10 year class reunion

This weekend was my 10 year class reunion. We had a really good time :) There was only about 25 of the people that I graduated with that came which was kind of a bummer. We had dinner, games and music at the Holiday Inn. Then we went out with some friends I haven't seen for a long time! We ended up staying out all night and sharing their Super 8 room with them!! While Dustin's mom kept the kids overnight!! Yay!! We weren't planning on this but we were so glad we did!! It was lots of fun!! We will remember this night for a long time!!

Bath time!!

I figured I'd lighten things up a bit after that last post!! :)

The kiddos having fun in the bathtub!

July 15th is a very hard day for me. It has been for the past 12 years and I'm certain it will be for as long as I live. 12 years ago today, my mom died of cancer. I cannot imagine what my life would be like or who I would be if this tragic event had not happened to me. I am forever changed because of it. I think of her often. At times it seems as though its been so long and its hard to remember the feelings and the pain and other times it feels as long it was just yesterday.

I've done a pretty good job of hiding my emotions for the past 10 or so years. I've bottled it all up...or actually just gotten rid of all emotions all together. Easier that way, I presumed. That way there would be no getting hurt. I've recently had a new resolve to try to love with more of my heart and feel the pain that exists as a result of tragedy or heartache in my life. I cried so much for the first 2 years after my mom died that one day I decided that was it. And I've really never cried much since then. About much of anything.

No more feelings equals no more pain. I now realize, 10 years later, that is no way to live.

My mom was a fantastic woman. I know she would have loved my kids. They would have loved to go to nana's house to visit. I would have loved to call her for advice. I would love more than anything to... You could insert almost anything into the end of that sentence. My hearts aches tonight knowing that I will never be able to do any of those things. I will never see her, speak to her in person, hug her, eat dinner with her, be embarrassed to go yard saling with her, or see her smile on this Earth again.

I love you, Mom and miss you terribly.

Family Vacation

Last week we went on a vacation with Dustin's family to a cabin in Warren, PA. We stayed in a cabin owned by their relatives. We went swimming in the lake at the Kinzua Dam, rented a pontoon boat, ate lots of smores by the fire and had lots of fun. Plus, I had lots of help with my kiddos!! Kate challenged me more times last week than I think I'd prefer in an entire year, but we're working through that. I'm hoping she was just really excited for "vaca" as she kept calling it and really tired from all the excitement. Anyways...it was fun. We all had a nice, relaxing time.


Kate and Dustin on the quad


WALKING!! around the cabin


Swimming in the lake


Jack HATED the life jacket! He looks happy here...but he hated it!


Me and Kate on the boat


The girls


The guys


We all jumped in the lake from the boat.


Me and the kiddos. The boat even helped Jack to nap briefly in my arms! A first!


Jack LOVES my sister in law Sarah. LOVE isn't even really the word. He would get so excited every morning when he first saw her, then give her a big hug and kiss. He would even wrap his arms around her and give her a hug! This is the two of them laying by the lake. First, he was checking things out...


Then, he'd go in for his kiss!!


Seriously sooo cute!!


Sitting by the campfire.




Riding quads with Dustin's brother Mitchell and his wife, Sarah.

4th of July

I know these are a little late but I wanted to share just a few pics from the 4th of July. We had a picnic at my dad's house. My brother bought some fireworks to show Kate. He gave her some sparklers to try out. She liked the sparklers but hated everything else! She hates noise lately. She even covers her ears when public restroom toilets flush?? Who knows about that girl sometimes. Anyways, then we had smores over a fire later that night. It was a nice day. We had to stay home with the kids, though, while my brother, his wife and my dad went to watch fireworks. Bedtime duties call! O'well.

Jack's 1st Haircut

Last Monday we took Jack to get his first haircut. I'm sure I could have just cut it at home...but I took him to get it done. He did a great job. He looks so handsome, I think :)

Before his appointment with Daddy. Dustin looks grumpy, but he wasn't :)




Kate and I watching Jack's haircut.


After. Look how handsome!

Firsts...

Saturday Jack took his first steps!! :)

And today Kate got her first bee sting :(

sorry...no pics of either occasion.

But here's a couple cute ones to make you smile.

Kate's writings

Kate has been practicing writing her name. Now she's moved on to Jack's name, mom and dad. Here are 2 pictures she made with all our names and pictures of us.

This one is a family picture of the 4 of us, plus Uncle Justin. You can also pick out the names Kate, Jack (the one above her name), mom and dad.


Kate, Jack, mom, dad and a picture of a happy face


Her "A's" are like H's and her C's are backwards...but I think she's doing pretty good!!

A MUCH needed escape!

I went away on girls' trip this weekend and it was FANTASTIC!! It was my first time ever away from either of my kids for the weekend. Again I say "FANTASTIC!!" I went to a bachelorette party for one of my old friends from high school, well actually grade school. We went to Put-In-Bay in Ohio. You take a ferry across to the island. It was crazy!! We were not prepared for what goes on there but it was a great time! It was like a giant frat party! Our pool had a swim up bar and a DJ. It reminded me of spring break I see on TV!! I think we are all past those days but it was VERY fun! Definitely a much needed escape! I stayed up until 4am, slept until 10, lounged by the pool all afternoon, took 2 hours to get ready to go to dinner, danced at a bar all night, and enjoyed being with children-less girls!! AAAhhhhhhh!!! A GREAT TIME!! I already want to do it again!!

Riding on the ferry to the island.


Group shot


Me with 2 good friends


May flies- apparently these may flies come out on the island for 2-3 weeks out of the year when the weather changes. Of course we happened to be there during that time. These things were everywhere. When you look up, they are just hovering over you! When you walk down the road, you just crunch them. It was really gross!

Stinky girl

This is how we went out to get the mail today. Doesn't everyone?

A second of this stinky skunk out to get the mail. BTW...I DID NOT ask her to pose...especially not like this. This girl has some modeling in her!!

I'm not a bad mom...right?!?!

I'd like to think I'm not a bad mom...but this past week, I can't be too sure. I literally cannot take Kate's behavior anymore. She has been so full of tantrums, screaming, throwing things, telling me no and lots and lots and lots of crying. I lose control of my emotions sometimes and cannot take it at all. I try to be nice. I try to be understanding. I try to ignore it. Then I just get really pissed about it. That would be when I feel the bad mother coming through. I get SO mad. (understatement) Definitely madder than I'd ever like to see myself at my 3-year old that I love more than life itself. I don't want to be so mean to her. I don't want to scream at her. But I feel like I've tried everything. All my old "tricks" don't work anymore. It used to be so easy to get her to listen and do what she was supposed to. But she is way too strong willed for that.

Well tomorrow will be another fun-filled, high-emotion filled day, so I'd better rest up to be able to tackle it all over again.

Sigh...

It's been a crazy couple of weeks. I barely know where to start.





Moving stinks. I could start there! We still have a stack of boxes and totes in a corner of the living room. My goal is to get rid of them by the end of the week. Wish me luck!!

Kate and Dustin both got sick over the past few weeks. Stomach flu sick. Jack seemed to have a touch of it but it never came on full force. And so far (i'm knocking on wood right now!) I have not gotten it. Thank goodness. I can't keep all this ("all this" meaning my life) going if I'm sick on the couch!

We went to Kennywood Amusement Park on Tuesday. Dustin was really sick and couldn't go but we already had plans and tickets to go with his family on Tuesday so we went and he stayed home. It was fun. We missed him, though. Kate loved it. She was even tall enough for some of the big rides this year. She said she liked them a little bit but was not going to go on them again :)







We went to Settler's Cabin wave pool yesterday. It was a last minute decision to do something fun instead of sit around and I'm glad we did. Nothing too exciting but fun to be out and splashing in the water. Dustin's next youngest brother and his wife just moved home from Utah and are staying with Dustin's parents until they get a place in Erie where he's going to Med school. So we've been able to hang out with them lots lately. It's so much fun and they love the kids. Makes my job easier, too!!





Jack is getting so big. He's crawling, standing, walking around the furniture, climbing up the stairs, and getting into everything he can. You can't take your eyes off that boy for a second! I speak from experience because I did the other day and he crawled up 5 steps and fell down them. Poor little guy. He's okay though and the baby gate has been installed :)



Kate is also a monster, lately. She's being really, really naughty. She tells me "no" over and over right to my face, screams, argues with absolutely everything I say and throws things when she gets mad and doesn't get her way. It's driving me completely crazy. I've tried handling it how parenting magazines say to and I've tried "other things..." but neither being nice nor being mean is doing a dang thing. She's just gonna do what she wants to do when she wants to do it and that's just it. UGGG...It's wearing me out.



I know this post isn't too interesting...but hopefully now that you're all caught up we'll get back to "normal."