Bad Day

This is what we found on our patio chair yesterday morning. Belly up. Eyes still wide open. Feet up in the air. Poor little birdie. My windows must be sooo clean.

Brother Ryan

My crazy brother came over for the weekend to help set up our new office. He's the techy in the family and understands all that computer stuff. He was tons of help (Thank you Ryan) and is always tons of fun. And he's way nicer as an adult than he was when we were kids... :)
I found out that his wife reads my blogs sometimes (Hi Andrea) which is really exciting to me for some strange reason. She's been a great addition to the family - actually, she's kind of a fixture. Its been a good 15 years, I think. Wow, I've known them married longer than I've known them not married. That's weird.
Anywho, I had to get a picture of the hair this morning because right after his shower it was sticking straight up all around - think porcupine. Just for the record, he does not wear it like this all the time.

#10 I'm thankful for hair products that make our hair do what its supposed to do.

My Darling Youngest Child

Its been over an hour. I sit typing and listening to the darling youngest of mine continue to cry and whine. It started at Auntie Kristin's house. Little Madelyn started into one of her all-to-frequent melt downs. The discipline did NOT work and the fit continued so we loaded up rather abruptly and came home. On the way to the car, I was carrying her, kicking and screaming this hideous scream. I was so embarrassed. At least she wasn't screaming "this isn't my mommy." I was just waiting for someone to call 911 to report a kidnapping.

To her room she went while the others got to take baths and have ice cream. Still wimpering and whining. Thought she was out but noooooo, still awake, still crying. WHAT DO WE DO!??!!!

Doug and I seem to be at a loss. None of the others were like this. At all. She seems to be unbreakable. I'm determined to win this battle, but I'm wondering how long this "stage" is going to take. Its been a good year/year and a half maybe. Any/all advice will be considered. :) I told my mom tonight that I just know she's going to be a great adult.... a really strong willed, determined, world-changing adult. In the meantime....

Oh, wait. What do I hear now? Why its laughter coming from her bedroom. And just like that, the switch has been flipped. Its a good thing I am her mother, because I would probably have to leave her in the grocery store or something. ARRGGGHH

What have we done!

We decided to do the small town thing and take in some of the festivities of our new home. We went to the Swallow Festival, which is about birds, I guess. But they have a Swallow queen which begs the question - How do you win the title?

The entire town met at the restuarant/gas station/mini mart/post office for a short (and I mean short) parade where they actually threw candy so all the kids could chase after it and make their mothers concerned that they might get stuck under the very large tire of the fire truck. In the parking lot, there were some canopies set up for vendors. One was selling cotton candy, one had hot dogs and such. And then there was one that was selling her home wares - like a yard sale! At at parade. She had sheets for sale and old tupperware containers and maybe even some socks at unbeatable prices. Can't say I've ever seen that.

You just can't beat small town parades. There was actually a mermaid smoking a cigarrette and drinking at beer at the end of the parade. I guess her ride through town on the float was too much and she needed a drag.

Doug and I felt a little out of place as everyone knew everyone else. But you gotta get involved, right? There were a lot of motorcycles which was another thing that struck me as odd. I don't know why. Maybe because this festival is something I'd never heard of, but a bunch of bikers had? Who knows.

#9 - I'm thankful for mullets because they bring a smile to everyone's face.

Nothing to say

I'm at my husband's office waiting for the next exciting assignment. I just typed for about two hours for my father in law and did some school with the kids. The origanal green hour challenge was to observe a 1X1 foot square of nature outside. Well, I scraped back some bark in a flower bed and we watched, and waited......nothing! Not a bug, not a worm, not even a leaf crossed the path! So we moved to another area of the yard and I scraped back some rocks, sure there would be some critter to observe. NOTHING!!!! How can this be? Then we went to the grass. It was so thick, though, that there was no chance of seein' anything either. I finally relented and we picked tulips. Then I told them to draw what they saw. The plan was to label the flowers and write about tulips. Well, by the time it was all said and done, neither of them drew tulips but they both drew hummingbirds. (We did a hummingbird lesson a few days ago, so I guess its still fresh on their minds, which is good that they have retained something.) Sometimes the best plans go totally awry (sp?) Oh well, it was fun anyway. Doug was watching Brooklyn writing about the bird and was very suprised at how well she is writing/spelling. So I was proud, too, that something I'm doing (whatever that might be since it feels like we're doing NOTHING lately) is working.

That's all. Back to work....

About me....my favorite subject.

Here's a MEME I got from Dawn. Can some experienced blogger please tell me what the heck MEME stands for? Everyone I would tag has already been tagged, and the other person, Melissa, just left a "List of 100 things about me" and probably doesn't want to play along, although I would love to read more about her......(No pressure) But, back to me.....

What is the best part about your life right now?
The best part of my life right now is working with my husband and homeschooling the three best kids in the world! I never saw this kind of life coming my way, but I am soooooo glad it did! I couldn't be happier. Ten years ago I thought I'd stick my kids in daycare and go to work as a nurse, drive a new car, live in a huge house, and be "happy". But I love this life and couldn't be happier!


What do you think the best part about the near future will be?
Well,the obvious thing in my life is that we're moving to the country. Can't wait! Its so beautiful. We're in the fix-up stage right now. The best part of the near future will be finishing that fix-up stage and getting to the live-in stage. Oh, who am I kidding. We'll never finish the fix-up stage. I think we don't beleive in it.

What are you most afraid of?
See question #2. Living in a project house! Actually, I don't live in a lot of fear because I know who holds my future. I know that nothing will take God by surprise. That's the most security a girl could ever have.

What are you a little worried about?
I'm a little worried that my suburban will break down. Its not running bad, but its getting up there in miles. I love that suburban and totally want another one when this one kicks it. But I don't want to make car payments. And I want that new hybrid suburban for obvious reasons.

What do you dream of?
I dream of a family of 6 at least, maybe eight. You know the type of family where all the girls wear dresses and braids? Well, not quite like that, but a little. I'm so surprised at how much I really love being a mom. I was never one of those "when I grow up, I want to be a mommy" kind of girls. Never thought I'd want kids and certainly not 6! Wow, how God can change a heart!


Who do you trust most to share these things with?
Definitely Melissa, Pam and Dawn. They read my blog and I love that! Its so fun to keep up on eachother's lives. They're my closest friends and they probably know all this stuff anyway.

What questions do you have?
How can I increase my odds at winning the lotto? Oh, and what the heck does MEME stand for?

What skills can you share?
I'm REAALLLLLYYYY good at giving unsolicited advice. ;)

Grand-dad plays tooth fairy.

Grand-dad had a great idea! Today when we arrived at the office and I confessed my blunder, he said to Ty "hey, since we share the same birthday and you watch TV from my side of the bed, maybe the tooth fairy mixed things up. My pillow felt kind of lumpy, too." Off Ty ran to check things out, and sure enough, there was the loot! A whole dollar. :) I think she also tried the whole 'arrive during the daytime when we're not home' thing, too. Stay tuned. ;) Oh, and just for the record, the above picture is not one of grand-dad dressed as the tooth fairy.....but that would sure make for some interesting comments.

That Darn Toothfairy!!!!

I just cannot beleive this! The toothfairy seems to have forgotten to make a stop at my son's bed. Has anyone told her this is his FIRST tooth! Did it cross her mind that he might wake up the next morning filled with excitment and anticipation and be soooooooo disappointed. She has got to stop going to bed so soon.........I'm so ashamed.

Farewell, Tooth

Today my dear middle child, Ty, had his tooth pulled. No, it wasn't because I failed to brush his teeth enough (although that could definitely be a problem!). So, last November he said "mommy, something in my mouth hurts." I looked in and there was some abscess-like sore above his tooth. I kind of freaked at first because my initial thought was "how long has this been here! And what kind of a mother doesn't know some infection is brewing way up under his lip because I was just sure that all the other mothers out there check their children's gums often. He went to the doctor who said not to worry, and then I got more worried and I took him in for a recheck. The next doc said not to worry, but she called her husband, the dentist we saw today. And when the dentist said not to worry, I quit worrying. So we saw the dentist in Feb and he said to wiggle the tooth loose and when the tooth came out, the infection would resolve. He gave us three weeks. No luck.
We returned today to have the "procedure." My little man was such a trooper. Doug and I were MUCH more apprehensive than he was, probably from our prior experiences with dentists....and oral anesthesia via injection. You'd never know he was having a needle put into his gums. Not even a flinch. The doctor was awesome, too. Turns out we have a bunch of mutual friends. He even called tonight to check up. Definitely going back. And I beleive the tooth fairly will be making an appearance tonight.

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On another note, I've taken a few pics of Madelyn lately, and she seems to have a tongue protrusion problem.



That sassy little thing!

The mathmetician strikes again.

I found this on Melissa's blog.

YOUR AGE BY DINER & RESTAURANT MATH
This is pretty neat
DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST!It takes less than a minute. Work this out as you read .
Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out!
This is not one of those waste of time things, it's fun.

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to go out to eat.(more than once but less than 10)

2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)

3. Add 5

4. Multiply it by 50

5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1758... If you haven't, add1757.

6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.You should have a three digit number
The first digit of this was your original number
(I.e., How many times you want togo out to restaurants in a week.)
The next two numbers areYOUR AGE ! ------ (Oh YES, it is!)

THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2008) IT WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND WHILE IT LASTS

Brooklyn's day out

This is Brooklyn and me at Shari's. Yesterday I took Brooklyn out for the morning. We headed out early for breakfast. I let her get whatever she wanted even though it was loaded with sugar and whipped cream and sprinkles! At breakfast! She had a french toast creation that looked soooo yummy and hot chocolate with more whipped cream.
Brooklyn was eager to get going when I woke her up. We actually were gone long before I had planned. I told her the day before, but I warned her not to brag about her upcoming experience - even though they all get a time out alone - I didn't want to ignite any jealous upset. She did such a good job and would whisper to me about her excitement. The night before, she whispered to me "don't forget about tomorrow." As if!
After our breakfast, we went to Walgreens. Okay, so with the next round of dates with the kids I'm going to try not to run errands, but where the heck do you go on a cold Saturday morning at eight a.m.? So, we bought some cough syrup and Brooklyn got to pick out a coloring book and a new set of crayons and markers. At our house, the markers seem to lose their hats and the crayons break. We bought both because I had an epiphany! I'm going to make a special bag to keep in my car full of little special things to play with for when we are out somewhere and they need to be diverted and entertained. I know, its only taken me 6 years to figure that one out! A new coloring book does wonders.
Then I took her to meet my friend Kelly who was in town. It was such fun to visit with Kelly. She's a friend I met about 10 years ago. She's so funny and interesting. We met at Starbucks which is Brooklyn's favorite place.
We were done with our day by 10 and had already spent a good four hours together! That Brooklyn is such fun to be with. She's quite the talker and she has such an imagination that there's never a dull or quiet moment. She reminds me so much of the little girl I would be now if I was a little girl (make sense?) I don't remember being like her when I was a kid, but she's me in a smaller body. She loves the spotlight (something I'm growing out of more and more....really). She loves a good time. She is so funny. Doug and I are always catching eachother's eyes and laughing about things she's doing. Oh, I could just sit back and watch her! Who needs TV when you have Brooklyn! Here's a picture she took of herself.
#7 - I'm thankful for my favorite oldest daughter and all that she is.
#8 - I'm thankful that she may be short, but great things come in small packages.

Mommy - Maddy Day

Today Madelyn and I had some special time to ourselves. Its not something we do enough of, and it is so special and fun. I'd post pictures but I can't find my cord to connect the computer to the camera. AGGHHHH The technology world.

Madelyn and I started with a trip to the store at about 1 pm to pick up a gift for the birthday girl because, of course, I procrastinated. Then off to the party. Madelyn loved playing with the other little girls. It was outdoors at a wonderful park in town, but it was a little cold. Then we went to take a ton of pictures for
Doug. That took a couple of hours and I felt bad because Madelyn had to tag along, but we had fun talking.

I headed home after that to start dinner. It was just her and I, making dinner, and then we made some cupcakes. So fun with just one! It overwhelms me when they all want to help because they all want to crack the eggs and lick the bowl and frost the cupcakes, etc. But one was a piece of cake (ha ha). She was the queen today for a few hours and I loved it!

Its my goal - after watching Jon and Kate plus 8 - to spend more one on one time with each kid. If they can do it with eight, I can with three! I get to see a different side of them.

#4 I'm thankful for cupcakes in a box. There, I'll admit it.
#5 Thankful for cream cheese frosting!
#6 I'm so thankful for my darling little baby girl. She may consider it the world's biggest insult to be called a baby, but she'll always be mine. How could I have known the love my heart would hold for this little girl.