I've been stewing about this for a few weeks now...

...and it has finally gotten the better of me, so now I'm going to "speak".

When we were visiting Ohio a few weeks ago, our arrival was greeted with the report that my family had been informed I was expecting another child. Um, no, I'm not pregnant, thank you very much.

I had a rather long rant on this subject typed up, but deleted it because, well, it was angry and nasty and, though well deserved, sure to cause hurt feeling somewhere. So, I'll just say, I'm really upset about this. And, no, I'm not pregnant.

My little goons!

Since all I can seem to muster today is a post centering around pictures, I suppose it is better than nothing! I think stress is hurting my ability to think clearly, so articulate and well thought out posts are apparently on hold for a while.

Anyhoo...here are a few recent shots of the kids.

Ross, being an absolute goon in Ohio:

Hannah at her soccer game in Archbold (and, yes, they really were playing on a soccer field and not in a soybean field):Lucy sporting her latest accessories (I'm addicted to knee socks right now):

Reid getting ready for the Buckeye game (poor kid was really sick this day, too):

My little cheerleader:

And, you know, I really should get a new shot of me for my blog header. Hmmm...maybe not until after my next visit to the colorist -- y'all might be frightened of my hair the way it stands now!

Since my sister said it was okay...

...I thought I would post some pics of my niece.

These were taken last weekend when Laney was just shy of 6 weeks old:

Hannah and Lucy love their little cousin!




Isn't she the sweetest little thing?

And these were taken in September when she was about 3 weeks old:

Ah, yes, Aunt Michelle showed up and insisted on bows. Doesn't she look thrilled?

I'm totally bummed that it could be a really long time before I see Laney again, even though I totally understand the difficult logistics of trips (I'm soooooo not trying to guilt Val & Steve into visiting more often). I never understood what the hullabaloo was about us moving away, but then everyone that I knew was grown and pretty set in their ways (well, except Hannah, but we see her frequently despite the distance). But now I get it...Laney is little and changing and I don't know her yet. She'll be a different person the next time I see her. And my kids are little and constantly changing...family & friends miss out on all kinds of stuff when we're away. Still doesn't change that things are the way they are (the way they need to be, for us at least), but I get "it" a bit better now. Miss you already, Laney Lou (I've already saddled the poor girl with a nickname -- my two little Lous -- Lucy Lou & Laney Lou)!

Really, who thought THAT was a good idea?

Mondays are my cleaning day and, invariably, the day the kids get to watch the most TV. (Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do...and those floors are DISGUSTING after a week of kid crud hitting them.) So, today, Ross requested "Pete's Dragon" as the video to tide them over while I was mopping.

Now, I never liked "Pete's Dragon" as a kid. It was just a bit too sentimental and sappy for me(things I just don't like in movies -- you won't often find me heading to the Hallmark channel). It was interesting, however, to see (what bits I caught when I was flitting around the house) it from an adult perspective. And, my biggest question is this: who the heck thought it would be a good idea to include a drunken old man as one of the main characters and several bar scenes in a movie geared at the "G" audience? Seriously...beer...in a kids movie? WHY? Now, I'm obviously not so offended by this that I'm tossing the movie (it didn't scar me too badly, I guess), but it did make me laugh.

My other gripe with the movie is this: why is the teacher the bad guy? For that matter, why are almost all the adults seen as bad guys (well, except the pretty lady -- apparently pretty ladies are okay)? It seems like an unnecessary inclusion. I mean, really, why would we want to teach our children that teachers are scary creatures to fear? And do we want to teach our kids that you can judge a person's moral content by the way they look?

Okay, so maybe I'm picking the movie apart. And maybe I've been brainwashed with all the PC junk that floats around anymore. However, I think "Pete's Dragon" gets a D in my book for children's viewing. It can stay in the house, but only because the kids think Elliot is a hoot and were giggling uncontrollably at some of his antics.

P.S. I do this to all our kids books/movies/shows, so don't be offended if you are a lover of "Pete's Dragon" (I could nit-pick apart "Beauty and the Beast" next, if that would make anyone feel better, or even "Clifford" -- the opening song on that ticks me off every time). I over-analyze them and can find fault with almost any story.

A Niece!

I guess I touched on this a bit in my last post, but didn't really go into detail. My sister and her husband welcomed their first child into the world in August, which also happens to mean that I finally get to be an Aunt! I didn't think to ask if my sister was okay with me posting pictures or revealing names, so I'm going to call her L. for now. She is sweet little thing and I'm glad I got to meet her a few weeks ago when I was in Ohio!

I was totally thrilled when I learned months ago that she was indeed going to be a she and started planning my knitting right away. I've been just dying to show off my work and I finally can, as I gave the gift to the my sister and her husband when I was visiting. Since they live in Guam right now, but visit Ohio a lot and will eventually move back, I wanted to make something that they could use in either place. So, I picked a lacy pattern, hoping it would make it light enough to use in Guam, but something that you could layer over turtlenecks and leggings. So, this is what I came up with:

I'm totally in love with the pattern and definitely going to make Lucy one for next spring.

And, while I was in Ohio, I got to be a sponsor for L.'s baptism. I also got to make the cake (and in this case, cupcakes) for the baptism. I am really very happy with how they turned out, especially considering I made them in an unfamiliar kitchen. I think I'm really getting the hang of fondant now...

I can't wait to visit again next week -- and this time everyone but Reid will get to go! Jeremy is a closet baby-hog, too, so I know he will be happy to meet little L., too!

A new addition to the family!

I should be exhausted, but I can't sleep, so I thought I would take this opportunity to update here. I drove to Ohio yesterday, getting up at 3:00 AM to make the trip. I stayed up until 12:00 baking cakes (for my nieces baptism) and now I'm awake again at 5:00 AM. Ugh...you would think, considering the fact that I am here without the three small kiddos, that I would take advantage of my opportunity to sleep in and get caught up on my rest a little, right? Nope. Sigh...I'm a maniac.

We got a new car about 3 weeks ago -- an Acura TL. A beautiful, steel grey, fast, sleek and perfect TL. I LOVE it! I fell in love with the TL's the first time I got in one and have been itching for one ever since. I guess my husband got tired of hearing "I want a TL" every time one would drive by us. I have not a single complaint about the car, which is a good thing because we'll probably have it for 10 years (we tend to drive our cars for a long time). I feel a little guilty about not getting the hybrid we originally set out to buy, but I also couldn't feel good about spending a ton of money on a car I didn't love. I drive a van the rest of the time -- I don't want to drive something practical when I get the chance to go somewhere without car seats and diaper bags -- I want something EXHILARATING!

I have a geeky admission, too. We named the car. Not necessarily on purpose, it just kinda happened. It is my fault. Do you know who Tommy Lee is? He is a rocker who played in Motley Crue. I just unthinkingly called the car Tommy Lee the night we bought it. Jeremy couldn't figure out why, so I told him, "because the cars initials are 'TL' and the car rocks". Get it? It rocks, like a rocker does? Hah hah -- I crack myself up! And, yes, I'm a dork. So, if any of you hear us talking about Tommy, that would be the new car, not a new child or pet!

I've been looking forward to driving up here because it would give me a chance to test out Tommy on I-77 in West Virginia. He didn't disappoint. It was a fun ride! I'm not going to want to go back to my van after this trip, though I do miss my little people (and, so far, we're trying to mostly keep the little ones out of the new car).

My crazy kids at the beach!

So, we spent last weekend at Topsail Island again -- one of my favorite places to be in the whole wide world! As usual, we had an absolute blast! For the first time in 5 years, too, we noticed that things are getting easier with the kids -- we were actually able to relax a little. Woohoo!

The boys LOVED playing in the surf (and weren't a bit scared of it, which is why Ross had to wear his life jacket). Lucy liked the water, but favored playing in the sand. By the end of the weekend, though, all three of them were complaining because their bums were raw from the sand in their suits -- I tried to tell them to stop sitting on the sand at the waters edge, but they were sure I was selling them bad advice. Oh well...it is their bum, not mine.

So, anyway, I took a ton of pictures and decided to play a little with black and white. I'm really quite happy with these...

Ross being Ross:
The boys getting along quite nicely (whew):

My favorite person in the whole wide world:

Lucy with her brooding look on:

Lucy being industrious:

Lucy being cute:

Lucy striking a pose:

This is my favorite -- the boys doing what they do best -- running and laughing and having fun:

Ross doing exactly what his big brother is doing:

Daddy showing the kids something neat:

Reid looking entirely too grown-up: