Boring Weekend my Foot!!!!

First I am home and that makes the weekend exciting because I am number 1 right.... Besides that we did all kinds of things this weekend. We made the tough decision to go to Kung Fu Panda instead of the OU Pep (or prep as I call them) Rally (boys night out), or we played football in the back yard on Friday andhad time to read books.

Boring my foot.....

Saturday morning Sariah decided that 4 am was a good time to get up, and the repeating shush from mom allowed me to sleep that much later - not. The children have never listened to shush's before I don't know why they would start now. So yes, being the good dad that I am I took care of Sariah while Tracy slept the morning away. At least until 8 am......

Saturday was filled with just as much excitement. There was the drawn out morning with anticipated breathings from the girls. When is Lizzy going to get here? Or the boys and I again played football in the front yard, or the Dr. Visit, or the trip to CVS for pills.

Yes that was a fun filled morning of boringness.......

Then there was the Frontier City excursion. Full of rides and talking. Oh my gosh Elizabeth and Elisabeth can talk and talk and talk. It was quite humorous actually. When they both got talking they would talk right through each other and this would go on for the whole time we were in line. Let me tell you if I was not on my game I missed some. Missing some happened every couple minutes. Oh and lets not forget the complete melt down of Elisabeth and Hannah while at the park. Which then led to Elisabeth not riding any ride and Elizabeth (Lizzy) siding with her. Then there was the whole mom thing (not Tracy) who didn't wear a bra and all of Frontier city got an eye full, or at least those watch the Silver Bullet ride anyway....... Then the other mom that didn't know that wearing white pants on the rapids ride was not the best of idea - it was way too late once she figured it out....... I guess that was a good teaching lesson for the girls. The best though was the Kelly Pickler concert. A total of 4 songs before we were told we had 10 minutes before a storm hit the park, and the whole way to the car Hannah is saying I told you we needed to leave 5 minutes earlier. (Rolling Eyes - does knowing it all start so early????)

Boring humdrums my foot.....

Then we got lost taking Lizzy home because humm Lizzy didn't know how to get home. She is 12 - - to be fair she did know how to get home and I was pretty sure how to get her home. I just let her take us in a couple circles. Is that mean? We just had to call mom to make sure we were on the right track one time.

Boring I don't think so.

But then many of you are saying wait a minute Tracy said Sunday was the same oh boring Sunday. This doesn't have to do with Sunday.

Let me tell you about Sunday: Again Sariah gets up way early, and again we allow Tracy her beauty sleep. It is quite a task to keep the boys from talking in the mornings. They just don't get why they need to be quiet. I mean they are up so why should everyone else. So what if they are walking zombies and need 5 more hours of sleep. They are up my gosh and nothing I mean nothing is making them go back to bed.

And there is the spontaneous Home Teaching Visit, in which again we are not ready for church and are busily running arround ironing - blah - blah - blah. Church was fascinating. One of the most interesting families in our ward spoke. Interesting becuase they aways have these fantastic stories that keep your mind moving. Their poor 16 year old was thouroughly embarassed this time and then there were the slight jabs here and there toward each other and it was still very meaningful sacrament meeting.

During this time Tracy is in the hall with the family's little baby and I have all five kids to myself.

Boring not in the least. Hannah was completely ignoring all of the meetings, Rex is doing everything he can to get Caleb riled up, and Elisabeth is speaking to the girl in the pew in front of us. Rex spent most of the time in time-out on the floor and when he finally was allowed to color instead of coloring he made a megaphone and start speaking loudly through it. Nice Sacrament activity that. Of course Caleb jumped on the band wagon and did the same thing. The whole time Sariah is trying to get into the aisle by going over the side of the pew. She got so close that the family behind us had compassion and helped with her.

Oh yes our Sunday was very humdrumy.....

Who am I to say though. Seeing that I am only here on the weekend. Maybe this is life as normal.

Bob

Just Ducky

More Sunday humdrums. That's just flat depressing.

Our lives have been boring. That's probably a very, very good thing. New happenings are usually ... traumatic.

Sariah has grown less interested in the Kitty Book. She still comes and flings it at you from time to time when she wants you to read it. This afternoon she helped Daddy fix our garbage disposal which, of course, we discovered problems with after we'd filled it with junk. While Sariah was helping, she carried around a duck and chanted, "Quack Quack Quack!!"

Bob remembered that when one of the girls (I say Hannah, and Elisabeth says it was Elisabeth) was learning to talk, we would ask her, "What does Santa Claus say?"

The answer: "Duck duck duck."

I am ignoring Hannah being in middle school. I am learning that your child being in middle school means that you lose some of the control. For example, I have already gotten an automated email from the school about a missing assignment. When I questioned my daughter about this, I felt like ... well, as if in the end I'd gotten the run around. I should be in control of this situation. I should know what's going on and how to fix it. But alas, we have apparently reached the stage of Ineffectual Communication. I believe that when you have boys, they call this the "Grunt Phase." With girls, I guess they say all sorts of things but nothing at all.

I, of course, never went through this phase, because I was the Perfect Child.

Duh!

I say again: Rex just might be more stubborn than I am. We had peanut butter balls for dessert tonight. But Rex didn't get any because he didn't want to eat his dinner. He even stubbornly refused to eat his dinner (because it was soup, really thick taco soup) while all of us were sitting in front of him stuffing our faces with delicious, fat, powdered-sugar-dusted peanut butter balls. He just moped off dejectedly and played with his Star Wars guys. It was pretty pathetic.

Caleb went to church this morning without argument. I know, I probably ought to take his temperature, because something is definitely wrong.

And as to Elisabeth, well, it was a good day. (Keeping my fingers crossed.) It has come after a looooooooooong string of really bad days. Poor neglected middle child. Nothing is ever fair. I am sadly unsympathetic, being a selfish, controlling oldest child and only daughter. But that's ok, Elisabeth has more than her share of sympathetic listeners, including both of her grandmothers who had older sisters and other younger siblings.

I told you our weekend has been boring.

Rainbow Clouds

Most of you already know that Rex, the dear boy, visits with our favorite occupational therapist, Miss T, from time to time. She's been a wonderful lifesaver for us in dealing with Rex's sensory integration issues, helping him to grow and learn and not be stuck inside a body that doesn't work like everyone else's, and helping me to be a functional mother again. Seriously, she's better than a traditional talk therapist.

Anyhow, only my mom has ever been to visit Miss T with us, so last week we took some pictures so you could see some of what he does.

Probably Rex's favorite activity at Miss T's is the Rainbow Clouds. All the fabric in the following pictures is a lot like swimsuit material, and 8 layers of it are suspended at various heights throughout one room of the office suite. Being on it is a lot like jumping on the trampoline, but there is much more give to the fabric, which forces Rex to work a lot harder to use his gross motor skills and to focus on his body awareness. He's usually pretty tuckered when we head home.



A lot of Rex's therapy is about giving his senses all sorts of things to register in such a way that he can process the information at his own pace and under ideal conditions. He loves to bury himself in the ball pit and to sift through all the beans in the bean box shown in the bottom picture. And you know what? There really is something fascinating about plunking down with those beans and just letting them run through your fingers.


Miss T also possesses the Best Swing Collection Ever, all contained within another room in her office suite that has a hook in the ceiling for just such a purpose. Rex's clear favorite is the tire swing. Another part of what we do with him is music therapy, hence the earphones and CD player. He listens to modulated music--it's real music but altered in such a way that it stimulates all those little connections in the brain. I can't really explain how it works, but take my testimonial--it really does work! The different kinds of music you can use affect different things, so we've seen different CDs affect his speech, his body coordination, his level of activity, etc. The brain truly is a mysterious miracle.

And Rex's brain and body are truly one of the greatest miracles. Imagine being so incredibly smart (which he is), but having a body that is wired just slightly differently than everyone else's. You can't make it do what others' bodies can do, or you can't make it do those things so easily, and sometimes you don't even know why you feel so rotten, you just know that it's rotten. But kids like Rex just plow through it, making all sorts of compensations as they go. That's the miracle in it. They don't function like "the rest of us," but they do adapt and learn to function. I often wish my mind were that flexible.

And no one can deny the joi de vivre with which Rex lives everyday. His life is all about the experience all of the time. When life is about the experience, rather than the enduring of it (as we "normal" grownups are so prone to focusing on), how rich and full life becomes! What a true miracle Rex is, and how lucky we are to be a part of it.

And thank heaven for Miss T, because without her I wouldn't have survived to see the miracle!

It's All about Sariah

Is that really so surprising?

I am soooooooo tired of the Kitty Book. She followed me around all day today chanting, "Ree it pee!" (that would be "Read It Please," get your minds out of the gutters). And let me tell you, this was not a request. When I finally refused her ... er ... petitions, she sat pathetically in the living room saying her version of "Kitty" over and over and over and over again.

But never fear, she soon discovered another box of books. And what is it with standing on things at this age? It seems like we have pictures of Caleb doing this exact thing:

Soon, though, we grew bored with the books and the trampling. So we went for a walk out to the car. It was a short walk. I was soon informed of this. Miss The Queen didn't want to come in. Notice how perturbed she was that I came inside without her. She was quite put out...
...until I got the camera out. Wow, what a ham! She was all grins and goodness then!
She sure is coming more and more into her own personality. She knows her opinions and makes them known. She can be a diva. But she can be so sweet, too. For a parting shot, take a look at this:

Elisabeth was in time out. Sariah decided she needed company. What a good sister!

Project Pokemon

Who knew? Truly, who knew? My boys have a passion for Pokemon cards. Now, that does not mean go out and buy them some right now. They are earning them for good behavior, kind of like God gives us blessings for obedience. Of course, sometimes He still gives us blessings even when we don't deserve them ... but I'm all about the obedience in my dispersing of Pokemon cards. This has been the most peaceful day of my life in recent history. And all so that Caleb and Rex can end up on the purple part of the chart at the end of the day, and earn themselves one Pokemon card at a time. Reading? Done. Homework? Done. Teeth brushed? Done. Bath time? Done. Bed time? Done. Who knew?

Now, I need to knock on some wood and pray really hard that it lasts longer than 24 hours.

Ask me how many times we read The Kitty Book today. Go on, then.

TOO MANY TO COUNT!!!!! And Hannah even helped with some of the readings. It's a board book we have checked out from the library, and Sariah adores it. Her favorite page is the one of "Kitty Kissing." You should see her grin.

Hannah has determined not to like middle school. The reasons change from hour to hour. Sounds like a love-hate relationship to me. But really, who can blame her? Her homeroom class has 17 kids in it. 14 boys. 3 girls. The girls' names: Hannah, Hannah, & Anna. Who planned that anyway? That's ok. There are 4 Hannahs in the class after that. I keep having to swear up and down that we had no idea how popular the name was when we picked it. We just picked it because we both love the story of Hannah and Samuel in the Old Testament, and it's a sweet and old-fashioned name. It's not my fault it's now the equivalent of Jennifers from the 70s. Ah well, one year I had 3 Tracys in my class; I survived intact, I suppose.

And Hannah started piano today with her new teacher. I now know that the bass clef is the same thing as the F clef, and the treble clef is the same as the G clef, and I even know why. You learn something new every day.

Sometimes you learn more than one new thing in a day. Hannah also informed me that milk and meat make you sleepy. Not that I'm going to do anything with that information.

Went to the consignment sale today. Spent less money than usual, and on different kids than usual. Rex wound up with "new" clothes, I guess because the intended hand-me-downs were non-transferable after all. And Bob, you'll be so proud. All I needed for Sariah was pants, and that's all I bought her.

Plus 2 little jumper thingies that were really cute and cheap, cheap, cheap.

But that's entirely beside the point.

I bought every white church shirt I could find for the boys that was reasonably priced. Apparently, white church shirts are designed to be destroyed in a single Sunday. If it's not stains, then by gum, it's rips and tears.

Well, I'm off to crack the whip. With the amount of homework Elisabeth brought home tonight, you'd've thought she missed an entire college course. And she's writing a speech so she can run for student council representative. Sounds like fun. TTFN

School Year 08-09: Day 4

Yep, it was the 4th day of school. Exciting stuff, that. Guess how many of my 4 school-aged children actually went to school today?

All of them?! Hahahahahahahaha.

One.

Yes, one child. Rex went to kindergarten, probably because of the Big Bad Motorcycle in Mrs. W's room. And when I picked him up after school, instead of letting him ride the bus home, I casually asked how his day was. "It was the WORST MOST HORRIBLE DAY, and it was all because of you, because you came and ruined it!" I don't know about you, but I'm seeing a Mother-of-the-Year Award in there somewhere for me.

We picked up Rex after school so we could take Hannah to the doctor, because I was just certain she had strep throat. No way. Sinus infection. More antibiotics. Horse pills this time. I feel kinda sorry for her.

Elisabeth really did have a fever in the evening last night, and her tonsils really did look swollen, and she really did rest for the vast majority of the day. I'm pretty sure she would have done fine at school.

Caleb was faking it.

I know, I know. No one, including me, is surprised. But to my credit, he did spend almost all of his waking hours in bed being good.

Apart from the fact that I didn't get anything done that I actually planned to because there were 3 more of us here than should have been, it was a nice, peaceful day.

Ha.

First Day of School 2008

Thanks for all of the fabulous comments for Elisabeth. She loved them, and she really needed to hear some good things about herself. You guys rock!


So, yesterday I sent My Baby off to Kindergarten. How can that be? It was just yesterday that we got him. And I sent My (Oldest) Baby off to Middle School! Is that possible? When Hannah was all of about 4 days old, I had a little panic attack in front of Bob about how next thing we know she would be starting kindergarten and then she'd be going off and getting married; it was a real panic attack, I'm telling you, there were tears and sobbing and everything. We later laughed at my mental agility, leaping from newborn Hannah 5 years to kindergarten Hannah and 20 more years to all-grown-up Hannah. Doesn't look so far-fetched anymore. Oh dear!

Well, I think we survived the first day of school. And now we're already back into the regular swing of things. That means that some children didn't want to get out of bed or shower this morning, and other children "forgot" about their homework until this morning and didn't want to go to school because it's soooooooo booooooring. And some other children just plain forgot that there was school today.

Yep, you guessed it: Elisabeth, Caleb, Rex.

This is the tree where we always take our First Day of School Pictures. Yes, it was quite dark yesterday morning, not because it was cloudy or raining (although it's been doing a lot of that lately--we've already broken a 104-year-old record for rain in the month of August), but because my kids have to be at the bus stop so incredibly and ridiculously early in the morning. You know, at the crack of dawn.

Ok, to get back to the tree. When we first planted this tree (sniffle, sniffle), it was literally a twig with 5, yes 5, leaves on it. We planted it when we built the swing set, so it's been around approximately (and I stress that word, because my memory proves more faulty everyday) 6 years. Good thing kids don't grow quite that fast. I think. Now this silly redbud tree is big enough to keep our room cooler in the summer. I love it.

Oh yeah, Sariah's on the sidewalk in this picture because she refused to be picked up and held for fear that someone would set her down in the grass barefoot, which she detests. Someday I'm going to take pictures of her trying to high-step through the grass so that it's not touching her feet.

As you can see, some of the children were more appreciative of the picture-taking tradition than others. Caleb posed happily:

And are we sure it's Hannah going to middle school this year? Because take a look at the Attitude emanating forth from Elisabeth the Queen of All:
But there's still a smile, so perhaps she is still in elementary school.

Oh, me? What did I do on the first day of school? Well, I taught a lesson with the missionaries--because I didn't have to get a babysitter. Oh, and I put together a new toy for Sariah. I mean, after all, who's going to entertain her now? And I ate chocolate. And I watched a movie--all by myself. And I took not 1, but 2 naps. And I ate chocolate.

Did I mention that I kicked up my heels and partied? Sariah thought I looked a little crazy.

101 Reasons to Love Elisabeth

1. Her smile. It lights up a room.
2. Her sense of humor; she always "gets it."
3. She tells detailed stories.
4. She wears jazzy earrings.
5. She likes good music (as defined by me, her mom), including Rascall Flatts, Mercy River, and Trout Fishing in America.
6. She wants a convertible when she's old enough to drive.
7. Her first word was "wawermewon" (watermelon).
8. She knows lots of scripture stories.
9. She can make babies shriek with laughter.
10. She throws up with no warning.
11. She's got style. Loads of it.
12. She's a bookworm, and very widely read.
13. She can get Rex to behave better than anybody else.
14. She has a tender heart.
15. She gets perfect math scores.
16. She is kind to animals.
17. She's been on the Principal's Honor Roll.
18. The camera loves her.
19. Pizza, pizza, pizza ... with extra pepperoni.
20. She loves her Savior Jesus Christ.
21. She sounds beautiful on the piano.
22. She's fiercely independent....
23. ...but one of the best snugglers ever!
24. She can climb way up in the tree.
25. She tried the Steel Lasso at Frontier City.
26. She picks good friends.
27. Harry Potter 1
28. Harry Potter 2
29. Harry Potter 3
30. Harry Potter 4
31. Harry Potter 5
32. Harry Potter 6
33. Harry Potter 7
34. No surgeries.
35. She gets allergy shots regularly without crying.
36. She put up an admirable fight on the first shot, though.
37. She slams doors when she's mad ... just like me.
38. She makes good arguments when she's mad ... not like me.
39. She has nice handwriting.
40. She has hair wispies ... like I've always wanted.
41. She likes to see what will happen if.... She's a scientist.
42. Her favorite colors change, and I like that. Right now they're purple and black, and maybe green.
43. She hates Zyrtec.
44. And Nasonex.
45. Sometimes she eats spaghetti without the sauce.
46. Her favorite New Testament Story is Jesus walking on the water.
47. She walked out of a scary movie once. It was Finding Nemo.
48. Her eyes change colors with what she wears.
49. She misses her dad when he is out-of-town.
50. A lot.
51. She makes the best bear roar ever.
52. Her laughter is absolutely contagious.
53. She prays with faith, and Heavenly Father answers her prayers. Just ask Matthew and Caroline, too.
54. She roasts completely perfect marshmallows ... and she does it just for me!
55. She does not like sandwiches.
56. Or cereal.
57. She snitches chocolate chips from the freezer.
58. She helps me fold the laundry, and does it well.
59. She has a testimony of Joseph Smith and the First Vision.
60. She's extremely logical.
61. She drinks lots of water ... good girl!
62. She knows how to make yummy fruit salad.
63. She tries out books that other people suggest to her.
64. She reads her scriptures regularly.
65. Her homework always get done...
66. ...but it's not always turned in.
67. She gets slaphappy when she's tired.
68. After the total meltdown, anyway.
69. She started swim team before she knew all the strokes, and she caught right up!
70. She forgave her sister for breaking her finger.
71. Her favorite verse in "The Wheels on the Bus" was "The Mommies go sh, sh, shh!"
72. She's had the snot knocked out of her and lived to tell about it.
73. She didn't really want to come to earth; we think she wanted to stay with Heavenly Father.
74. When she was born, she told us so.
75. When Elisabeth was 1, she followed me around and undid all my cleaning.
76. When she was 2, she freaked out when we hit her birthday ladybug pinata with the bat.
77. When she was 3, she took ballet.
78. When she was 4, she learned to ride a bike through the Porter-Haynes School of Hard Knocks.
79. When she was 5, she was Tinkerbell for Halloween.
80. When she was 6, she almost knocked her front teeth out on the playground at school.
81. When she was 7, she had her first piano recital.
82. When she was 8, she died her hair blue.
83. When she was 9, she got braces.
84. She's been to 13 states and the District of Columbia.
85. She used to sleep on the bath mat.
86. She's a Joy School graduate.
87. She had her very own secret language for a long time.
88. She's not afraid of frogs or toads.
89. She makes friends easily, and keeps them, too.
90. She loves clothes.
91. She wants to be rich.
92. When she was small, she had "Lonely Time" in her room.
93. She was born in the last year of her century.
94. If you ask her if you are her slave, have no doubt: she's going to say yes!
95. She sure plays a good game of basketball.
96. She wears blue fingernail polish.
97. She likes sugar-cookie scented candles.
98. She can pitch a tent.
99. She's beautiful, and people tell us so all the time.
100. She can keep a secret; she's trustworthy.
101. She's so unique, so totally Elisabeth in all that she says and does. No one could ever replace her.

Please leave your comments with more reasons to love Elisabeth!!!

Rainy Day

What to do on a rainy day?

Well, if you're the Mom, you go a little nuts.

A little?

If you're not the Mom, and the Mom is playing nice, then you can play in the rain.
And you can carry an umbrella.
Or not.
Everyone had to get dressed all over again to go to Back to School Night. Now we know which teachers we have. Elisabeth will have the same 4th grade teacher Hannah had, and I couldn't be more delighted. Ms. K will keep Elisabeth's mind fully occupied, I think. Caleb will have Ms. P, who student-taught in both Hannah and Elisabeth's classrooms last year under very fine mentor teachers. And Rex will have Mrs. W, who moved to kindergarten from 2nd grade last year--she has a totally awesome motorcycle toy in her classroom, so Rex says it's all good.

Now, I'm off to work on my garage which is slowly but surely coming clean. You'll be shocked when I post the before and after pictures. Until then...ttfn!

From The (Annotated) Secret Garden

Because I wish I could find a way to teach this to my children....

"He wouldn't like me," said Mary in her stiff, cold little way. "No one does."

Martha looked reflective again.

"How does tha' like thysel'?" she inquired, really quite as if she were curious to know.

Mary hesitated a moment and thought it over.

"Not at all--really," she answered. "But I never thought of that before."

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

On Communication

Bob and I really enjoyed todays Zits cartoon. Click here to see it. It's now hanging on our refrigerator as a ... reminder.

Quiet Time?

I told Bob tonight that I needed some quiet time by myself. He said I had quiet time all day.

???

Was that at the baptism ... where Rex, as usual, perched right on the very edge of the font, but did not fall in yet again? How does he always wind up front and center at baptisms? I halfway wish he would fall in so he would learn a lesson. But this is Rex we're talking about. A repeat performance is far more likely.

It was Quiet Time--allegedly--because Bob and the girls went to Frontier City, where he and Hannah and the Friendly Neighbor Girl convinced Elisabeth to ride that new Lasso ride thingie (but not the Silver Bullet). They were gone for about 10 hours, and walked in the door about 80% asleep, which of course did not prevent Elisabeth from talking 90 miles/minute even as she changed into pajamas and got in bed.

The boys and the baby, meantime, spent the day with me. Yeah, Quiet Time.

We're trying to redirect Sariah's sleeping schedule, since she seems to have fallen into this dreadful pattern of taking two 3-4 hour naps during the day, staying up until 10 or 11, and getting up before 6 (this morning, it was actually 4 am). So we kept her up until noon, and she slept until 3:30. You'd think she would have been a happy camper, but no, this was not to be. What a grump!!!!!

Oh, wait! Quiet Time was when we were watching the Olympics. It was the women's marathon, and after about 15 minutes, the boys were like, "Is this all they're going to show?" which apparently was the prompt for a wrestling match. Granted, I even turned the TV off when it really did appear that they were going to show the entire 2.5 hours of women running. I mean, it's only exciting for so long with only weather reports to break things up (fyi, it was 72 degrees, 88% humidity, and gentle rain fall--oh, those poor, poor women). The boys did need to entertain themselves, I guess.

So my Quiet Time must have been later in the evening. You know, when Sariah had been down and asleep for 30 minutes, and I tucked Rex into bed and I wouldn't let him have his 30 guys (action figures) in bed with him? Yep, that was my Quiet Time. I don't know about you, but I love having my Quiet Time when there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth on the part of any and all children present at the time. It's so relaxing and carefree.

I knew you'd agree.

Come on, admit it. I know you wish you were me.

End of Summer Fun

Nothing more fun than a lazy evening at the Splash Pad. You can test out the water: With your hands or your face.
Or not your face.
Or, if you're really lucky, you can wait for it to pour down on you. Or not.
Or you can not pose for pictures at the water park at all.
It's all good.

Now, it's on to some Olympic viewing. Yes, those are Hannah's pajama pants around Sariah's shoulders. Hey, we have 5 kids. Gimme a break.

The Countdown Continues

We're into the final week of summer vacation. It's the last weekend. Come Wednesday, I shall be desolate.

Snort.

For about 5 minutes, I think.

We've gotten to that wonderful part of summer vacation where all the kids are sick and tired of each other, and they're really bored to top that off. Yeah, it's been fun around here.

Only 6 more days.

But who's counting?

Happy Birthday to Me!

On this day, 33 years ago, I was born. If I were Bob, I wouldn't need to say more. So I won't. I will let my friend Tiffany tell you all about me with this birthday tribute. I have the best friends and family.

They always push me to better myself and learn more ... like figuring out how to put links in my blog, so now there are all sorts of links. Have fun!

And on this day, 14 years ago, I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Best decision I ever made. My life is even more blessed now because of it. So I celebrate 2 birthdays today! Woohoo!

I read Sharon's birthday post last month and loved it. What a great idea. So now, you all get to go down memory lane with me, too, to celebrate my birthday.

Chunky Monkey Baby

Perfect Angel

Still Angelic

Moving into Attitude

Middle School (love the earrings!)

Disney World Runway Modeling

Almost Baptized (on this day, 14 years ago)

Newlyweds

Me & My Gang 2007

It's all about me at 33!

To the Donut Fairy

Dear Totally Fabulous Donut Fairy,

Some people have a tooth fairy.

Some people even have a tube fairy (that's ear tubes when they grow out, for the inexperienced).

At our house, we have a donut fairy!

Whew! You almost got caught this morning. I want you to know I was standing right next to the door when the bell rang--nearly scared the pants off me. I was a step away from opening it, and catching you in your tennis shoes, but unfortunately I was not decently attired, even though Sariah and I had been awake for an hour already.

In any case, you made my whole day. And my kids' day, too. You would have liked seeing Sariah with chocolate from her bangs to her belly.

Thank you donut fairy. We love you.

Sunny Days Are Coming My Way

I'm cleaning out my purse . . . er, my diaper bag, and I found my fortune from eating at the Chinese restaurant the other night:

You will inherit a large sum of money.

I think it's a keeper.

Love at Home

JSYK, it poured all night long and it was fabulous. Even when I was joined in my bedroom by first Junebug, then Sariah, then Caleb.


The rain made my birthday week feel just like it should. When I was a little girl, it rained on my birthday a lot. We lived in the desert, and I loved it. Except when it prevented me from having swimming parties.


We are such a loving family! So last night, Hannah--sweet, kind, good, responsible Hannah, who wouldn't hurt a fly--slammed Elisabeth's pinky finger in the bathroom door. I put ice on it, gave her Motrin, and sent her to bed. I was quite proud of myself for only calling Dr. Bob, instead of Dr. Bob, Dr. Tiffany, and Dr. Dad, and for not overreacting to such a minor incident. Aren't you proud?


This morning it was still discolored and a bit swollen and painful to bend, so off to the Urgent Care Center we went. I can only control my Mother Fears for so long. Obviously, my child was in great pain, and if we didn't get her seriously maimed finger cared for soon, it might have to be amputated.


It was fractured.


And my sweet, kind, good, responsible Hannah who wouldn't hurt a fly, raised her hands up in the air like a gold medal champion when Caleb congratulated her heartily with "You broke Elisabeth's finger, Hannah!!!!!!!"

Sunday Humdrums

I'm not feeling terribly inspired tonight. I don't know if it's the sink full of icky dishes, or the unfulfilled promise of rain all day long, or Elisabeth's smashed finger, or the baby's impending molar, or just the weight of all the things I ought to get done this week. I think everyone is tired and cranky and ready to get back to school. Only 10 more days . . . heck, it's late enough tonight, let's just make it 9 more days. And 3 more days until my fabulous 33rd birthday bash. Woohoo. Everyone's invited. I can say things like this, because the only people who read my blog already know where I live. Nice. I'm going to go think happy thoughts now.

Family Fun

Finally, the rest of the Summer Reading Medallion pictures. Here is Elisabeth the Queen, who read 150 books, including (but not limited to) several Harry Potters, a bunch of Babysitter Club, Bailey School Kids, and Animal Ark.
And then she and Sariah posed together because they were awarded their medals on the same day. Sariah was more interested in tasting her medallion than posing prettily.

And now for the amazing Okie SR&M Sandwich. That's the Sariah, Rex & Mom, in case you don't feel like stretching your brains. Yes, I've had too much sun over the last few weeks. Yes, Rex was very squished. And yes, this is the only picture we actually caught Sariah smiling.

If I remember correctly, Sariah was saying her new favorite word, "Uh oh!"
And applause now, because Bob and I actually worked together and cleaned out our shed. The goal is to tear the silly thing down, but that will have to wait for fall cleaning day and a clean garage (again). In the mean time, hopefully neither of us has received the plague or fiddleback bites from the Rat, Snake & Spider Residence Inn. Seriously. The kids swear that there's a Monster Rat Out There Bigger than Junebug.

The Shoe Files

That's right, I am using this blog as an official forum to record exactly how many pairs of shoes I buy my son. I think it amounts to new shoes about every other month, 5-6 pairs of tennis shoes a year. Is this normal? They don't tell you these things when you get your sweet baby boy all bundled up in blue banket and cap. They tell you to look out for the pee, but not the shoes!

Oh, What Do You Do in the Summertime?

These pics are from our All-American baseball excursion on Tuesday night. All of the kids earned their reading medallions, which entitles them to free tickets to a Redhawks game. So off we went with Tiffany and her boys. We fed Sariah cotton candy for the first time. Meanwhile, Elisabeth and company savored theirs slowly but surely. Notice what Hannah spent most of her time doing? And please notice how happy Rex was for about 99.9% of the time. But that's ok, because Happy Girl was handing out kisses to make me feel better.





And here's our runway model. She poses for everything, I'm telling you, especially when she has a medal to wear. She read 60 books! That was supposed to be one a day. Yeah, right. More like 12 days of reading 5 books at a time.

As you can see, I haven't figured out my photo editing program, hence the messy house background. That's ok, too. The sister missionaries came over unannounced today and saw much, much worse, because I've started on a big decluttering mission and the whole house is in complete chaos. They offered to help. But I'm still in my control freak "phase."

But pat me on the back--I emptied my closet of an entire industrial trash bag of my clothes. It's too heavy for me to carry out to the garage. Wow, I can actually move my clothes along the rod. Thanks, Peter Walsh and the Flylady.

Yep. Bob's next. Shh! Don't tell him. I can't lose my element of surprise. ; )

Oh. That's Bob's side of the closet is next, not Bob himself.

Thought I should clarify.

Memory

Ok, I got the camera software installed but now I don't have a photo editor. It figures. Working out the glitches (so you can't see my messy house in the all the backgrounds!).

I finished reading Mary Poppins last night, and I came across a passage that brought back a childhood memory for me. Mary Poppins told Michael that he got up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. And Michael said that his bed was against the wall, so there was only one right side to get out of. Then he proceeded to ask which side of the bed was wrong, the right or the left, to which Mary Poppins replied that in his case, both sides were wrong. And I remembered having this very same conversation with my mom when I was small -- in the pre-waterbed days, when the kitty-cat sheets were on my bed, so maybe kindergarten or first grade at most. It seems like my brother never had these discussions with Mom, because he usually just growled something to the effect of, "I did not!"

Bob's home from D.C. with a red Mustang this weekend, although I must say I really loved the Mitsubishi Eclipse last weekend ... but I probably wouldn't pick a black car like that in an Oklahoma summer.

Hannah is now officially enrolled for middle school. She has her schedule and everything. She gets 4 "explo" classes for the year (for some reason I can't remember what we called these non-core-curriculum classes in school): speech & drama, vocal music, foreign language, and home ec, in addition to her orchestra. The speech & drama should be interesting for the former Ms. Shy, but I think she'll love vocal music. I had to take shop when I was in 6th grade, and I loved it far more than I thought I would, but I didn't really have the patience for it (and still don't), as my mother the house painter, and my father the repairman, and my husband the yard caretaker, can all attest to. Electives!!! I knew I would remember what they're called. I guess explo (as in exploratory) is a more accurate name, though, since the kids don't really get to make any elections. Their explos in the 6th grade are computer generated.

And now for the countdown.

Hannah's countdown to Middle School, and the end of boredom.
Elisabeth's countdown to the Return of Friends, and the end of boredom.
Caleb's countdown to Sheer Torture.
Rex's countdown to All-Important Kindergarten.
Sariah's countdown to Only-Childness.

Mom's countdown to a Return to Sanity and Peace & Quiet.

Only 12 more days!! Yeehaw!

An East Wind

"To begin with, it is the smallest house in the Lane. And besides that, it is the only one that is rather dilapidated and needs a coat of paint. But Mr. Banks, who owns it, said to Mrs. Banks that she could have either a nice, clean, comfortable house or four children. But not both, for he couldn't afford it" (Mary Poppins, by P. L. Travers, 1934).

Some things never change.

Do you like it, Bob?

Now, if only an east wind would blow in a nanny for us . . . or even a maid.

Just kidding. Most of the time.

I'm still working to install the software for my new birthday camera on which I've taken all of our recent pictures. More later.

Yeah, I know, you've heard that before.

But in parting...

"And after Mrs. Banks had given the matter some consideration she came to the conclusion that she would rather have Jane, who was the eldest, and Michael, who came next, and John and Barbara, who were Twins and came last of all" (Mary Poppins, by P. L. Travers, 1934).

The Girls' Adventure

Now there's a beautiful sight! They actually went to the temple on the last day of their trip, but I thought this was the best picture of the bunch, and I wanted everyone to see it first thing.

No tour of this vacation for you, unless Bob or Hannah or Elisabeth writes a guest post. But I'm putting my favorite pics up. I think they had a good time.

They survived anyway.

If you could see the above picture better, you would see that the girls did not want their picture taken.
Hannah is indeed still in her anti-picture phase. How'd you guess? Could it be the multitude of Hannah-less pictures?



The sign in the above picture reads "Only Docent Led Tours Beyond This Point." Wonder whose idea the picture was? And why am I not surprised?


And one final picture of the Temple in D.C. because it truly is beautiful.