Because Christmas isn't hectic enough, we have decided to squeeze in a trip to Disney World.  I've been planning it for 6 months and managed to keep it a surprise the entire time.  That's a huge feat for me, considering I can't keep anything to myself for more than a day.  Yesterday we set up a scavenger hunt from "Santa" for the kids, and we taped it.  They seemed more excited about the hunt, but they have both assured me that they are very excited about the trip and can't wait to go.   Sophie didn't really know/ care what was going on, so you'll notice she's conspicuously absent from most of the video.

Phoebe was our kitty.  She was a year and a half when we got her.  Trevor was only 3 months old at the time, so she's been a part of the family practically since we were one.  She was extremely needy, constantly competing for attention with the kids, often accompanying them in my lap.  She was often an after thought...a side note.  I was such an animal person before I had kids.  I was one of those obnoxious people saving every stray and call them "furbabies." Then I had real babies that demanded constant attention and care, leaving me too exhausted and preoccupied to care for anything else.  Phoebe clung to any ounce of attention she was able to receive.  She rarely struck out at the kids out of anger unless it was well deserved.  She kindly let them pull her tail and ears with barely a twitch.  She was a really good kitty and will be missed.

Is this it?  Do I dare dream?  Am I nearing the end of wiping poopy bottoms?  My youngest just used the potty for the very first time.  She's been showing signs of readiness for quite some time, and she finally did it.  Based on her brother and sister, I thought I had at least a good 12 months of diapering madness ahead, but this kid is showing me, as she has since day 1, she does things her way.  Don't get me wrong- I know it's a long road ahead and she's not magically potty trained, yet, but it's a start.

This is a little late, but better late than never, right? In honor of Thanksgiving, I'm making a list of what I'm thankful for. (Groan, I know, but bear with me.) For Thanksgiving we went home, which mean I didn't have to cook.  That's the first thing I'm thankful for, by the way.  While we were there, I realized just how blessed we really are to have such a wonderful support network.  This past year has been so unexpected and crazy, but it's the happiest I've been since I can remember. That brings me to the first thing:

My Job (or lack there of). 

This was the final push I needed to go back to school for something I REALLY wanted to do.  When you're 18, you're expected to know what you want to do with the rest of your life, which is ludicrous.  I mean, can you imagine actually being able to handle puke, blood, etc. at the ripe old age of 21?  There are those that know from a very young age that it's their destiny.  I was not one of them.  I always said I could never be a nurse.  That was before I had kids.  Now I regularly get doused in poo, pee, puke, blood, etc.  I also know how to comfort someone when they're physically and emotionally in pain.  I've spent the last 8 years acting as a Nurse, and now it's time I got paid for it.  The business world served its purpose, but I'm happy to be out of it.  But, if it weren't for the selfishness, paranoia, and disrespect I delt with at my last job, I would probably still be in the field.  That pushed me to demand a job in which regardless of how badly I was treated as an employee, I would at least have the satisfaction of knowing I was making the world a better place.  A wonderful bonus to being a full-time student is getting to stay home with the kids.  There are definitely times in which I want to run out of the house screaming back to corporate America, but for the most part, I feel blessed to be given the opportunity to be with my kids without being rushed or feeling guilty. 

Family

This year we have spent more time with extended family then I can remember.  We had a blast over Thanksgiving, and I can't wait to get together again over Christmas.  I miss the family get togethers we had when I was small, so I'm thankful that Wesley's family is so great about making the effort.  I miss my own family, so as much as I hate to admit it, I'm glad for  Facebook, since it has allowed me to get back in contact with them.  I am blessed to have a mother who will drop everything to come watch the kids for me when needed.  If it weren't for her, this school thing wouldn't be happening.  I am also thankful for in-laws that are so supportive and provide us with that much needed alone time.

Wesley

He has been more supportive over the last 9 months than I could have anticipated or even deserved.  He continues to amaze me with his devotion to his family.  I am so lucky to be with someone who challenges me every day to be a better person while accepting me as I am.

The Kids

Trevor- He is the most moral, empathetic person I know.  I wish I could take credit for the way he's turning out, but he was born that way. He is wise beyond his years, and I really enjoy our philosophical conversations.  He can be stubborn and persistent, but he stands up for his beliefs, so I worry so much less about him now. 

Victoria- What can I say?  Whatever "it" is, this child has "it" and then some.  Looks, personality, comedic timing- she keeps me in stitches.  She is the epitome of fun.  I can't stay mad at her, and forget about punishments.  She forces me to be flexible and has made me an expert in the art of negotiation. She has also turned into a caring, dependable big sister- the lion to Sophie's mouse.

Sophie- She's so smart.  I mean scary smart.  She recognizes several letters of the alphabet on sight.  She says 2 and 3 word sentences.  She understands everything I say makes connections faster than most adults I know.  She, like her sister, is also quite the comedienne.  I'm in trouble.  She's Baby Face Grace, head of the underground Seigler child mafia.  She probably will be the death of me, but until then, I will enjoy every moment with her.

And finally I'm thankful for this...

When I was a kid, I was scared of everything- ghosts, aliens, dinosaurs (I was so sure Jurassic Park could actually happen, I had nightmares about it.) Unfortunately, I seem to have passed the scaredy cat/ worry wart gene down to my son.  For example after we returned home from Trick-or-treating, he came down from his room to tell me that his night light was unplugged.  He knew he didn't do it, so instead of suspecting one of his sisters (one in particulary has quite an affinity for playing with outlets, much to my dismay), he was certain it was a ghost.  I used to spend many nights talking myself out of irrational thoughts like this, so I knew how to answer him.  I said that it was most likely Sophie, and even if there was a ghost, it wouldn't be able to physically touch the plug to remove it.  Well, that may have reassured me, but not him.  All he heard was that there may be a ghost.  I tried to nip that as well and assure him there's no such thing.  I fear the day in which he discovers shows like Ghost Hunters and the like. 

I hate that his thoughts are overrun with irrational anxieties, but then I remember that once I had kids, those thoughts were violently tossed aside and replaced by completely plausible fears.  Can we afford daycare for 1...2...and now 3 kids?  What if one of us loses our job? Now that I've lost my job, how will we survive? What if something happens to one of this kids?  Could I survive that?  What if something happens to Wesley, and I have to raise them by myself?  Although everything always works out for us, I still worry about something every second of every day, and I know Trevor will be the same.  So, as much as it annoys me to have to continuously reassure him that there are no ghosts in his room, no metal stuck in his hand/foot, etc., I know that he will have plenty of time for valid adult concerns.  I miss the days when my biggest concern was giant T-Rexes taking over the world, so I will try to relish these days when I can actually help alleviate his worries before he enters the "real world" and knows what real fear is.

Birthdays, Fair, Concert, Mountains...not to mention tests, projects, practicums.  Where did the month go? 

Im summary, Vic turned 5, and I turned 29...again for about the 4th time.  We went to the fair where The Avett Brothers played.  I try every year to ignore my birthday, so this year I chose to do that with a trip to the mountains where we went to a real deal apple orchard to pick our own right off the tree.  (Sidenote, I later found out my 8yo thought it was totally boring.) 

I hate that this is such a ridiculously short post for being gone for a month, but in all honesty, I've come crawling back to Facebook, so I tend to recount everything there.  The short statuses are a lot more conducive to being a SAHM to 2 girls plus a full-time student.  Very little thought and reflection required.  I have, at least, kept up with taking pictures.

So for the past 5 years I've been through a parental bootcamp of sorts.  It started on October 1, 2005 with a beautiful baby girl who was feisty from day 1.  She never went through what I call the "blobby" infant stage of just lying there, snuggling, and being adorable.  The day she was born, I remember everyone remarking how she was holding her head up and looking around already.  She also pooped on me about 4 times in a row and screamed her head off whenever she couldn't see what was going on.  This insistance on being omnipotent of her surroundings forced us to hold her facing outward until she was able to crawl on her own and sit up by herself.  Once she was mobile, books were deshelved, markers colored walls, and playdough was stuck in carpet.  She screamed at the least little displeasure and grunted and pointed to get what she wanted until she learned to talk...at 2 years old.  And, she never rewarded my patience and love with even a snuggle.  She was too busy to pay me any attention.

Luckily this all began to change around age 4 in which she became more demonstrative with her affections.  And now that she's 5, she has matured into a sweet, loving, caring child.  She showers me with hugs and kisses and tells me she loves me out of the blue.  She is more patient and understanding, although we still battle about bed times and cleaning up.  Overall she is an amazing sister to both her siblings, and I can tell that she destined to be the center of attention in whatever her future holds.  I'm so proud of her and lucky to have her in my life.  She's also one of the funniest people I know and has amazing comedic timing at such a young age.  I feel like I am the grasshopper to her sensei.  She has taught me how to be an effective parent- how to communicate, bargain, and most importantly not to sweat the small stuff.  I am now prepared to handle whatever (Sophie) may come. 

Today we did the Mud Run. By "we", I mean Wesley did it with his cousins, and I watched the kids.  I was there in spirit, dammit, so that should count for something.  He came out looking like something I had nightmares about as a kid, so I can't imagine what his own kids thought about it.  Their expressions say it all, no?  I am super proud that he completed the entire course.  I'm even inspired to try to get in shape for the next one, but I have 364 days to talk myself out of that insanity.

We still have 2 days of summer left and my kids have already started making their Christmas lists.  I think it's safe to say they're even more ready for the seasons to change than I am.  Even with Fall fast approaching, it's still in the mid-90s here, so we spent the weekend camping indoors, playing at the park, and swimming for the last time at the pool before it closes.  That was about all our weekend consisted of since I was exhausted from waking up at 5 am every day to study for 4 tests last week.  It was a proper end to a wonderful season.  Now I'm ready for some candy apples, trick-or-treating, and carving pumpkins.

I know we technically have a couple of weeks left in summer, but for the most part, once Labor Day is over, its days are numbered.  I, for one, am welcoming the season change.  First of all, I'm a fall baby.  Second, these 90 plus degree temps are killers. And third, Fall means Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner.

To commemorate the last long weekend of summer, we decided to take the kids to the beach and invited the in-laws to tag along for what was supposed to be a largely stress-free vacation.  I had intended to catch up on my reading for school, play (win) some games of Boggle and Scrabble, and relish some alone time on the beach since I would have extra hands and eyes.  Hah!  It's like I forgot who my own children are.

It all began with the 4 hour trip there.  It's normally a 3 hr trip, even with Victoria's mulitple potty stops, but apparently everyone else in Columbia had the same idea as us and decided to take I-77 to I-26 toward Charleston at the exact same time.  After we maneuvered past the nightmare traffic on 26 and 95, we stopped in Walterboro for our last chance potty break.  Sophie, at this point, was exhausted and done.  We made the mistake of taking her out of her car seat, and she refused to get back in.  After smushing and forcing her back into place, we were off again.  Sophie serenaded us with a high pitched shriek for the next hour, almost the entire rest of the way to the beach house.  She didn't stop until about 5 minutes before we pulled up.  One thing you have to give her, she's persistent.

The next day the waves were really rough, especially at high tide.  Wesley turned around for a second to tell Trevor and Victoria to be extra careful and not to go much further than the edge.  No sooner had he turned around when a huge wave came, sucked Sophie under and tumbled her like a washing machine.  It was horrifying to say the least, but about 5 minutes after, she was right back in there playing in the surf.  She's a tough cookie, to be sure.

Sunday we decided to do something different.  Edisto has a natural preserve called Botany Bay, which I've never been to in all my years of going there.  We decided to try it out because it's supposed to have beautiful shells.  Turns out it does, but as of 1/1/10, you're not allowed to take any of them with you.  The place was absolutely beautiful, so of course I took a bunch of pics.  I wanted one of the 3 kids, and Wesley picked out a spot near some trees.  You'll notice I took a pic of the trees, but the kids aren't in it.  That's because on the way to them, Trevor slipped in some muck and sliced the bottom of his foot open on some upturned shells. It's a good 4-5in gash.  Wesley had to carry him back to the car, and we left immediately after. No stitches were needed, thank goodness, but I've learned that if anything is going to happen, it will happen to Trev.  And before you think I'm a horrible mom who stopped to take pictures as my son was bleeding to death, I took all of the Botany Bay pics before he sliced and diced his foot.

Wesley and I never get the opportunity to walk the beach at night, so we took advantage of his parents' help and took off after they went to bed Sunday night.  We initally went just to look at the stars and relax, but we noticed several people carrying red and green lights.  My curiosity got the best of me, so I had to ask what they were doing.  It turns out that the sea turtles were hatching, and they were helping guide them toward the ocean because they're an endangered species.  We were able to help guide 12 baby sea turtles to the ocean that night, so that was really exciting.  We weren't able to get the best pictures, but I posted one that he took.

We made it back on the beach one more time before we left today, and even with Trevor's lame foot, I think everyone had a great time.  We had another 4 hr journey home, because traffic was just as gnarley come back as it was going, so I am thrilled to finally be here.  Incidentally, it was exactly a year ago that I started this site, so props to me for dedication and effort, both of which I'm not sure I've ever exhibited for a year in relation to one particular task.