Wesley...need I say more?

A night away

My girlfriend Tina and I took the kids to CoCo Key West Indoor water park in Arlington Heights Monday night. It is the perfect size water park for a quick overnight, enough stuff to keep them busy for a day but not so big that you can't see it all. I love how these places are set up with zero depth, 2 foot pools and big water slides because it satisfies each one of my gang. This particular park was nice because they had locking gates for each section of the park so I didn't have to worry about any little one going AWOL. If you live in Chicago and need a quick get away that's fun for everyone definately check this place out. However, I wouldn't recommend going in the spring. It is a very old hotel, nice, but old. Around 9:30pm I called the front desk to say the temp in our room was through the roof and see if there was a trick to getting it to cool off. The deskie told me they were on a two pipe system...so basically no matter how cold I turned the air on it simply would not work because the heat had not been turned off yet. Huh! We had a very long and sticky night in the hotel; all the kids sleeping in their underwear. The next day Tina complained during check out. Management apologized and gave us 1/2 off our stay! Being uncomfortable for an evening was completely worth the $100! I love a bargin. Here are a few pictures...yes, we did take Christian with us but he's of the age where he doesn't stick around for pictures and only checks in when he's hungry.

Buzz cuts are the perfect way to celebrate Spring Break!

Yesterday the weather was so beautiful. Christian has been bugging me to get his hair cut because it was so long and he HATES his curls. So we set the stool up on the patio and opened a barber shop. First Christian, then Owen(One Hot Momma's 2nd), who BTW has the thickest hair I've ever encountered! Then Jed and finally Wesley. Christian kept saying, "It looks like we shot a bunny with a bazooka!"(that's a 10 year-olds way of saying the back yard was full of hair. It was truly a funny sight and now all my boys are bald! I love when they get their summer hair cuts they all look so huggable to me, plus who can resist rubbing their hands on their fuzzy little heads!


Of course, Em didn't get in on the hair cut action but to be fair she supervised the whole event. Today is the first day of spring break so we are all enjoying staying in our PJ's and watching large amounts of TV this morning.

Happy Spring to all!

Lately, it's all about decorating

I've been decorating alot lately. Mostly, because my girlfriend Tina is starting a new Faux finish painting business and we had her come and paint our VERY TALL hallway. She painted the hall with a stone finish...it's really cool! So now, I needed a new rug, new paintings, more silks and a bench(still saving for this one) Wanted to show you all what I've been doing.

Part 2

I do love my kitchen when it's clean! Do you know that I spent an hour cleaning and sweeping and spraying and putting away and Doug didn't even say a word! I sat there with this little grin on my face like the kids do when they want you to notice something...and...nothing. Oh, Well! Every time that happens it re-enforces why I hate housework...!
Now, if someone could tell me what to do with my fridge I'd really have a great looking kitchen. The top of the fridge is a catch all for anything that can mold and all other things that we don't know what to do with. I should probably wish I was shorter because then it wouldn't be useable space? Anyhoo....It's a nice looking fridge when all the crap isn't sticking on it or sitting on top of it...I'm just not sure where to go with all that stuff??

On to clean the bathrooms...sometimes I wish I had a day job! = )

Kitchen Confession

Who am I kidding...this just isn't about my kitchen it's about the whole dang house! Except for my bed....my bed IS made. Why is it made?...I have no earthly idea. I thought about calling this post "Weekend Warrior" but I really haven't "war-ed" anything. I did go grocery shopping at Aldi on Saturday and spent $185 can you believe that?!! So proudly, I can say we do have food in the house...yeh me! Well, just thought I'd show all of you how we are living this weekend and if I can make any of you feel better about the state of your kitchens, well, then my job is done!

Is it a time change thing?

I've been dragging this week...in a very serious way. I'm so tired in the morning and that just sticks with me during the day. You'd think I was two years old the way this time change has messed with my internal clock! AND, I can't seem to figure out that even though the sun is shining it's time to make dinner. The kids are hanging on me saying their hungry...I'm about to lose my mind when I look at the clock and it's already 6:30! Whatever!

Pray for Dan and Becky

Dan and Becky left early this morning for Fulton, IL for a job interview. Fulton is a small town about 10 minutes west of where Becky grew up. If you haven't read her blog please take a minute to go over there and say a prayer for them. They have had a LONG year of waiting and I truly hope this is the answer they have been waiting for. Although, I'm not in love with the idea of them moving further away because we will miss them.

13 is such a strange number

13 years ago at 5:40pm Doug and I were at a post wedding party at my parent's house.(You know the party with the alcohol) I was in upstairs in my girlhood room packing to move into my new apartment with my new husband...trying very hard to hold back the huge wave of emotions I was feeling. The tears were so close to falling that my eyes stung. And the conversation I was having with myself went something like, "This is your wedding day, you should be blissfully happy, you are so in love with Doug, what is your problem?" I couldn't explain it even to myself but I was so scared of this unknown new life I was about to embark on...leaving the safety of my parents house was almost paralyzing...it wasn't that I was having second thoughts about my love for Doug but I was questioning if I could truly do life w/o the support of my parents. I was terrified.

As we were leaving the house, someone took a picture of the two of us walking out the door. I look at that picture now and wonder if I am the only one who sees how hard I was working at keeping myself together. When we got into the little gray Escort Doug owned and pulled out of the drive, my wall of composure broke open and I cried all the way from Oak Forest to Chicago Ridge where our first apartment was.

I had to continually assure Doug that it was NOT him but that rather it was me...I needed to release all these emotions..it was the type of cry you just can't stop and the harder you try to stop the worse it gets. Not exactly the way we dreamed of starting our lives together...it wasn't the movie moment where the groom carries an estatic bride over the thresh hold of their new home. I often wonder what Doug was thinking for that long ride "home."

13 years later I look at that picture and wonder at how young I was...how much of life I thought I had lived...and how much my life was really just beginning. I am still head over heals "in love" with my husband...but the love we share is deeper, stronger, more experienced, more familar...

Marriage is hard...we have had our ups and downs just like any other couple. We've been dead broke and then deader broke, we've faced the loss of a baby through miscarrage, made it through medical school and residency when he was working 100 hours a week, moved away from "home" to create our very own "home", worked through countless trips to the mechanic to fix crappy cars(that is very stressful!), had our first, second, third and fourth child, suffered through depression together, sleepless nights, croupe, flu, stitches, heart problems, lonely times of indifference toward eachother and long nights of silence after heated arguments.

But I've never wanted to walk away, I've never entertained what life would be life without Doug because I can't even comprehend who I am without him. Some might say that isn't healthy...I think it's downright wonderful! We are a team, we function as a unit, we live and dream as one...

As one...

As I packed my stuff getting ready to start my new life with my new husband I had no idea that my new "home" would be the most secure, most loving, most cherished "home" I would ever know.

Did I call it or what?

It's about time this article was released!