Thursday, August 30, 2007
The kids started school today. We were even ready by quarter to eight which got me wondering how come we can't be ready by quarter to nine on Sundays. And then I remembered that church isn't half as exciting as the first day of school and probably in another week we'll be scrambling out the door for school at 8:03am, which is definitely more like us--always a day late and a dollar short, or rather 15 minutes late and a hundred dollars short. Anyway, I was very impressed with my ability to get three kids ready for school without so much as a hiccup and then, I tried to take this picture.
That's when our perfect morning took a turn for the worse. See, the picture is not black and white because I'm trying to be all artsy and cool like my sister, Kak. My camera kept overexposing no matter where I tried to pose the kids. And then the infamous Stefano (a.k.a. Noah's best friend who is no longer in Noah's class) walked by our house. And Noah started getting ants in his pants because he really wanted to walk up to school with Stefano. And I promised I'd be quick and only take one picture and we'd catch right up with Stefano. Except then my camera kept on overexposing and I had to keep moving the kids around and by the time I finally got a picture that wasn't overexposed, Stefano was out-of-sight but certainly not out of Noah's mind and he was screaming crying. So, the photo is black and white because it darkened the picture enough that you can actually see all three boys and that they were actually excited to go to school today until I threw a wrench in the works.
So Noah cried the whole two houses up to school until we met up with Stefano who had stopped to let his mother take his picture and was giving her the biggest, cheesiest, I love you the bestest smile in the whole world. Only did Noah stop crying and run to join his friend? No, he buried his face in my belly and cried even more. I'm guessing he was embarassed to be caught crying and refused to walk the rest of the way to school with his best friend. So, I did my best to apologize to Noah and did our secret hand-squeezing game and I asked him if he loved me and he refused to squeeze me back. And my heart about broke into a million pieces. Meanwhile Hunter, who has turned into quite the little man and who was probably mortified to be walking into school with his terribly distraught little brother, kept trying to give me a kiss goodbye so he could escape down the big kids' hall to third grade. After being rejected by Noah I decided to focus on Hunter for a second and give him the kiss he'd been waiting patiently for and send the poor little man on his way to third grade. And then Noah spotted Luca and immediately turned into the world's happiest kid and said, "Hi Luca!" And then he turned and gave me a quick wave goodbye as he bounced jovially down the hall to first grade.
 That left me with Denver. Two days ago Denver was sitting on my lap in tears, absolutely positive he didn't want to go to Kindergarten. He cried and I cried and we finally resolved things with the promise that if he didn't like Kindergarten he had my permission to call me from school and that I would come and get him right away. Yesterday we went to visit the classroom and by the time we left he was singing a completely different tune. "I like this school" was his reply after finding his locker, desk and the toilet and after having a chat with Mrs. W about his first day jitters. So today, Denver was his normal happy self, ready to take on the world, or at least Kindergarten. So, hand in hand we headed for KW and I asked him if I could take his picture and he said "no." I can hardly blame him after the morning's events. Then he reconsidered and asked if Faith (a church and preschool buddy) had had her picture taken and then consented to one quick photo with Mrs. W. Then off he went without even a glance backward and down he plopped right next to Faith. And that's about when I started bawling my eyes out. And no one really gets it, that I was crying. I mean, I should be happy, I just got rid of half of my kids. But Denver. . . he's always been my little sidekick. And not that I have favorites, but he's always been so easy to love and so simple and good--he's the first one of my kids that I haven't wanted a break from. So I had my first misty moment as I headed back home, where I quickly recovered and came to my senses and enjoyed the quiet that you can only appreciate after a summer of three boys bickering and quarreling with each other nonstop. And I took the babies to the park and we ate lunch before it was noon and we read books and they all took naps and no one interrupted them and I got the dishes done and started the laundry and by the time Denver got home I was all ready to hear about his day and play him a game of Go Fish! I miss the boys and our way lazy, laid back approach to summer. But I sure am glad they've gone back to school and that we're easing ourselves back into a routine.
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Wednesday, August 29, 2007
This summer the boys and I have been working on a little bit of math. When I say a "little bit" I mean, Noah did maybe three worksheets and Hunter did his mandatory math packet, so don't go thinking I'm such a great mother and I do so much for my kids because honestly, it was just a worksheet or two, not the entire third, fourth and fifth grade math course. Anyway, in working with Noah I asked him if he knew what "Greater" means before I handed him a sheet where he had to circle the group of objects with the greater number in it. Noah shrugged his shoulders like "big deal" and started moving his hand back and forth while holding an invisible something. "What's that?" I inquired. And Noah matter-of-factly stated, "You know. . . grater."
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Tuesday, August 28, 2007
 We had Denver's birthday party yesterday. Denver planned the whole thing, right down to whacking the Darth Vader Pinata with light sabers. We had pizza and probably the coolest Dairy Queen cake ever and lots of babies and even more good company and the cherry on top of it all was the arrival of Mr. Parker Dance himself, Denver's favorite friend from church ever. Caleb had a hard time with everything party related--the balloons, the party horns, the pinata--and spent most of the evening screaming at us all. Noah had his regularly scheduled birthday party meltdown and I had to carry him into the house kicking and screaming where he continued to scream and cry and completely missed his turn at hitting the pinata, which surprisingly, he handled amazingly well. We had lots of fun, lots of candy and lots of mess. But when all was said and done, Denver seemed thrilled which is good because we sure are thrilled to have him in our lives. Happy Birthday, Denver!
 
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Monday, August 27, 2007
 This summer the boys and I started reading the Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park and I must say Junie B. has become my favoritest new person ever! I absolutely love her and simply can't get enough. Noah and Denver actually beg me to read to them--in the car, at dinnertime, in the morning when they wake up, at night when they go to bed, in the middle of the day when they're not playing Nintendo--and they never beg me to read to them. My absolute favorite so far is Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business but I have yet to read one of her books that I don't absolutely love. They are great books you can read in a day or two and they are perfect for the pre-K through early reader grades. If you haven't discovered Junie B. yet you are totally missing out. She's simply fabulous.
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Sunday, August 26, 2007
This morning when I woke up I had a headache. I keep waking up with headaches. Not bad ones. Just the kind that you get when you've been clenching your jaw all night due to stress from drama over a church calling. Anyway, for some reason which I no longer remember, I told Denver that I had a headache and he asked how I got a headache. And I said, "I don't know. I just woke up with a headache." And then Denver said, "So waking up gives you a headache?" And all I could think was, You have no idea. . . .
Then for dinner I didn't have much of anything except for a few freezer meals that I received for my birthday over a year ago. Finances are tight as usual so I've been trying really hard to use up whatever food we've already got before I go back to the grocery store and spend a bunch of money I don't have. So this morning I raided the downstairs freezer and grabbed a few frozen meals so they could thaw while we were at church. I made some homemade breadsticks and heated everything up and we sat down to what I thought looked like a pretty decent dinner. The boys immediately started complaining about their food and like any good mother I basically told them to stop whining and eat what they'd been given or they wouldn't get any of Denver's birthday cake. After I finished my vegetarian chili, I decided to try some of the stuff they were complaining about. I ate a bite and immediately spit it back out onto my plate. "Never mind guys. You don't have to eat that stuff." Denver set his fork down and looking half relieved and half confused said, "How come you made yucky stuff for my birthday?" And that's when I thought. . . Yeah, except guess what, Denver? I didn't mean to--it just turned yucky by itself.
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Saturday, August 25, 2007
My sister, Chris, tipped us off to this great Sand Sculpting Contest on Walnut Beach today so Mark and I decided to take the kids and check it out. We were hoping to meet up with the Rodriguez clan but no luck. So we waded through the sand and water on our own and saw some pretty neat sand sculptures. They weren't like the professional kind where they have the waxy stuff delivered by the dump-truckfuls but there were some pretty impressive sculptures (made from plain old beach sand) anyway. We saw Shrek and Spiderman, an Ipod, some dragons and trains, a Christmas tree, a surfer dude running away from three sharks, a family of Lions and a bunch of other great creations. After seeing them all, we let the boys roll up their jeans and go wading. It was low tide and the boys could have gone for miles in water only up to their knees. The water was the perfect temperature and there were lots of crabs and minnows and shells to explore. Caleb had an especially good time frolicking in the sand and water with nothing but his diaper and a smile on. We will definitely be adding the Milford Sand Sculpting Contest to our annual events and I'm really hoping to visit Walnut Beach again before the weather turns--only next time we'll take our swimsuits and some buckets and some shovels. Who knows? Maybe with a little practice we'll even enter the contest and win us some cash!
  
 
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Friday, August 24, 2007
Mark got invited to play at a friend's house tonight so I've been filling the void with food and movies. The boys and I made homemade pizza and potstickers and watched Nacho Libre. Then, after everyone got their pj's on we loaded up the Suburban and got us some Dairy Queen and rented us some more movies. And now I'm sitting my already-larger-rearend on the couch watching The Holiday and snuggling babies. Hope Mark recognizes me when he gets home. I'm the one over here, with the double chin and the baby drooling on my shoulder.
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Thursday, August 23, 2007
 Okay, so there's this woman in our ward who has come to our house faithfully since the twins were born with the sole intention of helping me in whatever way I'll allow her. After several months of her help, she was fondly nicknamed Grandma Gribble and has become a part of our family ever since. She saves us a row at church every week and always holds a baby so that I've actually been able to get something out of almost every Sacrament meeting. She brings us delicious dinners including stuffed peppers and homemade chicken potpie. She and her husband, Grandpa Gribble, babysit every now and then so Mark and I can actually have a date night. And she is here every Friday, rain or shine, to wash dishes, fold laundry and snuggle babies. Without Grandma Gribble I surely would have been dead by now. A few weeks ago, we had a particularly crazy Friday and the next day the Relief Society President called and asked if she could send someone over once or twice a week to help me with whatever I needed help with. This summer has been seriously a challenging one and at that particular point I was not about to pass up an offer of help. I asked the RS President if she'd been reading my blog, wondering how she knew I needed help. She said no but that Grandma Gribble had ratted me out and said that I needed much more help than I was getting. Anyway, long story short, for the past three weeks someone from the Relief Society has come every Tuesday for three hours to watch the babies so that I can take the three big boys out to do something fun. And on Fridays, Grandma Gribble comes with an extra somebody, and I've been able to go out with the four oldest boys to do something fun. And I have to just tell you, what a lifesaver that has been. Not just for me but for the boys as well.
We just haven't been able to do all the things we used to be able to do with the three babies in tow. And I didn't realize how guilty I was feeling for not having more time to spend with the big boys and for the inability I had to take them out and about. And Tuesday has become therapeutic for us all. Denver, on a regular basis now tells me how much he enjoys not having the babies around, even for just a little while. And we've had so much fun together, swimming and playing and laughing. And while I totally love my three little boys, I've really missed having time with my big boys. And I can hardly express how grateful I am to the Relief Society for saving us all. I can honestly say the past three weeks have been the best weeks this entire summer and I really owe it all to the Relief Society and the many women who have volunteered to help us out. Thank you, everyone, so much!
  
 
 
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Monday, August 20, 2007
 I successfully turned 32 last week. Not that it was hard or anything. It just sort of happened. But it happened really nice and I got super spoiled. Here, let me show you. First of all we went to a local amusement park. It was totally hot and humid, the bees were out of control (so bad they were dropping out of the soda machines with the soda) and the main attraction, the nation's best wooden roller coaster was shut down, so it took me awhile to snap out of a bad mood. But once I did I had a really nice time and I think the kids did too. One of my most favorite things in the world is riding roller coasters with Noah. We went on Downtime Jr. together twice and my belly hurt from laughing so hard. And Hunter and I snuck away and went down the double wateslide together which was so much fun. Denver was nervous about most of the bigger rides but he and I went on the Haunted House Hunt together and it was a blast! Caleb was a little out of sorts but as soon as we hit the pool, he seemed to come right back to life and loved swimming in the kiddie pool. Mark and I managed to sneak away and ride some of the big kid rides but of course we had to go solo. That doesn't seem to bother Mark much but I really hate riding alone. I need someone to laugh with and freak out with. It's just not as much fun screaming at the top of your lungs all alone. Mark tried out a new ride (see Thunder-n-Lightning) and seemed to like it pretty good. I was too chicken but maybe we'll go again, me and Mark, when it's cooler and he can hold my hand and I won't be so afraid. (If you look close at the roller coaster pic you'll see Mark in the second to last car, in the bright orange shirt, hat and sunglasses.)
 
We left the twins with a friend and upon our return we were greeted with this most creative cake:
She made it with a regular old cake mix and can of frosting, decorated it with neccos and skittles and made the bow with rainbow air heads. I guess the original design calls for fruit-by-the-foot but obviously, any tape-ish candy will work. I thought it was super cute and the boys thought it was super delicious.
Friday night I went out with friends and sister Chris. We saw the movie Becoming Jane and I loved it. It's a bit tragic but girls like that sort of thing, ya know. Then we went to the local diner and ate more than our share of french fries, french toast, omlettes, waffles, hamburgers and hot chocolate. Chris got me a magazine subscription to the Oprah Magazine, something I'd been considering doing myself, and Darlene presented me with this most amazing money tree upon her arrival:
If you haven't figured out yet, Darlene is a very fun, creative kind of gal and there's never a dull moment when she's around. The boys actually wanted to stay with her and the twins on Wednesday when we went to the amusement park over riding the rides and swimming. She's that much fun. Another friend sent me a gift certificate for a pedicure at the mall--like how perfect is that. . . one of my most favorite things to do!
And if all of that's not enough, Grandma Gribble offered to babysit Saturday night so Mark and I could go out. So we actually had a real date and went out to eat. Then Mark took me to the mall to buy me my real birthday present. On Wednesday he gave me this. I had wanted to buy it when we were up in Essex riding the Steam Train but Mark was pretty sure he could get it cheaper online. Caleb was thrilled the most about the toy and I haven't seen much of it since, except for when he threw it down the stairs in rage and I confiscated it for the day. But on Saturday Mark got me a c.d. player for the kitchen so I no longer have to fight over the boys, the TV or the nintendo when I want to listen to my music. And even better than that, he's already hooked it up under the kitchen cabinet and got me rockin' out to all my favorite tunes. It couldn't have been a better present and I love it!
So. . . like I said I totally got spoiled and I didn't even mention the gifts from Mom(s)and Dad(s) and the super duper present Kak is supposedly sending my way or the day Mel spent with me watching my kids so I could do my VTing and the ice cream cake she got me. Yeah, I'm totally spoiled. I was always labeled the spoiled little brat as a child and I suppose some thirty years later it's still true. But if I could do it differently I guess I wouldn't. Thanks to everyone for the spoiling. Let's do it again next year, say around. . . oh I don't know. . . August 16th? Sounds good to me, see ya then!
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Denver must have told the twins that women "love a man with dishpan hands" because ever since they became mobile, they refuse to let me do the dishes alone. And while I definitely could use the help, throwing the dishes on the floor and licking them clean isn't exactly what I had in mind. But beggars most certainly can't be choosers, so I suppose I'll keep the help. Afterall, they are pretty cute.
 
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Monday, August 13, 2007
Today I got up early to go to the grocery store before Mark had to leave for work and the groceries are still not put away, more than twelve hours later.
None of the babies took naps at the same time today and when they did sleep, the boys woke them up with their fighting.
The boys spent the entire day fighting.
Hunter turned the sprinkler on full blast while the babies were playing in it and Jericho got stuck screaming in the middle of it until I could rescue him.
Caleb started spraying the babies with the garden hose until Justus fell and banged his head on the concrete. And while I was busy soothing him, Caleb decided it would be even more fun to beat Jericho over the head with the nozzle until Jericho's head started bleeding.
I still can't carry three babies at once.
After bathing and calming the babies I laid down with them on the nursery room floor to feed them both bottles. When Justus finished I picked him up to burp him and he barfed right into my mouth and all over my hair and face and neck.
I have diarrhea from hell.
Hunter refuses to follow directions, insists on whining all day long and tells us "no" on a regular basis. Today was no different only instead of reserving it for his Dad, he decided he'd give me a taste of his nastiness.
The sweet lady who volunteered to come help watch the twins so I could take the big boys to the beach tomorrow, cancelled.
And I got absolutely nothing done today. No laundry folded, no dishes done, no groceries put away, nada.
But it's all okay because you know what? Mark got me one of these
and somehow it makes everything all better--except of course my waistline but at this point in the game, who the heck cares about my freakin' waistline?
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Mastered!
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Caleb is practically twenty-three months old and he continues to be an absolute joy and holy terror all in the same breath. So many things he does just makes me want to populate the entire earth with more of my babies. And most of the things he does makes me want to rip my uterus out with my bare hands and burn it to smithereens to ensure I never, ever have another baby like Caleb. Like you'd never guess from the above picture that he's currently beating me over the head with his toy truck and going out of his way to trip his baby brother and throwing his enormous garbage truck across the room in rage. No, most people look at him and go home ready to have their own earthful of babies, hoping they'll all be just like Caleb. But if they only knew. . . .
 This is a typical picture of Caleb. See the cereal he's poured all over the table. And there's milk dripping down his face that you can't see but it's there nonetheless, making him all sticky. And his brothers are all there too, laughing hysterically. If you ever dare make the mistake of laughing at some silly thing Caleb does, beware because he'll continue repeating the silly behavior no matter how much mess it makes or how much destruction he causes. And if you ever tell him to stop, be prepared for the consequences. On this particular day when he got tired of making us all laugh, he chucked the bowl across the room. We're constantly telling him to quit being destructive and he's constantly finding new ways to do exactly the opposite of what we've told him. He's especially violent when he wants attention and there is nothing sacred when it comes to his rage. He's beaten babies over the head with toys, thrown valuables, hit people like it was going out of style and even gone so far as to hurt himself to turn our heads and demand our undivided attention.
 In a desperate attempt to give Caleb the attention he regularly demands (and deserves) I've started letting him help me cook. And you can be sure there has been more than a few times he's thrown measuring cups and egg shells into the kitchen aid when I wasn't looking (thus tempting me to rip out my uterus with a fork) and made me have second thoughts about his assistance. But. . . for the most part, Caleb is an excellent assistant and is great at dumping sugar, flour, oil, eggs and more into the mixer without missing. He's also fabulous at stirring and begs for any opportunity to do so. The other day I was making breakfast and he came running into the kitchen shouting, "Oil in! Oil in! Oil in!" When I finally figured out what he was talking about we of course had to make pancakes just to accomodate his request. And while we were at the park one evening Caleb started playing with the wood chips, sprinkling them on a wood beam and calling them sugar. Then he picked some grass and sprinkled it on top, and called it flour. He's always liked mixing and concocting--maybe he'll be a chef someday.
 Caleb has a few very favorite things right now, but most of all it's trains. He lives and breathes trains and will do just about anything if it involves one. He can make all the sounds a train makes and can often be found crawling around the floor with a train saying "chugga, chugga, chugga" all along the way. He'll sit and watch his "train TV" (I Love Toy Trains video) all day long if we'd let him and he has just about every train book we own memorized. Caleb also loves his new clip-clops (flip-flops) and wears them everywhere we go. I think they're the cutest thing since monkeys and when he has them on his chubby little feet I melt like butter. He loves the phone and will spend hours walking around the house chatting on the phone even if no one's on the other end. And he loves books. I don't think he'd ever tire of having books read to him and would probably spend all day snuggled on my lap listening to books if he had it his way. And of course, he loves to run. I think if Caleb had a theme song it might be "Don't Fence Me In." He loves to run and explore and climb and swim and splash and jump and dance.
Despite his energetic and sometimes destructive ways, Caleb is probably one of the sweetest little boys I know. He loves to cuddle and suck his thumb and will do so with just about anyone he knows. When we were at the Erie Zoo everytime we saw a new animal he'd say, "Hug. Hug the donkey." "Hug. Hug the parrot." And he'd throw his arms wide open in the hopes that one of them might really hug him back. Caleb says some of the sweetest little prayers around and can do so from start to finish all by himself. And believe it or not, he even thanks God for his baby brothers. I seriously don't know how I'd survive without his little self to snuggle and my only prayer is that he's got enough Guardian Angels lined up that he'll be around for us all to love. . . for a really long time.
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Sunday, August 12, 2007
 For one of our outings this summer we had scheduled to go into New York City and meet up with Mark's sister Anne Marie and her husband Toby who were en route to Portugal. So Mark spent a good deal of time Friday figuring out what we should do and where we should go. Originally I wanted to take the boys up the Empire State Building and over to see the Statue of Liberty. Mark wanted to hit a good restaurant and I wanted to hit a french fry place we'd seen spotlighted on the Food Network. After a little bit of research, we decided to skip the Empire State Building which has a bad reputation for lots of long lines and do something different.
We rode the train into NYC and as soon as we set foot in Grand Central I started labeling our kids, just in case we lost one. The idea of writing on their hands hit me like a bolt of lightning as we stepped off the train and I must say I felt pretty clever. There was one instance where Hunter was intrigued by something happening across the street and almost got left behind and the first thing he did when he was called to attention was check to make sure the phone numbers were still on his hand. And even though I still felt pretty nervous about taking six kids into such a big place, it gave me at least a little peace of mind.
Our first stop was to the top of the Rockefeller Center and as a parent of lots of young children I can hardly give it enough praise. Sure it's not the Empire State building and you get docked a whopping 16 floors of height, but other than that, the Top of the Rock couldn't have been a better idea. There were absolutey no lines, the ride up the elevator is almost better than a ride at Disneyland complete with lights and music, the view was amazing, you could actually get a picture of the Empire State Building which is one thing you can't do standing on top of the ESB and probably best of all, there were no crowds.
We all started getting hungry around 12:30pm and after much deliberation, we decided to walk to a restaurant not far from Central Park. Mark had eaten at Rosa Mexicana before and had nothing but good things to say about it. So we started off walking and the kids started complaining and I must say even I was getting a bit fussy. Guess that's why I wasn't born back when the Saints marched across the country. I so totally would have been fired. So we paused for a Snapple and endured the rest of the walk to the restaurant. Mark called ahead of time to ensure we had a table upon our arrival and except for one customer who so totally got there after us but so totally wanted to fight us for our table, we were seated right away. They make their own fresh guacamole there, at your table, and I must say it was excellent. So good we actually had to order seconds. And of course, by then we were so full of guacamole it was hard to eat the rest of our food. Mark had a hair on his lunch and the boys started finding mousetraps hidden in various places and the combo of the two made it difficult for me to stomach the rest of my lunch. But I must say, all in all, it was worth the walk and I highly reccommend their guacamole and their black beans. Yum-o!
After lunch we forced ourselves out of our seats and headed for Central Park, one of my favorite things in New York. There's so much to do there and it's really quite pretty. Maybe it's just because I have boys and there are lots of large boulders for the kids to climb on but I love it there. The kids played and climbed and got wet and dirty and generally had a lot of fun. Then Anne Marie and Toby had to leave (much to our dismay) and we decided we'd better head out as well. So we started walking and walking and walking again and I got lost and Noah got lost and we had to turn back for cotton candy and punching balloons but eventually we made it to the subway station which just so happened to be Hunter College--totally cool for Hunter and totally good for us because this particular subway took us directly to Grand Central. So we had lots of time to fetch us some water and make it to our train without stressing out about not catching the next train and having to sit around for another hour with six exhausted children. And all of that was a blessing in disguise because as we pulled into the driveway two hours later, Hunter was in tears due to what we think was a migrain headache and barfed. Kind of a weird happy ending but a happy one nonetheless. Oh. . . and Mark took me to get a Peanut Butter Oreo Blizzard upon our return home and what could possibly be better than that?
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Friday, August 10, 2007
I'll think of this
 
And then I won't feel so bad. Probably everytime they feel like they're getting close to having all of the recycling put away, another truck pulls up and dumps a load right there on their clean recycling plant floor. I wonder if they ever get caught up with the recycling.
Today I took the kids to the infamous Garbage Museum. It's only like one of the best things out here and my kids absolutely love it. The fact that it's free makes me love it too. Denver asked me if we could go a few weeks ago and thanks to our beloved Grandma Gribble, we were able to go today without the twins. The last time we went Caleb was a baby so this trip was especially exciting for him. And Denver--Denver is always thrilled when we hit this museum. Hunter was bored after about ten minutes and started entertaining himself by wandering up and down the observation deck, listening in on adult conversations and answering their questions about the entire recycling process with the aid of the information sheet most of the them had passed by upon entering the museum.
After we watched several trucks dump their loads we went downstairs to play. They have a giant dinosaur made out of garbage and the museum provides an "I Spy" game the kids love to play. So we did that. And we played with the toy recycling trucks and wandered through the giant-size worm tunnel where I did a great job of slamming my head on the roof of it while Caleb drove a mini dump truck back and forth through the cave. We played "Trash Bash" where the kids answer questions about the garbage museum and recycling and if they get it wrong they get a bucket of (clean) garbage dumped on their heads, we colored pictures of the Trashasorous, and admired artwork made out of, you-guessed-it, trash!
We hit Blockbuster on the way home for a few movies, McDonalds for french fries and returned home to veg out in front of the TV because believe it or not, today it is rainy and cold and there's not much else we can do. However, as soon as I get a collection of recyclables gathered, I think we're going to make our own Recycle Art (they had a castle made out of recyclables that was totally awesome) and for Family Home Evening, I can't wait to play our own version of Trash Bash. We have the perfect cardboard box for the question booth and the kids love having stuff dumped on their heads. It will be a great way to review the lesson and it will be a great project for the kids to do one day this next week when they get bored and start fighting with each other. Hurray!
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Tuesday, August 07, 2007
 So Kathy has a friend who is currently serving in Iraq. When she told him that we were making over the boys' bedroom from a nursery into an army-themed soldiers' bunker, he instantly said he'd send over some stuff for the kids. How cool is that? (Thank you soldier.) So last week we got our hands on the loot and the boys were so excited. They were totally diggin' on the real camo suit complete with Henrichsen name strip Kak's soldier had made for them. Kathy also sent us an old medic's helmet from way back when and the boys couldn't resist suiting up. Later I pointed out that in a few years the boys could wear the camo for Halloween and they immediately started fighting over who would get to wear it first.
The next morning the talk about the camo continued and Denver started asking us how he could be a construction worker and an army worker. A little while later he started crying and when I asked him what was the matter he said, "If Hunter and Noah get to wear the army suit first, what will I wear to the army?" He was really torn up about it and was worried that maybe he wouldn't get to be a soldier afterall. I informed him that in the Army, they provide all of their soldiers with camouflage and he didn't need to worry. It was right about then that I started to worry. . .
 To worry about things like how I could ever possibly send my sweet little boys to risk their lives fighting for other people's freedom. Freedom some people don't appreciate. Freedom some people don't want. Fighting against soldiers who've been taught to kill as soon as they were big enough to stand on two feet and carry a gun at the same time--people who've been taught to hate little soldiers like mine. And how do you prepare someone as sweet and innocent as Denver for the terror of war and the danger's involved? My heart trembles at the thought--I can't even bear it. And yet, I know, should the time ever come when this country needs my boys to stand up and fight, to defend "our God, our religion, our freedom, and our peace, their wives and their children," they won't be cowering in some far off country or hiding in some loop hole. No sir. I won't teach my boys to fear. Somehow my boys are going to learn to stand for the right, for the things they believe in, no matter what, even if it means laying down their lives to do so. And if they'd let me, I'd go stand right beside them. Because I believe that God will make my little soldiers "mighty, even unto the power of deliverance" or that He'll bring them safely Home and that is enough.
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Mud + Grass + Watermelon Juice = Dirty and sticky but very happy babies.
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Oooohhhh. . . so that's what you've been crying about for the past five minutes.
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A new favorite pasttime of the boys is to see who can climb the highest on the local street signs. So far, Noah is winning. But Hunter's close behind and Denver's on his heels.
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Friday, August 03, 2007
A few nights ago we had carrots for dinner. Most of the boys hate carrots but we can usually convince them to eat any veggie if we tell them that particular vegetable is their ticket to dessert. This particular night it was S'mores, including roasting marshmallows on the fire, a big favorite around here. All the boys had to do was eat four measley carrot slices. So Denver comes over after being informed of the carrot-eating task and the following conversation ensues.
"Mommy, I ate four carrots."
"Oh! Good job! Give me five."
"Actually. . . I only ate three."
"Oh. . . well you only have to eat one more and then you can have dessert."
"Actually (a longer pause). . . I only ate two."
"Oh. . . Denver? How many carrots did you really eat?"
"Just one."
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Wednesday, August 01, 2007
I just took Noah and Denver to the doctor. I didn't think they were sick so much but they've had a cough similar to Hunter's a few weeks ago and I was a little worried they might have Pneumonia too. And I felt so guilty for thinking Hunter wasn't sick when he really was that I didn't want to duplicate that feeling and I especially didn't want to double it. So of course, both boys were wheezing bad enough that the doctor wanted to give them both nebulizer treatments and even afterwards they were still wheezing. So he sent me away with a stack of prescriptions and my brain about to explode trying to remember everyone's medicine and how much and how often. And I thought I'd spend thirty bucks on a couple of copays and be done with it but I ended up spending over a hundred bucks on meds and a copay times two.
So the medicine frenzy goes something like this right now:
Hunter needs his seizure meds and don't forget he needs a recheck on his wheezing in ten days.
Noah needs his steroid twice a day, Flovent twice a day, the Ventolin as needed for coughing, and his Miralax and don't forget he needs a recheck in ten days.
Denver needs his steroid twice a day, Flovent twice a day, the Ventolin as needed for coughing and don't forget he needs a recheck in ten days.
Caleb needs his antibiotic and don't forget he needs a recheck in ten days.
Justus needs his inhaler twice a day until his coughing stops and don't forget he needs a recheck in ten days.
Except the only problem with all of this is that I don't remember who went to the doctor when, so I'm sure some of them are due back for their rechecks but I don't know when. And the days have never seemed so long and time has never gone so fast and I've completely lost track of it all and I'm having a really hard time keeping track of who's had their medicine and who hasn't and how much was I supposed to give them and how often. And then I start feeling guilty because maybe the kids wouldn't be so sick if I fed them healthier and if I took them outside more often but I hardly have time to prepare any meal, let alone plan a healthy meal and go to the grocery store and get all the healthy stuff to make it. And we go out, but it is so totally limited because everywhere we go I have to tote three babies and they can't swim and they can't climb without close supervision and they eat everything in sight including wood chips and sand and bugs. And Caleb wanders and wanders and wanders. And it's totally cramping the big boys' style but there's nothing I can do about it because I'm only one person. And this is exactly what I was afraid of happening--having way more kids than I can possibly take care of. And Hunter is protesting with every breath he takes, begging for playdates and "Mommy time" and whining about how I never snug him and I never play with him. Noah still isn't sleeping and he's waking us up nightly and the circles under his eyes are growing by the minute and he needs help but it requires so much coordination with babysitters and appointments that I haven't done it yet. And Denver asked me for something so simple the other day and when I had to turn him down because I had my arms full of babies and bottles, he said, "I wish we never had all these babies." And part of me does too. I mean I totally love my kids but I'm so totally overwhelmed with them all and I know that in four weeks when the kids go back to school I'm not going to be free. I could have been if I hadn't had three more babies. I mean I was so close to being free. And now I'm so far from it. And that one thought is so devastating. And the kids want playdates. And there are math packets and book reports and scout projects and reading logs that are so far from being done it isn't even funny. And the laundry is heaped and the dishes are dirty and there are spiders and cobwebs in every corner of the house and somehow they seem to know they won't get shooed away. And yet, I feel guilty for even complaining because I have so many friends who would kill just to have one baby and here I am whining because I have so many. . . so many blessings. I wish I could step back, just for a moment and see things clearly, for what they really are. So I could see what really matters and what's not so important and set my priorities straight with a clear head. But the kids are fighting and Caleb wants held and the babies are up in their cribs crying for me to rescue them and the list of chores is beckoning and the kids' need to do something besides sit in front of the TV. So instead of thinking, I'll plow through the crises and put out the fires one at a time and hope that at the end of the day I didn't forget anyone's needs and that I didn't leave anyone unloved and pray that God will somehow make up for all of my shortcomings, because believe me, there are a jazillion of them.
posted by Shana # 1:55 PM
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