Trunk or Treat

For the first year, we decided to do something for Halloween. It's not that I'm really against Trick or Treating, it's just at this point in my life it's just a lot of work. Anyway, a local church Richland Bible Church hosted a community Trunk or Treat event. They have a large parking lot and over 70 cars had candy for Trick or treaters. Alexandra was scared at first but after a while she took to the whole "say Trick or Treat" thing. Sebastian also got in the action and while we weren't looking he chewed through a sucker wrapper and ate almost a whole sucker before we realized it. You might not be able to tell but Alexandra is a butterfly fairy, Sebastian is Superman and Atticus is just happy!

You know you are tired when

You put baby formula in the other kids sippie cups. Luckily I realized it before I gave it to them. I can just imagine Alexandra's face when she drank that!

Blood and spit up don't mix

It was one of those afternoons and evenings where things just didn't seem to be going right. We had dinner and baths but Atticus was fussy. I burped him a couple of times but he just spit up a lot and a lot on me and my shoulder. Not a new thing for me but still not a pleasant one. Then, Sebastian gets shut in the playroom in the dark by Alexandra and he screams at the top of his lungs. I just think it's because it's dark and scared. So I snuggle him on my shoulder and comfort him. I pull him away and see his hand in his mouth and blood is all over it. I determine that he must have bit his lip when he got shut in the playroom. He recovered quickly but my shirt didn't. It had spit up and blood mixed together. Yuk! Paul thought maybe I had smudged lipstick on my shoulder when he got home from playing Tennis. If only!

Make a caption Monday

I'm not sure I'll keep this up every monday but this one was too good to pass up. Tell me what Sebastian is thinking. You can submit your comments below. Its really nice here today so we got out and played in the sun. The kids had a great time. Alexandra even took this picture of Atticus and I all by herself. She might just pay for my retirement home with her picture taking skills.

You know you are tired when

you almost put baby formula in your coffee.

Alexandra's antics

This weekend so many things happened but some of the funniest were with Alexandra. Alexandra found her cell phone (thanks great grandma Jean) she took it everywhere with us. She would have 1/2 hour converstations in the car with imaginary friends. Paul asked her if the call was long distance she said no. Then he said her to her not to use up all our minutes and she said don't worry about it daddy I won't.
Then she pushes one of the buttons on the phone and holds it down. It makes this really annoying sound. She just holds it and holds it. At the same time, Sebastian is in the back seat saying stars,over and over and over again. Finally I asked her to stop. She asked why. I said because it's annoying. So then we hit those ridges on the side of the highways through a construction area and she says, "what was that". Paul tells her and she says "That was annoying"! At least she got the concept!
Yesterday at lunch she asked again about my ankle because I've been icing it since Saturday. She said to me "Mommy, I'm sorry you hurt your ankle, I hope it gets better real soon!". It's so great to hear your kids be kind, especially when it's in your direction.

Uncle Dave taught Alexandra the "Lets be still and quiet" game. It as so funny to see her sit on the couch and be still and quiet just to win and play the game. We were all cracking up.

Pizza sauce and the new Buick Lucerne

This weekend we spent some time at my dad's house. My dad just got a brand new buick lucerne as his business car. We got pizza for dinner and my dad trusted me enough to drive the car to get the pizza. It was really windy here in Michigan on Saturday. My sister in law was getting out of the new car with sauce and breadsticks and pizza and the door wouldn't open because the wind was blowing it. She called for me to help her since she (nor I) wanted to dump the sauce in my Dad's new car. I run around the back of the car to help and I twist my ankle. Just as I did that My brother Jim comes out. He's the character in the family, he looks at both Wendy and I and says, what's going on here! Needless to say, no sauce was spilled in the car and ice was placed on my ankle.

There's something about that game.

There's a tradition when we get together with my dad, Karen, Jim, Todd, Charlie and Wendy. It's called Pond Scum. If you don't know the game, have me tell you about it sometime. What it does though is divides the players into classes. Theres a queen/king, royalty, merchants, peasants and the Pond Scum. I started out as Queen and stayed there tonight until my dad was the scum. We are forced to sit next to each other and he's forced to give me his two best cards. At one point I was moaning about my bad cards and dad pats me on the back and says don't worry queen, it'll be ok. I look him as deadpan as possible and say "Don't touch me". I thought he was going to fall off his chair. He has never laughed so hard at something I did in my whole life (or at least that I can remember). It was also fun to trade barbs with my two brothers who are totally hilarious. As I've said before in previous posts, sometimes there's nothing quite like family! ;)

Life Influencers

I had the opportunity to have breakfast this morning to honor a friend of ours from Church. She's moving with her family to Wisconsin and she'll be greatly missed. Not only did I enjoy just being around her but she influenced me greatly, probably more than she knows. Everyone needs someone in their life who they can relate to and who can speak things to them that are of great encouragement. This woman told me that on the days when it's really hard being a mom of 3 under 4 that this is the worst. It only gets better from here. The kids get older, do more for themselves, etc. That made me feel like I was doing pretty good. So on the days when it's really bad I remind myself that this is the worst, and it doesn't seem so bad. One other thing I really appreciate about this woman is that we have similar philosophies about child raising and that she's out there. She puts her emotions and feelings out there and throws caution to the wind when sharing with others. I love that! I want to surround myself with more people like her, so that's why I'll miss her so much!

Paul's Dad's Cancer

I just heard from Syliva and they heard from Ann Arbor about the lymphnodes. They found no cancer in the Lymphnodes! Praise God! He still has to see his oncologist here in Kalamazoo but they think he won't have to do Chemo! Thanks for all your prayers!

Signing Time

One of my new favorite things is to do sign language with Alexandra and Sebastian. We've always done the basic signs with the kids (please, more, etc.) There's this show on PBS kids that I'm having us watch every day. It's called Signing time. They teach basic signs and then we go over them at Lunch and Dinner. It's so cool to learn a second language. I tried the spoken kind and couldn't do it. I'll leave that up to Paul!

Rainy days and Fridays always get me down...

I've tried everything today to pep myself up but nothing has helped. It is really gloomy today with rain coming down almost all day. Thank goodness for the schedule we have right now. Alexandra has quiet time in our playroom (formerly and still our spare bedroom), Sebastian goes down for his nap and Atticus usually sleeps during that time at least a little bit. That means I can lay down on the couch and rest! YIPPEEEEE! Even though Alexandra doesn't sleep she does stay in the room unless she has to use the potty or the music stops. I didn't figure I'd be back to my napping schedule this early but am I giddy!

A plumber I'm not....but

I'm also not helpless. We've been having trouble with our garbage disposal the last week so I decided to try and fix it. Well, I broke the pipe coming out of the disposal. No big deal right, just go to Lowe's and get another one. The only problem is all the men at Lowes' think I'm crazy for trying to fix this. Three different guys tried to help me and then when we got what I think I needed they said with a grin "Good luck". I don't need luck. What I do need is for those guys to use a less condesending tone!

I worked in a hardware store in Gobles when I was a teen and into my 20's. The guy who owned the store taught me some plumbing. The problem I have with those stores are they have so much stuff that I can't find what I'm looking for by myself so I need help. GRRRRRRR! I"m not willing to waste a bunch of time when they should know where it is.

Oh by the way, I also added coolant to Paul's truck and replaced a burnt out headlight in our Mercury. See I told you I'm not helpless. :)

The Fairy Dancer Bookworm lives!

The dancer dress is back. Got to love that. Plus bookmobile was last night so she has a bunch of new books to read. This one was one she picked out for Sebastian but as you can see she can't help but read it as well!

A moment in the life of a mother of a 3.5 year old

So we get out of dance class today and Miss Lisa gave candy to Alexandra and the other girls. She wanted to eat it in the car but I said after dinner. She breaks into a crying fit. This escalates and she's really mad by the time we get home. So, In typical fashion I tell her to go up stairs and find her joy. She screams at me "NO"! Well, this of course is a cause for quick action so I make my way from the three season room and into the dining room to get to her in the living room. She has left her knit strawberry shortcake hat right in my path. I slip on it and fall flat on my back right in front of her. I'm so shaken by my lack of authority in the situation at that moment that I grab her and sit her on the stairs and tell her to take her whining up stairs. My back is killing me and Sebastian still needs to get out of the car. I want to cry because of the pain but I must continue my composure. She comes down happy and I keep it together just to make sure she sees that I'm in charge even though a simple knit hat took me out in an instant!

I just talked on the phone to Paul and laughed and cryed at the same time. It was one of those times where both were appropriate. In the exact moment that I needed her to see that I was in charge, I fell flat on my back. There's a parallel to life in here somewhere. Maybe I'll find it as I soak my aching back in a bubble bath tonight.

Lee's surgery update

He is doing really well tonight. The surgery only took 4 hours which is really good. He was doing so well tonight that as for 9 PM Sylvia was back at the hotel and didn't stay the night in the hospital with him. While doing the surgery the Dr.'s removed all the spots they found on the lungs and some of the lymph nodes. If the lymph nodes come back negative for the cancer then he probably won't have to have Chemo. If they do, he probably will. Please pray that the lymph nodes are clear of cancer and that he won't have to have Chemo. He also maybe released as soon as Wednesday. Thanks so much again for your prayers. God has answered them.

There are days...

when you haven't seen the sun for a long time but these faces brighten up your day!

Paul's Dad

Just got a call from Paul's mom Sylvia. Lee is out of surgery and is doing good. They should be able to see him soon. They believe they got all the cancer. If anything else develops today I'll post again.

Thanks for all your prayers. We appreciate them.

There's nothing quite like family.

Since Paul's been gone since Friday afternoon, my stepmom invited me out to my cousins and Aunts to be a part of a fundraiser for diabetes. They had this huge catapult that they put pumpkins in and then let them fly and they smashed on the ground. It was so funny! Then my cousin, whose farm it is, took us on a hay ride. The kids loved it. It was a first for all three of them. After the hayride we went to my aunts church for supper. It was awesome. Then we hung out at my dad's house afterward. It was a great break for me and the kids really enjoyed it. I don't get to see my aunts and cousins very often and it was really great to hang out with them. They also had a really great time with the kids. I have a lot of family in the area and I realize I don't really spend enough time with them. It was a great fall day (the color is at it's peak) and it helped to get me to today when Paul comes home!

A weekend without the husband but with

The Kids! It's weird when I'm with the kids all by myself for any given time. Even though most of the time I'm with them all by myself. When Paul goes away and I know no relief is coming, for a while anyway, it give me a whole different perspective. This is why I have so much respect for single moms. When I'm left alone like this I think about my mom and how she did this most of the time for my whole life. My dad took us every Friday night so my mom did get a break then but she also worked full time.

I'm more fortunate than other people that I have a lot of family and friend support so I can get breaks even though I don't work full time. We're heading out to some harvest activities with family later today so I'll get some help then.

If you are or were a single mom at some point in your life know that at least this girl has a lot of respect for the job you do. It's a lot of hard work raising kids and all you can do is your best!

This really bothers me!

Read this article about Phishing! Stuff like this pushes my buttons! Don't get taken!

What compels...

A three and a half year old to wear the same dance outfit (day and night) since Tuesday. She's worn it by itself, over pajamas and over her clothes. I found out yesterday from my sister in law that this particular outfit came from a garage sale in the first place and made the rounds with my three nieces first. It's seen better days.

An almost 2 year old to wear his mother's headband around the house for the morning. Creativity or is it a hint that he needs a hair cut?

A trip to the Dentist

You might know that I have always had problems with my teeth. I have fillings in places that I didn't know you could put them. As a child I brushed, flossed and used that mouthwash stuff that helps to fight cavities. Nothing seemed to slow the problem do decay down. As I've had children, I've often wondered would all of them have the same problem or would be blessed to have them take after their father who has great teeth. Anyway, Alexandra had her first appointment today and she did awesome. She even let them clean and polish her teeth which I don't think they were thinking they would do today. So, no cavities right now! Yeah! You see I had fillings in my baby teeth, I don't think this early but I still had cavites. She was so excited to see them clean my teeth and to get a cindarella tooth brush that we had to use the moment we got home. I tried to tell her we just had our teeth cleaned but she still insisted. As for my teeth, I don't have an more cavities right now but there's always six months from now. I know, the eternal pesimist!

The morning blues....

Sometimes when Alexandra comes in my room and says "mom it's morning time. Time to get up." and my eyes can't be pryed open (like this morning) I wonder if mornings will ever get easier. Atticus has been doing about 7-8 hours at night but I'm still up with him between 5 and 6 AM. So I go back to sleep for an hour or so before the other two kids "make" me get up. I think the other factor is that it's still dark or mostly dark here at 8 AM. Maybe if I could see the sun, It would be easier to get up. I should get use to that though right, I do live in Michigan and winter is coming. OH, I don't want to think about that! I just need more coffee! :) Yeah, yeah, that's it!

Paul's Dad's surgery

We found out tonight that Paul's Dad's surgery to remove the cancer in his lungs got moved up to this coming Monday in Ann Arbor. This is a video surgery that hopefully will mean an easier recovery. Lee had lung cancer 10 years ago and the recovery was really tough. Pray for Lee that he has peace in the coming days. Pray that the cancer would be gone after the surgery. Pray for Sylvia (Paul's mom)for peace as well. Pray for safe travel for the family (Scott's driving them over and Paul's going to pick them up). Pray for a complete healing for Lee.

I'll keep you updated here on what happens and what we know after the surgery Monday.

The Swaddle

I tell you, with my first two kids, I know the power a blanket wrapped around a newborn baby. Atticus whose now 2 months old is the newborn king of the swaddle. He can be totally cranky and tired and all we have to do is wrap him and he instantly settles down and drifts off to sleep. He may fuss quietly just a little bit but that's it. All I have to say that with two other toddlers, Thank God for the power of the Swaddle.

Lost tonight!

Finally we should find out what happened to those in the hatch. Here's what I received this morning:

The fates of Locke, Eko and Desmond are revealed after the implosion of the hatch, while Hurley returns to the beach camp to tell the tale of what happened when he, Jack, Kate and Sawyer encountered "The Others." Meanwhile, Claire is shocked to find Nikki and Paulo in Jack's tent. Ian Somerhalder guest stars as Boone, on "Lost," WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18 (9:00-10:01 p.m.)

I had heard rumors that Boone was going to make an appearance this season, so It'll be interesting to see how that happens. I think I'll do some cleaning around the house today to keep myself busy so 9 PM comes quickly tonight

What draws people to a church?

I know what draws people to God. That's an easy one. But what draws people to commit to come, meet with a group of people every week? Trust me, I don't have the answer. We had a meeting last night with the elders of our church about advertising (Paul's passion) and prayer (both of our passions). We talked about who do you target with advertising, unchurched or unfed sheep or sheep that are new to the area? Still not a question I have the answer to unless it's all of the above. So here's the question I'd like you to ponder....What drew you to your church or what drove you away from a church? What are things you look for when looking for a church. I'd love your feedback.

The best show you probably aren't watching

I just want to put in a plug for the show "Studio 60 on the sunset strip". Rating have been down for this show but it is really great! Check out the show at nbc.com

I want new people....

This is what a three 1/2 year old says when she's mad about getting caught out of her bed....I want new people, old people are bad (over and over again). I had to contain my laughter from outside the door.