That's my friend Lisa (holding Baby Z). I actually took this pic a while ago, but didn't take any today (except for the ones of the dehumidifier we are trying to sell!), so I'm using an old pic.

Lisa and I have literally 'been friends since kindergarten'. That's us! Once, she got a *little* intoxicated, and called me up proclaiming: "We've been *sniff* friends since *sniff, sniff* kindergarten!"...it was pretty funny, so I like to remind her of that moment often. ;) There you go Liza...now it's in PRINT! LOL! ;)

Max LOVES to dress up in Ella's dress up shoes. It's so adorable the way he idolizes her!





Ugh...my computer table MESS!! I'm in the middle of cutting out all the stuff for Max and Zoe's monkey birthday party. So, my desk is taking the brunt of it! It drives me mad to be in the middle of all this STUFF, and yet - I'm having a FAB time!! I LOVE to organize, and get stuff like this ready!! It's so much fun! I just can't believe I STILL have OVER a MONTH to wait until the party!!!!!!! HOW will I make it? Maybe I'll just plan some more....Oooh, a *love shiver* ;)

I was wondering what I was going to write about tonight. I had a million-and-one things go through my head today, but when I finally get a quiet minute to sit down and write - nothing.

As I sat here wondering, I could hear Rick downstairs singing to the kids before they went to bed. Awww...he is SUCH a good father. I love that I can sit up here and nurse Zoe to sleep every night, while he gets the kids in their pj's, brushes their teeth, reads them books, and puts them in their beds. He even sings them songs and rubs their backs!! I may get frustrated with him on occasions, but I need to remember times like this...hearing him sing a made up song to Max - all to see that little boy's face light up when he says something about John Deere. It IS fun to be a parent isn't it?

Too bad I don't have a good pic of him - lately, or at all for that matter. Rick isn't exactly big on photos. As handsome as he is, he can be a bugger - especially when it comes to pictures. So, instead here is my pic of the day: 2 actually - the kids and I made a HUGE fort in the livingroom this afternoon. Oh what fun...it's still standing so they can play there tomorrow too. Here is some not wonderful, but happy pics of the kids playing 'hide and seek' in their awesome fort!

Once a week I only have one child, but that is usually Zoe, as Ella is at school, and Max is at the sitters. But today Max AND Zoe were at the sitters (to get her ready for me going back to work...*la sigh*), so I took Ella to school this morning, and stayed for the morning to volunteer again. Then I picked her up from school and we had about 2 entire hours to ourselves!!! It was crazy! We didn't know what to do with all our time! The school had introduced us (I happened to know since I was IN her library class today - HANDY!) to this website that reads books, and Ella LOVED it!! So I set up a book to read on my computer taking up a part of the screen, then I put MY work on the other part, and we could be together, and I could get some work done! Yippeee!!
It was awesome, because I could still hear the book (and see it too), so I could ask her questions, hear her comments, or answer her questions no problem, and it kept us both happy! :D

Then...we played 'The Wizard of Oz'. Ahh...easily one of my FAV movies of all times. When McDonalds got the WoZ dolls a couple years ago, I made sure I got them ALL. ;) I even got 2 flying monkeys (wish I had more though...she had a whole flock of them in the movie!!). So it's very easy to play. And oh, it was fun. I think we need some more time like that in the future.

In between WoZ, I let Ella take pictures with my camera. It was funny how quickly she learned...I mean REALLY quick! She's not bad...here are some of her pics:

Since Sunday, we've had Ella's friend Chloe here since her mom and dad are in Mexico. It's been a BLAST!! I *almost* cried tonight when we dropped her off at her grandma's...is that bad? I had to hold it together:
1. So MY daughter wouldn't lose it, because she was VERY close also!
2. So poor Chloe wouldn't lose it either! (She's missing her Mama)
3. So her grandmother wouldn't think I was insane.

Ok, so it was mostly the last one...but I held it together. Funny how empty the house feels now!

We went to my mom's house for a bit today, and I splurged and got the kids Micky D's for lunch. Zoe...who has never had it before, is now a fan. She was hilarious! She stood at the kids table for a good 15-20 min eating french fries! It was very cute!

So, I didn't take these pics today *gasp!*, my mother did (luckily, because I really wanted a shot of Zozo standing with the 'big' kids!!)

Yehaw! I finally finished the invites to Max and Zoe's birthday party! I kept them very simple, yet very monkeyish!! ;)



Today Max got mail. Gosh it's exciting for LO's to get mail!! He could barely wait to get inside and open up his envelope, which was stuffed with a new train and new tractor for his Usborne books AND....popping paper. Oh happiness is. I *thought* maybe he would be excited about being able to use his train and tractor books again, but nope - the popping paper was WAAAAAAAY too exciting. But then again, what do I know? LOL!
Here he is *very seriously* popping some bubbles to scare away the "monsters" (or dragons...whichever is closer at the moment!).

Sending 2 four-year-olds out into this muddy weather? Ugh! They had a blast though (at least that was good!), making mud pies, and painting the window.

Ahh...good times! ;)


It might be hard to see, but she is completely sopping wet with mud. LOL!

Easy-peasy...LOL! It helps that the "4th" child is my daughers friend, Chloe. But so far, we've had Chloe since this afternoon and it hasn't been too bad. ((Mind you, we just got the oldest 3 to sleep not that long ago, and it's 10pm now...oops! It was a bit too exciting to have Chloe in Ella's room I think, for both Ella and Max! He wanted to keep coming in to 'see' them!))

So here are my crazies this afternoon. Now, I'm tired, and going to move the newest (temporary) member of our family back to her own bed, and out of mine.

I belong to a forum of mums. I have for about a year and half, and love it. My brother likes to joke that I'm 'such a wundermum'...but I really am. I have learned so many things, and met lots of new kindred souls - and most importantly, I've learned that I'm a 'normal mum'. I think that's probably the most important thing. From the moment you become pregnant you want to do the right thing for your child. You make sure you take your prenatal vitamins, you don't eat raw fish and you doubt every decision you make, because you aren't 100% sure if it's the exact way you are supposed to handle the specific situation.

That's why Wundermums is so great. You can post a question, and find out that 15 other mum's would handle the situation the EXACT SAME WAY. Heaven. Unless you decide to call 15 (or more) of your closest friends and relatives to find out what they did, how do you know? How do you set your mind at ease? They make you feel normal, and that's a GREAT way to feel when you are a mum (especially a new mum!).

I've learned so many things too. Pre-Wundermums I judged other mum's. I'm admitting to it. I never meant in a mean way, and would never say anything, but I thought things. For example: A woman would breastfeed her 3 year old? Ewwwwwwww!!! Or homeschooling? It makes freaky kids. It just does. Even midwives, only weird women into wholistic stuff use them. LOL!

*Seriously, I feel pretty darn foolish for some things I used to think, in my naiveness I was pretty stupid.*

Since reading and really trying to understand some of the other women's opinions, I have changed my mind a LOT. I have learned that breastfeeding is a wonderful thing (I DID know that one!), and if you decide to long-term bf - who cares? If you child is 7 years old and happily bf'ing - how is that different in the child explaining it to their friends, than having to explain that you have 2 mums, or 2 dads? WHY judge these fellow mums who want and enjoy this wonderful bonding experience? Not to mention how good it is for the child. Breast milk is wonderful, we all know that, so why stop?
Now, I'm not saying that I'm going to breastfeed Zoe until she is 7, but I'm not necessarily going to stop when she reaches a year old either. Once I go back to work I can still feed her in the mornings and before bed! AND..I plan to! I am going to let her decide when to stop (as long as I want to as well). If we both enjoy it, then there is no reason to cut her off.

And as for homeschooling? I've learned that homeschooled kids (granted not ALL of them) can be quite a bit more advanced in their learning than other kids their age. They don't have social issues, because the parents use different forms of socializing with other children than the school setting. And the list goes on...

I've learned TONS...certainly too much to even try to write down in a blog session. Just know that I love Wundermums. It's enlightend me with so much. Knowledge takes you far, and friends along the way are even better. :)


...

One more thing I would like to add about WM's. I have friends on there. Awesome women who have shared their lives with me. I've met lots of them IRL which is even better. I have one certain friend on there who has a special bond with me - we knew eachother in highschool. We weren't best friends or anything, but for some reason, I feel extra comfy knowing I have 'someone on the inside'...! She always replies to my posts, as I do hers, and she's helped me out in other areas of my life too.

Crazy how a metal and plastic box, along with some keys and a screen can make you feel very comfortable in a group. A group...of friends. :)

Thanks WM's. You rock. ;)

www.wundermums.com

Max loves Ella. Ooooh, she is so amazing in his eyes. When I ask him: "Who loves ya?" His answer (which is supposed to be "Mommy does!") is always: "Ella does!" It's hilarious.

When she gets on the bus in the morning, he yells out: "Good-bye Ella - have a good day!", and when we pick her up, he runs (not kidding) and falls into her arms for a huge bear hug. She is his big sister, and there is no one better. :)

Yesterday I gave the kids thier bird houses they made (forever ago...) to put somewhere outside. So Ella decided to put hers on the window ledge of the front window, and she put Max's waaaay on the other side of the window. Max took one look, and them moved his so his little house was right next to Ella's and they touched. I simply cannot move them - it just makes me smile every time I see them!

I met this woman today who, after raving about my adorable children (of course), told me to cherish every moment. She had older children now (and was looking forward to grandchildren) and cannot believe how much she has forgotten.

Cherish every moment. CHERISH...

It's so easy to let all these moments just fly away...to forget - even when we don't want to. That's why I want to do this blog so bad - to hopefully catch those moments, if at least only one per day.

This afternoon I was feeding Baby Z before her nap, and I remembered what that woman had said. When we were done, I read her the book we read before she goes to bed every time: "Zoe's Snowy Day" that she got from Nana Dianne and Grandpa Bob (her FAV! and Grampa picked it out!!). She absolutely LOVES this book. Everytime we open the first page, or even look at the cover, she erupts into huge smiles. It's awesome. While we were reading the book, her soft little hands brushed mine. I touched her cheek and felt her soft pink skin. I wanted to gobble her up she was so cute! I squeezed and squeezed her, then kissed her on her cheeks, and one of my fav spots - her little chubby neck. ;) I love babies so much!! I honestly think that I'm going to have a rough time when we decide we've had enough children. ...but not yet. ;)

This afternoon I put Zoe up on my shoulders and attempted to take some pics in the mirror...they are pretty funny - and Zoe LOVED it! So cute..I'm sure I have some drool in my hair, and she might have some of my hair still clutched in her little paws, but it was fun. :)

Today my brother came over with his two kids for a play-date. It's funny having a play-date with your brother...LOL! But it was fun, and the kids had a BLAST like usual!! While I was trying to get dinner in the oven, I turned a movie on for them, so that is my pic today...the girls were princess's, it was so cute!!

The first pic is of the kids eating their 'underwater adventure' lunches. Complete with summer sausage sharks, fish crackers and pear seaweed. Mmmmm...!



This second photo is the prince and princess's watching a movie (and eating AGAIN but this time it was a snack!)



And last but not least, here is Zoe trashing my tupperware cupboard...and loving every minute. Little bugger...!



I finally had some good luck with that website that starts with a "K" and sounds like: Fajiji...
We put our old microwave up, and this couple emailed right away. Then they called. Then they called this morning to get directions to our house. Then they CAME, looked at it, and then asked if I had change..for the FULL amount I was asking!!! It was WONDERFUL!! Not like the portable DVD player I've been trying to sell...
I've decided to have a love/hate relationship with the site. If I could just get rid of the other 5 or 6 things I want to sell easily, it will be ENTIRLY love baby...!

Ella, my FOUR year old - informs me tonight at dinner, that she has a boyfriend.

Um...excuse me? You are only FOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She told her that her little friend Ian asked her to be his girlfriend tonight. Oh, and Chloe, her other friend is also his girlfriend. Can you say polygamist? ;)
I was shocked to say the least. I really didn't think this would happen at least for a few years...but I guess I'm wrong! At least when I casually asked her if that meant she had to kiss him, she scrunched her face up and said: "No!"

WHEW! :)

Today Rick and I had a date! We dropped the kids at various places, and took off like a couple of teenagers and went to see a movie! We STUFFED ourselves with popcorn, drank pop and even ate chocolate. (Shhh...don't tell my Weight Watchers diary) It was fun. Of COURSE we went shopping too, but ended up buying things for the kids...LOL!
I think we need to do that more often. We EVEN got to hold hands!! WOW!

Poor Zozo is sick. She has a fever, and is a bit phlemy (lovely!). So this morning she was a bit lathargic (is there spell checker on this?!?), yet, posed very nicely for me when I wanted to take her picture!! I was going to try to keep it to one pic per day, but I can't help myself, she is just sooo darn cute!!!

Ahhh...the lovely feeling of sleeping through the night. Yes, I said it - NIGHT #2 of Baby Z sleeping through the night!! Yeah for us!! Funny how you get so used to getting up countless times throughout the night for sooo long - it's been almost 10 months...wow!

So here we are, on day #2 of my blog! Funny, because yesterday (all day!) I was coming up with things to talk about. Then I'd stop myself from blogging again so that I would have something to write about today.

Um...and that's it. My mind = blank. Murphy's Law? Love it. UGH!

Maybe it's that I'm all alone this morning - simply too much time to concentrate? All 3 kids are at the babysitters today. ALL 3!! I actually have some TIME on my hands with NO little ones running around!! Mind you, I have plans coming out of my ears; make stew, put laundry away, clean the kitchen, go for brunch with mom, buy Max a new snowsuit, hit scrapbook store for supplies for Max and Zoe's birthday party invites...you know - just a few things...LOL!

So, I'll cut it short, and try really hard to come up with some really good subject for tomorrow. (Don't hold your breath!)

Here is my pic of the day - Rick took it last night (does it count if I didn't take it?), it is the only one I have to use since there are no children to take pictures of today!
Rick and the kids made this last night while I was cleaning up upstairs. It was so cute, Ella came up and asked for the camera. I thought maybe Daddy had sent her up for it, but no...she wanted a picture of her amazing castle!