Do you not know what causes that?

It's going to be a long day...

Ada got up at 6:30 a.m. (Go summer vacation!) Seeing as Kevin thought it would be fun to stay up until 2 or 3 a.m. and play video games on his computer I decided to take the high road and get up with Ada for some one on one time. Shortly after we came downstairs, Clara and Owen followed.  Then a few minutes later Lilah and Isaac.  The loudness quickly followed.  I found myself - before 7 a.m. mind you - saying, "If you're not quiet it's almost bedtime!"  Ouch. It's going to take some time here...

Mother's Day 2008

It started at 4 a.m.  At least that's when Ada woke up.  I was the only one that heard her pathetic cries, "Someone open my door..."  that said through a slurpy, tongue filled mouth.  Thankfully she laid in bed with me and fell back asleep. At least for 15 minutes...

By 6 a.m. Owen had joined the mix, quickly followed by Lilah and Clara.  I held them off as long as I could but they were itching to start Mother's Day.  I was actually amazed at the fact that they had held off on their gifts since Friday's close of school.  By 6:45 a.m. I was surrounded by paper and drawings, tissue paper corsages, and hand prints.  It was really sweet and friendly.

Kevin was still mostly asleep despite four little girls jumping on the bed.  They really wanted to make me breakfast in bed and I was really tired of laying around waiting.  So I tried to rouse Kevin. He eventually started heading that way. I got up and got dressed to run to the grocery quickly. There I enjoyed 7 minutes of peace and quiet on the way to and form the grocery.  I was back upstairs and in bed very quickly.  Where the girls brought me, drum roll please - a biscuit.

I ate it and then ran back downstairs to bake a cake for a baked Alaska for grandma, her new fav.  After several attempts it was really cooked through and through. I grabbed a shower and dressed everyone. A few stragglers and pouters, mostly the older two.

We managed to get to the synagogue for the brunch.  Kevin's mom, sister, brother-in-law and daughter were meeting us for our second annual brunch here.  It was nice.  Though someone we know came up and congratulated us on the new baby, he said, "The word is out..."  I looked at him and my MIL right next to me and said, "To everyone but my mother-in-law...."  The poor guy was a bit embarrassed, but I told him he wasn't in trouble.

Isaac and Lilah helped serve food.  The little girls sat mostly with friends at the table next door.  We sat with family and friends and ate a yummy breakfast/brunch. Alyse liked her gift cards for restaurants. And then it got to be nap time and we came home after rounding everyone up.

So everyone was napping and I was making homemade frosting and interior goo for the baked Alaska. Finally we got everyone back up and out the door, but K wasn't paying attention and went to my mom's nursing home first, while I took my van to grandma's. We all got there. Grandma's neck hurt and I brought her a rice sock. She was excited by her pillowcases and particularly the baked Alaska.

Given how fickle grandma can be I was pleased. The kids had fun with her. They sang songs and begged for more cake. LOL  Ada did pronounce that she didn't like it. Oh well, her loss.

Grandma and I had a small argument over whether or not I should see mom. Mom has an eye infection grandma was worried I'd catch. Grandma had mom leave me a phone message saying that I shouldn't come over that she was "secure in my love."

Kevin wound up going home early. He wasn't feeling well. Benjamin and Owen went with him. I drove over to the nursing home. Hilary went in and dropped off cake and goodies. I called Juliet and found out that Barbie was visiting. The girls were impressed that Juliet knew Barbie. I tried to explain that it wasn't THAT Barbie. I tried to tell them that Barbie was a doctor.  "No mommy, Barbie is not a DOCTOR!"

Home to finish homework, clean up and have dinner. Hilary and Kevin are watching the Birds and I'm watching Dude Where's My car....  Not sure which one of us is suffering, but we're making BOTH our older kids happy at the same time, which rarely happens.

So much to say...

Life keeps happening and I keep think - I have to blog about that!  :-)

So today at lunch with Clara, I saw an ad for Strawberry Shortcake (a fav of mine), only it's Passover.  I ONLY SEE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE DURING PASSOVER.

The water heater saga has hopefully ended.  After buying one and waiting a week for installation, the guy comes and says - won't work, no power vent.  So we ordered a 75 gallon water heater (Those 25 extra gallons are all MINE!) and waited.  Today, after it was installed, he said, some guy is going to come inspect it within three weeks. Oh great.

Just before Passover, I went on a huge hunt for Matza, never thinking it would be a problem. So, in the spirit of the Great Fruit Cake Search of Christmas 2006, it was the Great Matza Search of Pesach 2008. I went to five stores to find matza - none was to be found. I did manage to get a ton of Passover candies and stuff I never find, but not simple Matza.  Thankfully Andy saved us and offered us a couple of boxes.

Kevin, Hilary, Isaac and Lilah did the Tae Kwon Do tourney. Lilah got a participation medal in her age group. Isaac actually won 2nd place in sparring, which Hilary was really impressed with.  Hilary won 3rd place in forms. (It should be noted that she moved into the women's division this year because of her age, she missed 5 months of Tae Kwon Do and had only been back for 2 weeks when the tourney happened.) Last year she placed 4th, so this was better.  Kevin kicked butt, really.  He got 3rd place in forms, which Hilary said he really deserved at least 2nd.  But he got first place in sparring - don't mess with him!

Isaac finally got new glasses. Benjamin is really into his new garden and he's letting Lilah help. Owen and Clara have been passing fifth disease around. Ada is enjoying preparing her sun songs for the school music show.

Kevin and I started childbirth class last week. It was a lot of fun. Now if we would only practice more.  Baby is moving a lot more and has been hiccuping a lot. Sometimes the kids can even feel it!

Now, on to the new kitchen floor, roof and new dry wall!

Spring Break 2008 Day One

Today was our first real day of spring break.  With Shabbat being nearly identical to every other Shabbat, except a family party. So today (Sunday) we split up by gender and went out. I took the girls to the Bed and Breakfast for some afternoon fun. Then off to dinner.  We still had some time to kill so we went to a local park and played at the playground, then we took a walk through a really cool path with a creek and ducks.

Eventually Kevin showed up and picked up Ada, who was simply too much to handle at the B & B.  The boys had gone to dinner and went home to watch some show where they build a house out of scrap.  They were thrilled.

Crawling out of my hole...

I am still sick. *cough*  Though I am getting better.  One had better be on the med after nearly three weeks of ills. I feel like I've fallen into some black hole some where and ever I don't know where that is...

I told someone today that I'm not sure what I've done or where I've been the last few weeks, though as you know I have occasionally left the house. The kids all got to school. I am still raking in the grocery bills and doctor bills, so I must be doing something.

So I am alive.  I am merely fuzzy about my recent weeks.  Please forgive.

Why I say so little...

I've had a few questions about why I wait so long or why I say so little, I thought I'd try to describe my feelings.

The reason I finally posted was because I realized the other night I was still very worried about the pregnancy. That's how I thought of it, the pregnancy, not the baby.  Despite all of our losses, I've always tried to remember that my baby is a blessing, even if for a few short weeks inside my body and that I need to remember that now as well. 18 weeks made me think of life and felt good to say it then.

I say so little, not for you, my friends, but for those who don't really care and find this more of a gossip point. "You'll never guess who is pregnant again!"  I can just hear them now, and I truly don't want my baby to be fodder for idiots gossip. These are the same people who ask me constantly if I'm pregnant or when I will be, only to turn around and be indignant when I am and ask stupid questions like: "When will yous top?" "Don't you know what causes that?" You'd think I was taking up a collection for college funds at how personally some people take it.

Right now, the little girls are being harassed by some people over this question.  Constantly being asked by some people about if there is a "baby in my belly."  Girls, let me tell you that if you ever hear the words "baby in belly" from my kids - it's a plant.  Even Ada knows where, why and what function a uterus serves. But I digress.

We told my mom this weekend.  She was so dull about the whole thing my grandma was positive she didn't hear me.  So she asked her later.  Her response?  "I knew." Someone already told her... Wonder who because we haven't told that many people. Oh well. Grandma's response was a bit more of what we expected, she happily announced she'd have to live a bit longer then.

Anyway, a general lack of excitement from others, has unfortunately taught me to keep quiet rather than sing from the roof tops like I'd like to most days. So let me exclaim it now: We're thrilled!

I'm a sucker for bad weather...

Okay we have a tornado watch.  This is actually not something new for my area of the country.  But I have to tell you I don't get used to it. I panick and worry a lot about these.  Now I'm counting down the hours until it's over (3 hours and 18 minutes), but already dreading the one this evening that is anticipated by NOAA.  (They actually said go to bed with your radios...) Yikes.

You know you're a mother when...

The last thing you were carded for was children's cough medicine.

Watch a Baby Be Born

Teri said I needed to post so I thought I'd include this video.  Pretty cool pictures, huh?

What a mom says...