Allergy testing

When I became pregnant with Coryn, I also became extremely congested. I had to take Benadryl and Sudafed through my pregnancy with her just to make it day to day. I assumed that it was a new pregnancy side effect that I had not had with my first two pregnancies and counted down to September 2006 excited to meet my baby, but also to see that side effect disappear. Imagine my horror when I realized that particular symptom would not be leaving and would in fact become worse. When she was a few months old, I sought out an allergist who performed an allergy scratch test using a tray that was pushed on my back. I was a little depressed to learn that I had no allergies. I did however have a sinus infection and also found out I had hypothyroid. Maybe these two things would explain my constant nasal suffering? So we treated those and went on with life and the symptoms continued and also with each season continued to get worse. And yet in the back of my mind I thought that the test had somehow been performed wrong. There was no way to explain my discomfort, but to describe it as severe allergies. And so just recently I decided to go for testing again. I talked to my friend/doctor and she suggested that I try Kansas City Allergy and Asthma clinic. I finally made the call.

A week before the testing I had to go off all my antihistamines. That was a tough week. Mid-week I had a conversation with another woman who had also gone to that first doctor and been told she had no allergies also and yet she was still suffering. This just strengthened my resolve to get the testing knowing that the outcome would be different this time and I might finally get some answers.

On Tuesday afternoon I went into the office, talked to the Doctor and then had the first part of the test performed. This time the tech did each scratch individually. It was more uncomfortable than the first time, but it also really "scratched" me so I knew it had gotten into my skin. I reacted to several things with that so we moved on to injections in my arm which caused even more reactions. I found out I was allergic to molds, dustmites, grass, trees, ragweed etc etc. Thankyou God!! The doctor spent a considerable amount of time discussing my options and changing my meds. He also feels that I have chronic Sinusitis. So we are treating that also. I felt so relieved. I honestly felt this huge depressing cloud lift from me. We can treat this. I can feel better.

I am still a little annoyed that the first doctor missed this and never really tried to help me. Not only did it cost us a good deal of money, but it cost me three more years where I could have been feeling better.

But I won't spend too much time dwelling on that. I will look towards the future and know that I am finally getting my answers and that I WILL feel better.

On the wagon yet again

So we returned from Florida a few weeks ago. We had a blast but one thing that was not so great were the pictures of me. I hate seeing myself in pictures. I hate being in pictures. I feel like a toad! Well maybe not a toad, but I definitely don't have any narcissistic tendencies going on when I look at a picture of myself. And instead of pausing over a picture of myself and thinking that it looks nice, I pause and obsess about everything that is wrong with it. So I am back on the wagon as of yesterday. I no longer own a scale thanks to Coryn using it as a trampoline, but that is ok, because it isn't so much about the number as it is about how I feel and how my clothes fit. I am using all the awesome information that I learned at Weight Watchers and am also going to be using the Sparkpeople app on my phone to help me get there.

One of the best ways to stay motivated is to know that other people know that I am working on it. Because the little motivations that come from conversations and questions from my friends and the fact that when I am out socially with one of you, you "know" what I am trying to do and support me, really makes a huge difference. I am putting it out there for the world. I am giving myself 7 months to make a difference. We go on a cruise then, and I would really LOVE to wear a bathing suit and feel good about how I look. So there you have it!

Song Lyrics

It's funny how you hear a song a thousand times and never really listen to it. This morning I really LISTENED to a song and guess what? A song that never really meant that much to me, all of a sudden became genius to me. Here are the lyrics:
Drops of Jupiter by Seatrain
Now that she's back in the atmosphere
With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey
She acts like summer and walks like rain
Reminds me that there's time to change, hey, hey
Since the return from her stay on the moon
She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey

Tell me did you sail across the sun
Did you make it to the milky way to see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated

Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star
One without a permanent scar
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there

Now that she's back from that soul vacation
Tracing her way through the constellation, hey, hey
She checks out Mozart while she does tae-bo
Reminds me that there's room to grow, hey, hey

Now that she's back in the atmosphere
I'm afraid that she might think of me as plain ol Jane
Told a story about a man who is too afraid to fly so he never did land

Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back to the milky way
And tell me, did venus blow your mind
Was it everything you wanted to find
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there

Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken
Your best friend always sticking up for you even when I know you're wrong
Can you imagine no first dance, freeze dried romance five-hour phone
Conversation
The best soy latte that you ever had... And me

Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back toward the milky way

I think I want to paint the chorus somewhere in one of my girls rooms!

When you are number three, there aren't many "firsts" left to accomplish

Accomplish is probably the wrong word here. I am not really sure what the right word is, but I digress. Today, my sweet little Coryn had a first that her sisters have never experienced. I walked into her class at the end of the day to a little sleepy eyed girl who came to me a little slower than normal. She seemed hesitant. It was then that her teacher came over to us, sat down in one of the small chairs near us and said, "Coryn has had a sort of rough day"! I immediately imagine that she was missing me, or she got hurt, or she had some other offense commited against her. She is my sweet sweet baby(detect the sarcasm in that?). As Miss Karen went on to explain, my girl bit a fellow classmate today! Yes you read that right, she bit someone else. And to drive the point home that we don't bite, she had to go to the director's office. Director is synonomous with Principal. My three year old went THERE! UGH! And not only that, did I mention she freaking bit someone????? Double Ugh! And they can't even tell me who, so I am just feeling awful for this child who I am imagining with a chunk of flesh missing from their arm, head, leg wherever. Although they assured me she didn't acutally break skin, but whatever. I know I would be upset if my child got bit. I never knew what it felt like to be on this end of the discipline spectrum. It sucks. Really Really SUCKS! Oh this child...she is going to make me old. Really really old.

Daughters

I have three daughters as you are probably well aware of if you visit my blog ever. This past week I have been stunned by a couple of news reports that I have seen. The first is the arrest of Polanski on charges of the statutory rape of a 13 year old. The second just caught my attention moments ago. It is that the Tate has shut down an exhibit that features a nude photograph of a 10 year old Brooke Shields. WOW! I have a ten year old. That is my first thought, my second is WHO let her pose for a nude photo at 10? Where were her parents? Who was looking out for her best interest?

My 10 year old is growing into a young woman, she is beautiful and flashes between little girl and young woman from moment to moment. You never know what you are going to get. But there is still innocence in her. A lot of it. And there is modesty. It would be horribly invasive to her psyche to photograph her now in any form of nudity, even innocent such as the baby bath pictures which most mothers cannot resist. I have not seen the picture of Ms. Shields so I do not know what it is a photo of, but like I said, even an "innocent" photo is not OK at the age of 10. I go back to wondering who was there for her? It makes me sick to think that a museum would even consider this to be art. I am glad that the police have intervened. It isn't right which brings me to the next media blitz that is Roman Polanski.

The first time I ever heard of R.P. was when I read Helter Skelter at the age of 20. I learned of his fleeing from this case at that time also as I had done some research about the book and people in it. The entire thing makes me sick. Like I mentioned, I have three daughters and it sickens me that this man has been free for 30 years after raping a 13 year old girl. I have read that she wanted the case dropped. She is in mid-life now, but how much of that night has defined her life? How did her life change because this man took liberties with her that are just downright sick? And as is the case most often, how many other girls have there been that he has also taken advantage of that we will never know about. I am so happy that he has been arrested. He should not be celebrated for his work as an "artist". He is a sick person who needs to be punished for a crime that he committed, 30 years or not!

As a mom I refuse to support or condone any kind of behaviour that robs little girls of their innocence, even in the name of ART(and SHAME on the celebrities who support R.P). We have a responsibility to these kids to let them be children and to discover life at their own pace in healthy relationships. We are their advocates and their protectors.

And in case you have been living in a cave or a bubble somewhere, it is also your responsibility to check the sex offender website and often, because people move. Keep your children safe.
http://www.familywatchdog.us/

Stepping off my soap box.

Weekend Update

We had such a great weekend. Beautiful weather, family, friends, Oktoberfest. What more could a family ask for?

Friday night J.R. and I volunteered at the Lee's Summit Chamber of Commerce beer and brat tent. This is the second year we have done this and we couldn't have picked a better night. We all had a great time making nachos, pretzels, drinks and of course the brats. Although after working the stand, none of that appealed to me at all.






Saturday we started the day with errands. Ella got a new bike, I almost talked J.R. into adopting a rescue dog because we don't have enough of a zoo going on around here these days and well our fish died this week so naturally a dog would be a great replacement. After many tears, because I was sure J.R. was going to give in and so the girls got excited(the tears were not mine however), we left beautiful Redman at Petco. I hope he found a good home with kids because he was just like the most awesome dog EVER! BTW he was an Australian Cattle dog who looked part Huskie but with this beautiful red hair. LOVED HIM!

All melancholy we headed over to the Kansas side to visit our cousin's new business, Franchise Mart. What a neat idea for a business. I am very excited for him. If you are in the market for a franchise business(and let me tell you he has everything you could ever imagine and more), call him. His name is Brad Johnson and here is a link to his new business:
http://www.franchisemart-overlandpark.com/our_staff.htm
I even got excited about some of the possibilities and may be contacting him soon.

The afternoon was spent preparing for our friend, Mollie's wedding. Mollie worked with J.R. for awhile and then gave Ella and even me some horseback riding lessons. They had a stunning wedding in a wonderful country, outdoor setting. It was probably one of the funnest ceremonies ever, as they laughed and really enjoyed themselves throughout the service. After they were pronounced hubby and wife they walked down the aisle with their dog. So sweet!





J.R. has a golf tournament today and I am going to take the girls to a walking trail that I just discovered by a lake while he is gone. The perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

My Epiphany

I am reading an amazing, life changing book. I am sharing this book with some pretty spectacular ladies who have life views that I love hearing. I feel like my cup is filled everytime we meet. It is almost like a drug for me. I can't wait to be filled again with their presence and with our discussions.

The book we are reading is Shame off You by Alan D Wright. Our discussion this week was on the chapter The Agony of Victory. What? I saw that title and it immediately intrigued me. The Agony of Victory? I don't get it. But as I read on I found myself marking up my book and making HUGE revelations about my own life.

I can't tell you how many times in my life I have had a major accomplishment, and the only thing I have felt is "So,What's next?" or "Why me?" or "I don't deserve this". This is a pattern in my life. I was unaware of it until Wednesday.

A discussion that has been present in my marriage since I started staying home 11 years ago has been my feelings of inadequacy. I mean somebody in the great beyond(Thank you God and I mean GOD!) chose me to parent these three amazing children. And instead of reveling in that fact and savoring the moments, I complained. I never saw accomplishments anymore in my life. I did laundry, I cleaned, I organized only to have it all thrown away 10 minutes later. WHY? When I worked, I set out to do a project only to see it completed and neatly filed away or graded since my job was teacher. On Wednesday I FINALLY(did I mention 11 YEARS????)figured it out. Life IS a journey. It is not about the destination so I have to live this life and by LIVING this life I mean being present in each and every moment. Showing my children how to live lives based on Christ like principles. I need to fill their cups and mine. Yes there will still be laundry and schedules and activities and outside demands but all of those become less important when looking at the big picture. The ACCOMPLISHMENT is in the day to day. How I live my life is a reflection into my children's lives and ultimately THEIR journey.

I know I have mentioned this book to several of you and I am serious when I say that EVERYONE that I know and love should read it. It has been life changing and wonderful. I wish I could personally thank Alan Wright for this gift to me.

Yoga 101

I started taking a yoga class awhile back. It is my escape three times a week. The very first time I did it, I walked away feeling as if I had just had an hour massage. I cannot praise my yoga instructor enough. She was born to do this. She is a soft spoken, calming, and compassionate person, who after just a few visits, knew my name. I don't know why that was important to me, but it was.

As I said it is my escape. I am pretty much unaware of anyone else in that class and assume that most people are unaware of me.

Today I walked into yoga and there in my spot is a man talking on his cell phone. First rule of yoga 1. Leave the outside world outside the door. So get off your cell phone. He talked up until it was time to start while others around him are obviously starting to unwind in the quiet bird chirping environment. Did I mention he was in my spot? Not that he knew this, but the creature of habit that I am REALLY had struggles with this.

Rule #2 The breathing is through the nose!!! I could not be more serious about this one. We are not lifting weights dude. If you really are having that much trouble doing the poses, perhaps yoga is not your thing. Your breathing like you were birthing a hippo was DISTRACTING.

Rule #3 Personal Space- and this applies in all areas of life. Please do not park your mat right up my ass. I really don't appreciate it. I also don't appreciate you moving it closer EVERY SINGLE TIME we change poses. If you get kicked in the head, it is not my fault. Or maybe it is since you were so annoying.

Rule #4 What's with the straps? OK so I realize that this is a question, but still it was distracting. You brought what looked like luggage straps and then proceeded to tie them to your ankles or wrap them or something. Not quite sure, but then they kept slipping off and you would fall creating quite the scene. There was a point when I wished I had my video camera with me because I thought a video might just be more proof of your idiocy.

The only thing I can humbly thank you for was that you did not ruin my meditation time. Actually I believe you must have started breathing through your nose because I didn't hear you at all. So maybe you are figuring the breathing out after all.

The lesson I have learned from this all is that maybe it is time for me to move up from the back row. Or at least avoid "John" next time.

Ring Ring Ring, We are home!

Our home phone has rung many times today and I am sure that it has something to do with the fact that it is J.R.'s birthday. Small problem though, I can't find a phone. We have three of them, and they are all missing. None of them are ringing either, which means the ringers are turned off OR they are dead! So paging them is going to be ineffective.

I am however able to hear the answering machine go off when someone starts to leave a message, so if you need to call us, call my cell phone or leave a message.

I might not answer though because I am going on a big scavenger hunt, apparently, today.

Or I might be at Wal-Mart looking for a wall phone. Do they even still make those

*BTW The base in the kitchen still rings, hence how I know the phone keeps ringing.

Help!

I need parenting advice in a really bad way.

Ella would have been the perfect only child. She thrives on having us all to herself. The problem is she isn't an only child and it is draining trying to fulfill her only child needs constantly. In comes Tara. Ella has had a hard time accepting her little sister since she first came on the scene. It has always been manageable until now. NOW they both are bigger, more vocal, one of them is a bit hormonal, and the other is, without hormones raging, a perfect drama queen.

The fighting is ridiculous-
*she wears my clothes all the time
*she sat in the middle last time
*she always has a friend over
*she never cleans up
*she kicked, hit, tripped me
*she looked at me
*you like her more
*MOM!!!!!!!

And the problem is when they are getting along, they are usually doing something that will get someone hurt, like wrestling, jumping off our brick wall, playing crash course derby with their bikes, which then ends up with one of the aforementioned statements being shouted at me.

I am not the calm peaceful "yes dear" type. In fact when they come at me with one of the LINES, I immediately put my guard up. They know this, but continue in vain anyway and then we all end up on the losing end. So I need help.

How do I get them to love each other? Respect each other? Stick up for each other? I understand that sisters will be sisters but sometimes I think they seriously hate each other. And it makes me sad. What have I done wrong? HELP!

Happy Birthday Pokie

Guess who is THREE today? Our little Pokie! We have had a fabulous birthday day so far complete with a screening by Miss Kristi from Parents as Teachers, a trip to childcare at the gym where she got to pick out of the birthday box, a gift opening with her friend Gabby in the lobby of the gym(she got paints and a fabulous book on colors), a big nap with mom and the making of a pink cake of which she really wants to share with her daddy. Bummer, I guess we have to wait for him to get home. Tonight our plans are a trip to McDonalds(her choice not mine) cake and icecream and the opening of a few gifts.

Yesterday she got to be the birthday girl at school. She is my first kid to get to celebrate during the school year, so it was actually fun for me. She got a nice book from her teachers also that we read last night together.

I love the simplicity of a third birthday. There are no expectations just joy for every moment. I have actually caught her a couple of different times singing the birthday song to herself. There is just something about this age, the awareness of the birthday by the three year old, but not being corrupted yet by what a birthday might be or what anyone else thinks it should be, it all makes for perfection. She is just so precious. Happy Birthday little one! You are and will always be my baby.

Alanis eat your heart out!

I have been noticing for months, the changes that are occurring in my daughter. So the following pictures should come as no shock to me. I am just not sure that I am completely ready to be the parent of a brooding pre-teen.




ETA: I should also probably note that she has taken my favorite plastic cup(I am so classy) and used it for her savings. She is going to be so much more mad when I make her give it back.

Happy 15 Years

15 Years ago, today, I married my high school sweetheart. In some ways that seems like an absolutely unbelievable amount of time and in other ways it feels like it has been a fleeting moment.

I sat drinking my coffee this morning and eating my panera pecan sticky bun(thanks J.R.) and watched my family. The family that was created on that day 15 years ago. How much different my life would be if I had not sort of accidentally gone on that date with that handsome boy 19 years ago. Where would I be? And then I started remembering this same morning 15 years ago. I woke up at the crack of dawn, excited to face my wedding day. I was greeted to family that had driven over 24 hours to be there for my big day from Canada and a big sloppy kiss from the best golden retriever ever. This was a time before texting and cell phones, so J.R. and I didn't see each other or talk until right before the wedding for pictures(we aren't superstitious and never were). I remember looking at him and just being taken away by the emotions of the entire day. I also remember walking down the aisle and only wanting to look at him. Nobody else in that entire room mattered to me. It was just the two of us there. Everything was sort of a blur, the ceremony, candles, friends, family, cake, pictures. What mattered is I married the man I loved and will spend the rest of my life with.

Our marriage is not perfect. I won't lie about that. We struggle at times. We get annoyed and angry. I don't think any two humans could possibly live together this long and not have some angst at times, but it is these anniversaries that are there to remind us of that promise that we made before our friends and family and most especially our God.

J.R. thanks for putting up with me and my quirks for so long. I love you and look forward to what the next 15+ years hold for us. Whatever it is, we can face it together.

8 Big Years!

Let's pretend for the sake of my favorite middle child that I got this post up yesterday. And not that I got so busy fixing a dinner for my favorite aunt from Tennessee (hi Aunt Mary) that I just never got around to it. And even though there was guilt while I collapsed in bed last night, sleep overcame all of it....SO.....

8 Years ago little Tara Elizabeth came into our lives. I have heard before that a child's birth experience tells you a lot about their personality. Of course I have tested this theory three times and guess what?!? For my kids it ABSOLUTELY does!

Ella- Easy Peesy! No pain and I exclaimed to my nurse "What's the big deal?"
Tara- Came fast and broke my tailbone in the process!
Coryn- No epidural and LONGEST labor!

You can make your own guesses as to what this says about their individual personalities ;)

In the meantime let me share a little about that day 8 years ago.
(This is me crying right before we left for the hospital...WHOA I look HUGE!)

My mom is pretty awesome. In fact 8 years ago I called her crying. I had been in so much pain and just couldn't handle Ella anymore. I had spent part of the day laying on my sister's couch in early labor, but when I got back home it was slowly getting stronger. To make matters worse, J.R. had a HUGE meeting a work. He was in That meeting when I finally decided to go to the hospital. I called the girls at work to tell them that as soon as he was out, he was to go to the hospital. My mom and I arrived at the hospital a little after 5 PM. J.R. arrived around 6. In just 5 hours I went from begging my OB to break my water to holding my newest beautiful girl.

(J.R. and I meeting our 7lb 4oz, 19 inch long girl)
(Our girl right before we took her home)


Tara is 8! I can't believe it. I remember my 8th birthday party. I remember the guests, the gifts, the cake, the games and now she too is 8. This year will be full of big things for her. She will start 2nd grade in a week and probably the biggest thing that will happen to her...She will be baptized and confirmed. She has been preparing for this with pre-baptismal classes and lots of questions. She want's to be baptized at camp like Ella did, so she will have to wait until next June, but I have no doubt that she will wait patiently just like her big sister.


Tara is an amazing kid. She has a zest for life that is completely envy making. She has an imagination like nobody I have ever met. And she befriends everybody. She doesn't have a best friend, because she is everybody's friend. I am excited to watch her grow into a woman and see what she becomes because I have no doubt that whatever she does, it will be exciting and worth listening to the story. Happy Birthday Bobby Sue!

Smooth as Butta!

I hope that you can read this label, if not here is what it says:

When we say our new butter is delish, we mean it's knee-buckling, freaky good. And that's no joke. Heck, after the very first taste, a lot of times we just have to sit down and rest. So be forewarned. You're about to enjoy some pretty darn special butter.

I have been a fan of Shatto milk for awhile. There is a difference in their milk products. And how can you beat their flavored milks? You can't! So when I saw that Shatto had butter AND it included this label???? How could I resist!

Let me tell you, while my knees did not buckle...this butter is the best I have EVER tasted. And it better be at over $3.00 a block! I seriously could sit down and take a bite out of it. It's THAT good. It puts my other butter, which will remain nameless, to shame! Weight Watchers would be disgusted with me right now.

Fortune Cookies

Coryn had her first fortune cookie last weekend. While I generally do not take stock in what they say, I did this time because it was so accurate for a two-almost three year old.

"Emotion hinders your true self."

Yeah that pretty much describes her to a T!

The ankle update

So this is what the ankle looked like last night after he got home from work:

I am still thinking a doctor wouldn't be a bad idea!!

Sandbankers

Wednesday nights mean an hour free from kids, watching sand volleyball at Centerline in Blue Springs for me. If I had a choice of what to do with an hour of free time, this would probably NOT be in my top ten, but it means a lot to J.R. so I go. I think someone last night suggested me getting a set of pom poms. I told them that I have never been a cheerleader or never intend on being one...no offense to cheerleaders as I married one ;) I am not the person to ask the score or who will know whether or not the Sandbankers are winning or losing. I have no idea if they are even playing well, however I do sometimes laugh at errors and then try to blame my laughing on random things. I am sure everyone appreciates me so much there or maybe tolerates is a better word.

Last night was no different. I set up camp in a spot behind the court. After watching a couple of near misses I thought to myself that where I was sitting, might not be the best spot. Did I move, no! We played a team that I am quite sure could tell you everything about the latest Comic-con convention. They had one player going for them and he was a Travis Barker look alike. Not your typical volleyball player, but he was pretty darn good. At one point he serves the ball and in typical Heather sports viewing fashion, I wasn't watching. And let me tell you how glad I was that my D-cup girls were there to catch that bad boy launched right at my chest. Ye-OUCH!!!!!!! I think my right side is a bit deflated from it. But that isn't even the highlight of the evening.

All evening there was a photographer there taking pictures of all the action. Why he decided we were good material, I will never know, but he set up camp by us. He was from the Examiner. This morning this article ran:
http://www.examiner.net/sports/x695084998/Bump-set-spike
And he caught my hubby in action and he also caught a shot of what I look like each and every week in case you were wondering.




Speaking of hubby, he sprained his ankle. It looks absolutely disgusting. I think he needs to see the doctor, in typical man fashion, he refuses. Feel free to let him know what you think :)

Colorado 2009

We were gone last week on the most amazing Colorado trip. We had such a great time relaxing, feeding the chipmunks, boating, hiking, riding up the gondola in Keystone...only to do it again and again. We made it to Boulder where we watched a colorful street show and attended the Graduate school graduation. We caught up with friends! We ate A LOT! And if you were following my updates on Facebook, we FINALLY made it to the creperie! YUMMY! And never before have I wanted to pack up my family SO BAD and move there. I hope that at some point in our future it finally happens, but until then, we'll just keep vacationing in the best state ever!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

10 Years Old

Can I really be the mom of a ten year old girl? Like it or not, today that is what I become. July 15, 1999 I met the most awesome little person. She came into this world with her little blonde cone head, weighing 7 lb 3 oz and 19 inches long. She arrived at 6:50 PM and totally changed my world. For the better! I love you Elevator!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Dunkin Donuts has me ALL fired up

Something has been bugging me lately.

I don't watch a lot of t.v. but when I do, there is bound to be a commercial for a Dunkin Donuts! They always show the coffee and perhaps pan over some piping fresh donuts. Sometimes there is some deal they mention that seems too hard to pass up. It makes me want to run to my car and drive to Dunkin Donuts and partake in the yumminess that seeps from my screen. And then I realize that I can't. We don't have Dunkin Donuts. So why do we have to watch the commercials? It seems unfair. Make that cruel. Especially the one where they do the coffee survey and everyone and their brother apparently drinks their coffee and it is the best coffee to ever grace our planet, but I wouldn't know because I have never had it. And then I am mad that I have never had their coffee and my own Maxwell House just seems insufficient. It kind of sucks.

I am not the only one who has these problems. There are people living in this world who don't have (you might want to sit down for this) Sonic!! And see I hate Sonic(we have one on every corner) but people who don't have it think it must be grand. Maybe they have had it on vacation at some point or whatever, but then I'll hear them talk about the ice at Sonic and then I am all Yeah their ice is pretty kick-arse.

So why is it that we are punished with these ads for things that we can't even purchase? It seems like a waste of t.v. ad space to play them to us.

I feel better already having written this. Maybe someone will send me some coffee or some piping fresh Donuts. That would be awesome.

Surely there are others out there in a similar quandry as me. What do you get ads for that you don't have?

Camp

Yesterday I dropped my baby girl off at camp. I wasn't prepared for the flood of emotions that I would feel doing this. Ella was very hesitant about going. She is my kid who likes to stay at home. She likes to be around me and her dad. She misses us when she is gone for more than say a school day. J.R. tells me that this is how he was as a child and quite honestly, he is still that way. He'd rather be at home than traveling the world. I refer to Ella as my extra appendage. I am not used to being at our house without her here. It is a bit unsettling.

I was encouraging her to branch out and attend camp. Some of my best memories are from camp. I made lifelong friends and felt so at home with my church family. I want my kids to have that same experience. My final summer of camps, I was gone for at least 5 weeks as a camper and also a counselor. I couldn't get enough of it. I also credit camp with having prepared me for leaving home. I know that it is my responsibility to prepare my kids to someday leave the nest. I also know that as much as I love them, that I want them TO someday leave the nest.

We had a lot of talks about being homesick and how it is normal. We also talked about how much we love her and that even though we aren't with her, we are always "with" her in her heart. As much as she is thinking about us, we too are thinking about her. She is lucky that her counselor is my good friend, Kathleen, who will be there to hug her and love her and tell her that it is OK. So I feel like I prepared her fully for this new adventure. What I didn't take into account was how horrible I would sleep, how every minute I would be wondering what she is doing, if she is eating, did she make some new friends, if everyone is being nice to her, what if she runs out of socks???? I am a raving lunatic thinking about all of this. I never am the mom who gets weepy when her child sings at church or does something cute. But yesterday I was. I fled from her cabin with tears stinging my eyes, so that she wouldn't see me falling apart. I sat in my car for a moment and wanted to run back and gather her things and take her home with me. I didn't though. I called my friend and cried to her and drove the distance home.

I am proud of her for going and hope that on Friday when I go to pick her up, that she is sad to leave her new friends and that the entire trip home, she tells me all the stories about her camp adventure and mostly I hope that she says "I can't wait for camp next year". Because that is the goal! It's not really about me.

Ella's 10th Friend Birthday

We celebrated Ella's birthday a little bit early. She had a few of her close friends out for an evening of pottery painting at Potter's Haven in downtown Lee's Summit. We had such a great time. We will be going back, Soon!

After the pottery we came home for pizza and cupcakes and then an overnight. The whole thing went off without a hitch. Now on to planning our big family birthday party.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Check out my girl!

In case you can't figure it out, that's her in the front putting on the interpretive dance moves.

Hospital Hill Half Marathon

J.R. ran in the Hospital Hill Marathon. I was able to go down and cheer their team on. It was a gorgeous, slightly overcast, cool day in K.C. so it was perfect for their run. I was so proud of him.

Day at the "K"

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Stepford with Friends

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Catch Up Friday

Hold on to your chairs because there are lots of posts coming your way. We will start with the results of our cupcakes. We had a lot of fun making these and the girls are the perfect ages to sit for the long periods of time it took to "build" each of them. I was proud of how their cupcakes turned out.
Here we are making the cupcakes:


And decorating:

And the final product!

Cupcakes here we come

We are attempting to make cute little cupcakes from the book Hello, Cupcake, today for Ella's little birthday get together with a few of her closest friends tomorrow. We are trying to simplify the craziness of the girls all having their birthdays in less than 8 weeks.

We will do one big family birthday with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, and then they can have a simpler, smaller celebration with just a few of their friends.

She has chosen to go paint pottery at Potter's Haven. I am excited about this, as I myself have been itching to go there. In fact I am planning our next girls night out there(if you are interested).

I posted the above picture which is a professional photo, straight from the cupcake book to show you what said cupcakes are intended to look like. Ours, I am quite sure, will be different!

Anger Management

Dear pregnant lady at Wal-Mart with your belly hanging out of your wife beater- Please stop smoking! Nothing makes me angrier than seeing a pregnant woman smoking AND then knowing what it does to that poor little baby that you have been blessed with!

Dear Costco- I hate your milk jugs! They suck. I spill more than I actually get into my bowl or cup. Who came up with that design? Did they even test it out to see if it worked? I understand that it makes them easier to stack, but it kind of defeats the purpose if people won't buy your milk because it sucks! And apparently I am not the only one who hates it:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/30/costco-sams-clubs-new-mil_n_109902.html

Dear Parents in the pick-up line- Stop cutting, follow the maps that have been sent out to pick up your kid! Or if you can't read them, go back to summer school so you can. I am about to get all up in your bidness if you pass the long freaking line of cars again so you can be first to pick your kid up. Seriously do you have any sense of right and wrong or are you just one of the entitled people who doesn't give a crappity dippity. You may now pick your kid up at the principal's office, because that is probably where they are, given YOUR propensity to follow rules. There is no hope for them!

Dear family- I am not the only one who can walk the five feet out into the garage to put the recycling away! I also would love it, if when you empty a box, can, jar etc of something, you would then take care of it, and not place it back for me to find later.

Thanks!