Monkeying Around

Sariah and I went to Oklahoma City Zoo on Friday with April and Lydia. Hannah came, too, because they sent her home from school with some weird rash thing on her face that we never actually figured out what it was (and that you can't actually see in this picture). Can I just mention that she was not the only school-aged child I saw at the zoo? I find it really hard to believe that so many families in Oklahoma home school. But who wouldn't have wanted to be at the zoo on Friday? It was perfect zoo weather!

I wonder how long the zoo has had these statues all over the place? The kids love them. We have pictures of our kids on the zoo statues since Hannah's very first trip to the zoo. I'm feeling really nostalgic, so I might have to find them, scan them, and post them. (Yeah, keep on wishing!) This time around, Hannah wanted to climb the gorillas just to see if she could finally get up to the top all by herself.She can.

Meanwhile, Sariah was quite taken with the tiger. That was good, since the real tigers were all snoozing, and if the statue made her happy, well alright then. She still doesn't share very well. First, she allowed Lydia on.
Then Sariah wouldn't let Lydia touch her. And she was quite pleased with herself over that.

And then she just sort of took over.
And just for good measure....
But that's okay, because Lydia posed beautifully for me for pictures. Too bad I didn't notice the trash can in the picture until just now.


Sariah walked a bunch of the zoo, insistent that she hold nobody's hand, quite independently (shocking of Sariah, I know!). She should have been exhausted. But strangely, I don't think she was. You'd think after 5 kids, including SuperRex, I would understand that when kids should be exhausted, they never are. They save exhaustion for your ... ahem, convenience. Thoughtful little devils, aren't they?

I just took this picture because when I was in the 2nd grade, I did a report about the okapi (I still have no idea how to pronounce it, even though the zoo has a sign and everything). I'd never heard of one before. And I still wouldn't have ... except that the OKC Zoo actually has them. So of course, they are one of my favorite parts of the zoo!

And that, my friends, was the first zoo expedition of the year.

That's My Man!

Ok, let's try this post again.

My man has been working really hard around here so that we can sell our house. He'd painted, repaired, sanded, built, cleaned, scrubbed ... you name it, he's done it. He's been a really good sport about it. He's put in mounds and mounds of effort, and I can't even describe how much I appreciate him.


But as always, when you live in a zoo, try not to provoke the specimens. They usually take matters into their own hands.

Winter Weather Day

I did take pictures when it snowed ... oops! I mean iced here a few weeks ago. I just have taken my time getting them posted.

It truly was bright enough for sunglasses.

Sariah really wasn't too sure about this. She wanted to touch it. But not.

So the neighborhood girls chauffeured her all over and kept her happy and entertained.

These are 3 of the best Sariah-sitters on earth!

Fixed

I think the picture links are fixed now. Sorry!

R&R

Have you ever noticed that sometimes it's really hard to find a comfortable position?


That's why when you find something that works for you, you have to go with it!

Obsession?

Elisabeth and Sariah woke me up from my nap on Saturday afternoon by joining me in bed, where Sariah promptly picked up the book I had been reading and started reading it aloud quite solemnly.

Elisabeth: Sariah, you're such a big girl, already reading Pride & Prejudice like Mommy does!

Mom: It's not Pride & Prejudice.

Elisabeth: Well, what is it then? It's something like Pride & Prejudice.

Mom: {Very reluctantly} It's a book about Pride & Prejudice.

Elisabeth: {Eye roll} Is there a difference?

Some people obsess about Harry Potter. Ok, I've read the HP books multiple times, but only when new ones came out. So that I could brush up on important details. Really.

Some people obsess about the Twilight Books. I've only read them once. Except for Twilight (book 1) which I felt compelled to read again after I'd seen the movie and couldn't figure out what everyone was in a tizzy about when they said the movie was sooooo different from the book (personally, I think the movie captures the essence quite well, if not the exact details).

Some people obsess about all things Austen. That would be Jane Austen. You know, Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion?

I suppose I could possibly maybe fall into that category.

The first time I read P&P, I was 17, a senior in high school, and I am not exaggerating when I say that I hated it. I didn't get any of it. In fact, I don't think I even finished it (which, incidentally, was not uncommon for my high school assigned reading experiences). I thought the hype was completely and utterly ridiculous. I just couldn't get it.

I reread it in college, for pleasure, and not by assignment, and a whole new world opened up to me. It's one of my all-time favorite books now, so much so that Bob read it a few months ago because he figured he ought to be culturally aware (at least in our household). My kids routinely ask if I'm watching one of my "Elizabeth movies" (it's what I iron to) or reading one of those "Pride and Prejudice or whatever they are" books. I laugh out loud when I read Pride & Prejudice. Every time. It's the timeless story between men and women.

So, yes, I might be Austen obsessed. So much so that I check out books about Jane Austen's books from the nonfiction section of the library and read them purely for pleasure.

But it's really bad when your kids know this about you. And roll their eyes about it.

Hmph!

Happy Valentine's Day!

So, my wonderful husband totally rocks. For the big day this year, he arranged a date with two other couples we know. We went to the Yamato Sushi & Steakhouse (or something like that) where we ate yummy Japanese food set on fire right before our faces, and yes, I even tried sushi (I was right, I don't really like it). Our chef was a total riot! At one point, he went to squirt more sauce into one of Amy's bowls, but then he started squirting it right at her (and because I was sitting next to her, I thought me, too)--horrible juicy brown ... string! I laughed until I cried. He also really liked to play with our food, making a lobster hobble around until he set it on fire, too.

Maybe you had to be there. Maybe you have to like playing with fire, I don't know.

In any case, the guys also arranged for a barbershop quartet to come and sing lovey-dovey Valentine's songs to us, and they made us beautiful tissue paper roses (Amy has promised to dry hers, and I'm going to hold her to it...hmm...maybe we could set those on fire, too?).

Maybe I'll go put all the matches up now. {wink}

Have a good Valentine's Day. I know we will. We have one on antibiotics for strep, one with an ear infection, and two more running fevers. Wahoo!

The End of an Era

These pictures signify the end of an era. This is what remains of the first computer desk we bought, before Hannah was even born. We were so proud of it. It was a corner unit with lots of hidey-holes for all sorts of our college paraphernalia. And it stashed nicely in our apartment. And we had student loan money to pay for the whopping price tag of $300.

But not so nicely in our house once we decided to move the computer out to the living area.

And it was a real booger to move, too. Lots of need for an allen wrench, and it could only be moved in sections, it didn't fit through doorways. My dad probably swore about that desk more than once. Bob might have been tempted (but probably not, because I'm the only one who's ever tempted to be foul-mouthed around here).

So, we bought a dark new sleek model that looks really nice in our living room (ostensibly because we need to sell our house, of course), and dismantled the old behemoth. It fell apart. Well, my section fell apart. Bob lovingly unscrewed things. Me? Not so much.

Rest in peace, little computer desk. We loved you.

For Sale

So, our house is officially listed for sale, and you know you want to buy it.

So as we can move into a bigger, better, badder house.

Ok, seriously, 7 people in a 1300 square foot house? It was truly great for 4 or 5, but 7 is pushing it. How did log cabin people do it?

Check it out online at realtor.com.

Something to Make You Smile!

How to Win the Pinewood Derby

1. Let your boys pick their car designs the night the pack has the saws out.
2. Make the boys sand the cars until their hands are raw. Or when they get tired. Whichever comes first.
3. Have Daddy prime the cars.
4. Let the boys paint their own cars with red paint (the same paint that's in the bathroom, btw). Or if you're Rex, gladly let your sister paint your car for you.
5. Be grateful for the ice storm that gives you one more week to figure out what the heck you're doing.
6. Figure out what rubbing compound and powdered lubricant are 2 days before the race.
7. Chip parts of the car while installing the wheels.
8. Tattoo your cars in the wrong places. And peel off the misplaced tattoos, thus peeling off the paint.
9. Lots of car wax, because the boys got really tired of sanding and rubbing compound.
10. Have Papa make a run to Ace 3 hours before the race, so that you can glue "weights" to the bottoms of your cars. Wherever they may stick.
11. And in Rex's case, pick off a rather important chip of wood (because it was holding in the wheel nail) in the car on the way to the Derby, thus making your car effectively 3-wheeled, because the wheel keeps popping off at the end of every heat because it's only kept on with electrical tape.
12. Bring your Grammy, Papa and Baby Sister to the race for good luck!

If you haven't figured it out yet, though we tried, the boys' cars were put together in a rather ... haphazard fashion. And yet, we came home with 2 medals and a trophy. It's either a testament to beginners' luck, or the good Lord blessing these boys because they worked so hard on their cars (and their parents' best efforts were a little ... scary).

The red blur was Caleb's car. Too late I remembered that I have a special speed function on my camera. It figures.

Rex and the tri-wheeled car that took 1st place in the Open Division for siblings.

Hail the Grand Champion! Yep, Caleb took not only the Wolves Division, but his whole pack. He and his car totally rocked!

My two champions!

And our good luck charms, Grammy the Queen Babysitter of Sariah during the Derby, and Papa the Chief Engineer.

Winter Weather Day 2

The temperatures weren't so bitterly cold today, so the kids spent the entire day outside with their friends or at somebody or another's house. All I have to say about that is that I hope they have all of their toes when they come home, and they darn sure better be worn out. Sariah got us all up and moving at 5:30 this morning, and by 8, the big kids had lost all their Wii privileges, because of... guess! Fighting. It's always fighting every time. We need sleep, and a lot of it!

Me? I've spent the last 3 days doing long neglected chores and finalizing preparations for our house to sell--it's already on the market, but nobody wants to come see it when it's slicker 'n snot outside. Go figure! So here's where I write down what I've done so that I can feel proud of myself:

• Rehung the border in the boys' bedroom.
• Cleaned and culled the pantry from top to bottom. Don't ask what all I threw away. The one problem with a large pantry is that it is VERY easy to lose items Somewhere In There.
• Fixed my printer, which consisted partly of cleaning out the printer head manually.
• Ironed 10 items. Bob and Tiffany'll probably keel over with shock.
• Painted the insides of my kitchen cabinets, AND (bonus) I've put everything away inside again.
• Repotted my violets.
• Cleaned the kitchen window and (another bonus!) blinds.
• Filed or shredded like a gazillion papers (about another billion to go).
• Cleaned the fish tank. Poor little fishies. They don't hardly know what to do now that they can see where they are going and don't live in the Fish Pollution Capital of the World.
• Caught up all my laundry, so that I can start all over again tomorrow, because I LOVE doing laundry that much!
• Mopped my kitchen floor--twice. Snow is never really pure white, is it?
• Balanced my checkbook and arranged to pay some bills.
• Started our tax return.
• Dusted half of my entertainment center. Maybe I have ADD, because I was just too bored to finish it, and haven't come back to it yet.
• Changed diapers.
• Cared for the dog, who sits on the step shivering pathetically when it gets this cold.
  
• Cooked my kids ... oops! I meant, cooked FOR my kids. It was only Ramen, but still, the stove had to be turned on.
• And since we're on the topic of parenthood, grounded the kids in turn about a couple hundred times. However many times it was, it wasn't enough.
  
• Loaded the van with more stuff for the storage unit or Goodwill.
  
• Had hives (still do) for no apparent reason...
• Which means I've been taking a lot of Benadryl...
• Which means I've taken more than 1 nap a day. The house wasn't too pretty when I woke up the last time.
  

Wow! I totally rock. But wait! There's more! The kids are home from school again tomorrow (which saves me a lot of work running them all over creation), so.... Coming soon to a blogspot near you: Winter Weather Day 3!

And just so you know that I NEVER work nonstop (as it would appear to be from that spectacular list), tonight I sit down to watch a Drew Barrymore movie. I'll probably fall asleep in the middle--thank you, Benadryl--but that's ok. Sleep is good.

Winter Weather Day

It's snowing! Snowing? er...sleeting? er...icing?

In any case, there was no school for the kids today, but I got so much done. It was a completely productive day, due to 2 sets of people.

First, my three oldest kids spent the entire day at the neighbor's house. Sissie totally rocks. For some reason, it's so much easier to take care of Rex and Sariah when the big kids aren't following us all around whining. I know, I bet you're sure they NEVER do that.

And second, our beloved home teacher brought us pizza from Little Caesar's for dinner tonight. He said he was out, and he knew I wouldn't be going out. So no cooking for me tonight, which is good because I was really stumped.

But now what will I do tomorrow when the kids are home from school again? I'll have to start thinking now....

More Time Out

Sariah is an equal opportunity sister, if you'll remember this post.

50s Dance

The annual 50s dance at the kids' elementary school is a big deal. I'm always really impressed with it because the music teachers and the PE teachers invest a lot of time into teaching the 5th graders to really dance, and then all the other students pick up things through observation. My kids really look forward to this. Unfortunately this year, I didn't get to take the kids myself, but they went with the neighbors. I got some good beforehand pictures. Check 'em out, especially my little Elvis:

Sariah Got Glasses (and interesting fashion tastes, too!)

Sariah has a condition called Type II Duane's Syndrome, which basically means that the muscles in one of her eyes is wired incorrectly. She was diagnosed at 9 months old, and because she turned her face so markedly to the right to correct the misalignment in her vision (her pupils didn't look exactly the same direction), she had surgery at 12 months to compensate for (not cure) the condition. The doctor detached and then reattached an eye muscle to give her eye more room to turn. It all sounds so complicated....

Anyhow, while the opthamologist was diagnosing this, he realized that Sariah is also extremely farsighted--more so than most babies, who are naturally farsighted--and extremely so in one eye. Dr. S said if this wasn't addressed soon, she would develop a lazy eye, and could eventually go blind in that eye. This website answers a lot of questions without out too much medical jargon.

So, we thought, "Well, glasses it is then." She's had them since Thursday, and it's definitely had its ups and downs--she likes to take them off in protest of whatever it is she's displeased with. And we've already had to have them repaired once (that's hereditary, ask my parents how many times I had my glasses repaired as a teenager--they do say toddlers and teenagers are a lot alike).

But Sariah loves to put her glasses on and everyone tell her how pretty she is. We're so glad we have her, so very blessed.

We Did It!

If you've been wondering why I haven't been blogging or facebooking (I love how new words come out of current trends) or talking to anyone very much, it's because I've been painting my closet, and decluttering my house, and fixing up the bathroom, and a hundred million other things, because It's Time. That's right, it's time to get a bigger house. Ok, well, it was probably time several years and a few kids ago. But we did it! We're listing our house; it goes on the market next week. I'm so excited! (Oh my, now I have to keep things picked up, which we all know I'm not terribly good about!) But ... I'm so excited! Hopefully soon, I'll be able to make more time for my blog. I've missed it, and all the comment love, as Melessa puts it. :)

Me, Revealed

Have I mentioned that Bob and I disagree on photo-taking tactics? He really likes to catch people as they are naturally. Unfortunately, I have issues with this, because I make a lot of really ugly faces. All of the following pictures are from Rex's birthday party, which was less than 2 hours long, btw. Dare I mention that there are more photos of me wearing ridiculous expressions than there are of the birthday boy? At least I know I'm loved in all of my states of being!

In the with New, out with the Old....

A mixed metaphor, to be sure, but you'll soon see why.

Traditions are part of the building blocks of strong families, or so I've heard. Our family certainly cannot be an exception to this. We have a very special New Year's Day tradition. I'm going to outline it for you step by step.

First, in the month of December, we build the most amazing gingerbread houses. Okay, well, this year we didn't build them, but we did decorate them.




Next, we either (a) admire them for a few weeks, or (b) ask Mom and Dad about 50 times a day when we can eat the candy off of the beautimous houses, or (c) wish we'd given the houses away like we'd planned on.

At long last, the Mom and the Dad say, "If you can pry the candy off the houses and think that it would taste fine, please be our guests, and eat the candy. (And good luck prying it off your teeth later!)"



And at long last, we take the houses outside into the January cold. (This is Oklahoma, people.)



And we smash them to smithereens because it's totally awesome!



Hey, we're building a strong family here!