Back to Stool

Here's hoping that this is the year someone teaches her how to pronounce the "kuh" sound.

Yup, Alex has headed back to preschool, and this time it's 5 mornings a week. Sweet, sweet preschool. I want to hug that building and all of the teachers who so patiently listen to the tattling and irrelevant factoids that comprise the 4 year old language.

And all the mommies say, Amen.

Also back are the traditional morning pictures. You know, the ones that you insist your child pose for so you can capture the school morning excitement and the cute outfit before it comes home stained and dirty. The pictures that you never really have time for so in your grouchy "we're running late" voice you insist that they get over here right now and smile while they're at it.

It gets you wonderful shots like this:

Or this:

And then you have to resort to the only thing that you know will get a smile and you make some reference to pee pee or poo poo that is sure to break their resolve. Never mind that you usually frown upon such potty humor.

What? You don't do that?

Don't judge me. It works.

This is the little missy on her first day of school:

There was supposed to be a high of 90 or so, but she insisted that her legs were cold in the morning and picked the loudest pair of leg warmers she owns to start the year with a bang. At least she couldn't be lost on the playground, right?

And now that I've fiddled around on the computer, we're running behind for school this morning. So I'd better go and think up a new joke...

Happy Tuesday!

Water Baby

Alex may have had the salon treatment in Michigan, but her brother wasn't left out of all the fun...

This boy is a water baby! He jumps in with reckless abandon, and loves to go under the water.

He's a far cry from his sister who didn't start going under the water until after she had not excelled at failed her swim lessons.

Look at these two handsome men. They melt my heart, the stinkers.

Okay, I admit it. I included the next picture for one reason. And it wasn't that my boy looks cute getting ready to jump in the water.

It was for the eye candy standing behind him.

Is that guy cute or what? I hope that when Josh is his age, he isn't afraid to hike up his trunks and show off his tan lines at the pool.

But my husband is probably too mature for such juvenile fun.

Or not.

This is a picture of the what he was doing when the lifeguard told him he was breaking the rules. By the way, that wall is more difficult than it looks!

Let's just say the boys were definitely enjoying themselves at Grandma's awesome community pool.
So were Corie & Kennedy.

And these two clowns.

As for me, I was too lazy to try the rock wall. I mastered this instead:

I'm nothing if not a risk taker.

The Big Day

Introducing the happy couple-- John & Jessica Brissette!


Aren't they a handsome pair? Jessie is Josh's little sister, and John now finds himself like me, a normal person stuck in the family Schore. ;)

The wedding was beautiful and all the detailed planning paid off.
The location couldn't have been more perfect. Right on the water, steps leading up to a beautiful old building, and a gorgeous garden.

If only I had gotten a decent picture. Just tilt your head to the right and you'll get an idea.

The little ones did a great job with their important duties. Alex threw flowers like an old pro, and both kids did well during the ceremony.

Well, kind of.

Luke did really well.

There were a couple of instances in which Alex was a bit, um, distracting.

This picture is titled "I'm going to get you, ants!" because that's what she was saying over and over as she bludgeoned said creatures to death with her lacy white basket.

During the vows.

Then there was the time when she stood and started hiking up her dress, muttering something about her panties being bunched. Thankfully a helpful bridesmaid put a stop to it before her princess panties peeked out at the crowd.

Of course, a post is not a post without a picture of the handsome little devil.

It's a good thing Josh is working late tonight. If not, I might just have to toss my resolve out the window and insist we make another one of him post haste.

Look at that face! His sweetness is almost too much for me.

The other day I was pushing him in a shopping cart and the boy stroked my arm for 10 minutes saying "Nice mommy, nice mommy."

And he gives me kisses all day long.

And loves to snuggle.

And...

I gotta go call Josh.

Cordially,
Indecisive in Idaho


PS

I apologize for my lack of reception pictures, but once this kid starts with the hard stuff, you have to watch him really closely.

Preparation

This might not come as a shock to many of you, but weddings actually involve quite a bit of preparation. Details that seem simple become complicated, and tasks that you thought would take 15 minutes turn into 5 hours.

Like the seating chart. Who knew?

Uncle Ed has to be near the bathroom. Marge can't sit with Sally because they had the same boyfriend in high school and are still fighting over him. Cousin Molly can't sit near Aunt Eunice because she is offended by open mouthed chewing. Grandma Leona has to be kept far away from the bar. Get my drift? (names and details have been changed to protect the innocent)

Anyway, I got to see firsthand just how complicated wedding planning can be in the week before John & Jessie's big day.

Hmmmm, I know some of you are wondering how I didn't manage to figure that out when I got married myself. Well I'll tell you: I had nothing to do with it. My mom essentially planned the whole thing while I was across the state in school. I just wasn't into it. I even wore my sister's wedding dress so that I could avoid shopping for one.

I'm weird, I know.

ps- Mom would you mind moving Corie's wedding picture a little farther away from mine in your kitchen? Someone might notice that we're wearing the same dress.

Oh wait, I just told everyone.
Never mind.

Anyway, the day of and the day before the wedding were mostly dedicated to the beautification of the bride and her entourage. Including my little princess.

Now you may have heard that Michigan is in a time of economic distress. The state has probably been the hardest hit by the recession, with all of the automotive industry there.
Don't believe it.
There is no way that there can be hard times in Michigan and I can prove it.

Do you know where Alex is in this picture?



She's in a nail salon.
My 4-year-old daughter is getting a mani/pedi.
Proof that frivolous spending is alive and well in Michigan.

Can you believe that? I'm 30 and I've never had a manicure. My first pedicure didn't come until my mid-20's. And no, I did not have my nails done for my own wedding.

Oh, but she got into it. Look at that face as she enjoys the vibrating chair.

And the polka dot toes take the cake. She loved it.



Do you know where we found ourselves on wedding day?



Yup, the hair salon. Yet another place I did not visit on my wedding day.


She told me to call her Cinderella as we were leaving the salon.

Here are all the beautiful ladies.


Weddings are a lot of work!

Thanks mom!

Follow the Popsicle Trail

So as I recap our time in Michigan, the who-what-where can get a little confusing as our family is spread across the state. To help clear it up, let's follow the trail of popsicle pictures to familiarize you with the details.

I think the grandparents must have read this post, where I mentioned that the kids are occasionally sweet when plied with sugar (which Mr. New York finds simply disgusting). Everywhere we went we were met with popsicles.

We flew into Detroit and spent our first week staying at Josh's mom's house. It was a crazy week full of wedding preparations, game-playing, swimming, & of course, eating.

Popsicles at Grandma's house:



The little girl next to Alex is my niece, Kennedy. My sister also lives on the east side of the state, so we were able to play together while we were over there.

After the wedding, we got up the next morning and headed over to the west side of the state, where all of my family lives. On the way, we dropped my sister off at the airport for a long-overdue getaway with her hubby, and took her kids along with us to the west side. I feel like I should be flashing some kind of gang sign when I say "west side," but unless there is a gang sign that represents corn fields it just wouldn't fit.

Here are Derek & Kennedy enjoying popsicles at my dad's house. Hopefully Derek didn't suck any brain cells out of his head.

And here are the three amigos on the popsicle step at my mom's place, which is where we stayed the second week of our trip.

Not pictured is my nephew Connor, who spent no less than 7 hours doing this:

And who takes very few pictures that don't involve a peace sign.

I love him anyway.

Then we loaded up, headed back to the east side (where gang signs would be more appropriate), swung into the airport to pick up my sis, and spent one last night @ Josh's mom's before flying out the next day.

Phew!

Now that you know the trip layout, I'll be adding details on all the fun. Next up, wedding time!

Home Again

We're back! We had a nice trip to Michigan to visit family and attend the big wedding event. I am pleased to report that our return trip was much less eventful than the flights out. We brought Derek's car seat on the plane and gave him a big 'ol dose of Benadryl to knock him out just in case he was maybe going to have some kind of allergic reaction.

Ahhhh, the sweet sound of your medicated baby snoring the hours away.

Wait, did I say baby? Because we actually left for Michigan with a baby and came home with a 2-year-old. But I think I'm going to reserve the right to continue to refer to him as a baby for a number of reasons:

1) He's our youngest child
2) We're not having any more
3) I pushed him through my loins and can call him whatever I want

Where was I? Oh yes, we're back in Idaho and I'm back to my Internet job of periodically updating my blog, reading a bunch of other ones, checking in with Facebook, and shopping. If only it was a paying job!

One of the first things I did after arriving at home was to upload the pictures I took on the 2-week trip. All six hundred twenty nine of them. Gulp. I think there are even 1 or 2 with me in them! Like this family shot we took at the wedding...




Well I'm off to catch up with an old friend-- my DVR. But I promise to be back soon with lots of pictures from our trip which could definitely be titled "The trip of a thousand popsicles."

Try to contain yourselves. Too much excitement isn't good for you.

Hiatus

So here's what we've been doing in Michigan since I last posted...

lots of swimming
eating
pedicures
hair styling
more eating
wedding!
more eating
playing with cousins
driving across the state
riding tractors & ATVs
more playing with cousins
oh, and more eating

Unfortunately blogging doesn't make the list because the only internet access I have is in a room that is used for napping & sleeping children. So when all is quiet around here, I have to be offline.
But I'm taking a ton of pictures and will update on all the fun when we get back. Just in case you were wondering.

Oh, you weren't wondering? You hadn't noticed my lack of posting? Well then. Carry on as normal.

Pudgy in Michigan

The Incident

It is our first flight, approximately 2 hours long. There are 2 seats on either side of the aisle, the kids and I are on the right side of the plane, with Josh across the aisle from us. The villain is sitting on the left side of the plane, window seat. He's wearing an "I heart New York" shirt, not to be confused with a shirt that says "I heart kids" because that would be the farthest thing from the truth.
And here's how it goes down...

So in my humble opinion, the kids are doing pretty good on this flight. Chattering and playing, coloring, putting puzzles together, etc. We don't need to break out the DVD player, so you know things are going okay.

The stewardess comes by and comments that they are behaving nicely. Then she moves on to the villain's row, and she seems to be talking with him for an extended amount of time. I can't hear what's going on, but Josh later relays that Mr. New York has asked if she can "do something" about the kids. Her end concession is to bring him earplugs.

Mr. New York wears said earplugs for the rest of the flight.

Kids behave like kids for the rest of the flight, fairly good in my estimation. Occasional whining, but mostly just normal kid behavior. Over the course of the flight, amongst other food they eat: Alex- 2 twizzler sticks, 1 dum-dum lollipop; Derek- 1 twizzler stick, 1 dum-dum lollipop. (Bear with me, this info will come in handy later in this mini-novel.)
Fast forward to the end of the flight. I am now sitting on the left side of the plane, while Josh takes a turn with A & D (the children, not the ointment). As we are taxiing into the airport, I hear Mr. New York begin to complain to the woman sitting next to him. It actually doesn't register with me right away that he is talking about us, but it eventually becomes obvious that he must indeed be. Things I overhear* him say:

* technically, "overhear" would be generous. I couldn't not hear because he is talking in a voice that certainly he intends me to hear

"That is just disgusting. They just stuffed those kids full of sugar and then I had to suffer through the flight listening to them."
"They need to teach those kids to respect the environment around them, not just throw candy at them."
"I can't believe I had to endure that for 2 hours."
And on, and on, and on. I get angrier and angrier. The woman beside him finally replies to his complaints by saying that she thinks their behavior was quite normal. Mr. New York says "Normal? You've got to be kidding me..." And then he starts in again with the disgusting, suffering, and disrespectful crap.
I can't take it anymore. My normally confrontation-avoiding self can't contain my outrage so I turn around and spew forth exactly what I'm thinking:
"How dare you talk about my family that way?! My children are behaving appropriately and you are incredibly rude."
Mr New York's clever reply: "I'm not talking to you."
Me: "Well I'm talking to you. I hope we're on your next flight sitting right behind you. I'll make sure my kids kick your seat. So sorry for your suffering."
(Obviously I'm not very good at taking the high road when I'm angry. And in retrospect, there were so many better things I could have said. I know because I ran through it in my head all day. Why can't I ever think of the clever stuff in the heat of the moment??)
We managed to avoid further altercation for the rest of the taxi. The lady sitting next to Mr. New York engaged Alex in some conversation and thanked her for being entertaining. She had enjoyed watching her play and color.

We leave the plane. I'm still angry.

I get a bread bowl with lobster bisque.

I feel better.

Mr. New York didn't know that when I get hungry, I get angry.

Josh knows.

Thanks Grandma

So we have arrived safely in Michigan and are enjoying time with family. The skies were indeed not friendly and I will have to share the story with you soon about how I got into a confrontation with another passenger on one of our flights. Seriously, I really did. Me, who would probably eat a bite of food with a hair in it before I would speak to a waitress about it. This guy really had it coming and I would tell you all about it now, but it's late and I'm ready for bed. Oh, and it would make me angry all over again and then I wouldn't be able to sleep. So instead, I offer you this post that I forgot to publish back at home:

This is a little clip of the children working to keep the hearing aide industry in business. Before you watch it, be aware that it is by no means a complete inventory of the noise-making toys that exist in our household. It is just a small sample of pointless singing and dancing animals who live in our toyboxes solely thanks to Grandma Schore. The children like to line them up and torture me.



Oh, and I'm sorry that Alex wasn't wearing any pants. I wonder at what age we stop wanting to wear our favorite shows on our underwear? Maybe I should start a new line of women's panties with my favorites one them-- things like Stephen Colbert, Jim from The Office, or Simon Cowell. I wonder if I could fit the entire Duggar family on a pair of undies?? Hmmm...

Sorry, I'm always digressing. Do you know what the kids are playing with in this picture?



This is yet another gift from Grandma that was so utterly annoying and loud that it was thrown into a box in the garage. I'm just waiting until I meet some unsuspecting mom that I don't like very much and then I'm going to give it to her kid. Thanks for nothing Grandma.

Sincerely, Hearing Impaired in Idaho Michigan

The Friendly Skies

People who say they are flying the friendly skies are not flying with small children.

Take for example a few choice moments I have experienced:

(Disclaimer: If you are among my many Air Force friends who have made trips with your children to the other side of the world, please don't read my measly complaints. I have never been outside the continental U.S. with the monsters. And I'm sorry for you. Let's still be friends, okay?)

1) While traveling alone with Alex when she was about a year old, the pressure was hurting her ears and she cried inconsolably for what felt like forever. We were sitting next to a man in a business suit who would recoil with disgust whenever her chubby hand crossed the armrest boundary. A woman in front of me had her hands clasped over her ears. A stewardess had to bring me tissues.

2)Another trip with Alex she had a massive blowout and pooped all over the both of us. The seat belt light was on. I was stumped.

3)Our last trip with both kids, Derek was beyond exhaustion but couldn't settle in enough to nap. So he fidgeted constantly while crying off and on for at least an hour. That's when pulled out the Benadryl about 2 hours too late.

Do you know what doesn't make this list? The trips that I would categorize as "good trips." You know, the ones where your nursing baby falls asleep on the boob and you're so excited about it that you're willing to keep that hot, sweaty little body pressed against you even though your arm has fallen asleep and you feel the need to move around in your seat so desperately that your skin is crawling. You know, the good trips.

All that to say, we're going to Michigan-- I'm so excited for our flights!

The Shot(s) Heard Round the World

Alex got her 4-year-old immunizations today, which as it turns out is actually 4 shots. I promised a lollipop for good behavior, and she was very brave until she saw the needles. Then she needed some clarification: "Mommy, little children have to cry when they get shots. If I cry can I still get a lollipop?" I confirmed that crying did not in any way affect her reward.
Then the technician started giving the immunizations, and the entire hospital paused for a moment as they tried to figure out if someone was actually being skinned alive or if the audiology department was manufacturing high pitched sounds as some sort of prank. Dogs for miles around set up a den of barking, and I think the earth may have stopped spinning for a moment. It was THAT. LOUD.
She was almost too upset to pick a sticker, and as we walked through the hospital she refused to roll down her shorts. I wish I had a picture of her hobbling down the hall holding her shorts up so they didn't touch her bandaids, with snot and tears on her face and a lollipop hanging out of her mouth. Really just pathetic. When we got outside she started to tear up again and told me that the wind was hurting her boo-boos. She was also upset that the bandaids were "boy" bandaids, and wanted them off as soon as possible. On the ride home, she made arrangements for sleeping on her back tonight so that she wouldn't stain her sheets with blood. She's a deep thinker.
Feeling a little better after removing her shorts altogether, she posed for a quick picture to show the people just how many shots she got today.


Totally unrelated to the shots heard round the world, are these two pictures of my handsome baby. I have 10 days left to refer to him as a baby and I'm going to squeeze in as many baby references as I can.




And because I care about you, I want to make you feel really good about yourself. Because chances are, your sink does not look like this.


And mine does.

(Is it weird that when my sink is a mess, I take a picture of it instead of doing something about it? I've also been known to take a picture of the inside of the microwave on it's periodic annual cleaning day. Gives me warm fuzzies.)

Serenity Now

And just when I thought that one (or more) of my children would not live to see the end of the summer, Vacation Bible School has come to my rescue! Our church is hosting a VBS this week and Alex is finally old enough to join in. For a blessed three hours each morning, there is peace in the house. I don't have to hear myself say things like:
"Stop touching each other."
"If you can't share that broken piece of the Happy Meal toy that you both need to have at exactly the same moment, then I am going to take it away."
or
"Don't pick your sister's nose, she's good at doing that all by herself."
So that should get us through this week, then we have an upcoming trip to Michigan, and when we get home, school will be starting up! I just may survive this summer after all :)
If any of you wise folks out there have any tips to share on getting my children to get along with tolerate not cause personal harm to each other I am all ears. (Or maybe it's all eyes in the internet world?) I do have to give them some credit-- they are really well behaved for about 12 hours a day: 7:30 pm to 7:30 am. After that, they don't seem to be able to exist together for more than 5 minutes before a fight breaks out. The silver lining-- it's super cute when that boy runs up to me with the most offended look on his face, sticks his bottom lip out, and says "Sissy push me." Don't feel too bad for him though, half the time he's embellishing the story.
When you're holding those innocent newborn babies you never see these days coming. I guess I'll just try to be grateful that at least I get a full night's sleep.