While the big cheese was away

I mentioned in an earlier post that last week Mark {aka the big cheese} left for a 3 day mini-sabbatical. He got back Wednesday, we had our wahoo Wednesday, he worked Thursday then left early Friday morning for a Promise Keeper event in Denver. He got back early Sunday morning (12:30am), slept till 5am then got up for church. He had a busy week so we decided to try and have one too. Ya know, to pass the time.

So this is a random post about some of the things we did and experienced last week, mostly while Mark was gone.

First my sister sent me a few shots of my kids and one shot of the big black clouds I was talking about in an earlier post, that she took in Omaha. I played with Instagram and had fun changing the look of the pictures.

Love that sass! {most of the time...} Yup. Time out on vacation.Do you SEE how big and black that is?!?!?!? THAT would be why we were driving away fast with sirens blaring....It was dusk. Not midnight I promise!Anywho....We had lunch with some friends on Tuesday - when we went to the river in Bayfield- then I had book club at my house Tuesday night.

Thursday I had lunch with another friend at a park. Our kids played wonderfully together while we talked and talked and talked. Unfortunately this is the only picture I got. 4 of us never made it in front of the camera.After the park we went to her house to continue with our chatting - we seriously talked forever! While we were out on her back deck and a wasp flew up my shorts/capris. At first I thought it was a stray hair or thread or something and tried to brush it away. Nope. It started stinging and wouldn't stop!

I think I got stung 4 times. We immediately put ice on it and I took Benedryl. Everything seemed fine. No real big swelling and the pain went away. Whew.

Until the next day. When I woke up after Mark left on Friday, my knee and thigh were red, swollen and itching like crazy! I tried putting stuff on it but we left in the morning to visit another friend and spent the afternoon at her house up in the mountains. I wasn't able to ice it (or broccoli it - frozen bags of veggies work wonderfully too!) till later that night during our small group at our house.Saturday my friend Kim gave me a bag of different things she's used on her family for stuff like this. The spray on Benedryl helped a lot. Now it's just really weirdly bruised and that didn't happen till Sunday...Who knew it was a gift that keeps on giving?
And yes I did really take pictures of my own leg. I'm weird, I know, but I was very fascinated!
Saturday we had a huge gust of wind that did this....
I kept staring at it wondering how in the world that happened!

Then I visited our garden. Many things don't look so hot. We believe it's because some of the straw had hay seeds in it that are competing. So a couple of the bales are growing some beautiful hay but the others are growing some awesome lettuce and peppers and hopefully tomatoes.On the way to church on Sunday - and the kids' first time seeing Mark - Kate drew him a picture of his family in case he forgot what we looked like...and in case you're having a hard time telling who's who, it goes from left to right: Kate, Jack, Kale, Mark and Me. I look like I have huge boobs but I'm pretty sure they are puffy sleeves on my queen dress...And that's what happened while the big cheese was away :)

Whatever's on my Mind

Last week Mark went to Phoenix with the men on staff for a Pastor's conference. He was gone for 4 long days :) And while I don't like to do the single parent thing and am beyond thankful that I don't have to do it often, it went really well. There were moments of frustration but in reality I have those even when Mark is home so I had nothing to complain about even though I really, really wanted to sometimes.

The kids and I busied ourselves by eating dinner with friends one night, having lunch with friends one day, going to the library, car wash and chiropractor one day, and spending one day catching up on housework. Breaking up the long days was especially helpful. Mark was super busy at the conference so we weren't able to talk much with him. I had expected the kids to be really upset about that but they handled it well and just counted down the days and hours till Mark got back.

Kale's 7th birthday is this Thursday. I can hardly believe it. This kid's been counting down the days since Christmas. I think we may celebrate a little on Thursday but then do another celebration on Saturday with one of his friends. Mark's parents are planning a trip down here for the weekend so we'll save the cake celebration till then.

Meanwhile I need to get my rear in gear and plan Kate's 5th birthday party that's just 2 weeks away. I really am not a party planner so it kinda makes me feel like breaking out - or not - in hives when I think about it. She also is counting down the days. She mentioned something about going swimming but I'm pretty sure putting on a bathing suit in March sounds much, much worse than planning a party. Pasty white legs meet 5 year old swim party. Not so fun. We'll see if we can talk her into something else...

Mark's birthday is in April and he is not planning his party....yet....

We've hardly had any snow this winter and while I'm thankful to not have had to shovel much, it just doesn't seem right that it's been so stinkin' cold but there hasn't been much white stuff. I mean, if it's that cold there should be snow right? I guess we haven't hit March and April yet and there's usually a good amount then.

We ordered pizza the other night, not because we didn't have food to eat in our house, but just because we wanted to do something different. Of course we have to drive to town to pick it up so it loses some of the fun of ordering in but then again when you have a new truck it isn't so bad.

Jack punched one of his little friends in the face on Sunday during Sunday school. Seriously that kid. Not sure what his deal was. His teachers said he was tired 1st service and ornery during 2nd service. He's recently developed some yucky, bad dry skin. Bad enough for him to itch till it bleeds and bad enough to refuse to wear certain clothes because they hurt and he cries. I'm wondering if he's having trouble sleeping as a result. I'm not trying to make excuses for hitting. He got in big trouble for that. I'm just wondering if there's another reason he's been so crabby. I've been rubbing a whole bunch of vaseline on him a couple times a day but he still is so stinkin' dry! Poor kid. Although I feel quite awful for the little girl he hit on Sunday. She's such a sweet heart. Another one of those "really? my kid did what?" moments in parenting. *sigh*

Mark and I will be married 11 years on Saturday. We'll be having a party for Kale. :)

My van is totally a mess and makes me wish the kids and I could drive around in daddy's truck for a few more days so I can avoid cleaning it out. Really not fun for me when it's so cold out.

The daddy/daughter dance at our church is coming up in 2 weeks. Kate is super excited to go. You may remember she and Mark went last year. I'm planning a girl's date for this Friday so we can go get haircuts and buy her a pretty dress to wear. She has the poster for the dance hanging in her room (the blessing of her daddy being the poster designer). The theme is never grow up. I know several people who are helping put this on and I am so excited for her to go. Kinda jealous that Mark gets this privilege but I know they both love it so much and it's so important. I'm thrilled that our church provides this opportunity for them.

One of our brand new windows has a giant crack in it. Not sure how it got there but we've been assured that it can be replaced. Bummer to have to go through all that though.

Some nights I'm ready to go to bed at 5:30.

I've never really liked Valentine's Day. I hear some people call it "single awareness day". I never have thought that this day was very fun, single or not. It's a day devoted to love, shown by chocolate, flowers, romantic dinners, candlelight etc...There are just huge expectations that no one person can possible fulfill. So it leaves us feeling empty. I just don't like that feeling.

But. My friend Kim told me to look up Saint Valentine and see what the meaning of Valentine's Day is. I couldn't find a lot of good info but I did find that Saint Valentine was a protector of Christian marriage and that I love. One legend says that Emperor Claudius II was banning marriage because he believed single men were better warriors for his army so Saint Valentine performed secret marriage ceremonies.

Our society is telling us that marriage isn't necessary. That there's no real point in doing a ceremony. They're wrong. Marriage is a sacred, holy union that is a covenant made before man and God. I believe we should be telling our loved ones that we love them every single day but I don't mind taking this day to honor the sacred union of marriage and to reflect on what God intends marriage to be about. A day celebrating sacrificial love not fluffy-overly-emotional-gooey-dependent-on-someone-else-making-me-happy kind of love.

I didn't buy flowers or chocolate or candles or cards but I will tell Mark how thankful I am for him and how thankful I am to God for the privilege of being married to him.

So....Happy Valentine's Day! I think this may be the first one I actually enjoyed.

My mind is now empty. Thanks for listening :)

One of those days!

I know everyone has had one of those days. The ones where you can't believe all that's gone on? Well I'm having one right now and even though the day is barely half over I have to document this.

It started off with me in the shower after my workout this morning. It was 10 to 7 and I knew it'd have to be a quick one. I'm shampooing my hair when I hear the door open and two loud little boys barreling in. The youngest loud one was yelling for a snack, toast and a nana (banana). I'm thinking - where's Mark?! Help!

I send them out, hurry and finish, jump out and block the door. Which makes them start pounding on it of course. After I'm dressed and ready to get them breakfast Mark makes his appearance. I almost laughed. Almost.

The morning goes on. I talk to Pete (awesome carpenter man) about the leaky sink and the crazy light issue in our bathroom, cut Kale's hair, we did some schoolwork and played out on the front deck (the weather is stinkin amazing! It feels like spring not fall!). Then my dad calls. I spend a bit talking with him about the remodel. Of course I always get a bit distracted when I'm on the phone. All of a sudden I realize Jack used the Vis-a-Vis marker on my off-white couch. On 3 different cushions! Stinkin stuff does NOT come off easily! I've tried many things and thanks to some facebook friends I have many more ideas of how to do this. Wow. Fun times.

Then I discover, later, that Jack also moved his chair over to the counter (his favorite thing to do lately...he insists on helping...) and pulled the top of the candle wick off and wiped the soot stuff all over the counter like paint. Lovely.

He also used the marker to mark up a chair and part of the table. Seriously I need more eyes! My 2 are definitely not enough!

After putting the 2 littles down for naps (whew!) Kale and I finished up school. Then Pete comes in. He tells me that our neighbor who lives behind us (you might remember her from a post a while ago about how she locked our dog in the garage) rode her horse onto our property to tell him that she wasn't pleased with our new back deck lights that are now shining in her house. She didn't stop to tell me. No she just wanted Pete to know. Little does she know that Pete likes us! He suggested to me that we get brighter bulbs....I am seriously considering that...

Then as I'm doing laundry Kate comes out of her room to inform me that she threw up. Thankfully it wasn't a my-tummy-isn't-well kind of throwing up. More of a coughing-so-hard-I-gagged-myself throwing up. Much easier to deal with.

So. Here I am. It's like 3:00 and I'm in awe of my day. See why?

Am I a multi-tasker?

Unless I'm watching Oprah and folding laundry I'd say the answer is no. I don't multi-task very well. At. All. I thought I did but then learned otherwise.

Today is the perfect example.

I had to run some errands for my work so of course I had to take my children. Who else will watch them? :) We put off school work, pile in the car and head to the UPS store and Office Depot.

At the UPS store I am trying to mail something and put it on the business account while my children were "browsing" through the ridiculous Valentine's Day cards. As I'm talking to the nice lady I hear Kale saying "Here's a cat taking a shower. Here's a dog dressed up like a person. Here are two frogs on top of each other."(WHAT!?!?!) Got a bit distracted by that....We ran over to O.D. to get a few things on the list. I almost never go there. I don't have an office so there isn't much I need there so I am clueless about where things are. After going through every aisle I finally find the bubble wrap and sticky fingers stuff. Thank goodness! All the while telling my kids that no they may not sit in all the nice office chairs to try them out. So Kate says "Maybe next time, tomorrow, when we come back." Ummmmm no. Not if I can help it.Then to Walmart. I had to return something I bought for the bathroom and buy something else. Easy you say? HA! This is Walmart. I went to Customer Service and there was an older couple at the counter and a woman in front of me. That was it. And it took forever! There was issue with the older couple and what they were wanting to do and it looked as if the employees had no idea what to do and didn't care that it was taking waaaay too long. I'm not kidding you. There was a moment when there were no less than 7 employees ( I counted ) standing around trying to work with this couple. I'm thinking does NO one see that I am here with 3 restless children, not to mention that the line is getting longer?! Finally a woman helps the lady in front of me. Verrrrry slooooowly. OMGoodness! When it was my turn she helped me but then stopped to talk to another associate about this couple. Seriously!? Can I not have 2 minutes of your attention so I can be done and get the heck out of here!

On the way home I called my friend Jen to pray {we pray together weekly - at least we try to}. I decided, brilliantly, to go through the car wash and try and get off at least one layer of the nasty grime that keeps getting on my clothes. I don't know what possessed me to do it while I was on the phone. Have you ever tried to talk when giant scrub brushes are moving all over your car, shaking it and making loud noises and your one year old is terrified and crying in the back? I really must be crazy sometimes.

We make it home safe and I let the kids loose in the house while I try and finish up my phone conversation. While I'm talking Jack lets the dog out of his kennel and he is running around creating chaos. I put him back in. Then Jack and Kate play behind our lazy boy chair. Kale climbs up and starts to rock nearly squishing Jack in the process. Rescue him. Then I start to make lunch.

Again, I think back and wonder what exactly was I thinking? My morning should have warned me not to try and multi-task. But no. Apparently I still think I can do this. I'm still on the phone by the way.

So I begin to make mac and cheese. As the water is boiling and I add the noodles Kale yells that Jack has climbed on the table. I go get him off. Water boils over onto the stove. Grrr! I go clean that up and turn the stove back on.{Still on the phone here people.}

Jack gets up on the table again. I go get him down and try to secure every area that he could get up. I go back to lunch. As I'm testing the noodles to see if they're done I hear a crash. I look up to see that Jack had gone into one of our cupboards and gotten a wine glass from the back of it, taken it over to the hard coffee table and smashed it. Are you kidding me? I was making lunch for like 30 seconds!I get off the phone and race over there to clean up. There's glass all around and Jack's pinky and thumb are bleeding. I'm trying to keep him and the other kids away from the glass and keep Jack's bloody fingers from smearing all over everything. I quickly clean it up and take Jack to the bathroom. I bandage his fingers up and within two minutes he's taken off one of them and working on the other. It's really hard to stop the bleeding when he won't leave a bandage on and he won't let me keep a napkin or anything on it. Grrr! If you read my post from yesterday you would know that this behavior from Jack is par for his course ;) Not everyone plays on the same course that Jack does.

The mac n cheese is overcooked but thankfully still edible. After lunch Kate finds a piece of glass that I missed. So glad she found it with her eyes and not with her bare foot!

So I realize that I don't multi-task very well. At least I don't do 2 things that take brain power at the same time well. Lesson learned.

I hope....

Blood, showers and snow

I'm home today instead of being at church - where I'd like to be. But it's not all bad being here. I've got Kate and Jack and we've watched movies, cuddled, ate random food at random times, read books and played. Both of them weren't feeling real great last night so we decided that I would see how they were feeling when they got up this morning and then decide whether or not to take them to church. Kale could go in early with Mark in case we stayed home...which turned out to be a good idea since we are home...

I had every intention on heading to church by 1st service. Then I woke up to 4 more inches of snow. Mark and Kale were able to get out before it got too bad but it just kept snowing and snowing and snowing! I shoveled a bit while Jack was still sleeping in hopes of making enough of a dent to get out once he woke up but it didn't happen. It looked like I hadn't even been out there! And you can forget any real shoveling with the two of them. 4 inches doesn't sound like much, and really it isn't. But our driveway really is so weird! You have to hit it just right to make it out. And we don't own a snow-blower, a snow plow, a 4-wheel drive or a tank so it's hit or miss if we make it without a good shovel.

So I gave in and stayed home. Sad to not get to go to church but happy that I didn't get stuck in my driveway or worse yet, stuck on the side of the road on the way to church with two little ones. I really think that's much worse.

And it's fun seeing how Jack and Kate play together without Kale. Kate becomes the bossy older sibling but, as I type, is laughing and laughing with Jack as they are chasing each other around the house. I think Jack is mostly loving all the attention but occasionally gets smothered when there's too much attention.

Friday I had an appointment to give blood. I asked Mark if he wanted to go to and he, surprisingly, agreed. So we loaded up the family and went to the Methodist church to donate. And we'll never do it like that ever again. At least not while we have an almost 6yr old, and almost 4yr old and a very active 17 month old. It took a looooooong time :)

After we both donated we took the kids to lunch and very daringly went to Home Depot to check on the flooring for the bathroom, find a new toilet and get a tub surround. Kids did pretty well. We were lucky.

Came home exhausted. All of us. Took naps then headed to our small group. So nice but I was so stinkin' tired I could barely stand it. Giving blood apparently knocks it out of me. But that's ok, I saved 3 lives!

Saturday was devoted to installing the tub surround. Mission accomplished. Pictures of that to come later. Still no flooring. And because we have no floor we can not install the vanity/sink or the toilet. At least not without having to reinstall it later. So for now, we wait. Very impatiently.

And today...we were going to church...then we weren't....BUT we are planning on going to a Super Bowl party. Especially since my super awesome neighbor just came and plowed us out. I really don't know what we'd do without him. He just randomly blesses us right when we need it. So thankful for that!

And because my posts are uber boring without pictures (you don't have to tell me that - I already know) here are some pics I took after our mud-walk the other day. The kids and I got all snow-dressed up and went for a really fun walk in the mud. Jack loved it! He walked the whole way and stomped his feet in every puddle. Kale ran ahead and climbed snow banks and Kate was content to walk with me, stomp in puddles and run ahead. Mud is fun.

I caught him mid-jump!

He is learning to love the snow.

He was watching clouds.

She got cold so went inside. But she of course had to keep track of us.

That's not a tear it's a drop of snow. I promise.

I finally had to drag him inside because I was so cold. That was a first!

Proof that I was outside. Sorry. All I got was my eye :)

We have...

We have a stove. We have an oven. We have a microwave. We even have a toaster.

Yet my husband and children would rather cut open a tin can, prop it up with batteries and put a lit candle underneath in order to cook their summer sausage.

Go figure.

Jack's response to his family playing with fire....

PS. Don't ask me why Mark's mouth is wide open in every picture. He wanted it that way. And that would be Mark.
PPS. Haven't dry-walled yet. But Mark did go to Home Depot. That counts right?

The Touch of the Master's Hand

'Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But held it up with a smile.
"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,
"Who will start the bidding for me?
"A dollar, a dollar, a dollar" - then "Two!" Only two?
"Two dollars and who'll make it three?
"Three dollars once; three dollars twice;
"Going for three-" but no,
From the room, far back, a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loose strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet,
As sweet as a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said, "What am I bidden for the old violin?"
And he held it up with the bow.
"A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?
"Two thousand! And who'll make it three?
"Three thousand once; three thousand twice;
"And going, and gone!" said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We do not quite understand.
"What changed it's worth?" Swift came the reply;
"The touch of the master's hand."

And many a man with the life out of tune,
And battered and scattered with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.
A "mess of pottage," a glass of wine;
A game - and he travels on.
He's "going" once, and "going" twice,
He's "going" and "almost gone."
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul, and the change that is wrought
By the touch of the Master's hand.

---Myra Brooks Welch

A.K.A.

MOM
aka.
nurse, doctor, pharmacist, teacher, cook, waitress, housekeeper, chauffeur, coach, dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, therapist, advice columnist, safety inspector, bath giver, sewing machine, carpenter, dentist, costume designer, dishwasher, censor, singer, random song writer, artist, dancer, pastor, prayer warrior, mentor, friend, disciplinarian, librarian, Ms. Manners, accountant, grocery shopper, germ cleaner, personal assistant, household manager, cheerleader, hostess, baker, gymnasium, jungle gym, punching bag, telephone service, baby birth-er/nurser, laundromat, pet sitter, early bird riser, toilet trainer, diaper changer, booty wiper, kiss/hug/snuggle dispenser.

And I wonder why I'm tired at night...
{By the way, the above picture is me around 5pm most nights.}

It's Monday!

This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.

I wanted to update on the happenings in our lives but I can't do that until I share what's been on my heart for the last few weeks. I blogged a couple weeks ago about a little boy named Stellan. I have prayed and cried for this little guy. Again, I don't know why I've been drawn to him or the other people in the blogs I follow. I guess I can't help but think "It could be me." Struggles, hardship, tragedy. It happens to anyone. It doesn't pick or choose. Life is hard. At any moment I could be walking these walks. I know God will give me grace when I need it. For now I pray for His grace in these people's lives.

Stellan did not make it home for his birthday. He was too sick still. He did return home a couple days later but was told that he had to go to Boston for another heart surgery. His heart condition was getting worse. As of right now he and his mom are in Boston waiting for surgery. They had to wean him off of his medication that was making his heart beat correctly before they can do surgery. As they began weaning him his heart starting beating too fast again. Like over 200 beats a minute. This morning his heart stopped. They were able to get it going again but they have to get him stable before they can do a very risky surgery. The surgery was scheduled for Tuesday but he will not make it till then. They have to go in asap.

This little guy is intubated and sedated. They are working hard at saving him and I have been in constant prayer all morning. He's a month younger than Jack. I sat with Jack last night and just prayed and prayed. So thankful to hold my little one. So thankful he's healthy and he's home with me. So sad for Stellan's mom. I can only imagine the emotions that she is dealing with, alone, in Boston. Please pray for them today as you think of them. This is a day that will forever change them, no matter the outcome.

Jesus, I pray for Jennifer and Stellan. For peace in their hearts - literally and figuratively. You have saved this little boy over and over again. I pray you do it yet again. Please be with the Drs as they work on his precious little heart that you gave him, you designed, you created but that the yuck of this world has tried to destroy. Stellan is a crawling, breathing miracle. He has defied all odds. Because of You. We trust You. Put Your mighty hands on that little boy's heart and make it whole. Make it new. Thank You for hearing our prayers. Thank You for Your grace. May You pour it out on this family. In Jesus' name. Amen.

I have run out of time. Children are getting restless :) I will get back on later and update you on our family. Thank you for listening. Thank you for praying.

Baby Stellan

A while back I blogged about a couple people's blogs that I've been following who inspire me and challenge me. I'm challenged by many of the blogs I read, but these two in particular have touched me. And I don't even know them in real life! I posted links to them on the top left of my blog.

Anyway, that sweet little boy Stellan {the one in the picture}, is not doing well. He's back in the hospital. I just love this little guy with his little sick heart. I can't quite explain why I'm drawn to him. Maybe it's because he's adorable. Or because he's a couple months younger than Jack {Stellan's first birthday is tomorrow}. Or because he's a fighter. Or because God has saved him time and time again. Or because his mom is a very real person dealing with very real things. I have laughed at her posts as well as cried. Or maybe it's because he is a reminder to me of just how harsh this life can be. How sinful and fallen this world is. I mean when bad things happen to little kids it makes me cry out to God more and more for His healing, His grace, His mercy, His love. And I am doing it again today.

This morning I checked their blog and found out that he went back into the hospital last night. It is the worst he has ever been. As of right now he is doing better but there is still a long ways to go. I'm blogging about it and asking you to pray for him. Pray for healing in his little heart. Pray for his parents. I can't even imagine how they are feeling right now. The pictures his mom has posted break my heart into a hundred pieces. And he's not even my son. Pray for wisdom for the Drs. Pray for a short hospital stay. Pray he gets to go home and celebrate his first birthday without tubes and monitors and IVs. Pray he gets to eat cake and open presents.

I'm just praying for Stellan.

*You can click on his picture and it will take you to the website if you'd like updates.

Adventures in Mommyland -- Swiss Family Questions!

Some days the questions are just too much. I mean, how do you answer some of these?

*Mom, why are there white lines on the road?
To keep you in your lane.
Why?
Because it's safe in your own lane
Why are they dotted?
To let you know it's safe to pass.
If there's a car there how is it safe to pass?

*Mom, why are there yellow lines on the road?
To keep you in your lane and let you know you may NOT pass...
Why?
To keep you safe.
Why?

*Mom, what's diabetes?
A disease that means you have a hard time eating lots of sugar.
Do you catch it if you rub up against the wrong person?
No. You can get it from your parents. Like you have blue eyes because daddy has blue eyes. Sometimes our bodies are made just like our parents.
Why?
Cause that's how God does it?
Why?

*Mom, what's Autism?
Um......a behavior disorder {knowing full well this is not answering the question really}
What is that?
Um.......um........{seriously not sure how to describe Autism to him...} How about them Broncos?

*Mom, why do people have legs?
So we can stand and jump and walk around.
Why?
Because that's how God made us.
Why?
Because!

My brain eventually starts to hurt and I have to ask them to stop asking questions. I really can not break some of this stuff down into child-like bites. It can be SO challenging to try and explain complicated things to a child and have it make sense. Normal, everyday things that we take for granted knowing. Parenting is hard on the brain!

Kudos to every teacher, parent, Sunday school teacher etc...who break things down into teachable pieces. Daily my brain is mush from questions!

Seriously weird

I feel seriously weird. Seriously. Weird.

If you know me you know that I don't have any shortage of things to say, things I've been thinking about and opinions that you may, or may not, want to hear. And it is still true. No shortages here. Just shortages of time, energy and well...pictures truthfully.

Many pictures are on Mark's camera as well as his computer - both of which he has with him everyday at his office. So the only time I can get them are at night, after the kids are in bed, at the time when all I desperately want to do is sit on my booty and stare off into space, a TV or a good book. My brain is usually mush by about 8:30.

I finally made myself sit down to update people on our life. Even with out pictures. Sorry :( But here's what it's looked like for the last 10 minutes I've been trying to write this. (oh by the way, Jack is walking! a small point I've forgotten to mention. Officially walking. And if I thought keeping track of him while he was crawling was difficult, now he has two free hands to carry around toys, junk drawer items or a swiffer as he is trying to do now. MUCH more entertaining and exhausting!)

So here's the last 1o minutes:
~clean up after lunch
~sit down to type as kids are playing
~get up to pick up Jack who has fallen into a chair and bonked his head
~sit down to type and type a sentence
~chase Jack as I realize I left the dishwasher open and he found a spoon - thank goodness just a spoon!
~sit down to type and get a little further
~hear Kale go into the bathroom and Jack follows (did I mention Jack likes to play in the toilet while Kale pees? YUCK!)
~race to the bathroom to stop what could very possibly happen
~ I stopped him and reminded Kale - for the 100th time - to please shut the door when using the bathroom
~back to typing
~watch as Jack gets out the instant oatmeal from the cereal cupboard, empty's the box, picks up 2 packets of oatmeal and toddles around the house practicing his walking skills. He's got mad skills.
~stop to ponder that I'm sure I will find random oatmeal in Kale and Jack's room later
~back to typing
~stop to listen to Kale and Kate playing in the boys room and pretending to be mother and son and getting confused everytime Kale yells out to mom.
~back to typing

And here we are. Honestly I'm tired, ready for a nap - for all of us, and feeling a little funky. And it's raining outside. That totally doesn't help the ho-hum mood. It's just one of those days I guess. One where you're not sure homeschooling will be completed, not sure if the headache you've had for 2 days will really go away, not sure if nap time will be successful or if the 5 loads of laundry will really get folded and put away. Not sure if you'll come out of the fog your head seems to be in. Not sure if you'll really ever catch up on the sleep you lost when you were sick over the weekend. Not sure if you'll make it to 8:30pm. Not because there's anything wrong with my children. They're being great. They've had a few issues but I would consider today a good/great day with them. It's because of me. And this mood!

So now I've blogged about it. You've read it. And I need to go rescue Jack who has now gotten caught up in the make believe mommy and daddy scene and he will most likely be used as the child. I better catch him before Kale puts him in his crib...more to come later...I hope.

I haven't vanished!

This is my short little update to say that, yes, I am still alive and still blogging. It's just been awhile.

Mark's parents were in town this weekend and I'm now in recovery mode. They came down ready to work. And work we did. With some play of course.

In a nutshell we: fixed my entertainment center, put up a loft bed, rearranged furniture including a gun case, 2 bookshelves, and loads of books, vacuumed, hung a dozen or more pictures {sounds easy but you should see the pictures we hung...oh yeah that will come later}, weed-whacked annihilated thistles, fixed a garage door, cleaned out our garage {a monumental task in and of itself}, cleaned the laundry room, went to Silverton, went to a party, went to a baby shower, chatted, read stories, and played Wii. Are you tired reading about it? Now you know why I'm not posting yet...

So much to post. So many {well sort of} pictures to share. Just so stinkin' tired at the moment. My eyeballs are on fire. Maybe tomorrow I will share more...if I wake up....

Ode to poo....

Oh nasty, disgusting, stinky poo. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1-

True Tales

There's a soul-stirring book full of spine-tingling tales
of villains and heroes and man-eating whales;
of princes and pharaohs, of masters and slaves,
of kings hunting outlaws that hide out in caves;

of prophets and preachers, of scholars and teachers,
of merchants and shepherds, and all kinds of creatures,
like talkative donkeys and bloodthirsty cats,
kindhearted ravens and huge clouds of gnats;

of tall man-made towers and creature-filled boats,
of tyrants and giants and colorful coats;
of soldiers and cowards, of slippery spies,
of wise men and fools, and snakes that tell lies;

of trillions of frogs that take over the town,
of mighty stone walls that came tumbling down;
of fantastic visions and fanciful dreams,
of lousy decisions and devilish schemes;

of heartwarming stories and words of advice,
with serious lessons on how to live life.
These tales are not fables from out of the blue;
these tales in the Bible are totally true!

by Marty Nystrom

Grand Imagination

God has a grand imagination,
his ideas are enough to blow your mind.

Just look at all the critters in creation
that are absolutely one of a kind.

There's a pachyderm with a hose for a nose
and a shark with a hammer for his head;
there's a bright little fly that glows in the dark
and a rodent that pretends he is dead.There's a lizard that changes his color
and a catfish that can actually walk;
there's an animal that wears plated armor
and an eel that delivers quite a shock.There are thousands of strange-looking beetles
and a feline as fast as a car;
there's a creature that's covered with needles
and a fish that is shaped like a star. There's a snake that can shake a rattle
and a thing that can cling to a wall;
there's a bird dressed up in a tuxedo
and a beast at least three stories tall.Now in case I haven't quite convinced you
of our God's awesome creativity,
just go and look in the mirror,
then tell me what kind of creature you see! by Marty Nystrom