ha ha ha

my bff jamie clued my into this site http://www.yearbookyourself.com/ which we had a ball visiting! you basically upload a photo of yourself and it superimposes it onto pix of different people from different years--so here's too, lily, ty, and myself--see what you think!

today was good--gg, gran, and tim are here visiting and the boys went to the gator game today. the girls and kids went to the mall for lunch, germ pit, and a wee bit of shopping (todd calls it punitive shopping since i couldn't go to the game...). all is well. cheers...

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Today was good, although I started the morning feeling quite rotten--headache, stomach issues, some more vertigo...I wanted a day off!! I took Lily to worship dance at church and then to tap class at O2B Kids, without toting the rest of the gang. Worship dance was a flop with her--she didn't let go of me and cried intermittenly--when will this end??? But then, we had a chat about the logistics of tap class--no, I can't go in there with her, mommies have to wait outside, you'll love it...she went in no problem and had a ball!! I just never know with her--but I was tickled pink that she did so well for tap!! Tomorrow is her meet-the-teacher and I am just so anxious and hopeful about the whole thing...pray for all of us! My awesome, wonderful, thoughtful husband surprised me with a pedicure tonight, followed by a few hours where I could disappear to Joann fabrics and Publix--alone...this was heaven tonight! My toes are now Kennebunkport Red and I am blissed out...the spa always reminds me to buy more products with lavender--that smell just shouts RELAX to me...as I strolled through Joann's, I began thinking of my BF Jamie, who is celebrating her birthday today--Happy Birthday my dear friend of 16 years!! You inspire me in ways that you'll never know--I love you to pieces!! On another note, I went to ballet last night, which kicked my booty! My quads now need substantial recovery time..I got to experience being the "fat girl" in class, which was a humbling first...but the point is that I WENT, and I will continue to go. I did appreciate the sympathetic glances from the 18 year-olds, though...the mind is so willing...the body was so not able...one final note--the Lily quote of the day: "Mommy, come quick, LOOK! My poopy made an 'L!'" figured I'd spare you the picture! Enjoy the photos etc. from today! Cheers! Here's Miss Isabella, age five and a half months...

Aren't they just stinkin' cute??? I LOVE this age!!!
Oh, and James rolled over in the last two days from his back to his tummy!!

And here's Ty performing his routine, "NO" enjoy

Todd just asked if I had any pictures of Ty on here where he's happy and looking cute...and I realized that I don't--so, TOMORROW, I will present the happier side of my baby boy...

dog for sale...

Look how innocent Zuzu looks--sweet, cuddly, and just plain old adorable! awwwwww....
and then you come home and she has opened and chewed up a box of wipes...I mean honestly, what possesses a five year old dog to do this on a perfectly sunny day??? I can understand thunderstorm anxiety, but this is just rotten behavior to retaliate for us not being home...
So Zuzu isn't really for sale...but who would buy her???Oh well, we still love her and this wasn't NEARLY as bad as the vertical blinds! Anyway, had my doc visit today and she is letting me have an MRI to put the kiebash on my worries over my head. She recommended Lexipro, but I wanted to try the MRI and some therapy first. She thinks the migraines are from stress and I guess the MRI will show any sinus problems. I forgot to mention the other day that Lily got stung by a wasp after church on Sunday!! Poor little girl! She was a real trooper though! I go to ballet class tonight--pray for me... cheers!

tuesday, tuesday...

couldn't get it in gear this morning so i got to moms' group about 30 minutes late--no sweat, though...we've all joked that there's no such thing as being late to moms' group. my kids were great today--i thoroughly enjoyed them even though i am still so tired for some reason. my doctor' s visit got moved to tomorrow so i have a bit longer to wait to discuss the vertigo i've been experiencing lately. on a good note, i did not have a headache today! and school starts for Lily in one week! she has "meet the teacher" on friday and i am so hopeful about this year--i pray that she adjusts better than she did last year. she was so cute today--isabella was laughing at her and lily says, "she's laughing up a thunderstorm!" ty told me i was the best mommy tonight--could anything be better? a funny thing--i tried to call my folks last night and couldn't get them--the hours ticked by and at 9:50 pm i still could not get them--very uncharacteristic for them to not be home! when i finally got them at 9:55, they were leaving the ER!!! my dad got a fish hook caught in his pinky finger and couldn't get it out--here i was imagining the worst and it was only a fish hook!! i gave them a stern lecture about bringing their cell phones...ha! just glad all was ok. more tomorrow after my doc visit--cheers!

Go Away Fay!!

Tropical Storm Fay has really been a non-event here--lots of rain, some wind, and too many days in a row of clouds!! I think I'm susceptible to seasonal affective disorder--too many rainy days in a row really put me in a funk...although it could be being couped up in the house with four small children during those rainy days that's affecting me, but who knows...anyway, things are still going fairly well in my little world. The big kids have continued to behave normally--sometimes good, sometimes not--but fairly predictable. I took all four to Target today--Ty in the high cart seat, James in his carrier in the basket, Lily walking, and Isabella in the Baby Bjorn. Yes I'm nuts...but amazingly, the kids stay with me. Lily was so cute, helping me put items underneath the cart and arranging them to make room for more. She really is a good little helper. After Target we went to the mall to meet Lisa for lunch and the kids played in the germ pit. I need to send the mall a Christmas card this year--it's done so much for me...I also got a little retail-therapy fix at Gymboree--is it a little sad that the salesgirls and I are on a first name basis? BUT...I have never paid even remotely full price for anything there--I am quite the savvy little shopper and can practically smell the clearance rack and all the hidden treasures it contains all the way from the parking lot! This afternoon my friend Jeni B and her girls Natalie and Vallarie came over (and new baby sister Lauren, too)--so great to see them again after their summer away. So different having a playdate with only girls, too...quietish, lots of dress-up and dolls...Ty was napping so it really was ALL girls. We went to Firehouse Subs tonight since I desperately need to go to Publix but didn't make it there today. tomorrow...and Mimi and Poppy are coming for a visit tomorrow, too--can't wait!! I'm homesick for them! I have a few requests of you for prayer tonight...first, my friend M has an appt at the OB Monday first thing to measure her twins--the little one is still hanging in there and she's 19 weeks pregnant now. My prayer is that those babies keep growing and that they both survive to 27+ weeks and can be delivered alive. second, my friend Sarah's twin girls are sick with a nasty virus and perhaps pneumonia--I haven't heard the latest from her. They are very tiny and they need healing, so please include them in your prayers as well. finally, i need some prayers for my anxiety. it is running rampant and causing me some problems when i'm trying to sleep. i'm having headaches every day and a touch of vertigo. i have a doc's appt on tuesday and i'm going to be calling a therapist to help me through this sans meds. thanks to each and every one of you who read my blog and pray for me and those i share with you. you will be rewarded with pictures in the next few days...cheers!

Happy Hurricane To You!!

I posted more below, but I will caption the pictures. Here's Dr. Lily examining Isabella--she did a very thorough exam! And Isabella was in awe of her big sister!!

Here's the bite you will read about... poor Isabella!!!

Isabella in the new jumperoo!! The twins LOVE it!
Isabella Spence--age five months
James McCabe--age five months

Here they were spontaneously holding hands--so cute!!


can I play with that??

I hope all of you Floridians are battening down the hatches!! We bought our water, batteries, candles, and other odds and ends today--I really don't think it will be a bad storm, but you never know. Anyway, much better days lately--sorry for the gloomy post the other day!! I started a new blog for all my ranting and raving--you can find it if you look on my profile--but I promise to keep this blog a little more lively and bright...so, now for the recent happenings--Isabella got bit at the church nursery yesterday!! Poor sweet baby!!! It did not break the skin, but it left a nasty mark! She only cried for a minute, they said. Ty, James, and Isabella all have colds. James has had a rash for a week now and our nurse practitioner today said that the rash was a precursor to the cold. Lily also saw the NP today for her 4 year old check-up--she's perfectly healthy! She weighed 39lbs and was 41in. tall--the 75th percentile. She has been watching Disney's Chip and Dale on DVD lately and has been pretending to be Dale. She gathers "acorns" and "nuts" (which are all teeny little toys or stuffed animals) and talks in a high-pitched voice. Today after her doctor visit we went to Publix to get our hurricane supplies and I gave her a loaf of bread to hold (she had been "Dale" the whole time we were in there). I leaned over her in the cart and she screams out, "You're squashing my NUTS!!" I couldn't contain my laughter because all those passing us in the aisles were giving us some rather odd looks! So funny! Anyway, school starts soon and I am going to try to savor the time with Lily and Ty before they leave me during the week. Enjoy the photos! Cheers!

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today is one of those days when i question my choice to stay home...i think the only thing the kids are learning from me today is how to lose your cool or how to yell...granted, their behavior has been AWFUL!!!! but i haven't reacted like i should--unfortunately i am human so their behavior is really getting to me. this all started last night when lily wouldn't go to bed for our babysitter. we got home at 9:30 and she was still up--so was ty, although he was in his crib with the light off. i went in to check on him because lily had intentionally scratched him by his eye earlier and i wanted to look at it. we put him back to bed but we had already opened pandora's box. thus began the whines, cries, and screams for us to cover him up, pull his duck toy that makes music, for us to sing, and then repeat all those in any combination. this lasted well until 11:00, but was interupted by james at 10:30 screaming. i nursed him and put him back down and i think by 11:30 all our children were asleep--mind you they normally go to bed at 7. ty woke up this morning screaming at 5-something and we let him go until about 6:30. I finally went in there and told him it wasn't time to get up yet--more screaming. i threatened spanking...more screaming...i didn't want him to wake the babies so i told him he could lay in our bed and watch cartoons...more screaming...i asked him if he wanted to stay in his crib...more screaming. i very sternly explained his options to him and he chose to lay back down. i returned to bed and shortly thereafter james was awake. todd and i fed the babies and lily and ty and ty's rotten behavior just continued and escalated. i must have put him into timeout 5 times this morning, sometimes sitting outside our front door because he was screaming so much. and lily was awful too!! i mean awful--like we had turned back the clock a year! i don't know what person in their right mind can deal with this sort of thing all day long, plus take care of two other babies, and do laundry and dishes and clean the house, all without losing their sanity or hurting themselves or others. i'm losing my mind. even when things get quiet again i am still so fired up from all the manure that i've waded through all morning that i can't even appreciate it. i can't wait for school to start and i can't wait for sonia to get back (after reading this you may not want to return, sonia... :)) and i guess i can't make up my mind how i feel philisophically about spanking--i don't want to spank, but NOTHING else seems to work. mind you, i did not spank anyone today, but i'm thinking maybe i should have since all this nonsense continues...i know that parenting is hard--ask any parent and they'll tell you that. but i guess i never realized that my particular two older children would be so difficult in conjunction with the constant physical needs of my twins. i know that like four years down the road things will be great--but i have to make it through this day right here and it's a minute to minute struggle right now...
on a positive and exciting note--isabella rolled from her back to her tummy this morning!! i almost forgot with all the other garbage i was dealing with! yeah for her!!!!!

Venice continued...

Nobody panic--LILY HAS A BOW IN HER HAIR!!!! I made 50 of them to sell at my friend Anna's store here and Lily begged for one (and she hasn't worn one of my creations in months!). I found it hard to contain my enthusiasm!!!!

We had fun down at the fountain park the other day with our friends Kaley, Karsyn, and Kinley (and their respective mommies and grandmas :)) I leave Monday to return home--and Todd gets back tomorrow night from cousin Billy's wedding in MD. I am really going to miss my parents and my vacation from laundry and bottle-washing (thanks a million, mom!!!). I do miss my husband though, so it is time to return to my life...lots of good things brewing for the fall... I will post more pix when I get home. Cheers to you all!

catching up...

So here's my big birthday girl, getting ready to bake her cake using her new chef's outfit. Lily helped me bake, frost, and decorate her cake, which she LOVED!!! and, it was YUMMY!!!

This was during Lily's small little party--just a few friends and family...
"Auntie Amy" at the kids' table...

Ty's best friend, Jonathan...
Lily's best friend, Adrian...
One of Lily and Ty's best buddies, Travis...
"Uncle Jeff" and myself...
Daddy in the kitchen...

Lily at the pool at my mom and dad's house...
Ty Ty and Daddy...
Isabella and James, 4 and a half months...
Mr. Pudding-face...
Adrian helping Lily blow out her candle...

Lily and Ty with her birthday flowers from Daddy...
Lily and I painted pottery on her actual birthday in Venice at my friend Anna's store, Glazy Days

This moth was right outside the door at my parents' house and was atleast 2 inches across!
Lily chowing down on some corn at Gold Rush BBQ...
Ignore James in the pink bib--he had spit up on all my boy ones for the day! They are a few days shy of five months here...
Lily, age four going on twenty...

James with Poppy...
Today was silly hat and glasses day at Mimi's school for Lily's class...

Nanny holding Isabella....

We have had a great trip and I can't believe I've been here for over a week now! A few thoughts: Ty has LOVED the pool! He jumps to me and says, "one, two, free!!!" He has a little trouble pronouncing some sounds, but he sounds so cute when he says things like that!

Lily made a friend at school--Megan--and it was precious to see them hug good-bye and then hear all about her! Lily also went on her first field trip--the fountain park and then to Dairy Queen for lunch! I drove by in my mom's car to spy on her and she was so cute. I loved imagining her riding the church bus in her little seat belt...can she really be that old???

I have two specific prayer requests of all of you lovely readers of my blog-- 1) our family friend, Jan, who was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer, began chemo this week and it is making her VERY sick. I want to pray for her comfort and for healing. and 2) my friend M who is pregnant with the twins got news this week that the gap in their sizes is increasing--they are hoping to keep her pregnant until the smaller baby is 1 pound so they can deliver!!! ONE POUND!!! can you imagine??? So please say a prayer for her and her babies--their whole family, actually--those babies need to grow and be healthy!!! Blessings to all of you!!! Cheers--Kelly