Aha!

We definitely need some pictures to liven things up, and this one fits the bill nicely!

My computer software is still not doing what I tell it to do, but at least now I can find all of my pictures, thanks to Bob (I think). When I looked for my pics, they were nowhere to be found. So Bob promised to rescue me, and of course, he opens up the files and asks, "What do you mean you can't find the pictures? They're right here." I hate that.

But look at my girls. Aren't they so amazingly and uniquely beautiful? I love that each has her own distinct hair color, and each has different eyes--from Elisabeth's grey-blue eyes (they change with her shirt color, like her Dad's) to Sariah's bright blue eyes to Hannah's deep, deep brown eyes. I love their smiles and their goodness, and that they all voluntarily posed for this picture (a rarity for the oldest).

Ugh.

I need to post something new, but I'm still really frustrated with my camera software. Just words are boring. I know that sounds a little odd coming from the Word Lady, but I have small kids. We like the illustrations, darn it!

I overdid it yesterday, apparently. So today I'm just laying around with my buddy Rex, who's home from school with a cold and a fever. He's really trying to milk this. He wants a movie, and popcorn, and soda, and to play in the sand, and all because he's too sick to go to school.

Certainly he's the only child on earth who does this, right?

My kitchen floor really needs to be mopped, but I'm too tired to do it. Maybe I'll let Junebug in and let her do her do it. Aha! It's a plan.

At least I know that with all this food on the floor, there are no mice in the house.

Makes you wonder about snakes, though. Eeeeeewwww!

Survival

I am happy to report that I have survived my surgery. Not that there was really any doubt that I would. I was doing really well with the whole idea of having "routine" (is surgery ever routine?) minor outpatient surgery, until my parents decided they needed to be here (thank goodness they came!), and until we told Caleb. When I told the kids I was going to have a little operation, Caleb took off talking 90 miles/minute, so fast I couldn't understand him until he concluded with, "And my mom could die!!!!!!" I understood that part. And then I had a small panic attack, and my stress levels went up considerably. What was I doing? I have 5 kids, and I want to go under general anesthesia? How crazy is that?

Ah, but I overcame that, of course and dutifully showed up. My doctor had found an ovarian cyst several months ago, and it hadn't gone away, and it was unusually shaped, so we decided to go in laparascopically and find out what it was. As we had to contend with both Dr. P's surgery schedule and Bob's travel schedule, we did it on about 4 days' notice, so our week was totally upended. But all is well. I can't believe you can go in at 6:30 am on a Thursday morning, have some cysts a few of your organs removed (an ovary and a fallopian tube), be home before 10:30 am, and back to full-time mothering by Monday morning. It just seems so ... quick! for something so altering.

For those of you who are wondering ... you need have no fear--the baby factory is still operational. My parents have gotta love that; I think they, and a few others, think we have a few too many kids as it is. But Dr. P reassured my husband, "Don't worry. The potential to have babies is still there. Although I don't know why you would want to do that again."

Poor Bob. He was probably thinking, Why didn't you just take it all out, so we can get some sleep and be financially solvent!?!?!

Ok, ok. He says he wasn't really thinking that. He would "never be so callous."

Something so minor really makes you count your blessings, though. My parents came in on Wednesday night and stayed through Saturday afternoon, and Bob and I both think they made all the difference. I was in bed Thursday afternoon listening to Mom, Dad, and Bob ride herd on the kids, and I thought, "Wow, that's a lot of hard work." I must be amazing to take care of those kids all the time. Oh wait, I don't do it nearly so well as 3 adults, or with nearly as much style, patience, and grace. I just try to survive.

And we couldn't have done it without the assistance of some fabulous sisters from church, who checked in on us and brought us dinner (yummy dinner--we want the dessert recipe) and made sure everything was under control.

We're thankful that we have such a great support system, and that our Heavenly Father used it to look out for us so well. Thanks!

Comments, Please

No appreciation comments, but I would like to know if the new color scheme works? There were complaints with the old one, and I don't think our colors are adjusted correctly.

2-4-6-8, Who Do We Appreciate!

Not grammatically correct, but saying "Whom" would ruin the whole effect of this timeless cheer.

I'm feeling overworked and underpaid. No, that's not a request for flattering comments. I figure that it's probably selfish of me to want to be told that all of my offerings are acceptable, even when I feel like I've done the best that I can (or really feel like it, anyway, because let's face it, not all of our efforts are our absolute best).

President Hinckley said, "The antidote for selfishness is service, a reaching out to those about us--those in the home and those beyond the walls of the home" (quoted in Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, 1997, p 583).

And having heard frequently that an "Attitude of Gratitude" makes all the difference, I looked that subject up, too, in President Hinckley's Teachings book. I found at that at least I'm in good company, although I suspect that President Kimball probably wasn't feeling as selfish as I am today:

Although I should not have been, I was surprised at something President Kimball said on one occasion. I quote: "I find myself hungering and thirsting for just a word of appreciation or honest evaluation from my superiors and my peers. I want no praise; I want no flattery; I am seeking only to know if what I gave was acceptable."

If President Kimball needed a little of that, how much more do these [others]? (Teachings, p 247)

So, with that thought in mind, I am making a list of things for which I am grateful today.

1. My mom, because (among other things) she helped me fix the holes in my fence and plant my pansies, and she came all the way from Texas to watch the baby so I could go to a doctor's appointment.
2. Caleb, for doing his homework after school today right away.
3. Sariah, for giving people hugs when they are sad, and for laughing when she's tickled, and for carrying around 3 pacis because they make her happy.
4. Pansies, because they are cheerful and happy and make me smile, especially the yellow ones.
5. My neighbors, for giving me a hand with the kids when I need it.
6. I'm grateful that we didn't buy more house than we could afford, way back before the housing crisis.
7. I'm thankful for $3.19 gas. In 1993, when I bought gas for $0.88/gal, I would have never guessed I would be grateful for that.
8. And thanks to my hubby for not letting us move into a more expensive house or a great big gas guzzler. Now we're just getting by, instead of dead broke. ;)
9. I'm thankful for naptime. Sometimes, it's the highlight of my whole day.
10. I'm glad for the library. I love the library.

Ok, everybody, what are you grateful for?

Is It Over Yet?

This day, I mean. Or maybe, better yet, the last 7 days.

• Hannah did something bad to her tailbone. If she didn't break it, she bruised it up pretty badly. And there's nothing they can do for it. And this is my Pain-Is-BAD child.
• Sariah is apparently behind on her shots, through no fault of my own. Argh!
• One of my children (who shall remain nameless) punched a little girl on the bus today. Constant vigilance, constant vigilance! I let my guard down for a second. Double argh! Did you know that our public library had 157 children's books about bullies?
• I haven't made it to the Y since Friday. I did say my workout plan was loosely organized, but this is taking it a bit far.
• My van doesn't have AC, and it needed it today.
• I still own my van, despite my best efforts not to.

Ok, ok. Now I ought to count my blessings, because they far outnumber my ... um ... inconveniences.

• Gas went down 30 cents/gallon overnight. (Of course, it had gone up 40 cents/gallon over the weekend, but I'm counting my blessings here. It's still cheaper than it's been in a long while.)
• We have no appointments scheduled tomorrow. (Isn't that like asking for one of the kids to break their leg, or get expelled from school, or something?)
• Hannah says she's off her Harry Potter streak. Now she's moved on to the Baudelaires (that's Lemony Snickett). Kinda grim, but not so obsession-inspiring.
• The kids are once again fascinated with PBS, instead of the Disney Channel.
• My ginormous fish-tank snail is still alive, after days of me wondering about it. It ate a dead fish whole the other day. It probably felt too bloated to move for awhile.
  
• We don't live near hurricane-prone areas. (Tornadoes, but no hurricanes, so who's complaining? Ask me about it again next spring, right? At least here, we just don't have time to flee from our homes. They just flee with us, all along to the 4 winds.)
• My bag of goodies arrived from Christy yesterday, and I've already had to fight off the girls for the rights to my bag, which is perfect for hauling around my phone, keys, and debit card, by themselves or in the diaper bag or the monster purse. Christy, you rock! Thanks!
• My camera software arrived, too. Now if I can just make it go!
• Dr. Dad (that's my dad, not Bob), for answering all my medical queries, and Lyle the Tool-Man Dad for answering all my handyman disasters ... er situations.
• Dr. Dad (that's my husband, not my dad) for hashing out all of my medical queries even further, and Bob the Always Available Listening Ear for all of my woes and trepidations.
• And finally, 2 Nephi 4, which continues to pull me through all of my depressions, the really bad ones, and the not-so-bad, fleeting moments (or weekends, sometimes, but who's counting?).

So I don't count my blessings very well. Too many parentheses. But at least we know my sense of humor, however warped, is still intact. It's all good, right?

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

And it ain't December!

Christmas is all fine and good. Even when you're the mom and 250% frantic, crazy, and exhausted by December 20th.

But there's nothing like autumn, and it's definitely in the air around here. The temps dipped into the 40s last night. I was actually glad Caleb had crawled into bed with me, because then I had something to warm my feet up. Good thing he sleeps pretty hard (once he's in our bed, anyway).

The air at night is crisp and cool. Even during the day, you can run around with the car windows down. Guess that should make me more eager to drive the van.

Yeah, right.

The wind is back. I love the wind. I'm going to bookmark this post, and reread it in 4 weeks. By then, I'll be sick of the wind.

The late afternoons are perfect for children playing outside. And all the windows in the house are open, so you can hear an injury before it comes in and bleeds all over your living room floor. Oh dear! I meant, I can hear the joyous noises my children are making in all their glorious celebration of the fall.

I spent a delicious few hours at the consignment sale last night picking out little feeted jammies for Sariah to wear. Pink ones and purple ones and green ones and blue ones. It was the highlight of my day. And then Caleb called and told me he'd lost another tooth. The tooth fairy's gonna go broke.

But I am reminded of one of my favorite conversations with Elisabeth, the queen of all things explainable. When she was busy losing teeth ... well, ok, one tooth by one tooth stretched out endlessly ... I once asked her where she thought the tooth fairy got all of her money. She never paused for breath: during the day, the tooth fairy flies around picking up all the lost coins off the ground.

Man, I wish I was the tooth fairy.

But that's probably the reason I'm not -- she's way too generous with all that found money!

Tooth Fairy

We tried all sorts of poses to get the perfect picture of Rex's Very Exciting First Lost Tooth, but it didn't go too well until we hit upon the "grinchy face." For some reason, it just reminds me of the Grinch.

Maybe I have Christmas on my mind. Oh, that might be because the stores have had Christmas stuff out since June. Ridiculous.

Nope, I don't have my PhotoShop Software yet. But Bob came home for the weekend, and promptly located all the pictures on our computer in about 30 seconds. I swear, I hunted for them for like 30 minutes, and couldn't pull them up. It's a conspiracy, I'm telling you.

And for the record, Rex didn't care a lick that the Tooth Fairy brought him a dollar (which by the way, is about 4 times what the tooth fairy brought me when I was a girl, you know, back in the Olden Days). All he cared about was that she brought him a pack of gum. Sugar-free, of course; even the Tooth Fairy is PC these days.

Oh, but I've forgotten to tell you the whole story of the tooth-losing incident. Rex is lucky he got anything at all, since he had to write a note to the Tooth Fairy explaining that he'd lost his tooth all together; I mean, like he really lost it, not just that it fell out. First of all, the tooth somehow "got knocked out" on the seat in the bus on the way to school, but he managed to locate and save it. Rex found this very disturbing because for some reason, it's never occurred to him that a tooth actually falls out of your mouth when you lose a tooth. I know. Then, he somehow lost the tooth, out of its neat little carry-home-tooth-shaped container, when he got home from school, between the bus stop and the front door. Not really surprising when you consider, but still...we managed to find Hannah's lost tooth in a horse pasture. You'd think we could have found Rex's.

One thing's for sure, life is never dull with Rex around. Thank goodness the tooth fairy reads letters. And that she leaves gum behind, which is worth far more to Rex than any tooth will ever mean.

Kisses

Around here, we're really into kisses.

• Chocolatey Hershey's kisses.
• Slobbery, open-mouthed baby kisses.
• Kisses that get rubbed off ... er, rubbed in, or so the boys say.
• Unwipeable kisses. (Mom's particular specialty)
• Stolen kisses. ; ) (Dad's area of expertise)
• Eskimo kisses.

But now, Elisabeth and I have invented a new kind of kiss.

Are you ready for this?!:

Moose kisses.

Yep. Another case that proves a picture is worth a thousand words. Oh, for my camera software. It's quite entertaining.

Deadly

So this is a total cop-out, but trust me, if you try this recipe, you'll be glad you did. If my camera software were here, I would post a beautimous picture. But it's not, so I won't. Meanwhile, try this out.

Marbled Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:

1 bar (4 oz) bittersweet baking chocolate

1/2 c (1 stick) butter

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

1-1/4 c sugar

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 c semisweet chocolate baking chips

1 c white chocolate baking chips

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9-in square baking pan with aluminum foil, making sure some of the foil hangs over the sides. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Chop the bittersweet chocolate into small pieces. Place the chocolate, butter and cocoa powder in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH until the chocolate and butter are melted. Stir to combine and set aside.
3. Place the sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add the chocolate mixture, stirring to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Sift in the flour and baking powder; mix well.
4. Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan. Bake brownies for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from oven.
5. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the brownies. Return brownies to oven for 1 minute. Remove from oven; allow the pan to sit for 1 minute. Lift the brownies out of the pan (using the foil as handles). Spread the chocolate chips over the brownies for a marbled effect. Let cool completely before cutting into bars.

So, we used semi-sweet baking chocolate, because that's all I had, and vanilla chips. I think next time around we're going to try peanut butter chips. And then I'll be forced to try butterscotch. I also used an 11x7 pan, and it all turned out just right.

No, I didn't bother to figure out the Weight Watchers points, because it looked scary. Yes, they are extremely rich. You have to cut small pieces! They were yummy hot, lukewarm, and cold. Party on!

Tada!!!...A New Name

Did you know that a group of elk is called a gang? I learned that today when I was using my trusty thesaurus to discover more alliterative words for my new title. You learn something new everyday.

I got bored with the old title. Although it alliterated--something you'll remember was important to me in naming my blog--it was too staid and old and ... boring.

Besides, who do you know besides me who goes by tracky from time to time? Ok, who do you know besides me who's gone by tracky since about age 5? Or ever, now that we're really thinking about it? I know they're out there. I find them when I discover my favorite user name is already taken. I've just never met one.

But alas, my blog is never Totally Tracky. Nothing's ever Totally Tracky around here. It's usually Totally Tracky and the Baby. Or Totally Tracky and the Girls (or Boys). Or Totally Tracky and Bob. Or Totally Tracky and the Dog. Or Totally Tracky and the Kitchen Sink (or the Bathroom Floor or the Lawnmower or the Puking Child or the Dirty Clothes).

So I summarized. And it alliterated, too.

I'm happy.

Making Do

Well, I know all the grandparents will probably quit reading this, because there won't be any pictures for awhile. I have all sorts of really cute pictures. But I've been on the hunt for the cheapest version of my photo-editing software. I finally found it today at amazon.com for $40 off what it would have cost me, but I couldn't download it. I have to wait for the snail mail, because of course I picked FREE SuperSaverShipping, or whatever they call it.

If I'm feeling really ambitious in my spare time, I'll use some of the other software we have to post pics.

Meanwhile, Caleb started Cub Scouts last night, and he loved it. He's been asking to do it for awhile, and at the school, they start it before the church group started, so we're off and running with all of his buds from 2nd grade. Beware: we're already selling popcorn for our fundraiser. I knew you'd be excited.

Elisabeth and Hannah went to the orthodontist this morning. Elisabeth gets headgear for her underbite (at night only) on her next visit. It looks like the end is in sight for Hannah's orthodontic journey. We're now in maintenance mode for her open bite. Woohoo. We'll take a few years off for her ortho and then probably start back up again. That's just plain depressing.

On Monday, Rex started Kindermusik again. He's putting together his dulcimer this week. None of the kids have loved KM as much as he has. I never have to fight with him to practice or prepare. It's totally cool.

And Sariah ... is Sariah. She's adjusting to my new workout "regimen" (that translates to loosely organized exercise goals). She doesn't like being left in the nursery at the Y, even though I've watched her on the nursery cam, and she plays just fine once she gets over herself. Silly sweet girl!

Anyhow, that's the latest news around here. I would tell you all that I've been up to ... but you can probably already guess: laundry, dishes, laundry, dishes, homework, taxi driving, laundry, dishes. Wow, I have an exciting life!

The Rant

I have prided myself for not whining on this blog ... until now. Even the very best of us get humility from time to time. I'm just going to need a moment.

What? Is there something in the air this morning? Or is it because I left 4 of them yesterday afternoon with a babysitter, even one of the nicest, best babysitters in the world? Even accounting for that aberration in our schedule, they were still all in bed by 8 last night, and all asleep by 9, which is nothing short of miraculous. They were finally tired enough. I was so looking forward to this morning when they would all be wonderfully well-rested, and therefore obedient, cheerful, and happy, oh-so-happy to get on the bus and head to the magical world of learning.

Ok, I guess I have to confess that phrased that way, it does sound a wee bit far-fetched.

Ideals are good, though, right?

Unless you're a perfectionist. Then ideals become lead weights around your ankles.

So I guess I shouldn't be so shocked that not one of them wanted to get out of bed this morning, not even Farm Boy (Caleb) or Rex, the Eighth Wonder of the World. And I shouldn't be so flabbergasted that Hannah had a massive tummy ache, Elisabeth was too tired to move or try to make the bus, and Caleb's stomach hurt too much to go to school. Rex didn't want to eat his breakfast, either, but it was oatmeal, which never passes muster with him.

Did I mention that over the course of the morning, I discovered that Hannah has a presentation in speech & drama, and that both Caleb and Elisabeth a) have testing today, and b) didn't finish their homework (after telling me that they didn't have any last night)?

It's going to be a good day.

I'll probably have to go pick them up (in the pouring rain that might not get here now, see yesterday's post) because they're all throwing up at school ... but only because I've actually made them go to school.

Arrrrrrgh!!

Ok, I'm done raving like a lunatic now. Thank you for your time and consideration. I promise to post something more ... appropriate tonight.

Sage Advice

Several pieces of sage advice from the Wisest Woman You Know, as certified by the School of Hard Knocks (because nobody else can beat anything through my head).

1. 1.25 hours at the Y running and eliptical-ing + 1.5 hours mowing the lawn = 1 crazy tired mama. All I have to say about this is that it had better rain because that's the whole reason I felt compelled to mow today. It could have waited a couple more days, but "they" say it's going to pour tomorrow. It had better. Now that I've said that, we'll probably have to build an ark. It figures. I would have illustrated this equation with a picture commemorating my beauty sleep on a luxurious and aromatic pillow of dirty laundry while Sariah was enthralled by "Between the Lions," but alas--I was asleep.
   
2. When you run out of food, eat the dishes. Actually got this pointer from baby Sariah:
3. Benadryl and Motrin help cure nasty sunburns. Ok, well maybe not ... but they sure keep your kids quiet enough to sleep through their recoveries. And if that doesn't work, well, there's always Benadryl and Motrin for you!
   
4. Pizza for dinner brings Rex in from the Back 40 in under 2 seconds.
5. Middle School Open House is a Big Deal. But you have to get there when the doors open if you expect to get any cookies.
6. The library is a refuge, if and only if all of your little boys and curious toddlers are corralled safely at home with someone else.
7. The best poster I've seen in a long time: "WARNING: Due dates are closer than they appear." I wanted to bring it home and paste it all over the place. No, not for my kids' benefit. For mine. Duh.

If you have any Sage Advice from your recent adventures, please share it here with the rest of us. Even though I'm enrolled permanently in the School of Hard Knocks, I like to pretend that I learn from other people's mistakes. It makes me feel powerful and smart. Hey, I need all the help I can get, people.

Happy Birthday, Dear Junebug!

The kids arbitrarily decided that Labor Day is Junebug's birthday. This year is her 3rd, something else we decided arbitrarily based on the vet's best guess. See what a good dog she is--she posed so sweetly for my pictures.

Then, to celebrate her special day, we chased her around the yard, something she loves. Nobody can catch her, she's so dang quick! Look at how sleek she is. It's completely fascinating to watch her run. (Not so fascinating, though, that I'm tempted to take it up myself anytime soon.)

Ok, I really just put these pictures in because I finally have a camera that captures action so fast and so fabulously. With any other camera we've ever owned, Junebug would have just been a blur in these pictures, but because I have this fantastic new camera, when you zoom the above picture you can actually even see Junebug's toenails! I know, I know: it's the most exciting thing you've heard in weeks. You can thank me later.

And last, but not least, Junebug posing for a picture that Rex just couldn't resist being a part of. Trust me, she's grateful that he's on the other side of the glass. He claims that she likes it when he plays with her. Ha!