You Don't See That Every Day

When I was a kid Saturday mornings meant Bugs Bunny before breakfast - if we were lucky. But because a) we don't have cable, and b) we don't watch much TV anyway, our kids don't know about Saturday morning cartoons. So they entertain themselves in a different way. The create 'burritos'. First, lay out all the blankets. Then convince your sister to lay down - it didn't take much convincing. Next, roll her up. Keep rolling, don't smack the baby! Now spread out the "toppings" - this is going to be a burrito grande! Roll her back the other way -- and take a bite! Perfect. Who's next? (Oh, I almost forgot - a Happy Birthday wish for my brother T, and my sister in law CK)

So yesterday we couldn't find that museum. We came home, looked it up online - ah the wonders of the Internet - and found out where we had turned wrong. We also noted they were open from 10 to 4, Wed through Sat. Perfect! Off we went this morning, awake and alert. After parking, and wrapping Baby up in her front pack, we walked up to the museum and turned the doorknob to go inside... only the knob wouldn't turn. It was locked?! What? The shades were drawn on the windows. The sign on the front door even said Open 10-4, Wed through Sat. I checked the time, 11:15 am. I checked the day, yep Thursday. What? A few disappointed kids stood with me, unbelieving, trying the doorknob again. So we loaded back up and drove to find another museum next town over. (A nice thing about where we live, little towns nearby don't take long to get to.) We had been there once before a few years back and I kind of remembered where it was. But it wasn't there! We must have spent half an hour dr...

When, oh when, will the sun come out and summer, or even spring, begin? What, oh what, do I do with the 11 year old who wants to go and see and do? After baby K was born we had some wonderful friends and family members take the kids to their homes for a day or two or three. It was a nice break for me, sure; but I think it was even nicer for the kids because they got to get out of the house, and even play with friends! Now that baby eats every 2 hours in the daytime, and I need a nap every afternoon, going places is just a lot harder. So we haven't really gone anywhere 'fun' this month. Trips to a grocery store don't count for the older kids. It might have worked on them at age 5 but not now. And the rain - oh boy - that cuts out a lot of our free activities. Today we took lunch out to my husband's office and then a side trip to get fuel at Costco. I thought of going in and trying the samples, but the amount of cars in the parking lot dissuaded me from that notion. S...

13 years ago this is where we were on May 24. Little did we know what was in store for us!! I was thinking the other day about how much we had gone through, both good and not so good; and how the experiences have helped us grow closer together because sometimes it pushed us away from each other. I used to lay awake at night worrying and wondering what was going to happen. But now, I think we have finally come into a new season; one of not so much wonder and worry, but more open and honest communication, trust and knowing God is going to get us through whatever comes this way. It has taken time and work, but it's been all worth it. Our faith has grown, our friendship has grown, our family has grown(!) It has been quite a ride. And I'd do it all over again in an instant.

Today's word is one we all know and love: Gravy , the noun, the verb, the adjective. It has been in high usage lately in our lives; never before have I heard it so much, except when I was growing up and could exclaim " Pass the gravy " at mealtime. My husband has a phrase I had never heard until we were married: "that's just gravy"; it's one you tack on to the end of a comment, such as, " Our girls are smart, and well, their good looks, that's just gravy ." He says this about all manner of things! And then there is my favorite show, The Amazing Race, and the real winners of this season, Jet and Cord. The first time we heard Cord say, " Oh my gravy !" we laughed, because it fit so well. And then I came around to wanting to use that too. I am not one to say Oh my word, or Oh my goodness, or Oh my gosh .. nope, just doesn't sit right in my mouth. But Oh my gravy! Yes! Of course! Gravy, that wonderful tasting concoction, Oh my! Al...

The kids' latest joke: What do you do when your nose goes on strike?' Picket.

Once again it's time to plant the garden and spend time at the farm. G and the 3 older kids left the house early on Saturday, (early being a relative term here), and I stayed behind with the 2 younger girls. I was planning on doing work around the house in the morning after giving baby K a bath. But my 4 year old said, "I really want to go to the farm!" How could I turn that down?! So off we went - after packing up the diaper bag, stroller and car seats! And then as we were driving to the farm, she told me how much she loves the farm. Yay! It gets even better - after lunch with the grandparents, we were on our way back to the farm when she tells me how much she loves Grandpa, because he is going to give her a ride on the tractor. And he did (cue the Big Green Tractor song here). And she raved about it on the drive home. I had to leave early with M. and K. because little Miss Fussy pants was getting fussy. (She is the noisiest child - but more on that another time.) The o...

I took my first steps towards jogging tonight. After a walk with our dog, I wondered what it would feel like to run again. But, being only 2.5 weeks out of the hospital, I didn't want to push it too much. So I decided to try and jog up the driveway. Ha, and ha and ha. I liken those 10 (?) steps to an old lady jog. My feet barely left the pavement, my tummy and other parts jiggled, I had to use both hands to hold it in. So much for that experiment. But hey, one step at a time. We'll see how next week goes.

Here are pictures of three of my babies. These 3 girls were all born with dark hair. One of them had a ton of hair, one of them turned blond, and one of them - well we're waiting to see what happens with her. They all seem to share the same face though.

When do I get to be Me again? When do the mood swings stop? When do the hormones and the hives calm down? When do I get to be a do-er again instead of a couch-sitter? I want Me back. Two weeks have passed since Baby K was born. She is growing well - gained an inch in height, and is back to birth weight (90 % in length, 75 % in weight on the growth chart if I read it right). I have a lost a couple of inches in weight and, unfortunately, have not gained any in height. But I am still not Me who was before pregnancy. I long to run again and race the dog around the yard; I look forward to jumping in the car and going to the beach just because. I want to be a wife and a nice mom again, not one who snaps at her kids because they don't listen. And yet, I don't see that happening anytime soon. sleep, sleep, sleep! My husband made me cry today. I am sure that wasn't his intention, but it happened. Thankfully they were joyful tears this time, not tears of frustration. He sent me these...

It has been one week since we brought the newest model home from the hospital. In that week, we have relearned sleeping, relearned eating one-handed, relearned typing one-handed, relearned when to answer the phone and when to let it go. I've had to relearn packing a diaper bag - I have already been caught without wipes while out on the town. And then there's the bathing - we're eagerly awaiting that umbilical stump to fall off so we can give her a fun bath. Baby K has learned to sleep longer at night - Yes! 3 hours in between feedings!! - and staying awake a little bit more during the daytime. She has come to like her siblings' voices. They can often get her to stop fussing for a few minutes by talking to her, until I can come to her aid. And I've come to learn to slow down; I am not one to just sit on the couch, and yet, I have to frequently so I can feed this child; plus it forces me to accept help from others, and my children have learned to help out more around ...

Being in the hospital gives a person plenty of time to think. As I was in pain, my thoughts tended to veer towards theories of pain management. It ties in with grief in my mind. Our pastor had a sermon recently, as he is preaching through the book of Esther, about grief; how our culture does not want us to display our own grief. We don't cry in public, it's "good" to buck up and take it. OK , so those were not his words, but rather the idea I got from his sermon. Pastor tied it into Mordecai putting on ashes and sackcloth, while Esther said "Hey, stop it!" So, the basic idea - don't allow your grief to interfere with the fun of life going on around you. So that leads me into my pain management theorizing. I was in the hospital bed, feeling contractions getting stronger each time (ouch!) and waiting for the epidural to be brought in. Thankfully my body doesn't reject that type of pain management. However, for whatever reason, my body does reject other...

(one day old) I finally got enough sleep last to be able to type up something nearly coherent here. Baby 5 -- "KK" -- arrived on Monday afternoon! And she is so soft and cute we can't get enough of her already. The kids have been gently "fighting" over who gets to hold her next! It is so nice to have big helpers this time around! (4 days old)