Are You Ready...

to ring in the New Year??

Tomorrow is the last day of 2007. I am not sad to see the year end. It was a bad year for us, what with family members getting sick, & people passing away, including a friend's 2 year old daughter & another friend having an angel born still in August.

I've been working on a list of resolutions for myself. While I can't promise to absolutely stick by them, I can use it as a guideline for the upcoming year. Here goes nothing, right?

1. I resolve to take better care of myself.
~ While I don't hope to become the epitome of "healthy living", I do want to eat better (no more chips & root beer!), & become a little bit more active. More walking in the summer with boys, swimming, etc. Trying to get out skating with the boys once a week. I want to try to cut out my treats. I don't need them all the time! We do eat a fairly fruit & veggie rich diet, so that helps as well. Less computer time, more mommy time, that type of thing.

2. I resolve to run a better household.
~ I want to set a menu for a month at time. Even 2 weeks. Buy the groceries for that set amount of time & choose meals accordingly. I tried the whole daily menu thing, but it felt too "ridgid" to me. At least with the proper ingredients for a week or 2 worth of meals is a step in the right direction!
~ To stay on top of little household duties. No more stacking crap on the computer desk or buffet in the kitchen. Being sure to run the dishwasher every night. Making sure all the toys are put away before bed. All the piddly little things that end up being huge after a couple days.
~ I would like to spend more time with my husband & our children. Just doing nothing, the 4 of us. No schedules, or having to be somewhere at certain times, etc. I want to take a vacation with JUST US, even if we go camping for a weekend. I believe doing this will help with my better household resolution.

3. I resolve to not start little projects around the house, then not finish them.
~ Like the bathroom that has been ripped apart since July 19. I want to see things done soon after they are started. And know that we did it, & take pride in them. And this leads into my next resolution.

4. I resolve to work on the house more & not put things off.
~ I want to do the boys' room for them, including new bunk beds & bedding.
~ I wnt to finish the downstairs bathroom.
~ I want to paint the toy room & come with some toy storage solutions.
~ I want to paint the FUGLY teal ceilings downstairs (Bento, a pretty brown), and finish the living room & kitchen, which includes new furniture (like a kitchen table!) & new "Garth toys", aka a flat screen TV.
~ I want to paint the upstairs hall & TV room (Rodeo Dust), & furnish said TV room as such.
~ I want to paint our room, get new dressers, set up a scrapbook area & organize the closet/figure out a way to make "doors" for it.
~ I want to build the island for the kitchen (storage! yay!) & get cupboard doors put up.

That is quite the list! And I'm hoping to stick with it! Wish me luck! Until next year, my friends!
~Robyn

Slacking Again, Sorry!

Now that the holidays are over, I should be able to get back into the swing of blogging. Christmas was great fun, the boys & I all got spoiled rottern! Garth finally got me my pink Oiler jersey, & the boys gave me my very first WillowTree piece!! It's the one called Quietly, & I can't wait to add to my collection now! We spent Christmas Eve at Garth's parents. In total, there were 6 adults & 3 kids. A tiny bit hectic, I must say! But it was great to visit with Garth's brother, whom we only see maybe twice a year, & to see our nephew, that we have only seen twice now, & he is 7 months old! We came home Christmas night & were up first thing Boxing Day morning to do a bit of shopping, then went to Alf & Lucy's for supper that night. Trevor, his wife & Sloan left to go back to Hinton (10 hours away :( ) on Thursday, as Trev had to work Friday.

Garth's grandpa seems to be doing ok. He is saying some more words, Hi, yep, yeah, yes, no, light, oi oi oi, ok, & he tried saying both Garth's & Trevor's names when they were there. It's slow going, but it is there. He loves having the boys visits, he just watches them & smile. The first time we took the boys to see him, he cried. It was hard & made me cry as well. In fact, just thinking about it still makes me cry. On Christmas Day, we were leaving & Anson took great grandpa's hand to say bye, & Grandpa cried again, & I'm not quite sure what he said, but it sounded like A-son. I don't know if he meant "a son", or was trying to say "Anson", but he is trying, so that is very good! He is still paralyzed on his right side, but is doing physical therapy. When I go to see him, I try to rub his leg just to keep the circulation going in it, & on Christmas Eve, I pulled one of his toes & it felt like he tried to pull his foot away! Garth's dad said he also moved his right hand that day as well. For a guy that was 85 almost 3 weeks ago & suffering a major stroke 2 weeks ago today, he's looking pretty good!

Anson had a hockey game in Naicam yesterday. They totally slaughtered the Vikings, 23-6. I'm embarrassed to do the write up for the Recorder! Anson got 5 goals (apparently yesterday was a free-for-all & the 3 goal cap rule wasn't followed!). He was quite excited about that! Grandpa Alf came with us & won the 50/50, so we went to Melfort for lunch at Dairy Queen. It was great fun, as 5 other kids from his team also went! He has a practice on Wednesday, then play Naicam again on the 5th, but at home. Should be...interesting anyway!

We don't have any huge plans for New Year's Eve tomorrow, just hanging out at home with a couple friends & watching movies. I'm sure it will be very low key, as all our New Year's have been since we've had the boys. Hope everyone has a great 2008! Health & happiness to all!!

~Robyn

Quick Update!

Guess what! Garth's gradpa is being transferred to Tisdale Hospital today! They said what they are doing for him now in Saskatoon, they can do here is town. Really, this means that they are kicking him out for his bed. No other change, but he is coming home! Garth's dad & uncle went to the city today so that they can shuttle people home. Cathy & Michael went back to Edson today. So yay. Good news for us!



Anson has hockey today, in about an hour. Then Ryden's Christmas concert is tonight at 7. In between, I have to take some stuff back to Alf & Lucy's, & eat supper & feed the boys. Ah the joys of Wednesdays! It seems to me that everytime the boys (or I) have something to go to, it falls on a Wednesday. Which is a hockey night. It will get worse when Anson hits Novice. Ryden will be in Initation. So we will be at the rink for practices on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday. PLUS games & tournaments. Who said hockey moms have it easy!! Well, I'm off to get Anson from school & head to the rink!! Ciao





PS- Garth jsut told me his brother is coming TODAY. Not on Sunday. Excellent. Now I have to clean my house.

I Hate Games

Garth's grandpa is NOT doing well, at all. He had a couple more little strokes overnight, & now can't move/use his right arm OR talk. Garth's aunt & uncle are coming in from Edson tonight, they are leaving in about half an hour. I'm not sure if any of the cousins are coming (3 live out in Alberta, all with spouses & kids, plus my BIL & his family). I think they'll see closer to Christmas Day or depending on Grandpa. Lucy is pretty upset, obviously, she called to get me to cancel some appointments for her. Garth went upstairs when I told him, he said he was going to have a nap before work, so yeah. I really hope he gets better. He does have a corrated artery, but they won't do the surgery he needs because of his age/stability right now. He's pretty weak from the 3 or 4 strokes he's had since Sunday. That's it for now. We play the waiting game. I hate waiting, be it good or bad. This type of waiting, well, it really sucks. I think some of us have, not given up, but are anticipating the worst. Yes, it does have to happen sometimes, as Lucy said, we can't keep him around forever. But at the same time, that stubborn, 3 year old in me WANTS to be able to do that. I don't WANT to say goodbye, or let go, or give up hope. I WANT him to get better, come home & being the usual jokester he is. Life really is unfair, isn't it?

Alert The Presses!

It's true folks, you read it here first. I'm actually blogging for the SECOND day in a row. Tara, you should be proud! That, & the fact that I have now given out my blog to people, all may help me update this little baby! What did I do today? Well, I worked in a sweatshop today. Ryden's class has a parent component that is every Monday. The kids do crafts, or bake, or just play & us moms visit, talk & laugh. Today we had to paint egg cartons green. A LOT of egg cartons. Miss Hauser said we couldn't leave until they were done. Well, not really. But she did say she needed them for, oh, um, tomorrow?!?! So us moms painted. The kids made noise. Tara, as always, documented everything quite well with his hubby's trusty camera. Note to Tara, please delete that horrid picture of me. Thank you.

Afterwards, Ryden managed to finagle an invitation for a playdate at Owen's. So we played at Owen's. I had some yummy tea. Then the kids had some macaroni. And us "adults" had this super yummy pasta dish, made by Tara's husband. She is a lucky woman, that Tara. When her husband cooks, it DOESN'T invovle her phone! Or driving anywhere!! I was quite impressed, let me tell you. Then the boys played some more, & watched a little bit of a movie. Then we went home. And I cleaned, wooo so fun! I told you the excitment never ends here!

Garth's grandpa is still at RUH in Saskatoon. They are hoping to transfer him to the Tisdale Hospital for Christmas. He'll be in there until after Christmas, but at least he'd be home in Tisdale. He is still unsure of some words/names as of 3pm today. He knows who Lucy (Garth's mom) is, but his brain isn't connecting with his mouth so that he can't get her name out. It is very frustrating for him, as you can imagine, and causing him some stress. He asked Lucy about her trip to PA yesterday, asking how she did for money last winter. Translated, that meant how did she do at the casino last night. He is aware of what is going on, & remembers stuff from just before the stroke, but his brain if mixing up words & things come out wrong. He has no physical side affects from the stroke, no paralsys on one side or anything, just the word mixups. Hopefully he is resting more & not pushing the word thing too much, so he can heal faster. The boys colored pictures for him today, so we will get those to him this week as well.

Tomorrow, the boys are getting their haircut. A friend (she does my hair as well) is coming over to do it, talk about service! Then I'm getting my hair done on Thursday. I can't wait! That's about it. Garth's working, of course. I should be in bed. The boys are sleeping, the house is clean (almost, I need to fold some laundry). So, now I suppose I should go to bed, so I'm not dragging by 1oam tomorrow!

Christmas, Christmas Time Is Here...

9 days left until the big day. Are you ready? As of yesterday, I am! We braved the malls in Prince Albert yesterday, after Anson's hockey game in Nipawin. I'm really glad we knew what we wanted & didn't have to to wander around a lot looking for that perfect "something". I have 1 last gift to pick up, which will take me all of 5 minutes, & I have a couple little things left to wrap. My baking is done, thanks to the baking exchange I was in last week. That was a big help, except for the whole nut thing. Pert darn near everything had nuts in it, so I had to make some stuff just for my boys. My goal is not harm anyone with my cooking this year, haha! My brother in law, his wife & their son come home next week for Christmas. The boys are very excited to see their cousin, Baby Sloan. That poor child will be "Baby Sloan" for the next 30 years! We're staying home this year, Garth works, of course. I'm excited, I can't wait to see the boys open their presents. I hope they love everything they get!

Some bad news today, Garth's grandpa had a stroke tonight. Grandpa Otto turned 85 at the beginning of the month. He is a fantastic man, always joking around, laughing & pinching granddaughters! The boys love "big papa", & we are wishing him a speedy recovery in Saskatoon tonight, hoping he will be home soon.

Anson had his second game yesterday in Nipawin, and they won again! Yay Ramblers! Anson also got his hat trick again! He's up to 6 goals for the season. Their next game is in Naicam on the 29th, then we have a home game January 5th (if anyone wants to come to Tisdale to watch!). Ryden is keeping busy. That child has yet to sit for longer than 10 seconds in his entire 3 years. I think we're going to sign him up for CanSkate for January. I have sworn up & down since Anson was in CanSkate that we were NEVER doing that again. But I just don't have the time or energy to take him to the rink every Tuesday, rush him through on days we have to pick up Anson, blah. No thanks. I'll pay others to do it! Garth is useless for that too, since he's working nights until March.

I think that is my update for now. Today was pretty quiet, after the hectic-ness (is that word?!?!) of yesterday. We left the house by 8:30am & didn't get home until almost 10pm. Anson has school tomorrow, & Ryden has his parent component. I have to make hair appointments for this week, Ryden's Christmas concert is on Wednesday, Anson has hockey on Wednesday & Saturday, then shinney on Thursday (oh yeah, he joined a little shinney league with some kids from his team, yay, more hockey!), Ryden has story time on Tuesday, I think that's it! I have to make peppermint patties this week & maybe more butter tarts for Garth. How exciting am I?!?! Until next time, my friends!
~Robyn

Being a Boy is Rough!

Well, I see my blog has escaped me yet again! I wish to be like a friend of mine, who manages to update her blog everyday. But sometimes, there is nothing to say, & most of the time, I forget. Heh. Well, today (tonight?) I remembered. A fair bit has happened since my last (rather cranky) blog. On November 18, Anson had his season opener in Melfort. My aunt & her daughter were able to come with us, because they were in Tisdale for Kiley's hockey game that night at 4:45. Anson's team won 16-2, and Anson got all 3 of his goals!! In Initiation, they are only allowed 3 goals per games, then have to pass to the other kids, so they get a chance to score as well. He was quite thrilled with his "hat trick", as was my aunt & cousin, who were able to see it. We then went for lunch in Melfort, to Dairy Queen, came back to Tisdale (we had to drive 60km/hr due to weather, it turned pretty nasty during the game!), gave Aunt Kathy & Kiley the 3-minute Tisdale tour, then hunt out at home until Kiley's game. They, unfortunately, lost 3-0. But it was great seeing them! When Kiley's team plays Melfort, we plan to go watch her.

After Kiley's game last Sunday, we went to Grandma & Grandpa's. Anson played (more) hockey downstairs, until I went to get him to go home, an hour after the boys' bedtime. Anson has done this lovely little thing, when he's SUPER tired, since he was about 1. He cries. Then holds his breath. Then his face turns blue & then he passes out. Which is good, because that is when he starts breathing again. Then he convulses, & goes really stiff. It's great fun for everyone involved. People usually freak out & yell. I used to. It's damn scary. He hasn't done it in a long time. I would say a good 6 months. He did it Sunday night. In Grandma & Grandpa's basement. And not on the soft, squishy carpet either. No. He had to do it on the hard, thin carpet, where there is cement underneath. I had picked him up when he started crying. And told him to stop. Then put him down again. He passed out as I put him down. I didn't notice. I feel really bad about it still. So when I let go of him, FLOP, he fell forward. Unconscious. So that means he didn't break his fall with his hands. Nope. He broke his fall with his forehead. On the thin carpet over cement. He was crying, I was crying, Grandma was yelling. It was utter chaos. He has a bump. And a bruise. It's not pretty. But he didn't get a concussion. He was up until 10:30 & was REALLY tired. But he's better now. That was interesting.

Even more interesting? We were at hockey practice on Wednesday. Garth, my darling husband, was chasing Ryden around the rink while I watched Anson on the ice. Ryden, who has been told NUMEROUS times not to muck around, or he will fall & crack his head open on the cement stairs & have to go to the hospital, well, guess what he did. Yep. He fell. And cracked his head open. Daddy, who saw him fall, said, oh you're ok. Let's go look at the zamboni (my husband is the zamboni man here in town). For 20 minutes, they played on the zamboni. They emptied the snow. They filled the water tanks. I went to get Ryden at 5 to 5, since Garth had to work at 5, and since Anson got off the ice at 5. We started down to the change room, when I noticed Ryden's red neck. I thought he had rubbed his ketchup-y chip hands, but when I looked closer, I noticed that his head was bleeding. Yep. That fall from 20 minutes earlier? Cracked his head open. I ran for Garth, then grabbed Anson, barely giving him time to get his skates off, then dumped Anson at Grandma & Grandpa's, before ending up in the ER. 1 numb little head & 2 stitches later, we were back home. He did really well though. They used a "new" thing on him (well, this is the 2nd time they used. He used it this summer when he got 3 stitches in his eyelid), a liquid called Lett. It is amazing. No more needles! Just hold a cotton ball soaked in Lett on the cut for the 10 minutes, then stitch close! Also, the dr was AMAZING. Being a father of 5, he is excellent with kids. He threaded the 2 stitches through, then went BACK & tied the stitches, thus getting the "pokes" over first. I am so proud of my RyRy. He fell asleep while getting his stitches, & was so brave! I thought stitches would calm him down, but nope. This morning at hockey, he fell & bonked his forehead, & now has a bruise on the side of his forehead, as well as a mysterious black eye. And who said having kids was easy?!?! I still wish I had had girls some days! These 2 boys are trying to give me gray hairs, I swear!

Well, I suppose I have rambled enough for tonight. Sorry it's a long read, but if you read through, go you! Thanks for sticking it out with me! Talk soon.

I'm Proud of my Scars.

I am really REALLY tired of all the "anti-section" people out there. Telling me I am less than a mom because I had c-sections. Do you not realize that they were NECCESSARY??? Doctors, for the most part, only do them when it is medically required to do so. My first one was because I could not dialate past 5cm. 42 hours of labor wasn't enough? Should I have done 40 more? And my second one to save my son's life. Had I not had it, he would not be here today. Yet, I am still the bad mom. If you are lucky enough to deliver "naturally" (with or without drugs, that's your call!), good on you. In my case, it just wasn't meant to be.
So, should I not have kids? Yeah, not bloody likely. I have always wanted babies. My children are here, healthy & happy. Well cared for, fed, clothed, etc. I can tell you of one these sections bashers whose daughter is basically ignored so mom can hang out online. But I'm the bad mom right? This woman feels that she has the right to tell everyone about the dangers & risks & scary outcomes of c-sections. Because she's seen the result of section babies & their "issues". Yes, a person needs to be informed of all decisions she makes regarding her baby & her own health. But when you are WATCHING your child's heartrate drop slowly (or in the impossibly scary situation a friend went through where it crashed), you don't think about that.
You think about your baby. How to get your baby out, safely, healthly. And most importantly, quickly. You deal with everything else later. The machines go away. The pain dulls. Your baby graduates to room air. And I'm a bad mom because of a surgery that saved my son's life. Nice. So to you, section basher, I say you need to stop, take account of what you have in your life, & think before speaking. Unless you know the person VERY well, they don't want to hear why you think sections are horrible things. And so what, I have a scar. I also have 2 healthy children. I will take a body filled with scars if it means my 2 precious children are with me, safe, healthy, loved.

The Bane of My Existence

LEGOS. Those little fartin' things are EVERYWHERE! It's like they reproduce when we are asleep! Legos are Anson's newest obssession. And man, do they suck. They are so tiny! I'm sure if I had girls, it would be Polly Pockets. My friends that have girls are always whining about Polly's shoes getting sucked up the vaccumed, or random little brothers walking around with Polly's latest pump crammed into random orfices. Now I know what they mean. I have removed 2 yellow legos & the rear taillight for Spiderman's Spidey mobile from Ryden's nose. Fun I tell ya's. But I figure I have it pretty good. A friend of mine has a 4 year old son & a 3 year old daughter. So she gets BOTH Legos & Polly. Oh to be so...blessed. Harhar. All of you Christmas gift giving types? Please be kind to mommies when purchasing gifts for loved kids this year. Thanks.

Onto to other news. Not a whole bunch happening. Halloween is on Wednesday. My boys are estactic at the prospect of getting candy for free, & not because they have to do what mommy says (so I bribe them once in a while. At least I get to shop in peace!). I'm not ready. Anson still needs a costume. Pirate maybe? Good thing they can't wear costumes to school! It's black & orange day instead. Oh yes, & I volunteered for the Pumpkin Fest on Tuesday in Anson's class. While Ryden is supposed to be at the library for story time. Oops. Good thing daddy is off that day!! Then we get to go to Co-Op's Halloween Party at 6:30. Daddy's coming to that too. Mommy might otherwise start looking more & more "witchy".

Hockey is in full tilt as well. 8am practices on a Saturday are just mean. And 8am practices on Saturday when the canteen isn't open? Well, that just makes for a rink full of cranky, caffienne jones-ing parents. I am trying to convince the ice man at the rink to make coffee & charge us parents. He'd make a killing! No go. So I told a select few that I knew said guy working & could finagle a few cups of coffee out of him by proprositioning him every so often. Just so happens I know where that man sleeps, LOL. Games should start soon. Once I start calling other towns. Did I mention I was managing this year? Yeah. Stupid me. Oh well, I guess this is how we learn about these things, right? It shouldn't be too bad. My co-manager loves to do this stuff & knows the contacts anyway, so I'm kind of (admittedly) riding her coattails. I told her to let me know when to get off at anytime. She's pretty great though & I love that she is willing to do so much & then share with me! Makes my life a little stressful! Well, bedtime stories await! Until next time!!

Casa de Gagne, Honey Do List.

Our house is most definately a work in progress. The bathroom down here has been "in progress" since July 19 or so, when we ripped the lino off the walls around the shower, shut the door & have yet to look at it again. I have decided that we need to agree on what we want, and are doing, before demo can be done. Probably a good idea, for all you home DIY'ers! I have a list of to dos & a list of to buys. How fun. Next time we move, the house will be brand stinkin' new!! This is madness!

To Do

• put baseboards on
• organize back closet
• hang shelves in various places around house ~living room, CHECK
• get new doors (both solid & screen), and new windows
• get cupboard doors done
• build an island
• put in stove vent
• finish bathroom (downstairs)
• paint everywhere
• figure out closet doors for upstairs (curtain panels maybe) done

To Buy

• living room furniture (couch, chair, tables)
• new kitchen table & chairs ~ possible set from friend?? Will have to call RZ, after she is moved in & has the baby settled.
• computer hutch & office chair
• DVD storage (book shelf or bigger cabinet?)
• bookcase for the toy room
• table desk for our room (scrapbook area)
• new bed (to replace our now useless boxspring) ~done, even loaded it into my itsy bitsy KIA alone!!

I know there is more for both lists, so I will add as needed, and mark as done, as we do things!

I have updated my list, in purple. Not a whole lot! That kind of sucks.

Yep, I am a slacker! It has only been 2 months since I have been in here. I do believe that's a record maybe. Usually I start one, and NEVER come back! But, here I am!

So, I guess quite a bit has happened since my last post. Anson & Ryden started school. Anson goes on even days, and Ryden goes 4 mornings a week (Tuesday - Friday).

This means I get 2 mornings to myself every week! My first day, I did nothing. Walked around for a while. I had to turn on both the TV & radio, because it was much too quiet! Now, I am slowly getting into a routine. I do my "deep cleaning" on these mornings. It's much easier to soak toys in bleach when I don't have 2 kids screaming, fighting, wanting their toys back. So that's what I do now, when home alone. I clean. Compusively. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

We are into our school routine now. Bedtime is at 8 (thank you Mrs. Kirk!). Now there is a wrench thrown into our routine, starting tomorrow. Anson starts hockey. I was hoping that his first practice would be on a no school day. But it didn't work that way. Tomorrow I will pick Anson up from school at 3:10, then go straight to the rink for practice at 4. I can't wait until he's 9 & practice is at 7am. FUN. I am sure we'll adapt quickly enough though. If anything, both the boys will go to sleep at 6 tomorrow!

Thanksgiving was this past weekend. I have an awful lot of food stuffed into my fridge still. I have not cooked since Sunday. And won't have to cook until at least Friday. The boys had fun & ate lots. Garth's parents & grandparents came over. Then Garth's parents took the boys to their place for a sleepover. I slept in yesterday, it was nice. Then the phone rang, haha. So I guess that is my update for now. Who knows, maybe I will come back tomorrow! Maybe I will move this little comfy hidey hole up on my fave list & I'll find it more often!! 'Til next time, friend!

*Sigh*

I am bored. Therefore, boredom = blogging. So that is what I am doing at 11pm on a Tuesday night, when I SHOULD be in bed. But I am not. I bought some shorts yesterday. I love them, excpet they are a little big. Not an issue, since I will probably shrink them the first time I wash them anyway. I am good at that. What else.......hmmmmm........Got the boys' school supplies today. That was sad :( My babies are getting too big. Anson will be in Kindergarten & Ryden will be in Pre-K. I will 2 mornings to myself every 2nd week. That will be very weird. I've never NOT had someone around consistently for the last 6 years. I'm nervous, what will I do? I suppose now is as good a time as any to get started on my LPN course, I suppose. I think I may look into how much I can do online. Other than that, yeah. Pretty boring. Tomorrow is a "hang out at home & do nothing" day, as per usual. The boys have the Co-Op Kids Carnival on Thursday. We'll go to that. Take some pics of the bee for some people. And yeah. That's about all I have for now. CIAO!

Thanks Where Thanks Are Due

I love being a SAHM, in the very truth of the word, knowing that I won't EVENTUALLY have to go to work in the near future, seeing everything the boys do, being able to do so much, and all because my DH is the best person ever. I'm fairly certain that any other guy I COULD have married (read, any of my ex bfs) would never let me sit at home, all day everyday. Spending his money, not cleaning his house (hehe), etc etc. I love that he surprises me with little things all the time, and does anything for me that I ask. He bought me a brand spankin' new car, doesn't even blanch when I spend WAY too much on really stupid things, and supports my every whim. And he expects almost nothing in return. He doesn't ever ask, have you thought about working anytime soon? Or, so, what are you going to be when you grow up? He loves that I stay home with our boys about as much I love staying home with our boys. To know that I can sign them up for soccer, hockey, story time & whatever else their little hearts desire, is amazing. I have never missed a single important "moment" in their lives, and for that I am eternally thankful to my most amazing DH. Without him, I would have had to miss so much, Anson's first goal in hockey, Ryden's first little girlfriend, their first "alone" bday parties. And to tell my DH about it & to show him the pictures of our boys and see his joy that I got to share those moments with our children, it's absolutely priceless. To know that, even though the boys will both be in school this year, but yet I am still able to drop them off & pick them up, well, I couldn't ask for a better job. To hear their stories of who did what & to hear their contagious little giggles, and to see their crafts from that week at school, they are the little snapshots I keep in my head, their joy & happiness. I revel in the fact that I am the one they share it with, not a nanny or a babysitter or anyone else. Me. Mommy. For now, their greatest confidante & biggest fan. And all of this of because of 1 incredibly amazing, selfless guy, my DH. I love my DH!!!