The Chaos is Gone...for Now :)

The P family packed up this morning and headed to NYC for a few days. Yes, you read that right. J, who drove 18 hours here, then spent a crazy weekend at GWL, is now driving another 10 hours. She is doing this for her older three children who have wanted to visit NYC...isn't she an amazing mom?

I can't believe six people, five of them being kids, were able to get up and out of my house this morning without waking us! I think we are all just so worn out. This afternoon the twins and I laid down for a nap at 1:30p and woke up at 5p!! We really must have needed the sleep!

The P's will be back Thursday and the fun and chaos will begin again!!

The Texas Crew is HERE!

That's right, the P family from TX has once again graced us with their presence! I don't know how J does it. She drove from TX to here, over 18 hours, with five kids in tow! She arrived here Saturday night and we have been going non-stop since!

On Sunday we all headed to GWL for a great mini vacation. Yes, poor J had only partially recovered from a two day drive and here we were hitting the road again. I think it was worth it though as this themed hotel is such a cool place. Rooms with little cabins for the kids, HUGE water park, arcade, story times, games, restaurant...etc. Both the big and little kids had a blast. This is definitely a place we will go again.

FYI for those thinking of going...a Paw Pass is a great idea and DON'T eat at the restaurant inside the hotel...very pricey! You can easily stay two or three nights if you have the cash.

One Thousand Two Hundred Seventy Five

I am giving myself a pat on the back. I dropped off my fourth box of donated breast milk to my mama of six, making a grand total of donated milk to be 1275 ounces!

Yeah me!!

Fun Fourth

For the 4th of July Weekend we went to my parents cabin in the mountains.

My parents came and picked up the twins on Friday and took them up first. It was the first time the twins were ever away from me, with an extended distance. I did well and the twins loved going up to the cabin with Grandma and Pop-pop. N, Max and I went up the next morning. It was a LONG 4 hour drive but it went pretty smoothly.

Saturday was filled with 4-wheel driving, BBQ'ing and a Campfire complete with roasting marshmallows and hot dogs. Sunday was much the same with some added swimming and then of course a fireworks show put on by Pop-pop. Monday afternoon we came back home. All of us were tired and very dirty, but we all had a very good time!

The twins are a perfect age right now for the cabin. They love to be outside and play in the nature. The enjoyed riding the 4-wheelers and exploring the nature around them. I would have liked for them to have a little more fear in certain situations...but it was wonderful to see them so happy. It would be wonderful if the cabin were closer and we could go once or twice a month, but I don't see that happening with a 4 hour drive. Maybe one other weekend my parents go up, they will take the twins again.

Max did pretty well, but was rather fussy. Probably due to his bedtime being all messed up and him having to share an air mattress with me at night :) Thankfully there were three sets of arms to hold him, so the extra fussiness didn't only impact me.

So, vacation two...check! So far our 2 mini vacations have gone very well and have been pretty cheap. One more vacation to go...and maybe the best one yet :) Then back to reality and dealing with K's leg.

Quick Updates

Maddy is home. I still don't know the details on when and the circumstances of how she was picked up, but she was at the shelter. Luckily after only a $40 fine my mother was able to pick her up while I was at work. Although she seemed very nervous at first, she is back to her old self.

It's funny because the kids didn't seem to be upset about her being missing. S said that she was on a journey and just dismissed her being gone. K saw it as an opportunity to get a new puppy or kitten.

K has an appointment with a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. It is about 2 weeks from now. Hopefully during this visit we can get everything planned including surgery date. I am tired of seeing my little girl in pain and with mobility problems. I will be beyond happy to put this behind us!

Frustration Part Two

I called K's doc again today around noon. They didn't call back until about 5:30p and it was the receptionist, not the doctor, GRRR. They stated they have received the dictation and that the consult was sent off. When they get the appointment time they will call me. Anyone want to take bets on when I will hear back from them? I am thinking MAYBE late next week. Maybe I should call everyday until I hear from them. Become so obnoxious that they beg to pass us onto the next doctor.

I am starting to freak about money again. K's leg had already cost around $500 and we haven't even gotten to the expensive stuff yet.

Add that to.....
Broken A/C two weeks ago...
Auto Insurance Renewal due...
Dog that I have to bail out of the shelter...
A Work Certification I have to pay for...

I am not sure I will sleep very well tonight.

Enough Already

I can't take anymore. I am done. No more, thank you.

I got home today and had to grab the kids and head back out to run some errands. I got back to the home a little after 6p and N says someone called from the Animal Shelter about 'Crystal'. It took me a few seconds but I remembered that the name the shelter gave my dog Maddy as a puppy, ten years ago, was Crystal. I then suddenly realize...I haven't seen Maddy. I look high and low and she is no where. I can only assume that the shelter has her. I tried calling the number multiple times but apparently they close at 6p and no one will answer the phone after that time.

Several concerning factors here. Maddy is 10. She has NEVER wandered away. She neurotically sticks near the house and hates being outside for more than a few minutes. So...how did the shelter get her? The only thing I can think of is N let her out and then 'fell asleep' on the couch leaving her out there. I guess if Maddy was ignored long enough she might wander. I also worry that she is hurt. We live on a very busy street and with her not used to wandering, I fear that something happened.

So I have to call tomorrow when the shelter opens at 12 noon!! I am afraid of how much this will cost me. I am sure I will have to pay a fine to the shelter and I hate to admit this, but her shots have lapsed, so I will also be charged for shots. Have I mentioned how tight money is right now?

I am sick to my stomach with worry. I hope she is okay. Tomorrow was already going to be beyond crazy busy, but I guess I now need to fit in a visit to the shelter. Sigh...