FlashBack Fridays

Hard to believe a whole week went by and  I did  not get a chance to blog...hmmm could it have to do with Easter Vacation.   I had high hopes for this week.  It fell between the end of April, beginning of May.  I figured we would be outside the whole week.  Well hello Wisconsin weather way to disappoint everybody as usual.  So needless to say to stop the endless bickering between H and C, I had to give up my laptop.  So no Blog.updates this week.   Dear Monday, you can not come soon enough.  I love vacation but we tend to get off our normal routine.   Or should I say I give into the kids bad habits.  Late night movies and sleepovers in our room have been plenty this week.  So hello Monday, good by Hailey's feet in my face, back, stomach any where else they can reach.  Hello 8pm bedtimes oh how I missed you.  This week flash back photo is of me about 3 months early of my two year old birthday.    I thought since I recently put H and C's one year old pictures up you could see if they actually look a little like me, since everyone says they look like Steve.  I feel I deserve a little credit since I am the one that had to put the 25lbs on to have them.  Can you see where Cody gets his round forehead from now!!!! Enjoy your Friday, here is hoping Spring comes to Wisconsin

FlashBack Fridays:Brothers

This is Steve with his younger brother Barry.  Barry Is 4 years younger  than Steve.  Barry is also mentally challenged.  I love this picture of Steve and Barry because when you see Steve and Barry together this is just how they are now.  Barry is always draped over Steve and Steve is always looking out for Barry.  I knew from the moment I dated Steve he would be  make a great Dad cause he is a great Brother.  I also think Steve and Cody look a lot a like here

Learning to Laugh

As my children continue to grow and as I continue to blog I am sure there will come a point when I will tell a few stories about them .  I am sure some of the stories they might not find as entertaining as I do.  They might actually be a little "upset" that I shared them.  However I am not telling these stories to embarrass them but to remind them that we are not perfect and  that is OK.  We all need to learn to laugh even if it at ourselves.   Nothing makes life easier to handle than doing it with your head held high and a smile on your face.  I know my kids will go through something that they are so embarrassed by that they will never want to show their face again.    I know this because I have been their done that.  It has taken me years to gain the confidence and knowledge I have now, so I want to share that with my children and hopefully take away some of that pain caused by that feeling of humiliation.  When the day come when one of my children is humiliated at a situatiin,  I will tell them you need to take control of the situation.  I will try to teach them that only they can give people the power to humiliate them .  I will tell them they have a choice,  They can choose to have people laugh at them or they can choose to  put a smile on their  face and laugh with them.  I know it is easy to say a situation is no big deal and laugh it off  when it is not you they are laughing at but I figure it is better to lead by example.  So here it goes.  I am choosing to laugh with you.  The first laughable story I am sharing on this blog is about me.  I figure it is only fair to write the first laughable blog about myself.  I have included a audio clip of my recent blunder.  To set up the clip I was recently driving Cody to school and heard  the radio station 102.9 having a call in contest to win Kid Rock tickets.  I never call radio stations but the though of winning my hubby some tickets was intriguing so take a listen and the rest is history.

http://www.box.net/shared/ajnmzc9nu1

So as my children grow  I will try to teach my kids about Humility.  I will tell them it is OK to learn to laugh at yourself . Humility is the state of being humble. While people may have different ideas about the meaning of humility,  a typical humble person is generally thought to be unpretentious and modest: someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others.  So to Cody, Hailey and Brennan I am not perfect nor will you be..  At some point you will do something that makes you  want to  hide and not face the world.  But remember these words, I want to you put a smile on your face , raise your head and learn to laugh because only you give people the power to humiliate you.  So always smile big and laugh.  I promise it will be over sooner than you think

Flashback Friday

I will be having Brennan's first birthday Party this up coming weekend.  I decided this weeks flashback photos would be of Cody's and Hailey's first birthday photos.  Neither Cody or Hailey had a good first birthday picture.  Cody was not really on any solid foods yet so I was a typical paranoid first mom and really did not feel comfortable letting him have free rein at the cake and typical to Hailey's personality she did what she wanted not what we wanted.  We wanted her to eat cake and she would not even touch it.  So we will see this weekend if the 3rd time is the charm or 3 strikes you are out and getting the famous cake picture

somethings never change

This past week Brennan had his dreaded 1 year old appointment.  For those of you with kids you can relate to what I am talking about, 4 shots and blood all in a 10 minute span.  As I left to go the appointment my husband apologized for having to work and miss the appointment.  I said it and truly meant it when I told him it was no big deal.  Hey, this is my third kid, been there done that , no problem.!!  Well as I left the doctors appointment it was no different than the the other two.  I was dripping in sweat, my anxiety level was higher than any police call I have been on and I just wanted to grab Brennan and make it all better.  I left that appointment like a first time mom.  I was later talking to my best friend , whose daughter will be going in for the dread appointment in a week.   I laughed at how somethings never change, no matter how many times you do it, it just does not get any easier.  Sometimes they even get worse.  I than told a horror story how how I had straddle my seven year old son like he was a criminal trying to flee the scene.  As he was yelling "don't let them do this to me mom"  As the nurse was trying to take his blood.  Let me tell you I came home and ate a whole bag of gummy worms after that...Yes the whole bag ...and Yes it did make me feel better.  I was I was laying in bed last night for some unknown reason I was thinking about blogging about the dreaded 1yr old appointment and it struck me and scared me  because I  realized it is only going to get worse.  Right now we are talking about shots and blood work but as they get older it will be life's disappointments I will need to protect them from.  It will be a mean kid on the playground, some girl or boy breaking their heart,  not making the team or not getting to play,  or God forbid something more serious.  Right now I can justify the pain  caused to this sweet little face because it is good for them

How will I be able to handle  that that intense feeling to protect them from something that is not good for them but may be part of  a life lesson that will make them into a better adult because it may teach them about hard work, sympathy, empathy and what true love is.  But lessons are not easy and sometimes they hurt.  And I never want to see them hurt .  So right now I am going to hug them, kiss them, build their self esteem up and prepare them for life and let them know no matter what happens I will always be there in there corner to help with the pain.  So for now I am going to be thankful for those shots because that kind of pain I know how to deal with. 

Flashback Fridays

I recently read a blog of  family that I used to babysit for.  I met them when I worked at the Prairie school doing after school daycare.  They had 3 of the most personable kids, each one was cuter than the next and one of the little boy would recite facts about things like dinosaurs and other things interesting to 3 year old, that would amaze me .  It's bad enough when you know you may not be the brightest student in the class but Wow to have a 3 three your old show you up is pretty bad!!!!  Anyways in their blog every Friday is flashback Friday and their mother post a old picture of them.   I love this ideas on so many levels.  I love I can bring out my "old" favorite pictures of my kids and show them off again.  I love I can tell them about things that we did and why that  I thought it was so special.  I love that I can show them a picture of them making a certain face or wearing outfit and tell them why that picture of them means something to me.  I will also be posting pictures from when Steve and I were little and our life before these three wonderful joys.  I hope someday  my kids will read this when they are teenagers and not talking to me.  They will remember a time when I was their favorite person and they hated to be away from, I will remind them they actually would vomit the nights I worked 2nd shift.  It was a time they  actually believed I  knew something.  They will see pictures of me before I had kids and realize that I was actually someone other than their Mom and I had my own life.  They will get a small glimpse of me as a person and know who I am, and maybe realize that we are not so different.    So to any family members or friends reading my blog please submit your favorite memories for flashback Fridays.  So here is my first picture for flashback Fridays

  I love this picture for many reasons.  First off check out my tan, Wow do I look good or what.  Now that I know the effects of sun damage I will never have that tan again unless it is from a bottle. Go figure now that my gym has a $15 unlimited tan special, I know better.  Back than I paid $50 plus to wrinkle my skin.  Next check out that Sunset, Amazing.  That sunset is like my Family  Amazing.  We were a one income family and my dad always made it a priority that we went on a family vacation.  As a child you don't see the sacrifices your parents make so you can have a amazing childhood, now I get it.  So thank you Mom and Dad for those Amazing family vacations.   Finally I love this picture because of my 2  Amazing sisters  are in it with me.  We are making a pyramid, we are one piece.  So to my two sisters I love you.  I know we may not always agree but you both are a piece of my life pyramid and there is no two other people that I would want holding My pyramid up.  I love you guys

Waiting

It's hard to believe last year at this time I would have just given birth to my last son Brennan.    It seems just like  a few months ago I was talking my husband into letting me have another baby.  I remember waiting and hoping  every month that this would be the month that I would be blessed with my 3rd and last child.  After I  found out I  was pregnant I could not wait to be done and meet my little wonder that was growing inside of me.  Now a year after Brennan was born.  I realized how fast time is going.  .  I realize I will never get this time back and I don't want to miss anything .  I want it to slow down.  I want to enjoy every minute and I don't want to be waiting for the next stage to come.  It makes me sad  now that  I complained about every pound I put on or how hard it was to do things 8 months pregnant ,  when I should have been enjoying every kick, punch, hiccup that I felt while Brennan was growing inside of me because I will never feel that again.

                                                                                                      

                     

I realized while I was trying to get pregnant I should have not been so focused on trying to get pregnant but should have enjoyed the time I had alone with my hubby and not having to share my bed with my little bundle of joy and his need for a "all night buffet" even though he is old enough not to eat all night long.  I know mom if I used a crib I would not have this problem !!!!!  This past  year has gone by so fast and I vow not to focus on things that are to come because my 3 beautiful children are growing right in front of me and I don't want to miss a thing.  I want to remember everything they tell me, I want to remember the smell of cheesepuff kisses, sweet smelling hugs from just bathed kids , every smile they give me because we did something togather that made their day better.  I vow not to get annoyed with sticky hand prints on my work clothes, midnight wake up calls, my messy house , etc because someday I won't be fortunate enough to have those things in  my life everyday.  So Happy birthday to you Brennan Curtis Diener

I don't know where this first year has gone.  in a blink of a eye you have turned into a little man.  I vow to never forget how little you were and how I felt the first time I laid eyes on you and kissed your sweet checks

So to you Mr B, Bren, Spot   Happy Birthday  I am truly blessed to be your mom.  I enjoyed getting to know you and learning who you will be.  You are a true blessing to our family.  Cody and Hailey fight for your attention, I know someday you won't believe that but they  are crazy about you.  They love getting you to laugh.  I love your smile, the way you laugh, the way you steal my glasses, your crazy bed head, they way you need me all night long.  You are truly amazing    If you don't believe me someday  I will have you look in the mirror and you will see how special you are .  You will see your angel kiss.  The angels knew how special you were  they left  that spot on your cheek as they kissed you goodbye and sent you to me.    This next year  I am going to slow down and not going to miss anything. I am going to watch you grow and enjoy every minute of it.  Happy Birthday I love you

Begining

Here I am, now what?.  I have often read other peoples blogs like you would read a novel  begining to end with no stopping in between enjoying their stories they call life.  Some so sad I immediately hug my husband and kids and thank God for the blessings I have.  Some filled with such creativety it makes me feel like the most boring mother around.  Other sharing stories of motherhood that I can relate to and even find comfort in knowing I am not alone in feeling certain things.   So where do I fit in?  I am not really sure what I have to say that is so important or so interesting that others would even waste their few minutes they get on the computer to read my story .  However this is something I want to do for my kids.  I want them to be able to look back and read about our lives and our families story. I want them to know through the craziness of everyday life that being with them is always a day in paradise for me.  Some days the weather may not be as sunny as I would like it to be but through it all they are my world and I will savor every single day with those 3 rays of sunlight I call my children.  I want them to read those blog entries when they are parents and know that I was not prefect  parent nor were they always perfect children.  However I want them to know through this chaos we call  life we learn, grow and, love .   Mix it all together ,it is the paradise I call life and I would not trade it for anything.   So to Cody, Hailey and Brennan this blog is for you.  This is our stories  I love you Mom