2010

each year in this house brings on some new change or event. 2010 has proved to be no different. i think that jeff and i have the same philosophy to just do our best and go along for the ride that god has planned for us.
about a month ago, i got some shocking news by way of a positive pregnancy test. it was shocking, exciting, alarming and life changing. i was scared and emotionally overwhelmed with this news. i didn't really process it for about a week. i called the doctor and made an appointment a couple weeks later. we went in, she calmed me down but then said she should do an ultrasound to see if this was a viable pregnancy at all. sometimes it is common when you have been on birth control and are a little older to have a blighted ovum. we went right over for the ultrasound and got ready for the tiny little picture on the screen, the tiny little beating heart. i thought, once i see that i will be ok.
but there was no beating heart.
there was a tiny little place where the baby should be, but no baby or heartbeat.
so now, i process something totally different. something i was in shock over and hadn't even fallen in love with was gone that fast? jeff was silent.
he told me not to stress, it was in god's hands. yes, i was aware of that.
we were told to wait a week and come back, they would try again for the small chance that maybe it just didn't show up. the ultrasound tech was not very encouraged, she seemed sure that we would have seen something.
wait a week. go to work. go to school. raise my children. don't speak of this to anyone for fear of what they may or may not say.
over the weekend there was lots of signs that the pregnancy might not last. the doctor had me come back in to see if my blood levels were dropping. they weren't, they were ok.
have hope, don't have hope.
the next week came and we went back to that ultrasound room. she put it on and again saw nothing.
she said, just wait and let me see again.
then there it was. a baby, a heartbeat. tiny and strong. my baby. my baby i didn't fall in love with until that moment.
and then maggie puked all over the ultrasound room and her daddy. (perfect timing for a little tummy bug to make its presence known)
again, in our fashion excitement and drama.

so yes friends and family, that is my story, my news. it has been stressful, sad, and ultimately happy. we are ready for this and know that it will only add more fun and excitement to our already over flowing cups.

you can't take her anywhere take 2. or a hundred.

went to wal-mart today to pick up a few last minute things for christmas. i had maggie with me. we were waiting in the check out line when the very elderly checker came to our line. he was getting ready to open up the register next to us and said "i can help you over here." he began very very slowly shuffling over. he is probably 80 years old if i were to guess, very tall and very frail.
maggie got really excited and started jumping up and down. she chased him down and looked at him and said "mommy look - a real LIVE zombie!" she followed him into his lane and proceeds to yell "mommy im not kidding, its a real zombie, look look!"
i suppose in her eyes his slow shuffling with his arms held out for balance, his pale skin and thing frame might of appeared a little like a zombie.
i didn't know what to do but put my head down and beg her not to talk anymore.

christmas time is coming...

we have driven through christmas in the park, been to a christmas cantata and spent the day at my work christmas party today.
jeff and i have shopped our hearts out, hung the garland, trimmed the tree and there is even snow outside.
i am lucky enough to have three of my four still believing in santa this year. molly used her engineering mind to figure out that is just not a possibility, but is playing it up well for the others. she was even kind enough to go see santa with them today, but when he asked what she wanted she didn't really have an answer.
ashton was nervous and got really into it. he wanted legos, kung zhu zhu pets and a new night lite. maggie bounded onto santa's lap and let him know she only wanted a new baby this year. easy. i couldn't hear carson, but think he said zhu zhu pets also. fine.
the best part of the day was when we were walking out. ashton grabbed my hand and said mama i love you. i said i love you too buddy. he said this was really fun.
yep ashton, it was. he says - do you know what was the most fun thing about it?
what buddy? we got to pick just what we wanted.
i know that doesn't really mean anything to most people, but it tore me up. i just can't believe he thought that was such a big thing, picking his soda, picking his craft, his snack, his book. maybe he doesn't get a say in things very often, just goes with the flow of what the older ones want or the really loud one wants.
he sure will now.

thanksgiving

thanksgiving. time to give thanks. i give thanks for my dad still being here this year. i love that god has given him another shot, more time, more health, more life to live with his family. i love that i just spent thanksgiving with my parents, eating the foods i grew up on, saying the prayers that comfort me. looking across the table and seeing my four beautiful children, parents and husband. its a tradition i hope my children take to heart and continue forever.
we will go to my husband's family tomorrow and eat the foods he grew up on, see the cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents that make his holidays so special.
i have family in town. i have two brothers that live within 30 minutes of me and one that is a couple hours away, but i won't share turkey with them this year. why? i don't know. i just think family is a funny thing. family describes those people who would lay their life down for you without hesitation. those that through squabble, pride, love and laughs you would do anything for. that is my family. that is my brothers. why aren't we together? i don't know. we say things like, we are busy, gotta work, tired, etc... i don't know.
i know that i love them. i respect them. i admire them. love their families.
want to be close to them. my brother closest to me in age has been my hero my whole lifetime. i have always had him on the highest pedestal. to me, he will always be the strongest, smartest, most fun person i know.
i don't believe any of them read my blog, or even know i have one. these things i say, i don't say to them. there are reasons we don't see each other. reasons that mean nothing in the grand picture of life.
i ran a half marathon this week and saw a man younger than all three of my brothers lying in the grass, half naked, blue and getting compressions. no heart beat. his family had to be informed of this news while waiting with signs for their husband/father to cross the finish line. he made it to mile 12. it just put things in perspective.
i give thanks that i have a big loving family. i pray that i have them a little closer next thanksgiving.

running

two weeks until my half marathon. im not embarrassed to admit that i am pretty proud of myself for coming so far. i remember when i started running a couple years ago, i headed out of my cul de sac and felt my chest tighten in the first block. my pants were tight and my fat roll was hanging over them. i could barely make it one song without feeling like my heart was exploding. i was mortified every time a car drove by me, hoping they weren't shaking their head in pity. then i could run two songs, and three. then i could run a mile. a few months later i ran three miles for the first time. i wasn't until a couple of months ago that i could run four. then my friend talked me into training for the half marathon in november. i laughed. then i started. i ran five, then six, seven, eight, nine and today - ten. ten miles in just under two hours. im so amazed at what your body can do, when your mind is set to it. i now know that the half will be tough, but totally something this girl can do.
its one thing i do every day, i stick to it, even when i dont want to. my ipod told me the other day i just crossed the 750 mile mark. i ran 750 miles in the past two years. i have lost about 10 lbs, not a lot, but enough to put me where i am happy, healthy and no longer stressing over everything that goes into my mouth. i think it has been since junior high since i felt that way.
i haven't registered for the race yet, because even up until today, i wasn't sure if it was something i could do. now im sure, and im off to register.

conversation.

on the way home from the pumpkin patch, this was a conversation overheard from the back seat.
ashton "mommy, maggie is eating her boogers."
maggie "no i isn't."
ashton "yes you are. that's so gross maggie."
maggie "mmmm, mmmmm MMMMMM. i just had the most delicious one ashton."
ashton "MAGGIE stop it."
maggie "hey ashton, im going to the booger patch to pick you a good one."
ashton "maggie if you do that in kindergarten they are going to make fun of you."
maggie "what's funobyou?"
ashton "NO make fun of YOU."
maggie "whats funobyou?"
ashton "no maggie, its FUN OF YOU. never mind."
maggie "hey buddy did you want me to pick you a good one? i got a delicious one from the booger patch."

me "maggie that is not very lady like, please don't talk like that."
maggie "not berry what mom?"
me "lady like."
maggie "well im not a lady, im just a wittle girl mom."

can i get an AMEN?

those of you who know me will get a kick out of this. if you know me, you are aware of the fact that i have a problem with inappropriate laughter when i am tired. it just bubbles over me and i can't stop. nothing will stop. i laugh until i am full out crying, head down, tears rolling, just can't control it. the weirdest things will set it off. it most often happens at 3 or 4 in the morning, while at work.
today, it happened at church. i chose to stay up for the service after working all night.
in the middle of worship sitting next to my unsuspecting husband, i got overcome with the giggles. i guess he has never seen me do it before.
we were singing "our god is greater, our god is stronger" and so on. then it happened.
this little old lady behind us starts to sing. i mean she really sang it out. she had this vibrato that i couldn't replicate if i tried, almost like a cartoon character. she was really loud. the first note and i started to giggle. then she kept going, and so did i. jeff just shook his head and held my arm. he may of said something about this not being junior high, but i couldn't hear over my giggling and her singing.
then the sermon started. it was quiet and i had composed myself.
the pastor said a couple of things and she belts out - "AMEN. MMMHMMM." again, really loud and in that crazy voice. every ten to twenty seconds she repeated herself. it was just too much. i prayed, i thought about other things. i tucked my head in my shirt and covered my face with my hair. and then she would say it again. "MMMMHHHHMMMM, AMEN" oh please. please stop. i couldn't even leave because we were blocked in.
then he was telling a story and he says, i told you last week about the tree falling on my head, and she interrupts and says "OH YES YOU DID. MMMHHHMMM. AMEN."
in my defense, i noticed another couple smiling in front of us, and the little boy directly in front of me turned around once. im not sure if it was to see me or the lady, we were both probably causing a stir.
better luck next week.

opposites

total opposites.

what is new

what is new in my world as of today. i have started grad school, began teaching nursing clinicals two days a week, started training for a half marathon and adopted two giant puppies in addition to my current full time job at the hospital!
i think i might be a touch crazy, but i am already three weeks in and seem to be handling it okay.


the dogs, which came already named penny and coco, are terrible and wonderful all at once. they have chewed up a shoe, my kindle case, carson's football mouthpiece, various barbies and toys, and this morning's paper. i want to hate them, but as i am typing maggie is on top of penny kissing her and penny is hugging her with both paws... they kind of just fit right in from day one.

my 1/2 marathon is in november and then i am hopefully going to just back off a little on the working out. i would really like to be one of those happy ladies who just go for a simple walk once a day and call it good. i hope my aging metabolism likes that idea too.

the grad school thing was a no brainer. its one class a week for 15 months, totally paid for by my hospital. i am hoping someday this will open doors for me to work something with more normal hours in the future.

off to walk these mutts.

i scream you scream

for his family birthday, carson chose to go to this little ice cream shop downtown and attempt the banana split challenge. it is made with eight large scoops of ice cream, two bananas and mounds of candy, syrup, fruit and whipped cream. the rule is you have to finish it alone in 15 minutes.



he started strong.


got very cold and had the shivers.



moved outside and warmed up, 5 minutes left.



finished with 1/2 scoop left and the bananas.


gagged, paused and decided he was done.


i was in shock at the amount of sugar that boy put away. he had to sit for a minute, but then we went to a playground and he ran and ran, like nothing had happened. amazing.

it did tucker maggie out - this is a glimpse at how sugary sweet she was on the way home.

Happy Birthday Carson!

So this year Carson invited ALL his BFF's to his birthday party.
I got called into work.
Jeff ran the party.
This is a snippet of the night.

Top 11 because they couldn't fit in 10 reasons I am happy to turn 36

top eleven list about turning 36

11. It really beats the alternative.

10. If I want to stay up late watching dvr'd TV and eating the whole bowl of popcorn, I can. I can even eat ice cream right out of the carton - the ice cream i picked out at the store just because it sounded good.

9. I have friends that I have chosen. Not friends I have to have, because that is all that happens to be in your class, town, college, etc. Friends that I choose to share my life with, because they make my life better, richer and so much more fun. Friends that keep me sane in my most insane moments. Thank you all far and near.

8. I have a real career. I don't work at sonic anymore, billy's chili and bar bar, zios, or nursing homes. I get to see tragedies, miracles, and recenter what is really important every time I go to work.

7. I am able to wake up every morning and drink hot expensive coffee with real cream and read the paper from front to back. Mmmmm can't wait to do it all again tomorrow.

6. I live in a nice house, in a nice neighborhood with really nice people all around me. I love to have so many fun kids my children can play with, a park down the street, a beautiful walking trail, and a swimming pool. Awesome.

5. I am old enough to appreciate all that I have. I don't complain that my car is old, I am too fat, too tired, too broke. I am truly grateful for what is surrounding me - plenty of not so great alternatives out there.

4. I have two parents, aunts, uncles and three brothers nearby. I see none of these people enough, but I am so lucky that I get another year to change that.

3. I am young enough to be able to run a 5K, do P90X, and insanity and not have aching hips yet.

2. I have had the gift of cradling four unique little newborns in my arms - knowing that I was a part of creating these little blessings. They are my happiness, fear, anxiety, beauty, amazement and worry all rolled into perfect little packages. I love having something so important to me I would die for them without blinking an eye.

1. I live with the one adult I choose to be with forever. He makes me feel every single day that I am the most beautiful, smart and funny person he has ever known - even when I am tired, grumpy - and clearly not the least bit pretty. I have every confidence that he will continue to make me feel that way when I am sitting in my wheelchair, wearing a depends with eyebrows drawn on and bright red lipstick - probably with part of my creamed peas still on my bib.

Look forward to that vision babe, we are another year closer.

people never stop surprising me...

we went for a night swim at the neighborhood pool last night. jeff was finishing up his workout, so i ran up with kids. they are all getting very manageable now, so no fears in taking them alone anymore.
while there, this cute little girl came up with a lady who was wearing jeans and high heels. i despise people who go to the pool with small children, and they are not in swimsuits. they have no intention of getting in the water with their little one, its just cruddy.
she then approaches me and says "can i borrow your cell phone, i forgot her life jacket and she totally can't swim, so i wanted my sister to run it up here."
i don't have my cell phone, sorry.
she then tries to get her child out of the pool, but the little girl starts crying and saying she doesnt want to leave.
so this really smart lady says to her, you stay right here, dont get in the water, and i will be right back.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? did i hear that correctly? oh yes, i did. this gal leaves her child at the pool, walks back home to get the jacket.
i ask the little girl how old she is.
"im four years old and my aunt brought me to the pool. i promised her i wouldn't let any stranger steal me."
awesome.
she only fell under water twice when the aunt was gone, but we were close by and helped her back up.
not to bad for a 4 year old, who can't swim, left alone in a pool for 20 minutes.
this is why there are horrid stories on the news.

a classic

responsibility

dont you love it when you have somebody else's kid over to your house - and they are obnoxious - and your spouse and you can talk about what great parents you are, i mean, compared to them? i mean, you are both like, our kids are so sweet and loving compared to so and so, our kids would never act that way... and on and on, as your heads swell like hot air balloons.

what i hate - is when somebody else's kids come over and might(gulp)be more responsible little beings than your kids. crap - right when you thought you were really on your game, some other rock star parent has to one up ya.

my children's new little friends totally did that to me. these kids are pretty much the love and logic text book perfect children. im sure they make a mistake here or there, but it certainly has not been here.

so - i hating to be behind the game, had to get serious. yes i do know that the most important thing is to love your children and turn them into loving adults. i feel pretty strongly that it involves learning how to function first in your home, second in society.


totally stealing my friend's system - we are starting lists for the day.

each day of the week they wake up to a new list of what needs to be done before bed.
i am still tweaking it - so this may change a little - but i think im (she) is on to something.

example (this was today's):

Thursday

~ clean your bathrooms. clean the mirror first, then counter, sink and finally toilet. empty trash if it needs it. put towels into the laundry.
~ clean your rooms. make your beds, organize toys, pick up any clothes and straighten any extra items.
~ do something loving for one of your siblings
~ help clean up the kitchen after every meal. put dishes in dishwasher, wipe down counters and table, rinse out sink.
~ pick up your toys when you are finished playing with them

each day, they change and you get different areas cleaned, including vaccumming!

this is not child labor, right? i will let you know how it sticks.

you can't take her anywhere

that is what my husband said about my sweet little maggie tonight. they had their last night of vacation bible school (in which molly won the prize for knowing all of her bible verses perfectly - go molly) and there was a little service for the families at the end.
jeff was sitting with the kids and in front of them there was an extremely heavy set gal with some low rider pants on. her backside was showing pretty well.
they sang their songs and then bowed their heads for prayer. it was really quiet and every head was bowed, every eye closed. except for maggies! her eyes were on the lady in front of them.
she then said loudly "somebodies booty stinks weely bad daddy."
lots of giggles and more silence for the prayer.
ashton says "maggie, we dont say that."
maggie yells "yes we do ashton, mama says it all the time."
lots of giggling from the people around them.
"booty booty booty booty booty booty"

sorry i missed it.

3 year check up

well it was the much anticipated three year check up for miss mags. she weighed in at 42 lbs, 41 inches tall. she is a giant, the biggest of all four by age three, even carson who i remember thinking was huge. dr. yannette said, just to let you know, she is about the average size of an almost five year old. great.
he loved her even though when asked how old she was she replied with "oh doctor netty, i hab no idea!"
he even believed me over her when he asked if she always wore her helmet while on her bike and she said "oh i don't eben hab a helmet, i weely don't."
while trying to see if she would answer correctly, he asked her what she did when she was hungry. she replied "i just dwink milk. i don't eben eat food."
he said, well it must be a whole lot of milk maggie, she said "yes, it is."

she had a play date tonight with her friend gracyn - who is two, but not even half her size, it was a hoot to watch them try to play together.



but as usual, she found a way to make it work.

where do little boy's come from?

conversation on the way home from gymnastics tonight.
molly - mom, i understand that females carry the X chromosome and males carry the X or Y. to have a baby, how does the male chromosome get into the female?

me- uhhh... well, it is one of God's miracles honey.

molly- well, then i think every baby would be a girl, because only the mother is the one who is making it, there isn't any real way that the husband's DNA could mix with the mother's.

me- ummm (thinking to self, im not smart enough to answer this correctly)
well, when daddy and i kiss, we exchange DNA molly.

molly- oh, ok. so if i married somebody, but agreed to never ever touch them, i could just have girls?

me- i guess so molly, but boys really are easier.

through the glass

so its been a little bit of a rough week with our youngest boy. he got frustrated outside and hit the neighbor girl on the hand with a metal shovel. he then got in very big trouble by both parents, and got his video games taken away for the week.
it was total sadness for the boy on every level.
it is very humbling to think you have a good kid on the block, and then discover he is whacking little girls with garden tools.
we talked about it and realized maybe its not all ashton's fault, but our fault also.
as far as kids go, he is very easy. he entertains himself, he gets his own snacks, and rarely asks for anything. my other children are high maintenance in that regard. they want you to read to them, talk to them, listen to their stories, fix their snacks, take them places, just be near them and attend to them - a lot. he doesn't.
so i guess, we don't. we are busy every minute of the day, so if he is happy, we let him be. he plays a lot of wii, computer and legos. he plays outside on his own, he gets poptarts and water when he is hungry.
i really started feeling guilty about this after he whopped the little girl's hand.
i really got on to him, and he cried really hard.
it made me think about all the time he spends doing things my other kids didn't at his age. maybe he wouldn't of lost his cool if i spent more time interacting with him.
i took him and maggie to gymnastics this week, like i always do. its a parent/tot class, so i go into the gym with her and hop around, sing, and be silly - just her and i. he sits in the waiting room and plays legos.
its a 45 minute class, no big deal.
this week mr. chad (the teacher)got out the parachute. we were sitting around it singing wheels on the bus when i looked up at the viewing window.
through the glass i see ashton just staring out at us. just standing perfectly still, not sad, not happy, just watching. just watching his mama play with his little sister. watching and waiting for us to be done. he isn't in any activites, he doesn't get to go to a class and play parachute with his mama. i can't even type this without getting a physical pain in my stomach.
live and learn i guess.
try harder.
do better.
don't ever look up and see a sweet face watching you through the glass again.

the virgin mary

i was looking at old pictures on the computer with maggie today. we ran across some of me when i was very large and pregnant with little maggie. i said maggie - that is you in my tummy, you lived in there before you were born. she said, "i was in dare under your shirt?" and i said yes, inside my tummy until you were ready to come out, see how big it was? she kind of looked down at her own protruding belly and that was that.
we really didn't talk about it anymore, just kept looking at pictures.
later that day, my mom and dad (against their better judgement) let her spend the night at their house for the first time.
i got a phone call from my mom around 5AM wanting to tell me a funny story about the evening.
maggie approached my mom and patted her big round belly.
she said "gwandma, i hab a baby in my belly."
my mom says, "oh you do?"
maggie says "yes, he's been in dare a long time and im sabing him in dare."
my mom says, "well what is his name?"
maggie says "well gwandma, his name is jesus."

uncomfortable moments

I took miss maggie with me to home depot today. i needed to purchase the ceiling fan, light fixture and mirror for the downstairs bathroom and bedroom.
we made our selections and i was walking through the nearly empty store when a lady who worked there walked in front of us. she was kind of husky and had a boyish looking haircut. they all wear those little vests and slacks, so i guess could be interpreted as male or female clothing.
my daughter thinking she had really figured something out for this gal starts yelling at her.
"haaaaay, you are a booooy!! i am a giwl, and you are a boy. i a giwl, you a boy."
she just kept it up, and i had no idea what to do. finally a dad and son come around the corner and hallelujah i say "yes maggie, he is a boy, he is a daddy, and that is his little boy."
close call.
once again.

no shirt no shoes no service

it has been another crazy week around our household. we are finishing our basement, getting ready for easter, and trying to fit in kids activities around it all.
i was taking ashton to preschool tuesday, along with maggie and the dog so that the workers would not have to step over them.
i loaded them all up in the van with 8 minutes to get there on time.
we pull in right at 9am and i am trying to keep the puppy in the van, haul maggie out of her seat and get ashton in the school.
he hops to the van door and says to me
"mommy, did you remember my shoes?"
i look down at his socked feet and respond
"well, no buddy i didn't. who's job is it to remember your shoes?"
he just stared at me.
i thought about this.
isn't this one of those moments where you are defined as a helicopter parent or a love and logic parent? i mean, i felt bad making him walk in there with no shoes, and i felt plenty stupid myself. but its a chance to teach a lesson, right?
love and logic it was, since i had no time to run home anyhow.
i walked my very embarassed boy into his classroom and explained to his teacher, the directer and the handful of nosy parents who had gathered around my explanation.
"i told him the van is leaving in five minutes, get ready to go, this was his idea of being ready, so that is how he is coming to school."
his teacher asked me how i thought this would go over.
"im not sure, but i betcha he won't forget again."

so far, he has not.

sweet moments

maggie says to the construction worker coming up from the basement, covered in dry wall dust "i weely like your shirt."
he says, "thanks"
she says, "hold still i need to take your picture." she then holds up her princess phone and pretends to shoot pics of him.
jeff pours her a chocolate milk and the syrup is almost gone, so it makes a funny noise when he squirts it out.
maggie goes back to the worker and says "hey worker, i drinking chocolate toots."
he says "what was that?"
she says, "i said i drinking chocolate toots."
lovely.

meet me in st. louis

spring break 10 the family ventured to st. louis. jeff being the totally adventurous one decided to ride the amtrak from kc to st. louis with the four children and i drove alone in blissful peace. (in all honestly i was actually lonely) i guess the train ride wasn't all it was cracked up to be, exposing our children to bums, alcoholics and lots of bare stinky feet. apparantly one stinky guy really liked maggie and was trying to make conversation with them, jeff headed him off quite quickly. good thing it was just a five hour drive!
i picked them up from the train station and off we went, exploring the city.
we tried the "free" science center, which after 12 dollars in parking, you go in and realize anything fun your children might want to do, costs a good chunk of change. we were tired and hungry, so i might be unfair in judging it harshly, but over all it was dirty and not so much fun.
being the totally organized traveler i am, i had mapquested routes to every destination, from the planned place we would be at to our new destination. the first nights dinner was to be at the famous crown candy kitchen, as seen on "man vs. food milkshake competition". carson loves that show and was ready for a milkshake challenge.
unfortunately my clever directions landed us right in the middle of the hood.
no kidding, there were "popping" noises, young males running across the street and hiding in between parked cars and houses. it took a good seven blocks for us to wind our way out of that mess.

real culture children. duck your heads and don't look up.
we aborted the dinner and drove to the burbs of kirkwood instead.
pizza and shopping, much safer.


the next day we went to the zoo - which was nicer than ours, but not quite omaha.
the highlight here were the "zebras without stripes" better known as:

seriously?

after a big expensive lunch on the historic hill, we decided this family should just go find a target, buy food and have a picnic for dinner. funny how the simplest of things can be the most fun. we bought them dollar jump ropes and bubbles and headed back to our hotel where we could simply walk over to the arch. we layed out a blanket and feasted on peanut butter sandwiches, fruit, trail mix, pretzels and easter candy under the arch. delicious, fun and low stress.
this will probably be our favorite memory of the trip. oh - i forgot to mention while dining at the old italian place carson set off the
alarms by trying to exit the wrong door. that got some old italian men moving away from their plates and to us pretty quickly.


the last day was spent at the magic house in kirkwood. way fun, affordable and they are already asking when they can go back. maggie almost caused a little scuffle by telling a little boy in the make believe pizza shop to get away from her pizza, its not for babies and he cant touch it. his mama didnt appreciate her directness.
i think it is important that girls learn how to shoot it straight.


low points - the train, the hood, pricey meals and deceptive "free" activities.
high points - picnic under the arch, magic house, memories made in a new city together.

dental trouble

so molly and i had our dentist appointments yesterday. i thought it would be clever to take maggie along so she could start getting used to the dentist chair and what happens there.
dr. george is about 15 minutes away. about 14 minutes into the car ride, maggie falls asleep. its 4pm. she isn't really allowed to nap that late, bc that means there will be a party at our house until around, oh say midnight.
i pulled in, got her out and carried her in with molly by my side. she fell back asleep on my shoulder. i let molly go first while i held mags, thinking 10 minutes should do her ok.
molly's teeth were lovely, she was done and it was my turn. maggie was still snoozing on my shoulder. i tried to gently lay her down on a blanket they got for me.
well, gently doesn't happen when your 6 feet tall and your child is 42 lbs. i lugged her on the ground, surely this would wake her. nope. she fell asleep, flat on her back in the middle of our little cubicle.
this rotten child won't sleep at home on my pillow top mattress with fleece blankets and pillows. now she decides to sleep on tile floor in a brightly lit dental office?
give me a break.
i got in the chair, let the tech start cleaning my teeth and told molly to start gently waking her. kindly rub her leg and talk to her please.
so molly, being the lovely child she is, rubs maggie's leg and asks her if she would like one of her prizes.
im locked in the chair with drool coming out of my mouth and a bib on.
maggie springs awake and starts kicking the very thin wall, still on her back, and begins screaming. "NOOOOOO MOLLLY I DONT WANT YOUR TREATS. NOOOO NOOO NOOO NOOO..."
over and over, loud as she could.
everyone in the office, including dr. george comes running to our stall.
this freaks her out more, and she starts flailing about on the floor like a big carp washed up on the bank. screaming, hitting, kicking.
i just keep laying there while she polishes my teeth. i try to say something like
its ooaaakkayamaaaii. but just gibberish comes out.

dr. george just said, well, looks like she is not going to be like molly, huh?

big family

i love this article! i hope my dear friend (who has a big family and has had a rough month) reads it and smiles.
(article originally written by matthew archibold and posted on my charming kids blog)


Why big families are easier:

Patience. I never have to teach patience. My children know that I can’t drop everything for them if I have a baby in my arms.

Work Ethic. My children have learned to work because there are always chores to do in a small house packed with little messy lunatics. And they all learn quickly that sometimes they have to clean up a mess even though they didn’t make it.

Humility. My children have learned it’s not always their turn. They’ve accepted they can’t always get their way because other people have to get their way sometimes. They’ve learned that some children are better at certain things than they are.

Foreign language skills. You can learn a lot of Spanish by watching ten years of Dora the Explorer that you just can’t pick up in two. And now with the Diego spin off I’m practically fluent.

Laughter. The children have learned to laugh at the insane non sequiturs of younger siblings. They’ve learned that laughing just feels better when seven people are doing it along with you.

Competition. Do I really need to go into this? Everything is a competition in big families. The children compete over who reads faster, who drinks their milk faster, who gets to the bathroom first…etc. Everything is a competition and they’re all keeping score.

Balance. The floor of the front room of my home is a minefield of toys and childhood paraphernalia. Just walking through the room requires great skill and balance. I’m absolutely convinced my two year old will be a favorite for Gold on the balance beam in the 2016 Olympics. (She might have to lay off the cookies a little but I’ll deal with that later.)

Life isn’t fair. Sometimes you just give it to the baby because you want a little quiet. Not all the time. But sometimes.

Just say “No.” Being able to say “no” may be the most undervalued skill in this world. The need to be liked is pervasive. The need to be cool even more so. Having brothers and sisters teaches children to say “no” about 143 times a day. It’s a good skill.

Praying. They learn that nothing beats praying together as a family.

Nature/Nurture. Having many children has taught me that nature has a lot more to do with who my kids are than nurture. This is helpful, especially when your children misbehave you don’t have to feel bad about it. Just say “Stupid nature!!!” and blame your spouse’s genes.

Namecalling. You can occasionally call your child by the wrong name and still not be considered a terrible parent. They know who you mean just from your tone. Sometimes if you need something done you can call the wrong name and someone will still show up. That helps.

Spying. My children have learned that they can’t get away with anything. I have spies who look a lot like them who are willing to drop the dime on them for anything. Even at school I’ve got a child in just about every grade. If they do something I’ll hear. That keeps them nervous. And I like keeping my kids a little nervous.

Friendship. The children have many friends. They’ve got girly friends, crying friends, fun loving friends, consoling friends, and crazy friends. And they all have the same last name. And they’ll be there forever for each other. No matter what.

Love. I think my children have learned to love because there are others around them to love and who love them. I honestly can think of no better way to teach children to love than siblings.

gymnastics

maggie loves her "mastics" class. she goes wednesday mornings and gets to see her friends and cousin there. its a parent/tot class, so either jeff or i go with her and help her do her little moves.
this week i had worked, so jeff got to take her. he was helping her with forward rolls, and her teacher, mr. chad came over to assist them.
he kept telling her to put her nose to her knees and then he could help push her over into a roll.
she wasn't getting it, and finally she told him
"mr. chad, my belly is too big for dat."

yes indeed.

oatmeal

do you know the 10 lb bags of quaker oats that costco sells? you probably don't even look at them, because only me and michelle duggar buy oatmeal in that quantity.
i think oats are healthy and they find their way into most of my baking.
i keep these large large bags of oats in my pantry, on the lower shelf with all the other giant containers of food.
funny thing about those oats - when you are in a hurry to leave for work - your two year old cherub might decide to grab the bag and shake it all over the kitchen floor.
now if it weren't my kitchen, my oats, my two year old, this would have been an awesome picture/video. it was like the christmas snowstorm in there. notice there are no pics.
i didn't find it that much of a photo-op at the time. kind of wish i would have, words just can't do it justice.
maggie looked at the kitchen, looked at me and took off running for the hills.
smart, smart little cherub.

good hygiene

ashton and i went out grocery shopping today to get away from the sick little maggie for a bit.
(she has pneumonia and really isn't that friendly)
we hit costco to get our enormous size boxes of goldfish, milk, coffee and fruit, as always stopping to get a giant hotdog on the way out.
we had to run in walmart for a few things and while in line ashton has to go potty. the restroom was right in front of my checkout, so i said go ahead buddy, i will be right here.
he runs in and out in a flash.
did you wash your hands?
he darts back to the bathroom.
he comes skipping back to the line and says this.
"mommy, grown up people never wash their hands."
yes they do honey.
"no mommy, that guy right there went tinkle and then walked right out without washing."
this man was standing in front of us waiting for his wife and got pretty flushed.
"i mean, even when they know they are supposed to, they never wash them."
thanks for pointing that out buddy. germs are gross and you will always wash.
"yes mommy, until i am a grownup right?"

whats not super

i can tell you what is not super. its not super to work 13 hour shifts, four night in a row in a crazy busy place.
it is also not super to get totally behind on your children's lives. example: molly has girl scout work that needs to be completed asap. permission slips that need to be turned in yesterday. rats.
it is also not super to roll out of bed after four hours sleep to a nice audible wheeze coming from your two year old.
it was super to have a fresh pot of strong coffee waiting for me....
it was super to have my husband frantically finished and PUTTING AWAY the laundry...
but back to the not super stuff.
she is wheezing, fevering and crackly on her right side. (the same side her pneumonia was on earlier this year)
not super that my hubby is off to school and i can't take her anywhere right now.
or that i have dinner to make... other children to take care of... homework to help with...
on the other hand, it is super that i have all those things i guess.
i just sure do not appreciate them as much when im exhausted.

reruns

there seems to be nothing but reruns on around here...

desitin is bad

and so is she.



bad.



bad.



bad.

(and tips on getting desitin out of carpet, stuffed animals, vacuum cleaners, and blankets
would be appreciated.)

thing i heard

things i heard this week...

"mom, maggie is picking her nose and wiping her boogers on your scarf."

"get me milk." to which i respond, that is not the way to ask, could you try again, and bring me your cup please?
"i just way to busy mommy."

"lee's summit school district will be cancelled both tomorrow and friday due to inclement weather conditions." that one really got me, right in the heart. that was hard core lee's summit. hateful and hard core. let's please not ever say those words again, not in this house.

"your youngest just scribbled giant circles all over your couch with your sharpie."

"mom, maggie is feeding the puppy bacon, craisins, and chalk."

"can i _____________________"
you can fill in the blank, it is said about every two and a half minutes by various people.

"you da best mommy eber." i do still love that one.

"looks like we have everything we need to process your passports, they should arrive in about four weeks."
woo hoo - we are heading out on our first out of this country vacation. unfortunately, we did purchase passports for 1,2,3 and 4 also.