Mommy and Drew's Big Date

I took Drew to the Boardwalk in Ocean City over Memorial Day weekend. We had a blast just the two of us and it was a perfect day - not too hot or crowded!

The log flume

Waiting to get on the Go-Karts that race under the boardwalk

The dragon roller coaster

The helicopter that wouldn't go up and down

The green jeep - Drew's fourth choice!

I was so proud of Drew for not having a complete meltdown on this ride. We were waiting first in line for the ride to stop. As it started to slow down, another Mom came and stood right in front of us with her two kids. So I said, "Oh, we were waiting in line". And she says, "We were waiting too, but we were in the wrong spot."

And then she stayed there!

So I said, "Well, they'll all get on the ride, I guess."

Unbelievable! I must have been absent the day they made the rule that if you wait in the wrong spot, you get a free pass straight to the front of the line!

Anyway, I didn't make a scene because that's not my style. In the meantime, Drew had already pointed out that he wanted to ride in the fire truck (no one was on it during the previous ride). But as the kids were getting off the ride, one kid tried to get in the fire truck for another ride. So the attendant explained to the parents that the firetruck was broken.

I explained to Drew that the firetruck was broken and asked him which other vehicle he wanted. He said the motorcycles. (There were two sets of side by side motorcycles).

Then, the above mentioned Mom says, "Oh, they want to ride the motorcycles too."

Great. Well, like I said, there was a another set. No big deal. Right? Oh no.

As the attendant lets the kids in to pick their vehicles, this Mom has a FRIEND with two more kids!!!! Guess what they run to? The other motorcycles.

Now Drew almost got there before the younger brother got on the second bike, and the first brother pushed him away!

Drew started to get upset, but I told him it was OK, there was still a "really awesome" green jeep just for him. And he was cool with that. Yay, Drew!

I don't think Drew saw, because it was going on behind him, but the attendant eventually gave in and let that other little boy ride the firetruck. Yes, the BROKEN one!!!!!

I just thought it was ridiculous, but we continued to have a great time and it didn't ruin our wonderful day!

In addition to the rides, we also had pizza, candy and fudge, ice cream (what diet?), and walked in the sand, of course!

Baby Attack!!!!!!

Brenna and Carter attacked me during a recent diaper change for Emily (she's in the bassinet), and Grandmom was there to catch it on film!!

This happens alot. Check out Carter, really getting in there! :)

"Can we help you?"

"Please, just let me help a little!"

"Really, Mom. I want to HELP!!!!"
I did get the diaper changed. Thanks for your "help" guys!

I've been tagged!

I was tagged by Julia. (link to blog on the right)

So here's the rules as to what I had to do and if you are one of my lucky 7 below then you need to also do the following:

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog .

My 7 facts:

1. The TV is on in our house upwards of 14 hours a day!!!

2. I'm addicted to buying scrapbooking products and then hardly use them.

3. My favorite pre-teaching job was being a singing waitress at Showplace Ice Cream Parlor.

4. I get panicky when I have to make phone calls - of almost any kind.

5. When I was little, I wanted to be a detective like Encyclopedia Brown.

6. I was second chair clarinet in the 6th grade band!

7. I have never been skiing.


And now - I tag: (links to blogs on the right)

Kim

Jobie

Krista

Lisa

Beth

Justi

Shasta

Just sharing some more pictures

What an angel

(I actually took this pic because it's a BIG deal that her hands are relaxed like that AND that she put them together herself!!!)

Matching dresses from grandmom
Pretty girl

Playtime

That smile
Two teeth!
"I think I can get the whole thing in, Mom!"
Matching shirts from Meme and Pepe

Getting to Emily


Love my cereal!

Eating is exhausting!!
Ditto

(they did this at the same time on the same day)

Me and my boys

Me and my girlsThe whole Gang

(I did not pose this picture - Carter and Brenna both crawled over to see Emily and Drew got in there too. I just grabbed the camera and snapped - FAST!!!)

Mister Carter

Big Blue eyes

I'm coming for ya!
Brotherly love

I was posting an individual post for each kiddo and then Mother's Day came along, and then Biscuit left us, so it's Carter's turn now!



My charmer!! Carter is going to be melting some hearts one day for sure. He flashes that grin and you can't help but melt just a little!! The best part is that he almost always does it at bedtime. We lay him down with his doggy blanket and pacifier, say good night, and he breaks into that irresistible smile! But he holds on to that paci!! :)





He has two teeth now too. He is crawling and pulling up to standing all the time. He's a bit wobbly on his feet, but he sits very well. He loves to play with toys and will go after everything that he shouldn't; like the remote, the phone, the wire for my laptop, cans of soda. All that fun stuff!



He can SCREAM!!!! If he's unhappy, he let's out a yell that will almost pierce your eardrums. Grandmom can attest to that too. I'm not exaggerating! Now he likes to scream for fun. He'll let out a short yelp as he's eating his beloved puffs, or when he's bouncing in the jumperoo.



He and Brenna are now on a great nap schedule. Most days they nap between 9-12, and then again from 2-4. They go to bed at 7 and wake up sometime between 5:30 and 7 am. It's great!!!

Emily has a bit of a different sleep schedule because of her feeding schedule, but she is usually asleep from 10pm - 8am. NICE!!!!

Here's Carter crawling:

Biscuit Finds a New Home (another guest post)

As we've endured so much this past year, the decision to be made was not an easy one, but we realized it was time to seek out a better home for our buddy, Biscuit. Man's best friend, indeed — Biscuit has been with Aimee and I for over five years and has been a wonderful companion and playmate ever since we brought him home.

He has never hurt anyone or done anything bad other than occasional stolen banana, cheese stick, or roll from an unsuspecting and careless toddler. He gets upset when he isn't near us and is often relegated to the den, the basement, or outside due to the continued special attention required for three infants and a four-year-old (who can find enough trouble without an accomplice). Additionally, Carter has skin reactions when crawling on the floor or touching Biscuit.

Biscuit loves to chase tennis balls and Frisbees, which, when left alone with him get mangled into a torn up mess, but we were always willing to go the extra mile with him and spoiled him like he was one of the family.

The good news is we were able to find a perfect family to adopt our good buddy, provided he can get along with their cats(crossing my fingers). We decided we'd manage until we we could find not just a good home, but a better home for him than our own; which meant a requirement of either children or other pets and a fenced-in yard. Brandi and Chuck have both and I sure hope Biscuit realizes that he couldn't be luckier.

Thanks guys- Take good care of our buddy.

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

Me and my Mom (December 2002 - before I became a Mom)

I have been thinking over the past week about how special motherhood is and how extraordinary my journey to and through motherhood has been. So, I wanted to take time to honor special women in my life who are mothers, soon-to-be mothers, and just awesome women!

First, my mom, Wendy. I love you Mom and I want you to know how much your love and guidance has helped to make me the kind of woman and mother I am today and for that I am so grateful. Your faithful support through my life, and especially during the last 7 years, means the world to me, and I just can't thank you enough for all you have done and all you do. You're too far away for a real one, so consider yourself hugged!!

*************

I need to remember some Moms who we have lost, but still hold so dear in our hearts;

Judy (Gee-off's mom), Nana (my mom's mom), and Meme (my Dad's mom).

Judy, I'm so sad you can't be with us for Mothers Day and everyday. We miss you terribly, but I just have to tell the world what an awesome lady you were - the kind of mother-in-law every girl wished they could have! You raised one amazing son (okay 3 amazing sons) and I'm so lucky to have him and to have known you. Thank you!

Nanny and Meme - Happy Mother's Day in heaven!!! I love you and miss you both so much!!!

*************

To my big sis Nicole - a brand new mommy to my niece Sierra. Sierra is one lucky baby to have you for a mommy!! I can't wait to see you in June. Soon enough I'll be singing "A whole New World" outside your window!!! :)

To Joanne (Grandmom) - We just can't thank you enough for being such an amazing support for us since the triplets have come home. What would we do without you?

To my dear friends Erin (mommy to Peyton and Tierney), Michelle (mommy to Morgan), and Erin (mommy to Collin). Things are always so busy, but I thank each of you for being great friends and catching up when we can means so much to me. I'm so glad we always stay in touch!

To my IVF BBC girls!!!! I don't want to mention names in case you don't want me to, but I'm so grateful to have met each and every one of you (you know who you are). I'm sorry we had to meet through our struggles trying to conceive, but I'm so glad to have you in my life! So many of us have been blessed with our miracles, and for those of you who are still waiting to hold yours I am truly sorry and wish and pray for your babies to come to earth soon!!!!!

To my Scrapbooking BBC mamas and friends - Your support has been wonderful and I know I can always go to you girls for much needed good thoughts and prayers. And PIFing, of course!!!

To all of the mommies in the Magnan, Gollihur, and Braddock families that I haven't mentioned yet- Love you and I hope you all have a very a Happy Mother's Day this year and every year!

To Andrea, Bobby, Sheila, Nancy and all of the other fabulous ladies at SS#1 - I miss you so much and thank you for your continued friendship and support even though I'm no longer at school! Your friendship has been essential to my success both as a mom and a teacher, and I will treasure it always!!

Happy Mother's Day everyone!!!!

(And I'm sending a little sprinkle of baby dust to anyone reading this who is currently trying to conceive. I've been there - and I wish you luck and happiness!)

My gorgeous girls and handsome guys

At the end of March, we had the great fortune of having one of my old high school friends, who is now a photographer, come over to take pictures of the kids! Laura did an amazing job, with one of my best friends from high school, Michelle, as her assistant.

These are just some of the fabulous shots she got of our gorgeous girls and handsome guys! Thank you so much Laura!!

Brenna

Emily



Carter

Drew

These were all taken in our kitchen, by the way!!!! (Except for that last one of Drew outside.)

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I just love all of the pictures!

On the Move

Clearly I need to do a better job of writing down when the babies are doing "firsts", because I would've guessed Brenna started rolling all over in late March. But I did remember that I wrote down when she first started rolling on the calendar and it was mid-January!

So, Brenna started rolling in January. By February, she was really rolling all over the place - from one side of the living room to the other. She started rocking on her knees, and she started crawling by the end of March. She is very fast, and now she's started pulling up on her knees in a sitting position and all the way up to standing this week!! She is quite a daredevil and has taken some small spills. But it doesn't stop her!

The first picture was taken after crawling over to one of her favorite things - the dirty laundry hamper. She pulled it right down and dumped it. She looks very proud, doesn't she?

And here she is after crawling over to her other favorite place - the bottom shelf of the changing table. We keep baskets of boy/girl clothing and the cloth diapers which we use for burp cloths. When she started climbing on to the shelf and sitting in there with the baskets, we decided to put one of the baby gates in front of it. So she can't go there anymore but she'll hang on the gate just hoping!

Here is a video of Brenna showing off her new moves!

(The squealing noises are coming from Brenna, the other noise is Carter in the jumperoo!)