Do-Over Day

I decided yesterday needed to be a "do-over day". At the end of the day, I just wasn't happy with myself - and I am sure the kids (really just the girls) weren't to thrilled either. I was grouchy...to the point I went in and apologized to Sarah after I had put her to bed. Of course she was all-forgiving, and I knew by morning she would have forgotten everything - it was to make me feel better I guess. You know, moms have bad days too -- just like kids do -- but sometimes it is hard to accept that it is okay. You don't want to ensure a spot in therapy for your kids just because you had a bad day. I can't stand the thought of my kids going to sleep feeling like I am the bad guy - especially when it wasn't even their fault. Charles and the boys were gone from 7:15 in the morning until 8:30 at night...probably a good thing! Ava is just all over the place and into everything. If something is put up, she pulls it out...shoes....purses....socks....toys....tupperware...you name it. Yet at the same time, she is stuck to me like velcro! How does that happen??? And if I hear "NO! I DO IT!" one more time???? Ava flat out refuses to let you do ANYTHING for her. She has to know she can't do it herself before she will let you come near her (sigh). Sarah really isn't as busy. Our biggest struggle right now is a potty training issue. She is pretty much potty trained - day and night - she just doesn't want to "poop" in the potty. Give her a diaper and she'll go (again - sigh). I wasn't going to give in to her request for a diaper, but I didn't know if all the crying was from her being afraid or not being able to go. Let's just say she is afraid. I have one more trick up my sleeve....I'll see if it works.

So you see, life is not all butterflies and sunshine at our house. I know that comes as a huge shock - ha! Just remember that it is okay to have a bad day. If you get extreme - just be sure to apologize - even to the little ones. It's all worth it to feel those little arms around your neck! I love my family - and I'm glad they love me - even on my "grouchy" days! :-)

A Day In The Life Of.....

Charles & I have always kidded that we should have some sort of web cam in our house because the strangest things seem to happen and no one would ever believe us if we told them.  Sometimes I don't even think the writers for "Seinfeld" could come up with this material.  Let me just give you a run-down of all the happenings starting from about 6:30 Monday night til about 6:30 Tuesday night.

If you are not on Facebook, then you didn't see my status Monday night when I posted about Ava eating dark brown sugar straight from the box.  She was covered in it and incredibly sticky.  Probably wouldn't have been so bad if  I weren't at work and Charles needed to leave the house in 10 minutes to take the boys to karate.  To top it off, when he did put her in the tub, she had pooped in her diaper and a "piece" fell between her toes...got squished...yeah - I was glad I was at work!

On my way home from work that night, I was pulled over by the ever-so-observant Collierville police because I had a headlight out (Charles' car).  No ticket - just a warning.  I told him a security guard at work had told me about it and I was going to be getting it fixed.  Didn't tell him that the security guard told me that a week ago.....

Next morning -- usual chaos getting the boys up & out the door...then getting the girls and their lunches ready for MDO.  Get there (they go to First Assembly) - and Charles tells me Zachary is in his office -- sick with a fever and headache...nice.  First thought was flu (fever, headache, and sudden onset are symptoms), but I took him to my work and he was negative -- whew!  He's still not feeling well and running a temp - not sure what's going on, but it will have to run its course.

I go to the dentist....the machine they use to polish your teeth went out after the girl had already cleaned my top teeth.  She then proceeded to clean my bottom teeth...with a toothbush.  Now I know how Sarah & Ava feel when we go after them with a toothbrush!  Oh - and on top of that, I had some sort of cavity or something -- I don't even remember what they called it, but it is something that will have to be "filled".  Doesn't hurt....won't have to be drilled...whatever.

Next I go to Wal-Mart....was really pumped because I picked up some fried okra from the deli....then I was bummed when I got home and it tasted like it had been cooked 6 hours prior to my arrival...bleh!

Go to pick up the rest of the kiddos from MDO/school....Sarah & Ava are terrors...they always are after they come home on "school" days.  I'm seriously thinking about taking them out.  It isn't worth my sanity!

Josh talks me into going to Great American Cookie Co. on the way home.  I pick up cookies for everyone and then when I get home I realize my "free" cookie didn't make it into the bag....grrr!

The girls continue on their rampage all afternoon...ready to pull my air out!  Nothing satisfies them!

Charles comes home and then goes back outside to attempt to change the headlight.  You have to understand that in his car, this is no easy feat!  You have to get to it thru the wheel-well...major ordeal.  Anyway - 5 minutes after he goes outside the phone rings.  I was dealing with Ava and knew someone answered it -- cut to the chase -- Charles had busted in the garage and couldn't get up so he used his cell phone to call us to come help him!  Not a good memory -- the last time someone fell like that, 911 was called....I drove up to find an ambulance and fire truck in my driveway....makes me shudder!  He was okay though...very sore, but okay.

We come inside and while trying to pry my daughters out of the refrigerator, I'm pretty sure I broke my pinky toe on said refrigerator.  I'm going to x-ray it when I go to work tomorrow.  It is sporting some beautiful shades of blue and purple...unlike the pretty pink one on the other foot!

Sarah and I start to butt heads over a potty training issue.  She is doing GREAT...but she will NOT poop in the potty.  She knows she gets a huge treat when she does, but something about it scares her...she says her "booty hurts"...yet put a diaper on her and she has no trouble.  Sigh..

At that point, I told everyone to pick their favorite cereal for dinner.  I had no energy to fix the veggies and baked fish I had originally planned.  Afterwards, it was baths/showers/bed for all little people.  I was never so happy to see 9:00 come!

So anyway...see what I mean?  These kinds of things go on all the time!  Now you understand when I can't remember things....lots of things!  My brain never gets a rest!  It's crazy over here!  It's not all bad....when I was giving the girls a bath (separately), Ava is singing "Jesus Loves Me" and Sarah is singing "I'm In The Lord's Army".  Even in all the chaos, I know I am blessed.  I can kiss and hug my family, and they can kiss and hug me back.  We are all safe under one roof.  I am not promised that tomorrow or the next day I can say that, but for tonight I can -- and I plan on making the most of it.  I don't want any regrets because I don't know what tomorrow will bring.  :-)

Tooth Fairy & Tiaras

That's about as clever as I could get with the title....and believe it or not, the two really aren't even related! We've been so busy....school started and I have had the hardest time adjusting. I hate getting up early..the boys are getting older and gone are the days of them bouncing out of bed - although out of the two, Josh really is the best about getting up on his own. It used to be the other way around. Zachary now has to practically be blasted out of bed on school mornings! Our lives now feel so rushed all day every day. I hate that. Moving on....

We've been to the dentist, got haircuts, birthday parties, shopping trips to Target....normal stuff. Josh lost a tooth - actually, he had Zachary pull it! I just can't imagine - I would have never let anyone touch my mouth to pull a tooth. I pulled my own teeth thank-you-very-much! Anyway -- he's really cute, he lost one of his top 2 teeth, so he has a touch of a lisp! He got $15 (thx to someone other than mom & dad) for that joker...a far cry from the .50 cents I got when I was a kid! When I took him to the dentist, Dr. Prine told me he would have to (in layman's terms) have part of his gum removed that is between his 2 front teeth. This doesn't have to be done until he loses his other top tooth though. If we don't do it, he will have a gap between his teeth. The verdict is still out on whether or not he will need braces. He hasn't lost enough teeth to be able to tell. Zachary is good though...he has great teeth - whew!

On the other hand, the girls have been playing dress-up in their princess outfits constantly! Sarah is forever asking Zachary to marry her....so cute! Zachary will say, "I now pronounce you brother & sister." They crack me up. Sarah is obsessed with princess things...she is 110% girl! Ava is right behind her - doing whatever "Sissy" does. They went to a "Tea Party" birthday party last weekend for their friend Lily. Those girls had a great time. Ava grazed on cookies and PB&J cut-out sandwiches, Sarah just loved being with her "gal-pals"! I am once again going to to try to potty train next weekend. I'm dreading it...maybe because I'm going to do Sarah & Ava together. Why not? Yeah - my work will be cut out for me, but if I can do it....it will be well worth the loss of my sanity! I found a 3-Day Potty Training booklet on-line. It supposedly works...has great testimonials....and the lady who wrote it gives you e-mail support. The only major problem I see now is that Sarah WILL NOT - I repeat...WILL NOT even attempt to go poo-poo in anything but a diaper. Not quite sure how I'm going to handle that. I need to see if the booklet addresses that. So that - my friends - is how I plan on spending my 4-day weekend! No really - don't be jealous!

So anyway - that is what's happening with us these days. I'm so glad I am off tomorrow. We NEVER have a day that we can all sleep in as a family and just do what we want. Literally- except for a holiday - there is not one day that Charles and I are home on the same day where we can sleep in. He works every Saturday and Sunday we are up & running for church. I had wanted to work in the yard, but a small part of me hopes it rains! I don't want it to rain on my birthday, but nothing beats sleeping in on a rainy day. You know I am right!

Do You Have Any Cheetos?

Okay - so originally, I was going to write a true story about a little girl and her Cheetos. Then, time got away from me and the next thing I new, I realized it was Josh's birthday...and my kids surprised me once again with their kindess towards each other. So I am still going with the original title, but like all good teasers, you will have to wait until the end of the blog to hear the story! Yeah, I know - I hate it when TV does that to me too, but I have to admit - it is kind of nice to be on the other side - what power...ha!

I know the blog date shows I posted this on the 14th, when actually it is the 17th. I started it on the 14th....just never finished. Anyway, today is the 17...Josh's 8th birthday (it also would have been my grandmother's 80th brthday...happy birthday Nanny!) I can't believe my guy is 8! Like every parent, I ask "where does the time go??" He is such a sweetheart...maybe a tad ADD, but still so sweet. He feels deeply and reacts very strongly - that is a two-edged sword! Zachary was being so nice to him today. He not only bought him a digital camera for his birthday, but put $20 in his birthday card! Hmmmm - my birthday is next - let's see if I get $20 (just kidding!)

So anyway...our quick trip to Orange Beach was fun - way too short, but still fun. It was neat to see the girls play on the beach for the first time. They loved it! It still amazes me how much sand can fit into such a tiny bathing suit! Lots of swimming, lots of food (LAMBERT'S!!!), lots of memories. The girls had their share of melt-downs, but that wasdue to being tired (I told Charles I never saw Ava's head turn 360's, but I'm pretty it did a few times) . Sarah tried to pick up a jellyfish, Josh had Zachary bury him in the sand, both boys collected seashells, and little Ava just dug and dug in the sand. Good times...good times....

Okay - so here is the anticipated story about a little girl and her Cheetos. Little Ava wanted a snack on the bach, and I (being the great, "fun" mom I am) gave her a whole cannister of Cheetos. She proceeded to plop down really close to the water and start munching away. Well, I (being the "cautious" mom that I am) thought she was a bit too close and pulled her back a little. In the process, some Cheetos spilled on the sand. Hence photo #1.



Well, it wasn't to long before Mr. Seagull caught a whiff of these munchies and decided (along with a buddy) to check Ava and her snack out.

Ava wasn't to thrilled with the prospect of company...especially when more and more "friends" started to appear...

After a few "Mommy, Daddy, help me!" cries, we rescued her, and once she was out of the picture, the rest of the flock came to see what scraps they could get! Bear in mind that all this happened in a matter of a couple of minutes or less. Amazing...and soooo funny!

So after some thought, I realized that there is a moral to this story here....Ava had something that others (even if they were birds!)) wanted - really bad. Once the news got out that there was something good to be had there, others wanted to have a taste too. See where I am going with this? Do you have something special that others want a part of? If you do, others will be drawn to you. Once they have a taste, they will tell others and want even more. Just a thought......do you have any Cheetos? :-)

Life Goes On.....Really It Does

Amazing how one phone call or one event can bring yhour life to a screeching halt - yet life goes on. My grandmother passed away almost 2 weeks ago and while her passing was very much anticipated (she had pancreatic cancer), actually hearing that she was finally gone still brought life to a standstill. I remember watching the van from the funeral home taking her body away from Memphis Jewish Home and I was still in disbelief. Pulling out of the parking lot one last time was so surreal - I felt like a tornado was swirling all around me and I was oblivious to everything else. (Ironically, the tornadoes hit Memphis the night of her viewing!) Those first few days afterwards were almost like an out-of-body experience. Emotions were all over the place like a pinball machine -- joy, sorrow (lots of that!), anxiety, love, patience, you name it. I thought I would be so relieved when she finally passed away because I was ready for her to go on home to heaven - to be pain-free, to see Papaw again, to see other brothers & sisters who went before her, and to see the multitude of friends waiting for her as well. I guess I didn't think about how I would really feel when all this would really come to pass. Yes - I am soooo happy for her, but I am even more sad for my own loss as well. She was basically my only grandmother - and I loved her dearly. She spoiled me rotten (as every grandparent should do!), made me insanely jealous of her cooking (never used a recipe!), and loved my kids more than anyone would have thought possible. I still tear up when Ava asks where "Gweat-Gweat" (Great-Great) is. I drive by the entrance to the Jewish home many times during the week, which serves as a constant reminder. I liked going to see her at night - when the day had calmed down. The last time I sat with her I just held her hand and "scratched" her arm - as she did to me and all the grandkids and great-grandkids countless times. She could wake up enough to say hi/bye and that she loved me, and to answer"no" when I asked her if she was in any pain.

My kids really miss her - especially Zachary and Josh. They were very close to her. I'm glad that they have special memories of her to hold on to. That was a hard week for them - for all of us - but we learned that life goes on.

The following Sunday, Josh was baptized. Yea Josh! He's asked Jesus into his heart oh, I don't know, 6 or 7 times by now? The kid is definately going to heaven!

I came back to work Tuesday....we leave for Orange Beach late tonight...school starts next Friday.

Life goes on...really it does...

In the midst of the "tornado", God is still good. There is a great peace. This peace assures me that I will see her again one day...that she is finally whole again and is no longer suffering. I can't help but wonder how people who have no hope handle situations like this. There must be such an overwhelming sense of loss and hopelessness. I'm glad that doesn't apply to me. I can't explain why God does what He does sometimes. It makes me question, but it doesn't make me love Him any less.

The storm has passed and we are putting our lives back together.

Because life goes on...really it does.

HAPPENINGS....

You would think with all that has been going on in my life I should be blogging everyday, but alas - that is not the case! My computer access has been limited, as our computer is currently on the dining room table waiting to be set back up, so I have not been able to ramble aimlessly as I have in the past. Maybe that is a good thing, but has wreaked havoc on my sanity! :-) So, I am going to catch everyone up to speed on the past few weeks....

- Charles was in England 6/30-7/11
- Zachary was at camp 7/6-7/10
- Well visits to the dr. for the girls (both doing great - Sarah is 40lbs and 40 inches tall. Ava is a whopping 25 lbs. and 30.5 inches tall. Poor thing is barely on the chart! She's okay tho - just small in stature.)
- Lots of daytime outings with friends and swimming - trying to stay busy while the hubby was gone. The weather needs to warm back up so we can get back to the pool!
- Lots of trips to see my grandmother. She has pancreatic cancer and is receiving hospice care at the Memphis Jewish Home. Praying for a quick ending to a very painful process - both for her and the family.
- Lots of laundry. Okay - so that is actually a normal thing at my house.
- Zachary came home from camp and had a bad ear infection with a blister on his eardrum. A couple of days later, the blister was gone, but he had middle ear infections in both ears. Poor guys was in lots of pain for a couple of days, but thankfully, is doing much better. Still doesn't have all his hearing back yet.
- New carpet and kitchen tile installed. Looks FABULOUS, but I think it would have been easier to move. We still don't have the house put back together yet (aka - why the computer is still in the dining room!) This whole process really called for a blog by itself - but that is all behind me now...good times (ha - NOT!)
- Scratched my car thanks to the evil set-up of the car wash at the BP gas station at Houston Levee and Walnut Grove. Looks like Edward Scissorhands got ahold of it!
- Emptied the freezer in my garage after the door to it mysteriously popped open a fraction of an inch. Hideous odor - thx to all the "mystery meat" that was in there.

(Let me interject here that the last two items happened the same night - within an hour of each other -- and Charles was still out of town. I was ready to scream...among other things!)

Okay - I guess that is all. If I think of anything else, I will update! :-)

Blessings....

Okay - so my friend Jennifer is probably going to think I stole her blog title!   ;-)  No really - I have been thinking about this all day and that is exactly how I feel right now - that my life has been blessed by so many people.

I have a great family.  My kids amaze me more and more every day!  Charles is in York England for 12 days, and the kids have been so good and so helpful.  Zachary is blowing me away!  He is always asking if there is anything he can do to help me.  He offers to help (even MAKE!) dinner, he has given Sarah her bath (washing hair included) the last 2 nights and gotten her ready for bed - the child has been the other half of my brain!  When he goes to camp next week, I will be up a creek!  (I would say Charles is paying him big bucks, but he has been doing this for several weeks now!)  Josh is a sweetheart, but he doesn't take initiative to just "do" things like Zachary does.  If I asked him to paint a room with his toes he would jump right up and say, "Yes ma'am", but he won't ask if he can do anything.  I'm learning that that is a major difference in his and Zachary's personalities.  Zachary is all over things like white on rice, but Josh lingers in the background and wants to be asked - or invited - to be a part.  You think he isn't paying attention, but oh no - he is - and gets his feelings hurt very easily if not  asked to be a part.  (Jen - I read your blog and had to laugh when you mentioned the boys losing a wallet with $45....Josh lost $20 just a couple of weeks ago.  It's here somewhere!)  Sarah has even been helpful - she has worn her "big girl" underwear all day with only one tiny mishap this morning.  She even stayed dry thru her nap!  My only obstacle is that she REFUSES to poop in the potty.  I'm not sure how to handle that -- any suggestions?  I can't leave out little Ava either....she's been very good too!

I'm blessed with an incredible husband I do NOT deserve.  He left early yesterday morning to go on his mission trip.  I hate it when he is gone so long - not like he does this often!  I can handle the daytime stuff...I just hate going to bed when he isn't here!  Time will pass quickly though, and I can't wait to see his pictures.  York is a beautiful place!

I have been blessed with amazing friends - of all ages!  These friends love me and my quirks and totally understand that when I go months without talking to them, it isn't because I am mad or don't care - they know I have a CRAZY life and don't get to connect as often as I can or should.  We just pick up right where we left off and keep on goin'!  I have older - wiser friends who I know I can call 24/7 if I need them, and that is such a good feeling!  I have younger friends who take great pride in reminding me that I am OLDER they they are (ahem - initials are TB!)  I just love my friends - all of you!  You are a constant source of strength, laughter and love for me - you are a HUGE blessing in my life!  Thank you for being you!!

Well - I am again so very tired, so I am going to finish my laundry and try to get some sleep.  I started a journal for Charles to read when he gets back, so I need to write in it as well.  Two weeks is a long time to be away from kids & family, and goodness knows my 2 remaining brain cells cannot remember all the funny and crazy stuff that goes on around here for that long!  Much love and blessings to all of you!!!