Vegas Baby...

When one can't run in the half marathon they paid for due to a broken foot then the next obvious thing to do is head to Vegas. I had help/assistance from Grandma D already lined up for the weekend so I found a traveling companion and booked the airfare and hotel.  Helen and I stayed at the Venetian.  We traveled out with two others who stayed at the Palazzo which is a sister property of the Venetian. The hotels were connected so you never had to go outside if you didn't want to.  We all flew in together but we didn't see the other two until the next afternoon.  

We flew in on Saturday and flew out on Monday so it wasn't a long trip but it was long enough. I don't know how people stay in Vegas for longer than a few days.  The smoke, the lack of time being available, the walking, the general expense of food and drinks is alright for a couple days. I enjoyed a break from someone screaming they have a question, playing referee, fixing meals and snacks all day long and various other requirements of my daily job.  

Helen and I after dinner and back in our hotel. Ready to hit the slot machines.  

She kept winning. It was annoying. I kept losing. It was annoying.

Saturday afternoon after our Roulette lesson that we never had a chance to put into practice which was beyond disappointing.

After dinner Sunday night we were looking for a place to hang out. It's hard to find a place on a Sunday night b/c there's not much going on. We ended up at one of the bars in between the Venetian and Palazzo and across from the bar was the production of Rock of Ages. The star of Rock of Ages is the one and only Joey Fatone. Helen had just been saying how she'd never had a run in with a famous person. I hadn't either but I don't pay attention to people and hadn't thought about it much. He was about to leave b/c the show was over and all the people were gone so we stole our chance and asked for a picture. It was beyond awkward. He was nice. But why is this guy still famous.

The whole crew.  I didn't get the memo that it was black dress night.

It was a fun trip. It was hard to come back to the yelling and screaming. I am anxiously awaiting the next trip.  I love the children but I love a break from them too.

M&W - W&M

I decided it was time for a family trip to the dentist. I went on Tuesday, Miss M went on Wednesday, and Andrew went on Thursday. We started seeing a new dentist and it confirmed that we need dental insurance as soon as we can get it. Good grief the dentist is expensive - even with a whooping 20% discount. 

They have a tv on above the dental chair for Miss M to zone out. It was successful.  We learned she had a cavity and needed to schedule an additional appointment. I asked the dentist if she was ready to sedate the girl b/c I didn't see how this could go well. She said it would be quick and easy and they would just tell her they were cleaning one special tooth.  She bought it. She zoned out to Jake and the Neverland Pirates and five minutes and $150 later we were back in the van. 

I set up a marble game where the kids drop marbles through a cut up pool noodle into a bowl. It was a hit for about 5 minutes and then I spent about 5 days trying to find all the marbles that they played with.  The marbles are now in hiding until I can find a sucker to take them.

Miss M is moving on up in the car seat world. I need her car seat for Kit-Kat and so I bought her a booster. I have yet to install it in the car b/c it requires her sitting in the third row.  It also requires me to climb in the back of the car and buckle her in. I refuse to climb into the back of the car with a broken foot. So for now it's going to sit in our living room.

Big Willie and I went on a date Friday morning. I got a babysitter b/c he had a play date/get to know the teacher day at school.  We ran to the post office and to the library and then to school. He loves nothing more than to play opossum when he gets in the car. He's pretty good at it and he's so funny and adorable when he busts into laughter bc he thinks he's funny. I did buy him a new spring coat since his 12-18 month sized coat wasn't quite going over the belly.

He chatted with the fish at the library.

Miss M was having a little fashion show for me as she got herself dressed for school.

Miss M's self portrait.  She painted herself at school.  She was so proud of herself.

Big Willie was playing hide under my skirt. When I would move he'd crawl back under and scream 'I Hide'.

Slumber Party Fun!

Alicia's husband was overseas working for a week and she needed friends to come keep her company. I told her we'd come out and spend the night. It was just as easy/difficult to pack to go out for the night than it was to spend just a couple hours. I convinced Helen and the boys to come slumber party with us since they only live a few miles away.  

Helen brought over Happy Meals and the kids ate and played and tattled minimally.  It was perfect until it wasn't perfect anymore.  The kids all set up blankets/blow up beds/pillows to sleep in the basement together. Alicia turned on one tv show and then another and then another until it went from 7:30pm to 10:00pm in a blink of an eye and the kids were tired but weren't smart enough to shut their eyes with the tv on.  Finally, we forced them to lay down and they sort of got comfortable then around midnight Alicia's girls went crazy and woke everyone up again. Thankfully around 10pm I asked Miss M if she wanted to sleep in a bed with me and she gladly accepted.  

It was a learning experience.  We won't let things get out of control next time and we'll separate them to their own rooms before midnight.  

Gabe insisted Miss M sleep on his blow up mattress with him.  He loves her so much. 

Big Willie slept by himself under a bunch of blankets until I put him in a pack-n-play around 9pm.

You can see the exhaustion in their eyes.

Random Pictures

It's finally park time!!!

Everyone loves park time!!!

Park time is even better when you can con all your friends into going to the park too!!!

This is/was a common scene in our upstairs hallway. This is probably a little worse than usual but there are/were clothes just everywhere. The clothes at the bottom of the picture are due to me being in the process of laundry and not having a laundry room but rather a laundry closet in the bathroom.  Miss M has gotten really good (bad) at getting dressed (sometimes multiple times a day) and just throwing all her clothes in her basket or drawers all over her floors.  I finally lost my mind and freaked out on her. I was tired of picking up her messes and then seeing the same mess hours later.

I got out an empty tub and made her pick her favorite 5 shirts, pajamas, pants she wanted to put in her drawers and put the rest of it in the tub. I knew she would end up with more than 5 articles of each category of clothing b/c the laundry hadn't been completed but it helped weed out stuff that didn't fit, had holes in it, and was the wrong season. Overall, it made her drawers much more manageable for all of us. She cried and freaked out on me and told me I was the meanest mommy ever and all kinds of other things that I can handle b/c of my broad shoulders. I told her she could have the other clothes back when she started taking care of her stuff. I walked into her room the next day to find the minimal clothes in her drawer on the floor.  I don't know what it will take to get her to not throw things everywhere.

Bertha. She's gone. This was right before I took the boot off for what I hope is forever. If I am honest with myself I should probably still be wearing it b/c it provides so much more stability than my shoe especially when I am navigating eight gazillion toys. The pretty yellow splash of color is due to my painting of the baby house turned play house which I will post about when it's complete.

And there's a woman with two shoes on her feet. I felt like I was on fire. I came home and spring cleaned the heck out of the house b/c I wasn't limited in going up and down stairs or squatting down. I was rather impressed with myself. The left foot looks fatter b/c now under the shoe insert is a carbon fiber insert which is to act like a boot and not let me completely bend my foot.  The right foot just looks worn and dirty b/c I have been wearing it non-stop for 5 weeks. The only time I take it off is to shower and sleep and sometimes I sleep in the shoe b/c I am so tired.

We've moved Big Willie back to the high chair. He's sort of decided it on his own and we've sort of forced him into it. He is eating so much more b/c he's strapped in and not running around the bench and getting distracted by Miss M.

The girls.

Kit-Kat

She's on the move.  Ain't nothing going to hold her down. Oh no.  Well, unless Big Willie sits on her like she's his personal horse which does happen...regularly. 

I brought a full length mirror to the basement so I could set Kit-Kat in front of it for entertainment.  She loves to eat herself in the mirror.

She's recently started to try and pull herself up. She isn't pulling herself up on furniture but she gets herself pulled up on small toys so furniture isn't far off.  I feel like I need to find little tiny shoes for her so she can play outside.  She rips off socks as soon as you put them on so it's not worth the effort.  

She likes to eat fruit, Cheerios, bread, pasta. She isn't really interested in bottles and really never has been as she's easily distracted by noises and there's so much noise around here. She's learning that she can make just as much noise as the other two. There's a lot of screaming around here between playing, fighting, and just making noise to make noise. 

She does have four teeth. She's gotten the two on top and two on bottom. She enjoys biting you and her teeth are so sharp they hurt. She also likes to pull hair and she doesn't discriminate whose hair she pulls.

Baby Prom

Saturday was the dance recital and Sunday was baby prom. One of Miss M's friends turned four and her mom threw a party with baby prom as the theme. I had been anxiously awaiting baby prom. I found a frilly dress at Target left over from Easter. Miss M was just as excited about its frilliness.  

I wanted to get Big Willie a baby tux or suit but time didn't allow for such purchases or findings.  I did find him a jacket to go with a cute outfit he already had but it ended up too hot for a jacket. He was also quite crabby b/c he woke up before the birds.  I shouldn't have taken him but rather left him at home with Andrew and Kit-Kat (who was sleeping) but I had plans to run to Nordstroms afterward and buy them new shoes. I wanted them to be present so I wasn't buying and exchanging shoe sizes over and over. 

Baby prom - under the lights

Gabe making sure Miss M looks divine.

Smitten.

Spencer doesn't want left out of the fun. 

Big Willie ate a sammie. And watched the bubble machine. He basically sat a lot and wanted to be loved on.

Except when he wanted to be a boss.

Miss Mary and Miss M anxiously awaiting the cake cutting.

After prom at Nordstoms.

They voluntarily held hands b/c they didn't want to hold my hand in the parking garage. They are so adorable.

But prom and after prom did Big Willie in. We were barely in the car before he crashed.

Dance Recital

The dance recital caused MUCH less drama than the rehearsal.  She promised she wouldn't cry about the brown tights.  And she didn't.  We left the house about an hour before to get there so the kids could all be properly herded in the school gymnasium.  I left Andrew and Aunt Nessie at home to wake and move the other children.  

They left out colors and paper for the kids to keep busy before and after their performance.  

Miss M is the first one on the left.  She actually participated and did the dance or at least 80% of it.

This is the part in the performance where they all run to a circle wait until the music changes and then run back. She's the little one in the middle looking toward the camera.  She looks so tiny compared to the others.

Look at Kit-Kat - she looks like such a grumpy old man.

Aunt Nessie came out to celebrate Miss M's first dance recital.  Aunt Nessie is a busy woman and had engagements before and after the dance recital but she was thoughtful enough to fit it into her schedule.

I have signed Miss M up for the next round of ballet. I need to pay more attention while she's in class and see if she's engaged in the activities or cut our losses and find a new activity.  After I determine whether or not she actually likes ballet enough to stick with classes I will then start to work on being a dance mom. I think Miss M was one of the few girls without glitter in their hair and make up on.  I also didn't buy the teacher a gift. I didn't buy Miss M flowers for after her performance but we were able to celebrate at the ice cream shop. Good thing she's only 4 and I have time to perfect my skills and buy her off cheap with ice cream.

Dance rehearsal

We had dress rehearsal for the big dance recital on Saturday.  Oh goodness. I can't handle 4 years old. There's so much emotion wrapped up in it.  She was already exhausted when I made her quit watching a show b/c she didn't end up going to bed until after 11pm the night before.  

She doesn't handle shutting the television off well even when dance isn't involved so yesterday was an epic meltdown.  Epic. It started with screaming NOOOO at me from the basement at the top of her lungs. I remained calm for this and finished doing some stuff around the kitchen.  Then she proceeded to stomp up the stairs after I possibility threatened her.  She screamed some more. I picked her up. She slapped my face. Game. Over.  I threw her over my shoulder and took her upstairs where I basically threatened her life.  

I got out her oh so lovely ballet dress and attempted to shove her into it. She thrashed around on the bed like a fish out of water and screamed and cried some more. It was fun.  She told me she never wanted to do ballet again. I told her it was fine b/c I didn't want to take her to ballet again.  After I got her clothes off and started to put on her tights she lost it all over again.  The tights were brown.  Brown as in nude.  Brown as in the worst color on earth. Brown didn't go with her beautiful pink dress (that isn't pink rather it's coral but I left that argument alone).  She was afraid her teacher, Miss Valerie, wouldn't think she looked pretty in brown tights. I got the tights on her. I got her dress on her and shoved her in the car.  

Before shoving her in the car I took a picture with her and all of a sudden she stopped crying.  She started crying all over again once she got in the car.  She cried the entire five minute drive to the school. 

She appears fine now that she sees everyone has brown tights on.

This is about par for the course.

Saturday should be interesting.  It's either going to make me cancel the next session of ballet or make me proud of her for not freaking out about brown tights.  We shall see.