This, Too, Shall Pass?

Wednesday:
11:00 Decides that after 3 days, Elia no longer has a fever. Back to a Healthy Household.
11:30a Decide to go Shopping in Sidney. Hire a sitter. Go get sitter. Leave house with baby & hubby.
12:30p Decide hubby is coming down with a cold. Go to store for DayQuil.
1:30p Shop while hubby sits in the corner
4:30p Return home with bags to unload
4:40p Find massive amount of dog diarrhea
4:41p Continue to unload car
5:00p Unload bags into organized piles
6:00p Make Supper
6:30p Hockey Time - Eat Pizza in front of TV
7:00p Bath time
7:25p Brush teeth - PJs on - Into Bed - Stories - Pray
8:00p Lights Out
8:01p Clean up kitchen
8:10p Finish watching hockey game
8:50p Lars asleep across my lap, baby asleep at the breast, hubby asleep on couch next to me
9:00p Back into Eden's room to turn lights out again - put baby down
9:05p Lars wants to rock
9:15p Lars in bed
9:18p  out the door. COLD.
10:30p Return home to sick hubby - dig out Vaporizer - put hubby to bed
11:00p Clean up massive amount of dog diarrhea.
11:30p Shower
11:35p Feed baby again
11:50p Baby in crib
11:52p Mommy in bed
12:15a Lars crying for Mommy in hallway
12:16a Rocking Lars
12:28a Everybody in bed
12:30a Rocking Lars again
12:45a Everybody in bed
12:50a Pacing the living room with Lars
1:00a Lars coughs, then spews vomit in a 360 degree radius as Mommy runs him to bathroom
1:10a Lars back in bed
1:15a Mommy doing laundry - refill hubby's vaporizer
1:20a Baby coughs - Mom stays up 'just in case'
1:30 Mommy contemplates writing or going back to bed....thinking,
"This, Too, Shall Pass??"

Family

Google defines 'family' as a social unit living together, people descended from a common ancestor, a person having kinship with others, an association of people who share common beliefs or activities, or, (my personal favorite) a loose affiliation of gangsters in charge of organized criminal activities.

I say this not because you are inept but, rather, because I needed to define it for myself. It's hard getting back 'home' to Michigan to see our 'family', parents & grandparents, my siblings, aunts and uncles, as often as we would like, and less feasible with each new child.

After being in Western Nebraska for almost four years now, we've begun to establish a family of sorts out here. You know, the people you can call any time of the day or night (and believe me, WE HAVE!)? They'll drop what they're doing, (or at least finish up quickly) to give you a hand, bring you a ladder, help you tear apart a car, pick up potatoes from the grocery store for you, babysit on a moment's notice, stop by to chat or take you to lunch when you need a break, drive the ambulance for you at all hours. You know, the usual stuff!

With all the wonderful people in the world, we are so blessed to have landed in a town that's full of them. People who have embraced us, helped us, welcomed us, and continue to care for us. So this post is to you, our adopted family in the town my children all know as home.

Thank you.

Education on "The System"

Ok, so I'm parked along side the sheriff's office slash county jail yesterday afternoon, debating whether or not to leave the kids in the car (because it's a pain to get three of them out of car seats and back into them), leave the car running (because it's 30 degrees out) and lock the door (because we have a key pad entry and I can do that). OR, take them in (because we're 25 feet from the barbed wire fence where the prisoners are playing ring around the rosies in the bird yard).

While I'm debating, Eden says, "Why are we sitting here?"

"Because, I need to run in and grab some paperwork."

pause, long wait...

"Why aren't you going in?"

"Because, my regular parking place is being taken up by an older model suburban driven by an elderly woman who is taking up three spots and I'm debating whether or not to leave you in the car over here or come back later without you"

"Oh." pause "What is this place over here?"

"This is the jail side"

"Oh." pause "It looks like a brick house with a tall fence. What's a jail?"

"It's a place where people have to go when they've been really naughty and broken the law. Sometimes, it's just for a night to sober up and then they get bonded out, or sometimes a judge sentences them to stay for a longer time because they are dangerous."

"Oh." pause. "I can make a sentence. Who lives in this brick house?"

"Nobody lives here, it's a jail. Well, some people live here for up to a year, and some of the workers feel like they live here, but they really don't. It's a county owned building."

"What's 'sober up' mean?"

"It means that somebody has had too much to drink today and it's not safe that they drive home by themselves."

"Sometimes I drink a lot too, don't I mommy. When I'm really thirsty."

pause

"what's 'bonded out' mean?"

"Eden, honestly, I'm thinking. Just sit quiet for a minute please."

"Can I go to jail too?"

"No, Eden, you can't go to jail until you're an adult. This is where Cheree works and Aunt Meegan used to work at a really big jail in Michigan. And Milo brings people to this jail, too, and he's going to be the new Sheriff, so he'll work here after Christmas."

"Wow, I know lots of people who get to go to jail! What's a judge?"

"A judge is somebody who sits on a big bench in a room and hears a case and decides whether or not the person should go to jail or go home and how much money it will cost to let him go home. It's called a court of law."

"Oh." pause "Did you know what? God has laws too. But only a couple. I think, like, 6 or 10 or something like that, but I don't know 'em all."

"Yes. I think that lady is moving her car, let's drive around front and I'll run right in."

We drive around front, and the lady backs the Suburban up, over the curb, just missing the cruiser behind it, staring at me as I drive by slowly, hoping she was going to pull away. I circle the block and end up right back where I started.

Lars joins in now, "Can I go to jail too?"
Eden, "NO, I asked first and I'm bigger than you are anyway!"

Ok, time to go.

By now, I could have taken them all out of the car seats, given them a cell tour, introducing all the inmates, got my paperwork, and had them back in their car seats.

I'll come back later.

Once Upon a Time

At our son's second birthday, he had a vocabulary of nothing. The two words that he'd had, had settled someplace unreachable in his brain. A year later, with help from the speech therapist, he had a vocab of roughly 400 words. Now, three months after that, he's beginning to use those words in a way that makes sense and is fun to listen to. I should also point out that the boy has a memory that trumps mine, and a heart of gold, with only a sliver of coal in it.

Which is why yesterday, when I found where he'd wandered off to, I decided that the following exchange was worthy of a post for all of our fans.

I found him in the rocking chair in his old room (the one he keeps wanting back), with a Disney Pixar Cars book in his hands and his stuffed Tigger sitting next to him. He took the book and, looking at the front cover said to Tigger, "Cars Cars Book".

Opening the book to the last page he read aloud,
"Once upon a time, there was Ramone"
turns one page back
"Once upon a time, there was Guido"
turns one page back
"Once upon a time, there was Doc"
turns one page back
"Once upon a time, there was Sheriff"
turns one page back
"Once upon a time, there was Sarge"
turns one page back
"Once upon a time, there was Sally"
turns one page back
"Once upon a time, there was McQueen."
shuts book
"Theeeee End"
turning to Tigger
"Tigger, you listen to the book?"

Then, looking over to Eden's doll house,

"Oh no! The furniture is tip over. I need to fix it."

On his knees in front of the doll house now, he moves into another world of pretend.

"Pretend this plant goes here."
"Pretend this table goes here."
"Pretend this chair goes here."
"Pretend this rug goes here."

By now I had taken over the big rocking chair and, with Elia on my lap, watched and listened with a smile.

He continued with that exact phrase until everything in the house had a place to pretend to be. When he was all done, he looked up at me and yelled, "No Mommy, I wasn't talking to you!"

As I walked off down the hall, he called after me, "Wait Mommy, I need a snack!"

And off we went...

What clean floor?

At 0630 yesterday morning, I realized that we weren't going to be getting much sleep that night. The reasons are no longer important, I just knew that it wasn't going to happen.

After some time enjoying the company of our dear children, Allen left for work and the oldest two began some much needed sibling bickering. One thing led to another, and the next thing I know, the house is a wreck and the baby is crying.

Off to the bench for coats, hats, mittens and boots. After chasing them into these said items and sending them out to the swing set, I sat down to feed Elia and put her for a nap. Then the door opened and the 'freezing' children came back in, took their outer garments off, and promptly dropped them on the floor, requesting a snack.

Time for some warm muffins on this cold day. Unfortunately, the batter ended up on the floor. Which hasn't been washed since the day before yesterday, when Red Gatorade ended up in a 6 foot splashed circle on the linoleum. However the floor does need to be scrubbed because yesterday before breakfast, I opened the cupboard door and dropped a bowl onto Al's 15 year old beer mug. The really heavy thick one that he got on his trip to Maine. The one that was my favorite. It hit a bunch of dirty dishes that were soaking in the crock pot and everything smashed to pieces. Millions of pieces. Pieces for me. Millions of pieces. Pieces for free.

He didn't seem to be too upset with me. Most probably because he's the one who put the bowl away on the top shelf that fell when I opened the door. He did make a point to tell me that those bowls down stack right, though. Anyway, we decided then and there we needed to take a trip to Maine. So, we have the beginnings to our 10 year anniversary trip planned. A trip to the Brew Pub in Bar Harbor, to pick up a new beer glass.

Anyway, back to the muffins. While they are cooling on the rack, Eden says, "Mommy, did you know that blueberry muffins have blueberries in them?"

"Really?" I say, "How do you know that?"

"Because", replies my super absorbent 5 year old, "Goldie told me so!"

Goldie is one of her teachers at Head Start, and I have to say, I don't know how Eden made it this far in life without the woman. It's really very cute when she starts out a sentence with, "Mommy, do you know what Goldie told me today?" And I reply, "No, tell me." I know I'm about to become very educated.

Just this morning she told me that there are many different colors of blue. And last week, she taught me all about the germs on our hands and how to wash them away, and did I know that our teeth were full of germs, too, and that we should brush them after we eat? Not only that, she tells me, but when everybody helps pick up, the job gets done faster. And do I know what happens when we use our nice words with our friends and how, when we share, everybody gets a turn? Wow, who'd thought? And, by the way, I had no idea that fruit was so healthy. And even though she doesn't eat it, she knows that her friends are eating healthy and that's a very good thing to do. Profound.

At bedtime on Friday, when we were reflecting on all the wonderful things of the day, she informed me that she thought she would like to be as nice as Mary when she was a grown up Mommy and, since Mary let her bring home one of the Christmas cards out of the scrap box, could she make Mary a card, too? Or would Goldie think she should make one for everybody? Hmm, it was a tough question and I told her she'd better sleep on it.

Having children, I find, is the most mentally and physically exhausting job I've ever had. I don't remember my last night's sleep. Yet, it's one of the best positions I've ever held. And I guess I'm locked into a lifetime contract, so I'd better continue to embrace the challenge and enjoy it immensely.

Besides, the pay is great and the benefits are out of this world.

It's Simple

After an eventful weekend, I sit here and finish the not-so-exciting paperwork. I have a crying baby bouncing on my left knee, a toddler playing basket ball (literally throwing a soccer ball into a wicker basket on the floor) next to me and a Preschooler begging me to play pretend "go to Candace's house" on the other side of my desk. She asked me to call her on her cell phone when I made a decision as to what time I wanted her to pick me up. How sweet.

Does anybody want a loud car sounding toy with blinking lights and a telephone attached to it? Going cheap.

I don't even know who Candace is.

Anyway, as I finish up this paperwork with the dog licking my jeans, I am reminded that when life doesn't exactly go the way we wish it would, or the way we think it should, or the way we think it could 'if only'...STOP. Think of what you have, not of what you don't have, and say Thank You.

It's simple, really.

Who needs to shave, anyway?

It seems like only a few months ago, I was sitting around the parsonage back in Wilcox, pregnant with our first bundle of joy, busy as ever getting everything perfect. The nursery had to be perfect. Clean and ready for the baby, with the rocking chair placed just exactly so next to the crib. The colors were neutral, in case we were wrong in our expectations. All the ceilings in the house were washed with a dye free cleaner, all the baseboards wiped down with Murphy's Oil Soap, and every cupboard and closet in the place organized to within an inch of it's existence. I was the queen of nesting while my husband tried to ignore the commotion from his office in the house.

I didn't wonder how I'd handle Motherhood, I knew I'd be awesome. I couldn't wait to be reading Berenstain Bear & Dr. Seuss books, doing puzzles on the floor, listening to fun kid music, baking cookies with a cute little helper, and sitting together on the couch doing family devotions at night before bedtime.

Bedtime? What's that? Devotions? Huh?

Now, 5 and a half years later, I wonder when I'll get a shower again. I ponder whether or not I'll ever read the newspaper quietly with a cup of hot chocolate, or finish a novel. I dream about clipping my toenails and shaving my legs on a regular basis. Forget about organizing anything, let alone cleaning. I don't even know where the Murphy's Oil Soap IS anymore, or if it even came in the move more than 3 years ago! I have unpacked boxes stuck in the closet of no return, and I have no intention of even caring to find out what's in it. If' I've lived without them this long, I probably don't need it.

(Though, now that I say that, it might explain why I can't find my lucky notebook, which is full of my life's adventure, up until I got married, and the not yet completed parts. But I digress... )

Suffice it to say, Life has changed. I used to get birthday and anniversary cards out to everybody in a timely manner. I haven't even bought a card in at least a year! And, (nobody tell her) but Mom was right. About everything! And, OH, how I had it easy!

As I sit here at my desk tonight, all the children miraculously asleep at the same time, surrounded by unopened mail, bills that need to be organized, the new computer, the old computer, a calendar with everybody's schedule listed out in a different color, and a desk with 15 cubbyholes that are STUFFED fill and need to be gone through, I picture the laundry on the floor in the other room, the grimy toilet, the fingerprints on the mirrors, the carpet that needs the cheerios vacuumed up, the bath towels that need folded and the dishes that needs washed, and I wonder, "Am I chasing my tail while my kids grow up all around me?" "Am I forgetting that I'm a wife to a really great man?"

What else am I missing while I fret about the unimportant stuff?

Much to my dismay, I'm not getting the award for Mother of the Year, or the prize for Perfect Wife or a BFF label from anybody. I'll be lucky to come out with "Mediocre in Some Areas".

But, by golly, I have an awful lot to be thankful for, and I am. I just need a reminder every now and again.

Fortunately for me, the baby doesn't sleep through the night, the children don't always get along, and I get lots of reminders, as the time ticks by, that everything around me is another blessing from God. Sometimes, it comes in a noisy form, but the reminder is there, none-the-less.

To Him be the Glory Forever and Ever, A-men.

A fresh coat

Anyone who really knows my husband will tell you that he's slow to make a decision. I'm not just talking about the decision to get up and into the shower each morning, or what to eat for lunch, or the decision whether or not to come to bed before he falls asleep on the couch, or the decision to propose marriage (actually, that only took 3 months), or the decision to wear a certain stoll on Sunday, but decisions in general. He's very methodical. A thinker. An analyzer. Then, we have to discuss it at great length.

Not so with me. I, on the other hand, think about something for about 13 seconds and say, "yes" or "no" and that's the end of it.

Sometimes, those two waves of thinking clash a bit, but after 8 1/2 years together, I'm starting to enjoy the challenge. I guess that's why opposites attract?

Anyway, when he came home from work last week and said, "I think we need to switch the kid's rooms around", I took that as a sign that it must be important to him and very well thought out.

I was up for the challenge. I like to repaint and freshen up rooms from time to time (though, 10 year old wallpaper removal is neither my specialty, nor my first love). We both knew that we'd have to switch the rooms around at some point, as Lars needs his own space, small and dark and quiet. While Eden has been anxious to share a room with her baby sister since the night after she was born, 6 months ago now! Out comes the paint box.

Naturally, we can't just 'repaint' the rooms. Besides moving furniture and outlet covers and curtains, taping off and putting plastic down, we also have to discuss color palates, artistic ability, and the color wheel at length. I am reminded (with a smile) that I failed Art Class in the 7th grade and never took another course to improve myself. My husband, on the other hand, has his canvas paintings covering walls in very important places (his parent's basement).

Which is why I sit here tonight tired, covered in paint, hungry, with sore muscles. While the kitchen sink is overflowing with dirty dishes and laundry is spilling out of the carpet and cascading down the steps. I'm pretty sure that I'm getting high off the paint fumes, too, but not intentionally.

One room done and one to go. We will miss the beautiful pink baby room with the flowery wallpaper, as well as the blue/green vibrancy with the tractors and farm animals adorning the walls. But will welcome the new, subdued colors and (hopefully) sleep well!

A boy & some snow.

It's so fun to watch a 3 year old 're-discover' something with all the excitement a little body can muster. Today, it was snow. When I saw Lars this morning, he was at the window, naming everything with snow on it. He said through his paci, "Mommy, the sky is raining snow!"

"And our new road is snowing, and the grass, and that tree and that tree, and OH NO! MY WAGON is snowing! And the house across the street, and the cows and the...."

He wandered to the back door. "Oh, MOMMY! It's snowing here too! On the concrete, and daddy's race car, and the dump truck. And my swing set. Can we scoop it with a shovel?"

And so, I went to the laundry room and dug out the winter stuff. Finding his boots, he raced to the front door, yelling, "C'mon Mommy!"

We spent 30 minutes making footprints in the snow, pulling the wagon and riding the tractor on and off the snow, watching the prints it makes. He felt the snow on his face, and opened his mouth to the sky. He asked me to lift him up so he was closer to the snowflakes, then thought it was colder up there and wanted back down. He felt it on his hand and rubbed it around the grass.

After naps, we headed out again, this time in tennis shoes. He wanted to see the tracks they made. Then we had to come in for our Crocs. You know, the sandals that have holes in them? Yeah, those. His wet feet didn't bother him, as we criss-crossed back and forth through the snow, examining the prints.

Cold and hungry, we came in around dark, Lars full of smiles. Eden was already in her jammies on the couch and Elia was still sleeping. My girls are the smart ones, I guess!

At any rate, the "less than 1" accumulation", predicted by The Weather Channel, has reached at least 4" and is still falling. It's beautiful, cold, and powdery white. I'm so glad to have a pot of chili on the stove!

35th Anniversary

Monday Monday

With Daddy home on Friday, we spent most of the morning in an IFSP meeting for Lars. (More on that in the days to come) and also some time outside enjoying the sunshine and short sleeves, hence the new pics. A chalk city was drawn on the patio, complete with stop lights and cross walks, and the vehicles were out in full. It was a busy day in Sillytown!

I do enjoy the fall, but I've been unusually busy since returning from Michigan, and haven't been able to get out as much as I'd like. The last few days, I've forced myself to let the laundry pile up and the dust to sit while we enjoy what's left of the warm weather. Soon, it will be winter boots and mittens, which is equal fun, but with twice as much work involved!

Saturday, the kids and I walked to the park and played until it was almost dark. Lars contemplated climbing up the steps to the slide, but backed out each time. He did go down one of the small slides by himself, though. Eden is now able to climb up the half dome monkey bar, but still needs help on the way down. She is able to pump her legs on the swings much higher than I can push her, which makes her proud, but she still wants me to push. Elia sat in the stroller, guarded by Samson, who napped beside the wheel.

I think we're starting to learn some more of Lars' sleeping patterns. When he is enjoying an evening activity (penny carnival last week, a loud night running around screaming n playing hide and seek in an empty house last night), he ends up waking up around 0100 and screaming uncontrollably for hours on end, unable to calm down. I hadn't linked the two together before the early hours of today, when I was faced with the question, "what happened between last night and the night before?" and I broke down our two days, coming up with two completely different types of days. I'm now keeping an 'activity and sleep calendar' to see if we can avoid some late nights in the future.

Well, enough of this one handed typing (thanks, Elia). enjoy the week!

Another typical night.

I realize that some days are better than others, but this is ridiculous.

It began sometime yesterday afternoon when Eden came home from school. The pastor (who doubles as Wonderful Husband and Almighty Dad) was gone all day with bible study, a lunch meeting, confirmation, and a visit that went past the kid's bedtime. Then, Elia woke up to eat and play at 1130 p.m. She went back down about 1230 a.m.

Lars was screaming from the top step at 0130. When I came to his aide, he said, "You forgot daddy!" I had to carry him downstairs to show him that daddy was in bed, sleeping. "Oh. Ok." Back to bed he went.

0230: "psst! mommy!" I hear in a shouting whisper from a certain 5 year old girl. "yes, eden?"
"i need you, can i crawl in your bed?" "sure honey, I would love to have you kick me for the next 2 hours until I slip out to the couch again, no problem."

Now I sit, 12 hours later, forgetting what I was actually going to say.

Hmm, I'm sure it'll come to me...

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." ~Romans 13:1

Madness

Since returning from Michigan on Monday, I realized that I had lost my mind and it took me a while to find it. Well, I found somebody's, at any rate.

As nice as it was to be in Michigan, especially this time of year with all the beautiful Black & Red Oak, giant Elm and gorgeous Maple trees, it was equally as nice to get back to Bridgeport and back into a routine. Actually, our life is anything BUT routine, but that's the easiest way to define it.

The train ride back was a breeze, the kids were wonderful. My mom rode to Chicago with us and helped us off the commuter train and onto the Zephyr. We even managed to squeeze in a quick lunch and take a trip to the bathrooms. She then rode back to Lapeer while the four of us headed West.

Spent most of the week going through the mail, sorting laundry, running errands, paying bills, tossing the moldy food out of the fridge, and doling out Benadryl in six hour cycles to 2/3 of the kids, while the baby got her first taste of Amoxicillin three times daily. You know, the usual.

Friday, Lars and I went with Eden's Headstart class to the Pumpkin patch, which is really a local family's garden who lets the kids pick through the vines to find the big orange treasures. It was great fun, though Lars wandered off and was found near the bus in somebody's backyard, chasing feral cats and looking at the ducks.

Saturday was Pastor's birthday and since the made from scratch birthday cake fell apart into millions of fluffy yellow pieces, I mixed it with pudding and a cream cheese mixture and we enjoyed it that way. You'll be happy to know he received the full 11 seasons of M*A*S*H, complete with the blooper reel and several other special features, approximate running time is 6500 minutes. That should keep us busy all winter~

Today, we enjoyed the beautiful fall weather and started cleaning up the gardens. Lars helped me dig up the geraniums and put them in a box with a garbage liner and some soil. Hoping they last till next year, but we'll see. Nothing to lose, I guess.

Pastor cleaned out the garage a little bit more than he had before we got home. True, I was able to get my SUV in the garage when I got home, but unfortunately, I could not get in or out of the vehicle without stepping on metal, tripping over car panels, or opening the car door without spilling some interior part off the wall and having to balance it back in the same precarious position. It's about 90% cleaned up now and that's probably as good as it's going to get, so, Thanks, Honey.

Twelve hours from now, we'll be on our way to Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at Presbyterian St. Luke's (say that Three times fast) in Denver, about 3.5 hrs away. Lars will be undergoing both a Colonoscopy w/biopsy as well as Endoscopy w/biopsy Monday afternoon to rule out or give definition to any medical condition in the gut that he may have. It's going to be a long day, but today's clear liquid diet, followed by the cleaning of the colon, went fairly well. For a sensitive boy, he's pretty amicable and probably stronger than his mother.

Blessings to you all on your week ahead.

Sisters Are Special

If you have one or two or three or more, you already know this. If not, listen up. Sisters are special. I am doubly blessed in that department. One from birth, and one from marriage.

My sister and I spent Wednesday afternoon together. We planned to go shopping at the outlets, then over to Frankenmuth for supper. This is nothing unusual when I come home, it's one of our two favorite places to be. And honestly, has anyone ever had a better chicken dinner than Zenders or the Bavarian Inn?

Anyway, only a really great sister would take time off from work that she didn't have, rearrange her children's after school schedule and find rides & cash for their extra curricular activities just to squeeze in a few hours between that and a 7:00 meeting at church to go shoe shopping with a preschooler and an infant.

Not only that, as she pulled in the driveway to load up the car, the sky opened up and it began to pour. The drive up went quickly and after finding the right driveway for a 7-11, we got Slurpees and hit the shops at a less than break neck speed. It was still pouring, but it didn't matter.

In the end, we ran out of time for supper and had to only think about it all the while being stuck behind a pick up truck doing 48 mph through the hills and no passing zones on the back roads trying to make it home in time for her to get to church on time. It was still pouring rain, the colors on the trees had turned to rainbow drip, and the steady stream of laughter had turned to more productive conversation, such as, "I can only go as fast as the car in front of me." It was more of a chant, really.

The afternoon was over as quick as it started.

The following day started out sunnier. My newer sister came over as soon as she found out school was cancelled (no electricity) and the kids instantly began playing together. We decided a quick trip to town was in order and maybe some lunch, so we started out the day by viewing her and my brother's newly renovated house, then heading to town for some fabric shopping. She helped me pick out a perfect fall pattern for a new apron before looking next door for second hand kid clothes. We went to lunch. It was quiet and peaceful and we talked about nothing important while sipping some sugary drink we don't allow our kids to injest, yet it was a completely relevant topic of conversation to life as we know it now.

Once again, the afternoon was over as quick as it started.

But I was reminded twice in two days how absolutely wonderful it is to be a sister, no matter how many miles may separate us the other 355 days of the year.

An educated bunch?

So, this morning we're in church and it's time for the children's sermon. Eden & Lars advance to the altar area with Cousin Zachary and Pastor takes them and all the other slew of children over to the baptismal font.

"Does anybody know what this is?" asks Pastor.

"Yeah! It's a baptism font! My daddy has one!" Eden shouts, somewhat matter-of-factly.

"Your daddy has one? Ok, has anybody seen a baby being baptized before?"

"Yeah, I have, because I have my own baby!" yells Eden again.

"You have your own baby? Ok..." as Pastor continues to speak, Lars stands to the side pointing and talking in his loud volume, "That's a sheep. That's a cross. That's a candle. That's a altar. That's a bible...."

The couple sitting behind us leaned forward and say to me, "Wow, your kids are really shy."

Then we sing Lift High the Cross and Eden walks over to me and whispers, "Are we at a funeral, too?"

Fast forward to the end of the service, during the benediction, Eden, remembering vaguley being in these pews last Christmas, leans over to my sister, Meegan, and whispers, "Is this where they turn off all the lights and give us candles?!"

Ah, life with the pastor's children....

Michigan Week One

Week One of our trip to Michigan, the Reader's Digest Version: Everybody is sick.

Well, that's not all, I guess.

The train trip that we nearly missed was fairly uneventful, unless you count the old people that sat behind us in the lower level seating. It was an elderly couple and their 60 year old son, and another older guy who had a bad case of emphysema and I thought at any moment, I would be beginning CPR. They were all hard of hearing, causing them to shout everything from the time we got on around 9:00 p.m. until well past midnight. Then began the trips to the bathroom, one every 30 minutes or so. Naturally, they were sitting behind us and had to hold our seats and step over my children, who were sleeping partially in the aisle, on their way. We were very happy to reach Chicago and see Papa and Grandma waiting for us.

We have been busy doing a whole lot of nothing, but we've all had colds since Wedneday, and like every fall cold for me, it turned into bronchitis. Thankfully (?) I have been on antibiotics for the 10 days prior to getting the cold for something else, so hopefully, I won't need more. And I would like to add that I'm a little ticked off because I had a nasty cold three weeks ago that I also shared with all my children. I'm hoping for a healthier winter...

Spent the first couple days playing outside, shopping, and seeing family. On Wednesday, we loaded up the truck and headed north for the cabin, passing through Sanford, which is a town that Allen's great grandfather settled. We don't know his name, but his daughter was Lily Belle Sanford, and she married Clarence Clevland Strawn. Ten miles north of there was Edenville, so we had to stop and take a short tour. We then went to the nursing home to visit Allen's Grandpa Ittner. He was hard to track down, but we found him 22 minutes into his daily hour long ride to nowhere. He was in very good spirits and was happy to meet his newest great grand-baby, Elia Clara. It was a short visit, but well worth the time.

Two hours later, we were passing the big wooden Kenny sign and unloading stuff into the cabin. Eden & Lars found their name on the sign, along with Elia's before checking out the 'really cool' loft inside, picking which bed they wanted to sleep on.

The weather was beautiful while we were there, the campfire was perfect, the wind was rustling through the trees and my kids didn't know what that sound was. It was surreal and I felt like they were a little deprived, but then Lars spouted off all the kinds of tractors that were in the fields on the way home, impressing everybody who was listening, so it was Ok. The lake was low and I was too miserable to take Ened & Lars in the canoe, but we took a walk down to the banks. The three of us went on a bear hunt around the lake but never found one. Lars wanted to have Dave's boat for the lake, but I convinced him it was too small and the boat was too far away. Papa found a mysterious four clawed cat print on the morning walk, but we couldn't figure out for sure what it was. Lars spent several hours in the sandbox and Eden spent equal time on the tire swing. It was a good time, even though everyone was hacking with runny noses.

The drive home was twice as beautiful as it was on the way up. The red and black oak trees are in full color and when the sun hits hundreds of them in just the right way, all at the same time, you're pretty sure it's a taste of heaven.

Last night was the first hockey game of the season, so we parked ourselves on the couch and watched the season start off well. I went to bed early when Meegan arrived with the blessed Vaporizer. She held Elia until nearly midnight, when I took over, sitting for the 4th night in a row propped up, pretending to sleep.

Today, we are hanging out at Meegan's house. Me, mostly on the couch and the kids being entertained by the cousins. Elia is not happy no matter what at the moment. Which means that tomorrow will have to be better :-)

Lars misses his house and his friends in Nebraksa, but is willing to stay the next week, as long as we can get on the train to go back home.

That's all for now...

Homeward Bound

In the three days I have before we leave for Michigan (SURPRISE!! if you didn't already know we're coming), I finally have about three minutes to myself. In those three minutes (give or take), I have managed to write three lists.

List One: Things to do before we leave

1. find bag to pack
2. pack bag that's not yet found
3. organize things to take in said bag
4. clean carpet downstairs
5. pick up all toys and furniture downstairs so carpet can be cleaned
6. dust furniture, since you're already cleaning
7. mail in registration for Con Ed class
8. get a hotel room for said class
   
9. call dr office to make follow up apt
10. call school to suspend bus service
    
11. call the other school to suspend therapy services
    
12. collect stool samples three days in a row from Lars' diaper, mail to appropriate labs
13. shop for train friendly, Lars friendly food
14. wash laundry so I can pack
15. find out if I can bring sharp knife on train
    
16. pay bills
17. balance checkbook
18. copy pages from calendar in case I need them while on vacation, which I know I will
    
19. kid's haircuts
20. stop mail
21. charge camera battery and cell phone
22. chiropractor appointment
23. massage?
24. make new list for what to do when we get back
    
25. gas up Ford

List Two: Things to pack for train

1. Eden's blanket and Care Bear
   
2. Lars' blanket, Lars' Other blanket, Big Tigger, Little Tigger, weighted vest, pacis, Little Tigger's blanket, ear muffs, gum for chewing, tractor and cars.
3. Elia's blanket
4. cooler, hopefully with some food in it
   
5. duffel with sleeping bags, breast pads, books, crayons and other things to do on train
6. suitcase, preferably filled with clothing and 'things to take to Michigan'
7. Train tickets and ID
8. Travel Bassinet
9. Three children; one walking, one being walked with people leash, one in snugli
   

List Three: Things for Allen to do whilst we're gone

1. order me a new computer, have files transferred and ready to use upon return to NE
   
2. move home desk and book shelf around to make office space (don't forget to vacuum behind it!)
3. fix broken file drawer
4. hang paper towel dispenser
5. learn how to use washing machine (start with the Power On button)
   
6. finish the deck
7. drag race car motor home from Casper
8. winterize camper?
9. miss us, even just a little :-)

Michigan, here we come!!

It started out with Allen asking the question, "Do you want to take a trip to the Mountains?" Well, anybody who knows me knows that I'll take a trip just about anywhere, anytime. Allen had found some race seats near Loveland, Colorado, that looked new and were selling cheap. Looking at the map, the place seemed to be at the base of the Rocky Mountains, just north of Denver.

It was supposed to be a kid-less trip, but since no babysitter wanted to watch our kids for 6 hours, (I can't imagine why not!) they came along with us. We loaded up in the Ford Friday when Eden got out of school, popped in a movie, and headed south. Seeing as we were going to pass right thorough Cheyenne, Wyoming, I thought we may as well stop and do some shopping on the way back, as well.

With only one rest area stop (it was the only rest area, too) to feed Elia, change diapers and run around the grass, we made it to Loveland in about 3.5 hours. Driving down the road, we were looking for the turn off and admiring the beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains.

"That was the road" Al said, as we drove by. I looked back and said, "What road? I didn't even see a road." That's because I wasn't looking under the overgrown tree that was covering the sign to the dirt path, which was apparently a road. We turned back and took the 'road', crossing a cattle guard and about losing our front end to a pot hole that any Michigander would be proud of. We drove up, looking for an address and finding none. Then we passed a junk yard and saw a nice house at the top of the next hill. I pointed onward and said, "I bet it's up there." Meanwhile, Allen was turning the car around saying, "I bet it's the one we just passed."

"Huh? No way."

Whipping out his cell phone, he called the guy. Sure enough, we had just passed it.

Mustering up some courage, we pulled in the driveway JUST enough to be off of the road. Thinking I may never see my husband again, my exact words to him were, "Give him the cash and whatever else he wants, grab the seats and let's get outta here!"

Eden and Lars were unbuckled by now, saying, "Can I go with Daddy??!!"

"NO" we both said in unison. I told Eden to stay in the car, as she was climbing out with Lars close behind her. "Wow", she said, "LOOK at all this cool stuff!" And off they bounded to play and explore.

The guy was a huge man, 6' 3" and at least 400 pounds, dressed in black and covered in tattoos, cigarette hanging out of his mouth, sitting on a deck below a sign that read, "Property under constant video surveillance. Any persons damaging property will be executed." I don't doubt that for a second. I grabbed the camera, trying desperately to get a picture of the sign and the guy w/o being noticed. (I failed, wrong lens). But did manage to take a few shots of the premise. Al thought I was trying to get us all shot.

After some, shall we say, pleasantries, Al was led to the back of a white truck (see photo) where the seats were. In the 10 minutes of what seemed like a long, drawn out evening, cash was exchanged and we were peeling out of there, praying that the tires would make it back to the town without further incident.

I said to Al, "What took so long!?" He said he was trying to be friendly and barter a bit. Good gravy, we're not in Mexico! They guy was all 'yup' or 'nope' and that was about it, until Al told him, "you have a beautiful view." Guy said, "yeah, nice to know I can step out of my house any time I want and take a p___."

Ok, time to go now....

We got out of there, laughing with good cause. Took the kids to Ruby Tuesday in Ft. Collins. Lars was visibly agitated and would not walk on the checkered floor, but had no outbursts and ate everything on his plate, so all was well.

We even got to stop at a couple stores in Cheyenne on the way back (I love buying new shoes!) and saw a shooting star from the interstate.

All in all, it was a good day out, and if nothing else, something to write home about!

A beautiful new bonnet

It was probably my fault, really.

As the third child in my family, I know all too well that hand-me-downs are the norm, and new, store bought items are very few and far between. Don't get me wrong, I love used clothes and frequent them. But every now and again, it's fun to know that Mom bought something JUST for me from the store. And that time, she did. A beautiful pink and yellow flowery bonnet that adorned my head as a baby, then sat in Mom's cedar chest.

Years go by and Sarah finally gets married. Then Baby Eden comes along a few years later. Out comes the beautiful old bonnet and Eden wears it till the strings fall off and I have to sew new bias on it.

Eden grew out of it after two summers, and it went into the hat box, not to be seen again until Elia, almost 5 years later. It fit perfectly on her tiny little head and she wore it all summer long.

Then came the camping trip I really wanted to take over Labor Day weekend. She wore it all weekend long (and I took some adorable pictures, my mother pointed out). Sunday afternoon, bonnet on head, she sat on the beach with Daddy while the rest of us went out on the boat for a ride.

A week later, I was still looking for the bonnet. After a spirited discussion, it was determined the the hat most likely blew out of the stroller when the pick up hit a bump hauling the boat out of the water that evening. (The baby was back at camp, eating, by this time).

Allen did his sentimental duty and drove us back to Minatare several days later to look for it along the beach, driving along the sandy shore, looking amongst the rocks and trees for a beautiful pink and yellow flowery bonnet.

Alas, it was in vain.

So, as if planned, my third child, coincidentally also a girl, gets her new 'store bought' bonnet. It arrived today, a beautiful pink gingham bonnet, lined with pink strings, all for Elia and her children to come.

First Date...

The time had come. It was do or die, really. And yesterday was the day. Al and I had our first date while all three (count them 1-2-3!) of our children stayed with a fellow pastor and his wife for a few hours in Sidney. We arrived in the late afternoon at their house after a 45 minute drive. Mommy fed Elia and as soon as she was done, we were out the door. Where did we go? I know you're dying to ask! Where else to go in Sidney except Cabelas, of course. And, it gets better, I had a $125 gift card to use.

The two hours went quickly and I took home two new pie irons (with a fancy carry bag) that cook burgers and other meats over the fire, a small bean pot and a new shirt. Tried for hiking boots, but I can't find anything to replace my 13 year old Reeboks that have carried me around the world and back again. It might just be a sentimental block, I'm not sure.

We went back to the house for a wonderful supper of spare ribs, baked potatoes, salad and gluten free krispie-like treats. After giving Elia a quick snack, we ducked out again for a trip to Wal-mart to replace the crock pot I broke in the sink the day before, intended to be followed by a drink out at a fancy restaurant. Well, have you ever been in Walmart without children? It's absolutely liberating! I didn't want to leave. In fact, Allen had to drag me out kicking and screaming like a two year old. (I didn't want him to be missing the kids to much, you know). Not only did I replace my crock pot with an upgraded stainless steel model of the same size, but also a large toaster oven. I have to blame that purchase on Laura, albeit the fact she wasn't even there, because she uses her so often and loves it and their kids often use it and I was reading about all the great uses of a toaster oven, so, since we had so much time to study the different models in the store, we bought the biggest and fanciest one Wal-mart had to offer. I couldn't help but peruse through the blender aisle, either, but since our cart was already full, I had to keep my paws off them.

Since our time was up, we went to a truck stop (romance at it's best) for a coke, but they only had Pepsi, so skipped that and went to Dairy Queen for an ice cream treat instead before winding our way back to the house to pick up the kiddos, who, for the record, were having a great time. Eden didn't want to leave, Lars had his blanket in one hand and Tigger in the other, saying, "Mommy, time to go home". Elia was asleep in somebody's arms, which is her preferred state of being.

Today I have had fun re-arranging my kitchen, cleaning counter tops along the way, finding the perfect place for the new toaster oven and cleaning up the crock pot for it's first use. In an attempt to put the oven to good use, I made egg free blue berry muffins and we watched them bake, then devoured them within 10 minutes. I guess it's been a success in this house already, Thanks, Laura!

In other, more important news, today is Lars' 3rd birthday and we are celebrating by going to the FARM (Farm and Ranch Museum) in Gering. This weekend is their annual festival and we get to bring buckets and dig and wash our own potatoes, something I grew up doing with my dad. After that, we'll grab a bite to eat and head to the race track for the final night of 2010 racing. This might be the last time Al is in the stands, too, as you can see by the photos in this week's slide show, he's planning to race next year. Stay tuned for that saga.

We had birthday and family pictures taken Thursday at Olan Mills, and I'm happy to report that it went relatively well. Nobody screamed, nobody ended up getting bit or scratched or hit and the photographer was FAST and effective, once I told her the 'rules' of photo taking for our family. She deserves a raise.

We were going to be having cake and ice cream at lunch today, but since Daddy is planning another funeral and is not able to attend the continuing education conference he's been looking forward to for the past 3 years (something always happens this weekend), we're going to celebrate tomorrow. That gives him another day to get the present put together and ready to go. Three-year-olds don't understand "some assembly required", especially our three year old, so I thought we'd better be safe than sorry.

Look for birthday pictures later in the week!

Atheist Song - First hymnal for Atheists

a glimpse

My life is like being atop a fast moving river, deep in some places, not so bad in others, with a rocky bottom and several floating trees and branches to dodge along the way. In the distance, a bear watches a fish. I don't really notice him that much. Until suddenly, this enormous beast, this large, dark creature, this nameless catastrophe, pounces, feasting on it's prey without mercy, dumping my canoe and changing the course of my life forever...

Life with Lars

I know, I know, it's already Wednesday and it's September. You don't have to tell me.

I know it's Wednesday because my husband goes to church and it's always questionable if he's ever going to return. Not that I don't appreciate trying out single parenting once a week to know how lucky I am, and it gets me prepared for the season of Advent. That's the positive way I look at it, anyway. That's how I know it's Wednesday.

I know it's September because all the flies and wasps that have been just fine hanging out all summer in the outdoors decide to come in my house in droves, just to annoy the heck outta me and my dog. Samson has been swatting them in the living room with his tail and trying to eat them all day. Looks better than those fly strings that hang in people's kitchen and gross you out, you know?

I am thinking that blogging has become has become such a main stay therapy of my life that I need to do it more often when the mood hits, instead of trying to wait till the end of the week to remember what I was going to say and then forgetting anyway, and not having time to get it done! So, having said that, let's see if I follow through or if it's really just something to put in my bucket list for after all my kids go off to college and I have time to write more. You know I'm going to write a book someday.

What is a bucket list, anyway?

What's in your bucket list?

Eden began Headstart last week on Thursday. The first two days there was no bus service, so we took her and picked her up. Yesterday, however, the bus arrived at 0735 and she burst into tears and balled up her blanket to sob on it. Thankfully, the bus waited for us. And waited. And waited. I had instant memories of my mom running after the bus in her night gown, waving it to stop so she didn't have to take me to school when I wasn't out at the end of the driveway in time.

I walked Eden up onto the bus and she eventually picked out a seat next to another little girl who looked equally as miserable and sad. As they drove away, she looked pitifully out the window at me and I felt torn between 'awful' and 'Thank God'.

Since I had to pick her up that day because of an appointment, I arrived at the school with a big smile on my face, waiting to see a happy Eden greet me to get in the car. Instead, I walked in and Eden said, crying, "But Mommy, I wanted to go home on the bus!"

I can't win.

Elia is a growing girl, who has found a new love in sucking on various fingers on both hands. She favors her right thumb OR pinky, and her left middle/ring finger. Eden calls this her 'married' finger, which I think is very cute. Still sleeping through the night (God knew we needed that early on), she is a very amicable baby who has started laughing a lot at nothing. (God knows we need that, now, too).

Lars. Oh My Loveable Lars.

Lars has had several weeks of distress and anguish, followed by discomfort, tears and tantrums. Along with several aggressive behaviors and screaming fits that go on for several hours each day. I realize this has been going on since the night he was born and the nurses refused to keep in the nursery because he cried the whole time, but after nearly three years of that & now 6 solid weeks of pure insanity, I started making some phone calls. One receptionist actually asked me to call back when my child stopped crying because she couldn't hear me. I said, "EXACTLY!"

In the last two weeks, we have been to the pediatrician, who gave us a list of vitamins/minerals to begin supplementing and had his food allergies and Celiac Test re-done. (He is now allergic to Egg Whites and his intolerance to Gluten has increased tremendously over one year).

We have seen an Occupational Therapist who specializes in Sensory Disorders. This man is amazing, and he was here 3 hours one week and 2 hours the next, filling our heads with information and tools to help Lars. I have also applied for respite care, but need to find somebody who will take him & love him for a few hours each week. Anyone interested??

We've filled out loads of paperwork and profiles and questionnaires and have received some test scores back that strongly suggests, at the very least, a sensory processing disorder, which is exacerbated by the food allergies and chronic stomach aches and diarrhea.

We made him an appointment with a pediatric gastroenterologist at St. Luke's Children Hospital in Denver for the end of this month, got him fitted for a weighted vest and blanket, and acquired a weighted turtle from the school, which has already been a calming presence among us all, especially during car rides, diaper changes and meal time.

The OT taught us how to use a brushing technique on his body, as well as joint compression, and we do that about every two hours while he's awake. We have a new therapy ball for deep pressure massage, a new system to recognize his triggers, and a relatively new outlook on "Life with Lars".

Now...on to finding a recipe for a dairy free, gluten free, egg free 3-year-old birthday cake....

Happy Birthday, Eden!

Two weeks gone already? Where does time go? Diaper changes? Meals? Dishes? Nursing? Ambulance runs? Paperwork? Balancing the checkbook? Grocery Shopping? Meetings? Birthday parties? Housework? Lawn Mowing? YES!

What a wonderful couple of weeks we've had and we're now about to end out what's left of summer. Kids are already back to school in these parts, and the fall schedule will soon begin in this house. But let's not rush that right now!

Two weeks ago was full of hospital visits, a funeral, a Charter repair man that took up much of the day, the Circus (see pictures, right), a Respite Fun day at Chadron State Park (see more pictures, below) for Lars and big sister Eden, a 75th anniversary church celebration in Torrington, several rescue calls and one nice ride in the car with an older couple, visiting the area where their farm was and learning a bit of history of the Redington Area, now unincorporated.

Last week, Sarah's old camp buddy, Tahoma, made her appearance in Bridgeport, arriving at church just before communion ended Sunday morning. We spent the week traveling around, showing her the historic 'must see' sights and playing catch up on five years of lost time. A few things have changed since Eden was 7 months old and we were living in Wilcox! We went to Cheyenne one day to shop and she was able to add "Wyoming" to her list of states visited.

Spent Friday in Guernsey visiting the historic Oregon Trail Ruts. (pics below). Eden has become quite a climber, and I was off in one direction with her in front of me and Lars behind me. She was going too fast and I was calling after her to slow down and not climb that cliff without me. She was calling, "Mom, I'm Ok. I'm just going to climb this cliff and I'll be careful!" Lars, on the other side of me, was yelling, "Guys, wait for me! Please wait for me!" I, at that very moment, realized how my mother felt when I was running ahead, saying, "Mom, I'm OK. I'm just going to climb this and I'll be careful!" It was a bit of the past fast-forwarded and now I am the Mom!

It's neat to actually see the things you learn about in school growing up. On our drive home that day, Tahoma's sister called and she said that she'd spent the day seeing the Old Oregon Trail and her sister (an adult) said, "Oh, that's real? I thought it was just a game!"

That evening was race night, and everybody came to the house for pizza and drinks before hitting the road to the track. Tahoma, Laura, Elia & I hung out here for a bit after the guys and kids left and oh, how nice the quiet talk was!

Lars' IFSP was also last week, and with Tahoma being a special education teacher in Wisconsin, she sat in and was able to voice some observations about him from the short time she'd been here. It was great to get an outside perspective. The positive point of the meeting was that Lars has about 400 words and sounds now, which is much closer to 'normal' for his age. The negative is that he seems to have an increase in sensory issues and we need to work on a way to control them before they control his and our lives permanently. One thing at a time!

And what would a week be without a bunch of meetings, right? Sarah had an EMS training, Al had a parent's meeting for confirmation, as well as a few visits and new member classes along with pre-marriage counseling and hospital visits.

The big event of the week was, of course, Eden's birthday party. (More pictures, top right). After church, Tahoma said her 'good-byes' and took off for a long drive home. Sarah made a large batch of ice cream and stuck it in the freezer to harden, then packed up the camper and Ford for a trip to the lake. The afternoon was hot, topping out at 98, and a bit windy, but the kids didn't seem to mind. A friend brought his boat out and the Douthit's came after a while. The girls swam and Lars even took a dip. Everybody else tried to find shade and enjoyed an evening of company, burgers, cake & ice cream. Eden enjoyed the presents. Hard for me to believe that my first baby is 5 already. It seems like she's been in our lives forever, and yet, where did the time go?

Things will settle down soon and then I'll probably be bored. Until then, I'm enjoying the chaos!

Wonderland, indeed...

For all the souls out there who are disappointed that I didn't blog last week (Patty), I'll try to make this post twice as good.

July was a busy time for us. Mostly, the last two weeks can be broken down into several rescue calls (9 reports in one weekend alone), two funerals, a dozen hospitalizations, three evening meetings, one nursing home service, one circuit social, two nights of trap shooting, two nights of racing, another rodeo (complete with a rescue call), pulpit supply for an out of town pastor, a new pastor's dual installation in our circuit, dentist appointment for Eden & one very fun Seussical the Musical with all three children! Oh, and we went to the lake this weekend with the camper and a friend's boat. Anybody who saw Sarah tubing on the water can testify that breast feeding mothers should not lay flat on an inner tube and speed around a lake at 30 mph.

By far, the highlight last week was the Dr. Seuss Musical at Theatre West. That's our professional theater group in nearby Scottsbluff. Eden and Lars got to dress up and we went to a restaurant where Eden got to order all for herself. She of course ordered pancakes with syrup and wore most of the syrup, thereby sticking to the chair in front of her at the play. I think she attracted some of the ants, too, but never-mind. Since Lars can't eat out, he had soy yogurt and fruit and managed to get most of that on his nice shirt, as well. They were a matching set, I guess.

Our seats were second row, first four seats on the aisle, stage right. It was colorful, loud and full of movement. Eden stood up most of the night, wedged between the two seats in front of her, eyes open wide, taking it all in. I hope her breath didn't stink too much. Lars sat on dad's lap for most of it, falling asleep in the last 5 minutes of the show. Elia didn't like all the loud noise but was fine if attached to her human pacifier, aka mom. All in all, it was a great experience for the kids and I was glad we were able to take them.

This past weekend, we loaded into the car after supper and shooting on Thursday and headed to Lake Minatare, about 45 minutes away, to see if it would be a future camping trip. Indeed it will be, and we arrived just in time to get our feet wet and watch the sunset over the water. For a girl from Michigan, nothing beats that. Friday came and we packed up the camper for a day at the Lakes in Bridgeport. Since the 100 degree weather was miserable, we spent the afternoon in our air conditioned home, then went back out for the evening. A friend brought his boat out and we tooled around the lake, taking turns holding Elia on shore. We cooked Pizza Pockets and Cherry Pies over the campfire . Lars climbed in the car at bedtime and sat in his car seat, happy to have a blanket and a pacifier. The rest of us enjoyed the fire for a while.

Saturday, we spent the day at home, napping and mostly being lazy, then went back out to the lake that evening. Eden, having taken swimming lessons for 4 weeks this summer, was very comfortable in the water. With her cube, she was adventure woman. Lars, a little more leery, had his life jacket suit on and ventured up to his waist, scooping up water with a cup and looking for rocks on the sandy bottom. Eden so badly wanted to find sea shells, but I can't explain to her the difference between the huge lakes in Michigan and the little reservoirs here in Nebraska. Eight hundred fifty (850) cubic miles of water in the 3rd largest lake of Michigan vs. 78 acres of water spread over 4 sandpit lakes here in Bport. However, the water was perfect for getting wet and cooling off, and the sunset over it was as lovely as ever. I relished being on the boat as the sun was setting and kind of forgot where I was and at what point in life. Until I heard the baby cry from shore!

Some more boating (this is where Sarah on the tube enters and leaves the story), s'mores over the fire, and swimming completed the evening and the kids slept WONDERFULLY last night. In fact, I had to wake them for church this morning at 0830!

This afternoon, we went for a walk, sat on the front porch and colored in the Alice and Wonderland coloring book. You just can't beat that.

Busy busy

Another busy week in the not-so-middle of the summer. With the end of July upon us, that means last minute camping trips to plan and summer projects needing to be finished up so that school can begin in a few weeks. Unfortunately, my list is so long, I can't find a pen with enough ink to scratch them off as I go!~

A beautiful week here in Western Nebraska, we've enjoyed friends and outdoor time each evening with nice weather and fewer mosquitoes.

Monday evening, Al baptized a little one and we followed it with a back yard grill out where Eden had lots of little kids to play with.

Tuesday was full of running errands, then both Allen & I had evening meetings, so the kids sat quietly in the hospital conference room, 'vrooming' cars in a whisper, as to not be disruptive.

Wednesday, the kids and I spent the day up at Douthits preparing for a garage sale over the weekend. It was a beautiful day and the kids enjoyed each other's company. When we finally went home to catch some late naps that afternoon, the insurance adjuster arrived to inspect our hail damaged camper. He cut us a check that very day for the repairs and now we have to figure out who can fix it for that low amount...

Wednesday evening, we headed back to Douthit's to finish up there. While the kids were in the bath tub, the Pastor received an emergency phone call and we quickly drove home so he could head to Scottsbluff. He arrived home around midnight and was out the door early Thursday morning again.

Thursday was catch up in the house, followed by a rescue call, quick bite to eat, then the preacher and a couple friends out to the fair grounds to shoot trap for the Church League. Al improved his overall shot by 5 clay pigeons, nailing 15 out of 25 this time. After cleaning up the kitchen and chatting for a bit that night, everybody went to bed early.

Friday was day one of the garage sale and by the time I got to Laura's house, there were people lining the road to get to the goods. It was 35 minutes before we were opening, but hey, it's all good. Sitting in a garage for 9 hours on a 99 degree day (the bank said 104) was not the best of conditions, but we had a good time anyway and waved 'adios' to out clutter. Al and I also took some time to go get new cell phones, which we spent the rest of the day figuring out how to use. I'll need at least another week to get the basics down. That night, Al took the Eden to the race track and Mark took their girls. Lars, Elia and I took a walk to the park and were home and in bed by 8:00 p.m. Friends stopped by shortly there-after and we chatted for a while before calling it a night.

Saturday, day two of the garage sale, started out COLD at 60 degrees, and was hot and sweaty by the time we were cleaned up and leaving at 1:00. Went to lunch with friends and enjoyed the free air conditioning. Al had the kids for the evening while I worked the Morrill County Fair rodeo events that evening. Elia had to go with me, and she fussed and cried most of the afternoon. Once the sun went down and cooled off, she fell fast asleep until night.

This morning, I got 3 kids ready for church when the tones went off with no other EMTs in sight. I headed out to the scene and called for a driver to come drive my kids to the hospital, which is where I would end up. It worked and we made it to church only 25 minutes late. On the way home from church, just a block from the driveway, the tones went off again, and the kids and I headed once more to the scene. I parked closer this time so they could watch me come out of the house. They are really beginning to like to run EMS calls with me, and Eden really wanted to go in the house with me this time. Thankfully, we have a DVD player in the car and they were well entertained for the duration.

With all the week's activities, my house is trashed, the fridge is near empty and the yard looks like a mini forest. If it's not one thing, it's another, but we're enjoying life. This has been a wonderful summer and as I looked out over the country side last night at the fairgrounds, I hated to admit that it's awfully beautiful here, as well.

Mid July Frenzy

A whole week with no visitors and Eden asks me on the way home from church today, "When will more company come to our house?" I was thinking that I finally had the house back in some semblance of order and control, but I guess that only matters to me. They just love the people. So, who's coming next?! Will it be you? The guest room is clean and ready!

This week, the pastor had a full week of evening meetings and on Thursday, went to the church league trap shoot out at the fair grounds. Using one of my dad's shotguns, he nailed 10 out of 25 traps (Clay Pigeons for the Michiganders) flying through the air. I was thankful he got even one. Most importantly, he came back beaming and ready to go again next week.

Eden finished her final week of swim lessons, completing Level 1 beginner. I'm not sure she's mastered the doggy paddle, but at least she's a little more comfortable in the water unattached to anybody. I will miss going to the pool every day.

Lars is covered head to toe in mosquito bites. I am pretty sure he's allergic to them, as he climbed into our bed at 0130 after an evening in the yard with his eyes weepy and swollen and his cheeks all puffy. His legs were hot and red, with swollen bites bleeding all over the place. He slept fitfully and at 0400, I tromped to the medicine cupboard. Thankfully, I was too tired to read the back of the Benadryl box on dosage recommendations and just gave him what I thought would work. He slept peacefully and we repeated the process every 6 hours thereafter.

Since I can't put more bug spray on him b/c of all his open sores, he's been outside in 101 degree heat with long sleeves, blue jeans and socks & tennis shoes. Convincing him to use Neosporin or a band-aid is a tearful endeavor, and anti-itch cream is out too, so I skip that all together. I sneak in to his room when he's asleep and apply the ointment liberally, which has caused me to need to wash his bedsheets on a daily basis.

Elia is eating me out of skin and growing rapidly. She had her 2 month check up on Friday and was 11# 1 oz, a true horse compared to my other two at that age. She is below average on the height scale and above average on the weight scale, but the doc stopped shy of calling her short and fat. I think his words were, 'small in stature but chubby'. She's going to be her mother's child, no doubt. She took her shots like a true woman, crying for only a moment, then sleeping for the next 24 hours. Thank God for small favors.

Mommy is just that, a mommy all hours of the day and night. And the housekeeper, closet organizer, cook, the 'do you know where my (fill in the blank) is? And a wife when time permits. And quite enjoying it most of the time. I do hope, however, that the near future will bring me more patience and more hours in the day....

After an exciting week of visitors, the Strawn family is back to it's quiet old self now. When I say 'quiet', I only mean that we are down to having just 5 people in the house, and not a dozen.

Since last weekend's big hail storm, I've done little around the yard to clean up and this week, the mess awaits my undivided attention. Not to mention the camper, which has been turned in to the insurance company, who is swamped with requests right now and will be here sometime in two weeks to look at it. Until then, we have plastic bags duct taped to the roof and some bright green foam sealer on the inside to keep the water out. It'll do.

On Monday, after an eventful Rodeo Sunday night that included 6" of rain water across the entire arena, and Cousin Lea standing outside under a rainbow colored umbrella in my EMS coat watching the whole thing, it was time to say goodbye to her. Eden was not very happy that Lea was leaving after "only being here 3 days" but was glad to know that Jonathan and Emma were staying "lots more days".

Tuesday was a funeral for the preacher. Well, not his, but you know what I mean. That being an all day ordeal, the rest of us hung out and tried to work on the camper and get the house picked up and in running order.

Wednesday after swimming lessons, Allen, Jonathan and the three oldest children loaded into the the car and headed for the wide open spaces of Wyoming. I opted to stay at home (a rarity, I know) and have some quiet time. I'm so glad I did, as Elia and I enjoyed a quiet afternoon, folding laundry, mowing the yard and generally doing whatever we wanted. I guess she does that every day anyway, but I don't usually get to. They saw Gurnsey State Park, as well as the Oregon Trail Ruts and Register Cliff.

On Thursday, the rest of the crew showed up. Grandma, Aunt Karen & Aunt Janet all rolled into town shortly after supper time. After a brief tour of the premise and showing grandma all my 'used to be' flowers, we had a wonderful supper of beef stew and biscuits.

Al and Jonathan played their little futuristic war game all night, Jon and Emma leaving for home around dawn. The rest of the Michiganders stayed all weekend, and on Friday, we took a drive around the State Lakes, then drove to the cemetery at Chimney Rock, followed by a trip to Scottsbluff Monument, driving around Roubidoux Pass and showing them the local sites there. We enjoyed a pizza dinner at Frank Park before dropping Al and the kids off at HiWay 92 Raceway for a night of races. The race was Lars' 3rd this summer. It didn't make the headlines two weeks ago because I forgot, then with the storms last weekend, I forgot again, so now I am announcing it. He loves the race track and the roaring cars, but thinks the fireworks are too loud after the race. We don't pretend to understand him, either. This week, my clan hitched a ride back to Bridgeport with friends, but it was a late night, which made Saturday a cranky one for the kids.

Saturday, the last of the company began packing up for their long trip home. Al grilled out burgers and sausages while we waited for Janelle (Sarah's 1st cousin once removed) to come from Wheatland, Wyoming with her mother, Bea, who had hitched a ride with the Krafts on their westward migration. They arrived around 1:00p with Emily, Janelle's oldest daughter and we had a lovely time visiting and catching up on the last ten years. By 2:00, everybody was ready to move on. Janet, Karen, Bea and Grandma left in one direction and Janelle & Emily went in the other direction. The Strawn's all went inside to find a bed to rest upon!

Sunday was service in the morning, followed by the Baptist Church New Building dedication, with a cake & punch reception afterwards, followed by our church picnic in the park. We weren't home all day, but I didn't have to fix a meal, either!

Now it's back to normal around here. I am anxiously awaiting the end of our road construction, which will give us a paved street that will be difficult to keep my kids off of, but will hopefully cut down on the amount of constant dust on my furniture. I miss sitting on my front porch, watching the cars go by and waving. Am I turning into a small townie??

Blessings on your week to come~

What a Hail of a Day

In the end, the pictures tell only a part of the story. The rest you had to experience for yourself. The winds came at 124 mph with hail to boot. Not once, but twice, about 45 minutes apart. Whatever buds were left on the flowers after the first bout were instantly gone in the second. And since the radar only showed green, we didn't put the car in. Bad choice. Now we have a big crack in the windshield.

Oh, did I mention, we have company in town? My cousin from Denver is here, and our friends from Michigan are also here. Lea was (and that's the operative word here) sleeping in the camper. Now the camper has a hole in the roof of the bathroom, and both seals are gone over the beds, which are a bit damp. Not to mention, the wind took the canvas wall clear off the back part of the camper, stripping it from it's hold and tearing the screws out of the wall that keeps the top from collapsing.

We were also supposed to be having a grill out during the storm, with bunches of people and tons of food. Well, that didn't exactly pan out as planned, either. I ended up helping check on the elderly people in town after the storm with the EMS and Fire Departments working on power lines and getting trees out of the roads, and Al was holding down the fort at home with two other adult helpers.

That evening, the plan was for me to work ambulance that night for the rodeo with Lea and baby and Al was taking the rest of the crew to the races in Gering. We were each about 90 minutes late for our endeavors, arriving wet and cold with little energy, but enjoying ourselves because of the great company.

Now, Lea is sleeping on our couch, her car in our neighbor's garage (they're gone for the weekend and I have the key) :-) and Jonathan & Emma are sharing the guest room. I was up at 0500 to feed Elia and couldn't get back to sleep, so I went out with the rake to start cleaning up the mess. Of course I took my camera, as well.

Since our street is in the middle of a paving project, I was able to be there when the workers showed up shortly after 0600 to survey the damage. I heard them cussing about what must have happened here, as they went yard to yard, picking up 2x4s that were nailed in to the gravel as concrete forms. I pointed out which way a few of them had floated the evening before. They seemed grateful, but overwhelmed with now having to work on the 4th of July. I even showed them pictures of their equipment under water. So much for a long weekend, huh guys?

That's all the news from here this week. We're still enjoying our company, but I'm starting to wonder if the fear of bad weather will keep future company away. Last April, we arranged a two day blizzard for Lea's folks. They are coming next week, so I really hope history doesn't repeat itself...

Good-bye June

Well, our 'new' baby is now 6 weeks old and I'm beginning to remember why it's so hard to have an infant and still get everything done in the day. Especially in the summer, when I spend most of my time doing last minute things with friends, garage saleing and taking random drives in nice weather.

However, I have found that I've got a few minutes of peace and quiet right now, so here we go.

Daddy is still at church, Elia is sleeping in the bouncer, Lars is sleeping in his new toddler bed and Eden is outside in the sandbox, waiting for me to come out and finish painting her doll house. Painting her doll house is conditional on getting the garage cleaned out enough to GET to the doll house, which I dug out of the storage unit on Tuesday, something she has been asking me to do since the week before Elia was born.

The doll house was purchased (garage sale) when Eden was just a baby. I fell in love with it, couldn't wait to fix it up, and immediately saw many future hours being spent playing pretend with it. It came complete with several pieces of doll furniture, something that will come in handy for a 5 year old's birthday next month. It's been in the garage since Friday when Daddy brought it home and she's spent much of her waking moments playing with it, in the midst of it's massive renovation.

In good news this week, Eden began swimming lessons and will continue with them another week. She's done surprisingly well thus far and is enjoying herself immensely. I even saw her go under the water without force! It's worked out most mornings that everybody gets up and around, eats breakfast and gets into swim suits. With Daddy at work, I get snacks and drinks together, then throw everybody in the stroller and walk the 1.5 miles to the pool. Eden swims, Lars plays with a cup on the side of the kiddy pool and I feed Elia for the half hour time slot, then we load back up in the stroller, grab the snacks and walk back home. I'm hoping the sweat that pores off me is taking the baby pounds with it!

In bad news this week, the Buick had a very costly trip to the maintenance shop, coming home just in time for the Ford to begin making 'a weird noise' under its hood. Whatever it is, it's not going to be good, so it's hoping to go to the shop on Monday. Now Al tells me another warning light came on in the Buick. Am I the only one who thinks Britain's public transportation service would be welcomed in America??

The weather has been hot all week and is forecast to be hot all next week, as well. With all the water we've had, the heat has made mosquitoes breed in triplicate. Lars is covered with bleeding and swollen bites, but he refuses cream or band-aids, so I've been washing sheets and clothes frequently to get the stains out. Is that just a boy thing?

Can't believe it's already the end of June. Summer is half over here. I better get out and enjoy today before it, too, disappears!

I love you, Donkey

"they came to sit and dangle their feet off the edge of the world and after awhile they forgot everything but the good and true things they would do someday...." (brian andreas)

Congrats to Cousin Ali and new Cousin-in-Law, Dan, on their new adventures of married life!

Since we couldn't travel to Michigan for the wedding at the Detroit Zoo, we sent our kids in the form of a life size drawing on big roll out paper. The kids had fun coloring their clothes on. I told Lars to color his pants and I walked away, only to find that his blue jean shorts were covered in blue marker. Kids are way too literal.

Had a busy but fun week. I am loving this summer much more than I thought I would. Al has been able to work from home a little bit, giving me an opportunity to keep the grass mowed and the gardens looking decent, as well as helping change diapers. He's not in the midst of a building project, which has lessened my stress tremendously, as well. The older two are adjusting to life with a newborn and are really enjoying her. They have learned to stick together and get along better because of it, I think. It's going quickly, but I'm hoping to love the rest of the summer, too.

Spent the weekend at the LWML convention in Gering, showing off our three adorable children, and passing the baby around for all to drool. We joked that we were starting her off early in LWML and the ladies liked that. While Daddy had several responsibilities at the convention, the kids and I did nothing other than eat the chocolates off the table and shop at the CPH table, picking out the perfect tie for Father's Day.

We also nabbed an older child from one of the other pastor's and spent a chunk of Friday at the Riverside Zoo and Splashpad, soaking up the sun, playing on the playground, and feeding the ducks. We saw the occasional animal, but they were mostly hiding in the shade. Lars fell in love with the petting zoo, especially a donkey, whom he hated to leave when it was time. He spent quite a bit of time petting and hugging this little donkey, saying at one point (unprompted), "I love you, Donkey". It was so sweet, he's such a compassionate little guy, really.

On Saturday, we spent a couple hours at the Gering Pool. While Eden enjoyed playing in the kiddy pool, as well as trying out the big pool, Lars kept to himself on the side, leaning over to fill his bucket repeatedly and throw it back in the water. He almost put a foot in by himself, but changed his mind at the last minute. He did dip his feet in when he was sitting on my lap, however, but it was short lived. He also enjoyed his car and trailer at the pool's edge, laying on the concrete, pushing it around and ignoring everybody else. Elia slept the whole time in the stroller. She's so content in almost all circumstances!

Enjoying a sunny day today and trying to get up the ambition to do some laundry. We'll see.

Ten things I've forgotten

Ten things I forgot about having a newborn:

10. You don't have time to do all those little things you used to have time for

9. You don't have time to do any of those little things you used to have time for

8. You don't have time to do some of those little things you used to have time for

7. You don't have time to do even a few of those little things you used to have time for

6. You just don't have time

5. Ninety minutes of uninterrupted sleep will serve as an 8 hour stint for normal households

4. Closing your eyes while the baby nurses as you sit propped up is considered good sleep

3. Older children can do whatever they want at all times of the day & night and get away with it

2. Daddy will not come home sooner if you cry louder

And, last but certainly most important,

1. No, dinner will not be served on time. And sometimes, not at all.

Now that I have that out of the way, I can sum up the last few weeks in a few short sentences. Just let me go swap the laundry out first.

Ok, now what was I saying? Hold on, Eden needs me.

Alright. Rain. We have had some rain here in Bridgeport, as well as up in the hills north of town, which has caused flash flooding all around here since Bport was built right on the Platte River. I have since learned that the houses on our block are the lowest point in all of the city (even the river is 7 feet higher than this block), and therefore, all the water and garbage flow this way. Which is why our sidewalk disappeared into a slow moving river on Friday night. All the flood pics were taken within about 5 mile radius of our house. It amazes me how flash floods can happen in such a dry climate, even when we're not getting the rain. In this case, several storms hit about 15 miles north of us in a matter of just a few days, along with several local tornadoes, and a series of dams broke open, flooding everything down stream in what are normally dry crick beds, on their way to the Platte. Cars were washed away, trees up rooted and roads washed out, making travel difficult, as most of the streets are dirt to begin with. One man we talked with lost 2 vehicles while he was getting his 21 horses out of pasture as it filled with water. The pasture was a rushing river when we arrived.

I have also learned that where our house sits is a natural water channel, and since the Platte is not a banked river, but a channel river, the whole town is more suitable for swamp land than city structure, which is why we have problems with flooding here. Bport is also the lowest elevation of all the towns 90+ miles in any direction. Think gravity and it all makes sense.

Hold that thought, somebody needs to eat....

Yesterday, the LWML hosted a baby shower for Elia here at the parsonage. Since we already have a boy and a girl, we were more in need of disposables than clothing, so we were showered with diapers, wipes, soaps & lotions, as well as a nice blanket and a couple of cute summer outfits. I think everybody who came had a good time and it was very nice to chat and visit inside on a cloudy and cool day.

Ok, nap time for the other one, be right back....

The rest of the week was spent doing a lot of laundry. Adding one child has added twice the laundry for some reason. Didn't help that I was in bed puking all day Monday, as was Elia. Thank Eden for that one, she had it the day before. As it were, the preacher had a funeral on Monday and could not stay to help me out, so he called Laura, who dropped Lexi off after swim practice and she nursed us back to health all day until Pastor could come home. Thankfully, the weather was beautiful and they were outdoors for the most part.

Ahhh! Who's crying? ...

Not much on the calendar, but there doesn't need to be in this house, especially when summer is in full swing. We seem to make up things as we go along and stay busy, regardless. Tuesday after OT and Speech, the kids went with Daddy to story hour and they met at the beach, built sand castles and dug for sea shells. Wednesday, Eden got her hair cut. Friday, we spent the day shopping in SB and the races were called off that evening because of the rain.

Ok, the kitchen timer is going off and the washer just beeped....guess that's my cue to wrap it up. Until next week, happy trails!