Bug #20

"thank you fireflies our friends, you led us here so brightly. We do appreciate your help. We do not take it lightly"

Here's what ya missed- listen carefully because she's fast! Only 4 little lines. That's our bug #20! The play was too cute- about "Bugz" and ants on a picnic. Bug #20 got to be any bug she wanted so she chose to be a monarch butterfly. There were lots of bees and ladybugs. I saw a misquito, a stink bug (that kid wasn't happy about it- per Lauren), some army ants (their little presentation was so cute) and Lauren's best friend was a gypsy moth who got to sing a solo! That's Hanna though- she is always dancing and singing around. She brings out "the girl" in Lauren :0) It's nights like these that I feel even more grateful for Gavin. I'd be leaving all these little programs so sad that "this is the last 3rd grade play I'll ever come to". Gavin is giving me so much to look forward to. They all are really- they're each in such different phases. Hunter's awesome. He's such a good kid. Lauren's just too sweet. Gavin? Now he's giving me a run for my money but secretly, I enjoy every minute.

Lauren's starring role in the upcoming musical

"Bugz" on Wednesday, April 30th 7:00pm at Wolf's Crossing Elementary! Don't miss Lauren Knill! She was so excited to bring home her program and as she was telling me all about it I thought "oh is she a lady bug, an army ant, the queen bee?" Then she proclaimed "I'm bug number 20!" I rooted her on and agreed that "bug number 20 is the BEST bug! I always wanted to be bug #20!" So for the past few weeks she has been rehearsing her lines for her upcoming role in the 3rd grade musical. Only 4 lines, but hey- bug number 20 needs no more! (at least she's not a stink bug or the maggot- or a grub worm! ) In case you miss it, here are Lauren's lines:

"Thank you fireflies, my friends

You led us here so brightly

We do appreciate your help

We do not take it "lightly"

Her 10 seconds or so in the spotlight will be posted you bet and autographs available shortly thereafter!

My new position!!!!

You may or may not know right now exactly what my job as a nurse has been for the past 2 years. I've taken care of moms and babies after the babies are born (post-partum) and I've taken care of pregnant moms before they deliver (ante-partum) -say a mom goes into preterm labor and it's too soon for the baby to be born- but I have just been offered a labor and delivery position to be their delivery nurse! I'll be delivering babies! I'm soooooooooo excited I can't stand it right now!! I wanted to jump out of my skin when I got the call! My friend Julie was here so I had to "play it cool" but the truth is, I feel like cartwheeling all around the neighborhood right now!! It's been said that you're scared to death every time you come to work- because the liability is so huge- (we're responsible for mom AND baby) but I'm looking forward to the adrenaline rush. I was getting bored. And in this day and age with all the fertility patients, we're seeing more and more twins, even triplets. So I'm looking forward to the challenge, the joys, there will be sorrows and especially I'm looking forward to the difference I can make in my patient's life- by being an integrel part of their birthing experience. This might mean that National has to wait (I've been thinking about continuing my education at National University and getting my doctorate in chiropractic medicine) but that's okay because this is a HUGE, exciting opportunity for me! Wish me luck! :0)

No cell phones allowed!

What did we ever do without cell phones? What did we ever do without ipods, laptops, portable dvd's, etc. etc. etc.? We spent quality time with each other- that's what! As Gav and I were out and about, driving to our next destination, I called mom. She couldn't talk. I called my sister- not home. My friend Julie? Not available. So as I jokingly thought to myself "noone wants to talk to me" I simultaneously heard the sweetest little voice call from the back seat "mama?"My heart SANK! I was so busy occupying my time looking for conversation with a friend, that I was tuning out the one person in the world who was looking for conversation with me! While I actively sought ways to neglect my son, he actively sought ways to capture my attention- and I didn't even hear him! Turns out, he was sharing with me all his insights on the farm we just passed. How many times have I missed that because I was chatting on the phone? How many opportunities did I miss to moo like a cow and niegh like a horse because I was too busy sharing some trivial gossip? What was meant for "emergencies only" has become an all too important luxury-and I want to thank Gavin for reminding me that in this day and age of electronics, emails, video games, etc. what stands the test of time- what will never-ever change, is a child's need for his family- not his "stuff". Whether he's 13 or 2 or anywhere in between.

One of our favorite places

This park is one of our favorite places to go. There's something for everyone. It's much prettier in the summer when the trees are full. We picnic there, fish, go minnowing, look for frogs, hike along the river (the Fox River), you can ride bikes along the path. In the summer there's a retired science teacher who's got a little old fashioned hot dog stand, ice cream etc. The playground is appropriate for Gavin sized and Lauren sized kids. Hunter fishes while the little one's play so it works out good when we all want to get out. This is also the park where we had our family picture taken last winter. Off to the right you can follow a path over a pretty wooded bridge and along the river. To the left is downtown Oswego with cute little shops and restaurants. You can easily make a day of it. It's one the "Knill family" retreats :0) Gavin made friends with "Karly" right away so they played all morning while I struggled to stay awake after working all night-Thank God for Starbuck's venti Skinny Vanilla Lattes- :0)

Lauren's horseback riding lessons

. . . are going great! I thought you might enjoy seeing her in action. The video is kind of slow but not too long. She's trotting now and looks sooooooooo forward to Tuesdays! Last week it was raining so Gav and I couldn't wander around the farm to see the other horses. Instead I packed snacks and books, put the back seats of the truck down, spread a blanket, parked right in front of where they had the side barn door opened and we picniced and got to see Lauren as she passed by on her horse. It was actually pretty fun!

I'm becoming one of THEM. . .

A scrapper! I LOVE IT! I can't wait till my first weekend away at one those all inclusive hotels where you just sit around and SCRAP all weekend!! When Aunt Ginny came to town we all stopped in our local scrap book store called "Scrap Addict" (and rightfully fitting) and I was like a kid in a candy shop! OMG! Here is my very first project- a "jacob's ladder" (it folds into a square- ya know) with a few of my favorite pictures from our trip to Great America last summer- we stayed overnight and went to the beach the next day. I chose this because the kids would have fun looking at it too. The very last picture are the kids eating lunch at the overpass. It was Hunter's birthday (hence why we had the overnight in the first place) so we let him pick anywhere he wanted to eat. He picked the Oasis. They loved seeing the cars driving beneath and it reminded me of being a kid. See how these simple things make kids soooooooo happy! Lauren went on the biggest scariest coasters and when we were done I was sitting scared stiff and she was yelling "yeeaaahh" with her fist in the air! Even Hunter opted not to go on some of the big ones- Lauren is fearless. Gav tootled around in his kid's zone and enjoyed the water ride and the train. It was a fun day and now I'm learning neat things to do with all my pictures instead of throwing them in boring albums. I only wish digital cameras were around sooner!

Please say a prayer for Aunt Bernice

This is a picture of all the kids with their Great Aunt Bernice come to be known as "Aunt B". We welcomed Aunt B into our immediate family last year when she moved home from Arizona. She and my mom travel in pairs nowadays. Please say a prayer for Aunt B as she goes in for some (hopefully) minor surgery on Wednesday. All the kindness is appreciated.

Gavin's field trip

Does a trip to the "Family Laundry Center" count as an outing in a baby book? Because it sure was an excursion! Our dryer's on the fritz so Gav and I halled allllllllllll our laundry to the laundry mat this morning. Todd stayed home from work to fix the dryer. I figured I'd get more done with Gavin than Todd could having to be scrunched behind the dryer. Well Gav loved it! He helped me put all the clothes in and loved watching it. Then- just our luck another little 2 year old boy came in! Gavin made friends quickly and the two of them colored, read books and ate snacks that I bought with. I admit I was starting to panic when it came to fold everything. Gav was getting bored by now and there was A LOT to do but then, just our luck, Todd called to see how we were doing so he met us there and folded all the clothes while I brought Gavin home for lunch and a nap. It was quite an adventurous morning! But we got nice smelling closets AND Todd got the dryer fixed so it was a profitable morning after all :0)

Three cheers for Hunter!

I've always said "you can't judge a book by it's cover". Hunter gets his long hair back! One of those certificates is honor roll and the other is "student of the quarter" for being a positive role model- YES- OUR HUNTER! The book phrase suits him because he loves having long hair and we've said "we love having good grades"- so that's our deal. Now, to look at him I think people see a long haired, scraggly kid-little do they know he needs to be on honor roll to have that long hair! We are so proud of him. He was waiting everyday for his report card to come in the mail confident it was good. And I'll tell ya what, he made more money in an hour than I do! Lauren's also got all "E's" which would translate to straight A's and Mr. Tamez said she "continues to amaze him with her ideas". Way to go kids!

A True Friend

Meet Max. Max is our neighbor across the street and one of Lauren's very best friends. He is the sweetest little boy we know. He and Lauren remind me of one of my best childhood friends, Eric Caro, who was also Philipine. Anyway, the school book fair is going on now and as Max roamed the aisles looking at all the books he ran across Curious George. Knowing that Gavin LOVES Curious George- he bought it for him~ on his very own, with his very own money. What's more is that today's weather was the most beautiful we've had in a long time and after Gavin's nap we planned on going "frogging" (aka to catch frogs) at this new pond Todd found- and this book is about tadpoles growing into frogs! We didn't find any frogs but Max came along and we had a wonderful hike through the woods. We did manage to see two deer- I can't believe how close we got. They must be used people hiking around. Even Gavin made the 2 hour hike around the forest preserve- there was so much to see and do. You'll notice he's learned to say "cheese" when the camera's out!