I am so excited for Nicki to go back to school it’s not even funny.  She has done nothing this summer.  She hasn’t hung out with friends.  She hasn’t done anything fun but watch TV.  Oy vey!!  The only thing is with her going back, that means we all go.  Tony and I only have 2 weeks left in our break between semesters and I am truly enjoying myself.  I take care of the kids and the house during the day and at night I watch TV.  I hardly ever do that during the school year.

Lil Tony will also be going back to speech therapy.  I am excited because he is actually talking in sentences now the therapist just needs to help him clean up his words.  Some of them are hard to understand.

I need to do some school shopping, maybe get some clothes for Nicki.  Money is always tight for us so any savings I can get I happily welcome.  We have a kmart really close so maybe if i could find some kmart coupons that would help.  I know sometimes stores offer tax free shopping during back to school time.  I can’t wait until Tony and I are both working, we could really use the extra income.  It will be a sad day when I go to work but it will be well needed. 

I am glad it’s Friday but mostly because another week has come and gone.  I usually don’t like to rush the days or weeks but there are two reasons why I am now.  One, I need Nicki to go back to school.  It is nice to have her home right when school gets out but she hasn’t done a darn thing all summer.  She gets irritated with the lil ones and we seem to argue a lot.  The other reason is the sooner we get to next summer the sooner we can move and get the heck out of here.  I am ready.

We have a lot to get done over the next year but I am starting the planning now.  I am making a list of things that need to be done and making some calls on moving companies.  We could do the move ourselves, I mean it’s not like we haven’t done it before but with 4 kids, a dog, and a cat, I don’t want to drive 2200 miles in a car by myself.  I get bored really easy.  BUT we don’t want to have to drive a moving truck across country.  We need to be able to afford a move so that is the main priority.  Maybe we need to use our visa reward cards and earn point or cash back or something.  We have one that I know that offers discounts on various companies.  I need to check if there are any moving companies on the list.

We are also doing our best to save our money.  It is tough with 4 kids and me not working but we are doing our best.

I am also getting rid of a bunch of stuff.  Pictures, computers, tables….etc.  I will have a big yard sale next spring.  I just can’t wait.  Time seems to fly by but next year seems so far away.

Anywho, Fridays for us mean homemade pizza, buffalo chicken bites, and a movie at dinner time.  There are two days a week that we eat in the living room and watch a movie or show, Thursdays and Fridays.  Thursday is hamburger and tots.  YUM!!  So I am happy when the end of the week comes.  We are trying to start traditions with our kids, Friday night pizza night being one. 

Well I am off to check out my favorite craft blogs again while I drink my coffee. 

It’s that time of the month that I actually dread…………our monthly visit to the Orthodontist.  LOL!  I only dislike it because it is an hour drive ONE way.  Then the appointment is only like 15min, to drive an HOUR back home.  Thankfully a couple months back we picked up some Coby Kryos tablets for the kids.  It has games and they can watch movies.  It was their birthday presents but they got them a bit early.  They LOVE them and probably play with them at lease once a day.  Really these things have been awesome for the kids.  We thought about getting a Nintendo DS for little Tony but then he is limited to just playing games that we have to buy.  We just couldn’t afford to keep buying games.  Plus I just don’t Isabel would understand what to do and we wanted to get them the same present so there was no fighting.  So with a tablet like this, it uses the Android market so we can download all sorts of games for free.  Then if we actually wanted to buy a game we wouldn’t spend $30 for one, maybe just a couple bucks.  Then on top of all that, they get the internet AND we can upload movies for them to watch.  AHHH, I LOVE it. 

So on the way to the Ortho the kids usually play with the tablet or as they call it, “their laptop”.  So cute.  Then on the way home we stop at the gas station before getting on the express way.  We get some snacks and a slurpee, it usually takes the kids most of the way home to eat it.  So the car ride hasn’t been the problem, well a couple times I thought I was going to lose my mind, all the kids were yelling and crying.  But lately they have been behaving.  What bothers me is the two hours of driving for a ten min appointment.  Such a waste of gas.  But we have been going for almost a year and a half and Nicki’s teeth have gotten really straight.  I am hoping it will only be another couple months and then we will be done.

Well off to drink my coffee and check out all my favorite craft blogs.  Then to get dressed and out the door by 10am. 

Yesterday was Nicki’s last day of middle school.  Where has the time gone?  On Tuesday night we attended her award ceremony where she earned honor roll and excellent academic achievement.  I really hope she stays dedicated to school on through her high school years.  When I hit high school I started to slack off and I did really bad.  Now that I have gone back to college and I see how well I do in school it upsets me to think I didn’t apply myself more.

Then on Wednesday morning we attended Nicki’s Farewell Ceremony.  It took a lot to hold back the tears.  I know I will be a wreck when she graduates high school.  It was a really nice day, the lil ones behaved so well for having to sit in their chairs for over an hour for the ceremony; 2 days in a row.  I just can’t believe she will be in high school in the fall, it seems so unreal. 

I took my youngest to the doctor today and he is getting so big.  He weighs 27 pounds, my baby!!!  I feel sad that my kids are all growing up and they are growing up too fast.  He has to have blood drawn and the nurse couldn’t find his veins.  It took her three attempts and she was never able to take his blood.  My boy was so good though, he just laid on the table and let the woman poke for veins.  I was so proud of him.  He did cry a little but nothing at all what I expected.

Since all my babies are growing up so fast I feel torn.  It is so stress free packing the kids and going out because they can dress themselves, they can all walk to the car and half of them can buckle themselves in their seats.  If I had an infant I would have to bring the big ‘ol suitcase of necessities and lugging that car seat around can be such a pain.

I mean I can’t have more kids so it doesn’t matter anyway.  I guess I won’t have to worry about getting any Paper Culture birth announcements then.  Although if I did have to make announcements of any sort I would probably end up making them.    It makes me sad I won’t have any more babies myself but at the same time I am a bit relieved because if I could I would probably be pregnant right now.  I would probably not be going to school and we would not be moving in the positive direction we are going.  I just feel sad my kids are growing up.  Sheesh, Nicki will be in high school next year.  WOW!!

My little man Max is so cranky!!!  I don’t know what’s wrong with him.  I can excuse that he is teething.  But I can’t excuse that all he does all day long is scream.  He wants EVERYTHING the kids want even if they were playing with it first.  He has been spending a lot of time in his room.  I feel bad  but my sanity can’t stand it.  I am going to pull my hair out of my head!!!  I dose him up with infant Ibuprofin but that doesn’t seem to work.  I just don’t get it.  I hope he grows out of this stage FAST or I am going to get put in the loony bin!!!

Wow it really has been a long time since I have been able to post regularly, probably at least since August when school started.  My oh my have my kids grown up.  I will post some pictures.  I just love them.  Tony has been in speech therapy for over a year and he is doing so well.  He is really starting to be able to communicate with us without problems.  Because he is talking it has also helped get Isabel going.  I must say she is doing better than Lil Tony but that’s ok.  Max is 16 months and still not talking but I think it is only a matter of time.

Nicki will be starting high school next fall, I just can’t believe it.  NO what I can’t believe is Lil Tony will be in kindergarten the Fall of 2012 after we move.  It makes me so sad.  I get teary eyed when he leaves me to go with his speech therapist.  I am going to be a nervous wreck when he leaves me for 4-5 hours.  Oh that makes me sad.  Then the following year Isabel will be starting kindergarten.  YIKES they are growing up too fast. 

Here are a couple pictures.  Ok so that second picture of Isabel and Lil Tony holding hands just melts my heart.  I sure do love my kids.