Three year olds are great!

Ryan is pretty much potty trained now. Yeah! We still have some pooping issues but that always seems to take longer to learn. He did do it on his own for me yesterday and then Chris sent him in the bathroom last night to go pee. Chris checked on him a few minutes later to find him standing up and trying to hit the toilet. Nice!! He did get most of it in, so I guess he is a typical male. But it didn't end there. Chris got everything cleaned up and Ryan wanted to stay and sit on the big potty. A few minutes later we hear him yelling and yep, he had pooped on his own. Guess we will be in those underwear sooner than we thought. Yeah!!!!!!

Ryan has also become quite the computer wizard as well. He loves to play Spongebob and go on Nick Jr.com. He knows how to go on my computer, click on Internet Explorer and find the website he wants in the pull down menu or in my favorites box. The kids is just plain smart. While he is playing I will come over once and awhile, minimize his game and check my email. Well the other day I came over, minimized his game and before I could stop him he pushes this button on my keyboard and up pops my Outlook Express box. I said, "How did you know to do that?" He shrugs. Smart boy. Chris had bought me a new keyboard a couple of weeks ago and it has a button marked mail on it that will pull up Outlook Express. There is also a Search and Web button too. He must have through trial & error discovered how they work. Chris didn't even know they were there.

So anyway that is how smart my three year old is now.

Meghan on the other hand is 5 boxes away from her goal of 200 boxes for girl scout cookies. And that is without the boxes she will get from Chris's work. Plus there are 16 more days to sell and quite a few other people we haven't talked to yet. Go Meghan!!!

Katie is feeling better and no one else has gotten sick. Yeah! I need to go pack for my weekend now. Oh I suppose I will bring the kids to school first. Whatever!

Pray for me!

I got home from work last night and I see your Bissel sitting out.
"Chris, why is the Bissel out?"
"You have a sick kid!"
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
I cannot have puking kids in my house! I so need to to get out of here.
So...
#1 Pray that no more kids puke in my house
#2 Pray I don't start puking
#3 Pray that if any more kids puke in my house, they do it after I leave on Friday
#4 Pray Ryan doesn't get sick so he can have his surgery on Monday
#5 And pray that I will let Katie out of her room some day soon. She is sequestered in there till I bleach and disinfect everything in the house

And yes, you're right, Jen CANNOT handle puking!
Go Pray now!

One Year Ago Today!

One year ago today we were able to bring Aaron home to our family. I know it was a busy day too. Chris had gone up to the hospital really early & I went up when he got home. Katie had a dance recital in the afternoon and I went to that. Chris took Meghan to a Girls Scout event and Ryan went to the old neighbor's house. We both waited all day long for the pediatrician to call so we could give our consent for Aaron's circ. We knew he had to stay for at least 4 hours after that so they could make sure he was good to go.

So we dropped the kids off at a friends house and went up to the hospital at 5:30. He had had his circ and they were just waiting for him to pee. I nursed him, signed papers and we started packing things up. The nurse checked him again and we were good to go. Man were we excited because he hadn't told the kids we were bringing him home that day. Ryan hadn't even met him yet.

So we were driving home at about 9:10 that night and stopped to pick up the kids. It was snowing lightly and it was beautiful. The kids got in the van and didn't even notice Aaron in his carseat. Finally Meghan did and yelled out. Katie just sat and smiled and stared at him the whole way home. Ryan too was baby struck. And boy were we all excited to have him home.

My new motto!

I have a habit of trying to do for everyone. I, like most people, like when others are happy. It is very hard for me when my efforts go unappreciated. But that is something I have to deal with. So when I was at work on Thursday night I decided it was time for my weekly fortune cookie. This was my fortune.

It is impossible to please everybody.

Please yourself first.

I kid you not, that is what my fortune was. I find it quite fitting after the week I have had and I hope it helps me to remember that I can't make everyone happy. That of course won't stop me from trying but it may make the sting hurt a little less when I don't succeed. I am an overachiever and I don;t take failure well. I see it in Meghan too and I hope I can keep her from turning completely into me. Yes, my desire to help others and make them happy is a great asset, but I don't want to see her hurt too badly if she doesn't succeed.

So on to living with my new motto! Hope you all remember it as well.

Is winter ever going to end??

Seriously, it was 28 below when I took the kids to school today with wind chill warnings to boot! I didn't want to go out and the boys have been less than thrilled to take their sisters to school for like the last couple of weeks. I almost pray they sleep in so I can sneak off to school without them and be back in like 3 minutes. SHHHH! It is blasted cold out!

And I feel bad for the poor Schwan's man and the mail lady, although I lucked out today and we had a package delivered so she came to my door with my mail instead of me going out. Yeah!

Just a little warmer, please????

Girl's Night Away!

As I sit here and listen to Aaron screeching at me again for the umpteenth time today I think about Feb 29th! Why do you ask? Cause I get to get out of town for at least 36 hours without my kids or my husband. Now I haven't been away from my kids overnight, unless I was giving birth to them in at least 4 years. It could be 5 years, but I can't remember. And in thinking further Chris and I haven't been away from the kids overnight, unless I was in the hospital in at least 6 years. That seems really SAD!

So Feb 29th is the date! Chris is taking the day off to stay home with the kids so I can go to the cities with some friends from work, go shopping, go out to eat and see the Drag Show at the Gay 90's! We are staying at a hotel in downtown Minneapolis and get free breakfast the next morning. Then it is more shopping and visiting with friends then home. I am so pumped that I will have a responsibility free weekend! Hurray!

But I think my next goal will have to be finding a time when Chris and I can get away for an overnight. I think sometime in June will be nice. We definitely deserve it!

Happy Valentines Day!

Look what the kids and I woke up to this morning??

Chris had picked them up yesterday on his way home from work and hid them in his bathroom downstairs, then tied them on this morning. What an exciting thing to find this morning. It looks so cool.

Ryan and I are going to work on the rest of the Valentines when Aaron goes down for his nap.

So to everyone a Happy Valentines Day from the Andreachis!