New Favorite Game

As Carter gets older, his personality comes out more and more.  He LOVES cars (shocking, given who his dad is, I know!) We have about 20 monster trucks and cars lined up on all of the ledges in our house.  He has a few tools that he loves too.  I love that he can say "hamma" (hammer) and he likes to pound on things, fixing and hammering things.  But perhaps, his most favorite new game (and we have had to start hiding it as he throws AWFUL temper tantrums when it's time to put it away) is Don't Break the Ice.  In this game, you have little plastic squares that are suspended in the blue outer frame.  In the center of the ice rink is a guy.  You have mini hammers (can't figure out why he likes the game so much!) and you carefully hammer out each of the plastic squares.  You don't want to be the one that makes the little guy in the middle fall down or "break the ice".   Carter gets the idea of the game (as best as he can) but once you let him hammer a little bit, he can't stop and take turns....

Take a look at the videos!

Spring Has Sprung

I had a phenomenal Mother's Day this year.  B let me sleep in (I slept until 8:00am!  Can you believe that?!)  and while I was sleeping he took the kids to the store and bought donuts and flowers for me....sounds silly, but donuts are a treat in our house!  The kids were nice enough to save me a heart shaped sprinkle donut.

After we got changed we headed out to Lowe's where we bought flowers for the year.  The kids are old enough to actually be a help, so we got home and flower planting began!  Haylee was a terrific help, and let me plant and then watered the heck out of the flower pots.

Our yard is finally coming together.  The last few years have taken a lot of hard work in getting old plants out, building the patio, the planters, and finally the last two years putting in perennials....the yard looks beautiful.  I took some pictures of the flowers that we have and that Haylee helped me plant.

We have even more flowers that have come up all over the yard...the Clematis is on year number three and is flourishing!  I might have a small green thumb forming! 

After the kids woke from their nap we headed over to my parents house for a BBQ.  My mom is retiring from her job in July, so to help her make it through the last few months of what has turned into a chaotic job, Haylee made Grandma a countdown chain.  There were 64 rings on the chain, and Grandma was very excited to have something help her count down to sudo-retirement!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day as much as I did!  Thanks to all you beautiful strong women who have paved the way for those of us just starting!  You are amazing role models!

Keeping It Going....

Byron's Grandfather passed away in January.  He was 96 years old.  The changes that man experienced in his life are things I can't even begin to imagine.  We had the funeral and entombment and after the services the entire family went back to his house; the house he and his wife built 54 years ago by themselves, to eat and to share in each others company.  There were stories about Grandpa and Granny (who passed away in January 2002) and how they owned a hardware store, how Grandpa was a private eye for the federal government, about his life flying in WWII and what he must have seen and done then.  We began looking around the house at all of their collectables and how their house has never changed, how the figurines are in the same spot they have been in all their (the children and grandchildren's) lives....

Then I looked over at the Grandfather Clock.  I have been to Granny and Grandpa's house numerous times in the 12 years that Byron and I have been together and the constant in that home whenever I was there was the Westminster Abby chime on that Grandfather Clock.  Let me give you a little background on the clock.   That clock was dedicated by the 3 kids (Jack, Mimi and Bob) to honor Granny and Grandpa on their 40th wedding anniversary.  Granny and Grandpa were married on December 25, 1940.  The clock was dedicated to them on December 25, 1980, 9 months to the day that Byron was born.

I made a comment about how the clock was stopped and on the wrong time.  Byron's dad made a comment about how we should get it going again.  There were several family members sitting in the living room and nobody said a word, so I told Byron's dad "show me how to get it running Dad".  He explained in an edited version how the clock worked, how the phases of the moon part worked, and how to correctly wind the clock to get it working.  So he and I stood there and wound the clock so that it was chiming on the correct time.

As morbid as it is, the list came around a few weeks later of things in Granny and Grandpa's house that we would want.  I immediately signed up for the Grandfather Clock.  I am happy to say that the family agreed that the clock should stay with the Pletcher name, so we got the clock.  Byron brought the clock home, cleaned it, tuned it up, leveled it and set it.  The clock has been chiming the Westminster Abby Chime for the last month in our house, and will continue to chime for the rest of our lives and hopefully beyond.  I walk by the clock everyday and it makes me so happy to have it in our home.  To know that Carter is going to carry on the Pletcher namesake and to have the clock here, it represents Granny and Grandpa, and all of their hard work and love.  Every Saturday the family gathers around the clock and we wind it for the week.

You can't read the plaque all that well, but it says,
40th Wedding Anniversary
December 25, 1940-1980
John and Millicent Pletcher

So Over It....UPDATE

Now I am REALLY over it!  Yesterday my son refused to eat or drink anything and I mean ANYTHING.  I tried the Popsicle, I tried the ice cream, I tried small amounts of fluid in a syringe, nothing worked.  By 3pm he hadn't had a wet diaper and was miserable.  So I called the Dr, and they said they should probably see him.  The appt was at 5, and I couldn't stand to be in the house with both of them any longer, so I loaded them in the car and took off driving in hopes that it would put them to sleep - 40 minutes later I was pulling into the driveway with them both awake and annoyed that they had been in the car for so long.  Carter seemed to have perked up, but was still coughing and refusing to drink.  We went to the Dr and he checked out C's ears - they didn't look all that bad, his concern; C has phenomena in both lungs.  I almost burst into tears.  I was just at Children's 24 hours before and they said his lungs were clear!  Thankfully, he is on the amoxicillan and that is what they would have given him for the phenomena anyway.  We just need to be extra vigilant in watching his breathing, and to get as much liquid in him as possible.

So last night I was freaking out about not being able to hear him breathe...I slept with his baby monitor turned all the way up against my ear, needless to say I didn't get much sleep last night!  Thankfully Byron was able to take today off with me so I don't have both kids alone again today....

I am so over cold and flu season!

So Over It.....

I am soooo over cold and flu season....it seems like from December to April our kids rotate on who is sick and what funky illness they get....I realize that this is what every parent goes through and that once you put your kids in day care or preschool it is building their immune system, blah blah blah....I'M OVER IT!  My house looks like a tornado came through it, the kids don't sleep at night, therefore we don't sleep at night, B and I hardly see each  other because we each have our own "sicky" to deal with...and by the time we see each other at night, we assume the other has the coodies from their sicky so there is NO WAY we are kissing or hugging at night!

This past weekend was no exception with our children catching the next round of illness.  Saturday was BEAUTIFUL - the high was 81!  I had visions of us going to the zoo, having a picnic, playing outside after nap time....not one of those things happened....Carter woke up in a mood and could not be consoled, no matter what we did...Haylee was mopey all day...so we ended up deciding to go for a bike ride to the park by our house.  That is another disastrous story that may or may not be told.  Anyway, Saturday did not turn out how I had envisioned.  We put the kids to bed early and when they woke up on Sunday, Haylee had a fever of 102 along with rashy splotches all over her body.  Carter woke up with the same crankiness and a fever.  I took H to Children's where they diagnosed her with Strep (WHA?!  Serious - where did she get that from?!)  I made it home, fed the kids, put them down for nap.  When they woke, Carter had a fever of 102, and was inconsolable.  Back to Children's I went!  This time I was leaving with a prescription for Amoxicillin for an ear infection!  Again - where did he get that from?!

So, to keep the children calm and to infect as little as possible, we decided to do crafts both yesterday and today...enjoy the pics of the sickies!

They don't look all that sick - but man, the nasties have invaded their little bodies...they are being troopers though.  I am hoping to take a walk with them today to get them out of the house and get a little fresh air - waiting for the snow to melt though!  Trying to keep them away from each other and not share their illnesses is not the easiest thing to do!  Did I mention how over cold and flu season I am?!

Runnin' O' the Green

My very good friend Erin asked me a few months ago if I would be interested in doing the Runnin' O' The Green - a St. Patty's Day 7K (4.3 miles) race that is held downtown.  It is a great race where they pass out corn beef sandwiches and beer once you cross the finish line.  It is partly Erin's fault for me wanting to do more races this year and have fun...so, after the success of the Climb for Air, I talked my dad and sister into doing this race with me.

It was a blast!  There were so many people dressed up in their finest Irish green, and so ready to have fun!  The race happened two days after Ryan's car accident and neither my dad nor myself had gotten much sleep in the previous few days, and it was also daylight savings time; which Erin's phone - or so she claims - didn't switch the times, so she called me when she was supposed to be downtown and asked what time it was and threw on some clothes and hopped the lightrail,  so needless to say, the three of us didn't dress up for the race.   We still had a great time!

A look at the crowd at the starting line

These guys were HILARIOUS!

A look as we were running up 20th St

Us at the finish line!  We did it!

Dad beat us - yea, that's right, Dad beat us.  My sister Erin had to stop and take off her pants (keep it clean folks...she had her shorts on underneath) so he passed us then and we were never able to catch up to him.  He did great and I am sooo proud of him.  He finished the race in just over 45 minutes.  I believe his exact time was 45:04.  I finished in 46:09, Erin Denning finished in 47:59, and Erin Ellis finished in 48:31.  So, for now, Dad has bragging rights in being a 54 year old beating his two daughters in the race.  All I have to say dad is - bring it.  The Sean May Memorial Race is in May...you will hand over the bragging rights then!

We're Moving.....

....back into our bathroom!  The master bathroom is finally finished!  I can't believe how long it took to finish the bathroom, but am soooo happy with how it has turned out.  It truly is and I'm sure in the years to come, will be my sanctuary.  It is so calm, clean and peaceful.  I love how all of the colors, the tile, the accessories; how it all came together!

There are still a few things that the bathroom is lacking.  We are looking for a shelf with hooks attached to it to hang next to the bathtub on the wall, and I need to get something to put on the cabinet in the water closet, other than that, we have done well in accessorizing the bathroom.  I wanted to wait until we got our blinds installed before I made this post, and we didn't get them installed until this past weekend. Take a look at the final product!  I couldn't be happier, and more proud of all the work that Byron did in there!  It looks AMAZING!

I'll begin taking reservations now for those who would like to use the bathroom!  I highly encourage it!  I have taken a few baths, and LOVE the fact the bubbles are so gentle, and don't itch my skin like the old jacuzzi tub did - totally worth the cost of the tub!  I am a very lucky woman to have her husband work so hard and give her her dream bathroom!  Thank you my love..you are the best!