Back to bed

So, letting ALL three girls stay up way too late did bite me in the arse. They all slept in, including me, however it ended up throwing me off for the entire day.

It started with the girls going to camp and needing showers in the am. We typically do baths at night. It was annoying to have to deal with that and breakfast. Oh and then, I realize that I was supposed to run to the deli so they would have something for lunch. But we SLEPT in, no time for that! I ended up sending them in to camp, and I dropped off lunch after I went to the deli. After all this running, Maeve decides napping in the car is a great idea. So there went the long nap I was hoping for.

I decided to be somewhat productive. Our neighbors are away so we have been caring for their pool (which they let us use anytime) They are awesome. I decided to vacuum it and put some chlorine in to keep it tip top. I ended up bleaching one of my favorite shirts from the chlorine and after I vacuumed, the skies opened up and it poured. I mean torrential. The pool is full of leaves. **SIGH**

On the bright side, since it was pouring rain, a great friend offered to pick the girls up at camp for me. It was the highlight of my day. The afternoon was looking up, until piss and moan came home and were tired, hungry, cold etc...you name it, they were IT!. Even Disney XD could not keep these two happy. It was a long afternoon. Maeve had no nap, again..

By the time, Prince Charming arrived home, I was not in a good way. I fed them all, bathed them and then bid them all farewell. I went to Target, I bought myself a new Burts Bees lipgloss, a Glamour magazine and Peach Mango bubble bath. I came home and soaked until my fingers were pruney. Now, 2 Advil and my pillow...and dreams of a better tomorrow.

How was your day?

some fun

Why do the weekends go by so fast? We spent the afternoon on Sunday at the Newark Museum..Its small, close and just what we needed on a hot, muggy, overcast day. We spent some time walking around the small garden and the girls loved it so much.

They called it the "fairy garden"

Olivia trying on the firefighting gear at the museum.

Maeve had fun playing with the pebbles..She is always that happy.

Ava playing in the firetruck

David and Maeve or as I like to call her "Mavid"


On Friday, we spent the day with our cousins at Colony pool. This year the girls Olivia and Ava were able to go down the frog slide. They were so excited they were finally big enough.

Maeve loved the sand..and she was doted on all day by a great girl..Gizzy made my day so enjoyable by carrying Maeve for me and playing with her!!


See those smiles...that's because they had 2 icecream cones, 1 slushie, chicken nuggets and sun and sand.. Nice life!

Great weekend leading up to a busy week. Hope yours was great too.

Total "eclipse" of the heart..

I started to read the Twilight series but never finished past the first two ooks. Some girlfriends were going tonight to see the 3rd movie, Eclipse and although I did not read the book, I needed a night out!!

Needless to say it was a great movie. I will probably finish the books by the end of the weekend now.

I might even finish the Harry Potter books too!

Summertime

July already?? Summer is in full swing around here..our days are filled with lots of swimming...watermelon eating, ice pop licking and lightening bug catching come dark...

We celebrated big for Maeve's 1st birthday..Its hard to believe she is already 1!!!! We have had such a fun time with her. She is the center of attention most days..and her big sisters dote on her constantly...and to be honest me too!! She is a happy baby and brings us so much happiness.. We may be creating a monster though!!

Ava and Olivia are going to summer camp, three days a week and it keeps them busy.. and keeps me sane. Actually they are at camp right now, and Maeve is napping so I guess I better go be productive..

Sparkle

A short five days after my last entry on this blog, Kelley lost her fight with cancer, and we lost her. Words cannot even express the extreme sadness that came over me and the rest of my family. Trying to come to grips with loss and grief is probably one of the hardest tasks we all need to go through in life. It is so hard to go on and not question WHY?? Why Kelley? Why now? But all the questions in my head could drive me crazy... I learned I just needed to accept it and move on.....but move on in the right direction.

Jack met Kelley and to say it was a whirlwind romance would be an understatement. I had truly never seen him so happy in his life up to that point. He told me when he met her.."She is exactly what I want" They were married a short year later. The rest they say is history.

Work, kids, house remodels, vacations and the rest soon followed...and as they say.. life got in the way...I never had the chance to spend girl time with Kelley. We never went shopping, never went for pedicures, never to the movies..Life got in the way. It was not until Kelley got sick that I was able to tell her how I felt about her..that I loved her..that I loved her for loving Jack so well.

Jack was scheduled for a business trip to Sweden. Nanny was to go stay at the house with Kelley and the kids. For some reason, I called Kelley the week before and asked if I could come sleepover with the girls...(Emma would love it!) Little did I know that this was all in the plan.

The day before Kelley died, I took her for radiation, then we went to a local furniture store so she could order a coffee table!! Then back to the hospital for chemo. The most heartfelt conversation I ever had with Kelley took place that morning. She told me so many things..most of all how she was at peace with her prognosis, and as I cried as she said it, she told me to be brave. She was so strong.

We talked a bit about heaven and she told me a story of a prayer group friend's sister who had died from breast cancer. This woman told her family that when she died she would give them a sign that she was okay. She determined that she would be something shimmery or sparkling. I asked Kelley if she could come back as something what would it be? She told me she was not sure, but not something cliche like a bird or butterfly!! Kelley looked at me and simply said "I just really love the idea of a sparkle" I replied that is such a nice thought...to be a sparkle. And that was it.. nothing else was said about it.

Kelley died on Wednesday, a day after I was sitting with her talking about coffee tables. We all knew she was terminal but you are just never ready. I was in furthur turmoil because Jack could not be there. I was there for Jack, I held her hand, I cared for her the way Jack would have done. But that was Kelley's plan, she was protecting Jack. She loved him so much she did not want him to suffer. The day following her death was terrible, I was in a fog and just emotionally and physically spent. I went home to David and my girls.

I did not sleep much that night, as I thought so much about Kelley. Maeve woke up extra early that morning as well. I was anxious to get her from her crib and as I went to pick her up, I see as plain as can be, a small fleck of glitter in the middle of her forehead. That was the sparkle. I knew that Kelley was ok and was watching over us.

And I knew then that we would all be ok too.

Mother's Day

What a better way to start the week than by celebrating ME!!! I really do love Mother's Day especially now that the girls understand and want to make my day special. We started the day early with breakfast at the diner.

David and the girls waiting on a table.

After breakfast we headed out for a drive to run some errands and went by the Great Falls. It was FREEZING and very windy so we only stayed a short time. We then ran some errands while the girls stayed with Nanny.

It was like a mini vacation for me!

Dinner was my choice and I decided on FRIED CHICKEN. It was so yummy and then we had a delicious ice cream cake. The girls were so excited to give me their gifts and cards. They made me these ceramic plates that they decorated. David had made one of these for his mom and I always say how nice it is to have something from his childhood. So he had the girls make me some. It was really sweet!

Ava's plate

Olivia's plate

Of course no Mother's Day would be complete without this lady. I am so thankful for my mom, she is truly the glue that holds us all together and she never ceases to amaze us with her strength and love.

~We love you Nanny~

10 months

Maeve is 10 months old!!


Where does the time go? So what are you up to these days?

You weigh about 17 pounds, you are a peanut!!

You wear a size 3 diaper and are in 9 month clothing.

You love to eat!! Mostly all table food now. You will try anything! Favorites include avocado, cheese, yogurt, veggie puffs, cheerios, and peaches. You are a pro at the sippy cup now too. You take 3 bottles a day and are now officially weaned.

You sleep great at night now almost 12 hours straight. You like a morning nap but afternoon naps are harder, mostly because we are always on the go with your big sisters.

You are a happy little girl and get so excited to see your sisters. You have the best giggle and are just a joy to be around.

You are just starting to get around----doing the "army" crawl and can pull yourself up and roll EVERYWHERE!!! You love your toys and your most favorite is the Barbie cell phone!!

You have added such happiness to our little family. We could not love you more!!