Frankle

We have an elf in our house and his name is Frankle. Frankle has made our life pretty exciting; it is amazing what my kids will do the impress him.  Frankle shows up each morning watching over Aiden and Sloane.  He flies back to the North Pole each night to report on Aiden and Sloane’s behavior (to Santa) then flies back.  He shows up in some wacky places each morning! 

The first night Frankle showed up this year (this is his third year with our family) Sloane slept THROUGH THE NIGHT. She woke up after sleeping through the night and I said, “Do you know who is so proud of you?” (Me obviously!?!?) She replies with, “Santa!” Oh really? Yes, dear Santa has been getting up with you 2-3 times a night since you were born!

My kids have become little tattle tales.  They tell on each other to Frankle…. it’s almost a little disturbing.  I like to think that I am using Frankle as a fun tradition, but I think I am using Frankle as a pawn to make my kids behave.  That clearly makes me an amazing mother.

Having Frankle around makes my kids want to do well so that he can give a good report to Santa each night.  It has NOTHING to do with them ACTUALLY wanting to do well because doing well is just the right thing to do.  Drives me crazy! Yet, I continue to hear myself say, “What do you think Frankle is going to have to say about that?!?”

Which brings me to my next point.  I don’t think my kids have any idea what Christmas is really all about.  I take full responsibility for this because, well, I don’t actually know what Christmas is all about.  I know a few details and have come to my own conclusions over the years (the Nativity scene is quite helpful once you know who each character represents….now that was a hard lesson to learn as a kid. Who is who and what was their role?!? Lordy, who would have thought that the baby was Jesus?!  I always assumed Jesus was always a man, never a baby….all those confusing years).

I need to find some good picture books to read to my kids so they have a better understanding of what we are celebrating and why.  It is not all about the presents….although that part is awesome!

a beetle?

I am open to a lot of things....but I am not alright with a man driving a VW beetle.  I think the only valid excuse is you took your wife's beetle to fill it up with gas.

We Dance Anywhere

I didn’t sleep well last night.  Mornings are already not my thing, I don’t like to have conversations or talk in depth about anything before 7:20 a.m.  So, knowing I didn’t sleep well was not a good sign for the way my day was starting out.  Kyle always deals with Aiden and I always get Sloane dressed and ready before school.  Kyle did his usual thing and I did my usual thing.  We had a little extra time this morning so the kids finished a quick puzzle before we all headed out the door.

I drove Kyle’s car this morning so I was able to plug my phone in to play music (yes, my dinosaur car doesn’t have an auxiliary plug). Sloane’s favorite song of the decade is “Call Me Maybe” so I held off playing it for as long as I could…she finally asked for it a few miles before getting to her school. 

We listened to it on repeat twice before even getting to school.  Once we got to school we had a little impromptu dance party in the parking lot.  Sloane cracked up and I realized that this kid could turn anything into an amazing moment.  The sun rises for her and she lives each day to the fullest. I need to have the mindset of a happy, healthy 3-year-old more often!  My heart just aches for how much I love her.

Friends

Time well spent with your friends is such an important part of life.  I think we always get wrapped up in the reality of our own things that we forget sometimes to sit and relax with our friends. 

I am lucky to have amazing friends who I have known for more than half of my life (and a few of you less than that but it feels the same).  Time spent with them is great.  To be able to flow from one conversation to the next then back to the previous conversation is so natural.  Being around people who know you, like really truly know you, is good. 

I spend all my days at work around people that are great people, but most of them don't actually know me (aside from one, she KNOWS me).... so when I make a rude comment (like I always do) I really just come off as a bitch.  When I am with the people that truly know me, no rudeness needs an apology.

I don't like to apologize so lucky for me I have had the same friends for coming up on 20 years, thankfully they know I don't love to apologize and accept me for that. 

I love my friends like my family.  We complain, we're honest, we are real, we play, we cry, we laugh so hard we pee a little....it is just surrounding yourself with goodness.  I love that.  I love that I have friends like this and that my kids can see what it looks like.  I hope that my kids are able to find what I have found in friends!

Happily Ever After

The day came and went and now we are husband and wife.  It was a great day filled with love and happiness and excitement and nerves and wind and chill.  November 2 will forever be our anniversary.

The week started off quite shaky....let me give you a run down.

Saturday, October 26th- Aiden, Sloane, and I flew home from Texas.  It was a very uneventful day. My dad picked us up from the airport because Kyle was at sectionals with Bailey (who won!).  We took the kids to Rac's house and dropped them off.

Sunday, October 27th-It was a crazy busy day trying to get errands run and last minute pick ups for the wedding.  We needed sand for our sand ceremony, we found some at Michaels and I managed to bust a bag on aisle 4, whoops!  I felt bad for the girl who had to clean it up, not bad enough to help, but still bad.  Got a call that evening that Sloane was running a fever.  Spectacular. She needed to get to the doctor on Monday because we do not have time to be sick! I had actually already scheduled her an appointment because she was having other issues, good thing!

Monday, October 28th-Sloane stayed home with mom, who took her to the doctor.  Sloane has a UTI and an ear infection and needs to get her ears cleaned out because they are so packed tight with wax.  EEEEWWWEEE that sounds like fun.  I called the ENT and got her an appointment for Wednesday.

Tuesday, October 29th-I get a call from Rac at 8:30 that Aiden is coughing a ton.  So I make him an appointment for 1:00.  I leave school at noon, pick him up, take him to the doctor (he was totally fine by the way....never coughed and was grinning when the doctor asked if he was sick....riiiiiiiight, nice try kid!). Mom, Kyle and I go to Regional's this night to root on Bailey and her team!  The match was about an hour and half away.  As we were driving there I am starting to feel like crap.  My head is growing twice it's size, my nose is all clogged up, my throat is burning.  Oh yeah, I was looking good! Bailey's team ended up losing, but did a great job! We get home and I take a shot of nyquil and well, let's just say I didn't sleep that night.  I did realize around 5 am that there is no way I can go to school.  So I do my sub plans and let Kathleen know that she is in charge.

Wednesday, October 30th- I stayed home today, which was perfect and just what I needed.  I finally fell asleep and got up to go to the doctor.  Sloane was home too.  Thankfully mom was home b/c she saved our butt this week!  She even made me some homemade chicken noodle soup....scrumdiddly! I got some medicine and went back to bed.  Sloane and I napped all afternoon then went to the ENT.  She was AMAZING, let the doctor clean out her ears and make her all healthy.  He said her ears were already looking better!

Thursday, October 31st- HALLOWEEN! Sloane finally went back to school.  Aiden is at school.  I am at school (my amazing coworkers even had a little dessert lunch to celebrate my upcoming nuptials).  It is raining....ALL.DAY. And Halloween was cancelled, moved to Friday....the day we are having lots of family over for dinner. Sheesh. Good thing we are flexible.

Friday, November 1st- Kyle and I took the day off to get some things done.  It ended up being a pretty crazy busy day.  We ran some errands that morning. Kyle and Bailey went and checked out a new car for Bailey.  Sloane, mom, and I got our nails done (Sloane got a little excited and shattered a bottle of nail polish on the stores brand new wood floors....awesome).  Kyle and I got Micki picked up from the airport.  Picked up Kyle's dad and got the chairs picked up for the wedding.  Took the chairs to the wedding site....learned that the dock leading to the boat house was under water....came up with alternate wedding locations on the farm.  Took the girls to get their nails done and shopping for shoes and jackets. Prayed for no rain.  Came home, made dinner, had some family over, celebrated Kailyn's 13th birthday, went trick or treating, played, went to bed.  It was a crazy, busy day!

Saturday, November 2nd-It's wedding day! This was a perfect day.  I was very not busy....but I am sure the people around me were.  It was a good day.  The sun came out.  The water went down at the boathouse, the wedding was back to it's normal location.  I really didn't do anything this day....Mom took Kailyn shopping....Kyle got a fancy shave....I layed around.....I got Sloane to take a nap.....Aiden was great.  Overall the day was perfect!

WEDDING TIME....the wedding was truly perfection.  I can't wait to get the pictures, I believe they will tell the whole story! 

I am officially married to the man of my dreams.  I look forward to our next hundred years together (I plan to live forever). 

What's in a vacation?

A vacation is definitely a well needed break from your regular day to day.  It gives you a chance to walk slower and take time for yourself. Or read a book you've wanted to read or maybe even take a nap.

Kyle and I went on vacation together (the first one with just the two of us) to Pensacola Beach, Florida.  Let me start with this....the weather was amazing!! Here is a glimpse of what our days looked liked....

we woke up
ate breakfast at the Native Cafe
went back to the hotel (I sat on my rear end eating candy while Kyle ran)
went to the beach around 11 each morning and stayed there until 4 each day
took a bike ride around the island and explored the real estate (where we found tons of homes we will retire to--after we hit the lottery)
showered
went to dinner
walked around
went to bed

I tell you our daily schedule to tell you the next thing.  We missed our kids.  Every time we saw kids playing on the beach I would get a little punch in the gut thinking Aiden and Sloane would love this or Kailyn and Bailey would love to people watch with us.  We wanted for them to be a part of our vacation.  Then we really looked at the things we did and realized they never would have liked this vacation.  They would have loved the beach, but not for 5 straight hours.  They would have loved the bike rides, but not to look at the giant houses that they will never get to live in. They would have loved going out to eat but they don't have the patience we do.

I always feel guilty when I am away from my kids, so does Kyle. We are normal people and we miss our kids when they are away from us....and as I have blogged about before, we are away from our kids a lot more than a "normal" mom and dad. But, just like all people, we too need a break from our regular day to day.  We need a chance to walk a little slower and take time for ourselves.  We needed an opportunity to sit and have an uninterrupted amount of time to focus on ourselves and each other.

I blame my guilt on my divorce and always go back to 'my poor kids didn't choose this life'....what I forget to point out is that my kids have so many people that love them.  People that genuinely and truly love them.  They have Kyle who would drop anything for Bailey, Kailyn, Aiden, or Sloane.  Then there's Mandy who would do anything to make sure that Aiden and Sloane are safe and healthy. Not to mention their own mom and dad who worship the ground they walk on. I have to constantly remind myself how lucky they are.  

So while I choose to take a vacation for me, nobody suffers. I miss those kids whenever I am away from them, but they too benefit from my personal vacation.

We are better people for taking time to do this for ourselves.  I know that I will be a better mom for taking this time for myself.  I will be more than excited to see my two little people and wrap my arms around them and give them the biggest hug. I am ready to play football and do puzzles and play dress up and dinosaurs. I am refreshed (and tan). I am ready to go back to being mom again.  Everyone needs a break.  Everyone deserves time for themselves.  

birthday boy

Aiden is officially a 6 year old!  That is insane.  He is gotten to be such a big boy with a big personality.  We are still struggling with school, but he has a behavior plan and it really seems to help him visualize how he is doing.  He wants to do well, if he could just do well all the time he will be 100% successful!

We threw his birthday party at a place called Recreation Unlimited.  It is a place that sells swing sets, trampolines, and basketball goals....they have birthday party rooms (brilliant) and kids can play-play-play until the party is over. And, well that is what these kids did!  Aiden has a great group of friends (mainly because I only let great people in my life :) that came and celebrated his birthday.

This girls NEEDS a trampoline!

Amanda with Lacey's newest addition, Finley

Little petunia here didn't feel well at the end...probably that cupcake, no nap, and no dinner....

Clearly, she was fine here.....

I just missed these two hugging....he is a beast, but man he is a lover!

These three....couldn't keep up if I tried!

Happy birthday Aiden.  I love you with every piece of my heart and soul.  You changed my world 6 years ago and made me the happiest woman in the world.  I want nothing but happiness for your life...you deserve it!  Thank you for being you.  You bring a smile to my face at least 10 times a day and challenge every part of my life that I thought I already knew.  You are an amazing kid and I hope you continue to be that amazing kid as you grow! I love you buster!