since my last post. I am so sorry for all of you that follow that I have been so inconsistent with my posts. I think about you guys all of the time. Things have just been so crazy around here lately!
So Ken and I are back on track, like nothing ever happened. Of course we were still in counseling, but then decided that all it was doing in the end was putting soooo much pressure on us to do the "right thing", that it was stressing us both out, and it outweighed the benefits of counseling. The option is always there of course. But for now, things are going great!
I have been very sick for the last week. A chest cold really, but it hit me hard. Getting sick with 4 kiddos isn't allowed to hit you as hard as it hit me! My mom came down to help and Ken stayed home a couple of days. I went to stay with my good friend Jessica who offered her spare room to me to recuperate until the antibiotics did their job to keep me from being "contagious". The doctor says that even though I am still hacking up a lung on a regular basis, I should be alright to be around the kids. All of us got the H1N1 vaccine. Violet got very sick a few days after. Of course we were very panicked about the whole thing, but after waiting 10 days to get the test results back (she felt better by then) we found out that she was just fine...no swine flu in this house! I am starting to feel better, but still a little under the weather.
I am so excited to be doing a portrait session tomorrow with a couple that I met through our Mommy and Me group. Their twins are the same age as Noah and Violet and they are getting their pictures taken for their Christmas cards. You would be surprised at just how much business comes about just for the mailing of Christmas greetings. Crazy! Anyhow, their two boys are like little Gerber babies. They really look like they could be in commercials. I will try and get a release form signed so that I can post them.
Gia has officially become the know-it-all of the house! She is spouting off more and more words...mostly very close imitations of what we say to her. It gets to be quite commical hearing her say "use your words" to her brothers and sister when they cry or when Katie puts on her shoes she says "one foot, two foot" as she puts them on her. (Yes, I am *that* mom that narrates every move to her children)
Jackson and I went for a run in the park this morning at 6 am because I couldn't get him back to sleep. We have a pretty regular schedule at our house and when something rocks that boat, it makes for a long day! So, I let Katie know where I was headed and started off to the park. Little did I know that there would be 500+ geese at the lake in the park, so of course there was no falling asleep then. To begin with they were pretty loud, but even if they hadn't been Jackson was so enthralled, sleeping was not going to happen. It was a nice little Jackson-Mommy outing. It is rare that I get time with one at a time until Ken gets home from work. Especially with the three youngest, because they always seem to get lumped into 1 group.
Gia is up and wants juice. Apparently the male species doesn't have thumbs that are capable of opening a juice box, so Mommy is on the way to save the day!
soli deo gloria
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
The Walrus said to talk of many things...
Alice in Wonderland is the new favorite in our household. I could recite it by heart when I was a kid and now I do it as a mom. Oh how time flies!
We have been extremely busy the past few days. Oh I wish I could post the pictures from trick or treating on here. My camera got lost while we were out and about, so I am in the process of filing an insurance claim. Ugh, what a mess. We had a blast! There is a neighborhood in Old Louisville that goes ALL OUT for Halloween. Decorations galore and is always packed with trick or treaters. Why we chose to go there this year, I am not really very sure. We are hectic as a group to begin with...add hundreds of thousands of people all around us, and it is chaos. We managed to come home with all 4 kids (whew!) and candy to last us the rest of the year. Ken (yes, I have adjusted the settings on privacy that I feel comfortable with names now again) and I went as Zach and Kelly from Saved By the Bell. Our friends Matt and Michael have been together for 15 years and celebrated their anniversary with us by going trick or treating with the kiddos. They went as Mac and PC and got soooo many laughs! Too cute!
Gia went as Alice from Alice in Wonderland (of course), complete with the dress and black bow. Everything. Was so cute! Jackson went as a baseball player. His new favorite is watching TV with daddy and his eyes get really big when he watches baseball and the bat cracks with a hit. So funny! PS. We hate the Yankees in this household, so for some Phillies fans out there...GO PHILLIES!
Noah and Violet went as 2 pea pods. 2 peas in a pod kind of idea. They were darling, and the 4 of them flirted with every single person that came up to oooo and ahhh at them. It was a lot of fun. Maybe I will try and keep all the kiddos awake for a session in their costumes. It just seems wrong to dress them up after Halloween in them. Is that weird?
On Saturday, we hired a sitter and had Katie on call and Ken and I went to a real grown up function with alcohol and everything. Been a long time. I certainly felt a little out of my league. This time, I put on the tightest corset I could find and a pencil skirt with some fish nets and some big time costume jewelery and went as a 40's pin up girl, and Ken went as a mobster. It's funny, because last year, when we went, people were there until 4 in the morning. This year, everyone started leaving about midnight. Oh how things change in a year and it was certainly comforting to see that we aren't the only parents who don't have any stamina left after 9 pm.
Gia had a Halloween parade at preschool and all the mom's walked around the playground holding their hands to model their costumes. Cute idea. I felt kind of ridiculous, but Gia was hamming it up, so it was totally worth it.
I hear some fussing from the twins room. Should prolly hit the sack here soon myself. Hope everyone had a safe Halloween weekend!
We have been extremely busy the past few days. Oh I wish I could post the pictures from trick or treating on here. My camera got lost while we were out and about, so I am in the process of filing an insurance claim. Ugh, what a mess. We had a blast! There is a neighborhood in Old Louisville that goes ALL OUT for Halloween. Decorations galore and is always packed with trick or treaters. Why we chose to go there this year, I am not really very sure. We are hectic as a group to begin with...add hundreds of thousands of people all around us, and it is chaos. We managed to come home with all 4 kids (whew!) and candy to last us the rest of the year. Ken (yes, I have adjusted the settings on privacy that I feel comfortable with names now again) and I went as Zach and Kelly from Saved By the Bell. Our friends Matt and Michael have been together for 15 years and celebrated their anniversary with us by going trick or treating with the kiddos. They went as Mac and PC and got soooo many laughs! Too cute!
Gia went as Alice from Alice in Wonderland (of course), complete with the dress and black bow. Everything. Was so cute! Jackson went as a baseball player. His new favorite is watching TV with daddy and his eyes get really big when he watches baseball and the bat cracks with a hit. So funny! PS. We hate the Yankees in this household, so for some Phillies fans out there...GO PHILLIES!
Noah and Violet went as 2 pea pods. 2 peas in a pod kind of idea. They were darling, and the 4 of them flirted with every single person that came up to oooo and ahhh at them. It was a lot of fun. Maybe I will try and keep all the kiddos awake for a session in their costumes. It just seems wrong to dress them up after Halloween in them. Is that weird?
On Saturday, we hired a sitter and had Katie on call and Ken and I went to a real grown up function with alcohol and everything. Been a long time. I certainly felt a little out of my league. This time, I put on the tightest corset I could find and a pencil skirt with some fish nets and some big time costume jewelery and went as a 40's pin up girl, and Ken went as a mobster. It's funny, because last year, when we went, people were there until 4 in the morning. This year, everyone started leaving about midnight. Oh how things change in a year and it was certainly comforting to see that we aren't the only parents who don't have any stamina left after 9 pm.
Gia had a Halloween parade at preschool and all the mom's walked around the playground holding their hands to model their costumes. Cute idea. I felt kind of ridiculous, but Gia was hamming it up, so it was totally worth it.
I hear some fussing from the twins room. Should prolly hit the sack here soon myself. Hope everyone had a safe Halloween weekend!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Quick photo splash
I am running a bit behind in getting ready for a portrait session, but as promised, I wanted to post some of my pictures for everyone to see. I got permission from my couples and some of these are purely artistic of hometown landmarks.
K and I are somehow doing fantastic. He still won't really explain why he walked out that night, but none the less, we have moved past it with a weird feeling of ease.
"Work" (since it doesn't feel like work, I use quotation marks) is going really well and getting very busy! I got my first actually referral and request for me specifically as a photographer. Feels very cool. Anyhow, here are some pictures! Enjoy!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The time has come...
Everything is good...very good in fact, here. More later! I just wanted to quickly update to say things are back to normal here (if there is such a thing!). K is home!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Mommy of the Year Award
Well...in reading a blogger fiends post about the little "rules" that she breaks, I thought I would do my own. I related to MANY of the ones that she cited...and so many more.
Mom, Linda and Sarah....your grandchildren are safe I promise, even if this post suggests otherwise. :)
With having four children, all under the age of 2 (I can't say 1 anymore cause my little G is growing up so fast!) I have had numerous opportunities while juggling 3 infants to break a few "by the book" rules that only "bad mom's" break. I have come to terms with it though. I am almost always exhausted...imagine if I actually did everything by the book? It would be utterly exhausting with one (in my opinion) and certainly quadrupally (no idea if that can actually be made into a real word) exhausting with 4.
1) (this seems to be the most cited "mistake" other mom's make) Not strapping the kiddos in their swings.
2) We always have tons of leftovers that never get eaten, so instead of washing the dishes, I have thrown away a lot of our tupperware because, the idea of gagging at something other than baby poop is just horrifying to me.
3) I have put all 4 kids to bed very early so that I can crack open a bottle of wine and watch DVR'ed shows that I rarely get to watch.
4) I let all 4 of them nap wherever they fall asleep. I went through a phase of making sure they were all in bed when they napped, but I found it absoluetly miserable in every way to wake a sleeping baby and hope that it doesn't cry and wake up the brothers and sisters. G fell asleep on the bathroom floor while I bathed the other three and I left her there for a while until the guilt of being a bad mom was far too much to handle.
5) I shamefully get a little glee when any of the younger 3 cry in others arms, and then stop as soon as they are handed over to me.
6) I have used baby wipes instead of baths (I hate myself for this!)
7) When I’m feeling bad about myself, I load all of the kids in the car and go to Target. Then, I walk around until someone looks at the cart full of children and says, “Oh my, I don’t know how you do it!” I don’t even buy anything. I just go for a little validation and attention, and then come home.
8) When the twins were first born, I went almost a week without showering because I didn't have time!
9) I loooove taking showers, and probably subject my nanny to longer time of having the kids by herself than I need to because it is peace and quiet
10) (Being a former teacher I really should know better...)...When reading aloud to G, late at night because she won't go to bed, I skip pages on the "one more book" to get done sooner.
Many many more, but now I am feeling far too embarrassed. Haha... with that it IS shower time for Mommy while the kiddos are asleep.
sdg
Mom, Linda and Sarah....your grandchildren are safe I promise, even if this post suggests otherwise. :)
With having four children, all under the age of 2 (I can't say 1 anymore cause my little G is growing up so fast!) I have had numerous opportunities while juggling 3 infants to break a few "by the book" rules that only "bad mom's" break. I have come to terms with it though. I am almost always exhausted...imagine if I actually did everything by the book? It would be utterly exhausting with one (in my opinion) and certainly quadrupally (no idea if that can actually be made into a real word) exhausting with 4.
1) (this seems to be the most cited "mistake" other mom's make) Not strapping the kiddos in their swings.
2) We always have tons of leftovers that never get eaten, so instead of washing the dishes, I have thrown away a lot of our tupperware because, the idea of gagging at something other than baby poop is just horrifying to me.
3) I have put all 4 kids to bed very early so that I can crack open a bottle of wine and watch DVR'ed shows that I rarely get to watch.
4) I let all 4 of them nap wherever they fall asleep. I went through a phase of making sure they were all in bed when they napped, but I found it absoluetly miserable in every way to wake a sleeping baby and hope that it doesn't cry and wake up the brothers and sisters. G fell asleep on the bathroom floor while I bathed the other three and I left her there for a while until the guilt of being a bad mom was far too much to handle.
5) I shamefully get a little glee when any of the younger 3 cry in others arms, and then stop as soon as they are handed over to me.
6) I have used baby wipes instead of baths (I hate myself for this!)
7) When I’m feeling bad about myself, I load all of the kids in the car and go to Target. Then, I walk around until someone looks at the cart full of children and says, “Oh my, I don’t know how you do it!” I don’t even buy anything. I just go for a little validation and attention, and then come home.
8) When the twins were first born, I went almost a week without showering because I didn't have time!
9) I loooove taking showers, and probably subject my nanny to longer time of having the kids by herself than I need to because it is peace and quiet
10) (Being a former teacher I really should know better...)...When reading aloud to G, late at night because she won't go to bed, I skip pages on the "one more book" to get done sooner.
Many many more, but now I am feeling far too embarrassed. Haha... with that it IS shower time for Mommy while the kiddos are asleep.
sdg
Thursday, September 24, 2009
3 weeks later...
Almost too much to post to even know where to start. One topsy turvy month September has been. K and I are working on a temporary separation. He is living downtown in a hotel while I flounder between work and taking care of 4 kids. It has been nothing short of a nightmare. Ugh....almost too disappointing to even feel like posting. For those of you out there in the blog world...just know that we are all coping the best way we know how. We are back in counseling. It is a lot of yelling and a lot of crying on my part. More on that when I feel motivated to type.
I am working on getting a form made up to be able to post the pictures I take of weddings and portraits and things, so that you can all see what I have been up to professionally.
In other news, the twins are growing like crazy! Rolling over is a huge thing now. Of course J is about a month ahead of them, so he has been keeping me on my toes. He really really wants to start scooting across the floor, just can't muster the strength yet...but where there is a will, there is a way. I am sure it won't be long.
Construction has begun on our basement. This is something we have been planning for a very long time, and now the contractor finally has time to fit us in. Drywall, carpet and new stairs have been installed, as well as the plumbing for the bathroom. Despite K's absence, I have set up the pool table that I bought him for his birthday. Ugh. It has been great to see how fast they have been able to get it done, but very stressful, because I feel like the house is just filthy between construction boots being extremely muddy (TONS OF RAIN lately) and saw dust, it never seems to end. After the tile is installed in the bathroom and the paint is finished, we will have a game room (pool table/ping pong table) and a play room for the kiddos and kind of a suite downstairs for our nanny. So far so good.
N has been having severe breakdowns lately. Nothing seems to trigger them, just crying inconsolably. We have a doctors appointment tomorrow to get him checked out, because I can't figure out what is wrong with him!
I need sl;eep. Senior portrait shoot tomorrow afternoon and of course the workers will be here by 7. Hopefully we will have a restful night. I have had quiet 7 hour nights the last 10 nights in a row. AMAZING is all I have to say about that. Time for bed. More later, I promise...and hopefully not 3 weeks from now. :)
sdg
I am working on getting a form made up to be able to post the pictures I take of weddings and portraits and things, so that you can all see what I have been up to professionally.
In other news, the twins are growing like crazy! Rolling over is a huge thing now. Of course J is about a month ahead of them, so he has been keeping me on my toes. He really really wants to start scooting across the floor, just can't muster the strength yet...but where there is a will, there is a way. I am sure it won't be long.
Construction has begun on our basement. This is something we have been planning for a very long time, and now the contractor finally has time to fit us in. Drywall, carpet and new stairs have been installed, as well as the plumbing for the bathroom. Despite K's absence, I have set up the pool table that I bought him for his birthday. Ugh. It has been great to see how fast they have been able to get it done, but very stressful, because I feel like the house is just filthy between construction boots being extremely muddy (TONS OF RAIN lately) and saw dust, it never seems to end. After the tile is installed in the bathroom and the paint is finished, we will have a game room (pool table/ping pong table) and a play room for the kiddos and kind of a suite downstairs for our nanny. So far so good.
N has been having severe breakdowns lately. Nothing seems to trigger them, just crying inconsolably. We have a doctors appointment tomorrow to get him checked out, because I can't figure out what is wrong with him!
I need sl;eep. Senior portrait shoot tomorrow afternoon and of course the workers will be here by 7. Hopefully we will have a restful night. I have had quiet 7 hour nights the last 10 nights in a row. AMAZING is all I have to say about that. Time for bed. More later, I promise...and hopefully not 3 weeks from now. :)
sdg
Thursday, September 3, 2009
And then there were 5...
My post won't be all that long today. I am exhausted and frustrated and just plain sad. K left. No explanation, no nothing. Just a "sorry, I can't do this anymore..." and that was it. I have no idea what happened, nothing I can point to to explain his behavior. None of it makes sewnse. The counseling was going well. I felt like we had a rhythm in our routine with the kiddos and that was making things a little less hectic. I have been a mess for the last 3 days, not hearing from him at all. His family has all called me trying to figure out where he is and what is going on. It is so painful. KN has been hired back full time and my mom is here helping. Being sad and having 4 kids depending on you does not mix well.
G keeps asking for her daddy and then will come up to me and ask "ok, mommy? ok?" She is very worried....so am I. All the other kiddos seem somewhat oblivious, although J was really taking to K as far as who he prefers to rock him to sleep, feed him, etc. He has not been the happiest camper lately.
I truly am scared for the first time since we heard about V's heart about what the future will hold. It makes me furious sometimes and others I am just sad. I of course can't sleep when I should be sleeping when all of the hooligans are down, and so 2 sleepless nights have not been helpful in any aspect.
I shoot an engagement portrait session this afternoon and I don't even feel like going. Hard to capture the excitement of entering into marital bliss when my marital status is pending. Ugh. I need a shower and then off to pull some magic out of my camera bag in hopes that I can deliver what they are looking for. More soon.
SDG
G keeps asking for her daddy and then will come up to me and ask "ok, mommy? ok?" She is very worried....so am I. All the other kiddos seem somewhat oblivious, although J was really taking to K as far as who he prefers to rock him to sleep, feed him, etc. He has not been the happiest camper lately.
I truly am scared for the first time since we heard about V's heart about what the future will hold. It makes me furious sometimes and others I am just sad. I of course can't sleep when I should be sleeping when all of the hooligans are down, and so 2 sleepless nights have not been helpful in any aspect.
I shoot an engagement portrait session this afternoon and I don't even feel like going. Hard to capture the excitement of entering into marital bliss when my marital status is pending. Ugh. I need a shower and then off to pull some magic out of my camera bag in hopes that I can deliver what they are looking for. More soon.
SDG
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