The Wilson 6 Chronicles

Knocking Down the List

2010-11-08T21:11:00.007-05:00

There were a list of things around the house that we've wanted or needed to do for a while and kept putting off in the name of doing other stuff on the weekends. I always hate to have Justin come home from working all week only to have to work all weekend. But this week, he arrived home to a list of stuff that we were going to get done so we loaded up the Suburban and headed to Lowe's. Now I have to confess, I know that many women either don't like, have no use for, or are intimidated by Lowes but I love it. Love it. I could drop a load of cash in there and always come out with a list of things that I want to do. We hope to replace the flooring in the house soon but that will have to wait for a few months since, well, the money tree has yet to start producing. So we went for knocking off some of the smaller projects. First up, the light in our front yard needed replacing. Every house in our neighborhood started out with the same light and over the years, some people have replaced theirs for whatever reason. We had to replace ours because the globe was stolen when we lived in Florida and the rain shorted out the electrical stuff (we think). Yes, it has been out for 3 years. Before we replaced it, it refused to come on at dusk as it was supposed to do but it worked perfectly if you would go up and smack the hell out of it. It was like on of those tap lights or whatever they're called. You know the ones from the infomercial- yeah, that was our yard light. So, we bought a new pole and new lighting fixture and Justin took to replacing it. Let me say this now- I am forever grateful to have a husband who is so talented at fixing things. So it went down like this:

First, after turning off the power and unhooking all the wiring, you have to work on getting the pole out of the ground:

After breaking the hold of the cement, the pole will finally be free:

Then you do this because, well, it's pretty damn funny:

Then, you ride the pole off into the sunset:

After the wacky hijinks are finished, you install the new black post and wire up the light. No real pictures of that because well, it's not as funny as seeing Justin ride a big white pole across the yard. He also installed new light fixture in our hallway and a new kitchen faucet. Then collected wood from the woods and built a fire.

Then spent quality time with his lovely daughters:

How I Spent 2 Months in my Car

2010-11-04T12:46:00.007-04:00

So, we're just going to pretend that the whole almost 2 months that have passed since I last blogged didn't really happen, right? Right? I have to confess that this time I do have a pretty decent excuse for a lack of blogging- baseball. That's right- the great American pastime is my reason for not blogging. How do you like that? Next time, it might be apple pie or the Constitution but this time, my excuse is baseball. Both Zachary and Alden played fall baseball and boy, did I have no clue how busy that would be. We've done baseball with one kid playing before but two kids playing? That is pretty nuts. I'm not complaining because I love to watch baseball and this year was exciting because Zachary was in the division for kid pitch and stealing bases and all that cool baseball stuff. He hadn't played since Spring 2007 and I have to admit to being somewhat nervous but he really improved during the season. His coach even said that he was the most improved. I was proud of him for sticking with it and putting in the effort to improve and play as a team player. There were a few times during the season that we had to have a talk about how playing in the outfield is as important as playing in the infield. Every boy wants to play a base but Zachary really excelled in getting to the ball and getting it to the infield very quickly. He's already looking forward to playing in the Spring. Alden had the same coach that he had last spring and many of the same players. This was great because it kept things consistent for him and he loves his coach. And he already considers so many of the kids on his team to be his "best friend." He has really stepped it up in the batting department this season and his throwing has gotten better. And while all of it is so much fun for us, it does get exhausting. Most weeks we were at the baseball field at least 5 days, if not 6. And with Zachary playing for the older division, that meant later and longer games so there were nights that we didn't get home until close to 10:00pm which is huge for my kids because they go to bed at 8:00pm. But we made it through and look forward to the next season. I always mourn a little at the end of baseball season because I enjoy interacting with other adults on a daily basis and we've been lucky to be on teams with some great parents (with the exception of Alden's ragball team- that was one group of weird people with the exception of Amanda and Steve. And I know that she'll back me up on that one). So I always feel like I'm a little set adrift when the season winds down. I am definitely looking forward to not living in my car- between dropping off at 2 different schools most days and then doing 2 separate pick-ups at the elementary school and 1 at the intermediate school, then driving back and forth between baseball fields and practices and games (not to mention all of the normal errands that I have to run)- well, I like my car but I'm tired of being in it so much. I am also looking forward to getting back to running I miss it and I can tell my body misses it. So that's what we've been doing for the past 2 months. Hopefully, I will get the Halloween pictures up before Christmas.

Zachary leading off of 2nd base

Alden getting ready to hit

Settling Down

2010-09-07T21:06:00.005-04:00

This summer we toyed with the idea of putting our house on the market. We had never planned on living here forever- honestly, we thought we would live here a few years and move up to a bigger house. Well, the housing market has had other plans. We looked at houses, at land, dreamed a little. We de-cluttered and painted the house to tone down some of the crazier colors. We researched other comp houses in this area and came to the conclusion that we aren't going anywhere. With 3 houses for sale in our neighborhood (on our street alone), we're pretty sure that houses like ours just aren't selling. So we decided to do something that I have dreamed about for years. We got chickens. I have longed for chickens for a long time. Many years ago, while babysitting, I saw an episode of Martha Stewart's show where she talked about her chickens that layed colored eggs. I was hooked and dreamed of having chickens. But the timing wasn't right for a long time- we didn't want to put down the roots of getting chickens because it would obviously make it more difficult to sell our house. Plus, with the revolving door of newborn children that have shown up in our house over the past 5 years, I have been a little busy. With the children getting older, it seemed like a nice time to bite the bullet and go for it. But we had to figure a housing solution for the chickens. I found coop plans online but the cost factor and the fact that we've never built anything before was scary. And buying a coop pre-built was crazy expensive. However, luck would have it that, as always, Justin managed to find a way to make my dream come true. He found a large shipping crate from one of his jobs and envisioned a coop. So, he hauled it all the way from West Virginia in the back of a pickup truck. Two weeks before he was able to come home, I jumped the gun a bit (shocking, I know) and purchased 3 red sex-linked pullets from Tractor Supply. But where they going to live? I made a brooder box for them from a plastic storage box and they lived in the corner of the kitchen. For a little bit of outside fun, I built them a "playhouse" for temporary outdoor time. But the coop was to be their permanent home. Justin came home with it on a Wednesday evening and first thing, Thursday morning, we got to modifying it to make it a home for chickens. We built nesting boxes, we cut doors and windows, w framed out the run, we went to Lowes no fewer than 6 times. And after 4 days of work, we had what we consider a little masterpiece in our backyard. A chicken coop. A real honest-to-god chicken coop. And what is a chicken coop with just 3 tiny chickens? That is certainly not good enough for us- we called a guy with a Craigslist ad and 3 hours later, we had 6 more chickens. And a couple of hours after we got home- we had an EGG!!!! I was checking the inside of the coop for something else when I spotted it. Excitement and disbelief- those would be understatements to convey my emotions. So here we are. We have our ladies in the backyard, our kids running around in the woods (what tiny bit of wooded area we have), and a firepit in the backyard ready for s'mores. It's not the country home that we long for, but it's as close as we're going to get and it's home. And it looks like we're finally getting settled in.

The coop pre-construction

Justin and his work of art (I'm so proud)

Still Here

2010-08-22T21:33:00.003-04:00

I know, I know. I am the perpetual bad blogger. Here, it has been over 3 months since my last blog post- Eleanor has had a dance recital, the boys have gotten out of school, I painted and decluttered the house with the goal of putting the house on the market, we decided to we're going to stick here because I doubt we could even sell it, we've spent a summer doing pretty much nothing but butting heads and playing xBox, I ran a 5k, Harper turned 2, I finally beat a video game from beginning to end, the boys have started back to school, and we got chickens. And I might post pictures from some of those events at some point or maybe not. I always intend on being a better blogger but really, there are about 6 people who read it so the experience of blogging is as much for myself as it is for other people. There are some times when I know that I want to record the events as they happen but by the end of the day, many times I feel like the words are gone. I fret over the idea of not remembering my life when I look back through the haze of the years. And I know that I want to remember the days that my kids are little but at night, when I finally have 30 minutes to myself, at that point in time, I just don't care. But I am resolving to be much better about recording the day-to-day activities of this little crew.

Charleston

2010-05-18T09:21:00.008-04:00

Justin and I were lucky enough to have the opportunity to get a weekend away this past weekend so we packed up and headed to Charleston. The last time that we went anywhere for an overnight trip (not counting me going to the hospital to have a baby) was in 2003. That's over 6 years and 3 kids later. Why did we choose Charleston? Well, it has long been one of my favorite cities. And I was determined to spend a chunk of time on a beach doing absolutely nothing. So Friday morning, we finished packing (and I shed a few tears over leaving Harper for so long) and trucked the kids over to Grammie's house. The part that I have just left out is that I woke up at 3:30 am on Friday. For some reason, when there is something exciting going on the next day, I find myself completely unable to sleep. The night before my friend Dianne's wedding, I was awake for hours. My mind just kicks into planning mode ("what am I forgetting?") and I can't turn it off to go back to sleep. Luckily for me, Justin doesn't mind a sleeping car companion so I slept for most of the ride down to the Lowcountry. It was a wonderful weekend. I love my kids dearly and I missed them (can I tell you the number of times one of would say "wow- the kids would love this"?) but it was so nice to have a break. To not have to change a diaper or referee a fight between siblings or tell someone to please flush the damn toilet after using the bathroom. We walked around and shopped and held hands and laid on the beach. I wore a bikini for the first time in a decade (thanks to Couch to 5k and running for the past 6 weeks). We ate so much great food and walked around the streets taking pictures. It really was a perfect weekend except for the random stripes of sunburn that I got on the beach. Note to the readers (all 4 of you): when buying sunblock, remember that the clear spray stuff is tricky- it's hard to see if you have covered an entire area with it. You have now been warned. We're already planning a return trip with kids in tow- they love the beach (well, Harper has no clue what a beach is but she loves a sandbox so I think it's safe to say that she'll love it). Sure, it's bound to not be as easy and carefree as this weekend but it's bound to be tons of fun and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Justin in our hotel roomJustin posing on the beachFolly BeachJustin using his talents of self portraiture to get a shot of us

Go Fly a Kite

2010-04-12T20:40:00.005-04:00

I love kites. I love the mechanics of getting them airborne and keeping them so. I have a thing for flight- planes, birds, butterflies- it is flies, I love it. I love to watch the kids getting excited for that first flight of the spring. So, every spring, we have kites. Nothing fancy, mind you, just the run-of-the-mill kites from Target. Last year, at the end of the season, I bought some of the nylon kites when they were marked down in the hopes of getting a sturdier product because between the crashes into the ground and unfortunate run-ins with the trees, the poor mylar (cheap) kites end up getting a serious beating after a few weeks. So, this morning, with a sunny sky and some breezy conditions, we brought out the kites.Alden obviously shares my fondness for always wearing sunglasses
Despite all of the running around, the kites only got tangled once.
I love this picture so much. I love the shear joy on Eleanor's face. Her little hand holding onto the kites for dear life while the kites tries to fly away to freedom.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T09:31:00.002-04:00

The Easter Bunny has come and the baskets have been pillaged. Chocolate has been consumed for breakfast. What better way to celebrate a lovely spring day? Happy Easter from the Wilsons!

Winter Wonderland

2010-02-23T09:01:00.004-05:00

If there is one thing that can bring me down, it is the long and drawn-out end of winter. By the end of February, I am longing for the spring time warmth and, in general, just tired of being cold. When we lived in FL, I remember thinking it was so odd to have an entire winter without cold weather but honestly, now I would take it. I'm ready to get out of the house and play in the yard. Open the windows and enjoy the breeze. Take pictures with good lighting (something that is impossible inside our house). Plant my garden. Think more about getting chickens. But alas, we still have the end of winter to endure. Luckily, we received a respite from the cold this past weekend when the sun came out and it was warm enough to play outside without 74 layers of clothing. And obviously as you can tell by the above picture, Harper was simply delighted at the prospect of posing for a picture.

Eleanor dropping leaves on me my head

Zachary throwing the football with Justin

Christmas Parading 2009

2009-12-15T07:56:00.008-05:00

I love parades. If there is a parade nearby, we try to attend. And at Christmas time, there is an abundance of parades going on. So this year, I had my parade schedule planned out and was ready to attend 5 different parades. But alas, Mother Nature and her wiley ways ruined me with the weather. It was raining for 3 of the parades, Justin was golfing during one parade (and while I normally would go without him, this one was further away than normal so I wanted backup), and we only got to go to 1 parade. :( So, on Saturday morning, we bundled up against the 30 degree temps and headed out to the Boiling Springs parade. There were the usual fire trucks and police cars. People throwing out candy and bands marching in lines. And a very happy Amy who finally got to go to a parade this year.A rag tag crew of mischief makers
Harper with one of her treats from the parade

Eleanor getting her groove on
Alden chasing down the candy

Zachary excited to go home and eat candy

Playing Catch Up

2009-12-10T08:33:00.010-05:00

Wow- I just realized that it's been over 2 months since I blogged. I find myself just throwing the pictures on Facebook and just forgetting about them. But with the new year rapidly approaching (maybe too rapidly), I find myself resolving to be better about blogging in 2010. In that vein, I thought I would do a series of posts to catch up with the Wilson crew since I last blogged.

Well, we had a Halloween party- our 1st annual Halloween party. I have to say that I love Halloween. Always have, probably always will. I would almost dare say that I enjoy it more than Christmas. Perhaps it is my love of skulls (particularly sugar skulls) or my interest in vampire lore and the supernatural, I don't know. I enjoy it. So this year, I decided that I wanted to have a party and thus finally have a legitimate excuse to dye my hair pink to go with my fairy costume. This is probably the best pic that I have- my tutu/skirt was massive and weighed a ton but what girl doesn't love a tutu. I even wore mine while I was out running last minute errands prior to the party- luckily, I had Eleanor the Rainbow with me so her cuteness helped to mask my dorkiness. Obviously, Justin is a vampire because vampires are unable to resist fairies. (Sookie Stackhouse reference)Here is Vampire Justin with Zachary as that brilliant sleuth, Sherlock Holmes. Alden as Bumblebee. Sigh. I tried to convince him that he wanted to be something else (that perhaps wasn't so common) but he could not be steered away from Bumblebee. Harper the Sunshine.

And no pictures of Eleanor. :( I am a bad mom. It rained for most of the day and then, once the party started, she was off and running with Sophie so I neglected to get any pictures of her. Plus, she can be quite difficult to catch in a picture when she is feeling ornery. Sigh- but she was an adorable Rainbow complete with Rainbow tutu. The original plan had been for all of the kids to be weather themed- Alden was going to be lightning, but the boys bailed on that idea.

The week before the Halloween party (I didn't say this would be in chronological order), Alden's class went on a field trip to a pumpkin patch and I got to go! This was very excited since it was the first time that I got to be a chaperone. Usually, I have a baby that can't be left or a husband who is travelling so I can never go on field trip but this time the stars aligned and I was able to go. So, I hopped on the big yellow school bus and off we went.

Alden's girlfriend and Eleanor's best friend, Sophie, on the hay rideRunning for pumpkins
I had so much fun as a chaperone- the kids were pretty well behaved and it was fun to watch Alden interact with his friends. It also made me realize that under no circumstances do I ever want to be a 4K teacher.

Festifall Fun

2009-10-06T07:58:00.006-04:00

Okay so maybe it has been over a month since I last blogged. In my defense, I have been a little busy- Zachary broke his leg (thus taking away my main assistant while Justin is gone), Justin has been gone a lot, we've been going to football games, Eleanor has been going to dance classes, and all of that one top of the everyday stuff that we have to do. We've done a few things here and there but have been pretty hampered due to Zachary and his crutches but this past weekend, we went to Festifall at Walnut Grove Plantation so I could get my history geek on and let the kids run around like a bunch of heathens. I love any kind of historical celebration or reenactment- I just think that they are pretty cool. And secretly, I think that it would be very cool to do it too. But as you can see, I've got enough on my plate now- I can't even keep up with a blog much less a historically accurate lifestyle. Anyway, the kids and I had a blast at Festifall with my friend Amanda and her crew of kids. The kids all mesh well together, the weather was pleasant, and no one had an absolute meltdown when they fired the cannons. I ended up getting stung by a bee (for the first time ever!) about an inch below my left eye so the day ended on a painful note but otherwise, it was a pretty great day.

Candle making
Eleanor with her candle
Alden with his candle
Just off frame from this picture were some chickens and ducks (to show what kind of fowl the colonists would have kept back in the day)- Harper was obsessed with them
Zachary being a trooper while crutching around the campsites

And away he goes....

2009-08-25T09:48:00.004-04:00

Today was Alden's first day of 4 year old kindergarten and he was super excited. He has asked daily for months if it was the day for him to go to school with Zachary. And it's a day that I have dreaded from the day he was born. I know that I am extremely lucky in that I get to spend every day with my kids and yes, there are days that they drive me insane but this is a day of bittersweet tears for me. Up until this point, I have been the main person in Alden's life- I get him up in the morning and I take him outside and I do his bidding along with whatever has to be done during the day and from this day forward, he's going to have someone else who is going to influence his outlook on things. Yes, I know that we don't live in a vacuum so he has other people in his life but I fancy myself as his main woman. lol And now, it's the point of no return- every school day from here on out, he is going to head into a school and away from me. Plus, I felt guilty for breaking up the Alden/Eleanor partnership. Alden has really only remembered a life with Eleanor as his constant playmate and I worried how each of them would react. Alden was fine at drop-off but Eleanor cried and didn't want to leave Aldi. But I know that underneath all of my irrational emotions, he is entering a bright new phase of life where a new world is opening up for him. He'll learn this letters and numbers- he'll learn about reading and math- about relationships with other kids. And he'll learn about a whole world outside of his home and while that is a good thing, I can't help but wish it didn't have to happen just yet.

Party

2009-07-21T10:56:00.005-04:00

We had Harper's 1st birthday party on Saturday and had a wonderful time. Our little house was full of friends and family and laughter which is just the way it should be to celebrate such a fun occasion. I baked chocolate chip cupcakes with raspberry buttercream icing (thanks to the Martha Stewart cupcake book for the recipes) and they were yummy yummy yummy. I've got buttercream left over in the fridge and I have to fight the temptation to just dig into it with a spoon which is saying something because I am not really an icing fan. Harper enjoyed her cupcake and really didn't make that big of a mess- she is usually a fairly non-messy eater anyway. And she is not one to waste a bite of food so she keeps the crumbs to a minimum. :) This was before she started eating- right after we sang Happy Birthday and she blew out the candle.And this was after- notice the shiny face- apparently buttercream is an excellent moisturizer.

Then is was time to open presents. Harper was spoiled with lots of fun toys and clothing from everyone. She loved everything and had played with all of the toys since Saturday. It has been fun to watch her because it is as though she knows exactly which toys are hers as opposed to what are Eleanor's. If you notice Alden in the background, he is wearing what he has started calling his "birthday shirt." We bought it for him to wear for his birthday party (partly because it matched the Diego colors) and he insisted on wearing it on Harper's birthday on Tuesday and then again on Saturday for the party. As soon as he took it off on Tuesday, he brought it to me and asked me to wash it for the party. I have such wonderfully weird kids. I love it.

One

2009-07-14T07:44:00.005-04:00

On this day, one year ago, the sweetest, most perfect little baby made an appearance to complete our family. Harper Eliza was an unexpected part of our lives from beginning but has fitted in so wonderfully from the moment she was born. I spent the majority of my pregnancy worried that we might have a repeat performance of Hurricane Eleanor but Harper is such a sweet little piece of happiness. She is squishy and smiley. She loves to eat- she gets great pleasure from eating. Anything. Seriously, there's nothing that she hasn't liked so far. She has an independent streak but still loves her mommy more than anything. She likes to tag along after the bigger kids and always has a giggle ready for her special buddy, Zachary. So far, she and Eleanor get along great but we'll see how that changes when she is big enough to get into Eleanor's stuff. Alden loves to talk to her in his special baby voice. She was worth all of the weeks of uncertainty, the months of morning (all day) sickness, the hardest and longest labor that I ever endured. She was worth every single second of it- she completes our family in a way we never thought was lacking. And she's my sweetest little chunky of love. I love you and hope you have a Happy First Birthday, Harper. Love at first sightSisters (Harper is 2 months old)New Year's Eve with DaddyHarper's first snowSisterly love

Tweetsie

2009-06-25T21:24:00.009-04:00

Word of warning before you start reading- this post is pic heavy so if you have a slow connection (do people even have dial-up anymore?), go grab a beer because you might be here awhile. Anyway, we continued our adventure week by heading up to Tweetsie Railroad on Thursday. I've never been up there and the kids love trains so we thought it would be fun. Plus, it was close (yay for short car rides) and fairly inexpensive. We were all just glad to get to go on a vacation. It has been 2 years since we went on a vacation. We went to the beach shortly after Eleanor was born but the next summer we moved to Florida so that summer was odd (and one could argue that living in FL is kind of live being on vacation) and then last summer, I was pregnant. Not that being pregnant makes you unable to travel but it makes it tiring. But I digress. So we woke up at the crack of dawn on Thursday and headed up to Blowing Rock. After a driving altercation that ended with me rolling down the window to flip off an obnoxious driver who tried to cause a wreck, we made it up there in pretty good time. And off we went for a few hours of Old West fun. First we went on a train ride. That was pretty cool. Until we got to the part where the "savage" Indians attacked the train and I realized that, bless my bleeding liberal heart, this was kind of uncomfortable for me. I mean, the Native Americans were way mistreated by the white people so I knew that Zachary and I would have to have a talk in a few days.

(Justin again shows why he is the undisputed master of the self-portrait.)

After the train ride, we stopped off to let the kids look a the "jail" before heading up to the next part of the park. Eleanor immediately started freaking out and wailing, "I don't want to go to jail. I don't want to go to jail." So I grabbed her and we walked over the horses so she could ride for a second.

We stopped off to give the boys a chance to look inside of a tee pee. Again, I knew that a talk about Native American culture might be in our future.
I think the boys would really like to have a tee pee.

So we headed up tot he next part of the park where they had a few rides. Including a Ferris wheel. Let's all keep in mind that Justin is not a fan of heights so I was a little incredulous when he asked the Middles if they want to ride with him. So off they went. Justin recorded a video of them going around- let's just say that watching it makes my tummy hurt...from laughing so hard. I might try to upload it later but it will probably take forever because it is long. But oh so funny. Let's just say that he was trying not to totally freak the hell out and Eleanor kept trying to lean over the rail to look down. Zachary had to ride alone since I didn't want to take Harper on it but he seemed to enjoy it.

The boys and I headed over to ride the cars. Zachary and Alden rode the lead car and Eleanor and I followed behind them. I let Eleanor steer the car and we spent most of the short trip in the wall. We headed back over towards the Ferris wheel because the guy was starting up the planes and helicopters ride and, on the way, Eleanor managed to walked straight into a pole. A metal pole. The one that they had chain hanging from to herd people into an organized line. Yep, walked straight into it. I only mention this in case you notice a big red lump on the side of her head later. She walked into a pole.

Then we headed up to the very top of the park to feed the animals. Zachary and I took the chairlift (omg- I love chairlifts) and Justin walked the rest of the kid up the hill on a gravel trail. There was a bus he could ride but he wanted the exercise, I suppose. UP there, the kids rode in boats and we fed some deer and goats. Basically the same animals that the girls saw at the zoo a few weeks ago, just a few more of them.

And that was it. We took the bus back down the hill. Stopped in a few of the shops and bought the kids some fun stuff that will drive me crazy for at least a month including a really cool carved bow and arrow set for Zachary. We took one last look at the train and headed off to our hotel. Next up, Grandfather Mountain.

Playing catch up

2009-06-21T22:26:00.008-04:00

With Justin being home all last week after a month in Canada, we took the opportunity to get the heck out of Boiling Springs for some summer time fun. So, on Tuesday, we headed up to Carowinds. I have to admit- I was really excited about this because I love love love rides. I will ride anything with a seatbelt and/or restraint bar and the higher and faster it goes, the better for me. Plus, I have tons of wonderful memories tied up in the annual visits that we made to Carowinds as a child. Seriously, I could draw you a map of the layout of the park in 1989. I remember riding the Scooby Doo roller coaster with my daddy and always having my picture taken in the Fred Flintstone car that has a Fred sitting there with his arm out. You could probably measure my growth by looking at those pictures from every year. I remember rides that are long gone from the park (White Lightning and the Flintstone cars) and always riding the same white horse on the carousel. I was majorly looking forward to seeing my kids get to enjoy some of the same rides (although many of them have different names now) and hoping to get some riding in for myself. We almost decided not to go because, as of Monday night, the weather prediction was a 60% chance of rain and who wants to be at Carowinds in the rain with 4 kids? But we decided to play odds and it really paid off for us- the day was slightly overcast and cooler and there were no lines for most of the rides. The kids were able to ride things multiple times because there were never any kids waiting to ride them afterwards. Yay. And the behavior of the kids was at a level that I have never seen before. They were so good. Eleanor was in her element because we let her walk and choose the ride which meant lots of independence. And being independent is the color of Eleanor's happy place. Alden was his normal happy self and Zachary was able to ride all of the big rides including some coasters that I didn't think he would ride. Eleanor had a near meltdown when Diego tried to talk to her and now she can relate an entire narrative that (didn't) occur between the two of them. Along the times of him trying to hug her and her setting boundaries, then calling him stupid. Alden has a similar get-away-from-me reaction with SpongeBob. I don't ever recall being afraid of the characters that walked around the park. If I remember correctly, there is a picture of me with Jabberjaw floating around somewhere and I was pretty young. I am guessing that I was older than the Middle though. It really turned out to be a fun day full of rides, Icees, soft serve ice cream in a cone, and no meltdowns. Unfortunately, the camera was left in the van so all of the pictures come courtesy of my iPhone. Getting ready to ride the balloons with the boys. Quick confession- this was the first ride that I have ever ridden that made me feel sick. I had just ridden the Nighthawk (awesome- you are inverted and ride blind for the most part!) which didn't faze me but I think since I was riding this ride with my back to the direction we were spinning, it freaked out my system. I definitely had to do some cleansing breathes.
Harper's first carousel ride

Eleanor riding the jets- in my day, these were the the Jetson jets. I loved them and so did she.
Riding Azul the train. Eleanor had most looked forward to this one because Azul is the train from Dora the Explorer. And if there is anything that Eleanor loves, it's Dora. I was a bit bummed though because the train used to go on a short trip around part of the park, but now it only goes in a small circle.
Riding the train with my biggest boy and my smallest girl

Riding the swings- the look on Eleanor's face pretty much says it all. As does Alden's- he looked terrified on every single ride but claimed to love all of them.

Flying the planes. Again, in my day, these were black and white (and maybe red) and I recall fighting with Shannon on making the plane go up and down.
Wiped out from all of the excitement (and humidity)

Later in the week, we spent some time in the mountains so those pics will come later this week. All in all, we had a fun, family time week with Justin being home. And speaking of Justin, a quick Happy Father's Day to wonderful dad. We all love you very much!

Tuesday Geocaching

2009-06-09T19:43:00.005-04:00

I had decided a few weeks ago that we were not going to let this summer slip by us the same way summer has for the past few years. We tend to play outside a lot in the month or so before school is out but once school is out and the heat really hits, I tend to cocoon inside. But not this year- I decided that once a week, we were going on a field trip. Of course, thinking it and doing it are 2 different things. We began our inaugural field trip adventure by going geocaching. We haven't been in ages because 1. Justin has been gone since the weather has gotten warm enough to get out and 2. I have been very hesitant to try to take the kids alone. I mean, out of control kids plus nature does not equal a good combination. But reservations be damned and off we set this morning get some 'caching done. We headed to Pacolet to get a few there and ended in Gaffney. In Pacolet, we were nearly carried off by the gnats and drowning in the humidity but we managed to get 2 there before we had to break for lunch. After lunch, we headed to pick up a cache at the Michael Gaffney cabin (in Gaffney obviously) only to be thwarted by the super friendly volunteer who was happy to show the kids various animal skins and talk about the history of the cabin. We finished up at the Possum Trot School where the kids ran wild.

I hope that we can stick to this resolution for the entire summer because the kids really seemed to have a blast and I know that they were happy to be able to get out of the house for something other than running errands. Plus Zachary managed to pick up quite a bit of history form his personal historical tourguide (me) and the volunteer at the cabin and that is never a bad thing.

Slip n Slide Saturday

2009-05-30T16:51:00.006-04:00

After being stuck inside for the past week with my bout with bronchitis/pneumonia (as well as the seemingly non-stop rain), I thought the kids deserved some outside play time. So we headed to the store and picked up a few summertime essentials- a Slip n Slide, a baby pool for Harper, and some water guns. We came home and the big kids quickly threw on their bathing suits while Harper settled in for a nap, then it was water fun time. This was the first summer that Alden has really been able to propel himself down the slide and it hilarious watching him try to go on his belly the first few times. Eventually, he gave up and decided that sliding on his knees was so much better. Zachary, of course, was an old pro at it. Eleanor just spent the majority of the time leaning her head over the water at the end of the slide and getting her hair wet. She is so weird.

Alden sliding like "a rock star"

Eleanor enjoying the baby pool, while Harper naps.

After Harper woke up, we came in and ate lunch, then spent 30 minutes searching for her bathing suit. I swear, I am tired of losing stuff- it happens all the flippin' time. Anyway, suit was found and we headed back out. We had to move the position of the Slip n Slide because it has been raining for the past week and the ground is pretty much saturated. This resulted in a big old mud puddle in the middle of the yard. So we moved the Slide, positioned the umbrella over the baby pool, and the water fun resumed.

Girls' Day Out

2009-05-24T15:24:00.005-04:00

The boys spent the night at Nana and Papa's so I decided that we would have a little bit of girls' day out fun. Since Eleanor enjoyed the zoo so much last week, I thought were would had to a local zoo and see what they have to offer. We've only been to this particular zoo during Christmas time because they put on a big light show and you can feed the deer from your car and any activity that let's you pet animals is going to be fun, in my opinion. I take that back- I did go to this zoo on a field trip in kindergarten when it was the M&M Zoo and my only memory from that was the turkey they had locked up in a pen. It made me upset because I couldn't understand why the turkey couldn't wander free like my grandparents' turkey. So with overcast skies and a few drops of rain (which prompted Eleanor to say on the way there "we are NOT going back"), we loaded up the van and off we went. We picked a bag of animal food and hopped on the safari bus. On the safari bus, they get a huge box of bread for you to feed the animals and I have to say that I loved it. Except for the emus. Have you ever looked at an emu closely. As God as my witness, I am a firm believer in the idea that birds and dinosaurs share some common ancestors because those damn birds had the same look in their eyes as she dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. More than once, I though to myself that at some point during the safari, it was going to be a throwdown between between me and the mu that kept eyeing Eleanor. Luckily, the emus knew what was good for them and stuck to eating the bread that people threw at them while we fed the zebras and buffalo with our hands. Also, did you know that zebras and donkeys sometime mate and you get a zonkey. I swear, when the tour dude said zonkey, I died a little inside form having to keep from laughing. Seriously, can you hear the thought bubble over the donkey's head. Wow- look that that zebra over there- she is a fine piece of striped animal. But what the heck is the zebra thinking? A donkey? That's the best you could do? There's no other zebras around. Or at least a horse? But I digress.The zonkey
Feeding the animals on the safari

After the safari, we walked around to the exhibits and fed the animals. Eleanor promptly fell in love with the goats and declared that she was going to tell Daddy that she wanted a goat (which she did as soon as got him on the phone in the car). We also saw a flock of peacocks (I really really want a peacock now), a flock of guinea hens (also want some of those), turkeys (one of the coolest birds ever I don't care what anyone says and I totally agree with Benjamin Franklin on the subject of turkeys), and all the other assorted creatures that you generally see at a zoo. This trip just reaffirms several things that I have long felt about zoos. 1. I don't like the primates. Honestly, they kind of creep me out a little bit. I mean, I kept waiting for the chimpanzee to reach over and unlock the cage then come and eat my face. 2. As much as I love animals, I am not such a fan of zoos. I want to like them but it makes me sad to see these animals all locked up. It's the same reason I refuse to go to the circus. I just feel like I want to free the animals so they can ran away. But I am a huge hypocrite because I love to go and see the animals and I would never get to see them otherwise.

But all in all, it was a fun day. Eleanor got bitten by a duck as she was feeding them but she managed to overcome the pain to feed them again. After we left the zoo, we concluded our exciting day out with a trip to McDonalds for Happy Meals and sundaes.

Take time to stop and enjoy the camera

2009-05-18T09:58:00.009-04:00

So it has a been a while since my last post. Justin has been gone a lot in the past month (as in gone for weeks on end) but he managed to make it home for most of the week before Mothers' (Mother's, Mothers- which is it?) Day. As luck would have it, it rained for most of the week so we didn't get to get out and do very much although we did go to Hatcher Gardens one day. I've been busy with herding the kids as well getting the yard ready for spring/summer and going on a painting kick in the house. In the week leading up to Justin coming home, I managed to cut the grass, put down pine needles, plant some new flowers, get the garden cleaned out and plant a few more plants, paint the bedroom and clean the house- all of this one top of the daily laundry, preparing at least 2 (most days 3) meals a day, changing diapers, taking Eleanor to the dentist, shuffling to Alden's ragball practices and games, picking up Zachary from school, grocery shopping, and preventing 4 kids from injuring themselves. Of course, now that we have had enough rain to necessitate to building of an ark, I get to start all over with the yard stuff. So take that to people who think that stay at home moms have an easy job and just sit around and watch the soap operas. So my poor camera has become very neglected with the exception of an occasional ragball game where I basically just shoot on auto lately (something I loathe to do) because I haven't had the time keep progressing in learning how to use the camera properly and I hate to miss cute shots of Alden while playing because I was too busy toying with controls that I don't even know how to use anyway. But I am resolving to d better with picture taking and posting here.

As far as updating on the kids, they are all good.

Zachary is getting ready to finish up 3rd grade. 3rd GRADE?! He is getting so big and tall. We have had a rough patch lately in regards to him doing his share (ie. cleaning his room) but I hope that we are on the way out of that hole. He is still reading all of the time and enjoying playing outside.

As you can see, Alden is still the same Aldi. Aim a camera lens at him and he immediately does a funny face. He is loving ragball and growing at a rate of approximately a 6 inches per day. Or so it seems. He is starting to get freckles across his nose and his hair is getting curlier by the day. He keeps asking to cut it but I refuse to since I think the curls are glorious.Eleanor, for all of her sassy personality, is slowly becoming a sweet little girl. Sure, she is still her same old feisty self but she is becoming a lot more loving and cuddly. And she is such a good big sister- forever bringing toys to Harper to play with. Make no mistake, she is still Eleanor and I wouldn't want her any other way but it appears as if she might be softening up a little.Harper now has 4 teeth with 2 more coming in and crawling all over the place. She is around 20.5 lbs and such a wonderful little chunk of love. She loves to eat and will eat whatever we put in front of her. She plows through about 10 lbs of Cheerios a day. Well, maybe not 10 lbs but it seems like that much. She spends a good chunk of her day looking exactly like she looks in the pic- smiling. She tends to follow me around- just crawling and going "mamamamamama." And I promise that she does have more clothes than that onesie (which was in the last blog post)- this just happened to be on her this morning. I love the watermelon.

Quite a Pair

2009-04-26T21:12:00.002-04:00

Last week, Harper got her first teeth. It started with a tiny tooth on the bottom and then quickly progressed to a couple of teeth on the top. I have been trying in vain to get a picture of any of her teeth since they popped through and today, my persistence was paid off. After 62 frames today, I came away with a pic of the top teeth. Some might say that it is a sad day when my greatest bit of excitement is getting a picture of a pair of tiny little teeth, but I think those people don't have kids.

Three

2009-04-19T08:59:00.005-04:00

On this day, three years ago, I gave birth to my first baby girl and she has been a whirlwind of craziness since then. I can't believe it has been 3 years already. With Eleanor, many days feel like years but somehow the past 3 years seem like mere minutes. I spent most of the beginning of my pregnancy in shock of being pregnant since Alden was so little and the the second half of it in shock over having a girl. I wasn't sure if I would know how to handle a girl. I mean, I'm a girl and all but not necessarily a girly girl and what if I had a girl that liked, gulp, Barbies and ribbons in her hair? Luckily, I got Eleanor who is feisty on top of being girly so I can handle it. There are days when she drives me insane with her sheer stubbornness but it is the trait that I cherish in her to most because it shows her strong personality. She is prissy when she wants to be, tough as nails when she needs to be, and smarter than any other 3 year old out there. She is quietly stealthy and loves Alden and Harper dearly. Zachary, well, she tolerates him, bless his heart. She can cut you down with a look or melt your heart with a smile. She has an infectious giggle and a silly streak. She loves dressing up and running barefoot outside no matter what the temperature. She loves candy, cookies, and ice cream but still manages to only weigh 26 lbs. For all of our clashes, I know it is because we are so much alike and I am happy to have such a strong little warrior in my posse. Happy Birthday to my fierce little Eleanor and can you please try to mellow out just a little bit now that the 2s are behind us? I love you.
Her first birthday- her love of cake was obvious from an early age.
Playing on the beach.Being silly at her birthday party!

Easter Breakfast

2009-04-12T08:56:00.002-04:00

Every Easter morning, we choose to do something so crazy, it makes us wonder if we really have the decision making skills necessary to be parents- we let our kids eat candy for breakfast. Chocolate bunnies, Peeps, marshmallow bunnies, jelly beans- you name it and we let the kids eat it. Not all of it, mind you, but a good chunk of it because, let's face it, I like to get the candy out of the house as soon as possible and this serves the purpose. So the kids get high on sugar and then we head out for a family dinner and egg hunting afternoon- where, weather permitting, they get to run off all of the sugar.

On the Line

2009-04-11T21:37:00.002-04:00

I've wanted a clothesline in the backyard for a few years now but have resisted putting one up because 1. our backyard isn't that big to start out with and I hate to take up space with a clothesline and 2. between the house and the treeline, we don't get a ton of full sunlight. But last week, I found a retractable clothesline at Lowes and Justin put it up today. It solves all of the clothesline dilemmas that I had. It stretches from the corner of the house to our storage building (therefore getting tons of sunlight) and it retracts and doesn't take up any yard space. I wasted no time hanging out our diaper laundry on it and the sight of our rainbow of diapers put a smile on my little hippie heart. So I took some pics and thought I would share.

Just because...

2009-04-06T20:46:00.002-04:00

you can never have too much Alden- here is a super cute pic of him from today. He has the most wonderful curly hair- I'm jealous.

They Grow Up So Fast

2009-03-30T10:10:00.005-04:00

So it appears that we have had a bit of a growth spurt happening around here this weekend. Remember those sweet, tiny, precious little baby plants that I posted on Friday? Well, apparently, they've gone and hit adolescence already. When I took the pictures on Friday night, only the cucumbers had really begun to sprout and look now- everything is growing growing growing. I am keeping an eye on the weather reports and barring any frost warnings, some of these babies will be in the ground soon.

The seedlings in the foreground are skinny little tomato vines, the fat round ones right behind are zucchini, the ones in the middle with the secondary leaves coming in are peas, and in tall ones in the back are cucumbers. There are also basil and onions sprouting as well.

As a frame of reference (and I should have taken a similar shot on Friday), the cucumbers were maybe 2.5 or 3 inches tall on Friday.

New Babies

2009-03-27T21:21:00.003-04:00

I thought I would post some pics of our seedlings that I've got growing in my kitchen greenhouse. I planted them on Sunday and the cucumbers have really sprouted up in the last few days. In a few weeks, they should be ready to be planted in the garden as long as the threat of frost passes. I'm so proud of my little baby plants. And I can't wait for them to grow up.

Birth of a Farming Dynasty

2009-03-24T22:23:00.004-04:00

So, for the past 2 days, we have been working on preparing a small portion of the backyard to plant a garden. In the past we've thrown a few pepper plants or tomato plants into random parts of the yard, but I decided that this was going to be the year to have a real garden. So, I've got some seeds started in a mini greenhouse inside (basically a plastic tray with peat discs) and a threw a few seeds into the ground just to see how they'll do (those white rocks you see in the garden are just markings to remind me where I have planted different seeds- I'm sure there is a better way to do this). Hopefully, in a few months, we'll have a huge crop of tomatoes, onions, zucchini, cucumbers, and peas. I've also planted some basil seeds to see if I can get some herbs going. And in a few weeks, I'll plant some pepper plants in the front yard- I always plant them in the front flower bed and end up with about 490875 bushels of peppers. So, it begins. I hope that we do well since my dream is to have a small farm and this is about as close as I am going to get any time soon. If only I could have a few chickens.....

Ragball Beginnings

2009-03-21T11:43:00.004-04:00

This morning, Alden had his first ragball game and did very well considering that the temperature was 39 degrees and the wind was gusting something like 70 mph. Okay, so maybe the wind wasn't blowing exactly that hard, but it was fairly brisk. Alden managed to hold it together and actually hit the ball once, then kind of sort of run the bases. As far as fielding, the ball came near him a few times but he managed to cheer on his teammates with gusto.
That's Alden with his new (girl)friend, Sophie.

Happy Birthday Justin!

2009-03-20T12:12:00.003-04:00

Today is Justin's 30th birthday so I wanted to take a minute to send a big shout out and happy birthday to my best friend! I hope that the day is grand and full of sunshine. I wasn't lucky enough to get to spend the first 18 of your birthdays with you but look forward to spending every other one together for the rest of our lives. And I think we are off to a great start so far. I love you!

Look at those lashes!

2009-03-12T12:17:00.004-04:00

Harper is getting too big for her infant carseat so I took some pictures of her sitting in it yesterday. I now it sounds weird but I am finding myself being a little bit sadder than the other kids whenever she does something that moves her closer to being a "big kid" which includes moving to the big kid car seat. I mean, wasn't she just born 2 days ago- why is she so insistent on growing up so fast? But in the course of going through the pics, this picture really stuck out- look at the length of her lashes. Amazing. I have to say that I am more than a little jealous.
And I apologize for being slack on blogging, we have spent everyday since last Thursday outside. Except for meals and a couple of errands, we have done nothing but run around the yard like maniacs playing with kites and bubbles. I love spring.

Nine

2009-02-28T09:11:00.002-05:00

On this day, nine years ago, my first baby boy was born. Zachary was born on his due date which is supposed to be rare for first babies and was such a wonderful baby right out of the gate, um, womb. He was the best kind of baby to learn how to be parent with- he slept easily and cried rarely. He has grown up to be such a smart and funny big boy. He has my love of reading and talent for talking back. He has Justin's love of 80's music and an appreciation for fast cars. He is talkative and good at telling a funny joke. He loves his brother and sisters (except Eleanor- I would only call that emotion mild tolerance) and is ready to help me out to take care of them whenever he is needed. He is my right-hand man when Justin is out of town and I know that one day far far into the future, he is going to make a wonderful partner to some lucky person. Let's just hope that person comes with a steel countenance because I have high standards for my first boy. He is almost as tall as I am and honestly, that freaks me out a little bit. When did my baby boy grown so tall, when did he learn to write in cursive, when did he learn how to spell asshole? Sigh. So, today, I am going to hug my little boy and wish that he stop growing so tall and wish him Happy Birthday #9.

The Middles

2009-02-22T10:36:00.006-05:00

When I was pregnant with Eleanor, I spent the entire pregnancy in a hormonal freak show worried about Alden's reaction to being "replaced" when she was born. He was only 15 months old when she was born and I was convinced that he was going to be devastated by my betrayal of having another baby when he was so little. He was going to hate me and never forgive his little sister. I cried myself to sleep at night over it and cried over his crib the night before I was scheduled to be induced with Eleanor. Hey- I told you it was a hormonal freak show. But things have turned out so much better between the two of them than I could ever imagined. They are as thick as thieves and are, for the most part, the leaders of a 2 person gang set to destroy any semblance of peace during my day. They are complete opposites but compliment each other so well. Alden is laid back and calm- very low key and happy to sit and do the same thing all.day.long. Eleanor is constantly in motion and always on her way to get into something that is forbidden. She is the yin to Alden's yang. They tend to take care of each other too- if Eleanor is sneaking popsicles or candy, she always gets one for Alden too. If Eleanor is tired and wants to lay down, Alden will turn on Dora for her to watch so she can wind down and take a nap. It really is a cute little dynamic they have. This past week, we have all been fighting a cold that has managed to work its way through the entire family. Alden was sick with it Wednesday and Thursday and it hit Eleanor on Friday. She was just pitiful and low key which is not the norm for her. So Saturday night, Zachary went to Grammie's house and the Middles and Harper all curled up in the bed with me to hang out and watch tv. This was a treat for Alden and he was out in no time (the girls had long been asleep). In the middle of the night, Harper woke me up to nurse and I sat up to check on Eleanor and saw the sweetest sight. Eleanor was holding Alden's Doggie (his prized possession) and Alden was hugging Eleanor. And she woke up this morning feeling 100% better after 2 days of sickness. So I think that not only do the Middles have a strong bond, I think together they have a little bit of healing magic.

Here comes the sun..

2009-02-09T11:15:00.003-05:00

With the very anticipated warm weather that we had this weekend, we took the opportunity to get out of the house and go geocaching. We haven't been out with the GPS since last May (when we had the run-in with the questionable red-tailed hawk of death) because well, it got really hot in June and I was really pregnant, then after Harper was born, well, let's just say that geocaching wasn't at the top of things-to-do list. But with the glorious weather, we loaded up the GPS with coords and headed out- only to be met with grumpy kids who had no desire to walk anywhere and were hell bent on jumping into the Pacolet River at all costs. At more than one point in the afternoon, I was carrying Harper in my front in a sling, and had either Alden or Eleanor riding piggyback. We started out with a trip to everyone's favorite place, Hatcher Gardens, which went fine (and we even got a glimpse of some blooming flowers- yay for spring!) and we finally grabbed the cache that is there. Then we headed to the Pacolet River Heritage Preserve which the intentions of getting the 5 caches there- we managed 2 and were lucky to get those given the Muggle traffic and the dispositions of Alden and Eleanor. Alden, for the most part, was okay- just tired at the end of a 2+ mile hike but Eleanor was downright miserable- bless her heart. She is so independent and doesn't want to be carried "like a baby" but she's not quite big enough to walk the whole time. She wanted to be anywhere but where she was at the time. Well, as long as she could get as close as possible to jumping into a body of water, she was fine. She is a tough little cookie- ready to jump in a creek or slide down a hill. Let's just hope that our next adventure is a little less dramatic.

Birdfeeders

2009-02-01T16:16:00.004-05:00

Back in December, we got some pinecones (thanks Lisa and Laura!) with the intention of making birdfeeders while Zachary was out of school. But then, my lips started going insane and quite honestly, I just didn't feel like any kind of "activity time" so it was put off. So, while Justin was gone golfing this morning, we got out the peanut butter and pinecones and made a few birdfeeders for our feathered friends outside. The kids managed to keep the mess to a minimum and hopefully, the peanut butter smell is going to fade soon. Yuck.

Sweet little birdie

2009-01-25T10:35:00.003-05:00

Justin took this picture at Hatcher Gardens on Friday and I just love it. I love how you can see the food in the bird's beak. Very rarely can I capture a picture of the birds there because I tend to have the kids all underfoot and stomping around making noise so this a rare pic for us.

Hatcher Gardens 01.23.09

2009-01-24T10:17:00.003-05:00

We took advantage of the warm(er) weather yesterday and headed out to Hatcher Gardens to give the kids a chance to run off some energy. The kids ran around like the cage door had been left open and had a good time. Plus it was nice to be outside without my feet going numb.

Zachary practicing for next modeling gig. Not really but it looks that way, right? This is a creek bed that is normally flowing with water during the summer.

Alden doing his version of the "funny face."

Eleanor's big leaf
Eleanor and her "baby"

Oh Snowy Day

2009-01-20T08:54:00.004-05:00

Today, we woke up to a winter wonderful. Schools were closed and cars were in the ditches- all for 1/2 inch of snow. But not being one to look a snowy gift horse in the mouth, I bundled the kids up at 7:30 am and out we went. This was the first time in snow for the little kids but Zachary has experienced the cold stuff in the past. Alden wasn't much of a fan because it was cold but Eleanor, being the tough cookie that she is, stayed out much longer. Prior to going in, they held a conference and decided that the snow tasted like an Icee and were esctastic about the idea of a yard full of free Icees.

Musket Practice

2009-01-18T18:41:00.007-05:00

We took Zachary to Cowpens National Battlefield this weekend for their Anniversary events and he got to line up for kids musket practice. Apparently, he was ahead of the class since he was shooting left-handed. According to the re-enactor dude, soldiers were supposed to shoot left-handed because the gunpowder discharged on the left side of the gun so if you shot right-handed, you would get a face full of pain. Very interesting. Of course, I was totally geeking out over all the history stuff so it has hard to drag me away despite the 40 degrees of coldness going on this weekend.

Four

2009-01-14T07:43:00.004-05:00

On this day, four years ago, my sweetest little baby boy was born. It had been a long road to having a second child and this was the baby that we had to wait for- it took us close to 2 years to conceive him and I was beginning to wonder if we would ever have another baby. But then, four years ago, Alden was born and arrived with a firm grip on my heart. The time has passed entirely too too quickly and while I have loved every second of watching him grow into this great little boy, I am so sad that he's not my little baby boy anymore. He is such an amazing little spirt- he is quietly brilliant and so laid back. He is devoted to his DS but still loves to play with his cars. He loves to hug "his" Harper and tries to avoid crazy Eleanor. When cimbs up beside me and says "I yuv you, mommy" I feel like my heart is going to burst- that is until he follows up with "can I play Wii?" Of course, he could probably ask me to rob a bank and I am pretty sure I would at least consider it very seriously. He's a clown, he's rough and tumble when he needs to be, he's a gentle little giant, he's my little Noni. And today he is four.

Up on the Mountain

2009-01-12T13:11:00.005-05:00

Zachary has been learning about the Revolutionary War in school and being the good mother that I am (as well as a bit on the nerdy side and happy to finally have someone else excited about visiting state parks and historical monuments with me) decided that we needed to head to Kings Mountain National Park so he could learn more about our local chapter in the history of the War. Actually, we had planned on going to Cowpens Battlefield but found out that they will have re-enactors and all that good nerdy stuff next weekend so look for pics of dudes dresses up with ponytails and old muskets next week. But the Kings Moutain museum is way cool- it has all of these huge cool "trees" that you can walk in with presentations and artwork on various commanders and weaponry and whatnot.

What Eleanor Wore- 01.10.09 edition

2009-01-11T12:33:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since we've had a WEW posting but don't think that is because Eleanor has stopped her crazy dressing. It's simply that I haven't taken any pictures of her outfits. Believe me one day, she had 4 differnt shirts- at the same time! But yesterday, when she emerged from her dressing chamber (aka her bedroom), she had on a real combination of clothing.

Look at that pose! I'm going to have to cut her access to celebrity blogs because she is starting to pose like all of the twenty-something starlets. In case, it's not apparent, she's not wearing any pants. She has on a pair of tights from last winter (size 12 months), with a pink and green polka-dot shirt and underneath that is a lavender Tinkerbell shirt. Then she tops it all off with a pair of navy and red shoes with apples. Apples!

Don't Shoot Me, It's Christmas!

2009-01-08T09:53:00.005-05:00

As I have mentioned before, Eleanor DOES NOT like having her picture taken. At. All. She will occasionally sit for a pic but that generally involves bribing. And even then, she is usually making a goofy face just to spite me so we now have about 19384 pics of the side of her face or the back of her head as she runs away. Well, Justin, being the wonderful and caring father that he is, thought that we needed some pics of Eleanor in her new Dora pajamas on Christmas morning and the following scene ensued.

And the award for Most Dramatic Overreaction goes to......Eleanor. And lucky(?) for us, this tends to be a daily performance even without the camera. Poor kid. Or maybe, poor Amy.

Christmas Craziness

2009-01-07T08:33:00.010-05:00

Wow- I have been really remiss in not posting anything from the holidays, haven't I? I have been battling what turned out to be a Vitamin B12 deficiency (which resulted in some not-so-fun, I-think-my-lips-are-on-fire-and-going-to-explode pain) and Justin was home so we spent the majority of the time after Christmas doing absolutely nothing except sleeping late and playing Mario Kart against each other on the DS and Rock Band on the Wii. And as it turns out, I am not that bad of a singer so look for my new CD to be out sometime in the next year. Hey, I've got to have a backup in case this whole raising my kids gig doesn't work out. But back to Christmas, it was great. The kids were spoiled beyond belief and got so many toys, we are still trying to figure out where to put everything in our tiny little house. It was nice to be home this year and settle since we moved back to SC from FL this time last year- it was, shall we say, a little stressful to try to unpack and get things organized just 2 days before Christmas especially when you have 3 kids underfoot and are fighting morning sickness. But this year, it was completely different and utterly wonderful for the most part- especailyl since we all got to be together for more than a weekendHere is the fam as we prepare to open our traditional Christmas Eve presents before heading to my mom's house. We always get the kids Christmas pajamas every year which works out great because then they are all cute and matchy-matchy on Christmas morning. Although, this is going to be the last year that Alden and Eleanor are going to match since he is getting too big for the toddler pajamas (which makes me want to cry so I'll not dwell on that). So I guess he is going to be moving up to the big boy pajamas next year and get to match with Zachary.

Harper spent most of the morning trying to eat all of her new toys. Look at those cheeks! I love them.

Could she be any cuter? I am pretty sure the answer is NO.
Zachary in his "old man" pajamas. He has gotten a pair of these in various colors for the past 4 years and loves them. I think that he was digging through his stocking at this point.

Alden with his new favorite best friend. Seriously. We've had to start placing restrictions on the DS use because he was starting to skip meals just to play.

Eleanor had to be woken up (awakened?) so that the boys could go into the living room to see the Santa presents (I refuse to let them do it separately- everyone has to go together) so she was a wee bit grumpy. Plus she HATES having anyone take her picture so this was a good as it got on Christmas morning.

So there is your little glimpse of craziness that was Christmas Eve and Christmas mornign at the Wilson house. Lots of fun, lots of toys, and no less than 598784 wire twisty things to untwist. And lots of family time which is the best present of all for us.

Early Christmas for Harper

2008-12-21T09:36:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, Christmas came a little early for the Harper Doodle- she got a stand up bouncer/exersaucer thingy. How is that for an awesome title? She loves to stand and bounce (boo- why can't she just stay a baby?) so this is the perfect thing for little miss Growing-Up-Too-Fast. Now I just had to find a way to keep Eleanor out of it- she has a tendency to try to take over everything that is Harper's. Whether it is a toy or clothing (yes, Eleanor CAN fit into the same clothes as Harper), she seems to think that everything is hers. She mights as well be called Swiper Fox.

Christmas Parade- Part 2

2008-12-21T09:28:00.003-05:00

I've been meaning to post this pic for the last week and am just now getting around to it. We went to our 2nd Christmas parade last weekend and had a blast. It didn't seem as cold as the previous one but that might be because I had Justin along to help wrangle the kids. The kids, as always, had lots of fun and came home with a bagful of candy (which promptly disappeared later that day). I had all intentions of going to a parade on Sunday but completely forgot about it until about 15 minutes before it was scheduled to start so our parade count stands at just 2 this year- well, have to try to do better next year. And poor Harper, as my assistant photographer, she never gets to have her picture taken but rest assured, she was there.

Christmas Parade- Part 1

2008-12-06T18:23:00.003-05:00

Today the kids attended the first of several (weather permitting) Christmas parades. We missed them all last year since we were in Florida and apparently Christmas parades are not a big deal where we were so we are making up for lost time. So we packed up this morning and, along with Shannon and Kelsie, we headed out to the big metropolis of Inman. It was an 1.5 hours of 36 degree cold Christmas-y goodness. And I managed to even capture a picture with Eleanor looking AND smiling at the camera which a small miracle in and of itself.

Harper Doodle

2008-12-03T09:13:00.002-05:00

Since I have been a slacker in the blogging department, I thought I would repent by posting what I consider to be a super cute pic of my Harper Doodle. After a little bit of a health scare with her, we are happy to know that she is just fine. She might hate me forever for subjecting her to having a telescopic camera shoved up her nose though...

Tie dye and VW vans

2008-11-23T21:26:00.003-05:00

This weekend was a big weekend here in the Wilson household. I had my 30th birthdy and while many people freak out over that milestone, I was totally looking forward to it because 1. I looove birthdays and 2. there just seems to be something very liberating about leaving the twenties behind even though my twenties were a pretty good decade. Justin, knowing my love of all things from the decade prior to my birth, got me a birthday complete with tie dye icing and a Volkswagen Microbus. We celebrated Friday night with a meal at The Melting Pot (something new and very yummy) and then again yesterday with some wings and burgers at my mom's house because, well, one party just isn't enough and my mom likes to spoil me. All in all, a pretty great day!

My cake and new VW (courtesy of my sister)

Pennies from heaven.

2008-11-11T19:48:00.002-05:00

At the risk of jumping the gun, I have a little bit of bragging to do. Eleanor has been strictly a potty-using girl since Friday. Friday! That is FOUR whole days of no diapers (except at night and even then she stays dry all night)! She has done so well with this whole potty thing- the biggest problem is that she wants me to come and sit for a chat while she potties. This involves me stopping whatever I might be doing and going to sit on the edge of the tub while she potties. And now that she is a big girl, no plain old underwear will do this girl. It has to be "pennies" which is her word for panties. No hand-me-down Spiderman underoos from Alden and definitely no diapers- it has to be pennies and preferably with princesses. Because you know, a Princess needs her pennies.

Big changes

2008-11-07T20:09:00.002-05:00

Big changes are going on in the Wilson6 household. First of all, my sweet little Harper rolled over last night. Yes, I said rolled over. She was on her tummy and just flipped on over. You could have punched me in the face, I was so shocked. Unfortunately, she doesn't get as much floor time as she probably should because the "Middles" will torment her with their twisted version of love and she ends up getting irritated. Plus, they are not always so attentive to the fact that my little Chubba-dub is in the floor and have at times come perilously close to falling on her or tripping over her. But she proved last night that she has places to go and things to do. I just wish that she wasn't in such a hurry. It makes me tear up to just think about.

And Eleanor has finally decided to use the potty. Today, we bought one of those padded toilet seat insert thingies at Target (complete with illustrations of Dora on it), came home and put it on the potty. And she pottied. And has been dry all afternoon. Amazing. After my false hope with Alden last December, I am trying to not get my hopes up, but I would love to only have one kid in diapers finally. I had a few months between Alden potty training and Harper's arrival but the idea of just ONE baby in diapers- it makes me squeal with glee just thinking about it. Unfortunately, Eleanor's decision to start pottying has also come with a fierce smart ass attitude which is driving me insane at a very painful rate and, for the life of me, figure where she got it.

Rock the Vote

2008-11-04T15:44:00.004-05:00

I have to send a HUGE shout out to my mom and sister for voting today! My poor mom has had to listen to me rant for the past 6 months or more about politics and even accompanied us to the Obama rally (IN THE RAIN) yesterday. And she voted for the first time in 20 YEARS! Then my poor sister had to miss half of day at work because she waited for 4 HOURS to vote today. But can I just say how proud I am? Well, I am. I live in the largest precinct in my county and was astounded at the turnout this year. During the last Presidential election, I waited maybe 30 minutes to vote and this year it was 2.5 hours. It is an exciting time in American politics and I am glad that more people are getting involved. As always, Zachary accompanied me to the polls as he has since he was 8 months old. We're just hoping that we picked a winner this year since we are 0 for 2 so far. But we're hoping that the need for CHANGE is on our side. Yes we can.

And I need to make a correction to this post, it has actually been 32 YEARS since my mom last voted. Her last election was Jimmy Carter in 1976. Crazy.

Blogging from the polls

2008-11-04T10:31:00.002-05:00

Zachary and I are in line to vote right now. Surprisingly, I could see my backyard from the line at the high school. Perhaps that makes me qualified to be the principal. LOL.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T23:56:00.011-04:00

Since I know that cyberspace is waiting with baited breath, without further ado, I present the Wilson Halloween. Let me just say right now that getting a picture of 4 kids that has a majority looking at the camera with open eyes and without an odd expression is damn near impossible. Just sayin'.

Harper is surpised that Halloween involves taking 294798456 pictures.

Princess Eleanor just seconds after a tantrum that lasted about 20 minutes because she needed caaaaaaaaaaaaandy.

Mad Scientist Zachary (with a PhD in Experimental Science) making his crazy face.

Dr. Wilson's name tag

The Aldenbot 3000 complete with a functioning light switch. If I had just 1 more week, it would have had functioning lights too.

What Eleanor Wore- 10.23.08 edition

2008-10-23T14:42:00.014-04:00

Eleanor has a bright future as a fashionista. She changes clothes multiple times a day and her combos are a source of never ending humor to me. Sure, I get tired of washing clothes 39750945 times a week but the laugh value that I get from some of her get-ups is worth it. And since I am not a selfish person, I thought I would start sharing the funny with everyone else to enjoy.

So here is what Eleanor wore for the first part of the day:

What we have here is a Sleeping Beauty princess dress (thanks Grammie) paired with some ruffled jeans. Missing from the picture is a pair of bright purple rubber Speedo flip flops that I made her remove befor climbing on the couch.

Next up we have a purple tshirt with hearts (backwards of course) with a pair of black leggings (also backwards). Curious note about the leggings, they are size 6-12 mos. and are supposed to be full length. To complete the look, she is wearing a pair of Harper's socks with lavender trim and black ballet slippers.

Scarecrow Saturday

2008-10-20T09:46:00.009-04:00

So Saturday while going for a walk with the kids, between gasping to catch my breath and wincing at the pain in my knee, I decided that today would be a great day to make a scarecrow.

No planning ahead of time, no thought as to how I've never made a scarecrow before- just the decision to make.a.scarecrow. So after letting the kids play in the yard with our across-the-road friend Logan for a few minutes, we head off to Lowes to buy some winterish flowers (pansies) and 3 bales of hay/straw/whatever the correct term is. Yes, I said 3 bales- in the back of our new, 3 week old van. Had Justin been here, a heart attack would have ensued but seeing as how he wasn't, the deal was done before he found about it so all is good. Back to having no plan, so we get back home and have no clothes for the scarecrow- we have some old pants of Zachary's but no shirts- this is were Nancy (across the road neighbor and Logan's grandma) swoops in to save the day with some pants and a shirt. Now, you may not know this but to fabricate a scarecrow, you have to actually take apart a bale of the hay/straw/whatever. And while this may seem insignificant, let me say this now, loose piles of hay are like crack to a little kid. You will unable to keep them from jumping, diving, or sliding into the pile. And occasionally they might bury their siblings entirely in hay. But it is worth it when you're all done and can stand back and admire your scarecrow fabrication skills.

And no, I didn't sneak another kid into the herd, the non-Wilson kid is our friend, Logan.

Crafty McCraft

2008-10-17T08:29:00.010-04:00

I love to sew. To me, it's very therapeutic and calming for the most part. I love making patterns and altering them to make things in different sizes. I was never the kid that was good in art class but I love to create and make things. So, this week I carved out some time for myself which is damn hard to do and made a super cute bag and a pinafore for Eleanor. I have a feeling that Eleanor might just have a pinafore for every single holiday. It was wicked easy to make and fast to sew together. Anyway, I just wanted to brag and show off because I am in looove with my bag and because pics of Eleanor looking at the camera are as elusive as sightings of the Yeti.

Those 2 straps on the front are short shoulder straps plus it has a long adjustable messenger strap.

Yes, they were each placed specifically and sewn on my hand. I am hoping to get feeling back in my thumb soon. But I love it so it's worth the pain.

Eleanor striking a pose in her Halloween pinafore.

The bestest dog we never owned

2008-10-13T16:34:00.003-04:00

When we first moved to our house back in July 2002, one of the first things we noticed was that the house across the street had a ton of little flags in the ground on the perimeter of the yard. When we soon met our new neighbor, Nancy, we found out the flags were training markers for the underground fence for her dog, Greta. And so began a wonderful relationship between us and our neighbor-dog Greta. Greta is the kind of dog that makes people want to own a dog. She is well trained, nice to children, beautiful, and will tear a person apart should they appear as though they might hurt Nancy. She is the alpha-bitch (as Nancy and I lovingly refer to her) and quite frankly I have always harbored dog envy for a dog like Greta. When she runs, it is like watching a fine thoroughbred horse galloping at the Kentucky Derby. My kids have all grown up around her and love her to the point that Eleanor associates most dogs with Nancy (even naming her favorite toy dog, Nancy). Harper is just getting to know the feeling of Greta's tongue as she licked her little baby toes- Greta has a thing for baby toes. She is just a great freakin' dog. Well, Greta died today. She had lupus and it was slowly eating away at her quality of life. Nancy came home at lunch today to Greta not feeling well (I will spare the details) and when she went to the vet, she had to have her put down. She held her until she fell asleep, then came home to cry into her beer. After getting off of the phone with her, I cried too. Farewell to you Greta, you were truly a giant among dogs and I hope you are enjoying your time galloping in the fields of wildflowers and swimming the ponds of the doggy afterlife.

I don't want to be right.

2008-10-08T12:26:00.003-04:00

I found a link to a blog that contains 2 of my favorite things on earth: babies and Barack Obama. Yes We Can (hold babies) is a blog full of super cute pics of Obama (and one of Biden) taken with children. Having been surrounded by kids 24 hours a day for the past 3.5 years, I can say that they tend to be on the money with reading someone's personality. So while I have tried to keep the politics to a minimum (I have another blog for that)- I thought this was perfect for here because my kids love them some "Arockabama"- now to just figure out to get close enough to him to toss one of my kids on him 'cause I am wicked jealous of those other kids. And if being jealous of a bunch of babies is wrong, man, I don't want to right.

That thing about apples and trees...

2008-10-07T08:07:00.004-04:00

Anyone who knows Justin, knows that he loves cars. Not just loves them but looooves them in a way where he goes through a car part catalog (which I am sure should be a different term) and picks out parts for the car that he wants to build someday and makes obsessive lists on each part and the cost. Pass a car going down the road and, if it meets the prescribed criteria, it becomes branded as a "badass car." It's just his thing and he loves it. Well, apparently this must be genetic malfunctionm, um I mean trait, because now Alden has been bitten by the car bug. We discovered it a few months ago when he declared a toy monster truck as a "badass truck." And it has been eveident ever since- let us spot a Mustang and it is instantly declared "Alden's Mustang" and when Justin brings home a nice rental car, Alden is having a good day. So imagine the heaven that was Alden when Justin had the opportunity to drive a Corvette last weekend- the look on his face was priceless. And it was almost as fun to watch Justin's excitement over having a little friend who loves cars too.

Chupachubra

2008-09-24T08:59:00.009-04:00

I have managed to come up with no less than 47 random nicknames for my kids over the years. Zachary was Zachary-do-dah (and occasionally turkey butt). Alden is my Noni or sometimes Onion (his evil doppelganger). Eleanor has been Girlfriend (said with the connotation that it should followed with 2 snaps up). Now the time has come for Harper to earn her nicknames. I am fairly sure that I have called her 'Harper' maybe 4 times in the 9 weeks that she has been around. It started out as Chubba-Wubba, then it evolved to Chubba-Dubba (the kids call her Chubba Dubba Wubba) and now she has become Chupachubra- not to be confused with the chupacabra since she tends to prefer a goat-free diet. Notice the theme of chub in the names. Bless her heart, she has the sweetest little chubby legs and cheeks- I love them. After the craziness that was Eleanor's infancy (well, the craziness continues but just to a lesser degree), Harper is a welcome respite from the storm. Let's just hope that she doesn't hate me for all of the nicknames.

Tonight

2008-09-11T16:30:00.003-04:00

If you hear a strange popping sound around 8:00 pm tonight, don't worry. That's just my head exploding because I am *that* excited to see the Indigo Girls tonight. Keep your fingers crossed that Harper loves them too and let's me enjoy the music.

Daddy's Little Girls

2008-09-03T09:07:00.009-04:00

Since Justin doesn't get much face time here, I thought I would throw on some cute pics from this weekend of him with the girls. As a Daddy's Girl, I had some clue of what he was in store for when we had girls but he was completely blindsided. Just wait until they're teenagers. :) I had a wonderful relationship with my Daddy and I look forward to watching our girls develop that kind of bond with Justin. As you can see, they are a cute trio.

18 Million Cracks

2008-08-27T12:15:00.003-04:00

I often hesitate to post about politics here because this is supposed to be a blog about the kids and our family, but last night, I witnessed something that was simply amazing and has everything to do with the kids and their future. Anyone that knows me, probably knows that I have long been a huge fan of Hillary Clinton. During this past Democratic primary season, it was hard for me to not support her. Really hard. Her actions (along with those of Bill) made me sad- she was just not a candidate I wanted to support any more. She was a woman who let me down. I have long dreamed of a woman becoming President (as have so many women who came before me) and I have looked forward to the day that Hillary was able to raise her right hand and take the Oath. But unfortunately, for me, this wasn't a time where I could support her and I found myself almost to the point of hating her towards the end of the primary. And leading up to the DNC, I was just tired of the speculation of what Bill and Hillary were going to do about the nomination- what they were going to say and how they felt about the whole shingdig. But last night, she came through. She bought me back. As I was laying in bed snuggled up with my girls, I listened to her speech and cried. Cried for the hope that one day, one of my girls could be addressing the Democratic National Convention and know that so many great women came before them. To know that, while there are so many who don't agree with Hillary and her methods, she did indeed attack that glass ceiling and I am grateful for my girls that she did it and she did it her way. Last night in her address to the DNC, she was simply amazing and I still get chills thinking about it. Thank you Senator Clinton leading the charge and yes, it is time to get going.

In canse you missed it, here is the speech.

Things I've Learned from the Olympis: Part 3

2008-08-25T08:32:00.002-04:00

The one thing that is keeping me from finishing the 400m at world record pace is a serious lack of accessories. Sure, I've got the sunglasses down as an integral part of my race outfit but what I am missing is a large necklace and either a pair of diamond earrings the size of marbles or a pair of hoop earrings large enough for Eleanor to be able to jump through them. Maybe top those off with some seriously intense nails and I might just be able to break that record. Maybe.

Things I've Learned from the Olympics: Part 2

2008-08-21T11:46:00.001-04:00

If you are 5'8", you are considered freakishly tall for rhythmic gymnastics. Well, there's goes my other shot at going for the gold (after the trampoline). I am pretty sure we'll have to cross it off the list for Eleanor and Harper as well. Oh well, I need to call and cancel my order for a custom made zebra print sequined leotard. Darn.

First Day: 3rd Grade

2008-08-19T08:13:00.004-04:00

So our day began at 4:30 am this morning- why would that be you might wonder since school doesn't start until 7-something am? That would be because Zachary was so hyped up about school that he was up at 4:30 am wanting to getting the shower. Seriously. I mean, I used to be excited about the first day of school- heck, even when I was in college, working a real job, and taking care of Zachary, I still got those butterflies of excitement on the first day of classes; but I definitely didn't wake up at 4:30 am! Of course, I also wasn't up until past midnight the night before gorging on the Olympics so perhaps sleep deprivation alters my opinion on the matter. I *might* still be in denial of Zachary even being in 3rd grade. I mean, I remember my 3rd grade year very vividly so it seems freakish to me that I have a kid doing things that I did not that long ago. At one point, my lack of attention span forced me to steal a roll of tape from the supply cabinet in our classroom and use it to make a little chicken-leg shaped tape "sculpture." No joke. I took one piece of tape and ran it from the top to the bottom of the opening on my desk- then slowing wound the rest of the roll around it until the entire roll was gone. Let's just hope that Ms. Allison keeps her supply cabinet locked up tight in case that kind of wackiness is hereditary.

Things I've Learned from the Olympics- Part 1

2008-08-16T22:18:00.003-04:00

I could never be an Olympic marathon runner. Forget the idea of even running 40km, but those women had to run for over 2 hours! Seriously, my mind starts to wander after about 15 minutes (30 minutes tops)- I know there is no way I could run for a solid 2+ hours. Heck, by the time they had run the first 30 mintes, I had already gotten bored and started prowling around the house. When I start my Olympic training, maybe I should move my focus onto something less time consuming like the Trampoline.

08.11.01

2008-08-10T22:49:00.007-04:00

It was an unlikely pairing by all accounts. On one hand, you had a brown haired, hippy-ish girl who liked rave music and the Indigo Girls. On the other, a blong haired, blue eyed preppy boy who liked rap music. In what can only be called a cosmic occurance, these two kids met up one day and became a couple. She taught him about an appreciation for good music and opened his mind to ideas like recycling. He taught her about cars and nitrous oxide systems. Together they learned about true love and creating a family and sticking together no matter what. Then, on August 11, 2001, they became one. Thank you, Justin, for our 4 crazy babies and for 7 years of what can only be called a wonderful start to a grand adventure. Happy Anniversary and I love you.

Summertime

2008-07-31T10:27:00.002-04:00

As with any self respecting woman who was 12 years old back in 1989 or thereabouts, I had an intense love of the New Kids on the Block. Personally, I found Jordan to be the hottest (with Joey as a close second but he seemed so young at the time) and backed this deep affection up with a small collection of oversized buttons, jumbo puzzle, a couple of dolls (or action figures), and a set of NKOTB sheets on my bed. And now, like any good mother, I am passing my traditions on to the my daughters by brainwashing Eleanor into loving then new incarnation of the New Kids. Whenever their song "Summertime" comes on VH1, Eleanor squeals (who am I kidding, I squeal a little too) and starts to dance. By watching the video, you quickly figure out a few things: 1. Donnie Wahlberg needs to button his shirt and perhaps tone down the precision haircut 2. Danny and Jon (Jonathan?) are easily the least popular Kids as they have almost no face time in the video (and rightly so as Danny looks slightly like he might hurt someone as any minute) and 3. age and time cannot tarnish the utter hotness of Jordan Knight. Even Eleanor has to agree with my on the Jordan thing, she will say that "Jorjan" is hew New Kid on the Block. At least I am able to rest easy knowing that I am teaching my kids the important things in life.

The Dark Knight

2008-07-29T20:52:00.004-04:00

Well, apparently great minds think alike because we also went to see The Dark Knight on Sunday. I am a bit of a superhero fan so I was stoked about it and that is saying alot because I do not enjoy going to a movie theatre. I honestly have a hard time just sitting still for that amount of time and doing nothing but watching a movie. I like movies at home where I can read or surf the net or do something other than just sit there. We mistakenly thought that Harper would stay content during the movie since she basically nurses and naps 24 hours a day but we were wrong wrong wrong. That's not entirely true- she did let me watch all of the previews (OMG- how awesome does Twilight look?) and about 5 minutes of the movie. So I grabbed her up and left the theatre. I took her to the family bathroom, tosed her up on the changing table and swaddled her which is generally the surefire way to get her to calm down. And she did. But I didn't want to take the chance on having her freak again (I think the loud sound was scaring her) so I stood up and rocked her the entire time. The entire 2.5 hours. It worked out well though because I could just kind of wander around in the little corridor and still hear the movie and see the parts that I wanted to see (some of the Joker's parts were a little intense). Heath Leadger's performance totally lived up to the hype- he was unrecognizable as the Joker- everything from his appearance to his mannerisms were so creepy and twisted. And I liked how they handled the Harvey Dent story and the haters who say his story was rushed or whatnot need to watch the movie again. And thank god they replaced Katie Holmes with Maggie Gyllenhall- I'm not saying I hate KH or anything but I do hate the way she seems to speak out of the side of her mouth- it's just to Joey Potter for me. And the Bat-Pod, I was totally geeking out over it and the way it separates from the Batmobile/Tumbler. Very cool. Poor Zachary is dying to see it but for once, I am pulling the mom card in regards to movies (we pretty much let him watch anything- I know, we're horrible parents) and not letting him see it until it's out of DVD. I just think it's too intense for him- hell, I thought I might have nightmares after seeing some of the close ups of the Joker. But if you're one of the 8 people in the US who have not seen the movie, you need to head out asap and see it.

Harper's First (week) Birthday

2008-07-21T16:00:00.003-04:00

This time last week, I was in labor and preparing for the birth of Harper. It had been a looooong day and I was ready to get the show going. It was a much harder labor and delivery than any of my others but worth it in every single way. Harper has celebrated by sleeping most of the day which may make for an interesting night but we are up for the task. Happy 1st (week) birthday, Harper- I hope it has been as good for you as it has been for us!

Let's even out the odds

2008-07-19T15:45:00.003-04:00

I have a thing for symmetry. I like my numbers to come in pairs- I will always pick things that come in even numbers over anything that is odd. It's just my quirk. Justin claims that it is because I was an accountant but I just think that is how it is in my little world. Anyway, as of July 14th at 4:24 pm, our little family is finally evened out with the arrival of Harper Eliza Wilson. She weighed 7 lbs 12 oz and was 20 1/4 in long and perfect in every single way. She is the very image of baby Alden and also has his laid back temperament so far. She is nursing like a pro and actually sleeping a decent amount at night. We are very lucky. Harper has completed us in so many ways that we didn't even know were missing. And she evened out the odds in our odd little world.

Eleanor's New Nest

2008-07-13T09:25:00.013-04:00

Justin and I spent a huge chunk of Friday afternoon and Saturday morning painting and decorating Eleanor's new room/playroom. I hesitate to call it straight up Eleanor's room since there are still some toys in there that are communal but let's not kid ourselves- this room is pure girly fun. And I love it- I'm tempted to throw down a sleeping bag and sleep in there myself.

New bed (well, it was Zachary's, then Kelsie's, then Alden's bed but now it's hers)

New shelving unit (all nice and organized)

When I told her to smile, that is the face she made so I guess it's her happy face.

Nesting- it's not just for birds anymore.

2008-07-09T08:25:00.003-04:00

So, yesterday I had the bright idea to turn the cesspool that we were calling a playroom into a Eleanor room/playroom. It all started when I spied this shelving unit on sale in the Target weekly ad and thought it would be a good idea to combine all those 39585698 baskets of various toys into a cohesive area. I like organization- I want dinosaurs in the dinosaur basket, cars in the cars basket, instruments in the instrument buckets- but somehow it all ends up in a heap in the floor and when it does get cleaned up, the dinosaurs are mingling with the cars to the tune of a harmonica and tamborine. So, early yesterday morning, the kids and I were off and bought the shelf and 4 box/cube/baskets thingies. And it all started innocently enough. But somehow in the 15 minute drive from Target back home, I decided that I should get the toddler bed out of storage and move the changing table out of the boys room and make Eleanor her own little space. Then I talked my self out of it. But I managed to get myself worked up as I assembled the shelf (have I mentioned that I love to put stuff together? absolutely love it.) and went into the playroom to shift stuff around and saw the devastation of toys. So out to the storage building to find the toddler bed- half was there. So up to the attic to look for the rest- found it along with the mattress and bedding for it. Yes, I know, I shouldn't be climbing into the attic to get stuff but it HAD to be done. So my trusted sidekick, Zachary, and I moved the old bookshelf and play kitchen out of the playroom and moved the changing table in. We cleared space in the middle of the floor and, along with my other 2 sidekicks, assembled the toddler bed. So, then it was just a matter of sorting toys and putting stuff where it needed to go which sounds easy until you realize at this point, it looks like the cesspool has exploded all over the house- there are baby dolls in the bathroom, play oven in the living room, play sink and fridge in the hallway, doll strollers and shopping carts in my bedroom. But finally, around 6:00 last night, it was done. And now we have a bunch of stuff to donate to Goodwill and I am so freaking tired, I can barely walk. But the nesting must go on so now we are off to find bedding for Eleanor's new bed and hopefully Harper will stay put at least until Justin makes it back home tomorrow.

3 Down, 7 More to Go

2008-07-03T19:43:00.002-04:00

So we went for a doctors appointment today and found out that I am 3 cm dilated which is great because it means that those painful contractions I've been having every night are doing their job. Unfortunately, baby is still pretty high up so it could still be a while. As a matter of fact, she was so high, that the doctor was concerned she might be breech so we got to have a quick ultrasound and see a sneak peak of baby girl- I am happy to report that she does have some hair and it was very visible on the ultrasound. Apparently, that "thing" the dr thought might be her head was just her bottom- gives new meaning to "hard ass," right? So now the waiting game kicks in- we've got 3 cm out of the way, how long will it take to get the rest of them knocked out?

Thank you Elias Howe

2008-07-01T13:53:00.005-04:00

In case you are not the paragon of trivia that I am, you might not know that the sewing machine was first patented by Elias Howe. Well, there is some controversy over it but he was the first to patent the mechanism to perform a lockstitch- Isaac Singer (recognize *that* name?) invented the foot treadle machine but since it used the lockstitch mechanism like Howe's, he had to pay patent royalties to Howe after it was challenged in court. Why am I talking about all this broohaha? Because I like to sew and I just spent 3 days and took 5 years off my life trying to figure out why my blasted, not that old sewing machine couldn't get its act together long enough to stitch through freakin' 4 layers of canvas. I mean,seriously- it was working this past weekend, then nothing. I couldn't sew a straight line of stitches if my life depended on it. I cursed and cleaned the machine. I thread, rethreaded, threaded a new bobbin, and changed needles. I adjusted enough tension that the UN should send me to the Middle East to solve that crisis. Nothing worked, nothing. All that I wanted (needed) to do was finished the 2 blasted bags that I had started. I'm not sure why it was so important but seeing as how I am due to have a baby in 4 weeks, I am pretty sure that hormones had something to do with it. I started to doubt my ability to sew. I mean, in Home Ec in 7th grade, my hot air balloon pillow *did* come out looking more pumpkin shaped, maybe I was just not a good seamstress. How does this simple machine first patented in the 1800s manage to make me question my very intelligence? So I packed it up- last night, I said screw it (well, my actual language was much more colorful). My hips hurt, my back hurt, and I was pretty sure if I didn't stop that I was going to have a baby sitting in my kitchen. So, this morning, I decided to start fresh with my nemesis. I rethreaded the machine and took a deep breath.....and it worked. Perfectly. I pinned and stitched, pressed and topstitched. And one of the bags turned out pretty darn cute- the other one is forever ruined by the struggle I had to make it so it will be going to a new home. So now it is time to retire the machine for a few weeks, time to focus on anew adventure about the start, but in a few months, it'll be back out from storage- back to taunt me with it's promise of ease of use and creativity.

Fathers Day 2008

2008-06-23T20:22:00.008-04:00

With Justin working on the road, we had to delay celebrating Fathers Day to this past weekend and now that we finallllly got to give Justin his Fathers Day presents, I can post them here- believe me, it has been killing me to have these cute pics and not post. But I didn't want to spoil the surprise for Justin.

And here they are individually:

Don't Shoot Me

2008-06-12T21:39:00.007-04:00

I've been busy the past few days trying to learn all the functions of my new camera and the kids are bearing the brunt of it as I am constantly chasing them around the house snapping away. But it has been totally worth it as this sucker turns out some great pics in the auto mode- hopefully, I will be able to get down some of the basics before Harper shows up next month and can graduate out of the auto mode. Who knew that a camera could come with so many options and extra gadgets to add on- I love gadgets. Just don't expect a bunch of belly pics any time soon.

Sweet Baby James

2008-06-10T08:04:00.002-04:00

Two weeks ago, Justin took me on the best date ever in the 11+ years we have been together- he took me to see James Taylor in concert in Charlotte. Me, being the quasi-hippie that I am prone to be, just said that we should get the cheap lawn seats, but Justin, being the sweet husband that he is (and concerned father to the baby in my tummy), sprung for the goooooooood seats so we had an awesome view of the stage. Well, except for the couple of drunk baby boomers in front of us that insisted on standing up and swaying to half the songs like they were back at Woodstock. But otherwise it was fantastic. He had his "band of legends" with him and there were some outstanding muscians on the stage. I have long been a fan of James Taylor and many of his songs bring me such good memories (I know that at least one reader of this blog probably can't hear "You've Got a Friend" without thinking of high schoolers dancing in an overheated Assembly Room) but I have long been afraid of seeing him live because I worried that my expectations of his greatness wouldn't be met with a live performance. Well, I was wrong, wrong, wrong. He sounds just as good (better even) live than on any recording. He had just recorded a cd of covers with his band so he mixed those in with his classics. I have to say there was nothing better than a perfect spring night (warm but with a nice cool breeze) under the stars, holding my husband's hand while James Taylor sang "Carolina on my Mind" and Harper danced in my belly. Thank you for a perfect night, Justin.

Red-Tailed Hawk of Death

2008-05-24T20:46:00.005-04:00

Anyone that knows me, knows that I love red-tailed hawks. I think they are beautiful and majestic and just bad ass. When I took a wildlife photography course at GSSM, I got to "hold" a red-tailed hawk at a falconry meet. Her name was Zoe and I am pretty sure she could have gouged out my eyes in about 3 seconds. Well, today the Wilson5 had our 2nd wildlife experience while geocaching and it involved a red-tailed hawk. We were headed down a trail headed towards the Forest Hills Shoals cache (GC1BYRY), when Justin suddenly yelled for Alden to stop! Immediately, I am looking for snakes since we were right beside a creek and the weather was warm but not too hot or perhaps that bear that was spotted in Boiling Springs had somehow high tailed it to the southside of Spartanburg. Then, I saw It. A red-tailed hawk was sitting a few feet off the trail giving us the evil eye. Seriously. It looked at us and we looked it, and it looked at us and did not blink. I am telling you- the freaking bird had the look like it could pick all of us up in its 75 foot long talons and carry us to a nest and feed us to the babies. No joke. Since the behavior seemed weird to me (I remember a little bit of bird behavior from Dr. Bill's ornithology class even though its been 11 years since I took it), I couldn't figure out what to do. Should we chance the utter devastation that would hit if that bird attacked? Turn tail and head back to the car? Was the bird a robotic decoy set out by a hunter to play with the minds of unsuspecting geocachers and have a good laugh? Justin decided to be brave and take a chance of walking past the bird on the trail- now keep in mind that Eleanor is riding on his back so I imagine the bird grabbing her by the shoulders and flying off (picture the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz). As Justin walked by the bird, the bird slowly turned its head and followed Justin's progress. So we retreated, took some pics as proof, and decided not to take the chance of becoming prey today. As we started to head back down the trail, Justin took a small branch and tossed it towards the bird (not at it, just in front of it) and the bird extended its wings but didn't move otherwise. At that point, our decision was made. We'll just head back another day and hope that we don't have to have a stand down with another wild animal again.

Shirt Tales

2008-05-16T08:31:00.002-04:00

God love him, Zachary is such a bright kid but getting him to get dressed and have all of his clothes match, it's a pretty hard task. He tends to match plaid or striped shirts with camo shorts. Just the other day, he emerged wearing a God awful John Deere camo shirt (which Justin allowed him to pick out and purchase) with a pair of camo shorts and let's just say that he definitely wouldn't be unseen by animals or snipers in that combo. But today might be the day he took the cake. As he is getting in the Ody to go to school, I noticed that his brown striped shirt was on INSIDE OUT!!!! So I told him to turn it right and out it back on before we left the driveway. On the short ride to school, I sighed with relief since we caught it before he got to school and others kids saw it. Big mistake. As he got out of the van and started walking into school, I realized that he had his shirt on BACKWARDS!!!! And it's a polo shirt to it is obvious that it's wrong since the buttons are at the back of his neck. How is it that he can plow through a Harry Potter book in a matter if days but can't put his shirt on right? Sigh.

Cheese Toast Surprise

2008-05-14T09:06:00.002-04:00

With Justin being in Canada for two weeks and the kids too young to appreciate what day it was or have the ability to hop in the Ody to shop for some gifts, this past Mothers Day was shaping up to be a bummer for me. Add to that being 28 weeks into a pregnancy that has left me unable to breathe properly and ungodly exhausted plus being the poster woman for being hormonally unbalanced and it was not going to be pretty. But I completely underestimated the ingenuity of my Zachary. He actually got up early (and quietly) on Sunday while the little kids and I slept in (until 8:00!!) and he decorated the kitchen with Happy Mothers Day signs and made me a princess hat. And he made the best gourmet breakfast that an 8 year old can pull off- cheese toast. My day was instantly brighter and it turned out to be pretty special.

Four Months

2008-04-15T11:05:00.003-04:00

Four months....that's how long it has been since I've updated this blog. Let's see- what has happened in the last four months? Let's break it down by order of event and by the numbers. We moved back to SC just 6 months after moving to FL. Alden turned 3 years old. Zachary turned 8 years old. We found out there is only 1 baby in my womb (thank god) and it is a girl. Justin and I (as a relationship) turned 11 years old. Justin turned 29 years old. And we found our 100th geocache (well that one is a little out of order but I am too lazy to go back and edit). And Alden officially halfway potty trained. Apparently the pottying in FL was a one day fluke because he didn't start actually going potty on a regular basis until just recently. So if I can get him full-on trained in the next 3 months, I will be so golden. If I could Eleanor using the potty too, I will be out of my mind with excitement. Only 1 kid in diapers? I can't even remember those glorious days.

Speaking if glorious days, mine are getting numbered with this pregnancy. I am 25 weeks today which means I have 15 weeks left give or take a week. And while I am greatful (grateful? pregnancy has rendered me unable to spell) to be having a healthy baby and no complications so far, I look forward to having the baby in it arms and out of me. After getting over the wicked morning/noon/night sickness that knocked off 15 lbs, it has been pretty smooth sailing except for the tiredness that accompanies being pregnant and taking care of 2 active toddlers all day long. It's going to be interesting to see how baby Harper is going to fit into the dynamic. She better come out fiesty because she is going to need it to keep up with Eleanor.

And speaking of keeping up with Eleanor, time for me to sign out but I promise that I won't let 4 more months pass by without a post.

A Christmas Miracle

2007-12-15T18:03:00.000-05:00

Today something miraculous happened in the Wilson household....Alden potty trained himself in one day. Yes, my friends, I said 1 day. Now there has a lot of talk of "pee pee in the potty" but no action at all on the part of Alden. I didn't push him- we would just talk about it and sit on the little potty occasionally but I hoped that one day he would take a liking to the potty and become its friend. A dream that every mother dreams, right? Apparently, my dream came true today. This morning, Alden declared his intention to pee pee in the potty by taking off his diaper but I thought it was just another false alarm. I told Zachary to grab the stool for Alden since he was headed to the big potty in the guest bathroom and a few minutes later, Zachary screams "he's peeing in the potty." And indeed he was. And he's done it all day with no accident- he even woke up from nap dry and peed in the potty. And he pooped in the potty too (well, he pooped in front of the potty having been unable to perch himself on the seat). Now, I know he's not technically potty trained yet but by george, I think we have all just witnessed a Christmas miracle. God bless us one and all.

Carolina in my Mind

2007-11-13T17:52:00.000-05:00

I didn't realize just how much of a Carolina Girl I am until I moved away from South Carolina. Friday night football, that crisp in the air that comes with autumn, the mountains and how you can pretty much see the mountains from most places in upstate SC, hiking in said mountains- it just all forms together to make SC a pretty damn awesome place. I grew up dying to get out of SC- I wanted to be lawyer and live in the City (as in New York City although any city would do when you're an adolescent). Well, my law application got lost in the mail apparently as I still haven't received my acceptance letter from Harvard yet, but I'm no closer to NYC than before I left SC. And I'm okay with that (at least until I win the lottery and can afford to visit NYC on a frequent basis). But let's about the weather- the glorious weather. Sure, it's as hot as Hell's kitchen during the summer but you get the beautiful perfect autumn that more than makes up for it. You gets trees with leaves that really change colors, you get to wear pants and long sleeve shirts, and on a good day, a scarf too. And when you're finished gallivanting outside in the glorious weather, you can go into a restaurant and order a sweet tea- not some crappy powdered sweet tea, but real, honest-to-goodness sweet tea.

So if you're driving on the following interstates this weekend: 75, 4, 95, 26, and 85- you might want to watch out for a blue van 'cause I'm going to Carolina.

Trick or Treat

2007-11-01T16:08:00.000-04:00

Well, I have decided that trying to get a picture of all 3 kids at the same time is definitely a trick, there is no treat involved in trying to wrangle all of them. Last night, I also found out that Halloween is much better in Florida and that we have cool neighbors. No less than 5 houses just on our street had adults dressed up giving out candy and we are talking premium candy- not cheap Halloween Mary Janes here- it is the good stuff. It was pretty freakin' awesome. Now I have 364 days to figure out my costume for next year.

Originally, I had planned on sewing the costumes for the kids but Zachary was embarrassed at having a homemade costume (he didn't say that, but I am pretty sure he was) so he chose the soldier costume. But I was still planning on making costumes for the babies (they were going to be convicts- in stripes complete with a ball and chain) when a trip to the Children's Place changed all of that. I found the cutest costumes for Eleanor there, I had to buy them. Yeah, I said costumes with an "S"- she had 2 costumes yesterday because every diva needs a costume change. For music class she was a fairy but for the afternoon and for ToTing, she was a witch. For what should be obvious reasons, I preferred the witch costume but the fairy costume had a tutu so it was perfect for music. So, I didn't think it was fair for the other 2 kids to have real costumes and for Alden to have a homemade one, so he got to be a knight. Which he totally played up- complete with stabbing the sword into the ground every so often. I guess we have watched King Arthur a little too much because there is a scene where he does this in the movie.

Eleanor has shown to be the bravest of the trio because last night, she didn't care how scary your house was decorated or the fact that you might be wearing a Jason mask deter her from getting the candy. If there was candy to be had, you could forget trying to scare her because she was going to take it and you could take your strobe light and fog machine back to the store because it was not about to scare her. Zachary and Alden just fell into step behind the strange magical powers of the littlest witch.

Monday Morning Conversation

2007-10-22T07:54:00.000-04:00

Alden: "Daddy, Daddy, look at my bad ass truck!"
Justin: "Alden we don't say that!"
Me: "We don't say what?"
Justin: "Bad ass truck"
Me: "Aldi, where did you learn that?"
Alden: "In my bad ass room"

Tag Team

2007-10-19T10:21:00.000-04:00

Whoever said that after you have your 2nd kid, the rest are easy to handle obviously never had 2 children 15 months apart. You know, Zachary is almost 8 so I consider myself a pretty experience mom but the team known as Alden and Eleanor are wearing me out lately. A couple of weeks ago, it was powdered sugar. What is so bad about powdered sugar you might ask? Nothing except when your 17 month old takes an entire box and shakes it all over your kitchen, through your hallway, and into your dining room. And then repeats the same little routine the next week. Let me tell you, that little white power is very sneaky. It looks all sweet and innocent as you sprinkle it on your french toast or funnel cake but try to sweep that crap up and it because a monster. And walk through it and it melts and sticks to your feet. I solved that problem with a child proof lock on the pantry door. But all of that was child's play compared to this week. So this is how my week played out thus far:

Monday- while loading the washer, Alden comes into the laundry room with Stinky Dog and tells me to look at him. Well, Stinky has a weird yellow ring around his mouth. Alden's response when I ask him what it is "I don't know" which always comes out sounding like "nah-no." So I walk into the kitchen, there behind the island, Eleanor is squatting done with paper towels trying to wipe EGGS up out of the floor. Yes, you read that right, EGGS!! Having found the pantry locked up tighter than Fort Know, they moved on to the fridge. Luckily, it was only 2 eggs to clean up but have you ever tried to clean up eggs? Imagine a kid blowing his nose all over your floor and multiply that times 100- and you get the consistency and stickiness of eggs on a tile floor.

Tuesday- Eleanor decides that she doesn't want to just play in the toilet, she wants to sit in the toilet. But what happens with a tiny toddler foot slips into the toilet...it gets stuck in the hole. So, I am trying to play trains with Alden when I hear Eleanor screaming from the bathroom and what do I find. Her sitting IN the toilet with her foot stuck in the hole.

Wednesday- Bless their hearts, they gave me a little break from the mayhem.

Thursday- In order to make up for giving me a break on the day before, Eleanor decided to go all out this morning. Alden and I were sitting and watching Cars and Eleanor was playing with her baby doll. So she picked up the doll and went behind the love seat which she does sometimes. She likes to play back there occasionally so I wasn't concerned until she came walking out from behind the love seat and is missing a diaper. I told her to go and get her diaper and when she turned around her bottom was covered in poop. So I scooped her up and threw her on the changing table, wiped her down, and put on a clean diaper. And I told her to go her diaper. So she brought it to me, I checked the area behind the love seat and didn't see any stray poop laying around and didn't see any on her hands. So I thought we were done with that. Nope, I was wrong. So I went back into Alden's room and changed his diaper and put him down while I changed the cover on the changing pad. Then, I heard him say "El-da-nor! Mommy, El-da-nor colored on wall!" So I run into the living room and there she is in all her glory- squatting down, smearing poop on the wall with both of her little hands. Yes, Eleanor colored on the wall- WITH POOP!

Now, I've been trying to figure out who is the ring leader in this little gang they have formed and, after this week, I am pretty sure it is Eleanor. Not that Alden is without guilt, but I think she leads him down the path of temptation. I guess she plays Delilah to his Samson except with the hair cutting and seduction.

47,000 Miles

2007-09-18T09:06:00.000-04:00

This is approximately how many miles we walked this weekend on our maiden voyage to the land of Mouse. One of the conditions of moving to Florida was that we got a house with a guest room, a house with a pool, and tickets to go to Disney World. We 2 out of 3 ain't bad. So this weekend, we finally sucked it up, threw down enough money to make my head spin (something not easy to do) and heading westward to the land of Mouse. And it was Fabulous. We surprise Zachary with the trip, telling him that we were going to go shopping at a big outlet mall in Orlando. This was enough to ruin his entire month since he hates shopping with a passion. The trip seemed to take forever because 1. I hate keeping surprises a secret and 2. I really really really wanted to go to Disney. When we finally got off the interstate, Zachary started asking questions about Orlando and it was really hard to keep up the charade, then once we saw the Pearly Gates, I mean the entrance to Disney, the game was up. And I yelled surprise and was rewarded with the biggest smile I have ever seen.

We walked awhile, rode some rides, scarred Zachary for life by letting him ride Space Mountain, sweated buckets, saw Princesses and Poohs....all in all had a fabulous time. Alden and Eleanor got their first pair of Ears, Justin and I developed an addiction to pineapple floats (yum), and Zachary raised his arms on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and declared that roller coasters aren't so bad after all. It was wonderful to finally take the kids to Disney- the place is just so fun for my cynical self, I can't imagine what it must be like for the kids. All I know is this- if you try to reach us during the next few weekends, you might want to leave a message 'cause we're going to hanging with the Mouse. We've got to get our money's worth of those passes.

Banned Books are Good.

2007-09-09T08:58:00.001-04:00

So I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't love to read. I'm sure there were a few early years when reading wasn't as important as say, learning to walk or pee in the potty but otherwise, my love affair with books has been a long and meaningful one. Just walking into a library or book store is like an addict walking into a crackhouse. I take a long deep breath- I love the smell of books, the looks of books lines up on shelves, I love the way a new book crackles when you open it up and the way an old book feels- like it's made just to fit into your hand. When I was a sophomore in high school, we were assigned a book to read called The Year the Lights Came on by Terry Kay. It was a pretty good book about the things that divide a small town (the haves from the have-nots, if you will) and the change that is brought about when the Rural Electrification Administration bring electricity to the have-nots. Well, there's more to the story but that is moot in my anecdote. Anyway, there was a mom of a girl in my class who has issue with the book because it contained profanity. If I remember correctly, a character used the word damn. Gasp, the shock. So my English teacher (who was one of my favorites) was under fire and the book was going to be banned from being taught in my school. So, I stood up for my teacher, wrote a long essay on the merits of the book, and took it before the school board on why I thought it shouldn't be banned. And it wasn't banned. To this day, that is one of my proudest moments because aside being a book lover, I am also a flaming liberal and feel that there's a reason why we have the First Amendment. While there are a number of things out there I don't choose to read for whatever reason, at least I have that choice. And in that vein of thought, let's all gear up to celebrate Banned Book Week. Pick out your favorite banned books (many of which I have read and loved), pick it up and read it. Read it in public, tell people you are reading. I personally recommend To Kill a Mockingbird (it is in my Top 5 of favorite books Ever) but there are tons of great ones out there.

Just like my Dad

2007-08-24T21:29:00.000-04:00

Today I had the chance to do something that I have wanted to do for a long time- volunteer at my kid's school. Many of my clearest memories of school are set in the background of my Daddy's constant presence. For as long as I can remember, my Daddy was a parent volunteer at my school- not just any volunteer, but The Volunteer. You know, the one that knew all the parents, all the teachers, all the janitors. He would get off of work after a long 3rd shift, take me to school (Shannon too) and then volunteer. He would copy papers, run security back when the biggest threat to school safety was that there "might" be some vandalism in the boys bathroom, run the PTO- anything that he needed to do, he did it. It never occurred to me to be embarrassed because my dad was always at school. I just remember being proud to walk down the hall of Daniel Morgan Elementary School and peek into the copy room and see my dad there. And when I left elementary school and he left 3rd shift for the 1st shift, we adapted to our new surroundings. He would show up at my junior high and direct traffic. He would come to my marching band practice and volunteer to run the concession stand. That was just the parent he was- the one who was there to help. And since Zachary has started school, I have desperately wanted to be that parent myself. But being pregnant and/or caring for an infant made the logistics a little hard- until this year. At our new school, the PTO provides a Preschool Co-op for parents with children too young to be enrolled. And today was my first day. Sure, today I just manned the co-op but soon, hopefully soon, I'll get to stand in the copy room and make copies. Just like my Daddy.

The Rise of a New Shoe Queen

2007-08-17T09:41:00.000-04:00

Since Eleanor has become obsessed with walking everywhere and at anytime, I felt like she needed a little more sole between her feet and the ground. So, off we set out in search for shoes- sounds easy, right? WRONG! Why is it that every pair of shoe for a little girl has to be PINK? Why is that? Don't get me wrong, I love dressing her up in little pink outfits as much as the next mama, but let's be honest, pink shoes with a pink outfit- not only is it pink overload but the pinks don't match. So after going to a million different stores and ending back up at the first one we went to- Eleanor finally had 2 pairs of shoes. A pair of red canvas Last weekend, I decided that it was time for Eleanor to have a real pair of shoes. No leather soft soled shoes like her Robeez, but real honest-to-goodness shoes. Now that she is so adamantKeds and a pair of leather saddle oxford Stride Rites. And she wouldn't wear them to save her life- she screamed and kicked and wanted nothing to do with them. Until a few days ago and now, my friends, it appears that I have a shoe addict on my hands. Leave a pair of shoes laying around and she is putting them on her feet. And trying to walk in them. Loves them- she just spent 20 minutes putting on Zachary's red Crocs and trying to take a step in them- until she got mad at them and threw them across the room. I guess that will teach that pair of shoes to cross the Shoe Queen. I hope they learn they're lesson.

Music for the Road

2007-08-01T15:34:00.000-04:00

So after making my first solo trip home from SC to FL (well, not entirely solo- Zachary played the role of Navigator and Alden and Eleanor play the roles of Instigators), I came to some conclusions about the music in my CD changer. There are just some great CDs that are not great for travel- especially when you are driving 9 hours and need something that keeps you humming. Case in point, 10,000 Maniacs from MTV Unplugged. Yes, this CD is decade old at this point but after a lengthy separation from it, I was excited to listen to it again on my way to FL. Natalie Merchant has such an awesome and unique voice but man oh man, it was a hard CD to listen to at about 12:30 at night (or would that be in the morning?) Anyhow, so I skipped up to Pink's I'm Not Dead. Now that is a CD that can keep you awake. I love Pink's kiss-my-ass attitude and her potty mouth (being blessed with a potty mouth of my own). Is it just me or does anyone else want to drive to Washington to kick W's ass whenever you listen to "Dear Mr. President"? It really gets me in the mood to elect a Dem in 2008 (oh wait a minute, I am always in that mood). And it just doesn't get better than harmonizing by the Indigo Girls. Which leads me to the next 2 CDs in my changer- the Indigo Girls 1200 Curfews. Oh my God- these CDs just never get old for me. I've had these since I was in 11th grade and was fortunate enough to be exposed to the awesomeness that is Amy and Emily and I am surprised the CDs still play. I am generally not a fan of live music on a CD (except for the previously mentioned 10,000 Maniacs Unplugged as well as Nirvana Unplugged) but this CD is great enough to stand on it's own as just a plain old great CD. Up next, Liz Phair's Liz Phair. This CD always make me giggle because when Zachary was 3 years old- in the back of the car one day, he belted out "who the hell are you?" which is a line from Liz's awesome song "Extraordinary." To this day, one of my favorite songs and probably one of my favorite CDs as well. So that leaves my last CD in the changer- Fergie 's The Duchess. Yes, I said Fergie. I would have to thank Kelsie for my recent appreciation of Fergie. As I am typing this, I still have "London Bridge" floating around in my head. Where it will probably hang out for the next few days until I can find something new to replace it. Well, at least it kept me awake and out of the median.

Just another day at the beach

2007-07-17T10:22:00.001-04:00

One of the best things about our move to Florida is our close proximity to the beach. We can drive a few miles and be at the beach- a real beach. One with water that is clear enough to see the bottom of the ocean and water warm enough to not give you cold chills as soon as you step into it. And the kids love it. Actually, love it might just be an understatement. Alden wakes up everyday demanding "beach! beach!" and Eleanor starts to squeal as soon as we put her bathing suit on. And Zachary- that's a whole 'nother ball game- he has now decided that he is going to be professional surfer, open a surf shop, and love at the beach the rest of his life. As someone who liked the beach growing up, I had kind of had a falling out with it in the past few years. I mean, you likes grainy sand and cold ocean water- plus wearing a bathing suit. But watching Eleanor crawling towards to ocean like a baby turtle has renewed my love of the beach. What can be more fun that walking along the beach after a big storm with your pants rolled up because you decided to make a spur-of-the-moment trip to the beach to try to find shells. Zachary picking up the flat shells and trying to skip them across the water, Alden trying to go as deep into the surf as possible without getting in trouble, Eleanor tied on my back and kicking my ribs with excitement every time a wave comes crashing in, the sight of Justin with his pants rolled up to his knees trying to find a sand dollar. Some days, I think, life just doesn't get any better than this. Well, if they served margaritas on the beach, it might...

Nelnor, Zackwee, and Alldeen

2007-07-12T10:22:00.000-04:00

Me: "Alden, who do you love?"
Alden: "Uh, I wuv Nelnor."
Me: "You love Eleanor? Who else do you love?"
Alden: "Uh, I wuv Zackwee."
Me: "You love Zachary? Who else do you love?"
Alden: "Uh, I wuv Aldeen."

At least he has high self-esteem.

Let the blogging begin

2007-07-10T09:39:00.000-04:00

So I've wanted to start a blog for months now but couldn't think of a good title. Lame reason, I know, but if I am going to do a blog, by God, I am going to do it right. That includes a snappy title. Unfortunately, a snappy title never came to me in my sleep (and I am too darn forgetful to try to think of one during the day) so here it is- the Wilson 5 Chronicles. Nothing too cool, just what it is. A chance for me to write about us and what goes on in this little piece of chaos we call home. So for anyone reading who doesn't know why there is a 5 after that snappy name up in the title- here is a rundown of us. Justin (husband and dad) works in management for a company that makes robots and likes to talk about cars- All.The.Time., Amy (me!) stays at home and eats cookies while watching soap operas and occasionally yelling at her kids to put the pirate swords down before someone loses an eye, Zachary is 7 and likes baseball, Batman and dreaming of hitting the pro-surfing tour, Alden is 2 and likes Cars (the movie but also cars-the toys you pour out of the basket as soon as they are picked up) and trains (or choo-choo cranes as he calls them) and Eleanor is 1 and likes to pretend she can't walk unless you leave the room, then she walks all over the place because she is not about to let her walking schedule be dictated by the Man.

So there you have it- a brief intro to us. I don't really have an expectations for this blog- I just thought it would be fun to get some of my random thoughts out of my head before I lose them and never find them.