Grandma Karen

My Madre came soon after Sandy and Sydney left. She had just been out to Massachusetts for her sister Jan's wedding. While she was here we went out to Indianapolis and made a stop at the Children's Museum. We later went to Springfield, IL where we were able to visit Lincoln's Tomb. We made a few visits to the Monticello Pool in town. My all time favorite to the pool visit lasted an entire 5 minutes before we were forced to leave because of thunderstorms in the area. Hilarious! We laughed because everywhere we went with the kids it felt like we were herding cats. Van wouldn't stop talking even when he tried. And I know more than anything I gave my mother anxiety with my driving.

Sydney and Sandy's Visit

May 20, 2013

Sydney and Sandy came to surprise us for a visit. I actually knew they were coming but Joel didn't. Their visit came at a good time for everyone. Joel and I have been sick of this place lately. Joel has told me that he's been more homesick. Sydney much needed a getaway from the stresses that she's been dealing with at home. So, overall we had a good time. Syd and I were able to make it up to Chicago for a little shopping and what not. We fought over buying a darling Guess purse. I won. Syd bought a lot of clothes, and we all know that retail therapy is truly the best medicine in any situation. Sandy did a great job of taking care of my kids- thank GOODNESS.

Emergency, Emergency, Call 911!!

Poor Charlee, in the mix of having fun at her friend Dustin's Superhero birthday party, managed to rip her entire toenail off her right great toe. I felt incredibly stupid for bringing her into the convenient care for a stupid toenail, but I really did think that there was a metal piece underneath her nail. I was sure that it was something that would need to be removed. After numbing her toe up and taking the entire nail off there was nothing underneath the nail. Nothing at all. I felt like a moron.

Bunnies

OK, so anyone living in the Midwest will tell you that wild rabbits and squirrels are common everyday yard sightings. I have grown used to their being here. I did NOT expect to almost rake over a bunny nest while doing yard work one day. At first sight I thought I saw a bunch of mice. I could see 2 or 3 of them but was unsure of how many there were because they were buried in the ground. They had no hair, their little eyes were closed and their ears were back. When Joel got home I made him check them out and see how many were in there. Turns out, there were 10 of these little guys. SO, like anyone that has no idea about bunnies, we look on the internet to find out what we should do with them. According to our research, we determine that 1) They should be left in their nest. 2) Their mother will come feed them twice a day, morning and night. 3) It is a POPULAR misconception that after touching baby bunnies their mother will not come back for them. SO, for the next few days we watch these bunnies, one time we did get them out and man-handle them a little. We watch mom come feed them morning and night, UNTIL.... the Massacre occurred. My mom calls me at work to inform me that there are dead bunnies with their heads detached in the front yard. All but one little guy survived. So, moral of the story- don't trust everything you read on the internet. My kids now tell their neighborhood friends that, "The bunnies are dead. Yeah, their heads are off."

Charlee's Dental Visit

"My child will never have a cavity. Seriously, the only kids that get cavities are the ones who are drinking Mountain Dew out of their sippy cups. They are those who have never seen a toothbrush," said Sidney.

No, my child does not have eight cavities! She most definitely does not have to make it to 4 more appointments for fillings. That's just crazy talk. What kind of mother would I be if that were truly the case? Come on. That's ridiculous.