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?!?!?