Too much technology.......................

I realized that there may be a little too much technology in our house when this happened..........

I was removing the old nail polish from my toenails with nail polish remover (duh). McKaylie came and sat down with me and asked, "mom, will you delete the nail polish on my toes, too, please".

What happened?

Do you ever have one of those "moments" with your kids when you look at them and they look so big? It's like they changed over night. I do, actually I do a lot, maybe that' because I have 4 kids and those "moments" come at different times for different kids. I don't know, but what I do know is that looking at this picture yesterday, was one of those "moments" for me. When did this happen? Where did my little kids go? Why are they doing this to me?

Baby ducks..............

We went and fed the ducks a few days ago. I was so glad we did, too. There was lots of baby ducks. There was several little families, some with older ducklings, and some with very little ducklings. It was lots of fun to watch the mama ducks care for her babies.

There's also lots and lots of turtles that will come and eat the bread too. AND ther's lots of fish, great big fish that will come and eat the bread. When I say big, I mean BIG. I was told that some are 10 pounds or bigger! I also learned that there are catfish, large mouth bass, and carp in this lake. There's probably more, but that's all they knew about. It's illegal to fish here, but I'm sure there's lots of people who are tempted.

The down side of this trip, was that I also learned that there are snakes there, lots of snakes and some of them are water moccasins (sp?) We go here fairly often, so that is not what I wanted to hear!

Craziness................

This last week has gone something like this:

I sent Myshel to girl's camp a week ago. She had a great time. They even got to go to a water park that's near their campground twice. She went on an on about everything they did, especially the cute lifeguards and rangers that were there!. (I think I heard a little too much about the cute lifeguards and rangers) I was very glad that she had such a great time. While she was there, the other three played in the pool, we went to the zoo (it's like our home away from home sometimes, which is fitting considering the little animals I live with) played games inside while it rained and on and on.............. Friday- I was sick.............Saturday- Myshel came home from camp with an attitude and a bag full of laundry..................Sunday- was realatively calm, Noah went to his class for the last 30 minutes, so that's something............Monday- Myshel and I fought about her deciding that she's not going to Junior University, with absolutely no reason to back it up, we did some crafts in the afternoon since it was still raining. The rain started on Friday...................Tuesday- still fighting, still raining and the natives are getting restless..................Wednesday- stopped fighting, stopped raining and Myshel decide that she would go to JU, Junior University, not because of anything that I said, because of a 5 minute phone call with her friend. I don't even care what her friend told her, at least she went. She still complained and I had to pull her off my arm, but she's there. I sent the other three outside to play in the puddles at the playground because they were driving me nuts! And I am in here checking my email and writing my blog.....................exhale.


Oh, I almost forgot. 5 of Myshel's 10 sunflowers have bloomed, McKaylie's marigolds are all blooming now and I have 3 new rose buds on my little rose bush!

Camp

Myshel's been home from camp for less than 48 hours and I'm beginning to think that camp should last just a bit longer.................like 3 months longer!

Growing Up is Hard to Do..............

I've had people come over and comment on the pictures that we have in our house. Mostly the ones of Chad and I when we first met or were first married.

The comments usually go something like this, "I can't believe how young you look", "how old were you in these pictures, anyway", "wow, how long ago was that". You get the idea.

After the last "encounter", I was telling one of my friends who lives in another state all about it, maybe even venting a little. She laughed at me! Some friend, huh!!

But she did remind me that we all change. We all get older. We all grow and mature. And that's ok. After I thought about it awhile, I agreed that that's all true. I'm glad I'm not the same person that's in those pictures.

I'm glad that I have more experience, more maturity, more love and more faith than I did back then. It would be nice, however, to have the figure I had back then and the energy.

I'm sure that Chad would agree that he'd like the hair he had back then, too! But, all in all, I am happy with me, right now and I don't long to be that girl in the pictures. I'm pretty happy with who she became.

Letters

I got a letter from Chad in the mail this last week. There's just something about recieving an actual letter through the mail. I never could quite put my finger on why until just recently. I read in the paper the other day about an interview some reporter had with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. They were talking about their new movie, The Lake House, where they basically fall in love through letters they're written to each other (There's more to the movie than that, but for my purpose that's all you need to know) Now don't get me wrong, I love email. I don't know how I ever got through deployments without it, but a letter is like on another level than that. I lost the actual article, but these are some of the things that Sandra and Keanu said about writing letters as best as I can remember. When I read it, I kept saying to myself, "that's it, that's exactly right." They hit the nail on the head for me. They put into words exactly what I felt about recieving letters from Chad.............. A hand written letter is so much more personal. That other person took the time and energy to gather their thoughts and write it down on paper. They thought of you when they wrote it. They wrote things that were ment just for you. You know that they held that letter in their hands; that it was with them personally before it came to you. It's like they're sending a small part of themselves, just to you. You can't get that through an email, no matter how personal you make.

Girl's Camp

I sent Myshel off to girl's camp yesterday morning at 6:30AM. They're not exactly "roughing" it. They're staying in cabins, eating in a mess hall. There's a swimming pool and lots of other fun stuff. There's no building your own fires and pitching your own tents or cooking your own food like when I went to girl's camp. The first (and only) year I went it rained, every day, all day long, for 4 days and then we came home of the 5th day. We didn't have a dry pair of shoes, half the tents were flooded out and it was work trying to keep the fires going. It was also cold, very cold during the night and we camped in July! That's camping!! And it really wasn't my "thing".

I know she wanted to go, but she kept telling me she didn't. I think she was just a little nervous. It was hard for me to send her. She'll be gone for 5 days. That's not that long, but it's the longest we've ever been apart in her 13 1/2 years. I don't think Myshel really minded. She did say she'd miss me after the first couple of days. Stinker!! It was hard for me, though, because even when my kids make me nuts, I love having them around. I know she's going to have lots of fun and she has great leaders, too. The house has been much quieter since she's been gone. With Chad and Myshel gone it really doesn't seem quite right around here. I'll be glad when she's home again.

Pool Time

I finally gave in and bought the kids a pool to put in our little backyard. I liked it because it was big enough for all of them to be in at once, but not so big that it takes up the entire yard. It takes forever to fill and so the water has to stay in there for at least a few days at a time. It can't be on the grass, because I worked too hard to get it to grow, so it has to stay on the patio, which isn't level. Which means one side is deeper than the other. The patio is also in the shade for most of the day. The bottom of the pool is not very thick,either, a lot like the blow-up pools. After having it up and filled with water for a few days now, we've discovered that there's already a hole in the bottom. It came with patches, but they don't always work that well. So much for it lasting through the summer! The kids love it, though, and so I'll try and make it last as long as I can, even with all it's flaws!

My little butterflies......

Funny looking praire dogs...

The praire dogs are McKaylie's favorite animals at the zoo right now. They all love to watch them through the bubbles.

Awards

Myshel's Presidential Fitness Award signed by President Bush

McKaylie's "Most Responsible" award

(I didn't know it was smudged until I posted it on here)

Vance's Promotion Ceremony

Yesterday morning they had the 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony. Vance is officially out of grade school (at least in Virginia). It seems so strange that I'll have 2 kids in middle school next year.

Here he is walking in. (The girl in front of him is in 5th grade too. There's just a little height difference there!)

After getting his certificate.

(I would have had a picture of them handing it to him, but the lady in front of me stood up right when I was about to take the picture! Grrrrr

With his teacher, Mrs. Underwood

Finally a smile! Such a handsome boy, if I do say so myself!

A little update...............

Noah: Well let's see, Noah's fever finally broke last night. I still have no idea what was causing it. It's made for several very long nights!

Vance: Monday night I was in the computer room. I'd gone in there so that I could make a phone call and not be bothered, but that didn't work, so I had to shut the door too. Just as I was about to make the call, I heard Vance. He wasn't crying, it's more like a whimper, but he was calling me. So as I headed for the door to see what was going on, his call became much more intense, so I was rather anxious about opening the door. He was sitting on the floor outside the door and when I asked what was wrong he said he hurt his arm. The was he was acting and sounding I totally expected it to be broken. But, when I looked at it there was a small scrap on the underside of his arm and I could see that it was going to bruise, but it really wasn't that bad, not bad enough to make my 11 year old sound the way he did. I gave him a questioning look and asked if that was it. He whimpered back, "no, I hurt my side, too". I lifted up his shirt and cringed. He had a road-rash looking scrape about the size of a dinner plate on his side. Even though I'd told him 100 times not to walk along the top of our back fence, that's what Vance was doing..............and he fell..........and hit the fence on his way down. I'm not sure if it looked worse the first night, all scraped red and welting, or the next night when all the bruising was starting to show. Either way, OUCH!! Now this is when I'd say, "I told you so", but I won't. I don't think it matters, since he doesn't listen to me anyway.

Myshel: She was riding her scooter and goofing around on it. She turned a corner too fast and put her foot down to slow herself down and scraped up her toes and ankle. She came in the house with blood running off her foot. Today she's been limping around on it. She can hardly bend her toes, either. I'm not sure if this is just the drama queen in her or if she's really done some damage. She has a check-up with her doctor tomorrow, I guess we'll find out then. This is another I told you so moment..........................You shouldn't wear flip-flops while riding around on your scooter!

McKaylie: I don't know what her deal is. She's either just very worn out and maybe stressed about the change in our schedule lately or she's trying to make me nuts! Every morning this week she's been whining, fussing, crying, etc, etc. It's been a complete chore just getting her to school. One day it was about not getting to hold Snickers, the guinea pig. Another day was about brushing her hair and today it was getting her socks on!

Cindy: I'm just trying to hang on to what little sanity I have left!

Chad: He's still floating around out there in the water, working hard (so, I'm told)

Here we go again...........

Noah has a fever. That's it; he has a fever. I can't figure out what else might be wrong with him, that's causing the it. It is taking it's toll, though. He acts more tired and clingy since the fever started, but that's it. So, now we wait and wonder...........does it just go away with no other problems???? or does it become an epidemic that affects everyone in our household?????

(Personally, I think Marie is sending us her sicky germs through the computer!!! ha ha)

A long ways away.......

We have a vaulted ceiling in our living room. One of McKaylie's birthday balloons got away from Noah and floated up there shortly after her birthday. It just came down the other day and Noah brought it to me. He was very excited about it and started carrying it around with him. We went outside to work on my flower bed and he brought it out with him. He asked if he could let it go and told him, " no, it will still fly away and it will be a long ways away. We won't be able to get it back." He let it go anyway and we watched it float away until we couldn't see it anymore. When we finally went inside Noah told me this, "that balloon floated away. " I said, "yes, it's gone now, just like I told you." Noah said, "it's ok, daddy will get it back for us. " I asked him how daddy was going to get it. He answered, "That's where it's going, to daddy's ship. It's going a long ways away to daddy's ship and he'll catch it and keep it. He can have McKaylie's birthday balloon now."

We always tell Noah that Chad's ship is a long ways away. I wonder if he thought that if he let the balloon go that it would go there..............like "a long ways away" is a specific place, so the balloon would be in the same place as his dad, a long ways away.

Bathtime...........

This seems to be the bath time routine around here:

Mom, "it's time to take a bath"
McKaylie and Noah, "No, we're not dirty. We don't need to take a bath. mumble, mumble mumble"
Mom, "I think you're dirty, so get in the tub"
McKaylie and Noah, "It's too hot, it's too hot" (they haven't even touched the water yet)
Mom, "Let's wash up first and then if you want to play you can"
McKaylie and Noah, "No, no, no"
Noah cries when I was his hair. Mckaylie gets mad when I help her with her hair.
20 -30 minutes later................
Mom, "It's time to get out. The water is cold"
McKaylie and Noah, "No, we're not clean yet"

Hello beautiful..............

I love answering the phone and having my favorite voice say "hello beautiful" back to me!

Music fills the soul...........

I've gone to 2 orchestra concerts this week. They were both great. I am so proud of my kids for being a part of such amazing groups. They both have fantastic teachers, too. At Myshel's concert I also got to hear from the students that have been playing for 3-4 years. They were amazing. They played Pirates of the Caribbean and they blew it away. Even Mckaylie was completely enthralled in the song. She said it gave her chills. It was so impressive. Everyone was on their feet at the end. I love how music can truly touch people, that's why I think it's so important for my kids t o have good music in their lives.

Full Bloom........

Ok, these are the last pictures.

Breakfast-the most important meal................

The kids have given me a cold. I always appreciate it when they share. This morning I woke up feeling terrible. I have a huge headache, I'm stuffed up and sounding hoarse. So, I stayed in bed awhile longer than usual. Myshel saw herself off to school. She's a good kid......... When I did get up, though, I found the other three eaching Doritos and marshmellow popcorn for breakfast. That's probably what Myshel ate, too. I also found a half eaten bowl of cereal at the table, apparently they thought about eating something better. I guess it's not the end of the world if they eat that for breakfast once in awhile, but I still feel guilty!