Poor, Unfortunate Souls

"In pain, in need..."


Mega Indicators that you are REALLY sick:

1. While lying in bed, you wish you owned a bedpan, but finally come to the conclusion that even that would put too much pressure on your flesh.

2. Letting the children watch 8 movies in two days does not seem excessive.

3. You are mistaken for your husband on the telephone.

4. You use your cell phone to call your husband (you are upstairs - he is downstairs) because your throat hurts too much to yell and your legs hurt too much to walk.

5. Homemade chicken noodle soup delivered to your door, still doesn't hit the spot.

6. Sitting up on the couch and blogging counts as doing something productive.

Pathetic. (thank you, Ursula.)

Yes folks, the doc confirmed that 4 out of 5 of us have influenza. Baby Love has been spared so far. Dr. says it's mama's milk that is taking care of her. Let's hope it remains that way.

Poor boys....their temps have been hanging out in the 103's and Jake's eyes are almost completely red. He keeps complaining that they even sting too much to close them.

This morning Andrew stumbled into my room talking about the person who just came in his room and said "Surf's Up!" and woke him up. He told me this three times and was very bothered that someone was loud in his room. I'm at the point that I don't know if they are dreaming or delirious - and I guess the same could be said for me!

Anyway, everyone cross your fingers that we wrap this baby up within 7 days, rather than the projected 10 to 14 days. Aughh!

Enough Already!

Yesterday afternoon, while shopping with the kids, I had a sudden onset of sickness. A fever swept over my body and within minutes had every joint aching and my skin sensitive to the slightest touch. We cut the trip short, rushed to the checkout line and I nearly lost it as Jacob pulled out his precious wallet and began to painstakingly count out his change in order to pay for the Skittles he wanted to purchase. I tried so hard to be patient, but every second was killing me, and Andrew was whining full throttle about wanting some Skittles too. (I did NOT give in!)

As soon as we got home, I locked the deadbolt, gave the old spiel about not opening the door if someone knocks, and crashed on my bed. A few hours later Jacob woke me up to tell me Amelia had been crying for awhile and he thought she was really hungry. I was then reminded that they were hungry too. Milk for the girl, oatmeal for the boys, and then a crabby mom all but pushed them into their beds and shut the door.

It was a long freezing cold, burning hot, freezing cold night.

This morning Andrew wanted me to read Go Dogs, Go! to him. Poor guy. I did my best to stay awake, but numerous times I would find myself mumbling things like "Christmas is already over" and listing off the names of the lotions I have... He was confused and annoyed that I kept reading things that "aren't on the page!" You know the state I'm talking about - eyes are switching sockets, you can barely contain the head roll...

And I'm hacking up a lung. So there it is. I'm miserable, but hopeful that it will be gone by tomorrow. A couple of friends have granted me a chance at sanity by taking the boys for playdates this afternoon.... and now the pressing question is "How many nights am I allowed to feed the family pathetic dinners?"

Double Trouble

This is a story for all those who DON'T have little boys - to stop your longings, and for all those who DO have boys - to assure me that this is normal...or at least funny!

We are dog sitting our cousin's greyhound, Jab. I took him out on a little walk across the street to relieve himself. While I'm waiting for him to do his business, I look up and across the street to my house. My two boys have followed me outside...in their underwear (it is 38 degrees) and are peeing on their own bush. What!!? I yelled over to them, and they started squealing in out of control laughter and ran back inside while still trying to pull their underwear up.

They thought they were so hilarious to think of imitating Jab. I am still shaking my head. Would it EVER cross ANY little girl's mind.....

Please, Amelia, be your mama's saving grace!

Break Dancin'

I SO wish I would've had a video camera with me this past weekend. The kids and I went to a girl's birthday party. The theme was "High School Musical" and out of about 20 kids, J & A were the only boys. There was a trampoline and pizza and lots of girls to show off for - so they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Then came a "dance off" in which you had to shake your little bootie until the music stopped, and whoever was left wigglin' was relegated to the sidelines. Andrew completely ditched and went to play with the puppy in the backyard. Jake, on the other hand would slowly approach the circle of dancing girls and then back away again, over and over. I assumed he wanted to dance, but was embarrassed. Finally I saw him walk up to the mom in charge and say something in her ear. She got a huge smile and nodded her head.

Jake then proceeded to walk into the center of the circle, get down on his stomach, lift his feet into the air, and start spinning himself on his stomach as fast as he could. All the dads in the room started chanting, "Jake, Jake, Jake...!" and we were all cheering him on. When the music stopped there was no way he could stop immediately, so he was banished, but he had a huge grin. He ran up to me and giggled, "I was break dancing, Mom! Wasn't it cool?!" It was totally cool.

He told me later he went to ask the mom if there would be enough room, because he didn't want to smack into anyone. So much for me being able to read my kids. I would never have guessed what was going on his little brain.

Best Friends

Yesterday the boys were up in their room, playing some game, when I overheard this conversation:

A: "Jacob!! You give me that horse or I won't be your best friend EVER again!"

J: (in an unconcerned don't-you-know-anything voice) "Andrew, we're BROTHERS. We HAVE to always be best friends."

A: "oh." (rats! Now how can I get the horse?)

I hope my children will always be best friends. They certainly hit it off right now! It's so fun to watch them together. And I am SO grateful that I can number my 6 siblings among my best friends. We have so much fun together (anyone for a "psycho Sunday?") and as adults I still know that they will (and do) support me in every way that I need it.

So here's a little shout out to Buddy Bones, Beak, Precious Princess, Bug, Cakes, and Karlotta. I love you! And here's one to my parents who made us rub noses after a big argument, turned a deaf ear to late night ramen noodle cookouts, and let my little sisters come and spend a week with me at college.

Politics and German Pancakes

The last few days I have been thinking about the upcoming (used loosely) election. I am so happy about the situation this time around vs. 3 or 4 years ago. Last time my feeling was uggghh! How to decide between awful and worse? Which one will do the least damage?

This time I feel a lot better about things. There is actually a handful of people I am interested in. Republicans and Democrats. No clear winner for me right now, and I am enjoying the process of learning more about them and trying to weigh the pros and cons of each. It is pleasant to have a great mix of morals and good leadership, and sometimes a candidate that has both! Anyways, I am very curious as to how all this ends up!

SIDE NOTE: I am listening to one of the most annoying CD's right now and having trouble concentrating, so I don't know how well written any of this is. Just a minute......

Ahhh! That's better. "Baby Beethoven" from Baby Einstein has been removed. Obviously I must be a fan of a different style of composer. All that bouncing and la-dee-da gets to me. And Amelia's out cold, so she obviously wasn't too into it either.

Anyway, onto the news that Jacob wants me to tell the world - he made dinner and did the dishes by himself tonight! Andy and I were given the assignment to set the table in the "fancy way" and told to "[not] forget the goblets!" My other assignment was to open and close the oven door. Jacob chose German pancakes and orange juice for dinner. I found the page with the recipe and he read it, got out ingredients, cracked the eggs, mixed with the wisk, poured, and voila! Dinner in 30 minutes. While it cooked he washed all the dishes. Highly cheerful all the while.

As we sat down I lifted my OJ in a toast to "Jacob's resourcefulness and delicious dinner!" and his smile from ear to ear was broken only by his deep dimple. What a fun night!

Schnoogie Doons

Today I'm going to spotlight Andrew to highlight some of his childhood - since my journal and I have been lacking a relationship. The title is just one of his many nicknames. Here goes a list of some others:

Andy
Andy Roo
Booners
Boonders
Dooners
Snoog
Rooney
Andy Rooney
Boondy Doondy Doo
Schnoogie Doons
Boogie Schnoogie
Little Puppy
Charlie

The last two are self imposed. Anyway, don't ask me how we got on a roll, but there is something about this kid that begs for a nickname.

Favorite pastimes:

Playing a puppy named Charlie. He used to refuse to respond to anything else. When he gets tired he'll say, "But Mommy, this puppy is just too tired! All he wants to do is cuddle/snuggle."

He loves to color, and since Halloween all he wants to draw are "Halloween houses." They all have a tall crooked house, with broken windows, bats, ghosts, and pumpkins out front. Sometimes he'll throw in a bit of smoke coming out the chimney.

Playing Spiderman. His suit that he got for Halloween 2 years ago now has a split all the way down the behind, but it's usually not off long enough for me to repair it.

Playing army guys. He first spotted army men at Granny's a couple of years ago. Santa at one point caught on and gave him some in his stocking. He will play forever, making all the sound effects and setting them up on our stairs.

Oh! One memory - he used to always play by himself in the backyard and would send himself to the corner to be in jail. He would yell in a mean voice like a sargeant, and then in a meek voice he would respond. What a goof!

Favorite Foods:
He's gone through different phases. I will try to remember them in order.

1. Plain yogurt and sweet potatoes
2. Peanuts and "code miwk" (don't know how to write it how he says it...)
3. Lollipops
4. Bubble gum (Used to be dum). He knows that every g-ma he has will be prepared with some in her purse.
5. "Chicken chorn chowder"
6. "Cinnamon Spithe Oatmeal" for "breaksis" everyday. He'll never just say oatmeal. He always has to be specific that it's cinnamon spice.

He could drink cold milk around the clock. I think he always says cold, because one time he had some warm milk that had been left out in a cup, and I don't think it's a taste he wants to repeat.

Funny Sayings:

** "Just one little question:" He says this all the time. All it means is that even though you've asked him to be quiet because it's time for bed, or your busy making dinner, or whatever.....he wants to say ONE more thing. Even when I say no, he says, "it's just ONE question, Mom!" and then he'll launch into some totally rad story, gruesome complaint, or repeat of what he just told you.

** If I am running upstairs for any reason during the day, he'll occasionally ask me where I going.

Me: I'm just putting away these swords
A: Okay, good luck. I'll see you later. Goodbye!

OR...Alright. I love you. Have a nice time.

** "binocleeurs" and "stelecopes" are the things he carries around as an army guy

** When he goes to the bathroom he announces it to everyone and then says "I need my Byacy." and closes the door. He now says privacy, but he still will never open the door to anyone. Once he is in the bathroom with the door locked he is in his own little kingdom. Who needs a babysitter? Once the kid goes in to poop, I've got at least 45 minutes to myself. (As long as I can concentrate while listening to his feet slamming the floor every time he jumps off the counter.) He also rearranges the drawers and uses my brush, our hand mirror, nail clippers, tweezers, and his toy boat every time for whatever game it is that he's playing. You can hear him stash them all under the stool when you knock on the door to get in.

Well, this is getting long, but I feel great about getting some of it written down before I forget it.
He is such wonderful, sweet, lovey boy.

WE LOVE YOU, ANDREW!!

Will work for wisdom......

I love my family. I would like to think that I would do anything for them, but this past year proved to be a selfish one for me. Snuggled up to the white throne for about 6 months, and then again a couple months later, being HUGE, and having a severely sprained ankle, all led me to focus on myself. On reflection I realized that most of last year was surviving the daily grind, instead of enjoying and guiding it.

Thank goodness for a new year. "I feel good, na- na- na- na- na- na- NA. I [hoped] that I would..." (you know the tune), and I'm ready to be all that I am asked to be. Boys - I will be there for you and be FUN again! Burn the DVD player!! Mike - I might start to look cute again, AND cook dinner for you. Double whammy! Family and Friends - I promise to pick up the phone when you call, and actually do something for YOU for a change.

As I have been trying to figure out how to change the habits my family and I have slipped into (and out of), I have first started reading my scriptures, and secondly started reading my favorite parenting book Parenting with Love & Logic. Both are sources that I am eagerly diving into, hoping and trusting that the experiences of others will allow me some insight into how I might make personal progress this year, and in turn, bring more harmony into our home.

Onto the fun little things of today:

Jacob: "Figuring out that puzzle was harder than jumping on the back of a running mare!"

Andrew: "I am just going to give myself a BIG HUG!! I am soooo happy that I found all the pictures by myself"

Amelia: I am trying to roll over, but when I get close to it, I stop and give a huge smile to the audience I always have, and then flop back. Hee, hee, hee, ha, ha, ha..(evil laughter)

Cheri: Yay! I'm a big girl! I just finished all the laundry...AND put it away!

Cowboys

For the past hour the boys have been playing cowboys. They couldn't decide who got to be the Lone Ranger, so they both are. (Not so "lone" as they would like to think). So anyway, they assigned me to be shopkeeper a few minutes ago because they had some supplies they needed to purchase. I sold them new hats, boots, saddle grease, sunglasses....whatever they brought up to me. At one point Jake threw down two books on the table and said in his best country western accent: "I'll take these; How to Heal a Wounded Cowboy (Doctor Dan the Bandage Man) and How To Train Your Dog (Poky Little Puppy)." He does this often, where he takes books/manuals along with him. Our books get all sorts of creative titles depending on his current persona. I wish I had written them all down!

As the amount of stuff they were purchasing escalated, I reminded them in my best cowboy voice, that "you'd best be prepared to put each a those away, one at a time, just the same's as you're pullin' them out, one at a time."

Jake stops for a second, cocks his head to the side and asks, "Is this here a rental shop?"

A Beautiful Day

We went to the "airplane" park yesterday and took one of Jacob's friends, Chris. The boys played on the spinning merry-go-round minus the horses. I have no idea what this is called, but they spun for almost an hour on it. Dragging limbs off the side, standing in the middle with no hands, leaping off, dropping, and rolling - all in a very dramatic fashion. How can kids do this?! I get sick to my stomach just going on the plain old swings now!

Here is a picture of Amelia with the boys. They were pretending they were aliens and she was the princess. After a desperate battle (them screaming like banchii's and me running Amelia all over the playground equipment) they caught us and put us on a jet plane to outer space. Despite the look on her face in this picture, she was loving it.

Happy New Year!

Whew! What a night. What a year! Last night the boys had a friend over and we had homemade pizza and, of course, a bit o' the bubbly. (Sparkling Pear Juice, anyone?) We did a big countdown at 8:00 and then pulled and shot off our poppers, and watched the huge fireworks being shot off all around our neighborhood. I'm guessing the legality of these things has changed since I was a kid. I mean there was no need to drive anywhere, or pay any money to get quite a show. Huge beautiful ones with big booms and stars raining down were the norm, along with the peskiest of all - the dreaded Black Cat. You know the one that sounds like repeated gun shots? I actually went over to some friend's house last night after the kids had gone to bed and Neal had three long ribbons of 200 shots each. Where is the joy in having to cover your ears and wonder when it will stop? But all said and done, we had a good time. Jacob and Andrew were told that they could stay up as long as they could last. Andy made it until 9:30, and Jacob until 10:30. Jake actually fell asleep in the middle of a sentence.

"Dad, the fireworks are scaring me. They..........sound............................................like.........................................................................................

.................................................fingertips........"
Head dropped back. Totally gone.


So, I've been thinking about the past year. So many highs and lows. Kind of a year of extremes for us. I think the prevailing thing that comes to mind, though, is how incredibly blessed we are. In each low spot we have had the opportunity to watch how the Lord was going to lift us out of it. Most often it was through the love and sharing of our family and friends. We have been the beneficiaries of overwhelming generosity. Clothing, food, cars, time, painting and cleaning our house, watching our children, calls of encouragement and support, and just a whole lotta love.

I remember vividly the day Jake and I were sitting in our front room, sorting through all the girl clothing we had been given before Amelia was born. Piles covered the entire room. I said to Jake, "Look at this! We are SURROUNDED by blessings!" He responded with, "People must love us a lot!" He has caught on to this idea, and each time a new bag of clothing is dropped off, for the boys or Amelia, or someone has "cleaned out their closets" and brought over a fun new toy or craft supplies, Jacob says "Mom look! More blessings!"

Tears are coming now. It is so wonderful to know that the Lord is aware of us, and that so many are living their lives in a way that allows them to be close to the Spirit, and receive and act on promptings. A big lesson to me. So often I have had little thoughts that persist, but sometimes the ideas seem so little or silly to me, that I don't follow through. But the woman who showed up at our house, awkwardly offering packs of markers that her son had grown out of - had no idea that just the night before I was thinking of how dried up the markers were that the boys were using on a daily basis, and how I was wishing that I had some cash to go down and get them some new ones. This event was significant. Heavenly Father knew the desires of my heart - no matter how small- and met them through someone else.

So it has been a wonderful year.