The Crazies Happen When Papa Leaves

What a week this has been! I tell ya....every time Sammy heads out of town, my life goes bonkers.

Molly got the barfs on Wednesday at 2 in the morning. That was awesome. She was ill all day and had a fever towards the evening.  Luckily she was better by Thursday morning and could go to school. 

Also Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, there was a horse issue. I kept hearing Nik neighing off and on for HOURS. At first I was like, "Crazy horse....shut up."  I got up a few times to peek out my bedroom window each time his neighing woke me up to see if I could see anything that might be bugging him, but I didn't see anything. It was dark and all I could see was the barn lights and fog everywhere and it just made everything feel eery. So then I was like, "Is there someone out there? Is he warning me? Should I grab my gun????" Ugh. Hate it when the fog makes happy thoughts turn into crazy someones gonna get me thoughts. And just as I was letting my imagination go wild, I saw it. A horse. Right by the front porch. This made me think "Oh crap......Nik got out somehow and has been happily frolicking around the yard and that's why he's neighing so much. Happy neighs. Screw it. I'm not catching him at 3 in the morning. He can roam free." But wait! Another horse appears. Ok, so not Nik. It's the neighbor's horses. And I'm like, "Bleep bleep bleeping horses!!!! Stupid bleeping neighbor down the road and her stupid bleeping horses always getting out of their freaking bleeping corral and coming into my bleeping yard to bug my horse and poop in my yard and tare up my bleeping grass. GRRRRRRR!!" And then I went back to bed because what was there to do at 3 in the morning? Nothing. Guess they'll just have to bug my horse and get him all in a tizzy. They were still out there (3 of them now) when I went to feed Nik in the morning and I tried to chase them off, but clearly I was out numbered and they just went around me. Nik was not happy at all. He was all pissy pants with them around and I was pissy pants that the neighbor's horses were out.....still.....in my yard. It's not free range up here. I love horses and all, but I don't want a bunch of random horses annoying my horse all night which in turn keeps me awake, messing up my yard, and creating a kick and trample hazard to my animals and children. Maybe if the neighbor lady weren't such a horrible horse owner and cleaned up her barn and had an adequate fence to keep her horses in, her horses would want to stay home, lol!! Eventually the horses ran off in the direction of home and I can only hope the neighbor lady gets her act together. 

Please.


Thursday the roads were really icy. This created a problem. I sat down at the bus stop with all the kids loaded up in the car for 30 minutes along with all the other parents thinking, "Ok....the bus will come any minute now. Yup, any minute now." It didn't come. The bus garage called me and said, "The bus is unable to make it out to you." Mmmmmmk. So I had to drive Anthony to school. I also took my friend's daughter. The roads were icy, but no where near "the bus is unable to make it out to you" icy. Annoying. What's going to happen when the snow falls? Because I had to drive Anthony in, I wasn't able to go back home and finish getting Molly ready for preschool like I usually do. I had to go straight to preschool because I live so far out of town. UGH. I didn't brush her hair. I didn't brush her teeth. She didn't even get breakfast. She didn't have her coat and she didn't have her backpack. It was just by chance that I was all ready, complete with blow-dried hair. I got her to preschool and had to wait for 15 minutes before the teacher got there. Then I had to explain Molly was starving and looking like a ragamuffin for stupid icy roads/bus reasons. *sigh*

Also on Thursday, look at this.....

That's right! I swear any day now and he'll be crawling. I'm excited. He's a pro at his little baby push ups. He's doing the classic rocky-rockies on his hands and knees. And he scoots himself backwards all over our wood floors. Yup. Any day now and he'll move on forward!!

Today I took Timothy to his 6 month well baby exam. He's 15lbs, 12 oz and 26 1/4 inches tall. He got his immunizations and has since been an unhappy camper. Poor little thing. He might need to snuggle in bed with me tonight.

Tomorrow is Saturday and Papa comes home. I don't dig this "single Mama" shindig very much. Especially when there are sick kiddos and crazy crap happens.

With love,
Mama Hauck

Our Return

We are now back home from our trip to CA. We got in Sunday evening after a long 11 hour drive. We're glad to be home, but now it's back to the daily grind. Anthony was suppose to go to school yesterday, but woke me up at 5 in the morning by puking all over our bed. Poor boy. Needless to say, there was no school for him! I wish I could have just snuggled my sick little guy on the couch all day, but unfortunately I had a dr. appointment I HAD to go to and grocery shopping that needed to be done. Our fridge was empty and Sam left this morning to go to TX till Saturday so I was in dire need of groceries.....and grocery shopping is hard to do by myself with all three kids! Barfy Anthony was forced to tag along, puke bucket and all. Ugh. So not fun for him or the rest of us. Sam sat with all the kids in the car while I had my appointment, and then thankfully by the time we got to the grocery store, he wasn't throwing up anymore and was able to chill in the cart so we could zoom our way through the store. By the time we got home, he tried convincing us he was well enough to go to wrestling, lol!

He's all fine and dandy this morning and was more than happy to go school! Molly was also very excited to return to school, but of course everyone is all sad Papa is gone this week. Mama's flying solo again! 

I'll hopefully have a post about our trip done sometime this week. No promises.


With love,
Mama Hauck

Thankfullness

This morning Timothy is on the floor throwing a fit because he's not in my arms. How dare I put him down! Anthony and Molly are running around screaming, throwing pillows at each other, bickering back and forth.

And me?

I'm just sitting here, smile on my face, watching my beautiful children.

I wonder if God knows just how thankful I am he chose me to be their Mama. 

I wonder if my children know just how thankful I am to be their Mama.

Gosh, how grateful and lucky I am to truly know what unconditional love feels like. 

I am also very thankful for a husband who continuously works hard (even while on vacation!) to provide for his family. 


I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to filling my belly in the company of family, while I think of all the other family and friends I wish could be by my side.

With love,
Mama Hauck

Mama's Don't Get Sick Days

It's been one long week. Monday night I developed a fever that lasted a little over 24 hours. I was sick. So very, very sick. Barfing, headache, chills, body aches, etc. Tuesday was absolute torture. I can't even explain to you in words how awful I felt. I couldn't get Molly to school and I was much to ill to even get Anthony to the bus stop. I hate that my kids have to suffer when I get ill. I don't even know how I survived Tuesday. Sam couldn't stay home, so I pretty much layed dying on the couch with no one to take care of me and children still wanting my attention. You see, Mama's don't get sick days. Ever. The kids did the best they could to be self reliant though. They ate whatever they could reach on the pantry shelves that didn't involve any actual cooking. They stayed in their p.j.s all day. I gave them a free pass with cartoons. Luckily Timothy only pooped once. I fed him when he was hungry, but other than that, he was thrown to the mercy of the children. They did a good job keeping him entertained for the most part. I'm much better now, though I've got a bit of a head cold and still feel really drained and run down. On top of all that horribleness, I also developed a blocked milk duct that has been causing me issues and I can't seem to get rid of it. I've been in contact with my midwife since then and hopefully will have that resolved shortly with the different herbal tinctures and vitamin c she has given me along with some other helpful tips. 

Enough about sickness. Tomorrow we are off to my mom's in California for Thanksgiving! We're waking up super early to hit the road. Hopefully we'll get to her place in time for dinner, depending on if we get out of the house as early as we hope to. Our neighbors will once again be watching all our animals for us. Sweet!

We have a few fun adventures planned for our stay. One being a trip to Six Flags! YES!!!! I'm sooooo excited! This will be the first time Sammy and I have been to an amusement park since before we got pregnant with Anthony. I'm a roller coaster lover and am really looking forward to getting my adrenaline pumping! Whoop!

I'll be bringing my computer with me to CA, and if I have time, I'll hop on because there's a special "thankful" post I'd like to do. 

Think happy thoughts for us on our 12 hour drive! :)

With love,
Mama Hauck

Playing Catch Up

I feel like there's a lot I need to play catch up on!

Last Thursday I was able to go visit my friend Molly and her new little boy, Landon while Molly was in preschool! It was a great visit and he is such a cutie! Seeing him so small made me realize just how big Timothy has gotten. I feel like I say it all the time....but time passes far too quickly.

Sam and I got a date night last Friday! Our friends Kurt and Tracie watched all three kids for about an hour and a half while he and I went out to dinner. It was great! We went to this new place in town we've only been to one other time and I had some delicious ravioli and a glass of wine, capped off with a slice of peanut butter pie. Mmmmm. The kids were well behaved (or so we were told!) and Timothy only cried a bit. He's still not taking bottles of my expressed milk from anyone, so I sent some yogurt for him. I should probably work on that whole bottle thing....what's going to happen if I really need someone to watch him for me for an extended period of time? I think I might try a sippy cup or something.

We got a bit of snow on Saturday. It's gone now, but the kids had a fun time playing in it while it was falling. Their excitement made me laugh because I remember the excitement I felt as a kid whenever it snowed. However, the snow reminded me that winter is approaching quickly and I'm not sure if I'm ready for it. I wish the fall colors and pleasant weather would stick around longer. In the spirit of our first snow fall, the kids and I hung up some Christmas lights around a few doorways in the house. We'll wait on the rest of our decorations, but it is NEVER too early for a few strands of lights. :)

Now some updates on the kiddos....

Anthony is now doing school every day instead of every other day. He's not a fan. He cried last week and asked, "How long is school going to be every, every day?" I replied with, "The rest of your life!" Haha poor boy! He's tired, but he'll cope and be alright. This whole week he has noon dismissal due to parent-teacher conferences. I'm scheduled for Wednesday at 4. Not really digging the day or time, but I've got to make it work. I'm looking forward to hearing what the teacher has to say and learning more about what they do in the class and getting a feel for what Anthony's school day looks like.

He is one smart cookie I tell ya. I enjoy working with him on his extra practice papers from school. He'll walk around the house going, "Pa pa pa....Pizza. Pizza starts with a p!" He's mastered writing his name, is great with recognizing and writing letters and numbers, and I am just oh so proud of him! 

Anthony has completed one week of wrestling now. It's every Monday and Wednesday from 6-7:30. I feel like that's too much....seeing as he's not getting home till 8, then it's bath and right to bed for school the next morning. Sam tells me he's enjoying it.....I just don't want him to tire himself out. I'll have to go one night to check it out myself, or at least give Sam the camera to take a few photos for me.

Mols is loving preschool. For two weeks she started crying each time I dropped her off and it was really starting to get to me. But one day while we were playing, we rolled played her going to school with no tears (School is so much fun! We don't need to cry at school! I know you miss Mama when I leave, but you'll have so much fun at school with your friends!) and me picking her up (I'll be back in 2 hours Molly, just 2 hours and I'll be right here waiting for you just like I always am!) and it worked like a freaken charm. Now we are back to no more tears when I drop her off and it's awesome! Each time I pick her up she triumphantly walks out of class and tells me she didn't cry, haha. I wish roll playing worked for all our issues!

Dance is going well. She has her shy moments where she doesn't want to try the new moves, but all in all she continues to love it (the gymnastics most of all) and so it's worth the $40 a month. She loves to come home and practice her somersaults and tap or ballet moves. What a cutie pie. 

Molly is Mama's little helper.  Always wanting to help give Timothy a bath, feed him, or keep him company while he's chilling...until he starts to cry, then all bets are off!

Timothy is growing like a weed. I seriously can't believe he is 6 months now. Time feels as if it has gone by so much faster for him than it ever did for Anthony and Molly. I think it's because we're so busy. The life of a Mama with three kiddos is far busier than the life of a Mama with only one. Timothy has mastered rolling over. That's old news. What's new is his scooting! I'll put him in the middle of the living room carpet and he'll scoot backwards all the way to the kitchen, lol. It's so fun to watch. He is also SO CLOSE to crawling. He does little push ups all the time and is working on getting his knees under him. He's done it a few times and then turns to look at me like, "Ok...now what??" It's super cute to watch, I just hate it when his little arms cave and he face plants on the floor!

Timothy is also currently digging his Johnny Jump-up. He can spend a good 20 minutes in it just jumping away! He likes to jump, spin, and chew on the siding. Anthony and Molly also loved it when they were babies. I just LOVE watching them jump away, all smiley and happy! Anthony was notorious for jumping towards you, lifting his feet, and then letting it swing back. Maybe they should make them in adult sizes? lol

In other Timothy news....he is doing really well with his solid foods. He's eating applesauce, bananas, yogurt, and he even had some creme brulee two Saturdays ago when Sammy and I took the kids out to dinner. I think he enjoys bananas the most, especially the strawberry/banana mixture. What a big boy.

We are currently in that "don't put me down or I'm going to fuss and cry and be pissed until you pick me up stage." I can't say it's my favorite baby stage....but I'm making it through. I don't blame him....I'm pretty dang awesome and who wouldn't want me to hold them all day long? Sadly, there is no way I can carry him around all day and get everything done that I need to do. I can just picture smacking his head on the counter while I bend down to empty the dishwasher. Yikes. 

We've taken down his swing and I'm very close to putting his bouncy chair away. His newborn, 3 month, and a hand full of 6 month clothing is packed away. He's in 6-9 and 9 month clothing and there's just no going back from there. I'd be lying if I said I didn't shed a tear each time I realize he doesn't play with something, need a piece of baby gear, or a piece of clothing no longer fits. But that's alright.....I just lovingly pack it away and store it in totes in the shop. There all my baby stuff will stay until my heart is ready to let it go. 

Gosh, I love my family!!

With love,
Mama Hauck

Happy 6 Months!

My little Cutie Bum is 6 months old today. Half a year old. Wow. I can hardly believe it!

With love,
Mama Hauck

Autumn Photo Shoot

Last weekend I did my first photo shoot since before getting pregnant with Timothy. I was nervous, as I always am, but the shoot went well and I think the photos turned out great. I did them for my new friend Melissa and her family. Her son was on Anthony's soccer team and are good pals now. I'm glad she asked me to do them for her and was more than happy to say yes, especially right now while it's beautiful outside.

It can be hard to photograph children, especially when you want that "posed" photo. They don't always listen to your directions or want to smile or even look in the direction of the camera. Sometimes they're shy or grumpy and don't want anything to do with you! It's challenging to get a good shot when you plop them down and expect them to sit still and smile on cue. What child does that for more than 30 seconds.....if at all? It is much easier to give them something to do to make them forget they're in the middle of a photo shoot. I've discovered bubbles are good for this, as well as playing in the leaves. Throw in a few silly words like, "flubber bubber" or "stinker winker" and hopefully you'll get a smile. In the end, though it was a bit difficult, I managed to get some great shots. Here's a few from the shoot:

After their shoot, I took some photos of us. The kids listened and sat long enough for one family shot, then all bets were off. I got a few good ones of Anth and Mols playing in the leaves, but Timothy wasn't having any of that. And then when I went to get a shot of all three kids in the leaves, Anthony freaked and bailed. Ahh yes, even a photographer's children are difficult. LOL! Here's a few from our shoot:

I have another shoot planned for next Monday for another friend and her family. Unfortunately, I think it'll be too late in the game to head back to the spot where all these photos were taken. Trees change and drop their leaves fast around here. Blink and you've missed your photo opportunity!

With love,
Mama Hauck

Fall Time Cutie Pie

With love,
Mama Hauck

Self Pride

Anthony received his very first trophy at his soccer banquet the other night! He was very proud of himself. He has it displayed on his dresser next to his soccer photos. His Papa and I are very proud of him, but it's the self pride that matters most.

Love you little man. 

With love,
Mama Hauck

The Halloween Recap

Last Saturday night we did Trunk or Treat down main street in town. Usually this is lots of fun, but it was nothing but a washout this year. It was cold and rainy and blah. We made it about half way when poor Molly turned to Sam and said she didn't want any more candy because she was too cold! We really need to invest in some umbrellas! Anthony was Iron Man, Mols was a tutu princess, Timothy wore a fluffy bear winter outfit and I went as "tired country Mama".....in other words, sweats, sweatshirt, and cowboy boots. Not too much of a stretch from my everyday! HA!

After our rainy Trunk or Treat experience, we headed over to our friends Kurt and Tracie's place. Ohhhh it was so nice and warm and SPOOKY! Tracie's Halloween decorations were awesome and her food spread was delicious. We made ourselves at home and got right to eating, lol. We stuffed our bellies, had a few drinks, watched some movies, and chummed it up. I think it was about 11 before we headed home. Such a nice, toasty ending to an otherwise wet day!

Sunday morning we carved some pumpkins while Timothy napped and then set them all up outside next to the couple we had already done at our carving party on the 21st. Anthony and Molly got a kick out of carving, they always do, but they're not a fan of all the pumpkin guts. I don't blame them....I don't like the pumpkin guts either!

After Timothy woke up, I helped him carve his very first pumpkin! He was really into it!

With pumpkin carving complete, we headed outside for our first bonfire of the year! We roasted marsh mellows, I did a mini photo shoot with Timothy, then the kiddos helped Sam spread out hay over that area of the yard to help with grass growing come Spring time. We definitely love a good bonfire and mallow roast!

To cap off the night, we watched a movie and had some popcorn! YUM! Then we lit our pumpkins and enjoyed the pumpkin glow!

On actual Halloween, I was going to take the kids to the library for story time, but decided to take them to see Papa at work instead! I put their costumes on and we made the beautiful drive out to visit Papa for lunch! It was a fun visit! We ate, took a few pics, and stayed for a bit. On the way home I was able to take some photos. Definitely made Mama happy!

That night, Molly's dance studio was holding a kid carnival/haunted house. Because we do the Trunk or Treat, we don't do trick or treating on Halloween night.....so the kid carnival was a great way to get out of the house and have the kids do something fun on Halloween! We were the first ones there, and I'm glad. The kids were able to take their time and play games without having to wait around or be rushed by other kids. They had a great time and won lots of little prizes! 

And that's the Halloween recap! 

With love,
Mama Hauck