Molasses

I haven't posted because my computer has been slower than molasses. Speaking of things being slower than molasses, I am even slower than my computer. I am definitely not sharp or quick-witted. But I am a natural blond...even though my kids think my hair is brown. Anyway, it occurred to me, Mindy, as I was changing my blog layout (BTW- do you like it?)..I guess I need to change the title of my blog- with the word 'CRAZY" being abolished and all.....

'Tis the Season

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. I know I did. It's weird, but I am feeling more in the Christmas spirit now that the big day has come and gone. Randy has been so busy at work, that it was all I could do to keep up with normal life...let alone decorate the house. So, I never hung the garland or stockings, and I only put out a couple small nativities. We got the tree up right after Thanksgiving and then- BAM! Randy was slammed at work and so even though I kept meaning to do all those things, there was always something more pressing. It doesn't help that on three different occasions, I needed Randy to get the boxes down from the hanging shelves in the garage. Each time he went up there, he didn't get all the boxes. And there was a week between each trip up....can you see why? I feel bad, nonetheless. But...I did get this!.....

That is why my post last Thursday was actually EARLY Friday morning. I had to shampoo the carpets before the new furniture arrived the next morning. I certainly can't clean carpet with kids running around, so I waited until after bedtime to begin cleaning. Silly me, my plan didn't work. The kids had no school Friday and I was smart enough to agree to let them stay up and watch a movie...while Randy was working on his laptop in the living room. I didn't get started until 10:00 and if you know my kids, they don't fall asleep during movies. No matter what time it is. So, they were curious and it took longer than needed.

Can I tell you how long I have waited for new couches?! Let me just say that we rescued the old set from someone's garage (they were on their way to the dump) 9 years ago! So I have wanted new ones for about 8 years. The stuffing came out of the big holes in the arm rests years ago. And I made covers just so it wasn't so obvious. I am so excited. A little neurotic, but I love them. The kids are probably wishing for the old ones back that Mom didn't care what happened to them. Go ahead, eat popcorn on them. Use the cushions for a fort. Not on these, my friend. The rules have changed. Eat your popcorn on the floor, on a blanket. And wash your hands and face before you get back on the sofa. Don't lay on the foot rests. Don't wipe your nose on them. And whatever you do- don't bleed on them (Nathan). Too late. I had them all of 3 hours. I was testing out the reclining feature and taking a little siesta. When I was abruptly awakened by my precious walking accident:

Nathan: (crying) Mom! Mom! Get me a Bandaid. (as he forces my eyelids open)

Me: (resisting, and still half asleep) What's the matter? Just let me rest a few more minutes.

Now, this is something I learned from my own dear mom. 'a few minutes' in mommy talk is really a few hours. ;)

Nathan: Mom! I'm bleeding.

Me: (suddenly realizing I am on my new couch, and he is right next to me...) WHERE?!!

Nathan: Right here (pointing to his toe that is sitting right on the plush cushion)

Me: (as I fling him off the couch- onto the clean carpet) AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

Thank goodness that microfiber really lives up to it's reputation. it came right off. Nathan is pretty lucky it did...I mean, Nathan is lucky he wasn't hurt too bad...his toe, that is.

We had a good Christmas. It started Christmas Eve when we exchanged our homemade gifts to each other. This is a tradition we started last year and we LOVE IT! We draw names and have to make a gift for that person. The best part is seeing what the kids come up with. And then how excited they are to present that gift to their brother or sister, or mom or dad.

Dad to Mom: A "Macho Man Co.: Scrapbook (I'll post pictures of all these later! This was awesome!)

Mom to Hailey: some scrapbook pages of her birthday for her new album.

Casey to Dad: A poem

Hailey to Nathan: a tote bag for church

Tyler to Emma: A book titled, "The Eight Bears" (In his first edition, the only thing he could think of that rhymed with 'two', is 'poo'- Leave it to a 7 year-old boy!)

Hannah to Casey: a painted/ wood burned wooden box for his harmonicas

Nathan to Hannah: a bead bracelet and necklace with her name

Emma to Tyler: a 'hand print cheetah' -very cute!

They all slept in Hailey's room except Emma. They did much better going to sleep this year than the last time we let them all sleep together. maybe because they knew we were serious. Last year we made them all sleep in their own beds. They played "the quiet game" until everyone fell asleep[. But Casey usually can't contain himself and is the first to blow. Christmas morning. Hailey told me how Nathan thanked Casey for not making any noise. :)

Randy and I stayed up way too late. I was obviously feeling the effects of a few too many late nights, as I was finishing up a last minute gift (leave it to me!) and I sliced my finger open with my rotary cutter. This came only minutes after grazing my hand on the same blade. I probably should have gone to for stitches as it was still bleeding the next day. But I had too much to do, so I wrapped a couple Bandaids on kept going. I kept bleeding on the present, though and had to let Randy handle most of the wrapping.

Santa spoiled the kids. Casey got an electric guitar. It is pretty cool. It has no strings (yeah) and it teaches you how to play. He has not put it down and has gotten quite good at it. We gave him an air-soft gun and a tool box- the idea being, that he'll stay out of Randy's! My parents sent him a "shrunken head" made out of a coconut- WAY COOL!

Hailey got a tent and sleeping bag for her AG. She was excited about that. It has a real working 'lantern' and marshmallow/hotdog roaster, too! My parents gave her a necklace with a little silver flip-flop on it.We gave her scrapbooking stuff and a go anywhere karaoke microphone.

Tyler asked for a cheetah and 'cheetah crib'. Santa's elves, I'm told, made s special order just for Tyler. They had never had anyone ask for one before. We gave him an RC tarantula and a marble run. But Tyler's favorite gift was his coconut shrunken head.

The elves also found the dog Hannah wanted. And the dog house! She also got some Littlest Petshops and a watch. She got a little Hawaiian surfer doll and paper dolls from my parents.

Nathan got a pirate train. Which I find kind of strange that pirates and trains go together, but hey, Nathan loves both, so it works! We got a pirate ship and a good ol' fashioned jack-in-the-box. He loves his sea turtle from Hawaii.

Emma got a baby and a stroller that she became quite possessive right off the bat! Her Hawaiian dolls' name is Emma, too. Didn't know it was a Hawaiian name, but it is so cute! I made her a new blanket, and she LOVES the corn popper (so does Nathan...too bad I got the cute pink one!)

Randy got me some new Crocs (yeah!) They are the fuzzy lined ones for cold weather. I love them! And he got me some clothes. Santa brought me a gift card to Old Navy and some bath stuff- I smell so good today!

I helped the kids make a shirt with their hand prints on it for Randy that says, "Dad's Little Handfuls". Casey gave me that idea. I though it was perfect! After almost 12 years of making shirts for him, I am running out of ideas. And with he help of my very talented friend, I made him a photo cube with a picture of the kids Mod Podged on each side. I also got a Teflon coated mess kit for the scoutmeister.

We had a great time together as a family. Randy has enjoyed his time off, but has to go into work tomorrow. he is hoping to wrap things up early so he can spend more time with us. He is really liking this time home. :) We kinda like having him around, too! My camera officially died, so I am currently looking for a new one. It's a good thing Hailey got one for her birthday so I could take some Christmas pictures. I'll make a slide show, soon.

We got so much snow the past couple days that they built another snow fort. This one is big enough to sleep everyone! I opted to sleep inside with Emma, just in case! ;) They are so excited. I bundled everyone up and gave Randy his cell phone 'just in case'. He has called me four times already, needing things...candy canes, matches, a tarp, and keys...And Nathan called once, just to talk! It's 19 degrees outside, but inside the fort, it is actually pretty warm. On one of my trips out there, Hannah said she was too hot. Crazy how that works!

Tomorrow maybe I'll write my annual "New Years" letter.

**Snow fort update: Randy called to say (I'll think I'll confiscate the phone) Casey was coming inside. Leave it to Casey to bite his three year-old brother. Casey was really upset he had to come in. As I was talking to him about his behavior, I told him he needed to learn the consequences of his behavior and miss out things when he behaves poorly. He called Randy and agreed not to bite again and said he would clean Nathan's room for a week (I would have held firm, but Randy is a softy. No wonder they like him better.) Holding firm actually doesn't teach Casey anything. He does what he does because he is who he is. Not because of any punishment or incentive we give him. Believe me, we have tried it all. As Casey was getting back in his hat and gloves to go back outside, he asked me if I was going to be OK all alone inside. Just making sure I wouldn't be lonely. I assured him I would be fine, and that I actually liked being alone sometimes. He replied,"I know what you mean. That's why I sometimes like being grounded in my room all day. But it also teaches me a lesson."

Thanks for reassuring me, Casey!

Merry Chirstmas (in Spanish)...A Nathan Chronicle

A little while back, I took the kids with me to get a new part for my vacuum. I also had my friend's little boy, Carson with me. As we walked out of the small shop, Carson turned and said to the man, "Feliz Navidad!"

He then said to me, "I said Merry Christmas in Spanish!"

Nathan turned around and called, "Merry Christmas in Spanish!"
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Nathan loves to sing. In fact, just today, he had the chance to attend singing time with the big kids in primary. He had a great time! It helps that we have an absolutely AWESOME chorister! She teaches the children sign language with each song to help reinforce what they have learned. He sat on my lap and sang along while I helped him with the signs. So cute!

..back to my story...
He walks around singing all the time. He picks up on songs the kids sing and listen to. A few months ago, if you asked him what his favorite CD was, he would answer, "High School Musical". His favorite song was "Get Your Head in the Game"

...back to my story again...
Sometimes he doesn't quite get the words right. But I though it was cute when he jumbled the lyrics of "Christmas is Coming".

He sings, "Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, please put a penny in the old man's hat. If you haven't got a penny, a hay penny would do, if you haven't got a hay penny, then PLEASE bless you!"
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I forgot to mention last week in his chin episodes about when it first happened. While I was looking for a butterfly Bandaid to close his wound, Nathan returned to the scene of the accident and searched for a "piece of his chin"!
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We were driving in the car one day when Nathan got the hiccups. The following is what transpired....

Nathan: "Mom! Take a picture (hic) of my hiccups!"
Me: "I can't Nathan, I'm driving."
Nathan: "Mooooom! (hic) Take a picture of my hiccups!"

Not wanting to miss an opportunity for a funny blog entry, I snapped a picture when we were stopped at the next light.

Nathan: "Moooooom! You (hic) missed it!"

Another try...

Nathan: "MOOOOOOOOOM! You missed it again."

One last try before the light turns green (it was a LONG light- my camera is pretty slow!)...

Finally, I got it! Don't ask me how you can smile and hiccup at the same time, but this is Nathan we're talking about. All that mattered was he was happy.

Nathan: "Mom! Let me see the picture!"
Me:" I can't Nathan, I'm driving!"

Inconceivable!

The latest in the string of Nathan injuries involved a sucker stick. Forget the helmet. He needs a bubble. I was cleaning the kitchen when Tyler brought Nathan in to me. There was blood coming out of his nose. No big deal, I thought. He bumped his nose. Then Tyler showed me the broken sucker stick. Nathan had been trying to take it from Tyler (three year-olds need used sucker sticks, I guess...so do seven year-olds.) Tyler wouldn't relinquish easily and when Nathan finally got it out of Tyler's hands, he fell on it and it went straight in his nose and broke. Luckily the two pieces stayed attached. I really didn't want to call the nice doctor again.

A Day in the Life

I have been pretty busy this week making Christmas presents. I try not to put things off until now, but that is just how it goes. I have determined I have no brain cells left as I have the hardest time remembering anything. This was my day yesterday:

Wake up, to get first round of kids out the door. Oh yeah, Casey needs $21.75 for a field trip today. In two checks. In two separate envelopes. I had to tear into one envelope to remove one of the checks. It was a special envelope with a bar code. Packaging tape will work just fine. So the kids are off.

Nathan wants breakfast. I make his oatmeal the same way I do everyday. But I forgot to use my ESP and I put the milk in like I usually do. He wanted ice. So I get him ice. Now he wants milk in it. He finally stops throwing himself around and hitting me so I head upstairs.

We have all been wearing the same pants all week, so I decided to do some laundry. On the way there, Emma starts crying. I stop to get her out of her crib. She wants breakfast, too. I make her oatmeal and try to feed her. No go. She wants to feed herself- oatmeal of all things. I strap her in her chair so I can get something done.

I see that something I had been painting was dry and needed a second coat. I stop and slap it on. On to the laundry. I get half-way up the stairs and Nathan calls for me. Apparently he forgot how to dress himself. I try to help him but he insist on wearing the same shirt he wore the day before...and slept in (so I'm trying to understand why he needed to get dressed in the first place.) "OK" I said, "Your pants look fine, too." Hey, it saves on laundry. Oh yeah! The laundry! Off I go. I get a load in.

Emma starts yelling for me. Oh...this isn't good, I remember she had oatmeal all by herself. Yup. She discovered the joy of playing and bathing in oatmeal. Her skin should be really soft. Peaches and Cream soft. As I carefully lifted her out of the high chair, I remembered Randy had put the phone book in there so she could sit high enough at the table. It, too was covered in mush. Oatmeal is a great adhesive, in case you are wondering...I could probably use it for my next pinata.....

I take her upstairs, holding her as far away from me as possible, but still manage to get coated in porridge. After washing her off, I head to my room to clean myself up. Problem is, I only own one pair of pants. Well, it's still wet enough I'll just wipe it off, or rather smear it in. Same difference.

After my five minute prep for the day (a shower is out of the question at this point.) I walk though the hall, and realize Emma is still just in her diaper. So I stop and get her dressed. I am right by the washer and see that it is time to change the laundry over. It takes all of 1.2 minutes to get the clothes in the dryer. I was feeling proud of the fact that I remembered before it went sour.

I walk downstairs ready to tackle some more projects. There is Emma- sitting on the table. Covered in paint. So is the table and one of my projects. It's only 9:30.

And I wonder why I have no brain cells left. I think it's a defense mechanism. And the laundry still sits in the dryer today.

Murphy's Law Strikes Again!

Well, it's official. I must admit it took longer than I thought. Nathan split his chin open again. It was actually looking pretty good despite the early disappearance of the Derma Bond, and then he did what he does best. He bumped it on the edge of the counter. Hannah helped a little. I was just finishing up Emma's hair upstairs and I heard the cry. By the time I got there, blood was oozing from his chin. Luckily, I was able to remove what was left of the scab and perform a little "surgery"- as the InstaCare billing department likes to call it. I whipped out the ever-so-dependable Nexcare skin glue and did a little reconstructive surgery of my own. I must say I am proud of my work. Who knows if it will even make a difference, but I knew I didn't want to leave a gaping wound on my little 'Pigpen'.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

I just read my last post and realized I need to explain something...every year, the day after Thanksgiving, we drove to the mountains and cut down our own tree. This was a tradition we all looked forward too. Our house had a vaulted ceiling that was 25 feet high so choosing a Christmas tree was always a challenge. When we found one we (mostly) all agreed on, we would stand back and try to determine if it would fit in the house. Most of the time, my mom would say, "It is too tall. It won't fit." But we would all use our own methods of calculating the height of a tree from the ground and proceed with the sawing. One time, we didn't realize the problem it would pose, but our tree was downhill from the car. That was fun. I think it might have been the same year my brother's car broke down and we all ended up squished in the Bronco. I rode home, laying across laps in the back seat for the three hour drive. It was the big joke that if a plane flew overhead, all they would see is a Christmas tree driving down the freeway. When we got home, we would usually have to cut a foot or two or more off the bottom to make it fit. But when it was decorated with the blue lights and balls, the snowflakes and the icicles, it was quite the sight. It was so beautiful that people driving by would actually stop and ask how we got that tree in our house. Our answer was usually, "It grows in here." Some really believed us.