I logged into my facebook account and saw all the threads of people looking for something fun to do tonight. I thought, "what's the big deal...its Wednesday!" Good Grief...how lame is that? My focus tonight was folding the four loads of laundry I washed throughout the day! Not that it was New Years and MOST people are excited about that and enjoy finding ways to celebrate. Sad...
We do have fun plans this weekend. What's in store for us?
**Darin and Charla are coming tomorrow. To stay the entire weekend. So excited for that!
**Hold your breath...we have a date on Friday! Its true! We turned in some reward points for a hefty gift card. For some long anticipated scrumptious sea food!
**Kyle's B-day party on Saturday (his real b-day is Monday - but he's three - he doesn't know.)
So, now that I'm temporarily in reality...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
THANKS
We were told that this area only gets snow only a couple times a year and that its not much...maybe an inch or two. Well, we got a lot more than that! First it snowed about 6 inches. Then we got freezing rain that added about a 1/2 inch layer of ice and then another 6 inches of snow. Even though we didn't have the proper attire to "enjoy" the snow. We still managed! Before we had the second pounding of snow - It was so funny to see Lane stomp and crush through the ice layer. And little tippy-toes Kyle was able to walk right on top of it. Nora was happy to lick all of the icicles that had fallen.
Lane who would be happy and content on a liquid diet anyway couldn't stop eating the snow. Because we live at the bottom of a hill in a little 4 house cul-de-sac, and we weren't prepared with chains, we didn't get out for a few days. We stayed busy enough. I'm so grateful that Pat has had this last week off of work. We played a lot - took turns shoveling the driveway. We happen to also have the longest and steepest driveway of all of our neighbors. I was happy to be out there - even if my foot wasn't. Enjoyed watching the full of false hope cars attempting to get up the hill and out into the "world". It was right before Christmas when everyone is supposed to be out spending all of the money they don't have on things they don't need. We were content to just stay home.
I Love seeing Pat take some down time with his boys. Watching Buzz and Woody. Any guess as to what Lane got for Christmas? Thank you Craigslist! He hasn't taken it off much. I'm so glad that our house is all wood and laminate flooring so he has been able to ride his bike all over the house.
We didn't feel the need to fill our house with more big plastic items. And since our kids love to pretend to cook and now have new aprons and equipment (thanks Grandma Suzanne!) Pat decided to build them a kitchen with left over boxes from our move. Fully designed with a microwave, fridge (w/shelving) oven, sink (w/faucet) and pantry shelves. What a COOL dad!
Here's June Pie. We like her still. Even though she's been quite cranky lately and not letting us sleep much. She smiles and coos and all is forgotten...until the next night when it starts all over. We sure do love our babies! We feel so blessed and grateful! Even though we are surrounded in chaos most of the time, we wouldn't have it any other way.
How many families have to have a prayer chart so their kids won't fight over who's turn it is? And I don't mean, "it's not my turn! I said it last!" Its more like this, "Its my turn today! Not yours!" How cool is that? And that their favorite FHE activity is having pretend church. Now if only that would carry over till Sunday. I love their sweet testimonies and their tender understanding of what is important in life. Their unwavering love and Christlike forgiveness. I'm working on living up to that. There are many reasons I could feel discouraged or weighed down in this life...but I don't. Because I choose to be a mom. I choose to be happy and have hope and faith. Aren't choices wonderful?
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
The Perfect Date
Haven't been on a date with your husband in 8 months or so? Here's the solution:
When the clip board is past around in Relief Society advertising a concert with the Portland Mormon Chorus and Symphony, don't wait to ask your husband about it...just order 2 tickets. He'll appreciate that you took the initiative to make it happen. Cause then he didn't have to. Done.
Get the babysitter arranged.
Done.
Night before the big date: Go to the church Christmas Party and stay out WAY past your kids bedtime so that they'll be extremely charming the next day!
Done.
It will all be fine. The 3 oldest kids will be asleep before the babysitter even arrives and she'll just have the pleasure of June's company.
Lucky for her.
Day of the concert: Grouchy kids, grumpy parents, too many chores on the "to do list", etc.
Mom says, "I don't care if you're tired and grouchy...you're not going to ruin this night for me! We're going on this date!"
*Normally, the boys don't take naps and are in bed by 7. But they are so tired and grumpy that I'm tempted to let them nap. But no! Then they'll be up for the babysitter and I just can't let her have to deal with all 4 kids...at bedtime! No, no naps!*
3pm: Dad takes the boys to the hardware store for a few items on the "to do list" and to get the boys out of the house. He's gone for about 10 minutes when the following occurs.
Nora is happily watching a show and I hear June screaming upstairs, so I run to get her.
In my younger days, when I was skinnier and didn't wear p.j's everyday, I was told, "you're so tall. you should be a model." As if that's the only requirement. Well, my response was always, "Oh, I'm much too graceful for that."
I'm quickly going to retrieve June. Quickly because I didn't put the gate up at the stairs when I came up and I didn't want Nora to follow me. In my haste, I forgot that I have size 11 feet and an abundant amount of "grace." So what happened?! Tell us already! OK! June was asleep in a bouncy chair next to my bed. I ran in the room and kicked the bed post - HARD! And in one fluid motion flung onto the bed. And as I'm trying not to scream out in pain I think that the loud crack I heard was either the bed post or my foot. I'm guessing that the bed won that contest. But because Pat isn't home and June is still crying and Nora downstairs able to come up at anytime, I still have to pretend I'm fine. Nope, the pain is awful! I hobbled to find the phone to call Pat and have him hurry home. And then I managed to scoot down the stairs to make sure Nora stays safe. That stubborn girl. Why won't she learn how to use the stairs safely?! She thinks that should be able to walk up them like her brothers. She can't. She falls a lot. It hurts. Doesn't seem to matter.
What about the date? The tickets? The babysitter?!
Because I'm the mom, I still have to function. I still have to change diapers and make dinner and get kids to bed. Of course Pat helped. He's awesome. But with 4 little ones, it takes two people. The kids were still rotten but we were able to get them to bed early. Pat went and picked up the babysitter while I showered and got ready. We still left together, without kids. We just had a different destination. The 24 hour Urgent Care. We still sat next to each other and held hands while we watched some gross Law and Order. Then went for x-rays to confirm 2 broken bones. How Romantic!
All along I was worried about the kids ruining the date. Guess I took care of that just fine. In my last post where I was whining about Pat working too much, the last sentence was me saying I needed a break. Not literally!!
I'll spare pictures cause no one needs to see those - yuck! I didn't need a cast. Just a lot of tape and a special shoe. A real cute number that is opened toed. Perfect for the snow yesterday when we went to church and the 25 degree weather today. I have to wear it for about a month. Suppose I should buy thicker socks? No worries. It doesn't really hurt. Until the end of the day after I've gone up and down the stairs 30 or so times. And met all the other needs around here.
*SIGH*
Maybe its better if we don't go on any dates. No Way! Ones of these days...when the kids are grown and we're empty nesters?! That would be cool.
The End
When the clip board is past around in Relief Society advertising a concert with the Portland Mormon Chorus and Symphony, don't wait to ask your husband about it...just order 2 tickets. He'll appreciate that you took the initiative to make it happen. Cause then he didn't have to. Done.
Get the babysitter arranged.
Done.
Night before the big date: Go to the church Christmas Party and stay out WAY past your kids bedtime so that they'll be extremely charming the next day!
Done.
It will all be fine. The 3 oldest kids will be asleep before the babysitter even arrives and she'll just have the pleasure of June's company.
Lucky for her.
Day of the concert: Grouchy kids, grumpy parents, too many chores on the "to do list", etc.
Mom says, "I don't care if you're tired and grouchy...you're not going to ruin this night for me! We're going on this date!"
*Normally, the boys don't take naps and are in bed by 7. But they are so tired and grumpy that I'm tempted to let them nap. But no! Then they'll be up for the babysitter and I just can't let her have to deal with all 4 kids...at bedtime! No, no naps!*
3pm: Dad takes the boys to the hardware store for a few items on the "to do list" and to get the boys out of the house. He's gone for about 10 minutes when the following occurs.
Nora is happily watching a show and I hear June screaming upstairs, so I run to get her.
In my younger days, when I was skinnier and didn't wear p.j's everyday, I was told, "you're so tall. you should be a model." As if that's the only requirement. Well, my response was always, "Oh, I'm much too graceful for that."
I'm quickly going to retrieve June. Quickly because I didn't put the gate up at the stairs when I came up and I didn't want Nora to follow me. In my haste, I forgot that I have size 11 feet and an abundant amount of "grace." So what happened?! Tell us already! OK! June was asleep in a bouncy chair next to my bed. I ran in the room and kicked the bed post - HARD! And in one fluid motion flung onto the bed. And as I'm trying not to scream out in pain I think that the loud crack I heard was either the bed post or my foot. I'm guessing that the bed won that contest. But because Pat isn't home and June is still crying and Nora downstairs able to come up at anytime, I still have to pretend I'm fine. Nope, the pain is awful! I hobbled to find the phone to call Pat and have him hurry home. And then I managed to scoot down the stairs to make sure Nora stays safe. That stubborn girl. Why won't she learn how to use the stairs safely?! She thinks that should be able to walk up them like her brothers. She can't. She falls a lot. It hurts. Doesn't seem to matter.
What about the date? The tickets? The babysitter?!
Because I'm the mom, I still have to function. I still have to change diapers and make dinner and get kids to bed. Of course Pat helped. He's awesome. But with 4 little ones, it takes two people. The kids were still rotten but we were able to get them to bed early. Pat went and picked up the babysitter while I showered and got ready. We still left together, without kids. We just had a different destination. The 24 hour Urgent Care. We still sat next to each other and held hands while we watched some gross Law and Order. Then went for x-rays to confirm 2 broken bones. How Romantic!
All along I was worried about the kids ruining the date. Guess I took care of that just fine. In my last post where I was whining about Pat working too much, the last sentence was me saying I needed a break. Not literally!!
I'll spare pictures cause no one needs to see those - yuck! I didn't need a cast. Just a lot of tape and a special shoe. A real cute number that is opened toed. Perfect for the snow yesterday when we went to church and the 25 degree weather today. I have to wear it for about a month. Suppose I should buy thicker socks? No worries. It doesn't really hurt. Until the end of the day after I've gone up and down the stairs 30 or so times. And met all the other needs around here.
*SIGH*
Maybe its better if we don't go on any dates. No Way! Ones of these days...when the kids are grown and we're empty nesters?! That would be cool.
The End
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
venting room
Just to preface: Majority of the people Pat works with are in Germany, or Taiwan, or India, Spain, CA, etc. So, he spends a good deal of time on the phone for his job.
An Email I would like to send, but obviously can't:
To Whom It May Concern,
My Husband tells me that he has been receiving calls informing him that he needs to be nicer on the phone and more patient with others that don't understand things as well as he does.
What do I have to say about this? First of all, he works ALL THE TIME! Except maybe a total of 3 hours every day. He does get a little sleep. Often interrupted by a new(ish) baby and a little boy who hears every sound and sees a lot of "bad pictures" or dreams.
Second, He hasn't had a day off since JULY! JULY, folks!
That means when our baby was born in September? Never took a full day off. When he had minor surgery a couple of weeks ago? He worked from his bed. Our Anniversary last night? On a phone meeting!
If you would like him to be more patient, nice and productive...unless there is a "fire" or an "end of the word" catastrophe - he'll be back Monday!
Regards,
A Tired Wife
*** In case anyone thinks I have completely lost my mind, I am very grateful that he has a job. And that he does work so hard for us so that I don't have to. He just needs a break! Guess I do too!
An Email I would like to send, but obviously can't:
To Whom It May Concern,
My Husband tells me that he has been receiving calls informing him that he needs to be nicer on the phone and more patient with others that don't understand things as well as he does.
What do I have to say about this? First of all, he works ALL THE TIME! Except maybe a total of 3 hours every day. He does get a little sleep. Often interrupted by a new(ish) baby and a little boy who hears every sound and sees a lot of "bad pictures" or dreams.
Second, He hasn't had a day off since JULY! JULY, folks!
That means when our baby was born in September? Never took a full day off. When he had minor surgery a couple of weeks ago? He worked from his bed. Our Anniversary last night? On a phone meeting!
If you would like him to be more patient, nice and productive...unless there is a "fire" or an "end of the word" catastrophe - he'll be back Monday!
Regards,
A Tired Wife
*** In case anyone thinks I have completely lost my mind, I am very grateful that he has a job. And that he does work so hard for us so that I don't have to. He just needs a break! Guess I do too!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
I'm so glad when Daddy comes home
These kids sure do love their daddy.
Especially watching basketball together. I'm pretty sure June is saying, "Go Zags!"
How cute that they're holding hands!
While Pat was gone, I busied myself with making this skirt for Nora. My intentions were to wait and give it to her for Christmas but I thought it was way too cute (and I was a little proud of myself for doing it) that I HAD to give it to her right away. There are so many things you can do while wearing a big puffy tutu!
This last time of Pat being gone was surprisingly easy. Not easy really, but went really well compared to other times. The kids were we'll behaved, we played a lot, and basically just tried to have a good time to make the days go by faster. Which they did.
My new trick is to not let them have naps anymore
(not that Kyle would be cooperative to the idea of a nap anyway)
that way, they are asleep by 7!
You'd think that I would be able to get so much accomplished in those hours before I go to bed.
Not if June has her way!
That's HER time!
I don't mind, really. She doesn't get enough snuggling during the day.
So the evening hours are ours.
THANKSGIVING!!!
We had a real nice Thanksgiving.
Darin and Charla came down. We cooked for at least 6 hours straight. Ate A LOT of delish foods. Then played...trains...and more trains!
We really enjoy having Dad home. He has even ignored work for the last couple of days
(not entirely - but mostly)
Hopefully he'll be here for awhile longer.
Have I mentioned how much I LOVE being a mom to these crazy kids?!
Have I mentioned how much I LOVE my husband?!
We are blessed!
(not that Kyle would be cooperative to the idea of a nap anyway)
that way, they are asleep by 7!
You'd think that I would be able to get so much accomplished in those hours before I go to bed.
Not if June has her way!
That's HER time!
I don't mind, really. She doesn't get enough snuggling during the day.
So the evening hours are ours.
THANKSGIVING!!!We had a real nice Thanksgiving.
Darin and Charla came down. We cooked for at least 6 hours straight. Ate A LOT of delish foods. Then played...trains...and more trains!
We really enjoy having Dad home. He has even ignored work for the last couple of days
(not entirely - but mostly)
Hopefully he'll be here for awhile longer.
Have I mentioned how much I LOVE being a mom to these crazy kids?!
Have I mentioned how much I LOVE my husband?!
We are blessed!
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