Things I've Heard (And Seen) Lately...the Moving Edition

So, things have been really crazy around here lately.  But, there have been some very funny moments.  Here are some of my favorites related to a move.

Mark: (trying to explain stepping out on faith to Aidan)  It's like stepping off a cliff and knowing that God is going to catch you (or something along these lines...I can't remember the exact analogy, but it was about a cliff).
Aidan:  Why don't you just turn around and walk away from the cliff?  (duh)


Mark:  So what do you think about moving?
Aidan:  Well, part of me thinks it could be really bad.  And, the other part of me agrees with the first part.


Aidan:  (while driving through a small town near where we are going to live)  Wow, this town is what they call a "fixer-upper."

This one has nothing to do with moving, but is still funny:
Ella:  Are the Veggie Tales real?
Me:  No, it's a cartoon.
Ella:  Well, who's singing then?
Me:  It's just people pretending to be vegetables.
Ella:  That's really weird.

We've had many misadventures while trying to rent our house.  And they all seem to involve the restroom.

For starters, we had potential renters show up an hour early!  I should have told them to come back, but we really want to get our house rented, so I said it was fine.  I had 6 kids here and we had just gotten back from swimming, so it was a little hectic.  I rushed all the kids to the car so we could get out of here quickly.  In doing this, I forgot Anna's diaper bag.  When we got to our friends house, she was in desperate need of a diaper.  "What's the worst that could happen?" someone said.  I took her soaking wet diaper off, wrapped her in a towel and headed home...surely she could make it home without incident, right?  Wrong.  She pooped.  And it was the worst poo you can imagine...of all the times to have diarrhea.  Seriously.  All over her, all over the car seat...but surprisingly very little on the towel.  You're welcome for that visual.

When we got home, the Realtor had locked our new kittens (that's a whole other story) out of the bathroom where their litter box was.  So, guess what I got to clean up.  More poop.

So, I decided to take the kittens to Arkansas so Mark could take care of them for a bit.  While we were gone, we had a showing and the Realtor let our outside cat in the house...and left her in...all weekend.  With no litter box, food or water.  So, guess what I got to clean up?  I'm really glad she was okay.  I'm not sure how much longer she could have made it without water.  :(

And one final incident...we were getting ready for a showing this week.  I noticed that the kids had left some clothes on the bathroom floor, so I asked them to put them in the hamper.  When I walked by again, they were gone.  So, naturally, I assumed the kids had picked them up.  When we got home that afternoon, I went into the kids' bathroom and guess what I found in the toilet.  Yep, the kids' clothes, a couple of diapers and 3 bath toys.  Have I mentioned that Anna has developed a fascination with toilets lately?  I hope the potential renters enjoyed that little spectacle.  And I hope the big kids learn to pick up their clothes when asked...or else they're going in the potty.

So that's been our life lately...2 more days and NO MORE showings to get ready for...alone...with 3 kids and a half dozen pets.  Hopefully, I can make it.

And one more funny thing...would you care to guess what both Aidan and Ella have been worried about lately?  Leaving friends?  Leaving church?  Leaving family...yes, but the main worry they've been talking about the last few days?  They are worried that Santa won't be able to find them in the woods.  It IS in the middle of nowhere...and there are lots of trees.  We'll have to get a spot light for Santa.

Have a good LONG weekend...and if you don't have anything to do, I know some people that could use help moving.  :)

Ella fishing in the pond

Things I've Heard Lately

Ella:  Aidan, do you like cub scouts?
Aidan:  Yeah, you should be in girl scouts.
Ella:  No
Aidan:  You get to sell cookies.  And, if you sell the most you get a prize.
Ella:  Oh!  I hope it's a machine gun.

Heaven help the girl scouts.  :-/

Anna:  Ella!!  (when they are supposed to be going to sleep)
Ella: Yes baby?
Anna:  gobbledy gobbledy blah goo gah
Ella:  Look!  Listen to me!  I know you want to play, but I am TIRED.  My legs hurt and I need to get some sleep.  You may not want to go to sleep but I do!
Anna:  Ella!!
Ella:  (Sigh)

Because I Just Realized...

...I haven't updated my blog in over a month.

Oops.

So, since life is crazy, I thought I'd share a quick list of what is going on with us.

1.  Anna is 15 months old.  She is not walking yet.  She is standing, cruising, climbing onto the couch, pushing furniture all around the room, but not walking on her own.  Aidan is convinced she is going to crawl down the aisle at her own wedding.  Has anyone else had a late walker?  I'm curious to know if this is all that unusual.

2.  She is, however, bossing everyone around already.  If you pick her up, she will point where she wants to go and say, "One, two, three, GO!"  She also loves to tell her brother and sister and the cat "No!"

3.  Ella is going to turn 5 on Saturday.  I still don't know how this is possible.  This was not cleared with me. She is alternating between excited and sad about her birthday.  She cried last night at bedtime because she does not want to turn 5.  In fact, at one point, she was sobbing, "Dear God,  Why are you making me have a birthday?!?  How can I stop it?"  She doesn't want to grow up, and she doesn't want to leave me.  She will, however, take the presents she would normally receive for having a birthday.

4. Have you seen the news about the kid that got suspended over a gun shaped pop tart?  Is that just beyond ridiculous or what?  Come on people.  Gun shaped pop tarts don't kill people.  People kill people.  (On a side note...have you ever noticed how many calories are in a pop tart??  It's crazy...so in a way, maybe pop tarts DO kill people.)

5.  Aidan and I discovered a really cool website today.  We have been studying continents in geography.  We are using Ann Voskamp's book, Explore his Earth, A Child's Geography.  At the end of every chapter, she has some outreach ideas to allow you to "reach out to his world."  Today's was a website that tells you about a different country every day and tells you how to pray for that country.  Check it out:  http://www.operationworld.org/today2

6. We are really getting into a groove with the home school thing.  At first, it was really stressful, but this semester, we have really started to figure out how to make it work best for our family.  I am so thankful that I am able to do this.  I am so excited about the education Aidan is getting, the experiences he is having and the memories we are making.

7.  I have been in a serious cleaning/remodeling/reorganizing phase lately.  I have redone our laundry room, reorganized our closet and taken a ton of stuff to goodwill.  Is it weird that I get an extreme amount of satisfaction from taking car loads of junk out of this house?  It makes me happy.  I am officially a nerd.

8. Since I started writing this post, Ella has asked me 367 questions and told me 114 facts about various animals.

9. Aidan has been working on a new art curriculum.  He LOVES it, and he's good at it.  It is such a fun thing to see.  He gets so much joy out of being creative.  I hope he chooses a job some day that will allow him to be creative.

10.  That is all I have for now.  :)  Which doesn't really deserve a place as #10 on the list...but you can't have a list of 9 things.  You just can't.

Ten

Aidan is ten.  He's been 10 since December, but I've just now taken the time to process it.

Aidan in Arkansas this fall

Aidan, the day I brought him home from the hospital  

I can hardly believe it.  I've been really emotional about ten.  This ten years has sped by at an unbelievable pace.  And if the next ten go by just as fast, well, he'll be a man before I know it.  And, that makes me get a little choked up. 





I remember when I was pregnant with Aidan, wondering what it would be like to be a mom...I had no idea how wonderful it would be.  And now, I've had ten years of wonderful.  I am so lucky.  Words escape me when I try to describe the ways he has blessed my life.  Like most things in life that are amazing, kids don't make sense on paper.  They cost a lot of money, they destroy all of your nice things, they never let you sleep, they take up all your time, but you love every minute of it. 


How do I describe Aidan?  He is my only son.  I've discovered, through him, that there is so much more to boys than I thought.  He is this sweet mix of rough and rowdy and loud and gentle and nurturing.  One minute he is running through the house with a cap gun, yelling and shooting everything in sight, and the very next minute, he is holding his baby sister and telling her how sweet she is, and that she is the cutest baby he's ever seen.  He finds potty and booty humor endlessly funny.  One minute he is driving Ella crazy and the next he is being unbelievably sweet to her.  Like, when he offers her his jacket when it's cold outside, or helps her clean up her toys, or tries to teach her to read.  He is developing this wonderful sense of humor that I just love.

He loves to play with Legos, and he is crazy about video games.  He loves to be outside.  He likes to shoot his bb gun, and he is a good shot.  He loves to throw a football or baseball, and to run...he's always running. He could play hide and go seek or tag all day, every day if we would let him.  He loves riding his bike, or scooter or his green machine...he's been fascinated by anything with wheels since he was little bitty.  He has this faith that catches me by surprise sometimes.  He doesn't talk about it much, but whenever he's worried he will grab Ella by the hand, kneel with her by the couch and pray.  I love that she sees him doing this...she looks up to him so much.  He's good at math and reading.  He loves science.  Even at 10, he still adores his mommy.  :)  He looks up to his daddy and his pawpaw; he says he wants to be a good man like they are.  I would say, he's well on his way.

Aidan at 15 mos. old

Even though 10 is hard on me, this year has been really rewarding.  Over this last year, I've seen a lot of the teaching and training that Mark and I have done really start to sink in.  I hate that he's not my baby anymore, but I am so excited to know the young man he is becoming.  He is compassionate, funny, a good friend, and so very smart.  God has blessed him in big ways.  I cannot wait to see what God has in store for his life.  Even if that means he has to grow up....

Aidan in Telluride

A Few More Things I've Heard Lately:

Ella (to her friend Ellie):  I have to hide to do bad things.
Ellie:  What kind of bad things?
Ella:  Sometimes I stick my face between the couch cushions and spit.

Lovely.  Don't go digging around in my couch cushions.  You're welcome.

Aidan:  When I die, I hope they fly the flag at half-staff.  I want to be important. 

Aww

Me (to my nephew, Cooper):  Hey Cooper, it smells like Up Dog in here.
Cooper: Oh, I farted.
(Ideally, he would have said, "What's up dog?" and I would have said, "Nothing, what's up with you?)

I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!

I Am...

I am...

...teaching my 4 year old to read in 100 easy lessons,

...teaching my 10 month old to drink from a cup,

...teaching my 9 year old geography,

...and geometry.

I am...

...making breakfasts, lunches, and dinners,

...and snacks, lots and lots of snacks.

I am...

...cleaning,
and then cleaning again.

I am researching, reading and choosing curriculum.
I am writing curriculum.
I am doing a Bible study and writing a Bible study.

I am washing, drying, folding, and sometimes I even put away laundry.

I am blogging and scrubbing and vacuuming and nursing, and I even do windows.

I am facebooking, pinning and sometimes crafting.

I am refereeing, entertaining, enforcing and training.

I am snuggling, rocking, kissing boo-boos, singing songs, and telling jokes.

I am counseling, coaching, and encouraging.

I am wiping hands, and noses, and bottoms.

I am praying.

I am tired.

I am taking a nap.

The end.

A Few Things I've Heard Lately

Ella:  I don't like monkeys.  I like unicorns.  Monkeys are SOOO unnecessary.

Aidan:  Sometimes I can tell something is going to hurt before it happens, so I go ahead and scream.  Of course, a lot of times, I just make a fool of myself.

Aidan:  (after killing a moth)  The moth is dead!  The victory goes to the humans!!

Ella:  (to the sweet little boy following her around the park)  I know you want to be my friend, but I already have lots of friends, and I don't want anymore. 


Aidan:  (while bemoaning the fact that he is the oldest, and the little kids get ALL the attention)
 Ella, you've got just a couple more years of attention, and then you'll join the lonely club like me.
Ella:  I can't be in the lonely club, because I'm in the super awesome club.

Score 1 for the Humans!

Super Awesome Club President

Homeschool

Wow!  What a crazy, awesome week this has been.  We started homeschooling for the first time on Tuesday.  Aidan is in 4th grade, and I am doing preschool with Ella.  I don't know who learned more this week, me or the kids.  I learned so much about them...their learning styles, what they already know and about myself...my teaching style, my strengths, my weaknesses.  It has, at times, been great, amazing, scary, frustrating, and exhausting.  But, overall, I am really excited that we're doing this.  I've already figured out some things I'm going to keep doing, and some things that just don't work. 

I have had to constantly keep in mind my reasons for doing this.  Lots of people ask me, "so, why are you homeschooling?"  And, I never know what to say.  A lot of people home school because their kids are not flourishing in public school.  Aidan did great in school.  A lot of people home school because they worry about the influence of other kids at school.  This was certainly a concern of ours, but mostly those experiences have been great teachable moments about why we have the values we have, why we believe what we believe and what it means to be in the world, not of it.  I'm sure there are tons of other reasons too...but none of the typical responses matched up with what prompted me to make this decision.

I guess the short answer would be, God asked me to.  As third grade progressed, there were many times I felt God prompting me that it was time for Aidan to come home.  The long answer would be...
1. I want to reignite Aidan's natural curiosity about the world and excitement about learning.  School had turned this into drudgery.
2. I want to integrate our values and our faith into everything Aidan does...instead of having it compartmentalized into "school," "church," etc.
3.  I want to expose Aidan to a great variety of experiences so that he can discover what his gifts are, what his passions are and what God has for him to do.

So, this week, I had to check my "public school teacher" self at the door.  I had to work hard to find that perfect balance between high standards (Aidan seriously acted like I had 2 heads for demanding correct capitalization, punctuation and spelling!) and keeping it fun and engaging.  And all the while, I had to balance this with feeding the baby, working with the 4 year old, doing laundry/dishes/cleaning/meal prep, etc.  Wow!  It's a lot...but it's working, and it's amazing.

My greatest gift this week...hearing my kids encourage each other in their work, watching them make up games and play them during our "recesses," and spending lots of quality time together.  Don't get me wrong...they also had moments of fighting like cats and dogs, making unbelievable messes, etc.  But, let's not dwell on that.  :)

The kids even came up with a "school" mascot...we are the Jaguars.  We have a little stuffed jaguar that does school with us and will go on all of our adventures with us.  Speaking of adventures...I joked with a friend last week that I am like a teacher on speed...this is what we have coming up in the next 2 weeks:  making a paper mache model of the earth, making a salt map depicting the regions of Texas, visiting the Texas wild exhibit at the zoo, Baseball camp, Farm camp, writing letters to Major League Baseball teams (and hoping they send us some free goodies), a tour of Ranger Ballpark, and possibly a camping trip to Gonzales to see a reenactment of the battle that started the Texas Revolution. 

Just writing that makes me want to go to bed.  Pray for energy and stamina for me!

First Day of School :)

10 Reasons I Haven't Updated my Blog in 3 Months

Three months!  It's been 3 months since I wrote anything.  Yikes.
Here are my excuses reasons:

1.  My laptop was broken.  We had to send it off for what we thought was a repair covered by warranty.  It turned out we had to get a new motherboard.  There was "liquid damage."  I'm still a bit baffled by this.  I don't recall there ever being any liquid damage, and while I don't doubt for a moment my children's ability to damage something with liquid, I do seriously doubt their ability to clean it up well enough that I would never notice.  Hmmm...anyway, it broke in June and I just got it back a little over a week ago.

2.  Anna is mobile.  In June, Anna started creeping, crawling practicing for basic training?  It's not exactly a crawl, although sometimes she gets up on her knees.  There is a lot of pushing with her feet, pulling with her elbows, rolling and sometimes pushing her face across the floor...I'm not sure what you call it, but she manages to get where she wants to go.  And, where she wants to go, is never where she needs to be. 

3.  It's summer. 

4. I have 3 kids.  wow.  I really have 3 kids.  And they need me.  A LOT.  Like, constantly...who knew?

5.  Television.  Well, not just any thing on television, but just this one certain show...I'm ashamed to tell you which one it is, because it is HORRIBLE.  I mean, it's good...the writing is good, the story lines draw you in, the characters are interesting...but I'm a little embarrassed that I like it so much.  I won't tell you what it is, but I will tell you it rhymes with "Raking Fad."  Don't blame me if you get hooked.

6. Mark.  Mark is a night owl and a bad influence.  He makes me stay up late watching TV (see #5).  Then, the kids wake me up early.  I think they're trying to break me.

7. I am going to home school Aidan.  Wow.  I'm a little terrified and a little excited at the same time.  I've spent a lot of time this summer researching curriculum.  He is really smart, so I think we can do some really cool stuff, and I think he will get a great education.  But, it's been taking up a lot of my mental energy lately.  And, I'm terrified.

8.  I have 3 kids!  (one of which just came out of her room at 10:00 at night with a puzzle that she wants to put together...she gets this from her father, see #6)
 
9. I have a stupid cat.  I don't know what that has to do with my blogging, but it's true, and I needed to get that off my chest.  Are there support groups for this kind of thing?

10. My family likes to eat.  And not just once a day either.  They like 3 meals a day, plus snacks.  Every single day.  And the little one...the littlest one, that doesn't gain weight...she eats like 10 times a day.  If they would just stop eating...or at least cut back...I would have more free time for writing.

It's good to be writing again...that first post after a long hiatus is always the toughest...and now it's done.  It's not going to win a Nobel Peace Prize or anything, but it's done.  Hopefully, there will be more posts to follow soon.  :)

Things I've Heard Lately--the Aidan Edition

A couple of things Aidan has said lately that I want to remember, and you might find funny:

Aidan: You know what I like about God?
Mark: what?
Aidan:  He has all that power, but he's not greedy.


Aidan:  I wish I was an Eskimo.
Me:  Why?
Aidan:  Because when I got married, I wouldn't have to kiss my wife, I could just rub noses with her.

The Ice Cream Alarm

So, a few months ago, I got this idea from a friend's post on facebook.  She and her husband put their kids to bed, and then sounded the ice cream alarm...everyone had to get up, get in the car and go get ice cream in their pajamas.  Tonight, seemed like a good night to try it.  It is spring break, the weather was pretty today, and let's face it...I wanted ice cream.  So, we got the kids bathed and in their pajamas.  I didn't want to go as far as actually putting them to bed, because that just sounded like a beating.  So, right before they were to go to bed, Mark got our weather radio and started sounding the alarm on it, and we ran through the house and told the kids to get in the car.  We were laughing and smiling, but the kids were a little freaked out.  They kept asking what was going on.  When we got in the car, I told them, "it's the ice cream alarm!  We're going to get ice cream." 
Here are just a few of the comments that followed...all of these took place on the way to get ice cream, or on the way back:

"What?!?!  You scared us half to death!!"  (Aidan)

"Mommy, don't do the ice cream alarm again.  It's not funny."  (Ella)

"Maybe yelling 'get out of the house! hurry!  get in the car!' was a little over the top."  (Mark)

"Don't worry about us, we're just sitting in the back seat, scarred, eating ice cream in our pajamas."  (Aidan)

"That wasn't funny."  (Ella)

"Ella, I have to tell you something.  Our parents have problems." (Aidan)

"Ice cream alarm.  Bad idea."  (Ella)

"I'm in my pajamas, but I didn't even go to bed.  I don't like the ice cream alarm." (Ella)

"Maybe next time we could just get ice cream."  (Aidan)

"The ice cream alarm is not funny."  (Ella)

So, maybe they were just a little traumatized by us running through the house sounding the weather alarm while yelling, "Hurry!  Get out of the house!"  (Okay, so that part was all me...I get a little carried away sometimes.)  At least they will have a good story for their therapist some day.  Sorry kids.

Still Here

I'm still here.  In case you were wondering...I was chugging along updating the blog on a very regular basis when the virus from #&!! struck our house...it won't go away...we've all had it now, some of us more than once.  Mark is its latest victim.  As I write this, it is 11:40 pm and he is out getting us a frosty.  The man knows how to be sick.  Ella has been hit the hardest.  She has been sick for most of the last 3 weeks.  She started antibiotics today, so hopefully, that will be the end of it.

We took Ella to the doctor today and I was reminded what a tough little kid she is.  The nurse did a strep test, and she didn't even flinch.  They said her tonsils were very red and swollen, and the inside of her nose looked terrible.  But, she has not complained one bit about it.  If it weren't for her fatigue we wouldn't have even known she wasn't feeling well.  I love that little girl.  She is fierce and fiesty, and sweet and loving, all at the same time.  She loves animals, she memorizes the names of everything and everyone (first, middle and last!), she's a scrappy little wrestler, and she would be on an all sugar diet if we let her.  I am so grateful she's my daughter, and I love her.

Anna turned 3 months old last week!  Wow!  That was quick.  She might be the happiest baby I've ever known.  The girl just does not get upset about much at all...she only cries if she is hungry.  Most of the time she sits around smiling.  Even if she's sitting alone, she sits and smiles...just because she is delighted that she can, I guess.  And when she spots one of us from across the room, she lights up.  We are having so much fun with her.  The kids adore her.  She is so peaceful and laid back.  This month, she has started sleeping through the night.  She has also started laughing out loud.  It is the greatest sound ever.  She laughs if you do funny voices, tickle her ribs or sway quickly back and forth with her (especially if you do this while using a funny voice...it's hilarious).  Right now, she is completely sacked out beside me on the couch...arms up in touchdown pose, and I love her.

Then there's Aidan...Aidan is a boy...all boy.  He tears holes in his jeans, laughs at potty humor, eats constantly, grows like a weed, hates homework, loves video games, just earned his bear badge in cub scouts, loves to go fast...except when he's getting ready for bed, or school, or doing homework.  He is sweet and funny.  His hair is too long, but he says all the girls like it that way (heaven help us), and when I lie down with him at bedtime, he tells me everything...everything that happened that day, good or bad, everything he's thinking, everything he's worried about, everything he thinks is funny, everything that 's in his sweet little head...and I love him.

And Mark...Mark buys me frostys late at night, takes off work to help me when I'm sick, and uses sweet little songs to be my ring tone on his phone...and I love him.

So, we're all still here...we're coughing, and feverish, and a little snotty and germy...but we're all still here...and I love us.  :)  I hope everyone else is enjoying better health than we are right now!

Happy Valentine's Day

I really hope you have a great Valentine's Day!

Check out last year's post:  Ten Things You May Not Know About Valentine's Day, if you have a few free moments today!

Things I've Heard Lately...the Shirt Edition

Me:  Mark, that shirt is worn out.  It has holes in it. 
Mark:  I know, and I don't think I can get another one.  My mom got it at the gas station.
Me:  The gas station?
Mark:  Yea, the Shell Station in Ridgway has some nice shirts.
Me:  I don't think anyone over the age of 12 should utter that sentence.


Me:  Aidan, why aren't you wearing a shirt?
Aidan:  We're battling.
Me:  So, why aren't you wearing a shirt?
Aidan:  It makes me lighter, so I can kick better.

Thankful

Lately, I've been feeling very thankful for all the blessings in my life.  I've had several periods of being overwhelmed by God's blessings for me.  It's a good place to be. 

Here are just a few of the things I have been feeling especially grateful for recently:
Last night, Mark and I took the kids out to eat in honor of the anniversary of our first date.  As we sat there with our 3 beautiful children, I felt in awe of it all.  It all started with that first date, and now we have this sweet little family.  My heart is filled to overflowing just thinking of it. 

After eating, we went to Lowe's just to look around.  If I had known when I was younger that I would one day think going to Lowe's was a fun night out, I would have cried!  But we enjoy going and looking and planning projects for our house (that may or may not get completed!).  Last night we bought another bird feeder and looked at fruit trees.  We looked at materials for building a fire pit, and the kids and I looked at vegetable seeds and contemplated having a garden.  It was a really sweet family time and I felt very grateful the whole time we were there.  I loved that my husband just had to get the last platform feeder that was there...it looks like a porch swing, and Mark hung it in our tree as soon as he got home.  I am thankful to be married to a man that loves what I love.

I remember when I was little, every time I spent the night with my grandmother, she would get into bed at night and say, "I'm so thankful for my bed.  Lots of people don't have a bed to sleep in tonight."  I thought of her last night when I finally went to bed...aching and tired, I was very grateful for my bed last night, and grateful that my grandmother set an example of being thankful for what we have.

In the middle of the night, Anna woke up to eat.  I was so tired.  I could hardly keep my eyes open.  But, when I reached into her bed to pick her up, she gave me a big gummy smile, and I melted.  It was all worth it for that smile.  I held her long after she finished eating, with her little head against my cheek, breathing in her sweet baby goodness.  I thought about how fortunate I was to have her, even at 4:00 in the morning.  How many  people out there are longing to hold a baby of their own in their arms.  God is good.

In the morning, Aidan was up and dressed long before I even got up.  He was excited because he was riding his new bike to school by himself.  I could tell he felt older...he was carrying himself differently.  And, as I watched him ride down the street on his bike without ever looking back, my heart filled with pride and gratefulness for this boy.

After I went inside, I sat at the table drinking my coffee and watching the birds at our feeders, and thought about how good this life is that we've built together, God has lavished upon us.

And later, Ella and I sat snuggled up together in blankets on the couch watching cartoons.  She wasn't feeling well, so she was particularly snuggly.  I loved having her there by my side, safe and warm.  I thought about how abundantly God has poured out his love on our family.
God has been teaching me about contentment lately.  I am so glad I have been able to step back and see what I have and enjoy it all.  I have a good life.  I don't have everything I'd like to have, but I have everything that matters, and for that, I am grateful beyond words.

You Owe Me a Coke

Remember as kids how we would all shout "Jinx!" if someone said something at the same time as us?  The other person couldn't talk after that until you said their name.  And then later, it progressed to "pinch, poke, you owe me a coke!"  I don't know of anyone that actuallly got a coke out of this.  Well, this kind of stuff still goes on in schools today.   But, it seems they have evolved a bit.   Aidan has been saying these things for a couple of years now.  But today, was the best one.  We were talking to Ella and we both said the same thing at the same time and Aidan shouted, "Jinx, Double Jinx, Super Blackout Waterfall Jinx!"

Super Blackout Waterfall Jinx?

I asked him what that meant and he said, "You can't go to the bathroom for 2 days."


Now, how do you enforce that one?

In other news, I am proud to report that I have been selected by Reince Priebus himself to participate in a Congressional District Census...commissioned by the Republican Party.  It is a very prestigious selection.  I am one of the "select few" (that was even underlined in the letter) receiving this census.  "Because of my high level of political involvement..."  Wow!  I didn't know yelling at the TV during the news was a "high level of political involvement."  I would hate to see what they consider a low level of political involvement!  I was a little flattered at first, but then I realized they really just want me to send money.  There are a few multiple choice questions to fill out.  The 2 page letter asks for money on about 6 different occasions.  If they really wanted my opinion, they should have given me a blank page.  I have a few ideas I could share.

Sadly, the candidate I would be excited about, probably wouldn't even want to run.  Where is George Washington when you need him?

Finally, this has absolutely nothing to do with this post...but isn't my baby just adorable?

Oh Dear...

Today, I walked into the family room to find Ella lying on the floor near the fireplace, clutching her stocking.  She was sobbing and saying, "come back!  come back!  It's all my fault."  When I asked her what was wrong, she said, "I miss Santa.  I want him to come back and bring me more presents!"

Oh dear.

On another note...here are pictures of Aidan, Ella and Anna...all around 6 weeks old.  Who do you think Anna looks more like?  Ella or Aidan?  It seems that some people think she looks just like Ella and others think she looks just like Aidan.  It always amazes me how they can be such a mix...and you can see different people, depending on their expression at the time.  I'd love for you to leave a comment and let me know your opinion...just for fun.  :) 

Aidan

Ella

Anna

It's funny...I never thought Aidan and Ella looked alike, but I think Anna looks like both of them.  I love these sweet babies and their chubby, yummy cheeks!

Public Service Announcement

These are my children (2 of them, anyway):

These are my children, loaded up on sugar and up hours past their bedtime:

Don't let this happen to you or to your children.

I hope you all had a great time ringing in the New Year!

Have a great 2012.

9 Year Old Love

Today, Aidan told me that he loves me more than a Wii, an X-Box, a Playstation 3, a Nintendo DSi and a Nintendo 3Ds all put together.

That is high praise from a 9 year old boy.

Well, Aidan, I love you more than shoes and purses, more than Pinterest and facebook,  more than a new haircut and fresh highlights.  I love you more than the perfect mascara and the just right shade of lipstick.  I love you more than Paula Deen and Pioneer Woman all put together.  I love you more than distressed furniture and mod podge.  I love you more than scrapbook paper, colorful fabric and burlap.  I love you more than a good book and a hot cup of coffee.  You are one of my very favorite blessings and I love you bunches!

Love, love, LOVE this sweet boy!

Christmas 2011

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone already!  Time flies.  We had a great Christmas.  Aidan got a basketball goal, and lots of baseball equipment.  Aidan's gifts are starting to double as gifts for Mark too, because they both enjoy the same things now.  That's the thing with boys...you get to a certain age, and the interests stay the same...they just get more expensive.  Ella got horses, and a Little People zoo.  She loves anmials of all kinds.  In fact, she has a basket full of baby dolls and all their accessories in her room that she never plays with.  She will, however, use the baby bottles and her strollers for her animals. 

Ella also got lots of play doh.  She got the play doh pizza factory, the play doh ice cream shop and 4 canisters of play doh in her stocking.  That came to about 12 brand new cans of play doh...all different, beautiful colors.  Less than 24 hours after Christmas, she had 12 brand new cans of brown play doh...which is why playing with play doh with children stresses me out.  They always want to mix the colors...which would be fine if you could UN-mix the colors, but you can't.  And that stresses me out.  I try to remind myself that play doh is only 50 cents a can, and if it doesn't bother them, it shouldn't bother me, but it does.  It's one of my "things."

Aidan got several new wii games for Christmas.  One of his favorite things to do over Christmas break is stay in his pajamas and play his new wii games.  But, unfortunately, our wii broke 2 days before Christmas, and he hasn't been able to play at all.  He's been a little mopey about that, and I can't say that I blame him.  Many of his gifts were games, or skylanders.  Now, he won't be able to enjoy them until the wii is fixed, and I'm not sure when that will be.

I got a kindle from my hubby for Christmas.  I was skeptical when the kindles first came out, but I have to say, I love it.  I love being able to get books instantly...and inexpensively.  And, I love having them all in one place.  I also love that Mark knew I would love it because he understands and supports my insatiable reading habit. 

Mark got a coffee maker that he's been wanting for a couple of years.  It's the kind that has no carafe...you just put your cup up to it and out comes the coffee.  Mark says it's like having free coffee.  I hope he's not disappointed when he realizes you still have to buy coffee to go in it.  Mark makes me a yummy cup of coffee every morning (almost) and I will hardly drink coffee anymore unless he makes it for me.  He really does spoil me quite a bit.

Miss Anna Kate got a baby gym from Santa.  She was completely oblivious. 

We had a great Christmas.  This best part about Christmas for me, is having the whole family home for 2 weeks.  It always goes too fast.  I love having Aidan home all day.  As much as it pains me that he is growing up so fast, I have to say, I really like the kid he's becomig.  It's such a nice feeling when you realize you not only love your kids, but you genuinely like them too.  He's got a great sense of humor and he's very thoughtful and considerate (most of the time).  He has a variety of interests...from video games to science to sports, and he loves to read like me.  He's turning into a well rounded, pretty cool kid and I like hanging out with him.  I hate that I can already feel the return to school day looming in the near future.  Bummer.  How long until Spring Break?

Finally, I just want to say how grateful I am for Christmas...not only the gifts and Santa, and the festive decorations and the time with my family...but just for Christmas.  God has used several events in the lives of people around us lately to make me realize that without Christmas, we would have no hope.  Because of Christmas, we are full of hope!  And if that's not reason enough to wrap our entire house in lights, feast for days and spend a small fortune showering those around us with gifts, I don't know what is!  I hope everyone had a joyful Christmas.