Wednesday, October 29, 2008

"I want my pack pack (backpack)!"

Mollie wants to go to school soooooooo bad. She is finally over crying when Jones goes on the bus but as soon as he gets home, she puts his backpack on. So when I saw this at Walmart for $5 I couldn't resist. She LOVES it and LOVES pretending to go to school.


Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Pride & Joy

Look at those faces!!! They are so happy!!! Jones learned to ride his bike without training wheels! It was such a long process with many falls but when he got it, he GOT it! Now he's doing circles! And Mollie is as fast as I have seen anyone on a tricycle! (Note the shoes: backwards of course, it's her fave way to put them on!) I love it! It makes our outdoor time so much more fun!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Really? REALLY?

Wow, I just drove home from my Grandma's approx 10 minutes away and these are all the thoughts that went through my mind:

I feel tired. I am so hot. I was so cold and now I am so hot. My socks feel like they are suffocating my feet. These shoes don't feel comfortable either. Why is it that I can FEEL all my clothes right now. My underwear is riding and my jeans feel like they are going to squeeze me in half. My shirt feels heavy. Maybe I have that sensory problem. No, I never had it before. It's probably because I am on my period. That's probably why I am hot and my EARS are so sensitive. I think I have a headache. I can't wait to go home and have a bite of brownie and a Diet Dr. Pepper. I am ready for Mommy time. Nope, skip the bite of brownie, that is old way of thinking. I think I ate too much pizza for lunch anyway. Why do I even have brownies anyway? Oh yeah, I am on my period. Excuses I know. Why did I leave Grandma's so quickly. I was finished eating? Mollie needed a nap. She has been keeping me up for several nights now. I think I need to be consistent. THank goodness I got sleep last night. Why do I feel tired now theN? I love Joey. I hope he is having a good day. Lord, please bless him right now. And also I pray that the dream of his heart, owning his own business, comes true. I really want to have a child. I am so thankful for the two I have and I would NEVER ever want you to think I don't appreciate them Lord. They are my life and my little loves. I still would love to feel a baby growing inside of me. And yes, to experience child birth and raising a baby that you created with mine & Joey's DNA. And I want siblings for Jones and Mollie so badly. I surrendered all this to you this morning and I trust you. I am sorry for bringing it up again. It's still fresh. It hurts but I believe in miracles. Mollie & Jones are a miracle. Thank you Lord. Please take this other desire from me if it is not to be. I hope my Mom is not disappointed for me leaving so quickly. I hope she is not disappointed that I was so strict with MOllie while she was eating. Mollie needs her water, I can't reach her. Why did she wait until we were in the car. Here Mollie. Oh, she dropped it! Uugh. I thinkkkkkk I can reach it. I got it. I hope she doesn't drop it again. She is so precious. I need to be more gentle with her. I hope she takes her nap and gets back on schedule. I hope she knows how much I love her. I cannot wait to get home and put my feet up for a short time. Oh yeah! I borrowed that video camera from Steph and now I can watch our old home movies! I think I will preview them and get them ready for Brandon & Brittany's birthday celebration on Sunday. I wonder how my cousin Jenn is today. I wonder if Britt has left Grandma's yet. I wanted to tell her I got the camera. Was there too many emotions at Grandma's? Everything I looked at brought back memories from my childhood. I don't know where to file those ever since everything and now being estranged from Grandpa.I wonder how he is doing up the hill at the nursing home. I wonder when he will come home. I wonder how Grandpa and Grandma are going to take care of each other. I am glad Nancy is in their life to befriend them and take care of the house but what about daily life. I feel weird that Grandma took Jones' & Mollie's pictures up to Grandpa. Aah. I don't want to think of all this. I don't have time to go through all these thoughts and emotions. That was weird looking at pictures when Grandma was younger. Aunt Kathy looks like her. Shoot. Was that hard for Mom to see those pics of her brother? I wish I could have met him. I hope he's in heaven. I can't wait to get home. This music is too loud. I can't get the air right in this car. Hey buddy, my light is still green! I am not going anywhere else today. It's such a beautiful day though. All the leaves are changing on that hill. I like some of the colors and some I don't. Wait, let me take off my glasses. Yep, I like all the colors. Almost home. Hey they are changing that restaurant from an Asian place to a pub & grill. That will probably be more successful especially if they advertise. Come and Get It should open that drive through window. I bet they would get a lot more business. People just checking them out from the security of their cars. I would. I was going to anyway regardless of the window. Okay almost home, just a couple hours and Jones will be home. Okay, so I will take in all the stuff from the front seat. Mollie can take off her shoes and head to bed. I will go up and change. Hey, I could write a blog on this. I wonder if other women think like this. I can't be the only one. How do we even make it through the day with all these thoughts.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Harvest time is here!

I love seeing the look on the kids faces every time we pull out decorations for a new season or holiday. They are always so excited like it is Christmas morning! I have to admit I think this is my favorite, no Christmas is, no Harvest is, oh, I don't know. I just love the warmth though!




Daddy's Girl



A Great Little Dessert



We froze little Activia yogurt cups and then mixed in some crushed animal cookies and pecans! Yum! Healthy too!

Build-a-Moose?

On October 14th Jones celebrated his 1st "Spiritual Birthday." One year ago he asked Jesus in his heart so we wanted to celebrate in a special way. We had cupcakes and we took Jones to Build-a-Bear. Mollie had just gone for the first time and Jones was really wanting an experience of his own. He also had some money in his piggy bank that we told him he could use some of and he had earned all of his "Nice Beans" (you can refer back a few posts for the definition.) He had a wonderful time. He just had to have the Moose which ended up being a difficult wardrobe challenge so he ended up with a skateboard and ill fitting helment and elbow/knee pads. He named him "Fuzzy" so not only did we go to Build-a-Moose? But we now have "Fuzzy Wuzzy was a Moose?"


Build-a-Bear







Last week it was Jordyn's birthday and she invited Mollie and Olivia to go with her to Build-a-Bear! It was such a great idea! This was our first time and we really enjoyed it although Mollie had a bad attitude at times. Thank you Jordy for including us and we are sorry about Mollie's meltdowns! She LOVES her "Cozy" bear. She will always love her best friends "Girly Bear" and "Cupcake" the puppy!

RED

I forgot to mention my new hair color. I had Tiffany, my brother's girlfriend and my new friend play with the color. We tried a red all over but it didn't really take so next week tried highlights. I like it! It's perfect for fall! Thanks Tiff! It was such a hard decision because it has been three years since I colored my hair but I decided it was time to jump back on the fun wagon! Yep, that's what I'm calling it! OH, and yes that is my Wacky Wednesday reminder! I SHALL NOT forget again!!! And isn't my sweetie so hot?!



"Mommy, I'm too full!"



Mollie came to me last Thursday night lifting up her shirt saying, "Mommy, I'm too full.....my tummy's too full" and then she cried. Surprisingly enough this was not from the pancake/muffin breakfast dinner the night before. This was from bean nachos the next night. Joey fed her and then took off to have a night with the guys. I had her finish her dinner (which wasn't hard, no complaints that night) and I had no idea how much she had been served. Apparently it was too much.

I felt helpless, I did all I could think to do. I stripped her down to her undies & t-shirt, laid her on the couch, prayed for her, and tried to distract her with her favorite Blue's Clues. Thank you Lord for helping her. After "farping & tooting" (her words) she said her tummy felt better.

Yummy! But what was he thinking???



One week ago tonight I ran to the store to get some for just a few minutes while Joey was making breakfast for dinner. He had asked me to get English Muffins. I grabbed some at Trader Joe's and ran home. In that short amount of time he made a MOUNTAIN of carbohydrates!!! I walked in the door and said "What were you thinking???!!!" And then I quickly remembered to say "Thank you Honey, it looks delicious." Oh my goodness! My two kiddos barely eat (although they did that night!) and I can't afford that many carbs! It lasted quite a few days and some are in the freezer for a quick reheat.

Oh and get this irony! I packed a plate for Bible study because there was so much. I didn't think it my snack day was until the end of the month but figured the ladies would still appreciate it. Then, I didn't bring it because I just could not carry one more thing! I had two meetings immediately after and had to bring all my stuff for that. Then I arrive and was promptly asked if I brought snacks because it is my week!!! Uugh! I could have kicked myself. Thank you Jenna for covering for me. And thank you honey for helping me out unintentionally. If I would have just grabbed it!!! Duh, duh, duh! Don't you just hate that?

Preparing for the troops...

I literally have been asked 15 times in the last 10 minutes by 4 different children if they can have snack. It's driving me nuts!!! It is such a habit when they wake up from nap time. I told them that they have to wait until 4pm. So now I have a few minutes to prepare! Here is what it looks like around here today...

Side Note: Have you tried these 100 calorie snacks? They are really good! The kids love them and so do I. Check out the size of the bag too! I put a Roaring Waters next to it just so you can judge the size correctly. I split one bag between two kids. It comes with 6 bags. And the best part? They are only $1.50 at Walmart!!!





So......we are getting ORGANIZED around here!






Ever since Jones started school he has been coming home and claiming that he is bored. I think the fact that are mornings our pretty scheduled with usual routines, devotions and such, then he goes to school where time is alotted to many different subjects and activities, by the time he gets home, he has no idea what to do with himself. I was thinking that he would enjoy the free time but he really doesn't. I have been encouraging him to play in his room and think creatively with his toys but lately I almost have to force him.

So what we have done is create responsibility charts for each child. They are filled with activities that we normally do each day anyway but the kids really feel accomplished as they check off each one in their mind. These activities include: morning routine (making bed, getting dressed, brushing teeth, etc.), devotions, best friend time (thank you Willow!) with sibling, quiet playtime in room, chores, study time (could be additional Bible study type, cooking, learning outside, science projects, etc.), and night routine (reverse of morning.) Jones receives a sticker if he completes six out of seven and Mollie if she completes three out of four. The kids are loving getting a sticker a day for a job well done. They are also rewarded at the end of the week depending on the number of stickers earned.

We have also created "Cool Down Town" where the kids go (mostly Mollie) when emotions are out of control and they can come out in their own time and rejoin the family. "Think City" is more like "Time Out" and Mommy & Daddy determine the time to think about it and when they come out they have to know what they are apologizing for or it's back to think more about it. It is working well along with other disciplines & training. One other that we do is "Nice Beans, Mean Beans" (soon to have a much better name) which Jones earns when he uses kind words toward others or memorizes a new memory verse. He also loses beans if words or attitudes of an unkind nature are used. He has equal beans in each jar to begin with and then can earn them either way. I highly suggested using something much larger than a Jelly Belly bean size to start to build hope & encouragement. When he fills up the nice jar, the reward is great like a special date with Mom or Dad. This last time we went to Build-a-Bear but we were also celebrating other things as well.

For Starters....

I am really irritated that there seems to be nothing wrong with my internet connection but at 4:30am when my daughter woke me up and kept me up with her talking and non-sleeping, I wrote the LONGEST blog and it is all....gone...vanished! So here we go again...I have several to write...

Friday, October 17, 2008

The Sweetest Day

Did you know that was today?

Excerpt from Wikipedia:
"occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, aged and orphaned, but also friends, relatives and associates whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed."[2] Sweetest Day has also been referred to as a "concocted promotion"[3] created by the candy industry solely to increase sales of candy.

I choose to go with the first definition although it was created in 1921 by a group of 12 confectioners. Note: It doesn't always land on Oct. 17th, I guess it was supposed to be the third SATURDAY in Oct. but on our calendars it is today!

Well, anyway, in our family it is very fitting today as one of my "sweetest days" was 25 years ago when my baby sister arrived! She is an amazing gift from God. Britt was born with a sparkle in her baby blue eyes. She has always been so sweet, loving, talented, and adorable! And look at her now- not much has changed.

Brittany is my best friend and for anyone who has the opportunity of knowing her, you already know you are blessed. Her thoughtfulness, love, and generosity far outshines average folks. She is talented, hardworking, disciplined, fun, and a delight to be around. She also has an incredible testimony which has touched so many already in her young life! She is an awesome daughter, wife, mom, friend, and sister.
I can't wait to see what she does with the rest of her life!

I love you Sissi! I will always be thankful to God for the gift of you!


Monday, October 13, 2008

Health Room Again... Uuugh.


Soooo, I don't remember if I shared before but Jones was in the health room a couple weeks ago after giving himself a gigantic hickey on his arm. The note from the nurse said "washed with cold water and talked to him about "bruises." I figured if he had time to do that in class, there were probably some other behavioral issues that day as well. Luckily Jones was up front and honest about them and I was able to apologize to the teacher before she was able to talk to me. She actually emailed that she hadn't had time to call and that she was glad Jones had talked to us. She said the following day was much better.

All that to say, oh no, health room again. This time however it was legit. I first noticed him dodging my glances immediately as he got off the bus and spots of blood on his shirt and hand. I asked him if he was hurt and he told me that he accidentally crashed into someone playing ball. I explained to him that is a very a common injury and Daddy, Mollie, and I have all suffered from a swollen lip. I told him I was sorry that he was hurt. He looks like he has a permanent kissy face. I had to take a picture of course which he wasn't happy about but I informed him that he would appreciate it someday.

Wow, though, you should hear him slurping. He is acting like he can't move his mouth. Those of you that know me well are probably getting a kick out of my misery and are finding it quite humorous that I have to listen to this slurping because of my aversion to the sound! For those of you that haven't heard, I was traumatized in Elementary school by having to sit right next to a girl with a retainer whose constant sipping and slurping of saliva about drove me INSANE!

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Whatever Wacky Wednesday! Whatever!

So...this short day Wednesdays in the Camas School district is kicking my booty! I feel like a HORRIBLE Mom! I cannot get used to the Wednesdays! Today was the second time I forgot! The first time was the second week of school and I wasn't the only one. I ran him up to school so fast! This time was no excuse! Uugh. I actually kept him home this time because he has had a bad cold and cough.

Oh, and it just happens to fall on a "good mom" day. Do you ever have those? You know what I am talking about? This is about every other day or so for me. Good Mom, Bad Mom, Good Mom, Bad Mom, Marsha, Marsha, Marsha. I should say it was a "day without guilt," from losing my patience, being on the computer, running too many errands, etc. We had a wonderful morning despite our abrupt wake-up from Mollie. She went to bed super late last night because we were at my parents celebrating my brother coming home from Europe but it didn't matter, she was still up singing and talking by 7:30am. I was sooo tired cause I had coffee last night (big mistake) so I was up extra late. I ignored her. She grew quiet and I thought I heard our stairway gate but then I heard her in her room again. I decided to get up and go and lay down with her. Jones came in shortly after letting me know Mollie had already been in his room and woke him up! Aah!

So bad start but once I accepted the fact that we were GOING to get up things got better. We ate a good breakfast, colored, learned some new words, did our devotion, sang songs, and Jones learned to ride his bike without training wheels! Woo Hoo! I even was video taping and Jones said "Is it time for the bus?" and I said "Nope Bud, we have 10 more minutes and then lunch before bus stop time." Wow, how IRONIC! We were out playing the same time the bus came to pick up the other kids and we didn't even know!

After kicking myself several times, I have put this into perspective and have decided that in the grand scheme of life, missing a two hour day of Kindergarten and suffering humiliation for a short phone call reminder from school is just not THAT big of deal to be stressing about. So I am taking God's advice on this one and applying grace. I know he would give me grace, so I will follow his lead and give it to myself as well. Grace to be human, grace to be a "pretty good" Mom, & grace to be an imperfect representation of a perfect God.