Catching up...again

I am not sure how many posts I have that are titled "catching up" but I am sure there are many.  Oh well, such is my life and I am not seeing it get any better any time soon!  Life with 3 kids has really thrown me for a loop and I feel all sorts of crazy these days.  I am pretty sure that every new person I have met since having Grace thinks I am looney tunes.  They also probably wonder what the heck is wrong with me and why I can't control my kids or stop talking about things like breastfeeding, thrush, mastitis and the like.   Maybe the start of school and a good schedule to follow each day will help...or not.  Madison started school last week and I don't have a singe first day of school picture.  I thought about making her put on her first day of school outfit again and stand in front of the door with her back pack to try and re-create the moment.  Then I thought "who am I kidding?  My name is Jodee, I am a mom of three and I don't have my act together".  The first step is admitting you have a problem right?

Well, it all got a little too hard to handle for me so when Ronnie was off on a butt numbing 4 day horse trek with the youth at church, I took the kids and headed for mom and dad's house.  I nearly turned around in Ellensburg, it took me a good 3 hours to get there.  Grace is not a fan of the car seat and stopping with 3 kids alone trying to change a diaper, help a short little boy reach the toilet to pee and keep them all entertained while I fed the baby proved to be more disastrous than I care to admit.  We finally made it to nana and papa's house and I vowed right then and there that I was never going home.  Our 6 hour drive ended up being more like 8.5 and nearly half of it included a screaming baby.  So, with only enough clothes for 4 days, we made it work and stayed put at my parents house for nearly 10.  My first goal was to get rid of this nasty thing they call thrush that we just keep passing back and fourth to each other.  I won't go into too many details but let's just say it involves yeast, a little white tongue, and a sensation like someone is stabbing me in the boob with a knife.  Enough said, we want it gone!  Our second goal was to get Grace on a bottle to help accomplish goal number one.  And my third goal while at nana and papa's house was to give my other two kids some much needed entertainment besides the TV so they would stop fighting and complaining to me that summer was boring.  Well, 1/2 of one goal out of 3 isn't bad right?  The kids were entertained but they still fought and we are still battling thrush a month later because not one bottle has been consumed and the prescribed medication failed 3 weeks in a row.  Let's take a look on the bright side shall we?  Grace is the ONLY one of my kids who actually wants to nurse and takes comfort in it.  That right there is enough for me to keep going and savor this time.
So, a fun time was had by most at nana and papa's house and I was able to really take care of myself and Grace and know that the other two were having a blast!

Visiting the cows in the back yard

squirt guns in the pool

fun at the lake

madison taking a turn on the inner tube

making cookies with nana

Meeting Great Grandma

being silly

and just hanging out

Thanks mom and dad, it is so nice to know that I can still be taken care of even though I am supposed to be taking care of my own kids.  I love you!