August goes out with a bang!

Today was an uneventful yet nice day around Piper Paradise. I got to sleep in a bit (although waking up and walking out to the living room and being immediately accosted by 2 kids who wanted breakfast and hot chocolate NOW didn't start the day out all the best). I made yummy pancakes and hot cocoa and finished the dishes while the fam ate. Daddy Piper headed out to do truck stuff while the kids and I went to get groceries. L has become quite the helper lately. Very nice to have the extra help. I do have to learn to be more patient though and let her have the time necessary to help, to not be in such a rush most of the time. I have been having more and more contractions lately and am burying my head in the sand about the baby coming early. I am not at all prepared. Anyway, we got groceries and grabbed a paper and some lunch. We came home and enjoyed a nice lunch together and Daddy Piper spent some time playing GeoTrax with the kiddos. I had bought some more track while out yesterday and that has really made it more fun since there is more room for 3 trains to run around. After the train fun came nap time. Thank goodness both kids still settle down and take naps - that is going to be real important here soon :- )

We went out swimming after nap time. Both kids are doing great in the water still. Daddy Piper pulled out this caterpillar thing we have and tried to load both kids on it and they lost their balance and fell within seconds of sitting on it. L enjoyed falling into the water - S, not so much! Here are some pics:I came in and cooked dinner while Daddy Piper had some alone time with the kiddos. We followed up dinner with ice cream sandwiches - a first for my babies. How very deprived they are :-)

I have spent the week getting things ready since the hospital visit about 10 days ago. I think I am more prepared - extra supplies, extra meals froze and my bag packed just to name a few. I am so excited to greet this new baby. I am, however, getting so nervous about the c-section again. Another thing I am struggling with is having my tubes tied. The dr is recommending it due to medical concerns of having more but I am just not sure. I have loved being pregnant each and every time, even with all the problems. This has been my easiest pregnancy so far. I have had very little symptoms and have just enjoyed the entire time. I am not rushing for this pregnancy to be over. I will certainly miss being pregnant!

Homeschool Group

I attended a planning meeting for a local homeschool co-op today. This got me totally jazzed for homeschooling. There were tons of experienced homeschool families along with some newbies like me. There were even 3 other moms that are just starting out with their 4 year olds! I can't wait to get to know these other moms better and have L and S get to know their kids!!

Great quote

I saw this over here.

"Everything will work out and be okay in the end; and if it's not okay, it's not the end."
Eva Conde

1st Time to the Dentist!!

Daddy Piper has been hounding me to take the kids to the dentist. I have never had a pleasant dental experience and really didn't want to take the kids. I mean I REALLY didn't want to take them. We got an advertisement flier in the mail the other day and it was for a kids dentist, so I made the appointment to take them. It didn't turn out to be a half bad experience. The office was decorated to the hilt in a race car theme so the kids liked that right away. L did wonderfully and had a great time. She even let them do the x-rays without a problem. Now S - 180 degrees from his sister. He was crying and didn't want them to do anything. He did get a cleaning and a general checkup. His crying lasted about 5 minutes and then he was fine - could be the prize that helped him feel better. Both kids got an A OK from the dentist. Mom got a reminder to brush them twice a day. Not such a bad first experience!!

Nice Day

Today was a very nice day and the evening was even better!! We had an awesome dinner that everyone ate, the kids enjoyed a bath in our bathtub - the big one and then it was time to get ready for bed. At this point, I usually "sneak" away to play on the computer (browse blogs, email, IM w/friends, etc.) but tonight I participated with Daddy Piper and the kiddos during their Guitar Hero time. It was so much fun!!

I had a lucrative job opportunity come about this afternoon. It is right here in town (I used to have to travel for work). I talked a bit with Daddy Piper and after some careful thinking, it just isn't the best time. Maybe in a year or two but I just don't want to leave my babies right now, especially Baby #3. I am excited to experience that first year full of development, wonder and growth with this baby - just as I have the other 2. I IM'd with a good friend tonight and her advice was similar to what my heart had been saying all along. The money would be great but the timing is wrong. I expressed interest in future projects, just not this one at this time. It was nice to be wanted though. This particular gentleman went through some hoops to track me down :- )

p.s. Both kids went to the dentist today for the first time. I have some stuff to write about that but now it's bedtime so more tomorrow!!

Backyard View & Other Stuff

This is what I saw from my kitchen window while cooking dinner tonight...I also went to the new hospital and took a tour of the OB department. Since they didn't allow little ones on the tour, Daddy Piper stayed home with them while I went alone. I hate going alone to this stuff but we didn't have much choice since the tour wasn't until 7 at night. It was nice to see the area where we'll be delivering #3. It is a very nice hospital. I really liked our old one but the dr isn't delivering there anymore so we had to switch to the new one. I know it's more important that I like my dr but boy I loved that hospital where my first 2 were born.

When I got home, Daddy Piper was outside with both kids looking for the dogs. They both escaped, which was a first. Kazoo never leaves the yard but for some reason decided to follow Jay-Jay.

The nice part of the evening was I had brought DQ home for us and we sat on the couch and ate some yummy ice cream while chatting about the events of the evening. It was a nice way to end the night!!

Nice Day

Our morning started early with returning the rented tractor Daddy Piper used all weekend (and when I say all weekend, I mean ALL weekend!!) then we had to go get the dogs some food since they were completely out. We got the stuff the neighbors use (think this will keep Jay-Jay home??). Then the we had some friends over to play, the K family. It was fun. A bit chaotic but fun. The kids have fun together. Can't wait to throw #5 into the mix :- ) I bought some Cars Cars pasta over the weekend and made homemade mac-n-cheese with it for lunch. I have never made homemade mac-n-cheese before and it was surprisingly good! Now I need to figure out what to made for dinner. While I type this both kids are devouring their food while watching their allotted TV time. They didn't watch it this morning due to the busyness but made sure they fit into their lunch time :-)

L made the funniest yet saddest comment this morning. She was playing with their train set and they were dropping someone at the airport and I said "Oh that sounds like fun" and she replied with "It's not fun Mom, when you have to drop your daddy off at the airport - it's sad". Okay - guess Daddy Piper being gone a few weeks ago was really traumatic for her.

Car seat and hormones

With all the baby excitement over the past week, I thought I had better get the newborn car seat out of the garage and cleaned up. Daddy Piper brought it in for me tonight and I totally melted down when I saw it. I haven't really taken this whole baby #3 seriously yet or rather it hasn't seemed like reality yet until I saw that car seat. I was crying and a million thoughts were running through my head - all pretty positive ones. I am getting down right excited about this baby!!!

Friday Faves - My Top Ten

I read this blog and she had a neat idea so here are my Friday Faves - My Top Ten. Head over and read her's!!

1. Fave Shoes- My flipflops (easy to put on @ 31 weeks pregnant)
2. Fave Room in my House- My laundry room, since I have my new washer
3. Fave Soda- Starbucks Caramel Machiatto
4. Fave Treat- Brownies
5. Fave Pastime- Blogging, reading, playing with my kids
6. Fave Household Chore- NONE
7. Fave Car- Chrysler Town & Country (gotta love my new van!!)
8. Fave TV Show- Desperate Housewives, Jon & Kate plus 8, Any wedding show, any baby show, Weeds, Californication
9. Fave Store- Target
10. Fave Time of Day- Naptime

Oh yea and about Tuesday

I forgot to come back and write about the excitement on Tuesday. I had to visit the hospital to check on baby. I woke up with more bleeding and called the dr. While L was in dance class, they called back and instructed me to head right to L&D immediately. Well I let L finish her class and called a friend to watch the kids (thanks Erica!) and dropped them off. Now first off this was upsetting in itself. I never leave my kids. They did great though and it was nice to know they were in good hands. Daddy Piper was working quite a ways away and anyway, any time off for him is loss in wages so we handled it pretty well without him. So I headed to the hospital for a 4 hour stay. I had blood work, an exam and an u/s. Things looked fine and they couldn't find the source where the bleeding was coming from. I guess I am having more contractions than I was aware of, so they watched those too. Baby looked great on the u/s. 3 pounds 3 ounces - right on schedule according to my weekly pregnancy newsletter thing. Still don't know what it is but man is he/she cute : -) I got to see it sucking on its toes. It is pretty well folded in half in my belly right now. They let me go about 4:30 with instructions to take it easy and they would probably see me back sooner than mid Oct. I picked up my babies and while they were super happy to see me, they were just fine without me for the afternoon.

Thank God for good friends, health insurance and a hubby who has really stepped up to help since Tuesday!!!

Tired...

I am 31 weeks pregnant as of tomorrow and sooooo tired. UGH - this week has been so long and now Daddy Piper has a full day of yard work ahead of him tomorrow, so much for sleeping in. I just don't remember being this tired at the end of my other 2 pregnancies. I realize I am now chasing 2 little ones instead of just 1 or none but still this bone aching tiredness is crazy!!

We had a nice day. We over and spent the morning with the K family. We have known them for about 2 years now. We became friends when the younger 2 were just weeks old. It has been so much fun to watch them grow together. The older 2 girls are about the same age so it's built in playmates for everyone!!

Now it's off to finish the laundry (I LOVE my new machine!!) and then settle down for the night. I have been trying to get things caught up and stay that way since this little one just might be making his/her appearance early.

Another cute story

S was so tired after 3 hours at the waterpark this morning, he literally fell asleep while "reading" his Little People book at naptime.
p.s. I LOVE that my kids are such avid "readers" even at this age. One of their most favorite activities is to read or be read to!!

Back to the Waterpark

We went back to the waterpark today with a group of friends this time. It was as much as always - maybe even a bit more because of all the friends we had to hang out with today : -) S is now going under full-on!! He will try to swim to you even. He got a couple mouthfuls of water but then he figured it out. Of course he had to be wearing goggles, just like his big sis.

Here are some pictures:

Hospital

I have a rather legnthy post about going to the hospital today but can't get my arms around it right now. Baby is okay - just upsetting. More later

Waterpark Fun

We went to the local waterpark with some friends today - the G family. We had such a nice time. All 4 kids played so well together. We were the only people there for the 1st 30 minutes or so and that made it even more fun! I love going to waterpark because I get some hands on playtime with the kids. We ended up staying the whole 3 hours. About an hour before we left, L and S got hungry for a snack. They got out and proceeded to polish off everything I had brought with - peanut butter and jelly sandwich, fruit snacks, fruit leather, grapes and pretzels. L made sure to tell me that this was just a snack and not lunch :- ) They ate a pretty good lunch when we got home. Both kids are napping now. I am going to join them shortly. Here are some pics from today:


















p.s. I feel great still - not dizziness or faintness like yesterday - WOOHOO!

Rough Day

I woke up today was severe dizziness. I had a similar incident (which I rushed to the hospital with) back with L but nothing like this with S. This was WAY worse than with her. I hopped out of bed (yep I can still hop @ 30 weeks) and rushed to use the bathroom this morning around 7 and I almost fell because I was so dizzy. Daddy Piper rode into the rescue and took great care of the kids most of the day, leaving me with only resting on the couch as my sole responsibility. This lasted all day. I read up and it seems to be a symptom of my severe anemia. I ate small meals all day and was better about 5:00 tonight. At least I am better, that's the main thing. I guess I better call the dr tomorrow and let him know. I just don't look forward to going to the dr or to the hospital to have things checked out....

Fun Time

Today was an early to rise day for us. Daddy Piper had to have work done on the trailer so he was up at 6:00 (early for us on a weekend). Both kids must have heard him because they were up shortly after. I didn't hear anything until 7 when Daddy Piper came in and whispered Rise and Shine to me. The kids were out playing and he needed to focus on the trailer since he was using a welder. I got up and went outside for a bit with the kids then they got hungry. Somehow it seems my kids equate Mama with food.

So we came inside and I made chocolate chip pancakes and oranges for breakfast. I tried to get some stuff done around the house. The kids had an extra amount of energy today for some reason. They did help me clean their room though. While cleaning and straightening up, I found a spilt bottle of shampoo in their bathroom - ARGH! It ruined their floor mat since the shampoo was green. This just forced me to clean their bathroom though :-) I was burnt out trying to contain their energy indoors while trying to clean so I passed them off to their father and headed to Target.

I got some organizational things - like a shower caddy that hold shampoo and soap out of their reach and a toilet paper holder that hangs off the toilet. Our current TP situation isn't the best in their bathroom. They have to slide across the toilet and reach for it, leaving some body fluids behind as they do this. Hopefully this corrects the problem.

I came home from Target to find everyone in the pool! Daddy Piper found a way to get their energy burned off without roasting in this heat. I quickly put our stuff away and headed out to join the fun. And what fun everyone was having!! L is swimming like a fish and learning new things all the time - like how to swim like a dolphin. S is really getting into the swimming groove and going under. We played Ring Around The Rosie and went under quite a few times. The pool is such a source of fun family entertainment for us. I will be sad when the weather turns and it's too cool to enjoy.

We came in and had some lunch about 2 hours later. The kids and Daddy spent about 3 hours out in the pool today and everyone was quite hungry. We did get everyone settled down and had some quality napping time around here this afternoon. I had wanted to go out to dinner but when we all woke up, I just didn't feel like it so we grilled a steak and had dinner at home.

The best news of the day was a phone call after naps. My MIL called to say that an airline is now flying right from her hometown to a local airport just up the road from us and for WAY cheap so she'll be coming down when the new baby comes! This relieved so much stress from my life. She'll be here for about 10 days. What a great help this will be. With Daddy Piper being self-employed, any time off is unpaid so this will give me help for the 1st week and half, the time I was most worried about since I can't drive for 2 weeks after the c-section! I feel less and less worried about this new baby's arrival every day.

Off to get the kids washed and ready for bed. What a wonderful day this has been!!!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for many things this Thursday - mostly for my wonderful family. We have so many blessings - a nice roof over our heads, plenty of food in our tummies, clothes on our backs and mostly the thing we have is each other.

Daddy Piper got rained out today so he got to spend some quality time with S while I took L to her last swim lesson and then to the dr with me for another OB check. It is nice to get time alone with each child. Such fun to have great conversation without any interruptions. So we went to my OB check and things look great still. Dr seems pleased my weight gain, heartbeat was 130 (does that mean boy??) and the baby measured right on the money. Then we grabbed some Quiznos and brought lunch home to "the boys".

This evening after naps and dinner, we went out in the pool for a bit. That is always fun family time!

Now off to bed with a grateful heart for my blessed life.

New Washer!!!

Last September while I was gone visiting friends up North, my sweet hubby bought me a front loading washer at a garage sale across the street for $80. I have always wanted one of these. Being vertically challenged, it seemed like the easiest way for me to do laundry and especially while pregnant - much easier to get all those stray socks out. That wonderful washer sounded like a freight train but worked great for a year. It started not working last week while he was out of town. The only cycle that would work was the knits/dedicates cycle and that wasn't cutting it. It just wasn't getting our clothes clean. I had a repairman come on Tuesday to check it out and it was going to be about $800 to repair so we (or rather me) decided to get a new washer. I had looked on Consumer Reports and they recommended a Fridgidaire (same brand we currently have) so I talked with the repairman about it and he said no way - junk brand that usually doesn't last much past its 1 year warranty. His top choice is a Whirlpool Duet and said Costco had them on sale right now. I checked and they were like $300 cheaper at Costco right now through 8/31. He did show me how to wiggle my timer and get the washer to work. The first load I did, the washer leaked WAY worse than before. I got the go ahead to get a washer from upper management HAHAHA! So the kids and I went to Costco today and picked it up. It fit nicely in the back of my van (have I said lately how much I LOVE my van). Anyway - now it's awaiting installation by Daddy Piper. I hope he gets to it today. Can't wait to play with my new washer!!!

edited to add: I LOVE my new washer. I washed 2 loads in it right away and it is so quiet! And boy my whites - they have never been brighter. I am so thankful we were able to get such a nice washer. Amazing how things like this excited me now :-)

Waterpark Fun

We went to the local waterpark with our friends, the K family today. It was as much as always. Maybe even a bit more since it wasn't very crowded. It is nice to have friends to do things like this with!!

Here is a picture I love of L playing in the water. Somehow I ended up with none of S today - oops.

Another Monday

This was such a nice day!

I packed our week last week extremely full of activity so we wouldn't notice Daddy Piper being gone as much (yea right!) so it was nice to hang out at home today. We got some wonderful breakfast cookies made, the kids had a hay day playing in the kitchen sink full of water while I did the actually baking of cookies and then we went out in the pool for like 3 hours - fun times!! L did a great job swimming today - not even the least bit scared after Saturday's incident. S is really becoming braver and braver around the water - almost too brave if you ask me. He made the funniest comment while swimming. He had a train and his green diving stick sitting on the step and L was getting close to it and he looked at her and said "Hey - don't touch my stuff". Where did he hear that? We are not a possessive family with things. If it's here, then it's here to be shared by everyone.

I got some laundry done and quality time playing in the floor with L while S was napping. Daddy Piper had some quality time with the kids while I showered and cooked dinner. He got to play GeoTrax with them, in the floor and on the website. We had a yummy steak dinner and bathtime/bedtime finished off the night.

Another typical day for Piper Paradise. So nice to have Daddy Piper home. It will be even nicer when this weather starts cooling off. And it's only like 2 months until we greet the new one. That scares me and more than just a little bit. I know after the first few weeks things will settle down and all will be fine but those first few weeks are tough. AWWW - just something else to worry about :-)

Daddy's Home!

Not much else to say other than - DADDY'S HOME!

It was a fun week, full of activity and adventure but we are glad to be back together as a family. I can rest well tonight knowing my family is back under one roof together - as it should be!

Day 5 and Final Day of Daddy's Vacation!

As I already wrote, this was an emotional day because of L's swimming incident. The rest of the day was fine, minus the rainstorm we ran into, the extra 46 miles we drove looking for the river turn-off spot and the 4 hours of driving to the party and home. We are just looking forward to Daddy being home tomorrow!!!

One Scared Mama

Today, we had a freaky accident that could have resulted in a tragedy quickly if not for one VERY powerful God and one fast mama.

We went up to the river to celebrate my niece's 16th birthday. As soon as we got there, my niece to L into the river with her. I was nervous and made sure L and Cousin S knew to stay together. Well next thing you know, L is playing with another little one about her age and Cousin S is out in the deeper river water. I asked my sister how deep the water was and she said only up to the girls' knees. I stayed on the shore but kept my eye on L, just for safety sake. A move that paid off. I was watching the girls play and next thing I know, L looked to be dunking her head in the water to get her hair wet, like she does but the next move she made looked to be one of distress. I hollered to her and she didn't answer so I yelled out to anyone listening and took off. This 7 month pregnant mama can move! I have no recollection of leaving my chair and getting to water - the only thing I can remember is actually being in the water and losing my shoes along the way, diving down to get her and holding her so tightly it was a wonder she could breathe at all. I do remember her head being above water the whole time and seeing her make big ice cream scoops to stay afloat. All those swim lessons have paid off! It seems that spot she was at had a drop off and she found it. I am so grateful to be writing this as a freak accident with lessons to be learned and not a tragic one. She could have drown if not for her staying calm and paddling and if not for a wonderful God that was watching over her. I tried not to make a big deal about it with her - just kept praising her for swimming so well. I didn't want her to freak and not go back in the water ever again. But for the rest of the time we were there, I didn't let her or her brother S more than an arm's length away from me!! This was a total accident that was preventable, as most are. I should never have let her be in the water without me, even if she could touch.

Thank you God for this being a learning experience and not a tragic event in our lives. Thank you for watching over L and protecting her.

Day 4 cont...

Kids are in bed. I am going to finish writing about our day and hurry to get stuff ready for our busy Saturday.

We had a nice evening. We played with that GeoTrax thing for a long time, after L helped me clean the playroom. The playroom looks so nice! We reorganized some and things fit better. We also put some toys out in the garage that aren't being played with very often. After eating dinner while playing with the train set, we ran to Target to get milk. We got to chat with Daddy Piper for a bit. The actual wedding is today. Sounds like they are having a grand time. I am a bit jealous though that he is hanging out with his good buddies, drinking, living the bachelor life for a few days and has no worries or responsibilities momentarily. I haven't had that feeling since becoming a mother. Guess it's a gender/mother/father thing.

Oh well - now off to get the stuff ready for tomorrow!

Train Set

This GeoTrax thing is a hit!!! Both kids are playing and pretending and *GASP* sharing!!

Day 4

Well today is Day 4 of Daddy's Solo Vacation. Three days is about as long as I can handle. I woke up super hormonal today and very not okay with him still being gone. Just ready to have him home, with us. I was able to chat with his hungover a*% this morning for a bit. I am so glad that he is having a great time - just wish the time for him to come home with tomorrow AM instead of the next day.

We went to a local kids museum today. That was so much fun (I see I use that phrase often but not much describes a child's activity as accurately as that statement). We went with some friends. All the kids had fun playing in their interactive play area. We went to lunch afterwards. Lunch was yummy. California sandwich for mom and pb&j's for the kids - can't go wrong! All 4 kids behaved properly at the restaurant (not like the other night!) and it was enjoyable company. Daddy Piper had said that if the kids were good all week to get them a toy or something to reward their behavior, so off to ToysRUs we went.

Well - ToysRUs was fun!! If you don't count the 4 - yes 4 - trips to the bathroom. L had to go twice and S had to go twice. So we pretty much spent the hour we were there running back to the potty. The kids did get to see some fun stuff and actually touch and play with things. I chatted with Daddy Piper for a minute while walking around ToysRUs. They were done with wedding pictures and waiting for the ceremony to start. I just miss him so much. And I miss that we aren't attending the wedding together. Weddings are fun. Especially when you are with your spouse. Always makes me remember our own wedding, a million years ago. So the chitlens ended up with a globe (a real globe), some glow in the dark planets to hang from the ceiling and a GeoTrax train system thing. Looks like fun - we'll see. They can't play with until naps are done and they clean up the playroom!!

Day 3

Another day past - only 2 more full days to get through until Daddy Piper comes home. I can't wait! It has been nice to have this time alone with the kids. We have really bonded on an extra level that I really can't explain. But boy oh boy - when 10:00 Sunday morning rolls around, you'll see me hanging out at the airport, waiting for Daddy Piper to take these kids and give me a break!

The night went well again last night. Both kids slept through the night. I only woke up once to check on them - way better than the night before. 7:00 came around and they were both up. We heard from Daddy Piper pretty early this morning so we got to chat before heading out for swim lessons. I am trying my hardest not to call him while he's gone. I have only called once. I have waited for him to call us the rest of the times. So we went to L's swim lessons - where she did extremely well again. Her original swim instructor left for the Olympics so she has a replacement for this week and next week. She has responded well to the new lady. L seems to be learning some new stuff such as rolling on her back while swimming to get a breath (chicken, star, rocket).

Next up after lessons was another trip to the waterpark. I wanted to take them to lunch and to ToysRUs but they wanted to go to the waterpark, so waterpark it was. Again - fun, fun, fun. They really enjoying being able to splash around while touching the bottom, something they can't do in our pool. But funniest thing - I ran into a girl I went to junior high with almost 20 years ago! She was wearing the same maternity swimsuit I was wearing and she came over to chat about it and I recognized her but couldn't remember where from. After chatting for a minute and her reminding me what her name is, she remembered me and we remembered we went to junior high together!!! She is pregnant with her 4th. It was fun to catch up for a bit. Unfortunately, I left without getting a number. Kinda hurried and left since the kids were tired. Hopefully we run into each other again!

This evening, we went to dinner at our friends', the K family, house. That was so nice! The kids played so well together. Dinner was yummy, as always. At one point the kids were all jumping, running and laughing and playing, making the sounds kids are known for. J and I talked about how wonderful it sounded. I LOVE hearing this ruckus. It is the household I want for my children. The only unfortunate thing is we are having a storm right now and my kids (as well as Mama) are afraid of lightning/thunder. I expect this to be a sleepless night so I better sign off and get some rest while I can!!

I am looking forward to Daddy Piper to come home. It sounds like he is having a nice time and we are too - we just miss the other half to our whole!

• I have a little note to add - something I want to remember specifically. Tonight after getting their jammies on and reading books, both kids were getting a bit freaked by the storm and S crawled in my lap and through his arms around my neck and snuggled into my neck then L did the same and snuggled into the other side of my neck. MMMM- I love moments like that! I wish I could hold them forever like that. Such a feeling of contentment. Who knew being a Mommy would be this wonderful. Thank you God for my children. Thank you for allowing me to care for them, raise them and enjoy them. Such a blessing I am grateful for!!

Clean Undies & Call me on my Cell

Things kids say:

S on 8/6/08: I was getting undies on S after waking up from nap. He looks down and says "Mom - are these clean undies or dirty undies?" UH - I think they are clean buddy.....

L on 8/7/08: Getting out of the van to go to swim lessons, she hold up this rock that she pretends is her cell phone "If you need me, you can call me on my cell." Okay - you are 4, I am not calling you on your cell!

Sometime the things that come out of their mouths make me laugh so loud and hard, true belly laughs!

Day 2 of Daddy's Vacation

Today is Day 2 of Daddy's Solo Vacation up North. It should go without saying that he won't be enjoying a vacation like this for years to come. Nah, it hasn't been bad at all. I am glad he got away for a few days to relax and hang out with some old friends. He deserves some down time!

Last night ended up pretty well. We made it through the bath time/bedtime routine without a hitch. Daddy Piper called about 8 to say goodnight to the kids, which they both enjoyed. Both kids slept amazingly well - all night long without waking once. I was a nervous wreck all night though. I kept going in to check on them, making sure no one had taken them. They both woke up at 7 this morning happy, refreshed and awaiting a new day.

First up for the day - the waterpark. We went with some friends, the Knight girls. It was as much fun as always (except for the cashier who didn't want to break a $20 bill and the nice lifeguard that covered the admission fee for us - 2 bucks- Thanks!!). It was empty when we got there. We had the whole place to ourselves for about 15 minutes!! All the kids had fun splashing and swimming for about 2 hours until there was an evacuation. There was an unfortunate "fecal matter incident". Uh - gross! We had to get out of the pool for 30 minutes while they located all the matter and super cleaned the pool. We chose to have our snacks and go home. They should have it thoroughly cleaned by our visit tomorrow.

This afternoon was lunch, playtime and naps. We haven't done school in 2 days. I have jam packed our days with activities away from home to occupy us and keep our minds off Daddy Piper being gone.

This evening we had dinner at my favorite Mexican food joint (as I write this, the baby is kicking like a mule - one of my most favorite things ever!!) Anyway - we had a yummy dinner and sopapillas. Today Walgreens had a special to develop a roll of film for free so we took in a roll I found while cleaning a few weeks ago. It was from a mockup I was on in Miami, FL about 6 years ago. It was fun to see the pictures - made me miss my job and all the fun times (of course I only remember the good stuff, not the endless hours and other hardwork ... hey it's my memory!!).

We just got off the phone telling Daddy Piper goodnight. He called right on time - a miracle indeed. Both kids seem to be handling his being gone pretty well today. I know by the time Sunday rolls around, they will be so happy to have him home. Heck - so will I!

Thank you God for good friends, wonderful children and a husband I wouldn't trade for a million dollars. I am truly blessed and fortunate to have these in my life!

Go Fish

I forgot to write about L playing "Go Fish" . She got the card game for her birthday and we played it for the first time last weekend. She is really good at it! It is so fun to sit and play with her. A nice time for one on one. Boy is she competitive though - I have no idea where that comes from!

Daddy's gone

So Daddy Piper left on his vacation this morning. YIKES! I am totally alone with both kids. Solely responsible for their well-being for 5 days. Why does this freak me out so much???

We dropped him off at 4 this morning - yep 4 AM! The kids aren't used to being up that early but they were in such giggly moods. Very happy for early morning and for being woke up. I cried when we dropped him off. He seemed to have some tears in his eyes as well. L wasn't too happy with the whole situation and S didn't seem to understand. He sure understood when got home though and didn't bring Daddy Piper back with us! He cried and cried for about 10 minutes. L had swim lessons at 9:00 so after we came home from dropping him at the airport we just lounged for awhile until time to leave for lessons. She got stung by a bee at the pool. Daddy Piper and I were just talking about bee stings. I have never been stung and he's been stung a million times. Well, we found out today that she isn't allergic but that bee stings hurt like heck! We came home early from lessons because she was so traumatized by the event. We had lunch plans to meet Auntie D at Olive Garden and celebrate Cousin S's birthday. Lunch went well. We have some wonderfully behaved children. How nice!! We came home and attempted to nap but noone except Mama thought that was a good idea. We met up with some friends for dinner. That was chaotic to say the least! Again - well behaved children of mine, how I adore you!!!! Baths and bedtime await us now.

I just got off the phone with Daddy Piper. Boy this being away from each other is hard. I started crying a bit earlier picturing my life without him. It would be horrible to be alone, raising these kids without him. I get mad and think of things but this vacation really made me realize that I don't want to be without him - warts and all!

Large Circumference

We went swimming today. It was fun!! S is now putting his face in the water and holding his breath - what a big boy!! L is doing a mahvelous job swimming. I just had to write down the funny comment from Daddy Piper though. We were getting out of the pool and I commented that Daddy Piper saved the biggest towel for me and he said "Well yea - you have the largest circumference." UH - nice way to say I am the biggest!?! :- )

We had a great lunch. Including some yummy fruit dip and fresh watermelon. Both kids are settling in for naps. I am going to join them for a bit :-)

Some pics

Nothing special today - just another ordinary family day with soccer, lunch out and naps. I say ordinary because nothing extra-ordinary happened but you know what? Ordinary works for me!

Here are a couple pics Daddy Piper took today. I couldn't resist sharing them!!

I love how L put her hands on my belly without being prompted.

And this one - S wanted to kiss the baby :-)

Is it really August?

I can't believe how fast the year has gone! We only have 10 1/2 weeks until the new baby comes. I feel so behind getting ready. The kids are doing wonderful, as always. We had a pretty uneventful day running a few errands this morning. Had to get the pool water tested and drop some film at Target. I will NEVER get one hour photo done again at Target. This is the 2nd time I have had film developed there and it has taken more than 2 hours - for 2 rolls of film!!! One roll happened to be of my friend's bachelorette party 5 years ago. What memories those pictures brought back :- ) We finally got that done and came home. Daddy Piper came home early due to an accident on the jobsite (thankfully not HIS accident). The water truck driver hit another vehicle and killed both people in the vehicle. Oh how horrible for everyone involved. It was a pure accident but still - what a tragedy.

L has been hitting S quite a bit lately. Of course this upsets me. Daddy Piper says not to read into it but I am wondering if there is something else going on and this is how she is reacting to it. AWWW - parenting is hard sometimes!! I will try to get more one on one time with her, quality vs. quantity time. Maybe that will help. S's butt seems better. Now he has a crappy cough though - always something with him!!

Another thought - I read this blog frequently. She is pregnant with her 4th and they are having some problems. It makes me grateful how uneventful things have been this time for me. She is posting the most wonderfully written stuff though - very eye opening and such faith!

Thank you God for such a peaceful pregnancy.