A neighborhood get together.

I took Pharaoh in tonight. He layed in my arms while the vet administered the sleepy medicine. When we came home I got the boys from their neighborhood friends to bury Pharaoh. Little did I know that the entire group of neighborhood kids were following closely behind to get in on the burial service. Rest in Peace my feline friend. I will miss snuggling with me tonight but will not miss the piles of poop you have left for me all week.

Pharoah

About 1 year ago, our vet told us that Pharaoh (age 13) had a mass in his tummy area. We were given an option to have an ultrasound to find out what exactly it was, but we chose not to have it and let nature take it's course. For the last week, we have been finding piles of poo placed throughout the house. The vet told us this would eventually happen for the mass would grow and push against the bowles or bladder. So, I called the vet today to see if this is the begininning of the end for him. He assured me that I was making the right decision and that it is a good call on my part. I was actually furious with him for pooing on my floor and on the beds prior to this phonecall. Now, I know for sure there is a reason for his behavior. This will be my beloved buddy's last picture.
I am the only one he interacts with, so this is pretty hard for me. We are taking him this evening and will have a burial when I return home. Sad day for me, sad day indeed.

Other posts about Pharaoh...
This one

This one

Curls

This little boy gets away with lots of things. I have a hard time disciplining him, those curls just seem to soften me up.

projects!

I have an ongoing list of projects in my head. Not like you want to know what I am up to, but here is one of them.
I have 3 boxes of empty wine bottles from Craigslist that I plan to make a garden project with. Here are the 2 ideas that I have thought about. I am leaning toward the edging though. What are your thoughts?

Skateboard headboard

Thanks again to Wally at Old Skool Skateshop in Westerville, a headboard for Andrew's skateboard room is in the making! Aaron actually has all of the decks in the back of his car so we couldn't complete the entire project on this beautiful day. Amazing what a couple of pieces of wood with some skateboards screwed onto them will do to tidy up and complete his room. This project cost about $7.00total to make (pieces of wood, I already had the screws, Wally provided the old decks). This entire piece will then be drilled into some studs in the wall behind his bed.

St. Patty's Day

I am menu planning for St. Patty's day. I love this stinkin Holiday! For some odd reason I find great delight in preparing green food (which results in green waste that makes my boys crazy excited) on this day. When the boys were smaller, Larry the leprechaun would come to visit and play tricks on us. I think yal remember the video of Larry sticking the Skateboard up in the tree or when Larry turned the toilet water green. Silly Larry.

This year, this is what I have planned.
Let's start with Dessert

Yeah, totally rad right??

The main attraction...a cheesy fondue! My kids are super picky, so we will most likely have lots of sausage and tortilla chips, and tortillas.


To wash it all down...


Of course, Aaron and I will enjoy some of this later in the evening...

agree to disagree

In the last few weeks, I have had had the opportunity to have 2 girls weekends thanks to my wonderful hubby! The first was a few weeks ago when I went on a scrap booking retreat. This is a time for me to get caught up on all of my scrapbooks for the boys. This particular group of ladies involved one of my closest friends and then about 6 others that I meet up with at scrapbook crops. There were also some new people there that I have never met. This last weekend I went with a group of close friends from our couple's bible study and playgroup. I see these friends on a weekly basis, sometimes 2 times per week.
Of the 2 groups, not one person was the same as me (PHEW...I can be a little messed up sometimes). Our childhoods weren't the same, our family life and the way we approach parenting is so different. In the end, we are all wonderful people that turned out pretty good regardless of the paths we have been down. We love our kids, we love our families, we are all fabulous cooks and most importantly...we love our God!

Over the last 2 months, I have had reservations about contributing to conversations in large groups involving the various social issues that fall in the grey area. First of all, I have an attention span of a pea and secondly I feel when discussing these things we form somewhat harsh feelings to those who don't agree with us or don't see eye to eye. I am not saying that it isn't healthy to have intelligent conversations with one another but most of the time it ended up with me walking away a little bitter towards another person. I know if this happens to me, it must happen to others. I feel as if the second part of the greatest commandment 'Love your neighbor as yourself' is being compromised when I would walk away a little irritated. I have decided for the time being until I can sort out some things that I am happy to listen and to agree to disagree.

On a lighter note, we woke up with 30 baby Molly's in our fish tank! It was a beautiful sight for me and for the boys. Their little hearts just melted when they saw the babies. These little guys are super cute. We wont have to worry about stocking our tank for quite sometime.

What's lurking under the soil?

I quit facebook for Lent so therefore I will be blogging more the next 40 days. I have this unhealthy need to be in front of the computer though. It is strange how I thought something so casual as facebook is more like a habit. It only took me a day to realize it. Forgive me if I write about nonsense.
Anyhow...
Can I just say that I am soooo not thrilled about what will be popping up in our flower beds this year?!?. From what I heard from the neighbors, the previous owners of this house were crazy gardeners and kept the yard pristine. I am not much of a pristine type of person. It came to the point at my old house that I loved to look at the flowers but I hated (yes, hate is a strong word) tending to them. I guess when you have kids and there are so many things to tend to with them, flowers just don't seem that important.
As far as our yard goes, we had an Ash tree cut down this last week. In addition, we had the rest of our trees trimmed. We also had a light pole (that was in the middle of the yard) taken out. Now, we have an open area for the boys to play soccer and run around. I mean, who really needs 9 large trees in their backyard anyway?
Oh, check this out.

We have a plum tree right off our patio (shown above). It is such a nice little tree. In November, we noticed this fungus that looks like each branch is covered in bird poop. I have a feeling we are going to have to cut it down. This makes me sad. sad. sad.

I will soon be starting Owen's bedroom. This is what we have planned so far. He wants electric blue walls with a checker board pattern across the top of his walls. We have been looking everywhere for a bedding set. Over Christmas, I ordered something online and noticed a bedding set that looked like something Owen would choose. Of course, it was at Walmart. I hate going in there but because I love my son so much, I got the set for him. We plan to somehow make this a break dancing room, but I am clueless. Many of my friends have been saving some of their old Cd's to create some kind of wall or piece of furniture. Like I said, I have no clue. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I think once we get all of the techno lights up, it may be just what he has envisioned.

The Arnold

Andrew competed in the skate competition at the Arnold Fest. He ended up placing
3rd in the beginner competition. There were a total of 32 kids at that level. He was one proud 10 year old.

Andrew with Wally Andrew with his prize...a new board! Funny thing is the poor kid just bought a board with his Christmas money
Later that night, I took the boys back to watch the pro-skaters strut their stuff. I could watch this level of skating for hours on end. I just don't get how these big guys can stay on a little board with wheels and do the moves they do. The boys got to see the Blueprint riders again. Blueprint is a skate company for those of you that have no clue what I am talking about. Since last year, the Blueprint riders have gained a major celebrity status with Andrew. When they saw Andrew, they remembered him from last year which made him smile from ear to ear.

this-n-that

I am tired of being a referee. We have had 2 1/2 days off school and I am about to blow a gasket. Snow days are usually fun and I love having them. On any other snow day, I can send the kids outside to play in the snow but this time, we had an ICE storm. I can't really send them outside to play nor could we really go anywhere because of the dumb ice. We have been stuck looking at one another, eating homemade donuts and majorly getting on each others nerves.

We are getting ready for Valentine's day over here. This year, Owen has to decorate a Valentine's day box. He doesn't really want to and I am trying to do some research on some really cool boy boxes. We purchased some Valentine's day cards and they were blushing while doing their shopping. I believe they both may have crushes on girls, which I am totally ok with. I mean, I am not going to actively set them up with girls in their class, but I believe crushes are a normal part of a child's development. I have always told myself that I would never tease my kids if I found out that they had a crush. I use to hate that as a kid. The entire "Judy and ________ sitting in the tree, K.I.S.S.I.N.G" song would make me want to punch whoever was singing it. Anyway, anybody have any ideas for a Boyish Valentines day box?

The house is coming along. We are really enjoying the extra space. We love having a finished basement and a separate bedroom for the boys. Bedtime is so much easier. We are no longer going up at 10:00 yelling for the older two to get to bed. Once in a while, they will sleep in each others rooms for old time sake, which I love. There are plenty of empty frames laying the house. At least I put them on the walls, they are just not filled yet. I kind of lost my interest in decorating and got burned out. I have about 6 boxes to unpack that are full of decor. It will happen.

Ahh, I cannot wait until the 18th. I am going away for the entire weekend to catch up on my scrapbooks! My dear friend Kristen is going along and I am so excited to get to spend some one on one time with her. It is a much needed break for both of us. Last week, I had 200 photos developed at Walgreen's and another batch of 200 to pick up sometime this week. Thatsalotofpictures! I am a little behind on their books and have decided that I am going to restart at 2009. I am actually skipping 2 years and then going back when I feel the need to and catch up on the years prior. This is the only way I can do it to get all caught up.

Elliott is up, better go up there and see what booger face is up to.

elliotts visit with santa

dinner troubles

I am done making dinner. I can spend 2 hours on dinner that is supposed to be "kid friendly and kid approved" on those stupid websites, but when it comes down eating it, my kids just look at it and push it away. Wow, that was a long sentence. I feel defeated. I don't want to feed my family all processed food, but it seems like it is the only thing they will eat. Just this morning I made something called Amish baked oatmeal aka "to die for yumminess". The boys ate one bite and wanted nothing to do with it. They will gobble down the sugar filled packets of nasty instant oatmeal in a second though.
Are my kids the only picky kids out there? Please help me.

a new chapter

We moved. We closed on our old home the middle of October and got possession of our new house sometwhere around that time also. The morning of our move, I went to get the mover guys some coffee and donuts and when I came back, I saw a few of them loading some boxes in the monstrous truck. I couldn't contain myself. I started crying uncontrollably. I tried to dry up the tears and clear my throat before going in but as soon as I walked in the house, I was officially an emotional wreck. I knew then that I needed to get the heck out of there before I had a self induced panic attack. Yes, I am talented enough to trigger one of those ON MY OWN. It was probably a bad day to pack the anti-anxiety medication away into a box that couldn't be located.

Being in our new house for about 3 weeks, we are about 3/4 of the way unpacked. I am a bit of a freak when I pack up my boxes. I label like crazy. I think my freakness has helped in getting things unpacked so quickly so don't knock it. There are times when my freakness comes in handy ya know. If you think that is crazy, you should see my cupboards and closets. We'll just keep it as the label maker is my friend. I will spare you of pictures of the labeled cabinets and drawers.
Andrew celebrated his birthday the day after our move. It was really nice to take a little break to honor him . We went to a Japanese steakhouse for his birthday celebration. My first born son is 10 *long sigh*......



In addition to his celebration dinner, some of my friends and I decided to do an "extreme makeover" on his bedroom for his gift. THIS IS THE ONLY ROOM IN THE ENTIRE HOUSE THAT IS DONE! He loved it. Here are some pictures of his new skate room. He really, really, really loves it. Over the last year, I have been scouring the skate park trash cans for broken boards and wheels. I found quite a collection! The gate was from a guy on Craigslist, the skateboard holder was something Grandpa Weinstein made, and the graffiti art was something done by a dear friend. Don't you love the Brick wallpaper?? It looks as real in person as it does in person.

The boys had their last day of school last Tuesday. I had a lump in my throat the entire time I was there. I really loved their old school. It was such a safe place for my kids and it was a great place for me too. Some of my greatest friends are parents of other children at the school. I know we are only like 8 miles away, but it will be weird for me to see these people on a daily basis. On Tuesday, their teachers were so thoughtful and made their last day very special. Both boys received a skateboard signed by their classmates, a few books, and a very special sending off speech. Andrew was a bit sad on the ride home and I can understand why.

(I couldnt get Andrew's special speech to upload).

We are slowly getting the house in order, decorating for Christmas, setting up my studio, getting family photos finished up, getting pictures put on the walls, trying to hold onto my sanity, starting a new school, discovering our new community, trying to maintain a level head, trying to manage a budget, raking endless leaves, and maintaining relationship. I think we have alot on our plate but couldn't be any more excited to start this new chapter in our lives.

Halloween!

Almost here.

The day is almost here. We officially closed on our house last Friday and became homeowners again past Tuesday. So many emotions going on, but excitement trumps all of them. I can't wait to get into our new place and start the new chapter in our lives. The boys are taking all of this with stride. The only thing Owen is nervous about is people picking on him about his crooked teeth. Of course, this fear has spilled over to Andrew. I cried the other night because I know that I will not see my good friends (from the boy's school) as much as I do now. Elliott will be devastated when he realizes that our 3 days a week trips to Crimson Cup Coffee will morph into 3 trips per month.
Here are the dandy things I am excited about.
1.) leaf collection by the curb. No more bagging leaves. Just blow them into the street and a huge vacuum thingy is ever so nice to suck them up for you. Nice for people like *us* who have 10 trees in their yard.
2.) 3 1/2 bathrooms. I am so over sharing a bathroom with boys who like to pee all over the place.
3.) English Neighbors. Maybe I will have them over for some tea?
4.) a fireplace in our living room. Our current fireplace is in my office which I never used.
5.) a porch that WILL have a porch swing on it. It also has pillars so I can put some cute Christmas lights on them.
6.) a 2 minute walk to the reservoir. Elliott and I did this last week and spent over an hour on throwing rocks into the water. So peaceful and beautiful...and free.
7.) the kids don't start school until 9:00. They can walk to school!
8.) the school park is nearby. Amazing how different I feel about letting them go to the park by themselves now.
9.) a walk in closet with a door.
10.) my very own room in the basement for scrapbooking and artsy fartsy stuff I do. No boys allowed.

First Haircut.

The little guy got his Bozo Mullet cut off tonight. Whoa, $15 for a haircut (don't forget the gratuity). What IS the acceptable gratuity for a haircut for a toddler these days? We gave her 3 bucks. I dunno, maybe that was too skimpy?

The before picture...

On our way to the Salon...Someone had some silly juice. "Rescue me momma"

"If this lady puts ONE more toy in my hand to keep me distracted...."

Anyway, he was less than happy about it. I did manage to get a smiley picture out of the deal though. After his haircut, Owen said he looked like a "reject" and his eyes started to tear up as he said it. I think all of the soon to be changes in his life right now is a bit much, the change of his brother getting his curls cut off sent him over the edge. I guess.

I think his new haircut is cute, but I also thought the Bozo Mullet was darling too.

Wish list

I have always loved the nautical theme for a boys room. Here is what I was thinking (in the future) for Elliott's new bedroom in our new house. This is my wish list. I am a big thrifter and have a groupie of friends and family that also enjoy thrifting. If you see any of these items at a thrift store in your days ahead, please let me know! My mom use to be my go getter with these types of things. If I mentioned I was doing something like this, she would keep her eyes out for them. My dear momma!

Glass floats

A ship or two

A ship wheel

A captain ~of course~

Starboard light(s) or Lanterns

Life ring

Paddles

This is my inspiration. I love the way she decorated this room!

Going for walk

We were supposed to meet some friends at a park, but it didn't work out. Elliott has been a HUGE grump lately and stayed up until 2:00am last night AND he didn't have a nap yesterday afternoon. So, I thought staying close to home would be the better option for him, me and everybody else.

Meet "Mr. Grumpy butt"...

Granola. He isn't the smartest dog on the block. We love him, but it would sure be nice to be able to go for a walk and have him walk beside us. He is always wrapping his leash around our legs and tripping us. Today, I discovered a way that helps me with taking Granola for a walk with us...tie him to the seatbelt on Elliott's stroller. He actually pulls the stroller and stays ahead of us! We look like a bunch of weirdos, but it works.
Part of our routine is to go on the walkway over the highway. The kids have been doing this FOREVER. They love to make the trucks honk. I have to say, it gives you a natural rush standing on the walkway and placing yourself right above the truck lane. Elliott loves it and has learned how to make people honk!
Say cheese! I think this was the only time he smiled the entire time...

"Mr. Discovery"

Happy Birthday Elliott!

We Love our little guy!

Our decorating abilities...

Last week, we celebrated little munchkins birthday. We were going to have a party for him, but with everything happening in our lives right now, we decided to make it an intimate party with Grandparents and Andrew's best friend's family. I didn't have time to bake a cake, so the trusty ice cream cake from Dairy Queen saved us! We purchased some decorations from the cake store and created a Yo Gabba Gabba cake! For some odd reason, he doesn't like the birthday song sung to him. He liked blowing out the candles and getting the first taste of his yummy cake.

Lately, Elliott finds it entertaining to stack the multiple rolls of toilet paper. We thought that buying him actual cardboard blocks would be fun for him. We were wrong. He liked Owen's present better...an old motorcycle toy that Owen wrapped up all by himself. My heart exploded when Owen gave it to him!

Note: the motorcycle is in Elliott's hand in this picture!

Elliott's 3rd brother, Evan. Elliott was given the nickname "chunky" by him.