The end of my life as I know it...

That's right in just 4 days my life as I know it will be over. I will be starting nursing school. I am excited and nervous at the same time. Here I am trying on my scrubs for the first time...

Do I look like a nurse? Well that's what I am going for. In just one more year hopefully it'll be official. Wish me luck!

This pic was taken in the school bathroom during orientation, please excuse the nasty toilet in the background, thank you. :-)

O-M-G

Is this for real?

Yes it is! What is it? Well of course its the Pedi Pistol. DUH! What's that? You have never heard of this fabulous product? It allows you to give yourself a pedi without bending over...genius!

This is the craziest thing I have ever seen.

Accept when I was at the pharmacy and noticed you can buy a Paternity test for 29.95.

Seriously these products are getting out of control. :-)

Happy 3rd Birthday Zachary

Today is my babies birthday! Zachary turns 3! Happy Birthday sweet boy! We love you very much!

Morning Moments

This morning at breakfast time the boys ran downstairs and raided the cereal cabinet. Cameron pulled out his cereal that was in a "family size" box. He asked me a couple days ago what the big yellow letters said going across the box, so I told him. So when he pulled out the box he told Zachary that his box was "family size". Then Zachary pulls out the cereal that he wanted and Cameron asked him what his box said. Zachary answered, "It says Zachary Size".

Updates

I am very happy to finally report we are officially done with our construction project. You have no idea how exciting it is to say that. I was up til 2:30 am staining doors and my hubby kept telling me to come to bed, but I couldn't. I told him I not bringing out the stain and brushes and dropcloths one more time. I am staying up til its done. And I did just that.

We finally bought a car for me to take back and forth to school. Its a what I like to call a "Grandpa Car". I mean it has an ashtray with a cigarette lighter. That's old! I may take up smoking. JK!

I am very excited because in 2 weeks my friend Trish from Florida is coming for another visit. I can't wait. We have a lot of catching up and scrapping to do.

What else, what else...

School days school days are upon us. In 2 short weeks I will be an official nursing student, my oldest will be a kindergartner, and my middle will be in pre-k. Talk about change going on. Its going to be very hectic.

Okay well that's all i can think of today. More later!!!

Parent Applications

Tonight my husband and I were sitting here watching the news and it was literally too much. I never like to watch the news anyway but today was just to much to handle. Every other story is about missing kids or kids that were killed, possibly even by there own parents. It just makes me so sick. Quite honestly in my opinion parents should have to apply to have their own children.

The fact that a couple that tries to have their own children and for some reason or another cannot want to adopt a.) they have to pay a fortune b.) they have to wait about a year c.) they go through every background check, home welfare check, fingerprinted and the list goes on. On the other hand someone can get pregnant, not know who the dad is, consider giving up baby for adoption, have baby anyway, then when reality sets in that they have to care for the child...kill the child and blame it on some non-existent person, as in the case of Casey Anthony.

Then there was this guy I don't' remember from where that fathered like 29 kids or something. That's insane. You know who is taking care of those kids...we are. They are all on welfare and from who know how many different mothers. First off that is disgusting and second it's bullshit!

I feel like if you want to have kids you should have to apply almost the same way you would to adopt except not as strict. I don't know. I mean I know we should let God be in control...but kids are dying everyday because their parents don't want them. Its sad because there are other parents that would die to have those children. It all makes no sense and something should be done. That's all...that's my opinion. Sorry for rambling.

Zachy's Big Day

Well on August 27th my little Zachary turns 3. It is so very sad. We were in Ohio this past weekend and had a party for him at the park. He had such a blast. I was so happy we were able to have it there with all of our family and friends.

Here he is blowing out the candles.

(If you know what's good for you, please tune out my singing, thank you.)

Race Day

Back in February, I bought my husband and I tickets to the Watkins Glen Nascar Race here in New York. So two weeks ago was race day. My parents came for the weekend to watch the kids for us. We had pit passes and spent the whole day there. The weather was on and off cloudy sunny but still really hot. Not a drop of rain! So we did everything we could possibly do before the start of the race and then headed to our seats. Literally 20 seconds before the announcer says "Gentlemen start your engines" he instead begins to tell us there is a storm coming and run for your life. Okay maybe not like that but basically like that. We had to leave the grandstands and take cover underneath. Below in the video I took of us "taking cover."

The race never did happen that day.

It was postponed until Monday the next day at noon, when my parents would be driving back home, therefore leaving us no sitter.

No we did not attend the race:-(

But we still did have a great day together!

P.S Why does the video always have to freeze on my face and make me look like some goof???

Dirty Feet

Today I was able to meet Clarissa from The Diary of a POSHpreneur. We met at a local Mcdonalds with a playplace. It was really fun to have adult conversation while the kids played. Thanks Clarissa we had a great time.

Now watch this little vlog I did when we got home about their dirty feet!

Why can't you hear me?

Wordless Wednesday

This was taken 2 years ago. I can hardly believe it! My little Zachary will be 3 in just a few weeks.

Potty training

Well this past weekend we had a lot to do with our construction project so we knew we would be home all weekend. So we decided this would be the weekend of potty training Zachary. Let me start off by saying that my mom potty trained my first two. Being that my kids are so close in age I just couldn't stay consistent with it. So my mom took them each for a week at her house and they came home trained. Thanks mom! Now however we live in New York and that's not possible. I have to say I was a little scared about the situation. Zachary is a very good kid. He is very smart but oh so stubborn. He has to be he is the youngest. Well as much as I thought that would make our situation worse it actually made it better. Once he sat on the potty he wasn't getting up until he went. I would tell him "buddy go play and come back when you have to go" but he wouldn't. He sat until he went and went he did! So after one weekend of nakedness (this is the absolute key) we have a potty trained boy. My hubby is seeing dollar signs of all the cash we will be saving not buying anymore pull ups. So I am hoping he keeps up the good work, as this fall approaches and it will be a time of change for us all.

Wordless Wednesday

Florida Days

Squirmy Wormy

This evening we were all outside. The kids were playing, Jim was changing the oil on the car and I was pulling weeds. By the way next to ironing, pulling weeds is one of my least favorite jobs to do. Anyways since I was digging in the dirt, the boys were too. We found lots of "pets" for them to play with. Here is some video of each of them with their "pets". Enjoy!

Ryan...(the bravest)



Cameron...(Brave then a little disgusted)

Zachary...(Brave, cute and not so gentle)



Don't you love Boys?
I Do!
Ha-Ha!!!

Missing Blogher

Today is the first day of the Blogher Conferences in Chicago. I am a little sad that I am not going. I am a pretty new blogger so I figured I wasn't Blogher material yet, but seriously how cool would it have been to meet the few bloggers I have come to know. I mean I see some of these people on a tiny screen and hear their voices but it would of been so neat to meet them IRL. I hope that everyone there at Blogher is having a great time. I am looking forward to all the evidence...errr I mean pics and vids.

Anyone else wishing they were at Blogher? Anyone thinking about next years Blogher Conference already? I am...I need a roomie! HAHA! O yeah and a sponsor so I can attend! That might help.

Forgetting Something???

In a previous post I talked about our construction project going on at home. In the midst of the remodeling we have been back and forth to Lowes more times then I would like. Anyway the other day last minute we decide to go. We are looking at paint for another project, even though we aren't even close to finishing this one. All of the sudden I realize that I am not wearing a bra. How? I am a girly girl/tomboy. I like to be pretty and dress up and look good but at the same time I am the one out on the mower for 2 hours cutting grass and will play volleyball week after week wearing no knee pads and walk around with the most disgusting bruised up knees you have ever seen....but NO BRA...nope never! I couldn't even believe I did that! So not like me. Too funny! Has that ever happened to you?

A Post Coming soon...

Just got back from out of town for a week. I will be posting soon. Wishing I was at Blogher today :-(

Wordless Wednesday

Pray for Kate

I only have a few minutes but I wanted to tell you about a beautiful little girl that needs our prayers. Her name is Kate McRae. Please go here to learn about her situation. You can follow her journey at www.prayforkate.com. Please spread the word.

Don't leave...Summer!

I just can't even believe that it is the middle of July already. How did that happen? This fall my oldest starts kindergarten and I start nursing school. My life as I know it is over. I am getting a little freaked out about this. We did hire a live-in nanny to help us with the boys while I am at school. We have been working on turning our formal living room (does anyone actually ever use this room) into an office. Then we will turn the office into a bedroom for the nanny, J. It works out because there is a full bathroom off of that room. So we hung french doors to close in the living room, I mean new office. This job sucks! Mudding, Sanding and painting, oh my! Here is me in all my glory in the process of sanding.

Listen I have been inhaling dust for a week now. The mask is a must at this point. And the safety glasses are because I wear contacts and they don't mix with the dust too well. I am not sure my house will be clean ever again. I'm serious there is at least an inch thick of dust covering everything.

I have so many projects I wanna finish before fall and I just don't think its gonna happen. Ugh so frustrating.

Okay well i know this is a random weird post but its a post and I have been slacking lately. And before I go here are my little boogers in rare form, actually posing nicely for a pic. We went to pizza hut for lunch and they were little hams!

Okay more later! Enjoy your summer its almost gone!

Wordless Wednesday

Guest Posting = So much fun!

Recently I was asked to write a guest post for one of my favorite sites http://www.hautecowgirl.com/. I was so excited! So please head over here and check it out and show some comment love! While you are there browse around the site. These girls are top notch when it comes to fashion. So don't just sit there get over to http://www.hautecowgirl.com/ right now and be ready to be wowed!

How I met the Love of my life

So since this is my blog I have been thinking that I should not only write about our everyday lives but also how we got here. So I thought I would start off by talking about how I met my husband. Lets go back to 2000. I was 21 and working as an administrative assistant for a recruiting firm. I went out to lunch one day with my sister and my cousin who also worked for the same company just in different offices. So this day we met up at Arby's. We order our food and sit down. Suddenly (as I am sure I had a mouth full of curly fries) this guy (my husband, only I didn't know it then, who was 31) came to our table. He was flirting with me and actually was the manager of the restaurant. I was in a relationship at the time (another story that I may never tell) so I didn't think too much of it.

Okay now fast forward a few months. A friend of mine was working for Arby's (a different one) and we got to talking one day. I was talking about my office job and how boring it was. She suggested I come work with her and see if I liked it. It started off as just being a weekend job for fun. Well within a month I was hooked. I decided to quit my office job and start working full time for Arby's. Crazy huh? Well, it paid off! I was addicted I loved the fast pace and the craziness. I loved all the people and my job all together. Within 2 months I was promoted to Assistant manager. For those of you thinking its Arbys why did you leave your office job, well 2 reasons...it paid more and I was sick of sitting on my bootie!

Anyways, during all this time I was worked my butt off, Jim (my hubby) was now working as the Area Supervisor for about 7 Arby's restaurants, mine included! I would see him here and there and we flirted for sure (again I was in a relationship and so was he).

Fast forward a few more months and at this time I was breaking up with my ex(and so was he with his ex only i had no idea) and actually the same day Jim has a meeting for the managers that I had to be at. After the mtg he wanted to chat with me. We start talking and he asked me how I am doing and I tell him that professionally I am doing great but personally not so much. He tells me to call if I ever need anything. A few days later he is at my store working. We worked the whole day together. When my shift was over, we walked outside together. We were just talking and talking and then it got awkward. He said he had to go so we both got in our cars and drove off. I couldn't stop thinking about him. I wanted to talk more. I pull over and call him, only I had never called him before. I never knew the number. I have seen it briefly at the store on a contact list and I totally remembered some and guessed the rest. Well thank God for my photographic memory because I got it right. He picks up and I say Do you know who this it? He says yes, when his phone rang he pulled over cause he knew it would be me. We decided to meet up. We went to the Metroparks and talked (ok we talked most of the time) until 5am! Since that day we were inseparable. Three months later I quit my job (we weren't allowed to date because he was my boss), and I moved in with him. And that folks is how I met the LOVE of my life!

In case you wanted to know.

So Flippin' Excited!

I just found out that I won a Flip Cam. Woohoo! I am so excited! Vloggin, here I come. So thank you to Kadi and Clarissa from Mentoring Mommy and Womb to Bloom! Happy Monday Everyone!

Wordless Wednesday although its Thursday

Productivity and a Not so great Monday

My parents came for a visit from Ohio this weekend. We had really BIG plans of a lot of projects we needed to do. The unfortunate part about that is that 90% of the projects were outside and it rained in NY all weekend. We did have one nice day which was great and we worked hard the whole day. We did actually get a lot done so I was happy with that.

Tonight after dinner we decided to go to the YMCA and workout. Okay sounds like no big deal right? WRONG! We go to drop off the boys at the childcare room and our 2 youngest have meltdowns. Anyways, after 5 minutes of their crying we decide to just walk out and hopefully if we are gone they will stop. Not the case, by far, not the case. Zachary did stop crying and starting playing...woohoo! Cameron the middle child however was trying to climb the wall to get out of the room threw his shoes and cried for 10 minutes straight until we finally gave in and got them out. Its so frustrating because he is such a good kid. He just has this fear of us leaves him. I don't know what to do about it? When we came home from the Y we made Cameron go to bed. Not because he was upset when we left him in there but because of the way he acted: kicking, screaming, and throwing shoes. It was so hard for me to tuck him in. When we walked in his room I noticed he cleaned it before we left and made his bed. He just is so good about most things that when I have to punish him I have such a hard time. How do I get him to be comfortable with us dropping him off somewhere? I am freaking out because I am about to start nursing school and he will be with a nanny all day and have to go to preschool. Its just been one of those parenting days that you feel like a failure. I know that I am not a failure as a mother but I feel like maybe I have failed Cameron in the self confidence that he needs. I NEED to work on that.

Okay well that's my rant for today. Tomorrow is another day.

Praying for Stellan

In case you didn't know, baby Stellan is in the hospital again. He has been having some more SVT and they admitted him. You can follow Stellan's story here. We are praying for the whole MckMama family and for baby Stellan that he gets well soon.

Who doesn't love a party?

Well no one! Tonight Friday the 19th is the launch party for WombtoBloom. The show starts at 9:30pm Eastern. Heres where you need to go. Hope to see you there. Oh and I forgot to mention they are giving away over $1000 dollars in prizes. Oh yeah!

Randomness

Well yet another fun filled weekend over! Last night we had a bonfire with the kids and made s'mores. They loved it. Today we just played outside all day. We had Ryan and Cameron practice more on their bikes with no training wheels. They both did very well. If I could just get them to start riding the bike without me holding it up we would be all set. Then tonight we got a sitter and Jim and I headed out to dinner. It was so nice to have dinner just the two of us.

In other news, we are planning a vacation. Since I am starting nursing school in the fall through August of 2010, we will not be able to go anywhere again until I graduate. We are planning on going with our best friends in July. We are very excited. No kids and no responsibilities! I can't wait!

Okay well that about sums up our weekend. Hope you had a great weekend.

I mean seriously, who carries cash anyway?

Good news! Today I found out that I was accepted into Nursing school. Woo-hoo. All my hard work paid off and this fall I will be a student. August 2010 I will officially be a nurse. So crazy. But more on that later.



The real reason for my post today has nothing to do with school. Today when I had my meeting at school I had to drive an hour to get there and it was lunch time. As I am approaching the fast food sector of the road I notice Subway. I think to myself, "self you should really eat Subway since it is healthier then a burger." After debating it in my head I pulled in to the Subway parking lot. I go in order my sandwich, fix my drink and the cashier rings me up. I hand her my debit card. She says "We only take cash." I have to process this for a second or two because who the hell doesn't accept credit cards? I for one NEVER have cash on me...EVER!

So to top this off before I left I saw her just throw my sandwich away. Now I used to be a manager for a fast food restaurant when I met my husband (he was my boss, that's a whole other post). If I was working and that happened to me I would just give the customer the sandwich on the house and explain next time we do not take credit cards. We had customers order and go to pay and totally forgot their wallet or whatever and we always gave it to them. We did not THROW the sandwich away! UGH!

So instead of the healthier lunch I tried to purchase I had to head over to BK for lunch because they were very happy to take my credit card! And secretly I was happy to be eating a juicy burger...haha. So bad!

Look at that tongue!

This is my Zachary playing Operation this morning. Check out the concentration!

To Blog or not to Blog, that is the question.

So now that I am really into my blogging my hubby is a little cautious. Why do you ask? I will tell you. For example, the other day something that my hubby did which I thought was so cute, by the way, to me was perfect blog material. The problem is now he knows "the look." You know the look we bloggers do when we think to ourselves this material is definitely going on my blog. Well I guess I have been doing it a lot because now my husband can spot the look a mile away.

So here is my look. Do you have the look? Can your husband spot the I'msobloggingaboutthis look?

Dang it, I gotta do a better job of concealing my excitement for blog material so I can blog about it before he says "Don't you dare blog about that."

Ha ha, hope you all had a great Monday!

Contruction Zone

I just wanted to throw out a quick post to apologize for the ugliness ( is that a word?) of my blog. It is majorly under construction. I am having some major trouble installing the template I want. Ugh it's so frustrating. So again I am sorry but it will be beautiful soon...I hope!

Air Show, Bubbles, and Church

Well it's 10:47 on Sunday night and I can't believe that the weekend is over already. The weekend started off with the Air Show in Rochester on Saturday. It was a perfect day. The boys really loved it. From the Jets to the carnival rides to the Canadian Snowbirds while sitting on the beach of Lake Ontario...it was a blast. I would love to include some pics with the post to show the great time that we had however my camera is still broken.

When we got home on Saturday we went outside to play and hang out. Ryan and Cam practiced riding theirs bike without training wheels some more and Zachy looks so adorable in his "gear" when he puts on his helmet knee and elbow pads. I just love it! Then we blew bubbles. We tried to blow the biggest ones we could and then follow them around the yard til they popped. Of course Cameron was laughing the whole time! Again sorry but no pics.

Ugh...that's frustrating isn't it!

Tell me about it!

Sunday Jim and I got up to go to church. Since we are new here we are trying out a few Church's in the area to see which one we like the best. The boys stayed here with R the sitter and painted about 1500 pictures and a whole bunch of other crafts. They had a blast!

Now its late and after cleaning and baths the boys are in bed and Jim is in bed with possible food poisoning form something he ate at the air show. Go figure! I am enjoying the peace and quiet as I know the next couple of weeks are going to be pretty crazy. We are planning on going to visit family in Ohio and then my family will be coming here.

Well I am off to go read New Moon. I am so behind!

Goodnight!

Odds and Ends

So I finally finished reading Twilight. I was a little late starting the series because I was reading another book. Anyways I read it and I watched the movie last night. I loved it and now I am on to New Moon. I love reading!

Our very best friends came to Ny to visit us this weekend. It was so much fun. So much fun that I didn't even take one picture well the fun and the fact that my camera is broken. But seriously, we had a good time. We have 3 boys and they have 2 girls and 3 boys. Yes that's a party of 12. It was a very full house but lots of fun.

I am working on getting into nursing school once again. I have a info session next week. I am hoping that they tell us when we will find out if we got it. I need to plan people. I am very impatient and hating waiting.

I am trying to load a cute video I took of the kids today but I have never done it before so it may be a while.

I am also trying to get some info so i can do a blog makeover. I NEED it! Any ideas?

Okay well I am off to work on the video.

Goodnight!

Cameron...need I say more

The only thing he is missing is a hula hoop the way he is moving those hips!

Lovin' Zachy

This is one of the many reasons I love my Zachary! This is how he left his snack tonight.

Gotta love him!

Cheers to being home for the weekend

Well it was our first weekend home in a while. Thank God. It felt so good to just be home. And I am happy to report that we got a lot done. We sold the toddler bed. Cameron learned to ride his bike with no training wheels. Zachy peed on the potty twice. I put songs on Jims IPOD that I bought him for Christmas this year and I just opened it! I filled out all my paperwork to apply for nursing school. I mopped my disgusting kitchen floors. All that plus fun with the kids and cooking out both Saturday and Sunday. So fun! I would post some pics but my camera is broken. UGH!

Okay well off to get ready for tomorrow...boys have school and Zachary has swim lessons.
Happy Monday!

A few things...

Okay where to begin...

I have not blogged in forever. Why does it seem so hard to keep up with it? I have been so busy lately. Ryan and Cameron are in school 3 days a week, Zachary has swim lessons on Mondays and the boys have Sports Sampler on Tuesdays. On top of all that I am trying to get into nursing school again. I got in last year this time but unfortunatly my husband lost his job the same week that I got accepted. Since then we have moved to NY and now I start the process all over again. I retested last week and I passed. So next comes the interview and referrals. We will see how it goes.

Other then that we have been busy around here...

I will post more later...Zachary is waking up from nap.

More Later!
~Crystal
Hey if your reading then follow...you know you want to!

Blog Break but so much to blog about!

I am in Ohio and going to see Britney Spears tomorrow night! I can't wait. So I really have no time to blog but I gotta say a few things. Stellan got to go home yesterday and we are so glad that he is doing well. I have a funny post to write about a library book...I dont want to forget. I would do it now put the pics are at home. Speaking of home, my hubby is at home with the boys. Thank you baby for taking care of everything so I could see Britney! Also Zachary who is 2 discovered the word "Actually". He uses it for everything. "Well actually I need to sit here." Its really cute. Okay well I am off to bed soon. Busy weekend!

Orange you praying for Stellan?

Today is the day of little Stellan's surgery. We are wearing orange to show our support for Stellan and the whole MckFamily. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers today.

Trying to stay caught up!

I have a lot going on right now. I am just nonstop and all over the board with things going on in my world lately. I did recently get a job. I will be taking care of a newborn full time starting in August. I am excited about it. I am still trying to get into nursing school. I got in when we lived in Florida but then found out we had to move so I could not attend. Now that we are here I am on the hunt once again for a school that doesn't have a 2 year waiting list. I am not a young chick anymore and I don't have time for waiting lists!

I recently started a Bloggy Boutique with one of my friends. It is called Glamorous Greetings at http://GlamorousGreetings.blogspot.com
Check us out, but know that the site is still under construction.

Also I am a contributing writer on www.makingamommy.com I am very excited about that. Its gonna be a great site for moms to be and moms to get some info and connect with other moms.

Also we have yet another trip to Ohio this weekend and then back on Sunday then back again on Wednesday cause I am going to the Britney Spears concert.


Hello....


You still here...


Sorry what can I say I like her...she was in her prime when I was 21. Don't hate me for it! HAHA!

Okay Goodnight all....and if your reading this...follow my blog! I am looking to add to my big 8 followers....please!

Trish's Visit

Last week my friend Trish from Florida came to visit us. She is my best scrappin crafty friend! We took the boys to the Strong Museum of Play, then to see Monster Vs. Aliens, and then we all went to Niagara Falls for the day. Each night after we put the kids to bed we did stamping and scrappin. It was a blast! Thanks Trish for coming to visit! Here are a few pics of our fun time.

Enjoy!

Its so nice to have a backyard!

Why have I been such a slacker?

Okay before I begin with my slackiness (is that a word?), I would just like to announce that today I have had to kill to spiders onmy own. Me and spiders don't get along and usually my hubby is here to break up the fight. Today however I had to MAN up and do it. I had to protect my children!

Okay that being said I have had some major writers block lately. I don't know why! I am really trying to fix it. I need to be more committed to my blogging!

Okay so for the actual 5 readers that I do have...please click on the link on my sidebar for Baby Stellan. He is in bad shape and needs our prayers. Please Pray!

I have been looking lately for a job. I want to watch some children to supplement some income since blogging ain't doing it for me HAHA! The problem is that everyone and their mother has the same idea. Ugh! Its so frustrating!

To update about the boys preschool...we found one! Hip hip hooray! And the best part is that it is not a mortgage payment just to send them. I was going to have them start this week however my hubby got pinkeye. None of us have gotten it yet but I didn't want to infect the whole school. That would not be a good first impression.

Oh yes and how could I have forgotten to blog about this...the other day we were at home depot with the boys and while we were checking out using the self check out, Ryan told the cashier next to us that she was fat! I mean does it get any more embarrassing? She was very good about it and we made him apologize and had a very stern talk to him about name calling and peoples feelings. Seriously though 5 is the hardest age by far!

Okay so there see I had a lot to blog about!

Now I am going to bed...think of Stellan and keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
GNITE!

Give me a bloggy break!

Okay so lets just agree to say its been a while since my last post. Boy have I been busy. We moved. I think we are about settled. Its takes a long time to unpack and get organized and i am not the most patient person when it comes to that. I want it done...NOW!

Lets see what else is new, I turned 30, seriously I can't think of anything big and exciting. Oh wait yes I turned 30!!!! Its so crazy. I can't believe I can't say I am a twenty something anymore. It's a little sad...but I am over it already (sniff, sniff) no seriously I'm fine.

Here are a few pics from our dinner out to celebrate my birthday with all my favorite people...

Its was a good time. After dinner we went to this bar for people like 50 and over...no joke! It was like when Baby from Dirty Dancing "carried the watermelon" and walked in to the room with everyone bumping and grinding like she has never seen in her life. Well I have seen some dirty dancing before but holy moly when the people doing it are 50,60,70 and 80...its nasty! At one point they played a slow song so I dragged Jim out there and the couples around us were making out and groping each other. It was hilarious!

It made for a good night! Okay well I have all my fav people coming here to visit tomorrow and I gotta go get some sleep.

I still need to post pics of the house...Trish if you are reading I know you are waiting for them.

Okay more later
~Crystal

Blah Day!

Today was just one of those days. One of those nothing to talk about days.

I am excited about tomorrow. My best friends 2 boys are gonna be staying with us for a few days. My boys are excited. So I will have 5 boys for about 5 days. Should be interesting! They are gonna have a blast.

Now I am sitting here listening to the dogs stomach gurgle like I've never heard before. Why you ask? Because when he is outside supposed to be doing his business he is out there (stop reading if you are eating...NOW) eating his poop, my other dogs poop too. Why? I know its just a matter of time before he starts puking tonight. I am so not looking forward to it.

Okay off to bed!

More Later
~Crystal

Pre-School=Mortgage Payment

How is it even possible for Preschool to be so expensive? I mean I am talking about another mortgage payment here. That is just freaking unbelievable. The nice school that the boys loved was so expensive. So today I toured another one, a much much cheaper one hoping it would be okay but still up to my standards. Yeah completely different environment. I need to find a happy medium. I am leaving in like 10 to tour yet another one. Their website did not have rates, nor did she give them to me over the phone. I am sure that means EXPENSIVE! I'll post later and let you know. Maybe I should home school? Oh geez! Okay more later.

What I wake up to...

The other morning Jim and I are in bed the kids come in to let us know they are awake(Like we didn't already know). We are exhausted from the move and turn on cartoons for them just to lay in bed 15 minute longer. So all 3 are on the floor watching tv and Zachary finds something on the carpet(Give me a break we just moved people, my house is a wreck hee- hee). Zachary (2) and Cameron (4) talk about it. Here is how the conversation went...


Z-I found a stick

C-ok

Z-I am gonna put it in your ear

C-No your not

Z-I am gonna put it in Daddys ear

C-Go ahead Big Fella!

Oh we busted out laughing. First where would Cam of heard Big Fella? And second just the evil go and and do it in Cams voice when he said it to Zachary...too funny!

Boys-gotta love em.

Night
Crystal

I <3 New York

Well we made it. We are officially living in New York. It'll be a week tomorrow. I have been on Bloggin Vacation. I still do not have Internet. I am on hubbys laptop now. Hopefully my Internet will be working by tomorrow.

Getting here was the worst. We left on a Monday at 4:00pm and we drove til about 11:00pm, I think we were in South Carolina. We stayed in a hotel there. Sounds easy enough right...yeah right. Lets revisit the fact that we have 3 boys, 2 dogs, 1 cat and a hamster in the car with us. That equals out to be at least 15 trips from the car to the hotel room. No joke! Okay so then Tuesday we wake up and make another 15 trips into the car and drive to Youngstown, Ohio where Jims parents live. We stay there until Thursday morning and then head to Rochester, New York. We stay in another hotel (same 15 trips from car to hotel)until Friday. We got the keys to the new house on Friday. Thank God. I don't think I could of lived out of my car or a hotel a second longer.

So yes we are finally here! I will post some pics or video of the house and our boxes...soon. Stay tuned!

More later
Crystal

Longing for Normalcy and Organization

Okay so I was so excited to get all packed up for our big move although now I have discovered that living in the house with all these boxes is pretty difficult. Mostly everything in the house is packed except for a few dishes, clothes, and all the toys. I thought that I could let go and not clean and organize the toys anymore since on moving day I will just be throwing them all in their toy boxes and putting them on the truck. After like 2 days I couldn't take it. I had to go through each room and put everything back in its place.

The countdown has officially begun. This is the week it all begins. My hubby comes home on Wednesday and the trucks get here on Thursday. Then we spend the weekend packing them up and cleaning the house. Monday we will most likely start to drive north. Its a full 20 hour drive and we will most likely stop once at a hotel. If we can find a place that will take our large crazy bunch!

I just cannot wait to get to the house and be all together again. Its gonna be pretty crazy but so much fun! I love unpacking and organizing everything. Crazy I know.

Okay well I am off to bed. I am one exhausted Mama!

More later,
Crystal

Cameron doing tricks

Lately Cameron (my 4 year old) had been working on some tricks. When he tries something he sticks with it til he gets it. So the first trick was winking. Easy enough. Next was thumbs up. Okay again totally easy. Lastly was rolling his tongue. Now this one took a while longer and a lot of practicing in the mirror. Finally he mastered it. The funny about this is that now when I say Cam show me your trick he does all 3 of them together. Here is a pic of my silly boy...

You may not be able to tell but he is winking.

Here is Zachary trying to copy his big brother...

And Ryan too...

He was not having any of it!

Okay more later,

~Crystal

Special Delivery

Well today is my our 6 year wedding anniversary. On this day 6 years ago we were in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on a beach vowing to love each other forever. Unfortunately we cannot spend our special day together as he is still in New York working. He will be here next week though when we start the big move. We agreed not to get each anything because moving means money and we will be dishing out a lot of it in the next couple of weeks. But Jim doesn't listen...

Here is my special delivery I got today!

Thank you Captain, I love you with all my heart!

My Winning Team!

What a game! Go Steelers!

Calling the Kettle Black

I could not go to bed before posting this one. Today we were out shopping at Home Depot. With 3 boys its hard to keep track of them and no one wants to push around 2 carts so Zachary was in the top of the cart, Ryan sitting in the back, and Cameron standing on the front (his fav place). Well one of the times we stopped to look Cam went to step off of it and hit his chin on the cart. Of course while he is crying he is yelling his famous line whenever he gets hurt "I want an ice pack." How this started I don't know but it has stuck and now all of my kids say it for the slightest hurt. So I am holding him to comfort him (get him to be quiet), and Jim says to him "You're fine Cam, your tough." Cam goes on that he is not tough and still wants an ice pack. After a few minutes he finally calms down and we go on about our shopping.

As we are walking out we had the cart of all the boys and our purchases and Jim was pulling one of those dolly-type carts loaded with dirt (to fill in where the swing set was), boxes (running low), and a dolly for moving day. When we step off the curb into the parking lot Jim runs over his own foot with his cart. He is jumping and wincing in pain. I was in front of him so I asked what happened and he told me and Cam stood up ( he was in the cart this time) and said "Your tough Dad, you'll be fine." So funny! He's a smart-thinker that one.

More Later!
~Crystal

Bloggy Makeover

I feel so smart right now. I created my own bloggy layout and added the background. Whoo-hoo! I have been trying to figure out how to do that forever. What do you think? I am not done but for right now it's staying.

I am finally feeling better...thanks to hubby. We had a busy day of packing, organizing, shopping and then out to eat with the boys. It was a good day. I only have Jim here for one more day then I am on my own for the next 12 days to take care of boys and finish packing entire house. So far I think we are in good shape, but its so hard to pack your house and still have to live in it. I should take some pics of my house right now because it is soooo trashed. Boxes and stuff everywhere!

With all the packing comes some confusion for the boys. Don't get me wrong they are very adaptable children. The are awesome travelers and will sleep anywhere. They are used to it. They are used to change. But when it comes to their own things being disturbed, they don't like it. We took all their beds apart and just have their mattresses on the floor now, they didn't like it until they discovered how much more fun it is to jump on the bed now. We sold their swing set so we wouldn't have to move it or leave it plus we want a bigger one. They didn't like that. But when the day comes to buy the new one they will love it. They have had a blast playing inside the boxes.

All around it's been an adventure that's for sure. Only to get much more crazy!

More later!
~Crystal

Its been Far to Long!

Okay so I suck its been 7 days since I have posted. I am so sorry. I have been crazy busy packing and then it all caught up to me...and I got sick. I am so sick of being sick! Luckily my totally amazing husband flew home to take care of me. So for the last 3 days I have been in bed.

Let me just go on a bit about my hubby.



When I was sick in bed and he flew home in the blink of an eye, the second he walked in I felt like I could breathe. I felt like I could relax and know that he would completely take over with the kids and take care of me. How great of a feeling is that. He doesn't come in and ask what to feed the kids or do they need a bath...he just does it. And that is one of the reasons why I love him, one of many. I love that he is such a good Dad and Husband. So babe I know you will eventually read this...Thank you for all you have done. Thank you for taking such good care of me and the boys. We love you so much....Forever!

More Later!
~Crystal

I won my first Bloggy Contest

Whoo-hoo! I am so excited I won the contest over at BonyPonyRanch.blogspot.com. I won a bag and a Juicy Couture Dress. So exciting! Uh-Oh This could get addicting!

Oh and update my friend had her baby. Mason Rain was born on Tuesaday night and weighs 9lbs 8ozs. HOLY MOLY!!! The nurse told her that newborn diapers look like bikinis on him. HAHA!! So funny. Mom is doing great and I can't wait to finally meet the little man.

Okay kids are starving!
More Later!
~Crystal

Family Visit

My cousin Melanie and her family came to visit us last weekend. They drove here from Ohio for a weekend! Thats 16 hours! They must really love us! I am so glad they came. We had such a good time. We went to Blue Spring State Park to see the Manatees. In the winter months manatees come there to the spring where the water is warmer. I'm talking a couple hundred of them. It is so neat to see.

Plus the park is so beautiful. The kids had a blast. Here is a pic of them looking for manatees...

The scenery was amazing.

Then the next day we went to Fort Christmas. Again another great fun place for the kids. Great scenery and here are more pics...

So I look a little uncomfortable in this pic because I was falling off. But the tree is amazing!



So that was our weekend. Totally a good time. And hubby I know you are reading this...I love you and appreciate you. Thank you for all you do for our family. XOXO!



More Later,

~Crystal

Check this out

Hey all,
Check out the new launch of the Bony Pony Ranch blog @ http://bonyponyranch.blogspot.com

Have a great day!

Waiting on Baby

One of my best friends that I have known since I was 8 is in the hospital right now about to have her first baby. She lives in Ohio and I am still here in Florida so I am trying to get updates but its so hard not to be there. I wish her all the luck and happiness in the world. I am so excited that she will be a mommy today. I just hate waiting!!! So hopefully when I post again tonight I'll have some happy baby news!

More Later
~Crystal

Too Tired to Post

OMG- can it get any worse? Cameron and Zachary had very high fevers again today. Cameron 105 and Zachary 104. Off to Drs again. Zachary threw up before we left and again in the car on the way...Thats 2 carseats covered in vomit, yes 2, in 3 days. So Cameron had to get new stronger meds for his ear/throat infection. Zachary has RSV, great a virus all the moms out there know what that means...no meds for it just wait it out. So after being at the Drs for 4 hours with Zachary crying "I wanna go home" and "I want Daddy"...I am whooped and off to bed. Hopefully tomorrow will bring at least a little more healthier kids then today...if that makes sense.

More Later
~Crystal

Why does this always happen when I am a single mom?

I dropped off my hubby this morning at the airport only to be 5 minutes from home and Zachary threw up in his car seat. So disgusting. There's nothing like the feeling of driving while your child is puking his guts out in the back. What can you do? NOTHING! I had to keep going, thank God we were only 5 minutes from home. But this type of thing is so typical when my hubby is gone working. Someone is always sick or gets hurt. Ugh...so today will be an interesting one. I am going to attempt to put him to bed for a nap. Hopefully he doesn't cry because we all know what will happen...MORE PUKE! Wish me luck.

More Later
~Crystal

Paternity for sale???

Tonight I had to take Cameron to the Dr. because of course he was complaining of an ear ache...ugh will it ever end? So we are in the waiting room and Jim calls me and says Zachary just threw up, I mean seriously! So Cam and I get called in and sure enough Ear Infection. He has had like 20 of them so he can practically diagnose himself. We leave the Dr.s and head to Walgreens to pick up a prescription. Jim calls again and says Zachary threw up yet again. Who is doing this to us? What did we do so bad to deserve these poop and puke episodes? Anyways so while Cam and I are waiting for the script to be filled, you know they always tell you a half an hour even though its like a 5 minute job. Anyways so Cam and I are killing time walking aimlessly around the store just waiting. Then I come across the most bizarre product for sale. A freakin paternity test for 29.99. Is this for real? Do people really buy these things? I did not even know you could buy such a product over the counter. I just don't get it!

Whats that floating in the bathtub?

Another eventful night in our house. During bath tonight Zachy had diarrhea in the tub. SO nasty! I am not sure there is anything more disgusting. Especially when you have 3 clean boys in there...and you have to start all over. Well we eventually gotall the boys clean and dressed and smelling fresh...lol.

This weekend has been so nice. It's been nice to be here all together. Only one more day then Jim is back to New York. Myself and the boys are here until we move. I hate that word-MOVE...ugh who wants to do all that? As excited as I am to be there all together in the same State, I dread starting over again. But I know that it will all be so worth it.

Tomorrow we should find out if we definitly got our house. I am so nervous. We are being cautiously optimistic. So stay tuned.

I have been trying to learn more about blogging and I really want to get into doing product reviews. I just don't know where to get started??? If anyone has any advice i would greatly appreciate it.

More Later!

Risks

So there are 2 houses that we have narrowed our search down too. Both of which after we looked at them received other offers. Both offers were contingent so we still had a chance to offer. The problem was that once we picked one then the other one was done. So we thought long and hard and went with my house (I love my hubby!). So we put in our offer today and they accepted. Yeah...no yet! We still have to wait now for the original buyers because they get 48 to remove the contingency. So we will see what happens. Very very stressful!

Today was a very fun day. We were outside for most of the day. After not being here for 2 months there was a lot of yard work to do. Hubby cut grass and trimmed and I pulled weeds (By far one of my least fav domestic duty next to ironing). The kids played all day which was really fun.

This morning when everyone woke up we were in our bedroom and talking about what the kids wanted for breakfast. Jasmine our dog was laying on Jim. We call Jasmine Mini a lot. So as the breakfast conversation was in full force Ryan is saying he wants "R" cereal(Reeses Puffs), Zachy is saying me too! Cameron yells out "Jasmine can have "Mini Wheats". We just all started laughing it was so cute and funny. Mini wheats for Mini! So Cute!

Ok more later! Wish us luck with the house!

Home Sweet Home

We made it! We are officially home in Florida! It only took 20 hours in the car. When we went to Ohio it took 16 hours. This time we had bad weather. It was long but we made it and its weird to say that I am so happy to be home. I didn't think we would come back home at all. I expected to be moving to Rochester by now but that is not the case. So here we are at home hopefully only for a month or 2 until we buy a house. Oh yes which house...still not sure. All that is still being worked out. So annoying!

It was so great today we when pulled in the driveway to see the boys faces light up. They were so happy to be home. They ran inside and ran straight to their rooms and were calling us saying Mommy, Daddy come look at my room. They showed us all their toys that have been here waiting for them. It was so cute. Honestly, it was better then Christmas morning. It was great!

So here I am back to my routine, kids in bed, on my laptop, watching my stupid non-intellectual shows such as Real World. I freakin' love it!

My house is a wreak and toys are everywhere but I am glad to be here. I am glad for my time in Ohio with friends and family but so glad to be HOME!!!

More Later.

Going Home~Where that is at this point I don't know!

We are headed back to Florida in the next couple days. As much as I loved being in Ohio for the holidays and with our family, we need to go home. We have stayed at our friends house, my cousins house, my in-laws house, hotel....we are done and ready for home. Everytime my son sees us packing up he says "Where we going now Daddy?" They are so excited to get back to their toys and their rooms. And now that we are getting closer to the big move to Rochester, New York, I have a lot of packing and organizing to do. We have not picked a house yet. We are trying to decide between 3 of them. We are like the show House Hunters, will the couple choose house #1 exactly what they want, no backyard(Where will we play?), reasonable price or,
house #2 exactly what they want, 8 acres land(who will take care of it?), reasonable price or,
house #3 exactly what they want(and then some, sorry I am biased this is my choice), 1 acre yard, higher price

Stay tuned to find out!
Okay I gotta run wish us luck on our road trip.
More Later!