GRADUATION DAY!

Yes! Phoenix graduated from SK today! On to a new year in Grade One. All day. Every day. Sweet. Congrats Bunny! You did a great job this year, and we are all very proud of you! (And by the way, nice hat!)

Endings and Beginnings

Endings

• today is Keegan's last day of preschool. I packed him off this morning with presents for his two teachers and beloved bus driver
• potty training! Keegan finally got the hang of things (thanks to many Thomas the train-related bribes)
• tomorrow is Phoenix's last day of Senior Kindergarten. He did very well on his report card, and his teacher gave me a whack of homework to do with him over the summer to bring up his numeracy comprehension before the start of grade one
• tomorrow is my last day of two-kid days

Beginnings

• summertime, summertime, summer summer summertime! Not having to rush and get a kid off to school is going to be great! At least for two weeks... when Keegan starts his CIP classes, a 6-week program of intense behaviour, language, socialization and sensory therapy. This runs for 2 hours, 3 days a week. God bless Christy, who will be watching Bun and Tiggs while we attend.
• family fun days! Mark has every second Friday off, and we intend to use these to our advantage to have family days, where we take off to the far reaches of Ontario to have adventure. This week, we will be joined by our friends Dave and Teresa, and their cutie girl kidlets.
• teaching Keegan his letters. He already knows them all verbally, and by sight, but I am determined to have him writing at least his name by the end of summer. He's bright, so I'm sure we'll get 'er done.
• helping Phoenix to learn all of his sight words with the goal of him reading a book all by himself by the end of summer. We will also start a journal, where he can write about what he did during the week
• encouraging Ty to say some new words, like maybe, Mom? Phoenix and Keegs have already started by trying to teach him to say llama.

Well, I guess those are enough goals to tide us over for a while. Should be a fun weekend. My friend Leanne invited me and Phoenix and Keegan to the Blue Jays game on Saturday. The boys are inside-out with excitement at the idea of riding the train into the city. We are looking forard to it. Hope everyone (Canadian) has a great Canada Day weekend, and happy July 4th to all American readers in advance for whatever it is that you celebrate on that day. Oh yeah, BBQ's ,beer and fireworks, right? Not so different from us. Except maybe that our beer is stronger.

Happy impending holiday everybody!

Dino-Party Pix

The picture of all of the kids on the ground is when they were playing Mark's game of "Extinction". Anything to get kids to stop moving for 2 minutes is a great game!

Ty and the other party kids are having a blast digging for dinosaur bones and fossils!

Phoenix is posing in front of Mark's "Jurassic Yard" sign...

And the dino cake. Yum!

An Actual Date!!!

I have so much to post about today! Where to start? Well, let's start with last night: date night! My hubby took me on a surprise outing. We went on a rock 'n' roll dinner and sail on Canada's tallest sail ship, the ...okay, the name escapes me at the moment. But it was large. About 400 of us were on board. We set sail at 7:00 pm, and had a great buffet dinner, and there was a really good band. About 10:00 the desserts rolled out and they were awesome! The tallest chocolate fudge cake, caramel cheesecake, raspberry chiffon cake and on, and on. Yum! At the end of the evening we watched a spectacular fireworks display, and as we left the ship, the gave us chocolate-dipped strawberries. It was such a fun night, and especially so because there was no occasion for it. Just my hubby wanting to take me out. Sigh. I love him. (You're shmoopy. No, YOU'RE shmoopy!) Anyway, good times.

Now today. Today was Phoenix's first all-friend birthday party. There were 10 kids all together, and miracle of miracles, all that were invited, showed up! There were 8 boys and two girls. They were all really, really good. That being said, 2 1/2 hours is WAY too long for any kids party. For a parent, that is. It's funny, you know. You spend two weeks planning all of these games and activites, anticipating that each one will take 1/2 hour to complete, and you'll never get to all of them, only to discover that kids go through these activities at a scary pace, and they're all done and you still have an hour and a half to kill, without wanting to run screaming from the backyard.Note to self: must stock up on post-party alcohol for parents.

The kiddies had a great time. First up was a cartoonist, who drew pictures of all the kids, some doing their favourite activities (swimming, dancing etc) and others riding dinosaurs (did I mention we had a dinosaur theme?) Then we did a craft activity where they made pterodactyls. Then we did a dino-egg stomp (where the kids jumped on balloons to pop them). We played pass the dino-egg (like hot potato) and had a mini-dig, where the kids dug in sand trays to find dinosaur bones and fossils that Mark and I had contructed from clay. It was at this point that I thought, oh no, I'm out of games! So Mark invented one (pictures to follow) called "Extinction" where he had all of the kids lie on the ground and be extinct dinosaurs, and they couldn't move until he came to "dig" them out. That ate up at least 5 more minutes. Okay, let's open presents! Phoenix got some really great stuff, like a whack of new Transformers, some books, a mask and snorkel set, a Power Ranger, two games (including Twister!), some Superman stuff and lots more that I can't recall at present because I am too beat.

Oh, and as usual, I spent the whole day coating the kids in sunscreen and naturally forgot about myself, so I am currently surrounded by a cool, yet frightening red skin-glow.

Then we did the cake, which gave them some more sugar energy, in case they were running low. I tried to calm them with colouring, but it didn't last long. The last 45 minutes, we just let them run helter-skelter around the backyard until their folks came to collect them.

I just want to note that one of Phoenix's buddies, Riley, was so darned cute! He was so sweet, I just wanted to adopt him! What a doll!

10 minutes after the last child left, party #2 began, the family BBQ, with two grandparents, 3 uncles, two aunts and 4 cousins. That ended at 8:00, when I parcelled the kiddies off to bed. Whew! If I have some energy later, I will post some pictures. If not, then tomorrow. Mark did a great yard-entry decoration, Jurrasic Park style (changed to Jurrasic Yard) and included a great sign, shrubbery and the Jurrasic Park Jeep, and I'll post pictures of those too.

Thanks to all for everything and everyone who attend either party. Now I am going to collapse on the couch for a while and watch the end of Mr. Holland's Opus.

Night!

PS. I apologise for any typos. I am very tired, and can't think.
PPS. I don't want to curse myself, but I think it's safe to say that Keegan is officially 100% potty-trained! It took a lot of bribery (in the form of Thomas the train toys) but we got 'er done! Yay Keegs!

Why I Gave Up My Garden This Year

Yes, Monsieur Lapin has invaded my backyard space, and as he has daily snacks from my FENCED-IN garden, what's the point?

Phoenix and Keegan love this little guy and have named him Flash. He's really cute, so I do not begrudge him my sprouting veggies, and besides, it appeals to my lazy nature and fuels the desire to NOT weed the garden. Enjoy, Flash!

Happy Birthday Bunny!!!

Bunny! (Phoenix to all the rest...) You are 6 today! My God, I remember when you were born. Seems like yesterday you were just my first cutie baby boy, weighing in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces. Now you are tall and lanky and a whopping 42 pounds. Time flies.

You had a very tough start to your life. 24 hours after your birth, you suffered a frontal lobe haemorrage, and were rushed off to the NICU hospital. When we arrived, you were hooked up to 4 different machines, and had a breathing tube. We weren't allowed to hold you, and I wasn't allowed to nurse you. We had to make do with touching your tiny hand through the porthole of the incubator unit. Your father and I cried enough tears to last a life-time. During your stay, we were first told that you would make it three days maximum. You saw 21 different doctors. You had hearing tests, vision tests, EEGs and EKGs. You had 3 CT scans and 3 MRIs. And two weeks later, they sent you home. :)

You have proved all the doctors wrong by being very smart, and hitting all of your milestones in advance. They gave you 3 days. You've given us 6 of the happiest years of our lives. Your genetic sarcasm is developing nicely, and you have the vocabulary of a 28 year old. (Actually, Mommy, I think the problem is a bit more complicated than it appears. Have you checked the logistics?) (He said that yesterday, I kid you not!)

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, to my gorgeous, funny, adorable, miracle child. I wish you love, happiness and success as you start your journey into your seventh year.

XOXOXO

Mommy

PS. Some people who share your birthday:

Actors: Errol Flynn, Martin Landau, Danny Aiello, Nicole Kidman
Musical Artists: Chet Atkins, Brian Wilson, Anne Murray, Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Richie
All-Around Handyman: Bob Vila

If My Kids Were Cartoons...

I Did NOT Sign Up For This!!!

I sooooooooooooooo DID NOT sign up for this. Here is a little excerpt from my personal hell:

I am awoken by my eldest son with these words this morning: "Mommy, I am sorry to have to tell you this, but Keegan went poo in his pants, and pulled them off and now there's poo everywhere and Daddy said to tell you that he is already 10 minutes late for work, so you have to deal with it."

Yeah. Nice. Crap on the stairs (two floors), on the floor, and pretty much all over Keegan's lower extremities. Eff. Nice way to start my day. It MUST be Monday. It can only get better from here, I hope.

************************************************************************************

On to nicer matters, my friend Leanne sent me some exciting news this morning so I am going to brag on her behalf. Her five-part series "Mind Over Myth", which dealt with mental illness, took the Dave Rogers award at the Radio Television News Directors Association's National Awards ceremony in St. John's, Newfoundland on Saturday night. She had won the regional award prior to that. Now she and the Canadian Mental Health Association are in discussions to have the series put up on their national website! Good job Leanne! On behalf of all the Rye High grads, we're real proud!

*************************************************************************************
Over the last few days, I have been up to my orbital sockets in Phoenix's birthday party preparations. We are going with a dinosaur theme, and I have been doing a lot of behind the scenes work. I finished the loot bags (shoot the mom or dad who invented this terrible necessity!) each of which include dino fact sheets, colouring pages, plastic mini dinos, 3 colour pictures of dinos, 12 b & w pics of dinos with facts and foam dino craft cut-outs. Also, I have hired a cartoonist, who will do caricatures of the kiddies to take home with them in their loot bags. I have also planned a few games, including pass the dino egg, dino egg (balloon) stomp, and an archaeological "dig", where they get to excavate dino "bones" that I made out of clay, from sand filled trays. I also spent a few hours putting together essentials for their craft time, at the end of which they will have created a pterodactyl mobile made of paper and CD's. Trust me, it's neat.

All of that to celebrate turning six. Kripes. Oh, Ty's crying. Gotta jet. Later!

That "Bites"!

I know that Phoenix is sweet, but he must be tasty too, because a child in his class bit him on the back yesterday. It wasn't bad, no marks or broken skin, but still! Barbarians! I love the way they handle these things though...he (the biter) was put on a lengthy time-out, then was forbidden from taking part in the "Power Hour" which is basically an hour of die-hard fun and games, had to write Phoenix an apology note (Dear Phoenix, I am sorry for biting you. From, Tyler) and then had to do an hour of "community service" which entailed going around the school and picking up garbage. He reportedly sulked the entire time, and was pretty pissed off, so I don't think he'll be doing any further biting. For this year, anyway.

Phoenix is still enjoying playing soccer, although (and I know it's probably mean of me to say this, considering I am his mother), he has absolutely no talent for it. He generally seems to be more interested in just running up and down the field and waving at his fans (parents, brothers, uncles, grandparents). Oh well, he's having fun, and getting exercise, and that's the important part. Their last game was tied 2-2, and when he came home, he said to Mark, "It was a tie game, and that's great, because that means we both won!" Too cute, I tell you.

Keegan is still trucking on with his speech therapy. We have been going once a week for the last few weeks. He is making lots of progress with words such as "in", "on", "under", "beside", "in front" and "behind" and consistantly uses his "is" and "-ing" ( the bird IS flyING). Our major roadblock is still the word NOT. He just doesn't get it, and it frustrates the hell out of me. You can almost see the gears sticking in his head, trying to process the word. I just keep waiting for that lightbulb moment.

Ty is running all over hell's half-acre, as my mom would say. He is a happy, smiley, laughing child pretty much all day. He absolutely LOVES his brothers, and they do everything they can think of to make him laugh. It's so sweet. He has come up with some new words to accompany the constant "Da Da" and "NO!". He now says (after several brain-washing hours with my Dad) "Grandpa" and his newest word is "crazy", which he says whenever he sees Phoenix. Pretty appropriate, I think!

Phoenix and I have been working in earnest to bring up his reading and numeracy skill levels. Flash cards abound! It's going to be a working summer, that's for sure.

So, I suppose soon I will have to get around to buying the end-of-year teacher gifts, and there's a lot of them this year. One for Phoenix's teacher, one for his reading coach, one for each of Keegan's two teachers, and one for Keegan's bus driver, his adored "Miss Rose". Must put on my thinking cap.

Well, I think I am going to grab a cup of tea, and then get working on Phoenix's b-day party invites. Have a swell day everyone!

And a very happy birthday to my friend Alison!!!!

I'm Like The Wicked Witch Of The West!!!!

Aww.....it's like Oz around here..."I'm melting! I'm melting!" Kripes! Is it ever hot here today! About 33C, that's about 90-ish F, for you Americans. Closer to 100F with the humidex. Great day for the TTC to go on strike, stranding 700,000 commuters in the GTA. Then again, I'm at home. No commute, just kids and laundry. Today, and most every day, I have the better deal. But, man! It's hot.

I am reluctant to turn on the air conditioning this early in the season, however, the temperature indoors is rapidly rising, and this weather is wreaking havoc on the allergy sufferers in our house, especially poor Keggers. Maybe time to bring out the kiddie pool instead?

We had a great weekend! The FSRT duck race was a success, as was the Festival, and we brought in an estimated 5000 people...awesome! The kids had a great time, and they were as good as gold.

Now, back to the grind. School, laundry etc. I think I hear an ice-packed glass of iced-tea calling me, so have a good week, and try not to melt!

Could It Be? A Cake-Free Week?

It seems like all I have been doing all month is baking cakes. A Barbie cake for the school raffle, a Saturn cake for Keegs, a Pocoyo cake for Ty...now I have a blessed week off. Until next week, that is, when I am making another one. My next cake venture is for my friend Teresa, who, with 6 of her friends, are raising money for the Run for the Cure for Breast Cancer. They have each pledged to raise $2000, a total of $14,000 for their team. Good luck guys! In the spirit of their fundraising event, I am going to be making a cake modelled on my very own double D's. Anything for charity!

Looks like we may finally get some warm weather in the coming week. It has been wicked cold these last few days. I was pulling out the hats and mitts for the boys over the weekend. By Saturday we are supposed to have sun and 26C, which will be awesome for the FSRT Rubber Duck Race that day.

Keegan resumes language therapy on Thursday, where we will meet with his therapist, and develop a summer program for him. I'm anxious to get started. He has come a long way already, and many people have commented that his sentence length and clarity has improved since we began with his exercises. This morning, he actually uttered a 10-word sentence (yes, now I am constantly in the habit of counting his words...). He said, "May I please go downstairs and play with my trains?" Absolutely, doll! And so polite too, which is always nice to hear.

Mark took Phoenix and Keegs to a turkey farm yesterday. They were quite excited when they came home. Keegan got to hold a baby turkey and some eggs, and Phoenix petted a baby chick. They came back with a turkey feather, and 4 farm fresh, straight-from-the-chicken's-butt eggs. Keegan wanted to know when they would "'atch". Mark said, as soon as I put them in the frying pan! He didn't appreciate that answer.

Ty is a ramblin' man these days, making continuous circuits of the main floor of the house: hallway, kitchen, dining room, living room and back to hallway. Over and over and over. At least he's worn out for his naps!

Well, I suppose I should get over to Keegs and get some lessons in before lunch. Later taters.

OY! My Aching Back!

7:00 am. Woken by children. Stumble to bathroom. Crawl back into bed with hubby. Hoping for some rare morning action. Foreplay interrupted after 2.2 seconds by first and second child crawling into bed with us. Abandon hope. Make bottle for Ty. Feed Ty. Throw in a load of laundry. Give boys breakfast. Do dishes. Get kids dressed. Get Keegs off to school. Pack Ty and Bun into the car. Go scouting for patio furniture en route to grocery store. Go grocery shopping. Go to bank. Come home. Uppack food. Bake a cake. Make lunch. Put Keegs and Ty down for nap. Make icing. Help Mark unload new patio furniture. Laundry. Ice cake. Feed Ty. Go to hairdressers. Get Ty's haircut. Come home. Put kiddies into jammies and into bed. Feed Ty. Put Ty to bed. Make food for party tomorrow. Walk to store because I forgot three ingredients. Come home. Make more food. Laundry. Dishes. Put on jammies. Too tired for action, but determined.
11:33 pm.

The Big 0-1!!!

Happy Birthday Ty! You are one year old today! Boy, did that year go fast...with several false labours, you finally arrived with minimal fuss, and great joy. How happy we were to finally meet you! And your brothers were so excited to have a new boy in the house.

People generally have a hard time deciding who you look like, and it's no wonder! Everyday, you seem to change. When you were a newborn, you looked just like Keegan, and at 8 months, just like Phoenix, and now you are a combination of the two that is ultimately TY. Your hair is the colour and texture of cornsilk, yet when you were younger, we held out hopes for red. Your beautiful eyes are like your great-aunt Susan's, blue one minute and grey the next. Your smile is daily reminder to me of your Uncle Tommy, but your laugh is truly your own.

You are a sweet, good natured little guy. You blessed my tired soul by sleeping through the night at 7 weeks! I thought that babies that did that were urban legends until you arrived! You always have a 6-toothy grin for everyone you see (especially the girls!) and still love a bedtime snuggle.

Yesterday you woke up from your nap, and decided that you could walk, and went from one side of the room to the other without your familiar furniture hand-holds. Of course, you promptly fell on your butt, but I'm sure you were just startled by my enthusiastic cheering! Chasing after you will shake those extra pounds off of me, I'm sure!

Happy, happy birthday, my little Tyger. I wish you love and happiness and a whole new vocabulary (which now only consists of Mama, Dada and the constant "NO!") as you venture into your second year.

XOXO

Mommy

Lost And Found

My friend Teresa called me last night to see how my Mother's Day was. Very sweet of her, I thought. It wasn't until I got off of the phone that I realized that the reason she was checking on me was because my mom wasn't here for me to spend the day with. And then I had another realization: that this was the first Mother's Day in four years, that I didn't cry.

Not because I miss her less. Not because accepting her loss has become any easier. Not because the pain in my heart has eased in the slightest. I think it is because for the first time, I can see her clearly, in every part of my day. When she comes to me in dreams, she looks healthy, and not sick, as she has for the past 4 years in my sleep. I see her in Phoenix's troubled brow when he struggles with a problem, in Keegan's dark, navy-blue eyes, in Ty's delight at the smallest surprise. I see her when I look at my own hands. When I hear the love for her in her sisters' voices, and in the mannerisms they share with her. I see her when I look in the mirror.

So, although I lost my mother to cancer, I have found her again. She is all around, every day. And I think that that's a reason to smile, instead.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day...
My dishes went unwashed today.
I didn’t make my bed.
I took his hand and followed where his eager footsteps led.
Oh yes, we went adventuring
My little child and I.
Exploring all the great outdoors,
Beneath the sun and sky.
We watched the robin feed her young.
We climbed a sunlit hill.
Saw cloud-sheep scamper through the sky,
We plucked a daffodil.
That my house was so neglected,
That I didn’t brush the stairs,
In twenty years no one on earth
Will know or even care.
But that I helped my little child
To noble adulthood grow,
In twenty years the whole wide world
May look and see and know.
- Anonymous

Wishing all the MOMS out there a wonderful Mother's Day to enjoy with their little darlings...

The Big 0-4!

Happy Birthday Keegan! You are 4 today! Wow, I remember when you were a tiny little baby at 5 lbs, 15 oz. My friend Leanne said, upon observing a diaper change, "That's not a butt! It's a hole with legs!" Yes, you were teeny. Then by six months, you were so chubby you looked like a sausage in a casing! Once you started to walk, the fat rolled off, but you are still a cute, solid kid, with pure muscle power and equiped with amazing lung power to shatter the strongest of windows in the middle of an awe-inspiring tantrum...

You are a loving affectionate child, with a passion for trains and outer space. You have had a rough year with lots of different doctors and therapists to see, and you have a tough road ahead, but I know that you are smart and strong, and will pull through!

You amazed your Grandpa the other day by reciting the names of all of the planets in order, and then pointing them out correctly in pictures. You can also name and visually identify all of the instruments in the brass, woodwind, string and percussion sections of the orchestra, and even identify individual instruments by sound.

You have a smile that can light up a room, and a hug that can steal a breath. And your laugh! It is infectious and adorable. I wish you love and luck and happiness in your journey into your fifth year.

XOXOXO

Mommy

Introducing...................

Introducing...my three fish. In the bottom left of the picture is Hans, named after Hans Lipperhey, the inventor of the telescope. Thanks for that awesome name suggestion, Tommy! Directly above Hans, is HereBoy, which I always thought would be a great name for a dog, but since I will never have one due to allergies, I pass the name to my fish. And last but not least, Fishy-Swa.

Thank you to all who participated in the name game.

I can't believe that it is May already. EEK! Only two more months left of school! Then what will I do!!!???!!! But May has a lot of great things in store. My Keggers is turning 4, baby Ty will become toddler Ty in two weeks...Mother's Day...a birthday party to attend...birthday parties to throw for my boyz, FSRT duck race...the list goes on. Hope your May is merry.

Shann out.

PS. I was watching American Idol tonight. They started by having the remaining contestants sing a song from their respective birth years. Paris' birth year was 1990. 1990! I was in grade 12! Made me feel old, dude. Very old. Kinda like using the word "dude". Maybe I should take a page from Randy's book and say "dawg" instead.

What's That Buzzing Sound?

Just came back from watching hubby's band play in a show. Consumed first alcohol in 12 months. Got quite a happening buzz going on...yeah baby! Managed to not "break the seal" until I home, so now I've gone pee 3 times in 10 minutes. Kripes. I'm gonna be in the bathroom all night. Can't type. Too drunk. Bye.

Oh Keegan, My Keegan!

Keegan and I have been working very hard this past week. We have been playing games giving to us by his language therapist to help him to learn to follow simple one step, two step and three step directions, and complex one and two step directions. He has no problem with the one step directions (Please pick up the toy) and is pretty good with the two step (pick up the toy and put it in the box). Three step directions (pick up the toy, put it in the box, and bring me your cup) leaves him bewildered. At present, he can only hold two directions in his mind at a time. Or if I ask him to do two things, he will do them out of order, which we are also trying to correct (show me the blue block and THEN show me the red block-he'll show me the red one first).

I have also been working on the concept of NOT. I'll have three red blocks and one blue one, and I will ask him to show me the one that is NOT red. Invariably he'll point to a red one, because he is still not grasping the concept of NOT. However, we made some headway today, and he was able to point out the "NOT" object 3/10, which is great compared to his 0/10 of last week. So, slow progress, but any progress is awesome, so I am happy and he is so excited when I give him praise for following directions correctly.

He seems to have grasped the concept of in and on. We are now working on beside and behind and in front. It is working well, because we play these games when Phoenix is at school, and Ty is sleeping so it is just "Mom and Keegs time".

He was exhibiting a bit of jealousy this morning when I was playing with Ty. I was encouraging Ty to take a few steps to me, and when he did, of course I was all "Great job Tyger! Good walking!" and Keegan would say "My turn!" and walk over to me and expect similar praise. It was cute, I did it, but was also careful to explain that he is older than Ty, and is already great at walking and running, and it is our job to teach Ty how to do it correctly. So after that, he was trying to get Ty to walk to him too. What a doll.

Well, I am "starvin Marvin!" as Phoenix would say, so I'm going to grab a late breakfast while Keegan is playing with his puppets. And keep those names coming! I have had some non-blog suggestions and I have decided on two names already, but I still need a third, so think FISH and come up with a great moniker for my third telescope goldfish.

I Need Some Names...

Okay blog readers, I need some names...no! I'm not pregnant! Just the owner of three new fish that need cool names...

They are telescope goldfish, which basically means that they are white with black and orange splotches and huge, bulgy black eyes that look like they've gone 12 rounds with a bad-ass boxer-fish. So, step up to the plate, creative ones, and give me some ideas...winning names will be posted with photos of the fish!

Felt like we spent the whole day shopping today! This morning, while Keegs was at school, Mark, Bun, Ty and I headed off to Costco, did a bit of wallet-damage there, and then headed over to Pet-Smart, where we picked up a fresh load of goldfish for our pond (or should I say raccoon food, since it is a popular late-night dining spot for them...), and my three new fishies. Then we headed home to pick up Keegs, had some lunch and then went on a field trip to Toys R Us, where I did a bit more damage. Managed to pick up some items that the kids didn't notice for the boys' upcoming birthdays, so that was cool. Also, slid over to Babies R Us, and got a new "manly-looking" diaper bag, and some jammies for Tiggs.

Upside, we spent a nice family day. Downside, missed naps for Ty and Keegs, so we had a few crankos in the house around dinner time. Upside, Ty got the giggles during dessert and had us all falling over in our chairs with hysteria as we all joined in. Pretty damned cute, let me tell you.

Now that Easter is over, it is my turn to host some sort of family event, so it's batter up for Keegs 4th birthday and Ty's first. As their b-days are only 6 days apart, we'll be celebrating them together, as we will until Keegs is old enough to bitch about wanting his own day;) .

Well, Mark's in the studio practicing for his upcoming show with his band, the kiddies are sleeping, and the fish are all fed, so, I am going to settle down on the couch with a cup of tea, and watch several episodes of season 3 of Degrassi: The Next Generation.

PS. Congrats to Dianna and Jon, who welcomed their first baby into the world last week, William Henry (Will). He's a doll! Good job, guys!