Success in small doses

Today marks the first day since Robert was an infant that we made it through an entire mass (OK, a little shorter than usual at 40 minutes long) without enduring a screaming fit, temper tantrum, snack food upheaval, toy and/or sippy cup propelling or a massive, stinky dump!

It's been a long time since I've actually been able to walk into church without Bill and not been loaded down with the feeling of dread for what was sure to come. Double that feeling of pending doom when I've got all three of the kids on my own. It's easy enough for me to walk away during a melt-down with just Robert but when I have to deal with him and I still have the other two sitting there, well it just makes life easier if another adult is there to lend a hand and/or stay behind with the older kids.

So, while I know that my next trip into church on Friday morning for the Stations of the Cross will be filled with all of the above mentioned tragedies just because I dared to rejoice out loud on the internet, I'll take today's victory and savor it, while hoping that maybe, just once, we'll be able to continue in the right direction. Lather, rinse, repeat...

"Picking" Hair Styles

I'll let the pictures do all the talking on this one...

Oops!

Did I forget to mention that we DID celebrate Christmas last year? Because after downloading a ton of pictures the other day I noticed that I still had Christmas morning pictures on there and hey, guess what? There was no Christmas post on here! Hhhmmm...how did I let that one slip past? So here you go...

Starting out with the stocking stuffers...

Moving on to the good stuff...

More hockey

Matt has definitely progressed during the '08-'09 hockey season. If you need a reminder of how he started out, click here. Otherwise, enjoy the update of our "Problem Child". (Music courtesy of AC/DC)

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Yesterday was Grandpa's birthday and it has been two years since he passed away. With the weather having been relatively crappy (in a snowy way) we've been unable to make it up to the cemetery for quite a while. However, the past couple of days have warmed up a bit and so the kids and I decided to surprise Daddy with a visit to Grandpa's grave last evening.

Prior to heading out, they had made a Happy Birthday sign to place by his headstone and we decided to stop at the grocery store for some cupcakes to "share" with him as well. We didn't tell Daddy where we were heading but of course in my 3 minute absence to purchase the cupcakes, Bill managed to get Matt to spill the beans.

Once there, the kids hopped out of the van, still in their school clothes and wearing snow boots, and pranced around the cemetery while Bill and I did our best to secure the sign that they had made to one of the flags that was implanted in the frozen ground.

We lit up a single cupcake and sang happy birthday and while the kids enhaled theirs they decided to leave one behind for Grandpa to enjoy as well. As I placed that cupcake on the bottom ledge of his headstone I couldn't help but smile at what he might be thinking as he watched his three grandkids enjoying this moment.

Robert may never have a single memory of his Grandpa Baker nor remember the "crazy evening in the cemetery" but I know that Megan and Matt will remember it for a long time to come.

Snatchtastic!

Matt was babbling to Bill tonight about how Simone snatched a toy from him today at school and it's bad and rude and blah blah blah.

To which Bill replied, "not all snatches are bad".