Several things have happened over the last couple of days that I wish to share, unfortunately time is precious these days and I find that blogging is not the top priority and when I have opportunity, I only have one hand to type with usually and I hate typing one-handed. Of course, right this second I have time and I’m wasting it by all this nonsense I’ve just mentioned when I could be writing something worthwhile, so I’ll leap into my several stories of worth.
Jonathon yesterday was told by Brandon to go get some pants from upstairs to change into. Jonathon whined and said, “I want help, I’m scared.” Brandon replied that he would help and Jonathon said, “No, I don’t want your help, Jesus will help me.” Then as Jonathon went up the dark stairs, Brandon overheard him praying, “Dear Jesus, please help me get my pants…ok *sigh* Amen.”
I wish I remembered to come to Jesus more often with those little needs before they got to be big issues!
This week has been VERY wet and Brandon has been having to cut the grass anyway. A couple of times he has come in sopping wet declaring that it is raining so hard that even though he was willing to cut in the rain, the grass simply won’t cut. When he came in yesterday completely drenched he reminded me of a picture: Remember the llama in “The Emperor’s New Groove”, sitting in the middle of the woods in the rain? Brandon looked just like that- ears and all! J If you haven’t seen it, or you can’t remember what I’m talking about, you should watch it just for a good laugh at the comparrison!
Next comment:
Ruth told me today: Mary, I wish you were pregnant again.
My thoughts:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!- enough said.
I had some other things to write, but that last one traumatized me so much that I forgot all the other interesting things I was going to share. If I remember them later, I’ll try to fill you in.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Supper with Screaming Serenade
This evening at dinner was the first time in a while that I truly felt like I was about to be smothered by noise. Most evenings in our house, dinner time is a relaxed, calm, friendly, polite event where people use their best manners, eat daintily, have a single conversation that interests everyone and then gleefully clean up the kitchen together. Ok, maybe it's not that great...
Usually, Jeff is busy stuffing his mouth with his entire plateful of food and fist at once, James is telling an intense and thoroughly violent story, and Jonathon is saying something like, "Mama, can you please cut this pasta into one inch pieces, because 2 inch pieces just get me way too messy." (That was only slightly exaggerated) Then usually, Brandon and I are having a converasation. But all in all, people are happy and for us that's a calm meal and it goes ok.
TONIGHT, it was rather crazy...
First, we have extra people, so we don't all fit at the table together. I decided that to make extra space I would put Jonathon and James at a little kids table to the side and then the adults would have plenty of room. It's just the right size for them, but I've had to draw a line down the center to keep them from sword fighting with their spoons, and neither of them can scoot their own chair up to the table, so in order to get close enough, they pull the table toward themselves and thereby, pulling it away from the other child. So, tug-o-war with the table insues. Between those things and Jonathon's desire to eat "properly" and James violent tales, that was quite the happening place in the kitchen this evening.
Second, Rachel is now in the picture and considers it a slight to her if she is not included in the family dinner. She stuck around for the social scene, but alas, she wanted the soapbox all to herself and let me know about it for the entire meal. Whaaaa!
Third, we had a salad course and Jeff decided that for this meal, he did not like salad. While he did sit there quietly, he would not eat his carrots (which I know he likes) and kept throwing his cup on the floor and smiling at me plesantly about it.
Fourth, the "extra" people were carrying on a conversation that I was involved in, but as I decided to quit listening to Rachel scream and nurse her instead, I couldn't get up to stop the sword fight, so I had to resort to sending silent messages to the opposite end of the table where Brandon was stationed so he would take care of it. All people in the middle of the table were totally oblivious to issues- but then they aren't the parents, so that's understandable- I'm not upset about that.
Fifth, I was trying to EAT! We were having some wonderful trout, but I needed two hands to get it off the bone, so I was stuck simply staring at it because at the time I had no hands (one holding/ feeding Rachel, the other trying to feed Jeff) Somehow, I did manage to eat a salad and part of a baked potato.
About 2/3 through the meal there was a sword fight going on, tug- of table war, Jonathon wanted a baked potato WITH butter, but WITHOUT sourcream, cut up, but not smashed and without the peel, James wanted fish, but not the salmon fillet he'd been served- the "real" fish with the eyeballs, Rachel was tired of eatting and therefore crying again, Jeff finally dumped his salad bowl out onto the table and began banging the dish with his spoon, my fish got terribly cold, there were two conversations going on at the adult table- neither of which I could concentrate on, James was saying something about going to town, and it was raining outside.
I realized at this point that I was slightly stressed and told Brandon that I was going into the bathroom and sit for 2 minutes regardless of the fact that I didn't really need to use the facilities and that I would be back soon. Ahhh.....Praise the Lord for bathrooms! A place to find solitude and refreshment, calmness and perspective, peace and ...ok, maybe it wasn't that great, but it did give me a long enough break to realize that things were ridiculous out there and I needed God's help to get through the rest of that meal without taking some heads off.
I asked and He answered. Everything didn't all suddenly change when I came out, but Brandon had mercifully taken over feeding Jeff (he mixed the salad with the baked potato and it disappeared into his cavernous mouth in a matter of seconds), took care of the boys fighting with a little stern parenting, and effectively cut the conversation topics at the table in half. I held Rachel and quit trying to eat and things went well.
After dinner, I dumped Rachel onto an innocent bystander and then sat down with a lovely plate of REHEATED trout and potato while the boys played and totally enjoyed my meal.
Whew! I'm glad all meals aren't this crazy, but I hope you all try it at least one like in your lifetime. It's an experience you don't want to miss!
Usually, Jeff is busy stuffing his mouth with his entire plateful of food and fist at once, James is telling an intense and thoroughly violent story, and Jonathon is saying something like, "Mama, can you please cut this pasta into one inch pieces, because 2 inch pieces just get me way too messy." (That was only slightly exaggerated) Then usually, Brandon and I are having a converasation. But all in all, people are happy and for us that's a calm meal and it goes ok.
TONIGHT, it was rather crazy...
First, we have extra people, so we don't all fit at the table together. I decided that to make extra space I would put Jonathon and James at a little kids table to the side and then the adults would have plenty of room. It's just the right size for them, but I've had to draw a line down the center to keep them from sword fighting with their spoons, and neither of them can scoot their own chair up to the table, so in order to get close enough, they pull the table toward themselves and thereby, pulling it away from the other child. So, tug-o-war with the table insues. Between those things and Jonathon's desire to eat "properly" and James violent tales, that was quite the happening place in the kitchen this evening.
Second, Rachel is now in the picture and considers it a slight to her if she is not included in the family dinner. She stuck around for the social scene, but alas, she wanted the soapbox all to herself and let me know about it for the entire meal. Whaaaa!
Third, we had a salad course and Jeff decided that for this meal, he did not like salad. While he did sit there quietly, he would not eat his carrots (which I know he likes) and kept throwing his cup on the floor and smiling at me plesantly about it.
Fourth, the "extra" people were carrying on a conversation that I was involved in, but as I decided to quit listening to Rachel scream and nurse her instead, I couldn't get up to stop the sword fight, so I had to resort to sending silent messages to the opposite end of the table where Brandon was stationed so he would take care of it. All people in the middle of the table were totally oblivious to issues- but then they aren't the parents, so that's understandable- I'm not upset about that.
Fifth, I was trying to EAT! We were having some wonderful trout, but I needed two hands to get it off the bone, so I was stuck simply staring at it because at the time I had no hands (one holding/ feeding Rachel, the other trying to feed Jeff) Somehow, I did manage to eat a salad and part of a baked potato.
About 2/3 through the meal there was a sword fight going on, tug- of table war, Jonathon wanted a baked potato WITH butter, but WITHOUT sourcream, cut up, but not smashed and without the peel, James wanted fish, but not the salmon fillet he'd been served- the "real" fish with the eyeballs, Rachel was tired of eatting and therefore crying again, Jeff finally dumped his salad bowl out onto the table and began banging the dish with his spoon, my fish got terribly cold, there were two conversations going on at the adult table- neither of which I could concentrate on, James was saying something about going to town, and it was raining outside.
I realized at this point that I was slightly stressed and told Brandon that I was going into the bathroom and sit for 2 minutes regardless of the fact that I didn't really need to use the facilities and that I would be back soon. Ahhh.....Praise the Lord for bathrooms! A place to find solitude and refreshment, calmness and perspective, peace and ...ok, maybe it wasn't that great, but it did give me a long enough break to realize that things were ridiculous out there and I needed God's help to get through the rest of that meal without taking some heads off.
I asked and He answered. Everything didn't all suddenly change when I came out, but Brandon had mercifully taken over feeding Jeff (he mixed the salad with the baked potato and it disappeared into his cavernous mouth in a matter of seconds), took care of the boys fighting with a little stern parenting, and effectively cut the conversation topics at the table in half. I held Rachel and quit trying to eat and things went well.
After dinner, I dumped Rachel onto an innocent bystander and then sat down with a lovely plate of REHEATED trout and potato while the boys played and totally enjoyed my meal.
Whew! I'm glad all meals aren't this crazy, but I hope you all try it at least one like in your lifetime. It's an experience you don't want to miss!
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Today's Happenings
Today has been quite a busy day. It began this morning with showers for all. For some reason we decided to avoid this routine last night and waited until this morning to tackle it. When Sunday morning rolls around, I’m never quite sure WHY we didn’t clean the children the night before because it always makes getting ready for church a little more crazy. But that’s what we did- and they came out sparkling clean and stayed that way for about 30 seconds when noses started running again and the snot began to find itself smeared onto various body parts for relief because Mama just isn’t fast enough with the tissue. Someone should make this a course for college or something- physical education elective: Speed Swiping! Ok, so the kids went off to church and weren’t that dirty really. Then at lunch they added soup to the bibs- I’m so glad they had on bibs! Down for their naps they went and I spent the afternoon doing laundry, preparing the house, and making dinner since my Dad and Ruth- my little sister were coming.
After naps, the boys got up and played. James spent a good while declaring that he was Mrs. Nesbit and then changed to wanting to be called “Princess Drool”. For those of you who think these names are insignificant, you have obviously not watched Toy Story enough times. Anyway, he was having a lot of fun. Jonathon didn’t wake up until it was dinnertime. I think he was recovering from his mountain climb yesterday. Jeff just walked around and lusted after dinner as it was being prepared.
Well, the family arrived and I’m so glad to have more people up here to use my Southern hospitality with. Truly, I enjoy having company and even though it’s work, I would rather have people than silence on most days- ok, let’s clarify that…little people can get tiring after a while without some adult interaction- it’s the adult stuff that I find so appealing.
The last thing I’ll mention about the day is that this is the week I begin acting like a mother again. I must now awake from dream world and let reality settle back in. I am trusting that God will help me effectively care for all the wonderful blessings I’ve been given, and do it with a good attitude! So, hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to work I go.
After naps, the boys got up and played. James spent a good while declaring that he was Mrs. Nesbit and then changed to wanting to be called “Princess Drool”. For those of you who think these names are insignificant, you have obviously not watched Toy Story enough times. Anyway, he was having a lot of fun. Jonathon didn’t wake up until it was dinnertime. I think he was recovering from his mountain climb yesterday. Jeff just walked around and lusted after dinner as it was being prepared.
Well, the family arrived and I’m so glad to have more people up here to use my Southern hospitality with. Truly, I enjoy having company and even though it’s work, I would rather have people than silence on most days- ok, let’s clarify that…little people can get tiring after a while without some adult interaction- it’s the adult stuff that I find so appealing.
The last thing I’ll mention about the day is that this is the week I begin acting like a mother again. I must now awake from dream world and let reality settle back in. I am trusting that God will help me effectively care for all the wonderful blessings I’ve been given, and do it with a good attitude! So, hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to work I go.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Wherein I ramble about varioius things
Ramble 1: The other day Diane T. was calling James in from outside. When she called a couple of times, he hollered back from the sand box, "I'm innocent!" (Oh really?!?)
Ramble 2: I think that the "Five and Dime" store should be upgraded to the "Eighty-eight cents" store. At least that seems to be Wal-Mart's idea. I'm not griping about inflation, just pointing out facts. Which, speaking of facts, $.88 water guns are a great buy for little boys who need some new entertainment. They sparked all sorts of creativity today.
They squirted each other, "killed" the trees and rocks, all flowers became enemies of the foursome force here, and then they turned on each other for a battle to the death...ok, maybe just unto the thoroughly saturated clothing. When thirsty, they shot themselves in the mouth and then we had all sorts of variations on the play- a) jumping up and down in the water bucket that fills the guns, b) shooting Mama through the screen door inside the kitchen, c) everybody get James cause he likes it d) nobody squirt Jonathon cause he doesn't like it e) squirt Mr. Hansen- which I think is a bad idea because he takes revenge on little people :-) , f) spraying the hose all over the driveway instead of filling up the water gun, g) I suppose I could go on, but I would have to work hard now and I don't want to.
Seriously, you should all consider an investment in this quality entertainment. $.88 is a hard bargain to beat!
Ramble 3: I have a mere three days before I loose my oldest slave. Please, everyone mourn with me... and send flowers too. No, seriously, I have been very blessed with some great help since Rachel's birth and Jane will be leaving at the end of this week. I don't know what I would have done without her. I still don't think she came from the same family as the rest of us, she doesn't really do any typical things- like argue, have intense opinions, or drink coffee, so who's is she??? We may never know, but I'll keep her. I suppose she looks enough like us that we have to claim her anyway.
Ramble 4: I have nasty secret that could possibly be used as blackmail on Brandon, but since he would just pull out something much nastier to use on me, I'll just tell you that this evening he hung his sunglasses on the fire alarm- sprinkler head thingy in our kitchen. He thinks this is a good place to store them! For all you recent Fairwood grads...now you know... he HAS done something wrong- once.
Ramble 5: Recently, Brandon has been trying to get Jonathon to say, "God is not the author of confusion!" and then bang his fist on the table authoritativly. Most times, Jonathon just says something like, "God is not confusion" and James mimicks, "God has a contusion!" They mostly just want to pound their fists I think.
Ramble 6: I wish I could have gotten a good picture of what was taking place outside the window here just now, but alas, the camera battery is currently DEAD! Ok, so I'll tell you instead.
Picture this: Three boys lined up- James looking fierce with his yellos squirt gun that's too hard for him to shoot. He's on the left. Jonathon, with a purple squirt gun (half empty- they only hold about three tablespoons anyway), slightly concerned that he may get wet on the right. And....drum roll please... Goliath in the middle...ok, ok, that's what my children probably thought, but really it was Clyde- with two squirt guns (there, that makes it scary). So anyway, there they are, sauntering down the driveway, looking like they've been riding horses for days and out pops the masked evil ANT of DEATH...I mean AUNT of DEATH. She's clad in her light blue chaps and a shirt made of pure steel, with her face shield properly in place...uh...err...swim goggles- yeah. And eeeek, she has a stick, I mean long scary big sword with which to slice you into a thousand chunks if you but sniff in her direction. So, the fight begins, and lo and behold, Goliath and the Philistines win and send the AoD (aod...hmmm...sounds like a scary Tolkein figure) screaming back to her cave- my house, that is, looking for recruits, where she finds none. The guys win the day and are begging for more.
Mostly, I just wanted you to know how silly my sister looked :-), but she was dutifully entertaining my children, so it's justified...sort of. Hehe
Ok, now I must go do more motherly things, like send my children off to bed under the threat of impending doom upon their bodies if they choose to resist or even chirp a negative sound in my general direction. Ok, really, I might just tell them it's time to come inside.
Have a lovely...
Ramble 2: I think that the "Five and Dime" store should be upgraded to the "Eighty-eight cents" store. At least that seems to be Wal-Mart's idea. I'm not griping about inflation, just pointing out facts. Which, speaking of facts, $.88 water guns are a great buy for little boys who need some new entertainment. They sparked all sorts of creativity today.
They squirted each other, "killed" the trees and rocks, all flowers became enemies of the foursome force here, and then they turned on each other for a battle to the death...ok, maybe just unto the thoroughly saturated clothing. When thirsty, they shot themselves in the mouth and then we had all sorts of variations on the play- a) jumping up and down in the water bucket that fills the guns, b) shooting Mama through the screen door inside the kitchen, c) everybody get James cause he likes it d) nobody squirt Jonathon cause he doesn't like it e) squirt Mr. Hansen- which I think is a bad idea because he takes revenge on little people :-) , f) spraying the hose all over the driveway instead of filling up the water gun, g) I suppose I could go on, but I would have to work hard now and I don't want to.
Seriously, you should all consider an investment in this quality entertainment. $.88 is a hard bargain to beat!
Ramble 3: I have a mere three days before I loose my oldest slave. Please, everyone mourn with me... and send flowers too. No, seriously, I have been very blessed with some great help since Rachel's birth and Jane will be leaving at the end of this week. I don't know what I would have done without her. I still don't think she came from the same family as the rest of us, she doesn't really do any typical things- like argue, have intense opinions, or drink coffee, so who's is she??? We may never know, but I'll keep her. I suppose she looks enough like us that we have to claim her anyway.
Ramble 4: I have nasty secret that could possibly be used as blackmail on Brandon, but since he would just pull out something much nastier to use on me, I'll just tell you that this evening he hung his sunglasses on the fire alarm- sprinkler head thingy in our kitchen. He thinks this is a good place to store them! For all you recent Fairwood grads...now you know... he HAS done something wrong- once.
Ramble 5: Recently, Brandon has been trying to get Jonathon to say, "God is not the author of confusion!" and then bang his fist on the table authoritativly. Most times, Jonathon just says something like, "God is not confusion" and James mimicks, "God has a contusion!" They mostly just want to pound their fists I think.
Ramble 6: I wish I could have gotten a good picture of what was taking place outside the window here just now, but alas, the camera battery is currently DEAD! Ok, so I'll tell you instead.
Picture this: Three boys lined up- James looking fierce with his yellos squirt gun that's too hard for him to shoot. He's on the left. Jonathon, with a purple squirt gun (half empty- they only hold about three tablespoons anyway), slightly concerned that he may get wet on the right. And....drum roll please... Goliath in the middle...ok, ok, that's what my children probably thought, but really it was Clyde- with two squirt guns (there, that makes it scary). So anyway, there they are, sauntering down the driveway, looking like they've been riding horses for days and out pops the masked evil ANT of DEATH...I mean AUNT of DEATH. She's clad in her light blue chaps and a shirt made of pure steel, with her face shield properly in place...uh...err...swim goggles- yeah. And eeeek, she has a stick, I mean long scary big sword with which to slice you into a thousand chunks if you but sniff in her direction. So, the fight begins, and lo and behold, Goliath and the Philistines win and send the AoD (aod...hmmm...sounds like a scary Tolkein figure) screaming back to her cave- my house, that is, looking for recruits, where she finds none. The guys win the day and are begging for more.
Mostly, I just wanted you to know how silly my sister looked :-), but she was dutifully entertaining my children, so it's justified...sort of. Hehe
Ok, now I must go do more motherly things, like send my children off to bed under the threat of impending doom upon their bodies if they choose to resist or even chirp a negative sound in my general direction. Ok, really, I might just tell them it's time to come inside.
Have a lovely...
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Want a snack??
Recently we've been adding to our collection of things frozen in the freezer. If you come over soon however, don't go chomping at the first thing in sight. It might be a bug! Actually, I think I might be close to having more bugs in my freezer than food. Let me 'splain.
Diane, who has blessed us with her presence for about a month now is required to create a bug collection for her schooling this fall. She has to have 50 insects and, as I recently learned, that means the six-legged kind. No caterpillars, spiders, or cute little teddy bears. Only beetles, flies, bees, ants, and other miserable creatures that came with the curse. I now have about 14-15 of these detestible things in my freezer and everytime we are outside, the entire family is on the prowl for the new and interesting bug. Of course, the boys love it!
So the moral of the story is...um...hang on here, I'll come up with something...
Ok, uh...The moral is: You are what you eat! Don't eat the bugs- PLEASE!
Diane, who has blessed us with her presence for about a month now is required to create a bug collection for her schooling this fall. She has to have 50 insects and, as I recently learned, that means the six-legged kind. No caterpillars, spiders, or cute little teddy bears. Only beetles, flies, bees, ants, and other miserable creatures that came with the curse. I now have about 14-15 of these detestible things in my freezer and everytime we are outside, the entire family is on the prowl for the new and interesting bug. Of course, the boys love it!
So the moral of the story is...um...hang on here, I'll come up with something...
Ok, uh...The moral is: You are what you eat! Don't eat the bugs- PLEASE!
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Back in business
Ok, so we were gone for the weekend, hence the lack of information. Also, right now I'm trying to recover from the packing and unpacking, Jonathon having croup, and James working on potty training. Anybody want this job?? So, while I can't stop and write something great right now, hopefully we'll have updates soon on the activities of the fam again.
For those of you who are concerned...Jonathon is ok right now. He only had one terrible night (I got 2 hours of sleep) where he couldn't breathe. Last night was ok. He slept the whole night through and is only coughing during the day.
A big praise the Lord- Rachel has slept through the night the last two nights! (From about 10:30 to 5:00.) I was thrilled for two reasons- first, I got to sleep the second night (the first was the same night as Jonathon's episode), and second, I didn't have to work her into it, she just did it on her own, no crying for hours. I hope she keeps it up!!! This whole being pleasant thing is great for my nerves!
Ta-ta.
For those of you who are concerned...Jonathon is ok right now. He only had one terrible night (I got 2 hours of sleep) where he couldn't breathe. Last night was ok. He slept the whole night through and is only coughing during the day.
A big praise the Lord- Rachel has slept through the night the last two nights! (From about 10:30 to 5:00.) I was thrilled for two reasons- first, I got to sleep the second night (the first was the same night as Jonathon's episode), and second, I didn't have to work her into it, she just did it on her own, no crying for hours. I hope she keeps it up!!! This whole being pleasant thing is great for my nerves!
Ta-ta.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Pondering Mohawks
As I was finishing up Rachel's bath today I was reminded of the sudden thought I had in the middle of the night. I awoke thinking, "She should have a mohawk!" I should mention here that it is not unusual for me to have sudden random thoughts in the night, nor is it odd that I would think Rachel needed a mohawk. What was odd was that I disagreed with myself and I also resisted the urge to wake Brandon and tell him my fascinating revelation.
So, anyway, "to mohawk or not to mohawk"...well first I'll give you a brief description of what I'm talking about. A mohawk on an infant is done by simply brushing the hair on the sides of the top of the head towards the center, allowing the hair to stand up in a bit of a line. As the child gets older and only has a few wisps of hair that are about three inches long, then you comb those wisps up so that they come up and curl over. This looks sort of like a tunnel on the top of the child's head. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "That sounds stupid looking! WHY would she want to do that to her cute little girl? (see bath picture- she's cute) Well, it's all a result of my infamous past and the things my parents did to my sibling and me when we were little. I can't escape it! I AM A VICTIM!
Ok...well...I should mention that mohawks were only given to girls. It seems that was a helpful way of identifying male or female. I don't understand this, but I can accept it. So here I am, knowing that I had mohawks up until I was about nine because I never really had much hair! (just kidding- maybe 18mos) and my sisters- all of them had mohawks too. I was even conned into styling their hair on Sunday mornings for church and the mohawk was ALWAYS the way to go! No bows, headbands, or ribbons...only mohawks. (Some of you think I'm joking, that shows that you don't know the crazy family I'm from well enough.) Anyway, I've brushed up some mighty fine mohawks in my day and you can be sure that at this point in my life- even though I think it looks REALLY STUPID, I can't help noticing that my fingers have a strange desire to grab the baby brush and work little wonders on the top of Rachel's head. It's like an addiction that I had no idea of...beware...and be forewarned. If you see Rachel and she has a mohawk, then you will know three things: a) it's a girl (the pink frilly dress is for nothing), b) Rachel is going to be embarrassed over her baby pictures just as much as I was, and c) I'm turning into my Mother, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Happy Wednesday!
So, anyway, "to mohawk or not to mohawk"...well first I'll give you a brief description of what I'm talking about. A mohawk on an infant is done by simply brushing the hair on the sides of the top of the head towards the center, allowing the hair to stand up in a bit of a line. As the child gets older and only has a few wisps of hair that are about three inches long, then you comb those wisps up so that they come up and curl over. This looks sort of like a tunnel on the top of the child's head. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "That sounds stupid looking! WHY would she want to do that to her cute little girl? (see bath picture- she's cute) Well, it's all a result of my infamous past and the things my parents did to my sibling and me when we were little. I can't escape it! I AM A VICTIM!
Ok...well...I should mention that mohawks were only given to girls. It seems that was a helpful way of identifying male or female. I don't understand this, but I can accept it. So here I am, knowing that I had mohawks up until I was about nine because I never really had much hair! (just kidding- maybe 18mos) and my sisters- all of them had mohawks too. I was even conned into styling their hair on Sunday mornings for church and the mohawk was ALWAYS the way to go! No bows, headbands, or ribbons...only mohawks. (Some of you think I'm joking, that shows that you don't know the crazy family I'm from well enough.) Anyway, I've brushed up some mighty fine mohawks in my day and you can be sure that at this point in my life- even though I think it looks REALLY STUPID, I can't help noticing that my fingers have a strange desire to grab the baby brush and work little wonders on the top of Rachel's head. It's like an addiction that I had no idea of...beware...and be forewarned. If you see Rachel and she has a mohawk, then you will know three things: a) it's a girl (the pink frilly dress is for nothing), b) Rachel is going to be embarrassed over her baby pictures just as much as I was, and c) I'm turning into my Mother, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Happy Wednesday!
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Watch out! I'll call you Ned!
This post is in honor of the lovely weather we've been having recently. Haha! (Sweat, sweat!)
In our house we have a book called "Snow!" It goes through the more interesting parts of winter activity on a preschool level, describing how much fun snow can be. You can eat snow, throw it, ski on it, and make igloos. Most importantly, you can make snowmen! In the book, these two children make a snowman and declare that he will be called, "Ned, but first he has to have a head." (I forgot to tell you the book rhymes.) Anyway, for some unexplainable reason Jonathon and James picked up on the name Ned and have decided that that was quite the evil put down. They cackle with a sinister sneer on their faces and then insult the other saying, "I'll call you NED!" Ooooooooh, stand back! Beware! I'm not sure what being called Ned results in, but it must be terrible.
So, this morning James jumped up on Brandon, on THE bed, sat on him and declared, "You're Ned!" Brandon didn't suddenly turn into and ogre, but I'm sure that given a few days, something odd will pop up in his character and it will all be because he's now NED!
In our house we have a book called "Snow!" It goes through the more interesting parts of winter activity on a preschool level, describing how much fun snow can be. You can eat snow, throw it, ski on it, and make igloos. Most importantly, you can make snowmen! In the book, these two children make a snowman and declare that he will be called, "Ned, but first he has to have a head." (I forgot to tell you the book rhymes.) Anyway, for some unexplainable reason Jonathon and James picked up on the name Ned and have decided that that was quite the evil put down. They cackle with a sinister sneer on their faces and then insult the other saying, "I'll call you NED!" Ooooooooh, stand back! Beware! I'm not sure what being called Ned results in, but it must be terrible.
So, this morning James jumped up on Brandon, on THE bed, sat on him and declared, "You're Ned!" Brandon didn't suddenly turn into and ogre, but I'm sure that given a few days, something odd will pop up in his character and it will all be because he's now NED!
Monday, June 13, 2005
Thursday, June 09, 2005
James' Monologue
As promised, I tried to catch a conversation with James and record it on paper so I could share it with you and give you an idea of his verbal overload. Someone suggested I have his talk on a phone, but that's way to technical for me. I plead incompetence. Sorry.
Anyway, here is a brief script of what James said about five minutes. This was immediately after he woke up from his nap. The scene is Brandon, James and I sitting at our dining room table. I'm writing furiously, Brandon is having an afternoon snack, and I offered James an afternoon snack also. He's having a mango-strawberry smoothie and a slice of banana bread. So, to make things more complicated, the entire conversation was completed WITH food in his mouth! Here goes:
James: The bread tastes like candy. It tastes like candy. All the kids can't have some right now. I have all of it. I have big stuff. I have a big stuff. Mama, I have a big stuff.
Mama: Uh huh.
James: I have a big one. I have a big one. Just like Daddy is. (referring to Daddy's smoothie) I have straight arms. I can drive to town. I can keep this arm, then I can paint.
(slurping noises) Mama, do you hear me wiggling?
Mama: Yeah.
James: I like your stuff. I like it. It's like candy. (smoothie) This is not for kids. (bread) (more slurping) Do you hear me wiggling fast, Daddy?
Daddy: m-hmm.
James: That's silly. Jonathon went to town. I couldn't find him. There's something in my room
A big thing in my room. I told it to wake up. I told Jonathon to wake up.
(change of subject, with no long pauses) I have a big plate. I have a big plate just like you. (slurp) This is not all gone. (smoothie) I'm gonna take this out (straw)- I put the straw right there. Right there. (drank the last of the smoothie) Daddy, see, it's all gone. It's all gone. I wanted to wake up. So, where's Aunt Diane? (referring to Diane Turner)
Mama: She's working.
James: Oh, I see her working. (she was not in the room) (Bird noise) Oh, I hear a bird in here. Can you kick it outside so it won't eat my food. (there is no food left on the plate at this point) I woke up so I can play. I'm going outside to play. (get's down while talking) I'm going outside to play with the shovel. I'm going outside to play with the blue shovel. (at the door and going out)
Daddy: ok
James: (Now outside with the door shutting behind him, walking away still talking) Hey Daddy, I like the lawn mower. I like it..... (Door shuts and he's gone.)
So there you have it. James in a nutshell. Just multiply this conversation times about 100 and you have what he does all the time. Ok, sometimes he does other things, but when he can, he talks.
Anyway, here is a brief script of what James said about five minutes. This was immediately after he woke up from his nap. The scene is Brandon, James and I sitting at our dining room table. I'm writing furiously, Brandon is having an afternoon snack, and I offered James an afternoon snack also. He's having a mango-strawberry smoothie and a slice of banana bread. So, to make things more complicated, the entire conversation was completed WITH food in his mouth! Here goes:
James: The bread tastes like candy. It tastes like candy. All the kids can't have some right now. I have all of it. I have big stuff. I have a big stuff. Mama, I have a big stuff.
Mama: Uh huh.
James: I have a big one. I have a big one. Just like Daddy is. (referring to Daddy's smoothie) I have straight arms. I can drive to town. I can keep this arm, then I can paint.
(slurping noises) Mama, do you hear me wiggling?
Mama: Yeah.
James: I like your stuff. I like it. It's like candy. (smoothie) This is not for kids. (bread) (more slurping) Do you hear me wiggling fast, Daddy?
Daddy: m-hmm.
James: That's silly. Jonathon went to town. I couldn't find him. There's something in my room
A big thing in my room. I told it to wake up. I told Jonathon to wake up.
(change of subject, with no long pauses) I have a big plate. I have a big plate just like you. (slurp) This is not all gone. (smoothie) I'm gonna take this out (straw)- I put the straw right there. Right there. (drank the last of the smoothie) Daddy, see, it's all gone. It's all gone. I wanted to wake up. So, where's Aunt Diane? (referring to Diane Turner)
Mama: She's working.
James: Oh, I see her working. (she was not in the room) (Bird noise) Oh, I hear a bird in here. Can you kick it outside so it won't eat my food. (there is no food left on the plate at this point) I woke up so I can play. I'm going outside to play. (get's down while talking) I'm going outside to play with the shovel. I'm going outside to play with the blue shovel. (at the door and going out)
Daddy: ok
James: (Now outside with the door shutting behind him, walking away still talking) Hey Daddy, I like the lawn mower. I like it..... (Door shuts and he's gone.)
So there you have it. James in a nutshell. Just multiply this conversation times about 100 and you have what he does all the time. Ok, sometimes he does other things, but when he can, he talks.
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Bugs, Babies, Breath takers, and and BOYS!
First, the breath takers. I gasp and close my eyes often over this one. I want to comment on the picture I uploaded, since I didn't actually explain anything in the caption box. This is BABY Jeff taking a trip down the slide. It's not his first trip and probably is more than his 50th too. He has no fear- just climbs right up, sits down and slides- provided there is someone at the bottom to catch him. A few times he has gotten to the top and sat there for a while waiting for some innocent bystander to waltz by and claim for his landing pad. He really enjoys this trick. The terrifying thing is that he's only 17 months old and he also slides down at about 75mph! One day he'll be a little more cautious, but I don't want to see what happens to encourage his caution!
Ok, so back to the subjects at hand...bugs! I think New Hampshire would be the ideal place if it weren't for insects. In fact, I think most places in the world could fall into that category- ideal if there were no insects! But really! These flies have got to go! They get stuck everywhere and leave little blood clots on my sons' heads, making them look much like products of a refugee camp with lice. I've decided that perhaps God sent insects with the curse, He didn't create them to begin with, only later so man would have to work and slap and work and swat. Just to work would be too easy! Anyway, they're out in full force these days.
As far as babies goes... Rachel is turning out to be a pretty good baby. After a week, we've decided we'll keep her. (There really isn't a return policy anyway.) Besides, Jonathon proclaimed her, "The BEST BABY IN THE WORLD!" the other night, so it's settled. Any of you who thought yours had that title have just been knocked down a notch.
And last- BOYS! Do you know they are very gross?? I mean just dirty and disgusting, especially after they've poured dirt on themselves and run around and buried the top of their head in the sand, and let bugs crawl on them, and run through pine sap with bare feet, and pick their nose- ewwww! How do we ever stand them? Ok, because the look cute after they've had their bath and are sleeping peacefully in their beds. Seriously though, I'm not sure they realize just how much love I have in order to be able to stand them when they look, smell, and feel like they came out of the ground three days ago, rolled in a puddle, and then ran around in the hot humid weather for a while to dry off!
It also takes a lot of love to accept that Jonathon (4) really does just want to have his breakfast in bed. He was up stealing food again early this morning. This had been an ongoing problem that we thought was coming to a close. Well, today he chose a nice large bag of pistachios and three snack size bags of M&Ms for part of his nutritious breakfast. I suppose that wasn't as bad as the morning that he mixed heavy cream and OJ, drank that and then topped it off with an entire pint of strawberries, nevertheless, it was discouraging to find it under his pillow. (I know the toothfairy didn't bring him pistachios!)
In defense of James (2 1/2) , since I haven't written anything about him yet, I must explain. He just talks. It's funny and we laugh and enjoy listening...about 7% of the time. But that is what he does right now...talk...and talk, and talk and talk...you understand. I would write down something that he says except I can't remember one thing for all the others that he says before I can process the first one. I'll try to pick something out of the auctioneer type running monologue that he does all day and share it with you, but it will be difficult.
Ok, so back to the subjects at hand...bugs! I think New Hampshire would be the ideal place if it weren't for insects. In fact, I think most places in the world could fall into that category- ideal if there were no insects! But really! These flies have got to go! They get stuck everywhere and leave little blood clots on my sons' heads, making them look much like products of a refugee camp with lice. I've decided that perhaps God sent insects with the curse, He didn't create them to begin with, only later so man would have to work and slap and work and swat. Just to work would be too easy! Anyway, they're out in full force these days.
As far as babies goes... Rachel is turning out to be a pretty good baby. After a week, we've decided we'll keep her. (There really isn't a return policy anyway.) Besides, Jonathon proclaimed her, "The BEST BABY IN THE WORLD!" the other night, so it's settled. Any of you who thought yours had that title have just been knocked down a notch.
And last- BOYS! Do you know they are very gross?? I mean just dirty and disgusting, especially after they've poured dirt on themselves and run around and buried the top of their head in the sand, and let bugs crawl on them, and run through pine sap with bare feet, and pick their nose- ewwww! How do we ever stand them? Ok, because the look cute after they've had their bath and are sleeping peacefully in their beds. Seriously though, I'm not sure they realize just how much love I have in order to be able to stand them when they look, smell, and feel like they came out of the ground three days ago, rolled in a puddle, and then ran around in the hot humid weather for a while to dry off!
It also takes a lot of love to accept that Jonathon (4) really does just want to have his breakfast in bed. He was up stealing food again early this morning. This had been an ongoing problem that we thought was coming to a close. Well, today he chose a nice large bag of pistachios and three snack size bags of M&Ms for part of his nutritious breakfast. I suppose that wasn't as bad as the morning that he mixed heavy cream and OJ, drank that and then topped it off with an entire pint of strawberries, nevertheless, it was discouraging to find it under his pillow. (I know the toothfairy didn't bring him pistachios!)
In defense of James (2 1/2) , since I haven't written anything about him yet, I must explain. He just talks. It's funny and we laugh and enjoy listening...about 7% of the time. But that is what he does right now...talk...and talk, and talk and talk...you understand. I would write down something that he says except I can't remember one thing for all the others that he says before I can process the first one. I'll try to pick something out of the auctioneer type running monologue that he does all day and share it with you, but it will be difficult.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Insights into a 4 year old's brain
Today I have had the privilege of obtaining a more detailed glimpse into what goes on in Jonathon's mind. He is learning to really think about things and make logical conclusions. I'll share two examples of his hard working thoughts.
First, this morning, Brandon was interacting with Jonathon and some how managed to cross his will. Normally, when his will is crossed, an immediate reaction occurs. Usually this reaction includes a drastic increase in volume level and pitch, sudden and spastic movements, new and interesting wrinkles and muscle exercise on the face, and general unpleasantness on behalf of the younger participant. This time he merely screwed up his face in a disgusted scowl and said, "Daddy, I'm going to say bad words to you!"
This is a prime example of a child realizing that what he is about to do is wrong and yet the flesh is strong enough to cause him to do it anyway. ...And people say they are born good....hmmm...
The second incident today involves naptime. Lately Jonathon has been having "quiet time" more frequently- a time to read books and be quiet in his room. However, today he was extra fussy this morning, so he was asked to take a nap instead. This is not an unusual request and he is familiar with the routine. He knows he is to stay on his bed and not get up until the "first number is a three" on his clock. We posted the time on the wall above the clock long ago so he would be able to recognize it and know when to come out of his room. He usually does this very well and today was especially smart.
You see, at exactly 1:27pm by my clock, he came out of his room dressed to play outside- sandals and all. He ran into my room with a look of glee spread about his face and a bit of excitement in his step. When he reached my bed where I was resting, he proclaimed, "Mama, the first number is a three!! My clock has a three! I can go outside and play now!"
I glanced again at my clock thinking perhaps he was looking at the second number instead, but as it was not yet 1:30, that logic failed. So I suggested we return to his room and look at his clock. We arrived to find that his clock did in fact have a three as the first number. The time read: 3:28pm. I quickly deduced that without any help from me, this child had reset his clock to the appropriate time for departing the dreaded room. I asked him if he had set his clock and he reluctantly confessed, went back to his bed, removed his sandals and resumed his nap. Smart little kid...too smart.
Two other side notes- we keep a can on his doorknob sometimes so we know if he's trying to sneak out. This week he figured out how to carefully open the door and remove the can before it hits the floor!
And second, lest you sensitive ones feel sorry for him that he had to continue his nap, he enjoyed watching Brandon cut the grass outside his window for a while. I know this because Brandon reported that on the first couple of rounds up and down the front lawn he saw Jonathon sitting at his window, elbows on the sill with his chin in his hands. The next round, Brandon noticed he was propped up on one elbow. A couple of rounds later, he was rubbing his eyes instead of propped up on his elbows. The next round he was yawning and rubbing his face. Finally, Brandon made a round and Jonathon was no longer in the window...asleep at last. Hopefully he'll still be in a good mood when he wakes up later.
First, this morning, Brandon was interacting with Jonathon and some how managed to cross his will. Normally, when his will is crossed, an immediate reaction occurs. Usually this reaction includes a drastic increase in volume level and pitch, sudden and spastic movements, new and interesting wrinkles and muscle exercise on the face, and general unpleasantness on behalf of the younger participant. This time he merely screwed up his face in a disgusted scowl and said, "Daddy, I'm going to say bad words to you!"
This is a prime example of a child realizing that what he is about to do is wrong and yet the flesh is strong enough to cause him to do it anyway. ...And people say they are born good....hmmm...
The second incident today involves naptime. Lately Jonathon has been having "quiet time" more frequently- a time to read books and be quiet in his room. However, today he was extra fussy this morning, so he was asked to take a nap instead. This is not an unusual request and he is familiar with the routine. He knows he is to stay on his bed and not get up until the "first number is a three" on his clock. We posted the time on the wall above the clock long ago so he would be able to recognize it and know when to come out of his room. He usually does this very well and today was especially smart.
You see, at exactly 1:27pm by my clock, he came out of his room dressed to play outside- sandals and all. He ran into my room with a look of glee spread about his face and a bit of excitement in his step. When he reached my bed where I was resting, he proclaimed, "Mama, the first number is a three!! My clock has a three! I can go outside and play now!"
I glanced again at my clock thinking perhaps he was looking at the second number instead, but as it was not yet 1:30, that logic failed. So I suggested we return to his room and look at his clock. We arrived to find that his clock did in fact have a three as the first number. The time read: 3:28pm. I quickly deduced that without any help from me, this child had reset his clock to the appropriate time for departing the dreaded room. I asked him if he had set his clock and he reluctantly confessed, went back to his bed, removed his sandals and resumed his nap. Smart little kid...too smart.
Two other side notes- we keep a can on his doorknob sometimes so we know if he's trying to sneak out. This week he figured out how to carefully open the door and remove the can before it hits the floor!
And second, lest you sensitive ones feel sorry for him that he had to continue his nap, he enjoyed watching Brandon cut the grass outside his window for a while. I know this because Brandon reported that on the first couple of rounds up and down the front lawn he saw Jonathon sitting at his window, elbows on the sill with his chin in his hands. The next round, Brandon noticed he was propped up on one elbow. A couple of rounds later, he was rubbing his eyes instead of propped up on his elbows. The next round he was yawning and rubbing his face. Finally, Brandon made a round and Jonathon was no longer in the window...asleep at last. Hopefully he'll still be in a good mood when he wakes up later.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Sleeping Like a Baby
I've decided that there are two ways of looking at this particular statement. The first refers to the nighttime routine in which case, babiness has very little to do with sleeping! I read a comment recently that stated, "Anyone who says they slept like a baby, must not have one!"
This baby, like many others came into the world with a desire to party at night. She wants to be awake, active, wiggling, and by the way, "can we please have the light on too?" The first night was understandable, she was new to this and was getting familiar with her surroundings. The second night she had the grand tour of the hallways and byways of our living quarters and a more detailed look into the fine interior design efforts in her father's office. After about five hours of touring and question/answer sessions (I questioned: Why won't you sleep?, She answered: Whaaa!), she finally drifted into a peaceful slumber just as light was dawning! This particular night, I think she's just so desirous to see her mother's beautiful face that she can't stand to let her eyelids cover such a grand site... or maybe it has more to do with the other side of "sleeping like a baby" that occurred earlier today.
Definition of sleeping like a baby no.2: to be in such a state of deep slumber that even a band of wild Indians carrying cymbals and dancing on your forehead would not cause the slightest twitch from any part of your body.
During the day, for most of the morning, this was the state of our little one. Wouldn't it be grand if there were times when we, as adults, could sleep soundly through things such as: changing clothes, relocating ourselves in a room, having cold water splashed in our face, being poked, prodded, and tickled continuously for half an hour, and many other wakeful interruptions? Or better yet, perhaps our abilities in this area could actually improve with age, not unlike our abilities to brush our teeth correctly do! Perhaps then, we could achieve the level of super sleepdom and perform such feats as cooking breakfast while still remaining completely unconscious. Come to think of it, I'm sure I've actually been in this situation before, but maybe I could perfect the habit, so that I feel rested afterwards! Anyway, sleeping like a baby from this perspective leaves signs such as, "Do not Disturb" without a real place in life and we certainly don't want to put the signs out of business!
Well, looks like the baby has decided to take a snooze, so I'm off to practice the new techniques of sleeping like one myself, preferably the second definition...
"Goodnight!"
This baby, like many others came into the world with a desire to party at night. She wants to be awake, active, wiggling, and by the way, "can we please have the light on too?" The first night was understandable, she was new to this and was getting familiar with her surroundings. The second night she had the grand tour of the hallways and byways of our living quarters and a more detailed look into the fine interior design efforts in her father's office. After about five hours of touring and question/answer sessions (I questioned: Why won't you sleep?, She answered: Whaaa!), she finally drifted into a peaceful slumber just as light was dawning! This particular night, I think she's just so desirous to see her mother's beautiful face that she can't stand to let her eyelids cover such a grand site... or maybe it has more to do with the other side of "sleeping like a baby" that occurred earlier today.
Definition of sleeping like a baby no.2: to be in such a state of deep slumber that even a band of wild Indians carrying cymbals and dancing on your forehead would not cause the slightest twitch from any part of your body.
During the day, for most of the morning, this was the state of our little one. Wouldn't it be grand if there were times when we, as adults, could sleep soundly through things such as: changing clothes, relocating ourselves in a room, having cold water splashed in our face, being poked, prodded, and tickled continuously for half an hour, and many other wakeful interruptions? Or better yet, perhaps our abilities in this area could actually improve with age, not unlike our abilities to brush our teeth correctly do! Perhaps then, we could achieve the level of super sleepdom and perform such feats as cooking breakfast while still remaining completely unconscious. Come to think of it, I'm sure I've actually been in this situation before, but maybe I could perfect the habit, so that I feel rested afterwards! Anyway, sleeping like a baby from this perspective leaves signs such as, "Do not Disturb" without a real place in life and we certainly don't want to put the signs out of business!
Well, looks like the baby has decided to take a snooze, so I'm off to practice the new techniques of sleeping like one myself, preferably the second definition...
"Goodnight!"
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