Busy few months to say the least

Wow! These last few months have just flown by. I can't believe we are starting into May this week. After the long harsh winter we've had though, I can't believe I'm complaining about it being May soon. But busy is the least I can say about the last few months of this family's lives. So let's gets started already! I have a ton to update about. I wish I could have a video camera that follows me so I wouldn't forget everything but heck who does. 

Cheyenne is graduating high school next month! Yikes!! I am so scared for her and for me:) So she has decided to stick around here for school. Which would be fine if it was because of me, but I'm afraid it's not:( Either way, Tony and I have to support her in the decisions she makes and hope she makes the right ones the majority of the time. I used to think to myself about how some parents are like "cut the cord already" but unfortunately I might be one of those moms. It's just hard to give up that control. So so hard! But Cheyenne has proved that she is starting to become more responsible young adult. She just received a 4.0 on her last quarter's report card. Which is awesome. And let's not forget that is all while having a boyfriend and a job. That's pretty good. And she has saved up enough money in the last year to buy herself a car. Some adults can't even say that! Of all the worrying I have done in the last 17 years, she really has surprised me and Tony and we have are very proud of her. 

So onto the next oldest, Elliott. Sounds funny that he is only 5 but none the less my middle child. Well for now:) Elliott is such a joy to be around and such a good kid. We are very proud to be his parents. In school his teacher said not to be surprised if he is an early reader. He is definitely ready for kindergarten which we hope to be at SJV. He is currently in t-ball in which he plays on the same team as his cousins and his dad and uncle coach the team. This definitely has made the transition to an organize sport easier for Elliott let alone any little boy his age. He is having such a great time with it and ask if he has a game or practice everyday. The only real problem we have with Elliott at this time is how he expresses his anger. I wish he wouldn't get so frustrated and scream/yell but he does which everyday tests our patience but heck what parents patience aren't tested? He is a smart little bugger tho. The other day he knew he was getting in trouble so he changed the subject to what he knew would interest me. He asked me if the baby was kicking. Such a stinker:)

Onto to my Princess Maci which is what she prefers to be called. What a diva. What can I say about her, she is absolutely adorable and as much as she too test our patience, it is so hard to be mad at her. She is in early preschool and loves it. The only part she doesn't like is the drop off. It absolutely breaks my heart when I have to leave her there crying. She tells me " but momma, I want to be with you everyday" boy does that get me everytime:(  But on a happier note, she just got her ears pierced and she can't wait to be able to change them to princess earrings. She continues to talk a whole bunch and if you were to hear her , you'd probably think she was from Jersey. 

And last of all Tony and I. And since it's almost 0200 I'll make it short and sweet. Tony is working back at Sommerdyke we thank The Lord for that. Also the racing has begun and that's all I need to say about that:) As for me, I'm just feeling very pregnant. According to the Dr . We should be able to meet this little one in 4-5 weeks. I am 33 weeks today and couldn't be more ready. Working thirds, having 3 other kiddos and being pregnant really does do a number on you. Either way, we all can't wait until June when our new bundle of joy arrives. It will be a very busy this summer but I am looking forward to spending some much needed time off and with family. 

Till next time, which I don't know when that will be. It took almost 4 months to update. One more kiddo coming in June and that time in between blogs might double:) Lol.  God Bless from our family to yours. 

Life is full of surprises and blessings

Hi everyone, I know it's been a while since I've updated but this busy mom of 3 was busy:) It seems like I'm constantly playing catchup in this game called life so excuse me if I'm a few months behind. But I have news to share! Better late then never so here goes!

So yes, our little princess Maci turned 3 around Thanksgiving. With the holiday celebration right around the corner we decided to make it low key with just family and throw her a Minnie Mouse party. After having her change her mind a few different times, the choice of Minnie Mouse was made right before we ordered the cake so too late, no more being miss indecisive:) Maci is talking so much, singing everything on the radio and doesn't like it when you sing and talk when she is. She was 8% for weight only weighing in at 26.2lbs and was 68% for her height. Dr. said she is pretty advanced for her age as far as speech. Currently using words like frustrated and disgusting in the right context. So cute!

On the opposite end of the diva spectrum, Elliott my sweet precious boy. He has such a kind soul. Constantly trying help and do things like a big boy. He is now over 4.5 years and is very excited that it's a new year because that means he gets to have another birthday party. So many ideas, so smart and so very creative. Some of the things he draws are so neat. I'm pretty sure he has surpassed mine and Tony's artistic potential. He drew a chick the other day very detailed that if we didn't see him draw it w/ our very eyes, we would of thought a 7+ year had drawn it. 

What can I say about my other creative soul child Cheyenne? They didn't get any of this from me. She continues to be in to her makeup clothes hair and has her own sense of style. She is currently in the middle if her senior year and is getting close to starting in the real world. Boy am  scared. No one ever ever told me that I would go through this much anxiety w/ a teenager. So to those who have little ones still, enjoy it while it last. Because having a teenager brings on a whole new world of doubts in your parenthood and by the time they are done with school, you just hold on to the hope that you taught them the right lessons in life.  

I do have to add a tidbit about our sweet dog Boss. We found out he can cancer of the liver and kidneys. We ended up doing a paracentesis on him in hopes that we would get him through the holidays since he was not doing very well. Well apparently, he is stronger then we thought. We got rid of what we thought was worms in hopes that it would allow him to eat and enjoy his last days with us. But to our surprise he is feeling great, back to old self and even chasing down all the critters in the backyard. That little sucker gave us a big scare and although his cancer is not killing him yet we know it will eventually catch up to him. But it did make us enjoy him more which is something we have not done since the little kiddos came along.  We are very happy that he has more time with us.

As for Tony and I, still enjoying our life with the kiddos. Besides a few bumps in the road, I would say Tony and I have a lot to be thankful for. Tony is currently laid off but we are thankful for unemployment for the little that helps us get by. We are also thankful that God has given Tony the right skills in life to make him a successful plumber. His side jobs are also helping us supplement the lost in income w/ this lay off. We are also very thankful for the great job that God has given to me. I have been a night time nursing supervisor for the last 4 months and besides the hours, I think I'm molding into the role and all it's responsibility that it comes with. Yes, night shift is definitely it's own creature and can't say I will ever get used to it. But God has given me this opportunity for a reason so I'm gonna run with it and make the most of it. 

The winter months are well upon us and I can tell you, I am not the only one waiting for the summer to come. Tony can't wait for the racing season to come seeing that again he is blessed with a new super stock to race. All his hardwork both during the season and off season is really paying off. He deserves every ounce of success! And another reason we can't wait for summer besides the beautiful sunshine is the precious gift of another addition to our family. We are overly delighted about having another baby. Coming in June because God is good. I think we'll end on that good note. Till next time!

Changes galore!

I cannot believe it's already midway through September. Summer just flew by and I'm not looking forward to the colder weather ahead. As the season changes, it makes me reflect on all the changes we have had as well. Although we don't always like change, we must embrace it w/ positivity!! 

Let's begin shall we. Cheyenne is back in school for her senior year!! I cannot believe that this is really happening already and before we know it, she'll be a high school graduate. Yikes!!! Some of the changes for her are....she has a boyfriend. What?!?! Omg! I knew this day would come but in my perfect world it would be about 10 years from now when she is more responsible. I won't go in to details cuz it makes me sick that I no longer have control over that:( Moving on, she will hopefully be driving on her own soon. Scary, right?!?! And hopefully she will take this year to figure out what is going to happen after high school. Well hopefully it won't take her the full year. Lol. Or she could just ask her wise mother and I can tell her what I want her to do. That would make it easier for all of us:)

As for Elliott he just made the switch to the Robins class which is preschool 3 days a week!! There were many of his classmates that made the change as well so the transition worked out well. He also now sleeps in his underwear which is hilarious to me cuz he's totally Tony's mini me!! He does everything like his dad from the way he acts in the morning...grumpy(wish I could give him coffee) to the way he sleeps. He even watches TV like his dad as u can see in the picture:) So easy to love that kid!!

 

And then we have "princess" Maci. Her dad accidentally called her buddy the other day cuz that's what we call Elliott and she quickly corrected us. Maci said. "My name is not buddy, u call me baby cakes" then she turned to me and said, "and u call me princess" okayyyy miss thang! Lol. She talks so much it's such a joy to hear some of the things that come out of mouth. A big change for Maci is she is now in early preschool which she is now a penguin. She is excited about school but always have been w/ daycare so I didn't feel it was going to be a problem w/ transitioning. 

As for Tony, he is sad that racing season is over. Although he did very well for his rookie year in the modified class. He is now trying to figure out what he would like to do for next year. Even considering a late model which had its plus and minuses. He will have more time w/ the family but it will be a ton more expensive:(  Guess we'll see.

As for me, the biggest change is that Im working nights now. Yes, I got the supervisor position. Yay for me!! Although I will miss all my wonderful coworkers from days, I hope this job brings many new challenges and satisfaction in my career. Plus it seems to be working out w/ family schedules w/ kids in school and  all. Also the kids have to get used to me not tucking them in bed which makes me sad but I think in fact, this is the change I might never get used to:( I get tears thinking about it.

  

So there is just one more bout of news and change that I am dying to share. We signed papers mid July for our cottage in Baldwin. Oh the kids and Tony absolutely love it!!! It has fishing and swimming and dirt trails. I on the other hand am a city girl at heart and can't get over the thought of all the critters! Well at least the majority of the family can enjoy it!! And all the toys that we had to get to enjoy it:)

So until next time. Hopefully we won't have too many more changes to report. Bring on fall, I think we're ready. Haha. 

Diapers no more!!......well for now

What an amazing couple of months we've had. I keep wanting to update w/ all the experiences we have been thru but a part of me tells me to wait cuz they'll be more. But now that I've waiting this long, I feel like I'm going to leave something out. Lol. But one thing I won't leave out is Maci and Elliott are officially out of diapers!!! No more diapers.......for now:)

Let's start w/ Cheyenne shall we?!? Cheyenne officially is working her first job!! Tony and I are very excited for her and so is she. She's gotten 3 paychecks so far. The first one was only $55 which I thought she would be happy about but she apparently thought she should be making more. Oh kids these days and the things they take for granted:) If there is one thing Tony and I would like her to take out of this experience is the importance of responsibility. Oh and the value of money but that will come w/ the more financial responsibility she gets. She has also completed her segment 2 drivers training which means 20 more hours of driving and she can take her road test to obtained her license. I'll have to say we have conflicting feelings about this. Excited vs. scared and Im sure u know which one Im feeling. 

Maci is officially potty trained as of a week ago and she's only 2 1/2 years old!! She even stays dry thru the night 70% of the time. The only downfall to her being potty trained is at school they allow them to go potty every hour on the hour so as u can imagine at home she goes potty just as frequently!! Oh well, cant complain when she's saving us money on diapers:) She also had her first trip to the race track which was a success!! I'm so thankful that she loves it as much as Elliott. She is still very scared of loud noise but that's nothing a pair of headphones won't fix. 

As for Elliott, what a sweet little boy we've raised. I'll take credit for that. JK. He's just like his dad:) Still very attached to his dad too. Tony still has issues dropping him off at school although he says its getting better. Unfortunately he had a couple of accidents in school that required some outfit changes. On the plus side, he now poops in the potty!! Yup I said it. Elliott poops in the potty!! I never thought I would say those words since most of u know, that is the one struggle we've had w/ him. But with most things, it will pass.....literally. Haha!

As for Tony, he's still doing his racing thing which he loves. Although he is not winning as much as last year, he did admit the other day that he is having a lot of fun this year. Just this past weekend he had the opportunity to drive in the Vintage Cars. One of his sponsors bought a car and asked him to drive for a little bit and of course he said yes. 

Tony thought it was pretty cool that the announcers said he was doing double duty. His wife(me) on the other hand didn't really like the idea at first cuz of time commitment but it ends up only being one additional weekend at the track. Guess that's not too bad. 

As for me, I feel like I'm the most boring one out if the family.  Maybe because I put all my attention and efforts towards my family but that's what moms do. I do have an exciting opportunity to apply and hopefully interview for the night supervisor position. I've receive lots of feedback about this potential career move from both night and day shift. All being positive which makes this decision a little easier. Hopefully the next time I update. Ill be in the supervisor position . Wish me luck!

What a great summer we've had thus far. Filled w/ time at beach, zoo, park, races,strawberry picking and plenty more. Oh and I almost forgot. Tony and I celebrated our 5th anniversary!! Yay for us! Lots of new and old adventures to keep us busy and some great family and friends to share them w/ and to think, there's still half the summer left!! Can't wait to update next time. I'm positive I'll have one or two bouts of great news to share.  Stay tune:)

What a month!!

What can I say? It's been only a month since I have updated last but boy does time fly. Well only sometimes depending on what's going on:) which we had a lot. What a month!!

Maci!!!!Maci!!!Maci!!! I feel like I am constantly yelling her name. Maci tests our patience everyday. She definitely has a personality of her own and one in which is very new to my parenting experiences. The thing w/ Maci is that she is perfect when others are around but at home she is an absolute terror. She hits, she screams and she is an absolute nightmare!! And poor Elliott:( He is normally her victim. Tony said when we were up at Great Wolf Lodge that we need to have Maci see a behavioral specialist. She's two! really?!? They don't call them terrible twos for no reason. Plus Elliott bless his heart is the perfect target for a two year old trying to tests her boundaries.

Great Wolf Lodge! What a great idea and small family trip we were blessed to be able to make last minute. The kids loved it!! Besides the detour we had to make:) Blankie!! Elliott and his blankie. So Tony put Elliott's blanket up on roof while he was buckling him in the car at one of our stops on the way to GWL. Oh yeah and he forgot about it!! By the time we realized it, we were 45 minutes away from where we stopped. Now if anyone knows Elliott, you will know that his blanket is his most prized possession. And I knew that if we didn't find it, no one I repeat no one would be having a good time at GWL. Needless to say, after an hour and a half of backtracking, we found the blanket just a little ways off the exit we stopped at. And Mommy was the hero cuz I got out of the car to retrieve it. Yay!!! Blankie!!! Thank God!! But besides that Elliott still loves his thumb. Yup a thumb sucker. The good thing about that is its attached and we can't loose it:) But in all honesty we have been trying to remind Elliott to not suck his thumb all the time. Bless his heart he said to me " mom I can't do it. My thumbs just says suck me, suck me" lol what a funny kid! Elliott also had his first field trip at school to the children's museum which meant he got to ride the bus. I'm pretty sure that was his favorite part. And for the record. Being a chaperone is stressful especially since it was a three year old and not your kid!! Lol

So you're probably wondering from my last post how prom went for Cheyenne?!?! Well the dress she ordered from China......yeah didn't come in time. So of course we were freaking out. But everything worked out great because we found a gorgeous dress for a fraction of the cost. And she was absolutely stunning. I could be a little partial but a lot of likes on FB. Lol. Sounds like she had a great time at both but seemed to more excited about the first. Hmm could be because she's more interested in the guy. I'm just saying...but she won't admit it:) But who wouldn't be attracted to her? She's beautiful! But the more beautiful she gets the more this momma worries. 

Oh and Tony too but I guess it comes w/ the territory of parenthood.

Speaking of Tony, he finally raced his first race in the modified class. And I would say being the only rookie in the class he did pretty darn good with his 5th place finish. He seemed to be pleased as well and hopefully will be making progress from here on out. It's hard to start off new at something and I'm sure he'll be presented w/ new challenges each week. But Tony is so smart and has the eagerness to learn that I don't doubt he'll find his way back up to the top. Looking at the way he analyzes everything only puts hopes in my mind that Elliott will have the same attitude and work ethic as his dad. 

As for me, I just celebrated my 16th Mother's Day!! Now I'm not a sentimental person at all. I don't have keepsakes, I throw away cards cuz I hate the clutter. But when it comes to the kids it's a different story. They each gave me something they made. Elliott and Maci from school had something made w/ their hand prints. And Cheyenne each year writes me a poem. I always look forward to her poem b/c putting aside all the the attitude she gives me year round, her one poem makes me forget all that. Well at least most of it:) Mother's Day helps me remember why I love to be a mom so much and all the joys and precious moments parenthood brings. Im so blessed to have the three I have and to be able to enjoy watching them grow each day. That's why it's hard to say I'm totally done having kids. So stay tuned come June:)!!!

Heard the expression "racing widow"?

It's been a couple of months since I posted but boy did those 2 months drag on. Although March was filled w/ lots of birthday celebrations. I can't say I know another month w/ that many birthdays of family members. Good thing we don't do presents for all of them cuz we would be broke!!

Miss Maci is such a diva. At two years old she has definitely found her inner diva which I can't say is a good thing. It is absolutely adorable tho when she walks around the house strutting her stuff like she owns the place. Even w/ an ear infection, you could not tell she was sick. Yes, I know!!! An ear infection!!! I knew that Tony and I jinxed ourselves when we counted our blessings out loud in a conversation we had just two weeks prior. We were saying how blessed we are that out of three kids, none of them have had ear infections. There is not one kid I know that has not had an ear infection and multiple ones at that. I took Maci to the Dr. for them to look at what I thought was something in her eye. The Dr. and I were both very surprised when an examination of her ear showed ear infection. Now on day 8/10 of antibiotics. The Dr. said even if her symptoms are gone finish course of antibiotics. She never had symptoms how can I tell. Oh well, Drs orders it is but very thankful we caught it before it got worse. Blessing in disguise I guess:) Maci also sat thru her first movie. She did extremely well but I was trying to keep her occupied w/ food which I'm sure helped. What ?!?! She can stand to gain a few pounds:) not good habits to teach this young but wanted to make sure she sat thru it.

As for Elliott, he's seems to be growing which is good since he's a little shorty. He just turned 4 and we celebrating w/ a superhero party. I let the kids make their own cape which was a lot of fun. As a present he got tickets to Monster Trucks. Since Tony and I didn't pay for tickets, Elliott was able to get VIP treatment as you can see from pics. Oh and he finally fit 4T clothes!!He's always going to be a petite kid but I just want to make sure he's growing. I think he does notice it as well since he made a comment when I was carrying him to the car that I was small. Lol. I'm sure it won't be long at all before he is taller then me cuz it only took Cheyenne till 5th grade until she surpassed all 5 ft of me:)

Cheyenne is still growing. She is 5ft 6in. She says she doesn't want to get any taller and I think that her height is perfect. I think even if she grows another 2 inches I would still think she's perfect. She only has another month and a half before she is done w/ her junior year. I'm still worried about what lies in her future but she's bright, she'll figure it out:) Cheyenne also got invited to her first prom!!!! She seems excited about it and I have already had the opportunity meet the guy who seems nice. If she's like her mamma then she's picky which is a good thing when it comes to guys. We just ordered her prom dress online and it will be arriving only a few days prior to prom so we're crossing our fingers that its the perfect dress. Stay tuned.....

As for Tony and I, besides celebrating our birthdays in March as well, getting sick, it's all been race cars on the mind. Tony is working very hard to get it done, and I am working very hard to be a good wife and allow him to do so. That means every night till 10:30-11 at night. By the time he comes in for the night, I am ready for bed and there has not been a lot of time together. So when I say Racing Widow, I truly feel like a single mom with no husband. It is sincerely a true testament to our marriage, but I know that sacrifices need to be made b/c in the end he's happy and we're happy that he's home more w/ us during the summer. I sure will be happy when racing season starts already and the car needs less maintenance.

Till next time. Hopefully we will have a better 2 months free of illness and stress. But I'm sure we will cuz it'll be closer to summer. More outdoor time and fresh air which makes everyone feel better!!!

Kids grow up so fast!!

So it's been about 2 weeks since I posted. It's hard to remember what all has happened in the couple weeks but I'm going to give it a try. Tony is almost done remodeling the kitchen. We had decided a few months ago that this was the next big remodel for our home since we have seem to have done everything else. I mean we've been in the house for 8 years now and redoing everything alittle at a time. Afterall, remodeling is not CHEAP. That's why we save the most expensive project for last. Our plan is to put it back on the market and try to sell it. And if all fails, at least I have a new kitchen to keep me happy for a while:) Tony is also anxious to get the kitchen done so he can start working on his new project, his modified racecar! Yup it's almost racing season again. It seems like it just got over!

As for the kids, we just recieved Cheyenne's report card for third semester. Although she excels in all other subjects, math and sciences are not her strong suit, which is surprising to me since I loved those subjects when I was in school. But of course I have to understand every kid is different and as much as I would love for her to be like me, she is the total opposite which makes it so much harder as a parent to try to relate. I might not be into the things she is or even understand why she likes the things she does but as a parent I need to just support her in her choices and hope that the morals and examples I set, carry out in her everyday life and into adulthood.

Elliott is going to be 4 years old next month. He is very excited and is looking forward to his birthday. Although he can't seem to make up his mind on what type of birthday party theme he wants. Every week it's a different thing. Elliott can write his first name!! Yay! So as you can imagine it's all over his school folder. I have not found it on the wall yet but knock on wood. At school he was the shining star for the week and they posted pictures of him and some of his favorites. The thing that makes me smile was when asked what he wanted to be, I figured he would of said a racecar driver like his dad. Nope he wants to be Spiderman. I love that kid! He is just so full of energy and his smile can brighten up anyone's day. I think most people would agree:)

As for Maci she is still a spit fire which I have been told that little girls are but what boggles me is who teaches them to be that way. I think it's because Elliott makes it so easy for her to harrass him:) She was doing very well with potty traing the first 3 weeks, even to the point she was staying dry through the night. That is awesome considering she just turned 2. But since we introduced her to a new bed she has reverted back the diaper again. I think with all the changes, it might of been a bit much. I mean those are two big milestones for her to reach at the same time. Althougth majority of the time she goes in the potty, she isn't as strong headed and independent as when she first started. I guess I shouldn't complain too much. Potty trained at 2 is great and even being in a big girl bed is great. She is such a smarty pants tho. Her teacher at school told Tony that Maci and her friend Liza sit there and carry on conversations. Now what could you possibly talk about at age 2! Oh to be a fly on the wall:)

As for me, it's the same old same old. Yes, old is what I'm feeling since next month I will be 34 years old! It doesn't help that Tony always rubs it in at this time of year b/c his birthday is the same month and he is almost a whole year yonger then me. Besides getting older, work and life are good. I am so blessed to have the things I have and to be surrounded by great family and friends. Life just keeps getting better and better. Till next time!