I've fallen...

...of the blogging wagon. It's not that my family has nothing going on. It's quite the opposite in fact. We are simply too busy. So here's another lame update...
Ryan is in sixth grade. He says little about school. His grades are awesome, and he was chosen as student of the month by his science teacher, so I guess he's doing well!? His conferences were excellent as well. He just wrapped up football yesterday. He played his final game in the Fargodome. They had a great season, but unfortunately I missed most of his games due to soccer. More on that later. He still plays cello, and has begun try outs for Pee Wee hockey. He is never home. When he is home, he picks fights with all of us, but Brady. I love this boy more than I can say, and I pray one day he will say it back...and actually talk to me.

Kate is in fourth grade. She loves school and everything about it. She is also doing very well. I was surprised at her teacher's observation that she is a perfectionist. Who Kate? Our Kate? Thad and I couldn't stop shaking our heads at that one. She started soccer this fall. For someone who had never played and isn't very competitive she did quite well. She scored the game winning goal in her last game, and that was the only game they won! She is always with her girlfriends in the neighborhood. They are so lucky to have each other.

Olivia is in first grade. She also started playing soccer. The first practice all she did was cry. I was expecting the worst. By the second game she was quite the little player. She runs non stop and even got a little aggressive toward the end. She is learning to read, and we are working out counting by twos and fives. Bad mommy Bonnie hadn't focused on that...oops. She is still very shy at school, but she has some sweet little girls there who are her buddies. Tomorrow she starts gymnastics with her friend Grace.

Brady...oh my little Brady. Brady turned THREE on October 1. When all my other kids were three I was either expecting a baby or had just had one. Alas....that's all folks. Brady is obsessed with the kitchen and sports. He wears Ryan's pads, the girls' jerseys, and constantly dumps out spices in my cupboard. Yesterday we lost the vanilla and garlic powder. He is also potty trained!
He is my love and is happy 95% of the time.

Damn this sounds like a Christmas letter....eek. I'll try to write more often, but don't get your hopes up too high.

I'm Mean

After countless hours of listening to my children complain, I came up with a new response (off the top of my head mind you) at 7am this morning.

Kate: "Mom do you know why I'm always mad at you?"

Me: "I am not in right now. I only take complaints between the hours of 12am and 4am. Please leave your message at the tone, and I will never return your call. BEEP."

Kate: "Whatever Mom"

when it rains....

....it pours. Literally.
Today I went back to work. I could feel based on my lowering patience with my children that it was time. I am not ready to be a working mom again, but never once have I disliked my job or what I do. The adjustment period always takes a little getting used to.
And of course, like the old saying goes, "when it rains..."
1. I woke up around 5:30. Early. Too early.
2. Worked my tail off all day listening to meetings (more work to sit still actually), unpacking what is my fifth classroom, organizing, putting up posters, and figuring out what the first few days will be like.
3. I got Brady, coaxed him to watch a video so I could just chill for a bit, and...yeah that didn't go well. He talked non stop and asked me every 15 seconds if we could go outside and then told me he wouldn't get wet.
4. Thad came home mad. I guess Ryan's brand new bike has a mangled wheel. Oh did that set him off. Then I got crabby because Ryan didn't unload the dishwasher. This was his one job today, and it's his daily chore. I even reminded him at lunch. So he lost friends for the night.
5. Then Kate decided to break out the Easy Bake oven right before supper, make a huge mess, and then complain that she couldn't eat her dessert prior to dinner. Ahhh!
6. We ate, cleaned up, and got ready for Ryan's back to school night. I said the whole family is going. So there. Deal. Suck it up. What a great idea right? Uh....wrong.
Brady was fine for the first meeting. The second meeting, he wouldn't sit, mimicked football plays (including sliding across the floor in front of the teachers numerous times), yelling hut and touchdown, and even loudly passed gas (and announced it).
7. The the kids went to their lockers. Only that must of taken too long, because Brady found something else to occupy his time. The fire alarm. Yep, pulled it. I looked at Thad and said, "Fix it!" He said he couldn't. Hello you are a cop! Do your thing.
Let me just interject that while I love Thad, he tends to not do well under chaotic family pressure. So I had to go find the principal, explain it was my son, and no not my sixth grade son who I think she was ready to report to the police.
Of course I made no secret it was my kid. I mean, can you make this stuff up????
8. Got home, Thad left for the bar (thanks dear) for a going away party, bathed Brady, got the other kids to pick up, and then....the night got a little ugly.
9. Ryan and Kate started fighting. I sent them to bed. Brady drank water, ran to the corner of the girls' room, and spit it on the carpet. Again, he is mimicking football players. So then I scolded him. Olivia decided she wanted to be scolded too, so this old rag of a mom ended up sending all the kids to bed abruptly.
10. I need more patience.

Help!

I've neglected my blog...and now there is just too much that has happened to post.
Quick summary:

-Ryan's baseball team had their state tournament. They did....okay. He had a great year of pitching.
--Thad and I went to Vegas. Our date week was great!
--I signed the girls up for fall soccer. This should be....interesting.
--I signed Brady up for Parent/Tot gymnastics this fall.
--I have not put much time at all into my new class in January. I'm screwed.
--I have managed to read eight books this summer. I'm not done either. Reading = escape.
--Ryan had two weeks of hockey camp, one week of orchestra camp, and now is in football. He pays the Star Spangled Banner on Thursday at the Twins game. Thad and I will be there!
--I caved and bought Ryan a cell phone yesterday. There are many rules and his behavior will dictate whether or not he has it much.
--Above mentioned child is dealing with some anxiety. He's been sleeping in the girls' room on an air mattress. Before that, he'd come in every night and end up on our floor. Of course he won't admit to it, but something is up and I'm a little concerned.
--I am rushing around tying up loose ends this week: hair cuts, dental appointments, etc.
--I am taking Ryan to the middle school today for his school pictures, etc. How is he this old?!
--I think I am cutting my hair off tomorrow...okay not off, but a few inches shorter. It's time.
--I decided one day a couple of weeks ago to potty train Brady. He is doing awesome!

But...here's where I need help. It's been awhile since I've had a little boy. He's obsessed with his penis. Like seriously obsessed. He informs me that he has one all.the.time. I grabbed it in Walmart and even yelled it! Last night he asked me to see it, and proceeded to show me it was....in an altered state. Help!

Do you ever...

....feel like not blogging because you just don't think you have anything good to share?
....hear your kids say some seriously bizarre stuff and think, "I need to blog this," but don't because...it takes time, and who has that?
....pray to God your kids will sleep in by some miracle so that you can have an hour of quiet? As if God wants us asking for such petty things...
....just think to yourself, "I am sooooo sick of cooking meals, trying to come up with something new and good."
.... dread telling your kids what's for supper like I do, because inevitably someone hates it?
....dream about what you'd do if you got a check for $100,000 dollars in the mail? I do...and I have it spent, or at least spent and put to good use for my kids.
....think that even though you can't afford a nice family vacation to somewhere like Disneyworld you should just screw it and go for it? We don't know if we have tomorrow or next week or next year. I want to...but I never 'go for it.'
....dread your next birthday because...let's face it, we aren't getting any younger?
....look at your kids (toddlers specifically) and wonder what happened to that perfectly sweet baby?
....look at your psycho toddler and still miss having a baby...?

I do....

Two Things

1. Brady calls Little House on the Prairie....Katy Perry. Nice huh?
2. Today as I was about to take a shower, I said, "Brady can you please give me some privacy?" He turned around, opened a drawer, took out a tampon, and said, "Here is your privacy."

See this face?

Don't let it deceive you....he is a full fledged terrible two-going-on-three kid. For example....
1. Everytime I take off his diaper he grabs himself (guess where) and says "penis penis."
2. Last Friday night he put goo-gone in the dishwasher.
3. He loves to scream....just to try and damage my one good eardrum.
4. He has been known to call his sisters dumb a few times...."you dumb!" Thanks big kids...
5. He still is in to everything kitchen related....last night he was 'transferring' orange gatorade from one container to another....and most of it inevitably ended up on the carpet.
6. He is ungodly loud when he wakes up with the birds and I'm trying to let the rest of the house sleep.

But....on the flip side...
1. He is the best snuggler in the world.
2. He gives the best hugs
3. He kisses me a lot
4. We took him to Kobe's the other day, and the boy was in HEAVEN.....he even opened his mouth imitating waiting for Sake when I gave him his chocolate milk!
5. He is almost never crabby....
6. He is addicted to watching Little House on the Prairie...yes I'm being dead serious.
7. He likes to play with my hair....hello future lucky girls! (well maybe girls...)
8. He is my not two for much longer 'baby'
I get it now....that last baby will always be a baby....because we grasp on to what we can to remind of us how precious and tiny they once were. How fleeting it is....how quickly life goes by once we have kids.