Garden and Running

John came back from Las Vegas this morning and because he was up all night (from the red eye, not from gambling), he got a few hours of sleep while the kids and I played outside. I worked on hand-tilling my garden area that my dad so nicely moved all my lilies from a few weeks ago. The kids pretty much played outside all day because once John got up, we did more yard work. John mowed the grass and I spread my dirt in my garden and planted flowers and vegetables.

In the afternoon, Jack and I went for a short run. It was only around the block, 0.65, miles and he set the pace at about a 12:30 minutes per mile pace. We signed him up to run in a race next weekend at eh Cleveland Browns Stadium and he is excited. I love that he (and the girls for that matter), knows that I go for runs and Jack asks to join me frequently. I like to think I am instilling some good exercise habits to my children. The girls see me in my running clothes and they immediately say, "Oh, mama go running." The other day, I dressed them for the day in black capri leggings and they thought they were going running too! "running!" they told me, feeling their pants.

Jack and I left after dinner to pick out flowers for my pots and also to get the vegetables and herbs for our garden. He was so excited to help me figure out which vegetables to plant! We picked Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, better boy tomatoes and yellow tomatoes. We got two bell peppers (even though I don't have much luck with these each year), pickling cucumbers and I bought one green bean plant and one yellow bean plant. We also planted two rows of green and yellow beans from seed which I do every year and seem to have success with them. I like to do one or two "fun" things, so this year Jack picked out a peanut plant! What a fun thing to try to grow. He also wanted a pumpkin plant and I reluctantly let him even though the squash plants take up so much space. We planted it in a different area so it doesn't kill the other plants. He wanted the baby pumpkin plant, so that is what we got. Of course, I got my herbs, too. Except, I had to go to five different stores/greenhouses to find dill! But, I need my dill to make my pickles!

John took these pictures from the porch, I actually have a lot more space that isn't seen.

ZOO!

I took the kids to the zoo today because Jack had a day off school and the weather was beautiful. I packed lunches, drinks and the potty seat. I'm not going to say it was easy, because it wasn't. But we managed the day and the girls stayed dry. And everyone had a good time. The Cleveland zoo is not the easiest to maneuver (and not my favorite zoo) because of all the hills. I can say that because we have had memberships to four zoos. The highlight of the day was the elephants (other than the geese! I swear my kids could watch geese all day long). We ate lunch while watching the monkeys. We also caught glimpses of the lion, flamingos, zebras, ostrich and ducks. There were elementary school field trips at the zoo and we met 7 year old triplets (GGB). It was pretty neat to see another set of triplets at the zoo. I head a few (hundred) people tell me I have my hands full, of course and many whispers of "triplets." One lady said as I walked by, "I'm glad I'm not her." Well, all I have to say to that lady is I'm glad you are not me either because I feel pretty blessed with my children and wouldn't trade it for the anything.

On the way home, we stopped and got ice cream cones. The kids love ice cream!

Waiting for the elephants to cross

One of the elephants crossing. If you look closely you can see it in front of the rock 

Pink flamingos

Lunch spot. I put the potty seat behind the stroller so all the girls could go (it was wooded behind these two benches)

Jack played on this for a short time before we went home.

The Best Mother's Day Present

Jack couldn't wait.

He never can!

This is his Mother's Day card and gift to me.

A picture of me, He kept telling me it was the best he could do. I think his teacher must have told the class this.

"My mom's name is Laura. She is 34 years old. She has black eyes and gray hair ["I had to guess on that part. I just did the best I could." Jack]. Her favorite food is sare [celery]. I love to play lagos with my mom. Another I'd like you to know about my mom is she is fun. I love my mom because becas she awesome. By Jack"

Jack's hands are the petals and his feet are the leaves.

There are many beautiful mother's in my life and I wish every one of them a Happy Mother's day

Waiting on...JACK'S BUS!!

The girls love to wait for Jack's bus. They get so excited and let out yelps and screams when it comes down the street. Sometimes we are outside and Jack loves it. Today, I took a few pictures of them waiting on Jack. When Jack gets off the bus he comes running down the stairs, runs to the sidewalk, stops abruptly and then turns around to wait for the bus to drive away. Apparently that is the rule and he will stand there until the bus is gone! Funny kid!

Jack is running down the stairs

Stops and turns around on the sidewalk

Turns around when the bus is completly out of sight!

Big Kiddos

I checked on my kids last night and Jack was asleep with his two bellas in his hand, Jake, Pirate Mickey and his sword. All in his arms. I seriously hope he doesn't grow up.

In just a few weeks he will be finished with kindergarten. We have decided to do what we told ourselves we would do at the beginning of the year and send him to kindergarten again. He did fine this year and tested for first grade. He likes school and has learned a ton. He reads fairly well. However, he is young. I'd like to say it won't ever matter that he is so much younger than his classmates, but I can't look into the future and see if it ever will. Jack is a smart kid. Everyone has told us this for a while. As his mother, I know it is acceptable to say your child is smart, but it really didn't hit me how smart he is until I have watched my girls grow and develop. Jack is really a smart kid. He doesn't care about repeating kindergarten and will have the other teacher, new group of kids, and hopefully we can find some ways to stimulate him with enrichment opportunities next year.

The girls, last night, were all on the floor. They like to sleep with their heads at the wrong end of the bed (no side rail) so they will often fall out of bed. As I picked them up and put them back in bed, then took their blanket to cover them up I thought to myself, how did they get so tall? They are so long and their toddler-shaped bodies are going away. They all the sudden looked so long to me!

I have been thinking a lot about Jack being their exact age when I brought them home from the hospital.

Jack was their age now. Still a toddler, almost a preschooler.

And now he is SO big. And I still think of them as babies. But they are not. If time could freeze...



So, what have the girls been enjoying? Playing outside, taking "showers" in my bathroom which includes stripping down and standing in our bathroom and pumping the shampoo and putting it all over their arms, legos, dolls, princess dress up clothes and shoes, The Letter Factory, strollers, putting anything in bags, climbing up the outside of the stairs (or climbing anything for that matter), magnetic dolls, trains, cars, filling up sippie cups with ice and water and making "rack-a-roni" with bowls and spoons. They are getting much better with the potty training and I have been not using pull-ups when we go out anymore (except for long trips to Indiana). We have been to a Twin's club playgroup at a playground, the library and Target in the last week and there as been NO accidents. We will still have the occasional accident at home, and most of these occur when we are outside and they are too busy to stop, but they are doing great! Bedtime is getting better too. We had a babysitter on Monday night and she got all four kids in bed and sleeping by 7:15. They have always be better with John than I for bedtime, but tonight, I put them in bed, covered them up, said their prayers turned on their music and walked out...to silence. They were asleep before 7PM. Maybe, just maybe, this part of the day is getting better.

On Monday, I went to the end of the year Twins' Club meeting and won the drawing for the hydrangea. When I brought it home, I told John my club voted me Mother of the Year, obviously joking. He believed me. Funny stuff. The hydrangea is beautiful, but I did tell him I just won the drawing and wasn't voted Mother of the Year.

I weighed and measured the girls today. Part of me was curious and part of me wanted to know if I could turn their carseat around (have to be 35 inches). Anna was 26.5# (5th-10th percentile), 19 inch head (25th-50th percentile) and 34 inches long (less than the 5th percentile). Elizabeth was 23.4# (less than 3rd percentile), 33.75 inches tall (less than 5th percentile) and 19 inch head (25-50th percentile). Kate as 24.5# (5th percentile), 34 inches long (less than 5th percentile) and 18.75 inch head (10-25th percentile).

Here are a few pictures of my growing girls:

Twins' Club playgroup

On a serious note.
We have had some family who need some extra prayers. My brother-in-law's sister, at age 28, had a stroke and severe hemorrhage in her brain a few weeks ago and the doctors gave her a 20% survival rate. Allie is a fighter and she has fought her way back and is recovering at a rehab hospital in Houston. I know she and her family would appreciate all the support they can get.

PeePaw, John's father, had quadruple bypass surgery today. He is recovering the ICU and Susie, Cindy and John are all with him and of course, Carol. The surgery went well, but he has a lot of healing to do.

Finally, my brother-in-law's mother (Tim) is in the hospital now after they discovered a brain tumor Monday night.

65 Years...and Counting

On Saturday, I traveled to Fort Wayne to attend my grandparents 65th Wedding Anniversary party.

Can you imagine?

65 years

As I get older, I really appreciate my grandparents and everything they have done and all they represent. I feel closer to them now than I ever have. I realize that they will not be around forever and I should be thankful for all the time we have had together.

My grandparents met in 1940. My grandmother was 15 years old and my grandfather was in college at Notre Dame. They met at a bowling alley--the one in the pictures below. This has been around 80 years and is in the basement of Precious Blood Catholic School. I have lived in Fort Wayne for most of my life and I never even knew of this alley. According to my grandmother, many churches had these to promote socialization within the church. Most of the churches have gotten rid of them, but not Precious Blood. My grandfather wrote a postcard to my grandmother when he returned to ND and this postcard with a picture of the Grotto on the front, postmarked 1940, was at the party tonight. My grandfather spoke to us all at the party and told us the story of the two of them. The postcard, which was quite humorous, basically told my grandmother that she had better be practicing her bowling game because he just bowled a 117. And he had a good excuse if she beat him the next time because he hurt his finger in the Army. He drew a picture of a bowling ball and bowling pins at the top of the postcard and signed it 'James Poinsatte'. My grandmother never wrote him back because she said there was no return address. This, to which my grandfather pointed out, "Everyone knows Notre Dame has it's own post office." I guess you just had to write the name of the receiver and write Notre Dame and it would get to that person. After this meeting, my grandmother had a few other boyfriends which my grandfather spoke about much to my grandmother's embarrassment. He had two folders of pictures to show us and he also brought his army jacket. My Grandfather is very long winded with his speeches--always has been. He is a great story teller and it was great to listen to him and funny to hear my grandmother protest what he was saying to us.

After graduation from ND he studied at the University of Paris so he was hoping to reconnect with my grandmother upon graduation. They met again at a dance when he returned home. They began dating in 1946 and married in 1947. They had 12 children and now are grandparents to 62 grandchildren and great grandparents to 75 great grandchildren with 5 more due this year.

All I have to say is: Amazing.

What amazing people and perfect role models for all of us.

This is the third weekend I have traveled away from home for about 24 hours and this weekend I traveled alone with the kids (John had to work). I thought about whether I would make the trip again (was there last weekend as well), but I really felt it was important to be there. And I had a great time. I love spending time with my many cousins, aunts and uncles. My parents. And, of course my grandparents. My children stayed back with Mimi (great grandchildren were not invited to this party due to space) and had a nice visit with her too.

We went to mass Saturday evening with Bishop D'Arcy. After the mass, we made our way down to the basement bowling alley that was the very meeting place of the two of them 72 years ago...

Bishop Rhoades joined the party. My grandparents know both of these men very well and it was a special night to share with everyone.

Their real anniversary is May 10

Both Bishops

The bowling alley. According to my Aunt Rose, "It was like stepping back in time."

Rainy Day Tuesday Pedicures

Since it was rainy today, I thought I would try to have a mini spa day with the girls. That meant I would attempt to do a mini pedicure. Well, it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but they didn't like to sit still to let the paint dry. I used a pale pink so my horrible painting job wasn't so noticable. The way they say pedicure is ridiculously cute.