So much to share in too little time.

It's naptime for the cubs, so I'm going to take this short opportunity to do a little blog catch-up. The last few weeks have been very busy at Cub Central. After I made the trip back home with the cubs (and without Dad), my parents made the trip out here. All in the name of cubsitting. We had fun plans to go to a hockey game with one of Steve's friends and Grandma and Grandpa Bear "volunteered" to cubsit. I pretty much volunteered them, but they didn't tell me no...so hockey plans were on. It was a Thursday night game against the Philadelpia Flyers. Brian's family cheered for the Stars, but Brian (the birthday boy) is a die-hard Flyers fan. UGH. How nice was it for our team to wish Brian a happy birthday by allowing his team to win?? Happy birthday, Brian! ...and thanks to my Mom and Dad for coming out here so Steve and I could partake in some adult interaction.

The next week I took the cubs on a tour of one of the local firestations. Not sure we were quite ready for that. Zach couldn't stand still and was extrememly fussy. Emily did a better job, but only because I let her hold my camera the entire time. She took some very fine photos of the firehouse floor. Not sure if this is her calling, but she hasn't put the camera down since.

The weekend (Mar. 20/21) weather was rainy and cold. Steve had the weekend off, for once, and the weather kept us cooped up inside. CRUMMY. The next weekend (Mar. 27/28), the cubs and I got the stomach bug. All three of us were tossing our cookies. It was AWFUL!!! And of course, Steve was off for that too. Steve was off two weekends in a row?? Completely unheard of....and we spent it cooped up inside...SICK!. With the exception of a brief outing we took on Saturday. Emily came down with the bug early (4:30 am early) on Friday morning. By Saturday morning she seemed to be feeling better, so we all went to the town Easter Egg Hunt. The cubs really did well and the weather was great. It was later that afternoon that Zach and I came down with the yuckies. So we did manage to do one fun thing the two weekends Steve was off.

This past weekend (Apr. 3/4) was gorgeous. The weather was spectacular and we spent lots of time outside. Steve even took the very first dive into the pool on April 3 (which is also the one year anniversary of our closing on this house). The air temp was 82, but the water temp was only 67...WAY too cold for me. I will wait for summer, thank you very much.

The cubs and I have now come down with a virus. I swear it is always something. I wonder if Steve is off this weekend. Probably so, since everyone else is sick. Bah humbug!

In my opinion

The first day of Spring in Texas should NEVER include SNOW. Period.

Yesterday we were enjoying 72 degree temps, today it is snowing. Unbelievable. Happy first day of Spring...make sure you have your winter coats handy.

Pictures to come soon.

Rough waters

These pictures were taken on February 21st...another wonderful attribute of our weird winter weather. Whitecaps in the pool. Should have bought a surfboard.

Comings and goings

Cub Central has been crazy busy as usual. With preschool, therapy, and playdates there isn't much time for anything else. Naptime is usually a toss-up each day, even though everyone in the house could use a little downtime. We caved and put the rails back up on Emily's crib, so things are going much better in that department. She is no longer waking up at 3 am, thank goodness.

I am still busy in the evenings with my GNOs, the neighborhood Bunco group, and my Mom of Multiples group. I am now the treasurer, so I have a board meeting to attend in addition to the regular monthly meetings. Dad even manages to go golfing almost every Wednesday.

Cubs are doing well. We are finally over the sniffles. We are still rotating through the usual foods...the cubs are reluctant to try new things even though I offer them constantly. Zach actually does a little better than Emily when it comes to trying new things. Who would have believed that I would ever say that Zach is doing better than Emily in regards to eating?!?! Wow, we have come such a long way with our little man. Not long ago we would worry whether he was going to throw up every time he coughed (and he usually did). We are so thankful we have passed over that hurdle.

We are all really looking forward to the spring so we can all enjoy some more outdoor time. This winter has been much colder/wetter than usual and it has been pretty depressing being cooped up for days and days. We are all experiencing cabin fever and are looking forward to some outside play. Bring on the warmth!!

I have a ton of pictures to upload but for some reason I'm having trouble getting them on the blog. I've tried for a few days now with no luck. URGH!! Don't worry, I'll keep trying!

I want that job!

The only job I can think of where you can be utterly and completely wrong and not get fired...that's the job I want. Sign me up for meteorology classes!! Where is the 2-4" of snow that we were supposed to get?? We barely got a dusting that melted almost as soon as it touched ground. Not that I'm complaining. The western and southern counties in our viewing area actually received enough snow that schools were either closed or had delayed openings. We were just fine here, schools were open right on schedule. The cubs and I ventured out in the cold to go to their speech therapy, so as far as I'm concerned, it was just another day in the neighborhood. Thank you, Mr. Weatherman, for being WRONG!

Seriously????

We are expecting more !@&# snow. When did I move up north??? We are expecting snow again after midnight and we are under a winter weather advisory until tomorrow at 9pm. I am SO OVER IT!!! My roses all have leaf buds on them and they are ready for Spring just as much as I am. This weather stinks. FYI...this is TEXAS!!

Fun in the sun SNOW!!

Friday afternoon we took the cubs out to play in the snow. Emily's fever broke late Thursday night, and she seemed to be feeling fine. I didn't want them to miss the opportunity to play in this very rare, perfect snow. This was the first time they have been in snow (they've been sick every time it has snowed), so it was very fun for us to watch them play. Their laughter was well worth it!

Record breaking snow

As I mentioned before, this has been a very unusual winter for us. It started snowing around 5am last Thursday (Feb 11th) and didn't stop until Friday mid-morning. It ended up being a record breaking snowfall at DFW airport. By midnight Thursday, 11.2" of snow was recorded, smashing the previous 7.8" one-day total recorded in both 1917 and 1964. By Friday, the 24-hour record was also broken with a recorded 12.5", breaking the previous 1964 record of 12.1". This has also been the second snowiest season with 15.7" of accumulation so far, and we're not too far off from breaking that record of 17.6" from 1977/78. CRAZY WEATHER!

This snowfall was the beautiful snow that we RARELY see here in Texas. Big, fluffy flakes! Perfect snowman/snowball fight snow! Our snow is usually very icy, and the ice crystals do not allow for perfect packing. This was perfect snow. My only complaint was that it knocked out our power overnight. We had lost power for a few hours earlier Thursday evening, but at 10:40 it was knocked out for good and not restored until Friday morning. By that time, the temperature in the house was a nice, frigid 63 downstairs and 59 upstairs. The cubs managed to stay warm and snug in their beds and slept through most of it. Steve and I were working on "PLAN B", since it was getting too cold to stay here when our power was finally restored. We had many friends offer us a place to stay (we do have wonderful friends!!!!), but since Emily was sick (with fever) and they all had small kiddos as well (and we didn't want to spread the germies), we were planning on having to "hotel it" Friday night. Fortunately, it didn't come to that point. CRAZY WEATHER!

Bah humbug

I manage to get one cub feeling better just in time for the other to get sick. Emily has been running a fever since Sunday night. I took her to the Doctor on Monday morning only for them to tell me they can't see any infection in her ears, nose or throat. I guess I should be thankful, but no antibiotics and a persistent fever makes for an unhappy little girl and a very tired Mommy. Exhausting.

The weather isn't helping. It's been mostly rainy and damp. The sun finally came out today but the wind was bitterly cold. We're expecting snow tomorrow night. What an unusual winter we are having. Three snow days in December and a stretch of below freezing temperatures for a straight 53 hours is very rare for Texas. FOR A REASON!!! WE DON'T LIKE COLD WEATHER HERE!!! We like our warmth and sunshine and we want it back!!!

Christmas interrupted

So our Christmas plans were rudely interrupted by Mother Nature. Grandma and Grandpa Bear were supposed to come to Cub Central on Christmas Eve, but due to a BLIZZARD (no, your eyes are not deceiving you), they were snowed in at home. The interstate between their house and ours was closed and travel was impossible. We even received a few inches of snow here. I believe it was reported to be the first white Christmas in 80 years. So we are now scheduling a 2nd Christmas this weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Bear. We are expecting MORE snow (UGH!!) today so it had better clear out by Friday. Or else!

On a side note, the cubs had an awesome 1st Christmas. They had a blast opening up all of their gifts. Such lucky little cubs!! Pictures coming soon (hopefully).

Let it snow!

I woke up last Wednesday morning (Dec 2) to this white surprise. Unfortunately I was running late getting the Cubs to preschool, so they didn't have much of a chance to play in it. It had all melted by the time I picked them up but I did get a chance to snap this photo to prove to everyone that it does snow in Texas.

Catching up!

I want to thank my Mom for spending two weeks with us and helping out with the cubs. She pretty much handled every diaper for me, not to mention all of the other "chores". Thanks Mom! I also want to thank my Dad for letting my her come...it left him fending for himself. When my dad came to pick her up he brought these sand buckets for the cubs. What a hit!!


Grandpa Bear also brought this cool electronic drum set.

The obligatory Baxter photo.

Emily with Baxter.


Operation Separate Rooms
After much debate, Steve and I decided to separate the cubs. Naptime was going very poorly and it was starting to take a toll. The cubs would choose to talk and play instead of sleeping during their naptime and then they were miserable throughout dinner and the early evening. They would end up going to bed early and waking up the next morning even earlier. So we put Emily in her own room last Thursday. Much to my surprise it went very well. There was not much fuss and both cubs slept through the night. The true test would be naptime on Friday and amazingly it went well too. I have declared Operation Separate Rooms a success. Emily is still in her crib as I am still not brave enough to have her in a toddler bed yet. Luckily she hasn't tried to escape recently. I'm sure that time is coming soon though.

Her first night in her own room.:

His first night alone in his own room.:


Cold front
The weather here has been dreadfully hot. Today it was 105. I am looking forward to the cold front expected on Friday. The temp should drop to frigid 96. Gotta love Texas summers.

Our storm experience

Wednesday afternoon was as normal as any other Wednesday, although Zach had a slight fever. I was playing with the cubs and Steve had a kitchen pass to play golf. I signed up for a weather text alert on my phone so that any time a warning is issued for our area, I receive a text message about it. The text messages started coming in around 5:30pm. Severe thunderstorm warning. So I turn the TV on and the storm looks ugly even on the radar. I am desperately texting Steve telling him to come home. "BAD STORM COMING!" The text I get back...."I'm on the 6th hole". What??? I don't care. Then at 6:04 I receive the text for the Tornado Warning. Still desperately texting Steve. He manages to rip himself from the course to get home just in time. At 6:30 the sky is looking ugly and the tornado sirens are going off. Steve and I watch the rotation of the clouds. The storm is moving pretty quickly but I can't help but think that it's not moving quickly enough. The winds are coming from my left across the front of the house. Steve takes Emily upstairs to see what is happening on the other side of the house that I am unable to see from my viewpoint. Then I look to my right and all I see is a wall of darkness heading straight for us. I yell at Steve and we all run into our pantry which is the most central point in the house. We get there just in time. It is rather loud as the wall hits us. The lights start flickering and I am extremely nervous. The cubs also sense that something is wrong. Steve sticks his head out and comments that the fence is gone. I am just thankful that the fence didn't come through our back windows. What I'm sure was just a few minutes seemed like hours. The power is off but at least the house is still standing. We briefly survey the damage, wait out the remainder of the storm in the dark, and eventually head off to bed.

At 1:30 in the morning the power is still out, it's hot in the house, and it starts thundering again. We have to close the windows so it becomes even more stuffy. I'm worried about the food in the refrigerator, I can't sleep, and did I mention that I'm HOT!? I'm worried about Zach because he has a fever. He even managed to throw up all over me right before we put the cubs to bed, just as an added bonus. Somehow I manage to drift off for a few hours of rest. Steve went to work early Thursday morning as usual. The morning was rough. We had no AC, no TV, the cubs were restless and Zach still had a high fever. The food in the refrigerator was starting to spoil and it was storming again. Stupid text message at 6:30am says Severe Thunderstorm Warning until 7:00, then extended until 7:45, then extended again until 10am. The morning just keeps getting worse because by now the battery on my cell phone has died (my only link to the outside world), I need to call the Doctor, and it is STILL storming. I plug the phone into the car charger just to get enough juice to text Steve about Zach's fever, it wasn't strong enough to place an actual call. He calls the Doctor for me and gets us an appointment for 10:30. I pack up the cubs and head out into this latest round of storms. The scariest part of this storm was the lightning. Cloud to ground and it was vicious. It is hitting on both sides of the highway as I am trying to desperately get to our final destination. I see smoke on my left and look briefly at a house engulfed in flames, probably a result of a lightning strike. (I think I read that there were 45,000 lighting strikes in the D/FW area during these waves of storms.) All I want to do is get to the Doctor's office. I take a wrong turn...UGH...twice. Surely this has got to end soon! Finally I get to the office and Steve meets us there. Poor Zach has a sore throat (but not strep thank goodness). The storm has let up and I get everyone back home just as it starts raining again. Will it ever stop? The power is STILL off. It's lunch time, it's raining and we still have no power. Steve and I take a closer look at the damage. We were pretty lucky. In our immediate area, several homes had fence damage, many large trees were knocked down, our neighbor's gazebo and outdoor kitchen was demolished, two houses under construction were destroyed and one burned down. Steve and I actually ended up taking some of our food to the apartment since the power is on there. We still have the lease until the 18th. Who knew we would actually use it?! Over 260,000 homes and business were without power at the height of the storm. Our power was FINALLY restored around 7pm so we went 24 hours without power and I must say it was rough. It sure does make us appreciate our modern conveniences. As much as I complained about it, I know that it could have been so much worse.

We want to thank all of our friends locally that offered to help while we were without power. We are so fortunate to have such great friends!

Look at Mommy's pretty plants

Take a look at the pretty plants Steve (and Zach) spent three days planting for me. This picture was taken at the beginning of our outdoor project (on Sunday) and it took Steve three days (he would come home after work and spend all evening outdoors) to do everything. We finished up the final touches on Tuesday night. Aren't they pretty?? Steve worked so hard on it. Thank you sweetie!



Here it a picture of my pretty plants on Wednesday evening, the day after Steve was finished planting everything.





A little later that evening. The next round of storms can be seen in the background.




The next morning we took a closer look. We had a total of nine posts splinter like toothpicks.:





Most of the panels held together. However, the pickets are stripped completely from the panel in the center:




View from the upstairs window. The panel in the center of the picture is also from our fence.




So nine splintered posts and just as many heavy fence panels thrown around like toys results in a repair bill around $1100.00 hard-earned dollars. We should count our blessings though. It could have been much worse.

The pile on the left previously looked like the framed house on the right. These houses (frames) were in the same stage of construction. The one on the left was reduced to rubble, the one on the right appears to be ok.

Our storm experience: story to be posted later. Stay tuned.

Random happenings around the Swine Flu

Emily and Zach had their two year check-ups on April 29th. We got out of there with only one shot each, however I think they managed to pick up a cold while we were there too. BOO HISS! I originally thought that they were suffering from allergies due to this crazy weather, but then it developed into a crummy cold. Commence nose mopping. UGH.

Stats:
Emily weighs a whopping 28 lbs. which puts her in the 68%tile for weight. A few weeks earlier she weighed 29 lbs., so she actually has thinned down a bit. I guess all of the running in, out and around the house has really melted away her baby fat. She is 36" tall which puts her in the 95%tile. That means that 95% of children her age are shorter than her. YIKES. She's going to be a tall girl.

Zach weighs 23.4 lbs. which finally puts him on the growth chart at a stunning 5%tile. That means 95% of children his age weigh more than he does. Big surprise. He's going to be tall and skinny. I'm ok with that. He is 34" tall which is the 40%tile. That's pretty close to average. Good enough for Mommy. He isn't throwing up anymore and for that I am so thankful.

That night I celebrated with another one of those tasty raspberry margaritas with my "scrapbooking" girls. I have a lot to be thankful for.

Thanks to the Swine Flu we didn't even attempt to go to Paradise Pond. Or anywhere else for that matter. Most of the school districts were closed here, so the Pond was probably closed anyway. We've been staying at home and playing outside when the weather cooperates.

On Saturday (May 2) Steve treated me to a day away. He took care of the cubs while I had a spa treatment (if I had money to waste I'd have one of these every day) and then lunch with my fellow moms at Brios. What a great day. Except for the weather -- it was pretty crummy. That afternoon a storm collapsed the roof of the Cowboys' training facility. We were fortunate and didn't receive any damage but sadly others weren't as lucky. Mother Nature can be very ugly.

Tuesday night was another GNO with my friends. I love that Steve is willing to put the cubs to bed so I can enjoy dinner with friends. We went to Cheddars, where I of course indulged myself in the onion rings (yum) and a Cookie Monster (more yummy)...and a raspberry something or other. This has become such a frequent order that Steve actually bought me my own bottle of Raspberry mix so I can make my own at home. I hope he doesn't think that this means I'll stop going to GNO. Hee hee.

Yesterday was Emily and Zach's ECI evaluation. Emily qualifies for speech therapy and I'm excited to get started with that. She speaks in her own little language. She changes her tone and uses facial expressions and hand gestures as if she's telling a whole story. Unfortunately I can't understand a single word. I do think that once she starts talking, she'll really take off. Zach also qualifies for speech therapy and occupational therapy to help with his eating aversions. No surprise there. That is the reason I called them. Zach has come a long way but he still has a way to go. We know he'll get there!

The long awaited catch-up blog.

I'm looking over my calendar and thinking to myself "Boy, is the reading public going to be disappointed with this one". So fair warning to all...while I have been off-line "forever", not much happened while I was gone.

Moving day:
April 9th was moving day. I struggled to get as much packed as possible before the movers showed up. Steve met them first at our storage building and then brought them to the apartment. As soon as it was confirmed that they were on their way(around 10am) I packed up the cubs and headed out. There was no way I was going to witness this move, especially with the cubs under foot. We drove by the old house, grabbed lunch at Chick-fil-A (we ate in the car), I treated myself to a vanilla latte and a chocolate donut from Starbucks, and then we headed to the mall. Thankfully I took Husky (Em's dog) and L.E. (Zach's elephant) with us so the cubs actually behaved better than I expected. Sadly, though, there was no nap. By 3pm I was begging to come home. I couldn't wait to see if things were put where I wanted them....such a control freak. I must admit that everyone did a good job. Later that night I was smack dab in the middle of suffering from the worst sore throat I think I have ever had. I was MISERABLE. I had taken Emily to the Doctor the day before and she was pretty miserable too. Poor Zach and Daddy didn't escape it either. We all spent the next few days under house arrest. I even missed my parenting class. No one felt like doing anything and the boxes remained stacked up all around us. By Sunday (Easter Sunday) Zach had a fever and by Monday he was suffering from the pink-eye minus the pink too. Steve called the Doctor early that morning and we were able to get in within a matter of hours. Little Emily Bear was diagnosed with her very first ear infection. Both cubs were prescribed antibiotics for sinusitis (I wish I could have had some too) and we took our sick selves back home. What an enjoyable way to spend our first days in our brand new home.

Easter:
We missed Easter morning services because Zach had a fever. I was so disappointed because I had bought Zach the cutest little Easter outfit to match a dress that one of Grandma Shirley's friends had sent us for Emily and I couldn't wait to take pictures. We missed out on every Easter activity this year....we didn't make it to a single egg-hunt and I was disappointed about that too. I really think the cubs would have had a lot of fun. The cubs did open their Easter gifts from Great Grandma Betty and Grandma Shirley and Grandpa John. Emily thinks that all gifts are hers. She loves opening gifts and she's good at it, even if they don't belong to her. We had fun playing with the puzzles, reading the books and watching the DVDs they received. Not to mention how cute they will look in their new pajamas. Pictures to come later.

Services:
We have had our fair share of people coming by...the refrigerator was delivered, the security system set up, the painters were here numerous time, the tile cleaners and installers, the TV guy to install the TV/Internet, blah blah blah. We've had a revolving door of service people through here lately.

March for Babies:
April 18th was our local chapter March for Babies. Our friends Kristi and Donna drove all the way from Abilene to join us. Wow! They were also our very first house guests. We were a little worried about the weather, but despite all of the talk about severe storms, we made it through the walk without more than a few drops of rain. It was actually very pleasant. Last year was hot, so I much preferred the cooler morning. Debbie and her daughter Sydney also met us there. I was sad that Steve had to work and was unable to make it. We want to thank everyone for their support! We are very lucky to have such wonderful family and friends.

LCMOM meeting/garage sale:
Tuesday the 21st was my LCMOM meeting. A speaker presented information to us about college planning. I don't even want to think about it. Two words: Golf SCHOLARSHIP. I also chose to participate in the garage sale, so I've spent my spare minutes gathering and tagging items. I had to work the sale on Friday for several hours and was glad to get that out of the way. I have yet to get the final sales total but was happy to free up some space here at the house. I sold the swing that Zach spent most of his first year in due to his reflux issues. That was a sad moment. He's grown up so fast.

Grandma and Grandpa Bear's visit:
My parents arrived on Friday. We were very happy to see them and I was excited for them to see the cubs again. They have changed so much. I was sad that I had to work at the garage sale while they were here, but the alternative was to postpone their visit for two more weeks and I don't think anyone wanted to do that. The cubs opened their birthday presents...we have a band in the making....Emily got a keyboard and Zach got an electronic drum set. I'm going to sit in a quiet corner and read some of the books they received. We cooked out on Saturday, the first time here at the new house. I am really enjoying the patio and watching the cubs play in the yard. I must admit that they are sleeping much better since the move, probably because they are so exhausted after all of the running they are doing. I think they are adjusting rather well. I know we will be happy once all of these boxes are unpacked.

Pictures:
We will be posting pictures as soon as we find the missing cable. UGH. It's either buried in a box or still at the apartment. Moving is such an inconvenience sometimes.

I guess that sums up most of what has happened in the last 18 days. We spent most of the time in voluntary quarantine battling this horrible illness that just drags on and on and on. The rest of our time has been spent scheduling service people and unpacking boxes. Steve took a few days off but unfortunately we didn't get as much done as we had hoped since he was under the shroud of illness as well. We didn't allow the cubs to attend any play dates until this past Thursday. We didn't want to risk infecting any of our friends. I did take them to Paradise Pond since our tile was being cleaned and sealed and we needed to be out of the house. They were still on their antibiotics so hopefully we won't have a relapse. It will be such a relief for things to get back to "normal".

One last update before pulling the plug (temporarily)

Saturday was a very busy day. I had scheduled three painters to come to the new casa to give us estimates. One was a no-show which made the afternoon even longer. I was definitely going to need a margarita and I was not disappointed. Saturday night we helped our good friend Matt celebrate his birthday at Joe T. Garcia's. I had never been there before but it is quite a popular little establishment. The line to get in was ridiculous and they don't take reservations, but it wasn't bad because we were in good company. The pitcher of margarita didn't hurt either. I think there was 14 of us in our group and Steve and I had a very good time. We dropped the cubs off at an hourly daycare. This was the first time we had ever done this so I was a bit apprehensive. I was not too worried about Zach. I knew as soon as I put him down he would be off and running. I was right. Little man didn't even look back. I was worried that dropping off Emily would be a little more difficult. She's been pretty clingy and I thought there would be some tears. HA! Could I have been more wrong?? I must admit that my feelings were a little hurt. They didn't even seem to notice us as we left. Emily joined a big circle of older kids (she's not shy at all) and the rest was history. Three hours later we went in to pick them up. Not only did we have to work at getting their attention, they didn't even really want to leave. OUCH!

Sunday was a blur. I was planning on taking the cubs to an Easter egg hunt but it was just way too cold and windy. We have had the craziest weather lately. I think we even had temperatures below freezing one night. That afternoon we met up with Matt and Beth Ann at the house so they could see it for the first time. We had a nice visit and then did a little grocery shopping before coming home.

The first seminar class was Monday night. I'm hoping to learn some very useful techniques for dealing with my Cubs when they are exhibiting some less than angelic behavior. I know it's hard to believe but it does happen on occasion where a little demon takes over.

Tuesday morning I met with the painters for a final walk-through to make sure that everyone was on the same page. I'm pretty excited to see what it looks like when they are finished. It is so hard to select colors from such a small sample card. That evening I met some friends for a much needed (aren't they all??) GNO (girls' night out). I showed a little restraint and did not order my usual (raspberry margarita) but I did break down at dessert time. One last dessert before the big DIET. Steve and I have decided to start eating better after we get moved in. It will be so much easier when we can enjoy the evening on the patio and grill our dinners. During the spring, summer and fall we usually grill most of our meats and vegetables but we haven't been able to do so here at the apartment. We are both craving a good steak.

Emily came down with "pink-eye" minus the pink yesterday afternoon, so this morning I dragged my poor little puffy raccoon face to the Doctor. We have had more Doctor appointments this year than we did for all of 2008. What in the world is going on here? This time it turned out that Emily probably has a small virus mixed in with a huge batch of allergies. Poor baby....she looks absolutely horrible. Her face is puffy and she has red bags under her eyes. This mess had better clear out by Saturday. We are supposed to go on an Easter egg hunt and I want to take pictures. In case you were wondering, yes, it is supposed to rain. My luck in action.

Zach has been doing really well. He ate one half of a Mum Mum today. It is a crunchy type of rice cracker. I couldn't believe it and I couldn't stop watching. This is progress in action. The other day we didn't feed him any baby food. WOO HOO. He still likes mac and cheese and the refried beans from Taco Bueno. He has even started eating rice if it has a little sauce or gravy on it. I honestly can't remember the last time we had a Mt. Vesuvius eruption and I am thanking God for that!

Tomorrow morning the movers come and I am excited but dreading it at the same time. I just know that it is going to be a very long day and I'm not sure how the cubs are going to handle everything. Emily did help pack a box of toys today. She is such a good little helper. It turns out that she also packed her shoes and Zach's sippy cup. OOPS.

Moving forward

So far so good on the sale of the old house. The date that the buyers could terminate the contract without reason has passed. Steve is finishing up the minor issues that the buyers want fixed. He has managed to bring most of the boxes down from the attic and move them to storage. I think we have enough Christmas lights to decorate the whole neighborhood. Just wait until we have our first Christmas at the new house, we will be the beacon of light that all airline passengers will be able to see as they are flying above. The appraisers are scheduled to come out early tomorrow morning. I am so excited to get this house sold. What a huge relief it will be to not have two mortgages at the same time.

There isn't much to catch up on this week. Last Sunday we took the cubs to the park to enjoy the spectacular weather. Can you believe that we left earlier than planned because it was just too hot?? After the park we visited with our friend Donna who was here from out of town.

Monday night was GNO with Deb and Kristi. LOVE LOVE LOVE those raspberry margaritas. Monday was also the last day of our spectacular weather. The rest of the week was cold and rainy and we have been cooped up since. I think the cubs and I are experiencing cabin fever. We did venture out on Thursday for Zach's therapy appointment. While it did not go as badly as the week before it still did not go very well. I feel like I am watching dollars go down the drain here, and at a particular time where we don't have much money to waste. I'm going to give it a few more sessions and then I might contact ECI (early childhood intervention). They are much cheaper and perform therapy at home where the child is more comfortable. I think the major problem with Zach's therapy is that he's not comfortable. He starts screaming as soon as we put him in the little wooden chair. After his therapy we went to Paradise Pond. Major mistake on my part. The cubs acted horribly and I was so embarrassed that after the third temper tantrum I gathered them up and brought them home. Zach even refused to walk out with me, so I had to carry them both to the car in the yucky weather. UGH. Paradise Pond is supposed to be a fun treat. It's a real beating for me because it is so hard to keep an eye on them at the same time. They are usually at opposite ends of the building, and Zach won't stand still for a second. I don't really enjoy it, but since they (usually) do, I suck it up so that they will have a fun time, but I don't think anyone had fun at our last visit. Maybe we'll have to skip it next week.

The weather is still crummy and we are still stuck inside. When will we ever see the sun again??

What a week! The good, the bad, and the ugly.

***SIGH*** Where to start??

We'll start with the good. Last Tuesday night was my LCMOM's meeting (Mothers of Multiplies). Basically I love any excuse to get out of the house. Unfortunately it was scrapbook night. I'm not a big scrapbooker. I have tried and just don't have the time to do it. I made a scrapbook for my Mom of the Cubs' first six months. She will probably see the Cub's second six month scrapbook when they are twelve. I have the greatest of intentions, but never the time to fit everything in. Anyway, it was still good to get out and visit with the other moms. On a side note, I was asked to be the Social Chairmom. Planning parties and such. Obviously they are unaware that Steve plans everything for us. He has planned every one of our vacations (except our Honeymoon). I have never planned a single party in my life...not one. This is totally beyond my limitations and I respectfully declined. On Wednesday night, Mom got to enjoy another night out with the girls from THC. We went to a Mexican restaurant and I stuffed myself with enchiladas. Yum! The Cubs and I went to Kelli's for a playdate on Thursday. I always enjoy our playdates and I think the cubs had a great time too. It was such a beautiful day that we took a nice walk around her neighborhood. Zach had his eyes closed most of the time. He is a little vampire and doesn't care much for the sunlight. I keep trying to get him to wear sunglasses but he won't stand for it. They are more fun to play with than to wear. Emily found that the stroll was the perfect opportunity to squeeze in her nap. So we extended our walk for a few more blocks so Emily could snooze. I learned that I am out of shape. By the time we were finished I needed a nap.

Now for the bad and the ugly. Zach is sick, sick, sick. We're not talking the usual sniffles. Friday night he had a slight fever so I gave him some Tylenol and put him to bed. On Saturday he still had a fever, so Steve took him to Care Now, an urgent care clinic, that afternoon. The Doctor said his tonsils were a little swollen but his strep test came back negative, so we were instructed to keep giving him Tylenol. Saturday was horrible. I couldn't get him to eat or drink anything. I freak out when he doesn't eat, but I know how important fluids are when you are sick with a fever, so I really freaked out when I couldn't get him to drink. I tried water, juice, Pediasure, Pedialyte in sippy cups, straw cups, bottles (UGH), and even in Mommy's cup....nothing. Tylenol didn't seem to help and his fever wasn't coming down. He threw up everything I tried to feed him. Sunday didn't start out as bad, at least I got him to eat a little yogurt, but that was all, and he still had his fever. I called the care clinic as soon as they opened on Sunday morning and asked them why an antibiotic wasn't prescribed. After two phone calls with the nurse explaining that we have now passed our 36th hour of fever, we got our antibiotic on Sunday night. However, Sunday night was even worse. He wanted to be held but squirmed when you held him. If I put him down, he screamed. He cried and cried. Still no eating and even less drinking. Poor Daddy was up with him most of the night. I was in the other room crying out of frustration because little man still wouldn't drink or eat. He even threw up his medicine. I was so relieved when he finally fell asleep around 2 am. Monday morning I finally got little man to drink some water and eat some yogurt, but his little lips were so chapped that they started bleeding. I know he's lost weight because the skin over his stomach is loose like little old man skin. We called our new pediatrician and got him right in. Steve took him while I stayed home with Emily. The Doctor said that his tonsils were still very swollen but the antibiotics should start helping him. (I'm still peeved that we weren't prescribed this on Saturday. One shouldn't have to fight so hard to get treatment for their child.) Steve said Zach liked her and that he gave her one of his flirty smiles. Great. Never too sick to flirt. He is doing a little better now. He ate some fruit at lunch and his favorite Gerbers chicken at dinner. He still isn't drinking his Pediasure, which is his main source of nutrition, but at least he'll take a few sips of juice and water. It took forever to get him to go to sleep, but once he did he slept most of the night. Steve and I even got a few hours of sleep. It was a really rough weekend, we were all sleep deprived and exhausted...except for Emily. That little girl can sleep through anything. She wasn't phased by this at all. I'm jealous.

It is now Tuesday morning at 4:30 am and I am praying that things go better today. The crazy weather here isn't helping one bit and I know that we are going to be cooped up inside all day. It was 80 degrees on Friday (absolutely beautiful) and last night and today we are under an "Ice Storm Warning". I didn't even know it was coming. I received an email from work yesterday morning with an inclement weather number to call and didn't know why I got it. Now I know. That's what happens when you don't watch the news. We can only get Handy Manny, Curious George, and Sesame Street on our TV, and it's always a beautiful day on Sesame Street, "sunny day, sweeping the clouds away, on my way to where the air is sweet". Lesson of the day: don't get your weather report from Sesame Street. Unless it's from the Grouch News Network....Oscar would say the weather is "Crummy. I love it. Now SCRAM!"

Too tired to think of a title.

How sad is that? I can usually think of something but sheer exhaustion has taken over.

The house is now on the market. While we still have some minor things to finish up, the sign is now posted and we are officially listed. Steve and I have been incredibly busy trying to get everything moved out of the house and into the apartment or into storage. We have been taking alternate turns, one staying to cubsit, and the other going to the house. The process has gone much slower than we would have liked, but at least we are making some progress. The housekeeper should be coming this week and the carpet cleaners are scheduled for Wednesday.

The cubs have been handling everything pretty well. With the exception of Emily's molars coming in. She has been a real handful lately. At the last tooth check, she has three molars coming in. They haven't yet broken through but they must be causing some extreme pain for her because we are all feeling it. Too bad she isn't following Zach's example. He has a molar that has already come through and he didn't fuss a bit. He is such a trooper. Emily is not. She wakes up screaming in the middle of the night and won't calm down unless one of us is in there with her. So Steve and I have been taking turns sleeping on the floor in their room because we are afraid that her screaming will alert the neighbors, who will in turn alert CPS. It has been miserable. If I ever needed a back massage, it is now. I seriously doubt that there is any carpet padding installed in this apartment. I feel like Wilma Flintstone sleeping on a rock slab. Yabba Dabba Do. It will sure make me appreciate the upgraded carpet padding we are having installed in the new house.

We did drive by the house this weekend. Things are progressing very quickly there. It now looks like a house. I'm a little overwhelmed by how fast this is happening. It is exciting, but ulcer inducing as well, at least until the house sells. Steve's friend Brian has helped us move some of our really heavy furniture and we are very thankful to him. We have really great friends and family who have helped us with this huge transition. Many many thanks to all of you!!

Emily and Zach have been trying some new foods lately. Emily had some pineapple. She also had fruit cocktail which the first time she ate the whole serving while the next time she totally refused it. Fussy monkey. Zach has tried scrambled egg. I don't think he liked it very much but at least he tried it. That was huge for him. He also ate #3 Gerber spaghetti. This is the first time he has eaten a #3 food and been able to keep it down, so we are very proud of him. It's been slow going but at least we are seeing some progress. He has even started drinking some of his Pediasure from his sippy cup. I'm starting to feel a little less discouraged and a little more optimistic that he will be eating something other than pureed foods before he enters preschool.

The weather has taken a major downturn. Yesterday the temperature was in the 70s and today the high was only in the low 30s. It is sleeting and the overpasses and bridges are icy and dangerous. They said the temperature last night dropped 30 degrees in 30 minutes. I believe it. I had made a grocery run and stopped to fill up the car and the change was unreal. CRAZY weather. By Thursday the temperature is supposed to be back up near 70. No wonder everyone is always sick here.