Thursday, December 19, 2013
Monday, December 16, 2013
s wisdom
the other day little S was telling me about a conversation she had with her class. Her teacher asked them what traditions their families have and what they know about Christmas.
i asked her what she said.
S responded that all she could remember was that Jesus is the light of the world.
pretty good answer i thought.
then she leaned forward, as if to break it to me, and said
"mom, not every one in my class is catholic."
i told her that i bet there are a lot of kids with different religions in her class.
she said in a very serious voice "*emma is not even catholic."
oh. i said. well what religion is she?
"she's a vegetarian."
on another note, we were lucky enough to get a brief visit from my cousin from indiana. her flight was cancelled and she was stuck here overnight. we were so happy to have her and her sweet little boy come and stay with us. she's a photographer... she snapped some awesome pics.
my poor baby boy has his first ear infection. he hates his medicine. it has been a real challenge to get him to take it.
hopefully he will be feeling better soon.
little D is home from school today with a nasty cough and R is still sleeping... you know what that means.
'tis the season i guess.
*names have been changed to protect the innocent
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
visit to indiana
back in october
we took a trip to visit my grandparents.
i was so excited.
it was quite an ordeal to get all of the kids, minus the baby... we took him with us
situated.
we happily got on our flight and enjoyed the 3 hr flight in silence.
pdubs woke up as we were landing and said he felt like he got hit by a truck.
that's right. completely glassy eyed, fever, kick your butt to bed, sleep all day
sick.
such a bummer.
we had big plans to really live it up.
oh well.
he rested and my gram and i hung out and
stared at the baby all day.
fine with me.
my grams house. heaven, right?
the house where i took my first steps & had my first taste of chocolate
gramps was really enjoying holding the baby for the first time
fall leaves. my fav.
paul did rally one rainy afternoon. we went to a riley festival and enjoyed an elephant ear.
we also had to take the baby to our fave apple orchard.
he also rallied for a game night.
i think that really did him in.
i found this old letter my gram had written in 3rd grade.
i love her fancy writing and her sweet sentiments.
i can't think of much else i'd rather be doing than going through old photos at my grandma's house.
even though i have done it hundreds of times, there is always a new story to go along.
and always fun to see the pics again and again.
and since i'm at a different age when i do this, i have a different perspective.
when my grandma wrote this to her mother, my great-grandmother, after whom i was named,
was about the same age i am now.
she was raising 6 kids, 5 girls and 1 boy
her husband, mother and sweet daughter had already gone before her
and all within a short amount of time.
but somehow she managed to push through and make sure my gram and her siblings
all had happy memories of their childhood.
pretty amazing if you ask me.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
halloween 2013
this year we had a . . .
princess/beauty queen/ ghost (after a costume change)
50's girl with a real poodle and all
a mean principal
a vampire
st. george the knight
and… i don't remember what baby j was
maybe he had on some skeleton pjs.
anyway, he was cute i'm sure.
cousins and friends came over for our annual driveway pot luck.
kids kind of ate and then ran around like crazy
we took turns taking the kids around
trick-or-treating
a beautiful arizona halloween night
Saturday, October 26, 2013
the final epic union of ruby & baxter
we knew we wanted to have one more litter of puppies. maybe next year. not any time soon.
rewind a few months to those dreadful hot 120 degrees days of summer, being over due, everyone around the house was a little on edge.
i walked in one day to a blood smear on the floor. i was a little perturbed (over due preggo mind, not the most compassionate) who is bleeding? can i leave for an hour without coming home to someone bleeding? who is bleeding? then i proceed to walk around and inspect all the children. not me! not me. they all said... well then who???
then it dawned on me. oh my gosh. it had better not be that dog!! we were unclear on when she would be in heat next... she goes into heat every 6 months. we weren't sure if it would be 6 months after her last time or 6 months after the last puppies were born. well anyway... sure enough it was her. such bad timing, we were about to leave for the hospital at any moment. someone was going to have to come and take care of our whole house & kids and now this? it was an impossible situation.
when ruby is in heat, it makes both of the dogs insane (and they are pretty much insane anyway.. this intensifies it 200%) we had to keep them separated and keep ruby diapered so she wouldn't bleed all over the floor. she is fertile for 3 weeks... that means this would be a constant struggle for 3 WEEKS. they are both big wild dogs. so when ruby needed to go out to the bathroom, we would have to get baxter inside. that was impossible. he would run away & bark because he wanted to be with ruby. and i'm talking all the time. he had no shame. he was on her like bees on
honey. it was pretty disgusting.
as i sat there and cried, paul would try to manage the dogs. he put an old pair of underwear with a big pad inside with a hole cut out for her tail on her. well, ruby could sense the tension so she was a little skiddish. when she would dash around the house, it would come off. and whenever we let her outside baxter would rip it off of her. we thought that would deter baxter but not so much. so mumbling a few choice words under his breath about changing bloody dog pads, he decided that it would be a good idea to duct tape the diaper around her. well then when she had to go #2, he couldn't get the tape off fast enough so then he had a HUGE mess. all while both dogs are constantly barking like two young pathetic lovers desperately wanting to elope. oh boy was he happy about that.
it was a nightmare. over the top.
it was enough for us all to fall apart at the seams. with the house, the kids, work, the impending new baby... too much. if we could not handle the situation, how could we expect someone else to handle it for 3 days when we were to be gone at the hospital? AND it was 120 degrees outside!
we had to make a decision. i think paul even impulsively listed to dogs for sale. when we had no takers on that, we had to figure it out.
we decided to let them just be together. we knew that it meant our lives could once again be very complicated in a few weeks... with an 8 week old baby and puppies. but desperate times call for desperate measures. we turned on the sprinklers, undiapered the dog & let them loose in the backyard. oh man were they happy. the barking stopped. no more dog blood or poop in the house. we had to turn our heads away several times... a day. we even closed the shutters as to not traumatize the children. it was like watching the blue lagoon with dog actors. we just prayed that she wouldn't get pregnant.
alas, we were able to let it go and focus on the baby. we went into labor, natalie came and took superb care of the kids & house and threw some food out for the dogs.
we came home. all was good.
meanwhile the dogs were a hot mess. happy, but a hot mess. they were muddy from the constant sprinklers, ruby's hair was matted. they both smelled horrible.
and ruby's middle section was getting a little bigger.
we knew what was coming and paul set up ruby's birthing center. she had a home birth :)
this part was kind of fun since we had just been through it ourselves. i think paul even put on his scrubs to play the part. now the waiting game began once again.
sure enough, in the middle of the night 9 weeks later.... we heard baxter barking like a maniac. paul ran outside. he came back in and said "i think ruby is in labor." i asked why? he said "because there is one already out."
oh my.
she was under the swingset in the back yard. so much for her fancy birthing center set up inside. so we had to just wait. he would check on her every 30 min. or so.
2 more!.... 1 more..... 2 more!!.... 4 more!!!!
10 puppies!
omg. that is so many. finally after 2 hours & no more puppies he transferred ruby and her 10 puppies inside.
she was much more comfortable this time around. a few days later we took them in to the vet & had everyone checked out. baxter got neutered and ruby will go in once her milk is all dried up. all was good.
they are adorable and the kids are in heaven playing, naming, brushing and loving the puppies.
hearts broken every time someone comes to buy one. they have thought up some new tactics this time around.
like leaving prayers taped to the door for prospective buyers to read. tying notes to specific puppies. hiding specific puppies....
paul promised the kids a trip to disneyland after all the puppies are sold. that took care of that. they got over it.
now... only a few are left. who's in the market for a labradoodle???
rewind a few months to those dreadful hot 120 degrees days of summer, being over due, everyone around the house was a little on edge.
i walked in one day to a blood smear on the floor. i was a little perturbed (over due preggo mind, not the most compassionate) who is bleeding? can i leave for an hour without coming home to someone bleeding? who is bleeding? then i proceed to walk around and inspect all the children. not me! not me. they all said... well then who???
then it dawned on me. oh my gosh. it had better not be that dog!! we were unclear on when she would be in heat next... she goes into heat every 6 months. we weren't sure if it would be 6 months after her last time or 6 months after the last puppies were born. well anyway... sure enough it was her. such bad timing, we were about to leave for the hospital at any moment. someone was going to have to come and take care of our whole house & kids and now this? it was an impossible situation.
when ruby is in heat, it makes both of the dogs insane (and they are pretty much insane anyway.. this intensifies it 200%) we had to keep them separated and keep ruby diapered so she wouldn't bleed all over the floor. she is fertile for 3 weeks... that means this would be a constant struggle for 3 WEEKS. they are both big wild dogs. so when ruby needed to go out to the bathroom, we would have to get baxter inside. that was impossible. he would run away & bark because he wanted to be with ruby. and i'm talking all the time. he had no shame. he was on her like bees on
honey. it was pretty disgusting.
as i sat there and cried, paul would try to manage the dogs. he put an old pair of underwear with a big pad inside with a hole cut out for her tail on her. well, ruby could sense the tension so she was a little skiddish. when she would dash around the house, it would come off. and whenever we let her outside baxter would rip it off of her. we thought that would deter baxter but not so much. so mumbling a few choice words under his breath about changing bloody dog pads, he decided that it would be a good idea to duct tape the diaper around her. well then when she had to go #2, he couldn't get the tape off fast enough so then he had a HUGE mess. all while both dogs are constantly barking like two young pathetic lovers desperately wanting to elope. oh boy was he happy about that.
it was a nightmare. over the top.
it was enough for us all to fall apart at the seams. with the house, the kids, work, the impending new baby... too much. if we could not handle the situation, how could we expect someone else to handle it for 3 days when we were to be gone at the hospital? AND it was 120 degrees outside!
we had to make a decision. i think paul even impulsively listed to dogs for sale. when we had no takers on that, we had to figure it out.
we decided to let them just be together. we knew that it meant our lives could once again be very complicated in a few weeks... with an 8 week old baby and puppies. but desperate times call for desperate measures. we turned on the sprinklers, undiapered the dog & let them loose in the backyard. oh man were they happy. the barking stopped. no more dog blood or poop in the house. we had to turn our heads away several times... a day. we even closed the shutters as to not traumatize the children. it was like watching the blue lagoon with dog actors. we just prayed that she wouldn't get pregnant.
alas, we were able to let it go and focus on the baby. we went into labor, natalie came and took superb care of the kids & house and threw some food out for the dogs.
we came home. all was good.
meanwhile the dogs were a hot mess. happy, but a hot mess. they were muddy from the constant sprinklers, ruby's hair was matted. they both smelled horrible.
and ruby's middle section was getting a little bigger.
we knew what was coming and paul set up ruby's birthing center. she had a home birth :)
this part was kind of fun since we had just been through it ourselves. i think paul even put on his scrubs to play the part. now the waiting game began once again.
sure enough, in the middle of the night 9 weeks later.... we heard baxter barking like a maniac. paul ran outside. he came back in and said "i think ruby is in labor." i asked why? he said "because there is one already out."
oh my.
she was under the swingset in the back yard. so much for her fancy birthing center set up inside. so we had to just wait. he would check on her every 30 min. or so.
2 more!.... 1 more..... 2 more!!.... 4 more!!!!
10 puppies!
omg. that is so many. finally after 2 hours & no more puppies he transferred ruby and her 10 puppies inside.
she was much more comfortable this time around. a few days later we took them in to the vet & had everyone checked out. baxter got neutered and ruby will go in once her milk is all dried up. all was good.
they are adorable and the kids are in heaven playing, naming, brushing and loving the puppies.
hearts broken every time someone comes to buy one. they have thought up some new tactics this time around.
like leaving prayers taped to the door for prospective buyers to read. tying notes to specific puppies. hiding specific puppies....
paul promised the kids a trip to disneyland after all the puppies are sold. that took care of that. they got over it.
now... only a few are left. who's in the market for a labradoodle???
Monday, October 21, 2013
milk fascinations...
after my baby boy was born
there seemed to be a lot of questions regarding
milk.
why does the baby drink from your nipple?
why do you have milk in your nipple?
how does milk get into the refrigerator?
is that your milk or cows milk?
while playing with my squishy stomach my 3 rd. old says
"oh! i get it. your milk is in your stomach and then goes up and out of your nipple. i can feel all the milk here in your tummy!"
cute, but let's change the subject and focus from my tummy to a video about dairy farms.
we watched a few fascinating movies on my phone.
we wanted to be spontaneous
so i decided to pick up and head out to a local dairy farm.
we were not able to go into the milking stations, but we did get a hay ride, a lot of info., saw lots of farm animals and were even attacked, ok maybe threatened by lucy, the farm's aggressive goose.
get it? lucy goosey?
anyway, it was a fun hot summer day.
Friday, October 18, 2013
surviving adolescence
around 2 years ago, i started worrying about my child's sanity. the mood swings, the happy girl skipping around the house 5 min. later rolling around sobbing on the floor. the extreme ups & downs.... i decided to consult a friend who's daughter is 1 yr. older than mine. she assured me that no, there was nothing wrong with my child, but that she is probably heading into puberty.
i made it my mission to ask as many seasoned moms about this disease and how to cure it.
they laughed and said that may be the problem. it is not a disease and in fact a very important part of life to journey through. i realized if i was going to keep it cool and not lose my sanity i had better get it together. i decided then to have a special devotion to st. jude during these years. the patron saint of hopeless causes.
it reminds me, in particular, of my last two birth experiences. with #5, i had a 10 min freak out period (it wasn't really that bad, but i didn't want to repeat it) which included a few audible bouts of "this sucks" "how much longer?" "i'm over this" "this really sucks!!" and then he was born & it was over. well with #6 i didn't want to experience those out of control feelings again. i wanted to stay "in the zone" the whole time. so when that unbearable ring of fire presented itself, on the outside i stayed "in the zone," but inside my head i remember thinking "this is ridiculous. it's like having to escape a fiery room... you have to go through the burning door to get out. that's it, no other way out. to live... you need to run through the burning door."
so i know that is the perspective i need to keep while entering this treacherous new world of pubescence. it's just that they are so unstable. they are like clumsy growing puppies. their bodies are growing and seeming more mature however their minds are not quite there yet. it's almost like they revert back. they start spilling things again, bumping into you, personal space? what's that? i think they might lose some capability of controlling the tone of their voice as well. things get REAL loud around the house... the talking, the crying, the singing, the laughing, the teasing... it's REALLY loud.
lately, i have been getting very frustrated at my sweet adult baby angel. it's as if every time we talk ends in her huffing away and my blood boiling out of my ears. spinning cartoon eyes and steam rising from the top of my head (you are welcome for the visual). i had a very weak moment the other day and casually mentioned to her that i am tired of feeling like i want to stick a knife in my eyeball after every conversation. probably not something i would want in vinyl letters on my wall. not good.
i talked to my mom and she said i really can't say things like that & that her behavior is very normal for a 13 yr. old. she reminded me that my goal in life when i was 13 was to make her life miserable.
(now i'm feeling like a terrible child and a terrible parent) i explained that is just the point. i want her to be better than me, to not make the mistakes i did as an adolescent. i want her to be a "perfect" 13 yr. old.
not good again.
i met up with a friend who also has a 13 yr. old. we shared stories and died laughing with tears streaming down our cheeks. it's just so hard to see those same eyes that sparkled at you & preferred your smile over everyone else... you are their sun and moon when they are little... are now giving you an arms folded blank stare in response to whatever you are saying to them.
i will give you an example of a recent situation that had me really worked up. and i share this not to point out my daughters behavior, but to give you an idea of exactly what i am talking about. {i asked permission from my daughter to share this story so i don't want to get any random calls from family psychiatrists}
at a recent family dinner, we had s'mores. we had a lot of children around an open fire. we really had to watch the little ones. so you can imagine my frustration when my 13 yr. old was standing in front of the fire with her marshmallow in full flame 2 inches from her face. just innocently curiously looking at it. so many things wrong with this scene... 1. hello? not a great example for the other children, 2. hello? get the fireball marshmallow away from your face, 3. hello? why?????
so of course she watches the marshmallow until it burns to a crisp and falls off of her stick. i decide to let it go in attempt to "choose my battles." same routine with marshmallow #2. i now roll my eyes and pivot myself so that she is not in my direct line of sight. repeats the pattern again with marshmallow #3. now after marshmallow #4 i lost it. i said "enough! no more marshmallows for you. you have wasted 4 and now you are done". big performance incurs with a big "what did i do? i didn't do anything!!!" big huff & puff and dramatically walks inside the house. 2 min. later dad comes out asking what happened and why did everyone else get s'mores except for her. i decided to excuse myself from the situation and cool off at home.
now, i do realize that 13 yr. olds are capable of much more drama. i am VERY thankful that these are the types of things that drive me crazy and not other behaviors that could be much more concerning (i.e. boyfriends, drugs, drinking, general rebelliousness) but it makes me crazy anyway. i ask myself where did i go wrong? why am i such a bad mother that i can't just enjoy a little marshmallow roast without getting upset at my daughter? is she obsessed with fire? is she doing that just to make me crazy? why isn't she thinking it through? how many more marshmallows would she have gone through?
but what i needed to do was calm down. because in the big picture she really isn't doing anything wrong... maybe a little eye roll here & there, taking FOREVER to do anything and generally somewhat unorganized... but that's kind of the stereotype for teenagers. the thing that needs to change is me. my perspective.
i love that child more than anything and don't want to spend the next several years battling with her. i want to encourage, support, laugh, delight in and enjoy her. because this time is so short. while i love having little children, i know that doesn't last. most of our lives together we spend as adults. and i am very much looking forward to enjoying my kids as adults. i want to do my best in raising them and helping them to become the best they can be. but that's just it. they are who they are. i can't control who my daughter is. she has to develop that on her own. i can set an example and make lots of suggestions but she is her own person. she will have to make her own decisions. some good and some bad... but she has to make them. and i want her to be happy and confident with herself. who am i kidding... some of the choices i made as an adolescent are funny to me now... but if i think of my daughter doing those things... oh boy. not so funny. but the point is that i really enjoyed making choices. i wasn't lost or confused. i delighted in being myself. and she is her mother's daughter. she's a little eccentric & out of the box and i LOVE that! i don't want her to be dependent on me for every choice. i don't want her to feel like she needs to look to me or is incapable of making her own decisions. i want her to feel like i am a good sounding board and that she can always ask me... but that she is capable of making good choices on her own.
i have a feeling that the drama and turmoils of raising 6 teenagers are going to be pretty much the same regardless of my stress level. i need to stay calm and 'in the zone.' i may regret a lot less verbiage if i bite my tongue. it's like my 5th & 6th birth experiences. the pain was going to be the same. i wasn't getting out of that. there was no way around it. i had to get through that burning door. i could freak out and complain about it & regret it later OR i could take a breath, maintain focus and get through that burning door with a bit of grace and sanity.
i made it my mission to ask as many seasoned moms about this disease and how to cure it.
they laughed and said that may be the problem. it is not a disease and in fact a very important part of life to journey through. i realized if i was going to keep it cool and not lose my sanity i had better get it together. i decided then to have a special devotion to st. jude during these years. the patron saint of hopeless causes.
it reminds me, in particular, of my last two birth experiences. with #5, i had a 10 min freak out period (it wasn't really that bad, but i didn't want to repeat it) which included a few audible bouts of "this sucks" "how much longer?" "i'm over this" "this really sucks!!" and then he was born & it was over. well with #6 i didn't want to experience those out of control feelings again. i wanted to stay "in the zone" the whole time. so when that unbearable ring of fire presented itself, on the outside i stayed "in the zone," but inside my head i remember thinking "this is ridiculous. it's like having to escape a fiery room... you have to go through the burning door to get out. that's it, no other way out. to live... you need to run through the burning door."
so i know that is the perspective i need to keep while entering this treacherous new world of pubescence. it's just that they are so unstable. they are like clumsy growing puppies. their bodies are growing and seeming more mature however their minds are not quite there yet. it's almost like they revert back. they start spilling things again, bumping into you, personal space? what's that? i think they might lose some capability of controlling the tone of their voice as well. things get REAL loud around the house... the talking, the crying, the singing, the laughing, the teasing... it's REALLY loud.
lately, i have been getting very frustrated at my sweet adult baby angel. it's as if every time we talk ends in her huffing away and my blood boiling out of my ears. spinning cartoon eyes and steam rising from the top of my head (you are welcome for the visual). i had a very weak moment the other day and casually mentioned to her that i am tired of feeling like i want to stick a knife in my eyeball after every conversation. probably not something i would want in vinyl letters on my wall. not good.
i talked to my mom and she said i really can't say things like that & that her behavior is very normal for a 13 yr. old. she reminded me that my goal in life when i was 13 was to make her life miserable.
(now i'm feeling like a terrible child and a terrible parent) i explained that is just the point. i want her to be better than me, to not make the mistakes i did as an adolescent. i want her to be a "perfect" 13 yr. old.
not good again.
i met up with a friend who also has a 13 yr. old. we shared stories and died laughing with tears streaming down our cheeks. it's just so hard to see those same eyes that sparkled at you & preferred your smile over everyone else... you are their sun and moon when they are little... are now giving you an arms folded blank stare in response to whatever you are saying to them.
i will give you an example of a recent situation that had me really worked up. and i share this not to point out my daughters behavior, but to give you an idea of exactly what i am talking about. {i asked permission from my daughter to share this story so i don't want to get any random calls from family psychiatrists}
at a recent family dinner, we had s'mores. we had a lot of children around an open fire. we really had to watch the little ones. so you can imagine my frustration when my 13 yr. old was standing in front of the fire with her marshmallow in full flame 2 inches from her face. just innocently curiously looking at it. so many things wrong with this scene... 1. hello? not a great example for the other children, 2. hello? get the fireball marshmallow away from your face, 3. hello? why?????
so of course she watches the marshmallow until it burns to a crisp and falls off of her stick. i decide to let it go in attempt to "choose my battles." same routine with marshmallow #2. i now roll my eyes and pivot myself so that she is not in my direct line of sight. repeats the pattern again with marshmallow #3. now after marshmallow #4 i lost it. i said "enough! no more marshmallows for you. you have wasted 4 and now you are done". big performance incurs with a big "what did i do? i didn't do anything!!!" big huff & puff and dramatically walks inside the house. 2 min. later dad comes out asking what happened and why did everyone else get s'mores except for her. i decided to excuse myself from the situation and cool off at home.
now, i do realize that 13 yr. olds are capable of much more drama. i am VERY thankful that these are the types of things that drive me crazy and not other behaviors that could be much more concerning (i.e. boyfriends, drugs, drinking, general rebelliousness) but it makes me crazy anyway. i ask myself where did i go wrong? why am i such a bad mother that i can't just enjoy a little marshmallow roast without getting upset at my daughter? is she obsessed with fire? is she doing that just to make me crazy? why isn't she thinking it through? how many more marshmallows would she have gone through?
but what i needed to do was calm down. because in the big picture she really isn't doing anything wrong... maybe a little eye roll here & there, taking FOREVER to do anything and generally somewhat unorganized... but that's kind of the stereotype for teenagers. the thing that needs to change is me. my perspective.
i love that child more than anything and don't want to spend the next several years battling with her. i want to encourage, support, laugh, delight in and enjoy her. because this time is so short. while i love having little children, i know that doesn't last. most of our lives together we spend as adults. and i am very much looking forward to enjoying my kids as adults. i want to do my best in raising them and helping them to become the best they can be. but that's just it. they are who they are. i can't control who my daughter is. she has to develop that on her own. i can set an example and make lots of suggestions but she is her own person. she will have to make her own decisions. some good and some bad... but she has to make them. and i want her to be happy and confident with herself. who am i kidding... some of the choices i made as an adolescent are funny to me now... but if i think of my daughter doing those things... oh boy. not so funny. but the point is that i really enjoyed making choices. i wasn't lost or confused. i delighted in being myself. and she is her mother's daughter. she's a little eccentric & out of the box and i LOVE that! i don't want her to be dependent on me for every choice. i don't want her to feel like she needs to look to me or is incapable of making her own decisions. i want her to feel like i am a good sounding board and that she can always ask me... but that she is capable of making good choices on her own.
i have a feeling that the drama and turmoils of raising 6 teenagers are going to be pretty much the same regardless of my stress level. i need to stay calm and 'in the zone.' i may regret a lot less verbiage if i bite my tongue. it's like my 5th & 6th birth experiences. the pain was going to be the same. i wasn't getting out of that. there was no way around it. i had to get through that burning door. i could freak out and complain about it & regret it later OR i could take a breath, maintain focus and get through that burning door with a bit of grace and sanity.
me & my first baby girl. july 2000
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
life lately
a few major thoughts as of late:
1. level 165 in candy crush is killing me
2. i CANNOT get enough peaches
3. i am super glad my mom is home
4. i am super glad to have plans to GET OUTTA TOWN!
5. what kind of parent do i wanna be/what are the bottom line lessons i want to teach my children
a few major {ok not really major, but what was on my iphone} pictures as of late:
chop shop. new fav eatery. i want to replicate the decor in my house/yard.
getting new countertops. many trips to the stone yards.
was given the best bday present ever... tickets to see fun.
and that it was.
bumped into some cute friends in the lobby.
umm... cute.
saturday chores
10 puppies are a lot of work
beautiful skies lately.
little baby J is happy that noni is back too.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
unsung hero
i would like to go one day without unclogging a toilet.
by default, i am really good at it. i mean, i don't want to brag... but i am reeeaaally good.
the other day, one of my angels was sitting on the pot... probably getting it ready for me anyway,
happily playing with her new toy that she purchased with her own money at claire's.
she loved that toy (for a good 24 hours anyway)(like any new toy)
i was helping another child in the other room when i heard said child "finishing up"
i heard her voice change from "oops" to "oh no!" to "ooohh nooo!!!"
to pure heartbreak "nooooo!!" "wahhhhhhhh"
sadness.
i could imagine what had happened.
my heart was sad for her because she was so sad.
normally i wouldn't have done this, but i think because i heard the heartbreak transpire step by step from the other room... i felt bad.
i went into the bathroom.
she was sitting on the floor crying and pointing to the toilet.
i stepped up like a hero.
i grabbed my mighty plunger...
and gave it a go.
to be honest, i didn't think it was going to work. i mean.. that thing was g.o.n.e.
but alas... after some very gifted plunging skills...
when i pulled up the plunger...
there was a happy little hotpink plastic telephone floating in the water.
we all looked at it amazed.
i took it out, as in stuck my hand in the gross toilet & bleached it.
she wiped away her tears and took it into her hands and with a big smile walked into the other room.
as i was washing my hands, again, i heard the rest of the family ask her what had happened.
she replied...
oh, nothing.
by default, i am really good at it. i mean, i don't want to brag... but i am reeeaaally good.
the other day, one of my angels was sitting on the pot... probably getting it ready for me anyway,
happily playing with her new toy that she purchased with her own money at claire's.
she loved that toy (for a good 24 hours anyway)(like any new toy)
i was helping another child in the other room when i heard said child "finishing up"
i heard her voice change from "oops" to "oh no!" to "ooohh nooo!!!"
to pure heartbreak "nooooo!!" "wahhhhhhhh"
sadness.
i could imagine what had happened.
my heart was sad for her because she was so sad.
normally i wouldn't have done this, but i think because i heard the heartbreak transpire step by step from the other room... i felt bad.
i went into the bathroom.
she was sitting on the floor crying and pointing to the toilet.
i stepped up like a hero.
i grabbed my mighty plunger...
and gave it a go.
to be honest, i didn't think it was going to work. i mean.. that thing was g.o.n.e.
but alas... after some very gifted plunging skills...
when i pulled up the plunger...
there was a happy little hotpink plastic telephone floating in the water.
we all looked at it amazed.
i took it out, as in stuck my hand in the gross toilet & bleached it.
she wiped away her tears and took it into her hands and with a big smile walked into the other room.
as i was washing my hands, again, i heard the rest of the family ask her what had happened.
she replied...
oh, nothing.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
pining vs. pinning
now that the kids are in school all day, i have found a few days (ok this is the first one) (and it will probably be 15 min... not all day) that R is watching a cartoon & little baby J is swaddled in his cradle dreaming away peacefully.
so what do i do?
surf the internet.
blogs have changed a little. now there are so many giveaways that i want to win, i end up going to all the websites and putting things in my shopping cart. wanting to push that purchase button but knowing it's not the right thing to do.
so i move on to pinterest, knowing that i can't buy anything. and i start pinning things. and more things and more things. but that gets my heart pumping and then i get overwhelmed. i'm not going to do any of those projects. and then i just wish i could buy them all.
i can't do that either.
then i think... who's houses look like that anyway? with all of those projects finished.. beautifully completed. well, mine won't ever. and it gets me down.
it's weird how such cute inspiring stories and projects can sometimes have the opposite effect.
sometimes i feel worse.
and then i want to rebel.
so i think i want to eat something chocolatey and delicious. that'll make me feel better.
then i think i'll never loose this baby weight if i do that.
then i get mad.
then i move to instagram and look at people who had a baby at the same time as me and are posting selfies of their beautiful, skinny after baby bod.
then i get down about my body.
it's a downward spiral.
and it's stupid.
i have 4 beautiful perfect daughters that are soaking in everything i say. i have to be so careful of what i say and what i do.
i don't want them to remember their mom scrolling thru the internet... wishing she had a skinnier body, or a more decorated house, or holier kids.
and i certainly don't want them to think that they are not pretty enough or not skinny enough or don't have enough things.
i want them to be grateful for what they have.
i want them to know that they were created to be just how they are. to know that they are beautiful, not because of what they look like but because of who they are.
and i need to believe that for myself too.
which i do. and am thankful everyday for what i have.
i just need to stay away from the internet eye candy sometimes.
so....
i am going to just enjoy this newborn stage with my baby and not worry about my jelly belly. i am going to soak in every minute... because it is so precious and so fleeting. he is so big already!
i am going to turn off the tv and take my 3 yr. old outside to repaint an old table and chairs set.
craft time for him, project time for me. kill two birds with one stone.
and we are going to make the most of the day!
at least until the baby starts crying, and before R spills the paint and then wants to go inside with paint all over him, until they both want to be fed at the same time... not tandem nursing... but making lunch for R and nurse J... not that there's anything wrong with tandem nursing... i was just being clear...
so what do i do?
surf the internet.
blogs have changed a little. now there are so many giveaways that i want to win, i end up going to all the websites and putting things in my shopping cart. wanting to push that purchase button but knowing it's not the right thing to do.
so i move on to pinterest, knowing that i can't buy anything. and i start pinning things. and more things and more things. but that gets my heart pumping and then i get overwhelmed. i'm not going to do any of those projects. and then i just wish i could buy them all.
i can't do that either.
then i think... who's houses look like that anyway? with all of those projects finished.. beautifully completed. well, mine won't ever. and it gets me down.
it's weird how such cute inspiring stories and projects can sometimes have the opposite effect.
sometimes i feel worse.
and then i want to rebel.
so i think i want to eat something chocolatey and delicious. that'll make me feel better.
then i think i'll never loose this baby weight if i do that.
then i get mad.
then i move to instagram and look at people who had a baby at the same time as me and are posting selfies of their beautiful, skinny after baby bod.
then i get down about my body.
it's a downward spiral.
and it's stupid.
i have 4 beautiful perfect daughters that are soaking in everything i say. i have to be so careful of what i say and what i do.
i don't want them to remember their mom scrolling thru the internet... wishing she had a skinnier body, or a more decorated house, or holier kids.
and i certainly don't want them to think that they are not pretty enough or not skinny enough or don't have enough things.
i want them to be grateful for what they have.
i want them to know that they were created to be just how they are. to know that they are beautiful, not because of what they look like but because of who they are.
and i need to believe that for myself too.
which i do. and am thankful everyday for what i have.
i just need to stay away from the internet eye candy sometimes.
so....
i am going to just enjoy this newborn stage with my baby and not worry about my jelly belly. i am going to soak in every minute... because it is so precious and so fleeting. he is so big already!
i am going to turn off the tv and take my 3 yr. old outside to repaint an old table and chairs set.
craft time for him, project time for me. kill two birds with one stone.
and we are going to make the most of the day!
at least until the baby starts crying, and before R spills the paint and then wants to go inside with paint all over him, until they both want to be fed at the same time... not tandem nursing... but making lunch for R and nurse J... not that there's anything wrong with tandem nursing... i was just being clear...
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Funny kids
Little conversations that made me chuckle...
With L in the car, trying to get out of going to piano lessons.... Again.
L : "mom can you pick us up early today? We are going to hurry through our lesson."
Me: "no L, that's not how it works. I pay for each of you to have a thirty minute lesson."
L: "you can pay less this week?"
Me: "no."
L: "can I switch to violin?"
Me: "no."
L: "my dreams are shattered."
Me: "well sorry about that. But if you keep working hard at piano, it will be super easy to switch to violin when you grow up"
L: "I guess."
Discussing a scary commercial little S and D saw during shark week...
D: "a surf board was getting bit by a shark. Then the screen went red. Then the shark was attacking a... " she couldn't bring herself to say it.
Me: " oh D, I'm sorry you saw that. Just so you know, all of those commercials are fake. No one would film that, they would try to help the person if it were real. They are computer generated."
D, somewhat unsure : "I know."
Little s, very serious & convincing:
"yeah. I know what they do. It's a person in a shark suit, with holes so they can breathe, dressed up and pretending. They are holding a bucket of red paint. When they reach the surfboard, they spill it over. Yeah, it's just someone pretending."
R, within 2 minutes after daddy walked in, returning from a week long trip...
R jumping on his back, attacking him for a "fight" (wrestle)...
"You smell like a pirate ship dad!!"
And little baby J...
I love the way he turns his head to attack us when we kiss his cheeks. I guess he has been watching too much shark week too.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
first day of school 2013
here my girls all ready on the first day of school.
this beauty tolerated me taking a pic out of the car window...
even tho it was in front of all the students.
such a cute 8th grader... say wha????
we had a little time to kill after dropping off S
so we went thru and got some back to school donuts.
they were pretty pumped.
another out the car window photo opp...
6th grade, 3rd grade and 1st grade
it's all drive thru drop off this year.
yay! i don't have to get the car seat in & out... bonus.
well i got all the kids back to school on time on their first day, despite paul being out of town all week,
and the fact that i really have not been out of bed in the last month before 10am.
don't get me wrong, there have been several wakings throughout the nights, late nights, and even a few all nighters... catching the few hours of sleep for the day between the hours of 7am to 9am...
but with it being summer and all... we have had some very lazy mornings.
anywho... i got the kids to school,
but i can't say that it went off without a hitch.
aside from waking up to an ant intrusion... they were ALL over the countertops. in the silverware drawers, all along the cabinets, swarming the countertops and anything on them. even inside my sugar bowl.....
after cleaning that mess up.....
aside from waking up to an ant intrusion... they were ALL over the countertops. in the silverware drawers, all along the cabinets, swarming the countertops and anything on them. even inside my sugar bowl.....
after cleaning that mess up.....
i noticed in the morning, luckily D woke me up (my alarm didn't go off, i had set it for pm instead of am) (a preview of how the day was going to go) when getting the ice packs for the lunches out of the freezer, that they were defrosted. and that everything in the freezer was defrosted. as in all the meats, fruits... everything. including what was the ice in the dispenser.. water slushed out & all over the floor when i opened the door. i thought someone had left it open all night. but no, i realized shortly after that the fridge was slowly losing cool air as well.
great.
i quickly grabbed the necessities (milk, cheeses & coffee creamer) and put them in the outside fridge. lucky for that!
ran out the door to get the kids to school on time.
hurried back home to deal with the freezer situation.
i was in a hurry & a call had already been put in to the warranty co. so i thought help would be on it's way soon.
not so much.
afterschool pick up came and went and we headed home.
to a now hot fridge & freezer.
it was starting to smell.
the baby was crying.
kids needed snacks.
the girls really stepped up.
we spent a few hours cleaning up the sludge that was melted in the freezer, took dripping bags out to the garbage dumpsters...
and the girls took turns holding the baby because my hands were covered in muck
& ant killer... still cleaning from the mornings' invasion.
the girls were such help that we celebrated and went out to dutch bros.
they were giving away free drinks from 6-7pm.
we went to the park & enjoyed
went home, got cleaned up & went to bed.
L came in with a tummy ache... maybe not such a great idea to give her her first coffee drink (it was decaf) right before bed. :(
ran out the door to get the kids to school on time.
hurried back home to deal with the freezer situation.
i was in a hurry & a call had already been put in to the warranty co. so i thought help would be on it's way soon.
not so much.
afterschool pick up came and went and we headed home.
to a now hot fridge & freezer.
it was starting to smell.
the baby was crying.
kids needed snacks.
the girls really stepped up.
we spent a few hours cleaning up the sludge that was melted in the freezer, took dripping bags out to the garbage dumpsters...
and the girls took turns holding the baby because my hands were covered in muck
& ant killer... still cleaning from the mornings' invasion.
the girls were such help that we celebrated and went out to dutch bros.
they were giving away free drinks from 6-7pm.
we went to the park & enjoyed
went home, got cleaned up & went to bed.
L came in with a tummy ache... maybe not such a great idea to give her her first coffee drink (it was decaf) right before bed. :(
the next day
we made it thru the morning rush again,
still no one showed up to fix the fridge.
i was waiting but had to leave.
i had to run the baby to his 1mo. check up.
after i pulled out of the garage,
i noticed that the garage door pretty much slammed down as hard as it could when i closed it.
i was running late... i couldn't deal with that at that time.
went to the doc., everything is great with the baby.
praise the lord.
while approaching the car with my hands full of a heavy car seat, diaper bag & holding a little 3 yr. olds hand, i decide to push the autostart on the car to try to relieve some of the lovely az heat from the car...
doesn't work.
hmmm.... the engine light is on.
great.
i can't deal with that now... gotta get the kids home for a nap & wait for the repair man to show up.
got home, manually lifted the garage door and checked it out a little.
yep something is def. wrong. the bars are loosely wiggling.
something must have popped errrrr something of that nature.
ahh... another call to the home warranty.
still no appearance from the fridge repairman.
P texts me and says he (the repairman) is not coming. P is very mad.
sooo....
i need to get the fridge, the car and the garage door fixed and get an exterminator out here
PRONTO!
however...
to put things in perspective,
my pediatrician had just returned from a mission trip
to africa.
2000 very sick children and
2 docs.
she said she saw diseases she had personally never seen before.
very sad & eye opening.
malaria, polio, typhoid fever...
as i came home to my air conditioned (for now) house and tucked my healthy children
in their beds....
getting food from my outside garage refrigerator
didn't seem like such of an inconvenience anymore.
Friday, August 2, 2013
lately....
besides sitting around nursing my baby and snapping pics of him,
we have not been up to much else.
school starts monday and i have to say i am not ready.
i am dreading the early mornings, the schedules, the late nights of homework,
the DRIVING.
but, alas, summer has come to an end and my kiddos are ready to start
a new school year.
they are excited.
which i guess is good.
well, i think S is excited but she says she is not.
she says she is starting her jail sentence again.
i'm interpreting that as "i'm excited to see my friends but too cool to say i like school"
here are a few random pics of everyday summer....
R getting his hair cut. i usually cut his hair, but he also goes to a barber sometimes. he said he prefers to go to the place with the sports, the girls and the lollipops. hmm.....
perfect little lips....
oh yes. i'd been waiting for this. however... it might be short lived. the little one seems to be sensitive to dairy & wheat. umm... not allowed.
uh oh.. more little lip pics......
this little guy got a "worker" set. he hasn't stopped fixing things around the house since.
we have has endless basement performances, plays, shows and even a circus.
and not to mentions movie times.... errrr days
brace face, metal mouth.... names she has a fit if we say.
again, i think she really likes them.
not even close to enough monsoon storms. i think there were only two. not sure, but completely bummed. it's the only thing that makes these arizona summers bearable.
here is one that the kids ran around in.
heaven.
did i mention i am kind of crazy about the baby's lips???
there is not enough time in the day for turns holding the baby.
what am i going to do when they go back to school?
a few trips to bahama bucks.
a nice, cool, dairy free treat to beat the heat.
we heard about a crazy warehouse toms sale.
so yes, we headed right over.
it was kinda overwhelming, but we dug thru and everyone got a new pair of toms.
lots of dress up time. i've been saved from robbers more times than i can count.
i am one lucky lady to have this cowboy protecting me.
he's tough, even in his undies.
bbbaaaaabbbbyyyyyyyy.....
this was after their big theater performance.
they loved it and all had a solo.
they sounded pretty good if i do say so myself.
we adventured in the world of moscow mules.
pretty good.
and more icees....
we didn't do much this summer,
other than welcome a new family member,
but it was a good summer.
went way too fast.
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