Monday Monday

I'm not ready to greet Monday with a smiling face. I liked the weekend, sleeping, and my husband grilling out our meals. Back to the grind, we go, and there is sure plenty of work I need to get done.

Menu to start~
We need to get creative until pay day on Thursday. After quickly looking at what we have in the house, this is my tentative plan:
Monday: Bean & Cheese Burritos
Tuesday: Angel Hair Pasta Chicken
Wednesday: Spaghetti Marinara
Thursday & Friday: Hubby & the boys are on their own.

It's a busy week here.
Today hubby has class & it's the first full week for Aidan, meaning more homework and studying for his first test on Friday.
Tuesday is the first day of soccer practice for Aidan, and this year, it's a full hour.
Wednesday-Pat has dental apt, he has class, and I better have my menu planned for the following week.
Thursday = pay day. Trip to the bank, grocery shopping, register Brennan for story time at library,  and oh, I'm flying out that evening to meet some friends in Chicago! I'm a bit nervous about the flying part.
Friday: I'll be with friends, and Pat is playing single parent with the boys. Aidan's class has danish & beverage time before school starts. I'll miss it. :( But Pat & Brennan will go. They have something fun to do that evening, too. (free festival downtown in our town)

BUSY WEEK! I want to get the house super-cleaned before my trip.
Now I just need to find the energy to do so.

BUT! We get to welcome September this month. :) One day closer to officially welcoming FALL!

1st Day of 1st Grade

I share this with you with teary-eyes. I'm in disbelief that Aidan is a first-grader.
It's the big leagues now!

I reviewed his papers and syllabus last night. Holy Cow, it's hard core compared to kindergarten. Religion test every Friday, daily Math flash cards, daily Sight Words, Social studies vocab words, etc.
It will be good for him, I know, but even I feel slightly overwhelmed.

Still, when it was time to leave Back to School Night last night, Aidan did not want to leave. He complained on the way home that he wanted to be at school.

Today walking in, we saw his good friend, and he excitedly said "hey Charlie, we match!". (both boys wearing the blue uniform shirts;).

I wanted to squeeze Aidan til no end, and tell him how much I feel I already miss him (also catching me off guard).
I wanted to turn into a fly on the wall so I could be there all day.

I am home with Brennan, though, who is having a tantrum that we left Aidan at school.

We'll miss Aidan together today, try to do something special, and hope Aidan has a wonderful 1st day.

These growing pains get me every time.

Up North

This is the cabin where we relaxed & had fun:

The gorgeous view from the cabin porch:

It was a nice trip. Much cooler weather, it practically made me giddy.

Some of my favorites:

The boys picked blackberries & apples and then made homemade pie with Pat's grandmother.

Family ice cream trip in Fishtown.

Train ride in Traverse City.

Brennan's 1st bee sting-ouch. :(

Aidan's several bug bites, including infected spider bite on his ear (leading to a visit to Urgent Care).

Leaves already changing colors.

Needing a sweatshirt at night.

The sound of Lake Michigan...

The sight of endless sailboats...

Our trip up north was eventful & fun. 

Memorable.

12 Weeks

I had my 12 week prenatal check-up today, and it went well!
Aidan wound up coming with me, and we both heard the heartbeat. Such a joyous, reassuring sound. (Following that, Aidan proudly told the doctor he wants a SISTER!;)

I haven't posted pictures in a while, so I figured now is a good time. I'm almost finished with the 1st trimester (thank goodness!), and I started wearing maternity clothes this week.
Not all of my regular clothes don't fit, but it's getting to an uncomfortable point, and I just feel FAT in those. I feel better in maternity & presume they're mote flattering, as well.

Here we go. Picture #1--> what a baby at 12 weeks typically looks like:

And his/her development: 

"The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce."

Though it's not the best picture, here I am (technically 12 weeks, 3 days) w/ the baby:

(photo courtesy of Aidan)

If I look tired, that's because I was up from 4 a.m. on today with my sick 3 year old! Fortunately he's feeling better. :)

I know some women who look this big at the end of their pregnancies. 

I will just never be one of those women. Ya know, the ones who don't even look pregnant from the back. I seem to fill out in every possible area, face being one of the first, and of course one of the last to thin back out. Seems unfair. LOL Fortunately I've learned how to get the weight off and get myself disciplined enough to exercise 6 days a week (not pregnant, that is).

I do hope and plan to start eating much healthier now that I'm not feeling sick so much.

There ya have it! 12 weeks pregnant. :)

We're Supposed to Go Up North Tomorrow

Pat's grandparents have a gorgeous cabin in Northern Michigan, on Lake Michigan. It's beautiful and like a whole different state up there.

The plan is to leave tomorrow, and I'm crossing my fingers & praying that will still work out.

Yesterday afternoon Brennan came down with a random fever. I suspect it was from overdoing it on Sunday at the Exclaim festival, maybe heat exhaustion. 2 hours jumping in inflatables, in 95 degree weather in high humidity...yeah, that's my suspicion.

Then last night Patrick started with stomach issues. I think it could be his lunch from yesterday (Walking Tacos from a fast food place). I hope it's just that. Otherwise it may be a virus and I don't want the rest of us to get it!

It's already felt like a long day, and I know it's going to feel longer.
I've been awake since 4 with Brennan, and I have my 12 week prenatal appointment today.
I'm trying to do my best in taking care of sick Pat & Aidan, fortunately-healthy-Aidan, but I admit: all I can think about right now is a nap.

If you think of it, please throw up a prayer for us so we can still head to the cabin tomorrow.

Repost: God's Timing of a Miracle

Reposting in honor of our 2nd baby, Dorothy Grace. This day was her due date, 8-15-06.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We all make plans, right?

We plan, to a certain degree, our life.

I plan our weekly meals and post those each Monday. We plan to go to church every Sunday. We make bigger plans, too. For instance, when we got engaged we planned our wedding a year in advance. We also planned to work for such a length of time, and to have 5 children. (Yes, the year we were engaged, my husband and I thought we'd like 5 children). We planned the type of house we'd like to have that would be our permanent home. All of these plans are years in the making.

Two years ago we planned our second child. We were charting at the time, so we knew exactly when I was fertile. The time came, and a few weeks later we saw two lines for a positive pregnancy test. We were excited! Aidan was going to be a big brother. We were going to have our 2nd baby. At that time, we were hoping for a girl. We conceived in November, so it worked out perfectly to tell our families over Christmas, which we did. We had Aidan ready to share the news in his "I'm a Big Brother" shirt. Our due date was August 2006.

Well, as the saying goes, if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.

He sends us gentle reminders that He is in control. Through those reminders we learn (hopefully) that our lives will be best off if we seek His plans for us. He knows better, after all.

March 2006 we had a lesson in God being in control, once again. At that time we learned we had lost our 2nd baby. I miscarried. We were devastated. I was angry with God. I was hurt and crushed and resentful. WHY would he take something away from us like that? From us, a couple who was respecting His wishes on procreating, being open to life and trying to create a loving home?

Oh, I had every answer in the book. He was a mean God. He took the baby away because we didn't make enough money. That was my biggest answer. He also took the baby away because it was His way of letting me know I was not a good enough mother. He was punishing us for our sins. All of these were rational reasons to me at the time.

March 8, 2006, I had the baby at home and went to the hospital for the d&c to be completed. A few days later I was at my follow-up OB appointment.

I had the best doctor. Not only was he great at being an OB, but he was a practicing Catholic who shared our beliefs. He was an NFP only doctor, an actual practicing Catholic, and he even prayed with me. I felt more than comfortable with him.

At this appointment, he was trying to comfort me. He had explained all of the physical things. He explained that there was nothing wrong with me or my body. My uterus was still healthy. My ovaries were healthy, etc. The physical healing would take much less time than the emotional and mental healing. (Not to say a parent ever "gets over it" when it comes to having lost a child, not matter if it happens right after conception, or when they are a full grown adult) I will always miss my baby.

What my doctor went on to tell me was so important. At the time, I had no idea how significant it'd be to me, even to this day. He shared with me that he and his wife also suffered this loss, and they knew what I was going through. He told me that when we are pregnant again, and holding that healthy new baby in our arms, we'll look at that baby and know that he wouldn't be here as he is if not for losing this baby when we did. He assured me God is in control, called this soul Home, and there would be peace in time.

Sure enough, he was right. Speaking from faith and experience, he gave me something to hold on to.

Back to God's sense of humor...

We lost the baby in March. That following August we found out we were expecting, again! Here is the humorous aspect to it: I found out I was pregnant with my 3rd baby the same very month and time I was due (originally) to have our 2nd. It was around the baby's due date that we lost! I don't think that was just coincidence. I think it was God.

So here we are the end of August, once again. I could have had a one year old this month! That 2nd baby of ours would have been one here on earth.

Instead, I have Aidan, who turned 3 in April, and Brennan, who is going on 5 months already.

And yes, when we held Brennan for the first time, there were so many joyous tears. Tears of relief, too. I did feel this particular sense of peace. Holding him, I knew that with the timing of losing our 2nd baby, that was the only way Brennan came to us when he did. Our 2nd baby was a part of Brennan's timing. God helped us out, and in my heart, I know our little one in heaven did, too.

God timed this miracle for us. As I grew sad close to my should-have-been due date, God flooded our hearts with joy at the news of a new baby for our family. This time around, we had our own little angel in heaven to help us.

HIS timing for a miracle...the best timing. I am so grateful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

originally posted August 29, 2007

Summer is Coming to an End

We're trying to have fun while we can. :)

Last Friday our little downtown has a free festival (more or less), so we headed out to enjoy it. Aidan & Brennan had a blast (and all for free!), and we enjoyed seeing them have so much fun. It was some good family time.

Here they are in the bouncy house:

our local firemen were there, and there was a race to rescue the dummy!

They needed a little help rescuing the dummy ;)

Face-painting! This was a version of Batman.

Brennan simply said he wanted "green"

It was a good time, and it made us really appreciate our town. So many little things it does to make it a great place to live. ;)

So here is to the final week & a half of summer! 

Living Room Update

Though I love that brighter blue, I just don't think I'll be happy with it in the main room of our house.
After fooling around on the Sherwin-Williams site, I think this may be what we go for:

Still blue, but a softer blue. 

Oh, and that's obviously not our living room. It's the "model" most similar (meaning a wall of windows).

Saturday we plan to paint yet again (hopefully for the last time!). 

We're also getting 2 estimates on Saturday for our bathroom.

Here is the SIGH, and not a huge joy of being a homeowner. 

We need to replace our shower walls/surround. The previous owners put up paper thin walls. There is no ventilation in there, and it seems the drywall behind it is getting soft, needing to be replaced. 

This is looking like a bigger job than expected, which means Pat alone may not be able to do it.

With no family in town to help and only one bathroom in our house, hired help may be the key.

But back to the living room. :)

Once the painting is done, I want to add some things. We've always been so gosh-darn frugal, we've never really spent money on decorating. Not that I'm going all crazy now, but some minor things I hope to add:

-a wall clock (similar to this one at Wal-Mart, maybe even this one)

-wall candle holders, like these sconces

-an oval mirror to go between the sconces

-I want to frame our recent family pictures and hang them up. 

It's a lot of little things, but it's about time we make our house more of a "home"! 

Plus it's fun. :) 

I do wish that I had more of a knack for this type of thing. 

It seems to come so naturally for so many I know. 

Share ideas if you have any to pass along. :)

Wordless Wednesday: Living Room Paint Color

The beige wall behind the couch, prepping to paint (hence the sheet over the couch)

My men priming the wall, working hard

BLUE! We have more work to do, as well as the job of hanging things back up on the wall.

But this is the new color. Patrick picked it out. 

I like the color, still feeling out if I like it on that wall.

What do you think?

Menu Plan Monday-August 9, 2010

Sunday Dinner: Vegetarian Lasagna, bread rolls

Monday: Meatloaf Muffins, green beans, potatoes

Tuesday: Sandwich Night (grilled cheese), fruit

Wednesday: Honey Chicken Stir-Fry

Thursday: Leftover Buffet or TBD

Friday: Pancakes and Bacon

Saturday: free-for-all (usually hubby grills something out)

I also plan to make some Corn Chowder, which could serve as dinner one night, or make for some comfy lunches. 

Heading to "My Kind of Town"

You know that Frank Sinatra song, right?

I'm heading to Chicago-Labor Day weekend.

I can't believe it.

I'm flying in to Chicago, and meeting me there are 2 of my good friends from college.

Alison we saw last summer, and Kristen will be there. Kristen--I have not seen her since Alison's engagement, when Aidan was still 1! It's been way too long. 

Both of these awesome chics were in my wedding. I was in Alison's, and I was supposed to be in Kristen's (couldn't due to her wedding & Aidan's birth being about a week apart;).

We all met over 10 years ago, living in the same dorm, same 3rd floor. Kristen was my very first roommate. We were in Austria together (though oddly enough, we barely traveled together!).

I love these girls and miss them dearly.

We've talked about having a big girls' weekend when we all turned 30, but I didn't fully think it'd happen.

IT'S HAPPENING!!! 

We're doing one night/day in Chicago, then enjoying time in Milwaukee at Alison's. 

Labor Day weekend.

3 days. 3 girl friends going back 12 years.

Though I''m afraid to fly right now, I am so stinking excited!!!

And HUGE HUGE thanks to my incredible husband. 

He didn't even think twice or bat an eye when the topic came up.

He just said "go", and without complaint or anything agreed to pull a boys' weekend with Aidan & Brennan. I should be more like that with him. 

I am lucky, and I know it. (and honey, I want you to have some fun with your friends soon!)

Alison, Kristen, Chicago, Milwaukee....HERE WE COME!!!!!!

Loneliness

One thing I've realized: at the end of each semester, when my husband is super busy (aside from his full-time job), super busy studying for finals, completing class projects or papers, it's at that time I find myself feeling quite lonely.

It makes sense.
All of his time & attention need to go to school.
And yes we have kids, but they are 6 & under. I love them, but it's not the same as adult interaction.

The loneliness that accompanies my hubby being in grad school is the hardest part of it all for me.
Sure, playing single parent gets tough, too. But the loneliness is the hardest.

I don't have family in town, or even in state.
If we lived by my parents I think it'd be a lot different. I'd probably invite myself over for dinner more than they'd care for, or just be there to hang out.

But living where we have no family makes that impossible.

I miss having my partner around. I like when we get the boys to bed, and then actually have time to talk to each other, play a card game, etc.

As I was reminded today, though, tonight is Patrick's last evening class EVER.
He has one class remaining after this...ONE class. And that will be from 4:30-6:00!
He completes his MBA in December. It's all coming to and end.
So I am trying to keep my chin up, because after tonight, he will be back.
I know there will be studying and papers, but to have him physically around...it will feel less lonely.
After all, I didn't marry the man because I wanted to be away from him. ;)

Few & Far Between

Lately, the moments when I see the good in my kids are too few & far between.
I realize that may make me sound like a bad mother, but I'm keeping it real here.
I've been down in the dumps with morning sickness, hormones, mood swings, and after all that, I am tired and crabby with the boys.

It's not their fault, and I really should work harder to act otherwise.

This afternoon we headed out to Barnes & Noble. It was raining, so it offered a good place to visit (plus they have the Thomas train table).
It was crowded, with 4 other kids playing.

I sat down with my grown-up books to flip through, and I quickly watched my own kids with pride.
I saw them in the way I always should.
They used such great manners: Brennan was asking nicely for a train, saying please & thank you. He was saying "accuse me" (re: excuse me;) when he needed to pass another train. He was patient. No tantrums. He was the younger one there, and he was the most polite! It really warmed my heart.
And believe me, I'm not always one to hand out compliments. But his manners were excellent.

Aidan used equally great manners, and what really made me smile was his choice to sit down and read books. He didn't play right away, but he sat and enjoyed the books.
When he came to play, he asked nicely for trains, traded with Brennan, etc.

I complain too much abut them, but today I was put in my place. They were so respectful and well behaved.
When it was time to leave, they carefully parked their trains and walked out with me.
No bribing, no counting...

These moments may be too few & far between, but today, I appreciate it. I see it.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

It was quite the crowd gathered for the final game of the 5/6 year old Tee-Ball Team.

Blue Vs Orange (Aidan's on the blue team)

1st bat at 7:30, each inning ending only after each kid has had a turn at bat.

Aidan's Marmar & Buppa came in from Michigan to watch the game.
Each player at bat was announced and introduced.
Following the game, certificates and trophies were awarded.

Following that, we had our own personal celebration at Hershey's Ice Cream.

It was a great night.
Here is to the end of another great tee-ball season! (and the final; if he chooses to play again, it's coach-pitch!)


A little note to Aidan: (if he ever reads this blog when he is older, which I hope!)
Aidan,
You have grown so much this season. You last played tee-ball when you were 4 years old, and at that time, you were more focused on playing in the dirt and attempting to build sandcastles when in the outfield. 
You had attempts at bat, but it didn't often result the way you wanted.


Fast forward 2 summers, and playing as a 6 year old, you are focused. You play the game well. You work hard at bat, and let me say, you've had some good hits! We're proud of you.
Even in the outfield you impressed us. You watched where the batter would send the ball, and you'd go for it. Being the sweetheart that you are, if you got the ball first, you'd often pass it off to another kid so he or she could toss it back to the "coach" assisting the batter. 
It was fun to watch you play, to see how much you've grown.
I hope you enjoyed this tee-ball season. 
We certainly enjoyed watching you.


You're a great kid. Love you!
-Mom

Well, Hello August

Now that it's over, July feels like it went quickly.
And here we are welcoming August (already).

I have been looking forward to this month.
Mostly because Thursday is my hubby's final, and then he has a few weeks off of school before his FINAL CLASS! It will be so nice to have him home, stress-free from papers and studying.

We have some nice weekends planned this month.
Visiting friends in MI, hopefully re-doing most of our bathroom, Pat enjoying some guy time with his brother, and a trip up north to Pat's grandparents' cabin. I am so looking forward to the cabin, which will hopefully be a nice relaxing, uneventful trip. with cooler weather!

August concludes Aidan's busy summer rec schedule. I'll miss that. But with school starting in 24 days(!), I need the time with him.
Time to play Uno, the card game war, the Wii, and all that he asks me to do.

August hopefully marks the end of morning sickness (please, God!). I am 10 weeks today.
Last night I had a dream it was a boy. I'm not gonna lie...I was bummed. I really hope for a girl.
Yes, yes, a boy would be fine, too, but I have girl vibes. ;)

We have some family birthdays this month-2 of my sisters-in-law, and Pat's grandmother. My oldest sister's birthday is also this month! Too bad I'm not able to take her out.

So I welcome August. I'm hopeful that August will feel better than July did.
How about you? Are you happy to have August?