Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

I did not let the kids off the hook when it came to packing their lunches on the first day of school just because I wanted to stick notes and jokes in their lunch boxes.

I know I did not spend a big part of the kids' first day at school wondering what they were doing and how their day was going despite the fact that I was EXTREMELY ready for them to go back.

I have not developed a hatred for squirrels, rabbits and cobwebs thanks to my early morning walks with Lucy.

There is no way a teeny part of me feels like I let Wesley down somehow on his birthday despite his smiles and multiple celebrations.

Ryan's Rough Week

Ryan has not had the best week. School has been fine, but outside of school he has been pushing all the wrong buttons. He disobeyed us, then lied about it. He has been hitting his brother. There was the unfortunate flashing incident at Wesley's party, and the whining has been insane. 

Tonight he and I were sitting together and I was reminding him that a new week and a new opportunity to make good choices has started.

"Mom," he said. "I don't know what has gotten into me this past week, but I sure hope it gets out soon."

So do I. I'm not sure I can take another week of that kind of behavior. And I'm running out of punishment ideas.

Birthday Backyard Camp Out

Last night was Wesley's birthday backyard camp out - an event that wouldn't happen without my loving and wonderful hubby because he is the parent who is better able to handle all the wild kids in our yard!!

 

The guys had a great (and loud) time.  Ryan desperately wanted to be included in everything, bue we tried to make sure he gave Wesley and his friends some space. Of course that didn't stop him from spying on the party from my bedroom window.

At four o'clock this morning Duane finally told them they had to turn their lights out in the tent. I think they went to sleep, but when I got back from walking Lucy at seven, they were all awake again!

Does it count as breakfast if they only slept for three hours?

We had a lazy morning until folks got picked up. Some played video games, some watched a movie, Wesley worked on Legos.

Duane and I did some party clean up while everyone hung out and we found some odd stuff, like a pair of underwear in the middle of the living room floor and a random (fake) dismembered hand. I never had parties like that! Not even in my twenties!
 
And within an hour and a half of everyone leaving, Wesley crashed on the couch while listening to his new CD.

Guess that means it was a good night.

Happy Birthday Wesley!

I can't believe that it's been ten years since this handsome boy came into my world. Ten years that I wouldn't give up for anything in the world.

August 29, 2005

First birthday

Two years old

Three years old - he still smiles like this!

Four years old - first birthday as a big brother

Birthday breakfast for the 5 year old!

Six!

That's one happy seven year old

Thumbs up for eight

Nine!

And my handsome ten year old!

Wesley was pretty tired in the above picture since it was taken right after the birthday backyard camp out. I did get a few answers to birthday questions out of him before he crashed though.

What is your favorite color?: green
What is your favorite animal?: cheetah
What is your favorite book?: Warriors Ultimate Guide by Erin Hunter
What is your favorite TV show?: Garfield Show
What is your favorite movie?: I don't have a favorite movie
What is your favorite song?: Sports Song by Weird Al Yankovich
What is your favorite food?:  pepperoni
Who is your best friend?: Jakin
What is your favorite thing about school?: art
What is your favorite holiday?: New Year's Eve
Where is your favorite place to go?: Skate Zone 71
What is your favorite restaurant?: Melt
What do you want to be when you grow up? an adult

Wesley, you brought me into motherhood. Sometimes I feel bad that you got the mom who was just learning, but you have been an absolute joy in my life.  You feel everything so deeply and are such a kind boy. You march to your own drummer and are perfectly okay with that.  Even when we butt heads, know that I love you more than words can ever describe. I will always be on your side and we'll tackle the tween years together.  I hope the next decade of your life is full of smiles and happy memories waiting to be made.

You Never Know

Me: Is the toy area clean?

Wesley: It looks clean to me.

Me: Will I say it's clean?

Wesley: Mom, I never know what you're going to say.

Gee, I know what you mean, kid.

More Soccer and More Doggie Fashion

Ryan had his first soccer practice tonight. I won't lie and say it went as smoothly as Wesley's did. There were a few times when he left the practice to sit on the sidelines, but he got over it pretty quickly and got back in there.

He didn't want me to take any pictures of him, so this is the best I could do.

Since for some reason, soccer and dressing up our dog seem to go hand in hand, I thought I'd let you in on the conversation I had with Wesley this morning.

Wesley: Are we going to dress Lucy up for Halloween?

Me:  Um, YEAH we're going to dress her up!

Wesley: Can she be a ballerina? I think she'd like to be a ballerina.

Me: We could probably do that, although, to be honest, I was thinking more along the lines of Princess Leia.

Wesley: Oh yeah! That's even better!!

Our poor dog.

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school for my kiddos. Hooray!!!  Now, I say that, but truth be told, I spent a big part of the day thinking about them and wondering what they were doing.

Here are the obligatory back to school pictures. I have to say, I think these guys get more and more handsome every year. And yes, they insisted that Lucy be in some of the pictures too

Look out fourth grade!

Ready to tackle second grade

Both boys reported great days at school. They both like their teachers and were excited to see their friends. Wesley even gets to switch teachers for a couple of his classes this year. Now if only I could get him to say "yes" to playing violin this year. Oh well, you can't have it all.

Between school and soccer practice for Wesley I had a very tired almost ten year old. He collapsed into bed a little before nine tonight. Here's hoping that doesn't mean he'll be up at six. 

Rock On

Wesley created a list of songs he wants me to burn onto a CD for him. How totally retro. I almost feel like I need to break out my duel deck cassette player and make a mix tape.   I'm going to do it, and I'll also put it on his iPod as a playlist so he'll have easy access to it.

I just have to laugh at the songs he has chosen for his CD (and his handwriting)

1) Pump up the Jam
2) Boom Clap
3) Shake it Off
4) Ooz ma ther man (translation: Uma Thurman)
5) Cheerleader
6) Star Tracking
7) Squirrel went Buzurk (translation: Mississippi Squirrel Revival)
8) My Own Eyes
9) Who Let the Dogs Out?
10) Ricky
11) Uptown Funk
12) Bout That Base (translation:  All About That Bass)
13) Cows With Guns
14) Word Crimes
15) Thriller
16) Blan Space (translation: Blank Space)
17) Acky Braky Song (translation: Achy Breaky Song)
18) Handy
19) Foil
20) Sports

So we've got Top 40 stuff, 1980s Michael Jackson, lots of Weird Al, Taylor Swift and a couple of "sports jams."  Guess he's got his bases covered.

Getting Ready for Back to School

Tomorrow is the first day of school!!! Whoo-hoo!!! 

Okay, maybe it isn't nice of me to celebrate my kids heading back to school, but, good grief! They have had the longest summer vacation ever! Seriously, school ended before Memorial Day and we are one of the last school districts to resume classes. It has felt like the longest summer vacation ever!

Not that we haven't had a good summer. There was the trip to the beach and lots of swimming with Grandma and Grandpa P., and playing with neighborhood friends and adopting a dog. But my boys thrive on routine!

The kids are actually ready to go back. Last week Wesley asked when school started and when I told him I asked if he wanted to know because he was ready to go back, or because he didn't want summer to end.

"No, I'm ready to go back," he assured me.

"Me too!" Ryan chimed.

They certainly acted ready to go back this morning. That is, if fighting, slamming doors, being sent to their rooms and complaining about being bored means they are ready for school.

Duane and I opened the box of school supplies tonight (we buy online and have it shipped to the house AND the PTA gets a portion of the money) and sorted everything out. We were even nice and packed their lunches - which is their job once school starts.

Back to school supplies for a fourth grader and second grader

So it's early to bed tonight and hopefully tomorrow will be the start of a great year!

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

I did not grab the leash to take the dog for a walk, then turn to one of the cats and say, "Sit, Cleo! I need to put your leash on." while the dog did a little happy dance around me.  No way was I that distracted.

There is no way my son's birthday is sneaking up on me to the point where I find myself thinking "Crap! That's only a week away!"

I am certainly not functioning on the least amount of sleep I have had since having newborns. And it's not due to a combination of new dog and wicked summer cough/cold.

I am not kind of dreading the boys going back to school because it means I have to go back to starting and ending my day later than I do in the summer. 

I have not somehow become the person that scrubs the bathroom tile grout with a toothbrush. No way!

Sick Day

Both Wesley and I were up with bad coughs during the night and we both woke up with wicked sore throats this morning, so I ended up taking a sick day and staying home. The thing about sick days as a parent is that you can never really fully give into them because you still have to keep an eye on the kids. 

And add a dog to the mix? Well, I still have to walk Lucy. So my sick day has consisted of medication, nap, walk the dog, repeat. 

Don't get me wrong, it's nice to have a creature who wants nothing more than to snuggle you when you don't feel your best, but, quite frankly, the cats did the same thing without me having to get off the couch and take them outside.

Wesley seems to have recovered much more quickly than I am though. He and Ryan have been like bachelor brothers today - making their meals, playing together and visiting their friend and schoolmate down the street. L. (The girl down the street) has a pug about Lucy's age, so they are having "puppy play dates." Earlier the three kids and two dogs were playing hide and seek INSIDE L's house (with a grown ups permission.) better them than me! 

The kids came home for lunch and to do their reading, but now they are back at L.'s house with the dog. Lucy is tethered in the front yard with Rosebud, some water, and five kids paying attention to her. Talk about a dogs life!

Time for me and the cats to catch a nap.

Soccer Practice and Doggie Fashion

Wesley had his first soccer practice of the fall tonight. A couple of his good friends are on his team again, so I think it will be another good season for him. The funny thing is, when we started doing soccer 4 (?) years ago, I never imagined he's want to stick with it so long. I'm really glad though. I love the smile on his face when he plays.

I know his eyes are closed in this picture, but I love the confidence in his stride here.

And here. I'm telling you, the boy even drinks with flair!

Practice ended with a major downpour, but that just meant it was the perfect time to break in Lucy's new rain poncho. Doesn't she look adorable in it?

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

I did not let my seven year old eat  nothing but graham crackers for breakfast one morning because I was just too tired to argue about it.

I have not called the dog "Ryan" on more than one occasion. And there is no way it only happens when I am trying to correct the dog's behavior.

There is no way it takes me halfway through my morning walk with the dog to actually wake up. I am much more of a morning person than that!

I know I was not the person walking around a beer festival with a pen and piece of paper actually taking notes on on which beers I liked. That would be a total librarian thing to do.

I did not completely miss the fact that a guy at said beer festival made a pass at me until my friends commented on it after the fact. I couldn't possibly be that oblivious (or that happily married).

I did not happily buy a pink rain poncho for my dog who hates water. I am not turning into that kind of dog owner!

Bring Your Shorty

Today, for a special treat, we took the kids to their first bar! Let me explain. There is a bar in town called 16 Bit that is full of old school video games. As long as you drink something, the games are free and one Sunday afternoon a month, they open the place up for kids and families - "Bring Your Shorty" day. I've wanted to take the boys for awhile, but today was the first time that "Bring Your Shorty" fit into our schedule.

It was as big of a hit as I expected!

Enjoying their specialty "mocktails." Wesley had a combination of fruit punch and lemonade called, "Pinky and the Brain," while Ryan enjoyed a "Wolverine" - Dr. Pepper and vanilla syrup. 

Possibly their favorite game of the afternoon

Dad got in on the video game action too

Wesley working on his BurgerTime skills

Ryan trying out Q-bert

I think this was a family outing that will definitely have a repeat. The guys loved the games and I loved the drinks, so it was a win-win!

Saturday Wrap Up

We kicked off our weekend by helping at the Boy Scout Garage Sale. The Cub Scouts were in charge of the concession stand and our family volunteered to help for two hour shift. The boys did a great job (after a minor fit by Ryan). Wesley was a natural when it came to interacting with customers. He took orders, made change, delivered food and was just a charming kid.  Ryan did less customer interaction, but made change and delivered food as well. I was very proud of both of them.

After a bite of lunch at home, we went to a pet store in our part of town. This pet store has a reputation for being really attentive and helpful and that's exactly what we wanted.  We bought a Gentle Leader for Lucy to help her stop pulling so much on her leash and I got a pink rain poncho for her to wear during rainy walks since she hates water so much.

Then the whole family, Lucy included, headed to Grandma W.'s for Dr. Grandma to do reconstructive surgery on Violet.

Pre-surgery prep complete. Waiting for the operation to begin

Dr. Grandma is a skilled surgeon with very steady hands

In post-op, good as new!

We in for just a quiet evening at home now. Or as quiet as it can be with three cats, two fighting kids, one new-ish dog (and a partridge in a pear tree.)

Cats Vs. Dogs

Thought I'd give you all a little update on how things are going here in wild animal land. My finger is healing nicely. Today was supposed to be my last day on the antibiotics, but I'm not 100% cleared up yet, so the dr. opted to extend the antibiotics. Great. Worth it in the long run though.

There have been no more stuffed animal issues (yay!) and replacement Violet arrived on schedule.

Things are starting to calm down between Lucy and the cats a little. We have placed a baby gate heading to the upper level of the house (where the bedrooms are) so the cats can still sleep with us and escape from Lucy. Gus is occasionally coming out of the basement, which is a huge step!  Sadie doesn't seem overly traumatized and Cleo has decided she is just over being afraid. Of all the cats she is the one who is venturing into the same room as Lucy most often. She'll even stretch out a few feet away from the dog, almost like she's saying "This is MY house and there's nothing you can do about it!"  And there isn't as long as we are nearby.  Lucy generally watches Cleo intently but doesn't go after her often. There may actually be peace in my house one day.

The boys are still adoring Lucy pretty much every waking hour. This morning Wesley interrupted his snuggles with Lucy to ask, "Do dogs clean themselves like cats do, or are we going to have to put her in the bathtub someday?"  Apparently we have neglected his dog education. I told him that we'd either wash her in the tub or take her someplace to be bathed and have her nails trimmed. But of course, he thinks washing her in the tub will be much more fun. We'll see about that in a few weeks.  

A Beautiful Sight

Some things don't need a semi-clever blog post.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

There is no way, after only four days of getting up early to walk the dog, that I have started dreaming of a fence for our yard.

I know I didn't check my hands to make sure my rings were on my fingers after an email went out at work that some rings were found in a staff area that I don't even go to. That would have been silly. 

I did not catch myself putting some frozen food away in the utensil drawer one morning.

I have not discovered that walking the dog at 6:30 AM on a work day feels much different than walking the same dog at the same time on the weekend. 

Second Casualty of the Week

First it was my finger, but tonight we had a slightly more serious causality since adopting Lucy. Duane and I were in the family room watching the Browns scrimmage on TV (yay football!) when I heard a slightly panicked Ryan cry out from the living room.

"Mom! Come quick!"

I hurried off the couch and up the five stairs in our split level fast enough to trip over my own two feet. I didn't see anything amiss, but the boys both pointed their fingers at Lucy, who was laying on the couch next to them. I could see something by her, but I wasn't really sure what it was. Maybe some spit up?

"Lucy chewed up Violet!" Ryan cried before bursting into tears. 

Sure enough, Ryan's special stuffed cat, Violet, was nestled between Lucy's paws - minus a chunk of one stuffed leg. 

Duane reclaimed Violet and cleaned up the stuffing, while I held a tearful Ryan. I think we managed to convince him that Grandma W. will be able to sew it up, although it may look slightly different when she's done. He seems to be okay with that, but I feel so sad for him. Poor Violet.

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

The kids were fighting tonight and Duane sent them both to their rooms to cool off. On their way upstairs I called out to Wesley, "Take your ukelele with you and practice while you're up there."

"Oh come on now," Duane said. "Ryan didn't misbehave that badly." 

I guess that could have been considered excessive punishment since their rooms are next to each other.

Not Something to Mess Around With

I think I mentioned in Sunday's post that Gus bit me in the initial "excitement" about Lucy coming home.  I've owned cats for about 35 years and, while I'm sure I've gotten bit before at some point, I've never had a bite quite like this one.

I went to bed Sunday night with my finger absolutely throbbing- bad enough that it actually kept me up a great deal of the night. When I woke up Monday morning, I could barely move it, so I made a doctor's appointment for that afternoon. Boy, I'm glad I did.

My doctor took one look at my finger, said, "This is pretty serious," and immediately started checking my chart for what antibiotics I could take. "At least you're up to date on your tetanus shot," she told me.   We wound up deciding to give me a shot of an antibiotic to "jump start" the healing and then taking an oral antibiotic. The one that is most effective for cat bites contains an ingredient that I have a mild allergic reaction to, but she decided in this case, a small rash (the allergic side effect for me) was worth it.

"If this isn't looking better by tomorrow morning, call me. If you start to run a temperature, go directly to the ER. If it starts to look any worse at all, go directly to the ER. I may want you to come back for another shot tomorrow. I definitely will if it isn't looking better." Okay, those were not exactly reassuring words. Which is probably why, when the nurse came in to give me the shot, I started to cry before the needle ever came near me. 

"I'm just overwhelmed," I sniffed.

I spent last night in my room having a bit of a pity party while I soaked my hand (dr. said it would help draw out the infection).  Cleo and Sadie kept me company which was nice and my hand did start to feel better. I slept without any pain waking me up, which was also a bonus.

As soon as I woke up this morning I could tell that things had improved from yesterday. There was no throbbing pain, the redness had lessened and I could move it a little again. I was feeling darn near chipper when the doctor's office called me at 8:30 and asked if I could come back in for the doctor to check my finger and to get another shot.

So back I went. The doctor was very happy with how my finger looked - but I had to get the shot anyhow. At least they "turned the other cheek" so to speak.

I'm doing a lot better now, but I'm still a bit of an emotional mess. Between the horse pill sized antibiotics I'm taking, the two shots in the rear end I've received and the general upheaval bringing Lucy into the house has caused, I'm likely to start crying at any moment, for no real reason. But at least I'm going to keep my finger.

Lesson learned - cat bites are not something to mess around with.

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama.

I did not spend an entire July day thinking that the kids were back in school and wondering how they were doing on the bus ride home. That would have been ridiculous since they don't start school until late August.

I know that I don't love IKEA so much that Duane tucked the IKEA catalog in the desk where I wouldn't see it when it arrived in the mail.

There is no way I showed up for a meeting two weeks early. And it certainly didn't happen after I had made childcare arrangements with a friend and had already dropped my kids off.

Introducing Lucy

Well, we brought a bit of chaos into our lives today with the introduction of our new dog, Lucy.

On the ride home

Happy family

Watching tv

She really is super sweet. She loves kisses and belly rubs and people. She's done really well walking around the neighborhood too. She even pulled Wesley on his skates.

The only downside has been the cats. Gus has been really aggressive towards her and she isn't sure what to make of them. I actually got bit by Gus when I got between the two of them. I keep telling myself it's only been a few hours and they need time, but if I'm being honest, I'm a little worried Gus isn't going to settle himself down.  I know I'm probably stressing for no real reason though. 6 hours does not automatically create a happy animal family.