At the Liberty Bell

Abbie was so excited to see the Liberty Bell. For months, She has been telling people that she was going to see it this summer.

MG_1131, originally uploaded by Smith Family Pix.

Getting back on track

I've halfway unpacked from our trip to Philly/NJ to see my family. Tim headed right back out of town Monday morning and will probably be back tomorrow, we'll see. We were out all day yesterday at a play date and then the grocery store to re-stock the house. Today we went to the pool. The suitcases can wait until tomorrow.

We had a great time catching up with my aunt and cousins. We went sightseeing in the historic district in Philadelphia. Then to the Philly Zoo. And wrapped up with a day at Six Flags in NJ. All the little ones got along well and had lots of fun. I'm so exhausted though. I'm remembering why we haven't gone on a vacation in a couple of years.

I finally caved

I finally caved to the peer pressure. I took Cameron for his first haircut. I wasn't ready for my baby to get his big-boy hair cut. The back of his hair was growing longer but the front wasn't. So, of course, he was getting teased about his "baby mullet".

Abbie and Cooper started VBS yesterday. After I dropped them off, we made the drive to Great Clips for the big event. He wasn't sure about sitting in that big chair so I caved, again, and gave him a sucker.

Suckers make everything better.

The stations at this Great Clips were so small that I couldn't even stand beside the chair to get a decent picture. I had to take them reflected in the mirror. Oh well at least I got some kind-of-okay shots.

Yeah! Safe in the car. Boy am I glad that's over. And I even get to keep my sucker!

Sorry Cam-Cam, it was almost gone any way and you were starting to eat the stick.

Our new arrivals

This Summer we have enjoyed having a new family move in with us. On June 30, I noticed a bird's nest in a wall planter right outside our front door. On my tippy-toes I peeked inside and to my delight, were 3 of the most beautiful robin eggs I've ever seen. The blue was just magnificent.

And the next day...there were 4!!

On July13, at 5:00, we had the first two arrivals...

By 8:00, we welcomed number 3...

And eventually number 4.

I decided to give them a few days to bond as a new family. We try to give them as much privacy as possible, but-hello-it is our front door. Momma bird has been a very good momma. She is never too far away as evidenced by the squawking we hear from the nearby oak tree every time we venture to the mailbox. Or every time I want to snap a new photo.

This morning when I snapped the last shots I was attacked by a Japanese Beetle. So between a protective momma robin and hundreds of Japanese beetles, I will be surrendering my front yard for the time being.

Organize my thoughts

I can't believe how life just takes over when you're not looking. Here's how I've been spending the last 2 weeks:

On the day of my last post, almost 2 weeks ago, my G'parents were making the move up here from FL to move in with my aunt and have the support of their family in their "twilight" years. Near Savannah, GA they wrecked their car and my G'ma has been in ICU on a ventilator since then. Just last night we started getting more promising news. She's awake, smiling, recognizing faces. She was supposed to have surgery sometime today to fix a broken humerus. They are saying that if she continues to do this well maybe they can transfer her closer to home for the remainder of her recovery within a week or so.

I had to cancel the "official plans" for Abbie's birthday party because 3 of her friends weren't going to be able to make it. There were no other weekends in July that were open so instead of pushing into August, we just combined her party with our July 4th cookout. She was thrilled that we got to have fireworks for her "birthday".

On her actual birthday we spent half the day at pre-op visits for her and Cooper's tonsillectomies. :( Boo! They got teddy bears, coloring books, and crayons. One of the nurses was so sweet, she surprised Abbie with a piece of chocolate cake complete with candle and 3 forks. :) Yeah! Oh, was I supposed to get a bite too? I was lucky to make it out with both arms intact.

Then the July 4th cookout/Abbie's birthday party :

The next morning was Tonsillectomy Day!

BEFORE...They were so good. No tears at all. I didn't realize until after the fact that the "drink" they got in pre-op was a sedative. Nurses are so smart. But hey, where was mine??

AFTER....I was so glad that the Dr. agreed to let us go home. He really wanted us to stay over night but I really didn't see the point. We all did much better being at home. I actually had to throw myself in front of the fridge to slow them down. They were starving.

The staff prepared me (or was it scared me) well for the post-op care. We are now on day 6. It has definitely been painful for them. And painful for me to watch. I've had them on the narcotic pain med for 6 days now and that's enough. It tastes awful and it seems to cause more trouble than it's worth just trying to get them to take it. So we switched to Tylenol today and it seems to do the trick just as well.

The day after "Tonsil Day" was Tim's last day ever having to report to a "boss", unless of course you count me. We are now officially among the self-employed. We already have someone lined up to take over the family business when we are ready to retire...

Whew, I feel better now after purging the last 2 weeks from my brain. Until next time...

Bad, bad, mommy

Tuesday was our first morning trip to the pool with Terri and her kids. We've been in the evenings a couple of times...Let's not beat around the bush, I forgot to put on Abbie's sunscreen. I got the boys before we left home but she had already gotten in the car. I got her face at the pool but then somehow forgot the rest of her. She got fried. I feel like the worst mother ever.

It may not have been quite as bad if we had left when we planned to-before noon, but we ended up staying until nearly 2:00. We had our friend Weslyn and her kids come too. All the kids were having so much fun, and since Weslyn had to pay $5 per person we wanted to make sure she got her money's worth.

So now, June is pretty much over, and we've made 1 official pool trip. I was out of service for 10 days from my wisdom teeth, then Abbie's camp. Now with sunburn to heal and Abbie's and Coop's T&A removal on 7/5 we won't be going back to the pool for a couple more weeks. I'm wondering if it was even worth it to join this year, oh well.

Also, when you put on your boy's sunscreen, go way down below their waistbands. Cooper ended up with a bit of a burn too. He has a red ring at the bottom of his torso where his swim suit slid down when it got wet. Better yet, just slather your kids up from head to toe then get them dressed. That way your sure not to miss a spot :)

Silver Lining: Abbie now knows the purpose of sunscreen, and she says she will never again complain about having to put it on.

9 days and counting

Tim has 9 days left at work. He is going into business for himself; he and his step-mom. She's been in taxes and accounting for 20 years and Tim's the IT guru. They are combining their areas of expertise to become a finance and technology support source for small to medium businesses. It's a scary step for us. We've never been without a guaranteed paycheck and company benefits, but somehow I know this is the right thing for us to do and God will take care of us. I am so at peace with the long term outlook. Mostly because I know how Tim ticks. He's in his element. This is what he's been preparing for for a long time. The hard part is going to be getting used to the transitional phase. Harder still may be writing the check each month to the insurance company. I think it's going to be in the neighborhood of $800/month. Thank goodness the baby-making days are over because a maternity rider would be even more.

On top of all this, he is starting his MBA in August, one week after our 14th anniversary. Every other Friday and Saturday for 18 months. I've heard the horror stories about the toll it takes on a marriage. One college friend couldn't fix the problems in her marriage that began during her husband's pursuit. Maybe hearing the warnings is a good thing. Maybe it has helped prepare me a bit. I know it isn't going to be easy for either of us but I think it is part of my job as a wife to support the personal goals of my husband and in extension our goals for our family. On the tough days and late night study sessions I hope I can remember to fast-forward to Graduation Day when he has achieved one of his most desired goals and imagine how proud I will be.