Safety First!

Here's Me with all three boys!  We are posing next to our new safety line.  We had one just like this when we bought the pool, but it was falling apart and so we just tossed it.  Now that 2 out of 3 boys can touch in the shallow end we decided we needed a clear boundary of where they can and cannot touch.  We put the line up last night so it was all ready to go when we had our friends, Liza, Gabe, and Hayley over for a swim this afternoon.  Too bad I didn't get any pictures.  We were in the pool for an HOUR and had to drag everybody out.  Fun times!

House Update!

Okay, I know I've been slacking.  Derek and I have been very good about taking daily pictures of the progress we are making on the house, but I've been less diligent with my weekly updates.  Incase you've forgotten.  This is where we started:

And here is where we are now!

Wow!  What a difference, huh?  Not much going on today with all the rain from Tropical Storm Beryl.  I really can't complain much since the guys have been working extra hard to get back on track after a few rain-delays with the foundation.  The guys that are working here live about 1 hour away and have been putting in some long days to get the roof up.  They had hoped to finish it all this week, but maybe not now....we'll see.  The roof over the back part of the master suite has yet to be started.  Part of our current roof will need to be removed and for a 3 or so hour period (while they add the new roof) we certainly wouldn't want it to be raining, so today was not good for that.  Hopefully tomorrow.

Here's a front view  

It looks like we are about 2 months or so out.  I can't wait to "move in"

Mom's Day Off

Today Mom got a well-deserved day off!  I went to the spa with gift cards that I got for Mother's Day.  I hadn't been to a spa since before Maverick was born and before that....who knows!?!

I enjoyed a facial, a mini-massage, and a treatment new to me called shirodhara.  It was so nice to have the morning "off" and to just do something for me.  After my treatments were done I headed to Red Robin for my birthday burger.  I was famished and I woofed that thing down.  I even managed to score my ice cream with out the embarrassing singing.  It was win-win!

We're gonna make it after all!

Yeah!  Daddy comes home tomorrow!  Today, the boys, Nanny, & I headed to the Duke Lemur Center for a tour.  We had a great time.  Our tour was at 10:30 a.m. and we had a picnic lunch afterwards.

I then went to UNC hospital so I could finish my participation in another research study.  Grandma met us there so she could drive the boys home for "quiet time".  The research study went O.K.  I had to have an IV put in (which was a first) and it didn't go so well.  Three attempts later and a delay in the start time because of it and we got it done.  More money to add to the "Chicago" bucket, so I'm happy.

Come home safe and sound Sweetie.  We all miss you!!

Chandler Graduates Preschool

So, let them be little 

'cause they're only that way for awhile

    Give them hope, give them praise, 

give them love every day

Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle

Oh, but let them be little - Billy Dean

Can't believe Chandler will be going to Kindergarten in the Fall.

Didn't I just have him?

Brotherly love.

Chandler with his teachers, Diane & Stephanie

Almost Halfway

Some say that I may attempt too much.  They may be right.  All I know is that when my boys are busy, they are better behaved.  They have too much to do to cause trouble.  With that in mind, I decided to head to the NC Zoo.  We hadn't been in a year, so the trip was overdue.  My mom actually came home early from the beach and decided to join us.  We had a great time.  In my formal life, pre-kids, I actually had a job offer to work at the Zoo.  I was going to be the elephant/giraffe/zebra keeper.  How cool would that have been?

Anyways, I visited an old co-worker and she let us in the Zoo for free.  That was really nice of her.  I got to catch up with several volunteers as I walked around the Zoo and it brought back so many memories.  

Maverick was NOT a fan of the long car ride to get to the zoo.  I think we'll need to time our car rides this summer during afternoon nap times.  He was SO excited to get out of the stroller and see some animals.  Here he is jumping up and down and beating on the glass when he saw the black bears.

Of course, we couldn't pass up a ride on the carousel.  Brighton actually rode a wolf on the opposite side from M & C, but came over to pose for pictures after the ride was over.  

Everybody loved the giraffes.

Chandler loved watching the elephants spray dirt on their backs.  

After getting back from the zoo, I took C & B for hair cuts.  I know this isn't the best picture, but their hair is much, much shorter with the same over-all look.  After haircuts, we headed to Mimi's & Granddaddy Bob's for dinner.  What a treat...we had fish.  I enlisted my mom to help with baths and then we headed home.

There was a package from Daddy waiting for us.  All the boys were excited.  What could it be?

It was popcorn, how yummy!  I enjoyed the treat after I got everybody in bed.  I can't believe my baby, Chandler, will graduate preschool tomorrow!  I hope to have "Face Time" with Derek tomorrow morning so he can see some of the ceremony.

Survival...Day 2

Not the best picture, but here's my little stinker getting into trouble.  Not really sure how he got up there seeing how all the toys are in the way, ha!  Today wasn't too bad, but I sure miss Derek between 5-8 p.m.  Dinner time is the hardest especially when Maverick is demanding I feed him every second.  I can hardly get a bite for myself.

We had to nap at Mimi's since they were ripping out the front porch today.  They also got the back wall to the bathroom up today.  Even though I've self-imposed a paper plate, cup, and plastic fork/spoon rule since Derek has been gone there was still a TON of dishes to be cleaned up after dinner.  I just wanted to put my feet up, but it had to get done.  Hoping to head to the Zoo tomorrow.  Wish us luck!

Survival...Day 1

Today marks day one of survival while Daddy is away.  Derek left at 6:30 a.m. for a trip to Las Vegas for work.  Mommy is praying that Maverick will be better for this week than he was last week.  It was not fun.  3 molars, and a constant fever, not sleeping.....makes for a rough week.

Even though Maverick slept much better (still not great) I decided to skip church since I wasn't up for the challenge of all three with Maverick possibly being very fussy.  But, what to do to keep everybody entertained?  On a whim, I decided to take the boys to the Farmer's market.  Maverick likes being outside and seeing people, so I figured he'd do okay.  He was actually fine.  The boys loved picking out fresh fruits and veggies.  They wanted to get some flowers too.  I got them each a honey stick and they sampled lots of things.  We had berries for lunch and will have more for dinner.  They also picked out some great stuff for a yummy salad tonight.

The whims continued as we headed to Pullen Park for an hour before heading home for lunch.  That place was PACKED.  I love the changes to Pullen, but not the crowds.  Brighton wanted to ride the boats solo:

Luckily, I was able to talk Chandler into letting Maverick in his boat.  I wasn't sure how M would do, but he did great and didn't fuss at all.  Such a big boy, ringing the bell and driving the wheel.  

We also all took a train ride.  We were all set to leave in 15 minutes when Brighton announced he had to potty.  I guessed he could wait and said we'd go in 5 minutes.  Well, I forgot and we went to the next part of the playground.  Now, it's been 10 minutes and Brighton runs up to me frantically saying he needs to go!  I told him to run and get Chandler (on the other side of the playground) while I put M in the stroller.  Poor Brighton, Chandler wouldn't listen to him and so he kept running back and forth between me and Chandler.  Then Brighton ran up to me and said, "uh, oh....Mommy, I peed in my pants"  I couldn't be mad at him.  We were headed home anyways, and I had clothes in the car.  I did speak to Chandler about how not listening to his brother caused Brighton to pee in his pants.  No big deal.  We headed home and plan to go swimming this afternoon and grill some hotdogs.

Lemonade Yard Sale

Today our church held a yardsale and Chandler and Brighton decided to have a lemonade stand.  What a great idea!  They've never done something like this before and were so excited to have customers.  Mom and Dad did pretty well but mainly got rid of way too much stuff that we've been keeping for who knows why?

I decided to let the boys use part of their earnings to go and buy a toy.  Brighton picked Star Wars and Chandler chose a Superman figure.  They were so proud of themselves!

On a side note, I actually got slightly sunburned.  Oops.  I guess I should have thought about sunscreen.

Durham Bulls

Today was a special treat as we got to go to the Durham Bulls baseball game.  Maverick stayed at home with grandma, as the game started at almost his bedtime (7:05 p.m.)  The boys had a really good time and we sat through a record 4 innings!  Previously our best has been 3.

I'm sure soon enough we'll be able to make it for all nine!  We hope to attend an earlier game in July so Maverick can come too.  Take me out to the ballgame!

Doughnuts With Dad

Wow....it's been a long time since I've posted...

Today, I was invited by Chandler to attend "Doughnuts With Dad" at his preschool.  I let him know several weeks ago that I wouldn't miss it for anything.

As I'm walking out the door this morning to go to school with Chandler, Lindsay reminds me to take some pictures.

So, as I'm typing this post, I have no pictures to share....

It's not that I didn't want to take pictures, it's that I was so wrapped up in emotion of being with my son at his preschool and seeing his absolute delight that I was with him participating in his activities.  It was really cool.  It's what being a father is all about.  The emotion surrounding his delight of me being there and my absolute love of being with him was surreal!

So, we ate some breakfast together, wearing a tie that he made for me:

 

Then, Chandler asks me in my ear, "Daddy, I know you probably have to go to work, but can you stay for Chapel?".  How in the world can I answer with anything, but "Of Course!".

We then went to Chapel together and sang songs and had a great time!

Chandler's graduation from preschool occurs next Wednesday.  I will not be there, I will be in Las Vegas for work.  Is it crazy that we are possibly going to coordinate FaceTime on our iPhones so that I can 'be there'? 

So proud of you Chandler....

The News that made my Birthday!

Today I am the big 3-0!  I'm not sure I feel very different yet.

Thanks for the cake, Diane!

Today was a pretty normal day, as days go.  Maverick was fussy, yet again, and the boys were fighting with each other this morning.  I had hoped to go to Brigg's for my free Birthday meal, but alas, it was not meant to be.  I had to work today and there was just too much to do.

Derek surprised me with a very nice Birthday gift that I'm still trying to decide if we should keep it.  I always think things are too expensive, but a gift is a gift, and he has been saving up for it for some time.  I should enjoy it, I think, but I still feel like it's not needed.

Well, I was at work when I got the very exciting news.  It certainly made me smile, and it turned my day around.

Don't jump to conclusions.  One, this is not a pregnancy test.  This is an ovulation test.  Yes, I'm ovulating, but once again....don't jump to conclusions.  I'm actually participating in yet another research study, and this is one of the tests they require.  I just thought this picture would be a great lead-in for my news.....my friend and pen-pal of 18+ years is PREGNANT.  I was over the moon happy for her!  She just turned 30 this past week and this will be her first.  She is a native of China, but has been here in the states since 2000.  We are going to go and visit her and her husband who recently moved from Ohio to Chicago this summer.  I was just thrilled to hear the wonderful news and can't wait to hug her in person.  It was definitely the news that made my birthday.  Congratulations, Dani!

Molars!

Poor little guy.  Yesterday (Actual Mother's Day) was rough.  He was very cranky and cried most of the day.  Today is pretty much the same.  If he's not eating or sleeping, he's crying.  The big boys had preschool and I ran to Target to get a few things and at 10 a.m. this was Maverick in the car.  He has long given up his morning nap, but if it would stop the cry-fest, I was all for it.  I left the doors open and he napped for about 20 more minutes before I decided to drive downtown to get a free birthday sandwich.  He stayed asleep and I got about 20 more minutes in him.  He was cranky for the rest of the day but of course, once Daddy got home he was all smiles.  I hope those molars come in soon!

Early Mother's Day

Today, I finally got to see a movie with Derek.  Hooray!  We saw "To the Arctic: 3D" at Imax.  It was good.  I was glad that the momma polar bear protected her cubs and they didn't get eaten.  That would have been a bad movie.  Afterwards, we were heading for home Diane's house to have dinner when Derek informed me that he had a picnic planned for us instead.  I had suspected that something was up, but didn't know what so I just rolled with it.

We decided to go to Yates Mill Pond park.  I hadn't been there in a long time, and Derek had never been.

We walked around the lake before setting up our picnic.  This is definitely the place to go take pictures.  We saw several couples that must be going to Prom that night walk by us to take pictures.  I wondered what everybody must have thought of us having our picnic.  They certainly didn't think we were a couple that had three kids, that's for sure!  It was a WONDERFUL Mother's Day surprise and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to have a "date" with Derek.  Thanks to everybody who made it happen.

Later, all my boys, and Derek gave me gift cards to the spa.  I will be enjoying that once Derek gets back from his first week away from us later this month.  I will need it, I'm sure.

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day Breakfast

Today, Chandler's Preschool class held a breakfast for all the moms in honor of Mother's Day.  Chandler doesn't go to school on Thursdays so this was a real treat for him (and me, Brighton, & Maverick too)

The tables were set with a info sheet about each mom.  Chandler got my age right since we've already been talking about my big birthday next week.  Some of the other moms were listed as 16, 44, and even 89!  Here are my stats (according to Chandler)

My Mom

Her name is Lindsay and she is 30 years old.

She has car keys.

Her favorite color is hot pink.

She likes to eat apples and spaghetti. (hopefully not together!)

Her favorite thing to do is go on a walk with me.

She always tells me to stay near the car when I'm in the parking lot.

I love my mom because she helps me when I need help.

Here Chandler holds up a picture of me.  Since I'm familiar with his drawing skills I knew he didn't do this alone.  Not sure what parts he actually did.  The bottom says "I love my mommy because she helped me with my birthday present" (we still haven't finished "excavating" the dinosaur skull, that is encased in plaster)

Chandler also painted this flower pot.  It is so cute.  I know I'll cherish this for years to come!  The whole class even sang a few songs for all the moms.  How cute.  Hopefully Derek will do a guest post next week when it's "Doughnuts with Dad"

House Update

Okay, so I meant to give an update on the house progress on Friday, but that didn't happen, so I figured I'd go ahead an update up until today (Tuesday).  By last Friday, they had finished getting the foundation up for the house part of the addition.  They had not yet tackled the front porch extension.

Here's a picture of the new foundation:

Here's a picture of where the new front porch will be.  You can get an idea of how big it will be since it will start where the bricks stop and go to where the front of the current front porch is.  It's 6 feet wide!

 On Monday, they got the front wall of the front porch completed.  Now I can visualize it better!

On Tuesday, they put in the steps for the front porch, there is a set on each side and they are solid brick.  It looks very nice, I think.  

Also, if you look to the back of the property, you will see that our storage shed has been turned 90 degrees.  See top picture for comparison.  They will get the fence put back up hopefully in the next month or so.  They are concentrating on the framing next.  

Amazingly, the boys have been able to sleep through all the noise during naptime.  They'll wake up if I try to put the dishes away, or come out the front door, but I guess the noise is far enough removed that it hasn't bothered them much.  Hooray!

Just Because

Hubby came home with these today.

How sweet!

Swimming on May 1st!

It was all I could do to keep the boys out of the pool until 9 a.m. this morning.

Chandler didn't miss a beat and was swimming all over (with a life jacket on of course)

Brighton can now stand up in the shallow end (barely) but prefers to hang out on the stairs.  He was trembling some, but not since the pool was cold.  The pool was 84 and felt good.  A little warmer would have been okay by me, but it was nice.  Probably a little cool feeling since the air temp was barely 70....Ha!  Brighton was a little scared he told me, so we'll need to work on his confidence.

Chandler, on the other hand, is fearless and thinks he can do it all.  It's going to be a fun summer!  Who wants to join us?