Summer Vacation?

Meet sweet Emily. This adjective applies to when she is asleep. Then I forget about all the bawl-bagging I have endured throughout the day and just stare at her little hand up by her face.
Emily loves loves loves Katie and Noah! Here they are playing before breakfast.
And this is the beginning of the end. The dreaded naptime. The little hand emerging. I didn't take a picture of the full-blown standing up fit because I couldn't be there for it. It's not cute to me!

And, I thought the reason we all became teachers was for the summer vacation. I guessed I missed the part that when you become a mother there is no summer vacation. I've only been out of school for 5 days and already the kids are bored, arguing... and i am happy to admit that i will be all too ready for them to head to florida with their mom on saturday for a whole week! Now, i suppose you are thinking that then, vacation will start. However, you have not met emily. This girl keeps me hopping ALL THE TIME. Right now, she is standing up in her bed, bawl-bagging, not wanting to take a nap. Someone help me! Honestly, by the time she goes to sleep, I am so stressed out that I just want to plop down on the couch, even though I have so much to do. This is only for naptimes, though. She goes to bed just fine. I don't understand!!!

Now, we have started solid food. I am going to throw a no-more-having-to-make-baby-food party very soon. And the menu will be all the frozen cubes I have in my freezer. And the game will be to guess the cube!

These pics are all out of order. Sorry, Cyndi! I however am too stressed out to move them around or use some editing skills. I am going to plop down on the couch!

Katie & Noah - Spring Programs!

Katie & Noah both had their spring programs this week. Katie got "Most Improved" student in her class! We are very proud of her and Noah. Here are a few pics...

Ahoy, there matey!

Couldn't resist sharing this absolutely ridiculous pic of my hub. Okay, ladies - do you have the same experience as I? When they are hurt, they are like another child! It drives me nuts. I went out in the garage, and noticed gary was sharpening his lawn mower blades with no safety goggles on. Being on mom safety patrol, I must say that I warned him. Sure enough and $65 later, he had to go to an opthamologist to have a fragment removed. Hate to say I told you so! (Not really...) I kind of get joy out of saying i told you so.

And what post would be complete without my little Em? She has started eating little cereal puffs. These are organic flax puffs that I hand-molded and of course i am kidding. she's all about the gerber graduates! She just has a little trouble getting them in her mouth...

Em is almost 9 months old...

Em is almost 9 months old... Where has the time gone? This is the famous crawling position. It scares me because I'm so afraid she's going to bust her face, but what can you do? She's getting around great to all kinds of cords, cabinets, dog food, etc. She pays no mind to the countless toys lying around. And, oh yes, I've tried the play center, playpen time, etc. She doesn't enjoy it. She's has two teeth on the bottom now, and makes all kinds of cute noises and squeals. She is still very much a mama's girl, and I enjoy it until the constant crying when I leave the room starts getting on my nerves!!! She always sleeps on her side with her little hand by her face. She plays with her ears when she is getting sleepy. She loves to be on the floor and has starting pulling up on her basket of toys, the couch, the bed, the table - anything, really. We've got to move her crib mattress down this weekend! She got a big girl carseat this week, too, and she throws a fit everytime we put her in it. In fact, she throws a fit about a lot of things: taking her out of the bathtub, changing her diaper, when supper is over, taking a washcloth away from her, handing her to someone besides myself... Back to the cute stuff, she claps her little hands together when you say "Yay!" and waves bye-bye (although she typically suffers from about a 10 minutes delayed reaction on this one). She is such a doll and I love her so much. Mother's day was wonderful - I got to sleep in, breakfast made for me, a spa pedicure gift card, some cute plaid flip-flops, and a beautiful pink beaded bracelet with the kids initials and #1 Mom engraved on it. Isn't that sweet?

Emma Claire & the Trike-A-Thon

Here are some pictures of my little neice, Emma (Peyton's little girl). She rode in the St. Jude Trike-A-Thon for our family friend, Garrett, who was diagnosed with leukemia about a year ago. He is doing great, BTW!

Also, FYI, Katie made cheerleading! There were 3 spots but 4 girls, and they let them all do it, which I think is wonderful. Drama has died down, so we will wait for the next big battle. Sorry if I sound bitter when I talk about these things. You know, we went to months and months of premarital counseling along with reading like ten or twelve books plus counseling after we got married - you just can never really prepare yourself for a stepfamily situation. Sometimes it is just really hard and I just have to deal... I just don't always deal well with the stress.

To cheer or not to cheer...

Okay, so this really isn't Katie, but it's just to give you an idea of what I might be dealing with this next year. Katie is and always has been a tomboy. Katie is and always has been a follower. So, when we went to Open House at the middle school on Monday night, I wasn't worried when the cheerleaders paraded up front and the coach said there were more fifth grade spots available. Katie looked and me, wrinkled her nose, and said "yuck"!. Good girl! But, I mean, let's face it. In my day everybody wanted to be a cheerleader. I did. I wasn't ALLOWED to because the mom said the skirts were too shirt. But I still wanted to. But it has been so nice because Katie isn't into all the "girlie" stuff. She's very laid-back and doesn't get into all the "girlie drama." So, imagine my surprise when Gary called and said that Katie and her mom had been calling the fire station all DAY the next day telling him Katie wanted to be a cheerleader. Thanks, Christy! Good one. Let me list the lies we were told:

#1 - It doesn't cost much.

Truth - It costs about $2750, not including if they go to nationals.

#2 - Katie has cheered before.

Truth - This is what Christy called and told the coach. Katie was a mascot for a Bartlett recreation squad when she was two years old!!! I don't think that counts as cheering before.

#3 - The coach said Katie didn't have to try out for the team because she is pretty and gets along with people.

Truth - You do have to try out. Where did this lie come from???

The truth is two of Katie's best friends made the squad during tryouts and now Katie the follower wants to quit soccer and do what they do. It's not that big of a deal for me, but Gary was upset and didn't want her to quit. I'm upset because Katie thinks she's on the team and I know that she isn't. She can't even do a cartwheel!!!

I don't think I'm going to be able to look at her face tonight if she doesn't make it! I don't know if I've blogged about this, but Katie also has a learning disability and cannot read beyond a 3rd grade reading level. So, naturally Gary and I are concerned about how the busy-ness of this will affect her ability to keep up with her schoolwork. But, we also know how cruel middle school can be and this would give her something she could be good at and be successful at.

Just FYI - the other day I asked Christy for half the cost of a reading program specifically designed for children with learning disabilities that I could use with Katie this summer. (Of course if we were paid the more than $10,000 we are owed in back child support I could take it out of that)! And, she is supposed to pay half of expenses. But, I was told she didn't have the money for things like that.

So, the question is - where did she come up with the money for cheerleading? First things first, right?

But - if Katie did become a cheerleader, at least it would give me an excuse to buy Emily this...

My little Em...

My little Emily is 7 months old! (almost 8)

Isn't she a little doll?


7 month milestones:

*She loves to sit up. She doesn't want to be on her tummy, on her back, in a chair or on the floor.

*She got her first tooth!

* She scoots on her bottom and reaches and pulls and pushes herself back up into a sitting position.

* She says "ma-ma" now!

*She only wants mama, too. It is very tiring but i do love that i am her mother. i waited for this for so long!

*She just got a jumperoo from her cousin Emma and hopefully we are onto something that she will actually enjoy doing for more than 20 minutes!

Katie and Noah love her so much! I thought they were going to be so jealous and resentful but they are so very loving and good with her and always anxious to help. I am so thankful for that and really believe that Em has brought us closer together in becoming a "real" family.