Wordless Wednesday

Overheard

Me: ... and that's only about a week and a half away now.

Noah: Mom, how much days is a week and a half?

Me: Oh, about ten or so.

Noah: How many is so?

Aunt Sophie Was Here!

My youngest sister came to stay with us for a few days. She even traded a shift at work so that she could visit! The kids loved it; hope Sophie did! We went to the children's museum, to the lake, and, since this was a couple of weeks ago, I'm sure we did a couple of things that I can't remember. Sophie was a biiiiig help! Thank you!Isaiah dressed up as a Husker. This is what we do here in Nebraska. If we're not watching football, we're pretending to play. (I'm kidding.)
Morgan and Aunt Sophie ride in the boat at the children's museum. The girls are already asking when she'll come back!

I Am Four. Hear Me Roar.

The afternoon Noah wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another, his mother called him WILD THING and Noah said, "I'LL EAT YOU UP!" and he refused to take his nap. He woke his brother and woke his sisters. He was sent to his room, "until your father gets home!" But he did not stay in his room. He couldn't resist coming to the top of the stairs to wait.

Obamanomics

I saw a bumper sticker today which said this:

"Obamanomics: Trickle up poverty"

Isaiah's How-To

This is how you eat Rice Krispies with your brother's diving stick.

Rough Patch

This is worse than having a newborn whose rhythm is all turned around. I have not had a solid night of sleep for over a month with the stomach virus that is going around the house and with all of the other odds and ends which keep the kids up at night. Last night we hit a peak and I am exhausted.

We went to bed at midnight. At 12:30, Madeleine was in because her ear hurt (she has an ear infection). I gave her ibuprofen and put her back down. At 1:00, Noah was in because his stomach hurt. I gave him Pepto Bismol and put him back down. At 3:00, Noah came in again saying that his stomach hurt and the Band-Aid over his stitches was coming off and tickling. I got up, took him to the bathroom, took the bandage off, gave him a glass of cold water, and put him back to bed. At 4:00, Morgan came in. She said, very embarrassed, that she had wet her bed (this is the first time in about two years). I got up, changed her sheets, took the wet stuff downstairs, washed up, and went back to bed. By this time, I was wide awake. I laid there until about 5:00 and then fell asleep. Then at 5:30, Maddie was back in because of her ear again, poor thing. I got up, gave her Tylenol, and put her back down. I laid back down and was able to sleep until about 8:00 and then off and on for awhile. I'm supposed to be making a baby here. How can I do it with no sleep?

Thanks for "listening" to me complain. What is/was your rough spot this week?

What a Day!

Our Monday begins with swimming lessons for Morgan, Madeleine, and Noah. They are signed up for a series of 9 lessons. 4 were completed last week and Monday was #5. Maddie wouldn't get into the water right away, which is unusual for her. Sunday she had complained that her ear was bothering her but since we'd been swimming and she had ear tubes, I didn't think that there could be a serious problem. When I went over to her to put plugs on, I saw that she had a bit of discharge (TMI, I know ... sorry) and so I called the doctor's office. They were good enough to squeeze her in at 1:45. So we leave lessons at 11:30, pick up lunch, head home, call a family who lives a few blocks away for a sitter, pick up our very first babysitter, and head to the doctor's office where we find out that she has an infection. We are to follow up with our doctor on Wednesday. No more lessons for Maddie!

Fast forward to Monday night: I'm at bible study at a friend's house when my mobile phone rings. I pull it out and see that it's Jeremy and excuse myself to answer it. I hear lots of screaming in the background and he says that I'll need to come home; Noah will need to go to the ER for stitches. I tell him that I'm on my way and grab my things and head home. Noah's calm by the time I get there but he has hit his head on the coffee table and it's clear that he does indeed need to go in. Jeremy puts him in the van and I take him to the ER. The next part is actually fun.

We are checking in and I spell our last name and the lady asks his first name. I say that it's Noah and Noah pipes up, "N-O-A-H." She asks his birthday and he says, "October sixth," and I fill in the year. He talks and asks questions all through the examination and cleaning. He thinks that it is funny when they put his arms behind him in a pillowcase and wrap him like a mummy. The only time he cries is when they put the strong "magic water" (numbing stuff) on his wound. Once the numbness sets in, he begins asking questions again ... while they're stitching him up! He talks the nurse's ear off all the way to the door and is thrilled when we stop at Walgreens to pick up special Band-Aids. What a trooper! At home, he sits on Daddy's lap and tells him all about his little adventure in the Emergency Room. We follow up with our own doctor on Monday. No more swimming lessons for Noah!

What a Monday!

The Buttonless Charming Award

Lisa over at Are We There Yet passed this award to me and so shall I propagate the compliment! I have several awards to pass along and I apologize for my procrastination. I usually don't offer excuses for my procrastination because I believe that there are none, but allow me to attribute this one to the first trimester of pregnancy. The time I used to spend blogging, I now spend on the couch begging Heaven for a cat nap. But I digress....

"This is how the award works: This award is bestowed on to blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

The award also asks that I tell 7 "random" things about myself. I'm morphing this a little into about my household because I published an award earlier that required me to talk about myself--not the most interesting topic!

I've also decided to combine this with 7 Quick Takes Friday and link up!

1. I am intrigued with the progress of my garden. I planted late and did not expect produce. If I had known how easy it would be to tease produce from seeds, I would have asked Jeremy to dig a much bigger plot. After only a month, we have the beginnings of peas, cucumbers, jalapenos, tomatoes, squash, more squash, and a promise of watermelon, corn, and carrots. Not a single beet survived. Still, the fact is that all we did was till, plant, and water. Out of the ground emerge a variety of plants, each made according to the instructions of its DNA and they just go ahead and make food for us. Wow.

2. I am a member of the greatest Catholic Women's Bible Study ever. I mean it. I was blessed to join a little over a year ago and now I wonder what I ever did without these wonderful women and our Monday night meetings. Every time that I miss one, I feel the loss all week long.

3. I have four visible children (the fifth being in utero). The first one looks like my husband's mother. The second looks like his father as a child. The third looks like me as a child, in the face, but resembles his father in body, posture, and mannerisms. The fourth just plain looks like his dad. Did I have anything to do with this?

4. My husband turned 34 last weekend! Happy birthday, Jeremy!

5. I was raised with a great respect for military men and women, for police officers and firefighters, and for other public servants who put their lives on the line to keep us safe. Now one of our Godteens (a group of students to whom we taught Catechism during their four high school years) is a Marine in Afghanistan and my brother is serving stateside on the USS Abraham Lincoln. If you see a member of the military out in public, try to work up the courage to shake his hand and tell him thank you for his service!

6. I'm lucky to have no morning sickness and have only had one migraine in the last 8 weeks but MAN AM I TIRED. Sheesh. Some days I feel like I weigh 14393 pounds. Every so often I'll have a spurt of energy but most of the time I drag myself through the routine wishing for a 48 hour nap. I can't wait to hear this baby's heartbeat!

7. Last Saturday evening, Noah headed out to the back yard with a pair of safety scissors. He was supposed to be trimming the grass that the lawn mower can't reach. He's done this several times with no problem. This time, he cut the flowers off of my Hostas. Then he got into the Hostas and egged his two year old brother on until Isaiah was in there trampling with him. Then he cut his brother's hair. A couple days later, he found another pair of scissors and was trimming the verge outside ... until I found a hole in my couch cover inside. Then this morning he woke up at 5:30. I put him back to bed. By 6:00 his brother and sisters were awake. We usually sleep until 8:00. This is why some animals eat their young.

Visit Jennifer at Conversion Diary for her Quick Takes and those of other bloggers!

I'm going to assign this award to local bloggers ... and Diane. Don't feel obligated but consider it a free something-to-blog-about when you are out of ideas! You don't need to make the entry into Quick Takes.

1. Jen @ Carters Illustrated
2. Staci @ Little Tiny Hangers
3. Jen @ Life in the Fast Lane (private)
4. Diane @ At Least Three
5. Kati @ My Little Family
6. Sandra @ State of Motherhood
7. Robyn @ Smilers
8. Renee @ so glad i'm here

Beautiful Nebraska

You Know You're From Nebraska ...When you have to sleep in a tent in the (finished) basement because it's 90 degrees on the second floor where your bedroom is ... with the air on. When you pick up a sack of mulch in the backyard and find a spider beside her egg pouch and both are secured beneath a web that she has woven. That was really cool.When the red of your pancake is so irresistible that you have to dig in face first. Go big red! This sight doesn't frighten you when you are driving home but makes you think, "Oh, goodie! A thunderstorm!" When the highlight of the first grade field trip is a visit to Memorial Stadium. And those same first graders learned the Husker fight song in kindergarten music class.It's normal for your crazy brother-in-law to take his one year old down the hill on a trike ... like this. (Joel, I'm only kidding.)

There is no place like Nebraska!

Honest Scrap Award

Diane from At Least Three sent this award my way. The idea is to make 10 honest statements about myself and pass it on to other bloggers. Because I've already written a post (for later in the week) and passed it to others, I will say play if you like instead of passing it on to specific people.

1. I love a variety of music. Downstairs, there is a pile of CDs in the laundry room. I must have music in order to accomplish anything in the laundry room. In the pile is: The Phantom of the Opera, Before These Crowded Streets (Dave Matthews Band), Solitude Standing (Suzanne Vega), Good Monsters (Jars of Clay), Document (R.E.M.), Afterglow (Sarah McLachlan), and Cats.

2. I love being married. Last weekend, Jeremy came into the family room. I was resting on the couch busy making a new person and he asked if I'd like to do anything together, such as a game or a movie. He was offering his time to me before he got his computer game out or did bills. I was flattered when I thought about it. This is not the first time that he's done this (not by any measure) but it's the first time that I thought about it as a selfless action. It's so great to have a companion.

3. I tend to interrupt people during conversations when I get excited about what they're saying. It's a bad habit that I am trying very hard to break. I want to talk less and listen more.

4. I want to attend a Tridentine Mass but am too chicken because I do not know Latin and do not know how to behave during a Mass like that--is the reception of communion different? What if I don't have a head cover? However, I find it intriguing and wish I could overcome these little self-made obstacles and attend the Mass.

5. I have never traveled outside of the United States. I have never been to Canada nor to Mexico. However, I have been to Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

6. I cannot stand the smell, texture, or taste of canned peas.

7. I do not worry about things that I cannot control. I cannot control whether or not my husband will arrive safely at home after work. I cannot control whether or not my children will eventually break a bone or require stitches from some childhood adventure. I cannot control the health of my family members nor can I control whether someone close to me will get cancer and die. It has happened in the past and it will probably happen in the future but I refuse to spend time worrying about it. If I worried about all of these things I would not be sane at the end of the day. I trust God. I worry only about whether I am a good mother, a good wife, and whether I am working hard enough to be holy. I know it sounds pious but please accept it as a humble statement; I would never consider myself to be good enough--there's always room for improvement!

8. I wish that I were more patient. When I am at the store and people block the aisle or stop short in front of me, I wonder if they think that they are the only person in the store. When I am driving and someone sits at a green light, turns out in front of me, or cuts me off in traffic, I wonder if they think that they are the only person on the road. What I really need to do is wonder how I can make their day easier. I need to be more charitable and less judgmental.

9. I do not enjoy watching sports unless I know--personally--someone who is playing. I live in Nebraska and do not enjoy Husker football. Stop! Don't shoot! I could care less about baseball, basketball, or other sports or sports stars. I admire the talent but would much rather watch someone play a musical instrument. I could sit for hours and watch a symphony on PBS.

10. If we had the Discovery Channel, I'd never leave the family room (that's why we have only 2-22). I love science! Nova sometimes fills this void in my life.

The Simple Woman's Daybook Volume 23

July 13, 2009

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Outside my window ... it is partly sunny and 80 degrees F, looking toward 86. Humidity is at 62% and the dew point is 66 degrees F. So it's warm and moderately muggy.
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I am thinking ... how nice it is to have a large group of girlfriends! When a group of us dropped off our children at swimming lessons, we walked to Starbucks for treats. There were other friends who stayed to watch lessons.

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Learning at home ... we've been working on reading and math facts flash cards but I need to get a little more consistent.
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I am thankful for ... everything. Where do I begin? A home, a refrigerator full of food, a car that runs, a wonderful husband, healthy children, plenty of friends ... does it get any better?

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From the kitchen ... Ribeyes yesterday, for Jeremy's birthday, this week, deviled eggs, chorizo chicken burritos, and lots of salad! This salad I'm thinking of has lettuce, feta cheese, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, and bacon. Yummy!

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I am wearing ... a ponytail, shorts, and my Family Day shirt (from the Navy, the cruise that I took on the USS Abraham Lincoln).
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I am reading ... The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce by Wallerstein, Lewis, and Blakeslee.

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I am eagerly anticipating ... news of my youngest cousin! My aunt delivered her first child, a little girl, this morning and we are waiting to hear news!

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I am listening to ... Dragon Tales on PBS.

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I am hoping ... that this decision does not jeopardize the rights of doctors and health care workers everywhere. No one should be forced to dispense medicine, write a prescription, or make a referral which goes against their morals. Would we force a vegetarian to sell meat at his store? Would we force a vegan to milk a cow on his farm? It doesn't make sense.
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I am creating ... a whole new person!

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Here is a picture thought that I am sharing.

One Quick Take Friday

We just saw Transformers. The Decepticons sink the aircraft carrier CVN 74 at the beginning and call it the Roosevelt (which is really CVN 71). Then later in the film, an attack is mounted from CVN 74, which is in tact, working, and underway, and they call it the Stennis (correct). How did their editing team miss that? That's a big mistake!

Those of you who are unfamiliar with Navy vessels (me too but I'm learning), each is assigned a number. CVN indicates that the vessel is an aircraft carrier, N is for nuclear, as in nuclear powered. G would stand for gas powered, for example. On an aircraft carrier like the one pictured here, the number is highly visible on the control tower, visible for miles, and on the aft flight deck. The pictures below are from my brother's aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln CVN 72.That's my quick take. I couldn't resist. Now you know!

Happy Birthday, America!

We began celebrating Independence Day with a parade behind a firetruck around the neighborhood of Carrie and Joel (Jeremy's sister and her husband). The kids decorated their bikes for the parade. Jeremy's parents and three of his four sisters were there with their children (that'd be all of the cousins), so we thought it'd be a good time to spill the beans! Everyone is excited about having a new cousin/niece/nephew/child!
Either Carrie or my mother-in-law snapped a picture of me to prove that I was there! Note the Abraham Lincoln shirt! It comes from the USS Abraham Lincoln--thanks to all military men and women for their service! We value our FREEDOM!Noah said that he wanted to keep the decorations on his bike FOREVER. Isaiah was happy to be pushed. He hasn't figured out the pedals yet. All twelve thirteen cousins were there. Here are Morgan, Delphina, Gabriel, and Clare. Madeleine ran the fire hose with the help of a fireman. Noah ran the hose as well. I thought he would go back for seconds or thirds but he wanted to take his NAVY shirt off and run in the water!
Isaiah would drop this leaf in the water and chase it as it flowed downstream. After the parade and dancing in the water, we walked back to Carrie and Joel's house for lunch. Here, Princess Delphina, Princess Morgan, and Princess Madeleine are having a tea party. This is Jeremy with his sister Mandy. Both have their birthdays in July and we celebrated early with an ice cream cake and cheesecake. This picture is a little cropped but I chose it because it shows how alike Mandy and Jeremy look and how much like his father Isaiah looks! Genetics have always fascinated me. Madeleine and her cousins love to dress up when they are together. Morgan and Delphina both got into this shawl. Who knows? We all went our separate ways for nap time. We let the children eat supper out on the deck. It was a BEAUTIFUL DAY, 70 degrees and dry. This is not normal for Nebraska in July; we were wearing jeans and, by the end of the day, sweatshirts! It was great! Isaiah sat surrounded by his favorite trinkets from the day: a red star necklace, dessert on his forehead, a mini-car in his hand, blue star bubble necklace at his feet and the firecracker car. Two year olds are precious! Isaiah wanted to sit with his godfather Joel and mooch chicken chunks from Arby's. This bucket was firecracker soup for the kids. Every so often, they'd come over to stir it. It was really gross. Here we are enjoying the evening! Jeremy's sisters and our brothers-in-law came over to our house with their children for fireworks. Our driveway is wide and so we had a good spot to light them safely. Do you all light fireworks in Australia? If so, for what occasion?Maddie enjoyed a sparkler.Joel held a Roman Candle in the street while it shot its lights. Don't try this at home!Jeremy helped Noah light a fountain. I love the sight of their blond heads together! Jeremy held Maddie who was nursing a slightly singed finger. Isaiah clung to his cousin Gabriel as if they were a train. Clare covered her ears. It was beginning to get dark so things were starting to get LOUD!

The Simple Woman's Daybook Volume 22: Oh, Baby!

Outside my window ... it's dark. My bible study friends have just left.
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I am thinking ... about some exciting news: we are expecting our fifth child! Baby should arrive around February 27th!

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Learning at home ... I have been slacking. I should be reviewing addition and subtraction facts and sight words with the girls and I haven't been as often as I should. Noah can write his name but he needs more practice. Get on it, Aubrey!
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I am thankful for ... a new little addition to our family. God didn't have to bless us again but He did. I am so grateful.

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From the kitchen ... grilled pork chops, fruit salad, potato salad, Fritos casserole.

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I am wearing ... shorts and a T-shirt.
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I am reading ... The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce by Wallerstein, Lewis, and Blakeslee. Soon I will begin Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales. Your Pregnancy Week by Week.

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I am hoping ... for a healthy pregnancy, a healthy baby, and a quick recovery!
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I am creating ... new life!

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I am remembering ... the look on Morgan's face when we told her that she was going to have another brother or sister. She was (is) thrilled beyond measure. I wish that we would have had the video camera out. Throughout the weekend, she would come up to me to say, "Mom, this is the best weekend ever ... my bulb came up (Elephant Ear, finally, after two months), we have fireworks, I stayed with Grandpa and Grandma, and we're having a new baby!"

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Oh, Baby!

Life's a Blur When You're Two