So, we sat in the Houston airport from 11:00 am until 5:45 pm!!! We ate lunch and dinner and watched The Office on Netflix. It wasn't bad, but we were so relieved to get on the 5:45 flight. We landed in Nashville at 7:45, central time. Then we had to drive back to Chattanooga. While we were sitting in the airport, we called Melissa, who had Zoe and she said Zoe could just stay till Monday morning and I could pick her up and Melissa's mom's house which is very close to ours. Then, Christine offered to let Kim drop the boys at her house so Jason and Kim could go back to Montogomery, which is a four hour drive. So Christine had 8 kids at her house overnight!!! She's my hero!!!
We got back to Chattanooga about 11:45 pm, eastern time and went directly to bed! We were so very tired but glad to be back home. Then this morning, I got all the kids and the dog and we were home by eleven. So good to be all back together! Oh, and by the way, Zoe started feeling better on Friday and had a good weekend with Meg!

Jude's Birthday

Wow, sweet boy. I can't believe you are four years old! I thought I would blog about your precious arrival four years ago. I was working at Park Structures, a playground company here in Chattanooga. It was a Tuesday. I'd been having contractions sort of off and on all day Monday but they kept stopping. So, Tuesday morning, I got up, dropped Zoe and Sebastian at daycare and went to work. I started having regular contractions once I got to work. I kept track of them on a purple steno pad. I kept timing them and, at lunch time, I picked Daddy up and we went home to go to the hospital. Daddy was feeling a bad cold coming on and he wanted to take a nap. Then we headed to the doctor's office who confirmed that I was in labor and 3 cm dilated. So we headed downstairs because the doctor's office is on the third floor of the hospital. We got settled in a room and waited. Christine came and walked the floors with me. Daddy was still feeling bad, so he napped while I labored through the easy part with Christine. Then Christine left and I just kept laboring. About 10:30 or so, it started getting hard. I woke Daddy up, who was finally starting to feel better. The nurse came in and and left the room to call the doctor because it was getting close. She had no idea how close! I started pushing and the nurse told me to stop pushing and breath through the contractions. Um, no! I'm pushing anyway! So I pushed you out and the nurse scooped you up off the bed. I just laid there and waited for the doctor to come. A nurse practitioner who goes to our church came to check you over and make sure you were okay. The doctor came in about twenty minutes later and made sure I was okay.
You weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces and were 19 3/4 inches long! Happy Birthday, my sweet boy!! Now, you are my funny little comedian who owns every room he walks into. You have a strut that is so great - you walk like a football player. You are so smart, you can play any video game and work any puzzle. You are kind and friendly and always roll with the punches. I love you, Jude-a-licious!

Today's ramblings

Well, today I took the kids school supply shopping. It was so much fun! I love school supply shopping. New pencils, pens, pencil boxes, markers, crayons, etc. So much fun! Sebastian wasn't completely sure why we were doing it, but finally, when we got home, he said, "I'm going to kindergarten! You know where kindergarten is, Jude? It's Zoe's school - BIG school!" At least he was listening. He's excited, thank goodness. For awhile, when you asked him if he was going to school, he'd say NO! So, we've made some progress.
Then we went by his doctor's office to pick up the official shot record for school so he is now completely registered for kindergarten! I still can't believe it.
On the subject of things I cannot believe...we celebrated Jude's 4th birthday tonight! His birthday is not actually until Sunday, but Adam and I will be traveling back from Texas, so we did it tonight. We took the kids to Chick-Fil-A (Jude's favorite "restaurant") and then to Target and let him pick out his own birthday presents. We had already bought him a Nintendo DS, so we just let him pick out a few toys and he was happy. Then we came home and gave him the DS and he was so surprised and excited!
So tomorrow, Adam and I leave for Texas until Sunday. I will write about my memories of Jude's birth and the trip when I get back. I can't wait!!

Coolidge Park and the Kindergarten Packet

Yesterday, it was so beautiful outside that I decided on the spur of the moment to take the kids to Coolidge Park. We had so much fun! Coolidge Park has big water fountains that shoot up from the ground and the kids love it. Annabelle even had fun. She's not big on the water, but she walks around the perimeter of it and just entertains herself. We packed a picnic lunch and that's the beauty of Coolidge Park-we had a blast and spent $1 for parking! You can't beat that! Everyone had fun. We were there about two hours and it was great. It was just too pretty of a day to stay inside.
Then, on the way home, we stopped by the school to pick up the Kindergarten registration packet. I still can't believe it. I'm very emotional about it if I stop to think about it at all. I try to picture him in the cafeteria line, walking by himself (yes, I realize his big sister will go in with him, but still) and I just can't imagine it. I know he's ready and he talks about it all the time, but I just can't believe it. We were supposed to register in May, but the only announcement of it that they do is by posting it on the sign outside the school. Well, our neighbor takes Zoe to school and she rides the bus home (she gets dropped off in our driveway and we live less than a mile from the school) so I don't ever go by the school! So we missed that day, so I am just now getting the information. It had his supply list in it, which just made me smile. And a calendar for the next year. School for Zoe starts Tuesday, August 12 and they do phase in for kindergarteners. Which means, he goes one day that week, one day the next week and his first full week is August 25.
Now, I am off to finish laundry getting ready to pack and go to Dallas! I'm so excited. I think we are also going to have lunch with my mom since she is leaving for a cruise on Saturday and she'll be gone for a week. I'm pretty jealous of that. DH and I have talked about going to a Sandals resort next year maybe. A couples only resort! How fun would that be? It would require some definite weight loss on my part. This morning, all the kids and I did walk around the neighborhood. Which, may not sound like a big deal, but if you've ever seen my neighborhood, you'd understand. It has huge hills and by the time we got back, we were all tired. We put Jude and Annabelle in the double stroller and Sebastian walked. Zoe pushed the stroller most of the time and Jude eventually got out and walked with us. So everyone got a workout! If I could do that most days, I would probably lose weight!

Donut Making and pictures from blueberry picking

The Donuts

We made donuts this morning and they were so good. Not necessarily healthy, but very good. You take a can of those layer biscuits and break them apart and drop them into a deep fryar and then roll them in sugar. I usually roll them into balls so they make pretty donuts, but this morning Jude and Annabelle helped, so they just broke them and dropped them. But they tasted really good and they had a good time doing it! Yummy!!!

Jude "helping"


Annabelle "helping"

Zoe picking blueberries



DH picking blueberries

Everyone had fun picking blueberries, but it was hard to get anyone to be still long enough for a picture!

Movies

Okay, so I love movies. Just about any kind of movies! And we watch a lot of movies. We Netflix, so I love how they just appear in my mailbox and I don't have to worry about taking them back. So I thought I would write about some of my favorite movies...
I am a big Joe Wright (the director) fan, so I love his Pride and Prejudice and Atonement. In Pride and Prejudice, I love the landscape shots where you see the beautiful land at dawn and how you can hear Elizabeth Bennett's small gasp when she sees him coming across the moor. And how Mr. Darcy is so confused how to act when he is around her. I think it is beautifully shot and the simple piano music that is played throughout the movie is so pretty.
I know Atonement doesn't have a happy ending, and while I normally only like movies where everything works out, I really liked this movie. James McAvoy is so good in this movie. I like the way it's all told from Briony's viewpoint even to the very end. I love the intense scene with Robbie, Briony and Celcilia where only Celcilia's love can bring Robbie back to reality. So powerful. And, I love how Joe Wright strategically uses the color red and has it placed in scenes where it's stark contrast is unmistakable. So good.
Those are my two movies that I watch over and over again and never get tired of them.

Blueberry Picking

We went blueberry picking yesterday, with our friends and we had a good time. Annabelle got hot pretty quickly and lost interest really fast, but all in all, we had a good time. We picked for a little over and hour and we got about a gallon of blueberries and blackberries. Now I just have to figure out some neat things to do with blueberries. I'm excited because I love to bake new things. Anyway, it was something different and fun and we entertained 6 people for almost two hours for six dollars! Can't beat that!
So, DH and I are leaving on Thursday for our trip to Dallas! Well, we're driving to Clarksville to fly out of Nashville on Friday morning. I am very excited, but also a little nervous about leaving the kids. My Mom is leaving for a cruise on Saturday, so we have friends keeping the kids. Zoe is going to her friend, Meg's house, the boys are staying with their friend Jake and Annabelle is going to Lily's. I hope they all do okay. We will get Zoe and the boys back late on Sunday night and get Annabelle on Monday morning. We are going to DH's cousin's wedding and it will be so much fun to go without any children! I really need a break too so I am definitely looking forward to some time alone with DH. It's going to be a very fun mini vacation. I can't wait, but I have so much to do before we get to leave. The laundry is endless and cleaning the house and boarding the dog and...well, you get the idea. Plus packing to go to four different places...But, I know that once I get on the plane on Friday morning, it will be so worth it!

Doctor's Appointment and Dinner

I took Sebastian to his five year appointment. He did really well considering the whole experience. He weighs 41 pounds and is 3 feet 7 inches tall. So he is tall and skinny, just as we thought. The doctor checked him over, pronounced him healthy mentally and physically and told me what to do with the poop issues we have. He suggested a reward system where the reward is time alone with a parent doing something special. So we'll try that as well. But, he did say we were handling the issues exactly the way we should be handling them. Then, Sebastian had to get four shots! I try to space out immunizations when they are really little so they are all technically behind and then I catch them up before they go to school. So, he was not happy about that at all. Then we headed to the lab (at the same office) to get his finger pricked for blood work. That went over like a lead balloon. I had all four kids with me, and while they behaved well, it was such a zoo. And Sebastian was personally offended that anyone would give him shots or stick his finger. Then we went to the bathroom so he could pee in a cup. By this time, he was having none of it and refusing to pee. I wound up getting Zoe to pee in the potty while I held the cup for Sebastian to pee in. Meanwhile, Jude was crying because he wanted to pee in a cup. But, I finally got the sample and we were able to leave with everyone still alive and, by that time, not crying. He was a very brave boy and was fine by the time we got to the car.
Last night was Parents Night Out at church, so we used the opportunity to go to Carrabba's and eat with our friends. It was so much fun and the food was so so good. A friend of ours is head of the kitchen there, so he gave us two appetizers and a dessert! Oh, it was so yummy. Fried zucchini and scallops in a delicious sauce and a cake with bananas and strawberries on it. Oh so good! For my meal, I had a fettucini alfredo with mushrooms and shrimp! Then we headed to Books-a-Million and looked at books and talked until it was time to get the kids. We had a great time and a much needed break. So much fun!!

Why Am I Up?

So, it's midnight and I am still up and watching Pride & Prejudice (the Joe Wright version) for the millionth time. I didn't get off from work until 11:15 and I just wasn't quite ready to go to bed. Tomorrow is Sebastian's five year old check up which will include his kindergarten shots. And, while he has had shots before, these shots mark the beginning of a new chapter in his life. School age. I will no longer have three preschoolers. I will have two school age children and two preschoolers! And I think he is ready. He recognizes most of his letters and numbers and I think he is emotionally ready. He talks about it all the time and is excited. I think it will be harder on Jude than anyone else. And how in the world did my first born son get old enough to go to school? My "Mister Man", the one who gives out the most hugs and I love yous without any prompting? Who has such an imagination that he is constantly making up stories about his "Grampa" who is a ficticious person? I'm so excited to see him develop into a little person instead of a preschooler. I can't wait to see what God has in store for him. He is a very compassionate child while still remaining 100% boy! He loves Power Rangers and Incredible Hulk but can be seen singing and dancing to High School Musical and Hairspray. He brings me such joy and holds my heart in a very special way. When I look at him, I am overwhelmed at the blessings God has brought in my life. Unbelievable...

Catching Up

Okay, so I'm not doing so well at this blogging thing...but, it will become a habit eventually and since only three people know I am doing this, I feel no real pressure to write. Anyway, since my last post, we have been pretty busy.

Last Tuesday, me and the four kids met up with my friend and her five kids at a park with a creek and a playground. When we get together, there are 2 nine year olds, a seven year old, 2 five year olds, an almost four year old, 2 three year olds and a one year old. Someone said we could get a group discount wherever we go! We played in the creek first and the older kids caught tiny crawfish! They had so much fun doing this. They walked in the water and had a good time. Then we went to the playground and the kids played and played. After a bit, my friend went and picked up a couple of Little Caesar's pizzas for us to eat. We realized pretty quickly that our group requires three pizzas instead of two. The pizza was gone very quickly and they were all begging for more!

Then, on Wednesday, this same group of people minus one of the five year olds who was with her grandmother, headed to the Children's Discovery Museum downtown. We had a blast! They have a Clifford the Big Red Dog display that all of the kids loved, even the big kids! There was a little store with a cash register and play money in it and they played restaurant and had a good time. There is also a little place where they dig in the sand and find dinosaur bones, which every one enjoyed as well. I knew the younger kids would like it but I was very glad the older ones weren't bored. After the museum, we headed back to our side of town to Chick-Fil-A. Once again, every one seemed to enjoy themselves. The older ones watch the younger ones so my friend and I actually get to talk!

On Friday, DH was off and we took the kids to see Wall-E. It was really cute, although it's more for older kids because my youngest went to sleep and Jude was asking when we were leaving. But, DH and I enjoyed it. Then we went to my Mom's house to grill out and shoot fireworks. It was a lot of fun!

Now, to this week...Monday, we went to the park with my friend and her kids again, plus I had one extra that I was watching for a friend of mine. But it was fun too.

Today, I completely organized one of my pantries! One of them is almost always organized, but the other one was spiraling out of control! It looks so good and I was very proud of myself.

Tonight, I am playing hookey from choir practice. DH was late getting home after getting stuck in a meeting, so I decided just to stay home. Zoe was furious and is right now getting an attitude adjustment from her Daddy. She is very social and can't stand the thought of missing whatever the children's department has planned. So she is getting a stern talking to right now!

Tomorrow is Mom's Day Out, so I get to spend the day with 8 14-20 month year olds!!!