Handprints on the glass

After we dropped Donna and Alex off at school, we went to the church. I needed to talk help get our Food Bank order ready. As usual Bruce handed Chloe and Reed a nice big handfull of candy, no joke. The candy he had were "stampers". It is a stamp that you lick the end to make the "ink" wet, then you can stamp the picture on whatever you want. So Bruce tells them to stamp their face etc. Chloe was actually kinda neat about it (If you can call a dragon on your forhead neat), but Reed was just a big blue dripping ball by the time we left. Of course they each picked the blue one to start with.

Oh, did I mention that Chloe had used lipstick (no idea why it was in the van) as lotion and had it all over her body when we got there? She even had a chunk, yes a chunk of it in her hair. So when I got done with the list, we got ready to go. I stopped to talk to George for a minute and Chloe and Reed went out the first set of doors. They were quiet and Ethan kept laughing at them, so I let them stay there. Chloe would back away from the window, then run up to Ethan and he would slap the glass and laugh and laugh. After a couple minutes, I noticed that we had many lipstick handprints all over the glass from Chloe. Reed was leaving sticky blue candy handprints, and Ethan had spit/drool prints he had smeared all over the door. The price I pay to talk to someone. (I wish I could add smileys, I would add a grin here)

I grabed some windex and cleaned the glass doors before leaving, but they had to keep hitting the door to make new handprints. As I cleaned one spot, one of them was on the other side of the other door. Next time I will rememeber to bring windex wipes and wipe it as we are walking out into the parking lot. I think it took me about 5 minute just to wipe down the 2 glass doors. I really need to remember to send a thank you to the Peterson's for all the work they do cleaning!

So we get in the van and Chloe says "Do we have to go home? I like it there, or even we could go to Donalds. I have a money back here."(yes she said A money) Nice try, but I don't think a single penny is going to pay for "donalds".

We get home and Chloe has a pocket full of candy stamps that I forgot about. So as I am typing this, I just look in and see her sitting on the floor covering her legs and any uncovered skin with more stamps. I better go save Ethan before he gets into the stamps.

Today I feel blessed by being able to enjoy my youngest 2 kids.
Oh, and I am really feeling blessed that Adam mowed last night!!! I came out and finished up the mowing while he did some other yard work.

click click click

Ethan learned how to click his tongue. He does it all the time. He does it when he is bored, when he is happy, when he is mad, when he is screaming, when he is blabbering, when he is eating. It doesn't matter what he is doing, he clicks along with it. I didn't know it was possible to click your tongue while yelling. However he does it.

It's so cute! (for now) He is grunting and clicking right now. I thought it was someone else clicking, but it is him. hehe

Breakfast....

Alex has strep I think(it is going around the school)or something like it, and he didn't get his meds last night. The 2 together would not have been fair to send him to school. I don't think he got more than an hour of sleep last night. So he stayed home, and today is the last day before Donna is going everyday. So I have all the kids home today. Alex has been in bed all day sleeping, poor boy.

So I make frozen waffles for the girls. They asked if they could do it alone. I thought about it, and let them. (I know, what was I thinking!?!?!?) Well, they made some for me and Ethan also. He was just waking up and very happy to get breakfast in bed! Oddly, my kids aren't big fans of syrup on the frozen ones. I think they just love being able to eat infront of the TV. Anyway, they do great, and ask if they can have more. So they go open a new box and make more. (I assumed they would make 2 more, but instead they made 8 more. They ended up eating them all though.) So they bring in more on a platter. I should have known something was up, but I didn't. They brought me one, and insisted I eat it. So I take it off the plate and smell something different. They had used garlic pepper seasoning salt like it was suryp. mmmm mmm blueberry frozen waffle covered in garlic pepper seasoning salt! Chloe was so proud as she told me how she had "fixed" it. Donna told me thay had a little to much, so they had shaken it off of them onto the plate. I'm scared to see if we have any left in the brand new jar. Just so you all know, I did eat it, and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. My guess is the pride on the girls faces, took the flavor away. Ethan didn't eat that one though. He threw it at me and laughed.

My headache isn't going away. It is some better, but I still have a stabbing feeling every so often. Chloe is back to normal, and I am not reminding her that she had to miss orientation last night. 2 of her friends from last year are in her class again, and someone I have known for years is her new teacher. I think she is going to have a great year! She is soooo ready to learn.

I want to tell Smiling Moon, that I have no idea who you are. Every time I read a comment from you I think I know... then I think of someone else. I am seeing the comments, just perplexed on who you are. Keep up the comments, I love to read them, and hope it will give you away as well!

Well, God is talking to me today, I am just a bit weary of if all I am hearing is from God, or if some of it is from my own head. I am not telling anyone what I feel God telling me, then if someone says anything I will know it is confermation from God.

Today I am feeling soooo very blessed that it is Donna's last day home!!! She has lost her inside voice, her tact and her love for her sister. She also seems to have forgotten who the mom is. If she wasn't back in school tomorrow I think I would send her to work with Adam!
I am also feeling very blessed to have the meds for Alex. I am not glad that he missed it, but missing a pill made me see just how much it helps! I am just amazed at how much one dose matters!

School Pictures

I'm back home!

I got home on Sunday night. The kids were at my parents, so I went over to tell everyone hi. I walked in and Donna said "Mom!", then they were all back to what they were doing. I tried to give Ethan a hug, and he turned away from me and put his hand in my face. I'm glad they didn't miss me to bad hehe.

So many cute things have happened and I have so little brain space to remember them! I woke up with a migraine yesterday, and I still have it. Let me see if I can remember any of the extra cute things they have done...

Yesterday when I felt so awful, I was laying on the couch. Donna got some craft stuff out, and put it on the coffee table, and put a chair between me and the table. Then Chloe did the same thing. They sat there for 2 hours being very quiet working on their craft stuff while I dozed. (Ethan was napping) Every now and then, Chloe would put her blanket beside me and lean her head against me. It was so very sweet. They didn't even make much of a mess, Donna had gotten her small trash can and sat it between the 2 of them so they could throw away their "mistakes" as they went.

Well, I am not remembering much right now, so I will talk a bit about my trip.
I had an amazing time, and really felt that we were being used by God. (I am sure my migraine is satan attacking me as a result) We walked the streets talking and praying with people on the streets on friday evening. On Saturday we went to a corectional facility, then we went to a homeless shelter. I fell in love with a little 2 year old named Caleb. He had a 5 year old brother Jaden. These boys just broke my heart, they were so sweet. They reminded me of my own kids and just how innocent these homeless children are. It really hit home. I wanted so badly to just take them home with me.
Next we went to a food pantry to hand out food for 4 hours. I have to comend people that work at food banks(especially the ones in an inner city!), that is HARD work! Those boxes are heavy, and then once you are done you have to clean everything up to get ready for the next day.
We went on a prayer walk that was done differently than I had in the past. It was a wonderful experiance. We were encouraged to look inside the windows as we walked
Then we met the creater of Abide ministries. He has been open to hearing what God wants him to do and has been so very blessed becouse of it.
On sunday we went to a church for homeless people.(When we walked up to it, the first thing I saw was a man in his "sunday best" with a watch on his arm. He looked so proud, when I looked at the watch, it was missing the face and clock works. It had an open whole where the face of the clock had been.) They each get a hot meal and bag of food after the service. God was really speaking to many of us there. It was awsome to talk to these people that have so very little and hear how happy they are. When they praise God, they open themself up and give Him everything. After the service, we handed out food. I am still in awe of how they dressed up the best that they could for Jesus, and we so often just put on whatever is the most comfortable...
Then we headed off to Salem Baptist Church. I think we may have been the only white people in the church. It was fun to see all of the beautiful clothes they wear there with the matching shoes etc. Also, the music was AMAZING!!!!
I think it was a great eye opener to us on how we are as a church. The 2 churches were night and day different yet so full of the spirit, I feel that our church is in the middle of the 2.

I am still just in awe of everything I got to experiance this weekend. I can't wait to see how God uses this event to change our lives and the community of Knoxville.

Oh, and I'm sorry I haven't gotten the pics up yet. I'll do that now as long as our internet doesn't drop.

The people that live at WalMart...

Sorry it has been another week. ugggh I keep making plans to get on here, but never get logged in before something comes up.

So, last night Chloe ripped a box that Donna's Disney Princess markers had come in. She was very frusterated, but took it well. About 5 minutes later Donna walks into the room and says "Mom, you know those ppeople that live at WalMart?" I said"You mean the people that work at WalMart?" She just looks at me. Then "Do you think those people that live at Wal MArt could give me a new box if I asked them, I don't need the markers, just to box. So we shouldn't have to pay money for it" "Donna, Those people just work at WalMart like daddy works in DesMoines, They have homes that they live in, just like daddy lives here with us. But he goes to work everyday. The people at WalMart are the same way. They work there, but go home to their families at the end of their day. Also, we may be able to buy you a new box of markers if I can find one, (I think we only have 2 of the 8 left anyway) but we can't have just to box hon." She stood there looking at me like I was nuts for a minute. Then rolled her eyes and stormed off.

Later I asked Chloe to help pick something up. She didn't want to help, she kept playing while everyone else pick-up. I called her in, so I could talk to her. She comes in the room full of additude and puts her hand up infront of her and says "Noone can talk to me, and I will not listen" put her hand on her hip and sauntered off.

Ethan has started walking. He is getting into everything and has started to fight back when his siblings try to make him do stuff. We were at WalMart and in the check-out line. We were in a hurry (I know, shocking) and I was trying to get everything up on the counter so we could get checked out. Donna kept picking at Ethan and holding his hand still. He finaly got fed up with her and chewed her out! It was so cute, if only it hadn't been loud enough for Adam to hear from home. lol

Well, I better go, it seems that the girls left cookies in Ethans reach and he is "leaving a trail" everywhere he goes.



Today I am very thankful for another school year!! (don't judge me untill you are home with my 4 kids everyday alone for a summer, ending the summer with 2 more boys as well)

I am very thankful for Alex's teacher! She is working hard to help Alex and make school work for him, while not calling attention to his special needs. I am loving her so far.

I am thankful for time alone with Ethan. We kept him up after the other kids went to bed a couple days ago. He is such a fun little boy when he can be.

P.S. I'll try to get pictures posted later of Donna and Alex on the first day of school.

Chloe, Chloe, Chloe....

This is going to have to be fast, I need to leave the house in 10 minutes for Casting Crowns, and I'm not ready yet.

Chloe has hit a stage that is driving me nuts! She gets into everything! You hear people say that they are having a day so bad they should hae stayed in bed... If I did that, I would have no home left!

Today when I got up, I found the bill for our home owners insurance cut into shreds so tiny we will never find them all with a pair of infant nail sissors. While I was cleaning that up, she found my only good lipstick and colored our 40's green sink with it. (the sink looked better that color...but my lipstick was gone). She broke Donna's pearl necklace, at some point, and while I was in the shower she tried to change the vacuum bag. It was the last bag we had till Adam got paid, and she tore it while taking it out of the vacuum. So I had to empty it and try to make it fit back in with very damp clean hands from the shower.... I am sure glad I love her so much!


Today I am very blessed to get to go see Casting Crowns at the state Fair with 6 of our best friends!
Also, we finaly got Alex's medication straightened out and I can pick it up in the morning. It sounds like it should kick in fast also, so he will hopefully feel it by the time school starts Wednesday.


Again, sorry I haven't been blogging. It seems that when I take time for this, Chloe tears the house apart.

Been busy the last week

I spent the weekend scrapbooking. Adam took off Friday so that I could go to a 2 day retreat. (I have another one in september) It was nice that when I came home and saw the big mess I needed to clean up(not that our house is always clean when I'm home!), Adam told me I needed to get a Full time job. My heart dropped and I had no idea what to say... Then he told me "There is no way I can let you deal with this every day!"



We almost have Alex's room ready to move his desk up. We need to find some spare cash so we can buy him a new bookshelf. I want to get him one that has room for some of his toys on it also. He is to old for a toy box. As soon as we get his desk moved, I can strip the wallpapper off that wall in the den. I have been talking about doing this for so long, I am not sure it will really ever happen. However We are planning to move his desk tonight! If we do, I want to have the wallpapper off that wall, and the wall scrubbed tomorrow.



As for today, I am running around after Ethan who is learning that he can get into about anything he wants.
and a full bottle of Dawn sitting on my window sill. (Chloe did the dishes for me a couple weeks ago the day after I bought a new bottle... I didn't have a drop left in the bottle when she was done. Of course I did 3 loads after that using the "water" left in the "clean" dishes. hehe)