The Biggest Problem

I am so pissed off, right now. I pay a woman big dollars to take care of my children. It is not my CHOICE to work. I have to work to pay bills and to provide for my kids. I trust the daycare to take care of my children and ensure their safety...
I feel like a fool for trusting anyone with my most treasured possessions...my kids. I recieved my second phone call from Madison's school, informing me that the daycare had forgotten to pick her up for the SECOND time.
I was pissed after the first time, but thought, oh well, mistakes happen. Now, after the second time, I don't know what to do. I do not want my kids going back there... I don't have any other choices.
Then, tonight, while I am bawling my little eyes out, threatening to quit my job, Matthew informs me that EVERYTIME he has picked the kids up from daycare, Logan has been locked in the high chair. Is that how they "watch" the kids. Lock them up so they can't do anything??!!
I wish I knew of someone who would watch my babies, and love them the way I do. Who can you trust these days? The only option it seems, is to quit my job and take care of my own babies...

The Exhibition

I remember being a kid, and when summer came around I was so excited for the Prince Albert Exhibition!! THE FAIR!!

I was able to hold Madison off until this year, and then of course hearing others talk about it, she started asking questions. I knew I had to take her! I was pretty much as excited as she was!

I did totally forget how expensive the fair can be....at least now we are able to buy bracelets to ride, instead of tickets. Bracelets cost $37 at the fair, and $25 if you buy them weeks in advance. If you were to buy tickets, it's absolutely crazy, it's a dollar per ticket, and each ride is average of 5 tickets to ride!!! I can't believe you pay five bucks for a 30 second ride...blows my mind.

I have two HUGE pet peeves about the fair. 1) THE NASTY CARNIES

2) THE TERRIBLE PARENTING

I understand that dealing with hundreds of hyper, over-excited kids all day would not be an ideal day of fun....HOWEVER, you are a CARNIE....your JOB is to operate rides for KIDS!! Could you not treat them with respect, talk to them instead of yelling? Could you not make it fun for them? Do you have to scare them? I was one of the parents who would walk my kid up to the ride, place them one the ride, buckle them in, and when the ride stopped...I WENT AND GOT MY KID OFF... I don't need a carnie touching my child, or yelling at my child. I seen so many kids get scared of the guy running the ride...a small child, no more than two, was standing in line with his mother, and tugging at the gate, because he was so excited. The carnie walked over to him, and YELLED at him to stop pulling on the gate, and to 'WAIT YOUR TURN, BUDDY". Needless to say, the mother left that particular ride with her small child, who of course was crying. Have some patience. If you don't like children, go to school and get a REAL job.

On her favorite ride...the fishy ride...before being told she was too big for it (after 6 rides)

Then, on the other hand...what the hell is wrong with parents? So many kids were running around the fair grounds by themselves. It was unbelievable. There were kids as young as two and three running around and getting in the line ups by themselves. It made me so sad. Aren't these parents worried about something happening to them? Obviously not...

All in all, Madison had a fantastic time, and was totally upset that I made her leave at 10:30PM, after being there for 8 hours...lol! I am so glad she had Taylor to go on the rides with...they had a blast. Made it all worth while! Thank goodness it only comes once a year!!

Madi and her daddy on the ferris wheel!

Summer Lovin'

Thought I would share a few of my summery photos!


I can't believe that it's already the beginning of August!!! How time flies. The beginning of August means two things for me...1) Summer is almost over, and 2) I will be going back to work in about a months time...CRAZY!!

I have always loved summer. From the time I was a little girl, summer has always been my favorite season, which is totally hilarious, because if you know me at all, I am a total wimp when it comes to insects and critters...haha! Yet, I would take all the critters and insects in the world over the snow and cold of winter. There is nothing worse than leaving the house at 6 am to go to work and it's forty below out...I don't even want to think about it.

Not to mention how pretty summer is. All the beautiful flowers, trees and all the wonderful colour! I find fall so depressing. All the plants dying, and the days getting cooler... Maybe I need to move somewhere warmer. I guess I will just have to win the lottery and start travelling in the winter months...





So not only am I getting depressed about my having to go back to work, but I am also dealing with a very, very sick little man, AGAIN!! I brought him to the doctor on Wednesday, and found out that not only does he have an eye infection, and bronchitis, but he also has the beginnings of pneumonia...He is on a really strong antibiotic, two inhalers, and eye drops. I feel so bad for him. He finally woke up looking a little more ike himself today. I think he is finally starting to feel better. Thank goodness. And thank goodness Matt stepped up to the plate and took the day off to help with him yesterday, because this is the time I decided to get the flu...lol!! That's the way the cookie crumbles, I guess!!!!

Jenna's Grad

I love every opportunity to practise and improve my photography skills. I was so lucky to be able to practise on my sister-in-law Jenna, who graduated on Saturday. She trusted me to do her graduation photos, and I had a blast!!

We took the entire day to do the photos. We started off in St. Louis at the bridge, then at the river, and then we met at Mardell's and took tons of photos in her yard. Overall I think they turned out great. Hopefully Jenna will think so too!

I ended up doing photos for another girl in Jenna's graduating class... Those were a lot less formal, as the girl, Melissa, isn't real big on photos, so I did what I could do!!

The more I practise, the more confident I am becoming! Thank goodness for my online mentoring group for teaching me sooooo much in such a little time!

Maybe Jenna will let me do wedding photos when the time comes....

My Everyday.

I just turned 31. I have a baby who is about to crawl and now eats "real" food. I have a daughter who is about to start kindergarten. I have a son about to enter junior high school. Where did time go??









In one hand I feel so old, and I am left longing for my teen years. The years without worries. Without bills... In the other hand, I have never been happier.


I have a husband who loves me, and three beautiful, healthy children. I wouldn't trade it for the world.





I laugh when I watch Madison play. Her imagination is totally unbelievable. She plays with "my boy" as she calls him. (Her imaginary friend.) If something gets broke, or lost, and we ask her about it, she always replies, "My boy did it. He's bad, isn't he?"





She is constantly taking care of her baby, whose name changes everday...lol. She makes her nap, puts her in it's carseat for the trips to Grandma's, and always tucks her in at night. We even had to get her diapers... After taking care of her baby all day, one day, Madison turned to me and said. "I don't want babies when I grow up." I said, "What, you don't want to have kids?" She replied, "Oh, I want kids, but I don't want babies, they are too much work."


Now that's a smart girl!





I may not be working right now, and I may not go out a lot, or do many things, but my life is far from boring. I only need to sit and watch my children play, and I am entertained, and blessed. I know how lucky I am!

Family

I remember being a teenager, and thinking that I would never grow old. Thinking the world would stand still, and I would always be 17. Partying, having a blast, not having to worry about anything...I thought that was the life. I was so naive!

I didn't realize how badly I wanted to grow up. How badly I just wanted to be an adult, to have a family, a career, and a purpose.

I couldn't imagine my life without Matthew, or my three beautiful babies! Even when they are sick, cranky, miserable, and totally getting on my nerves...lol. I never realized how much room my heart held for my family.

My wonderful family. My kids, niece and nephew!

Mason Linfitt, the newest member!!

It seems as though my family keeps getting bigger and bigger. I just welcomed the newest edition....Mason Christopher Linfitt, my new nephew was born on May 17th. He is such a sweetheart! Then, on the same day, I found out my sister, Janine, is also expecting!! How exciting! It just seems like your heart grows bigger and bigger and makes room for all the new people in your life. It's pretty amazing that one person could feel so much love for so many other people!

My little nephew on his first day home!

At the same time it holds so much room for the heartbreak you have to endure in your lifetime. On May 29th, it will be one year since Cory passed away. It breaks my heart everyday when I think of him, Christie and Sienna. They would have been the perfect family. I feel so bad for little Sienna who will never be held in her Daddy's arms. Something every little girl needs. I know she will know about him, his family and his wife would never let her live a life without him. My heart breaks for them.

I don't realize how lucky I am sometimes, and I take so many things for granted. I think I need to start taking the time to smell the rain, hold Logan for that one minute more than he needed, to kiss Madi's booboo's, and paint her toenails, and to appreciate all I have in my life. My family, my home, my career.

The three greatest things in my life!

I think of all the people in my life that have passed on, and how easily it could have been me, or my children, and it takes my breath away. Nothing is forever. Nothing is guaranteed. Except for today, and this moment.









Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away...









I am more lucky than I will ever allow myself to know.

Madison holdin a flower from Grandma Koslowski's funeral.

I miss her so much. I wish I could hear her tell just one more story...

What next?.....The psych ward??!! LOL

What next??!! My poor little Logan has been teething for the last couple of months, he has been getting crankier and crankier as the days go by. Then a little over a month ago, I was at mom's visiting when I noticed that he was really wheezy, so I brought him to the doctor. Well, he ended up having bronchitis. The doctor figured that there was a possibility of it being asthma, but Logan is too young to be tested for asthma.

He finally started getting better after being on an inhaler for over a week, and then all of a sudden, a few weeks later, he is all wheezy again. I bring him back to the doctor, and sure enough, it's bronchitis again...twice in less than a month. This doctor also thinks there is a high possibility of asthma. Anyway, he put him on two inhalers, a liquid form of Flovent, and an antihistamine. My poor little guy, in the meantime is teething hardcore. Talk about miserable!!

About three days ago his first tooth poked through, and he is really working on the second tooth! He is finally a little better and not so cranky.

(Logan and his first tooth!!)

Just when I was thinking that things were finally going to be a little less stressful, Madison wakes up at one in the morning, last night, screaming and crying. She was complaining of an earache... I could not do anything to make her feel better. She finally (with the help of Tylenol) fell asleep about 8 o'clock this morning. I am so exhausted.

I took her to the doctor this afternoon, and found out that she has a severe ear infection...DOES IT EVER END??!!

Oh, yes! I forgot to mention, my wonderful husband, Matthew also has a cold. Just a cold. Nothing more than a cold. You would think he is dying, though. It must be some form of a fatal cold...he is the worst of the three.

God grant me patience...I think I am about to go insane!!!