Yeah!!! I got it done!!!!

No, I didn't get my house clean, but I did get my list from yesterday finished. If only I had been able to get every list this week finished I would have a clean house... Oh well, in 18 years I will have that chance.

I am typing what I need to get done today out here again. It worked yesterday, maybe it will work again today. hehe I'm not holding my breathe

Finish folding the laundry and pack our clothes and put the rest away.(putting them all away is what never happens) Pack up the kitchen stuff, and bathroom stuff that I can, and all the party stuff. Oh, and get the dishes done... agian. Adam mentioned gettign a new dish washer... maybe it is time to splurge and get one again. I keep everything put the cups washed. Maybe we just have to many cups... If we had less, I would have to wash them right away and there would only ever be a few to wash. I have already tossed out most of our sippy cups and most of the kids "fun" cups that they get from parties.

Ok... so I am rambeling and not working... must get to work...

I will blogg with pictures next week after we get back. We get home tuesday, then have to put everything away and take our livingroom apart. Then wednesday we get the nuw sofa and chairs. Yeah!!!!

Opps, Ethan is jumping out of his highchair and Adam is sitting besid him not seeing it. I better go catch him. Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Cleaning

I hate cleaning... I know most of us do. I love a clean house, I just never have one. The kids were home for a few days and the house was awful! I would clean up in one room, then move on and when I went back to talk to them it was horid again. Ethan has hit a stage where it takes him seconds to trash a room, but he also likes to clean up. I wish I could get all the kids in that stage at the same time, even if it is just for an hour! Well, I better get back to work. Today I HAVE to get the bathroom done, the laundry all washed, the dishes done, the diningroom at least picked-up and a good start on folding the laundry. We literaly have a mountain of laundry to fold. Ugggh

My iPOD, I need to go put it on to charge. I work so much better when I have it on!

I hope you all have a very clean day today. hehe

Oh, my blessings for today:

Ethan is still sleeping (he was up most of the night)
Chloe is quiet and watching Dora.
The kids were happy to go back to school.
Only 3 more days till we take a vacation!!!!!! (We rented a cabin for 4 days)

Sour Cream

Sorry for the picture quality, it is a cell phone pic, and the lighting was bad.

We went out to eat tonight while we were in DesMoines. The kids were wild, and Ethan was a little nut full of energy. We got our food and Ethan looked at his own food and took a quick bite of his corndog, then tossed it down and looked back and forth between Adam's and my plates. We both had the same thing, we never get even close to the same thing, so that was odd. We both had our mashed potatoes closest to him, they had a very large scoop of sour cream on top, and Ethan kept looking at it. Fianly he couldn't help himself, he had to check it out. So he stuck his finger in mine, then tasted it. He very quickly went after seconds. After a few fingers full, I showed him that daddy had some also. So he showed daddy how he stuck his finger in it to taste. Then I showed him that he could use his french fry to dip it in. Before long he has eaten all of the sour cream. I gave him a bite of my potatoes, he spit it out at me mad that it wasn't sour cream. At one point, he had sour cream all over everything. Why don't these places give you spoons when you have young kids? They give you forks, and a steak knife, but no spoon.

I wasn't about to pay for just one almond...

Today we took a trip to Fareway to pick up a few things for diner and snacks for the weekend. Chloe went around a corner infront of me. As I walked around the corner I saw her dart away from the "candy-mix". (The bins of different candy that you fill a bag and pay by the pound) I look to her hand and see she is hiding something from me. I call her back and ask her to show me what is in her hands. I see she grabbed a chocolate covered almond (good taste!!). So I very quietly take out a bag, hold it out for her to put her almond in, then take out the scoop and put a scoopfull in the bag. I see her little grin as she thinks she just got her way. Lots of eyes were on us, lots. I fold the top of the bag over and hand it to her. Then I said, because you didn't ask first, you are going to pay for this with your own money. No quarters after lunch on sunday. Her sweet little eyes drop, but after a bit of thinking she grinned again and told me she would ask first next time. There was far more talk about stealing etc., this is just the short version. I wish that stores didn't put candy that isn't in plastic down that low. I couldn't make her put it back like I normaly would have. We had to pay for it... I wasn't about to pay for just one almond, what else am I suposed to do?

Uggg I will never forget the first time we had to talk to Alex about not taking something in a store without paying. It was a small little mom and pop store. They looked at me like I was nuts when I was telling him not to steal the tiny tootsie roll that they had on the bottom shelf. Ok... so maybe I went overboard with him on that one.

Went for a walk!!!!

Yesterday was so nice! We walked to pick Donna and Alex up from school. It was soooo beautiful! Ethan and Chloe love being outside, so they both loved it. We hadn't walked to the school in a while, but Chloe reminded me of just how long it has been. We used to not have the van, so we walked everywhere. Even in the cold of winter, I would walk to pick Alex up. So it was just life, the kids didn't think anything of it, and our different ways to get to school were just something we all knew. So yesterday, after I would cross a street Chloe would ask "Are you sure this is the right way?" We take a different way when we walk than we do when we drive, so she was sure I was lost. It was so cute, she was worried. We came home a different way, so she liked that better. I think we may walk again today. I was wishing we could have walked to school today. The kids left the heavy coats at home and had their jackets on. Alex wasn't sure he trusted me on that, but he did. I think he was happy in the end.

Ethan loves cake

I was washing dishes(somedays I do miss having a dishwasher)and I heard the mail man. So I went to check on the mail and needed to call Adam to let him know about one letter. I check on the kids who are watching t.v. and playing quietly, so I go in to my desk to make the call. When I got off, I look over at the door as Ethan walks in with the cake carrier in his hands and it is COVERED in frosting, but the last of the cake is gone. He is also covered in frosting, tip of his hair to his tummy. It seems that he wanted some cake... hehe

I tossed him in the tub as I quickly cleaned up the mess. I had the vacuum on and missed him streaking through the house to find Chloe's cake that she had hidden. Next thing I see is Ethan, stark naked sitting on my freshly cleaned table holding a plate of cake. Once again covered in frosting grinning from ear to ear with his hair sticking straight up in all directions with frosting in it. Sadly, I didn't know where the camera is and the memeory cards are full. That would have been a great shot for the scrapbook!

Beautiful day, and wonderful memories!

The sun is shining and after walking outside this morning, it didn't take my breath away from the cold(26F). I'm looking forward to this weeks warm up! We could see upper 50's by the end of the seek before dropping 30 degrees.

Yesterday was such a fun day. We went shopping as a family then met up with Grandma and Grandpa-Pat (Adam's parents) and went out to eat. It was such a fun day to just be able to spend it as a family without having to run off and make it to a meeting or something.

I have gotten bad at hearing the kids say cute things and say "Oh, I have got to blogg that!" then I can't remember it when I get a chance to get to my PC. Last night was just like that. Chloe is just at a very fun stage and she says the cutest things! I just wish I could remember them long enough to put it down on paper or type it up.

Ethan.... That is one happy little blessing!!! Last night we were eating and I noticed that he was putting the food in his mouth, but wasn't getting it all chewed up. He was just kinda holding it there. So I checked his diaper, poor boy had a very full nasty diaper. I should have know it was comming, I had changed his diaper before we went to sit down and he always waits for a fresh diaper. So I go change his diaper, (why do they still not have a changing station in many men's rooms? Or was I being told there wasn't one so I had to change it?)It was one that takes a while, it was bad. As I get him all cleaned up, but I hadn't gotten the new diaper on him yet, I look at his mouth and he started chewing up his mouth-full as soon as he was cleaned up. Poor little stinker can't eat when he has a dirty diaper. So he finished his food while I put his diaper and pants on and he was full of smiles and ready to eat anything in site by the time we got back to the table.

Right now, as I am sitting at my desk typing, he is in his little bed playing with his toes. He is so proud of himself whrn he takes his socks off without getting caught. so he swings his little sock around every now and then, but is just looking so intently at his toes. oops, he just fell over. hehe The thing is, he is happy and content. The girls have been in and out asking me questions (that is why he is awake) and I am right here, but he is just happy to sit and play with his toes while he waits.

Oh, I remember one of the things that happened yesterday now. Ethan the licker licked again. hehe While we were waiting for our seet, we were in the waiting area with LOTS of windows. Ethan kept licking the windows. if we had our eyes off him for a sec. he was licking again. So daddy made it a game. Ethan would try to trick daddy and lick before daddy could get his hand between his mouth and the window. Ethan had this evil little eye as he would try to trick dad. then he would almost fall over he would laugh so hard. Then he would try it again. He is a huge laugher, often he will laugh so hard he has to bend over or squat down to keep from falling over. So sweet!

Oh Lord, thank you so much for this wonderful blessing that you knew we needed! I am not thankful as often as I should be for him. He is so easy going, plays with whatever is in front of him at the time, loves to be read to, infectious giggeler, loves to lick anything in site, overjoyed to have his blankies, smiles at everything, LOVES to have his picture taken, pure blessing! Help me to rememeber that, help me to see that the blessing outweigh the struggles in all of our children. Help those awsome blessing to stand out in my eyes!

Early mornings

Why do kids wake up early only on the mornings when you had a short night and really need the sleep, or when you can all sleep in.

Today 3 of the 4 kids (youngest of course) were up by 6am. I have been going to bed early all week. Like before 9 pm. In fact I have gone to bed before the kids a couple times in the past few weeks. This is not normal for me. So last night, I'm exhausted by 7:30, but I did't get home till close to 9pm and fell asleep around 10:30-11. Then Chloe was up for the day before 5(she couldn't get her zipper down on her PJ's). Ugggh, I'm sooo tired and it is only 7am. I think I miss my running around in a blur, I didn't know how tired I was. lol

"Is this my first accident, or last?"

Chloe has been having accidents every day after she hit her head. We don't understand why, and have tried a variety of things to stop it. It is far far better than it used to be!

I was typing an email to a good friend today when Chloe walks up to me and says "Is this my fuwst(first)acident, or my last?" She started a a couple weeks ago knowing when I have hit my breaking point and the pacients are gone. So she will say "It is my last acident, I promise!" So a few days ago I lost it and told her that if she had one more "accident" I would put her in diapers! She looked very scared and started to cry. She didn't have any more that day, but then again, the day was almost over. After that she has only had one a day, and often times it is when she is in the bathroom. So today when she asked I looked at her and said, "Did you just have an accident?" No answer, but she dissapeared very fast.

Uggggh why is this parenting thing so hard? Ethan hates to have a wet or dirty diaper on and will wait untill you change it to go potty often. I have this bad feeling that he will be totaly potty trained and there will still be other children in my home having accidents!

On a totaly different note, I could really use prayer that I can hear clearly just what it is that God is wanting from me. And more importantly that I will be brave enough to step out and do it!

Cenderella

Have you ever hear the song "Cinderella" by Stephen Curtis Chapman? If you haven't you really should. I saw the video of it a while ago and I can't get it out of my mind. We get so caught up in all that we have to do, but what is most important is often the one thing that gets pushed aside because "we will have time later". The truth is, we aren't going to have time later. Our family will change. Our kids will grow up and move away. We have to take every moment that we are handed and dance...

So if you are with me and hear me talk about "dancing with my Cinderellas" I'm talking about doing something with my kids.


Today, I will be spending time, dancing with each of my Cinderellas. I encourage each of you that has a Cinderella to do the same.

Welcome March!

I had a great start to the month. I went to sleep before 9pm last night and woke up early. I had done 2 loads of laundry and watched a movie by 7am when Donna woke up. So we are going to head to the store just the 2 of us to get some laundry soap etc. and maybe a couple new pairs of pants for her. (She rips the knees of hers now) We are going to have a beautiful day in the 40's today and I am just planning to have a wonderful day.