Not much to say today

I had to work this morning with some of the little nippers. They are funny little people for sure. Picked up all the kids. Saw my oldest sad again, but her heart was mended by a precious group of kids in her choir. Fed the kids, got a surprise and unwanted haircut that I am still not appreciating. I am now sitting, feet up, watching Glee. I hope to stay up to watch Tabatha Takes Over. This is my life, or lack thereof.

Here is a cool picture my son drew with the paint app on the iPad. I think he has a next generation Pollock-esque feel to his work:



Have a good night...I'm just aiming for the weekend at this point.

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Hmmmm...uhhhh...hmmmm

I don't have a good title for today. I just don't don't. We took our little guy to the allergist today, had his little sinuses panned and scanned. Another round of super duper antibiotics for fourteen days. What must that do to his little body? I can only pray that Dr. E can find the magic cure for him. He takes the meds like a champ and I am so proud of him.

I had a sad girl come home from school. We almost had a full month without mean girl drama. What a sweet time that was. She is building titanium skin and scar tissue on her heart, but I can only pray these things will make her an even better person as she grows. I feel more and more each day that this whole lifetime of hurt will grow into her ministry when she is an adult. She will be there to stand up for others and do for others what was not done for her. Yes she has a tender heart, but we would not want it any other way.



Every time we bandage her up, we hope that we put the pieces back the right way...we hope the damage isn't permanent. God has big plans for that girl, big plans...I just hope she remembers it does get better.

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Weirdness at the ranch...

I had a run of the mill day. Went to church and heard a sermon by our conference's candidate for Bishop...blew the roof off in my opinion. Went home and had lunch, did laundry, sewed up some more creature bodies and had a little cuddle and read time with my Grace. Then I went to a parenting class, partially as training for one job and partially as continuing Ed for another job. Because I listen better when my hands are busy, I made this:



I know my 3 readers are getting sick of these things, but I find them fun and satisfying...especially because they come together so quickly. I figure they can accompany a gift card for a baby gift or something. They are multiplying quickly, like tribbles, so I'd you don't hear anything from me for a while.....

After sitting through my training, which was entertaining, I came home to the family. The hub needed some new rompers, so he and the brood went to search for new ones. Apparently someone had fun with the little footies you put on if you don't have socks. Can you guess which one?



HAHAHAHAHA!!! He looks like some sort of stunned alien...the cutest stunned alien ever! The way my kids find entertainment, well, I just love it! Please don't judge the lack of finished flooring, the big strip of industrial masking tape and my messy bulletin board. Our kitchen continues to be a renovating work in progress.

The alien is tucked into bed and his handlers are reading. I am preparing to watch my show. Not an exciting night, but one of contentment. Sigh....

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Fun stuff

Today we spent a few hours celebrating the big guy's birthday today. It was a fun time as usual, with lots of good food and laughs. We really got wild as you can see:



One of the most popular parts of the day was the scavenger hunt that my incredibly creative mom created. When we were but mere twinkles in my parents' eyes, they used to do some entertaining. One of the activities that was used as an icebreaker/distraction until all the guests arrived and dinner was served was a scavenger hunt. I realize that this term can include many different scenarios. Youth groups running from door to door, asking to take a Polaroid picture of someone's antique bowling ball, trying to get everything on the list and be the first to return to home base. Mom's hunts were always more sedate but sneaky. You are given a list of items to find and you try to be the first to finish. You look around the room for the items that are "hidden in plain sight" as Dad says. Check it off your list, but tell no one...don't give anything away. Here is a very rough drawing of an example area in the family room and how things were hidden:



The girls have been begging for a hunt for months, so they finally got their wish. With lists in hand, they were chomping at the bit to get started. The boy wanted to be involved as well, but doesn't read yet. Leave it to Mom, she had planned for that possibility:



He had his own clipboard with the items to be found around the room. All he had to do was check off items as they were found. Is that the coolest thing or what?!?! She showed no mercy with the items. Some took me a good half hour to find. Great way to exercise the brain.

It was great fun for a great day and I can't wait to do a hunt for the kids when they have friends over. I am grateful for my family and for good days like today. How blessed we are!
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Emotional day

Weeellll....today is my father's 70th birthday. 70th. Wow. I can't believe it. He certainly doesn't act or look like it at all. I guess that biting wit and sarcasm really do keep you young, along with lots of walking and gardening and never sitting still until nighttime shows come on. I have been so blessed to have this man as a father. Not many people have the wisdom and patience to deal with the likes of my brother and myself, but he kept us straight, kept us honest and never let us ever go away from him without an "I love you.". I can't wait to see him tomorrow, give him a big hug and then sit back and let the laughing begin. My earliest recollection is crossing the street without permission when I was in preschool. We had been playing in the sprinkler in our swimsuits. When he called me back across in a very stern voice, I sashayed across like some little brat and bit him on the stomach. Needless to say, that did not go over or end well. He had more restraint than I deserved on more than one occasion. He has taught me hard lessons and has been my biggest cheerleader. Happy Birthday, Dad!

On a completely different note, my favorite show ended tonight. Our family's appointment television night was Friday at 8pm. Chuck Bartowski and his group of friends and coworkers have entertained us for a long time...not long enough in my opinion. The show's run ended tonight, but not before I shed several tears. The kids were ticked we didn't let them watch it all, but they are sick and need the sleep. Thanks to the magic of DVR, they can watch it tomorrow. Shows like that don't come around too often. Unfortunately, when they do they are often under appreciated and in danger of cancellation every year. Give shows like this a chance. You won't regret it it.

Hopping off the soapbox and heading to bed. It has been a long day and will be a longer one tomorrow. Night all...


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Not so fun the next day, is it?

We had a friend spend the night last night. Before you give a great big gasp, YES it was on a school night. One of G's friends stayed with us while her parents went out of town on a very important trip. Needless to say, getting three girls in the same room to go to sleep was difficult at best. Lights were out at the appropriate time, but sleeping did not commence. They finally did, but the hub and I knew the morning would be brutal. G is not necessarily a late sleeper, but she is a consistent one. She usually is the first to fall asleep, the first to conk out in the car. If it came down to it, I could reinstate the nap and she would be the most compliant. Needless to say, when the call came in from the substitute school secretary, I was not shocked. The mixture of exhaustion, sinuses that are draining like a faucet and "absolutely disgusting" cheese sticks that were a main course choice(don't get me started)for lunch made her a cruddy candidate for learning much during the afternoon. So I took her home at noon. No TV was allowed, which was not a big hit since we don't allow it during the school week anyway. She did her remaining class work and then we sat down to read some Henry Huggins. The next thing I know, my arm started getting heavy...a strange pressure holding it down. The girl was slumped over, sawing some serious logs. Yeah, another victim of "Sleepover Hangover". All three of the heartbeats are in bed. The boy, after a long day, grabbed his newly sewn bunny, and was out in less than three minutes. Oh here is his new bunny, Brian:



The girls have come down with a couple questions, but I think they are down for the count. Fingers crossed.

I have watched my favorite Thursday show and am nearing the end of my day as well. Have a good night's sleep...I sure hope to as well.
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Wish I knew how to proceed....

We have had an extra little heartbeat with us recently. I will admit, I am often uneasy when we have extra people around. Kids can be so cruel these days, well even when I was young. I had a friend come over during Christmas break in elementary school. We had a sleepover, talked about secrets and had the best time. When we came back from break, I learned that she had called all my friends and told them my secrets and had instructed them not to talk to me. So, I have a few issues. Also, have so many friends who are just naturally superfun moms. They have art activities and gourmet snacks and kids crying their eyes out when they have to leave and go to their own homes. I never feel I can measure up. I feel I have the lamest house around. Therefore, my children have suffered from lack of play dates. Recently, we had a friend come and go to church with us. Now let me be clear, I am in no place to judge anyone. Just because I grew up in church doesn't mean I need to force it on anyone. This occasion happened out of logistics sake. After a meal and small group time with people their own age, the child came up to me and asked if they could come again to church. I said, "It is certainly fine with me, but you will have to ask your parents. I don't know your schedule. I'll be glad to bring you any time.". Upon speaking with their adult and asking about future visits, it was clear the answer was probably a "no" based on the child's reaction. It broke my heart. I understand there are a million different reasons why the answer could be negative. The sadness lies in the fact I have grown up loving church because of the exposure I had as a child. I learned to love the stories, the music, the fellowship. I have several friends who were not blessed with similar experiences. While church can be a great place, it can be a cruel one also. Doctrines can be cruel and exclusive, people can be unfriendly and divisive and leaders can make cruel decisions based on changes in family dynamics or difficulties in financial or legal areas. I can only hope and pray that, if not our church, another church will be able to share that excitement with people who have had negative experiences in the past.

I don't want you to think I am preaching a sermon at all. I just saw the excitement in the child's face and heard about the fun they had with friends. I am so glad that my kids have a place to go away from school, where they have great friends to share with, worship with and do things for others with. I want everyone to have a chance at that. Night all...




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