LOL!

Kelly is 3 1/2 right now, so she alternates between being adorable and absolutely infuriating. She is definitely my wild child, and much more challenging than Ally ever was at this age. (I've been saying that for years now!)

Anyway, today she was looking at an old album of pictures and kept asking if the little girl was her. I explained to her in each and every picture, that no, that is Allison. Which she knows, because we have looked at these before. I finally told her there was only one picture that she was in, and I showed it to her.

By the way, Allison is eating a ring pop, so that's why she looks so odd. I think if you click on the pic, it will get larger.

I asked Kelly if she knew where she was in the picture (after she said that Allison was her), and she yelled, "In your tummy!" I laughed and said yes. Then she asked, "What was I wearing? Was I wearing this?" and pointed to her shirt and pants! I laughed for quite a while at that one! Not a question of how did I get there or get out, but the important question of fashion! LOL! I had to call Mike with that one! She was certainly stinkin' cute then!

Stormy pt 2

Kelsey's most recent post reminded me that I had not updated about the storms. Thankfully, my family is safe. However, that cannot be said for many in the tri-state area.

We spent a couple of hours in the basement, just in case. I picked Ally up, and then we headed downstairs. I had lots of supplies with us--snacks, water, flashlights, cell phone, camera to documents any damage--again, just in case. I even had the girls keep on their sneakers, in case we had to leave or any kind of damage, like walking over broken glass. Right after we got home, I turned on the news and heard that a tornado had possibly touched down, and was 10 minutes away from the city where my brother works. I called my mom and she was panicked, as was I. He wasn't picking up his cell phone! Once I finally talked to him, he was more than halfway home and out of the worst (or so we thought) part. Annoyingly, he was rather flippant and nonchalant about the bad weather. Adding to my panic on Friday afternoon was the fact that the National Weather Service had designated it as a "PDS"--particular dangerous situation--and that it is rare for that designation in this area. Apparently, it is normally used in Tornado Alley.

So, I huddled downstairs in front of the tv while the girls played games. My husband was on the road, and all I kept hearing about was possible funnel clouds and severe damage. Some places saw hail the size of softballs! The only thing that was remotely reassuring was that the most severe storms seemed to be south of us, and my husband was able to get home safely.

Sadly, several small towns in Indiana and Ohio were devastated--some were practically wiped off the map. And the fatality list continues to grow...so tragic. So scary. Please keep these families in your hearts and prayers.

That night, as I watched the news, I looked at Mike and said, "This is why I panic. Because you never know when it will hit YOU."

Stormy

Today they are calling for SEVERE weather. The weather stations have just reported that our chance for severe weather is now in the high category, which of course, includes tornadoes. I am all for notification, but all of this attention is starting to make me panic. Especially since they are stating the severe stuff will start between 3 and 4pm. Do you know when I pick up Ally? Yep, 3:30 pm. So, we will just be hanging out there waiting in line to grab her and fly home. Thankfully, we only live 5 minutes away, but I DO. NOT. LIKE. IT.

It reminds me of the day, almost exactly a year ago, that they were calling for tornadoes and severe weather in the afternoon again. The forecasters sounded dire, and calling for it to hit right about pickup time. Obviously, it's a control thing but I worry about my babies being someplace else during a dangerous time. I freaked out and, after conferring with Mike, ran out to pick her up early so that we would miss the bad storms.

Well, that plan didn't quite work out. I threw Kelly in the car and we drove to the school. By the time we got there, it was raining hard and I just ran in while holding Kelly, trying to shelter her face. But then Ally took forever to get to the office, and when we left, it was a deluge. I debated staying at the school, but was fearful that it would get even worse. We sped home while I attempted to see through the rain--the wipers on full-blast really weren't cutting it--and then it began to hail!!!!!!!!! The whole time on the road, I was alternating between cursing and praying. We ran downstairs when we got home, but it was pretty much over. The forecasters were so wrong on their timing and I was so pissed! I'm thankful that we were okay, but we wound up in the worst of it.

I took the following pics just in case we had roof damage, but you can see we had some decent hail. Oh, and just an FYI, I hate to drive in the rain, any rain.

Grief

Grief is an odd thing. I have been thinking about this for the last month or so, ever since my Grandpa passed away. He was 91 years old and the proud father of 7 (!) children. It wasn't a surprise when he died. He had gotten pneumonia the week before, so we knew that the call was coming.

The real surprise was how long he did live after the love of his life was gone. My sweet Grandma passed away 10 years ago this week, and at that time, they had been married for 59 years. He adored her--it was something that we talked about at his funeral. My aunt commented that he was certainly a "one-woman man". I think they met in school and that was that. :) Knowing that, I thought for certain that Grandpa would be gone within a year of a broken heart. And I think he wanted to be gone--he wanted to be with his Bette.

But that was not the plan. He was here to meet 9 of his great-grandchildren, which I like to believe gave him joy. (I know that my Grandma would have spoiled them rotten.) In the past few years, his mind deteriorated. He moved out of the home he had lived in for years, and into senior housing. Then, he needed more help and moved into assisted living. At that point, he claimed that he found Bette again and was going to marry her! It was cute, yet sad at the same time.

We saw him at the end of Halloween, when we all got together, and he was incredibly lucid. He watched the kids run around and we had a nice conversation. He left the room and then I found out he went back to his bedroom to take a nap. I regret that I never got the chance to give him a final hug or say that I love you. I like to think that he knew that.

So, ever since he passed, I haven't really cried. I feel a few tears, but nothing really happens. I know from past experiences that something odd will trigger it, and then I will finally be able to cry.

The actual day of the funeral was strange. Obviously, the basic needs of children always trump everything, even grief. What I mean by this is that I couldn't even think of where we were going that morning, because I still had to treat it like a normal day: get the kids changed, fed, bathed and dressed and then still prep the diaper bag to ensure that they needed for the day. Afterward, we all went out to eat and spend time together as a family. And then that night, Mike and I watched a movie at home, but it just felt odd to do "normal" things at a time like that. I know that is what you should do. Life goes on, and enjoying life doesn't diminish the person who is gone. It just feels weird.

7

Dear Allison, my little Ally beary,

Today, you turn 7 years old. My heart is full of all the things that I want to say to you. You are my sweet girl, who has always been my child who wants to cuddle and asks for more hugs and kisses. You are growing up so quickly--I remember when we brought you home from the hospital and took you on a "tour" of the house. Then we didn't know what to do with you! :)

Today, you are eagerly anticipating your birthday party tomorrow and your presents from Mommy and Daddy tonight. You jumped out of bed last night and said "Goodbye 6! Tomorrow I am 7!" I hope that as a 7 year old, you keep the same great attitude and joy for life that you have right now. You are a spelling ace, and an amazing big sister. You read everything in sight--even the cereal boxes--and can't wait until "Wild Kratts" comes on tv. I am starting to wonder if a career as a zoologist is in your future!

Our "Mommy & Ally" days are full of special time when we can just snuggle and laugh. I look forward to more of those days, as well as "girly" days when we play with Kelly.

You are my sunshine, baby. Happy birthday!

Mommy

Birthday BS

Allison's 7th birthday is quickly approaching. I cannot believe how fast time flies by. It truly seems like just yesterday she was Kelly's age, running around like crazy and barely speaking in sentences.

We, well I, have had a huge issue with the birthday planning. When I was little, my mom made me invite all the girls in my class to my party--even the brats who teased me and made me cry. My birthday is in April, so we were usually able to have it outside. Obviously, with Ally's birthday in January, that's isn't happening. Nor can I afford it, or even imagine having 13 little girls running around. Oy!

So every year I have guilt over how to handle this. I don't want to hurt first-graders' feelings. Last year, we invited 5 or so kids and the teacher put the invites in the folder that went home every day. No problem and it was a small but fun party.

This year, I have the same guilt especially since she decided to wanted to invite a BOY! What? Here I am trying to figure out some way to invite all the girls and now you want to invite a boy? What does this mean?????

So, Mike slammed the brakes on inviting more than 6 kids and we were fine with the whole inviting the boy thing (though I still have questions...).

Her teacher this year does the same folder procedure--send the folder every day, and it gets sent home every night with notes, homework, fliers, etc. I sent the invites in Ally's folder with a note for Mrs. D to put the invites in the other kids' folders. I have explained to Ally that the kids who aren't invited might feel hurt that they aren't included--we are talking about 6 year olds here.

So that afternoon, I asked what happened. She said that Mrs. D CALLED EACH CHILD INTO THE HALLWAY TO GIVE THEM THE INVITE! Yes, I am screaming because I am livid! Apparently, she did it while they were cleaning up from breakfast. I asked if the other kids noticed and she said yes, they all wanted to know what was going on. One of the little boys said he was jealous. I am so ticked. Allison said that the kids could have noticed it in the folders as well, but I feel like Mrs. D made a HUGE production out of it, which was exactly what I was trying to avoid. Allison could have done it much more nonchalantly than that. Livid. Livid. Livid.

Am I wrong?

Updates

I am exhausted...this week isn't halfway over and I am worn out! I realized that I haven't posted any pics of Ally in her cast or the girls in their Halloween costumes. I will try and upload some later today--if I'm not taking a nap! :)

I just got back from taking Ally to Children's--the cast is OFF!!!!!!!!! Yay! It seems like the longest month ever! It feels like forever since I've seen my child's arm! The mornings before school became much more difficult--I had to help her get dressed, open the toothpaste, get her cereal, help her with her shoes, etc. You realize how much you rely on your child to be independent, even at the age of 6! So, it all healed great, but now she has to start using it again, since the arm is weak. When I dropped her off, she was still holding her arm like it had the cast on it!

Kelly was still fighting me regarding the potty up until last weekend. We had pretty much done everything but bribe her with a car to get her in there. I tried the whole "pretty panties" thing--she yanked them off and said she didn't like them. Mike bribed her with a piece of candy on Saturday and she was finally willing. And she went! So, the last few days she has peed consistently in the potty! No poop yet, so we are still in pullups. But she has pulled a complete 180, because she is rotten. Now, she constantly wants to go "pee in potty". She wants to go, even if it is just a few drops so she can get a sticker! Last night, she went 3-4 times before she finally crashed. Not to mention, we are still on the "little" potty...she wants nothing to do with the "real" potty. That's going to be lots of fun when we are out and about...ugh...so stubborn! It's a good thing she is cute!

Speaking of cute, we wound up changing Kelly's bedtime routine. More like actually going back to a routine. A few weeks ago, she was having a hard time settling down, so I covered her with her blanket, smoothed her hair and sang her "Kelly belly" song to her. She got the most adorable look on her face--I have my own song!--and went to sleep soon after. Now, she requests "Mommy, cover me!" and I have to sing 3 songs every night. It's worth it for the smiles.