Last week of July wrap up

Jay says this picture of Nick makes him look like he's wearing a bikini!

This week got away from me. I took Monday off work and before I knew it, it was Friday. The boys and I spent Monday at Kim's pool and the above picture is my attempt, pathetic it may be, to get a picture of the three kids. Clearly, it didn't quite go as planned. Welcome to parenthood, right?

I worked a little overtime one night this week and came home to find Nick sound asleep on the couch (picture above, please excuse his boxer shorts which are creeping their way up his legs). My kids just don't fall asleep on the couch. I wish they did sometimes but they don't so when I found Nick sound sleep, I was shocked. He had spent the day with his brother and Christy at the pool - The pool must have wiped him out. He really enjoyed his week though. This was Jay's last week with Christy. Next week he spends the week with grandparents. It was different having the boys at two different places for daycare this summer. Sometimes I think the separation did them well but they got to spend the last week together at Christy's (Nick's sitter was on vacation this week) which was nice for me - One drop off!!

Verbal directions

Jay started football camp tonight. He will start his actual practices in a few weeks. Since neither Mike or I are sports fans we weren't sure what to expect with football. Yeah, yeah, we know somebody throws the ball and you have to tackle him before he crosses some line. Ha! Anyway, we quickly learned that there is a lot of directions one must take in football - which is fine - Jay does fairly well taking directions, it's when you throw too many directions his way that things get a little "out of sorts." Jay is so much like me - I am classic LD when it comes to following directions orally. For example, when Mike and I go to parent-teacher conferences he listens and can tell you everything the teacher said. I, on the other hand, take notes as I learn more visually vs. orally. When someone starts telling me something or giving me multiple directions, the words almost get jumbled up so I've become quite a note-taker. Mike and I quickly learned that the coach was giving multiple directions at once. One had to really pay attention to know exactly what was required of them. No doubt about it, Jay had trouble but was giving it his best shot and most importantly, he enjoyed himself. Mike and I did get a chuckle because about half way through the practice Mike looked at me and said, "I think track is going to be more of Jay's sport. In track the directions go like this: Run to that line and when you're done, run it again, only faster." Now those are some directions that even I can follow!

A corner turned

Do you like my new pink blog? Ha! I don't know what happened over the weekend but my blog and my sister's blog were only showing our pictures and not our write-ups. Weird. I was able to switch things around and wa-la, I'm back in business.
Something has been going on in my house for a few weeks and I can no longer ignore it. Nick is dressing himself!! I am elated but as is always the case for me I find it bittersweet as my kids get older. I imagine it will be even more bittersweet to watch Nick get older because he is my youngest and last child. Nick is quite pleased with himself that he can dress himself but with that comes mis-matched clothes. I tried not to cringe the other day when he dressed himself for daycare and came down in a bright orange shirt with a huge frog on it and it was a wife beater shirt, no less. Then he wore bright blues shorts to go with the shirt. Needless to say that as soon as that shirt hit the laundry that evening, it mysteriously disappeared, never to be seen again, sorry Nick. I wanted to tell Nick to change but that would have down-played what he was trying to do, assert some healthy independence. The other night I was telling him that next summer at this time we would be getting him ready for kindergarten. He paused for a minute and then asked me, "Mom, do they have snacks in kindergarten?" It's typical of Nick to be concerned about the food supply when he starts something new. Ha. So, I may be through the baby stage but I'm really looking forward to what's to come: Third grade with Jay, another year of Prek for Nick, Football games for Jay, and of course watching what mis-matched clothes Nick will dress himself in in the weeks to come.

Nick's worst nightmare

Penguins found starved to death on Brazil beaches:

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23858409-penguins-found-starved-to-death-on-brazil-beaches.do

My mom brought this headline to my attention today because we both know how over the moon Nick is about penguins. I decided not to share this news with him as it truly would be his worst nightmare. He would be devastated to learn that hundreds of penguins have starved to death. As sad as the article is, only four short years ago, I wouldn't have paid any attention to a headline about penguins. Being a parent makes you care about things your kids care about and certainly penguins is something Nick cares deeply about. R.I.P. penguins..........we'll say a prayer for you tonight.

All about Jay

This picture was taken on Friday. Jay was headed off to be in a parade. He was representing Cub Scouts.
Just the other night I was putting Jay to bed (and Yes, even at age 8 I still read him a bedtime story) and noticed his long, lean legs were practically the length of his bed. When I think of how fast the last 8 years have gone by and think that in another 8 years, he'll be 16, I have to stop and catch my breath. Jay is a lot like Mike. He can go from dawn until dusk, like a power horse. He also has Mike's dry sense of humor. Some of Jay's 8 year old quirks include:
*He is still very impulsive. Some days are better than others but the impulsivity is still something that is a huge factor in his daily life.
*His unsolicited displays of affectionate still get ya everytime. Just this week my sister caught Jay giving Craig (his uncle) a hug. Both Kim and Craig were touched. You just never know when Jay is going to dish out the hugs and asking for them is the kiss of death. He has to give them out on his terms.
*He is PHYSICAL, PHYSICAL, PHYSICAL!!! The rougher he can play, the happier he is. Needless to say he's playing tackle football this fall.
*Jay can be sooooo good to his brother or soooooo bad to his brother. There is no in between. He is either torturing him or being so nice to him. I try to focus on the times he's nice to him.
*I really enjoy my one on one time with Jay. I don't get it very often but he's much more open and more willing to chat one on one. That's another thing about Jay, he'll talk to you, eventually. You just have to be patient.
When I mentioned Jay's dry sense of humor, just this week me, Jay and Nick were taking a walk. I was GROUCHY! It had been a bad day. Sometimes I just do a lousy job of hiding my grouchiness. I'm human, what can I say? Anyway, my tell it like it is son (once again his father's son) says to me, "Mom, a friend of mine takes anger medication. Clearly, you are so grouchy tonight that maybe you should try getting some!" Ha! He had a point and he called me out on it.
When I see Jay out riding his bike, playing with a friend, being kind to his brother, playing with his legos, working in the shop with his dad and still seeing him excited to spend the night with his nana, mimi or grandparents (at age 8) I reflect on what a sweet boy he is and how all the simple things in life truly make him happy!

Age 4, it's a good thing

Jay at age 4

Nick at age 4

I didn't make it any secret that age 3 was not a good age for Nick. He was uncooperative and broke out his mad eyes way too often. Yes, of course I loved him anyway but he made it challenging. Ha. For weeks leading up to his 4th birthday my mom and I prayed he would turn over a new leaf at age 4 - Turns out, he did! He's the delightful child we all know and love. I got to thinking though; I wish I would have blogged when Jay was 4. I remember really enjoying age 4 with Jay too. However, I did keep a diary. Below is some comparisons of the 2 boys - These are remarks I made in my diary when Jay was 4

Jay (age 4)

*is very physical and has athletic ability (still true today at age 8)

*is a pretty good eater, he'll at least try something

*Loves spending time with his family especially his Nana, Mimi and grandparents

*Loves fast cars

*is less affectionate, he will no longer hold my hand

*doesn't sit still for one second

*is very confused by today, tomorrow and yesterday

*still loves his blankie

Nick (age 4)

*Loves penguins & giraffes. His bed is filled with them and he names them all

*Loves spending time with his family

*Has funny down to a science

*Has the best mannerisms and facial expressions

*Is a big eater - His favorite, pancakes!

*Responds well to Jay when Jay is nice to him

*Is still very affectionate

*Is more of a Momma's boy than Jay - He still is all about his daddy and Jay too

And as a side note, Nick is also very confused by today, tomorrow and yesterday! I guess it's a 4 year old thing.

Tennessee Memories

12 Yankees in a truck. It's legal in TN to be in a back of a pick up truck and drink - Needless to say, Jenny and I took full advantage of that.

Faith and Jay eating ice cream before fire works. Faith has got to be one of the sweetest girls. Nick could have been the odd man out but Faith was always so nice to him.

Nick's best bud, Jenny. Jay loves Mike Ausili and Nick is all about Jenny!

My best girlfriend, Jenny and I enjoying our glass of wine!

Top 10 from TN (and I promise this will be my last blog about TN):

1 - When we crossed the TN state line, I announced to the boys that we were officially in TN. Jay says to me, "So what do we do next?" And Nick says, "Boy, you were right, mom, this is a long drive." Classical comments from my sons.

2 - The car trouble we had on our last day. We were filling up at a gas station in Pigeon Forge and when we went to turn the car on, it was dead. A week and $1000 later, this has turned into a huge nightmare. We got the car fixed and I swear all the prayers we were praying got us home. It was a miracle we got home without further problems. But picture it: a family anxious to get home, two little boys asking a million questions and the blistering hot sun - I was waiting for somehow to pop out and tell us we were being filmed for a comedy show.

3 - Watching my boys zip-line and seeing my husband doing it upside down!

4 - Our one-liners from "The Hang Over." Mike A. Jenny, Mike S. and I all LOVE "The Hang Over" - Rainman practically bankrupted a casino and he's a Ra-Tard!

5 - The huge steak dinner Mike Siebert made us on Fourth of July! It is a dinner we'll still be talking about when were old and gray in the nursing home.

6 - On our last night there I knew my kids had officially become part of the TN culture when Jenny's dad picked us up for our pick up ride and the boys fled out of the cabin yelling, "YE-HAW!"

7 - The drive down: four kids, a lot of snacks, the hum of video games being played, lots of movies = two happy moms

8 - Tubing in the river. Most people relax and let the river guide them, not Jay (I should have known). I was tethered to Jay and he practically swam the entire route which was kind of a bonus for me as he pulled me the entire way. Why I thought he would actually get in his tube and relax is beyond me.

9 - The toy guns all three boys got at Bass Pro Shop. Curtis, especially, loves gun! The boys couldn't wait to play with them.

10 - Going to bed super late and sleeping super late - It was heaven! My boys are finally at the age that this was the perfect vacation (minus the van breaking down and going into financial hell because of it).

Zip Lining

The "Crew:" Mike, Dan Ausili (Mike Ausili's dad), Jay, Nick and Curtis

Good buds, Jay and Curtis!

My insane husband. He flipped himself upside down during his "ride."

Jay-bird zip lining. He loved it, big surprise there!

Here's my little guy, Nick. Since he weighs the least out of everyone he zipped right down the line and didn't have a care in the world.

We went zip lining in TN on the first full day we were there. I have three (Mike included, ha) adventurous boys and zip lining was right up their alley. I wasn't sure if Nick would be scared of the height or not but clearly he wasn't. Jay, Nick and Mike all had a great time and begged to do it again during our trip. Zip lining proved to be a "special" treat because it was expensive but well worth it from the fun the guys had.

"Fun" in the car

The drive to TN was 10 hours! I was mostly nervous about Nick but he did pretty good. Jenny and I drove down with all 4 kids and amazingly enough we only had to put out a few fires and we both commented on how well they did. Mike and I drove home with our boys and again, the drive went pretty smoothly, even with the car trouble we had in the beginning (more on that later). The following are things I've learned about long car rides with kids:
*Hearing the seats go up and down really can get annoying. Nick, especially, was obsessed with this. Once he figured out he could recline in his seat, he was all about making himself "comfortable."
*Traveling with boys really does put you at an advantage. I traveled with a "pee cup," so when Jay or Nick had to go, they just went. I just had to remember not to drink out of it since I was parched (more on that later too).
*The constant requests for gum (I went through 3 packs), snacks, blankets (and the constant temperature comments, I'm cold, I'm hot), and movie requests.
*Thank goodness for the invention of movies in cars and Nintendo DS, do I really need to say anymore about that?
*One's mouth really can turn into cotton (ha) after not drinking for 10 hours. I try not to drink during long car rides because I pee like a pregnant woman. The drive home was especially brutal. I think I drank 10 gallons of water - just kidding - when I got home on Tuesday night.

The picture above is of the four kids at the pool (Faith, age 10, Curtis, age 8, Jay, age 8, Nick age 4). I love that picture!!

The Yankees head to Tennessee

Outside view of our cabin. We had a small porch with a rocker.

The bedroom Mike and I slept in.

The sunroom/bedroom. It had a hot tub in it which Jay used once. We put Nick in this room. Jay slept in the living room on the pull out coach. We opted for Nick to have his own room because he tends to sleep the latest.

The living room. It was really nice!

We just got back from Tennessee for our summer vacation. We had such a good time. We went with our good friends, the Ausili's. Jenny's parents live in Townsend, TN. Vacationing with the Ausili's has been a long tradition. Mike Ausili and Mike Siebert are only-children so Ausili's parents and Siebert's parents would vacation together in the Ozarks. Twenty years later we are carrying on the same traditions, just with a few more kids and different destinations (we also went to Disney with them in December). Ausili's are like family to us and we have a lot of laughs when we are together. Our kids are all different in their own ways but I've always admired that they all get along. I've posted some pictures of our cabin and as the week goes on, I'll post more pictures and some high-lights - We have one "doozy" of a highlight that happened to us yesterday, right as we were ready to leave!