See you next year....

I'm not sure what happened, but I fell asleep, woke up and Christmas was over.  Okay, not technically, but sort of.  I found myself with a horrible case of pneumonia the week of Christmas.  I was so sick that there were several days where I could not even get out of bed.  At all.  Somehow, my family came to my rescue and kids were carted to and from school and cared for.  There were even a few afternoons where I literally locked Cameron in my room with toys and literally passed out.  (Not one of my best Mother of the year moments,)  Layla, bless her soul, stayed in bed with me most days and just watched TV.  Needless to say the week, as well as Christmas, went by in a blur.  Here I am, on the other side, totally depressed it is over.  I feel like I didn't get to sit and soak it up.  I feel, well, I feel like I missed Christmas. 

I hate this side of the holiday.  I've never been a big New Year's person either.  This whole week always depresses me.  So much so that I end up taking things down rather quickly because looking at them is a reminder that it is over.  Needless to say, our house is 99% de-Christmased with the exception of the tree, which will come down tonight.  (sigh)  Ba Humbug.  As more and more decorations came off the walls, I also realized how bare our walls are without the decorations. We moved so quickly and the holidays were upon us that there was no time to decorate walls! I threw up the Christmas decorations and voila! Now I need to find some pieces to make it home.  As I put things away, I am also reminded that next year these love bugs will be a year older.  Cameron will be talking.  As I put away Mr. Snoring Santa Claus, I think about what Cam might say next year when we take him out.  I think about how Layla loves the decorations and thinks everything is so beautiful.  She'll be a whole year older and I hope she will still have that magical Christmas spirit about her.  I think about how Hannah will be eight.  EIGHT!  She is just at the cusp of starting to not believe.  How is that possible?  My baby girl?  WHAT?  I pray that she will always believe.  I pray that she wont ever lose the spirit of Christmas. 

How is it that the time flies by so quickly and as much as I try to sit and soak up every moment with these blessings of mine, I still feel like I am missing so much.  As if I haven't taken enough time to just sit and be with them.  Instead I am barking orders and asking them to clean up or asking Layla to please remove the Crayola Wonder Crayon from Cameron's ear as she is currently sticking it in.  Hurry up kids, lets go.  Coats on, shoes on, we have to get to work.  We have to go here.  We have to go there.  Cameron, please stop writing on the walls.  Hannah don't push your sister.  I know this is all part of like.  Part of being an adult.  Part of being a parent.  Yet so badly, I just want more time.  More time with them this little.  More time with them before they lose their innocence.  These years are so precious to me and I am just not willing to let them go.  Make it last forever... no?

All this being said, I did enjoy as much of the holiday as I could considering how sick I was.  The kids had a blast opening their gifts and the family over for our first Christmas in the new/old house, made it quite memorable.  It is so much fun to finally see some boys toys in the house these days.  There are trucks everywhere!  What made my Christmas truly perfect was having the front door open and seeing Uncle Donny and Auntie Leslie walk through my front door.  The sugar butts from Tennessee surprised us all and made our Christmas wonderful.  It was exactly what I needed and it was the perfect touch on the day.  You could take everything away but my family... I need my family and this Christmas, it was pure awesomeness to be surrounded by them all.

Be it as it may, time does go on and soon enough 2012 will be here.  I have big plans for 2012.  Many new resolutions and promises to make and keep.  I am looking forward to a new year with new hope and a new outlook.  I wish everyone nothing short of a wonderful year full of hope, happiness and good health. 

Happy New Year!

Goodbye Stress Ball... Hello Gingerbread Martinis!

This week was a blur of crazy, straight out stress!  From the hectiness of our schedule, to my crazy business at work, I was a complete and utter stress ball.  Which in retrospect, always makes me angry. It was a tough week to get through and I wish I could control that pent up, I can't breath, rushing around like a lunatic feeling and just take a step back and slow down.  Life doesn't always work that way and even though you have every intention of enjoying every single itty bitty minute, life does sometimes have a way of setting you off course from time to time.  I wish it weren't like this and as we are winding down the week, I wish I could have dealt with it better.  Take it back and have a do over.  It is what it is, and I cant go back so instead I am moving forward and taking one breath at a time.  I fully intend to enjoy this weekend and take in all of the memories with the kids.  I also intend to try and get some Christmas shopping done since there hasn't been a moment to do that!  YIKES!  I should probably plan the Christmas Dinner menu since we are hosting the second annual Murphy Christmas Dinner in our new/old home!

Speaking of the new/old home, how excited was I that I finally got the reindeer lit?  My father bought these two yard light up reindeer when I was probably in Junior High School or High School.  They were always my favorite decoration and he always made it known that one day they would be passed down to me someday.  Well that day has come and they are now up glowing brightly in my new/old front yard.  LOVE THEM!  Thanks Dad, for handing down this tradition that I will make sure it will always stay in the family!

The kids, oh these boogers, they are all over the place.  Cameron has been a bundle of fussiness.  I am guess teeth or maybe the remnants of a virus.  The child is constantly hurting himself and mostly banging his head and face.  CONSTANTLY...and I mean at least 6 or 7 times a day.  The other evening I was giving him and Layla a bath.  They were fighting over a bath book when Layla let go and Cam went flying face first into the side of the tub.  To say he looks like Rocky Balboa is an understatement.  THANKFULLY, our Christmas pictures were done the day before!  He is understanding so much more lately and trying to pronounce things like "Light", "Shoes", "Socks" and "Kitty".  He also nods his head "yes" now.  It seems crazy to me that he is growing out of his baby stage so quickly.  His favorite word of all that he repeats at least a dozen times a day however is "truck".  So you can guess what will mostly be under our tree this year!  He also loves to say," Bu-bye."  He is getting so much more brazen and the tantrums have begun as well.  If you say "no" or take something away from him that he shouldn't have, it's an all out throwing himself around, banging his head tantrum.  Can you say the male version of Hannah?  He is very strong willed and if I had a penny for every time I have to say, "Don't touch!" to him, I'd be rich!  Aside from this though, he is still a cuddle monkey and often loves to just be held by Mama and nuzzled.  He even loves to get me my shoes in the morning when I am getting dressed.  He also likes to go in the drawer and grab Daddy's toothbrush and brush his teeth with it.  We wont tell Daddy about that one!

Hannah banana is in the full out I want everything for Christmas mode.  God bless this child.  I have tried everything but bang my head upside a brick wall to get this child to understand the meaning behind Christmas.  To appreciate what she has and learn the joy in giving this season. To use kind words and stop having meltdowns when the word "no" is used.  From day one, Hannah never could adjust to the word "no".  I always feel like it is never enough with her.  No matter what I do, I can't seem to make her 100% happy.  (Hmmmmm I wonder who she takes after???????)  Besides this however, she has been a huge help with the kids for me.  She is always helping me with getting out of the house in the morning.  Being it entertaining Cam, or putting on his socks or coat to grabbing some bags to help me, she does do this.  She is so talented when it comes to drawing and anything creative.  She always amazes me with her creativity.  She has been much more huggy and kissy lately and has even found her way into our bed many nights recently.  I swear it's her way of trying to make up for some of the things she puts us through during the day.  She wants to be close to us and let us know that she is sorry.  The little strong willed spoiled booger!  On occasion when she is good for a period of time, she earns a prize.  Recently she completed two weeks of good behavior and she was rewarded withe Biebs Christmas Album.  Um, I am totally going to lose readers by posting this, but I seriously REALLY like it! LOL  We jam out every morning and every afternoon in the car to it!  Even Cam gets into the jam session.  Leave it to the Biebs to hook me!

Layla bug, oh Layla bug.  The kid continues to amuse us beyond belief.  The other day I asked her if she would like some water and when she responded,"yes", I said, "Yes, what?"  To which she responded, "Yes, Yes?"  To which I responded, "Yes....????" to which she then said..."YES WOMAN!"  I nearly fell to the floor with laughter.  She has been getting a bit fresh lately which I am hoping is just a phase or maybe a little school influence?  Or Hannah influence?  I am trying to nip that in the bud immediately.  She has been doing GREAT with potty training and is getting it down pat.  She wakes up dry every morning now and only occasionally does she have an accident.  I am so proud of her and so happy that I listened to my instincts and didn't push this issue with her.  When they are ready, they are ready!  PERIOD.  End of story!  She is doing great in school and I cant tell you how it feels to walk in the door to pick her up and have her pop up from her nap time cot and run over to me with the biggest smile while screaming "MOMMMMMYY" and wrapping her arms around me.  She is so full of love.  She exudes it.  I can't believe how much she has grown up in the past several months and it is making my heart ache.  I always felt this way with Hannah but then I could get through it by saying well at least I have Layla.  The baby girl in her is so quickly vanishing. ...  :( and now I feel like I have no more baby girls... sigh.

We are off to our Annual Romano Ornament Party this evening and I think I am most excited to show up in my pj's and new slippers that I treated myself to this morning. (I am rationalizing it by saying they were cheap and I deserved it after the week I had!) I am looking forward to celebrating with my family and getting dizzy on Gingerbread Martini's! LOL   So happy last week before Christmas!  Here's to getting it all done and having it all go smoothly.  Even if it doesnt, just look around and count your blessings.  Live each day as if it were your last! 

Check out bruiser... with an icy pop all over his face! ADRIENNNNNEEE!   

The house.. with one reindeer lit! :)  Just like it always looked.  My Christmas Miracle!

My good friend Andrea, entertaining the girls!  Love her!

Our Ski Lodge foam house.  All I can say is 3 hours later and a lot of cussing.. it was done!  LOL  The girls got tired of it after 15 minutes and the thing didn't even come with directions!!!

I married MacGyver.. and this is his tree watering creation!  LOVE HIM!

Why I am thankful and blessed this Christmas...

My high school friend Gretchen Day needs your help!  Please read!  I can't imagine the strength she has to muster up to get through each day.  I know how worried you are during a pregnancy period.  To have cancer and be pregnant and going through Chemo has to be just plain terrorizing and awful!  I HATE CANCER!  This baby boy will be such a miracle baby!  Bless them both and keep them in your prayers!  PAY IT FORWARD PEOPLE!  Be grateful for your blessings and give back!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas....

I think I have just come out of my Turkey Day induced coma! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with much celebration. From Hannah the Thanksgiving Indian at Mass, to our first Thanksgiving dinner in Auntie Leanne's new home, to a Happy First Birthday Celebration to Miss Stella and then finishing out with my mother in law's, Surprise 60th. It was a whirlwind of fun and everyone truly enjoyed themselves.  It's weekends like this when you truly have to stop and take a moment to realize how blessed we really are and how fortunate we are to have the family that we do.  I am so lucky to have such an unprecedented closeness with my family and Billy's family as well.  There is so much love it could melt the darn icebergs in Alaska!

Also on deck is jumping right into the holiday spirit.  Even Billy, who despises any and all holidays has jumped on board.  (He is the real life Grinch when it comes to holidays).  We've dug out the Christmas decorations and I am happy to say that the entire inside of the house has been adorned.  We even went and cut down our Christmas tree yesterday!  (Check mark next to the box that says get things done early!)  It was surreal to hang the stockings in the same place as I use to as a child.  It was so very special and so perfect in so many different ways.  Everything about the house feels right.  I am still so comforted by the sounds and creeks it makes and can still envision my mother and father occupying different portions of the house.  For instance, every time the stairs creek, I think of Dad and sometimes turn my head and expect to see him walking up the stairs.  When I cook on the stove and the smell of garlic takes over the upstairs, I can still see Mom, in her apron cooking away.  When I walk into the mudroom, there is still this extremely distinct smell that I don't think will ever go away.  Mandy.  I still smell her.  She use to sleep in the mudroom at night.  I can still see her, smell her.  I almost feel like I'm in the Scrooge movie revisiting my past and realizing how wonderful my life is and was.  I know that there are bumps in the road.  I know that my family is faced with a situation that has been extremely difficult to maneuver though.  Yet, we are still so blessed.  So lucky to lead the lives that we do.  I am forever grateful. 

Next in line is getting the Christmas lights on the trees outside.  TREES!  YES!  This year we will have TREES to decorate!  We had none at the old house.  Watch out Chevy Chase!  I so want that light up MOOSE!  Then it's on to setting the Christmas menu, baking the Christmas cookies and then SHOPPING!  I only have one gift bought!  YIKES!  I am so not stressed about it this year though.  We are toning it down quite a bit.  I want the girls especially to learn the true meaning of Christmas.  I want them to understand that it is about giving and not receiving.  About loving and being together and being grateful for all that we have.  I'm going to have to pull a few tricks out of my sleeve but I am determined to teach them right! 

So let the good times roll.  Let the merriness begin.  Let the Christmas lights shine bright on you and yours.  And if you are still having trouble getting into the spirit, then I strongly advise you to purchase Michael Buble's Christmas album.  Aye Ca rumba I die for it.  (FYI - Cold December Night is my favorite!)

Layla standing posing near our tree!

Cameron quite inquisitive about the snoring Santa...

My Thanksgiving turkey

My girls!!!

Looking so pretty!

Banana in the 9:00AM Thankgiving Mass celebration with Makenzie and Mia

My early Christmas present ..   :)

I LOVE THESE MONKEYS!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

Our first tree in the new/old home!

Home Sweet Home

Sometimes good things do happen to good people.  It's been a whirlwind of craziness the past several weeks, leaving me little time to update.  However, it is all good craziness.  I'll take that any day over boring and mundane! We are mostly settled in our "New Chateau" as I like to call it.  Even though this chateau is a very familiar one to me.  The first few days were a bit odd, but I can honestly say now that I feel like I never left.  It is a feeling of comfort and security.  It's home.  It's the House That Built Me.  I can't even put into words how much this means to me and I know Billy understands.  Ultimately, it was his decision.  I would not have had it any other way.  We are both in love with this home.  We are both forever grateful for the life changing opportunity this move gave us all.  Fingers crossed that our "old" home will find some lovely new owners and fit the last piece of this puzzle. 

I took the babies for a walk yesterday up the road.  It was crazy to be doing this with them.  Surreal almost.  Trekking the same path that I once did as a child.  I explained to them how much I loved the street and how peaceful it always was and still is.  Cameron had a blast and walked much of the way.  We met some new faces along the way and everyone was so friendly.  It just felt right.  It just felt like .. well like HOME.  I came back and put Cam down for a nap and went back up the road with Miss Hannah who wanted to get a bike ride in.  We happened to run into three boys at the end of the street whom we found out were close in age to Hannah.  She was thrilled, although mortified that I was asking all of these boys questions.  LOL  However, through this questioning, we also found out that one of the boys on Hannah's hockey team also lives on the street.  That was all she needed to hear.  She was happy.  Possibly excited about switching schools.  (My only worry in this whole decision!)

Most of what we wanted to do before the holidays is done.  Cameron's room came out more beautiful than I even expected.  In it's neutral, brown and cream tones, with a love note from Mommy on the wall.  Coincidentally, Billy was a tad upset that his name wasn't mentioned in this love note.  I told him I promised to look for one that said, "Let's play ball" or "Pass me the puck:" - Love Daddy.  He seemed happy with that response! 

The girls have their almost complete Paris Boutique styled room.  All Hannah's idea since she is fascinated with Paris.  Billy just hung the chandelier Friday which was one of the last touches to the room that I had been waiting for.  I love how it looks and the chandelier ties the room together.  Santa will be bringing them new curtains and a rug and it should complete the look!  They also got a love note from Mommy on their wall.. wink wink.

I even painted a few more rooms in the house which helped to bring our style into it.  I have been quite the busy bee which is reason for my now panic stricken state realizing that there are only two more days to finish some birthday shopping and prepare for turkey day!  How quickly these holidays always sneak up on me!  Instead of saying I'm going to have all my shopping done by blah blah blah a date so I can enjoy the holiday, I decided I'm just going to enjoy the season and try not to stress myself out too much.  I have so much to be thankful for and I am going to revel in that.  I have three beautiful children whom I adore more than anything in this world.  I have a wonderful husband whom I am about to embark on a new adventure with in a new home and I have a wonderful extended family on both sides who mean the world to me.  Life is good.  Exhale. 

Settling In...

I think this picture captures the fact that the kids are settling in well!  More to post as soon as my computer is hooked up!

Catching Up!

SO LITTLE TIME!  I miss my sit down and writing therapy!  Things are good on our end.  Actually things are great!  Many wonderful things happening in my life right now and I am trying to take the time to appreciate all the blessings and just breath.  Sometimes dreams do come true and on my end, I have been granted one of my greatest wishes.  I am humbled and forever grateful.  I will catch you up more on this when I have more time.  Promise!


Busy, busy, busy little bee's we have been.  So much so, that I didn't even get to snap a picture of my three darlings on Halloween night!  They had a blast and this year it was so fun to see Layla take it all in.  She was high on life and would have her hand in the bowl while the neighbors were already handing her one.  She thought the door to door tradition was great!  Hannah looked ADORABLE.  Her rocking witch costume suited her to a T!  I used some black eyeliner and eyeshadow on her and I was blown away by the child's beauty.  NOT that I am ever going to allow her to wear black eyeshadow or anything, but something about the makeup made me realize how beautiful this child is growing up to be.  Her hair is just gorgeous.  Round, soft, thick curls that her friends will soon die for.  I worry about her self esteem and I am constantly telling her how beautiful I think she is. She seemed to really enjoy her night trick or treating and was so happy to have time to stop in at one of her friend's houses.  Mr. Cam man got quite a big kick out of the events of the evening.  He looked like an oompa loompa in his Mickey Mouse costume.  (Coincidentally, Layla wore this costume just last year and it fit him already!)  Once he got his hands on chocolate, that was it.  He was in love.  He spent the rest of the evening trying to eat it, wrappers and all.  Once we got home from visiting the grandparents, we headed out around the neighborhood until Cam got tired.  he and I headed home and I put him in his cozy jammies and we finished the evening answering our door for the neighborhood kids.  He loved it!  It was quite precious.  Halloween 2011 - Success! 

On another note, and I hate to disgrace this blog by even mentioning it, but I am so angry and disgusted with this whole Kardashian Media crap!  Completely and utterly pissed off.  To waste millions of dollars when there are children dying every day of cancer completely ticks me off.  It's gross to me, what some people in this world do and say and then try to justify.  I pray that one of these days these selfish people will realize what real life is and instead of throwing away millions of dollars and crying over expensive earrings, they'll learn to support and become an activist in helping to find a cure for cancer.  PERIOD.  END OF STORY!        

A moment in time

How does it feel to be a Mama bursting with pride?  Well let me tell you.  Cue in the background story:  In high school I was a cheerleader for my two favorite sports.  Football and Hockey.  I loved watching both.  My Dad taught me at an early age how to be a New England Patriots fan.  I grew up in the era of Steve Grogan and Tony Eason.  I remember being 11 years old and making posters that said, "CRUSH Refrigerator Perry" and "Bury the Bears" for our Pats vs. Bears Superbowl party.  Football was part of me.  I learned to be quite passionate about the sport and I even remember my fellow cheerleaders looking to me to see whether a call at a high school game was good or not so they knew which cheer to start.  (Tracey, I have vivid memories of you turning to me and saying, "Was that good?"  LOL)  My love of hockey came when I first cheered for the sport.  Many of my guy friends were hockey players and like football, I was very enthusiastic about the game.  Luckily, we had a great high school team that went to the Championships often and won while I was in high school.  (Although I still swear it is because of that Hockey Breakfast at KFC that we made them those two years!)  It was a tight knit group.  We had respect for the players and they had respect for us.  We quickly became a family and our boys and my one girl (Shannon Sullivan) would always look out for us.  After a home game we would wait for the players down the hallway outside the locker room.  We'd proceed to give them hugs, and congratulations on a job well done after a win, or a hug and we'll get them next time after a loss.  (Which were few and far between)  We'd then ban together and figure out where we were going to go get a bite to eat.  This usually consisted of Friendlys in the next town over where we would celebrate a win or try to quickly forget about a loss. 


Cheerleading was a big part of who I was in High School.  I was raised a dancer and dance was always my first love.  My biggest passion.  Cheering for me, was an extension of dance.  I loved it and lived for it.  I took it seriously and always tried to make people realize that it was in fact a sport.  We worked hard.  Just as hard as any other sport.  I know some people don't have respect for it, to each his own.  For me, it was serious and I was proud of the job I did.  So you can imagine how I felt yesterday as I somehow found myself waiting at the end of the same hallway outside the locker room for my first born baby girl.  For a second, it actually took my breath away.  Possibly because of the fact that as I stood there and did the math in my head I realized it was nearly 20 years later.  Seriously?  But more because of the fact that as I stood there waiting, my heart was beaming with pride.  This time, for my daughter, who scored her very first goal as a Northern Rhode Island Viking.  Hannah Rose Murphy, #40, age 7. 


To witness that goal is something I will never forget as long as I live.  The expression on her face, priceless.  Her mouth wide open in shock.  In disbelief that she had just scored a goal.  Pure awesomeness at it's best!  I swear to you I will remember that moment always.  I had the opportunity to be with my family at the Patriots game yesterday.  I knew that my heart would not be happy at the Pats game knowing that this was also the same day Hannah would play her first game as a Mite.  These are the moments to cherish.  These kids grow up way too fast.  The moments pass by so quickly.  Motherhood is a gift.  A gift that I don't take lightly.  The Patriots will be there long after my kids are gown.  I am so grateful that I listened to my heart and chose to be at Hannah's game.  The moment she made that goal was validation that I had made the right decision.  That I chose to be a Mom and relish in that moment with my Hannah.  As I let a few proud tears drop from my eyes, I looked over at Billy and swear I saw some misty eyes on his face as well.  (I can say this because I know he doesn't read this)  What a moment to be a parent and feel pride.  To feel something bigger than yourself and have it all be for a little girl who started it all for us. 

So bring on the 6AM practices. Bring on the 4 practices a week. I will gladly be there. It may not seem like fun at the time when I am dragging two other babies to the rink at these ungodly hours, but I have now been reassured that the payoff is so well worth it. Congratulations NRI Vikings MITE C's on a job well done! Hannah, I am so proud of you baby girl.  You did it!  What a gift you are!  I look forward to cheering you on from the stands for many years to come! Go get em girl! xo

Falling into cooler weather...

Have I said lately how much I love these kids of mine?  I swear if it weren't for them I would be crawled up under a rock somewhere.  They are what keep me going on the good days and even more so on the bad days.  I am so grateful and thankful that they are in my life.  That they are these three, sweet, adorable little beans and that they are mine.  I'm not sure how I got so lucky, or what I ever did to deserve them but I can't even begin to imagine my life without them.  There's nothing more to it.  Period.  End of story!

We spent the Columbus Day weekend up North.  New Hampshire in the Fall is my favorite, although the temperatures were extremely warm that you would have sworn it was the dead of summer.  Thankfully, the foliage was so breathtaking that it reassured me that this surely was the Fall Season.  We visited our favorite craft fair and I even picked up a few Christmas presents.  I have this thing for the painted wooden country signs with the cute sayings.  Let's just say that the ones I chose fit the people I chose them for perfectly!  The kids then headed up to Loon's Octoberfest with Billy and the rest of the gang while I hung back with Cam so that he could go down for his nap.  Mama ended up snuggling up and catching herself a few winks herself.  Don't remember the last time I did that!  We spent the rest of the weekend visiting our favorite spots.  Sugar Hill Sampler, Harmon's Cheese Shop and the candy store.  I stocked up on my favorite Cider Tea at the Sugar Hill Sampler.  If you ever get there, it's a must have!  We carved pumpkins and raked leaves into a pile so that the kids could jump in.  Seven kids in total and yet you would never even know it.  They were so well behaved!  Sunday night I decided to head to one of the famous moose sighting spots.  (Yes, I am still obsessed with seeing one)  Hannah came along and we began our drive on the Kangamangus.  The traffic coming back into town was ridiculous so I was glad we were heading north and not stuck in it.  As we were driving, Hannah said she wasn't feeling well.  I told her to close her eyes and try to rest.  25 minutes later, I found our spot and it was exactly dusk.  (Best time to see a moose)  We got out of the car and Hannah was just not right.  I felt her head and yes, she was burning up.  I grabbed a blanket for her and we sat on a rock for barely five minutes waiting for a moose.  I knew I had to get her back home and back in the car we went.  (Again, no moose!)  The poor kid was so sick she was whimpering on the way home.  Heading south was a complete traffic jam and it took us forever to get home.  I got her up the stairs just in time and that was it.  Banana just about made it to the bathroom before she got sick.  We were up the entire night with her, but thankfully by morning she had begun to feel a bit better and her fever was down.  We packed it up and headed on home as Layla now had begun to feel warm and my stomach was not right. 


It seems as though we all ended up with a touch of something and now we are all suffering with these nasty colds.  Blech!  I feel so bad for the kids as they can hardly breath and their noses are all pouring.  Layla had a rough day at school yesterday and they said she was just not her usual, spunky self.  I brought her home and on the couch she stayed for the rest of the evening.  Cam's face is all chapped from his nose running and he is just not his happy self.  He hardly ate a bite of lunch and is currently conked out in the pack n play.  Billy went to bed at 8:00PM last night, so I know he is not feeling well either.  I am just feeling plain yucky.  It is the type of day where all you want to do is stay on the couch and watch movies.  Then again, that would only take place in my "Stay at Home Mom" pipe dream.  Hopefully we can get healthy again by the weekend.  We have birthday parties to attend.  Hockey practice, CCD and Hannah has her first game.  Fingers crossed we get on the mend! 


I was able to get an hour and half out with Hannah after work yesterday.  DATE afternoon!  We never get much time just the two of us and I was feeling quite guilty that that the child was suffering in the clothes department.  Everything is too small on her and she just doesn't have many clothes at all.  The other two get tons of hand me downs (TY Ant Denise) to add to what they get for their birthdays and Hannah doesn't get this.  She is the oldest and the biggest.  We didn't have the money to go back to school shopping this year so she has just been making do.  Plus the weather has been so warm that she was able to just continue to wear her summer things.  I scraped some money together and out we went yesterday!  She was so excited and so happy to be buying some new things.  We got her some great boots at Target and finally some new underwear!  Then we headed on over to Childrens Place and picked up a few long sleeved shirts and a jean skirt.  We tried our best to make the money I had stretch as much as we could and she was really good about.  (It drives me crazy how expensive clothes are... especially for kids!)  She was happy!  Her night was complete when her Halloween Costume arrived when we got home.  I was happy to have her feel special for the day.  She deserves it.  We finished the evening out with completing her homework.  She had to find a favorite poem and be prepared to read it to the class.  She chose "My Special Diet" by Kenn Nesbitt.  I have to share it because I just love it too much.  And if you heard her read it you would be grinning from ear to ear. 

My Special Diet

Fish sticks, Tater Tots,

Candy bars, baloney,

Ice cream, Bubble Gum,

Cheesy Macaroni.

This is all I ever eat

Don't knock it til' you try it,

I haven't lost a single pound,

But still I love my diet!

Love it!  The little booger!  I am a smidge concerned about her however.  She woke up yesterday complaining of neck pain on the left side.  It seemed to get a little better by night time but this morning it was worse.  She was crying this morning because it hurt so badly and she had a tough time getting a shirt over her head.  I had assumed that she had just slept wrong the night before but now that it is getting worse I am a little concerned.  At her check up last week, Dr. Sowa mentioned her ear tubes were out.  (great.. ugh)  The left ear is her worst ear and this is also the one where the hemangioma is wrapped around her Eustachian tube.  It's hard not to think that something could be going on here.  I'm sorry, I know it sounds neurotic, but after going through what I went through with her, I will never question my worry.  I told her we would give it one more day to see if it gets any better and then I would take her in to see Dr. Sowa.  I am hoping it is just a little muscle ache or maybe some achy glands from her cold.  Fingers crossed she'll feel better by morning.  

Happy Thursday!

xo



PS:  HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY SHANNY (OCTOBER 8th).. MY TWO TIME BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR!  LOVE AND BLESSINGS!  TO MANY MORE YEARS OF BEING CANCER FREE!