Funny Family Sayings

Today after we picked up Emily from school we went to the store - Lakeshore Learning Center. No sooner did we walk in the door Matt announced that he had to use the bathroom. It is a small store so it has a single women and men's bathroom. I had Matt go into the men's bathroom and stood outside the door - which he insisted I do seeing I wouldn't go in with him. The entire time he kept asking me, "Are you still there?" Then he said, "Don't leave me because I am a special boy." I thought it was hilarious him telling me he's a special boy....I agree of course. It was just cute to hear him say it.

Overwhelmed

I think that we can all agree that life gets a little overwhelming. Well, lately, I've been in a constant state of overwhelmed...some of it self created. Of course, Dave's work schedule as of late hasn't assisted in creating any calm. I had a ladies brunch here at the house on Friday morning then last night I hosted a jewelry party (it was a reschedule from a canceled party last month). Thursday night I have MOPS (the last one of the season) where I lead the craft time. This Friday the kids have a half day of school for field day, then they are off on Monday (holiday). Of course we have homework every night to do...yeah! Emily's birthday is next Wednesday (can't believe she'll be 8) to which I have to bring cupcakes to school and have a small celebration on that day here at home. Matt has a birthday party to attend on the 6th, Emily's party at Monster Golf is on the 8th which happens to be a half day of school. The 12th Emily and I have a baby shower to attend. Matt has his preschool program on the 15th then starting the 16th until the 22nd the kids have all half days of school (pickup at 10:50 for Matt and 1:05 for Emily). Oh, and before the end of school Matt has to celebrate his birthday with his school class. The month of June I also teach the 2's & 3's church class. In the midst of this, Dave's work audits and quarter close will end but then he has to attend and lead some training sessions. We'll celebrate Matt's birthday on the 27th and then YEAH.....the 28th starts Dave's week of vacation. Of course, we have no plans made at this time.....which is highly unusual because Dave usually has our vacations planned for the upcoming year in the December prior to the start of the new year - he's been a little leery of making plans due to his unpredictable work schedule. To be honest, after writing this all out just relaxing at home sounds good but I know Dave will want to get away. So, I guess what I am asking is that you think of me and keep me in your prayers through this month and next that I will not only keep my sanity but to try and enjoy the ride as I go along.

Mommy's Little Helper

Matthew loves the new kitchen. What he loves to do most is wash dishes. As a mom, I've tried to be a little more relaxed and let the kids do things around the house that teach them the chores they will some day do on a regular basis (even though it sometimes creates a bigger mess I have to clean up)....and if the kids love doing it why fight it. We did have a casualty during this session - a glass. I was in the dining room and thankfully Matt told me "sorry, its broken" as soon as it happened. I told him don't touch anything and he listened. When I got to the sink, I was so glad he did because the glass had a sharp shard sticking straight up that could have done some serious damage. Do I let him do dishes after that? Sure, but I just make sure there is nothing breakable in the sink before he starts his "job". Oh and by the way the other job he loves to do is was windows and mirrors.

Bunny Kisses

Most people know them as Eskimo kisses but not our Emily...to her these are bunny kisses. Nothing like a morning kiss from your little girl.

Put Your Hands Up

Matt loves to get into character when he is playing policeman. Of course, we have no police pajamas so the firefighter ones will do. Same with the fire boots which really no longer fit and have a rip in them. He donned his SWAT hat, whistle, badge on a neck string key holder and the most important piece is the billy club stowed in his "made" pocket. I asked if I could take his picture and this is the look he gave me. Look at that mean stare...looks like someone is in trouble and headed for jail. Today in the car he informed me he'd be a policeman when he gets older. I'm sure tomorrow it will go back to being a firefighter....any way you look at it he's headed for emergency services...at least at this point.

We Love Animals

Recently, we went on one of our favorite family outings - the Bronx Zoo. It was an absolutely gorgeous day weather wise. We've learned from the past that you have to enter the zoo with a plan and cannot go to all the exhibits in one day or you'll regret it (learned from experience), so we let the kids each choose 2 exhibits they wanted to see/do. Matt chose the monorail that goes through the Asia exhibit and the seals. Emily's choices were the Children's zoo and the Reptile House. The pictures are from the children's area. Matt was having a "discussion" with the chicken. I love the prairie dog exhibit with the pop up tubes in the habitat. It really makes the kids feel like they are one of them. Of course, we had to get a picture of them in the bird's nest located in the bird's aviary section. They also got to ride the Bug carousel and no trip would be complete without a visit to the gift shop - Emily got a plush toy that is shaped like a tree stump that has 6 holes in it and in each hole there is a different plush bird and Matt got a viper head that is on a stick that helps control its tongue sticking out. We spent about 3 hours there and it was just the right amount of time.

Emily enjoyed it so much that when her teacher asked them to do their Show & Tell recently on "My Favorite Activity to Do with my Family?" guess what she chose? You got it, going to the zoo. She drew an amazing picture of each of us doing an activity at the zoo.

It makes me very pleased to know that the kids are having moments in their childhood that they will remember as happy family times later in life.

Happy BIrthday, Daddy Dave!

Unfortunately, Dave's birthday fell at a bad time with his work schedule. He left for work that morning at 7:30 a.m. and got home at 8:50 p.m. The kids and I didn't want for his birthday to pass by without any notice so we surprised him when he came home that night. We greeted him with a huge "surprise", a small cake with 6 Sponge Bob candles, party hats and a Happy Birthday banner. Of course, he still had to eat dinner but ate his cake first so the kids could get to bed....school in the morning! Matt confiscated Dave's root beer in the midst of the party and Emily she just wanted a little peace for the day. The kids of course got him "sound" cards....they are addicted to those things. We wish it would have been a little less busy for Dave on his birthday but we hope we made it a little nicer. Next year the big 40. Hopefully, the day will be a little more exciting.

I'll Give You My Heart

For Mother's Day, one of the most creative gifts I got was this "handmade" heart from Emily. As always, my kids made sure that I got flowers - they are obsessed with giving flowers for any occasion to all people (even Mrs. Claus gets flowers that are left for Santa to take with him after her eats his cookies and drinks his egg nog). My main gift was a new Ipod with a few accessories. Emily was especially thrilled with my gift of an Ipod upgrade when she was informed that my old Ipod is now hers. Of course, she has to share it with Matthew on occasion (very few occasions I'm sure). After church, we went to have lunch at Bonefish Grill - it was yummy! It was a combined Mother's Day and Dave's Birthday meal seeing we knew he would be working late on his birthday, which was the next day. Thanks for a wonderful day!

Mother's Day Gifts

Remember when we were young and we would make Mother's Day projects at school bringing them home for the big day. Well, times are a changing when you are the mom getting those "creations" of love. These are the "creations" I was happy to receive on Mother's Day. Emily's card is in the shape of a purse (one of mommy's favorite accessories). She drew a picture inside of us together and a message just for me. Her teacher also had them learn a song that she sang for me about how much she loves me. Very sweet! Matt made a paper bouquet of flowers glued to a paper plate and then his big item is a flower that has his picture on it and his hand prints serve as the flowers petals. It seems orange was the theme of the year. Thank you Emily and Matt for your loving creations.....I love being your mom.

Future Careers

This morning on the way to school the kids got on the topic of what we will do when we grow up. It all started when Matt mentioned that he and Victoria (our babysitter) wouldn't be able to go to the park today because it is raining. I reminded him that she hasn't been able to come see him for a while because she is in school and has a lot of tests right now. Then I asked the kids if they knew what she was going to school to become. After many guesses, I told them she is going to school for nursing. Then, they asked me what Juan, her stepson, wanted to be and I told them a history teacher. Then, they asked about her husband, Danny, and I said he works as a contractor fixing peoples houses like ours but he goes to school too to learn new things about building. Emily then chimed in and said she wants to be a dentist (even after all the work done in her mouth) and Matt said he is going to be a firefighter (no surprise there). Then, Emily asked what I was going to be and I said how about I just be your mom and she told me I needed to do something else so I told her I would become a fitness instructor to which she replied "you do love the gym". Matt then said that Dave would be a policeman and I could do the ambulance - he's trying to have our family cover all the emergency service departments. Of course, then the topic went goofy and Emily said that Dave would be a hot dog vendor to which Matt said no he is going to be a policeman, then I somehow got the job of hot dog vendor. It was just a nice moment in the car on the way to school. I love these kind of moments with the kids - it gives you insight on who they are and what they are thinking. Only the future will tell us who becomes what....should be interesting.

Kitchen Makeover Complete!

Well, it is finished and it is beautiful if I do say so myself. The project took 2 weeks and 2 days in total.

Our contractor tore out the countertops and backsplash on a Wednesday. The granite guys came on the following Friday to do the template. We got delivery of the granite this past Wednesday and the tile and finishing touches took until yesterday to complete. This morning I spent my time putting the kitchen back together and bringing the things back into the room. I have to say I love just standing and looking at it. It looks amazing. I plan on doing a little more cooking from Monday on.....not cooking on Mother's Day, Dave made reservations somewhere. We are very pleased with the outcome and it didn't disrupt our lives for too long. To be honest, the end result makes it worth the disruption.

Is that Frankenstein or Extra Eyes

The other morning I'm eating my breakfast and this is what I turn to see. I burst out laughing and called Dave into the dining room to check it out. Matt decided to stick two Cheerios to his forehead. It looks like he has the head nodules of Frankenstein - but he's too cute to be him - or two extra eyes. With Matt, every day, no every moment can be pretty hilarious.

Time to Ride Like the Wind

Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day weather wise. It was quite warm but Matt insisted on wearing a long sleeved shirt - mainly because of the graphic (a train) on it. He and Dave decided to take a small bike ride before we headed out to dinner. Matt is still a little unsure about this bike because of its height but with time he will be an old pro like he was on his small bike.

Show & Tell - My Favorite Ice Cream

Emily's latest Show & Tell was "My Favorite Ice Cream". So, she created her favorite - rainbow sherbet. She drew the cone and then glued crumpled up tissue paper on for the "ice cream". Of course, she was sick on the day it was due but she took it in on Monday to show she did it. Matt made a rainbow sherbet ice cream cone too (not pictured) because he needed to make a "project" and he even took it to school to show to his teacher.

Friday - Sick Day

Last Friday ended up being a sick day for Emily. She woke up warm and her temp was just under 100. I was debating on whether or not to send her to school. She had a Show & Tell that day which was about your favorite ice cream and I knew the teacher was bringing ice cream as a surprise, so I even told her about it to see her reaction and she said "I am too sick". I decided to keep things as low key as possible so I kept Matt home too. The only thing I had to do that day was pick up the tile for our kitchen remodel. Before we left for that errand, Emily's temp just hit 100. I bought them lunch on the way home and after they ate they played for a little bit. When Emily came to see me, she looked sick -pale with rosy cheeks. I told her, you need to lay down and rest, which of course she wanted to do on my lap. I held her for a while, then put her on the couch to get better rest/sleep. At that time, I took her temp and it was 103. I gave her some Motrin (yes, it was on the recall list but I didn't know about it at the time) and she fell asleep. It was very quiet, too quiet so I checked on Matt and this is how I found him. He had taken his pillow and blanket to the basement and settled in. All in all they slept for about 2 hours...which was great for them and me too. The fever broke in the early evening and the sickness was over just as quick as it came. Looking back, I'm glad she did stay home because I definitely would have been picking her up from school had she gone.

Matt in the Box

Matt is just too funny. The other day I got a delivery from Amazon and immediately Matt confiscated the box. The next thing I know he is stuffing his little behind in the box. He thought it was the greatest thing - his new mode of transportation. I believe it was a train. It is amazing the imaginations of children, too bad as we getting older we tend to lose so much of our imagination.

Funny Family Sayings

I've decided that some of these sayings are just so funny that they deserve a true posting, not just one on the sidebar. Plus I don't know if you look there to see if I've added any, so this is the way you will see the hilarious sayings of the Wessel household from this day forward.

Matt - "Smell my morning breath". Hmmm wonder where that came from. I can honestly say "not from me".