So tired, so excited, and so thankful

I am dead tired tonight and really need to hit the hay. The father in law and crew will be in late tonight, so tomorrow I must play happy hostess. I also have a ton of work to due this weekend, so I am not sure how it will balance out.

I am also excited that this week I have no PT school so I can hang around the house and enjoy the calmer existence. My sister and her family come for Thanksgiving, and I am looking forward to cooking the feast.

OK, too tired to think anymore...

Clean dshes abound

It happened. The new dishwasher came today and it is a glorious sight. After over 4 months of hand washing, I am happy to report that I have a dishwasher running right now in my house. It amazed me to take the sink full of dishes, put them in, and hit start. No more washing four times a day and no more giant dish drain taking up residence on my limited counter space. It was a long day full of mishaps, but the dishwasher is now running and there is a sense of calm in my house,

That being said, my father in law and the rest of them are due tomorrow around midnight, so I really need to clean the rest of the house. Tonight we will steam clean the living room and playroom, and I already dusted and cleaned the downstairs bathroom. Tomorrow while I am at work, Ryan will clean the upstairs bathroom and steam clean up stairs. I will stop at the store on my way home and then will come home, and mop the house after the kids go to bed. Then after this crazy weekend, I am hoping the weather will hold up so my husband can powerwash the house for me. Then bring on Turkey Day!!!

Will they, won't they

My inlaws make me crazy, seriously. When other people complain about their inlaws I am actually jealous since the relationship is so much better than the one we have with Ryan's parents. No joke, they are the WORST parents and grandparents ever, how Ryan turned out the way he did, and is such an amazing father, is beyond me.

Here is the situation. His father is supposed to come visit this weekend, to see Teagan, you know, the FOUR month old! He hasn't see the other kids in a year and a half and only saw them for a few hours that time. He hasn't been to our house in nearly three years. Did we have a falling our? Do we not get along? One would think so, but no, he is just a selfish ass. You may think he lives overseas or at the very least, across the country. Nope, he is in NY, a mere 7 hour drive or 45 minute flight.

Anyway, he has been telling us he is coming since the baby was born. In fact, he was supposed to come two weeks after she was born. Didn't happen. Supposed to come in September, didn't come. Now they were supposed to come this weekend, and now they are not sure they are coming because Ryan's nearly 30 year old brother may not be able to get off work...seriously!

I am so tired of the way they treat my husband. He is such a great guy and they are losing out on a relationship with him and our fantastic kids...not to mention the wonderful wife :)

Enthralled

Teagan is totally and completely enthralled with her big brother, and he with her. I was worried about how these two would get along, whether Gray would embrace his big brother status or miss being the baby of the family, but it has gone better than expected. Grayson loves Teagan so much. He talks to her, plays with her and tells her all about what is going on. He tells her many times a day that he is her big brother and won't let anything happen to her, which is so incredibly sweet.

I love the moments when siblings come together, it is one of the reasons we had such a large family. I love that the kids are close, and that they seem to love one another unconditionally. In a house with many different personalities, it is amazing how this family blends together to become one.

Belly laughs

We have been anxiously awaiting Teagan's first belly laughs.....and today she finally did it....for Maggie and Grayson!!!

Let the craziness begin!

This week is the kick off to holiday craziness. Some of the upcoming events are wonderful, special and important, other more mundane but necessary.

This week we will be running around like mad! Monday isn't too bad, Tuesday I have to run a work call, Wednesday will be a juggling act with early release, conferences and work, Thursday I have two work calls and the baby has a check up and Friday I work and Ryan's family is coming. Ry's dad, brother's and his brother's girlfriend are finally coming to meet Teagan. Being that his Dad hasn't been here in over 2 years, almost 3, we are a bit shocked they are coming at all! I need to somehow get the house in order this week, but since it is the hubby's family, I know he will be happy to help!

Next week we have Thanksgiving and my sister and her crew are coming to celebrate with us. The day after, my family is going into DC to see an exhibit at one of the Smithsonian's and if all goes well, we may even go to the drive through light show on the way home. That Saturday, we will get the tree and I will decorate the house for Christmas.

The next weekend my parents are coming because my niece is playing Clara in her dance school's nutcracker performance. My kids and I (Ry has to work) will head there with my parents to celebrate with Jessica, we are SO excited!

The weekend after that is an event at the kid's school and Haven will be performing!

The last big event before Christmas will be on Christmas Eve, which is also Ryan's birthday. We are hoping to go to The National Harbor to see the water skiing Santa and then we will take Daddy out to dinner!

A morning out

We decided last night that we would all get up and go out to breakfast this morning. Normally my kids wake up around 7:30 and need to eat right then because they are STARVING!! Waiting to go out would be a challenge especially since their father is not known for moving quickly in the a.m.

Well Grayson, Teagan and I were up around 7 and I ran through a shower while Britt was waking up. Then Ryan got ready and we were on our way. The kids were really excited and really hungry, but they were so well behaved. It makes the outing so wonderful when they are good.

There was this really nice old man sitting behind us who kept complementing the children saying they were so well behaved and beautiful. He then went on to tell me that his grandmother had 14 kids and his mother had 7 and that big families are so great, etc. He gave us some butterscotch hard candies for the kids and left saying more gorgeous things about the kiddos. I have to say, it filled my heart that that gentleman commented so kindly about my children and that my children behaved in such a respectful way when we were out. Small glimmers that all the hard work we do as parents is worth it!