Parties, Weddings and houseguests, oh my!

If there has ever been a more jammed packed time in my life I don't know what it was. Tod's mom and her husband Ger got here on the 10th and stayed through the 12th. The treated the kids to almost entire days of swimming, UP! 3-D, and kids meals. They took us to dinner at Abuelo's and the Glenn Beck Common Sense tour at the theater. All in a matter of two days!

My responsibility was to get ready to deliver the wedding cake for Saturday, and I spent an entire day doing just that. I had forgotten in the last four years since we have been here how stressful it is to make a wedding cake, and I may never agree to it again!

Friday night, after spending all day baking and frosting, we went to Hobbs to have a family barbecue before the wedding. Lots of Tod's family was there and it was fun to sit and talk to people we normally only see up there. Saturday morning we drove back to Hobbs a second time, set up the cake and went to the wedding. After the wedding we went to the reception. The kids had a blast getting punch from a fountain, and I got to cut the cake- They gave me an apron that matches the tablecloth above as a gift...cute huh?

We got home after midnight Sunday night with Tod's brother Greg in tow, and Sunday morning Tod's dad, his wife Ellen , Tod's brother Jay and Jay's fiance Kris (whom I love!) made it over. Greg, Jay and Kris left later that day for home with a belly full of Gumbo (their first time).

Dad and Ellen stayed till Wednesday. They got to help us celebrate Leah's 4th birthday and help her shop for birthday dresses. Leah hates shorts and would wear a dress every day of the week if we let her. Ellen and I went to Kohls three times. She kept saying we were looking for Clarence. It actually took me a while to figure out that they were poking fun at me. Apparently I pronounce 'Clearance', 'Clarence'. Oh well, we definitely found him!

We had our nightly games of Euchre, and our daily games of Dirty Clubs. We never get enough card playing, and playing cards always means lots of tasty, off-limits food.

Thursday night I taught a three month food storage class at Enrichment that I had been studying and planning for since 3 weeks ago. I have learned so much about planning, gathering, preserving, storing, and thrifty shopping that my head is swimming.

Last night I flipped open my YW lesson manual (yes, I know I procrastinated) to figure out what I would be teaching today. It never ceases to amaze me how much the lessons and their subject matter were timed for me. I cried when I saw that it was about forgiveness, it seems like a cruel joke. No one knows what you suffer or endure. No one knows when your heart is breaking, except the Lord. It is amazing to me that he can communicate his love and support for us in the simplest of ways. I am so thankful to have these opportunities to learn and grow, and have a deeper perspective because of my membership in the church.

And so, life is somewhat back to normal. Father's day was quiet and I hope we can have a little break before the insanity begins again.

Look closely...

Right upper lip, fat lip and right chin...( sorry about the up-the-nose shot ;))

Leah is her mother's daughter- nearly everything around her represents a major hazard. Can you guess how she had her latest odd encounter today? Notice the distinctive pattern .

Little Bubbles

I hate looking at our blog and realizing I haven't written anything in weeks. It makes me feel guilty because this is somewhat like a family journal and the lack of writing suggests that I have no desire to document what is going on in our lives. I wait for events- birthdays, gerbil killings, etc. to offer our friends and family a peek into our lives. When family visits or we make the rare trips to their homes they always comment on how much the kids have changed. I guess for us it's like the frog it the pot- they change so gradually that we didn't even realize how we got to where we are.
Aaron outgrew his shoes at a record pace- before they had even worn out. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but this time I had to buy him a men's size 8, only three sizes smaller than his dad's. They are considerably bigger than my own.
It was disgusting.
I remember a woman in our ward in Hobbs telling me before Aaron was born that I should write down everything about the day he was born- the little looks, what I was thinking, his smell- and commit it all to memory. I didn't write it on paper, yet. I did commit it to memory though. Aaron had this perfectly shaped, velvety blond head. Every mother knows her baby's cry and smell. They've even done studies on it. I used to nuzzle his head and breathe in the smell of him. It was the first time in life I had felt that unconditional love of a child. I will never forget it.
The other day he came home from school with a pamphlet entitled, "Always Changing: You and Puberty". Gag. Are they serious? Little Aaron? Along with the pamphlet there were gifts! A toothbrush and deodorant. Laugh if you will, but they must be clairvoyant. How did they know his hair had gone from that velvety to greasy overnight? Not to mention there is this odd smell coming off of him like a junior high wrestling mat! Thank you pamphlet gods who have come in my time of need to rescue my baby from the throes of teenage weirdness!
This is how I document our lives. In the little bubbles that rise from the bottom of the boiling pot- little moments I take notice of the change in the water. I hope I can write something more interesting in my next blog post for once, I don't think I can stomach another gerbil incident though!

Isn't it normal?

The school year is drawing to a close. I am so excited to have the kids home with me again. I love to have a little bit of influence over their lives and steal them away from the so-called educational system for a few short months. I hate running here and there and being bound by some schedule. I always laugh when someone tells me that they can't stand summer and the fact that they don't have the school to babysit their kids for 7 hours a day.

I look at Aaron as he changes and is making that dreaded transition into teenage-hood. There are still little glimpses of the sweet little boy that I used to cradle and sing to, but not many. Now I am lucky if he doesn't glare at me over the course of the day. At least he still thinks I'm smart. I know that won't last long either.

I love that we got to sit through Josh's championship game last night, and hate that he had to lose. It broke my heart to see those boys cry on their dad's shoulders, but I was happy to hold Josh's head against my chest again and soak up his tears. I'm so grateful he still wants to. ( And the dance in the outfield is over till the fall).

I'm sure it makes for dry reading when I don't have any funny stories to tell, but I'm glad that life has been "normal" and "boring". And isn't it normal to sit down and kill zombies with the boys sometimes?

I am dreading Anna starting school this coming fall. She is so entertaining. The kids have been introduced to a lot of different music- I am a music addict. The journey song "Don't stop believing" has a line that goes "I smell wine and cheap perfume". Anna and Leah were singing it in the car the other day and I realized they were saying "Snow White and sheep perfume". Fantastic! You can't buy that kind of entertainment.

I'm such a dork. It sounds so cheesy to be gushing over my kids. I just love that this is my favorite place to be. Having family movie night in our family room, in our own theater, eating popcorn and everyone laying all over each other laughing and happy. Then sitting up late with my best friend in this world, laughing and talking, just being grateful for this life I've been blessed with. Isn't it normal?

A lesson for Leah

Anyone else tired of hearing about tonsils? Well, prepare yourself for something uglier. We have quite the animal population in our home. 2 dogs, 2 guinea pigs and 2 gerbils. Well, there were 2 gerbils. Today was a day of carnage in our home.

Warning: this post is not for the faint of heart

Leah has been warned repeatedly to leave the small animals alone. At almost 4, she just doesn't have the understanding to treat them with the respect they need. We frequently find her holding an animal that is verboten. I'm afraid we gave her more opportunities than we should have. Although she has handled them many times under our supervision, today she locked herself in the office and played with them alone. When she came out with one in her hand, she handed her to me, saying, "She's got bleed!"

Uh oh. Yep, her grip had been too tight. Explaining to a 3 year old the concept of death, much less that she had caused it was difficult, but it hit her where it hurt when the older kids came home from school. All of a sudden her favorite people in the world were all crying hysterically and looking at her with accusing eyes. We talked about how even though they miss Carly, they have to forgive Leah, and love her in spite of her careless act.

It is so hard to lose a pet. I have experienced it too, and it is tough. Perhaps it's God's way of preparing us in small ways for inevitable future losses. It was a good opportunity to talk to the kids again about resurrection. They petted her one last time and we talked about how it was a body only- there was no life in her, no spirit. We put her in the ground and said a prayer. Josh said the sweetest prayer- he asked that she would be happy there with her Heavenly Father as one of his little animals again. He asked that we would be able to deal with her loss, and someday see her again. Kids are so smart.

Emma on the other hand, says that she can't take it anymore. She can't take it. We'll see.

So this blog is for you, Carly! You will be missed, especially by Emma. Sam misses you too!

Tots and Tonsils

Well, the weird time of post tonsillectomy seems to be over. Tod went back to work yesterday and life is officially back to normal. Our house is a sty, the laundry is piled high to the ceiling, and there isn't a single room that isn't trashed. It was as if we were living in a false reality, disconnected from the rest of the world. Tod walked out of the house Monday morning and noticed how much the grass had grown.

Thank you to all those who have offered their help and support during this stressful time. We are so grateful!

Jack is adjusting well to his new home. He will sleep on the bed whenever he gets the chance, but is not allowed on the leather couch under any circumstances. Mostly he follows me around no matter where I go- to the point where he is continually stepped on. Poor baby.

I have given up my precious Coke again. It is a tense time in my house, you might want to say a little extra prayer for my family.

Emma gave Anna a black eye in the bath tub! Think it's time for separate baths?

Josh has his baseball tournament next week. He is so excited because he is sure they will win, as they have the best record so far. He takes every opportunity to rub his game ball in Aaron's face.

I have begun making Emma's baptism clothes. I can't believe it is coming!

Aaron is still in the thick of baseball. He still loves it. He scrutinizes every little thing he does wrong. He has that perfectionist gene- I wonder where that came from?

Summer is closing in fast, less than 5 weeks to go! If you want to make a little trip down (or over) to Texas, we would be happy to see you! I'll even move the laundry ;)

Why I'm not cut out for nursing

You may not know that before this glorious career in motherhood and housewifery I was dead set on medicine. I even used to show my dates pictures out of my surgical textbooks. I think they're fascinating, I don't know why so many of them gagged. Gimme a break. Fortunately I have these weird opportunities to continue my education in this job of wife and mother. Did you ever think that being a nurse could be so fun? Yeah, me either.
Attention: Portions of this story have been edited or excluded to protect the dignity of all parties involved.

First some back information. Tod has had strep 5 times in the last 6 months. In other words, he had a throat like a petri dish. Gross. He even felt so generous as to share with the rest of us on a few occasions. Again, yuck. After seeing the ENT he was told that the time was well past when he needed to have his festering prune-like tonsils removed.

Tod- So can I have them out on a Friday and get back to work on Monday?
Dr- (shock and reserved laughter) Uh, no. At least 2 weeks my friend.
Tod- (shock and reserved tears) Okay.
And it was scheduled.

Tax day we got up at the not-so-sunny hour of 4:30 to get the kids to their various babysitters and make it to the hospital by 6. Thankfully my prayers were answered and everything went smoothly that day. The kids were calm and cooperative, the surgery went smoothly, and we were home at lunchtime. I wasn't nervous. I was confident in his Dr., the staff was kind and professional, and Tod was so drugged that I knew he wouldn't remember anything anyway.

When he was in his room recovering, drinking ice-water he said the fated words:
"I feel good enough, I think I could go back to work!"
Maybe it was the Demoral talking. Yup, I'm pretty sure it was.

Let me first say that I love my husband. I LOVE HIM! He is the center of my universe, my best friend and any other mushy thing you can think of.

But this nursing thing stinks. Adult tonsillectomy might very well be the worst surgery in the world. Pretty sure Tylenol 3 doesn't agree with Tod's stomach. Found that out the hard way. Cold feels bad but warm feels worse. The bigger the tonsils were, the bigger hole they leave behind. Scabs in the throat...well, that's all I'll say about that.
Tod is pretty sure that he's had the equivalent suffering to childbirth. No comment.

I feel bad for him. I don't have much of a bedside manner. I am more the "suck it up" and "rub some dirt on it" mentality. My kids will probably be scarred for life because I think cuts are exciting. There are few things, blood or pain that ruffle my feathers. Frankly I am more bothered by lizards. Now if it was a lizard in Tod's throat, that would get a rise out of me! Mostly I resent that I couldn't be there in the operating room, and that the nurses talk to me like a high school drop-out. I know how to use the PDR as well as they do, thank you very much! Off the soapbox...

So today marked the beginning of the second week of his convalescence. It has been a hard week in so many ways, obviously. But in many ways it has been a blessing (don't tell Tod). I have made several trips to the store for various comfort items...alone. That's right, no children. I have been to a few baseball games...alone. It was a wonderful thing to see Josh get an AWESOME hit, see the pride his coaches had, and watch him get the game ball after the win. He was so proud of himself, it brought a little tear to my eye. Jack has been allowed to sleep in the bed...that's right, IN THE BED! Tod has shared his bed with a dog, and unprecedented event. I think he feels a camaraderie with the barkless animal- maybe he has had throat surgery too?

I keep telling Tod that eventually, he will have his baby- the blessings of a lack of tonsils- and the pain will be over. Until then, I'm keeping a pleantiful stock of ensure, ice-cream, applesauce, malt-o-meal, soup, jello, pudding...you get the idea! Maybe we'll run out and I'll have to run to the store again...(wink, wink).