disappearing acts

See I already forgot. I had a better title. I had more interesting stuff. It's gone-O. Along with all of my chocolate, my book of phone numbers, the list I made of all the stuff I have to get done this week, my new black cardigan, my fave sunglasses, my fave screwdriver, the cord to the computer so I can upload photos, and my hopes of ever being on top of it all again. If only I had the chocolate.

Does this have anything to do with the fact that I am working more, planning more, and trying to do more every day? Does it mean I am trying to do too much? Maybe. But I don't know what I could cut out, because the reality is that I actually want to add more. As each one of us adds more activities, they all seem to drain on me. But time itself is pulling a disappearing act on me.

As are my babies. Where have they gone? I have these KIDS now. It hit me the other morning as they all put on their own shoes (even the Tan man!) and walked their little selves out to the van ahead of me to take Phebes to school. As I followed them, I truly saw them. Not a baby in the bunch. And yet they are. They always will be.

Tanner said, "Das mah mom," pointing at me the other day. First sentence. Made my heart melt. Phoebe cried that I went to work and she went to dance tonight. Annika has crawled in bed with me the last two nights. Yes, they are my babies. I guess as long as I can find that, who cares where my lists are.

But I still need to find the chocolate.

I can't remember my title

I thought of a really cool title today and a whole post. Then I forgot it. Hence why I don't blog as much anymore. My brain is slowly but surely disappearing. Oh well. Maybe someday I will find it.
RUCK!!!!! (truck in Tanner speak). He is obsessed. Really really really crazed. Anything with wheels or that is transportation really. He now also knows his body parts. And in true male fashion is fascinated with his own parts. He is also learning all of his animal sounds. But Daddy is still Mom (sometimes he is DAAAH, but for the most part it is mom).
Annika is an informer for the preschool. I know exactly who has been acting up. Hopefully this is not a tactic to gloss over her own behavior.
Phoebe was sick this weekend, but seems better. She didn't want to miss anymore of the exciting first grade world.
Jeff put out this weekend. 29 bottles of cherry wine, pear and shiraz in the carboys (so the house smells like a winery), and an amazing closet organizer for the girls. So I let him watch as much football as he wanted.
I have actually been scrapping. If I can ever find the hookup to the computer I will put photos of the fam and maybe even some of my fave pages of recent times.
Hope you are all enjoying the beautiful weather!

I've missed so much

I was just looking back through my blog entries and realized how fun it is to read them myself. I am not good at journaling in a notebook, but when I am on here, it seems more interesting. More worthwhile. I don't know why. So now I am totally upset with myself that I lapsed this summer. Maybe I will try to post a ton of photos about our crazy summer. But then again, I tended to take photos of silly things at home, but not one of big momentous occasions. As usual. Like what, well...
1. Yesterday we took the kids to downtown Chicago for the very first time. We went to the beach (which is the reason for no camera, I have ruined too many with sand). We took the train, the subway, and walked and walked. We all had a great time.
2. Ross' wedding. Good time. Not a pic.
3. All three visits to Iowa. Camera along. Almost no pics.
4. The Beach visit to Lockport. Some of our best friends made the trip from Cleveland. Forgot to take a pic.
Grrrr. Makes me mad at myself.
I can't remember others right now. I will later.
What else did we do...

• Tee ball--Phoebe did not like the bugs or heat. Annika loved it all. I did not like coaching.
• Swim lessons--the girls have turned into little fish. Go figure.
• many many trips to the Plymesser bed and breakfast, one for the girls only for a week
• lots of playdates for kids and parents
• four trips to the zoo
• one trip to Shedd Aquarium
• Jeff and I went to two Cubs/Twins games
• Jeff and I went to the Naperville rib fest
• drawing lessons every Thursday
• Jeff built a fence around the yard
• slip and slide, bike rides, walks, playgrounds, a splash park
• Mommy helped and girls attended VBS (somehow I got roped into being assistant director next year)

I know there is more. Man, no wonder we were tired.

Phoebe started first grade. She was more mad at me for forgetting to put a drink in her lunch than anything her first day.

Jeff is looking for a new job. We are praying for an interview and offer for a permanent job that is with a company he likes and for a slight raise in pay that is not 100% commission. He's had interviews, but none of the jobs have had all of the requirements.

Annika starts preschool this week. She is super excited.

Tanner is turning into a little brother in every sense. He is getting quite sneaky and silly. But still very very cute. Not a baby anymore.

the funnies

All three have been up to high jinx lately. They are definitely keeping me on my toes this summer!
Tan the Man now regularly climbs onto tables. Unfortunately our kitchen light hangs quite low and is in an odd position. So literally I came back from the bathroom this morning to find him swinging happily from the chandelier.
He also says hot, brrr (for cold), and sounds for dog and cat. Anything he wants is yelled MOM/MON.
Peanut is taking advantage of her grandmother. My mom started paying her a penny for every maple tree sapling she pulled from their yard last fall. In the past few weeks Annika has pulled almost 300.
Papa was also quite impressed with Peanut's joke telling abilities. Daddy told her a joke a week ago and she practices on us a lot. Thank goodness she remembers all the parts and even gets the punch line correct.
Princess Sparkle was so pleased to be in the pool yesterday that she declared, "I am just going to float in here like a dead bug forever." Nice. She was way excited to discover that the fireflies are starting to appear. Very into the insect world obviously.
But she also has informed us, "I do not like the hot and I do not like to sweat." Could make finding bugs harder.
I was in on the biggest garage sale I have ever seen this weekend. We cleared $1000 between the four of us; the main seller collected 60% of that, myself 25%, and the other two split the remaining 15%. I was pleased with my haul. But more importantly between stuff that I gave away in the last month, sold, or ended up donating I emptied my house of a ton of stuff. I thought about listing my accomplishment, but I got tired of typing. Suffice it to say Roseanne the truck now fits in the garage and the entire laundry/storage room floors are clear! Phebes had a hard time watching stuff go. That girl does not handle any change well anymore poor thing. But she seems to have forgotten it all today.

Ufda!

Man am I behind on posting! We have been seriously crazy though. So here is very quick rundown on the Nelson daily rat race the past two weeks...
1. Phoebe turned 6!!!! It was a fabulous day of grandparents and partying. She is one fabulous little girl. GMAC contingent stayed until 11 that night playing Guitar Hero rock band which is entirely too much fun.
2. Granny came to visit for the weekend.
3. Nicole got to scrapbook for an entire day.
4. Tanner started saying no, but he sometimes he yells, "NEIN!" when he is really mad.
5. The swingset is officially finished. Tanner can climb the ladder by himself and slides down on his tummy to go faster.
6. School is out. Phoebe and Mrs. Preboy both cried.
7. T-ball started. Annika hit a boy in the "wiener" and Phoebe beaned a boy in the face. They can out throw most of the kids. Daddy is quite proud.
8. Drawing lessons started. I have 8 kids. It is going fabulous.
9. Ann Taylor Loft is proving to be the most money I have ever been paid to fold shirts.
10. Got to see Cliff and Naomi, Sarah and kids in the last two weeks which was way fun.
11. Jeff and I went to see the Twins play the Cubs today. We got spontaneous and scalped tickets for the game tomorrow.
12. We went to Touch a Truck day and the girls loved sitting in the semi, garbage truck and bus.
13. Grilled out with GMAC friends and played Wii dance party.
14. Phoebe now has two fillings, and one more to go this week. She is a super trooper and did a great job. Mommy was way impressed!
15. Went for Thai with my mom, kids, and Naomi. Loved it.
16. Jeff finished unpacking the garage. AND he put the license plates on the Saab.
17. Tanner is trying to be a big boy eater complete with booster chair, fork, spoon, and dishes. Mommy couldn't take him standing up in the high chair anymore.
18. Tanner now has four molars.
19. Phoebe has grown 3 inches since February! That is crazy. She is NOT supposed to grow that much that fast. She is my baby.
20. I am now realizing what a little trooper Annika has been dealing with the rest of us!
21. Phoebe had field day, grandparents day, and parents day at school.
22. Tanner likes to turn off the computer.
23. Annika has been learning to do cartwheels, backbends, and headstands in gymnastics.
24. I had three doctor appointments. Two out of three weren't bad.
25. Jeff has been swamped at work with the Chrysler takeover and GM bankruptcy. The silver lining for him is that his job is very very safe. He has been in charge of calling Chrysler dealerships to break the news they are being closed. It has been emotionally draining.

So those are the highlights among the regular stuff like playdates, laundry, grocery shopping, and all the other basics. No wonder I haven't checked email, facebook, or blogs for two weeks! So this week so far we are going to the Twins/Cubs again, Joliet Jackhammers baseball game(Phoebe earned free tickets for all of us through her school library reading program), either Shedd Aquarium or the zoo, have two playdates at our house, have last gymnastics class, t-ball, drawing, I work two nights, get ready for a garage sale, another dentist appointment and go to Iowa for next weekend. Who said summer was lazy and boring??????

Week in Pictures

The big highlight of our week was Phoebe's dance recital Thursday night. She was absolutely fabulous! We were so proud of her. She remembered all of her steps and was so graceful. She sparkled with a ton of cuteness in her costume. They wore the tutu for ballet and then it came off and bustled in back for the tap routine. She loved being on stage, the makeup, the body glitter...she loved it all. She already told me that she will miss dance this summer and can't wait for next fall. My little ballerina! Aunt Sarah and kids, Grandma and Papa, and our little family were all in attendance for the recital. So to celebrate afterwards we went to Sonic and enjoyed some ice cream treats that were delicious. Sarah and cousins stayed the night. The kids were WIRED after all that fun, especially Phoebe. I don't remember the last time she squealed that much until that late in the night.
Phoebe did not have school on Wednesday. It was a gorgeous, perfect day for the zoo. Maybe a little hot, but that was okay. They were the best kids ever. No whining, no arguing, no pushing. Just enjoyed the animals, walking, talking, and being together. Tanner loves the birds. He points and dances. He was pretty fascinated by all the animals though. We went to see a life size robotic dinosaur exhibit. The girls were pretty impressed at how big they used to be. It was a fabulous day.

Last Friday night was the PTO Family Fun Night. They had an 80's dance and I helped chaperone, so I also agreed to dress up a little. Of course only two other moms actually followed through. But it was still fun. Once I got my hair dryer and hairspray warmed up it all came flooding back. I knew just how to get my hair to stand up. Although texturized/layered bangs don't work nearly as well. I even tight rolled my jeans, again not an easy feat in boot cut. All 5 of us hit the dance to do the limbo, freeze dance, and some line dancing. Good times.

I actually paid to have someone come paint our house. Jeff was appalled that I would do such a thing, until it took ONE day to paint the whole room two coats with no messes. Totally worth it. Mario did a great job. We love the golden straw color. It is just soft and cozy. It makes our wood furniture look awesome.

And then Jeff bought the coolest paintings from Overstock.com. They are humongous and super colorful. They are perfect for us and this wall. So I am completely in love with our living/dining area now.

I also started my new job this week at Ann Taylor Loft. I already miss the women I worked with at Archiver's. There were four of them especially that I had gotten fairly close with. But I do NOT miss the frustration and drama of working there. I worked two evenings at Loft, they didn't really train me much yet, so I just folded things and straightened stuff on hangers. But I also think that might be the extent of it. It is a little relaxing actually, because I have to worry about one thing at a time. No one complains. The managers are always asking if we are all okay and telling us what a great job we are doing. Not Utopia, but will be a good part time gig for now I think.

Now what I am excited about is the fact that I have 7 paid students coming to take drawing lessons with me in June. I put the word out with 2 moms and it has spread from there. So now I need to get in gear and put something together to advertise lessons next fall. I talked to the art teacher at Phoebe's school and it sounds like there would be a fair amount of interest. Can't wait to see where this leads me.
Jeff has been working on the swingset and it is coming right along. My dad came to help him last weekend and then this weekend will be devoted to its completion. The girls liked playing on its parts though. It was gorgeous weather all week, so we were outside 90% of the time. My farmer tan is in full swing. A fave pastime is "painting" everything with water. They have been digging in the sand. Annika and I are getting VERY good at playing catch. She says that my practice is starting to show and that I am finally getting better. We eat outside for most of our meals. The girls are addicted to eating on the patio, just like the past two summers. Phoebe can ride her bike, but is refusing to do so. TAnner plays in his Little Tikes car all the time and then uses a play golf club to hit balls, and anything else. His new thing is mimicing inflections and sounds. He doesn't use words, but you can figure out what he is implying quite clearly.

And that is all I want to type today. There will probably be another huge post next weekend as the next week promises to hold much excitedment...Phoebe's birthday!

He loves me, he loves me not

Oh Tan the man. Little wigglebuns. He is slowly, but quite surely, killing me. I am sure of it if he is not. He loves me dearly, bless his little heart. He does not want anyone else but me. I have to hold him almost all night long for him to sleep at all. He is a super light sleeper, so anything wakes him up. He loves to snuggle and be kissed and loved on.

But he also bites, hits, pinches, pulls and abuses me in other ways. I have yet to hurt him back, but I am losing my patience. He is starting to leave marks. NO means nothing to him. I have tried smacking his hand. I set him away from me. Nothing really seems to work.

All I can do right now it seems is set him away from me while we both cry. And hope that he grows out of it.

On a lighter note I love these photos...found my two men crashed on the floor one night when I got home from work. And then Tanner playing peekaboo. He loves to play, at least once an hour. Too cute. This is why I still love him. And always will.