{Ahh..the little things}

who me??

A mother is a person who, seeing there are
only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly
announces she never did care for pie.
(Tenneva Jordan)

I think I could get in trouble with this one....

our fun weekend...

Friday night my "Holly-girl" and her kids came over & we ordered pizza.  She also brought what was left of her Margarita mix & we each had two (small) ones.  Just enough  :)  When Harry came home from work he had a PUPPY.  A black lab, cute as can be.  Long story, but we decided after one night & three piles of dog-doo in the house, we are just not ready for a pet.  The kids were fine with it too, because we explained that the doo would become part of THEIR responsibilities of doggie ownership.  They were ready to send him off immediately :)  It was fun for the night, but he was happy to be back with his puppy siblings in the morning. 

Saturday, we took the kids to the Cincy zoo.  We were going there to meet a Mommy (and her family) that I mat online at babycenter that also has a November baby girl. She is from Illinois, and was coming here to visit family.  We hit it off right away, and plan to get together again while they are here. 

We took alot of picture of the babies together, and I am working on uploading them...but here are a few of my family  from the day (need to make sure he does not care if I post her pics).

The first one I love because it is one of those that I look at and think "WOW!  Those are all MY kids!!"  It may seem silly, but when you see them all together like this, it seems so crazy.  I have four kids, WE have four kids. This is our family, all of them & I love seeing them all together in one place.  I am sure that I will feel that tug on my heart always when they are all together in one place like this...

And this one because these look like two of the happiest kids on the planet. 

I love that. 

The smiles, they are wonderful, both of them.

They make me smile.

They make me feel like the luckiest Momma alive.

They make me feel happy, yet sad at the same time. 

They are my first baby & my last.  They show me that time goes by, and how quickly.  They make me want to stop time, and keep them little forever.  They make me who I am, and I am blessed.

Okay, sorry about that.  Can you tell I looooove that picture?  And for LOTS of reasons??  :)

On the way home I suggested begged that we stop at Chipotle, which is my new favorite place to eat.  Unfortunately the nearest one is in Dayton, so I do not get to eat there very often.  So, I was able to convince the family that we just HAD to stop.  It was DELICIOUS as always!

Today, it was the Dayton Air Show.  I'd never been before, and it was really amazing.  There was so much to do & see.  We had a great time looking through some of the planes, and watching the sky as they did tricks for the HUGE crowd.  They all liked going inside the Pink Delta best.  It had little TV's on the back of each seat & they turned on cartoons right away  :) 

We pretended to be going on a trip.  I asked Zander where we were going to go.  "Piq ua.  We are going to Piqu a on our trip"  Sounds pretty exciting, LOL :)

For those of you not from this area, you may not have heard about the accident (during a stunt in the show) yesterday where one of the performers, Jim Leroy, was killed.  We heard about it, but decided to go ahead and go today.  I am glad that we did.  It really was a wonderful time, in spite of the HEAT and sun (and the sad news of the day before). 

Most of the pictures I have are not too great because it was just too sunny.  But I'll stick one in of the pink plane and the kids checking it out.  For some reason I also took alot of pictures of the kids doing all of the "other" things (bouncy jumpers, bungee trampolines, rock walls, etc) and not much actual Air Show related stuff.  I also would not pay for the $5 program, yet shelled out $8 a piece for the bungee thingee.  Yeah, we are smart parents.  They can look back & remember what the Air Show was really all about.

It was a GREAT weekend, packed full of fun things & good times. Boy are my legs are paying for it tonight.  All the walking over the last two days has my calves really burning.  I hope I am able to walk tomorrow...seriously. 

rain, rain...

I've had enough already! 

I am ready to go to the pool, to send my kids outside to play, to get some SUN.  We've only been to the pool one day a week for the last two.  Both Monday's have been nice, and then the rest of both weeks have been rainy/cloudy.  Bummer!  We've been able to spend a few evenings at the park, and do a few fun things like McDonald's playplace & this place on rainy days.  But I miss the pool, and my good tan.

I am not liking the warm wet/sticky/cloudy weather.  Give me cool weather if I have to have rain, okay?  And lets not spread the rain out over the. entire. day.  As soon as it looks clear...it rains again. 

We have a zoo day planned for tomorrow where we get to meet an online friend & her family.  Guess what the forcast says....yep, rain!  We do have Sunday to look forward too though, and I think we will head to the Lake and enjoy the nice day there.  And looking at the week ahead....NO RAIN  :)

We will live at the pool.  And I will be happy.

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BlogHer is this weekend & there are some bloggers that I read arriving already (and some that aren't).  I keep reading about them, and I am feeling jealous.  I am only 4 hours away, yet for some reason I am not there.  Maybe I should pack my bags (and my baby) and head to Chicago... 

need a good cry??

I came across this video here & I had to share it....

There is so much I could say, but not sure that I can do my feelings (or this video) justice.  I have not been through the pain of infertility, but I see other things in the video.  I see that some women are torn apart everyday because of the children they cannot have.  That makes me feel guilty for the times when I am less than loving to my children.  They are my world and this video reminded me that I want them to know it every single moment of every single day.

my first time

posting with Wordless Wednesday...

and I wanted to mention that I added a picture to this post, courtesy of my Dad (thanks Dad)!

a BIG thanks

to all of you that left comments on my feeling discouraged post. 

I appreciate all of the ideas/encouragement/hugs and I'd like to thank you all VERY much for taking the time to help me out!  She has been a little better, and I am trying things to help keep her focused on eating.  I made a nursing necklace a while back, and she could not have cared less...BUT I am going to try it again.  She does seem to just be interested in everything around her & with three other wild ones running around, I can see why :)  She has not bitten me (while nursing) again, which is WONDERFUL.  She does bite while playing though, so we are working on that one.  I remember Zander went through it when he was teething & you'd cuddle him.  It was usually my shoulder, and it did not last long....I hope she does not either.

Thank you guys again though, it means alot that I can reach out & find support when needed  :)

it's a family tradition

*sang in my best Hank Williams Jr voice :)

When I was a little girl, I remember my Dad taking me through the old Eldean Road covered bridge.  I remember that we liked to yell out the windows & hear the echo.  I remember thinking that old bridge was really something special.

In 2005 they restored the bride, and it made me think back to the days when I would enjoy going through it as a child.  Because it is on the outskirts of town, it was never "on the way" anywhere we'd go. 

But now, it is.

Now that we go to the pool in the town next to ours, the bridge is on our way.  Everyday.  We have made it our daily rountine to go through the bridge.  The kids ask me everyday if we are going through it, and everyday day we do. 

However, we do not yell out the windows...we honk the horn instead  :) 

Everyday, everytime. 

I am sure that the house nearby HATES me and my honking mini-van.  But I am creating traditions and fun memories with my kids now, and I love that.  I am tearing up at the thought of my kids driving thier own kids through the good ol' Eldean covered bridge. 

Or even better, ME taking them through it...and HONKING  :)

having fun tonight

with some more digi scrapping. 

Check out this goofy face.  We seriously crack up when she does this & she also makes a little sniff/snort noise too....hilarious I tell you!

I dare you

to take the latest digi dare!!

It has been quite a while since I have scrapped much & I am falling in love all over again :)  I will admit that I have needed challenges and now this dare to get me going again, but I am starting to "feel" it again....YAY :)

Here is my take on the "they think _______" challenge

credits & journaling here

feeling discouraged

I've been doing so well. 

Keeping a positive attitude.  Looking ahead, staying strong.

Now...not so much.

I am getting discouraged with breastfeeding.  Part of me wants to stop.  Part of me thinks I am crazy to even consider that.  I've had a rough few weeks (maybe even a month?) and I can honestly say that right now I am dreading feeding her more often than I am enjoying it. 

Aside from all of the mastitis stuff, there are still things that are making me want to wean.  She is an active toddler-like baby.  She twists her body constantly unless she is tired.  She pulls off (sometimes numerous times during a feed) to look around...can you say OUCH??  She bites.  Often, and HARD.  I've tried to stop the feeding, tell her not to bite, etc.  Nothing seems to be working.  I am frustrated with it, and with her.  Yes, I am frustrated with a baby, MY baby.  That is ridiculous, I know it is, but I am.  I feel like that in itself should be a sign for me that enough is enough.

What would you do? What have you done (knowing that many of you have nursed/weaned)?  Is this just another stage we are going through?  Will she grow out of this crazy stuff, or is this just how the "big kids" do it?