At Home with the Sartors

Girl Scout Rally!

2010-01-09T15:40:00.002-06:00

One of the best things that Gabby and I have been involved with this year is the Girl Scout organization. Not only has it been fun, but it has been a great way for me to spend time with Gabby and see her in her environment with her friends. Plus I have made some wonderful friends in my co-leaders!!! LOVE you Angel and Mackenzie!!!!

Anyway, we had a great time this morning tasting cookies, making cookie milk shakes, learning songs and as you can see in the picture below dressing up like cookies!!!! Look out friends and neighbors, we are headed to your door to sell some cookies!!!!

Long time no blog....

2010-01-08T15:23:00.004-06:00

Wow, can it really be 4 months since I last blogged. Where does the time go????What a crazy end to 2009. We had a wonderful Christmas! Oklahoma was blessed with snow on Christmas Eve this year (14 inches). The most snow on record in Central Oklahoma. It was great to have a white Christmas and very special for Nana and Papa who had never experiences a white Christmas!

The down side was that the entire state practically shut down for days and we were stuck in the house for most of the two week Christmas break. We ventured out for a few movies and a play date or two, otherwise Mommy would have gone absolutely MAD!

Now here we are already a week into the new year! I am trying to get the house market ready this month, so I will be in a cleaning tizzy! We are excited at the thought of being closer to our Texas family and friends, but getting very sad about the idea of leaving our Oklahoma friends. I can't believe our time here is almost at an end!

Enjoy some great pics from the end of the year! Happy 2010!!!

Starting First Grade and other things...

2009-09-01T13:39:00.002-05:00

Well it has been two weeks since my baby started first grade at Centennial Elementary. Originally she was in class with several of our neighbors children and although she was thrilled with that situation I had my reservations. Luckily, for me, there were too may kids in each class and Gabby was randomly picked (or as we think - kicked out by her teacher for talking too much!) to go into Ms. Kysar, the new 1st grade teachers, class. I really like this new teacher and hope that our second start to the year is a bit less trouble!

Jackson has also started school again. He is still at First Presbyterian, but will go three days this year. After ending last year happy we are starting this year full of tears again! I was hoping since it was the same school we would remember how much fun he had and enjoy school. Unfortunately, he finds mommy to be more fun and I feel awful bringing him to school these days.

Gabby has also started cheer leading at Twist and Shout! She loves it and looks forward to going every week! Jackson on the other hand has started Karate! He has only gone two times, but her really seems to like it as well. If only he would listen a little and not practice his moves on his sister!

Will try to get better at posting more often now that school is in full swing!

Summer is flying by....

2009-08-03T13:49:00.003-05:00

The summer is really flying by. This July I took the kids to my hometown of East Northport, NY for the first time in a few years!!!

While we were there we took in some of the sites - a trip to Sesame Place, NY city, A Broadway show, the Hampton's, Montauk Point, Six Flags Great Adventure, the beach and many more! We had a fantastic time visiting with family and friends, but were very grateful to come home and sleep in our own beds.

Next week we are off again to visit our Texas branch of family and friends. After that we come home and school starts the 18th! I cannot believe my baby is going to be a first grader in two weeks!!!!

Where have they gone....

2009-06-25T07:14:00.004-05:00

Can it really be that 6 years ago my life changed so much! Today my baby girl Gabby turns 6 years old. As I look back on this time I cannot believe that it has gone by so fast! She has brought so much joy (and drama) into our lives. There are so many words I could use to describe Gabby - friendly, happy, energetic, loud, athletic, emotional, girlie, fascinated, smart - but the one word I would use to BEST describe my angel is PRECIOUS! She is a gift that we were not expecting at the time, but have been overjoyed since the moment she was pulled out into the world! Happy birthday baby girl! We love you more than words can ever say!

End of School...Beginning of summer fun!

2009-06-03T19:08:00.004-05:00

I am (as usual these days) a bit behind. Last week Gabby "graduated" from Kindergarten and is now officially a 1st grader! How crazy is that. I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday and now here we are a blink later and she is about to be 6 and headed to 1st grade!

Jack is also moving up...he is no longer is CDO (Children's Day Out and has been moved to Preschool. He will go 3 days next year! I am not sure what I will do with ALL that time!

Anyway here in OK summer vacation is in full swing. The kids have a VERY busy June schedule. They have already started school camp and will soon be enjoying Vacation Bible School, tennis lessons, swim lessons, cheer camp and a trip to NY! We are also house sitting for our dear friends and neighbors so we have unlimited use of their pool this month! The kids are sleeping great these days!

Well I am off to get them in bed and ready for another fun filled busy day!

My sweet (sleepy) Jack....

2009-05-15T00:07:00.003-05:00

Many of you know that my sweet Jack has had his fair share of issues/illness over the past year or so. I had hoped that once we got him on his asthma meds he would start getting better, and initially that was the case. However, a few months ago he started randomly falling asleep in the strangest places. I finally called the doctor after having to go pick him up from school about an hour after I dropped him of because he had fallen asleep on the playground (with about 20 kids running around screaming and playing!) Anyway, after some MORE blood work and testing they have determined that he is most likely falling asleep because he is anemic. He has never been a very good meat eater, so this really did not surprise me at all!

If this poor child has any more problems I am pretty sure the doctor is going to dedicate a room at her office specifically for me and my children!!

Jack's birthday party....

2009-05-11T23:33:00.002-05:00

Where does the time go? I can not beleive my baby is now 3 years old! We celebrated this year by having a party at the OKC Zoo (about a month after his birthday due to the fun Oklahoma weather). It turned out great though. Jack loved seeing all the animals. They even brought an armadillo into the room for the kids to see up close. It was pretty neat! It is really great to see him starting to make friends of his own now instead of always playing with Gabby and her friends.

March Madness...

2009-04-02T18:51:00.003-05:00

Well I was hoping to have pictures of Jack's birthday, but as luck (and Oklahoma weather) would have it last weekend the weathermen predicted a large snow storm, so I had to postpone the party till mid April.

We did get a chance to celebrate his birthday with a visit from Nana and Papa. The kids had a great time visiting with Carl's parents and I was very excited to get lots of stuff done around the house while they visited!

On a very exciting note for Mommy, my washing machine imploded last Sunday and I was "forced" to get a new one! (I am really sad about that!)

I am off now to go start stuffing 1000 plastic eggs for and Easter egg hunt this weekend in our neighborhood. Why do I get myself into these things???

Spring BREAK!

2009-03-19T16:03:00.003-05:00

I will never understand why we need a break from MDO when the kids only go a few hours a week. I am READY for Monday. The kids have been keeping me very busy most of the week and luckily the weather has held out thus far - we have headed to the Zoo, the park (several of them), Chuck E Cheese, the barn, played with friends and painted the driveway a variety of colors.

Today is the least fun day as I am cleaning house and getting ready for my in laws visit. They are headed up to help celebrate the little man's birthday which is just two short days away. I am SO excited to give him his gift....tune in on Saturday to see the pictures!!

The start of soccer season...not so great!

2009-02-28T10:34:00.003-06:00

This morning was Gabby's first soccer game, at least the only one she remembers since she played with her friend Tyler when she was 3 but does not recall. Anyway, she and Carl were both very excited to start this season until the cold front blew in yesterday! The temp was 25 with a wind chill of 15! The kids were MISERABLE! I was shocked that the games were not cancelled.

So we headed out to the field at 9 am bundled up and ready. We have 6 girls on the team and we play 3 v 3. One of our girls showed up in shorts and her parents took her home before the start of the game and one girl did not show (smart parents)! So we have 4 players and we need 3 to play on the field. By the end of the first half 2 of our girls were crying because they were so cold and Carl finally called the game.

So our first game lasted just shy of 20 minutes and the girls will probably never want to play again! I have to say though they were really playing great and if they get back out there to play they may just have a really good season! Go SuperKickers!

Long lost blogger returns...

2009-02-26T19:08:00.002-06:00

Wow, I cannot believe it has been over a month since I blogged. I really thought I was a better multi-tasker! Oh well, where shall I start. It really has been a fairly uneventful month. We made it through the entire month of January without a trip to the doctor and have only been one time in February, so we are off to a great start to 2009!

The kids are growing like weeds these days. I have been in the process of planning Jackson's 3rd birthday bask, which we will be holding at the Zoo (Jackson favorite place to be!) Gabby started soccer practice this week and has her first game this Saturday morning! Carl is coaching, which will be well worth the trip to come see if any of you Texas or NY'ers want a good laugh!

That is really about it for right now, I told you there was not much to catch up on. We have been very boring and low key so far this year! Lets hope it stays that way...

My new table...

2009-01-17T18:13:00.005-06:00

One of my new year's resolutions this year is to get my dining room/entry finally decorated and furnished. We have really been taking it slow on our house 1. because we probably always had a secret hope that the call to move back to Austin was right around the corner and 2. furniture is so darn expensive and I just can't ever make up my mind when you are talking about that much money! Anyway, I finally found an entry table that I liked and I got a really good deal on it! No all I have to do is get a few cute decorative items to go on top!

Finally an update!

2009-01-04T16:32:00.004-06:00

Happy 2009! What a crazy end to 2008 and start of 2009! I am pretty certain that my parents were always pretty excited when we went back to school after a break. I am exhausted. We have been non-stop for the past two weeks! We have had a great time bowling, having friends over for play dates, playing with our new toys and traveling! As I type Gabby and Carl are practicing guitar and Jackson is quietly playing in the playroom with his favorite train set EVER!

I was not very good with the camera this trip so I do not have a lot of pictures to share. I am potty training Jackson (which has been going great), but that does not make for a lot of picture time because I spent the majority of my time in all the bathrooms all over South Texas!

Hope you all had a terrific Christmas and a very Happy New Year! I look forward to reading all about your 2009 adventures!!!

Making cookies for Santa!Jackson's new drum set!

Happy New Year....

2009-01-03T14:49:00.003-06:00

Hope everyone had a very Happy New Year thus far. I promise to update and post as soon as I get the kids to school on Monday! Life has been crazy around here the past few weeks and I just have not had to much time to myself.

And were off....

2008-12-26T19:04:00.003-06:00

Let me start off by saying this has been a wonderful week! This was our first Christmas that Carl, the kids and I were all by ourselves. At first I was really upset, as I really love being around family and friends this time of year, but it really turned out to be a great week. We started our own Christmas traditions that included a little of each side of our family and some of our very own!

The kids had a terrific Christmas and made out like bandits, despite me trying to cut back this year! Jackson has been playing with his train, airplane and drum set for the past few days non stop! Gabby is loving her new HSM dollhouse, guitar and WE CHEER.

Tomorrow we are off on a road trip with our dear friends, the Absaloms. These are our friends that moved from England a year and a half ago and live in our neighborhood. Anyway, we are always telling them how much fun Texas is and all there is to do - so we decided to show them. We are headed to San Antonio for some fun at Sea World, Schlitterbahn, Gruene, the Riverwalk, etc. We are all very excited, especially the kids! They are ready to see their Texas friends!

I promise to post lots of pictures when I return and have a few minutes of peace (that is when the kids go back to school!)

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2008-12-21T19:24:00.002-06:00

Our sweet friends, the Absaloms, held a very special birthday party this afternoon. We all got together to celebrate Jesus' birthday - there was a cake, some fun games and of course story time. Every brought a "gift" that will be donated to those that are in need. It was such a terrific idea and everyone (kids and adults) had a great time.

Thank you Hannah and Alex for being such great friends and influences! We are looking forward to our vacation with you next week!

Christmas Party Success!

2008-12-13T12:00:00.002-06:00

Well we made it through Carl's work Christmas party at our house last night! I think it was a great success. We had Ted's Mexican restaurant cater and the food was terrific. Of course there was a white elephant gift exchange, with some very interesting gifts. The kids "performed" their Christmas songs and entertained everyone. And we had a house full this morning as well! All in all I think everyone had a great time. I love the holidays!

Coffee and a craft!

2008-12-10T19:49:00.002-06:00

My sweet friend Kim had a coffee and craft gathering at her house this morning. It was so nice to get together with friends and hang out for a while while making cute Christmas ornaments. I highly recommend doing this with your friends as a great way to get into the holiday spirit.

On a side not, Jackson is having some strange allergic reaction and is covered in hives tonight! So we will be heading back to the doctor again in the morning! I really wish I would have gone to medical school, who could have predicted how much time I would have to spend in doctors offices!

Rah, Rah, Rah!

2008-12-06T12:35:00.004-06:00

Gabby had her first cheer game today. She has joined Upward Cheerleading, which is a Christian based basketball/cheerleading organization that lets kids begin to learn the basics of the sport while building their self esteem and confidence. She had a great time with her squad this morning and they did really great. These kids are 4 and 5 years old and I was so proud of how well they did their cheers and motivated the players! We are looking forward to practice and another game next week!

Gabby with her friends and teammates Alex and Gracie!

Feeling better and lonely!!!

2008-12-04T22:05:00.002-06:00

Yeah, I am finally feeling better! It took a while, but I am well on my way to recovery. Unfortunately, Gabby has decided she wanted to be like mommy and has an ear infection as well, but she is doing well considering. She even went to cheer practice tonight!

I am feeling a bit lonely however as Carl left today for New Orleans! He is off to play in a WSOP tournament this weekend in NO. Wish him luck, especially since I have been spending all our money on Christmas gifts and holiday parties! Oh well, tis the season.

Guess who's sick!

2008-12-02T20:31:00.003-06:00

ME! Yes, I know it seems like someone is always sick in this house, but rarely is it me - and now for the 2nd time this season I am sick! I actually went to the doctor today because I was feeling that bad! I have a double ear infection and a sinus infection. I even felt bad enough that when the doctor suggested a shot to help speed up my recovery, I agreed - and I HATE shots! Anyway, hopefully that shot and these horse pills she has me on will kick in soon, because I think my hubby is about out of patience with my complaining!

Snow tubing in Oklahoma??????

2008-11-30T19:18:00.005-06:00

We had such a fun afternoon on Sunday. We took the kids down to Oklahoma City where they have Snow tubing! At first Jackson was not to thrilled about the idea, but after he went down the hill he was hooked! Gabby was such a big girl - even though she was technically not tall enough for the big hill, she pushed her hat high on her head and went down the big hill like a champ! She is really getting too grown up! After about an hour the kids and adults were exhausted and headed for a cup of coffee/cocoa. We are all really excited about heading to Schlitterbahn the week after Christmas for some more tubing and snow fun!

Hot Date!!!!

2008-11-30T10:35:00.002-06:00

I can not remember the last time Carl and I called a sitter and went out just the two of us. We go out a lot with other couples, but it was nice to go out just the two of us. We had a delicious dinner at Deep Fork and went to see a movie, Four Christmases which was very funny!

It was so nice to take a little time out of this crazy few weeks and chill out with my favorite big guy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T13:23:00.002-06:00

What another wonderful year! We are so blessed to have made some terrific friends here in Oklahoma. When I first moved here, I truly felt that I would never again find the true friends and neighbors that we had in Austin! This year I am especially grateful not only for our health and the health and happiness of our entire family, but for the great friends that we have in Texas, New York and Oklahoma.

We will be celebrating Thanksgiving this year at the home of our dear friends the Ballards! I am really looking forward to seeing everyone there and miss all of you who I do not get enough of a chance to see.

To my family - Happy Thanksgiving. I love each and every one of you so much and miss not seeing you on these special holidays! This morning watching the parade I cried remembering what great times we would have taking the train in to the city on Thanksgiving morning and watching the parade. Mom & Dad - Thanks for all the memories you have given me over the years and for teaching me the importance of family and friendships!

Our First Holiday Party of 2008

2008-11-19T10:51:00.005-06:00

Last night was our first Holiday party for the year. The developer of our neighborhood threw a HUGE party at the model home across the street! It was a lot of fun and has really started putting us in the holiday spirit VERY early this year. Actually we already have our Christmas lights up and they look AWESOME - thanks to Daddy who spent several days working hard to make sure the kids have some great lights to look at! Enjoy the cute photos!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Happy Birthday!!!!

2008-11-18T07:42:00.003-06:00

To my wonderful father! I love and miss you very much - - wish we could be there to help you celebrate! Happy Birthday Dad/Papa!

Also, to my dear friend Shala! I hope you have a terrific day!

And last but not least, Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse!!!

Awesome Girls Weekend!

2008-11-10T16:10:00.003-06:00

Gabby and I had a terrific time in Austin this weekend. We shopped until she dropped, literally! Saturday as soon as we arrived we met my SIL Renee and her girls for lunch and some playtime. Gabby and Addison had such a great time together as always! After that we headed to RR to play with the Hubbards and Thompson crew! The kids play as if they still live right around the corner - we really miss them! After eating at Mangia's we found our way over to Jonny and Jo's to crash! Thanks J & J for always giving us a room to lay our heads!

The next morning we woke up and hit the ground running - hitting the outlet mall and the market! After several hours of shopping and lunch at Chuy's, Gabby was exhausted and took a 2 hour nap!!After she finally woke up we headed out again to the fair and Style show.

Today we flew home and she is exhausted! I think we are both ready to get back into our routine!

A-town here we come!

2008-11-07T09:05:00.004-06:00

Okay all you Texas bloggers, Gabby and I are headed to Austin tomorrow! We are headed to the Round Rock Chaparrals Toyland Market and Style Show! I hope I will see you all there! If you are unable to make it call me and we can meet for lunch, dinner or some playtime! I hope to see as many of you as possible between tomorrow and Monday morning!

I hope Carl and Jack will be okay here in Oklahoma by themselves!

A Happy Halloween...and crazy day

2008-11-01T08:46:00.004-05:00

Okay so I had to do a separate post for Halloween day...let me explain.

We woke up on Halloween morning ready to start planning for our Halloween party that evening. I had sandwiches and all sorts of treats to get made so I after heading out to the grocery store to get all our supplies asked the kids to play nicely in the playroom for a while so I could prepare. All was going well for a while and we had just finished lunch when a frantic Gabby came running into the kitchen an announced she had gotten a penny stuck on the roof of her mouth! I AM NOT KIDDING HERE! I tried to pry this thing out of her mouth and failed! So off we headed to an emergency dentist appointment. It took 3 of us to hold her down, numb her up and pry this darn penny out!

After that we headed back home to get dressed for school and rush back to get her dropped off to school in time. I returned home to lay Jack down for his nap and get in the shower (yes, I had not even done that yet!) I hadn't even been out of the shower 10 minutes when the phone ran. It was Gabby's school. She had run into a pole on the playground and her ear was swollen and black and blue!! SERIOUSLY, STOP LAUGHING!

Well after all that madness, the kids wound up having a great time at the neighborhood Halloween party. We played games and trick or treated with our our friends! It was truly a day to remember!!!

Back to the land of the blog...

2008-11-01T08:07:00.003-05:00

What a crazy week and a half since I last blogged! Where to begin....

Last Friday night we had a great time at our friends. the Kosir's, who hosted a pumpkin carving party at their house. The weather was freezing, but it really made the evening that much more fun! We ate warm taco soup and toasted marshmallows for dessert. Check out a few of these really awesome pumpkins. Gabby and Carl of course carved our pumpkin into a Cinderella silhouette.

After that Carl and I headed out to Tulsa for a much needed weekend getaway! We had a great time hanging out with a few friends that have recently moved to the Tulsa area, checking out the TU game and of course doing some fun shopping!

Then when we came home the craziness began - Gabby and Susan (my MIL) came down with the stomach bug on Tuesday! It was awful, but not as bad as when I got it on Wednesday! Carl came to the rescue though and took over ALL duties while I lay in bed dying! When I finally got back to reality on Thursday afternoon we hit the floor running getting ready for Halloween!

We've been BOO-ed!

2008-10-20T14:00:00.003-05:00

One of our neighbors started a really cute trick - Boo-ing! You make a basket of treats and take it to a neighbors house, ring the bell and run. Inside the basket are directions for you to BOO two other people that have not been boo-ed yet (all that have been boo-ed hang a sign on their door). So the kids and I made our baskets this morning and headed out to boo a few of our neighbors that had yet to experience the fun!

On another note I took the kids in to the doctor today for a follow up to Jackson's pneumonia and while I was there had them check over Gabby. Yeah, they are both healthy again! We will be monitoring Jackson over the next few months to see if we need to change his asthma medications, but for now at least all is well.

Today is the last day of fall break (and may I say YEAH!) It has been a fun long weekend, but the kids (and I) are ready for our schedule back. The kids are napping now and then we will head outside to enjoy the last of the GORGEOUS weather with a few of our friends. We are due for our first cold front on Wednesday! I am really not ready for winter!!!

Visit to Orr Family Farms!

2008-10-16T13:55:00.005-05:00

Today was a perfect fall day! We took a trip to Moore, Oklahoma to a working farm! At the farm we were able to visit with a few animals, we had a lesson on pumpkins, took a train ride, a hay ride and picked pumpkins. The kids had a great time and are crashed out right now.

Today through Monday happen to be fall break at the kids schools, so we are trying to find some fun activities to keep us busy. These are the days when I remember why it is I chose to stay at home with the kids. I really wish Carl could have been with us to enjoy this day, but he is taking tomorrow off to spend the day "playing" with us. We are planning on going to Frontier City to enjoy "Fright Fest" and maybe even check out another pumpkin farm in Arcadia.

Sweet Revenge

2008-10-12T12:56:00.003-05:00

If you read the blog below you know that our yard was "flagged" by our neighbors who are big OU fans. Well after they flagged our yards, they left town for the game. As you all know UT WON!!! So, we had to get the Peters back! See the picture below of the Fall decorations at the Peters home! HEEHEE!!!! I can't wait to see there faces when they get back this afternoon!

Hook 'Em!

2008-10-10T14:33:00.002-05:00

In our neighborhood we have several people from Texas who follow the Longhorns and of course several that are Sooner fans. I put out our Texas flag the other day in anticipation for the big game. This morning my phone started ringing off the hook from a few neighbors, I was in the middle of getting dressed and missed the first few. I finally made it to the phone and my friend Shala asks me if I have gone outside to look at my yard yet! Apparently our dear friends the Peters (big OU fans) had flagged our and several other neighbors yards. It was really funny! I am SO thankful for my friends here in Oklahoma. It has really helped to have such great neighbors/friends especially when your family is so far away.

Anyway, we are all getting together tomorrow to watch the game. I really hope UT wins so we can get Amy and Scott's yard on Saturday night before they get back from the game!

HOOK 'EM!

Picture Day

2008-10-09T14:44:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I posted any pictures, so I thought I would take some time to get a few pictures downloaded while Jack is sleeping!

Here is Daddy and his little helper fixing the lawn mower!

Gabby's tooth, before it was "fixed".

Daddy and Jackson rockin' with Guitar Hero!

Sick again

2008-10-07T14:41:00.002-05:00

Jackson has been extremely moody lately and not acting himself. I finally decided this morning that I was going to take him to the doctor to make sure he was okay, thinking maybe he had an ear infection. Well his ears are fine, but the doc said his chest sounded really bad. To fill you in Jackson has allergy induced asthma and twice a year he seems to have chest issues, but I really was not thinking this was one of those times. I was wrong! After a chest x-ray (which he was not thrilled about) the doc told us that Jackson has either a bad case of Bronchitis or Pneumonia. She is sending the office x-ray to have them read by the hospital radiologist to make sure. So, now we have his allergy medicine, an antibiotic, a steroid and his asthma medicine to take! OH, AND DID I MENTION CARL LEFT TOWN THIS AFTERNOON -- AGAIN!

Oh the joys! At least this week we can try to get in bed early since daddy isn't home.

I have to share....

2008-10-04T18:30:00.002-05:00

I am so proud of my beautiful niece Lauren. This is her senior year at New Braunfels High School and she has really blossomed into an absolutely gorgeous girl both inside and out. Check out some pics of her at The Smile House Blog. Lauren, keep up the good work. This is a big year...keep you head on straight and keep reaching for your goals. I love and miss you!

Very Brave Girl!

2008-10-01T19:49:00.002-05:00

Wednesday was Gabby's big day at the dentist! I picked Gabby up from school early and took her out for a big lunch, thinking she would not be interested in eating that evening. We met Carl at the dentist's office right before her appointment and Gabby was in a great mood. Dr. Rudd aka. Tim (our dentist and neighbor) wanted to try to do the procedure without Carl or I in the room. So we sat in the waiting room for a few minutes and hear a scream of panic and crying! Much like her mother she is none to fond of Novocain! Anyway, after that she did GREAT! She came home that evening and wanted to play on the computer (daddy bought her a new webkinz for being so brave) and we even took a walk around the neighborhood!

Thursday she got to talk about the experience to her class and even let some of the kids touch her bonded tooth. She is a real trooper and we were very proud of her.

Mom gets a break!

2008-09-28T19:26:00.002-05:00

This weekend I headed to Dallas with a few of my friends from when we lived in Austin. Kim, Karen, Stacy and I met in Dallas on Friday night. We ate great food, shopped, had pedicures and enjoyed a few adult beverages. It was an awesome weekend! Of course on the home front, as typical Sartor fashion, things were not as smooth. Friday night around 11pm I received a call that Gabby was throwing up. She must have caught a stomach bug from one of her friends and generously passed it on to Jackson on Saturday!

Luckily, by the time I made it home today everyone was feeling better and playing with some of the neighbors (thanks John and Shala for keeping Carl and the kids company)! So anyway, I am much refreshed and ready for another week!

The gym, a detriment to my children...

2008-09-26T15:14:00.003-05:00

So as you may remember a few weeks back Jackson took a nasty spill at the gym and had that huge gash in his lip.... Well about two weeks ago Gabby had also tripped while playing at the gym and bumped her tooth on the coloring desk. She cried about it a little and complained that day that it hurt, but soon got over it and I never really thought to much about it. Well, Wednesday afternoon we were playing and she smiled up at me with this big smile and I noticed that one of her front teeth was dark. I had her go brush to make sure it wasn't anything she had eaten, but that did not work. After a quick call to the dentist (who happens to be our neighbor) we were heading over to see Dr. Rudd! A quick x-ray later and we are told the bad news that her root has been damaged by the fall and we are going to have to extract it. Sort of like a baby root canal! So think of my poor sweet girl on Wednesday at 2pm, when she will be the first one in our family to have a "root canal"!

Of course, after all this what did I do this morning - go to the gym! Am I a horrible mother or what!

All alone again

2008-09-23T13:36:00.002-05:00

So Carl is off to Austin this week and the kids and I are really missing him. With all his travelling lately life can get a little crazy around here. This morning I am really feeling the effects of them not seeing their daddy! They are VERY cranky! Especially Jack, who does not understand why Daddy is not around to give him kisses at night or play hide and seek. I am pretty sure we are all looking forward to Thursday.

Daddy if you are reading this, we miss you!

Happy Birthday Tyler!

2008-09-22T10:37:00.002-05:00

WOW! I can not believe my Tyler pants is 5! I am so sad that we can not be there to celebrate your big 5, but know that Gabby, Jackson, Mr. Carl and I are all thinking of you and wishing we were there. I still remember those days before you and Gabby and Kaden were born with all us mommy's big and prego waiting to meet our little babies! And here you are 5 years old and such a handsome and sweet little man. We miss you so much and can't wait to see you again in a few months!

Happy Birthday Buddy! Here is a pic of you and Gabby pumpkin picking 4 years ago! What fun we had!

Wiped out....

2008-09-21T13:24:00.003-05:00

This weekend marked birthday party number 5 and 6 this month! Friday night the kids headed next door to Ella's birthday party. They jumped on the huge Hello Kitty blow up slide and ate cotton candy, hotdogs and cake! It was a blast. That night we also had our friends boys spend the night, so we had 3 extra kids! It was a crazy night trying to get 5 kids ready for bed and asleep.

Saturday morning we got up and headed off to Chuck E Cheese for our next b-day party! All 5 kids had a great time. Next was off to Joel's soccer game, which he did very well at and they won 6-1! Finally we headed home for a little R&R and playtime until the boys were picked up.

It was a fun weekend, but having 5 kids has made me realize how crazy life can be. I am very grateful for the two we have and am seriously considering whether we want any more kids!

Totally Disgusting!

2008-09-15T17:45:00.003-05:00

Warning: This post is a bit graphic. For those of you who do not have children and have to deal with kids "accidents", do not read!

A few weeks ago Jackson had a poop accident in the tub. Gabby was in the tub with him and proceeded to freak out and scream. Jackson thought this was funny and I tried to explain to him that we DO NOT poop in the tub. That week we had a total of THREE nights with poop in the tub. (Oh, and it happened to be a week that Carl was out of town!) After some serious talking I thought I had this matter under control.

Well, last night Carl and I were in Gabby's room and the kids were in the tub (they have a Jack and Jill bathroom, so we can see them from their rooms) when all of a sudden Gabby starts screaming he's pooping, get me out of he tub! I could not believe that he was doing this again! At least Carl was home this time and I politely told him it was his turn (all week)!

I am hoping this was an isolated incident this week and we are back to "no poop tub" as Jackson says! Hope you have all had a good laugh with this story! Remember it can always be worse!!!!

Happy Birthday Q!

2008-09-13T19:44:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday little man! We had a great time at your b-day party today! Hope you enjoy all your gifts. I know Jackson is looking forward to coming over soon to play with all you cool new toys.

Playing the single mom...

2008-09-09T18:24:00.001-05:00

Well Carl is off to Nashville this week for work so I have been trying to keep the kids busy! Luckily they had their days full on Monday and Wednesday with school, but we took some time to have a little fun as well. On Monday we had our little friend Alex over for a few hours. The kids enjoyed a tea party, some dress up and feeding the ducks accross the street.

Tuesday we headed out to see my friend Nancy's horse Louie! The kids had a great time feeding him apples and brushing him. Nancy thinks Gabby is a natural with horses and is trying to talk me into giving her lessons! I told her it is just to far to fall!

Jackson's First Day of School!

2008-09-04T17:09:00.002-05:00

So as expected Jackson was not to thrilled with the idea of school. At first when we woke up and I asked if he was excited about school today, he said yes. He even kept on saying yeah school until we actually got to school and he started screaming and crying. I did not get any pics of him at school since I was to busy consoling him, but I figure I will try to catch a few in the next few weeks. His teachers assured me he only cried a little throughout the day. Luckily when I got there he was playing and having a ton of fun, so I am sure it will get better over time!

A clean bill of health!

2008-09-02T20:36:00.002-05:00

We headed to the doctor (for hopefully the last time for a long while) this morning. After getting checked out, Jackson was given a clean bill of health. We are SO grateful that this is finally over and did not get any worse. I could definitely tell he was starting to feel better these last few days, but of course wanted the doctor to tell me that he was 100% healthy!

Yeah, tomorrow Jackson will start Mothers Day out and I will finally have a few precious hours to myself. After all this I am needing to recuperate!

Happy Labor Day!

2008-09-01T14:06:00.002-05:00

It is always a great weekend when Daddy has 3 full days off. We started our weekend in style with a pool party and BBQ. We spent the afternoon at our friends the Craig's pool and then headed over to our house for an HEB brisket that Carl smoked all day! It was YUMM-O!

Sunday was as lazy as could be. The kids were catching up on some much needed sleep and took VERY long naps! We were extremely lazy all day.

Today we headed out to Arcadia. We took the kids to the park, did some hiking and ate at Pops, which is on Historic Route 66! All in all it was a great weekend and very relaxing - although I forgot to take my camera all weekend!

Unbelievable!

2008-08-29T16:31:00.002-05:00

We have made it all week without any problems from the medication and NOW at 4:30 on Friday afternoon of a holiday weekend Jack starts with diarrhea and vomiting!!!! Are you kidding me! He had such an explosive diaper that it caused a little diaper rash and on our walk home from the bus stop he vomited in the middle of the street. I am sure my neighbors loved that! Unbelievable!

Test results are in (some of them anyway)

2008-08-28T15:06:00.003-05:00

I received a call from the doctors office this morning - so far the test results that they have gotten back are all negative. We are still waiting on a few more tests, but the majority of the tests are back and there were no positive diseases in his system. Unfortunately, the office forgot to request a CBC so we are headed back into the office in the morning to have a bit more blood drawn. At least I can have the doctor look at him tomorrow and be sure the medicine is working and kicking this infection out of his body.

Thank you all for your thoughts , prayers and calls. I really feel blessed to have such wonderful and caring friends and family! This has been a hectic month and I am really looking forward to getting back to our normal routine again.

Finally a little bit of good news....

2008-08-26T12:08:00.002-05:00

Took Gabby to the doc this morning to have her rechecked (as she and Jack started with the strep at the same time and I wanted to be sure she was still okay) and the doctor says Gabby looks good. We went ahead and swabbed her throat because she is still very swollen, but the doctor thinks that she is doing okay and does not have MRSA. Finally some good news!

Poor, Poor Jackson

2008-08-25T18:33:00.003-05:00

Well poor Jackson has had a heck of a month and a half. So we finished his z-pack a few days ago and he was still not acting quite himself. For those of you who need an update about 6 weeks ago Jackson was diagnosed with Strep and he has not been able to shake this thing. Anyway, this weekend we were alarmed when Jackson took a 4 hour nap (which is highly unlike him). And within 30 minutes of waking up he was curled in my lap telling me he was tired and wanted to go back to bed!!! So this morning we called the doctor and made an appointment for tomorrow, as I could not get him in today! A few hours later I got a call from the doctors office saying they wanted him in today! We had had some cultures done last week and when the doctor saw that we were coming back in she read his chart and saw that he had a rare bacterial infection in his throat called MRSA (otherwise know as a staph infection). We decided to do a thorough round of blood tests to find out why this has occurred, because it mostly occurs in patients who have weekended immune systems. So now he is on a VERY strong sulphur antibiotic to hopefully kick this infection and I am PRAYING that it works, because the next step will be IV antibiotics. Please keep my sweet little man in your prayers this week. We really need him to get better. I will post again when we get his blood work results.

Happy Birthday Alex!

2008-08-23T12:46:00.003-05:00

We headed over to Gabby and Jackson friend Alex's house this morning for a Luau Pool party. It was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed playing in the pool (especially since it was hot and humid!) Enjoy a few pics from our morning and HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY ALEX!

Another First

2008-08-21T17:46:00.004-05:00

Another first for Gabby - she rode the bus home from school on Thursday and Friday for the first time. Several of the kids in her class are riding the bus home, so she asked if she would be allowed. I decided to let her try (after talking to the sweet, older boys down the street and asking if they would mind watching out for her). I was still pretty nervous and even put a name tag sticker on Gabby that said "I will be riding bus #83 home from school today", so that her teacher would know to get her to the bus.

So at 4:00 today Jackson and I walked down the street to wait for the bus. Around the corner came the bus and Jackson was so excited he started jumping up and down yelling "Gabby!" She of course was the last one off the bus, making me very nervous again that she may have missed the bus! She felt like such a BIG girl. She was very proud of herself and has declared that she wants to take the bus home everyday!

It's Official....

2008-08-20T13:51:00.005-05:00

Summer is officially over! Today was a crazy day at the Sartor house. This morning we went over to Jackson's MDO to meet his teacher, which he was not to happy about! If it were up to the little man, he would like to just hang out with Mommy and Gabby all day. Anyway, we met his teacher and met Gabby's kinderclub teachers (some of you may not know, but in archaic Edmond, Oklahoma we are still only half day kindergarten, so on the days Jackson has MDO she will go to Kinderclub).

Anyway, after that fiasco, we headed to the kids favorite joint for lunch and then met up with Daddy as we headed off to Kindergarten! Gabby was very quiet on the way there, I think she was a bit nervous - but also excited as she kept on smiling. All her nerves seem to disappear as she saw her friends Preston and Chelsea from last year's class.

Jackson was VERY upset as we headed out of school and toward home. He cried the whole time saying " I need Gabby, I need Gabby". It was really very sad. I was a bit teary eyed myself (as was Carl, I think) but we stood strong and did not break down for an all out cry!

So now it is quiet at home for at least 2 hours! I am not sure what to do with myself, but I am pretty sure I like the quiet! For a little while anyway!

It's not working....

2008-08-18T15:15:00.002-05:00

So I am starting to potty train Jackson, almost 2 1/2, which is proving to be a lot more difficult than Gabby who was potty trained at just before 2! Anyway, he sits on the potty every night before we get in the bath tub. Well the other night he is sitting on the potty and he looks down and grabs his man part and says - "it's not working mom". With that he jumps down and flushes the toilet. Well I thought that was so funny and just started laughing! BIG MISTAKE. Now every time he sits on the potty he announces that is not work and gets right back off! I have a feeling this is going to be a very long process!!!!!

Sunday morning at the zoo...

2008-08-17T12:39:00.007-05:00

One of our favorite things to do it go to the Zoo. The Oklahoma City Zoo is about 15 minutes from our house, so on Saturday or Sunday morning when it is not to hot we like to pack a lunch and head over to see a few animals and play for a few hours! Today was one of those mornings! We saw some of our favorite animals - the gorillas, the cats (tigers, jaguars, and others), and the rhinoceros. We unfortunately did not get to see the elephants as they have headed over to the Tulsa Zoo for 2 years for a "big date"! The kids then played at the awesome play scape and we had our picnic lunch. It was a really great morning all around. I hope everyone will take a good nap this afternoon!

Kindergarten here she comes....

2008-08-15T12:22:00.002-05:00

What a big day for Gabby today! This morning was orientation day at Centennial, Gabby's new school. It is a really awesome school, last year was the new opening for this school dedicated to the Centennial year of Oklahoma's statehood. The Kindergarten/1st grade area is separate from the rest of the school. They have their own drop off/pick up area and their own playground just for these two grades. The school is all state of the art and she is really excited to start on Wednesday. Her teacher is Ms. Altendorf. She is young and very nice. I am sure Gabby will thrive at this school! I just can not believe my baby is going to school!

In other news, we had a follow up appointment for Jackson yesterday to check and be sure his strep and Scarlet fever were gone. Well as it turns out - it is STILL there. I could not believe it! So he is back on antibiotics and we will hopefully have this all cleared up before he starts MDO on the 27th!

The kids were very excited to see Daddy this morning. He got in late last night, so he was here when they woke up. Poor Jackson was very upset to hear that daddy had to go to work today, but he promised to be home early for some play time.

We are off for some quiet time....

On The Road Again....

2008-08-12T16:46:00.003-05:00

We took our final trip for the summer this past week. The kids and I hit the road AGAIN for the 6 hour trip to Austin. It started out pretty rough when we had not even been in the car 5 minutes and Gabby announced she needed to use the bathroom. I knew at that point it was going to be a long trip.

It turned out great though. We were able to see our friends the Neas' on the way down. When we finally arrived in A-town we met up with the Adams' and headed out to our favorite spot - Waterloo Ice House! The kids were able to play while we actually sat and enjoyed dinner and a few drinks with our friends!

Thursday we met up with Cherie and her gang at Chuck E Cheese. The kids played while Cherie and I got to hang out and I held baby Kohen. She is SO cute (even if she looks just like Ken! Kidding!) After that we headed down to SA to pick up Addison and visit with Nana and Papa!

The kids had a great time at the Lake, as usual! Nana and papa's house always means tons of play time, new toys and no sleep! But seriously it was a great time. We took the kids to Gruene and at at the Grist Mill - which is always one of my favorites! We really enjoyed seeing everyone and look forward to making the trip again in a few months - I need some time to recover after all the travelling this summer.

Happy Anniversary Baby!

2008-08-12T09:54:00.005-05:00

Carl and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary yesterday! Unfortunately we were not together, due to our travelling, but we celebrated on Saturday night with a night out in SA! Happy Anniversary Carl - I love you!

And Happy Anniversary today to Curt and Jaysa! We miss you guys!

Update on Jackson and other stuff...

2008-08-05T12:15:00.003-05:00

Well after Jacks incident on Thursday, I decided to take him to my dentist to make sure everything was okay with his mouth because I had never seen anything so bad! Well after a few trips to the dentist, it looks like all is healing well and he is not going to need any work on his mouth.

In other news, last night I got MAYBE 3 hours of sleep. Carl left for Austin yesterday morning and last night when I was getting ready for bed I swear I heard a noise in my house. After a few minutes the dog starts growling and barking. I of course am scared out of my mind at this point and I am running around turning all the lights on holding a tball bat in my hand!!! Anyway, I finally fall asleep sometime after 1 am and Jackson wakes up at 4 with horrible night terrors. He has been scared of his room for the last few days now and will not go in his crib.

So today I took apart the crib and made it into a toddler bed! HE seems to like it, since he is laying in there right now (not sleeping), but trying to nap. I guess the big test will be tonight!

Well we are headed to Texas tomorrow to see our friends in Austin and family in SA! Wish me luck. Another 6 hours in the car by myself with the kids.

Jackson gets a big ouch!

2008-07-31T13:49:00.004-05:00

Today started off pretty smooth and routine. The kids and I headed to the gym around 9 am and I was about 45 minutes into a great workout when over the loud speaker comes the announcement - "Karen Sartor you are needed in the Kids Klub". Thinking I am probably just headed in to change a diaper I decided to finish my set before heading over there. When low and behold Stephanie, the Kids Klub helper, runs up to me and starts telling me that "she wasn't watching so she doesn't know how it happened, but Jackson is bleeding!" At this point I am running in there only to find my son screaming his head off with blood pouring out of his mouth. As if that wasn't bad enough, Gabby is hysterical because she is watching Jackson bleeding.
Anyway, after getting some water in him I am able to look in his mouth and see that he has somehow fallen and his two front teeth have punctured the inside of his mouth.

I have finally gotten some Tylenol in him and he fell asleep on the couch from crying all morning. Every time he tries to eat or drink anything he starts screaming because it hurts so bad! I have a feeling it is going to be a LONG day!

Jellystone Park Vacation!

2008-07-26T08:46:00.006-05:00

So our family vacation this summer consisted of driving to Warrens, Wisconsin to visit Jellystone Park with the McManus family! We left last Saturday and drove to St. Louis. From there we went to Chicago. And finally to Wisconsin! I have to say I was really nervous about the kids being in the car for the 15 hour drive, but they were GREAT and it was a pleasant trip up there.

Wisconsin was beautiful and the kids had a FANTASTIC time. There was an indoor/outdoor water park and both kids were completely exhausted every day! Gabby is absolutely fearless! She went on every water slide and ride...even I was a bit scared on a few of the slides, but Gabby got to the bottom and belted out AGAIN!

Jackson took a bit more time to warm up, but by the end he was headed down the kiddie slides all by himself! He is so patient, he would sit at the top of the slide and wait for the lifeguard to tell him to go, while all the other kids would just go! Such a rule follower!

So now we are home for a week and the off we go to Austin and San Antonio! Looking forward to another 6 hours in the car!

Exhausted!

2008-07-16T13:32:00.003-05:00

What a crazy week so far and it is only Wednesday! This is the first week of the summer that we have nothing going on for the kids and I am trying to get everything done for our trip! So far this morning we went to the gym, to the park, to the grocery store, the library and lunch and now we have just gotten home and I put the kids down for nap!

I have to say, especially to those working moms and dads who think we have the life as stay at home moms and think we do nothing, FAR from truth! I have never been so tired in all of my life. Plus Jackson is in this "I want to do everything by myself" phase, so it takes 3X as long to get into the truck because he wants to climb up in the monster machine all by himself and try to buckle in! I am really trying to be patient - but come on it is 100 degrees out!

Oh well, I am going to try to rest while the kids sleep! Hope I get at least 15 solid minutes!

Another fun summer week!

2008-07-14T21:11:00.002-05:00

These summer days are just flying by....This week we went to the Omniplex museum with some of our friends, the Craig's and the Kosir's. The kids had a great time playing and exploring! Afterwards we all headed to Chick-Fil-A where I learned you can turn in your toy for a free kids cone!And of course on Friday we headed over to the Peter's house for some more pool fun! Boy did we luck out in the friend department to have so many friends with pools!!!I am hoping this coming week will go just as fast. We are getting ready for our big summer trip to Wisconsin with the McManus branch of the family! Gabby is really excited to see all her cousins and of course check out the indoor/outdoor waterpark!

Celebrating 4th of July

2008-07-07T13:52:00.001-05:00

We had an awesome 4th of July weekend! On Friday morning we went with our friends the Absaloms and the Peters to the Edmond 4th of July parade. The kids had a great time. We feasted on watermelon, hot dogs and chips courtesy of First Christian Church!

After that we rested and then headed out to the Absalom's for a day of pool play and a bbq (British style)! We had a great time and the kids were very entertained! Then it was off to do fireworks with all our neighbors! The kids were so exhausted after it was all over!

Sunday we headed out to yet another neighbors house for some more pool fun and bbq! Thanks Tasha and Jeff for the invite and a great time! We are so blessed to have such great friends! We all had such a great time! Happy 4th!

I finally did it!

2008-07-03T07:22:00.002-05:00

So for months now I have been following my friends Courtney, Cherie and Katherine's blogs -- and I finally did my own! So here it is, my official first post!

This summer has been absolutely crazy so far. My little girl is now 5! Can you believe it has been 5 years! Gabby had a fantastic time at her birthday party. We had it at Sweet and Sassy, which was perfect for my little princess.

Gabby was also involved in a cheerleading camp this summer. She had so much fun! It was a 3 day Church Camp, but to her it was the best 3 days of her life. Where did this child come from - - I was never this girlie!

Today is our last day of swimming lessons. Both of the kids have loved playing in the water everyday. Just makes me even more sure that I really need a pool next year - hint, hint Carl!

Well I am off to make some coffee before the kids get up! Amazingly it is now 7:30 and neither of my children are awake right now!