I Gotta Say...

I've learned something today. I need to be standing up to blog and answer emails and, well, do anything on the compooper. With my laptop just sitting, all lonely and sad, on the counter top, I have to use the family compooper. That involves sitting at the desk. So far, I can't bring myself to blog or answer emails or comment on your blogs or, well, do anything. Because I have to sit down. Weird. I know.

That aside, my brain is slowly solidifying again. It's been mush for the last week. Seriously. I keep thinking it's Sunday. Although it's nice not having to wear a dress. For so many reasons. And I've been to the doctor, the store and through the Wendy's drive thru. It's Monday. Deal with it, Jennie.

My brother in law said he might be able to salvage stuff from my hard drive. I am hoping he can. If I can bring myself to do it, I may start blogging our trip soon. Maybe. I might have to set this keyboard up on a shelf and stand up to do it. And it will be worth it. But don't quote me on that!

And it's hot outside. It's a shock to my poor system. I'm so not made to withstand temperatures above freezing. I have been trying to talk my beloved into moving to Alaska. He'd rather move to Hawaii. But I hear their milk is almost $8 a gallon. We may just have to stay here. I'm okay with that. Except for the heat.

I have officially gotten up from this chair 17 times while typing this. I can't stand to sit. I really need to get off now. I feel another need to stand up!

Happy Monday!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig.

We are home. My laptop got dropped in a parking lot in Arizona and the hard drive is no longer hard. Or a drive. Or something. I just know I have lost ALL my stuff! I'm sad. Daniel ordered me a new hard drive. Then I will have to redo all my Primary stuff, all my journals, all my family files, everything.

But we are home!!! We had so much fun. We are in the middle of laundry and putting stuff away. I have tons of pictures, but will wait to blog it all. I'm tired. And it's hot here. It just wasn't that hot where we were. Except Hoover Dam. Dam, that was hot! Sweltering! I liked the coolness of the Grand Canyon and Zion Park. Aahhh...memories.

I have read all your new blog posts. I have enjoyed them. And there were a lot of them. So I didn't comment.

I need to take a shower and fold more laundry. Happy Sunday...

Where Are We?

Wow! That just took forever. Now...you see our check in spot for our loverly Wednseday night spot? Nope. Not KOA. Though we did just spend 2 loverly nights in a loverly KOA near Zion National Park. We had a blast. This trip is going at a slower pace than we usually take. We have no reservations and didn't pay close attention to the distance between stopping spots. So...

Tonight we are in Kingman Arizona in the Arizona Inn. Not at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Obviously, we didn't make it near as far today as we had planned. Are we having fun? You bet! We are having a blast. Tonight is a special treat to sleep in a bed, have a bathroom right around the corner. We even got pizza for dinner. (We have been making our dinners by campstove each night) So this will add an additional day to our trip. We are excited to get to the Grand Canyon tomorrow.

By the way! It's hot here. Sam said he couldn't breath when we got out at the Hoover Dam. Ruthie said she was getting a sunburn all over her body. My poor kids. We need to get out more. Or just go to cooler climates.

Tomorrow night we are back to the tent and all the camping fun we can stand. Yay!

Hope you are all doing well. I will have to do a blow by blow when we get home and it won't take 10 minutes to get 2 pictures on my blog.

I Love Easy.

I do. Seriously. And as I look at the long list of everything we need to pack to take with us this next week, it makes my tummy hurt. Since we'll be camping, we have to take a lot of stuff. A LOT OF STUFF. So I was making my shopping list and then had to go through 4 weeks of Sunday newspapers for the coupons so I could use the coupons to save a little dough. As I got the coupon stuff out, I notice a coupon for this on the front...

It's a sheet (much like a dryer sheet) that you put in the washer and then the dryer to take the place of all of these...

Serious?! Right on. $2.00 off the cost of the dispenser and 20 sheets for $5.something. $3.something. Can't go wrong with that. Right? And all I have to take with me to do laundry at the KOA laundry center is a few of these sheets. Uhuh. So I throw it in each load. The first load doesn't really smell....um....clean. Like the clean smell I'm used to. And my laundry room didn't smell all...um...downyish. You know?

My towels. I don't ever use fabric softener when I wash towels. But since this isn't a real shot of downy in my washer, I threw one in with my towels. They came out the best. Mmmmm...

So clean. So soft. So I will take several sheets to throw into the laundry on the trip. And then keep what's left for the next time we stay at a KOA Kampground and need to do laundry. But when we get back, I'll be throwing all my laundry in with my regular detergent, my fabric softener and a yummy dryer sheet.

I love easy. But I also love the smell of my clean laundry. Now back to all the packing. And organizing. And packing. And packing And packing. And packing.....

Somebody save me.....

My Sweet Sam.

I have a sweet son named Sam. He is most definitely a middle child. Needing attention. Always having a big brother and a little sister to wrangle. Not quite being comfortable with 2 strong personalities surrounding him. Always craving attention. He sure is cute, though!

He is just the sweetest thing in world. Especially when he's fast asleep.
My sweet Sam has a very precise personality. He is a ham. Like his dad.
But he is also very very shy. Like his mom.
He loves his blankie so much. Such a tender heart. Such a sweet soul.
Wait a minute. Oh! Sam! There's nothing shy about this guy!! He has enough energy to outlast anyone who just slugged down the meanest energy drink. And that's without having had breakfast.

He's a Super Hero in training. Waiting to save the world from certain destruction. And he wipes me out.

He keeps up on Godzilla so well, that sometimes I think he might just morph into Godzilla! He's could quote Godzilla movies like nobody's business.

He finds being wrapped in a step stool extremely comfy! I have no idea where he gets that from! Honest!

He loves his dad! He loves just being right with him and doing what he's doing.

His first grade teacher said that he needed to smile more in school. He was very sedate. He needed to break out of his shell.

Is this Sam we're talking about?? Sedate?? Shell? Sam is the most loud and in your face child I have. Sedate! Puleeze!

But she said he was always quiet and calm and the only time she's seen him be silly was when I was in the classroom with him.

Weird.

This is a shot I get a lot from my sweet Sam. Booty shaking!

So I told Sam to be himself in school. And at home for that matter.

But then I remembered that when I was in school, my teachers told my mom that I never talked. Or smiled. Maybe we are more alike than I realize.

When he gave his 2 book reports in front of the class, he let his humor shine. He told jokes. He broke out! I saw a glimpse of me in him then.

Quiet in large groups. Relaxed and funny and talkative in reality!

So far we have had 2 nights of camping this summer. Spring. Whatever. It was cold and raining both times.

Each night, my sweet Sam didn't fall asleep fast. He laid awake and talked to Daniel and me for quite a while. He was asking us questions that took me a little by surprise.

"Will you help me get a job when I get bigger?" "What will I do when I go to college?" "Can I be a home dad when I get older?" "How will I know what to do?"

Oh Sweet cuddle bug Sam. We are more alike than I could have ever imagined! And we will help with anything you want. And you will be fine. And this is the look Daniel gets every night when he gets home. Sam (and the other 2) wipe me out!

I told him that my grandma walked me into the registrar's office at the local college when I was 18 and made me register for the following quarter. I was embarrased and did all my own registering after that. I hope I never embarass him and take certain advantage of the fears he may have. I've had them and still have many certain fears that follow his line of thinking.

Somehow I don't think he will have a problem deciding what to do and then doing it. I'm not sure what it is...

Both nights as we camped, Sam grabbed my hand and held it. He held my hand for a long time.

I held his hand until he was asleep. Then held on just a little bit longer.

My Sweet Sam is a terrific kid! I think he is the bravest, craziest, snuggliest, godzilla-ist, silliest boy in the world. As a middle child he sometimes gets a raw deal. But Isaac couldn't be the oldest and Ruthie couldn't be the youngest without someone as awesome as him right by each of them! We wouldn't be the awesome family we are without my Sweet Sam!

Be Prepared.

So we had a little friend of Ruthie's over to play today. Along with lots of other girls. Her friend lives next door and is here a lot! We really like her. While the kids were playing on the tramp and I was talking to Lorena, the other girls' mom, at the kitchen table, Ruthie came in and said that the little friend peed her pants. Oh man! So I tell Ruthie to tell her friend to go home so she can change. After a minute or 2 Ruthie calls to me that she won't go. So I go to the back door and tell her to just go home so her mom can help her. She is lying on the tramp and all the kids are standing around her. She doesn't move. So I figure she is just embarassed and doesn't want to get up. So I walked down to help her get up and out and then Lorena tells me to look at her foot. "Is she having a seizure?" Oh my goodness! I jump on to the tramp and grab her. Sure enough, she is having a seizure. I told Lorena to go get her mom and then told the kids to get off the tramp. I just talked to her and told her she was okay and that her mom was coming, just like her mom told me to do if she ever had a seizure at my house. Her mom came running over and worked her out of it without much trouble and without meds. Just last month they had to call 911 because she didn't stop after a 1/2 hour of seizing. I was a little scared.

Just this morning, I got a visit from my other neighbor who asked if my kids had been to her house not long before. They had heard what sounded like frantic kid knocking. They were asleep, so they didn't get up. Nope, not my kids. But here is our deal. If I don't wake up and Daniel isn't home, the kids are supposed to run to her house and bang on the door, ring the doorbell and knock on the window until she comes to the door. If she isn't home, they are supposed to come right back home and call 911. Me not waking up would be because I am a diabetic and once, a while back, I had a seizure in the middle of the night and almost died. Daniel had to call 911 and they had to pump me with glucose through an IV to get me back. That was while on vacation. When we got home, it happened again, but Daniel got me back before he had to call 911.
These are the faces I saw when I came to in the hotel room. They were talking to Daniel and my mom and dad and tapping my arm saying, "Wake up Jennie. Wake up Jennie."

So obviously, we try to be prepared.

Today was a perfect time to go through the drill in an emergency. I hope we never never never have to bang on Amie's door because mom won't wake up. I hope our little friend always comes out of her seizures quickly. And I hope you all take the necessary precautions with your kids to make sure you are always prepared.

And...They're Off!

Not too long ago, this was the toothy grin from Isaac.

Then we got braces on those misplaced teeth. You know, the teeth that turned into the wicked cross bite!
Well, today, the orthodontist played some loud and fun music and walked out blowing a horn and gave Isaac these treats. You know, stuff you really shouldn't have with braces on...popcorn...caramel...sugary soda...
And these balloons were attached. Isaac thought it was awesome! But why all this attention?!

Because they're off! Off his teeth. And the wicked cross bite is gone. For good we hope.

Don't his teeth look awesome?!

We will get a retainer this week and go from there.

Life is so good!

And his teeth feel a little slimy.

A Day In The Life.

Yes. I changed the name again. Why? Because I can. It's my blog. So there. I actually thought A Day In The Life is a better title because each picture shows what we did that day. And we do a lot. So each picture is a day in our life...

Monday...I think this was Monday. Can't be too sure. In the summer all the days run together. Friends came over to play. They had tons of fun on the tramp playing games and eating popsicles.

Tuesday...Ruthie was really really full after dinner.
Wednesday...In the summer we go to the $1 movie each Wednesday with my friend Kim and her daughter. Kim and I get to sit after the movie and finish our diet cokes and have adoption therapy while the kids play!

Thursday...Sam and Ruthie and I played kid Monopoly. It was fun. I had already lost all my cash and they wouldn't lend me any money even though I was the banker and really wanted to stay in the game. I just didn't get enough property in the beginning. You see the 2 red thingys? That's all I had. Not much. I was so excited to take over for monopolizing Sam when he decided he'd had enough! Good times!

Friday...Cherries! I got myself so excited about cherries this last week. So I bought some. They were delicious and didn't last very long! Daniel and I got a fun sitter for the kiddos and went to dinner and a movie, too! Star Trek. We totally enjoyed it even though we both grew up watching the original series. We just let some of it wash off our backs and enjoyed it. Did anyone else cry at the very beginning like I did? Am I the only one? Dang.

Saturday...Is anyone else sick of the rain?? I sure am. And rain is one of my favorite things. We went to the local Catholic church for breakfast and got to tour the beautiful chapel. It was a really fun experience for our kids, and us, to enjoy. One thing I do enjoy about the rain, besides the fact that it waited until after the breakfast in the church parking lot, is the rainbows and my kids' excitement when they see one. One of these days we will run out to the end and see if there is a pot of gold!! One can only hope. Sunday...We love family movie nights when we can cuddle on the couch and watch a movie. This is my feet, Sam's feet and Ruthie's feet. I suppose you could call us Sole Mates!

So there you are. 7 days in our life. I hope you enjoyed it. We did.

One more week until we load the mini wimpy van and begin our summer camping adventure!

Yay!

Trusting Mom.

I was lying on the play room floor with Sam. He was playing demolition derby with his cars. I grabbed one that he didn't want for the derby and was driving it around him. Then I noticed...
...the steering wheel is on the wrong side. So I say, "Hey, the steering wheel's on the wrong side". Sam looks at it, goes back to his derby, and says, "It's from New York". I asked why he says it's from New York. He said because the steering wheel is on the wrong side. So I ask why that means it's from New York. He just shrugged and said that's what I told him. Hmmm... Oh, you mean Europe. That's another country. And the steering wheels are on the other side in their cars. He just looked at me with his big brown eyes and said, "Oooohhhh...."

I love that he trusted something I "said" even though he most likely didn't understand it and it really didn't mean much to him. Except that he has believed that New Yorkers drive with the steering wheel on the wrong side for some time now. I wonder what else is in his little brain.....

The Invasion!

The invasion of my zen zone has officially begun. I knew it was coming. I just didn't expect it this soon. Daniel's office is being moved about 20 miles farther away than he is now. We decided not to move after some long thought and actually getting ready to move. So as a compromise, when his office moves in August, he wants to be able to work from home once a week to keep from the longer commute every day. Wednesday is the best day to do this. This presents some chaos to my normal routine.


First...I come down the hall and find this. A closed bedroom door. I don't close it unless I'm inside it. For privacy, you know. So to run into my own closed bedroom door presents an automatic invasion of my zen zone.
When I enter my usually zen-onious place, I find this. Wait!! Hold up...

That's better. I told him to sit up straight. He's on the phone and trying to look official. Or maybe he's trying not to laugh at my now invaded zen zone. See that can of Pepsi there?? When I first walked in, he muted his headset and asked me to get him a "soda from the fridge, please". So now I'm a servant in my zen zone. And you see how close his head is to my zen zone exercise machine? That's gonna present a problem. For his head!

This is a very important part of my zen zone. So I can take naps. Wait. I don't take naps. Not that I don't want to. Just that there isn't any time. Or any quiet. I use this thing to fold laundry. Which is a very pleasant thing to do and makes the zen zone even zenier. Until the un-zen-like kids have to come in to fold their laundry. But still!

Then there is this most zen like zen zone. I like to be able to come use it at any time. And stay as long as I want. But when I really needed this zen zone before running out the door, I found, well, I won't put a picture of him, but I found my zen zone invader on it. And he wouldn't get off! I had to use the kids'. It's not very zen friendly.

I also like to have that, wait, this is classy corner. Remember? Anyway, I like to have that new fancy TV ready at my leisure to turn on and watch an episode of The Office or the news or anything else that comes to mind. I'm actually a little impressed that my invader got dressed this morning. I think it was only because he had to run to the store for a new keyboard. And mouse. And some wires. And another surge protector. At least he's dressed.

And then we come back to the door thing. I don't like it closed because the zen zone becomes the stuffy zone. And it gets humid. Especially when it rains. And yes, that's my lunch. I wanted a quiet place to come and eat without children or anything else to bug. Have some lunch zen zone time. But no. I'm thinking of revolting.

But if I tell Daniel I'm revolting, he would only agree with me. With a smile on his face, of course. Maybe I wouldn't be so revolting if I could have my zen zone back. Wednesday is only once a week. I might survive. Or I might not. We'll just see.