Wednesday, June 20, 2012

I'm okay, you're okay


Confession time....I try to keep this blog more about the kids and less about me, but I'm going to get a little personal here. I suffer from anxiety.  I've had it since I was about 16.  It varies in it's intensity.  At times, I almost thought I had overcome it, but it always rears its ugly head again eventually.  It came back so severe when I was pregnant my OB had a serious talk that if I didn't get it under control, I would have to go on meds because it was bad for the baby (which scared the crap out of me).  I've never gone on meds for it which is strange because I tend to be 'a pill solves everything' kind of person.  I guess I've seen too many people try to get off them and struggle- it just scared me.  I have a pretty crazy addictive personality. I like to think I know what I can and can't handle and Xanax sounds too good to casually take for me. 

After 15 odd years or so I have a lot of methods of dealing with it in place; breathing, walking, mind games to keep it under control.  But even with all these coping mechanisms, sometimes, the dam just breaks and I have mini-meltdowns.  My poor, understanding, amazing husband usually takes the brunt of my breakdowns.  Hindsight is always 20/20.  Most of the time I recognize and apologize, sometimes right in the middle of such breakdowns (which is an odd feeling to know you are being unreasonable and have no way of making it stop) but that is no fun for him.  I wish I could change it, trust me, I've tried.  It's part of who I am and it can't be cured, only managed.  I've asked him when he knows I'm in my anxiety rant to use a code word.  The one I came up with was 'Rice Krispies', his was "You're being $#*#*$ insane', I prefer rice krispies.

We are leaving for Mackinac Island for ten days with my husband's entire family.  These kinds of big events are triggers for me, so as much as I am crazy excited to see Northern Michigan, be with good people and get on water, the dam has broken.  This has been a very. hard. week. for me and I'm near just wanting to curl in the fetal position and hide until we leave.  This isn't possible, there is too much to do. 

So, no blogging until I get back.  If I have some time in Michigan to get some pictures on the blog, I'm hoping to do that to prevent the onslaught of 400 pictures of cute kids up north once we get back.  But know that if I'm posting pictures, I'm relaxed and happy....until then, I'll be in the corner rocking, but most likely just trying to act as normal as I possibly can.

I love you all to bits and pieces



Monday, June 18, 2012

Father's Day


Circus Peanuts- I always wondered who bought circus peanuts.....Matt loves them


Matt got his grill brush he desperately needed

Charlie stealing the show- cheeeeeeeese



WOOT!  An MP3 player!  His crapped out and there is now way we can go on a road trip without it


Ethan decided to get in the pool with Charlie



dumping 'trucks' of water on his head


Saturday, June 16, 2012

Bounce House and a Haircut, Lilly turns 2!

It was Charlie's best good buddy Lilly's 2nd birthday!



He didn't really know what to do and would only walk if he was by himself or it was just Lilly and him.

He literally got bounced out the door and I think it scared him

Birthday Girl!




Charlie, Lilly and JT.  These are who he is mainly with during the week at daycare, the other two are infants


After we ran over to Aunt Michelle's for a haircut so he wouldn't look too wonky in all the Michigan pics.  He was such a good boy, probably because this was right before nap time

Blurry, but cute.....

Friday, June 15, 2012

Bridgette and Charlie wash the truck





Bridgette after Charlie wwith the sprayer

A great picture about .2 seconds before he gets a spray to the face!



Run Charlie...Run!


Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Cucumber Trellis Thing-y

Picnic dinner outside so we could hang out with daddy

Matt is going to try to get the cucumbers to grow up to a) have a more efficient use of limited space and b) get them off the ground which leads to rot and bugs

Charlie inspects and approves the structure

boog

dad...dad...dad...dad....dad





Stalling on the way back to the house for bath time....


Where's Charlie???? (his favorite game ever)

I Love Summer!!!


Sunday, June 10, 2012

Charlie's New Pool


Who is this kid?  He's getting so big!



Here is a funny series of pictures of Charlie seeing a bird, getting out of the pool to chase said bird, then bee-lining it back to the pool without missing a beat.  He's so funny, he just stopped, high-tailed it out of the pool and ran after the bird.  I love that the kid never gives up hope that one of these days he'll catch one of those birds....





You can see his bumps are getting better, but I have a feeling we'll have them for quite a while


Charlie walking ALL the way from the garden to the patio to show me...well, you'll see