First Day of School

(Warning: Long post)

Since Angel never went to any formal Preschool, Sept 9th was truly her FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL EVER! And she did AMAZING!

She's been looking forward to Kindergarten for months, of course. But her first experience wasn't entirely positive. We arrived in Maine after flying the entire previous day and into the night, getting only a few hours of sleep, then driving the rest of the way. So sweet Angel was exhausted! When we arrived in Portland we learned we would not be closing on our house as planned, and therefore had no place to go (or even live, for that matter), at least in the foreseeable future. So we were quite stressed. Craving some air conditioning (arriving in 96 degree weather at 90% humidity was a bit of a shock!), someplace with free wi-fi (to check the status of our house closing, etc), and someplace to sit down we sought refuge and had lunch at the nearest McDonald's. And then, just an hour or so after

making our way to Portland, it was time for Angel's Kindergarten Orientation. If she hadn't been so excited about it, I would have said "Not today!" But trying my hardest not to allow my own personal stresses/etc to negatively affect my children, I decided we should try to make it. The Mr. and I had to go prove our identity to our loan officer (for the umpteenth time) so Opa graciously offered to take Angel to Orientation in our behalf.

I'm not sure how much of the Orientation she was able to participate in, or how events played out...but the Mr. and I returned from our business to learn that Angel had vomited at Kindergarten Orientation and, as a result, had come home early. To make matters worse, we were on the way to view our house with the realtor. All our clean clothing was packed in the truck and essentially unaccessible, so the poor dear had to ride around town throwing up in a McDonald's happy meal carton, sitting in, and covered with, vomit. Poor thing.

Needless to say, she might not have been thrilled with the idea of Kindergarten.

On the contrary, she was ecstatic. A few weeks before Kindergarten began, I asked if she was excited or nervous about starting Kindergarten. She replied "Both. Mostly excited because I love learning new things. But a little bit nervous too, about people saying bad words or being mean." That touched my heart.

The week before Kindergarten, we went to the Back-to-School Barbeque (once again, driving up to the school late, on our way back into town, though this time from vacation and not nearly as stressed!) She was able to see her classroom and meet her teacher, Mrs. Jordan. She immediately sat down in the reading nook and started devouring books, but when I asked her later what she thought of her classroom she said "I can't believe how many toys there are! There's even a play kitchen!" She also thought her teacher "was really nice!"

Two days before Kindergarten, she went in for "Screening". I waited in the library with Grins and Wiggles while Angel went with various teachers and other helpers for different 'screening' tests. I wasn't sure what all 'screening' entailed, so I tried to question her about it afterwards.

Me: "What did your teacher do with you?"

Angel: "She asked me to read a book about a snowman. But it had very big words."

Me: "Oh really? Well, that should be fine because you're very good at reading big words. What sort of words were they?"

Angel: "No, not long, hard words. Big, tall words. It was a baby book - a board book. It was way too easy for me to read."

Me: "Oh, I see. So you read it just fine?"

Angel: "Yeah. But I didn't learn anything new."

I questioned her about the other various places she went, and she responded "In one room, I had to count a bunch of plastic teddy bears. Then, another lady told me 3 different stories and then asked me to tell one of the stories back to her. So I did." Her teacher told me she would be putting Angel in an older reading group since she is reading at such an advanced level, and one of the other adults said "Wow! She did amazing! You must read to her a lot! She is definitely ready for school!" I was so pleased, but also a little concerned that she might not be adequately challenged in school, since everyone was so surprised at how well she did. I suspect we shall do a lot of supplementing her education at home. But I am certainly happy to do so!

Finally, the moment arrived. Angel wanted to ride the bus and, though I was nervous at first, I decided to allow her to, at least for the time being. We went to her bus stop the day before school, to see where it would stop, etc. And when the bus came around the corner, I could no longer hold back the tears. Tomorrow, my baby would be getting on that bus and leaving me for 6 hours a day! I could not

bear the thought! But seeing her smile and watching her excited wiggle as she anticipated going to school the next day melted away my sadness. I knew that this was a big, exciting step, and that, rather than wish it away, I needed to excitedly support her. So I wore sunglasses (to hide any tell-tale tears) and a smile the first day of school!

Angel came into my room, fully dressed, at 5:20am Thursday morning (the first day of school). "Can you do my hair, Mommy?" she asked. I laughed (I was awake in bed trying to get Wiggles back to sleep) and asked "What are you doing up so early?" "I don't want to miss my bus! It's my first day of school!" was the reply. I couldn't convince her to snuggle with me; she was too afraid of missing the first day, and too excited to sleep anyway. So we got up and ready.

We were ready to go a full hour and a half before the bus arrived! :)

The Mr. went into work late so that he could share in the excitement of Angel's first day. And it was a good thing he did! When the bus came, Angel's grip on his hand tightened and she wouldn't let go. So fortunately, her sweet bus driver let the Mr. join her on the bus. (He was the only parent - what a sport!) (Had he not been there, she would have had to go alone, since the bus prohibits siblings...)
I drove like crazy to the school and after an eternity trying to find a parking spot, go to the playground (aka drop off zone)

in the nick of time. It was a zoo! I was SO glad we were there with her - I can't imagine how overwhelmed she would have been all alone! We were able to walk her to her classroom and help her find her seat.

The two other children at her table were crying miserably - so sad! - but Angel took everything in stride. I asked if she were nervous and she said "No, not really!" I gave her a kiss and said "Let me know when you're ready for me to leave." to which she replied, "I'm fine, Mom. You can go!" I had to pry Wiggles away - apparently she was ready for her first day of school too - and we left. Angel didn't give us so much as a second glance (as you can see in the picture below...I snapped a photo as I left and she's not even looking back!) And I was glad; it made leaving SO much easier! I don't know how the moms with crying children left, I certainly couldn't have done it!

I convinced Angel to let me pick her

up from school on the first day,

because I couldn't bear the thought of waiting another second to see her and hear about her day! We picked her up on the playground and I asked "How was your day?" She didn't want to talk - just wanted to play on the playground (unwinding, I suppose) as though recess had only whetted her appetite for playground play. As we walked home, however, I was able to get little tidbits of explanations of her day. "Kindergarten is longer than I thought. It was really long." and "We had to lay down for quiet time for a long time. When I sat up and looked around, everyone was just laying there. My teacher wouldn't even let us read!" My favorite: "We were so busy learning all the rules that we didn't even have time to learn anything! I haven't learned anything new yet!" She also mentioned "Mom! I got to eat at the cafeteria! It was healthy and they didn't even make me pay!" (I had sent her with a very special 'cold' lunch, explaining that hot lunches aren't quite as healthy, plus we don't want to spend the $ for 'hot' lunch everyday. But I said it off-handedly and not specifically enough...... apparently they let Kindergarteners run up a tab in the cafeteria, so she assumed she had gotten a free lunch and that, since it was "healthy" (salad wraps), she totally scored! :) I thought that was hilarious!)

Fly Lady

I have had a difficult time keeping on top of things - moving in, unpacking, fixing things with our work-in-progress of a house, in addition to the never-ending every day cleaning and meals. A friend recommended the "Fly Lady" website so I signed up for it yesterday. Today I read something I LOVED that I just had to share for you mothers out there (written by Fly Lady). It helped me see things differently and gave me a much-needed (and much-appreciated) attitude adjustment!

"Each day we continue to do the same things over again; Washing clothes, doing dishes, Folding clothes, dusting and sweeping floors. It is a never-ending procession of things that need done. When you look at these chores as work, you start to dread doing them. Change your attitude from work to blessing. When you do things for your family and to your home to help your family, you are giving them tender loving care. I like to call this blessing our home.

As you pick up a dish to wash it, be thankful that you have had food to feed your growing babies and nourish your bodies. As you fold that unending pile of laundry, your hand loves each and every member of
your family. Let go of the martyred attitude and nurture your family with love and kindness."

Day Out With Thomas

Thanks to a very generous Oma and Opa (Thank you!!), Grins thoroughly enjoyed a Day Out With Thomas Father & Son (& little sister) Date for his birthday this year! We gave him the option of going with Mommy or Daddy, and he (of course) chose Daddy! But, being the ever-caring brother he is, he asked if his sisters could go as well. We explained that we only had 2 tickets; one for him, and one for a parent, but he insisted on Wiggles joining when he realized she wouldn't need a ticket. And, since he had a point and was trying to share, we couldn't argue with that! (Angel was disappointed but enjoyed a special Mommy-Daughter day!)

After getting a card in the mail with the money for his tickets, Grins asked us every day "Is today my day with Thomas?" So when the big day arrived, he could hardly believe it! After a looooong drive to the Boothbay Railroad, he was beside himself with excitement. (Notice him running up to the park with his arms in the air! And Wiggles running after him, as usual.)

Grins was thrilled to see a "real, live Thomas" the tank engine - and even more excited that he got to ride on him! But the train ride was only the beginning....

The Thomas ride was hard to beat, but Grins also really enjoyed the 'mini train' ride (pulled by a tractor, and the hay ride.

Wiggle was most delighted by her "Thomas tickow" (Thomas sticker aka temporary tattoo). After they placed it on her arm, she walked around for the rest of the day saying "wook at my Thomas arm".... she wanted to be pushed on the swing on her 'thomas arm' and insisted on showing it to anyone who would look. Who needs an $18 ticket when you can get $1 pack of temporary tattoos anywhere? :)
Of course, a bouncy house is always a good way to expend some extra energy....and if said bouncy looks like Thomas, what more can a kid ask for?

All in all, I think it is safe to say that a fun time was had by all in attendance, and this is a birthday present Grins will remember for years to come! Thank you again, Oma & Opa! Wish you could have been here to see him enjoy it! :)

My Little Man

Dear Grins,

I can't believe how much you've grown! SLOW DOWN! How I wish I could go back to you as the happiest baby on the block - patient, happy, content and giggly. Of course, then I would miss the big boy you have become.

You are such a gem. What would I do without you, my son? You are the calm one between your spirited sisters. Yet you remain so sensitive, always stroking me gently, giving me kisses, and making sure everyone is happy. You are ever the peacemaker, always giving in when you and your (usually older) sister are arguing over something. "(Angel), you can have this seat if you want it, I'll choose another one." You have your own opinions about things, but making peace is more important to you than getting your way. Even today you gave Angel half of your brand new silly bands, because she wanted them. Now that's love!

(Grins, 3 yrs old)

You are quite the ball of energy! I love seeing you RUN back and forth, around and around in the house. And the way you hold your hands up when you run is just too cute! You do enjoy your pedicures (since I won't paint your fingernails!) and do occasionally dress up, but you are certainly a BOY, through and through! You love Dinosaurs, Cars, Trucks, Batman, Spiderman, and all things sports. You want to be a Pilot when you grow up. You love helping Daddy build and fix things. Everything turns into a weapon or a 'whacker' (sticks/etc used to hit anything - and everything - around you.) And you can already outrun your (older) sister!

(Grins, 2 yrs old, with Teddy)

You are growing up in other ways as well! You still love Puppy, Blankie and Teddy, but you no longer require them to sleep. And you are really becoming courageous! For example, you are (finally!) willing to use public restrooms with 'black eyes' (automatic motion-detected flushers) as long as I cover up the 'black eye'. This is a big step! You also have a keen eye for right vs. wrong, but you love everyone. "Oops! He's drinking coffee." or "Uh-oh, that (shirt-less) man forgot his modesty." or, my personal favorite, "Oops, she's 'cigaretting'!" "But Jesus said love everyone so I still love them."

(Grins, 1 yr old)

You love your family so much, and will do anything to protect your sisters from any possible threat (such as a bee, a spider, or someone 'being mean'). You told me the other day "I love my family SO much! Even more than food!" That's when I knew things were serious! :)

(Grins, 1 day old)

You are such a joy! You have the most infectious giggle, and I LOVE your dimples when you smile. Please, my son, remember who you are. Treasure your meekness, your gentleness, and the love you have in your heart. These characteristics will serve you well.

I love you, my sweet 4 year old!

Love, Mommy

Happy Anniversary to Us!

9 years ago today I married my best friend and sweetheart. I thought our first year of marriage was wonderful, but that was only the beginning! The Mr. has been the picture of a (nearly) perfect husband from day one and, though we've had our ups and downs like any couple, things just keep getting better!

I could go on all day about what I love about The Mr. and our marriage, but due to lack of time because of the beautiful life we've created together :) I'm going to keep it short and sweet:

9 Things I love about The Mr.

1. He is an amazing father. Our children adore him, and I adore watching him with them!

2. He is the most supportive husband I've ever known. He supports my every whim, even the silly ones, without even rolling his eyes! :)

3. He is so gentle. He has never once raised his voice at me.

4. He is the hardest worker I have ever known. This is saying something, because I was raised by 2 incredibly industrious parents, so I know hard work when I see it!

5. He is incredibly strong. Seriously. As in, several people have asked him if he takes some sort of supplement (or steroids). No joke.

6. He loves the Lord. He cares far more about pleasing God than man.

7. He is so patient. With everyone, but especially with me.

8. He is constantly trying to better himself. Spiritually, academically, physically, etc. Amazing!

9. He is gorgeous. I know, petty, but let's be honest, my husband is a looker! (I have even had several friends comment on this fact so I know I'm not just biased!)

Thank you for the past 9 years, our beautiful children, and our incredible life together. I love you. Here's to 99 more!

Enjoying the Casco Bay

Some new friends invited us to go boating on the Casco Bay with them and we had a BLAST! The kids had never been boating before, at least as far as I can remember, and this was definitely an eye opener for them! Speed boats are windy and bumpy - so it took a little while for them to warm up to the idea (note Grins' face and Wiggles clinging to me for dear life!) At first they (especially the younger 2) were shouting "Stop! Let's go back! Scary!" and so on. But I finally distracted them by pointing out the buoys - and once Wiggles started saying "booo-eeeee" none of us could stop laughing, and even Grins loosened up and started enjoying the ride.

We started at Cousins Island and went around the bay. We saw seals, lighthouses, other islands, and were just headed back around when we hit a sandbar (oops!), resulting in lots of loud noises and jolts. After a moment of panic and Grins freaking out, he suddenly shouted "Wait! We won't drown! We're on sand! It's OK!" It was so cute! Fortunately our 'Captain' did an excellent job maneuvering us out of the sand bar and we made it home safely, and with the boat in one piece! :)

We love living so near the beautiful ocean!!

Humid

I have a love-hate relationship with the humidity here. I hate that it makes a warm day seem unbearably hot and sticky. But love that it makes Wiggles' hair do this:

So somehow, it's worth the mugginess. :)

Way too much fun with the scanner

Today as I was scanning some documents, I left the room momentarily and the kids (including my oldest child, the Mr.) started playing around. When I returned, I found some interesting scans....

Slumber Parties

When the Mr. is on call (read=overnight shift at the hospital), Angel and Grins and I have 'slumber parties' - which essentially involves the 3 of us all going to bed - in my bed - together. This makes for extra stories, lots of snuggles, plenty of giggles....and, eventually, me sleeping in one of their beds because of how MUCH they move around at night! This is how I found them, the morning of our last 'slumber party':

the Miss Independence-s

Although it's August now, we have two young girls who still insist on celebrating their own personal independence each and every day. It is delightful. (Grins does too, in his own ways, but his sisters seem a bit more adamant about it at times. He is our agreeable peace-maker most of the time!)

Angel, who is 5 and will be entering Kindergarten in just a couple of months, no longer needs help reading at all! During our morning devotionals we help each child read a verse of scripture. It never occurred to us to have Angel do it on her own because we assumed the scriptures would be 'too difficult'. But a couple of weeks ago, Angel just began reading her verse before we could even start. She got through even the longest of words without so much as a second thought, and the Mr. and I looked at one another with tear-filled eyes as we realized how much our baby has grown. Now she's just a regular old reader, as if she's been reading her entire life. She devours every book she can find, and is particularly helpful at reading books to her younger siblings if I need to get dinner on the table. She is often asking "Mommy, why does that sign say ----?" or "What does ----- mean?" I am amazed and proud and a little bit sad all at the same time. Would that I could make time stand still, I love my children so much and am enjoying them and this stage in their lives, so signs of progress are bittersweet. But I'm pleased with her nonetheless.

Aside from the reading, Angel's writing and artistic abilities are flowering as well. Several weeks ago we wrote letters to "Uncle Adam" - our brother/uncle who is busy serving a full time mission for our church. She insisted on writing a letter herself:

For those of you not fluent in Kindergarten-ese, this: "To Umkul Abum Hav u gr8 (clock) techyng at pypels (house)is" read this: "To Uncle Adam, Have a great time teaching at peoples houses." I love her creativity! :)

Wiggles, on the other hand, is busy asserting her independence in other ways. When I try to do anything for her (from helping brush her teeth to getting her dressed to helping her down the stairs) she insists "No! Self!" (meaning: No, I want to do this myself!") I try to allow for her independence but must be more vigilant about keeping my eye on her while doing so; the other day she pulled a big box of crayons off the counter, resulting in crayons all over the floor. I said "(Wiggles), let's clean the crayons up!" and began putting the crayons back in the box. "No! Self!" she demanded, so I left her and the crayons while I went to start breakfast. I didn't give it another thought (you'd think I would have considered the danger of crayons by now, having 2 older children!) until a moment later when I noticed the silence...(silence + an 18 mo old= MESS!) I ran to check on her and this is what I found:

In case you can't tell, that's black crayon ALL over my lovely, new, hardwood floors. And Wiggles eating the crayon. And smiling. And this picture only shows about 1/3 of the damage. Thank goodness crayon rubs off or I would have been crying instead of taking a picture.

I love my girls and I know their independent spirits will serve them well in life!

Having Fun

We are loving living on a very quiet street. So few cars ever come by that, as long as we are near, the children have free reign of the street, greatly expanding their practice of bike and scooter riding. Last week I took off their training wheels, and Angel has been soaring around on her own ever since. Grins, on the other hand, has decided to ride his scooter instead. :) And Wiggles' sweet little legs aren't yet long enough to reach the pedals on her tricycle, so she often gets frustrated, but she can get around fairly quickly just by scooting! I think it's hilarious that she insists on wearing her helmet to scoot around, just because the 'big kids' are wearing theirs!

Have you ever wondered?

Have you ever wondered where people get those decals of their families that you see on the back of so many cars? I have wondered that for years, and finally found the answer! Hobby Nobby has them - and TONS more options than I've ever seen! You can check them out here or here! But what's even more awesome? You can rent cricut cartridges from them, to create any thing your little heart desires! How cool is that?

Unplugged

FYI - my blog is part of the personal journal I keep. It allows me to record (some of) my memories with my family; our struggles, our joys, our laughs and the little bit of Heaven we are creating in our home each day. I make it public in an effort to keep in touch with loved ones near and far (mostly far). Sometimes I wish I were super crafty or a great writer or had a flashy blog with a gazillion readers like "nienie" or make it and love it. I think it's amazing the influence some women have had with their blogs and talents. But then I remember my number one priority in life - my children - and suddenly no amount of fame or fortune seems to matter at all. So while my posts on this blog are not cute or exciting or even well-written, they are serving their intended purpose: personal record keeping. (Translation: this next post is boring and directed only at myself, and is probably something everyone else has already realized. What can I say, I'm a late bloomer.) Also, this is a very revealing, less-than-flattering post detailing my failings as a mother, so you may be inclined to cut off communications with me after reading it. Consider yourself warned.

Due to some unforeseen events, we arrived in Maine penniless - literally. Because there were several things we NEEDED - but could not afford - I began scouring the internet regularly for FREE furniture, lawn mower, etc. Through this, we have been incredibly blessed in receiving everything we needed - and more - without having to spend money we didn't have. This has been a huge blessing. Doing so, however, developed within me a poor habit of increased computer time. Whereas I previously limited my computer time to when my children were sleeping, I began checking my email and message boards frequently throughout the day, so I wouldn't miss out on any 'great deals'. There are hundreds of deal sites out there, and it is easy to get carried away, and I soon found myself spending a bit more time in front of the computer screen than I needed to, and less time than I should on interacting with my children and maintaining our garden. (Not that my kids were neglected or we were eating mac 'n cheese every night, but I wasn't exactly being Mother of the Year either.) I knew it had gotten bad when Angel said told me something that had happened earlier that day and I asked "Where was I?" to which she responded "Probably on the computer."

Ironically, our children almost never watch TV (we've turned it on once since we moved in 2 months ago), so I consider our family very healthy in the "screen time" category. Until now. I realized that, though a very useful tool, the computer (specifically, the internet) can be a veritable time-sucker. One great deal here, a rebate form there, an ad on craigslist really quick and before you know it, the kids are up and asking for breakfast and you haven't even showered yet!

So, I've decided to return to my original rule of "kids awake = computer off". My time with them is so short and fleeting that I can't bear to have my eyes fixed on a screen if they could instead be watching my beautiful children grow. I don't want to miss a moment with them! If I miss out on a free vacuum or an awesome giveaway and have to start paying money for things again, I know somehow I'll survive. And my children will remember more of me than the back (or side) of my head.

Beside, motherhood is the best deal I'm ever going to get!

A (personal) Epiphany

I've been cranky lately. I've been stressed. I've been critical. I've been short-tempered with my children over simple things. And furthermore, I've become very discouraged by it. Each night after the kids are in bed, I debrief as I clean the house. Then, as I watch them sleep, I remember how innocent and precious they are - that they are just trying to learn and grow and discover who they are - and then I kick myself for being so short on patience, and wallow in nasty "bad mommy" feelings. I pray and weep and beg the Lord to grant me more patience, and help me be better, for them. In the morning I pray again and start out the day with enthusiastic plans to "make today a better day". I greet each child with plenty of hugs, kisses, snuggles and "I love you"s. And then the day wears on. The kids fight. They make messes. It gets hot. I get tired. The Mr. is always gone. There's not enough money. and so on and so forth. Suddenly my jaw is clenching and my shoulders are tight and, oh no, here it comes. I lash out over something simple ("Why did you bite your sister again? How many times must we go over this??!!") and suddenly, Mean, Cranky Mommy rears her ugly head and we are back to the Bad Mommy Feelings again.

I've been wondering what is wrong with me. I've been blaming it on the heat. (Seriously - 90+ degrees in 7000% humidity with no A/C is just wrong!) But I've been unable to kick it.

Until today. (I know, ha ha.) But seriously. Today during quiet time I read this story ("Dear April", the Friend, July 2010) to my children. Suddenly, near the end, I could no longer hold back the tears. As I read "I was thinking today about how nervous I was to move here. But it’s starting to feel like home now. The most important thing is being with my family!" I suddenly realized: I am struggling with this move. It is hard. I'm far away from all of my family and the friendships I've spent the last 8 years developing. I can't find my way around at ALL - I get lost almost every time I drive anywhere. My husband is almost always gone, and when he's home he's almost always sleeping. Our house is falling apart (we bought it that way...what were we thinking?) We are living on an uncomfortably tight budget (worse even than medical school!) And I don't even know where to get coupons or shop for the best deals out here (and if you know me, you know how much that frustrates me!) Yes, my life is challenging right now.

All of this and more (what? could there be more, after all that?) came to me in a flood of emotion as I realized and accepted that I have challenges. I've been so caught up in making the transition easy on my kids and husband and being strong for them that I've been (subconsciously) trying to pretend that everything is great, that I love it here, and that life is grand. Don't get me wrong - I don't hate my life - but being able to recognize and own the emotions I've been fighting these past couple of months was very cleansing.

Now that I have acknowledged them, I can 'deal with' them, and move on. Not that I'm packing my bags or anything...this move is still a challenge I'm going to have to adjust to, and even embrace. But instead of hiding or ignoring my feelings, I'm allowing myself to say "Yes, I really miss (such-and-such or so-and-so), but now I'm enjoying (my new friends, the beach, etc).

To help me with this, tonight I'm counting my blessings. It might take me a while to list all of them. Stay tuned.

Summer Goals

Our Family Home Evening tonight was about "Organizing (our)selves" - and turned into a goal-setting planning session for the summer. We talked about the importance of setting goals and organizing priorities and managing our time usefully. I encouraged each of us to think of a goal, either for ourselves personally, or for our family as a whole. I was excited to see what the kids came up with, and must say I was pleasantly surprised. They had some great ideas:

Summer 2010 Family Goals:

~Ride our bikes without training wheels (Grins)

~Get better prepared for Emergencies by updating our 72-hours kits (Angel) (I think she remembers last time we did it, when they got to eat all the almost-out-dated snacks!)

~Potty train Wiggles (Grins) - we all got a kick out of that one!

~Continue having Family Home Evening each week, even when the Mr is working 80 hrs/week (The Mr.)

~Plan and carry out a family Service Project at least once a month (Mommy), such as

-"that house we saw has VERY long grass. I think they have NEVER mowed their lawn. Maybe they are too old or too sick or too tired or don't have children to help with their yard work. I think we should help them mow their lawn." (Angel) (apparently she thinks children help with yard work? except in our family?)

- "visit sick, old ladies" (Grins)

- "take treats to all our neighbors" (Angel)

- "write little notes for people" (Angel)

I love hearing my children come up with ideas. They are sometimes much more creative than me, and I am always amazed at their generosity and willingness to serve. I need to be more like them!

The other day...

...we were at the park when Grins said "Mommy! That lady is sick-a-waiting"

"What?" I asked, confused. "Sick of waiting for what?"

"No!" he said, "Cig-a-retting"

"Cigaretting? You mean smoking?"

"Yes. That's bad because she might die and Heavenly Father doesn't want you to."

I was laughing about that all day. But really, I may be gramatically-challenged, but his conjugative reasoning actually makes sense (I think).

Tonight as I'm tucking my little dears in....

Angel refuses to sleep under the covers; instead, she insists on sleeping on top of her bedspread "so I won't have to make my bed in the morning."

Grins tells me "Mommy, today I saw one man showing his chest (not wearing a shirt) that wasn't private (modest) and another man smoking. That's not good, but Mommy, Jesus said 'Love Everyone' so I still love them."

Wiggles says "Ni-night, No! No bed time!" and, in an effort to keep herself awake, begins singing along with the Mr:

Mr: "Whenever I hear the song of..."

Wiggles: "BIRD"

Mr: "..or look at the blue, b...."

Wiggles: "SKY"

Mr: (laughing)

(Totally unrelated picture of how I find my kids almost every morning - Angel and Grins reading to Wiggles. I love it!)

The Big Cross-country Trek (part 2)

While the Mr. (and "crew") drove our belongings across the country, the children and I remained in Utah for a few days. We spent some quality time with friends and family and said our final farewells before heading to the airport. I was INCREDIBLY nervous about flying for more than 12 hours (overnight!), alone, with 3 energetic children. Fortunately, Oma came to the rescue and, in addition to sending a multitude of prayers our way, she took the kids shopping the night before, where they each chose a special new toy to play with on the plane. This proved enormously helpful!

Angel chose a little Sleeping Beauty Polly Pocket, complete with many different dresses and animals, of course. Grins selected a walking robot. And Wiggles (with help) chose a magna-doodle. Not only were the kids excited about their new toys as we began the flight, but they didn't put them down the entire trip (even while napping!)

We checked into the SLC airport with enough extra time to play in the little Children's Area they have there. (I LOVE that place - why don't more airports clue into that??) Wiggles cracked me up when she insisted on mowing with both mowers simultaneously!

We made it through security in one piece!

When we were walking onto the first plane, a sweet woman in front of us asked me "Are you by yourself with all those kids?" When I replied that I was, she instantly became my helper, arranging for 3 seats together on the plane (there weren't any when we got on, so that was a HUGE help!) On the flight, the kids were so great I didn't end up 'using' her, but it was just SO nice knowing I had someone to help if I needed it! She definitely came to the rescue at the airport, though! Before heading to her own gate, she stayed with our bags while I made restroom trips with each of the children, then even watched the kids so I could get them some dinner. (On a side note, Wiggles was very disturbed when I left the woman with our bags. She kept saying "Mommy! Mommy!" while grabbing at our bags, trying to insist we took them with us. Interestingly, though, Wiggles had no problem staying with her while I took the other 2 kids to the restroom. And yes, I did leave my children, momentarily, with a stranger at the airport. Looking back it was perhaps not the smartest move, but she was elderly, walked with a limp, and seemed perfectly safe. And I was desperate. And all's well that ends well, right? I actually believe she was more than an angel sent to help me, rather than a stranger.)

Unfortunately, after Gayle left (for her own flight), we got the bad news that our 3-hour layover was extended to 4 hours! When I asked one airport worker if there were any lockers so that, if I needed to take my children to the bathroom, I could safely leave my 5 bags for a moment, he said "No, it's illegal for us to have lockers." Interestingly, when I then asked if there was anything for children to do to pass the 4 hour wait, he said "You could take them over to the bar and get them drunk!" I looked at him incredulously and said "Also illegal. Thank you so much for the help." When I finally did discover a "kids" area, it consisted of a little table in front of a TV showing Cartoon Network, a channel I will never subject my children to - and the very friendly (ha!) airport personnel refused to change the channel! - Needless to say, we didn't use the "Kids area"! In a place with NO lockers to store your things, NO place for children to play, 4 hours was a LONG time! (If you're getting the hint, Chicago Midway airport is NOT my favorite airport - we will certainly be avoiding them in the future!)

The kids did really well on our second flight, as well, a miracle considering it was the middle of the night and they hadn't had naps! Three very kind (ha!) and lovely ladies in front of us kept making snide comments about "people bringing children on night flights" and "overpopulation" - and for some reason found it hilarious when I took pictures of my sleeping beauties - but I just smiled and tried my hardest to brush off their remarks. When Wiggles made even the tiniest peep they all turned around and glared - and for a few moments I actually considered pinching Wiggles or encouraging her to scream louder - but fortunately for all of us, (though she had already consumed all 3 bottles on the previous flight!) after much tummy-rubbing, she finally and miraculously fell asleep halfway through the flight. Her older brother and sister followed shortly thereafter, and I had half an hour of heaven on earth! (I might have fallen asleep myself if I didn't have 3 children on me!) :)

Grins woke up and he and I watched a lightning storm out the window - which terrified but intrigued him. And then we arrived at our final destination (for the night!) - Manchester, NH. Wiggles woke up easily (though NOT in a good mood!), and Grins helped me gather up our belongings, but Angel would NOT wake up, no matter what I, Grins, Wiggles (or any of the airline crew!) did!!! We were still on the plane trying to awaken her after everyone else was gone, so fortunately one of the flight attendants carried her out (there was NO way I could get her, Wiggles, and our 5 bags!) and the Mr. met us with open arms (a welcome sight if I ever saw one!)

Overall, it was a HUGELY successful trip - we got their safely, the children were AMAZINGLY well behaved, and I didn't even cry once the whole trip! Considering that the only casualty was one of Wiggles' pink shoes (she refuses to fall asleep wearing shoes, so I took them off, and it apparently didn't make it in the bag in our rush to de-board), I would say we made out pretty well! Although it's not a trip I'll be repeating any time in the near future!