Befores and Afters

Haircuts for Joely

David took Joel to get another haircut tonight. He said he was going to get a crew cut; I wasn't thrilled but I also wasn't volunteering to take Joel to the barber. When they walked back in the door, my child was almost bald. I got a little teary because I didn't like it and it was such a big change. Joel said "Mommy crying?" and then hugged me and said "Sorry mommy". Even he knows this isn't his best look.

RV

So, after much searching and talking myself out of it and searching some more, we finally bought a motorhome. I am entirely too picky and only wanted certain floor plans. There was one motorhome in Spokane that I really liked, but there was one thing about it that I didn't want. But I hadn't seen another one with this particular floor plan, so I was leaning towards buying it anyway. Or is it just toward, not towards? Anyway, David brought home an rv trader magazine that I skimmed through and saw a dealership I hadn't checked out before. I think my exact words were "Oh crap, I like this one and it's too expensive" when I saw the motorhome on their website. But we bought it anyway. So let's hope that we don't regret our purchase and everyone enjoys it and Joel doesn't wander off and get eaten by a bear.

Ok, now it's bad

Today the taco time lady told me I needed "like, a frequent flyer card or something".

I'm so glad you were paying attention....

Yesterday I was explaining Hope's language assignment to her. There were a few sections, so I went though all the directions. When I was done, I asked if she had any questions. "Yes.....how did Harry Potter get that scar on his head?"

Is it bad that lately the Taco Time drive-through lady doesn't need to ask what I want to drink or if I want hot sauce with that?

I Forget

So, I finally wormed the real Chex Mix secret out of Bryn. It was fairly close to what I already had tried, but a little different. I made one batch and tried to improvise a little; it wasn't real great. So I made another and followed what I was supposed to do. As I was eating it, I thought "So does this taste like mom's?"

In all honesty, I don't know. I can't remember exactly what her Chex Mix tasted like anymore.


No big deal, right? But what else have I forgotten? Do I remember all her goofy expressions? Or the way she used to run up the stairs with her hands tight against her chest.....

Will there be a day I can't instantly picture her in my mind? I always can look at pictures, but will I one day have to rely on them?


In 30 years, will I still be able to hear her laughing?

I'll always be able to hear her voice thanks to the "quit sucking your blanket" tape she made, trying to get some subliminal messages to work. But what else, what other memories that I formed in the 27 years with her, will I lose in the next 27.


I hate this. I don't want to forget.

Joel's latest trick

Joel picked Christmas Eve to learn how to crawl out of a pack n'play. Which meant I couldn't just put him in it and expect him to go to sleep. Instead I'd put him in it and two minutes later he'd run into the living room to see what was going on. So, since I can go back to sleep within 10 seconds of waking up, I got to sleep with Mr. Man during our trip. The only nice part of that is that on Christmas morning, I woke up to two little hands on my chest, followed by a knee in my stomach. There was no way I was going to open my eyes, because once he knows you're awake, it's over. You're up for the day. But after he crawled close enough to my face, I got a big kiss to wake me up. Sorta makes up for having to wake up at 5:30 each morning.

Once we got home, we figured we were fine, because his crib is lots taller than a pack n'play. Nice thought. Five minutes after I put him in bed, he walked into the kitchen and said "Hi mom", like it was completely ordinary for him to be there. Out came the KoolAid spoon that he gets, um..........'reminded of the rules' with. Poor little guy- he got swatted while he was mid-escape, hanging over the edge of the crib railing. I left the spoon in sight to remind him what would happen if he disobeyed again and he stayed in bed. But I woke up at 6:15 to him playing in his room; I put up a gate in his doorway so at least he couldn't get out and run around the house without us hearing him knock the gate down. So now do I buy a crib tent or just teach him to stay in the crib, even though he is capable of getting out? There's no way I trust him in a bed; that's FAR too easy to get out of. At least in his crib, he has some sort of visual reminder that he's supposed to stay inside.

Sweet Mimi

The other night we were driving home in the dark, and David kept braking. When I asked why, he asked if I couldn't see all the little critters running across the road. I couldn't, and said he should just hit them (I'm not overly sentimental about rodents). He said ok, and right after that we drove over a pothole. Naomi asked if he hit an animal. "Yep, I just ran over Boots the Monkey!" She didn't seem concerned about that, so David started pretending to hit all the Dora crew. Naomi thought it was funny and encouraged him to take out Dora.

The next night we were again driving down the same road in the dark and I heard Mimi muttering from the back seat, "watch out, Tico."

Faulty reasoning

I showed Hope this picture of Bryn, and asked her who she thought it was.
"Didi?"
"You think so?"
"Yeah, it's didi"
"But look, does Didi have a tattoo?"
"Is it aunt Mandy?"

Cause Mandy has a tattoo that only Hope knows about??

Little things that make your day

Yesterday at work we were all in the break room, and something was said about one coworker going to talk to someone about less-than-stellar service. I said that I wished I were like Steph, who's so tactful that even her complaint will sound friendly. "If it were me, I'd end up sounding like I was being a beeotch." One of my coworkers, who I've never been great friends with, laughed and said "Of all of us, you're the last one who could ever act like that. I can't imagine you being mean to anyone". I told her that, although she was completely wrong, I was so happy that she thought that about me! Who knew anyone actually thought I was nice?!?

G-U-M

Somehow in the past few weeks, Naomi discovered gum. Hope started spelling it out so Naomi wouldn't know what she was asking for, but it didn't take Naomi too long to catch on. So she started asking for g-u-m, and that turned into g-u-m-hum (she can say 'g' in some words, but not at the start of words, so gum is hum). The other day we were running low on gum and needed stuff for lunch, so we went to the store. David asked Naomi if we should get some more g-u-m, and then asked what we should get for lunch. Apparently she doesn't understand that g-u-m actually spells gum, because Naomi's suggestion was "g-u-m-tato-ships". I'm all for chips, but chip-flavored g-u-m does NOT sound good.

Logic according to Naomi

Last night I was reviewing boys and girls with Naomi. She knew everyone in our family and at daycare. Then I asked "Is Chloe a boy or a girl".
Naomi: a girl.
Me: what about Grantie?
Naomi: He's not a girl!!
Me: Ok, then, what is he?
Naomi: He's Grant!!
Me: But is he a boy or a girl?
Naomi: He's just my cousin!

She also thinks Alex and Lucy are both boys because they have the same hair, although she refers to Lucy with female pronouns. She's confused.

The Importance of Enunciation

Hope and I have been learning basic America stuff in school, so I decided I'd try to teach her the 50 States song. Even though I was sure I'd never want to hear it again after listening to mom sing it from here to Arkansas and back, it's an easy way to memorize the states.

So I was singing it to her, and about halfway through she started giggling. When I asked what was funny, she said she thought New Hamster was a funny name for a state!

Sinnerlings

 Chris Mueller used to say that children were little sinnerlings. Nobody had to teach them to lie; no one tells them to be disobedient or selfish or mean. They're very obiously born with a sin nature. Joel is certainly proof of that. I was getting out his bigger clothes and had a stack of pants on his shelves. He came over and started to play with them, and I told him not to touch them. He looked at me, turned back around to the stack of pants, stuck out one finger, and poked the top pair of pants. I pretended I didn't see it and walked away. He's such a little sinnerling.

Ignore or Implore?

I've been praying for direction on an issue for months. Over a year, I suppose. I gave God a timeline. About a month ago, I tried to revise that timeline. "Ok, God, by Thanksgiving. I want a definite answer by then."


Thursday, I felt the familiar cramping that meant I was soon going to be reminded again how much I detest my uterus. I had a sleep study scheduled for Saturday night; not exactly wonderful timing since I can't sleep through the first night without flooding. So Friday morning, I asked God to please just hold off till Sunday. I didn't want to cancel the study. So Saturday I kept waiting, but nothing showed up. Sunday morning, as I was being unhooked from all the wires, I felt the floodgate open.


Ok, God. I get it.

Perhaps my not getting the answer I want IS my answer.


But I just don't think I can live with that.


So, do I ignore a very direct answer to a half-hearted prayer? Do I assume that God is capable of answering some of my prayers in my timeline, but not others?


Or do I continue to beat down the door of Heaven pleading? Do I keep extending my timeline, hoping that God will change His mind. Or maybe there is the answer I want, if I just can be patient and not attempt to make God answer my prayers on my timeline. Maybe His timeline is different than mine, and if I could just go with whatever, I might still get what I think I want.


Do I ignore one answer and not the other, or do I keep on asking? And does it matter anyway? If I continue to ask, is that disobedient?

How do you know if the answer is really No or if it just hasn't been answered yet?

Water Baby

While the girls went to a movie with David's cousin, Joel got to play outside in the pool. He quickly got out of the pool when David started watering the garden. He stole the hose to help with the watering process; he loved spraying it over his head, and when David would tell him to take a drink, he'd stick his face right in the spray and try to drink some of it. Joel LOVES the water and, I'm afraid, has no fear of it at all!

4 kiddos

Zach was here for two weeks this month. The kids had so much fun with him. Hope talked him into setting up their little pool and watching them- David and I get sick of sitting out there, but Mr. Never-sunburns is fine with being in the sun till the girls are sick of the pool. While he was here, I had to work on one of my normal days off. I took Joel to daycare, but Hope and Naomi stayed home with Zach. I think all they did was watch Spongebob and play in the pool. Joel liked having someone besides his sisters to play with; they wrestled and had sword fights and played in the back yard. I enjoyed having someone actually eat what I made for dinner and enjoy it:) Too bad he has a job- he couldn't stay very long because he couldn't take a month off of work. It sure was nice to have him here even if it didn't last very long.

Stinkbug...........or Snugglebug?

Naomi has always been my little Stinkbug. Hopey is Sugarbug, and Stinkbug definitely described Naomi for the first two years of her life. Joel was such a cuddly little baby that he became Snugglebug. But now every night when I put Naomi to bed, she says "snuggle me?" before I leave. She loves it when I just lay in bed with her. And Joel has become more of a stinker; maybe I nicknamed them too soon.

The other night after I'd snuggled Naomi for a few minutes I told her it was time for me to go downstairs. When she asked why I said I had to go see about David. In her sweet little voice, she said "No, see 'bout me." I stayed a few extra minutes to see 'bout precious little mimi.

Breakfast choices

Sunday I asked Naomi if she wanted breakfast. "Yes, I have cheese and crackers". I asked if she'd rather have some cereal, or maybe some oatmeal. "Uh, aybe eyesheem?" No, maybe not ice cream, you goofball. I guess there's no harm in trying, right?