Trying to stay faithful

Corey and I have long debated the merits of facebook vs. blogging. I believe that blogging is a great way to keep family up to date when we can't see each other often. Corey thinks that facebook is much more economical when it comes to time and effort, plus you can reconnect with so many more people. I've shrugged off his multiple suggestions to join, largely because he keeps flaunting his number of 'friends' and challenging me to come close (pooper). But, because several of my friends only blog sporadically (thanks a lot girls, you know who you are :), I've started considering it.

Last week, I finally gave in. I had several email requests to become friends, so I decided to sign up. Now I'm addicted!! I check my account all day long, to see who's talking to who, who updated photos, and getting caught up in live chats with friends from 15 years ago! I love it, and I hate admitting that publicly. Mainly because Corey loves to gloat when he's proven right.

Every few days, I remember my beloved bloggers and I feel so guilty. How could I have let this happen? I do love blogging, but there's so much more effort involved. And with three young kids, it's hard to dedicate my brain to one thing for more than a few minutes at a time. I have noticed, though, that I don't get the same sort of therapy as blogging since it's mainly just one-liners and silly comments. So I need to stay faithful to blogging, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the instant gratification of Facebook too!

Just to be true to blogging, here's a few pics and videos to enjoy.

Protection for those big noggins we produce.

Can you believe that this is all it takes to entertain my kids? If I didn't have a house to take care of, we'd be out here all day, every day.

And just a sweet pic of Hudson and Daddy.

Bad mom, good wife

I'm a bad mommy. Wouldn't you think that by the third baby, I'd have it down pat? Yeah, not so around here. I often prided myself on my several 'nevers' in child-rearing, such as never having to take a child to the hospital, never letting my kids be sunburned, never cutting a child while clipping nails, etc. Well, in one fell swoop I lost my status.

With Hudson being born breech, he had to have an ultrasound to check out his hips. So, off to Children's Hospital we went. I was counting my blessing as I was sitting in the waiting room, watching all the kids with all sorts of visible problems and holding my perfectly healthy baby boy (there was a sign asking that there be no eating or drinking in the room in consideration of the patients that were fasting for tests -- so sad!) So, not too bad, but I was still at the hospital with my child. Everything was normal, by the way.

The next day, we decided to hang out outside. It was a beautiful day, so we filled the kiddie pool and Dad and the kids went 'swimming' while I caught up on some housework. A few minutes into their playing, I noticed that Hudson was sitting in his swing in the shade but his toes were swinging into a little sun. So I put him further back into the shade of the tree. He slept all afternoon, and we periodically shifted him back further and further so he wouldn't get burned. Our friend, Jenny, was in town for a wedding so she and her 2 kids stopped by for a couple hours. We were outside all day long, and near the end of the afternoon, I saw that Max's shoulders were turning a little pink. I slapped some sunscreen on him, and we kept playing. After Jenny left, I left to do some grocery shopping. When I came back, I saw that ALL THREE of my kids were burned!!! What the heck?!? I understand Max and Addie because I am never diligent with the sunscreen, but Hudson?? He was in the shade all day long!! Here's a picture of my poor baby (the other two weren't too bad).


I felt especially bad when his skin started peeling, but what do you do?

Two days later, I was clipping Hudson's nails and CUT him. He bled, he cried, I failed.

On a better note, I've been trying to be a good wife. Corey started a job this week, so he was feeling like last week was his last week of freedom. His friend called and asked if he'd like to go salmon fishing on Lake Michigan, but since I'd already said he could go golfing the next day he wasn't sure what I'd say. Of course, babe, you deserve it (I love salmon, so this was an easy sacrifice). Besides, I decided that two days in a row without Corey for several hours at a time would help condition me to handling things on my own this week. And it's working out that way.

Here he is with his prize! We ate great that night, and we have several more dinners waiting in the freezer. Thanks Cody!!

Cody's bro-in-law, Cody, Corey, and Cody's Dad... all with fish! Good day.

Minnesota

We recently got back from a trip to Minnesota to visit Corey's family. Since he was laid off, we've had a lot of fun Daddy time. But he's started going stir crazy, so this was the best thing for him. He was able to go golfing a few times, get away from the little crazies, and spend time with his family.

Here are a few highlights from our trip (we were there 11 days).

This was Max's favorite past time while staying at Rhonda's (Corey's sister). Anytime he was outside he would b-line straight for the rider. That is, after he's gotten his daily mouthful of mud (the kid truly likes eating the stuff, you should see his diapers).


Hudson's first Bumbo experience (a few days before we left, I just wanted to include the pic). He loved it so much, he napped in it. I actually have about 5 pics of this, starting with his eyes open and slowly progressing to sleep--all without him moving his body (or hands).




Hudson meeting Grandma Lois. He pooped out of his clothes about 25 seconds after we arrived. Of course I didn't have a change for him, he hardly ever poops out! Sorry kid.




Grandpa Don standing over the newest great-grandchild (he has 7, including kids by marriage).



Dinner isn't complete without Grandma's desserts. Here's Max loving his cake and ice cream (he probably thought it was a pile of mud so he dug in).


This truly is the country. We were sitting on the back porch when Addie noticed a turkey hanging out on the driveway. A few minutes later, I hear gunshots! Corey's uncle Mark, who works for the DNR, had shot the turkey down. Apparently, it's dangerous for domestic turkeys to mate with wild turkeys (so he said) and this was a loose domestic heading for their woods where they knew of at least 12 wild turkeys that had hatched earlier that spring and were living out there. Mark needed some pictures so he could track down who's turkey this was so they could be notified, so here's Corey posing. I told you this was the country, and not just because of the poor cell phone reception.


Corey's Aunt Becky has a cabin on one of the 10,000 lakes advertised in Minnesota, and she invited us up for the day. Here's Max checking out the dock while playing trucks with Dad.


Addie was in heaven! She knew that we were planning on going to the lake when we got to Minnesota, but it was a little cool the first few days we were there, so it kept being put off. And she didn't let us forget about it!! When we finally got to go, she talked about it the whole way there, the whole time we were there, and for a several days afterwards. Are all 3 year olds this OCD?


Happy Father's Day!!! We were able to spend this day with Corey's family, and we had a great time. See Hudson's smile? Even he had a good day!


This is at Grandma Mickey's house. This is a sample of the refereeing I have to do with my big Max. Charlie (Grandma Kathy's dog) never knows what to expect when he's around.

We had so much fun, maybe our best visit ever. I think spending enough time there that we weren't rushing around, trying to fit in visits with everyone, really helped this to be. Thanks to family for hosting our crazy family!!