Computer problems

Hi all especially those that I had e-mailed down south. I am having some major computer problems on our main computer so I am without anyone's e-mail addresses to reply to notes sent. Hopefully if any of you read this...send me a new e-mail to the same address so I will be able to reply from my laptop. My apologies, but I have had some mayhem around here for a few days. I am mostly ready for our trip and just have to finish up a couple of loads of laundry tomorrow to finish packing and get our snack bag and cooler ready. Anyway, enough from us and if I don't get on here tomorrow have a great couple of weeks and be sure to cover us in prayer if you don't mind. My mantra for this trip is to go with the flow. We will see how that works for me. Later!

Aidan at the bat

Aidan has shown his first real interest in baseball this spring. Wouldn't his grandpa be proud (B's Dad). Anyway, this summer we signed him up for happy bats and he has had a blast.

This week is his last class and we will be able to make it before our trip on Friday. Hopefully watching the kids play will help me to not obsess about the trip, if anything is wrong with the car, if I have forgotten to pack anything or if I have a enough drinks and snacks. I am the type to obsess about these things you know..as I was up at 3 am making a grocery list and putting Aidan's swimming ear plugs in the suitcase so it would not continue to run through my mind and keep me awake. Ah well, I am tired this morning and I have one of Aidan's little friends from school coming over this afternoon. I am hoping to have everyone play outside to keep my house in some sort of order. We shall see. I am off as I have to make the trip to Wal-mart to buy snacks and other odds and ends for our trip. Mama needs shampoo! Later taters.

Broccoli Harvest

This was our first harvest a few weeks ago. I actually have tomatoes on the vine as well and a few small peppers. The won't be ready until sometime in August though. With all the rain they have had they have done quite well. I am just hoping they survive while we are away. I need to do some weeding today as they are starting to take over, so I will probably set up the pool for the kids to play since it seems that it will be pretty warm this afternoon. Well, off to the library for story time. Hopefully, I will be able to post another time or two before we head out of town. I finally downloaded some pictures while our friends were visiting this weekend. My camera finally made it to Happy Bats! Later taters.

The Magnificent Mile...

Because of crowds and weather issues, we did not stay terribly long at the Magnificent Mile. I can not believe how many people were in the American Girl store on a Thursday after lunch! I don't even want to think about what it is like at Christmas. I caved and got Ainsley a bitty baby. I knew that I would, but now I have gift ideas when the relatives ask...bitty baby accessories. Aidan and the boys headed over to the Lego store while the girls went to the AG store. Aidan had a great time, but kept telling Dad, I have already seen that in the catalogue! Aidan was able to get and Indiana Jones lego set and has been playing with it daily since. He enjoyed taking a picture with a favorite movie star (made entirely of Lego) and Ainsley liked the little ride the store had. Overall, I think everyone had fun. Heading over to Woodfield Mall was another matter entirely. It took us nearly 3 hours to get there due to 10 mph traffic, rain and wrong turns. Needless to say we were grateful that the hotel we booked was so nice and comfortable. Shopping was fun and successful the next day and my friend and I got to spend some nice girl time away from the kids, but I did miss them terribly. The morning just felt off with no little people around. Anyway, my friends have headed home this morning and I am in the works of getting us ready to head to Texas. Pulled out the suitcase, scheduled Dot for boarding, refill pet meds, laundry, laundry, laundry. Thursday will be a laundry day as well to wash any last minute items. Don't know how B is going to get packed as he has visitors in town this week which means late night entertaining. Don't the big wigs know that these people have families! Well, that is it for now as I need to get to the kids. It is after noon and they have yet to want to get dressed this morning. Well, I always say we need to have a pajama day from time to time and we definitely won't get that while we are travelling. Later taters!

Back. Tired. Exhausted.

All I can say is terrible traffic, but we had fun. I will blog more another day. Later taters!

Finally...

I have been taking care of some business. I was sent some cards a month or so ago to remove myself and B from the voter registration list...in Texas. I have been here 2 years this Memorial Day weekend and still not become a registered voter in this state. Now, I have officially and finally taken care of it and removed myself from the Texas list. I still need to get B to sign his form. 2 years! How civic minded am I! I do vote in major elections I promise and as this is the year of a major election I thought I had better get myself registered. Now, I only need to change my cell phone...probably not until after our trip down south though.

After a whirlwind weekend...

my sister and her hubby just left. I am exhausted from all the running around we did. Poor Ainsley was tired as well and did not complain one bit about taking her nap today. Such a busy time this month is going to be. I have tried to lay down for a nap just now, but I just can't seem to still my brain. Overtired I guess. Not sure how we will manage this week. Too much going on, heading for a two day trip to Chicago. B and the kiddos will be coming back after a day with our friends and my friend and I will get to shop. So much to do and so little time. We have a dinner to go to on Tuesday and no sitter yet. I don't even really want to go, work functions are so not fun for me. I have to also get ready for our Texas trip and I really don't have the energy to even think of it right now. The pets go to the vet tomorrow and I have to schedule kitty for boarding as well. Alex has been scheduled for a while now, but in light of Dot's current health issue I will board her as well. My first concern before all of this is a hotel for this weekend so now I am off.

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July from the entire silly family!

Well Ainsley lost the war...

after a busy day yesterday, I was in the kitchen cleaning up while B was in the other room minding the kids. I turn off the water in the sink to Ainsley's cry. I go rushing to the living room to the sight of B checking out Ainsley's mouth which was bleeding and Aidan crying in the chair. Apparently while B was playing a game the kids were playing tug of war with a controller cord. Ainsley somehow managed to get whacked in the face with the controller and did a bang up job on her chin and lower gums. Needless to say she is not biting into anything for a few days. What B did not realize is that I have had to put an end to this "game" before due to injury, nothing quite so traumatic though. Poor Aidan was just in tears for hurting his sister, so I had to calm him down and let him know that since it wasn't done on purpose that he was not in trouble, but they were not to tug of war with the controller again and this was why I had stopped them from playing before. Oh well, so here we go again with another family visit coming up this weekend and I have another banged up child. Sigh...this too shall pass.