Gobble Gobble

Let me first say Happy Turkey Day to everyone. In case you're living under a rock, Thanksgiving is next week. While I do have plenty to be thankful for, I can't help but think of all of those who don't. Some kids don't have warm clothes, toys, or enough food to eat. This is why it's imperative that you help out. Most of us have more than enough. So go donate food to M.U.S.T. or donate a new toy to Toys for Tots. I know there are places you can take gently worn winter coats to. Hell, throw in a pair of mittens and a hat. If anything, your heart will feel good for doing it.

Ali and Kait this year have requested that instead of gifts, they want the family to sponsor an animal at the zoo. I think it's a fine idea, even if it means that there isn't as much under the tree. Knowing that they want to be charitable means a lot to me. Ali also wants to play secret Santa to some kids that live down the street. It does my heart good to see my kids thinking of others. I feel like I'm raising my girls right.

Hilarious

So an ex-friend of mine I found out now lives in Lexington, KY. He was a close friend at one time, but he told untrustworthy people some things about me that he was told in confidence. Then his now girlfriend was convinced we were sleeping together (mind you, Dan and I have been married all this time). Yeah, that friendship ended on a sour note. Now he and his *ahem* lady friend live a lot closer to me than he used to. Good thing we don't have any inclination to see/speak ever again.

I took a bunch of A. J.'s old clothes to the consignment sale. I am hoping that everything sells, and I will have some money to buy A. J. some new clothes to replace what I am selling. Next sale will be pretty good too I think, as it will be all of this past summer's clothes along with items like his baby bathtub and bath ring. The more turnover I have, the better in this case. And the nice things is 25% of the proceeds go to the church for the Youth and Children's activities. Works for me :)

Depression hurts

Yes, it sure does. And I have it. I've been moody, sad, and crabby for the past few weeks.

Let me say this. ANYONE who says that dealing with a child with ADHD is easy is fooling themselves. Now, try TWO ADHDers and a newly minted toddler! Chaos reigns supreme most days right now, and I'm treading water to get it back under control. I love my kids, and I love my husband. But I need help. Not just going to the Dr. and getting put on pills. Not just help with the laundry and dishes. I need love and compassion. All I feel I'm getting lately are demands and spite. I don't know what to think anymore. I can't keep going on like this tho. One way or the other, something is going to give.

The fruits of Labor Day

Morning to everyone out there!

It's Labor Day weekend. I remember how much I dreaded it as a kid. Labor Day weekend brought on the end of summer vacation. We started school the day after. Nowadays, my kids start school at the beginning to mid August. I am still trying (after 10 years) to figure out why they need all of these days off. We did 't have them, and we lived. Ah well.

Yesterday was Ali's BFF's birthday party. Another pool party for us to enjoy. Probably the last one of the year. It was fun, and the kids were properly worn out by the time we got home. We even slept in this morning. I think Kait is going to Six Flags today with her friends. I know they wanted me to go, but I am not a teenage girl.



I love this picture of A. J. He's looking out my bedroom window. He's going to be a handsome little man when he grows up. Poor girls :)

August 10th

I realized tonight that it's been almost 9 years since I miscarried Ali's twin sister. In some ways, it still hurts. Sometimes I look at Ali and wonder what two of her would have been like. Would Rhiannon have been as imaginative as Ali? Would she have done as well in school? What would her personality been like? I can only hope that one day I will find out. Sitting here now, I am feeling a little empty. Yeah, I love all of my kids to death. But there will always be an empty space in my heart for my little Rhiannon Elizabeth. I thank god every day that he blessed me with Ali.

Thoughts

Lately, the loss of Alana's twin sister, Rhiannon Elizabeth, has been brought up quite a few times. It hurts me that I can't hold her or kiss her or spend time with her. I sometimes look at Ali and can almost see her double there with her. I am still dealing with this after 8 years. I can't help but wonder if the pain will ever go away.

I also have been having a problem with feeling unwanted. My girls don't need me as much anymore, and A. J. is doing the whole "I want daddy" thing. That in itself doesn't really bother me. I'm now having to defend myself against my "egg donor". Yeah, I can't call her mother or mom anymore. She has now decided to take out her anger at me on my son. She's not happy that I called her out for her petty jealousy and saying stupid stuff. Her loss, but it still hurts. How can someone take out their anger on someone that is innocent? What a witch.

Bumblebees

So one of my favorite sites is giving away a Bumble Bee Skip Hop Zoo Lunchie! I really would love this for A. J., since he seems to LOVE bumblebees! You need to go to http://nickisdiapers.blogspot.com/ and check it out :)

Realizations

This weekend is Father's day. The girls, I am sure, will be up early calling their dad to scream it in his ear like they do every year. It's cute, and daddy loves it. This year, he gets to spend it with A. J. Yup, his first one as the father of a boy. I have no clue what he wants to do, but it's his choice.

I, on the other hand, can't spend it with my dad. He is 13 hours away up in Michigan. Sucks. What is worse is that I can't even call him because his other daughter will be there playing "Daughter of the Year.". So I either call him Saturday so I can actually talk to him, or don't call at all. Guess what I will be doing Saturday? Sigh....There are times I really dislike her.

So happy Father's day Daniel, Scott, John, Dad, and David. Hope you have a fantabulous day!!!

Peace and quiet

So the girls are gone to Nana's for a few weeks, and I have to say it is almost TOO quiet around here! I am so used to the girls being loud, the TV going, and what not. Yes, it's nice to have quiet. But it also makes blatantly obvious that they aren't here. And yes, I miss them :)

Since the last post, A. J. has started crawling finally! He is loving his new found freedom. He also now has his two bottom teeth. He's liking that his gums aren't so sore. He loves to make kissy faces at mommy tho :)

What a week. Ali's got a horrible sunburn, Kait's being Kait, and the baby is growing and teething!

Ali spends 2 hours in the little kiddy pool we have, and gets a massive sunburn on her shoulders. Poor baby was miserable for about 4 days. It's finally starting to get to the point where it's healing well, and of course she's peeling like a snake. I'm doing the whole Aloe thing, along with putting intensive care lotion on it to help it heal. I might end up getting her some 100 SPF sunscreen at this point lol.

I have to say I'm looking forward to the girls going to Nana's for a few weeks. Kait has been NO help at all with picking up after herself. It's not like I'm asking for a lot here. Pick up your clothes and put your dishes in the sink. Yeah, I know that it's typical teenager behavior. She'll be whipped into shape before she leaves tho.

A. J. is growing up so fast. He's almost crawling now, and his teeth are really bothering him. I wish they would come through already so he won't be so miserable :(

I get so frustrated with my family sometimes. The ones who think they know better have no idea what they are dealing with, and the ones that do know better are the ones who take the brunt of what happens. I hope that my kids never treat each other the way I am treated by certain family members.

Tomorrow is the last day of school here, and Alana is excited! I can't believe my little girl is going into 3rd grade! And Kait will be going into 10th! And to top it off, A. J. will be 1 in August! This summer will be an exciting one. We leave on the 9th of June to take the girls to Dan's parents for a few weeks. It will give me time to get things cleaned up around here and ready for Mr. Mobile Boy lol. He's just about there with crawling, so I am sure by the time we get back from picking them up on the 4th of July that he will be. Then the fun starts :)

Ali got sent home today. The one thing I hate about this time of year is that the weather is so crazy and everyone ends up with something. I am hoping A. J. doesn't get it.

Kait wants me to go to Six Flags with her on Sunday. I
am not certain if I should go. I'm 38 years old. I'm too old to ride roller coasters lol. But for her I will. The things we moms do for our little munchkins :)

Intro

So I guess the first post should be to introduce ourselves, right? Because that way people will know who they are reading about.

I am Lori. I am mom to two beautiful girls and a very handsome little man. I also work at my church PMO in the morning. Daniel is my husband. He works full time in an educational environment. He is also the father of the three aforementioned kiddos. Kait is 15 and a typical teenager. She is pretty and smart and a wonderful person to be friends with. Ali is 8. She is funny and warm and a giant love. We call her Ali-cat in response to her love of all things pertaining to felines. Yeah, she LOVES kitties lol. Adrian James (A. J. for short) is at this point 8 months old. He is chunky, sweet, and such a lover. His slobber kisses can make even the grumpiest day better for me.

Yeah, you read that correctly. All of my ducklings are seven years apart in age. No, we didn't plan it that way. God had a plan, and this is what it was. I don't regret it either. It almost is like each is somewhat of an only child. The older two are pretty independent as far as getting dressed/hair/teeth/ etc. I've even started teaching Kait to cook. She loves to make new things.

The biggest challenges we face right now is that Dan, Kait, and Ali are all AD/HD. I'm talking NO focus at all sometimes! It can make it hard to get things done around the house. I go to their Dr. Appointments and make sure they have their meds and all that fun stuff. More on that much later.

I am starting this blog as a way of communicating with loved ones and friends (both old and new). Hopefully this will make updates easier.