WAY too much fun!!!

So, this weekend we "escaped" to the big city for a night with our BFF, "Aunt" Ginger. Just good old fashion adult fun took place all day, and into the evening. We started off by watching the Cubs vs. Sox in Wrigleyville, then we stopped for a bite at Mystic Celt. Then the BIG FUN began! We took a cab to an authentic, really awesome, Asian style karaoke joint. If you haven't gathered by now, we are karaoke junkies. I mean full on addicts!!!

Now, before you starting thinking we can actually sing, just hold on! There is no way I would EVER think that I could actually carry a tune. But, there in lies the beauty of karaoke, you don't HAVE to be able to sing. Especially, when you are in a private room, with the echo turned WAY up, with your very closest friends. We sang for 4 hours, we sang duets, solos, rap, you name it! It was some serious fun!!!!!

If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend it, especially in a REAL karaoke joint....


Here are some pics! Ginger and me at Mystic Celt!












Ginger and Jason

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

I know that one day I am seriously going to regret that I ever said this, or even thought this for that matter. Now, for those of you who may feel differently, I am sorry, but it's with great pride that I give a shout out to all the "girls" in this family. Everyone knows that I truly love and adore Carter, our first born. But, after spending an afternoon, SOLO with all 4 kids at the pool, I just have to mention how much easier girls are at this age (that being 14 months and 3 and 1/2) than boys. These girls are the most agreeable, level-headed, easy-going children compared to their brother. That is not to say that Carter isn't totally sweet and kind (he has ALWAYS been a sweetheart to his baby sisters), but when push comes to shove, and I need to get things done, the girls win hands down. They follow directions, they don't argue, and they can go from one activity to the next seamlessly. Carter on the other hand, has a few issues with transitions, and is sometimes so stubborn, I can't take it! The girls would gladly give Carter something that they have and he wants just to get him to stop whining!!!!

Again, I KNOW I will regret this later when they are teenagers, but for today, WAY TO GO GIRLS!!!!!!!

"I laughed, I cried, it was better than CATS!!!"

So, the movie definitely, maybe came out on DVD on Tuesday, so of course, off to Target I went to secure my copy. The big deal you ask? Well, I have a new fondness for Ryan Reynolds!!!! If you don't know, he is Van Wilder, or the guy from the TV show "Two Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place." Anyhow, this movie was so sweet and funny. I highly recommend it!

Oh yeah, there's another movie with Ryan Reynolds called "Waiting", it's a parody on working at a Bennigans type restaurant. Perhaps this is where my "fondness" began, he takes his shirt off in the movie, and WHEW, not too shabby!!!

It's amazing...

what joy a $6.00 hat can bring 2 three year olds!!!! Now, any suggestions on how to get them to take them off????

Summer Fun!

So, summer is officially here and we've been having some really nice and fun-filled days. This includes days at the pool, the new park in town, and having friends over to play and eat!

Initially, I wasn't going to share this story, but, I have to because it's truly funny. Everyone knows (I think) that the twins are 3 1/2 and fully potty trained for some time now. However (sigh), Annabelle still has a few gastrointestinal issues that makes going "poop" a little challenging. So, when these "moments" sneak up on here, there is a chance that there will be an accident. Well, to make a long story long, we were at the local park when this "moment" happened. So, after racing her to the restroom, and it being unsuccessful, 2 minutes later I hear the following from Annabelle (who incidentally was trying to talk to her behind), "Now, poop, please don't come out right now, you will make my Mommy REALLY mad! Please poop, try and stay inside until we get home." Needless to say, she didn't make it! And, despite the laughter that ensued after hearing this, I was still extremely ticked that she can't control herself sometimes!

O.k, moving on to a much less disgusting topic. The Barone family came over for a delightful dinner and an evening of karaoke (the magic sing ROCKS!) Nothing is funnier than a bunch of adults singing and dancing and thinking that they are rock stars! The kids played, the adults ate, and then the singing began. The greatest thing about the Magic Sing is that it gives you a score, and this makes the fact that I CANNOT sing somewhat o.k., simply based on the fact that I can get a relatively high score (you are scored not on pitch and tone, but how closely you sing along with the words) without having to be able to carry a tune. SOME people in attendance last night could actually sing, however I am somewhat of a score junkie!!!!

Here are the kids with Jack and Carlo!







And lastly, here is a picture of sweet Cooper in her new Lands' End bathing suit!!!!!

I'm addicted!!!!

So, I've found the BEST site, a blog about blogging! What could be better? In addition to being "hooked up" with some fantastic blogs, this site also gives away some of the BEST prizes!!!!!!

This weekend, they are giving away this "boucey house"! And as you know, this would be a HUGE hit in this house, not to mention the extremely tired children it would produce!














So, check it out, you'll be addicted in no time!!!

Going Organic!

For some time now, I have been slowly but surely introducing as many organic products as possible into our diet. For years now we have been having the milk delivered, but over the course of the last 6 months, I have been trying other products. It's hard around here, because there is little access to some of the bigger name markets, like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's (such a huge injustice, don't get me started). However, there are some products that are carried at Walmart and Target, and Wiseway that I have been buying that are very good, they include one of my favorite cereals, Annie's Honey Bunnies. And let me tell you, if you haven't had them, I say give them a shot! Jason was making fun of me for sitting down the other evening for a bowl of Honey Bunnies for dinner (what's wrong with that I ask?)

There are also tons of cookies and snacks that are really good, and fun for the kids!

















I guess I am trying to do what's best for them, and going in this direction seems like the right thing to do. Now, trust me when I say that you are NOT going to read a post in the near future that says that I am raising chickens for the eggs and growing my own vegetables, let's all just leave that up to the professionals, the FARMERS!!! I have enough "animals" running around here as it is!!!!

Father's Day Weekend! Pancakes & Parties!

Our Father's Day weekend was a ton of fun! We started off with some "chores", this mainly included Jason washing the cars and us finishing the MOUNDS of laundry that we seemed to have accumulated this week. I guess perhaps it's the fact that our new laundry room is so large that it has a tendency to pile up. That, coupled with the fact that I am washing towels, bathing suits, and muddy play clothes every 8 seconds, makes the laundry something that needed addressing!!!!!

Then we headed to a birthday party and the kids had a great time running through the sprinklers and playing on the slip and slide. Even Cooper got into it, she really struggles with the fact that she's only one...poor thing!

Finally, this morning we surprised Daddy with homemade blueberry pancakes and presents! We were able to surprise him with a new golf shirt and a much needed new pair of Mephistos!

Here are some pictures of the fun!!!!

Dirty Jobs...and MANY questions!

So, Carter's recent obsession is with the show Dirty Jobs on Discovery. Somehow, (and yes, we realize that we control what a 4 year old watches) we have ended up in the position of having to watch Mike Rowe handle cod sperm while eating our dinner. Not to mention the fact that he uses the word "sperm" at least a dozen times and we are WAITING for Carter to ask some big questions. Perhaps it's SO far over his head, he doesn't even know where to begin with the questions (so maybe we are safe for a while). He did want to know if I could have another baby after he saw a calf being born on the dairy farm episode (which happens to be the dairy farm that we visited this past April).

If, by some chance, you are unfamiliar with the show, check it out, it's truly entertaining in a sometimes turn-your-stomach kind of way. Not every episode has Mike inseminating a cow or turkey, or pulling slim off eels, but there is something to be learned about how they mine salt or generate thermal energy from the ground. O.k., maybe it's not American Idol, but a little time spent watching something somewhat educational isn't always a bad thing.

Swim baby swim!

The kids began their swimming lessons at the pool this week. The first day the water was FREEZING, and the girls had a bit of an issue with (as would I). Carter, on the other hand, went in and never looked back. By the second day, he was swimming under water, opening his eyes, kicking and pretty much swimming on his own. The girls did better today, the pool was warmer and they worked on "blowing bubbles", kicking, and getting used to being in the water. Annabelle took a potty break, and while I wasn't looking, escaped from the ladies' room without her bathing suit bottoms. All I heard from outside the restroom was, "Carter saw my booty booty butt butt!" I told her that now that she's closing in on 4, the whole "naked thing", isn't all that cute, in fact, it's kinda creepy.






































I can't forget to update things on baby Cooper, she is currently teething again, now she's getting her molars (which kinda seemed early to me) and has been a little on the cranky side. She's still as cute as a button though, so it's easy to forgive her crankiness. I think her biggest problem is combating the fact that she is not as old as the rest of the gang. She actually gets frustrated when she doesn't get to do what the big kids are doing, ah, I think that's going to be an issue for quite a long time, poor thing.

Mommy, mommy, mommy...

Is ALL I hear lately! I am not sure if it's me, or them, but it seems like recently, that's the only word that comes out of their mouthes! Even the baby is walking around chanting "Mama, mama." It really is such a sweet thought while you are pregnant with your first child that one day, that little sac on the screen will call you, "Mommy!" Then, it happens, and you are thrilled, then, it happens more often, then they hit their stride and it feels like that's ALL they can say!

Of course, in my situation (which is slightly different than the usual) there are 3 children about the same age, and one who thinks she is their age. So, the numbers are stacked against me. Don't get me wrong, I love that they need me, love me, etc. But, by hour 14, I am so tired of hearing that one word.

O.k., I am done now.

On an unrelated note, I found this picture of the "Big Chill" house that's in Beaufort, SC, you may remember it from the movie. This is one our favorite places, we always stop and take a look when we are there.

Summertime!

Summer is so fun! The weather finally was nice and steamy and we headed to the pool. Then, when we got home, the kids played outside while we cooked dinner and finally ended the day with some ice cream with sprinkles!

Here are all the girls heading down the driveway to get the mail, of course, Cooper can't be left behind!




















Annabelle was a tad under the weather it seems, and after taking her temp, she weighed in at 101.2. Not sure really what's wrong with her, but she was a tad cranky today. She's so funny though, she said, "If I only had some ice cream with chocolate and sprinkles, I just KNOW I would feel better!" Again, not really sure what's wrong with her, but clearly her appetite wasn't the a problem!

Ahoy Matey!!!

So, while shopping at the local Marshall's, Martina and I (mostly Martina) stumbled upon this Dora & Diego pirate ship from Little Tikes. It was sitting, right there, by the register in all it's glory. So, with a little bit of a sales pitch from Martina (and the use of her car), the pirate ship was purchased!

It's safe to say that it may be the best investment to date. It came with 2 costumes, plus we already had one for Carter, so the kids spent the afternoon saying things like "Set the sails!", and "Ahoy matey!"

Just for Papa!

Carter got a new pair of Crocs and we "decorated" them with Clemson tiger paws, just for Papa's alma mater (and for everyone else in the family, Rob & Donna). He loves his "Clemson Crocs" and wore them all day today! He also LOVES his computer and has spent a ton of time playing the games he has.

We spent the weekend swimming at the club and hanging out. We went to New Buffalo overnight and had a great meal and some rest. We stopped and had a great breakfast and made our way back home for another day at the pool. Carter and the girls start their swimming lessons next week, and they have been practicing their skills in the "big" pool!