Chuck E. Cheese

Yes, we finally did it . . . we let Ryan have a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese, or as I like to call it, a "parent's hell", a "child's paradise."  I am glad we decided to do a Friday afternoon party because the place wasn't packed at all, but the shear number of games and activities, and room to run all over meant a little bit of stress for Trav and I.  But once we figured out how to keep our eyes on everyone, things got easier.  The kids seemed to really enjoy it, and what's not to love . . . free tokens, tons to do, Chuck E. Cheese doing a little song and dance - like I said, a "child's paradise."  Now, why is it a "parent's hell?"  Well, for starters, the staff isn't exactly what I would call "prompt."  And I get it, they are dealing with kids and kids don't really care about time, but their parents (who are paying for the party) do care.  Granted we were a little late arriving, but it took more than a few suggestions from me to keep the party moving along.  And because I'm a "super party planner", I did my reservation in a way that got us more free tokens then I thought was really necessary (I think we had close to 300 tokens and considering most games only take one token, that means lots and lots and lots of games to play because god forbid we walk out of that place with unused tokens).  The party was originally scheduled for 12:30-3:30pm (the Chuck E. Cheese part was from 1-3:00pm, the extra time was drive time).  Well, at 2:30pm, we were just finishing up our food and still had to wait for cake/ice cream, the Chuck E. Cheese show, Ryan's chance at the "ticket blaster", and our last set of 100 free tokens (like I said, they just kept coming).  It's at that point that I got on the phone and called all the parents and asked to push back the pick up time to 4:00pm - and just as I would do, none of them objected (an extra half hour down one kid - no one turns that down).  After that I was feeling good about our schedule and when we wrapped up the cake, present opening, Chuck E. Cheese show, and the ticket blaster, we set the kids off with their final 13 tokens and gave them a 15-20 minute window to use them up.  And to our surprise, most of them did a good job using the tokens up, what I didn't plan on was the amount of time it would take to turn in our tokens and pick out prizes (I mean, how much thought has to go into picking a piece of junk plastic toy over the other - apparently a lot!).  I "helped" speed up the process by picking a kid and telling them to choose right now, or I'd pick for them (somehow that helped them decide a lot faster).  When everyone finally walked out with their prized possessions, we got loaded up and headed for home (it was about 3:35pm which meant we would pull into the driveway right at 4:00pm).  About half way into the ride home, things got interesting.  We were on 494 heading west in pretty heavy traffic (which already had me on high alert because I was driving other people's children) when we came to a pretty sudden stop.  Trav was in front of me in his car (with 3 children who were also not ours), and it seemed to e the SUV in front of him that was causing the slowdown.  One minute the SUV is on the side of the road, the next, it is veering back onto the highway in a slow, jerky movement.  My first thought was that the person was having car trouble and that they should get off the road so they didn't cause a huge back-up.  And for a second, it seemed like that was going to happen, but then, the SUV pulled back onto the highway again.  This time, I opted to pull way over to the shoulder and go around this person because I was scared of being rear-ended.  At the same time, Trav pulled over in the other direction to avoid hitting the SUV.  It was when I had pulled around and got in front of the vehicle that I looked back and saw some lights on the front grill (just two little ones, one red, one blue), and a man angrily flagging Travis off the road (remember, this is still on 494 - a very BUSY road).  I debated about what to do . .  stop, or keep going, but in the end kept driving because there really wasn't a safe place to pull over (we were by then in a construction area).  Nervous as hell, I kept driving and hoped Trav would call me soon, and then he did.  He said he got pulled over by an off-duty police officer for honking and flicking him off (Trav doesn't remember flicking him off, but considering he does do that a lot, I wouldn't put it past him).  Then he had to go because the guy was coming back to the car.  When he called back again about a minute later, Trav said the "police officer" (I use that term lightly because I'm still not convinced he was an actual police officer - he had no badge, just a name tag with the word "police" on it around his neck, the vehicle did not look like any police vehicle I have ever seen, and he almost caused an accident on a busy highway to pull a guy over for honking at him - it just doesn't make sense) let him go just saying, "you don't honk at police officers!"  Apparently the guy was a real jerk.  Anyway, by this time, I was just about home and literally shitting my pants because now I would have to explain to the parents that some of their kids were in the car when Trav got pulled over - super, just the way to wrap up a fun already stressful day.  Luckily, when I told the first mom, she smiled and walked over to Trav and said, "were you ready to fight this guy?" - I think, and I'd like to believe she was okay with it because she is a pretty easy going lady who has four boys under the age of 9 so not much fazes her.  The other mom of one of the boys seemed fine, but it was the mother of the girl in the car I was worried about.  This was the first time her daughter had been to our place, and now she was going home with a story of getting pulled over on 494 by some crazed maybe/maybe not police officer- please God, don't let this ruin Ryan's chances of having her as a continued friend especially because she is a real sweet kid and I would love for Ryan to spend more time with her - I guess we'll have to wait and see on that one.  When everyone left, I was still a little shaken by the whole event especially considering I had told Trav before the kids arrived to make sure he was on his best behavior - no bad language, treat all the kids extra nice, the basics - apparently I forgot to tell him, no honking and flicking people off when driving - my bad.  But, in his defense, the SUV was doing crazy things on the road, and he was just trying to protect the kids in his car (granted, he did add in a "few extras").  This might mean the end of birthday parties where we have to drive kids around for a while, until then, we'll stick to good old fashioned home parties where the kids entertain themselves instead of having to pay someone else to do it for them - nothing wrong with that!  Here are some pictures from the party.  Ryan said he loved it so in the end, all of it was worth it!

Ryan is 7!!!!

Hard to believe our first born is 7 today!  Where did the time go?  Lately when I look at Ryan I feel like I'm looking at some big kid who couldn't possibly be our little "Ry Guy."  School (and 1st grade) has certainly helped transform this kid.  He went in a pretty innocent little boy and came out a "tougher" (not sure "tough" is the best word), more edgy kid.  He knows stuff about things I had to idea he knew about, he talks like a big kid and tells me his thoughts on certain subjects - it's just weird sometimes, but I guess it's all part of growing up.  Even though he is growing up, he stills loves (okay, that is a stretch), he still "allows" me to give him some lovin' (just not in public so much anymore), he is still a sweet kid, a great brother, and the best son we could ever want!  Thanks for 7 great years Ryan, looking forward to many, many more!  Happy Birthday !!!

Soccer kids

Monday started our "soccer season" for the next 6-7 weeks.  Ryan has soccer every Mon and Wed morning  while Lauren has it every Tues and Thurs morning.  Yes, that means this lady who knows very little about soccer gets to watch the sport four days a week.  So far both kids seem to enjoy it (this is Ryan's third season and Lauren's first).  And the best part about both of them playing, Lauren gets to use all of Ryan's old (or in the case of his shin guards, current) gear - what a good deal for me!  Anyway, no pictures of Ryan yet because he doesn't have his new soccer cleats yet, but here are a few of Lauren on her first day - she looks so stinking cute!

It is really fun to watch both of them play , but it is super fun to watch Ryan watch Lauren play.  He is certainly her biggest fan and is constantly giving her "pointers" on how to improve on things - pretty good big brother Lauren has!

Last day of school

Here he is, our brand new 2nd grader . . . .

He wasn't this happy when he got off the bus today, and when I asked what was bothering him, his answer was, "I'm just really going to miss Mrs. Burlager" - and then the tears started.  Who knew he liked his teacher that much!  Anyway, after talking about how he'll still be able to see her the next couple of years since he'll still be in the same building, he was feeling much better, and the realization that he was now a 2nd grader took over and the smiles came out - yay for that!  Now the summer fun (and craziness) starts - well, it actually starts next Monday which is the first day of all summer activities through the community ed, after that, it is run, run, run, all summer long!

And to kick off summer a little early for Lauren and the little ones, we hit up the splash pad at the Y on Tuesday and had a "splashing" good time!  Lauren loved, loved, loved it, Ellie could take it or leave it, and Colt warmed up nicely.  By the time we left, Lauren and Colt were drenched, and Ellie had her bottom half dripping wet - a promising start to a summer full of water (I hope).

A little side note about these pictures . . . Colt didn't have a swimsuit so he had to wear just the swim diaper, Ellie, on the other hand had a nice swimsuit, but the minute she saw what Colt had (or didn't have) on, she insisted on stripping down to match him.  So yes, we got a few strange looks, but the kids were happy so that's all that matters!

Weekend update

I see it has been a while since my last post so this will be a "weekend update" plus whatever else I remember. Let's start with the weekend . . . it was a busy, yet relaxing weekend. The best part . . . we didn't have to go any further than the end of our street to have some fun! Friday night brought a unplanned neighborhood get together - the kids ran around, the adults sipped drinks by the bonfire. On Saturday, our neighbor girl had her graduation party so it was another night of the kids running and playing and the adults having some fun of their own - not a shabby weekend. In between all the fun we were able to get some errands done, do some major house cleaning (and by we, I mean "me" on this one), and even squeeze in some child labor (the kids "helped" wash both vehicles).

As you can tell by the pictures, Ryan and Lauren actually did some work.  Ellie helped initially but the minute she saw my popsicle she dropped her rag and her work was done - typical Ellie.

And here are some random pictures of the past few weeks.  Apparently I take a lot of pictures and then forget all about them on my camera - better late than never I guess.  First up, Lauren's preschool field trip/end of the year party.  I assumed that I would be the one taking Lauren on this little adventure, but when I asked her if she wanted mom or dad to go with her, she responded with, "Dad, because he's never seen my school and I can show him all my friends."  The girl loves her Dad and any chance she has to include him in her "everyday" life, she'll take it.  Here's a picture of Lauren as a "farm girl" and Trav as the "field trip Dad" - they both had a blast that day and Trav did get to meet some of Lauren's friends and teachers - lucky guy!

Here is a random picture I took one night when all the kids decided to use Trav as a horse.  I wonder how many more years he'll be able to do this?

Here is a picture of "hat reversal."  Colt brought his trucker hat over for the day and Ellie had her pink hat out but when it was time to put on their hats and go outside, they both opted to wear the other person's hat. It's cute now, but Colt in pink and Ellie in a trucker hat might be kind of strange later in life.

And finally . . . the "pisser" (aka Scrappy) turned 4 on May 22nd.  I'm hoping 4 is the year the dumb dog stops peeing all over the place, if not, he might not live to see 5.  You can see below how excited he was about the big day.  God, I love to hate that dog!

Track and Field Day

Ryan had his first "Track and Field Day" today and based on his previous conversations with us about finishing 2nd to last (remember, the girl in front of him tripped on the last hurdle), or being, "too tired" to run faster, I have to say it, I wasn't expecting much.  In fact, I was just hoping he would participate in his activities and not end up crying - does that make me a bad mom?  Should I expect more of my kid?  Whatever, I'll figure that out later.  Anyway, Lauren had school today so I stayed home with Ellie and Colt to wait for her while Trav headed to the school early so he could see all of Ryan's events.  And wouldn't you know it, the kid came through in the clutch.  Not only did he compete and finish both of his events, he actually took 1st place - wowza!  So the good thing was, he did great, the bad thing was that I didn't get to actually see him in the first two events since I was still at home waiting for Lauren.  By the time I got there, we were able to catch the class tug-of-wars, and the shoe kick (Ryan's final event) - both of which, he didn't do so great at (I'm starting to wonder if I'm bad luck?).  And to make matters worse, he was "injured" (I use that term loosely because ultimately, I think he just got a little rope burn, but he was convinced a trip to the nurse's office was necessary so after we left, his teacher agreed to let him go there to get an ice pack which apparently fixes everything).  After the tug-of-war catastrophe, Ryan still had to compete in the shoe kick (which let's face it, isn't real demanding on a person's body), but due to his "injury", he was not feeling up to it and had shed more than a few tears.  When I finally convinced him to participate, he stepped up and took so long to kick his shoe that the teacher facilitating the event didn't even recognize that he was participating.  Oh well, lucky for us Ryan didn't seem to care as he was still focused on getting his ice pack.

So all in all, Track and Field Day was a success.  Ryan proved he can actually do something when he puts a little effort in (or, when he has his "fast" shoes on which he wore to help him out today), he walked away with 2 blue winner braclets, and most importantly, I think he had a good time.  It's always fun to see your kid in different settings to see how they act, and to see how they are on a "normal" day for them.  Looking forward to many, many more Track and Field Day - we'll try to keep the future events "tear-free."

Here are a couple of pictures from the class tug-of-war . . .

My not so discreet life

So I wasn't sure if I should write this post or not, but after thinking about it, and deciding that I don't really care that people might sometimes know way too much about me, I decided to go ahead and do it.  So here it is . . . all the lurid details of my life with my kids (plus one - Colt).

About 2 months ago (I only know this because it was the day before Avery and Charlotte were born - won't they be happy to know I remember this because of their birth into the world), I was having some issues "down there."  Stuff was itching and burning, and I knew something just wasn't right.  Well, having the "issues" was one thing, but treating them was another.  I tried some cream from drugstore and after two treatments, nothing was improving so that left me sitting at home on a Sunday with lots to do, but no time to do anything because my lady parts literally felt like they were on fire (this is one of those times I wished I was a man - no internal issues to deal with).  Anyway, I asked (more like pestered Trav) all morning while I was trying to decide if this would just go away with some more cream, or if I should I suck it up and go see a doctor - the downside, the only way to see a doctor was to go to the ER - no this isn't life threatening, but damn did it hurt!  So off I finally went to the ER and wouldn't you know it, I had a yeast infection - super!  Anyway, this is where it gets interesting.  When I got home, the kids were asking me if I was alright, and "why did you go to the doctor again?"  I told them that I had a problem with my private parts so I had to have a doctor help me out and that was that - no more questions about it, never got brought up again, end of story - until two days ago.  That's when Ryan comes home from school and says to me, "Mom, I told Sean and Jebril that you had to go to the doctor to fix your vagina problems."  Um, okay, what do I say to that? First all, the kid just learned what a vagina was because after months of Lauren saying that all girls had, "two butts", and boys had "wieners", I finally decided it was time to tell the kids the "proper" terms for their private parts.  And like any new word Ryan hears, he immediately started using the word vagina in any sentence he could . . . "hey Mom, how's your vagina" - "super, thanks for asking."  Or when I'm changing Ellie's diaper, he points and says, "look, there is Ellie's vagina" - you get the idea.  Well, apparently his obsession with the word vagina, coupled with his little mind working overtime was enough for him to put two and two together and come up with the fact that when I went to the doctor (2 whole months ago) and had my "private parts" taken care of, what I actually meant was, "I went to the doctor to have my vagina problems fixed" - great, now a couple of 7 year old boys know all about my issues, and I'm still sitting here wondering, "how does my vagina come up in a conversation between three first grade boys in the first place?"  Maybe I'll never know, but I did inform Ryan that talking about private parts, vaginas, or whatever else, was not appropriate with other people.  His response, "don't worry Mom, I told them it was a secret so they won't tell anyone" - oh, well in that case, no worries!

So now that everyone knows about my vagina, I'll move onto my bathroom behaviors.  When I go to the bathroom at my house, I always leave the door open (unless I have to do a #2, in that case, the door will be closed) so I can hear what is going on because with three kids and my plus one (Colton), you never know when trouble will happen.  Well, apparently I didn't close the bathroom door hard enough the other day because as I sat there trying to take care of business, in walks Colton and right behind him, Ellie.  They walk right in, say "hi" (which was thoughtful of them), and sit right down and start laying out their Memory game - all of this while I'm sitting on the toilet just minding my own business.  I try to tell them to leave, but they just stand up and try to get closer to me for a "better view" I guess so after two or three attempts to get them out (which clearly did not work), I just wrap things up (saving myself for a more convenient time when children and board games are not involved), and get on with my day - this is my life

When did my life become an open book - no privacy, no common sense or respect, everything is just out on the table?   Oh yeah, that started right about the time I had Ryan - guess having four people watch as you push a child out of your crotch was a good start, everything from there has been downhill.  Can't wait to see what the future holds . . .