What's going on in my life....

I realized that I hadn't posted for awhile about some other things that have been going on in my life.

1. Dave has been working at H&H Chevrolet in the detail shop, he has had a really crappy schedule 1-9:30 Mon-Thurs and then 8-7 on Saturdays. Has not been fun. But...YIPPEE! Today he got the good news that he gets to switch to the day shift so we are putting Taryn in preschool and Dave will be home before the boys get out of school. It will be much better for us as a family.

2. Andrew (our oldest) was diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) it would take much too long for me to explain what this is, so if you want to know the hell we have been going through google it. He seems to be doing better and is in regular therapy, and getting ready to start EMDR (again, google it) therapy. It will be a slow road, but anything is better than what we have been dealing with. There is nothing worse than knowing your child is in emotional pain and you can't do anything to help them.

3. School........there is nothing to say here.......school is school...at least I'm not taking Math.

4. Bridal Shower coming up this weekend! My sister (Rachael) is getting married on New Year's Eve and we are hosting her bridal shower and bachelorette party in Grand Island this weekend. Should be a good time!

5. My BFF Laura is coming to visit in 2 weeks!!!! YIPPEE AGAIN!!!! We will be having a fun night of beer drinking and Wii playing with some friends.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I know I will!

It's that time...

When I think back to the 5th grade I remember that was the year I started band. Well here in Elkhorn, they do not start band until the 6th grade and every 5th grader learns how to play the recorder. So on Monday I filled out a permission slip and sent $5.00 with Andrew so he could purchase his recorder and song book. I can't tell you how excited I am to have the sounds of the recorder filling my house at night. I'm sure we are in for a bumpy few months with this. It all culminates with an ALL recorder concert in February. Can't wait! ;)

Miss America....

I just wanted to share this picture of Taryn with you all! I love her eyes! If this isn't a future Miss America I don't know what is! :) Dave took this picture last night with his fancy new Nikon digital camera! It just was so pretty! (minus the food on her face and the big scratch on her chin)

Heading off to Pre-School..

It just seems like yesterday when this tiny bundle of joy was born...The first picture was taken the day before I went back to work, she was 6 weeks old. Her big brother Alex was holding her and they are still as close as ever. In just 1 week, Taryn will be off to pre-school! It's really hard to believe. I am (as is she) a little aprehensive about her going. She hasn't been to daycare since she was 6 months old, when Dave decided to stay at home with the kids. Now, that Dave is back to work, she is still in her own house with her brothers at home to entertain her! So we will be working with her about how "fun" school is! She is so smart, and talks so well I am anxious to see how well she does. We chose a pre-school that is pretty structured with a lot of variety during the day, which I think will work well for her since she gets bored easily with one activity! Apparently there is way too much going on for her to be expected to sit for more than 10 minutes at a time! :) I think she is ready, I just hope her Dad and I are too!!

A rare date night out..

On Saturday all the kids were gone. The boys had headed out to Gibbon, NE for the weekend and Taryn went over to spend the night at my mom's. Dave and I are trying to spend some "us time" together lately. With our conflicting work schedules, four kids, and schoolwork, it's tough even to have a conversation. We started our night off at dinner at one of our favorite restaurants "Firebirds". They have the best bread! We then went to meet some of our friends down at the bar. They weren't there yet when we got there so we decided to pass the time by playing a couple games of Keno. Dave won his very first game and ended up with $111.00! So he pretty much paid for our date night! We stayed there until about 10:30 and then went out to our friends Doug and Jen's, where we sat outside, drank some beer, and relaxed around their firepit. All of a sudden it was 1:30am! I couldn't tell you the last time I managed to stay up that late! We had such a good time and it is a constant reminder to all of our married friends. Your kids are important, but don't forget to take the time for yourselves! That is a lesson that Dave and I are always learning! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I know I did! :)

A Reminder...

Last night, as I was coming in from outside, I stood and watched as all four of my kids were clustered around the computer, playing a game and laughing with each other. It was just another reminder of even in the midst of all the fighting and yelling and "he touched my stuff" at some point they really do love each other. Just another reason why I feel so blessed.

On a side note: Ethan and Alex went to "High School Musical" Dance class this weekend. As most of you know, I love to dance and was thrilled when they said they wanted to take this class. I did feel a little bad for them, being the only two boys in all 3 sessions and then watching them having to do a dance to a song called "Fabulous" which is a female song in the show. But, more power to them, they had a great time, and I am thrilled to introduce them to dance.

Alex has also surprised me lately, he has a little toy keyboard that we got him for Christmas a couple of years ago and has really been after me to teach him some songs. So I taught him the song "Heart and Soul" (if you have ever played the piano you know this song) I taught him the bottom part and the melody. After practicing for a day or so, he now has mastered both, which just amazes me! He of course now wants me to teach him another song, and "Heart and Soul" is pretty much the end of my piano capablilites.

We are hoping that Dave will get this new position that he is applying for and we will be able to enroll him in piano lessons!
More later!

Home Improvements

I hate painting. My back hurts, my legs hurt, my shoulders hurt and I pulled a couple muscles. We spent the holiday weekend painting two rooms of our house and moving furniture around and trying to keep my patience with my children. We created a new room for our twins and another room for our oldest son. Once we finished Andrew's room last night at about 9 pm I looked around it thinking, Oh my, his room really looks like a pre-teen's room. He has his bed, and his computer desk and his bookshelf, and of course his pirate flag hanging across his wall. It amazes me on how fast he has grown up. It seems like just yesterday that we painted a room blue to match his Finding Nemo bedspread, and now we are painting so he can be in a "grown-up" room. I can't belive how time flies. According to him now all he needs is a TV (yea, right) and it would be perfect.