Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween everyone! How was everyone's day? Are you already all "Halloween'd out?" We're not. And we've been at it since Thursday! Yes, Thursday. Logan had his Preschool, Halloween Day. Since he only goes to school Tuesday-Thursday, Thursday was our day to celebrate. Logan, Daniella, and I dressed up. We packed up our Halloween cookies, that we made and decorated. And all those bags for the class. It was such a fun day. Daniella got to be in the parade too. She was loving it! Getting to hangout with all the big kids.

Friday was also a crazy day! We all headed to the hospital, right after Ethan and Madelyn were out of school. Dressed up. To hangout with some of the kiddos and their families. There were lots of crafts, cookie and cupcake decorating, and some fun movies. We had a blast! It didn't hurt that Patrick came out, dressed up like Dracula. The kids loved it!

Friday night, we all "vegged out." Ordered pizza, and watched 3 Halloween movies. Patrick worked. Secretly, I can bet, that he's been looking forward to this week. You'd be surprised by the people you will see in the hospital. Crazy!

Saturday night, Patrick and I headed to the Halloween Ball. It's a fundraiser for the hospital. That I've been slaving at for months! It turned out great. And Patrick and I had an incredible time! Lots of good food, fun friends, raising money, and dancing the night away.

By Sunday, I didn't want to get out of bed. But the 2nd of the hospital fundraisers was Sunday. A Family Event. A Halloween Carnival and Trunk-or-Treating. So much fun! All the hospital staff came, dressed up, and with their families. A lot of money was raised. The hospital is trying to add another "Playground" for the kids. And they're so expensive!

And today hasn't disappointed either! Ethan and Madelyn had their Halloween parties at school. Oh ya! More Halloween treats. The 5 of us dressed up. The entire school was so fun! It was a like a Halloween Carnival. The different booths had fun Halloween games, that were educated. So fun! Patrick came by, during his lunch break. Dressed up! So that we could all enjoy a "Goblin Lunch" together. :)

After school, we came home. The kids were so excited! We made a yummy, Halloween inspired dinner. It was a special dinner too. Patrick was able to join us. Honestly, from Monday-Friday, we rarely have dinner as a family. My hubby usually doesn't come home until the kids' bedtime. Sad. But true. Tonight, was definitely a treat!

Our regular babysitter came by. She handed out candy for us. I didn't want to miss the trick-or-treating. But I also didn't want to be the only neighbor, not handing out candy. And our family went trick-or-treating. I've never seen so much candy in my life! Tomorrow, our kids are going to pick out their favorites. Then, we're going to donate the rest. To the troops. I'd rather that they have our candy. And it not go to waste. Yes, our family had a great time! I can't wait until next year. Now I'm  going to go enjoy some chocolate...

Dressing Up

Halloween costumes. Usually, they're an easy subject around here. We order Halloween costumes in early September. That way we get, what we want. Oh, and with my first 2 kiddos, I got to pick out their costumes, until they were 5. Yes, when they started school, they wanted to pick out their costumes.

But this year was a whole other issue! Life got busy, and before I knew it, it was mid September. OK, it was only 2 weeks off schedule. Not too bad. I sat each one of our kids down, and we searched for their perfect costumes. Logan and Daniella knew exactly what they wanted to be. Months ago!

Logan wanted to be Mr. Potato Head. It had been talked about, since the summer. My son is only 3! But he knew exactly what he wanted. And we were OK with that. Until, we couldn't find the costume anywhere! He hid under his bed for 2 hours, before finally agreeing to find something else. Too bad I'm not crafty. It doesn't look like a hard costume to make. Maybe I should really invest in a sewing machine...

We compromised on a Train Conductor. "Just like Thomas' friend." I don't know. Logan said it. I just went with it. And he was happy. When the costume came in the mail, he was over the moon! But the Mr. Potato Head, he's still asking about it. We'll get to that in another post...

Daniella was easy as pie! Since we went to Disney World, and honestly, before that, she's been all about Minnie Mouse. This costume happened to be on the front page. Although, there were cuter ones, she was hooked on this one. I also picked up some tights and cute shoes. Let's just say this, our baby knows exactly what she wants. Exactly! I'm starting to believe, our 2 youngest are going to be more opinionated, than our oldest 2. :)

Costume picking took a little more time than I thought. Especially when it came to Madelyn. She couldn't decide what she wanted to be. There were some pondering and searching going on. Lots of talking involved. Asking of friends, what are they dressing up as. Changing our minds. And finally settling on a Gypsy. I don't think Madelyn was 100% sure, when we ordered it. But now that she has it, I'm positive, that she's so happy with her choice. And all the gold jewelry that we bought too! Pretty fancy for my 1st grader...

I've said it at least a hundred times before, Ethan is so easy going! He's just like Patrick. When we visited NASA this summer, he was over the moon. My son, is totally a science and math kid. OK, he likes sports too. But you know what I mean. On the ride from NASA to our hotel, he turned and told me, "Mom, I want to be an astronaut for Halloween. Because I want to work for NASA when I grow up." Really? Easy as that. It took us all of 2 seconds, to decide on which costume he wanted.

And that left Patrick and I. We need to dress up for this "Halloween Ball" that we're going to attend. We don't usually dress up as a couple. But we thought it would be fun. And we don't have to worry about warmth. We're going to be wearing these costumes to the ball. And our costumes from last year when we take the kids trick-or-treating. Dracula and a witch. After lots of talking, dying with the prices, and negotiating, we settled on Cleopatra and Mark Anthony. Isn't that fun? I can't wait until Halloween! It's going to be fun. The makeup and jewelry are going to be so fun too!

And honestly, I can't wait to see my hubs dressed up! I'm telling you, this is going to be a fun Halloween. It's going to be so busy. But I'm positive that we're going to enjoy ourselves. And for next year, I need to remember, to get our order in earlier. It was a little stressful this year. I'm sure Logan would appreciate that. Did I mention? He's still talking about Mr. Potato Head...

The Big 8

Eight years ago yesterday, I became a Mommy. For the very first time, I had a teeny tiny baby, that depended on me. Yesterday, that baby, our son Ethan, turned 8 years old! Where in the heck, did the time go?

It's crazy, I knew almost nothing about babies. Or mothering. What I knew, I had learned in medical school. I knew how to medically take care of a baby, but not really know how to take care of a baby. Patrick and I had been married just over 2 years. We'd been together for a few years. But married just 2 years. I had known that I was ready for a baby.

My last day of being a resident was both a relief, and a complete anxiety attack. I knew that I wouldn't be a full time MD. I was going to be a mommy. 100% of the time. We were in a different state than our families. In a completely different city. Patrick was easily working 120 hours a week. And we had just had our son.

In so many ways, October 7, 2003 forever changed our lives. We could never turn back. We can never quit this job. We're parents. From that day forward, we were parents. It was everything we dreamt of, and so much more!

In the last 8 years, I feel like we've all grown so much. Our family has gotten bigger. Patrick and I know value more important things. You know, chats with our kids, family dinners, and family vacations. I'm so grateful for Ethan, he changed our lives, and our family. Forever. 8 years ago, I had no clue what life had in store for me. Today, I'm so happy to have become a mommy to this amazing little soul. And for the 3 amazing souls that came later.

It Scared Us All!

I don't know if I've mentioned this here, but I'm a bit of a makeup lover. This is a love, that happened "later" in my life. My teenage years didn't find me spending hours on my makeup. Heck, I was lucky to manage mascara and lipgloss.

My college years didn't fair much better. I was too busy trying to fill my brain with chemistry and biology. I wanted to get into medical school. Makeup was my last priority. In med school, and later as a resident, I just craved sleep. I was happy to just get a shower.

Something happened though. During my first pregnancy, I found myself shopping. A lot! Something that I had never really done. Between buying crib bedding and onesies, I stumbled into the makeup aisles. Then to the makeup counters.

I was never a woman that liked trendy makeup. Or lots of color. I'm more of a natural woman. Pretty and light shades. Something to add the "Wow," without the "What the heck do you have on your face?" Along the way, I found the "Beauty World." The place, where I'm sure, women must spend their entire paychecks, on new beauty products.

Later, when I started watching YouTube, I was both intrigued, and mortified by these makeup collections. How in the heck? When and how do women collect that much makeup? More importantly, why? But while I was watching those videos, I was learning about new products, and companies.

Before I knew it, I was a fan of MAC. Don't get me wrong, I would never go and by $100s worth of makeup. But I do appreciate a new eyeshadow or lipstick, every few weeks. So one day last week, I found myself at the mall. With my kids. We needed to stop by and pick up a few things. And I thought, why not go by the makeup counter. That's when the good day we were having, went horribly wrong. Because we stumbled upon these pictures...

In an instant, 3 of my kids were gripping my legs. In an almost panic. Ethan calmly told me, "Mom, I think we should go. My sisters and Logan look like they are going to flip out." He was right. For the first time ever, my heart was beating so fast. My palms were sweaty. I was panicking. My kids were about to have an all out "freak out."

We left. I never actually made it to the counter. Instead, we stopped for ice cream. Then a calm trip to Target. For a new toy. My kids deserved that much. We had made it past, all these crazy clown pictures. They were all over the MAC counters. I have to admit this, these pictures are bizarre.

I'm wondering what MAC was thinking. Do they really think, that these clown pictures, are going to sell  more makeup? My small kids were freaked out, just by the mere sign of them. I could just imagine the jokes Patrick could come up with. I'll tell you one thing, I'll be cautious about taking my kids with me next time. That might mean, I have to avoid a few future purchases. But I'm a Mommy first. A makeup lover second. And if some creepy pictures bother my kids, then they bother me too.

Serenity

Immediately, this prayer came to mind. Patrick and I, came out to Tennessee. Our good friend, and her baby, have been through so much! It pains me so. My heart just breaks for them. Both of them. To have gone through so very much, so much hurt and pain. I don't really want to go through all of it. I think you should read the story from Hillary, herself.

Recently, a colleague of ours, contacted Patrick. If he'd be interested in this surgery. We all agreed. It was for such a good reason. I called my parents. And they agreed, to come and stay with our kids. For about a week. Because Hillary needs us. Plans were made. And here we are, in Tennessee.

The surgery was completed. A complete success. Complicated and long. But successful. Patrick and Dr. Sam were the lead surgeons. I sat with Hillary and her brother. As we were updated, I would explain to them exactly what was going on. I tried to keep my friend distracted. To keep her mind off of what was going on. I did everything that I could, to be a good friend. A comfort. A solid support.

Baby C is now doing well. Actually, better than expected. Which is such a relief. My friend and her baby girl, deserve such a good life. To be healthy. To be happy. I want that for them. For these amazing souls. I've only known for just under a year. But I swear to you, I feel like we've known each other for a lifetime!

This prayer, was just perfect. As an MD, we are trained to think,that we can do it all. We should be able to fix every problem, that comes our way. Every single time. But in reality, we know that we're just human. Not every situation is fixable. It's unfortunate. Heartbreaking.

The Serenity Prayer, was the one prayer, that I had hanging in my locker. The very first day that I worked at the hospital. At the beginning of every shift, I read it. And at the end of every shift, I read it again. It's the one thing, that gave me courage, when I was full of fear!

Yesterday's surgery, required courage, wisdom, and serenity. We all pray that Baby C will heal. Completely. That she will have the same chances in life, that my own kids have. I pray that God gives grace, wisdom, and patients to my friend. Most of all, I pray that God gives my friend strength. This is a long road that she's on. She needs all of our strength, love, and prayers. Please say an extra prayer, for this beautiful family.

Welcome Back!

I didn't realize how crazy, "Back to School" would be. Patrick works 100+ hours a week. And I respect that. He's providing for us. And this job, it's something that the 2 of us talked, at length, about. I especially love, that Patrick works so hard Monday-Friday, so that he has Saturday and Sunday off. Just so he can spend time with our kids and me.

With that, comes a lot of responsibility for me. Yes, we're lucky. I get to call on some help. From time to time, I call a friend/babysitter. Who helps with my kids. If I'm busy with work, or have a lot of things, I can call for some help. It doesn't happen much. But when I need the help, I can get it.

The last few weeks have been crazy! I've been so busy. We now have 3 kids in school. That's 3 teachers to meet. 3 Parent-Teacher Conferences. 3 groups of parents. Thankfully, only 1 PTA. Which now, I'm a big part of! I didn't see that coming. But I was elected. And I'm going to look at that, as being a blessing. Oh, and I'm the "Class Parent" for all 3 of these classes.

Count to 10. I need to breathe. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I'm feeling like a bad parent. A bad mommy. I know that I shouldn't. But it's just the way life is. I question these things, when life gets tough. We've had so much going on. I know that Patrick feels bad. He wants to be around for all these events. But he has to work.

Earlier, when I was putting Daniella down for a nap, she hugged me. So tight. And kissed me. Whispered in my ear, "Mommy, I wuv you." In that second, I knew all of this. was well worth it! I'm going to get through this. I know, once the kids start to settle into school, and we get a schedule going, it's going to be OK. Thank goodness, that we did most of our "Back to School" shopping, weeks ago. That, plus all of this, might just push me over the edge. Until then, I'm going to curl up, and watch some TV. And eat a little chocolate. Yes, life isn't that bad.

Emily of New Moon

Now that we're in the middle of summer, I'm caving. Little by little. In the middle of the day, at the peak point of the heat, we're watching TV. But I'm trying, to at least make our TV watching, somewhat educational. I don't want people to think that I'm mindlessly putting my kids in front of the TV.

No, as a family, we sit and watch. So maybe Ethan is not too keen on some of the shows. Like Sesame Street, Dinosaur Train, or Clifford the Big Red Dog. But I've let all of my kids, pick one show to watch. And that's what we watch.

I was a bit surprised by Madelyn's choice. It seemed a little more mature, than what I thought she'd go for. Just my thoughts there. But Madelyn is such a fan of Emily of New Moon. It reminds me so much of Anne of Green Gables.



This year, Lola sent the entire book series, of Anne of Green Gables, to Madelyn, for her birthday. That's after Daniella got her set. And Madelyn wanted to read all of her sisters' books. See Lola values reading just as much as we do. And we're super glad about that!

Madelyn watches this show like no other! In fact, all of my kids enjoy it. Don't tell Ethan that I said so. But we sit there for 60 minutes, every day, and watch. It really is a cute series. Completely reminds me of the PBS Anne of Green Gables.

What a darling show! Patrick and I are already getting some ideas. For Christmas presents. We're thinking of getting our girls the entire series of Emily of New Moon and Anne of Green Gables. 2 really sweet series. That I'm so glad my kids enjoy. They're learning about a much simpler time. And I LOVE it! 

Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Daniella is a HUGE Wizard of Oz fan. I don't know how this happened. But my baby girl can't get enough. To the tune, we watch The Wizard of Oz at least 3 times a week. And, she might just dress up like Dorothy, to go shopping. Or to visit her Daddy at work. Recently, we stumbled on the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It's the cutest cartoon!



I used to really HATE for my kids to watch TV. But I think, it has more to do with the kind of cartoons and shows, that are on TV. I don't mind the kids watching PBS. I actually enjoy it. They learn a lot. And just between you and me, I get to do a load of laundry. Or manage to get some cleaning done. Not too bad. If I'm really lucky, a cup of coffee might get involved. :)

Recently, I found a new channel. That shows old cartoons, shows, and movies. Yes, it's a cute station. With lots of fun shows for the kids. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is one of those shows! I'll also admit, Daniella and I snuggle up, and watch 2 episodes every morning. After the kids are at school. While we're enjoying a mid morning snack. Yes, it's a good time!

Dinosaur Train

Logan is very much into dinosaurs. He's our 2nd son, so I should have expected this. But he's much more into dinosaurs than Ethan ever was. For the last year or so, Logan's world has revolved around dinosaurs. We've gone to museums, he's got plenty of toy dinosaurs, and well, anything on TV that has to do with dinosaurs, he begs to watch.

A couple of months ago, I was in the middle of a phone call, with a committee member. I had left Logan and Daniella watching TV. I know. I'm a bad mom. But sometimes, you just have to do what you can, to get things done. When I got back, they were watching Dinosaur Train.



Every weekday morning since, we've watched Dinosaur Train. Interesting enough, Daniella also likes the show. She cracks up with all the different songs. And for 30 minutes, you can't get Logan away from the TV. I should be concerned. But this is the only TV show that he really enjoys. And well, it's PBS. What can be so wrong with that?