McGrath Moments

Brenna(talking to me): If you ever fall down the stairs, I will call 911.

Me: That sounds like a good thing to do in case there is an emergency.

Brenna: ...or I could call Daddy at work. ...or I could call the Doodlebops.

Okay, maybe not as important as the wheel or the light bulb, but pretty high up there on my list of "Modern Day" inventions. I received some really nice Christmas gifts from Ed this year...well, pretty much every year. He always spoils me. I opened something sparkly from Helzberg in a beautiful maroon box and I opened a big box with a Coach purse in it-I LOVE Coach! And then I opened a coffee maker.

I only use my small, individual cup coffee maker and I really like it. I makes just the right amount for me, since nobody else in our house drinks coffee anyways. I didn't need or want a new one. Little did I know that this is not just any coffee maker. It was a Bosch Tassimo! Many of you probably know what that is, but I had no idea. I used it for the first time on Monday and now I am addicted. I tried to make myself use the regular coffee maker this morning because the coffee for the other machine is so expensive, but I just couldn't make myself do it. It is SO EASY and SO DELICIOUS! You just pop in the coffee disc, it reads the bar code and makes the perfect cup of coffee. You throw the disc in the trash and you're done. NO MESS!

I had a meeting yesterday morning at 9am, so of course I am rushing to get the kids ready as well as myself. I popped a disc in the machine and by the time I had gotten the kid's coats on, the Starbucks Cappuccino Primo was ready to go too!

Stupid post some might say, but I love it and hey, if it saves time and clean up, I am all about it! Oh, did I mention D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S!!

All mothers know how important nap time is. It gives us a couple hours of quiet time to get some much needed chores done, to get our mind together for the second half of the day, or just to get in a nap ourselves. Whatever we do with the time, we need it and deserve it!

Yesterday Brenna and I were going to Braeden's school for his class Christmas Party at 2:30, so it was important for her to get in a nap before we went because I didn't need a crabby 3 year old to deal with. I put her down at 11:30. She stayed in her room for about 10 mins before I heard, "I need to potty!" I went up to take her potty and noticed she had barrettes in her hair and bracelets on her wrist, none of which she had before I put her down. I looked on her bed and it was full of toys. She had just been playing! I took all of the toys out of her bed and told her I really needed her to close her eyes and try to sleep.

Not even 10 minutes later, she is out of bed again. I just ignored her and thought she might go back to her room. Yeah right! No nap for Friday, so I decided to get in the shower to get ready for the party and then realized why she didn't want to sleep. I had gotten her a Mocha Frappucino with whipped cream from Starbucks while we were out shopping that morning. What. Was. I. Thinking. POOR Mommy decision, AGAIN!

There is a reality show on the We channel called Down-Sized. For those who are not familiar with this show, it is about a blended family that went from "having it all" to being broke and on government assistance. This show documents how they are changing their lifestyle and pulling together as a family to make it through these tough financial times. Ed and I really like the show and we watch it each week.

While we were watching it this weekend, I noticed that Braeden was not only picking up the toys that he had brought downstairs from the toy room, but also picking up his sister's toys. For the last couple of weeks he has been doing a really good job keeping the toy room cleaned up and just being really helpful around the house in general. The kids don't get an allowance yet, because there is really nothing we require them to do on a regular basis to earn the allowance, but after I saw how much Braeden was doing, I decided to give him $5. I wanted him to know that I have been noticing all he has been doing and that I appreciate it. He was excited to take the money.

Ten minutes later he brought the money back to me, telling me that I can have it back. Obviously being confused, I asked him why. He said that he wanted me to have it so we can keep our house. HE HAD BEEN WATCHING THE SHOW WITH US WHILE HE WAS PICKING UP THE TOYS AND I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE!! This family is always trying to find ways on the show to make extra money so they don't lose their house.

I was so proud of him for thinking of our family first, but explained to him that our house is not in jeopardy of being taken and that he earned the money so I would like him to keep it. You never know what kids are picking up on, on TV or just all around them and how their mind is processing what they are seeing. I do think teaching your children how to be responsible with money is an important lesson and maybe this TV show has just started Braeden on his way to a responsible financial future.

Friday, December 10, 2010 was the first time(I'm sure the first of many) that I heard:

Brenna: (stomping into her room) I don't like Mommy anymore!

At this age, she gets over "hating" Mommy pretty quickly. All it takes is needing a drink of water or wanting a snack, and Mommy is back in business. I wonder what it will take the "Teenage Brenna" to get over being mad at Mommy! Time will tell.

Let me preface this by saying that Braeden's teacher sent home a notice about homework. She said that each of their homework assignments are reviews of things they have already learned in class and that it is okay to give examples to help the student do their homework correctly, but each student needs to do the homework on their own. The homework is graded and needs to be done only by the student.

I was fixing the kiddos lunch yesterday and I grabbed two spoons to set on the table...they were having chicken noodle soup. Braeden brought his spoon back to me and said that he already had his own spoon and didn't need the one I set on the table.

Braeden: I already have my own spoon.

Me: You already have a spoon? Let me see it.

Braeden holds up a plastic spoon.

Me: Where did you get that from? (We don't use plastic spoons/forks/knives unless we are having a lot of people over to eat.)

Braeden: I found it underneath my bed.

Me: (giving a crazy look) You found it underneath your bed and you want to eat with it?

Braeden: (you could see the light bulb go off in his head) I better just throw it in the trash.

Me: Good idea!

Note to self: check under that child's bed and see what else might be hiding!

Tuesday night the kids and I were watching the news and the weather segment was on. I told the kids that they might see some snowflakes on Wednesday and immediately Braeden jumped up and said, "We have to make our Christmas lists for Santa!" I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down exactly what they told me they wanted, word for word.

Braeden's list was pretty basic and to the point:
Nintendo DS
Battle Zhu Zhu Pets
Remote control Big Foot

Brenna's list was pretty entertaining:
Dollhouse
Dora
Santa Clause Toy
Baby
Cinnamon
Dollhouse for Braeden, a bad guy dollhouse
2 Dolls
Toy
Another Dollhouse

Word for word and so funny! I had the kids show Ed the list when he got home from work and when he questioned Brenna about 'Cinnamon', she looked at him like he was an idiot, rolled her eyes and said, "Dad, Cinnamon Toast Crunch!" Easy enough and who knows maybe she will even get two boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch! It is certainly a budget friendly gift!

I love the innocent TV shows that the kids like to watch...Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Dora, Little Einsteins, Handy Manny, and Special Agent Oso. Braeden can use the remote somewhat, like the On/Off button or volume, but he cannot use the satellite Guide button to change the channel and Brenna cannot use the remote at all. So, they watch what I put on the TV. That is why it has surprised me that within the last 2 weeks both children have revealed that they are now fans of Hannah Montana and Justin Bieber(I don't even know if that is how you spell his name, just using the I before E rule).

Brenna mentioned Hannah Montana in the car about 2 weeks ago and I asked her how she knows who that is. Of course she had no answer. Braeden announced last week that he wants a Justin Bieber guitar for Christmas. Ed and I just looked at each other and gave the "what did he just say" look. I don't know why, but I just don't like the whole crazy popularity of these teen stars. Actually, I am sure the reason that I don't like it or don't get it is because I am "old"--I suppose I did love New Kids on the Block back in the day, but I would rather my kiddos still love Mickey Mouse!

This is just another one of those transition moments that remind me that they are getting older and obviously learning things from other kids. I wish I could bottle up their innocence, because each day I am remined that it is slipping away.

Our Halloween weekend started out with Braeden's Halloween party at school. All of the children at Delaware Ridge dressed up and had a parade through the school and our neighborhood. Very fun!

During his class party we had three different stations set up with activities. One of the stations was toilet papering like a mummy. Here is Braeden's teacher getting all rolled up in toilet paper.


The second station was pumpkin bowling. This is where Brenna and I worked. We passed out treats after the kids bowled. They loved it!


The third activity was taking pudding and making witches or Frankensteins with oreos, licorice, and other yummy treats. The kids thought they tasted really good and I thought it was a really creative idea. It was so much fun watching Braeden have such a good time with all of his classmates. This was the first party of the year for me to participate as a "room mother" and I loved it! Watching the kiddos have such a fun time was great! It really brings back memories of school parties from when I was in elementary school.


In between Braeden's party on Friday and Halloween on Sunday, I turned 31 years old. We had a FUN night out Saturday!

Let me introduce, Iron Man II(aka Braeden) and Princess/Ballerina Belle(aka Brenna). Neither were interested in letting me pick out their costumes this year, so this is who they wanted to dress as. Such cuties!!

The kids had such a good time trick-or-treating with their cousins and friends. I think we may have enough candy to last until next year. I will have to admit, I have enjoyed helping them eat it!

I was going to do our Halloween post this morning, but as I got started I realized that I have no idea how to take the pictures from my camera and put them on this computer. A Halloween post definitely needs cute pictures of the kiddos in their costumes. Ed is out of town and he is my computer tech, so I guess the post will have to wait.

Yes...I am that computer challenged! :(

Halloween Take 2 COMING SOON!!!

I thought that once I started my new work schedule of Mon-Wed, I would have much more time to do things like "blog". Not true. It seems like with more "free time" just comes more commitments. We just take on more and more and really there is no extra time. Therefore, it has been weeks since I've updated this blog. Ed left for New Orleans this morning and the kiddos are watching a Scooby-doo movie, so here I am with some quiet time.

Braeden has been doing so well at school. I can tell he is learning so much and really enjoys being there. He has weekly spelling tests and has done so well with those. We even continue to practice past spelling words, just so he won't forget what he has already learned. He told me yesterday that he thinks we might be the only ones who practice the "old words". :)

This week is Homecoming for Bonner Springs, so he is going to dress for spirit week. Thursday is Twin Day. He needs to find someone in his class to partner up with to dress alike. Try explaining this concept to a Kindergartner. He just doesn't get it and it is so funny. "Mama, you want me to wear clothes like my friend?"

His class is studying Leadership this semester. One of his assignments was to invite a leader in his home to lunch next week. Who did he pick? DADDY, of course! My feeling were hurt for a bit, but I know the two of them will really enjoy their lunch together on Friday. I told Ed he would be having chicken patty with mashed potatoes and green beans. Memories of school lunches!

Brenna is doing well too! She has started going to the dance class we originally enrolled her in and is enjoying it. No more Mommy and Me with 18 month old kids! She is in class with little girls her own age. She has really come a long way in the last couple of weeks with her crying and carrying on every time she goes some place new or meets new people. I hope she is coming out of this phase. Braeden and Brenna attend AWANA at church every Wednesday night. I never thought she would participate in AWANA becasue she is in a class without her brother, but she is loving it! She is becoming more comfortable being by herself.

She still loves make-up, dressing up, putting 10 or more barrettes in her hair, being a mommy to her babies(who are now taking a nap in the play pen...oops, one is crying now!), and bugging her brother! She is starting to do better with recognizing her numbers and letters. We are still having a really tough time teaching her how to write her name. Both her and Braeden are lefties, so Ed and I have trouble understanding that they form letters differently than we do. She will completely write her name backwards and every letter will be backwards. Her teachers are really trying to help her too.

Next weekend, one of my good friends is getting married and I will be a bridesmaid in her wedding and Carson, my sister's son will be turning one. They have a big party planned for him! Once again, just a full week and weekend to look forward too.

Last night all of my family had a BBQ at WYCO lake and hung out at our aunts' and uncles' (the Myer's and the Cook's) boat dock. It was such a beautiful night and we always have so much fun together. We ate, drank, talked, and relaxed. Later in the evening, some of the family decided to take a boat ride.

Braeden was "driving" the boat and had so much fun! I stayed behind, but Ed went with the kids on the boat. When they all got back, some people were getting on the boat for the second ride, while others were getting off . Ed had gotten off and Braeden was still sitting in the driver's seat. Out of nowhere, Braeden puts the boat in neutral, turns it on, and RAMS the boat full throttle into the dock!! WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED??

All of the women were screaming! My cousin, Miranda, ran up the dock and about had a heart attack. She was shaking. I sat there with my mouth opened and my eyes bugging out of my head. My sister was freaking out because she was on the boat with her infant son. It was such a shocking moment!

Then there are the men...cool as cucumbers. One of my uncles said, "wow, he knew to put the boat in neutral before starting it." The incident was no big deal to them and kind of funny. They were all pretty much laughing. Ed obviously had to yell at Braeden because he needed to know that what he had done was not okay and if any damage had occurred, it was on us.

The whole situation just really got me to thinking about the different reactions of men and women. I don't think one way was right or wrong, just different. It seems like we balance each other out. We can't help the way react in a split second. We just do what we know to do. For women, I guess we tend to do the screaming thing...or at least us Poole women. :)

How do you know when you use your debit card too much?

When your daughter brings you a Dave and Buster's game card and screams, "Look mama, I found some money!!"

Last week was Brenna's first week of part-time preschool. She goes to Tots and Tales, Monday-Wednesday. I thought she would enjoy staying home with me, but when we woke up on Thursday morning and she realized she wasn't going to school the tears started rolling down her cheeks. Of course that made me feel like a million bucks, but I will have to say that the day did get better. We attended out first Mommy and Me dance/gymnastics class at Byrd's that morning and she decided that it was okay to stay home. She had fun!

Last Thursday was Brenna's first dance class with other 2-3 year olds. We didn't even make in the door and the screaming and crying started. The director decided it might be best if we started coming to the Mommy and Me class to get her acclimated. The Hello Kitty earrings I bought her as a bribe to behave at dance class didn't even work! So now here I am on Thursday mornings participating in dance/gymnastics class. We are in the class with 2 other Moms and their 18 month olds. After class all I heard was, "That was fun!" She asks everyday if we can go back to dance class, so I am hoping she will get brave and go to her original class with girls her own age.

This is a picture of Brenna and I making cupcakes together. I am excited to be doing more of these kind of activities with her.


Another change for Miss Brenna was her first haircut. She has never had her hair cut and it was just getting way too long and was such a headache to wash. As you can see in the picture, nothing is ever easy with Brenna and she did NOT want to cut her hair. Once again, a bribe was in order and she got some chocolate!

She had 5 inches cut off and once it was all over...a smile appeared!

Love you sis!

Braeden's first day of Kindergarten was Tuesday, August 17, 2010. He attends Delaware Ridge Elementary School and he is in Mrs. Munford's Kindergarten class. He was very excited to start school and enjoyed his first week very much. He likes to take his lunch to school(in his new Iron Man lunch bag), but also likes to eat the school lunches. We read the menu each night and he decides which he would like to do. He feels like such a big boy when he gets to make his own decisions!


I, on the other hand, did not find his first day as exciting. I was quite emotional all day. My boss's wife asked me about it and I burst into tears. After the first day, I was fine. I think that I just needed to see that Braeden was going to adjust okay and that was comforting to me.

I love walking him to school. It is so convenient to have school so close to us. Wednesday evening I got home as Ed and the kids were getting out of the car. I noticed that Braeden didn't have his backpack and I asked him and Ed where it was. Braeden said he didn't know. I asked Ed if he got it from school and he told me that he didn't get it when he picked up Braeden. We have to sign Braeden in and out of after school care, so we actually have to go inside the school to get Braeden. Ed just left his backpack there. Ed then proceeds to tell me that Braeden was talking about some sort of homework that he had, but didn't know where that was either. Probably in the backpack??? Ed said, "Oh well, we can just get it tomorrow." I DON'T THINK SO! Our child is not going to already miss a homework assignment on the 2nd day of school. I immediately jumped in my car and went up to the school to track down his backpack. His after-school teacher told me that she would try to make sure that he went home with it from now on. I told her that was not her responsibility and that his father needed to pay attention to that. All she said to me was, "Good luck with that!"



Brenna was very excited for Braeden's first day!


Braeden wasted no time jumping right in and playing with the other kids!

Wow! August has brought about so much change and it is making me emotional, stressed, excited for the future, and thankful for all we have.

First of all, I can't believe that tomorrow morning I will be walking my little boy to elementary school for his first day of Kindergarten. Where did the last 5 years go? I have had a lump in my throat all day just anticipating tomorrow. I am excited for him to be meeting new friends, learning new things, and beginning this stage in his life, but I just want him to stay a little boy.

I don't want him to have to experience all of the negative things that go along with school. I won't be able to be there to protect him from teasing, or heaven forbid bullying. I am nervous for him. I want him to continue to have his innocence.

To sum up this Kindergarten stuff...I am a mess. I have a thousand different emotions, thoughts, and concerns flowing through my head. I hope Braeden handles his first day better than I will!

Brenna is now at Tots and Tales by herself and we are going to try just sending her 3 days a week instead of Monday-Friday, which is what she has been doing for the past year. I am cutting down to three days a week at work, so Brenna and I will be hanging out together on Thursdays and Friday. Hopefully we will enjoy our mother-daughter time together. I am looking forward to it. I will have to say, when I asked Brenna if she would like to spend a few more days at home with me or continue to go to school everyday, she said, "I want to stay home with Daddy." She always knows just the right words to stick it to Mommy!

Brenna will also start dance class at Carol Byrds this week. She was a crying, screaming mess when we took her to enroll. She wanted nothing to do with it, so I am very stressed about how she will behave at her first class on Thursday. I know this is not a very "ideal" parenting thing to do, but I took her to pick out and buy new earrings and if she behaves on Thursday, she can have them. Yep, a bribe! Whatever it takes!

Along with a lot of change, comes a lot of expense. Enrollment fees at Delaware Ridge Elementary, a technology fee, lunch fees, school supplies(my child needs 12 glue sticks, seriously?), enrollment fee at Tots and Tales, enrollment fee at Byrds Dance, new school clothes, shoes, tap shoes, ballet shoes, leotards, presents for bribery...it just goes on and on. Oh, and our last name starts with "M", so our car tags are due as well.

Enough. This blog has been all over the place, but I guess you can just say that is how I feel. My mind is everywhere. I am ready for August to be over.

Brenna and Braeden spent the night with my parents last Saturday night. They were getting ready for church on Sunday morning and this is what Brenna said to my mom...

First, I must say that my mom always gets ready in the morning just wearing her bra and underwear(sorry mom :), but it is necessary to say that for the story)!!

Brenna: Grammy, I can see your tummy.

Brenna: You better cover it up!

Brenna: I WILL tell my Mommy!

I ask you, is the fact that I used the same theme for Brenna's 3rd Birthday, that I used for her 1st Birthday, "Trashy and Cheap" or "Creative and Frugal"??? (see blog post 1-23-2009 for picture of 1st Birthday)

I had Brenna's outfit made for her 1st Birthday to match EVERYTHING! It matched her cake, balloons, napkins, my hairband, etc. She only wore the outfit that one time and I thought it was such a waste, because it was so cute. For her 1st Birthday, the outfit was a dress and bloomers, now it fits her as a shirt and shorts. Since she had only worn it once and it was still in such good shape, I decided to have her wear it again this year.

We also used the rest of the napkins that I had made for her 1st Birthday. I had hot pink napkins made, with black polka dots and they had "Brenna" printed on them...not cheap, but it was her 1st Birthday! I even wore the same hairband. I loved it! I was able to use all of the leftover party supplies.

Brenna,

You are such a fun little girl. You say the funniest things. Your Dad and I love listening to you read your books, talk to your babies, scold your older brother, everything! You are such an entertaining person. I love when you want to do things to "be like Mommy". You love lip gloss, hairbands, painting your toes, wearing pretty shoes, curling your hair, and your new earrings. The earrings are another similarity to your 1st Birthday. We pierced your ears when you turned one, but you refused to leave them in! I would come to your crib to get you up from your nap and the earrings would be laying all over the crib. How you were able to twist off the backs of those earrings at such a young age is beyond me, but you did! I was so afraid you would swallow them, that I had to just leave them out and let the holes close up. Well, you really wanted them pierced for your 3rd Birthday, so that is what we did and you have done such a great job with them. I hope you continue to enjoy preschool, especially once your older brother starts Kindergarten in just a few short weeks. I know it will be an adjustment for you to be there by yourself, but I think you will do just fine. I love you so much!!!

Hugs and Kisses,

Mommy

This is going to be a quick post. June 28, 2010 has been a full day of work, preschool, birthday party at preschool, birthday dinner, birthday presents, birthday cake, and an 8:30 T-Ball game at WYCO. Oh, did I forget to mention today is also our 7th Anniversary? Yep, 7 years!

All of this said, I did not want to let today go by without telling my beautiful baby girl, "Happy 3rd Birthday!!" Brenna, I promise to write a longer post when I have more time to gather all my thoughts. There is so much I want to tell you. I hope you enjoyed your special day and I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!! -Mommy

The last two weekends have been pretty busy for us. Last weekend some of my girlfriends and I participated in a BBQ cook off. My friend, Sarah, who I work with, puts on this cook off each summer with her boyfriend. It is called the Har-B-Q.

We headed out to Wyandotte County Lake last week and took some family photos. Sherry, a hygienist I work with, was kind enough to take the pictures for us. All we had to do was bribe the children with ice cream to get them to cooperate!

I started a workout program at the KCKCC Wellness Center in January. My sister and I worked out with a trainer 2 days a week until the end of May. In January we took our measurements, timed how long it took us to complete one mile, and did as many sit-ups and push-ups as we could in 1 minute. I can tell that my body looks much different and I can do so much more physically than I have in my entire life. I know this sounds so pathetic, but I have NEVER been able to run a mile without stopping at some point to walk. Not only can I run a mile now, but I am getting ready to participate in my first 5K in June. This is something that I never thought I would be able or interested in doing.

At our last session with our trainer, we redid all of our measurements and we did our timed sit-ups and push-ups. Like I said, I could see a big change in my body, so I knew the new measurements were going to be very impressive. NOT SO MUCH!:( I lost a total of 3 pounds the entire 4 months. 3 pounds? How is that even possible?

Well, I was sure the measurements would be more encouraging. I have heard (on TV) how people have lost 10 inches, etc. with certain weight-loss programs, so that is what I was expecting. I lost a total of 6cm. 6cm!! Are you kidding me? Jeremy, our trainer, could tell I was disappointed and he told me that there was no way I had 10 inches to lose in the first place.

The last thing we did was remeasure my BMI. I went from 24% to 18% body fat. I lost 6% body fat! Finally a GOOD result! That was something that I was proud of and I know Jeremy was proud of that too.

I was able to increase my push-ups from 10 to 40 and sit-ups from 32 to 53 in one minute.

More than anything, I am proud of myself for getting in shape and doing things that I never thought I could. At this point, I just have to keep it up and I know that is the hard part. :)

Dear Brenna,

Why does everything you say begin or end with the words poo poo or coconut? Poo poo head, coconut head, poo poo this, coconut that...blah, blah, blah. Who are you playing with at school? You CANNOT be their friend anymore. This is no way for a young lady to talk. And why do you find it so funny? ...probably because you know you shouldn't be saying these things. ENOUGH! Coconut? Why that word? I am confused.

Love you,
Mommy

Braeden's Graduation from Tots and Tales Preschool was last Thursday, May 13 at Open Door Baptist Church. I just knew that I was going to be an emotional mess, but I do think that I held it together quite well.

They opened their performance with a ballroom dance. Each male student escorted out a female student and they did a couples dance to Mozart. It was so special! The teachers explained the reason they did this dance was because they have noticed how chivalry and treating a woman like a lady has disappeared from our society, so they are doing exercises at school to teach the importance of these kinds of behaviors and manners. For lunch each day, a male student has to escort a female student to lunch and pull her chair out for her. I think teaching this is awesome and in the future some girl is going to be very lucky to have my son. Of course I think he is wonderful!

This is a picture of Braeden before the ceremony.



This is not a very good picture, but Braeden and his partner are the couple all the way to the right. She has on the black skirt. This is during their Mozart dance. He was such a gentleman!



This is Braeden walking in his cap and gown down the isle. So handsome!!



My 3.1 lbs baby boy is growing into such a wonderful child. Ed and I are so proud of him and look forward to witnessing all of his future accomplishments. Hopefully life will slow down a bit and not continue to speed by as the last 5 years have!

Why do I have such an issue with my children calling me "Mom"? I want to be called Mommy or Mama. I feel like they are growing up too fast and "Mom" seems like such a grown-up way to address me. I call my Mom, "Mom" but I am thirty years-old, so that seems okay to me. Believe it or not, but I correct them whenever they call me "Mom". I tell them, "it is either Mommy or Mama, not Mom." They just laugh at me and say, "sorry Mama." I heard Brenna call Ed "Dad" yesterday and I was shocked it didn't bother him. Doesn't he want to be their Daddy? Yes, I do admit I am probably going to be labeled a crazy person for writing about this, but I can't help how I feel. My poor kiddos!! :)

At Braeden's 5-year well visit, our Pediatrician suggested that we get Braeden's blood drawn to check for high cholesterol. My family and Ed's family both suffer from high cholesterol and heart/blood pressure issues. First of all, let me say that I adore our Pediatrician! I have referred all of my friends and family with children to her and they love her too, but I thought this was a little aggressive. I did not want to make Braeden go through getting his blood drawn for something that I felt was certainly not going to be a problem. High cholesterol? HE IS 5 YEARS OLD! Well, I am sure you know how the results came out. Braeden's cholesterol was high. How did this happen?

When I called the office for his results, the nurse told me that it was time for a lifestyle change. I was kind of in shock when I was talking to her on the phone, so I just sort of agreed with what she was saying and hung up the phone. I felt like the most horrible Mom in the world. How did I let this happen? But the more I thought about everything, I realized that maybe there wasn't much I could have done differently. I cook dinner at home almost every night and never fry anything. We have fast food once or twice a month. I don't think that is excessive at all. Perhaps the nurse should have asked about our "lifestyle" before asking me to change it. Maybe there is something genetic going on. Anyone who has seen Braeden knows he is definitely not obese. He is a thin, active 5 year old boy. Every Mom wants their children to be as healthy as possible, so I guess this will be something we will need to keep an eye on.

I have a friend, Rachel, visiting from Phoenix. She is staying with us this week and it has been an adjustment for the kids. Braeden is sleeping, dressing, playing, etc. in Brenna's room and they are taking baths in our bathroom. For kids, a small change in their routine can be quite confusing. This morning Braeden was still trying to "figure out" who Rachel is. The last time she was here, he was only 6 months old. This conversation happened in the car on the way to school:

Braeden: Miss Rachel is your friend?

Me: Yes.

Braeden: Did you used to play with her on the playground?

I think Braeden equates friends and playing together at school. That's where he sees his friends!

Brenna's conversation on the way to school: (I should first say, my sister's son was Baptised last Saturday at St. Pat's)

Brenna: There's church! (We pass St. Pat's on the way to school)

Me: We were there last weekend, weren't we?

Brenna: Carson's in there.

Brenna: He took a bath.

Brenna: They washed his hair!

She is talking about how they held him over the Holy Water and placed water and oil on his forehead. She is so funny!

A couple of weeks ago, Ed's sister Katie and her family came to visit from Toledo. We were able to get an updated "cousins picture". Everyone is getting so big! *Please don't judge me for Brenna's socks...she wanted to dress herself that day! :)



The weekend before Easter, we went to The Grand Court, where Ed's Grandma lives. The grandchildren enjoyed an Easter Egg Hunt and were able to meet The Easter Bunny.



This is Braeden and his cousin Helen. They were born only two months apart and are great friends. They always have so much fun together and love to have sleepovers at each other's houses.



Easter weekend was CRAZY! It started on Friday morning...

7am- went to Price Chopper for weekly groceries and Easter dinner

8am- baked cookies and brownies for the Ronald McDonald House

9am- my sister's baby, Carson, arrived (I watch him every Friday)

10am- stuffing Easter Eggs, cleaning house, laundry, and then the mini-tornado passed through the neighborhood

*I know there is no such thing as a mini-tornado, but if you were at my house, you would understand. I was so afraid for the trash men's lives that I invited two strangers into my house until the storm passed. Stupid to do in the world we live in?...probably, but they were perfectly nice men and very grateful. Guess who's trashcans were placed next to their garage doors yesterday? Mine! Everyone else's trashcans were thrown in their yards or driveway. I took their gesture as a little "Thank You."

Okay, on with my day...10am-12pm- no electricity!

2pm- started boiling 4 dozen eggs- 2 dozen for the kids to dye, 2 dozen to make into deviled eggs

3pm- Mom arrived to start making dinner for the Ronald McDonald House

3:30pm- Ed calls to tell me that we will be taking one of his clients out for dinner. What??? I haven't showered all day! I still need to drive downtown to drop off the food to the Ronald McDonald House! I was still watching Carson! He wants me to find a babysitter for tonight! OMG!!

4pm- Ed's Mom arrived to help too and agreed to watch the kids!

*We made Greek Chicken Pasta Salad, Corn and Potato Chowder, Loaves of French Bread, cookies and brownies. We hope that all of the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House enjoyed the dinner. It was a great experience to provide for families going through so much with ill children.

5:30pm- dropped food off

6pm- jumped in the shower and we left to go pick up Ed's client for dinner

10pm- BEDTIME!!!


Saturday we dyed Easter Eggs, finished cleaning the house, cut the grass...everything that needed to be done to prepare our home for Easter with my Mom's side of the family.



This is Brenna after my sister put curlers in her hair. She was supposed to sleep in them, but 5 minutes after Lindsey finish, Brenna came down from the toy room with all of them taken out of her hair!

Easter morning pictures before church!

My Mom and I spent Easter Sunday in the Nursery. This is a picture of Braeden, Brenna, and Baby Carson! I think it is a great picture!

We had an Easter egg hunt at our house with all of the family!

Today I am taking Braeden to the pediatrician's office for his 5 year well visit. I can't believe we are going to complete health forms/assessments for him to enroll in Kindergarten this fall. Where does the time go? I remember when Braeden was born and Ed and I weren't sure that we wanted our children going to the Bonner Springs schools. I told Ed, Braeden is just a baby and we have 5 years to decide to move. At the time 5 years seemed so far off. It has gone by in the blink of an eye and here we are, preparing for Kindergarten. Delaware Ridge and the Bonner Springs schools are still planning on a full-day Kindergarten. I called them in a panic last week when I heard Piper was going to half-day Kindergarten due to State budget cuts (which is a whole different blog).

Tots and Tales provides a private Kindergarten class. While having both kids still at one place would be nice and I have been told the Kindergarten class is excellent, I want Braeden to start Kindergarten with the children he will continue to be in class with the following years. At Delaware Ridge the children keep the same teacher for 2 years. Braeden has actually been moved to the Kindergarten class at Tots and Tales and we are really proud of him. He is learning so much and seems to be ready for Kindergarten. Tots and Tales has been great for him!

This week was Spring Break at Tots and Tales. Each day the kids participated in a different activity or dressed in a special way. Monday was Hat Day in Brenna's class and Braeden's class went bowling and had Crazy Sock Day. Brenna's cute matching hat/vest outfit was courtesy of Ava Ingram. Thanks so much!!

Wednesday was St. Patrick's Day and I decided to surprise the kids with Green mac n' cheese. To say the least, they were freaked out. "Mama, WHAT IS THAT?" Brenna decided it wasn't too bad and she ate it up. Braeden, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with it.

...and of course, we had to have GREEN BEANS too!

Thursday we all gathered to watch the KU game. We are already training Lindsey's baby on which is the only team to cheer for!

Saturday, we decided that the toy room needed to be picked up. Right now we use our fourth bedroom as the toy room and it is way too easy to shut the door and forget about what it looks like. Therefore, it can become a HUGE mess. When we told Braeden that he needed to start putting his toys away, he asked how much we were going to pay him. We told him that we would not be paying him anything, but that he just needed to do it. After thinking about it for a few minutes, we decided that if he wanted to make keeping the toy room clean his ongoing chore, then we could pay him $5 a week. He looked at us like we were crazy and said we needed to pay him $20 a week! Excuse me? After we explained to him that would NOT be happening, he decided $5 was not worth it. I hope he understand that he will now be doing it for FREE, just because we said so and as parents, we can do that!!