Weekend Update...

Our household is a busy place. I can't seem to get down here to post or answer emails so I am going to let everyone know how we are all doing in one tidy post so some of you don't think I have fallen off the face of the earth. I read the emails, I really do, I just don't have the time or the free arm to type back.
Dad is super busy at the hospital. Things are always busy this time of year. He has been late the last couple of nights coming home because he has taken late transport team flights and they don't tend to follow the change of shift schedule...his co-worker Kathy passed away. The wake was last night. He was able to get a few days off this weekend although the answering machine was full of requests for him to come in. He is back at it today. I wish I could be happy about him getting so much overtime. We miss him and when the hospital is a full busy place that's never a really good thing.
#1 has been reading books on manners and good behavior at school. She is full of pointers for me. She keeps telling me to take a deep breath or go do something else and I will feel better. She is seeing an allergist tomorrow for her 'snorts' and her under the eye circles. We hope to get good news. I am not sure what that is really. Allergies mean medication. No allergies mean sleep apnia probably and surgery to remove the adenoids and tonsils. She has had these symptoms for most of her life and is dealing with them well. On Saturday we made our 2008 ice-skating debut and then went sledding at grandma's. Sunday she went skating again for almost 4 hours. She came home with blisters on her feet and raw ankles. Her skin was wrinkled like a raisin. But, she said she had fun and she would do it again.
#2 is 20 months behind #1, but he keeps up pretty good. He is writing his letters and copying words from books. He keeps asking me when he is going to loose teeth like #1. He is enjoying his Christmas gifts especially a power ranger costume that he wears 24/7. He is a video game fanatic and wonders why we didn't buy a Wii like his cousins did. Sigh. Four going on 14?!?!?!
#3 decided on a weekend trip that mom just wasn't good enough and has taken to drinking lots and lots of formula. (I mean lots!) Which would be fine, except it makes for a bit of constipation issues. She is getting bigger and stronger by the minute and raises her arms above her head frequently to which mommy says, "Praise the Lord!". She is very demanding and gets bored of the bouncy chair and the swing after a few moments. Big brother and big sister take turns talking to her so mommy can at least do a sink full of dishes or blog a bit:). She is beginning to communicate with sounds and we are all loving it. Whoever said parenting is like riding a bike is way off. Every child is uniquely different and special and that makes for a whole lotta learning each time. I probably should be considered an expert by now, but I feel like each day something surprises me.It keeps me guessing.What worked a minute ago may not work this minute...
I feel like a chicken with my head cut off. I am constantly running around from room to room, trying to keep up. I start doing something and then remember the real reason I came into the room only to confuse myself and my children by having several unfinished tasks scattered throughout the house. #1 got some hand me down clothes from her cousin and I have been meaning to go through her closet to get rid of some things that are too small, but I can never complete it. I called last week to get the car checked on, it's leaking a bit of oil. I haven't been able to remember to ask someone to give me a ride to drop off the van. So I am sure the mechanic thinks I am nuts for calling to get it in and not ever bringing it down. Yesterday I was able to make a homemade meal and clean up a bit. It was a good day. Thankfully IF the kids clean their rooms they are rewarded with being able to peel potatoes so I got a lot of help :). How many more years of that do I have left? I hope to get to the school this week and start practicing with the students for the oral interpretation contest that is coming very soon. I am nervous about juggling practice times around daddy's ever increasing schedule. I hope it works out for the kids and they feel prepared for contest.
That's about it for the time being. #3 is demanding a bit of attention at the moment so I am signing off. Happy Monday!