It Was Bound To Happen

Well, here we go! Another stage in life. Just started this week.

The stage of "toddler-can-climb-out-of-crib"

And boy is he proud of it! He walks in with a big toothy grin, knowing he's up to something.

I kinda liked being able to contain him and know that he can't get out.

Muah-ha-haaaa!

But I'm sure we'll get used to it...same as we did with his new freedom in crawling and again with walking.

Although he learned today what happens when he climbs out when he is supposed to be napping. He didn't like it, and neither did his hiney.

You might be wondering how he learned such a trick. Well, I'll give you three guesses but you'll only need one. It's the one he calls "D" (as opposed to the one he calls "Tsie-Tsie" or the one he calls "Ca-Ca" - and no, we're not teaching him Spanish!).

Yeah, you knew Jessica fit in this picture somehow. Doesn't she always? (If you're wondering where the "D" comes from...we sometimes call her by her initials - JD.) So yes, she climbed in and out of his crib and apparently he is a visual learner because all he needed was a demonstration.

Actually, I'm kinda surprised he hadn't learned it sooner. Surprised, but glad.

I'm sure I'll feel some nostalgia when we take down the crib for the very last time. But I'm not going there now. And I gotta do some better toddler-proofing in his room before we put him in a "big boy" bed.



And on another note, I'm not sure if it's a conspiracy but Jake has also learned to open the back door to let the dog in...any time he pleases. Like when it's muddy outside. Ugh!

Spring Break

So, what did you do for Spring Break? Go anywhere fun? Travel? Soak up some sun?

Well good.

I'm just so stinkin' happy for you.

Because our Spring Break was last Friday. Yes, just Friday. Blows my mind! Last year we had 3 days of Spring Break and I assume next year it will be gone completely.

So we did what any other fun-loving family would do to make the most of that one day vacation.

We cleaned house!!! I know you're completely jealous and I'm sorry you didn't get to clean house too. It'll be ok. Maybe you can plan ahead for that on your next Spring Break. If you need any tips just let me know.

Or you can ask Mackenzie, who has a "better" way to do everything she's told to do...and will spend no less than 30 minutes explaining it to you, in great detail, instead of just going and doing it. But she does a good job once she's finished explaining it.

Or you can ask Jessica, who has a covert cleaning system of stuffing items under furniture. She works in silence, which is her most secret weapon because she goes undetected for quite some time. Then when she's caught she flashes those big ol' brown puppy dog eyes at you. Not fair.

Or you can ask Rebecca, who actually is any mom's dream because she gets her jobs done, done well, and done fast...and then asks, "what else can I do for you, Mom?" Now I really know you're jealous. For real this time! As you should be!

Or you can ask Jake, who has the strategy of sabotaging all three sisters' efforts and making them scream. They say (in their loudest, most whiny voice), "I just cleaned this and now he messed it all up again!" (be sure to add a HMPH! and a pout with that). And I think..."hmmm, I know just how you feel - times FOUR."

So, while our Spring Break was not as fun as others' it sure was nice to have a clean house...for a few hours. Not that you could tell it now. Sorry that I don't have pictures of our Spring Break to share with you.

Ok...gotta go clean house.

Bat Education

*sigh*

I know I've been flooding you with book posts (and there's another one coming Friday, but it's also a giveaway). But there's been a bit of a saga going on here in our little school.

I've gone back and forth on whether or not to post about it. I haven't really wanted to talk about it, but I guess I will.

Alright...last week a mom brought her child to school and also brought a dead bat (that their cat had killed the night before) so the kids could see it.

Saw it, they did. And touched it.

The bat got to meet mostly Kindergartners and 4th graders and some soccer players. Quite the traveling (dead) bat. Then...

...someone had the brain fart to think "hey...this bat might have rabies...hmmm."

It did.

The solution?

Call in the state health department, interview all the kids to find out who touched it and where, take height and weight measurements, schedule a meeting for the parents, then proceed with giving all potentially affected kids the opportunity to get the 6 rounds of rabies shots.

You'll never guess which ONE of our kids touched it. Jessica. You're shocked, I can tell.

I asked the other two if they touched it...Rebecca said "what bat?" and Mackenzie jumped backward and said "no way!" Jake just sucked his pacifier, thinking we're all crazy.

The highlights of the school/parent meeting? Ridiculous questions. Some good (yet somewhat vague) information. And one dad asking how the school was going to compensate for the kids' emotional distress. Basically...what you'd expect.

Now, they said that since the kids touched it on its fur/wings that the risk was extremely low. But then they talk about how it's a fatal disease and that the symptoms may not show up for 3 weeks to 7 years. Yes, 7 years. And once they show up there's nothing you can do about it. Fatal.

Not a risk we're willing to take, no matter how small of a risk it is.

So Tuesday was the first round of shots. The good news is they don't give them in the stomach any more...it's the arm or rump.

They were giving the shots from 3PM-7PM. We showed up at 3:00, foolishly thinking we'd be early and get out around the time the other girls got out of school and then could make it to Awana. Well, 2 1/2 hours later we're done. We were #24 in line. There were around 90 kids total and we left at 5:30, so I wonder what time #90 got to leave.

While we were waiting our turn, Jessica doesn't quite make it to the bathroom on time and her pants are completely wet. I frantically check the vehicle...I had no spare. I found a long lost shirt, but no pants. And we live too far out of town to go home. So I run to the local consignment store and grab her a pair of pants and get back. They were on #22. Whew!

(Oh, and while I was gone I had to take a detour because we had some high winds...really high, for here or anywhere...and it knocked down a HUGE pine tree...on Pine Street --how's that for ironic--and the top of it fell on the house across the street.)

Anyway...

Jake did amazingly well while we were there (thank you, God!), but was in meltdown mode by 6:30. So was Mackenzie, who had gone on an all day hiking/field trip. I'm exhausted and in no mood for whining, tattling, or any loud noise of any kind. Stan is working out of town. I put the kids to bed 30 minutes early, built a fire in the wood stove, ignored the presidential debate (remember...I was in no mood for whining, tattling or any loud noise of any kind), and read a book. My solace.

Now, you're probably thinking the same things we were: What idiot would bring a dead bat to school and let kids touch it? And what teacher would allow that? And what school would let them in the door with it? I have no answers for that.

But when I picked up Jessica today, my heart wrenched for her teacher. She's a veteran teacher and she was a mess. I could tell she'd been crying (probably off and on all day) and as we walked over to get Jessica from PE she cried again, saying this has been the hardest thing she's ever gone through since her parents divorce. I could see the hurt in her face and she was just in pieces, but trying to be strong for the kids. She was in pain about what her kids were having to go through and it was all I could do not to start bawling right there, as we walked up to my smiling, laughing little girl who had no idea what the next few weeks would hold. Six rounds of shots spread out over nearly a month.

You could see (and hear) the bitterness in many parents faces while we waited for the shots (the waiting room was the gym/cafeteria and then they...the state health department...took each child to a different building for the shots so all the others wouldn't have to hear the screams).

And yes, it made me literally sick to my stomach for my baby to have to go through this. But I couldn't help but think about how I knew no one would have done this on purpose and if I were in their shoes...the lady who brought the bat, the teacher, the principal...how completely horrible I'd feel. How responsible I'd feel. How my big screw-up affected so many people. I'm not sure I'd get over it for a really long time.

There are so many bad things that happen in life that we wish hadn't happened and we just have to go forward...and not live in bitterness (easier said than done). But show compassion and forgiveness. Because I've had plenty of screw-ups in my time and will do more in the future. And I hope others would forgive me when I do.

And if you're exhausted after reading all of this, you have my sympathy. I am too!

Oh Dear Fiskars!

Oh Fiskars,

You are so funny! What you won't do for a good laugh. I'm glad you got a kick out of the letter I sent you about my daughter cutting up house and hair with her Fiskars scissors.

It appears that you laughed yourself silly because among the various goodies you sent were a 24-pack of scissors! Twenty-four! Really?

You must not like me. Was it the letter? Because I really wasn't going to sue you. Or maybe you liked my story so much that you wanted to hear more.

And with 24 pairs of scissors in the house and one 5-year-old crooked banged girl you're looking at a LOT of scissor stories. Not to mention her 2-year-old understudy. Please be sure to add my email address to your safe contacts list to ensure you receive every one.

So by this gesture I take it that you opted against my suggestion to return to the days of the crappy difficult-to-use, hand-cramping, metal scissors. I beg you once more to reconsider.

Sincerely,

Frazzled, Practical Mom

P.S. It appears that after I opened the package I must have fallen over and hit my head because soon I was surrounded by four little mischievous faces and eight little hands gripping scissors in a rainbow of colors. After checking to see if I still had all my hair and socks I realized it must have been a nightmare dream.

If only I had printed out your Learning To Cut worksheet sooner...

There is no pedestal in motherhood

You just can't get on your high horse and be a mom at the same time. Because one (or all) of your kids will bring you bring you right back to earth before you can say "soap operas and bon-bons." (don't worry...I haven't watched a soap opera since college, and I don't really know what bon-bons are, but if they're chocolate then hand them over and you won't get hurt)


My most recent down to earth moments:


Courtesy of Jessica - She and I were sitting lounging on the couch together one evening. She looks down to my (ahem!) "little" pooch and says...

"When is your belly going to get bigger? Is there a baby in your belly?"

NO!

Gotta love 'em!



Courtesy of Rebecca - The other day Stan and I were chopping firewood while the kids stacked it. I'm by no means an expert wood splitter, but it is really cool to hear that wood CRACK right in two on the first swing. Not that I get it done in one swing all that often.

Anyway, this was the first time I split wood since spring, so I was a little rusty. I did what I always do...I scanned the pile of logs for one with the least amount of knots and preferably one that already has a crack in it! Gotta build that confidence up before trying a difficult one.

I swung. Thud. I swung again. Thud. And again. Thud. And again and again and again. I don't think I ever hit the same place twice. I was just about to really let it have it (or else pick up the log and throw it...but it was pretty heavy, so I decided not to since it'd only land on my toe anyway) when Rebecca says...

"Mom, are you trying to write your name in that?"

Oh, they kid. Or not. I looked at the top of the log and realized if I'd just swung a few at an angle I probably would have written my name in it after all.



Courtesy of Jake - Nothing shows you're a mom who has it all together like a screaming, hitting, beet-red toddler in a very crowded Wal-Mart.

I mean, really. People! You've all seen a screaming toddler before. Why do you feel the urge to stare, stare, bugger-bear at the mom with one in Wal-Mart? She's frazzled and embarrassed enough as it is. I know...you're just glad it's not you.

It'd be really wonderful if there were some kind of switch to turn on said toddler when we go in public that would make him be sweet and quiet the whole time. But there's not. *sigh*

Too bad I can't just do like Jessica and hide underneath the clothes racks when he does that.



Courtesy of Mackenzie - Well, Mackenzie is just at that pre-teen age where huffing and puffing and attitude and crying and complaining and pestering make you want to run through a wall. Those days of the cute cuddly baby with a mop of little blond ringlets all over her head are gone. When she would run her hand down my hair and say, "Oh, piddy!" (pretty)

Now it's smelly feet and PMS even though she's not in the PMS stage yet. (How far in advance does the "pre-" stand for anyway? Years? Ok, thanks...that's good to know.)




Alright...I just can't leave it at that. There is redemption.

I also have to say that the other day I was putting on make-up and the girls came in and asked why I had to wear it. I told them it was so that I'd look prettier.

They said, "But you already ARE prettier."

Yeah, I know. All together now...AWWWWWWWWW!!

You Know You're a Mom When...

...ok, so I really don't have to tell you when you know you're a mom. But today was just one of those days.

I had to go to the dentist to get that fun little contraption that is supposed to help my jaw issue. Oh yes, it's just stunning, but if it helps I'm all for it. Still, I'm having braces/retainer flashbacks and even Mackenzie laughed at me and said "I still don't get it. Why did they give you that?" Never mind. Go do the dishes. (That'll teach her to laugh at her mom who now talks with a lisp. At least I have some power over my ridiculers, unlike in my teen years.)

I digress...

So I sent one child off to meet the school bus and loaded the other three in the rig to drop off at two different places. Don't ask why...it's just my life right now.

But right before I do, I sit down to put Jake's shoes on and I sit right in some oatmeal. Nice. You know how I knew it was oatmeal? Because when I stood back up I said out loud to no one in particular, "What did I just sit in?" Rebecca leans her head around my rump for closer examination and says, "Oh, that's oatmeal."

Run, go change my pants (not shorts, because it's only going to get up in the 60's...na na na na naaaa naaaaaaa). Drop one kid off then remember I've GOT to pay a particular bill TODAY.

Run back home. Pay the bill. Drop the other two kids off, go to the dentist and feel like a kid again myself.

I'll spare you my other 5 errands, but it was SO nice going into a store allbymyself! I felt like I was naked missing an appendage or three. Until...

I have to get groceries. Now, I'm a list person. Have to have my list or I'm lost. And have to mark items off the list or I stand there staring at it forever trying to remember what I got already. So I dig around for a pen. No pen. No pencil. No eye liner. The only thing I have in my purse is a crayon. I'm sure I looked lovely perusing the grocery store with my handy dandy crayon marking off items in my handy dandy notebook.

Actually, it only bothered me for about 11.3 seconds and then it somehow didn't seem strange to me.

Oh and to top off my "wondernous" mom day, I COMPLETELY forgot I was supposed to send a dozen of a baked item for a bake sale to school with Mackenzie. Dropped the ball on that one. I felt like a real winner, let me tell ya.

Not to mention the birthday gift I'd bought for Rebecca and then abandoned in another store. At least I realized it was gone, after I got home. I called and they are holding it for me.

Honestly...I thought I had a pretty good day...until I typed all this up. I wondered why I was so snappy with the girls when they were "helping" me in the garden this evening.

Sorry, no Jessica stories this time. She must be saving up for a good'n.

The Note

The other day we actually had really nice weather. Shocking, I know. (It was snowing this morning.)




When it came time to make the Kindergarten run we did the usual -


everyone hurry up, we gotta go...

brush your teeth and hair...

get your shoes on...

those clothes don't match...

hurry up and change them...

don't argue with me...

they don't match and you're not going to school looking like that...

here, wear this...

I know you don't want to but we gotta hurry...

what do you mean you're not finished with lunch?...

why did you get up and play if you're not finished?...

take it with you...

hurry up we gotta go...

wash your face...

where are your shoes?...

look in your closet...

why are they not in your closet?...

where did you take them off?...

look under the couch...

look in the sunroom...

oh, just wear your snow boots...

hurry up we gotta go...

get your jacket and backpack...

did you wash your face?


And somewhere in there I just grabbed Jake, the innocent by-stander, and stuck him in the car, as is. However, "as is" meant he wasn't wearing socks and shoes, which was fine because I didn't plan on him getting out until we got back home.




But, like I said, it was a nice day. Oh, nice days, why are you so few and far between?




After we drop Rebecca off for Kindergarten, Jessica asked if we could go to the park. She was right...it'd be a nice day for it.




Alas! I didn't bring Jake's shoes! So we didn't go. We just went home, besides I had things I needed to do. Jessica was heartbroken and asked if I would bring Jake's shoes next time. I'm sure I mumbled something like "uh-huh, buckle up."




Then it went something like this:




Jessica: Mom, do you have a piece of paper?

Me: No.

Jessica: Do you have a pen?

Me: No. (liar...I probably did, just didn't want to dig for it and I wasn't about to let her operate an ink pen while sitting on the leather seats of the Excursion, lest we forget her destructive ways.)

Jessica: (silence. Wow! Really? Silence?)

Jessica: Here, Mom. Keep this. (handing me a piece of torn Wendy's napkin, thankfully it was unused)




Me: What's this for? (like my grammar?)


Jessica: It's a note for you to remember to bring Jake's shoes next time so we can go to the park.



Oh yes. I'm Supermom! I've always got it together. I never miss a beat. My kids are always perfectly tended to and ready to go at a moment's notice. I'm on the ball.

That's why my 5 year old knows to write me notes to help me remember stuff. Even though the only words she can write on her own are: JESSICA (with a backwards J), CAT, MOM, and DAD.

I wonder what she would have written if I'd actually given her a pen.

Dear Fiskars,

I need to file a complaint. Your children's safety blunt-tip scissors are defective. They cut with such ease and precision. They cut things like the elastic off of tennis shoes, fringe off of couch pillows, the tops off of socks and pajamas, holes in blankets, fur off of stuffed animals, and even human hair.


I understand that in this modern world of technology we strive to make things better and more efficient. But I'd like to know what happened to those crappy difficult-to-use, blunt tip, all metal scissors that were available when I was a child. They rarely cut paper and wouldn't even come close to cutting cloth or elastic. The only danger they posed was when they were thrown across the room because of built-up frustration from their lack of cutting ability and from the painful cramping in the thumb and finger area. If those scissors were still available today, it wouldn't be necessary for me to file this complaint.


However, if I were a modern mom I would not stop with a letter. Oh no. I would blame and sue you for making scissors that enabled my 5 year old to cut the items listed above. It would be all your fault and I would make the news and you would settle out of court just to make me go away. My child would turn into a spoiled brat and feel that she was entitled to do anything she pleased and her mother would back her up.


But as it is, I'm a practical mom who knows that scissors don't cut things, people do...namely my 5 year old. Her tear-streaked face and sore bottom are proof of where the fault really lies. (Not to mention, where was her mother when all this cutting was going on anyway?) And in 10 years when she is finally allowed access again to privileges such as television, toys...and scissors, she will fully understand that she is in control of her own actions and not look to blame anyone and everyone else for what she does.


So I kindly ask you to please consider going back to making the crappy difficult-to-use blunt-tip scissors. It would be for the sanity of mothers like me, and for your own protection for when this happens to a modern mom instead of a practical mom.


Sincerely,
Frazzled, Practical Mom




(Note the missing hair from her bangs and how one side of her hair is markedly shorter than the other side. I guess she was going for the "layered" look. Also note the trimmed corners of the couch pillow behind her. Oh and said stuffed animal did not belong to her, but to her older sister...of course. The tennis shoes, socks and pajamas were hers, though. She will NOT be getting new shoes until she out-grows these.)

It's the Weekend!!!

Ok, so I need a break from all that Flower Power talk (even though I've been fired up about it for weeks days now).

And...I just cant leave my last post as the one with those hideous looking peat pots with mold on them. Yeah, I know they're ugly now. Just give 'em time. They'll get pretty.

We all do. ;o)

*sigh*

So. I thought I'd write a little fun stuff. But it just got instantly zapped right out of me with...

Mackenzie: (quite dramatically) Jessica colored on my drawing! She ALWAYS ruins my STUFF!!!

Jessica: You're mean, Mackenzie! (lately that's her response to everything)

Rebecca: Mackenzie just tore down half the curtain. (the resident tattle tale)

Jake: Waaaaaah!!!! Waaaaaahhh!!! (all that yelling and tattling woke him up from his blistful nap)

Mommy: (in a somewhat raised voice) ALL OF YOU GO GET YOUR FIREWOOD RIGHT NOW! (and then under her breath) ...before I lose it.

(part of their chores is to bring firewood up from the big stack to keep a small stack by the back door)



Where's my double fudge chocolate ice cream?! And is it spiked? I'm kidding...about the spiked part, not the chocolate part.




So I'll leave you with this...my favorite picture from the backyard:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. ~ John 14:27

Theme It

Once again, Jenni has given me a topic and gotten me out of my blogging slump. Otherwise you'd just get a post about sick kids...again. Jenni is great at giving each year a "theme" and then focusing her attention on that particular theme. I've never been much of a theme kind of gal but I like the idea of it. I do. I think it's good to live on purpose and not just float by. It's SO easy to just exist and let the days roll past and then wonder where in the world the year went. When I was a kid it seemed like the years took forever to pass by. Christmas just took way too long to get here...I literally counted the days (and for my birthday too). Now it seems I turn around twice and I'm decorating for Christmas again already, then it's gone. (When asked your age...am I the only one who has to think about it for an embarrassingly long while in order to remember? I'm 31. No, wait! I'm 32...I think. Or am I 33?)

So, if I were to give my years themes I would probably have to go by the school year and not a physical year for this up-and-coming season of my life called "raising school-aged kids." So this year's theme would be "survival" hands down! I know I just raved about living on purpose and all that, but sometimes that means surviving...as opposed to sticking your head in the sand and waiting for it to pass. I know we've all been there at some point(s) or another.

This isnt a "bad" year by no means and nothing tragic has happened, praise the Lord. It's just one of those years. We have 4 kids on 4 different schedules. (And I wont even go into Stan's constantly crazy schedule! It's mind boggling!) The 3rd grader's is the easiest...go to school, come home...most days. The Kindergartener is harder...drop everything in the middle of the day and take her (dragging along the other 2 kids) to school for half-day Kindergarten. The 5 year old gets dragged around everywhere stays home and we do pre-school at home because the school doesnt offer it. Hey - Kindergarten isnt even "required" in Montana...and the big stink of this year was some schools went to full day K. The nerve! LOL! The 18 month old also gets dragged around everywhere stays home and we try to get those all-important naps scheduled in so he's not a little bear all the time.

That's just the basics of our schedule. On top of the mid-day Kindergarten run, two naps a day for the baby, pre-school for the 5 year old, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, banking, and other normal errands and appointments, throw in a month and a half of basketball practice and games for the 3rd grader, weekly Awana for the older 3 kids (where I run back to town after school, pick the kids up and take them immediately to Awana, let the baby get a nap, then go pick them back up again), weekly speech therapy for the 5 year old, weekly ladies bible study (in the morning so the younger 3 all get dragged along too...but they love going), daily tutoring online, and weekly small group bible study with other families...it tends to get a little insane hectic. (And yes, I know that other people have way more crazy schedules than mine and that mine will get worse as the kids get older...I'm not trying to compare.)

Oh and not to mention that the 5 year old who was born with some kind of destructive gene has been on a rant of finding something to do nearly each day that she knows is wrong and knows she'll get punished for - putting coins in the baby's car seat slots so I cant buckle him up and I have to dismantle the whole thing, as we're trying to leave for something...pulling on the curtains and ripping the screws out of the wall that hold the curtain rod...drinking out of her sick sister's cup (that had a straw) and so getting sick herself and spreading it to the rest of the children in the house...coloring on the cabinets with black crayon...sneaking gum that she's not supposed to have, chewing it, then sticking it to the underside of the bar...squashing grapes ALL over the kitchen floor that took 4 times to mop to get the stickiness out...you get the idea. Same child who pulled down the Christmas tree year before last and also managed to break the glass top of the coffee table on top of her head with only one small scratch to her lip and millions of tiny shards of glass everywhere. Yep. Same kid.

I tried whining about this year's schedule for the first few months. I really did. Gave it my best shot - whining and feeling sorry for my selfish-self. But God has been showing me that I need to be resting in him and letting him fill my cup. When I do, things are so much easier. When I dont, I feel the whole weight of it all, and then some. I'd like to say that I turn to him more often than not, but that's not always the case, either. He's still working on me.

So there you have it. This year's theme is survival.

If I can plan ahead a little...I would like to suggest that this coming summer's theme would be FUN - hiking, swimming in the river and the pool, camping (with a toddler? we'll see), enjoying the area we live in.

And next year's theme...hmmmmm. I really, really tried to force get this year's unofficial theme to be "simplify" because we need it and I want it so badly. Maybe next year. We will have 3 kids in full-day school and just one at home.

Flight of the Bumblebee

Have you ever done the "Flight of the Bumblebee"? First you have to know the song. I know you know it...it's one of the classics, and I dont mean Lynyrd Skynyrd. I mean real classics...but I dont know who composed it or wrote it or whatever. I'm not that cultured. (You can google it.)

Anyway, I do it quite often...when someone calls and says "I'm coming over" (or 10 minutes before Stan is supposed to be home) and I look around at all the mess and I run around frantically stashing all the clutter wherever it will fit, hoping that I can find the important stuff again later...that's the Flight of the Bumblebee.

So this post will be my Flight of the Bumblebee in blog world because I dont have time to do a full posting of each event right now so you'll just have to get the fast-forward version. Here we go (hum the tune to yourself as you read...that is, Flight of the Bumblebee, not Sweet Home Alabama)...

• (Oh look! Bullets! So easily entertained.) Thanksgiving was good. We didnt get to go anywhere because Stan was on call and by the end of the 4-day weekend I think he had 80+ calls. But we all stayed home, had a traditional Thanksgiving meal, filled our bellies, played Uno, Skip-Bo and Dominos, watched movies, Stan and the girls went out and got our Christmas tree, and we put it up and decorated it. I'll post pictures...sometime.
• Jessica had her 5th birthday this week! Cant believe my baby girl is 5!! *Tears* She asked for a purple cat cake. It didnt turn our teeth colors like the black dog cake did. She got a rescue pet and some littlest pet shop pets and some cold hard cash which she promptly shoved in her piggy bank. I'll post pictures...sometime.
• It's been a busy week of Christmas decorating, birthday celebrating and shoveling snow. Yes, we're still getting more on top of the foot we got earlier. If you're not already sick of them, I can post more pictures...sometime.
• We got a Wii. Oh yes. We did. Even thru the shortage of them...we got one. You have to know I am NOT a gamer. Not one bit. Never was. I mean Atari was fun...but how old was I back then? Dont answer that. I never did get very far in (the original) Super Mario Brothers, although I could do the duck hunt until they get really fast and I get nervous. And Mackenzie beats me all the time in Super Monkey Ball on the Game Cube. But for some reason I'm excited about the Wii. Maybe because it's not a normal game console and they say 4 year olds can do it. I get so tense trying to play that I sweat like crazy and need a nap afterwards. I'm nervous just thinking about it! I probably wont post pictures...sometime.
• I need to end this post soon because Mackenzie keeps coming in and tries to read over my shoulder (I cant stand that!) and the Wii is for their Christmas present...so I dont want her reading that part.
• Ok, I'm really going now. But I'm too mesmerized by the bullets.
• Cute.
• Little.
• Bullets.
• Bye.

What A Week!

Warning: If you have a quick gag reflex do NOT read this post. (I figure all two of my readers wont mind!)

Well, a week ago today everything was going well. The kids were healthy and happy. The air was crisp and the leaves were beautiful shades of orange, red and yellow from fall. It was the last day of school for the week because of teacher in-service stuff. Such a happy time.

Now, a week later, I’m cleaning up throw-up from the 4th child because the kids have been good little helpers who shared and shared alike…the stomach bug. The good: it seems to only be a 24 hour bug. The bad: well—you know—throw-up. The ugly: one exhausted mommy. I am also thankful that we’re getting it over with and not dragging it on for weeks and weeks (praying there’s only 1 round per child…and that Stan and I don’t get it). And I’m thankful that they weren’t all 4 at the EXACT same time.

As I was cleaning up the latest round this morning I guess I went into auto pilot (or dementia). I reaffirmed to myself that there’s no way I could be a CSI. I mean, I was pretty good at keeping the contamination from spreading to the rest of the crime scene (although I didn’t always watch where I stepped…but I won’t go there). And I’m pretty good at analyzing the evidence (note to self: remind Jessica to chew her food better). However, I have too hard of a time keeping from adding my own contamination to the current crime scene. Ever since that first pregnancy the whole gag reflex thing has been an issue. I’m sure it’s something I could overcome if I wanted to and tried really hard. I’ll be sure to put that on my list of top 10 things I want to accomplish.

Whiskers

No, we didn't get a cat. We got stitches...or at least Rebecca did. As Rebecca told the ER doc...she was standing on a rocking horse sideways (the horse was sideways not her) and she fell off and her tooth went thru her lip. And, as she said, "Well, it was Jessica's idea."

It wasn't real bad but she had a little gash on the outside of her lip that didnt look so great so we took her to the ER. She got 2 stitches and was so brave. It broke my heart to watch but we made sure Jessica was there to see it too...just in case she had any more of those "ideas." (Which it wasn't the first and I know it won't be the last...but like all good parents, we just cant miss a chance to put the fear of God in our kids...yes, I'm being sarcastic). That was the quietest she'd been all day and I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head. Maybe it left an impression...for at least an hour.

So anyway, Rebecca says she has "whiskers like Daddy" now.

The End of Summer

Well, it's happening. Summer is coming to an end and here in Montana we covet our short summers and try to make the most of them. I cant help but feel a little cheated this year, though. This was a bad year for fires and as I posted earlier, with the air quality poor we were limited in what we could do. We have enjoyed this past week of clear skies, but unfortuneately the smoke is back again like it was before. Hey, Idaho! Get yer fires under control already! Also, July went on record as the hottest month in Montana...ever! Thankfully we got to miss most of that since we went down south. While it was up to 107 here, we were enjoying a cool 86 degrees down south. That's just mind boggling!

But, all in all it was a good summer, despite the smoke. We really, really enjoyed our trip south and it was SO good to see everyone! The girls got to take swimming lessons. They also went to VBS (Rebecca and Jessica) and basketball camp (Mackenzie) while Jake and I went hiking on some trails. As a family we only got to go hiking once and you can see pictures of that in the May/June 2007 slideshow. It was also a real treat to see our friends from New Mexico as they traveled up on their way to Washington.

Now, school starts on Tuesday and I guess you could say I have mixed feelings on it. It's going to be hard sending sweet Rebecca off to Kindergarten but I'm glad she has older sister with her. I remember how hard it was sending my dear Mackenzie off all by herself. However, I think the girls are trying to soften the blow for me because they've been fussing and fighting a lot lately! By God's grace I wont kick them out the door as I drive by. (I'm kidding. Of course I'll stop the car first.) Also, Jake has been working on cutting 4...yes four...teeth at the same time! It's not easy to catch a look at them (just imagine trying to hold onto a fish out of water) but from what I can tell, I believe the last one has finally broken through so hopefully the bear that has taken over will leave and I'll have my sweet, happy little boy back again!

And now for the best news I've heard in a while...drum roll, please...Beth Moore is coming to Billings!!!!!!!! Doin' the happy dance! Ok, so it's not until next September, as in 2008, but still. I can celebrate now, cant I? Yes, I'm a Beth Moore fanatic. Admittance is the first step, right? Hey, I'm just thrilled that I can get excited about things other than the tooth fairy actually remembering to come on the correct night, Hannah Montana marathons, and successfully changing a poopy diaper without getting it everywhere because the boy will just not be still for a second.

And while I'm on the tooth fairy topic...I never knew that monitoring the tooth fairy could be so stressful. Right, Jenni?! LOL! (I'm glad I'm not alone!) It's just another one of those things I never really put any thought into 10 years ago.

So there you have it. Our summer in a nutshell.

Did you know...

...that if you accidentally step on a tube of Balmex that it explodes out the bottom?

Just thought I'd pass that along. *sigh*