Adeu

Parley has a cough and with his marvelous gag reflex, he coughs until he pukes. It is a lot of fun. On the way home on Sunday night he was couging, then gagging, then puked... projectile...in between the front seats. Guess what got hit the most......my notebook (aka planner).

It was bad.

I let it dry and today I got to go through it with latex gloves on.

95% was unsavable.

Now I get to make a new notebook ( I installed pockets etc.)

Here are the things I was able to save:

Measurements for the windows in the new house.

Books to read list

List of organizing projects (I will be adding something to this list.)

Picture of dream quilt that I have had for a couple of years.

My inspiration page for my stairwell.

I am trying to forget the unsavable pages.

I know the 10 pages of Breastfeeding Resource Guide that I have been working on for a couple of months is on that list. sniff sniff

PS Christmas was wonderful and I will write about that soon. I got the tree down today and I am very glad about that, except for the sap in my hair, on the carpet, and covering my clothes.

NuTcRaCkEr

I was so excited when I saw the sign announcing a performance of the Nutcracker in Vernal!! And best of all, it was free. I talked Mike into us taking the whole family. He had never seen the Nutcracker (I know, I am shocked too!) and the kids hadn't either. So we got all dressed up (okay, the girls and I did, the boys just got church clothes on) and we bundled up and headed out. We got there early to get a good seat, and it started 20 min late, so we played in the hallway a lot until it started. Once it started the children were mezmerized. They watched it better than they have ever watched a movie. (I know, not saying much) Savannah kept asking where the Nutcracker was. She had to go potty but said that she didn't want to go until it was over. They were almost the only children there, and they did this mommy proud. It was the one hour condensed version...with no Mice...what is up with that? But it was perfect for four young children.

Katie L.O.V.E.D it, so she asked me to take her back last night on the final night. I decided to and invited the other children. Jeffrey and Savannah had spent the entire day downstairs building a fort...or something. They played so well together and Parley would venture down there and play for a little bit. I won't go down stairs because I know it is a mess, and I am not ready to deal with that. I heard that they took everything off the storage shelves and were playing that they were their beds. I am guessing that the stuff they took off wasn't placed nicely on the floor. We worked hard to finish the school books so we could take a break until Jan. It was worth the push because I was burnt out and now I am having a guilt free no school week. I am sure I will be sneaking something in.... the tyrant I am. Oh, so the Nutcracker...We went and it was PACKED with a million crying kids. We obviously picked a good night to go with the whole family. Katie still loved it, and I got to see the Nutcracker this year. Nothing like that to put you in the Christmas mood. I have loved the Christmas season this year. I will be sad when it is over. The kids have re arranged the tree a million times, and the snow has lost its novelty, but singing and listening to Christmas music, the secrets and the wrapping and making of gifts, the plates of goodies, I love it all this year. We aren't doing much in way of presents, but each of the kids made something for each other, and that was fun. The kids aren't even talking about what they want, or what they are going to get, they have left the presents under the tree alone, it really isn't about the gifts this year...how nice is that! We went to the grocery store on Sat and santa was there and he waved me over when Katie told him what she wanted and he said "Do you want me to bring her a real puppy this year" I just laughed and said no. I am so glad we have chosen to tell the kids the truth from the get go so I don't have to worry about having to get them whatever they tell santa. A friend of mine searched all over for the thing her son told santa he wanted, she didn't even know what it was at first, but got it for him. Throw the tomatoes....but why train them to think that that is how life is? Ask for it and you will magically get it! (yes, I will step off my soap box now thankyouverymuch!)

ps I love it that it is telling me to capitalize santa...nope, I don't think so.

Dreams

Two nights ago I had a dream that mom and I found a baby. We couldn't figure out if it was real or a doll, so we decided to smell it. Sure enough, it had that wonderful baby smell, and we realized it was real. We were loving on it, and trying to share. I asked her who we should call and tell, and she told me to keep it. I was so excited! I told her...(I think this is profound) "Mommies don't appreciate new babies because they are so sleep deprived, but we can truly appreciate them." In my dream I kept thinking...I KNEW I would find a baby someday. So there to all of you who made fun of me for wanting someone to give me their baby when I was little.

Last night I had a dream that we were playing the volleyball championships and there kept being chairs on our court...do you think that means we are going to lose tonight?

If so, does that mean someone is going to give me their baby?

Scotland's Burning!!!

This morning Savannah woke up and said " Mommy aren't you glad that our house didn't burn all the way down and that the bear saved me" I told her the house wasn't on fire, and it was just her dream. About noon she was finally convinced that it might have really been a dream. So this afternoon she and Jeffrey decided to try their hand at burning down the house. They were putting pieces of paper on top of the woodstove. They were..."Cooking their dinner"

Expecting?

Yesterday Katie told me that she knew I was pregnant, and I asked her how she knew, she said because you look it. I told her I wasn't, she asked how I knew and I said "Mommies just know things like that." A Couple of hours later she told me that when I get sick in January then we will know she was right, I told her I wasn't getting sick in Jan. A while later she told me again that she really thought I was pregnant. I pointed to my stomach and said "This darlin' is from having four children. " Well, yesterday was day two of my first real period in over two years. (Last month I had a one day fluke, So when she told me for the fourth time in the same day, she got the period talk. I explained it all (seven year old version) and all she said was : "Ohhhhhh" She hasn't mentioned it today. I think she got it.

My hector protector

He goes on scary rides with the kids so I don't have to.....
He is building me a house....
He cuts down my Christmas tree and slays my dragons....

On Sunday I was glad that Mike was a plumber and still had all the tools to get the roots (there were so many they could equal the size of a basketball) out of the line without having to pay someone to come do it, especially on Sunday. Today I am grateful that he takes the responsibility to call the pumpers to come pump the septic tank because it is so full we can't flush the toilet. I am grateful he let me brush my teeth last night. I am grateful he budgets the money so I don't have to worry if we have the money to pay the pumper dude (we wouldn't have it I was still the budgeter. I am grateful that he doesn't have a long day at work so he can deal with them because he knows what he is talking about, and they won't try to blow smoke (I hope that is okay to say, we say it all the time, and I am not sure if it is appropriate). I am grateful that he is taking the kids so I can go to my volley ball Christmas party with out them today. He laughs at my jokes and thinks I am very funny (He didn't used to, I still laugh when i think about the times he has gotten mad at my jokes) I am grateful that he works so hard everyday and he is willing to make the sacrifices so that I can stay at home and nurture the children. He is the best...and he's all MINE!

Metaphor

So I received some inspiration last night at the 1am nursing session:

Having a baby and raising it is like eating a candy bar blindfolded. (I know amazing...about food)

My first two were like devouring a bite, and swollowing it before I even knew what it tasted like, I knew there would be more.

The third one I savored as much as I knew how and realized that it was good, and rare.

The fourth bite I really savored, I savored it even before I took the bite, ad with each instant, I savor it, notice every taste, texture, everything about it. Because I realize that it is really good, and really rare, and really fleeting. It might be my last bite...do we ever really know if it is? We have no idea where the end of the candy bar is, or if that was our last bite. Did we savor it enough? Are we grateful enough for the bite, there are so many who never get to taste it, but crave it. There are many who are about to take the bite, and it is gone. There are so many who take bites like my first two, we did it, but we didn't love it, or crave it, or savor it...then it was gone.

It still sounds okay to me, sometime the things I think of at 1am sound so wacky the next day. Do you like it?

What I want for Christmas.....

Someone to come organize all my recipes. I had this great idea about 6 months ago for a new system, and it is now a HUGE mess. I have a method I like, but it is not organized. Any suggestions or organization tips for recipes? I am opposed to the box because I have dumped them too many times (I am a clutz) And I don't like cookbooks, they are like CDs...I get them for one or two recipes, I don't like clutter, I like something I can lay on the counter to read the recipe, and I have very limited counter space, and I want it easy to find what I am looking for. Yes, I have thought about this a lot, no, of course am not picky!

Katie just informed me that she is going to be busy the morning of the 25th. I told her I would put it in my schedule.

boys

I LOVE boys!! Jeffrey redeemed himself from his dinner announcement of "I like tooting in the bathtub because it makes lots of bubbles"

Today my washer drain pipe was frozen.

This is what Jeffrey did with out being asked:

He unscrewed the trap to go under the house, found a flashlight, undid the extention cord, found a dead mouse under the house, took the mouse out to the garbage and hung the dustpan so I could Lysol it (I'll admit I was screaming the whole time, he was so calm...I think he thought it was funny I was screaming now that I think about it.), plugged in the cord and turned on the heater, put the trap back in place, brought in the night stand I have been repainting (scratched it all down the front, but I am forgiving him) took everything out of the old night stand, cleaned the kitchen, dinning room and living room so he could have the old night stand.

I am keeping him.

His older sister on the otherhand.........

Drooling....

So, I saw an ad for a new thrift store here in Vernal..I know, can you believe it! So I had Mike bring me today. #1 to watch the kids and #2 to drive me since the roads are still horrible. Oh, it was wonderful! It was a very inexpensive, clean thrift store. Katie had many finds, I found a skirt to go with my black leggings, Mr. P found a bat and ball he wouldn't let go of, for $1 I indulged him.. But the coolest thing was a bag of jewelery for $4. They are new earring, necklace sets. Way to expand my asseseries without breaking the bank! And there is a huge variety, some I would have never bought individually, but I'll wear since it it there. OOOooo, come dress up with me. Where shall we go!? Maybe to the thrift store...new merchandise every week. Here is the loot (MY PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS ARE AMAZING KNOW), the little tags have the earrings on them. These are my favorite earrings, I also have them in yellowish and purple. Delicious!

Gotta wash that grease right out of my hair

Parley is still teething...it is still snowing...and I am still in jammies. It is a dawning (okay, a little past dawn) of a new day and I am ready to get a grip. The first day was fun.....relaxing, letting the kids tare the house apart, eating whatever we could find (ie: Ice Cream) and spending hours in front of the tv and computer. The second day the laundry was piled, the house was really gross (you know when things stick to the bottom of your feet) but the baby was fussy still. I actually got some important stuff done on the computer. Now today my leg hairs are so long they hurt when they rub against my pants, we've eaten all the easy food, and the kids are fighting because they haven't been productive. I have a hot date tonight so I need to pull myself, and the house together. I think the teether will be going with us so the temple is out. Last night after I had laid him down for the 12th time, he woke up again and wouldn't go back to sleep. His nose was getting plugged, so he couldn't nurse. So if you are in bed with mom and you can't nurse...what do you do? He decided that he would try to lay on top of me, we had to be touching as much as possible. He couldn't get comfy, his feet kept hitting my legs, his knees in my bladder. His hands kept pinching all my softness.....and somehow, in holding him for two days I hadn't gotten the chance to clip those sharp little fingernails. At 1:30 sleep finally came, and lasted about a half hour. Then it was Daddy's turn...I think...I can't remember. I know he ended up nursing sometime, and woke at 7:15. Once I was nice and awake, he went back to sleep and is still sleeping. Last night Michael asked how long teething lasts, I think this is the worst case we have dealt with. I only have twothings I can work on on the computer today..a mix CD which I am thinking about assigning out to Molly and a list of all the pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and parenting books I have ever read...are you kidding me! I told Mike there is no way I could even remember them all. Maybe i'll do the top 25 in each category.

What the heck it wrong with this!? Why did the new background leave my old one on? I am going to have to fix this later. The kids are ready for breakfast.

Headache

I was fighting a headache all day Saturday and so by Sunday morning, it was splitting my head open. I got up and ready for church. Parley had been up most of the night so when we sat down, he was immediately clawing at me shirt. I took him and Bana to the mother's lounge. Pretty soon Mr. P was poopy and I was puking in the garbage can. I send Bana in for Mike and he took care of the garbage and the diaper, then took me home and took all the kids back to church with him. He taught my lesson for me. I got a good nap and woke up when they got home. I was sluggish all day, so that meant Mr. P was nursing all day. He continued that on all night because he was feverish and teething. I have a feeling today is going to be the same. Somedays I feel ready for him to be done, but then other days I love the instant soothing if he gets bumps and bruises from being an adventurous toddler, and our time to snuggle, and rest. I guess the hardest part is the constant night nursing. I am hoping to wean him from those soon. It is hard because Mike gets up so early that I hate to have him take Mr. P during the night. But if I am holding him all he can think about is nursing. Any volunteers to come help night wean the little guy?

Sewing

I have been on a crazy creative spree. It has been a long time. I don't think I have depression, but sometimes I look back over the past little while and I think.....Glad I snapped out of that! I have a couple of projects waiting to start until we are in the house...whenever that will be! But I finished a project that had been taking a while because I wanted it perfect. I am very pleased with the results, you will have to come to my house warming if you want to see it. Last week when Maryann was here we went to DI to see if they had any treasures. This is kinda embarassing, but I am going to say it, I left with three carts. I found these three little (sturdy ) chairs for the school room. They are now painted blue, purple, and pink. The kids each have a color, Mr. P doesn't have a chair yet. I also got a night stand/dresser for Mike's side of the bed. He has this ugly little shelf thing that I hate, and the kids get into his phone and papers, and crap, I mean important stuff he has on it. This one has drawers and looks almost fabulous. I need to finish the second coat of paint and new drawer handles. I think I will bore you with what else I found because I am still excited and Maryann is still laughing about the three carts. I got this AWESOME chair. It is a very sturdy can I say vintage chair with olive green covering on seat and back. Mike says it might be his new chair.It is so comfy. I was pretty impressed with my finds, it was fun too. Now I have to just wait to sell the house to pull my sewing machine out.

It's beginning to look a a lot like Christmas

Well, it is snowing this morning...I am glad I don't have anywhere to go. I do have a dresser/nightstand that i am painting that is still not done that I need to go get out of the snow. Parley is finally getting teeth 8 and 9 and one is a molar so he is feverish and laying on me. I think that it is a day to watch a ton of movies and make chicken noodle soup. So, I am not sure if I am done with Christmas or not. I went and get everyone socks and underwear (it was NEEDED) and that about did the budget in. We went into the mountains on Sat and got the best tree. It was really fun. We didn't put it up because someone was coming to look at the house. So we put it up yesterday. The kids loved it, and Mike realized that he needed to "let go" of his christmas light and tree obsession. They did a great job. We are tenitively planning on Idaho for Christamas, but neither Mike or I are in the mood to travel for a long time. We will see what happens. It is ultimatley his decision since it is his family, oh yeah, and because he is the head of the home (I sometimes think it is me, my bad) so I am guessing it will be a no. I am definately the more adventurous one.

Update

I don't know why I haven't been in the blogging mood. Katie came into our bed this morning at 6:30 wet, scared because she thought Jeffrey had left...where to, I don't know. So now I am up, and too lazy to start the day. I can't remember the last time she came in to our bed, and the past two weeks she has been wetting the bed again. I think Santa last night was the reason for being scared. She didn't sit on his lap, but she leaned against him with Mr. P in her arms. That is the closest she has been since she was a baby. Jeffrey said he wants a horse that poops for Christmas, Katie a puppy with not long hair and Savannah a candy cane. I think Bana will be the only happy person Christmas morning. I am ready for it to snow so I can get in the mood and get the remaining presents. I still have to do stockings. Michael's family has some really neat traditions for christmas, and I have always loved my families traditions, and we have found ways to incorporate them both. It makes for a very special holiday season. We have only put up one tree in the past four years. The children are old enough now and I am out of my scroogeness thata I am ready to celebrate. We are planning on going to Idaho for Christmas....but I really don't want to think about getting in the car again. Yesterday I was going to go to volleyball and them grocery shopping. I got all the kids in the car...started looking for the keys. They weren't on the key hook and I knew Mike had them from when we drove home. I gave him a call and sure enough they were in his pocket, and he was in Roosevelt. So much for leaving the house. Then last night when we left for the ward party, I realized that I really hadn't wanted to be in the car again so soon. I get a little traumatized with long drives, and being int he car. Since Maryann was with us, she sat in Katie's seat and Katie sat next to Jeffrey in the back. We remembered why we don't have them sitting next to each other in the car. Kansas was really wonderful. We got to do so many fun things, and just enjoy family. The Zoo was a highlight, the kids favorite part was the one orangatang sp? We went on a carasoul we drive through the lighted park. Liberty Jail and Independance Visitor Center. I can't get enough of those places. We went Sunday afternoon, and we were pretty much the only ones there. It was a nice way to go. I got a Ducati ride with Casey...he took me on the freeway...scary! We even hit two thrift stores and I got some books and.....an awesome wagon for Jeffrey for his birthday. We have been planning on getting him one for about 6 months, and it was so cool and such a good deal.....I made Mike make it fit with out Jeff finding out. We went to the parade at night. The weather was perfect, the kids were pretty good too. Topeka is such a neat town, the houses there got me in the Christmas mood. They are...Charming, I think that is the perfect word to describe them. Well, the kids must have heard the keys of the key board and are waking up nice and early. At least that means they will go to bed early.

On our trip home
Liberty Jail One of the few pictures to verify that I was on the trip too

Ice Cream time!
Oz country

Photos

Kansas

Our visit with Grandma Jo and Great Grandma Ray

This is us "working" on the house.