Zoo.

Last week the boys and I went to the zoo.

We saw a Lions bum.

We saw a Tiger.

We saw no bears, and then...
Maxwell threw up.
Oh My!

He started feeling ill about an hour in, so we had lunch and sat down for a bit and he didn't look so good, so I had him come sit on my lap and as soon as he did... a nice strawberries, crackers and grapes mixtures (a fun sight) came out.
Twice.
So...we got cleaned up. Some lady and her husband were nice enough to go get some water and some towels to clean up...and alert the zoo staff that there was cleanup on aisle just past the tigers but before the gazelles.

Afterwards Max claimed he felt like a million bucks and he did look much better but for good measure I made him ride in the stroller for a bit.
So here I am, walking past the jaguar's and maned wolves with Liam in the Bjorn, Maxwell in the stroller and Evan (who was such a trooper that day!) walking up Mt. Everest.
Well, it felt like it anyway.



...but, we did it, survived and actually it was an AWESOME day.

the oldest two.

Evan.

He is so ridiculous. He wanted sunglasses but I couldn't find a pair of his, so he wore mine...and I think they look better on him than me. Sheesh!

I love this picture of him marching through the grass in his boots.


Then there is Maxwell.
So suave, this kid doesn't mess around. He's so much like his Daddy.

They sure do have a lot of fun together. These two.

Love these two....and love their extreme fascination and obsession with Poke'mon even though they haven't the SLIGHTEST idea what the heck Poke'mon is. (thanks to my brother Pete who gave them his cards...circa 1994 or something like that)...they carry those cards around like they are a prized possession.

beach bums.

Great Grandparents.

We have the only Grandchildren in both of our families.
We also have the only GREAT Grandchildren of this wonderful couple;
Grandma Ruth & Grandpa Paul.
Grandpa is a WWII veteran and is 95 years old.
I am so thankful to have them in our lives...and thankful to be able to visit them while we were in Wisconsin.

home again.

homeagain., originally uploaded by olives on a monday.

back from our holiday.
more to come...

6 months.

Liam. may13.2009, originally uploaded by olives on a monday.

half a year old already?

St. Ann Seton Fair.

St.AnnSetonFair, originally uploaded by olives on a monday.

Our neighborhood is right next to a catholic church that has a fair at the end of May EVERY year.
When the weekend arrives our streets are FILLED with people and cars whereas our neigborhood is usualy very quiet as there is really only one way out!
It's fun to have the sights and sounds for a few days, but NOT on Saturday Morning when they blocked the street out of our hood for the NUN RUN!
Darn NUNS!
Kidding.

a short update.

Yesterday, I took Maxwell and Evan to the dentist for the first time.
{Yes, Maxwell is almost 5 and has NEVER been to the dentist...yeah I know shame on me.}
I was a little nervous because I had read a not so positive review about the dentist we were going to see online, but I decided to give her a chance. I was also a bit nervous about how they would react to someone all up in their grill, but I told them what the dentist would be doing so they knew what to expect. Maxwell was ACTUALLY excited.
Imagine that?!
So we went, and it was AMAZING. Evan watched Max get his teeth cleaned and then it was his turn. Liam cooperated too. I couldn't believe I had braved taking all three to the dentist, but the whole thing was kind of last minute. The dentist was fine, she wouldn't be my bff or anything but she wasn't as tyrannic as the review made her out to be.
Anyway...Evan had PERFECT teeth while Maxwell has 8{YES EIGHT} as in; I am a HORRIBLE Mother cavities. All his back teeth. There were several reasons the dentist gave me that it was possible he got them, one of which was bottled water..takes out fluoride {which we not longer buy because I was convicted after we watched a documentary about water}, another being he just was one of those kids prone to get cavities...I don't know.

Evan calls our neighbor Grandpa.
Uh...slightly embarrassing as the guy is only like 40 and HAS A 7 YEAR OLD SON!
I think mostly he calls him that because he has some grey hair and a beard like my Dad does, but nonetheless I felt bad when the guy says to me;
"Man, that makes me feel old."


Maxwell thinks we are getting a dog.
AND, that the FedEx Man is bringing him.

First of all, Maxwell has this CRAZY obsession with FedEx. He has this airplane book that has a FedEx plane in it, and he always FREAKS when he sees a truck when we are out and about...because it's not like the FedEx truck frequents our house (ahem).

Awhile back, like before Liam was born I went through a stage where I wanted a dog. We went to a pet store where they had dogs and cats you could adopt, and we also looked at dogs at our local Humane Societies site and "picked" one out. He asked if we could "order" one, and I told him we had to talk to his Daddy first. Anyway, I knew I would regret getting a dog right now with three kids under 5.

So...I'm not sure why he still thinks one is coming. I haven't talked about it at all and last Sunday night a friend who was teaching his class informed us he prayed for his dog that was coming in 2 weeks, and crabs under his bed.
NO IDEA where that came from either.

Oh, and in other news Evan peed all over the floor.
AGAIN.
I CANNOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME potty train this kid.


As for the L-man...well, he is just as sweet as ever.

lampapalooza.

The Nester is having a "Lampapalooza" blog party today, and everyone is showing, well, lamps and lighting!

I got this Chandelier in the girls bedding section at Target on clearance for $20. I have three boys {not to mention it didn't match my kitchen} So I bought white spray paint and some shades to dress it up a bit. I love how it turned out.

1st sweet potatoes. 5.26.2009

1st sweet potatoes. 5.26.2009, originally uploaded by olives on a monday.

Liam sits with us at dinner, and these last few weeks he's been intently watching us eat, trying to grab anything he could get his chubby fingers on.
So, we've started some solids...and he's loving it.
Today was his first taste of sweet potatoes.

some cutie patooties.

Babysat for these two sweet girls yesterday. They are our friends Chad & Melody's sweet babies. Mel had them in these cute rompers so I took a few pictures...couldn't get to many...I had 5 kids to take care of!

This is sweet Juliana. She LOVED watching Maxwell & Evan run around the yard, giggling at them!


...and Adorable Addie. She is about a month older than Liam, and all smiles. They held hands, gotta keep an eye on those two!

Fun to have girly shrieks, giggles, and bows for the afternoon!

the L-man.

liam.5.16.2009, originally uploaded by olives on a monday.

I'm not sure why but I have to say of the three boys I have enjoyed the newborn/infant stage most with Liam.
Maybe it's because he's always so happy, or maybe it's because {by Gods grace} I've become more patient.

Regardless, I'm in LOVE.

haircuts

new haircuts for summer! Thanks to Uncle Chad!

For the LOVE of clean clothes.

So, the dryer guy came today. Looked at my dryer, took it apart and put it back together, came out and told me the grand total for his services IF I wanted it fixed was $75.00 less than I paid for it...not including tax.

uh...ridiculous much?

So we decided we might as well have a brand spanking new machine {and let them reap the benefits of fixing our old one and reselling it...I did consider setting it on fire...} and pay about $100. more than what it would cost to fix it.
Furthermore, by the time they would get the parts in and back to install it, it would be next week. My friend {AHEM. bff...you reading this Chad&Mel? haha.} Melody offered me to use her washer/dryer if we needed to, but for a little bit more money and a new dryer that would be installed tomorrow was worth it.

I drove out to the {boonies} where I bought the thing, a mere two years ago.

This story is getting sicker by the second isn't it?

What's sicker is that I saw all these shiny new models in AWESOME colors and was tempted for a second to buy a new set, but HELLO that would be INSANE.

I told the guy I needed a new dryer preferably to match the old one. They had my exact dryer in a newer version, and on special and they are installing it tomorrow.
Sheesh, I hope this is the last you hear about home repairs from me for awhile, first the heat pump, then our water heater {which has been fixed twice before}, the washer {thank goodness that was minor} and now the dryer.
I'm sure you are just as sick of hearing about it as I am talking about it.

Home ownership. Gotta love it.

the end.

...oh yeah, it's Monday.

my dryer doesn't run.

mmmm...nothing like moldy clothes.

:)

5.5.09 our 3 boys.

5.5.09 our 3 boys., originally uploaded by olives on a monday.

an awesome week.

Monday:

Justin & the boys all woke up with the "swine flu". Justin stayed home from work, because he is kind to his colleagues like that.

Truth be told it was great to have him home, even though he was "sick", checked the boys temperature's every hour, made them drink Emergen-C by the gallon, and nearly had a panic attack every time someone coughed.

Tuesday:

I cancelled my ROOT CANAL. So, I went to the dentist last week because I was SURE I had a cavity {or 20...kidding} because I ALWAYS get one after I have a baby, it's weird.

I put on my paperwork that I could feel something was up with one tooth.

I had x-rays, was checked out by the hygienist and dentist and they were all like your mouth looks good, there are no problems except an old filling had cracked a bit {the tooth that was annoying me} and needed repair, and you might as well get a root canal...or two. YEAH, two...and at the tune of $6000. {before our insurance was taken out}...uh, no thanks I'll take the used Toyota I could buy with that money.

Funny thing was though, that they kept saying "we'll take care of that tooth that is causing you pain" and I was like; "it doesn't actually hurt, nor is it sensitive to hot or cold. " I was ignored.

Needless to say after a 2 hour WASTE OF TIME appointment at which I didn't even get my teeth CLEANED for crying out loud they offered to do one of the root canals right then and there.

I don't think so.

So, at this juncture {did I seriously just type that...I guess I did} I'm not sure what to do. I thought you got root canals when you were in pain. I could be wrong, but I think I need a second opinion. The whole thing was a bit to sketchy for me, and seemed more like a money making scam rather than a dental office.

Wednesday:
I discovered some water behind my washing machine...so I pulled it out {which was no easy task let me tell you} and cleaned that nastiness out. I figured out that the hose had come out of the drain because the hose clippy thingy {this is a technical term} to get it to bend down in the drain had snapped off...nothing a little duct tape can't fix and I think it should be good to go. I did two loads of laundry afterwards and all is well.

Despite the fact that it rained ALL DAY LONG without ceasing until around 6PM, the boys did get to go out and play a little baseball in the cul-de-sac with the neighbors until around 8 when the game was called...on account of RAIN.

Thursday {TODAY}:

I pour my coffee, drink it, go back for a refill and there is coffee ALL over my counter. Our coffee maker doesn't pour out of a carafe, rather it brews into a built in carafe and you just put your mug under the machine and pull lever down and wallah.

Except today I had to scoop my second cup of coffee into my mug.

Yeah, I'm that desperate.

On the bright side of things though, I see the sun today!

Count It All Joy.

I couldn't believe what I was looking at.
There was toilet paper everywhere, not to mention a number of toys floating in the toilet. And did I see a few sitting comfortably on the bottom? Great. I was going to have to stick my hand in the toilet. Again.

Read on....

(image credit: ungrind.org)

more "expert" advice on the swine flu

Quotes from world renown swine flu expert : my husband, Justin:

"People are coming to me for supplies. You should see my desk, face masks, rubber gloves, sanitizer. I'm set."

" At lunch I told everybody to wash their hands! Sneezing and snot everywhere! If everyone was serious about washing their hands, and take this pandemic seriously, we'd be golden!"

"I've become a champion on opening doors with my butt. If I had no arms, I'd already be an expert."

the swine flu. A guide to survival.

source:www.buisinessweek.com

Ever since Justin heard about the swine flu, let's just say he's been a little obsessed over it. He won't stop talking about it, and at this point it has gotten pretty humorous to me.

THE GUY IS WHACK. So without further ado here is:

Justin's swine flu survival guide

1. Sanitize/wash your hands every half hour

2. If you can, DO NOT leave your house.

3. If you leave your house, don't touch anything in public!

4. Always carry sanitizer with you...you never know when someone will sneeze on you.

5.Stay away from gyms because nobody cleans off their machine and you will FOR SURE catch it there!

6.If you touch something in public make sure you sanitize right away.

7. Purchase an outdoor shower so that when you come to your home you can clean off before entering it so that your home is a "safe haven"

8. If you have a sore throat...see your doctor RIGHT away. It's swine flu FOR SURE.

9. If you are not panicing...you should be.

10. The paper masks are useless...might as well go ahead and purchase the haz-mat suit.

Justin also keeps saying that if he happens to die from the swine flu that I should not worry or cry about his death.

Lord help me.

modesty.

"My concern today is that it seems like a lot of Christian women are oblivious to the fact that they have some measure of responsibility here. I say it carefully though, because I know that some women would turn the issue back on men as if it is their own problem.
But I know that a sincere Christian woman would not have that attitude. A Christian woman would respond, "Really? I didn't know. Please, tell me what the issue is here." She wants to serve her brothers, and her brothers want to serve her. The brothers don't want to put her under any artificial constraints and she wants to serve them. So there ought to be dialogue about this. " -JOHN PIPER

We SHOULD NOT be consumed with how we look, and at the same time we do need to be careful about how we dress...be concerned with modesty...and that's all.

this one.

Evan,
This morning you came downstairs and climbed up next to me while I was doing my devotions. You lovingly stroked my arm {you are such a cuddly little guy!} and asked;

"Mama? Did you sweep {sleep} good last night?"

Sheesh you can be so sweet sometimes.
I Love you.

Mama.

Happy Birthday Just.

I love you SO much...I can't imagine life with out you!

Happy Birthday! I love you.xoxo

so proud.

just. , originally uploaded by olives on a monday.

Today my sweet husband came home and casually mentioned he got a promotion and a raise!
WHA?!
Needless to say, I'm SO proud of him. He works VERY hard, and I'm so happy to have him as my husband.
I'm also VERY thankful. I know many have lost jobs or have had to take pay cuts. We have truly been blessed, and I hope we can use this extra income to be able to help others who may need it.
We also {happily} are staying put. Last week Justin was at a Leadership conference and they asked him to take a position in Maryland, and after prayerful consideration we decided to stay where we were for now. It would be SO HARD to leave our church and {amazing} friends right now.
I LOVE you Just...and I'm SO proud and thankful for you!