Brave girl

This is our VERY BRAVE girl who underwent surgery this morning to have a birthmark removed from her jawline.  

I have to admit that I was a bundle of nerves throughout the process of getting Arianna to the hospital and prepped for what was to come.  There was no way I would be able to handle myself in the operating room, so Ryan accompanied Arianna on the journey to her surgical destination.  I am SO glad I sent Ryan in with her because he came out of the OR with a look on his face that I would like to forget.  He looked a bit pale and drained, like it was taking every bit of strength from within to try to keep himself together.  Ryan is so calm and grounded when it comes to these times of stress, so for me to see him rattled in anyway sure brings me down a couple of notches.  If I had gone into the room, I would have been a sloppy mess and the doctors would have had to have scrapped me from the floor.... so yes, good thing Ryan went instead of me.

After about a half an hour or what seemed to be several hours of agony, the doctor found us in the sitting room to tell us the surgery was a success and we were able to join our beautiful muffin in the recovery room.   Several minutes passed and then Arianna woke up quite abruptly only to voice that she was ready to go home immediately.  

I have to say that I am very impressed by the fact that my girl has not acted like she had even had surgery this morning.  She has been a ball of energy and does not seem phased one bit by the experience.  In fact, I wish she would calm down a bit and give me a rest.

Thank you, God for watching over our sweet girl.  Here is to hoping for many years of health and happiness for our children.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Ryan ~ We could not imagine our world without you.  You are our world, our rock, our solitude.  Thank you for being the most inspirational person in our lives.  Happy 36th to an amazing husband and father.  We love you!

A beautiful day

And a beautiful day it was.  The kids ran around the yard, took in the fresh spring air and explored the creations of the season. And then there was me with my camera.  And then there was Rylan running from the camera.  Of course Arianna posed and suggested I take pictures of her.  

A beautiful day with my beautiful family.  
Oh yes, sweet Rylan, next time the camera will get you!

A day

Today I am writing just to vent a little because I am having "a day."  It is a day when nothing seems to go right, a day when I feel completely frazzled, a day my kids want to retaliate against every thing I tell them to do, and a day when I completely question my competency as a mother, a wife, and just an overall good person.  I try my hardest to give my family "my all" but sometimes "my all" just does not seem good enough.


I was horrified from my experience of picking up Arianna at preschool today.  I arrived at the school ready to greet my girl with a hug as she came out of her classroom.  Instead, I was greeted with a shockingly cold look followed by her grabbing a bag out of my hand and yelling, "Give that to me." She then promptly marched towards the door without even looking back or waiting for me.  The teacher just gave me an admonishing look as if I was a child and should be disciplined for my daughter's rude behavior, after all, she is a reflection of her parents. 


I would not feel so bad if this was a one time occurrence but for the past week I have seen a pattern of pure rebellion and rudeness, not only from Arianna, but also from Rylan - examples:  kicking, punching, shouting, name calling, biting... oh yes, did I mention how biting just started recently?  Yup, biting so hard that blood has been drawn. This leads me to believe that it must be something I am doing, or should I say, not doing.  Am I not spending enough quality time with the kids?  I know I seem to be a bit neurotic with keeping the house clean but I try to balance my time between the family and home.  Obviously something must be slipping.   


I know I am not superwoman but I want to do my best.  Ryan works extremely hard and spends all of his free time with our family; the least I can do is raise our kids properly and teach them well.  If I can't do that correctly, then what good am I?


I know I am sounding pretty harsh at the moment (and maybe even a little bit crazy) but this is all just venting and I am sure the kids behavior will change like the wind.  I am hoping that this is all just a stage in their lives and they are just lashing out to gain some sort of independence now that they are getting older.  All I can do is be there for them and give the best of me while at the same time helping them see the best in themselves. And although I am a mother, a wife, and strive to be a good person, I am also imperfect and realize that sometimes I cannot control it all.


So yes, I am having "a day" and eventually this day will soon be over and tomorrow will be a fresh start.  Some days will be good and others will be bad, but each are a blessing in which we are fortunate enough to be alive and able to spend with the ones we love the most. 

Oh yes! There will be candy!

Easter 2010, came and went without a hitch.  The kids were very excited about the goodies that the Easter bunny (and grandparents) had brought for them.  I am not too sure I am thrilled about the amount of candy the generous bunny had provided for my children, but I will let it slide in view of this holy day.  I  have decided to hide a majority of the sugary stash while the kids are sleeping and then break it out in intervals throughout the year.  I also vow not to eat any of the treats, in fear that if I eat one piece, it will turn into eating twenty more.  My body cannot afford to partake in the offerings of the candy gods without paying major consequences on my stomach and butt.

Thank you to our wonderful family for being a part of this special day!  It was so nice to have Meme, Dallie, Papa and Uncle Liam show up early for the unveiling of the Easter baskets, snacking on breakfast foods and a super fun egg hunt in the backyard!