three little monsters

I can't believe I let this go for the past two years!

2011-09-19T09:31:00.019-04:00

So needless to say we have been pretty busy the last two years! I am back! I am ready to start blogging again! In the last two years....Maggie is almost 5 and Kate is almost 10! Noah is a strong 7 year old! Kate is in the 4th grade. Noah is in the 2nd grade. We switched schools last year and it was a great decision. It was a very hard decision, but the right one to make. Maggie starts Kindergarten next year! Can't believe they will all be in the same school for one year only! We lost our very loved chocolate lab last March. Teak was such a great dog. He is very missed. We buried him in the back yard and planted a peach tree over him.

New addition. BELLE! She is a black lab/golden retriever mix. She looks like a black golden retriever. She is so loving and such a pleaser! She loves to go to the river and loves to play with her BF Lucky the chocolate lab that lives next door.

Kate is in her 7th year of ballet and her third year of company at the ballet studio. This year she will be a mother ginger in the Nutcracker. Kate also loves art. She took a great painting workshop and really loved it.

Noah is a purple belt in Karate. He was the youngest in the school to become a purple belt. Noah is also doing baseball and has really started to love playing. Noah has his first Naga competition in October.

Maggie is in her 2nd year of dance. She loves it and spins and twirls all the time. She is in pre-K and loves school. I can't believe she will be in Kindergarten next year!

Noah and I have been busy with our BBQ catering company.

American Girl Doll Day!

2009-12-01T08:59:00.008-05:00

Kate was so super excited when I picked her up from school. We headed to NP Mall (forgot how much I love this mall) and I think Kate had it in her head she would get Julie (1974 era). She always talked about the bitty twins, but didn't really think that was an option. We got there and walked the whole store. OMGosh love love the hair salon. Finally time to select the dolls....I noticed that the bitty twins are the same price as a big doll. So I tell Kate she can get the twins if she wants...well that was it for her she wanted boy/girl blonde twins (names--Holly and Charlie). We got them each an outfit. She was beaming! Maggie could really care less. I think she is just to little still. But with that said we picked Kit for her. I figured she didn't really care and I love Kit!!! HA!! Then we had dinner at the bistro. Absolutely best waitress ever!!!! Nancy!! The girls got to eat with their babies-- so so cute. They even have a chair that attaches to the table and the dolls get muffins to pretend eat. Ha so cute. Funny thing when you go to the bathroom they have a place for the doll! It cracked Kate and I up!!! Ok sorry so long just really was a great day!!!! Can't wait to go back! Thanks Fairy Godaunts for a fabulous day!

Baseball!

2009-09-10T09:03:00.004-04:00

Omgosh who would have thought? Noah loves loves baseball. He wakes up in the middle of the night thinking it is time to play ball. This season has been hard as we have had so much rain!!! I hear fall ball is much more laid back than spring ball. I am glad we started in the fall...Noah has no clue what is going on...It is fun to watch all the new ball players!

Noah is also a southpaw for right now. He is batting lefty????

Disney 2009

2009-06-22T22:38:00.028-04:00

I have so much to learn still. It was a great week at Disney. This was our first time as a family to go. This was not only the kids first time, but it was also Noah's first time. I was so happy he really enjoyed himself there.

Day 1 We started with the first park which was Hollywood Studios. It was the last day for the Star Wars attraction. Lil Noah was so so so excited to see the men standing on top of the entrance way when we first arrived. He brought his storm trooper mask and wore it quite a bit. He was able to meet Darth Vadar (after standing in line for a 1 1/2).

Day 2 we went to Animal Kingdom. I love this park. It has a lot of shade so it was nice in the heat of the summer. Noah and I rode the scariest rollercoaster in my opinion. Everest. I loved it and it freaked me out. Almost all of the ride is in the dark. I loved the safari ride as well.

Day 3 we took a day off from the parks to enjoy the pool. The kids have really learned how to swim even Maggie in her floaty. She cruised all over the pool. Aunt V. really taught Kate and Noah the basics (boy am I lucky).

Day 4 we arrived at Magic Kingdom...it brought me to my childhood. I remember it so clearly and really not much has changed since the 70s. So Lil Noah loved the monarail (I think that was his favorite ride. He could have ridden it the entire day! Kate went on Splash Mountain and really enjoyed that. Maggie was such a trooper and never complained a bit. All the kids were great standing in the lines. It was hot, but we managed to pack a lot of water and fresh fruit. Gotta love apples with oranges mixed together. What an amazing treat. Every day we brought our lunch and the kids used their lunch money to buy icecream it was a great way to reward them for all their great behavior.

Day 5 we went to Epcot a little later in the day as we really wanted to indulge in the food and drinks. Well we had terential down pours so it was a bit crazy. Managed to get ponchos to stay dry and really I think this was one of mine and the kids favorite parks.

Day 6 back to the Magic Kingdom. It was hot and the kids were pretty done. We stayed for a good while and headed back to the condo and the kids went to the pool. Noah and I went back to Magic Kingdom and we really enjoyed ourselves. I know understand why so many adults go when they don't have kids. It truly is a place for anyone.

Day 7 we left around noon. The kids got their last bit of swimming and really were ready to be home. I could have stayed another week, but the kids were done!!!

April was full of visitors!

2009-05-03T12:43:00.014-04:00

Our April started off with the kids Great fabulous Aunts visiting. Aunt Virgina and Aunt Maryann came to visit for a week. They arrived the week before Easter. The kids had a ball! Lots of shopping and playing and decorating eggs!

Than we had Aunt Niki and Cousin Curt for a long weekend. We had a great time. Went to the park and to The Chattahoochee nature center to celebrate Earth Day.

Avoid Idling when Lil Curt is around!

We than had a great visit from Moppy (Noah's Mom). She came to celebrate Grandparent's Day with Kate at school (when I see some pictures from Grandparents day I will post some). The kids had a great time hanging out with their grandma.

Happy 5th Birthday Noah!

2009-03-15T22:59:00.001-04:00

You were born 5 years ago today! Happy Birthday Beau Beau!

Orange Belt

2009-03-07T21:55:00.000-05:00

Noah earned his Orange belt in Karate last week. He has been working really hard on his Karate. We are so super proud of him.

It has been a while.

2009-01-30T23:15:00.010-05:00

So much has happened. We had a great visit with Aunt Niki and cousin Curt (what a cutie) before the Holidays. Kate turned 7 and Mags turned 2. They both received American girl dolls and many accessories to go with them. We had a wonderful Christmas. Santa brought a swing set!! It is wonderful and it only took two weeks to put together thanks to the rain! Noah did a great job! The kids love it and call it the playground. We spent New Years with some new friends the Wade Family. It was great to be part of thier tradition.

Kids went back to school and Maggie started going two days also because I GOT A JOB! I wasn't looking for a job, but thankfully we are a perfect fit. I started last week(January 24) and it has been very overwhelming. I will be a research analyst. I will be working from home part-time and from the office. It is an ideal situation.

Noah goes in for his testing with St. Joe's next week (Feb. 2). I hope it goes well and he is at the same school as his big sis, Kate. We have really enjoyed being part of St. Joseph's family. Noah will also be testing for his orange belt at the end of the month.

Here is this years Santa picture!

2008-11-30T00:11:00.002-05:00

I love it!!! All three are happy to be with Santa. YAY!!! Best.picture.ever!

8th trip to see Santa!

2008-11-16T22:33:00.012-05:00

Holy cow I can't believe it is already time to see Santa again. Every year for the past 8 years (Kate was born 12 days before Christmas) we go to see the Santa at Phipps Plaza. We than go to The Tavern at Phipps for lunch. It is such a fun tradition. This year is by far my favorite. All three were so great and they each made a wish list. Santa spent some time reading each wish list with each kid and really made sure he understood what they wanted. The funny thing is Kate always has a puppy on her wish list. Santa was very smart by telling her that it may not be the right time for a puppy and that he would have to talk to her parents first (Santa is so smart). I was only able to get one picture of the kids visit with Santa.

The Nichols family and the Gersch family joined us again this year for Santa and lunch. It is so fun to share this great tradition with good friends. Now if Will would just sit still for a picture with his friends.

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T23:35:00.008-04:00

We had a great Halloween. The kids were so excited all day!!! Kate dressed up as a UGA Cheerleader (thanks Aunt Niki) and Noah was a clone tropper (how much more Star Wars do I need to watch) and Mags was a ladybug (thanks cousin Anna). We have a tradition on Halloween. For the past 7 years we have our neighbors over for a feast and trick or treating. This year we had a great spread. Yummy BBQ, chicken tortilla soup, veggie tray, chips and salsa, and this very yummy graveyard treat (concoction of marshmellows, peanuts, cocoa puffs and syrup). This year we hung out with the Nichols family and the Gersch Family.

The kids went trick or treating and than came home ate some candy and watched "It's a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown". They all had a great time. Maggie really got into the fun. She insisted on carrying her own bag and pushed her way to the door to say trick or treat. It was so cute!

Yellow Belt!!!!! YAY for Noah!!!

2008-10-27T20:46:00.003-04:00

Noah tested for his yellow belt on Saturday. It was so fun to watch all the kids. Noah was so excited. We practiced and practiced and practiced!!! He truly loves this sport/art. I can't believe it only took him two months to go from white to yellow. Here is a video of him breaking his first wooden board. We couldn't be more proud. Way to go big kid-- stay focused!

Pumpkins, pumpkins and pumpkins!

2008-10-19T11:38:00.008-04:00

We went to Berry Patch Farms yesterday and we had a great time. First we went on a hayride to the pumpkin patch. We walked all through the pumpkin patch and it was fun seeing the kids trying to pick up all the ginormous pumpkins. Than we did some face painting, had some homemade cider (Noah and Mags loved btw) and we had homemade ice cream. Noah and the kids had some boiled peanuts (yuck) and each kid picked a pumpkin to bring home and we are going to paint them this week. Here are some snapshots of the day.

Phipps Santa!

2008-10-14T08:00:00.004-04:00

This will be our 7th trip to see Santa (Kate went when she was 10 days old). I can't believe we have to make our appt tonight at midnight (we are shooting for early November)!!! Now I am on a clothes mission. Hard to think that it isn't even Halloween and I have to go pick out Christmas clothes. I can't quite get into it yet! This was our picture from last year!

Children's Museum and St. Joe's family picnic

2008-10-13T14:22:00.009-04:00

We went to the Children's Museum to celebrate on of our favorite people. Our very good friends' Dottie and Todd's little boy turned three on Saturday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN!!! It also happened to be my dad's birthday too! So HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD/GRANDAD!

We went to Imagine it! We had a great time at the museum. Here are some pictures of the kids.

St. Joseph catholic School had their annual family picnic. Kate loved seeing all her friends and we made a few new ones this year. It is such a great thing to get out and mingle with friends.

My MEME post about me!

2008-10-10T22:17:00.004-04:00

Ha I think this is funny as most of you know all about me already. My good friend Julie tagged me on giving 6 random things about me. So here goes:

1. When I was ten I had a paper route. The boy Sean Jones (ohh a good one to look up on face book), who lived down the street in my neighborhood in Indianapolis, IN had the route and decided to give it up. I begged my parents to let me do it. I was 10 and I looked about 8. My mom and dad drove me almost everyday as the bag was too big for me to ride my bike. Thanks mom and dad for the support with my first job. Also this was my first lesson about people not paying their bills.

2. I have played tennis since I was 12. I can't wait to get back to ALTA. Once Maggie is old enough for school I am rejoining my old team. I miss them.

3. This one is a toughy---When I was 22 my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. I was her main caregiver for 10 months. She died when I was 23. I quit college to take care of her and I don't regret it for a minute. I used to have to hook her up every night to a food supplement machine and monitor it all night and than disconnect it every morning. I spent 6 weeks sleeping every night in the hospital (St. Joseph's Hospital) with her. My sister and I played scrabble with her everyday and she kicked our butts even if it took her 20 minutes to make a play (she was on one of the highest doses of Morphine). When we brought her home to die I administered all her IV meds. I layed in her hospital bed (in our living room) every night and pushed the pain button every 15 minutes to help give her some relief. I found a healing priest (father Rookey) to help heal her and learned that you can be healed spiritually instead of physically. We said his prayer every night. I watched her take her last breath and it has forever changed my life. I miss her terribly. Her headstone reads something that father Lopez said Liz Bryant...courageous with a sense of humor. That was her in a nutshell.

4. I took summer classes in Montana. MSU in Bozeman and I hope to return there one day. It is the most beautiful place I have ever been.

5. Noah and I went to rival High Schools and never knew each other. We met 8 years after High School. We met at a party. He asked me for my phone number and I told him it was in the book and he looked me up that night and the rest is history.

6. My sister, Elizabeth, lives in the Chicago area. We talk everyday at least once and mostly three times a day. She is my rock and I can't imagine life without her. I wish she and I lived closer.

I am now going to tag 6 people. Sorry if you have already been tagged, but that just means you are very loved.

1. Kim Brown
2. Katie Harris
3. Antoinette Nichols
4. Brandi Greene
5. Amanda
6. Staci

Donuts for Dads

2008-10-01T20:57:00.004-04:00

Little Noah had a great time with his dad. Noah made a frame for his dad with a picture he drew in it. The teacher always asks fun questions and it is always great to see what the kids have to say.

St. Joseph's Confirmation Dinner

2008-09-24T10:30:00.002-04:00

The Nauti-que BBQ team had our largest cook yet. We cooked 180 lbs of pulled pork and 14 chickens and Mellie's smoked beans. It was a huge success.

This is 180 lbs of pork being Marinated.

Fully loaded Lang Smoker AKA Marie Lauveau

Slow cooked for 12+ hours

Fully pulled and delicious!!!

Marinated and smoked Chicken

Mellie's smoked beans---yummy!

weekly update!

2008-09-16T12:34:00.002-04:00

Sorry I haven't been so great at updating we have been super busy!!

Kate started Brownies last week and I am a co-leader. We get to do so many things this year. Sell Cookies is the best part!!! I am sure we will be knocking on many of your doors for orders!!! Kate has also had three spelling test so far this year and she has scored a 101 on each test. She is really doing well in school.

Noah is doing great in school too. His teacher is very impressed with his puzzle solving skills. He loves to do puzzles and is really getting into Legos. He has earned a orange strip in Karate. We are practicing on all his moves.

Maggie has been sick for the last couple of days. She has had a on and off fever and a bad head cold. I hope that she feels better soon. Her new word is puppy! I hope she isn't trying to tell me something. Her daddy has probably been secretly whispering this in her ears!

As for Noah and I we are doing pretty good. We have a super big cook this weekend for St. Joseph's Catholic Church. This is our largest cook ever. We are cooking for 280 people. I will take pictures this weekend with the smoker at its fullest capacity! We are talking 38 Boston butts! We are also doing chicken and baked beans. Click here to view the full menu.

The most amazing pictures

2008-09-05T16:57:00.011-04:00

Amy (Professional photographer out of KY) took these amazing pictures of my kids. I can't thank her enough for capturing these wonderful images. As soon as I have her website I will post it.

Fishing with dad!!!

2008-09-02T20:17:00.006-04:00

Noah took the kids fishing at the Willow Springs/CCR Lake. They had a great time. Kate caught a small brim and Noah caught a small bass? I really have no idea what the fish are it sounded good though! :)

Noah's first day of School

2008-08-29T08:49:00.004-04:00

Noah started his first day of 4 year old preschool on Monday!! He LOVES it!!! He has the same teacher that Kate did. Mrs. Tanner is a wonderful teacher. She is so great with the kids. I think she will be a good fit for Noah. She has already told me that Noah is great at puzzles and that he is a smart one b/c of how fast he can put them together!!! It is always nice to hear good things from the teacher. This is going to be a great year for Noah. I really hope that she is around for Mags when she goes to school at McEachern UMC.

Karate!

2008-08-18T12:12:00.003-04:00

We are so excited for Noah to have a sport all for himself. He has gone to three years of Kate being in ballet. So this is his turn. Little boys don't have many options before the age of 4 for a fun sport. He did have gymnastics for a little while.

This is definitely something he is loving so far. He has been practicing his blocks and his punches and kicks. He is doing pretty good. I will try to catch it on video.

First day of First grade!

2008-08-14T14:12:00.004-04:00

Kate started her first day of first grade yesterday. She was a beaming when she got in the car. She had a great day. She loves her teacher. Mrs. Cunningham (Mrs C) is her teacher this year. Kate was also fortunate to have many of her friends in her class again this year. I hope that every year starts off this great.

Quick weekly update

2008-08-06T07:50:00.003-04:00

So we have been without a/c for a week now and we have survived. We bought two window units. We put one in the family room and one in Mags room. I am amazed at how well these things work. They are not really loud just a little white noise. The kids are doing great through it all.

Noah started Karate and he loves it. This is the free trial week, but I am pretty sure that he will want to continue doing Karate. We have only been one day, but I can tell this is going to be the best thing for Noah. They really teach the kids to focus and to have respect and discipline. ALL things sweet Noah needs. We can take him once a week or three times a week. It is really great!

Speaking of sweet Noah---he got up early this morning and made breakfast for himself and his siblings. It was just cereal, but it was so sweet of him. I helped with the milk. I am just amazed that he did this on his own and he is only 4.

Kate is getting ready to start 1st grade next week. I can't believe the summer is coming to an end. Maggie is crazier than ever and is really learning how to do so many things. She can now get in her booster when it is time to eat...and when it isn't time to eat. She can even fasten her belt on the booster. We have a gtg with some friends and I will post some updated pics of the kids after that.

13.8 more lbs to go!!!!

2008-08-02T12:15:00.002-04:00

So I FINALLY did it. 2.8 today!! I hit the 25 lbs. I actually hit the 26.4 lb mark today! I can't believe it. I have less than 15 lbs to reach my goal (13.8 ti be exact). I think for the time being my short term goal will be 30 lbs and than I will think about the rest. I think I can hit that in about three weeks. I hope. It seems the second half of my weight loss is taking a little longer than in the first half. It has been 17 weeks and I am really proud of what I have accomplished so far. So here is to the next few weeks flying by. I think living in the sauna is helping. :)

top ten reason it is good to not have A/C in the heat of the summer

2008-07-30T23:47:00.005-04:00

We unfortunately will not be fixing our air conditioner until after the summer. It is going to cost us between $1500-$3000 to fix.

10. Doesn't matter if you forget to shut the doors (cold air won't be getting out).

9. You can get ready faster in the morning---No need to blow dry your hair.

8. Let the kids sleep in the family room and call it camping.

7. We won't be having any visitors as no one else is crazy to live without a/c.

6. Becoming an expert on opening and closing windows so the house will keep cool.

5. Not as hungry when you are hot--good way to loose weight!

4. Saving energy for all the green people--I am doing my part! HA--not on purpose!

3. You get to have a fan in every room. It is fun to talk into it and hear your voice when it vibrates.

2. Sweating helps you to loose weight!

and the # 1 reason it is good to NOT have A/C in the summer

1. Save money on the Electric bill so we can send our daughter to private school!

no a/c and a sick boy

2008-07-30T13:37:00.002-04:00

So Lil Noah has had a stomach virus since Monday. The a/c went out yesterday to add to the ordeal. I am hopeful that today is the last day that he will be sick. Thankfully it isn't the hottest day of the year and we are surviving until the a/c guy comes out this evening to fix our problem. I will let you know if Noah isn't better soon. I just really don't want to have to get him some fluids. So he is eating Popsicles (thanks Aunt V for the advice) and so far so good.

On a side note--Maggie has super curly hair when the humidity strikes. So I guess she will be having a bad hair day until we can fix the a/c problem. I think she can thank her grandma/moppy/nini for that one. :)

Our trip to Springfield, MO

2008-07-29T13:39:00.001-04:00

16 weeks

2008-07-26T08:48:00.002-04:00

So I have been on WW for 16 weeks. At 16 weeks they give you a charm for your key chain (I earned this when I lost my 10%). I don't have much more to report. I am really hoping to hit 25 lbs next week. I only gained .4 lbs this past week with going on vacation. I don't think that is too bad considering we drove for 14 hours there and back....that is a lot of fast food along the way. I tried to make the best choices possible. So I now need to loose 1.4 to make my next goal!!!

coming home tomorrow!!!

2008-07-21T19:21:00.002-04:00

We have had the best time in Springfield, MO. Maggie was able to meet her Great Grand Nana!!! She is turning 95 in August. I have a lot to update and will do so on Thursday!! We have another long day of driving ahead of us. Here are a few things till we get home.

1. We had a great party for Nana
2. I chopped 5 inches off my hair.
3. I got to meet a legend, Billie Jean King, and had my head cut off in the picture in the paper!! HA!! I made the front page of the sports section!!! Not really only my body!!!
4. Kids got to see their Aunt Niki who spoiled them rotten and now I have to de-Niki-fy them!!
5. Slight weight gain +.6 not bad for being out of town. I have really eaten what I want for the most part. I did fit into a size 10 though!!!
6. Kids got to meet their cousin Curt. he is a cutie and I will post lots of pictures when I get home!!!

I hope everyone had a great week. :)

Whoa that is big!

2008-07-17T00:36:00.003-04:00

This is a caterpillar that Noah and the kids found outside in the garden. Noah noticed that one of the tomato plants was looking bare, well to his surprise...this is what he saw. If you haven't read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. You are missing out. This is a great book about how a caterpillar eats his way through the days of the week and by the end he is so full that he makes a cocoon and than turns into a beautiful butterfly. It is a great book. I highly recommend it.

Proud of you Kim!!!

2008-07-16T07:32:00.009-04:00

What a great night out. Here is a video from the night. I truly haven't laughed that hard in a long long time. Katie--I am still laughing at some of the things you said and did. Who knew? Kim-- you are such a strong person and there are only fabulous things to come for you.

ok so I am 1 pound away from 25!

2008-07-12T10:29:00.004-04:00

I have to say I kinda hit a lull these last few weeks. So I was happy to have lost another 2 lbs this week. We are travelling at the end of next week so I am hoping to loose the 1 pound I need to hit 25. Than my next goal will be 30. I hope that I can get close to that goal by August 3rd. Brittany of Brittany Erwin Photography is taking some pictures of me with the kids. I will be excited to see a good weight lost by that point. Wish me luck.

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-07T19:58:00.001-04:00

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-07T16:30:00.007-04:00

We had a great 4th of July! Here is a slide show of our day. We started our day at the Marietta Square Parade. We than drove to Roswell and visited with granddad and Ms. Dee for a day at the pool. This pool is amazing. They have 2 water slides, 2 diving boards and a great big pool and than they have a great 0 depth entry with a mushroom that has water falling over the top. We all had a great time.

The Art Barn

2008-07-02T22:57:00.007-04:00

We had the best time at the Art Barn!!! Farmer Sue is so incredible with the kids. Here are some pictures of our day. I will put together a slide show later today.

blast from the past

2008-06-30T09:39:00.011-04:00

Noah and I went to a friends birthday party. It was a great 80s party. From BIG hair to kamazi drinks and kegs. Ferris to Lloyd..It was a great night! A much needed night out for us. Here are some pictures.

22.6 lbs lost!!!

2008-06-28T10:40:00.002-04:00

I FINALLY hit the 20 lb mark. Now I only have 17.4 lbs left to go. I hope that I can keep it up. These past two weeks have seemed harder than usual. I actually lost 3.2 lbs this week; which I find hard to believe considering I ate a cupcake (red velvet) from Gabriels (thanks Andrea) and I also ate some S'mores galore that I made for Bunco. I guess all the running around I did at VBS this week paid off. I hope all my other WW friends are doing well this week!

I can do it I can do it!

2008-06-27T23:19:00.004-04:00

These are the words said many times in Kate's swim lessons. Ms. Kat is the best swim teacher ever! I can't believe that Kate can swim now. It is amazing. It has been 4 years of swim lessons!

Here is my daredevil boy swimming. He always screams cannon ball when we are at the pool. I don't think he really knows what that is. He just knows you have to say it when you jump in the pool. I think I missed him saying it as he jumped before I was ready.

The Leprechaun did it!

2008-06-23T21:27:00.004-04:00

This is the new saying in my house. Lil Noah has decided that a little Leprechaun has invaded his room. He was in his room for a while to rest after our busy day. When he came down he was going on and on about a Leprechaun. I really didn't think much about it. Well when we went upstairs to get ready for bed. The Leprechaun's presence was clearly known. Noah's room was turned upside down. I gasped and asked what happened and he replied..."I told you a Leprechaun did it". I nearly died laughing. That kid is so damn funny sometimes. He really knows how to get out of trouble and he started it hours earlier. He is crafty.

Noah has had some imaginary friends. They are called the red people. He has had them for about 1 and a half years. They are really little and can't climb the stairs (we send a rope down for them to climb). The red people have been showing up more and more this summer. Kate used to have an imaginary bear called Jin Jin.

The Girls had their check-ups

2008-06-19T08:51:00.010-04:00

Maggie had her 18 month check up yesterday. She is a very healthy girl. She weighs 22 lbs and 8 oz. (25th%) and she is 33 1/2 inches tall (90th%). She has a large head as the others-- it is also in the 90th % for growth. She received one shot and a finger prick to check for iron (13.5). So all was good. We did talk about her lack of speech and her major temper tantrums that she has occasionally (HA! I mean every time she doesn't' get her way).

Now for Kate...She had a not so great appt. In December she was not measuring on the chart for height (I realize this may not be a big surprise to most of you as I am a shorty). She was always in the 5th-10th % for height. Well she was -3% (not on the chart) in December. We were told to have her rechecked in June (her half b-day month). Well it looks like she is at a standstill for her growing (she grew a 1/4 of an inch). This may just be a plateau and she will most likely pick back up, but in the meantime we need to have some test run. So ugh they had to draw blood yesterday and it was the worst thing I have had to witness as a parent so far. She was screaming at the top of her lungs "it hurts it hurts". I was holding her legs and today realizes how dumb that was I should have been near her face so she could see me. It was awful. They couldn't get enough out of one arm so they had to stick the other arm. She was completely dripping in sweat form sheer terror. I felt so bad for her. We should have the results back on Friday. No need to get into what ifs until we know the results.

Father's Day at the Botanical Gardens

2008-06-18T13:49:00.009-04:00

We started the morning off with brunch at the Marietta Diner with our good friends, The Kerstine Family. After brunch we were treated to a day at the Atlanta Botanical Garden's for Father's Day. Griff and Andrea have three kids also and so we were a party of ten everywhere we went!!

We had a great time. The gardens are beautiful and one of the terrariums was so cool (temperature) that I really didn't want to leave. It was a beautiful HOTLANTA day!! There was a band playing (which ironically the Uncle of my BFF in high school was playing in so I ran into her and her husband). The gardens also had cotton candy, popcorn and snocones for the kids. A train for the kids to ride and face painting. There is a great kids area. They have fountains that the kids can play in and they had a blast!

Happy dad's day! Love from your kids--Kate, Noah and Maggie oh can't forget our first born...Teak!

NEW WARDROBE!!!

2008-06-14T20:40:00.002-04:00

OMG I can't believe the day has come where I can fit into more than half (more like 2/3rds)of my closet!!!! I have held out for this day for 7 years!!! I am down 3 dress/pant sizes!!! I am amazed at how good it felt to try on some clothes. I am down 19.6 lbs. I didn't quite make it to the 20lb mark (this is my halfway mark), but hopefully will by next week. I really don't care what size the clothes say I am just so happy to have MORE choices!!! YAY for a new wardrobe that didn't cost me any money!!!

Crazy busy week!!!

2008-06-13T12:41:00.006-04:00

So Kate has been at G.S. camp all week from 9-3. It is an 1 1/2 drive there and back. UGH!!! Noah and Maggie have been super busy too. Noah has continued his swim lessons this week and yesterday he SWAM ALL BY HIMSELF!!! I think I cried a bit as we have never made it thus far. 4 years of swim lessons for Kate and Noah does it on his second week. I am so proud of him!!! (Kate is excited to get back to lessons next week!) Maggie has been such a trooper. She has tagged along on all our activities. 2 days not getting a nap accept for the long drive to get Kate. We went to a bounce house yesterday and Maggie is now BIG enough to jump inside the jumpys. She had a blast. Life as I know it has changed. I have to watch her like a hawk!!! Two days ago I found her standing in the middle of the table outside on our screened in porch. She is going to keep me busy this summer.

Girl Scout Camp

2008-06-09T22:23:00.003-04:00

Kate started Girl Scout camp today. She had a great time. Camp is all week. So it is unbelievable all the stuff you need to go to day camp. We got these big buckets from Publix. We had a decorating party last Friday with some of the other girls attending camp. Well we had to fill these buckets up with towel, pool shoes, bathing suit, lots and lots of water, sunscreen, insect repellent and 40 S.W.A.P.S. (these are cute little things we made that she can swap with other campers). I can't wait to see what the other kids made.

I am down 17.4 lbs!!!

2008-06-07T16:00:00.004-04:00

Ok so it has been 9 weeks since I joined Weight Watchers. My goal is to loose 40 lbs. I am almost half way there. I have lost 17.4 lbs!!! I can't believe I actually may stick this one out. I was always a pretty thin girl growing up, but around 25 I just couldn't loose the weight as easily. Well when I hit 30 and started having kids....well here I am. When I got my learners permit I weighed 90lbs and I think I added a few lbs.

I am never infront of the camera, but will try to get Noah to take some pictures.

HOLY 8 YEARS!!!

2008-06-04T08:15:00.002-04:00

So yesterday made 8 years that Noah and I have been married. It is so hard to believe how much we have accomplished in the 8 years and makes us wonder where the next 8 will take us. I don't think we ever imagined having such a perfect family. I say perfect loosely as nothing is perfect. We are just so blessed to have the three kids! Oh and I must not forget about the crazy barking dog!! To celebrate we all went out to our favorite Mexican restaurant (La Parilla). I went off diet and had a HUGE bowl of cheese dip that had steak, shrimp and chicken in it!!! YUM! I will try to find a picture from our wedding and post it later!

SWIM LESSONS!

2008-06-04T08:10:00.002-04:00

I can't believe how great the swim lessons are going for Kate! She loves them. Noah is also taking them and he is so excited and doing a fabulous job as well. This is Kate's 4th year yes I said 4th year taking lessons. I guess the 4th time is a charm in this case. We are doing the lessons with friends and it is going great.

Kate has Girl Scout camp next week so we are busy trying to get all her stuff ready for camp. Noah will continue to have lessons next week and Kate will join him again the third week. I am hopeful that is all they will need.

Maggie's new trick (mama is not so thrilled with)...those wonderful sheets we recieved as a gift that you zip on and off...well SHE can unzip them and it is CRAZY!!! I think I am going to have to go to the old sheets that are a pain to change.

Kate's last day of school and Ballet Recital

2008-05-30T08:46:00.006-04:00

So today is the last day of school!! Kate gets out at noon and we are going to have a picnic lunch in the Square with some of her classmates!

She also has her ballet recital tonight. I will be happy when this day is done!!!

Kate is a Kindergarten graduate!!!

2008-05-28T14:37:00.005-04:00

Talk about a teary eye moment. What a wonderful year Kate has had. She has made great friends and has really grown into a wonderful girl. I am very proud of her.

One of the most touching moments was when her 4th grade buddy stood up and said some really nice things about Kate. That really brought on the waterworks!

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

2008-05-26T20:06:00.007-04:00

Yay for little Noah!! He won the race yesterday in the Indy pool! He had Scott Dixon. Lil Noah was so funny. I told him that his car was winning half way through the race. Noah's response was with great excitement...."he is the line leader". Noah definitely knows who Scott Dixon is. Lil Noah won $99. That is a lot of money for a little kid. I think we will only let him spend $15-$20 of the money. We will see. Most of it will go in his bank account!

Took the kids to the pool for the first time this year. They really had a great time. We weren't up there long, but Mags really loved the water!!! I put her in the float and when we got out she sat on her float out of the water. I think she was ready to get back in.

INDY 500 IS TODAY!!

2008-05-25T08:07:00.003-04:00

I grew up in Indianapolis, IN and this is a BIG day for us Hoosiers. The Indy 500 is a great tradition in my family. My grandfather use to time the cars way back in the beginning of it all. Well every year we have a pool to see who will win the $99 ($3 a car). Here is who we have....

Noah...................Tomas Schekter Car # 12
Melissa (me)......Will Power Car #8
Kate.....................Oriol Servia car # 5
Lil Noah...............Scott Dixon Car # 9
Maggie ................Bruno Junqueira Car # 18

In the 37 years I have been playing in this pool I have NEVER won. Doesn't look like this year I will be the winner either. Oh well.

Pork pork and more pork!

2008-05-24T14:55:00.002-04:00

So I pulled 31 pork butts this morning in 4 hours. Noah helped for the first hour and a half. Then he was off to finish the ribs and the chickens. The cook went really well. I made the beans for the first time and they turned out really good (so I have heard). This was such a great experience for Noah and I. I really am the behind the scenes person and he is the one out front. I like it this way. Noah passed out a lot of business cards and we are hopeful to get some new clients.

The kids had a great time. Lil Noah loves to help daddy cook. All morning he was running little errands that Big Noah would send him on. He really felt like he was helping. It was really cute. He also REALLY likes the cooking gloves (globes). He practically wore them the whole time we were at the event. He wore them in the car on the way and on the way home. He is so funny!

1st BIG catering tomorrow!

2008-05-23T22:06:00.005-04:00

Tomorrow is our first big catering job. We are going to a car dealership and setting up the smoker and the tents. We are making it a family affair. The kids love to help cook!! They get excited when the tents go up. I think the whole neighborhood gets excited.

So I have run a gazillion errands to get ready for this HUGE cook. We are cooking 90 lbs of pork butt (for pulled pork) and 8 spatchcock chickens (the best chicken ever) and 9 racks of ribs. I also made a big pan of smoked beans. I am not really looking forward to pulling all that pork in the morning. Here is a picture of the smoker loaded down. The smoker has a name it is Marie Laveau (Another pig done gone).

UNBELIVABLY PROUD

2008-05-21T08:52:00.003-04:00

Kate has won the Faith in Action award at her school. It is so amazing what a change she has made this year. She has really grown into such a beautiful child inside and out. We are really proud of her. Her teacher said she won the award because "she makes good choices and lives her faith". Kate said yesterday was her best day ever and it ended with a rainbow.

Been MIA for a while...

2008-04-14T13:30:00.002-04:00

So this morning is Monday and we are all getting ready for our day and Lil Noah comes in to tell us that he ate a money...really money? He says yeah and tries to explain the whole thing. Well I layed out all the different coins and asked him which one he ate. He picked the penny. Great now do we have to go to the Drs. for a penny will this pass on his own. Ugh! Luckily it should pass on its own and I do not have to check his poop!!!

Kate went back to school from spring break. She was really excited to go. I was a little sad we had such a fun week. Only (I think) 6 weeks left of school and we are out for the summer. I need to figure out camps for the kids to keep them busy.

I also joined WW this past weekend. I really want to loose 40-45 lbs. I am thinking about 15 lbs per kid. That should do it. So far so good, but it is the beginning! :)

Holy Monsoon!!!

2008-02-26T19:43:00.002-05:00

Ok my day didn't start too great. I heard on the news that we were going to get hit pretty hard with a horrible storm within the next 20 minutes. So I ran down the stairs to let Teak out to go potty. By the way Teak is our Chocolate Labador that will be 9 years old in March. Ok so I go outside and bam I am hit with all this wind and tons of rain (it was sideways) and it is thunder and lightening. I am completely freaked out and drag the poor dog back in and he isn't finished going so he is not happy. Well Kate and Noah are up and a little freaked so I grab Maggie out of her crib and run downstairs. It passes before the weatherman even said it would be in our area. I love how the weatherman can mess up something that is literally happening at that moment. I have heard a couple of my friends neighborhoods were hit pretty bad. I am glad my friends are all safe.

The rest of the day was crazy. Ballet day...It is absolutely the worst day of the week for me. I think I age about 5 years every Tuesday we are at ballet. The little kids don't fair to well during that long long long hour. Mags almost never gets a nap on this day. It is miserable.

I am so looking forward to watching One Tree Hill and BB9 and veggie out in front of the TV for a little while tonight. I miss Noah, but am glad he is having a great trip. Oh he isn't in Carlisle he is in a really small town I can't remember the name of the town, but he is close to Carlisle.

Mondays...

2008-02-25T19:17:00.003-05:00

Well we over slept. I have to say I am enjoying the bed all to myself. Extremely easy to make in the mornings. Well we were in a bit of a rush to get all three fed and mostly dressed and out the door by 7:15 well it was more like 7:30. I hate rushing in the mornings. It is so hard to motivate kids when you are yelling hurry. Dropped Kate off at school with about 4 minutes to spare.

Noah, Mags and I were off to Wal-Mart for invitations for Noah. Spider-Man invites. They will go in the mail tomorrow. I have really slacked on this kids bday. I normally have a big notebook of who is coming, what we are eating, the favors and the list goes on and on. I am hopeful that all will work out.

Talked to Big Noah and he is enjoying himself in England. He is in a small town called Carlisle. He is staying in a house their like a bed and breakfast and they had a nice dinner for a few people that are in town and Noah was invited to come. Very good for networking and learning more about the company.

Noah left for England yesterday

2008-02-24T13:33:00.000-05:00

Noah left yesterday to go to the UK for the week. He is going to finally get the training he needs for his job. It is kinda weird for him to be gone at night. The time difference really makes it hard to talk to him. I look forward to spending a lot of quality time with the kids and get back on a really good routine. I do miss him though.

Maggie has a cold/fever and we weren't able to have our pictures made yesterday. I was pretty bummed about that. The weather was bad anyways and we were going to have them taken outside. So I guess if she had to be sick that was a good time. We will reschedule after Noah gets back.

Kate has discovered music. She was given an MP3 player for her Birthday in December, but just had me get it up and running (which was a challenge) yesterday. She is so funny now she dances and sings S.O.S. by Rhianna all through the house. Do I tell her she can't carry a tune in a bucket... I will let her think she is a good singer for a bit longer. She is begging me to get her some Hannah Montana music. HM is all new to me. I am so out of the loop on cool things for kids. I will do my research and have some new tunes for her this week.

Lil Noah is having a bday soon. We are going to have a Spider-Man party at the Gymnastics place near our home. He is really excited for his special day.