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I'm a murderer. Or to be more accurate, my once unblemished van is a murderer. On our way "home" this afternoon, I hit a deer. Scared the living shit out of me. I almost had a heart attack. In fact, I think I might still be shaking - and it's been over 6 hours.

We were on 15 heading toward PA, and I was checking my rear-view mirror to see how fast the car behind me was approaching (I was in the passing lane). Jon started yelling, "Deer!! Deer!!", and I slammed on the brakes. I clipped the poor animal's back end, demolishing the passenger side headlight. Pardon the grossness, but I guess the deer flew about 10 feet in the air and landed about 20+ feet from where the collision occurred. Good thing I didn't see that part (Jon filled me in later). So I managed to finally pull over on the correct side of the road, and Jon got out to check the damage (I'll add pictures when I get home - it's not pretty). The hood is bent in 2 places, the bumper is broken in a number of places, and the headlight basically exploded.

The kids were napping when this happened, and of course after they heard the very loud crash, they were all awake. Elliott was actually only half asleep, so she heard Jon yelling about the deer. She was the first to ask where it went. Ummm, home. Gabriel heard her asking, so he wanted to know what happened. Elliott told him the deer hit us. Gabriel told us that the deer should have been more careful when crossing the road - just like the squirrels (when Jon and Gabe go running, they see a lot of road-kill. Jon uses that time to explain to Gabey the importance of making sure you look both ways before you cross. Not sure if that's the best way to get the point across, but it seems to be working). Janna just yelled, annoyed at having been rousted.

I, of course, was a nervous wreck. This is the first (and hopefully last) living creature I ever hit with a vehicle. I felt like such an idiot, too. Was I not paying close enough attention? Was I speeding? Am I really that horrible of a driver? Jon, being the awesome man that he is, totally comforted me. He let me know that there was absolutely nothing I could have done to prevent hitting the deer. Had I not slowed down when I did, I would have hit the thing head-on, causing way more damage to the van and to both of us sitting in the front seat. No matter what I did or where I was on the road at the time, I still would have hit it. I know that the "Voice of Reason" was correct, but I still felt (feel) like a horrible person/driver.

The first thing on the to-do-list is to get a new headlight. Thank goodness for Jon's brother, Jamie. Jon called him as soon as he could, and he did a bunch of calling around for us. He found the light (at a nice price of $192), so tomorrow Jon-Boy is going to get it. He and his Dad are going to install it (having a handyman/electrician/carpenter/auto-repairman for a FIL and BIL is very cool). This way I won't get a ticket for having only one functioning headlight. The rest of the damage is going to have to wait til I get back to NY. Thank goodness for insurance.

Peep, Peep!!

Please forgive the length of this post!!

My kids love trains. LOVE them. Gabriel started his fascination when he was just about 2. It was an overnight thing. He had seen trains before, but there was no excitement. Then one day after a nap he saw a freight train on tv. That was it. He was hooked. A friend gave us a pile of Thomas and Friends videos to "try". Gabriel became addicted (his love of Thomas is like a drug - he even goes into withdrawal when he hasn't seen a video for a while). And because he loves them so much, Elliott loves them, too (she wouldn't know an original idea if she tripped over one). And now Janna has discovered the joy of trains.

So because Gabriel loves trains so much, I decided to get him tickets for A Day Out With Thomas for his 3rd birthday. It was awesome. He was in heaven. Even 18-month-old Elliott was thrilled (by then she had also become totally obsessed). Aren't they cute?? Yes, Elliott is kissing James.

Since it was such a huge hit, I decided to get tickets again for his 4th birthday. If last year's trip was a small version of heaven for the kids, then this year's was - I don't even think there's a word for it!! They were insane with glee! Now that Gabriel knows his days of the week, he was able to count down the days (we go by "sleeps"). In preparation, we watched hours upon hours of Thomas videos, read countless stories, and every Thomas toy in our house was taken out (Gabriel's bedroom looks like someone went in and puked Thomas and Friends everywhere). He and Elliott sang Thomas songs the entire car ride. Once we got there, we got to park in a lot right next to a sleeping Thomas. I thought both kids were going to pass out from sheer bliss. And this was all they saw:

Shortly after they saw Sleepy Thomas, a freight train rumbled through the station. Once again I thought they were going to swoon with excitement. They have seen trains before, lots of trains. But they were maybe 10 feet away from this one. Gabriel loved the fact that he could feel the ground shake!

We spent the day wandering from "station" to "station" playing with toys, playdoh, and stampers. There were face painting and tattoo "stations". There was so much to do, and the kids loved it. Janna was thrilled to watch all of the activity from her stroller. Gabriel's not sure what the best part of the day was - it was either the train ride or the bouncy thing.

Elliott's favorite part was either meeting Sir Topham Hatt, getting a new hat, or annoying Gabriel with her hugs.

Janna's favorite part was eating her socks or playing peek-a-boo with Sissy's hat. For having been confined in one seat or another for over 7 hours, Janna was extremely content. The only time she really cried was when the freight trains went past. I think they were too loud for her still sensitive ears.

Our Day Out With Thomas was awesome! Even better than last year's, though 2007's event was much more organized. We all had a great time. If Gabriel is still completely ga-ga over Thomas next year (and secretly, I hope that he is), then we will go again.

Standing Up For Herself!

Elliott likes to pick. She lives to pick at her siblings. Fine - she's 2. The problem with this is that the other hosers,can't stand it. They hate it. Gabriel usually pushes her away or tattles, but Janna can't get away from her. She tries to crawl away, but Elli Jane is faster. She tries to whine her away, but Elliott mockingly whines back.

Today, Janna was sitting in front of her LeapFrog piano thingy, and Elliott started bothering her. She was poking Janna in the face, pushing all of the buttons - just being a royal PITA. Janna had had enough and started yelling. I wasn't paying any attention (talking on the phone with my Mom was far more interesting than watching the Girls fight), and when I finally looked over to see what her deal was - she was STANDING!! She had pulled up all by herself! And Elliott was annoyed! She was no longer able to push all the buttons - Janna had control of the piano. It was so cool!

I've been waiting for her to pull up on her own, but it's also kind of bittersweet. She's getting so big and independent. I can't believe she's almost 10 months old!!

Janna and her partner in crime, Lucy.

Letters From The Editor

Dear Jon,

Thank you so much for remembering Mother's Day! The breakfast, flowers, and time alone were wonderful. I love you!

Love, Courtney
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Dear Kids,

You are every mom's dream come true. Your smiles and laughter brighten my days. I love you more than I ever could have thought possible - and more than you will ever know.

Love, Mommy
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Dear Douchebag Next Door,

Why is it that you must rev the engine for your motorcycle at least 30 times before even getting on the thing? You start revving at 6:12 in the morning, and then you drive your bike across my front yard. While you are revving, you and your pregnant wife sit outside and chain smoke, thus filling my house with the lovely scent of cigarettes. Thank you for showing me the true meaning of "white trash."

Annoyed, Your Neighbor
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Dear Pretentious Bitch,

I am so sick of your condescending attitude. You are no better than the rest of us SAHMs, but yet you think that because you live above your means you have a right to talk trash about people who don't share the same "values" as yourself. I have endured your comments for two years too many. Yes, I "only" live in a townhouse. No, I don't have a $5000 television the size of my couch. Yes, my kids are just a little bit bad at times. No, I don't bake everyday. But I wouldn't trade one moment of my seemingly pitiful life for a second of yours. If you see me at a MC event, please feel free to never speak to me again - I'm not entirely sure I will be able to be civil.

Sincerely, The President
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Dear Friends -

Thank you for allowing me to vent. I appreciate you more every day, and I'm not sure where I would be without you.

Gratefully Yours, Court

My Trio

Today has been a pretty great day. I know it's only 2:17, but it's still been great! Part of the reason it's been such a good day is that it's a preschool day. And those are always good. I don't know what I'm going to do come May 22nd. That's Gabey's last day. He loves preschool! He was so excited to go this morning. See??

Another reason it's been a good day is because Elliott got to have some "alone" time. She picks at her brother until both of them are screaming (and I am ready to lock them both in closets). She played nicely, sang songs, and was able to be herself without bugging anyone.

It's also been a good day because Janna doesn't have ear troubles. Her ears have hated her since January, and suddenly, they are starting to like her. She's becoming so active and much more alert. I have to wonder if she was able to hear much before her tubes were placed. She's also decided that climbing to the back to couch is one of the best things in the world. And her giggles and squeals are so sweet.

One final reason for the greatness of this day is that all three of my hosers are sound asleep. I have the living room to myself!! And now that I have shared with you the joys of my day thus far, I will crochet some dishcloths while I finish watching "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn". Hope you are having a great day, too!!

Honky Shoo Shoo

My younger brother, Zak, and I used to "play" pretend sleep a lot. We would make snore noises, then scare each other "awake". Our snores would sound like those words, so we called our game Honky Shoo Shoo. This afternoon while my kids were pretending to nap, I heard The Boy and Big Girl making snore noises - and they called it the same thing Zak and I used to call it. I giggled to myself. How cute is that?

And speaking of sleep (be it pretend or not), I am exhausted. Mondays are always exhausting. And pretty much sucky. After a long, busy weekend, everyone is cranky. Especially me. And for some reason, Jon's absence is felt the most on Mondays. He works every day, but this is the hardest day of the week to get through. After Daddy-ing all weekend, the kids only want him. And while I am completely understanding of this, I could live without the whimpering and whining.

While we're still on the topic of sleep, I just have to share what a miracle tubes have been for Janna. She was waking up every few hours, and it was taking a toll on me. She would only cry for a few minutes, but she would stay awake for hours talking to herself. I am a light sleeper, so her chatting would also keep me awake. And while I was laying there listening to her sweet little voice (which was annoying, but not terribly), I would also be listening to Jon snoring. Loudly. Which was frustrating and extremely annoying. I need sleep. I wasn't getting it. And neither was Janna. Suddenly, Janna is a sleeping machine! She goes to bed, chats for a while, sleeps, and wakes up (rather early), chats for a while, and is once again the happiest girl in the world. She's also stopped peeing through herself. I'm sure that's totally unrelated, but it's nice!

Jonny P. just came home. Monday is coming to a close. Thank goodness. I need a nap.

Nappi-nappi-poo!!

After a 4 hour nap, Janna is all kinds of happy!! She hasn't screamed or grimmaced once! Nappipoos are the best medicine ever - especially when accompanied by a nice, big dose of Baby Motrin! She woke up, played with toys, ate a huge snack, and then crawled all over the living room. She really is a different baby. She's a little sensitive to loud noises (which is just too stinking bad - her brother and sister don't know how to be quiet and I don't know how to not yell), but she acts like she's feeling a ton better. YAY! We'll see how she does tonight...

Tubey-Do-Be-Do

Janna's tubes were placed this morning! Boy, was she unhappy. We got to the hospital around 7, and she was taken back around 7:30 or so. About 15 minutes later she was back in our arms. And screaming. Screaming like someone had cut holes in her ears. Oh wait. Someone had cut holes in her ears. Every time she hiccups or burps, she screams. If you touch her ears at all, she screams. I know that all Moms say this, but it's heartbreaking to see my little Peanut in pain. I know the myringotomy was necessary - she has had six (6) ear infections since January. That's six too many. And she's been on so many antibiotics that she is now immune to them. I just wish that this necessity was a little less painful.