I am doing much better today. Thank God for antibiotics. I spent most of today just resting. Ash took the kids for baseball photos (although right after Dex's they canceled the rest due to rain so Jax's will be rescheduled). I did venture out to get some McD's for dinner for the kids.

Killjoy ordered me not to tell Stephen that I had to go to Urgent care less I "ruin his good time" in Vegas. WTF?! I did tell him, of course, when he called today to check in with us. Turns out all was not well in Vegas either. His friend, Paul, was not feeling well all of last week and felt sicker once he got to Vegas so he flew back home on Friday night. Dan and Mike are still there though and they are having a great time.

I hope I am feeling well enough to take the kids out tomorrow. We all have cabin fever!

So, Stephen is in Vegas and of course things here are falling apart.

Dex started crying at school today while I was working his classroom, saying he had very bad stomach pains. I brought him home and his stomach was churning and it hurt for a few hours then magically disappeared.

Now it is the middle of the night and I have a UTI or something and I would love to go to urgent care to find out why I am peeing blood but I have no one to watch the kids! I called Ash about 30 minutes ago but there was no answer (they turn their phones off when the go to bed). I am sitting here wondering how long I can sit here without working myself into a tizzy and deciding my kidneys are malfunctioning or something. I am sure it is just an UTI but I have never peed blood before so I am freaking out. I wonder if I should call my neighbour...

Ok, six more hours until the kids will wake up and we can spend our morning at Urgent Care. I can do this...

edit 2.5 hrs later - I could not wait until the morning because I started having back pain so I called E (Z's dad) and he drove down from Redmond to stay with the kids while I went to a 24 hr Urgent Care. I have a UTI but it is bad and they were worried that I might have a kidney infection already. If the back pain is not better by tomorrow night I need to go to the hospital. Now I am wide awake in the middle of the night. Thank God tomorrow is Saturday.

Stephen is in Vegas. He was so excited before his trip. I had not seen him so excited about anything in such a long time. He did go and exchange the watch for the blue-faced one and he is much happier with it. He is now in Vegas with his new watch which I hope he won't have to hawk to cover his gambling losses. ;)

Stitch N' Bitch today was fun. Again though, there was more bitching than stitching going on.

I met with a personal trainer today to do a body analysis and man am I fat! I am still below the "obese" category but just barely. One good thing is that I do weigh 3 pounds less than I thought - our scale at home must be wrong. ;) I have set a small goal which I plan to reach by June 4th then I will go back to meet with the trainer and will set a new goal.

Jax had his initial First Communion class tonight. I am getting so excited for him to complete his classes and have his First Communion!

Stephen liked the watch but when he went to have it sized, he saw another that he liked a little more. Funny enough, it is the one I had originally picked out for him but I kept second-guessing myself and went with the one that was "safer". Rats! Anyway, he asked me if it would be ok if he exchanged it so he will run back to the jeweller tomorrow before he leaves for Vegas.

My back/neck is stiffening up again so I think I had better call the doctor. I feel like an old granny walking around hunched over and not moving my neck much.

Jax started swimming lessons this week after a 2 year hiatus. He is not as strong as the rest of the kids in the class but he is pretty good. Anyway, today he told me he wanted to quit because the teacher yelled at him twice. She did yell at him ("KICK THOSE LEGS, JAX!" and "JAX! WATCH WHERE YOU ARE SWIMMING!" as he was about to swim into some other kids) but I did not think it was that harsh. She yelled at other kids too. Anyway, I told him he did not have to take more lessons after this session is over if he does not want to and I think he has already decided that this is it. Oops.

Tomorrow, I have Stitch'n'bitch here in the morning then in the afternoon I am going to the club to meet with a personal trainer for the first time. I am so not looking forward to finding out how much body fat I have. Or how out of shape I am. But, I do look forward to someone showing me what I need to do to lose weight and get fit.

Today is Stephen's 40th birthday. The kids and I made a poster for him with a big photo of him (I printed it using the poster-printing option and made it 3 sheets of paper X 3 sheets of paper). It also says "Lordy Lordy Look Who's 40" then with 4 birthday greeting from each of us on it. I am baking a cake for him at the moment. Not sure what we are doing for dinner. We were going to go out but now he is leaning towards pizza (no doubt a pizza with chicken which I hate because chicken does not belong on pizza!).

Today is also my dad's birthday. If he were still alive he would be 75 today. This year it will be 7 years since he passed away. I cannot believe it has been that many years. It doesn't seem that long ago.

Oh I am in a much better mood today. No headaches. The sun is shining. Church was mercifully short. Things are looking up!

I glossed over this but I ended up buying Stephen a watch for his birthday. It is nice (I think) and I hope he likes it. I told my neighbour that I bought him a watch and she asked me if I bought him a Rolex. HUH?! No! She thought that was the kind of watch you buy someone for their 40th birthdays. Uh, only if you are rich, I think. Her dh bought her one a few years ago as a thank for you supporting him while he finished up school (and I think it was around the time of her 30th birthday). Stephen thanked me when he finished school by getting a full-time job!

Ok, off to take the kids out to buy gifts from them for Stephen. He wants some flip-flops, a couple of basil plants (I think it is a tad too early for them since it still gets quite chilly at night) and a rake. Is this man practical or what?

Migraine Hangover

I have a migraine hangover today. Slow speech, sensitivity to light etc. Plus now I think I have a sinus headache (pain is on the "wrong" side today and I feel congested). Woe is me.

Jax and Dex both had baseball games today. They both had fun and the sun was shining so it made for a pleasant day. I just wish it would get a little warmer.

I hope Stephen hasn't figured out what I am getting him for his birthday. I went to amazon.com and had been doing some searches. When I went back today, the first thing you see is "Customers with similar searches purchased" with three pictures of similar watches! YIKES! I had to do some quick searches on things that I know he would not be interested in to get it off the page. I know he was using the computer just before me but I hope he had not going to amazon.com. I guess I will have to wait to see if he lets on...

Ok, off to take some advil cold and sinus and to tidy up. After Jax's game, Stephen invited Ash and Gar et al over for dinner tonight. He has run to the store for supplies and to refill the bbq propane tank.

Migraines suck

Today was an Imitrex day. I have been trying to not take Imitrex but to manage the pain with Excedrin Migraine. I had to lie down for 30 minutes after I took it and I almost threw up twice while driving the kids to a birthday party (really, I probably should not have been driving and I am mad at myself now for that). I am completely wired now from the Imitrex.

Jax and Dex are at a sleepover birthday party. I really do not like sleepovers but it is Z's birthday and besides Jax and Dex, there is just one other kid sleeping over. Z has had a hard time with friends this year in school partly because his Aspergers is a little more noticeable as he gets older and the other kids are starting to notice and are keeping away. So, when T asked if the boys could sleepover, I said yes. I hope they do well. It is almost 10:30pm and we haven't had a call yet to ask us to pick them up so that is a good sign. Cars of course was devastated that he did not get to sleepover at the "burr-day paw-dee" (I love the way he says that!). He cried and said he was a big boy so he needs to sleepover too! lol

Ow

I worked out at the club for the first time in FOREVER and boy am I feeling it tonight. I did several lunges and OMG. Burn baby burn!

Stephen's birthday is in 5 days and I still do not know what to get him. I was thinking of a nice watch but what if he doesn't like it? He thinks I am buying him a guitar. I have absolutely NO idea where he got that from and I hope he isn't expecting one! Man, he is going to be so disappointed.

Jax has been busy making phone calls to thank family and friends for his birthday gifts. He is worried that if he doesn't thank them then they won't send him more gifts next year. I just shake my head at that kid. I wonder if he is using his watch to time each call?

I am so excited - our new kitchen windows (and door) will be installed on Friday! Whoo-hoo! As soon as the weather turns warm, I will have FRESH AIR circulating through my kitchen for the first time EVER! And we will have a better window in which to exhaust our room air-conditioner. Yeah!

The kindergarten Art Start project has become such a huge ordeal. The kids painted ceramic tiles which we had fired. Now we are making stepping stones with them and some tumbled glass. I had to drive to Seattle last week to buy the glass ($50 worth of broken tumbled glass) but we realized today that we do not have enough so back to Seattle I will need to go. Also, the cement is a big PITA to mix up. We did practice ones today so hopefully they will turn out ok. I finally was able to get two other moms to help out with the project because there is no way I can mix and pour cement for 20 stepping stones and supervise the kids as they place glass around the tiles. Anyway, this project is just way more than I had signed on for and I definitely will think twice about doing it again. But I hope they turn out because they are Mother's Day gifts.

Today (well it is after midnight so yesterday...) was my nephew's 20th birthday. I do not have any contact with him (he is my sister's son) but I do think of him often. He works on the pipeline (or something like that) in Alberta. I hope he is happy.

Piss and Moan

I found out last week that my cousin (shown here with Ramona and I), will not be coming to visit me this summer. She and her family were going to fly to Edmonton, drive to Vancouver then to Seattle for their summer holidays. They cut out a week though and that week is Seattle. I am so bummed. And I don't know why on earth they want to go to Edmonton then drive *24* hours to Vancouver. I mean Edmonton does have the World's Largest Mall but that's about it. My sister also lives there and I know she will not see my cousin. Seattle, on the other hand, is just a *3* hour drive from Vancouver, we have mountains (vs. flat prairie), lakes, Puget Sounds, shopping, the Space Needle, BigSoftwareCompany, EMP and ME! I am very disappointed and to be quiet honest, a little hurt.

Ok, onto more disappointment...Dex has his throat-clearing thing back again this year. I know it is from allergies. He has been on Zyrtec and Flonase for the last three weeks due to the "blinking" (maybe allergies, maybe a tic but we don't know for sure and he screams like we are putting his eyes out with hot pokers when we try to give him the antihistamine eyedrops that we gave up on them) but now the throat clearing has started. This went on for months last year and it was a sinus infection that would not clear up. So, tomorrow he is going to see the ped but I cannot get him in to see the allergiest until the end of May because he is not a current patient (he has not seen her since he was tested for peanuts and milk allergies when he was an infant). This throat clearing is so annoying for him and for everyone around him. I hope we can get it cleared up more quickly this year. And I hope the eye blinking thing goes away.

I hurt my neck and upper back sleeping funny last week. I slept funny because Cars was sleeping on my head. Yesterday, it hurt so much that I thought I would throw up. It is a little better today but I am so very stiff. Last night, I made Stephen take Cars into the spare bed after he woke up and tried to climb in our bed at 2am. I was finally successful in getting Cars to go to sleep in his own bed but I cannot get him to stay in his own bed all night! It is killing me!

And since I have complained about two-thirds of my children, I will complain about the third and make it complete. Jax loves the watch we bought him for his birthday. He is always telling us the time. "It is 9:47" and "It is 10:01" and "It is 1:32" ad nauseum.

So, yesterday was Easter and we went to 11:30 am Mass (because I still felt sick from my sore neck/back and I could not get to an earlier Mass). Well, before Mass, Jax asked "How long is Mass". I told him it is usually 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes but it will be longer because it is Easter and there will be a gazillion people there. So beginning at the 1 hour mark until Mass ended (blissfully, it was only 1 hour and 25 minutes), I had a minute by minute recap of the time. Jax would say "It has now been 1 hour and 1 minute. Is Mass almsot over?" and "It has been 1 hour and 6 minutes. Is it time to go?". I was so ready to rip that freaking watch off his wrist.

So, combine Mr. Timecheck with Dex's incessant questions about (again) why he does not get to have chips like everyone else, Cars fighting with other kids over the Little Tikes Kitchen (we sat in the crying room) and my throbbing back, it was a very long Easter Mass. Oh, and then it took us 10 minutes to get out of the church parking lot so by the time we arrived home we had been gone "Two hours! We were at church for *two* hours!" Jax complained.

Happy Easter.

Jax is now eight years old. I cannot believe it, really. I started telling him his birth story and got so choked up. He wanted a "real" watch for his birthday so I bought him a Timex that has an analog face (along with a digital reading and an alarm). I can tell he feels so grown-up wearing that watch.

Today is his party. We are going to a movie then back here for pizza and cake. Oh, and the timer just went off so it is time to take the cake from the oven!

We spent a whole 10 minutes discussing the book at book club tonight. Only 2 people had even finished it (I was not one of them). Let's hope the next book is more interesting.

Jax's 8th birthday is tomorrow. I cannot believe he is 8. Wow. He is not a little kid anymore. Makes me so proud, happy and sad at the same time. He is a great kid with a wonderful imagination. I am so proud to be his mom.

Blogger lost my long-winded entry so I will just list the highlights:

- Art Start today in Jax's class - fun and great art
- Meeting with friends for dinner tomorrow night
- Thursday will be 1st time I have gone to book club without having completed the book *yawn*
- I need a 40th birthday present for Stephen.

We arrived home from Vancouver today. Highlights from the trip are:

1) Mom leaving (love her but 9 days of togetherness is enough. I almost called her Killjoy to her face)
2) Keg-sized Caesars
3) Westin's Heavenly beds
4) Stanley Park
5) Seeing JP's house "before"
6) Swimming in a warm hotel pool
7) Meeting and internet friend (L'R)
8) Grocery shopping for Canadian Cheese Whiz, ketchup chips, Tetley Tea and Smarties
9) My very first pleasant encounter with a US Border Guard

My bags are packed

We're ready to go. We are off to Vancouver tomorrow. I am packing pretty light so I am hoping the kids do not spill food on their clothes. I do have a clean shirt for every day for them but only 2 pairs of pants (and they will be wearing one of those pairs).

We will check into the hotel then head to JP's house and out to dinner at a resturant around the corner from there.

Thursday we will take my mom to the airport for her flight back to T.O. Then we'll meet my internet friend L'R who moved to Vancouver a few months ago from Arizona.

Friday we come home.

I can't beleive I ate the whole thing

What a great weekend for food!

Friday night: Sushi for lunch, veggie pizza for dinner and chocolate birthday cake.

Saturday: Beef tenderloin skewer with steamed broccoli and garlic-Parmesan mashed potatoes at Pogacha with homemade pecan pie for dessert.

Sunday: Stephen made rosemary-garlic lamb chops with garlic-Parmesan mashed potatoes (inspired from dinner the night before), steamed broccoli and cole slaw. My mom made a lemon meringue pie for dessert.

I.am.stuffed. I am certain I have gained five pounds this weekend.