recipe for fun

If you have a sprinkler system...

*put kids in bathing suits

*sit in lawn chair in driveway

*use remote control to turn on a zone

*have them check out the spray

*switch the zone and when they run to that zone and freak out and get wet switch the zone again

*you then have kids running and squealing around the yard looking for water

*this requires little to no work

*parents get to sit and veg with favorite beverage, possibly with neighbors, and just laugh:)

one more day

One more day of work for me! Monday! I thought my last day was Wed., but they're letting me use the state furlough time when the kids are there since my position doesn't require me a sub. I get 2 hours. So I'm adding 30 min. to my time on Monday and that will be it! I'll go back into my retirement period. I probably will look for something else part time when Mollie goes to Kindergarten. Krystina, our babysitter, was here MWF this week. The girls are spending Monday with their friends Matthew and Lindsay which they'll love.
Today is Matthew's NC State 5th birthday party. They're super excited.
Tomorrow we have pictures with the WHOLE Jones family at Duke Gardens with Melissa Cackovic who did our other pics in January. I'm really looking forward to it. Even Stubbs the bassett will be there.

Oh and a note of thankfulness: Chase had to have a Cystic Fibrosis "sweat test" done this week at UNC. They're just trying to figure out if there is some reason why he doesn't gain much wait and has been sick. We think he's just small b/c Nancy is small and Travis was/is small. They might do blood work at a later date for some immune deficiency issues, but right now he's in the clear! Thank God! It was normal.

my face hurts from smiling

Today was a great day by 8am.

I have come to have a special place in my heart for people who struggle with infertility. I was always afraid there would be a reason I couldn't have children. It really worried me. I had no reason to think that, but a lot of people have no reason to think that either. And they try and try and try and the one thing they want more than anything just doesn't happen for them. It's one of those things that you just never know until you try. And I have come to learn through lots of experiences of dear friends that this is a horrible journey to embark on.

Somehow, come to find out, God blessed Phil and I with the ability to breathe on each other and get pregnant. Now, most people know that I love babies. But we pretty much decided 2 was it. I probably could have been persuaded to have another one, but then my children would have been fatherless because Phil would have dropped dead of a heart attack. Hence the special appointment he set up for himself when Mollie was about 10 months old. Or we would probably have 5 kids by now. And will never take that for granted. Really, it's one of God's greatest gifts.

I have several friends who have been through invitro fertilization (IVF), Phil's cousin and his wife adopted from China, and in the last 6 months or so I learned that a friend from high school/college was using a gestational surrogate (both parents DNA, just a carrier).
I have at least 3 friends with twins:) And it's just wonderful to me, WONDERFUL, that these friends all have their babies finally. After many emotional, physical, economical, can we say SHOTS, struggles. I have learned so much about so many things.

Anyway, my friend Dawn's twins turned one today! Happy Birthday Cecilia and Owen! I am so happy for your family! And when I woke up this morning I found out through Facebook (great tool;) that my old friend using a surrogate's baby boy was born this morning after a 4 year struggle to have a family! What a great day!
So that's why I keep smiling. Bring on the babies.

Some of you know my friend Lauren that I have known since 2nd grade. She and her husband Josh are expecting a baby in November and I'm so excited! I meant to say that before. Sydney was in her wedding the April before Courtney and Cameron's wedding.

Which brings me to...
Happy 2nd Anniversary to Courtney and Cameron! They'll add to the baby train one of these days. When Stubbs the big bassett just isn't enough...

ready to sloooowwww down

This week was the end of gymnastics and swimming lessons. The week before that was the end of dance class and preschool. I still have to work until June 10, but that's only 5 more work days for me. Yippee!

So things are slowing down around here.

Sydney is going to Safety Town through the Town of Cary the week of June 15 and the following week we'll go to the beach. Um, followed by the lake again for July 4th, haha. Guess we won't be slowing down too much. But July 7th is her staggered entry for kindergarten day and then that Monday the 13th the first day with her whole class and first full week. So then we'll be pretty slow until her track out in August!

I'm really looking forward to having that time with Mollie to hang out. We'll find plenty to get ourselves into I'm sure:)

Phil has been gone since Wed. He had a trade show in Wilmington Wed-Fri and then met his Dad, my brother in law Travis and his Dad at the beach house for a work weekend. They rebuilt parts of the front deck and gate and stairs. It had been lined with lattice which is really not safe and not up to code. They replaced it with pickets. And pressure washed and put up new entry lights by the front door. Those were super-70's style and not a big deal, but a quick $40 fix. We'll probably have to paint the deck at a later date. I'm excited to see it, it will not only be safer, but make the place look a little better!

Anyway, he should be rolling in here pretty soon and we're all ready to see him! The girls have missed him more this trip I think b/c they've been asking a lot about him and Sydney's been wanting to talk to him on the phone more.

So, to occupy ourselves for part of the weekend, we went to Nancy's last night to spend the night! The kids hadn't all had much of a chance to play together and we wild and free (outside of a restaurant or event). It was a lot of fun. None of us really slept well, but I think at least now Sydney will be willing to stay there alone for a sleepover.

Here are Chase, Mollie, and Sydney in the bath. Cropped to make it PG.

Yesterday morning we went to a friend's pool in the morning, then a pool birthday party in the afternoon. The girls are already getting a lot of sun as you can see. It freaks me out. I've been trying to coat them in sunscreen, but it's a pain! Anyway, Sydney is a fish! She can totally swim on her own now and it's so exciting!! Mollie's not afraid of the water, but still cautious and will not get her face in. She's a little water princess.

This afternoon we went to see the movie Up with our friends LeAnne and Eliza. We were both really surprised at the adult themes in it. Like death, living your life to the fullest, etc. Which is GREAT for us. I loved it. But it's definitely not as geared toward kids as I thought it would be. It's cute and Mollie and Eliza were great and really entertained. But I think Sydney was a little bored with it. Like she was caught right in that spot of the entertaining not being quite enough, but the message was too over her head to understand it. Plus, she was tired, almost had a breakdown (sobbing) during the movie and then fell asleep on me and snored. But anyway, see it! It just wasn't what I expected.

the most beautiful place on Earth

Might just be Watauga Lake.
It's so nice. Even when it rains, it's pretty. It's so peaceful. We had a great time. Everyone slept well (which as been an issue in the past). Fun times. Our neighbors James and Michele joined us from Friday-Sunday evening. Phil's brother David and our neices Olivia and Emma got there around 3 on Sunday and stayed the night. We left around 4 on Monday to come back home. Stopped in Winston to eat dinner and got home around 8:30 last night.
My ear started feeling better, but hurt until about Sunday I think. It stunk. Royally. My ear drum ended up rupturing during the night b/c I woke up Friday to gunky stuff coming out my ear and it continued most of the day. If you've never had it happen it's like snot coming out your ear, haha. Sorry, GROSS!
We of course were so glad to see Phil's cousin Michael, Mary, and Grace as well. I need to get those pics up soon. Actually, I loaded them today, but haven't added them to the share site yet. Here is the direct link:
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=2CcM3LJmxYsWw

We'll go back for 4 or so days around July 4th and then again Labor Day weekend!

I feel horrendous

I don't know if I spelled that correctly.
The ear infection fairy hit me this afternoon. Slugged me maybe?
It started hurting around 5:30 or so. Maybe 6. And kept hurting worse and worse. Deja vu. I have been there before. I went to urgent care. I was apparently the most interesting person they'd seen in a while (sad). Showed off my ear drum to a few people and sent me home with my Augmentin.
Urgent care is scary. I luckily had my ipod to drown out the annoying screaming kid and his MORE annoying mother. I know I have kids so I shouldn't say that. He was really annoying. And luckily the old lady in the housecoat with the face mask who probably had swine flu was not sitting next to me.
So now my ear hurts like hell, I popped my drugs, 4 Advil, and dripped my ear drops. And hopefully it will stop hurting before we head to the mountains tomorrow afternoon! And preferably before work tomorrow. That would be nice too;)

goodbyes and ear infections

Today was the last day of preschool for the girls. I still get teary-eyed thinking about it. I get so emotional so easily. I thought it had gotten better. I mostly made it through Sydney's little song performance in the Church and the ice cream social and giving her teachers the gifts. When the director talked about them going off to Kindergarten I almost lost it. They don't do a graduation ceremony like a lot of preschool b/c not all of them go. They have a 5 day transition class there that some kids go to. And even more so this year because of the K entry date changing this year from Oct. 16-Aug. 31. So there are kids in the 4's classes who have to wait another year.
(which as a kindergarten teacher I was pumped about)

So then I go to get Mollie in the middle of the ice cream party b/c they dismiss at 12:15. The director was in with Ms. Maria and Ms. Caroline and I was saying goodbye and I just started bawling! Well, not bawling, just uh, crying. I'm such a loser! I know that they think Mollie is really special though since they've had her 2 years and her one teacher made her those dresses! I told them we'll come back by to visit next year and I might sub for them. I hope I can. Betsey, they director, said she would ask me. She asked me to work there, but I said maybe the next year;) I think I would actually. It would be fun! So maybe that will be my next job after I become the happiest laid off WCPSS employee in the county:)

Okay, so that brings me to our 1pm pediatrician appt. at 1pm. I had decided to take them in today and get their lingering coughs checked out. Sydney then said right before school that her ear hurt. Well she has an ear infection and MOllie has a double and I had no idea! Mollie still swears her ear doesn't hurt. I was going to wake her up from her nap to go to her new swim class that just started Monday. But then I thought, why would I do that? Why would I wake her up when her body obviously needs the rest--to take her to something she obviously seriously dislikes:)??
Backing up, I switched her to a level 1 class which meets on M/W afternoons since she would do nothing in the level 2. She still did nothing, but I did manage to get her to sit on the side with her feet in. So I called and talked to the program director and said look, she's sick, we're not coming, but we just started in this class and that was after the failed level 2 class so I don't want you to think we're not coming back. She has just managed to get pink eye and an ear infection all during the course of this swimming session that. she. hates. Sigh. Do we even bother to go back next week? I guess we'll see. I don't want to give into her swimming lesson hating self either. So we'll probably go.
Sydney, on the other hand, is a great swimmer and it's a good thing b/c it's cost me a fortune running over to the Triangle Aquatic Center now 4 times a week b/w the 2 of them. Her class is Tu/Th.

We're going to the lake for Memorial Day weekend, this weekend I guess. I think we all need a vacation! I'm just glad we caught the EI's before heading up to the mountains!