Wordless Wednesday...

The view from our front porch...breath-taking, isn't it?



Happy Autumn!

Not Me Monday

Over at My Charming Kids, a young woman, affectionately nicknamed MckMama, is expecting a little boy, named Stellan. Stellan may or may not have some difficulties with his heart after he's born in 2 weeks. She's a pretty cool Mom with three kids she has nicknamed Big Mac, MckNugget, and Small Fry. Stellan is already being referred to as MckMuffin. Anyways, she has started this "Blog Game" known as Not Me Monday and I couldn't pass up on the fun...even though Monday is almost through! Basically, everything in my list that says "I did not" actually means the opposite...."Did Not" means "I did indeed!" Enjoy!

1. I did not...eat 2 freshly fried apple fritters within 2 hours of each other on Saturday!

2. I did not...skip shaving my legs ALL WEEKEND!

3. I did not...sample 4 different flavors of pie at a church luncheon on Sunday!

4. I did not...tell my newly potty-trained 2 year old to wipe her own butt because I was busy typing this blog!!

5. I did not...promise my kids that I would not put onions in our taco dip and then proceed to dump in TONS of veggies...including onions!

6. I did not...see an old high school classmate at Fall Fest this weekend and purposely hide so they wouldn't see me.

7. I did not...make a fool of myself, or embarass my son by blowing kisses to him while he was in the middle of an ice hockey game.

8. I did not...ruin the water bottles that belong to Nolan's hockey team by soaking them in dish soap water for too long and infiltrating the plastic they are made of with lavender tasting residue!

9. I did not...run out of more memories to add to this list!

A Few Pics

Fall has arrived in Grove City, Pa. We went and got our pumpkins last weekend. We're looking forward to carving them this weekend and scooping out the seeds!

Nolan is well into his Hockey season! That kid is a natural...when he is goalie the coaches call him "The Wall" because he's like a brick wall. Here he is in his OFFICIAL jersey. He is #11 and plays for the North Pittsburgh Wildcats!

Kylie is officially potty trained. Well during the day anyways. Can someone remind me how to get them trained through the night and during naps? Congratulations, Kylie, for being the earliest trainer in our house! Chelsea was 29 months old, Nolan was 35 months, and Kylie was 27 months!
That's our life as of lately. Enjoy the crisp air....Winter will soon be here. Too soon in my opinion!

My Vote

As a follow-up to yesterdays post, I voted for the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation. Out of the charities listed, this one seemed to hit the closest to home. Unfortunately, Cancer is not at all uncommon in ANYONES extended family. Thank-You to http://www.confessionsofacfhusband.com for introducing me to the Squidoo website and their mission of donating $80,000 to charity!

Whoops!

Let's try again...my link was wrong on my last blog entry. Please CLICK HERE and vote for any charity you believe could use $2. Remember you have until October 15th. Thanks again!

Tracy

Squidoo

I've been WAAAAYYY busy lately to make a posting but I did come across a pretty neat idea and wanted to pass the idea along. Please take a minute to help out.

Squidoo (an online group that raises tons of money for charities) is giving $80,000 to the charities of your choice. Basically, anyone who wants to participate can vote for one charity (from a list of about 50...don't vote more than once or all your votes will be deleted)...Squidoo will donate $2/vote. You don't even have to sign up for anything!

I will admit, I haven't voted yet. There are too many choices and too many that hit close to home, but I will be voting in the very near future and I will let you know which my vote went to.
You can vote until October 15th.

Thanks!

The "plague" is still sticking around!

Kylie is the next, and hopefully final victim! She looks, acts, and sounds like she has pneumonia. Thankfully, her 2 year checkup is scheduled for tomorrow morning so I will be having the doctor check her lungs also.

Chelsea had been coping well with her Hand, Foot, Mouth, illness up until about an hour ago. The sores that were to appear in her mouth have appeared! They are not at all what I expected them to look like...they are itty bitty tiny red specks that are currently on the inside of her bottom lip. I have given her all the Tylenol/Motrin I can safely give her for another 2 hours. Currently, she is curled up in a ball in her bed trying to sleep off the pain until I can give her a dose of Motrin. This is, by far, the most agony I have ever seen her in.

Nolan is still sniffing non-stop like he did when he was sick. I'm actually thinking it is associated with allergies. If I remember correctly, he sniffs a lot every Spring and Fall. I'll hope that's what it is and not the pneumonia sticking around.

I am feeling much better as far as the pneumonia goes but I am sooooo tired. I haven't gotten a decent nights rest in a week or more. I am really hoping Chris will help me out in that department! Speaking of Chris he will be home around 9:30-10:00 tonight. I will be asleep when he gets here, I hope he recognizes how tired I am and saves his "trip talk" for tomorrow.

I need to end this..I promised the kids smoothies for dinner. It's about the only thing I can get Chelsea to eat/drink so I think that's what is for dinner tonight.

Are You Kidding Me?

*UPDATE* *UPDATE* *UPDATE* *UPDATE* *UPDATE* *UPDATE* *UPDATE*
So, today I am finally starting to feel half-way human, thank Goodness. I decided to make it a productive day and get TONS of stuff done. I stayed in my "jammies" until 1:00 (because I was doing housework) and was getting ready to put on my "yard-work" clothes and lay Kylie down for a nap. What happens next you ask? My phone rings and its Chelsea's school informing me that Chelsea has a temperature of 102 and I need to get there to pick her up A.S.A.P. How do you explain to a school nurse that it is 1:00 in the afternoon and you aren't dressed or bathed yet and you have a blueberry cobbler in the oven for another 20 minutes? I managed to grab a shower and brush my teeth, get shoes on the younger kiddos and still had 6 minutes left for my cobbler to cook! Long story short...I got Chelsea...she looked terrible. I called the doctor from my cell phone and explained that Chris, Nolan and I all had pneumonia over the past 2 weeks and he managed to squeeze me an appointment in at 2:15....so we went straight there from Chelsea's school. The next hour or so was a blur...Chelsea was hysterical, her head was throbbing and her throat was hurting, Kylie was "being a 2-year old"(who missed her nap) and Nolan was complaining of hunger. It was not a pretty sight in that exam room! Somehow we managed to get home....with a diagnosis of Hand, Foot, Mouth disease. The doc basically said...."Good luck, she will be miserable for the next 3 or so days, treat her symptoms with Tylenol and Motrin, and she will be getting very painful ulcers all through her mouth in the next 48 hours. They will be extremely painful and she probably won't want to eat or drink....Oh, and keep her well hydrated...have a nice day." Does anyone want to donate a vacation to me because I could use it now more than ever!

Cough...Cough...Cough...

Well, the countdown has begun...2 1/2 days until Chris gets home and I think I have managed to make it these 12 days without blogging about him! In all honesty, his absence hasn't been as hard for me as I thought it may have been. Don't get me wrong, I miss him terribly but I have been so consumed with everyday responsibilities and keeping the house standing, that I guess I just haven't had time to really think about him being gone.

During Chris' first week away I was consumed with Nolan and his needs. Poor guy was sooooo sick. After repeated trips to the doctor we finally got a diagnosis of pneumonia. One day he would be fine and the next he would cough and gag and choke until his stomach hurt. One day he would love going to hockey and the next he would be slow and lethargic on the ice, he slept...A LOT...and ate very little. He was on medication for a week and only improved about 75%. So I took him back to the doc AGAIN (3rd time) yesterday. Doc said his pneumonis was almost cleared up so he gave him a breathing treatment in the office and sent us home with an inhaler to use until his coughing is completely done.

In the middle of Nolan's health issues, I got sick. I RARELY ever get sick so when I do, it really brings me down. Well, there was no way I could let it bring me down because I am the only parent around right now! After 3 days of sporatic fevers, chills, body aches, rashes, coughing fits, and headaches, I finally got an appointment to see my doctor. Do you know how hard it is to see a doctor in Grove City when you are sick? I will spare you the details because it just ticks me off to even talk about it but my experience has been either stay sick for 3-5 days until they can "squeeze" you in, or go to the E.R. if you are so sick that you can't wait the 3-5 days. So, I managed to get the kids to ALL of their activities and for the most part we were ALL in bed at 7:30 every night for a week because I was so sick. Poor Chelsea hated going to bed so early but it had to be done if I was gonna even come close to feeling human in the morning. I did see my doctor yesterday...and yes, I do have pneumonia. Good news is Chris will be home in 2 1/2 days...just in time for Nolan to be back to 100% and me to be back at almost 100% He has missed out on all the fun. Wait...no he hasn't...I forgot...every night is a party for him when he travels for work. I'm thinking its my turn to party when he gets home! I should invite him to my "Pneumonia Party" since he's the one that gave it to Nolan and I and then left the COUNTRY!!!

Time to end this novel....Nolan actually made it to school today so its just Kylie and I and I'm feeling a bit tired...not to mention I think my antibiotic has kicked in and my tummy is complaining. So, I think I may curl up on the couch and relax for a bit. I think I have earned that....don't you?

7 Little Known Things....

So I read on another blog about this idea of telling the world (Via your blog) 7 things about yourself that you think nobody knows! What you do is jot down 7 facts about yourself that very few people, if any, know. You then "Tag" someone that you know reads your blog, and they also need to be a "blogger." They then report 7 things about themselves and "tag" someone else. I have only ever had 1 comment on my blog therefore I only know of 1 person that has at least checked in on my blog! TAG to the BERNARDI'S! You are IT!!

1. I have not scrapbooked since Kylie was born. (2 years 3 months ago.) The reason being that I haven't had the time, nor desire, to set up my special scrapbooking table, get all of the stuff out, actually do the page, and then clean it all up. My time has been consumed with so many other things I just can't get around to doing it anymore.

2. My desk is filled with brand new scrapbooking "things"...most of them being adorable new born baby girl embellishments and papers. I would estimate at least $100.00 worth of stuff is just sitting there waiting to be used!

3. I am ADDICTED to caffeine. I get a severe headache if I don't have 2-3 glasses of iced tea a day. Iced tea is my drink of choice, I rarely have anything else. This includes water. (For those of you concerned about my lack of H2O intake....I have started this past week forcing myself to drink 3 large glasses a day....morning, afternoon, and night.)

4. I purposely keep myself overly busy when Chris is away on business trips. If I am frazzled and running around like a chicken with my head cut off, then I don't have time to think about him and miss him. It also makes the time pass quickly.

5. I have NEVER been frugal in my life. As a matter of fact, I tend to be wasteful with a lot of things, whether it be food, clothes, money, you name it. BUT....I have tried to consolidate my traveling as much as I possibly can. If that means getting all 3 kids hair cut in the same hour instead of 3 different days, or rescheduling a docs appt. for a day I know that I will be in town anyways. The $100.00+ it takes to fill up our truck is killing us! I am starting with our gas consumption and am slowly adding more "frugalness" in other areas to my life.

6. I married my absolute opposite. Chris and I have very little in common. BUT...the things we do have in common are our religious beliefs, parental guidelines, and political issues. In my opinion these are 3 of the biggest "Relationship Busters" and as long as we are on the same page with those...i'm not worried!

7. I would be lost without the internet. On a daily basis I check the weather for that day and the upcoming week, check my email, read about the local and world news, look up a recipe, and email a friend or 2. I can get more useful information from the news on the web in 15 minutes than I can in an hour watching it on t.v.

And for a bonus #8 little known fact about me......

8. I used to watch a TON of television, and by a ton I mean like 3 soap operas and 10+ t.v. shows that I just could not miss. Right now I religiously watch 1 television show at 9:00 on Monday nights. Other than that show I only watch t.v. at night when the kids are in bed. And really....its not any particular show. Usually I flip between The Food Network and Discovery Channel.

That's it...a few little known facts about me...i'd love to hear yours!

Came across a funny!

So, we have been SUPER busy here, so busy that I have either been too tired to post a blog or I sincerely haven't had the extra time to post one! For those of you that are just starting to read my blog...my husband is in Sweden for work for 2 weeks! Now you know why I am sooooo stinkin' busy!! Anyways...I am running out to a hair appointment here in about 20 minutes so I don't have much time to blog right now, but I did come across a "funny" I found on another Mom's blog, so I thought i'd share!

You Know You're The Mother Of Multiple Small Children IF.....

If you've ever changed one of your baby's diapers on your kitchen counter.

If you bathe your kids in the evening and then dress them in their clothes for the next day and put them to bed--you know, so that getting out of the house in the morning goes more smoothly.

If people give you sympathy looks all the time whenever you go out, alone, with all your kids.

If people ask you if you run an in-home daycare.

If you hear, "Wow, you've really got your hands full, don't you?" at least 7 times a day.

If you can accurately refer to more than one of your children as "your baby."

If, when asked on a questionairre to list the number of children in your household, you consider rounding the number in order to simplify things.

If getting all of your kids out the door to church on time this morning took four adults. But there were only two adults home. So you were late. Again.

If your heart is as full of love as your hands are of dirty laundry.

CAN I HEAR AN AMEN????

Potty training, illnesses, hockey, and more...Oh My!!

I am so glad to be able to say that we finally got Chris feeling better again. After two trips to the Emergency Room, a chest X-ray, A Mono test, blood work, and more it was concluded that his finger was in infected with staphylococcus aureus...better known as a "Staph" infection and he also had a small bit of pneumonia in one of his lungs. No wonder the poor guy felt like crap!! After only ONE dose of a special antibiotic he was almost back to normal! I'm glad to have my hubby back...even if only for 3 more days! Yes....he will be leaving for Sweden in only 3 days. Don't remind me. I am SUPER busy with the kids, but having a blast at the same time. Chelsea went to gymnastics and Irish Step last week and found that she has the 2 best teachers in the world! Mr. Doug was her teacher when she was 3 years old and she has him now again at 7 1/2 years old! He is wonderful with the kids...keeps them moving, and doesn't let them goof off! He knows his stuff...he is a former gymnast himself. Nolan's hockey is getting exciting, this past weekend we had a get together at a restaurant in Cranberry for the "Hockey Families" on our team. Chris got to conduct his first meeting as the head coach and I finally got to put names to faces and meet the people I will be spending 75% of my time with for the next 6 months! Kylie is doing superb with her potty training. We have been training for exactly 1 week and she hasn't had an accident since day #3! We're at the point now that I am wondering when she will be able to "hold it in" for a longer period. Right now she is on the potty about once every half hour. It's driving me crazy...I feel like I am spending more time in the bathroom with her than anywhere else!! Really though...it's going great...she really is a smart kid...I shouldn't have doubted her abilities! I have a picture of her in her underwear...still on my digital camera. I'll get around to posting some more pictures soon...I promise!

Illness, school, and potty training.

Not too much to post about tonight. I'm just tired and not in the mood to spend much time on the 'net tonight. Chris is STILL sick, its actually turning into a medical mystery! One doctor says one thing another doctor says something entirely different. Hopefully, i'll be able to update on that situation another day...hopefully when he is feeling better. Kylie has been in big girl underwear for 2 days now with 3 total "accidents" waiting for me in her underwear. Not too bad for a 27 month old! Tomorrow is Chelsea's 1st day back to gymnastics and tap class. Both kids are doing great in school, Nolan is a bit hard to wake up and get out the door in the morning but he seems to do fine at school for the few hours he is there. Chelsea loves her teacher and so far, no complaints about school at all (except lunch time 1:00...2 hours later than she's used to). That reminds me, I need to get the kids backpacks ready for the morning before I head to bed. Maybe the next time I post I will include a picture of Kylie in her underwear! Good-night!

School is in!!!

I still can't get over the fact that 3 of my babies are big school kids now. While I try and digest that information you can enjoy the pictures below.





P.S. Nolan is home from school now and he had a wonderful day. He told me to quit asking him so many questions about school and when I asked him to tell me all about his 1st day of school his reply was simply...."I loved it, and don't ask me again". I can guarantee when Chelsea gets home she will tell me every little detail of her day...and I won't even have to ask. One of the many differences between boys and girls...mine at least!

Well, at least the weekend STARTED off good....

Wow...I am finally catching my breath and taking some time to update on here. Our weekend started early with Chris cutting out of work a couple hours early last Friday. We headed to the Stoneboro Fair..for you non-locals this is about the most "hickish" fair you may ever find! At any rate...its perfect for us, it's cheap and the cost of the rides is included in the general admission so there are no "surprise" fees. The rides aren't spectacular, for adults anyways, but they are perfect for all 3 of our kids ranging in age from 2 to 7. We had a wonderful and late night...couldn't get the kids to leave. The highlight of the evening was Nolan stepping in cow manure in his flip-flops. No more detail is needed there...just be assured that Chris was beyond grossed out. We had a nice farmer-type lady spray his feet down along with the other horses she had tied outside the barn! That was Friday night, now fast forward to Saturday. Chris says his finger (recently operated on) is feeling a little bit sore and he's confused as to why. It has been feeling great the past week and he almost forgot it even had been operated on, that is how wel it had been healing. Chris went about his day, actually spent most of the day with his Dad in the garage getting oil changed in all the vehicles. That evening we headed over to his parents for a cookout, that was actually a cook-in, but a Labor Day get together anyways. We enjoyed dinner and home-made apple pie, and games with the kiddos. Again, Chris finger was aching and now warm to the touch. So, we get home Saturday night and he calls the attending doc on call at Mercy hospital hospital in Pittsburgh. The doc says...it shouldn't be infected...infection takes ABOUT 7-10 days to set in and you are on day 11, but if you feel something is wrong well then make the 1 hour drive and come see me in the Emergency Room. Well, we thought this was a bit ridiculous, and Chris had an appointment made for today (Tuesday) afternoon anyways. We didn't think that waiting 3 days would hurt. So, Sunday rolls around, we actually all 5 made it to Sunday School and church...a first for us since the month of May! As church progresses Chris is feeling sicker and sicker, and his finger is getting redder and redder. Is redder a word??? Anyways....as crappy as he is feeling we head out of church and to Canonsburg to our favorite hockey store...KoSports...and pick up a few hockey items to replace a few pieces of equipment Nolan has grown out of. We also stopped at Sarris chocolate factory...a local favorite for quality chocolate. I knew Chris wasn't feeling well when he ordered 5 small pieces of chocolate to bring home and passed on the gourmet peanut butter cups. We got home at dinner time on Sunday evening and he crashed on the couch. He slept all evening, and barely ate a thing. By late evning I told him he should consider going to our local Emergency Room...a 10 minute drive...and get his finger looked at...and possibly get some antibiotics. He said he'd feel stupid for going to the E.R. for a sore finger and he'd just sleep it off. Well, by 9-10:00 p.m. he was in tears. You know its bad when a grown man is crying. This is the same man that chopped off the tip of that finger 1 year ago and never shed a tear over it! Looooooong story short...or at least shortened...yes it is badly infected, and the E.R. doc gave him a prescription for 2 powerful antibiotics, taken 6 times daily! The bad news...its been over 24 hours since that visit and he's still miserable. The pain is lessened but now he has a fever, chills, no appetite, headache, can't sleep, you name it...he's got it. He is at his doctor appointment right now in Pittsburgh...pray that relief is on its way! Monday (Labor Day) Chris slept the entire day, the kids took turns staying at Chris' parents house while I did last minute school shoe shopping for Chelsea. Poor girl took a growth spurt over the last 2 weeks and all of a sudden none of her shoes fit! Thanks to Stride-Rite she now has 3 pairs that fit! Today was the kids' first day back to school...man did I shock myself! I have no idea why, but as both kiddos got onto the bus I burst out into tears! I felt like such a fool...hoping that nobody on the bus saw me! Not that I should care what a bunch of kids think anyways...but I felt foolish. Can't figure out if it was because it was 2 of my kids and not just one, was I thinking I would be lonely for the day, was I just feeling old? When I walked back into the house I was fine, I immediately started thinking about what Kylie and I were gonna do and plan our day. Well, needless to say 11:00 rolled around pretty darn quickly (that's when Nolan gets home from 1/2 day kindergarden). Today also marked day 1 of potty training Kylie. She is doing wonderfully, hasn't peed in her underwear yet, but did "poopy" in them. At least she came and told me she dirtied them...she could have just sat in it and smooshed it everywhere! This is going to be a week of big changes for her, no siblings around, for at least half the day, no more Binky (we threw it away a week ago), and no more diapers (unless she's sleeping). It's been a crazy few days...and i'm sure the next few aren't gonna want to be any less, so we'll see what the week brings! Wish me luck...potty training, sick husband, kids back to school, Chelsea starts dance lessons this week, hockey practice on school nights...I just need these next 2 weeks to get back into the swing of things and i'll be good after that...just in time for Chris to go on his 2 week trip for work! I wouldn't trade my life..hectic as it may be..for a thing in this world!

I promised...Pictures!

If you are wondering why Nolan is only in 1 of the pictures.....I turned my camera and too his pictures in a different direction and trying to edit the pictures and flip them and get them posted tonight would be too time consuming. I can assure you though, I have some ultra cute ones of him at the beach!

Note to self: learn to keep camera in normal position for more ease in posting pictures on internet!

Everyone have a great Labor Day weekend....the last weekend of summer, in our book!

Good-bye summer...Hello Fall...or so it seems!

O.K. words for now...pictures later tonight, I promise ;-) Wow...our "normal life" is back on schedule and in full swing!! We did manage to hit Lake Erie one more time, this time we took Kylie and my Mom. Let me offer some advice to all of you Mommies out there with kids in diapers. Sun block, sand, and diapers do not go well together! Poor Kylie...she had sand stuck from head to toe clinging on to her sunblock lotion. And diaper changing time...well you can imagine! Ouch! Speaking of diapers, we are in all out potty training mode! I wanted to wait until the kiddos were back to school so I could devote every waking moment from 7:15 a.m. until 3:15 p.m. to Kylie and her "potty needs." Needless to say, Kylie won't have it any other way, she demands to wear big-girl underwear. I can guarantee you that of all the 2 year 2 month olds I know....not a single one is demanding underwear! Actually, a lot of them are more like 2 1/2 and no potty training going on there! Although, I haven't been as consistent as I should with the training this week, it is a good way to ease into next week where diapers will only be allowed during sleeping hours! It was hard to stay away from diapers when we were out and about this week. Speaking of out and about...we've been doing a lot of that. I took Nolan to hockey practice this week, we met Chris there after his work and we stayed to watch. I tell 'ya...for being 15 months younger than the closest teammate in age, you'd never guess considering his size. I full heartedly believe Dr. Hefner when he says Nolan will easily be over 6 feet in his early teen years! The past 2 days have been spent at school open houses and parent/teacher meetings. It is amzing how things have changed since I was in school! Allergies, theft, locked doors, identification, abductions, computerized lunch accounts, homework in kindergarden...I could go on and on. I wouldn't be surprised if recess is phased out of the experience in the next couple of years! I am so very thankful that Grove City has superior teachers that realize that these kids need to be kids and they try as hard as then can to keep the school day fun, while also trying to adhere to the strict standards that are becoming more and more each passing year. Chelsea will be closely watched by her teacher the first 2 weeks of school to see if she agrees with last years teacher's recommendation that Chelsea be placed in the gifted program. It is a little more demanding of her, but Chris and I are confident she will do great. Last year, her teacher ran out of books to send home with Chelsea because she blew through the easy leveled reading books all the way to the hardest leveled books in hlaf the school year. By mid-year she was bringing home books that she read in pre-school because she was allowed to bring home whatever she wanted...she had gone through all of them. In the gifted program, she will be introduced to school work in addition to her regular classroom work. This will alleviate the problem of her saying..."Mom, I had to sit at my desk for 10 minutes and do nothing while everyone else finished their workbook." Chelsea was always the first one done, 100% perfect and left to sit and wait on the other kids. We'll see how it goes. Chris' 2 week trip for work is quickly approaching (Sept. 11) and I am dreading it more and more. Every fun or productive activity I had planned for myself had to get cancelled so I can take over the responsibilities that Chris usually takes care of. I was looking forward to a couple of activities to get myself out of the house and into the community a little bit. I can always predict when Chris will have to travel...if I get an invitation to something or make plans for myself...he comes home and says "Honey...guess what..." I can almost always finish his sentence for him..."I am traveling to ______ next week!" Speaking of having time to your self...Chris won't be home tonight until super late. He is meeting up with co-workers at a bar after work to do their "Fantasy Football Draft." I had the grand idea to cook up a yummy, warm, beef stew for our dinner tonight, ran to the store to get the ingredients, paid for them, and remembered Chris won't be here to enjoy it with me! Cooking beef stew for the kids and I isn't as appealing to me as cooking it while Chris is here. The kids won't touch it...they will probably eat pb&j. So, No...spending half my day planning and cooking a wonderful warm, hearty stew for MYSELF was not in my plans! Whew...I could type on and on...it's been a very busy week here...looking forward to our last long weekend before school starts. I think the kids and I are camping out on the living room floor tonight and watching a rented movie. We wanted to camp out in the back yard...who woulda thought it would be 60 degrees, rainy and windy?! Well, I could go on and on but I am giving MYSELF a headache talking about all this stuff...and i'm not even the one that has to read it all! Hopefully i'll post some pics from our last week or so tonight. If I don't get around to it...I promise, tomorrow afternoon! Stay warm and pray this dreary cold weather is just a fluke and it won't be back until October!

I guess its better to be busy than bored!

Hi all....sorry for the lack of insightful posts lately...just been busy. I'm not just saying that to give me an excuse not to post either, it's the truth. We had our church picnic today, tons of housework this afternoon, and we're all heading out to Super Wal-Mart after we eat dinner, (which is on the grill right now). I haven't forgot about my blog...just no time to type and post pictures. Hopefully soon.

Busy...busy...busy!

Hello! I haven't posted in a few days for a few resons. 1st of all....I have a case of bloggers block, meaning I really don't have too much to talk about. Secondly, I have been EXTREMELY busy. We managed to squeeze another day trip to Erie in yesterday. We also did a little back to school shopping and now i'm busy getting the house and yard ready for Fall. We can't park our vehicles in our garage because it is still full of yard toys, and picnic tables and such from summertime festivities! Today I will be cleaning out the garage so we can park in it and cleaning out our Expedition so we are comfortable in it! Lake Erie sand is all through the truck! I need to cut this entry short...i've got a lot to do today but I will post as soon as I can get some pictures downloaded and share them with all of you! P.S. Chris finger is still bandaged, but he gets to unwrap it tomorrow. As you can imagine, after having to keep it dry for 5 days he is anxious to get it unwrapped and not have to be so careful with it. Hopefully, this has been the last surgery that has to be done on it!

Too much to update...pics will do the talking.

O.K. So the past few days have been busier than expected and I haven't had the chance to update here. In a nutshell....Lake Erie was sooooo much fun. I am hoping to squeeze in one more trip before school starts in 2 weeks. I took my 2 older kids and Chelsea's friend, Chloe. We stopped at the famous "Sara and Sally's" ( I hope that is the correct name) for lunch. Orange sherbet and vanilla swirl ice cream...home made onion rings...fresh hamburgers...need I say more? YUM!! We then headed to the beach...only a few people were there so it felt very secluded, plus we parked our beach blankets right next to the lifeguard, so I felt like I had a 2nd pair of eyes on the kids to help me out. Wonderful, relaxing, sunny, breezy....great day! Fast forward to Saturday. We had plans to go to the Erie Raceway with our friends Rick and Megan. So, we are on our way there and Rick gets a phone call that basically says that the people that had won V.I.P. tickets to the race couldn't make it and would we be interested in using those tickets? This included sitting in a hot tub all evening with a perfect view of the race, premium seating, and free food and drinks. So, yeah, we turned into the nearest Wal-Mart to look for some swim suits and beach towels! The middle of August isn't exactly the most convenient time to find swim suits so we bought cheap shorts and cheap t-shirts and a couple towels! We had a great time with exception to the temperature of the hot tub. We are suspicious that the heater broke because it was luke warm at the beginning of the evening and a bit cooler by the end of the night. That's my update for tonight...i'll finish in pictures. Oh....Chris' finger surgery is tomorrow morning. Keep him in your thoughts! Thanks!

Squeaky 7-year olds and another surgery for Chris.

IIII'MMMMM back! All of you should be thanking your lucky star that you aren't at my house right now! Chelsea's friend, Chloe, is spending the night and I have NEVER heard so much chaos in my entire life! All I hear is squealing, squeaking, screeching, doors slamming, foot steps stomping, and it sounds like my house is about ready to cave in! It will be a loooooong time before I agree to this again! YIKES!!! Anyways, I am bravely attempting to take Chelsea, Chloe, and Nolan to Erie tomorrow to spend the day on the beach. After the behavior I am witnessing tonight, I am thinking that I need to sit them all down before we leave and talk about appropriate behavior! I never imagined that little girls could be this wild! Not at 7-years old anyways! On a different note, i'm asking all of you to be thinking about Chris this coming Monday. He is having his finger operated on yet, again. The new doctor he is seeing told him that all it takes is 1 single cell to be left behind from his nail bed and it will grow a nail again. So, the key to a successful surhery is to get out the ENTIRE nail bed...every single cell. More than anything, the whole thing is just an inconvenience. He won't be able to use his finger for several weeks for typing, ice-hockey, bathing, etc. Just an inconvenience. I'd love to type more tonight but I need to cut it short this evening. If you're wondering why, just read the first several sentences of tonights blog! Uh-Oh...giggly girls running down the stairs...gotta run. I'll update tomorrow or the next day and include pics from our day in Erie. Wish me luck...i'm gonna need it. Thanks!

Life Marches On..

Well, I just got the news that Chris is traveling to Denver, yet again...thankfully only for a 2 day trip though. This is his job, his job pays our bills, it pays to keep a roof over our heads, and it pays for our sources of transportation and our kids education, just to name a few. It is what it is and until we get that money tree planted....this will be our life. I will warn you in advance though, Chris will be gone for over 2 weeks beginning September 11th and I just might go nutty. We have never been apart for more than 10 days. On a happier note, our Fall schedules are finally fallng into place. Chelsea is taking Gymnastics and Irish Step on Thursday evenings. Nolan's hockey schedule changes every 4 weeks, but from now until September 4th it looks like he'll be busy with that on Saturdays and Sundays and Wednesdays. It should be interesting since we only know his schedule 4 weeks at a time. Summer is winding down quickly for us. I am cramming into 2 weeks what I should have had all summer to get done but I procrastinated, as usual. The kids are getting their pics taken this week, Kylie's 2 year pics, and a group one of the kids that I do every summer. They also have dentist appointments coming up that are required to go back to school! I'm sad to see summer coming to an end, but the kids NEED to go back to school. They complain of boredom every single day now. I told them not to worry, i'm sure that after one week at school "boredom" won't even be in their vocabulary anymore! Call me crazt, but I am letting Chelsea bring a friend along with us to Erie on Thursday! She hasn't had a single friend over even one time this summer, and I promised her we would have her friends over all the time. Time just seems to pass me by without even staying for a visit! So, I will be taking myself, Chelsea, Nolan, and friend Chloe to the beach for the day. Chloe will be spending the night with us Wednesday night so we can get going in the morning to drop off Kylie at my Grandma's house. I also need to squeeze in one more trip to my sis-in-laws house before school. Which just reminded me, that's the last thing I have on my current to-do list...call Sherri and schedule a trip to her house. Gonna do that now...before something else distracts me. Have a good evening!

Quick blog thanks to Kylie!

Hi everyone. I really don't have much to talk about tonight. I'm just pretty much exhausted. Chris got home from his 1 day trip to Colorado last evening, we put the kids to bed early and watched a rented video. It is sooooo rare that we rent movies. I had rented 3 movies and a WII game while he was gone so the kids and I camped out in the living room the one night and watched movies. What I wanna know is when did it get so expensive to rent videos? I admit, I paid no attention to the price as I was picking them out but 20 bucks later we walked out of the store with 3 movies and a video game. No wonder we never rent them! Well, I said I had nothing to tal kabout, and the truth is that the longer I sit here to type, the more I have to say. Problem is, I am just pooped out. I have been trying really hard lately to physically play with the kids more, keep them entertained, and keep them happy when they are missing Daddy because he has been traveling so frequently. I think its catching up with me. We do have a fun week to look forward to...Erie Beach for the day (if the weather cooperates) and a hot dog roast at my Grandma's house, and dinner with Chris' parents. Uh-Oh....gotta cut this short...Kylie just got into Chelsea's nail polish...no more words are needed! Wish me luck!

Disappointment

I don't know if any of my faithful blog readers have checked Chris' last post on his blog but if you did you can very well see that his job is causing a lot of stress in our lives yet again. You see, we were supposed to go boating with our friends all weekend. The kids were soooo excited, they've been talking about it for a week. I've also been pretty stoked, the weather is supposed to be perfect, and 2 days away from the house is always a welcome change for me! Well...those plans have come to a screeching halt. You see, Chris' boss seems to think that Chris is the only capable person in the company to accomplish anything. Chris ALWAYS gets sent on the trips...other co-workers travel some, but Chris goes every single dang time. He put it best yesterday when he said it's like being punished for being a good employee. He is smart, a god trouble shooter, and always gets the problem fixed. Therefore, while everyone else is busy playing stupid, and enjoying their weekends off with family, good 'ol Chris gets stuck with all the travel. Aren't you supposed to get rewarded for being a good employee? There are no more promotions for him in the near future, and a raise will likely be no more than a cost of living raise. Have any of you else ever been punished for doing something good? He can't win...he needs to have a good reputation at his current company for when he looks for another job and needs references. If he keeps up his performance he'll continue to be over-worked, under-appreciated, and walked all over. If he requests a cut back in his travel, and slacks in his job, he could be demoted, and that wouldn't look good on his resume. In a nutshell, i'm disappointed, very much so. I'm home...alone....yet again....left to care for our children, all by myself. I love my kids, I love doing things with them, but even I get lonely and need adult interaction. I hate being the only adult in the house...and I especially hate doing it for days on end. 9 hours a day is my limit. O.K. Done venting for now. I have a babysitter showing up in 2 hours so I can get my hair cut, get groceries, and get some errands done. Am I the only one that has to hire a babysitter so I can actualy get things outside of the home accomplished? I could take the kids, but then the 5 hours worth of stuff I need to get accomplished would be 3 afternoons of trying it with the kids. Hopefully my mood will improve and i'll blog again later. Then again....it probably won't.

Stretching out Summer!

The lack of humidity in the air and the drop in temperatures around here have reminded me that Summer is coming to a close. In light of that realization, the past couple of days have been devoted to enjoying the great outdoors...and avoiding household chores...as much as possible! Yesterday I took the girls to a local playground. The temp. was comfortable and breezy so I sat at a picnic table and read my newspaper, sipped on some sweet tea, and snapped some pictures of the girls. Nolan was at my Grandparents soaking up whats left that summer has to offer him. Fishing and helping my Grandpa dig up potatos were just a couple of the activities he got to enjoy. Today, all of the kids and I headed to my Mom's house in Boardman, Ohio. We went out to lunch and then sat on lawn chairs in the front yard. Nolan and I tossed a football around, Kylie helped my Mom with some flower maintenance, and Chelsea was doing gymnastics all over the front yard! The highlight of Nolan's afternoon was seeing a truck drive by...all "pimped out" in a Steelers theme....

We enjoyed watching the kids act silly, and I enjoyed just sitting and relaxing in the refreshingly, non-humid, breezy, summer air! Yes, I have laundry to do at home, and yes, kitty litter needs scooped, but you know...that stuff needs done everyday and everyday is not going to be sunny and warm like today was! Here is a pic of all 3 of the kiddos together. It's extremely hard to get a good picture of them together so I better share this one before it gets lost in "Computer Land!"

It looks like we will be boating all weekend. Camping plans fell through but that won't stop us from getting the boat out! We'll be going out with our friends, The Ridenour's again. We always have a good time when we manage to get together, lots of laughs, and lots of joking around! It's too bad we live 45 minutes apart, just far enough that its not easy to get together on a regular basis, especially with the 6 kids between us! I think Mr. Sandman is calling my name. 10:22 p.m. and i'm whooped. Whatever happened to the days of staying out until 2:00 a.m. and then grabbing breakfast at Eat-N-Park, and getting to bed at 3:30 a.m.? Ohhhh...that was when I could sleep until noon and nobody cared. I wonder if between the 3 kids they could manage getting breakfast, changing a diaper, and doing a load of dishes tomorrow morning? Hmmm....Ha Ha Ha

So much to talk about!

It has been a few days since I last posted, I know. I like to post when I have a couple of pictures to include. Well, the batteries went dead on our new camera and we can't find the charger! Yes, it has a rechargeable battery, which is great, if you can keep track of the charger! We have looked everywhere and can't locate it. Chris thinks it may have been lost somewhere between here and Florida! We took it on vacation with us and we haven't seen it since. I do still have the other camera, but it is so big and bulky I don't ever carry it around with me to snap candid pictures like I did the other one.

I have a funny story. Chris was checking the weather forecast for this coming weekend, we may be going camping with some friends. He commented that there was a 30% chance of rain. We both looked at the computer screen and we both made a comment at the same exact time. The comment was (Tracy) "Ooooh, its gonna be cold"...(Chris)..."Wow, the temperature is gonna be great." The forecasted temperature is 73 degrees! I love the heat and the summer months, Chris loves the cool crisp air and the Fall and winter months. They say opposites attract and we sure are proof of that!

I can feel that Summer is quickly coming to an end. I am no longer constantly sweating from the humidity, there are more and more leaves falling onto the ground, and the stores have put out the Fall merchandise. I'm in the process of planning a "Back-To-School" shopping trip with my girlfriend, Lisa. If we could just get the husbands to keep the 6 children that belong to us all we would need to do is find a day we have in common with no other commitments. That in itself is a chore! Did I mention that my dear friend, Lisa, is pregnant with her 5th child? They range in age from 20 all the way down to 18 months! Her last 3 are pretty similar in age to my kiddos. I cleaned the kiddos closets today and they are ready for some new Fall/Winter clothes! Nolan has shot up like a bad weed...all of his pants are floods! Chelsea must have put on a few pounds because the jeans she was just growing into last spring are now tight and she needs the next size up. Problem is....she doesn't need the extra length! That's always been the case with her. She always has to wear her pants too long for 6 months until she gains a couple inches in height!

With the change of seasons also comes HOCKEY SEASON!!! Yes, that begins in another 1-2 weeks and then my schedule gets hectic again. Nolan will have practice 3 times a week plus a game every weekend. Chris is the coach of Nolan's team so he will be responsible for getting Nolan to and from practices and games. I, on the other hand, am responsible for the hockey laundry...tons of it...and for getting my 2 guys fed and packed up before practice 3x a week. I will also be going to as many games as I can on the weekends. That means I have to work doubly as hard at home all week so I can attend the games without guilt that housework has piled up! It seems a little overwhelming right now, but I think once we get into the swing of things, we're gonna have fun watching the little guy, cheering him on, and hanging out with the other "Hockey Families." Chelsea will be starting up with gymnastics again...we're not sure about tap yet. We haven't committed to a certain day yet...that's on my "to-do" list. And Kylie...she's gonna enjoy her last year of freedom at home full time before she heads off to Nursery School next year!

I'm signing off for the evening. I have a habit of getting on here and typing waaaaaaayyy too much. Since its just me and the girls here tonight (Nolan is at my Grandparents house, Chris is playing Hockey in his Mens League) I think we're gonna do something special before bed. Maybe some ice cream, maybe some chocolate, maybe some sprinkles.....can you smell the estrogen in the air?!?!?

Another life taken too soon.

Man, there are just sometimes when I hate living in a small town. Living in a small town means that everybody knows everybody and when something bad happens...it has at least a small effect on the entire town! I didn't know Mike Dagres hardly at all, ran into him at a couple of high school parties here and there...but never really even held a conversation with him. He was also a year...or 2 i'm not sure...behind me in school. He lived it up in his 29 short years, lived life to the fullest and put in a good effort to fight for our country. Man....Cancer sucks. If I sat and thought about how many people, my age, have passed on since high school, I bet I could fill both hands. That fact really bothers me. R.I.P. Mike Dagres. You fought the fight. You are in God's Army now. *SIGH*

Yes, i'm still here!

Well, Chris has been in Texas for 5 days now...only 2 more to go! We have been extremely busy here just trying to keep up with yard work, our newly landscaped retaining wall, housework, and hockey camp this week. I commented to my father-in-law the other day that I really like blue hydrangea's. I had noticed one driving past someones house and thought it was beautiful. When we got home from hockey tonight he surprised me with a blue hydrangea! He dug it up from their old house and told me to plant it behind our wall! I can't wait unti lit gets bigger and blooms....so beautiful! It looks like we may get our boat out for the first time this summer....this weekend! You know we're busy when we are too busy to get our boat out! I love the time we get to spend together as a family out on the boat. I hope the memories we make out on the lake will stick with the kids forever. Our friends (Hello Rob and Lisa!) bought a new boat so we're gonna meet up with them! Between us we have 6 (soon to be 7) kids and we can't fit all of us on either boat so we need 2! Lisa has a daughter in college and then 3 little ones at home and a 4th on the way! Yes, I think she is insane, but I love her to death! Her Cyanna is 1 day younger than my Nolan. I have already arrainged their marriage...even if her Daddy doesn't approve, he'll have to get over it! I could go on and on, but unfortunately, my yawns are becoming more and more distracting, so I need to go put laundry in the dryer and head to bed. Ideally, I would set the alarm to wake me up in the middle of the night and get a little ahead on hockey laundry, but instead i'll rush to get it all washed in the morning and dried by lunchtime to get packed yet again for another evening of hockey. How many more days left in the week?? *SIGH*

Introducing.....Chelsea Elizabeth Mahaffey!

Chelsea is our first born child...March 17, 2001. That makes her 7 years old. Chelsea is unique in so many ways, I would be here typing about her forever, you really need to only spend 15 minutes with her to figure out just how unique she is. She has always been an over-achiever, and I don't say that just because I am her Mother. It has been brought to our attention several times over by, pre-school teachers, gymnastics coaches, tap teachers, and her kindergarden and 1st grade teachers. If she tries something and enjoys it, she achieves at it, but if she tries it and doesn't like it, she quits and doesn't look back. Gymnastics and Tap Dancing are the two great loves in her life right now. She has been in Gymnastics since she was 3 and in tap only since she was six. She loves to write stories, do art work, and her favorite outdoor activity is catching frogs and making "habitats" for them and setting them free at the end of the day. She likes to read, play with her baby sister, fight with her little brother, swim, and listen to her I-Pod. Whats on her play list you ask....? Hannah Montana, every single High School Musical song from HSM 1 and 2 plus the remixed songs, The Jonas Brothers, and Kids Bop 1 through 13 I believe! She has seen High School Musical on Ice 3 times, and High School Musical the Musical at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh once. Her bedrrom is decorated in HSM and her last birthday cake was...you guessed it....HSM!!! She is already planning her first sleep-over for this Fall when HSM 3 premieres! She reminds me much of myself...only I was 12 not 7! Nolan and Kylie really have a great big sister, they don't realize it now but I knw they will appreciate it years down the road. Chelsea teaches them, plays with them, and acts as a second mother half the time. I will never forget the day I gave birth to her, it was the day that changed Chris and I's lives forever, the day that changed my title for the rest of my life to "Mother", the day that I realized what true love truly feels like...I will forever be grateful.

Introducing....Nolan Isaac Mahaffey!

This handsome little man is the 2nd addition to our family! Nolan was born on January 29, 2003 and was also a 9+ pounder! This little man is unique in every way! People often mistake him to be at least 6 years old! He is extremely tall and athletic like you wouldn't believe! At his 5 year check-up the doctor checked out his growth chart...he said to expect Nolan to be over 6 feet in his early teen years! Nolan has been playing ice hockey since he was 3 1/2 years old. He will be starting on his first "official" team this Fall. The last year and a half have been spent in a hockey development program and in figure skating lessons. He is currently participating in his 2nd hockey camp this summer. He has been gifted in his athletic talent and has been placed on a team this Fall consisting of boys aged 7 and up. His abilities are superior of those his age, thus why he is playing with the older boys! Aside from Hockey....Nolan really doesn't show a huge interest in any other activities! While at home you can find him playing the Wii, playing with his sisters, riding his bike, or playing in the dirt! Nolan attended the pre-school program at Grove City College for 2 years and is headed to kindergarden this Fall! Aside from school work, Nolan will be kept busy all Winter long with swimming lessons and Hockey. His favorite foods are pizza, cereal, hamburgers, and spaghetti. I am so excited to see him grow-up, although definitely not rushing it! Nolan has had snow-white hair all his life but now its starting to get darker...to my dismay, oh how I will miss his white hair! Stay tuned...i'll have plenty more to write about Nolan...everyday is an adventure with him in our family!

Introducing....Kylie Jordan Mahaffey!

This beauty is the final addition to our family! I though I would introduce my children in reverse order of their birth simply because Kylie is always last! Not that she'll ever care that I introduced her first or last to my blog readers, I just wanted to mix things up a bit this time! Kylie was born on June 14, 2006, and weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds 9 ounces! If you pay close attention to her birthdate you will see that she recently turned 2, and my goodness have the "Terrible Two's" set in! Some of her favorite things to do are get into my make-up drawer and apply make-up to her entire body, squirt any kind of lotion onto any piece of furniture she can get to without me catching her, and pull dresses out of her closet and attempt to play dress-up. She absolutely loves her older sister and brother (I'll introduce them later). In fact, when I am scolding her, she often looks for her brother or sister and buries her face into them and seeks comfort. She recently moved from her crib to a big-girl and is eager to get into big-girl underwear! Yes, SHE wants to get potty trained! I was preparing to start that when the older kids start back to school and I have all day to devote to her and her potty training...but we are already traveling down that road...and with quite a bit of success! She is well on her way to being a "Big-Girl" but we still have one thing holding her back. She hasn't given up on her "Nukie", "Binky", "Nuk", whatever you choose to call it....she's still attached! One hurdle at a time right???

Last Week....mostly in Pictures!

Well, I haven't quite figured out how to post pictures and write a few sentences between them...i'm not sure why I can't get it to work tonight so i'll post the pictures all at the end! The purpose of tonights blog entry is to get some pictures up from our week in Gettysburg with my sister-in-law and her family. Some of my family said they would like to see pics! My sister- in-law lives in Gettysburg with her husband, Barry and their 9 year old son, Cail. They live in a housing development that surrounds a private lake. Talk about cool....they can swim, boat, ski, canoe....pretty much whenever they want! Barry wakeboards and man is he something to watch! Our nephew, Cail, has also recently taken up wakeboarding...pretty cool stuff for a 9 year old! In a nutshell....our week consisted of....Guitar Hero and Rock Band, boating, swimming, and touring 2 potato chip factories and Hershey Park! The kids always fuss about coming back home....gee I wonder why?!?!?! I'm heading to bed for the night...my goal is for the next few blog entries to be introductions to each of us individually, with a picture and a blurb about us. We'll see how that goes, and until then...here is our past week in pictures!

A Quick Introduction to Our Kids

O.K. I couldn't log off the internet that easily....this blogging thing has got me reeled in now! Anyways, I'll make this short and sweet. These are my 3 kiddos. Chelsea is 7 years old, Nolan is 5 years old, and Kylie is 2 years old. They are pretty much the stars of this show, or blog, however you wanna look at it. They are my inspiration and my life. Without them....well....I wouldn't have anything to talk about. So there you have it, faces to match with names...I will elaborate more on them in a different blog. I'll try and dig up a picture of Chris and I to post, but that may take a good while ;-) Now, I really am going to bed!

Day 1 - My Week at Home While Chris is in Texas

Chris left for Texas this morning yet again leaving me to "Singlehood" and "Single Parenting" for the next week! I have to admit, I don't mind him traveling for work in the summertime at all. The kids and I have PLENTY to keep ourselves busy...unlike wintertime when we prefer to stay indoors away from the snow. Today I ran into an unusual situation. Chelsea was sobbing uncontrollably and I asked her what was wrong, she handed me a framed picture of her and Kylie when Kylie was just a newborn. She kept mumbling something about wishing Kylie was still a baby. Geez, talk about tugging at my heart strings, as if coming to terms with the fact that Kylie is our last child wasn't hard enough for me...now i've got my 7 year old begging me to have another! Don't worry....as much as I miss having a tiny baby around the house, I don't miss the sleepless nights and all the other stuff that comes along with babies! I love my 3 kiddos and the ages they are....no more babies for me! Did I just hear a sigh of relief echo across the state of Pennsylvania? Oh wait....I think it came from Texas! Ha Ha Ha! I think I may do some research on the internet tonight and see how I can spruce up my blog page...and I definitely need to figure out how to put photos on here! I'm sure it's not difficult...just time consuming, and extra time is not something I often have! Most of my computer stuff is done after 9:00 when all of the kids are in bed for the night. One of these days I may send out an email to my friends and family to let them know I've started this blog. Seems kind of silly to type out all this stuff and make the page pretty and log onto it and see i've had ZERO hits! Yep, ZERO!!! That means nobody has read it yet. Hmmm....maybe I oughta get that email sent! O.k. Gotta run, we are picking up Chris parents and heading to the house of a family that goes to our church. They evidently have some very friendly goats and we thought the kids would love to go see them, and pet them of course! I'll try not to forget the hand sanitizer!

My first blog entry!

I'm not gonna post much at all tonight, this is my first post and I am pretty much just customizing my page right now. The reason for me starting this blog is mainly because my husband travels for work A LOT. And a lot of that travel is in other time zones....we don't get to talk a whole heck of a lot during those trips so I figure he can read my blogs for an easy and quick update on our happenings here at home! I also have cousins in Alaska...who may or may not care about my life...but its all here to catch up on if they care! That's all for tonight...Chris (the hubby) is bugging me to help him match clothes to pack for his business trip this week. He flies out of Pittsburgh at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow....9:30 p.m. right now...nothing like last minute packing huh?

P.S. It is now the next day....12 hours later and this blog entry still isn't showing up on my page! Hmmmm.....its pretty sad when BOTH Chris and I couldn't get it to work in a timely manner! Hang in there, i'll get this blogging stuff figured out!