Family Time.

Sometimes it feels like we don't have any family time anymore. We only get 1 day off a week now, and Lily's in school for most of the day. Today, Lily is off of school, so we are going to enjoy the heck out of our day. At least I am. We're going to go to the pumpkin patch today and get our pumpkins...that means we get to spend an hour petting the animals!! After that, my friend offered to come watch the kids for a while so Jim and I can go out and enjoy some alone time. HOLY COW! I have some awesome friends!

Tomorrow is Fiona's birthday! I can't believe she's going to be 1 already! It feels like just yesterday that I was a huge preggo face. It's so awesome to watch her growing. She's been taking steps all over the place...but when she sees someone watching her, she sits down. Stinker. She LOVES talking on the phone...well, she loves texting on the phone I should say. She cuddles with an old cell when she goes to bed at night.

We had Lily's conferences yesterday. It went surprisingly well. Lily tested out in the 10th percentile in Math and the 11th for reading, but the teacher said she is definitely higher in the reading than the test shows. So that's good news! I made some goals with the teacher to get Lily going a little farther. We want to have Lily able to count and write her numbers up to 100 by the end of the year, and have her able to sound out words when she writes. I think that these are achievable goals! I told Lily when I got home that I saw a picture of her friend Ben...the one she told Jim she was going to marry...and she said "Isn't he handsome?!?" Oh lordy...I am in trouble! Hahaha!

Eoghan is a video game genius. It's amazing what he can do with a game. He's playing "Crash Bandicoot" and kicking butt! In 2 weeks, he turns 4!! It seems like this year took forever for him. He's so tall and well spoken for his age, that we often forget that he's only 3. I'm very excited for him. Now we only have to wait until next Fall for him to go to pre-k. He's so ready for it now...it sucks that his birthday comes after the cut off. :(

Anyway, time to get outside and do some yardwork with the fam.

Turn around time?

Life is such a roller coaster of ups and downs...and of course it seems like the bad times are around far longer. For the past 2 years, roughly, our "bad time" has only gone from less crappy to more crappy. Today we got some fantastic news that a computer problem in our car is going to be fixed for free due to a recall on that part. It was going to cost almost a grand to fix it ourselves...so we never did. Yaaaaaaaaaaay! ::happy dance:: I'm hoping that this is where the universe decides to stop crapping on us and be nice for a while. *knock on wood* By the way universe, I could totally go for a mini van...just saying! :) I'm not going to get my hopes up for anything, but I am certainly going to keep my fingers crossed.

Finding my motivation.

I've made some pretty intense personal goals for myself recently, and I'm hell bent on seeing them through. So far I've made some baby steps...but they're fairly significant for me. Now I just need to take the focus I've put into that, and stretch it out to be a teenager step lol. I'm confident that if I have faith in myself, I will achieve my goals. Go me! :)

Today Eoghan and I made some pretties. I got $4 of stuff from the dollar store and put this wreath together...and Eoghan helped me make the plaque. We're very proud of our creations. My kitchen is loving them too. Since my theme is apples and farm animals(chickens mainly) and I love the Fall colors, it fits so well. I'm looking forward to making more fun stuff like this for other areas of my home. It's nice to do something creative. :)

Finally Fall!

I am so in love with this time of year. It's so romantic!! The leaves turning colors making the world so lovely and magical. The crisp air is perfect for fires, cuddling and hot cider. Apples are ripe for the picking. Scarecrows, hay bales, corn stalks and pumpkins decorate lawns and houses all around. Halloween is right around the corner...which means Halloween movies for a month. It makes me giddy just thinking about it! I truly wish it were like this all year round. The perfect weather-not too hot, not too cold-and it's gorgeous!

There are also a lot of birthdays this time of year. Fiona will be 1 in less than a month! I just can't believe how fast it's going. It seems like just yesterday I was pregnant with her! Yesterday we went and picked up her birthday present (yes, it's early, but the price was right now, and she doesn't care about her birthday yet), a Little tykes mini climber with slide. It's perfect for her, and she loves it! After that comes Eoghan. He'll be 4! He's so tall and so smart that you'd swear he's 5. That means that next year, he gets to go to pre-k. We're all so excited for that! I have a feeling that this year will be huge for him. A week after Eoghan's b-day is Jim's! I have to remind him that I already got his birthday present ...a bellows for helping him start fires in the fire pit. I'm thinking it will be a great night to get a sitter and go out for a date night WITHOUT CHILDREN! It will be the first time for us to go out alone since the baby's been born. I am looking forward to that!

I better get back to Eoghan...gotta cuddle up and watch "Percy Jackson"~

Ch-ch-ch-changes. (PG-13)

The school year has begun, and Lily is gone all day at kindergarten. It's such a bittersweet thing. I'm glad that she is able to be a little more independent and learn how to deal without me around. I love that she's learning and making friends. But poor Eoghan has been so bored without her here! She is his best friend. I think he enjoys the things we do during the day. A few times a week, we go somewhere and do something fun. Whether it's drop in time at "the play room", running errands or going to the library...I try to do something with him. I never really got one on one time with him b/c Lily was 16 months old when he was born. It's been nice to get to know him a little better without so much distraction. He's such a great kid. Today he said the funniest thing!! He was eating some applesauce, and I had kept it out because I knew he would want more. When he finished his 1st bowl, he said "I want more!" and went to look in the fridge for it. He said "Where's the applesauce!?" and I told him "In China." He then came over to me and felt my pants by crotch area and said "It's here!?" LMAO! Lesson for today...China is not to be confused with vagina!

Last week I weighed myself, and I saw that I've lost 8 pounds! Not sure what's causing it...stress or just forgetting to eat during the day b/c I'm busy...but I don't eat too much anymore. Sometimes when I do, I feel ill. Bittersweet. Hopefully it keeps going and I can drop a few more LBS.

Fiona is growing so fast... The other day she got her first pony tail. I just love little ponies on babies!! She's been experimenting a lot with standing by herself, but if she gets distracted she freaks out and sits down. She won't eat baby food anymore because she really enjoys feeding herself. Last night she tried eggplant parmesan and loved it. I'm pretty sure that she's been saying "Hi." But I'm not 100% on that one. I can't believe that next month she turns 1!!! The time just flew by! Before I know it, all of my babies will be in school.

Life happens.

As much as I love my life, I've been really stressed lately. The financial situation here is not good at all, which has caused a lot of stress. The hubby is going to be working an extra day a week, so we will only have 1 day off a week. I'm going to start delivering food for my brother and sister in laws' food delivery service. I really hope that we will be able to bring in enough money a month to pay all of our bills. I'm really dreading not being able to spend so much time with Jim. It's going to be so hard for me to be by myself so much. I understand the need for it, I just wish it wasn't needed.

Lily starts school on Tuesday. I am so stinking excited I could pee. I think she's pretty nervous...but I know she'll do just fine. In 2 weeks we start our E.C.F.E.
class begins. I am so ready for that to start back up. It's a great way to get Eoghan some interaction with other kids his age. I'm hoping that it will also help with Fiona's separation anxiety issues. I can't believe how fast the summer went by!

Fall is fast approaching and I am beyond ready for it! The leaves are already starting to change color. I am bound and determined to get some really great pictures of that. Apple orchard, pumpkin patch, sweaters, jumping in piles of leaves, apple cider, hot cocoa, Halloween, Thanksgiving, bonfires, carmel apples...so many things I positively love about Autumn. By far, my favorite season. Unfortunately, after that comes Winter. I am really not looking forward to that. I hate being cold. I hate the mess. I hate driving in winter in Minnesota. I only like the snow on Christmas. lol.

Eoghan was sick yesterday and was throwing up all morning. Fiona is very much a grump today, and I am hoping she's not sick. I'm not feeling too well either. I hope it holds off and that nobody is sick on Sunday. We're going to my aunt's house in Wisconsin for the day to ride horses. I am so psyched! I miss horseback riding more than I ever thought I would. I can't wait to get back in the saddle and free my mind up. The most therapeutic thing I can imagine.

Vacation.

Tomorrow my husband goes back to work after taking a 9 day vacation from work. It has been the most wonderful time ever. We took turns sleeping in, spent all day, every day as a family and did some really fun stuff.

The first thing we did was take the kids to the local dollar theater and saw "Marmaduke". I was disappointed in it, but the kids loved it. "Wait for it...wait for it..." lol. That was the best part.

We went to the Science Museum and had fun exploring everything. My favorite is the dinosaur bones, Eoghan loves the Mummy, Lily really enjoys the musical stairs. Every time we go there, I learn something new. It's pretty sweet.

We went to Crystal Cave in Wisconsin, which was exciting. I went there when I was a teenager with my family, and it's exactly the same 11 years later. Jim had to bring Eoghan up after only 15 or so minutes into the hour long tour. Lily thought it was really fun though. After the tour, the hubby bought the kids a bag of sand with gems in it to pan through. It was so awesome. I will never forget that day, that's for sure.

One day we went to Highland pool...awesome. The whole family had a blast out there. Nothing like splashing around in some clear water with the sun shining and having a great time with the family. I enjoyed going off of the diving board...made me feel young again. After that we went to the drive-in to see "Nanny McPhee", which was so sweet. I love those movies. I'm glad we still have some drive-ins around to take the kids to. That's one of the things from my youth that I always enjoyed and will never forget.

Yesterday we spent the day taking care of some yard stuff. Jim took out a corner of the yard that was not only an eyesore but also dangerous. He took out the very old railroad ties that were rotting, dug up several tree roots and a lot of weeds, disposed of a lot of rocks (nails, glass shards, sticks etc....), flattened out the dirt, and built a frame for my garden for next year. I am VERY excited to plant things back there! It will be nice to get a lot more veggies! That evening, my friend came over for our "weekly fire night"...I've rather enjoyed our hang out sessions. It's nice to just hang out and chat.

Today, on our last day of vacation, we had Lily's last day of gymnastics. It was great b/c it was "bring a friend" day, and Eoghan got to go along with her to class. They had such a wonderful time! It was kind of sad to have it end though. After finishing up some yard work, we took the kids to the zoo and visited the butterfly garden, the new baby giraffe and went on a ride. The kids left happy, which was the goal. From there we went to my parents' house for dinner. It was nice to visit with them, since we haven't seen them in a few weeks.

Now the kids are in bed and we're unwinding by playing on the internet. I finally got a chance to blog... But now I have to prepare myself for reality to set back in. I'm going to miss having the hubby around all day long. Having someone there to help with the kids. Being able to sleep in. But, it's time to get back to my routine. A lot of housework needs to be done. I have to get the kids back on a bed time schedule, since school starts in 2 weeks. No more late nights! Man, this summer sure went fast. I am however, looking forward to having more one on one time with Eoghan.

Anyway, time to hit the hay. Until next time!

Dream doctor.

Have you ever woken up from a dream and thought "I wonder what THAT was all about!" Lately I've been having some pretty bad dreams, and this morning I decided to look into the meaning of some of them. Pretty interesting, that's for sure. I think it's pretty accurate too. Some dreams are pretty obvious as to what the "message" is in them...but some are so seemingly random, that you need some help finding out what they mean. I've been having occasionally recurring dreams about tornadoes...wow. I'd say it's pretty dead on. Last night I had a dream where I turned into a black panther...man that was intense! I guess it's just nice to get a little insight to what your subconscious is trying to tell you.

Being an adult.

I just recently came to the realization that there are things in life that it's okay for me to enjoy being where I am in life. I've got 3 children, 5 and under. My days are full of screaming, crying, playing, laughing, hearing "Mommy" a 1,000 times, trying to clean, running errands, going to the park, changing diapers, feeding children...you get the idea... Any parent knows that the more children you have the more lax you are with each one that comes along. Our first child didn't have sugar until she turned 1 year. Now the 3rd, we still monitor it, but I've given her nibbles of cake. I didn't spend a day away from my first child until she was 16 months old and I was in the hospital having her little brother. Now with the 3rd, I'm yearning to go out and have some me time. I love my children more than life and I entirely enjoy being a SAHM, but sometimes, I yearn for adult conversation. My youngest child is now 9 months old, and I've decided that pumping and dumping once in a while is okay. I still don't consume caffeine...so I'm not changing completely...but up until this point (and with my other 2) I refused to have a drink. Funny how things change. I just feel like I've grown as a person and decided that it's okay to be an adult. It's okay to have time to yourself once in a while. It's okay to spend time with your husband alone and be romantic. It's okay to have a drink. I'm not a bad mother for having those thoughts. I'm not being selfish by trying to find myself as a person. It's such a relief to be able to release those thoughts and free myself in a way.

Appreciation.

The past couple weeks I've been thinking about random appreciation and how it affects people. Last week I got together with a friend that I hadn't seen in a while. When we were leaving, she gave me a very sweet compliment. Initially, I was stunned a little bit by the randomness of it, but then I couldn't help but feel a bit more confident and notice the little skip in my step. A couple days ago, my "Thought of the Day" website had a theme very close to it..I can't find the exact link unfortunately, but it was a good one. Then last night my wonderful husband gave me a very sweet comment of appreciation that made my month. If it made me feel great, I know it would make other people feel great too. Why not start doing that more often? Maybe it will start a movement of fuzzy happy feelings. I'm going to randomly compliment someone today. :)

Good and bad.

Have you ever had the feeling that the universe is taking a huge crap on you? I've been having that feeling for a while. Medical bills, dental bills, energy bill doubled, mortgage went up, the hubby's birthday present was lost/stolen last night before he even had a chance to use it. I just wonder when it's our turn for a bit of sweet luck. I'm tired of wondering what else could happen. I then knock on wood b/c I don't want anything else to happen. LOL. I'm hoping that my face painting endeavor will take off and I'll be able to bring in a little cash to help out with things. *fingers crossed*

In good news, last night we had over my oldest friend. We've been friends since 4th grade. Our lives took different paths when we reached adulthood, so we don't see much of one another. But when we get together, it's like no time has passed. We're able to laugh and talk like we always did. It's really nice. I had a good time remembering the old times and all the fun stuff we did. Hoping that we'll be able to spend more time together, more often.

Happily Ever After.

As a girl, you grow up hearing stories and watching movies about true love and happier ever after. You go through life hoping to find your Prince Charming and living out the fairy tale. Sometimes, a person will get lucky and find that...some are not as lucky. Then there are those people who find more than that...they find their soul mate. Someone that is so perfect for them that that person can finish their sentences, says the things they think but don't say, understands them better than they understand themselves, and makes their entire life better just by knowing them. I am one of the rare ones. At a young age I met the love of my life, and have spent the last 7 years of my life living my fairy tale. We may not have a lot of money. We might argue once in a while about petty things. But we are happier than most people I know. We have a beautiful family. He is my best friend. There are so many times that I look at him and I fall in love all over again. I know that I am blessed to be where I am today, and I look forward to my happily ever after with my Prince Charming.

Religion and me.

I've always struggled with my religious beliefs. I'm caught somewhere between Christianity and Atheism. I've been told that I am an Agnostic, and I guess that's about right. I believe that there is a higher power...not sure who or what that may be. I believe in living a moral life and teaching my children those same morals. I have a strong dislike for bible thumpers and born agains. They're pushy and rude. The reason I've never been a church goer is because I don't like having "sin and you'll go to hell" shoved down my throat.

Lately I've been struggling with my desire to join a church-like community. The "we're all a big family" mentality really appeals to me. I'd love to be able to go somewhere like that and be able to connect with people like that. But I don't want all the religion that goes along with it. Last night I was laying in bed and wondering "Is there such thing as an Agnostic church?" So this morning I was looking into it. Apparently, there is a "religion" called Unitarianism (also seen it with Universalism in the name), and there are several churches in my neck of the woods...but they're all very, very liberal. I am much more of a conservative, and I can't really stomach the strong liberal beliefs. So NOW what do I do?

I suppose I shall continue to look into the "daily meditations" that I was introduced to. I am a fan of the Hazelden "Thought of the Day". It's nice to have something to think about throughout the day, and it gives a little "project" to work on or think about. There are a few books that they've made that I would like to get. I guess this is what my "religion" will be. Cut out all of the overly pushy stuff, and take what I want out of it. A couple more sites I check out for daily inspiration are the Daily Motivator and Positive Affirmations.

And found again...

While commenting on my niece's blog, I stumbled upon this blog. I wasn't able to get the old pictures, because the provider is different or something. I was able to see the old blog entries though, and it was super awesome to be able to look back at what was going on in my head and in my life so long ago. When I first started the blog, I was pregnant with Eoghan. I then found it again last year when I was pregnant with Fiona. Luckily, it's safe to say that I am NOT pregnant this go round... It's amazing how much has changed for me the past few years. How much I've grown as a mother, a wife, a friend, a daughter, a sister and as a human being.

Lily is now 5 years old going on 15. We're getting ready for her to start kindergarten this Fall. I can't believe how time is flying! She is such a talented artist...I will have to share some of her work. Right now she's in gymnastics, and she loves it. She's got a flair for it too. It will be quite interesting to see where life will take her. I'm guessing she's going to be an artist of some sort.

Eoghan is 3 1/2 years old and such a BOY! He loves to get dirty, climb onto and jump off of things and play video games. I'm hoping it continues and he gets into football or something and earns a scholarship to college! Luckily, he's a very smart boy...he's darn near reading. It's crazy! He knows his letters forward, backward and upside down!! I've found a preschool that is very inexpensive and I'm hoping that we'll be able to find the money to send him there this year.

Fiona is 9 months old and growing so fast! She's crawling all over the place now. She's been pulling herself up onto things for a while, and has begun transferring from one surface to another. She'll be walking very soon now. The cutest thing she does right now, is dancing. If she hears music or I sing to her she shakes her little booty. I'm so excited for her to get older and get better with her separation issues, but it's going so fast, and I'm missing her being little.

Well, I suppose that's all for now. I'm going to bookmark my blog so I don't forget about it!