Still Vacationing....

We are still on vacation. I am trying to keep a log of the fun things we have done and times we have shared with family. Saturday was a restful day after the long drive here. I got my butt chewed out by Daddy Piper for driving around during a tornado warning. S needed diapers and the local store was closed so I headed across the river and without a cell phone. I was listening to my iPod so didn't hear the local report. So when I got home, he was very upset because he was worried. Funny now - not so much then. I was ticked he jumped all over me in front of his family. We went to a graduation for our nephew on Sunday (which also happened to be my birthday!). The graduation was so nice. It was very special that we were able to share his day with him. We went to his open house afterwards which was really nice minus the SAHM conversation. Why do people think SAHM's aren't to be respected??? Anyway - the party was fun. Monday we hung around the house because it was drizzly rainy like. I got my brother-in-law's laptop working for him but otherwise it was a hang around the house kind of day. Tuesday my SIL came down and we went to Space Aliens for lunch. The kids really enjoyed this. Way up their alley of entertainment. I also had my nails done and another pedicure for my birthday gift from my hubby. I have had Taco Johns daily - yummy! S has really learned his colors so we are quizzing him relentlessly on those. His vocab also seems to have exploded here. L, of course, is the star of the show. They both are enjoying the stairs (up and down hundreds of times a day) and playing in the house their daddy grew up in. So far relaxing vacation. Hopefully we can get out and do some touristy stuff before heading back home this weekend.

Somethings I want to remember...

1. Watching my babies share a seat on the airplane, watching a movie on their dvd player, eating cheerios/cinnamon toast cereal combo snack while wearing their headphones. There was something about that moment that made me want to capture it forever. The innocence, the realization that they really won't be little for much longer, I don't know but looking at them brought tears to my eyes. They looked so peaceful and happy. How do as I mother, help preserve those moments for them?
   
2. Holding L in the floorboard of the rental van because she woke up scared and crying and wanting her mommy. Unsafe as it was, it was a glorious moment I want to remember. The holding, snuggling, cuddly time with her is few and far between. It warmed my heart to hold her close and have her snoozing in my comforting arms.

Vacation Time!

Well the packing is done, house is ready, animals are lined up for care.... VACATION here we come! We'll be gone for 9 days but will have lots of stories and pictures when we return.

Vacation Countdown

We are on countdown around here to our vacation up "North". Usually we go around the 4th but we have a nephew graduating high school so we are going early. I get to spend my last 20's birthday in a small town, far away from any excitement. AWWW - guess birthdays just aren't what they used to be, are they! We are busy trying to get things done around here to head out. Haircuts are done, packing has begun. Mama needs her eyebrows waxed. Other than that - I think everything has been bought that needs to be bought and we'll spend our very busy week fitting in the last minute stuff. S is excited about going on a "jet plane" to see grandma. L is looking forward to seeing some friends before we drive 6 hours to see my in-laws. Can't wait for some time away - especially from the horrible heat we already have!!

S is HEALED!!

S had his renal u/s and urology appt yesterday and his kidneys are healed! He is done with the prophylactic antibiotic. He was confused at bedtime last night, looking for his medicine. This has been a long year but it's over. The only downside is the dr still wants L tested along with testing the new baby at the hospital shortly after birth. We will talk over those situations and make decisions accordingly. But for now - S is healed!!

SOOO Tired

I am so tired these days. Both of my kids are back to sleeping like newborns - up every few hours. Is it preparation for the new baby's arrival in 5 months or just a phase? Either way - it stinks! Besides the all nighters, Daddy Piper is up and at 'em by 3:45 AM everyday so that means Mama Piper is in the kitchen making his lunch. I am ready for some sleep!!

Thank you God for letting me stay home with my babies and rest when they rest. Truly grateful this is my only job.

Little Tummy

First let me explain the rule at our house. You MUST finish your milk before getting down from the dinner table. You do not have to clean your plate but you have to finish your milk. S had 2 plates FULL of food and his milk was only half finished, so his daddy explained to get down like L, he had to finish his milk. He drank a bit of milk and turned to his daddy and said "I little tummy". So I guess his little tummy was so full of food, there just wasn't room for the milk. I couldn't control my laughing nor could Daddy Piper so S had one more drink and got down. Kids say the darnedest things!!

Conclusion to Mother's Day 2008

Today ends my 2008 Mother's Day celebrating. The morning was like any other but oh the afternoon was different, much different. I got my nails done and a pedicure. 2 hours of pure bliss. I LOVE having my nails done. They look so nice since they normally don't due to my dumb nail biting habit. The evening ended with dinner with my mom. It was a nice day. My hubby and kids made me feel loved and appreciated - the very thing Mother's Day should be about. I love you guys!!

Mother's Day 2008 continues.....

Today was a another round of Mother's Day celebrating for mommy!! We had a rough start to the morning due to S having a hard time urinating after his VCUG yesterday then L and I went to soccer, where I forgot the snacks and had to run to a local convenience store and spend $30 to get snack for 10 kids. By the time we made it home, I was already done for the day and it was only 10:30 AM! I cleaned out the van and cleaned the carpets good. By this time, Daddy Piper wasn't able to really get much done himself on the big truck since he had to leave at noon to get a haircut and he was taking Thing 1 and Thing 2 with him to pick up my gift. I then had the bright idea to go out to lunch today for Mother's Day rather than tomorrow so that Daddy Piper could get out early and work on the truck before the heat sets in for the day. It was more important to me to have him working in the cooler part of the day than it was for me to have a lunch out on Mother's Day. We all left together for Daddy's haircut. His stylist was running behind but oh well, whaddya do?!? So after the haircut we all went to get Mommy's gift. I knew right away when Daddy Piper turned onto the sidestreet where my gift came from... The Paint Store. L had told me last week that this is where they went and I thought it was the paint store to get paint to finish their bedroom and instead it was the paint pottery place!! After getting my gift, we headed to Red Lobster for lunch - my most recent craving. The other 3 Pipers agreed I could open my gift today and it was a ..... COOKIE JAR!! They had painted it to look like a chocolate chip cookie. I was so touched by this gift. Daddy Piper took the kids a week early to make this gift for Mommy and I think that is so special! Lunch was delish. Then home for naps. The kids didn't want to nap since it was so late so they played outside with Daddy Piper while Mommy took a 2 hour siesta. Today was so nice. It always feels good to be appreciated, especially by those you love so much! Now tomorrow, I get to get my nails done and get a pedicure in anticipation of our upcoming vacation.... what a way to finish my Mother's Day 2008!

L went trucking with Daddy Piper!

During the testing for S today, L needed a place to hang out. She was going to a friend's house but her daughter got sick, so last minute plan change - L went trucking with Daddy Piper!!! She got a new booster seat and everything for the big truck. Everyone on the jobsite fell in love with her immediately and she just soaked up the attention. She had a WONDERFUL day out with Daddy, even if she was super crabby due to missing naptime. She is looking forward to getting to do this again.

Hasta La Vista Kidney Reflux

Looks to be that S's kidney reflux is gone!! S was diagnosed with reflux last spring and has been on a maintenance antibiotic for the last year to control the UTI's. He had his follow-up VCUG today (which SUCKED!) and the radiologist said that everything looked healed - WOOHOO!!! We'll get this diagnosis confirmed following a renal ultrasound and dr appt with the urologist next Thursday but for now, I am thanking God this problem has corrected itself without surgery.

Funny Story Written By L

Below is the letter L wrote me for Mother's Day!

"My Mom is the most wonderful mom in the whole world! Her name is ________-. She's as pretty as a princess. She is 40 years old. She has brown eyes and lightish curly hair. She weighs 2 pounds and is 2 feet tall. Her favorite food is Mashed Potatoes and Gravy. In the good old days when she was little, she used to go to high school. I think my mom is funny when she laughs. But I know she's really angry when she yells. I wouldn't trade my mom for my new kitchen I got from Santa. I love my mom because she makes me food. Happy Mother's Day!"

(all the comments in red are the ones directly from L!)

Mother's Day 2008 begins....

Today was the Mother's Day celebration at L's preschool. I felt so special and loved by my daughter. The teacher really did a great job of celebrating moms!! We started the party with a greeting at the door, L crowned me "Queen for a Day" and gave me a program of the fun to come. I got a back massage and a manicure. I even let L paint my nails this horrid shade of green (reminds of this horrible shade from a pedicure experience with Anita and Kelly a few years ago!!) anyway then we got to take a seat and get the beginning of our presents. The kids sang us a M-O-M-M-Y song to the tune of Old MacDonald and then gave us each a rose. We then had a snack with juice poured especially by our children. Then they gave us another present (a handmade flowerpot wind chime) while the teacher read us the story each child had wrote about their mom's. It was a fill in the blank story. VERY funny!! I'll post the whole story here later. Then we cleaned up and called the celebration a success. L was so proud of herself. She was beaming with pride. I was very freely doling out the compliments and even got teary-eyed a few times. She is growing up so quickly. I feel like the luckiest mom in the whole world. After we got home and she settled in for a nap, she gave me another huge hug and told me how much she loved me. AWWW - being a mommy is the bestest!!! p.s. I got some nice compliments on how well behaved S was during this whole time. Hey, give the kid chocolate covered strawberries and he'll be good all day long :-)

Wonderful Wednesday

Today was another ordinary day here at Piper Paradise. Don't you love those - I sure do!! We played outside FOREVER! It has been so nice here the last couple of days. Not that we are expecting that to last for very long. Yesterday before L had preschool, the kids were pretending to row the boat on their drum using their drumsticks and then last night the little sneaks stole my cookies and milk - if they weren't so cute, who knows what would have happened to them :-). Today though we hung around the house except for a quick trip to Target to buy Mama the preggo whale a swimsuit for our upcoming vacation. I also scored a couple cute shirts - a rarity among maternity clothes right now. This afternoon I got 1 bathroom cleaned with super helper L and we also squeezed in some reading lesson time. I think she'll be reading in no time. Now off to cook my steak dinner - YUMMY!!