All I Want for Christmas is...

a new trampoline!

The Goose

The joy of having a little one around is awesome. It is nothing compared to older brothers fighting, talking back, whining,etc. Gise doesn't say much yet, and that's good. I don't think I could handle another "bratty" boy yet.

Gise' only word is "ball". He does mutter some other sounds which I can interpret, but "ball" is pretty much it. He does say this noise, "Ash is." Interprets to "Watch this." Then he will throw something in the air or fall on the ground and laugh, thinking he is hilarious. He is, hilarious.

Also, this little one is into things more than any of our other children. You have already read the blog entries about climbing into drawers and about the Christmas tree. And he likes to climb up now , high. We have had to push all the dining room chairs to the edge of the room because he likes to crawl on the table and grab whatever is in sight. Yet now, he has learned how to push the chairs to the table. Thus, chairs are now lying sideways on the floor. We have to lock the bathroom doors because he likes to climb up into the sink and mess with faucets and toothbrushes and light switches.

We also have a Daddy's boy on our hands. In a way, I'm sad that he doesn't want to cling to me after all that tender care I gave to him in early childhood. Yet, "Hallelujah!" it isn't me he is clinging to 24-7. I would go crazy! (And it's superb when Gise is whiny, because all he wants it Dave!)

By the way, if you are wondering why all the nicknames. Let me explain. Goose comes from PaPa Paul not being able to pronounce his name when he was born. He called him "Geese", and from there - "Goose". Adam is Salty, because when he was only a couple months old his two front bottom teeth erupted early. At the same time, a character on Grant's favorite toy came out with two bottom front teeth and a wide smile like Adam; his name was Salty.

And Will - he is Gazoo. When will was a baby, he had a misshapen head and he had to wear a helmet to correct it. And Dave's cousin Boyla thought he looked like Gazoo, the little alien guy, from the Flintstones.

And Grant - he's just Grant or Grantster. Firstborns in the Gibson family rarely get a nickname. It just happens that way.

Enjoy the day!

Elfin' Around

I've seen this on a couple blogs already and had to try it out for myself, but I had to spread my own cheer around! Just click on the link below and enjoy!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1116671189

A Simple Splurge

Anyone else love McDonalds fountain pop? I just love getting my large Coke, easy ice, with a side cup of ice (to dump in later - to get more pop initially). What I think makes it "the best of the best" is the straw. McDonalds straws are a bit bigger and give you just the right amount of liquid in each sip. I'll usually ask for extra straws to keep in my truck to use when I hit another fast food joint, with the hope that their drink would come just a tiny bit close to McDonalds. It is most often a disappointment. Thus, I do appreciate that tasty soda pop from the Golden Arches.

Birthday Blessings to my Dear Boys

It's over, and I'm sad. Tonight was the last birthday celebration for Will & Adam. No, they didn't have a bunch, just a couple, but it was spread out over just the right amount of time.

They are now four, or as Will says, "Two & two." Four is not that great of a milestone for a person in their whole span of life, but for me, as their mother, I am ecstatic. (Actually, every birthday my kids have, I am overjoyed.) But 4 will be a good year, I know it. These boys already know that four is wonderful, because now they get to have a "whole vitamin", instead of just a half. Big stuff for the little guys. But now, as Dad reminded them, they have an extra minute tagged on to their timeouts. They will move from the "Under the Sea" room to the "Garden Room" in Treasureland. And now that Adam is 4, he is pumped to "beat up." His cousin Josh told him how: you just "pull on one of these" (back collar), "making them fall" and then "roll like this (back and forth) on the ground."

I have to say thanks to my mom and dad for making birthdays so special for me and my brothers growing up. Going out for breakfast with Dad to Golden Bowl, balloons and a special placemat at the table, wonderful presents, and picking out the restaurant for dinner. Now that my brothers and I are all grown up, on our birthday, one never forgets to call the other to send birthday greetings. It is your day - your special day.

I have tried to continue this special tradition in my own little family. So, at our house, we have balloons and streamers and Dunkin Donuts and presents and a trip to a favorite restaurant for dinner. And Grant is now getting in on all the fun. He is such a thoughtful little boy. He bought special presents for them. And he even made up a treasure hunt for Will & Adam to find them, writing up clues and taping them up all over the house. He couldn't wait for the late-sleeping Adam to get up.

Will & Adam finally get what having a birthday is all about. They get excited for the parties; they get excited thinking someone might call them to sing "Happy Birthday"; they get excited opening up a present. Their happiness spreads to everyone in the room, especially their mother.

This November birthday season we have had wonderful experiences - being the leaders at preschool on their special day, getting Crocs and their first and second Webkinz, a mother's first true birthday cake, rough-housing with boy cousins, sharing their day with Uncle Bryan, and many other things. It is fun having both of them celebrating together. Double the fun of it all!

Spewing out Some Thoughts

I have some amazing, inspirational friends.

I was reminded of this the other night, after helping out at one their fundraisers. One of my friends, along with her husband, who lost their baby to heart defects, has a foundation to give to other families, with children who have congenital heart defects, experiencing financial strain and such.

Another friend of mine, among other wonderful things, plans a party for her kids for most every holiday or occasion. Many of these girls find time to serve at church and school for multiple ministries and events. Another mother of four is truly Super-Mom, serving her family, home, church and others with ease, always giving and giving, without losing it and keeping her cool.

They are unbelievable people.

Can I consider them my friends though? Or let me rephrase that, do they consider me their friend?

I have been a lousy friend lately. In the midst of my "illness" and other situations I've been experiencing, I have alienated them. What did I do? How did this happen? I have pushed them away, all by my own doing. I have made excuses to myself. (My thoughts are awful to me; I hate it. I've been trying to find the right meds over the past year, and I'm frustrated.) I have used my children as a crutch - not being able to get out or answer the phone. I was sick of hearing some of the advice they doled out, when they didn't know the whole story. But it was my fault for not expressing that to them; I just removed myself from those situations. One of them doesn't call at all anymore because she doesn't want to come across as hounding me. I am a bad friend.

Maybe a lot of it has to to do with the fact that I don't know how to be a good friend. I am not a "good sharer", but you can't share if you don't see your friends. It may have started in grade school with a group of girlfriends, our clique. If you ticked off the "leader", she would choose the other girl to be her best friend. So, you couldn't say your true feelings if something bothered you about her. It could be the fact that I have never been picked to be a bridesmaid at any of my friends' weddings. I've always been shocked when not chosen; I thought we had been better friends.

What do I do now that I have alienated them all? And do they even want me for a friend, knowing this is the way I am? Do they put on a good front when they see me, with casual conversation, like they do for all of the other people who are just acquaintances? Do they have enough good friends already, and I'm kidding myself that I'm ever going to be close to them? Will I ever learn how to be good friend?

Thanks for letting me ramble. It's been on my mind for some time now. And since I'm not a good "sharer", I put the "pen to paper" and let it out to the web. Maybe this will be my inspiration to get going, to jump start my friendships again. If it's not too late.

Oh, Christmas Tree, Oh, Christmas Tree!

Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday. The meaning of it all is so beautiful. The lights everywhere warm my heart. Shopping for gifts, mostly online again this year, is a blast.

A highlight of the shopping season is finding the perfect ornament for each of my children. I have to thank my mother-in-law for starting this grand tradition with her kids. My husband's collection of ornaments is so unique, from scuba gear the year he learned, to a set of waders to represent him putting in the pier each spring. She does it a bit for her grandkids now too.

I start searching the internet in September, thinking of things my kids have accomplished throughout the year, hobbies they enjoy, unusual traits about each one of them. Some of my more unique finds have been a blue helmet to show the 9 months my little Will had to wear his mis-shapen head helmet; or the Lego ball creation I found on eBay this year for Grant; or I have taken one of their old pacifiers and hung them on the tree to represent the year they got rid of the nippy. I get more excited about finding and purchasing these than any toy for them. I know they don't appreciate it as much as I do, but I hope someday they will (or at least I hope their wives do, like me). Yesterday, as they were getting their new ornaments, Adam opened his "boy with blankie" ornament, he said he didn't like it. Oh well.

So, yesterday was the big ornament hanging day. The boys, Dave and I did it while Gise was sleeping. Boy, would he get in the way. They were so excited, for the first 15 minutes, at least. They were hanging them everywhere, with a bit of help from Dad. After it was all done, we looked at how great it looked. Will says he loves the Christmas tree - that it is beautiful.

Yes, it is beatiful, but upon further examination, we noticed it is a true hazard - a hazard to the little guy sleeping upstairs. After a little discussion with my husband, it was decided (by him - love you Dave) to just keep an eye on Gise and maybe he won't even touch the tree.

Ha!

After one ball ornament was heard broken and crushed in the middle of our floor, all the ornaments ended up on the top half of our tree. This isn't something new in our house; we did it a couple years ago when the twins were at this stage. Here is a picture of our beautiful Christmas tree:

Maybe we need to raise ornaments a bit higher! Anyway, enjoy the season! We certainly already have and will some more!!!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is a pretty fun day. These kids wake up ready to trick-or-treat. The anticipation is immense, truly immense waiting for 5:00pm to roll around. As we headed out the front door, our excitement exploded out of us as we headed for the first door. They were shy. What?! You are not going to be making me ring all the doorbells tonight! No, they got over that. And the excitement didn't last long. Adam wanted to go home after about a dozen homes. "Just five more minutes." "Just ten more minutes." "At the end of this street." (Come on, kid, go get some candy for your mommy.)

This year no costumes were being bought in this household. They chose from our costume box and hand-me-downs from cousins, except for Mr. Grant. He wanted to be a Lego. It was a blast planning and making this thing. At one point I didn't know if it was going to happen. I started coming up with ways to ease him into a new costume and having him let go of being a Lego. Lo and behold, we did not have to resort to this unhappiness. (Spray paint primer was the cure.) Here's the little cutie!

This kid is so confident - doesn't give a rip about what others think of him. I was nervous for him. Nervous he would see all these Superman's and pirates and Power Rangers and long to be one of them. He just kept moseying along, ringing doorbells. You know what? People kept commenting on how great he looked - how creative, they would say. They had said that people don't just make costumes anymore. He said a little thank you each time someone complimented him, but it was his mother that was beaming inside. I'm a good mom.

And here's some more pictures of the other little guys. Happy fall y'all and enjoy!

Rest in Peace, Kitty-Cat

Kitty-Cat passed away at about 3:30pm. I couldn't get him to the Humane Society in time. (I had a napping baby and a kid at school still.) He didn't even want to drink the milk from the little dropper. In his final moments, I would rub his belly (with the towel, of course - Germs, you know) and he would open his mouth real wide, like he was trying to get another precious "Meow".

I spoke with at least a half dozen animal professionals today, from animal clinics to animal control to humane societies. I believe I waited too long. I had planned to go to the humane society and have them care for Kitty-Cat - if I had found a sitter or until baby woke up and kid got home from school. At about 2:30, I called the Humane Society to see if they knew what death looks like in a cat - if a jaw reflex was normal postmortem or not. (Crazy me.) But they said if I brought him and he was sick, they couldn't care for him with no vet on the premises. I cried to Humane Society Sandy over the phone. She tried to ease my pain and regret.

All the should-haves came to mind. I should have taken him to the vet right away or to the humane society before the baby's nap. I should have let Papa Paul "put him to rest" at his farm so Kitty-Cat didn't have to suffer so much in his final moments. I should have fed him with a dropper earlier.

I am sorry Kitty-Cat. So sorry. Please forgive me.

Grant and I remembered the happy moments we had with him. From chasing him around the front yard yesterday to remembering him scurry out of the garage last night. But our fondest memory will be of finding you cuddled up on our front porch this morning. That was the moment I fell in love with you, Kitty-Cat.

We will never forget you, precious Kitty-Cat.

Anyone Want a Cat?

This is our new friend, kitty-cat. Meow. Meow.

It showed up yesterday around our yard and in our garage. Looking to see if the man got the newspaper on the front porch, lo and behold, kitty-cat is taking a little snooze on our front doorstep.

If you know me at all, you would know I don't care too much for animals. I respect them, but do not cherish them. But this helpless little guy/gal has just gotten to me. The thing is he hasn't moved since I found him there this morning. It is weak; it is skin and bones. We tried tuna in a dish. He just shoved his face in it, but I had to take his head out of the bowl because I thought he was going to suffocate just laying in it. We tried milk and water in bowls also. He just is too weak.

The boys asked if they could keep him. Too bad Dave is allergic. So, I told them we would ask Papa Paul to keep it and they could visit anytime. Papa Paul said sure, bring it over, I'll put it to rest. Unbelievable.

Thus, my phone calls to local vets and humane societies ensued. The St. John Clinic asked if I wanted to have him euthanized. Another unbelievable. I'm just looking to see how to make him better and have someone adopt him at one point. Dave wants to keep him for the winter to get rid of the mice that will be swarming into our garage, the mice that want to get out of the cold for the winter from the construction zone.

As of now, I am waiting on a call back from St. John Animal Control. The Schererville Animal Control guy told me that they would come out and test for leukemia, AIDS, rabbis and what not. Then, they will decide whether kitty-cat will be worth saving.

I'm a bit sad about this little thing. It is barely moving out there on my doorstep. I believe it will die today if I don't do anything about it. That is a lot of pressure on me. Ugghhh.

I'll keep you posted.

And FYI, that's Dave's rug on the front porch. Can you guess which one is the old grouch?

Trains, Taxis & Shuttle Buses

It is so great that those Christian school teachers need a convention when those public school teachers don't. Free reign of Disney for some. Free reign of the Dells for others. For us, it was free reign of the Windy City.

Courtesy of hotwire, we were able to snag a 5 star hotel room for only $125 - close to the museum campus, courtesy shuttle service to the major hot spots (family hot spots, that is - not the hippest nightclubs), and a wonderfully cold, I mean, wonderful pool.

We hopped the Metra Electric line at Sibley, mom and the little guys. I was quite nervous to make the transfer with three little boys at 56th street with only 1 minute to spare before we missed our connection. Thankfully, we were good. We hopped right off at McCormick place and had a blast on the escalators up to our hotels. Up, down. Up, down. Up, down.

We took our shuttle bus to Water Tower Place looking forward to hitting the Thomas store and getting Happy Meals at McDonalds. Guess what? Neither of them are there anymore. What, no McDonalds? Unbelievable.

So, we walked up Michigan Avenue looking for that McDonalds the Water Tower security ranger headed us towards. None to be seen. "My legs hurt." "How much longer." Oh no, please don't complain. I am planning this wonderful trip for us and spending quality time with you boys and no little boys - there better not be anybody complaining!!

Finally, Legoland is in site. Ahh... Well, not quite yet. These boys need to eat. They don't think so, but venture on up more escalators right past the promised Legoland, to the food court. What a tease, Mama!

Grant was thrilled to fill up a cup with free Legos. He said you just have to pay for the cup. Yeah, mighty expensive $13 cup. Cousins Josh, Caleb and Josie joined in on the fun at the store as their Grandma Docter and mommy and daddy were dragged along. Ha!

Oh, what a blast to be able to enjoy the delectable food of Chicago - Garrett's popcorn and deep-dish Giordano's pizza. (My fingers were stained yellow/orange for 2 days after eating their cheese popcorn!)

More adventures awaited these little boys as they experienced an el ride and a taxi cab ride. And weren't we glad that taxi u-turned for us as the rain started dribbling and turning into an extreme hailstorm!

We finished our little trip the next day to the "Dinosaur Museum" aka the Field Museum. I'm glad to say we finally made it there; so then we won't have to go back again for a long time. (Obviously, not my favorite museum.)

I know, kind of boring entry. Blah, blah, blah. But it is just a simple way for me to show gratuitous photos of my boys!

A Fun-Filled Afternoon

Schererville Golf & Fun Center is closing next week Sunday. I had never been mini-golfing with my kids before, and we had tokens to use up, so off we went. Uncle Brandon declined the offer to babysit the baby, but agreed to join all of us instead.

The boys had a blast mini-golfing on the "Castle" course. Grandma & Grandpa Docter took them on the North course a couple months ago. So, they were thrilled to go on the other one! It took us all of 20 minutes to mini-golf. We kept no score; the boys did not wait for everyone. Highlights of the event were Adam throwing his ball out onto Route 41 at traffic and I got two holes in one. So fun!

And then the fun did not stop. It kept on going! We headed inside to use up our tokens, plus the $20 Uncle Brandon pitched in! What a waste of money, but oh such a joy to watch them spend these coins so frivolously! They cashed in their tickets for junk - candy and bouncie balls and little dinosaurs. Junk to us is pure treasure to them.

And then, after I tried to steer them away from it, these conniving little fellows convinced Uncle Brandon to go in the playland with them. I can't believe that old boy would crawl up and around in those tubes and such. I don't know how he fit down that slide. The boys loved it though.

And then we capped off the evening with Red Robin. "Can we get a balloon?" That is the highlight of the restaurant, and the fact they can untie their balloon and make it do farting noises. Oh, such joy!

I'm glad I didn't have girls. (They would end up in therapy because of me.) Even though I sometimes wish me and the boys could just sit and color for more than 5 minutes.

This Old House

We should not have bought a brand new house. We are not able to care for it like we should. For example...

Adam got mad one day at started slamming his door around. Thus, we will need a dry waller.

Another day, I believe it was yesterday, this happened...


Thanks to wonderful Happy Meal toys (a colored pencil thingee) and Adam, we now have deemed the hallway our working canvas.

This is Gise getting in on the action...

He loves to climb into the drawer and hang out. It will break one of these days, I'm sure. (The child safety latches are in Dave's pile waiting to be installed. I can only do so much!)

And we now have this wonderful, lush green grass growing in our yard. Yet, the boys have taking up the hobby of golfing. Divot city.

So, should we really have bought this brand-spanking new house? Would this have happened in any other "used" home? Probably, but I wouldn't feel so bad about everything.

By the way, on a side note, I got into the golfing hobby this afternoon also. The boys and I were hitting golf balls in the "no-houses-yet" subdivision behind ours. This is what I did to Adam...

No, I didn't draw marker on his face. He did that himself. (He said it made him look "all-school pro" or "old school pro", whichever one or whatever that is.)

He was so excited to go chasing after the ball I had hit, that he ran right into my back swing. (Yes, I know I am a bad mom. Please don't call DCFS.) Grandma/Nurse Betts came over to assess the "damage", but she butterflied him right up. Thank God no trip to the ER. (Adam was just glad he didn't have to go through the "trauma" of the experience an ER visit would entail. "What's 'trauma' Mom?") It doesn't look like much, but when the gash is gushing blood all down his face, you think the worst. I don't think he'll ever be a model with the scars he has and will accumulate over the years. And it looks like he'll even get a shiner out of this all. I've always wanted one myself. I'll tell him how cool it looks. Maybe I won't feel so bad then.

A Dark, Hurting Child??

We went to the library the other day - Adam, Will, Gise and I. The boys picked out a few movies and books, as well as myself. But as I scanned over the lot of them, I noticed Will had chosen normal, kiddy books and all the books Adam chose had dark, dreary covers and titles. Does this mean something? Is my child feeling dark and blue inside? Is he one of those kids who is going to wear black clothes in high school with a chain hooked to his wallet?

Or were there just an abundance of Halloween books out there in this fall season? Maybe the way he chooses his books by the cover is just different than the ones I would pick out. I usually pick the bright, newer books with a cool design or picture on the front. That little man just may be drawn to the dark hues.

Oh, who knows. I don't really care, but it was just a bit peculiar. Hmmm.

My Fantasy Team

This is a picture of some men hard at work, hard at work choosing their fantasy football teams for the season. A group of about a dozen or so guys have been doing this draft for almost 10 years, I believe. They all sit in a room with their lists and computers on their laps. They hardly speak, except to say who their pick is for about 6 hours!

Well, this year I joined a league. Not a fantasy football league, but a "Star" League. It's Fantasy Football meets celebrity gossip. At the beginning of the "season", you pick your top people and they have a draft and your team is chosen. Each week you go up against one of the other 8 teams in your league. For each of the celebrities you have, you get points on how they are "showing" in the media and such. More points for a cover or video, fewer points for print.

But I have to tell you, I started out with David Beckham in the beginning of the season, scoring some big points for him at the time he arrived in America and started playing soccer here. I picked up Owen Wilson just as news of his attempted suicide hit the web. (I have to give credit to perezhilton.com for much of his right-on scoops.) And when OJ Simpson got busted in Vegas, I dropped Kate Walsh and picked him up. He's got me about 100 points just today!

But curse the person who drafted Lindsay Lohan and the other who drafted Britney Spears. Whoever has her will win the season. Right now, I'm 3-1, in second place. Pretty darn good.

Yet, oh, so sad. Sad that I get excited over this celebrity-ness. With running around after 4 kids all day, wiping butts and cleaning floors, I indulge myself a bit by living the fantasy life! Fun, fun!

Mr. Friendly

Why do I let things get to me? There is so much joy in life, why bog yourself down with things that weigh heavily on you, that frustrate you? Isn't it time to get rid of all the garbage in your life - people, activities, etc.?

After disposal, shouldn't you feel much better? Then, you can appreciate the little things in life. For example, my little Adam is full of personality. He is not afraid to talk to anyone. What he has been loving is hanging out with all the "workers" who have been coming to work on our house. This morning, after dropping Grant off at school, I found him in his pj's and rain boots carrying a shovel into the backyard.

He had told them about how our tree fell over in the storm. He was telling them that they weren't getting all the stuff out of the hole they were digging. He was making small talk like he was one of them. I love it!

Another time we had "workers" over, Adam came inside needing a snack. He took it outside. Later he told me that he had his snack with them, and he "sat next to the guy with the blue shirt" while he was on break. It was just so precious.

I adore that my children have personalities and are so different. I also love that they fight and have arguments among each other; it shows that they are brothers. (Yet, I also pray they will be best friends some day.)

If I had more "garbage"/baggage in my life, would I have the opportunity to see these things in my children, to know them so well? I don't think so. My family is one of the most important ventures in my life now. I will work hard right now for them.

Wash That Gray Right Out of Your Hair

I got to blow dry my hair again today. Wow - two times in a row! We had school open house. I should look a bit decent.

Anyway, when I blow dry my hair, I get a bunch of flyaway's - flyaway hairs, that is. (Girls, you know what I'm talking about.) And I just smile to myself when I see a gnarly ol' gray hair standing straight up. And then I pull/pluck it out. I only pull them out because it looks pretty goofy heading straight up to the heavens.

But I want to say one thing about gray hairs. It is like a rite of passage. I found my first one when I was 26 years old, pregnant with my firstborn. I think with each pregnancy and each child you birth, you get more stupid and grayer. It is like God is tapping you on the shoulder telling you to wise up, that you will be responsible for another life in this world besides your own. (Don't they say gray hair means you are wise?)

I'm not against coloring my hair, but I do embrace the gray. Also, I embrace the extra slab of twin skin on my belly I got after carrying babies. Gray hair and my "tubby belly" are my pride. I gave birth and have four, healthy guys because of it.

Why are they some many articles about "losing the weight after baby"? Why are there so many tummy tucks? I've never seen an article helping women embrace who they are and what they have become. As long as these women are healthy and not obese, what is a little bit of a tummy?

Just some of my thoughts. Enjoy - or not.

Venting Addendum

It has been a good day.

My house is now clean. No messes exist. Toiletries were organized. Toys were put away. Laundry is being washed, dried and folded. Outgrown clothes and toys are set to get rid of. Dishes are in the dishwasher.

I just got out of the shower. It felt good to wash the grease and grime out of my hair. I shaved my legs. I'm wearing new shorts and a new t-shirt. Maybe I'll even blow dry my hair and put makeup on. Ooooo.

The little guy skipped the morning nap on purpose and is now fast asleep for the afternoon.

Fights? Hardly any. Timeouts? Only one. Actually, the boys are playing quite nice together, especially Adam & Grant. Will is hanging out watching Nemo. It is quiet.

Guess what? I took my pills this morning. Is that why? Or did someone say a prayer for me?

And now, I believe I will go sit on the couch.

Venting, Part 1

It's been a bad day. I have lots of them. By reading this blog, you have probably thought we have the perfect family, perfect kids, perfect home.

Yeah, right.

After having no rest after a terrible storm, which brought 3 children to our bed, I am tired. No rest equals bad day, no matter what.

I just got reprimanded. Someone came to my door to let me know my 3 boys were playing in a pipe in the construction zone. How embarrassing.

Also, I am on a committee for school to plan an event, an event that sucks. And if you know me and my penchant for event planning, I don't accept status quo. I need the best. This school just settles, and is reactive not pro-active. I can't stand it.

My little one didn't want to take a nap this afternoon. I need my down time every afternoon. It just makes me more crabby! These boys don't listen to me. Ugghh!! Dave says I'm too lenient on them, too many warnings. I say, with so battles to pick in a day, which ones are the most important?

My house is a mess, truly a mess. And it is so depressing, all these white walls.

I haven't showered in 2 1/2 days. I think I have been wearing this t-shirt and shorts for most of that time, including to bed.

One of my girlfriends just e-mailed and mentioned my blog and how envious she is of me. Ha!

Right now, in my life, I am just a mom and a wife. And I'm not too good at either one of them.


Guess what I just figured out? I forgot to take my happy pills this morning. I'm an idiot.

Elvis has Left the Field

It was Elvis Night at the annual outing to the White Sox game for the Docter family. After explaining to my children who he was, and after them remaining clueless, we embarked upon a night full of him. They got their lesson in Elvis history as he surrounded us at the ballpark. He sang the national anthem, he was in every contest between innings, he sang every song played, he (a pack of them) did a little dance number for us on the field, he parachuted in from the sky and he even put together some of his hits and set them to fireworks. He truly is the king!

The Docter Family was out in full force, minus a grandkid or two and Brandon & Liz. It was fun, so much fun! We had some first-timers to the Celluar Field: Will, Adam & Morgan. We had Mr. Caleb beside himself over a lost, then-found, Foam Finger. We had Miss Josie sleeping through many a boom-boom's during the fireworks show. Will & Adam learned how to crack peanuts. Oh, and did I tell you that the boys saw the "Serious" Tower on the way in?

I love my family. Will they ever know how much? Probably not, but I will love them and the times we have together no matter what. It is fun watching my brothers have a partner and sisters-in-law for me. It is fun watching my brothers as dads. It is fun watching my dad be a kid all over again with the grandchildren. It is fun seeing a grandchild cuddled up on my mom's lap. Our family has evolved over the years, and will be evolving for many more. Again, I will cherish - cherish the days of yesteryear, but also the new memories we are experiencing together as the Docter's.

Ahh... No Kids

(FYI: I'm not sure if my slide show is working correctly yet. I'll keep trying - you just keep checking. Enjoy the text!)

It was a weekend away without children. And us old people were acting like kids ourselves. Yet, we had a blast. In the last 9 nines summers since we have been cottaging the first weekend of August, this has to rate at the top of the list for good times. Probably the best of all the weekends.

Joining Dave & I were Mark & Nikki VanDam, Craig & Sharla Slings, Jason & Kristin DeVries, Ryan & Lisa Flipse and Jeff & Gina Gaich. (Dave & Karla Weemhoff sadly could not be here this year. Their loss. Ha!) I can't believe how silly our time was. During our usual evening pontoon ride, we decided to give some visitors to the Housman cottage (Dan & Cort, Ryan & Sue, and Phil & Sherry) a scare. At about midnight, we coyly tiptoed up to their hut and scared the be-geezus out of them. What a blast!

Retaliation ensued after we were tee-peed at 1:30am, peanut butter was spread over windows and cars were repositioned over at Evergreen Shores. (Not our finest work, but we didn't have much to go on.) But it was a memory. And can you believe we stayed up until 3am? We are stupid! Hey, no kids. And we weren't tired. Unbelievable.

Then we get up in the morning, and after being re-energized by Jason's omelets, we were challenging the "other girls" to a tube-off. But after they saw us practicing around the lake, they waved their white flags in surrender. So, I believe us old ladies never did make it around the lake once - we fell off so many times. Yet, the boys put us to shame as Mark was a maniac on the tube. He would flip over, accidentally, and keep hanging on and flip back over. Unbelievable.

So much fun was packed into our weekend! Then, we had to go home. Ugghhh.

Remembering the Lasts

I packed away the bottles today. After 6 1/2 years of feeding these children, bottles are officially done in the Gibson household.

I was a bit sad. My last bottle. We will never have anymore special cuddly-lap feeding times.

We mark many moments of children's lives by their firsts - first foods, first steps, first day of school. But do we remember the last of the previous moments? Do we remember the last bottle? Do we remember the last time we nursed? Do we remember the last time riding with the training wheels? Do we remember the last day of preschool? Not always. Maybe it is because we are so happy and relishing in the moment of advancement.

I guess, as I said earlier, it makes me sad also to think of a last. We will never have those times again. Yes, I will miss the lap time feeding. Yes, I will miss the childish-ness of a little boy on a teeny-tiny bike with four wheels. Yes, I will miss the naivete of a Kindergarten student, enjoy life with a wonderful, expressive teacher.

I will remember those times with marvelous love, and cherish them forever.

And we move on - to new endeavors. Learning how to use the sippy cup, learning how to pump on the swing, riding all by yourself on your bike to your new friend's house down the road. For the rest of their lives, there will be more firsts.

These also will be held close to my heart.

Simpsonization

I've Simpsonized my kids! (What am I doing? I should be in bed!) But if you are fascinated by all this, check out http://www.simpsonizeme.com./

Can you figure out who is who? Hmmm...

Lazy Days of Summer

We got a new house. We got a new play set. We put up our trampoline. Sod is on the way.

But all these precious little boys want to do is throw rocks in the "pond".

We have two empty lots next door to us with standing water in them - ponds. They are learning how to find and skip rocks. They are in a contest to hit an abandoned garage door opener in the pond. They have proclaimed that every time they hit it, they get a piece of candy. They take rocks home from the cottage to throw in the pond!

They have also left our sandbox for the big sand pile the construction crews left. They have left our rock-climbing wall for the big dirt mound two lots over.

Yet, I am glad.

These boys can find fun in anything. They don't need the stuff, the toys so heavily advertised and consumed by us doting parents. When did the tides turn stating we had to keep up with Jones'? My dad tells story again and again playing with only one little truck growing up, making his fun for himself.

We are very thankful for our "stuff". We are truly blessed. We are blessed to have a swing set when there is no nearby park. We are blessed to have money to afford the extra insurance to have a trampoline. Yet, we are blessed also to have God's creation to explore and treasure and have "adventures along the trail," as the boys say.

So, we are making these days of summer "lazy" at our house. No over-scheduling, no must-do's for the summer - we are just going to play. And, Gosh darn it, if my boys want to pull down their pants to go to the bathroom outside, then I say go for it!

Happy Summer!

Sting

Group -- The Police

Venue -- Wrigley Field, Chicago

Lead Singer -- Sting: Ageless... and yummy

The Police concert was extremely enjoyable! All the hits were played on this Reunion Tour. "Message in a Bottle" opened us up on a high note, but the buzz quickly faded as some lesser-known songs were played. I could have done without these filler songs and had a half hour less music. (You knew the songs stunk when everyone started streaming out for a bathroom break.) I was disappointed.

Yet, I was in great anticipation after a song's ending to what was coming up next. "Roxanne" truly rocked the house. (I couldn't believe tens of thousands of us were singing about a woman who was a prostitute. Anyway...) Andy Summers on the guitar was exciting to watch, and I loved soaking in his solos.

Sting, at the age of 56, gave a valiant effort. He started out slow. They lowered the octaves (Is that what it's called?) on a bunch of tunes because he couldn't reach those high notes as well as he used to. But by night's end, he was really into it. The chemistry between the members was gelling more towards the encore - they were having a good time, we were having a good time.

The band looked old. Sting - not so much. He was on fire. Yet, I believe he wore the same outfit last night as he did in the 80's. I don't need to see your old knobby knees in your skin-tight pants, my man.

Yet, I am wondering why he was such a hit back then. Did people like the fact this group sang all the same phrases/song fillers in them over and over? "Doo Daa" / "Eee-Ohhh" (Take note some time you pull out that old greatest hits cassette.) But any woman must have fallen hard for Sting, because "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" and he watches "Every Breath You Take". Man, I'd go for that guy - who wouldn't?

Sting made the night. Yum, yum.

Under the Lights

St. John's Crosstown Classic was big news last night! The Cubs vs. the White Sox right here in little ol' St. John!

T-Ball Cubs and T-Ball White Sox, that is.

After Grant's last game was rained out Wednesday night, it was decided these little 5 & 6 year olds would be playing under the lights at the big guys' baseball fields. Grant was so thrilled - maybe even more excited than getting a token for the "session" stand (as my little Adam says) for after the game. And those tokens are treated like gold! (Gold to be traded in for some cavity-producing, sugar-laden product.) Yet, once the game was started it was back to the old grind out on the field. Kids knocking on their cups, running off the field to "go potty", skipping to the bases. I believe Grant told every kid and coach about losing his first two teeth.

If you have not experienced a T-Ball game, you have not lived life. It is the most hilarious, most genuine and real, most uplifting experience for any fan. These moments are pure.

And I will cherish them.

We've finally moved.

Yes, it has been done. We were all out of room, busting at the seams, as you can see. We were literally living on top of each other. (Did you ever have it when you have the whole room to spread out in and that one person wants to sit right next to you? Well, it happens everyday and not with just one person, but 4 little boys. Some may say cute, but others, well...)

So, after a busy weekend of packing and unpacking boxes. Lifting and carrying and placing them elsewhere, we are in.



Now I'm going to the cottage. Ha!