My bracelet

Here is my "new" bracelet and my chunky little wrist!

My kids nicknames and why.....

Emma is Em. Nothing other than Em has stuck.

Natalie is Buggie Boo. Her dad gave her the nickname of Bug when she was brand new. He figured "Nats" (gnats) were bugs. It stuck and has different variations. Mine is Buggie Boo. Now that she is 7, Natalie gets very embarrassed by it. Too bad, kid!

Grace is Kiki. Kiki you ask! Up until her brother could talk, she was always Lou. My mom gave her Lou after the movie Miss Congeniality. Everyone in the family called her Lou then...... her brother started to try and say Gracie and it came out Kiki. There went Lou.

Cam is Bubba. He was always MY Bubba. I was the only one who called him Bubba. My baby boy. Then, again he started to talk and when you asked him his name, he said Bubba. Now at 3, he says his name is Bubba James D#@%# Cameron. He's actually James Cameron D#^%# Jr. Most of my friends' kids call him Bubba. I am raising a kid named Bubba!?!?!?

Where have you been?

My friend, Leah, did this cool thing on her blog with her purse so I was trying to tackle doing it. I got fed up trying to load A LOT of pictures and gave up- so that's where I've been.... oh that and it was my birthday weekend!
My birthday is my favorite holiday of the entire year. It's all about me and I get presents. Who couldn't love that?!?!
I got a wonderful gift from the hubby. And of course because I am, me- it has a story behind it! This past year at Tidesfest, I saw these beautiful bracelets that you can customize. I bought one for Jim's grandma. It had the initials of everyone in the family so 'we can always be with her'. She lives in Eastern Washington and we don't get to see her much. A month later, I bought another one for my sister with my niece's name on it. My sister cried- I won Christmas there! I finally got one! It has all my kids' childhood nicknames on it. I love it!

"Mean" Mommy

Every child is different. Everything from likes to dislikes to moods to learning. I have children with four very different personalities. Some similarities but even those are different :)

Each one of the kids wake up different. Emma, Grace, and Cameron all wake up very easily. Emma and Grace want breakfast. Cameron wants cuddles. After a few minutes, I’ve got wide eyed, ready for the day munchkins. Natalie on the other hand is more like me. Just a few more minutes turn into half an hour at least. Don’t bother me with breakfast until I am damn well good and ready! Give me a little while once I AM standing to open my eyes completely. This is why Natalie went to afternoon kindergarten and Grace will be going to morning!

Since Natalie started 1st grade, mornings have been a struggle. For awhile the kids, on their own, woke up between 5:30 and 6 am. 2 1/2 hours was perfect to get Miss Natalie up and moving, showered and dressed, breakfast and off to the bus stop. When the time change- Spring Forward- happened, it set the kids’ alarm clocks all off. They are getting up later and later which puts Natalie behind no matter how much I push and yell and bribe. She has missed the bus, been an hour late to school so many times, I’m ready to scream. Her dad and I have taken away things, put her in time out, tried to get her up earlier, and even smacked her on the tush once or twice.

I’ve told her that next time she misses the bus, she would have to walk. In reality, I couldn’t- busy roads and she’s my baby. I’ve told her that she would have to go to school in her jammies. I’ve never followed through----- UNTIL TODAY! Once she figured out that I was REALLY serious, I had to do some interesting moves to get her out the front door. She was even more mad when I locked it and walked away. I stuck with it. I drove her to school because I was doing some work there today. She refused to get out of the car. I took her backpack into her teacher and told her what was going on. Her teacher said that was great because they were reading a book about that same subject matter. I told her teacher "Great! Anything I can do to help!" I went back to the car and half carried her in to the school. Natalie crying and pleading with me to just take her home so she could change her pants. I set her outside her classroom door and told her that this was because of choices she made. I told her I loved her and pushed her into her classroom along with a staff member who shuffled her to the rest of the way in. I turned around and left.

I can’t believe I actually did it! I am so proud of myself I can hardly see straight! I wonder if Natalie will drag her feet tomorrow morning....... (insert diabolical laughter here)

Potato

I was a couch potato today with my munchkins. It doesn't happen very often but when it does, it feels GREAT! I even took an hour nap.... ooohhhh ahhhhhh!

I have been in overdrive for the past month. I hold quite a few positions with the school and PTSA- did you expect anything less?!?! :) Anyway, everything seemed to happen in the month of March. Whoever did the fundraising planning needs to be fired! (yea, me- I wish!) Plus I got sick and have 4 kids. Oi vey! I had a co-chair but she's gone back to work and is so terribly frustrated with our Board. I get check in phone calls which is nice of her. I am so glad it's all coming to an end. I need a drink and a vacation.... maybe both- together!

Why the heck am I doing it again next year, you ask- I can't change anything if I leave the Board. Plus I have more of an invested interest next year. I will have two babies at the school. (Hold for a momentary tear or two and some wailing about my baby going to kindergarten) I like the fact that people know me there. I like feeling important and like an adult! I actually have to call adult people and I have a title. "This is Cattigan D@#%, from L#^* W^$)#%# Elementary School PTSA, Fundraising" WOOOHOO!

As I'm sliding in to a finish with fundraising for this school year, I will be planning next year's very soon. Just don't tell Jim ;)

Pictures of Wood Nymphs and Fairies

The super cool person that she is, my sister in law read my blog and emailed me the pictures of the flower girl and the wood nymph at her wedding. I love the picture of Natalie! The baby doll that she is holding had a matching dress that my mom made for her. Their photographer got some really great shots of my kids and the bride at the wedding. Another moment captured on film- the photographer got a shot of Grace jumping in a puddle during practice. Just proves my point about Gracie's Gracie-ness.

Cam was in a wedding recently. He was the cutest ring bearer ever! For picture sake, having your child in a wedding is great. For sanity sake, so not worth it! I missed most of M and K's wedding and never made it to the reception. At least I have adorable pictures of my son in a tux!
I took this one on my digital- The one the wedding photographer took is very similar but is unbelievable- that's why he makes the big bucks and has a very expensive camera!




















Side Note- Yes, that is Cam in the trees with his sister. He followed her in then my step-brother, Josh went chasing after them. Josh is 18 and 6-3.

Fairies

I am certain that Grace was a fairy or wood nymph in a previous life. Everything from the way she looks to walks to her personality. One of my favorite moments of her fairy/wood nymph- ness was during my brother's wedding. Grace and Natalie were the flower girls. They both had halos of flowers on their head, yellow dresses, and 'fancy' shoes. Gorgeous! Natalie was the pillar of perfect flower girl. Stood where she was suppose to, walked when she was suppose to, acted like..... well, Natalie- the first born. In the midst of the ceremony, Gracie made a beeline for the tree/hill/grass area and just ran around and played in the brush. My dad said later that he laughed thinking that she was in her element- she was just being Gracie.
I encourage her to embrace her Gracie-ness. I think it is so important for her to be her. I wouldn't want her any other way.

She has had moments where she gets very sad about the friends she has lost since we moved. I know that Kindergarten in September will help that. She writes letter to her 'old' friends. I have them stashed away- I can't bring myself to send them out- my baby's first attempts at writing a letter to someone. She was in the middle of writing one of her letters thins morning when she asked me how to spell "gun". I asked her why she was writing about guns and she looked at me puzzled.
"How are you using it in a sentence?"
"You know, mom, like when am I gun a see you again"

That's another thing about Grace that I love is that she makes me laugh. She comes up with things and has done things that are only her.
Gracie needed to wash her hands so I set her on the kitchen counter to use the sink. I put a little Orange Ajax Dish Soap on her hands. She asked me if her hands were going to smell like oranges or dishes. How do you answer that? She keeps me on my toes :)

Snow?

A friend of mine- not mentioning any names- you know who you are! :) - told me that until I start posting regularly that she's not going to list me on her page as a site she reads. She has me in her private folder. Well! I want to be up there for everyone to read! I love the recognition- a very known fact about me! Some people I know are amazing and post a blog everyday while she manages to be a rockin' mom and kick ass woman. I'm not that organized! But for recognition's sake.....


Today- we had snow last night and quite a bit of it. I was hoping for a snow day- no such luck. On the way back to my house from the bus stop, I was struck with inspiration- how beautiful the cherry blossom trees were with snow all around them. The pink blooms and the white snow half melted with spots of green grass. I didn't think taking a picture would do it justice so I figured I'd leave that up to you and the power of the the imagination.