Ok,ok

OK, I think I will continue but I think maybe only on a weekly basis. Partly b/c I don't always have tons to say but also because I am newly addicted to FACEBOOK! Seriously, its consuming and so much fun!
Anyways, we have had some recently busy days around here. Yesterday we had our good pals Rachael and Scott and their two small children who are almost the same ages as Matthew and Caroline,here for the day and night. A good time was had by all! We miss seeing them on a more regular basis. Today after they left Jeff and I crashed on the couch while Caroline napped and Matthew attempted to play quietly with his animals. Matthew ended up in our bed last night at 3am..so mommy and daddy didn't get much sleep after that! :( He was suppose to be sleeping on the floor since his room was given up for the guests but he decided differently. After the snooze, Matthew and I went down to the neighbors to play in their pool. Then we came home and went for slurpees a newly developed and greatly loved tradition that has come about this summer. All four of us love them! Even little Caroline sits like a big girl and slurps away. I justify the sugar intake by thinking of it as "heavy work" for their mouths. This is not a made up term..children with sensory issues have to do heavy work and believe it or not, drinking thicker liquids through a straw counts! Yeah occupational therapy!
Tonight we may enjoy a bonfire with the neighbors or maybe I will just curl up on the couch and watch "The sound of music"! Tommorrow we have several househould chores to do but most likely we will just laze about enjoying the last day of "summer". Matty doesn't start school till next Tuesday but Caroline starts her Kindermusik class on Tuesday. I am really excited that I have her in something. She certainly has gotten the short end of the stick in comparison to big bro who by this point in his life, had taken several classes..ahh the life of the second child.
Last week I had my discussion group leader training with my MOPS group. I am leading a group and really looking forward to it. The theme this year is "Adventures in Mothering" which I really can relate to. I am really hoping to be a great leader who can really make the moms feel welcomed and listened to. I encourage any of you fellow moms out there on blog land who aren't in a MOPS and stay at home or are available on the days yours meets..GO!! You'll love it!
Well its dinner time and I have been down here way too long..happy Labor day!
S

Blogged out?

I am feeling a little blogged out..I think because I don't really have much to say these days. I sometimes sit down to post and then think.."This is stupid" and delete it. Plus blogger has been deleting and doing weird things to my page too. So I may be on hiatus for awhile...
S

pics

Here are some pics.. I can't really remember what they are of. I think they are of the kids, me and Jeff in South Haven and one of me and my friend Liz's kids.I love Jeff's face in the pic of me and him..he looks so thrilled! He really does love us!!:)
This weekend will be busy but fun. We have a bonfire with our young adult group on Saturday and we're meeting up with a friend who is in from Arizona.
S

Great Weekend

I had a great weekend. It started Friday night when we had a neighboorhood bbq to celebrate our neighbor Larry's primary win! The kids had so much fun running around playing with the neighbor kids and roasting marshmellows. Then on Saturday morning I headed to Flushing BY MYSELF to see my friend Liz and her family. I was going to take Matthew but he was driving me crazy..literally! I called Jeff on Friday morning after a horrible walk to Hardings and said ,"Listen if I don't get away tommorrow and have some alone time I may just be checking myself into a mental institution." He must have taken me seriously because he agreed happily to watch both kids.
So, I drove up there and just enjoyed sitting on the deck and enjoyed visting with Liz and her girls. We also went to dinner. Today on my way home I stopped at an outdoor mall in East Lansing and did some shopping for myself and the kids and Jeff too! I am feeling refreshed and ready for the week. Tonight we went over to Wes and Kim's to say goodbye to our niece Jessica who is leaving for Grand Valley on Weds!:(
I will really miss her! Thank goodness for Facebook.
Tommorrow I am watching Avery, our neighbor's little girl and Matthew's buddy. Wednesday Matthew is headed back to OT for therapy, we ended up figuring out the insurance issue thank goodness! We will do two more weeks and then once a month for awhile while we see how he does in school!
S

Dark Humor

You all know I love some good old fashion dark humor..check this out!

1. Do not walk behind me, for I
> may not lead. Do not walk ahead of
> me, for I may not follow. Do not
> walk beside me either. Just pretty
> much leave me alone.
>
> 2. The journey of a thousand miles
> begins with a broken fan belt or a
> leaky tire.
>
> 3. It's always darkest before dawn , so
> if you're going to steal your
> neighbor's newspaper, that's the
> time to do it.
>
> 4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't
> be replaced, you can't be promoted.
>
> 5. Always remember that you're
> unique. Just like everyone else.
>
> 6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
>
> 7. If you think nobody cares if you 're
> alive, try missing a couple of car
> payments.
>
> 8. Before you criticize someone, you
> should walk a mile in their shoes.
> That way, when you criticize them,
> you're a mile away and you have
> their shoes.
>
> 9. If at first you don't succeed......
> skydiving is not for you.
>
> 10. Give a man a fish and he will eat
> for a day. Teach him how to fish,
> and he will sit in a boat and drink
> beer all day.
>
> 11. If you tell the truth, you don't
> have to remember anything.
>
> 12. Some days you're the bug, some
> days you're the windshield.
>
> 13. Everyone seems normal until you
> get to know them.
>
> ; 14. The quickest way to double your
> money is to fold it in half and put
> it back in your pocket.
>
> 15. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
>
> 16. Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It
> has a light side and a dark side,
> and it holds the universe together.
>
> 17. There are two theories to arguing
> with a woman - Neither one
> works.
>
> 18. Generally speaking, you aren't
> learning much when your lips are
> moving.
>
> 19. Experience is something you don't
> get until just after you need it.
>
> 20. Never, under any circumstances,
> take a sleeping pill and a laxative at the same time.

Marble jar

I have decided to try and take the "bulls by the horn" so to speak. I went to Michael's yesterday and bought a small glass vase and some marbles. I am rewarding Matthew with good behavior(not talking "ugly talk",going potty,listening,being helpful,not screaming,etc)with marbles. If he does something naughty a marble is removed. When its filled he gets to go to Chuckie Cheese. He is really into it. Although he does keep asking "Can we go now?" after every marble! Since being back in his routine and catching up on his sleep with some extra naps his behavior has improved some.
Caroline's hearing test went great! Yeah! She doesn't have to go back until February. I am defintely not taking the job at the YWCA. In fact I pretty much loathe the women who would have been my boss. Thank you God for giving me such insight before I threw our family into major upheavel.
This weekend Matthew and I are going to see my good friend Liz and her family in Flushing. I haven't seen her in about a year. Caroline and daddy are staying home.
Hope your week is going wonderfully!
S

HOME and we're staying put!

We are home from our vacation! It was nice to get away and the kids had alot of fun. Matthew and Caroline were very taxing at times but some good solid memories were made and isn't that what its all about? I had to try and remember that b/c once again I felt myself being very overwhelmed by the personality of my children. I am really struggling with being constantly frustrated and irritated by them. I hate to admit this but its truly how I feel. When they act the way they did for much of the week I feel very much that I am failing them as a mother.
I thought that maybe I was going to be taking a job as a domestic violence educator part time for the YWCA here in Kalamazoo. But, I am feeling very strongly that isn't where God wants me. I have blogged about this before which is good b/c it just serves as a reminder of that fact. I was telling my friend Jaime last night that I really feel like God is screaming at me to lean on Him and get my encouragment and parenting help from him. And I wonder where my kids get this stubborness from?!:)
I could really use your prayers because I hate feeling so hopeless when it comes to raising these little gifts. I think part of me is still shocked that parenting is so hard..I really thought it would be pretty easy. Probably because when I nannied I got to go home at the end of the day and now sometimes being in it for the long haul just gets..long!
Anyways, we're home and hoping to get back on regular schedules and resume normal activities. Caroline has her hearing test on Thursday and I hope all is well with that. She has been saying more and more words so I am confident that won't be an issue. Matthew may not be continuing OT. Originially we were told that we would only have to pay $25 a week and now it looks like we have to pay $70 which is just too much. We are of course continuing with all they have taught us and are hopefully that he dosen't have too many issues in preschool. Usually he is pretty well behaved for everyone but us, I guess that counts for something, right?!
Tommorrow we have the dreaded nursery duty. We haven't been to church in a long time it seems. I am feeling a little blah about church lately. We're getting a new children's pastor soon and our assistant Pastor up and quit so we will soon get a new Asst as well. Hopefully that will be just what we need to get things going again!
Have a great Sunday!
S

I have no life...apparently

I am in South Haven right now and the funniest thing happened. Since my brother in law has his laptop here, we're able to check email, facebook and of course...BLOGS! My mother in law was watching us and said.." How do people have time for these things..don't they have kids, families,jobs, lives?" No,she doesn't know I have a blog. But, I piped up and said, "Easy now..I have a blog" and I would like to think I have a life too! :) It was pretty funny!
In other news, our vacation is going well. The weather has cooperated for the most part, although I think there is currently a tornado warning. Matthew and Caroline are having a blast playing on the sand, in the lake and with their cousins and aunts and mommy and daddy! Jeff is leaving tommorrow night to go home and vote and then work on Wednesday and Thursday and then he will be back. Pray that I will not lose my cool too much without him around! My niece, Jessica promised she would help me and I am holding her hostage and MAKING her! The girls, Jessica and Allison have been helping me run on beach. Although Jessica ditched me tonight to watch the most annoying awards show ever! The Teen Choice Awards. Absolutely AWFUL!! Big generation gap as I gagged through that! Probably similiar to Barb finding out about BLOGS!
Bye!

To South Haven we go!

We're headed out shortly to our annual summer vacation to South Haven with Jeff's family. Our day has already gotten off to a wonderful walk to Hardings for donuts and coffee for mommy of course. Matthew was so cute on the way home he was holding my hand and said, " I love family walks." Another cute thing he said yesterday while playing outside with Jeff was "Daddy, your my best friend!" Of course when we got home from our idealistic "family" walk he threw a tantrum b/c he had to come inside and proceeded to be taken to his room kicking and screaming "Stupid, stupid daddy, your a butt!" These are his two favorite potty words as of late. It seems that once he realizes he is in trouble he goes all out and figures he might as well be REALLY naughty! AHHHHHHHHHH!
I am praying that the weather is nice and mommy and daddy stay patient and remember that we're blessed to have this opportunity to spend time together with our family and to NOT SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF! Oh no...I am sweating already! Is that bad?:))))
Have a good week!
S