so my kids make their own breakfast in the morning.
some of you may judge me, but i have always thought it best to give them a bit of independence. it's very good for them.
.....and it buys me a bit more time to sleep in.
they get up around 7am (okay, they're not allowed to get up any earlier.) they put on the clothes i laid out the night before, make their breakfast (ty cooks frozen waffles and shaeya makes a bowl of cereal or yogurt for her and tekoa), brush their teeth, and get their lunches out (packed the night before.)
and then i join them- sometime around 7:30/7:45. i clean up their mess (huge mess, but so worth it), do shaeya's hair, wake up wren, load them up in the van, and we're off to school.
it's a win/win because for some reason while i'm sleeping (or sometimes just lying there listening to them) they don't fight. at all. they work together, they laugh, they get dressed without complaining.....it's amazing. and then the minute i join them the euphoria ends and the teasing/tattling begins.
so i choose to sleep. like i said, judge me if you want, but it is what it is for now.
and all that brings us to this morning.
i went to bed last night wondering what the morning would bring, because i have been pretty busy and let our food supply get really low. no waffles, no milk.
i expected to be awakened by complaints, so i was pleasantly surprised when i woke up and it was 7:30.
i walked out to the kitchen and there were the girls- slurping up the last bit of cereal from their bowls.
"so......how was breakfast?" i asked.
shaeya said, "oh, it was good. we were out of milk, but that's okay i still made us some cereal."
"and how did you make the cereal?"
"well, since we didn't have milk i just used juice. and sugar and water. it was good."
and tekoa said, "ya, it was good." slurp.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Vocab Lesson
i have recently learned the definition of superwoman.
it is this:
painting the house plus taking care of 5 kids- one of whom is a baby that is cutting her 2 front teeth- plus keeping the house clean, and then showing it to a couple who was "in the neighborhood." (who ended up asking me, "how many children do you have??")
....painting, feeding, bathing, nursing, cleaning, painting, breaking up fights, nursing, finding 2 girls covered in lotion, painting, cleaning, finding 2 kids covered in paint, nursing (she wanted to nurse those teeth through- i'm sure some of you can sympathize), finding tekoa's curtains ripped off the wall, then "sure, come on in- i would love to show you the house!", then more of it all, then throwing down my paintbrush in order to jump in the shower and then welcome our friends over for dinner- during which one child peed their pants, one let out repeated ear splitting shrieks of pain, and one refused to sit at the table.
the highlight-
after we put the kids to bed, we enjoyed a wonderful and relaxing evening with our friends. but for some reason when we put in a movie my eyes refused to stay open.....
it is this:
painting the house plus taking care of 5 kids- one of whom is a baby that is cutting her 2 front teeth- plus keeping the house clean, and then showing it to a couple who was "in the neighborhood." (who ended up asking me, "how many children do you have??")
....painting, feeding, bathing, nursing, cleaning, painting, breaking up fights, nursing, finding 2 girls covered in lotion, painting, cleaning, finding 2 kids covered in paint, nursing (she wanted to nurse those teeth through- i'm sure some of you can sympathize), finding tekoa's curtains ripped off the wall, then "sure, come on in- i would love to show you the house!", then more of it all, then throwing down my paintbrush in order to jump in the shower and then welcome our friends over for dinner- during which one child peed their pants, one let out repeated ear splitting shrieks of pain, and one refused to sit at the table.
the highlight-
after we put the kids to bed, we enjoyed a wonderful and relaxing evening with our friends. but for some reason when we put in a movie my eyes refused to stay open.....
Friday, March 26, 2010
Max
today tyden went to a friend's house after school, and we brought one of shaeya's friends (lexi) home. so i spent the afternoon with 5 girls.
it was going really well. we were soaking in some sun on a blanket outside- the girls with some polly pockets, and me with a magazine.
now to get just the right mix of sun without wind i had to spread the blanket partway on some of our "landscaping." (wood chips. i do not shine brightly in this area.) and it actually looked quite cozy. so i sat down, leaned my back against the warm bricks on the house, and tilted at just the right angle to feel the sun, read, and watch the girls (aka break up the fights...)
then the phone rang. it was a friend. and we were in the middle of catching up when suddenly about 3 feet away from me the ground burst open and out flies an animal- heading straight for me at an incredible rate of speed. i let out quite a scream in my startled state and flew to my feet- scaring all the girls and the animal who then veered toward lexi. she let out a scream louder than mine and then wren let loose with a howl.
the animal- which i then realized was a mole- turned again and ran under shaeya's jacket which was lying on the blanket.
everyone was on their feet and yelling, and my poor friend on the phone was truly concerned at this point. i quickly explained to her that we had a mole on our blanket and i would have to call her back.
long story short, i grabbed a garbage can from the garage, set it on it's side by the jacket, and flipped the blanket up sending the jacket and the mole sailing right into the can.
and i am now the hero. his name is "max the mole" and the kids think i'm sooo cool for catching it. and dave is thrilled because max the mole had been tearing up the yard.
now the question is what to do with him.
dave's idea is slightly different than the kids'......
it was going really well. we were soaking in some sun on a blanket outside- the girls with some polly pockets, and me with a magazine.
now to get just the right mix of sun without wind i had to spread the blanket partway on some of our "landscaping." (wood chips. i do not shine brightly in this area.) and it actually looked quite cozy. so i sat down, leaned my back against the warm bricks on the house, and tilted at just the right angle to feel the sun, read, and watch the girls (aka break up the fights...)
then the phone rang. it was a friend. and we were in the middle of catching up when suddenly about 3 feet away from me the ground burst open and out flies an animal- heading straight for me at an incredible rate of speed. i let out quite a scream in my startled state and flew to my feet- scaring all the girls and the animal who then veered toward lexi. she let out a scream louder than mine and then wren let loose with a howl.
the animal- which i then realized was a mole- turned again and ran under shaeya's jacket which was lying on the blanket.
everyone was on their feet and yelling, and my poor friend on the phone was truly concerned at this point. i quickly explained to her that we had a mole on our blanket and i would have to call her back.
long story short, i grabbed a garbage can from the garage, set it on it's side by the jacket, and flipped the blanket up sending the jacket and the mole sailing right into the can.
and i am now the hero. his name is "max the mole" and the kids think i'm sooo cool for catching it. and dave is thrilled because max the mole had been tearing up the yard.
now the question is what to do with him.
dave's idea is slightly different than the kids'......
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Wren's New Trick
first, here are the pictures i promised....
and here is wren at her finest.....i went to get her out of her car seat one morning after dropping the kids off at school and she looked like this-
so of course instead of quickly cleaning her up i had to take a picture :)
still wanna kiss those cheeks, grandma??
wren's first time playing in the sandbox and the "clubhouse."
she absolutely loved it. she's losing her babyness......i need a kleenex.
and this is an everyday occurrence with the books.
.....losing innocence along with babyness.
shaeya's new haircut- i cut about 4 inches off and layered it a bit-
and now there's a bit of vanity coming out in her....
she wakes up every morning and runs to the mirror to make sure her hair is still short.
and these two are best friends about 20% of the day, and enemies for 80%.
they are fighting and tattling all day long. they are very jealous of my attention.
but they sure are cute together, aren't they?
and now for wren's new trick :)
so cute.
and here is wren at her finest.....i went to get her out of her car seat one morning after dropping the kids off at school and she looked like this-
so of course instead of quickly cleaning her up i had to take a picture :)
still wanna kiss those cheeks, grandma??
wren's first time playing in the sandbox and the "clubhouse."
she absolutely loved it. she's losing her babyness......i need a kleenex.
and this is an everyday occurrence with the books.
.....losing innocence along with babyness.
shaeya's new haircut- i cut about 4 inches off and layered it a bit-
and now there's a bit of vanity coming out in her....
she wakes up every morning and runs to the mirror to make sure her hair is still short.
and these two are best friends about 20% of the day, and enemies for 80%.
they are fighting and tattling all day long. they are very jealous of my attention.
but they sure are cute together, aren't they?
and now for wren's new trick :)
so cute.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Desi's Back :)
feels like it's been years since my last post...and it's been a week.
one insanely crazy week.
did i mention that we are keeping destiny (my goddaughter) this week? for a little more about her you can read this- http://michellesblog6.blogspot.com/2009/08/destiny.html
her mom is on spring break and needed a break :)
and we were excited to have her again. the last time she stayed with us was in august, so she is asking me about every hour if we can go swimming. she is soooo funny! she makes me laugh all day long.
the other night i was headed out to a movie with some girls and i had on a button down shirt.
i guess i had left 1 too many buttons undone cause when she hugged me good-bye she patted my chest and said, "god mom, you're too naked."
so funny.
my cousin kristin made the drive with me on saturday to go pick her up. it's about an hour and a half drive, but i have this amazing way of stretching hour and a half long drives into 2 1/2 hour long ones.
my gps was doing it's job, but a bunch of the country roads were closed, and i had no idea where i was and it was snowing and raining....
and we were lost and there were no gas stations around and someone in the van had to pee really bad- i mean really bad, so we ended up pulling over so she could pee on the side of the road. in broad daylight.......and i'll just let you think it was one of the kids......
that night i put destiny and tekoa to bed in koa's room and i was holding wren while she slept.
awhile later tekoa woke up and started crying and said she had to go potty. so i told her to hang on, and i went and put wren in her crib.
i walked into the bathroom and stepped right into a big puddle of pee. she had taken of her pajamas and her pull up and then apparently couldn't wait any longer (okay, i guess i do know that feeling....) i picked up her pee soaked clothes and took off my wet pants (from the pee on the floor, remember?) and took them to the laundry room. to the sound of both tekoa and wren crying. then i wiped up the floor and rinsed tekoa off in the shower- yep, still screaming- dried her off and laid her in my bed. i then went to get wren who also had not stopped crying. i walked into the closet (have i mentioned that her crib is in our closet?) and there she was- standing up in the crib for the first time, and in my haste to help koa i had forgotten to lift the gate up.
so my poor little baby was standing up and leaning right over the edge of the crib- ready to fall head first to the floor. i felt so awful!! i still keep thinking of how terrible it would've been if she would've flipped over the edge....
anyway- i eventually got them both back to sleep, and then at about 4am i heard a kid get up, so i walked into the bathroom and there was destiny- on the toilet, but somehow her pee shot out onto her pajamas and the floor. i think that floor is just a magnet for pee.
after cleaning all that up i felt like i needed a shower. wait have i taken one yet? i can't remember.....
but it's probably a good thing because wren puked all in my hair this morning at walmart. wouldn't have wanted her to puke on clean hair- that would've been way more tragic.
and the trip to walmart brings me to today- of course we really need food, but we didn't go there for food this morning. we wouldn't have been able fit food in the cart with my 3 girls already in it. wouldn't have wanted to even if we could with the way tekoa and destiny were standing and then sitting and then standing and sitting and fighting.....
nope, we were there on a secret mission. it is kristin's birthday.
we bought her all kids of fun things at walmart. then we put them in a box, wrapped it, and bought some flowers and a big fountain soda.
we drove the van to her house and then parked it on a side street. i took the stuff, snuck up to the house, arranged it on her front porch, rang the doorbell, and then ran as fast as i could back to the van.
the girl's thought it was hilarious- as did the neighbors i'm sure.
well, i've got lots of pictures to post but something must not be working right cause it's not letting me.
so pictures will come soon........right now the sun is calling me.
one insanely crazy week.
did i mention that we are keeping destiny (my goddaughter) this week? for a little more about her you can read this- http://michellesblog6.blogspot.com/2009/08/destiny.html
her mom is on spring break and needed a break :)
and we were excited to have her again. the last time she stayed with us was in august, so she is asking me about every hour if we can go swimming. she is soooo funny! she makes me laugh all day long.
the other night i was headed out to a movie with some girls and i had on a button down shirt.
i guess i had left 1 too many buttons undone cause when she hugged me good-bye she patted my chest and said, "god mom, you're too naked."
so funny.
my cousin kristin made the drive with me on saturday to go pick her up. it's about an hour and a half drive, but i have this amazing way of stretching hour and a half long drives into 2 1/2 hour long ones.
my gps was doing it's job, but a bunch of the country roads were closed, and i had no idea where i was and it was snowing and raining....
and we were lost and there were no gas stations around and someone in the van had to pee really bad- i mean really bad, so we ended up pulling over so she could pee on the side of the road. in broad daylight.......and i'll just let you think it was one of the kids......
that night i put destiny and tekoa to bed in koa's room and i was holding wren while she slept.
awhile later tekoa woke up and started crying and said she had to go potty. so i told her to hang on, and i went and put wren in her crib.
i walked into the bathroom and stepped right into a big puddle of pee. she had taken of her pajamas and her pull up and then apparently couldn't wait any longer (okay, i guess i do know that feeling....) i picked up her pee soaked clothes and took off my wet pants (from the pee on the floor, remember?) and took them to the laundry room. to the sound of both tekoa and wren crying. then i wiped up the floor and rinsed tekoa off in the shower- yep, still screaming- dried her off and laid her in my bed. i then went to get wren who also had not stopped crying. i walked into the closet (have i mentioned that her crib is in our closet?) and there she was- standing up in the crib for the first time, and in my haste to help koa i had forgotten to lift the gate up.
so my poor little baby was standing up and leaning right over the edge of the crib- ready to fall head first to the floor. i felt so awful!! i still keep thinking of how terrible it would've been if she would've flipped over the edge....
anyway- i eventually got them both back to sleep, and then at about 4am i heard a kid get up, so i walked into the bathroom and there was destiny- on the toilet, but somehow her pee shot out onto her pajamas and the floor. i think that floor is just a magnet for pee.
after cleaning all that up i felt like i needed a shower. wait have i taken one yet? i can't remember.....
but it's probably a good thing because wren puked all in my hair this morning at walmart. wouldn't have wanted her to puke on clean hair- that would've been way more tragic.
and the trip to walmart brings me to today- of course we really need food, but we didn't go there for food this morning. we wouldn't have been able fit food in the cart with my 3 girls already in it. wouldn't have wanted to even if we could with the way tekoa and destiny were standing and then sitting and then standing and sitting and fighting.....
nope, we were there on a secret mission. it is kristin's birthday.
we bought her all kids of fun things at walmart. then we put them in a box, wrapped it, and bought some flowers and a big fountain soda.
we drove the van to her house and then parked it on a side street. i took the stuff, snuck up to the house, arranged it on her front porch, rang the doorbell, and then ran as fast as i could back to the van.
the girl's thought it was hilarious- as did the neighbors i'm sure.
well, i've got lots of pictures to post but something must not be working right cause it's not letting me.
so pictures will come soon........right now the sun is calling me.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Coming Around...
dave said my last post sounded like an obituary.
i had to laugh....i'm slowly coming around.
spent the weekend clearing all the junk out of the house. there was a lot- so many toys.
i guess i should have a garage sale, but i don't know if i really want to go through all that work. we'll see. right now all the junk is in our garage so i do need to decide soon.
so overwhelming....and so hard to get anything done with all the kids pulling their toys back out of the give away pile. and with a sick baby on top of it. she had a fever for 4 days and the only time i could set her down was when she was sleeping. and the especially fun part was that she kept choking on her snot and puking.
so now i'm left with going through the attic- which will be difficult since it's not safe to take the little ones up there with me, painting, and deep cleaning. and then having a garage sale in my spare time.....
we will be having an open house on april 11th, so i need to have it all done and the house looking beautiful by then.
here are the pictures we put on forsalebyowner.com-
i know the one of the master bathroom is not good- just haven't had time to redo it yet....i'm sure i'll get to it soon...
we took the kids out to the lot yesterday for the first time. they loved it- they are so excited to "live in the woods" - and have space to play and explore. there is a little creek at one end and i'm sure they will have so much fun with that.
they were already envisioning being able to ride their bikes on the road without worrying about cars, and having their dad build them a clubhouse in the woods somewhere. :)
it really is beautiful. it will be an amazing place to live....but like i said before- it's just hard to see past this next year of selling and moving and then building. and then moving again....
i had to laugh....i'm slowly coming around.
spent the weekend clearing all the junk out of the house. there was a lot- so many toys.
i guess i should have a garage sale, but i don't know if i really want to go through all that work. we'll see. right now all the junk is in our garage so i do need to decide soon.
so overwhelming....and so hard to get anything done with all the kids pulling their toys back out of the give away pile. and with a sick baby on top of it. she had a fever for 4 days and the only time i could set her down was when she was sleeping. and the especially fun part was that she kept choking on her snot and puking.
so now i'm left with going through the attic- which will be difficult since it's not safe to take the little ones up there with me, painting, and deep cleaning. and then having a garage sale in my spare time.....
we will be having an open house on april 11th, so i need to have it all done and the house looking beautiful by then.
here are the pictures we put on forsalebyowner.com-
i know the one of the master bathroom is not good- just haven't had time to redo it yet....i'm sure i'll get to it soon...
we took the kids out to the lot yesterday for the first time. they loved it- they are so excited to "live in the woods" - and have space to play and explore. there is a little creek at one end and i'm sure they will have so much fun with that.
they were already envisioning being able to ride their bikes on the road without worrying about cars, and having their dad build them a clubhouse in the woods somewhere. :)
it really is beautiful. it will be an amazing place to live....but like i said before- it's just hard to see past this next year of selling and moving and then building. and then moving again....
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Just A House.......
i've been repeating this to myself over and over, so why won't it sink in? why do i feel like i am losing a part of me?
yes, our house is officially for sale, and i've been having a rough time of it.
not only is the idea of cleaning, painting, organizing, and showing the house completely overwhelming, but the idea of someone else living there is really hard for me. it's ours, right? we designed and built it together, we raised our babies there, we've had our friends and family over constantly, and made so many memories there.
my thoughts go in this direction, and then i remind myself that it's just a house. that's all it is. it definitely doesn't have much value when it comes to eternity. and we never planned on staying forever....
dave thinks my attachment to the house is cute. and slightly humorous. and i don't know if he really understands my pain. you see, he sees the bigger picture. he envisions us in the new house he has designed and wants to build. he sees us without a kid in our closet and with a big yard for them all to play in- without a ravine and a busy street to worry about. he sees the opportunity to once again do what he was made to do.
and all i see is leaving the house. my house. and finding a temporary place to live while we start the long, exhausting process of building. i see myself as a single mom of 4 until it's finished.
okay, it will be worth it. i'm aware of that. it will be great, and i will be so thankful when it's all done.....if i can just make it until then.
yes, our house is officially for sale, and i've been having a rough time of it.
not only is the idea of cleaning, painting, organizing, and showing the house completely overwhelming, but the idea of someone else living there is really hard for me. it's ours, right? we designed and built it together, we raised our babies there, we've had our friends and family over constantly, and made so many memories there.
my thoughts go in this direction, and then i remind myself that it's just a house. that's all it is. it definitely doesn't have much value when it comes to eternity. and we never planned on staying forever....
dave thinks my attachment to the house is cute. and slightly humorous. and i don't know if he really understands my pain. you see, he sees the bigger picture. he envisions us in the new house he has designed and wants to build. he sees us without a kid in our closet and with a big yard for them all to play in- without a ravine and a busy street to worry about. he sees the opportunity to once again do what he was made to do.
and all i see is leaving the house. my house. and finding a temporary place to live while we start the long, exhausting process of building. i see myself as a single mom of 4 until it's finished.
okay, it will be worth it. i'm aware of that. it will be great, and i will be so thankful when it's all done.....if i can just make it until then.
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