5 Senses Saturday

Sight:

• Children cleaning


• Someone cut me off in traffic


• Eragon (the movie)


• Nutmeg laying on my pillow


• Sun shining

Sound:

• Cash register at walmart ringing way too much up


• "My eyes are burning" from Vance when we were looking at "girly under things" at the store


• McKaylie crying


• Dog barking


• "thank you, mom" from all 4 kids after a trip to DQ

Taste:

• Watermelon Artic Rush from DQ


• Chicken tenders


• potato wedge


• spearmint gum


• mint flavoring on the dental floss

Touch:

• Nutmeg's soft fur


• Noah snuggled up beside me


• warm sunshine (morning)


• cool breeze (afternoon)


• cold water someone spilled on the rug

Smell:

• Ammonia (we clean every Saturday)


• a not so clean dog


• chocolate (yuck)


• someone BBQing


• hairspray

Say Cheese!

McKaylie, Vance, Myshel, Noah

I love my kids so much. I am so proud of them, even with the "attitudes"

Like Father, Like Son

One of my conversations with Noah went like this:

Noah: "I didn't sleep very good last night"
Me: "why"
Noah: "because my back is just killing me!" He had his hands on his lower back and was walking around like he was in pain.

I just laughed at him. I don't know how many times I've heard and seen that from his dad!

Making Sugar Easter Eggs

"Before" Was Bad, "After" Is Worse

Myshel's always been a heartbreaker, but with her new haircut, she's really knockin' 'em dead! What a difference a haircut makes! Her poor dad, though. His is the biggest heart break of all!

Before

After

The Nuts Aren't Falling Too Far From The Tree........

This morning I ended up with McKaylie and Noah in bed with me. McKaylie will come in sometimes when she's had a bad dream, but I don't know what brought her in early this morning. Shortly after she came and got in bed with Noah and I she went back to sleep, and so did I. However, shortly after that she woke up hollering like she was scared and telling me that there was a spider in the bed and that it was crawling on Noah's back. I looked around a little, but I was sure she was just dreaming more than anything. I got her to calm down and lay back down. She then told me that it was really scary and she first saw it crawling on my pillow and then it crawled on Noah. I told her I didn't think it was real, but she decided to go back to her own bed anyway.

I laughed a little and remembered a time that Chad told me about. He was back in high school and had woken up and knew there was a spider in his bed (he doesn't like spiders) and he tore his whole bed apart looking for this spider and then realized that he had probably dreamed it.

Chad is a sleep walker/talker. The stories go way back about Chad walking/talking in his sleep. I have crazy stories about his sleep walking/talking and so does his parents. He doesn't walk in his sleep very often now, but he will talk in his sleep. Over the past few years I've noticed with all my children, that they've all taken on this trait, not to the same level as Chad did, but they all do it. So far, Myshel is probably the worst about it. I wonder if that's because she's older and the others will follow suit. Anyway, I get a laugh out of it, most of the time, and it's proof that the nuts don't fall far from the tree, at least their father's tree!

Sad Update

On Friday afternoon they found Myshel's teacher's body. He wasn't far from his car. They're speculating that he was thrown from his car when he hit the guard rail, but they don't know what happend for sure or what caused the accident, if that's what it was. He has 2 small children that now don't have a dad. It's very sad and reminds us how quickly things can change. Myshel was on an all day field trip (7:30AM-10PM) and actually heard the news from her principal while they were on that field trip. It was an 8th grade field trip which ment that most of those students had this teacher in one class or another. I'm impressed with how well the school has taken care of the students. They had counselors available to them on the buses. Myshel has taken the news pretty well, but it was the first thing she told me about when she got back. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

5 Senses Saturday

Marie started 5 Senses Saturday, so here goes...............

Sight:

• Myshel, whom I hadn't seen since 6:30 Friday morning
• Power Rangers cartoon (I didn't know they were still around)
• a messy house
• all my children quietly watching a movie together
• the first daffodil in my flower bed

Sounds:

• my children playing at 6AM
• the dog barking to come inside
• "what's for dinner" (about 100 times)
• "I love you, mommy" from Noah
• "I missed you" from Myshel

Smells:

• Cheese pizza baking
• Freshly shampooed kids hair (I love that smell)
• Chad's colonge that Noah put on to smell good
• Lysol
• Ammonia (cleaning the bathrooms)

Taste:

• Sugar cookie that we made Friday night
• Cheese pizza
• toothpaste
• mountain dew
• carrots

Touch:

• My 4 year old's fevered forehead
• Fleece blanket that we were snuggling under
• bumpy steering wheel cover in Chad's Blazer
• heat coming from the oven
• Myshel's soft cheek when she gave me a hug after she got home
  

I'd love to hear about your 5 Senses Saturday, too!

A Reminder of Things We'd Rather Forget

Myshel came home from school yesterday and announced that her keyboarding/computer teacher is missing. So, my response was, "what do you mean missing?" She handed me a note from the school. Her teacher had gone to a party on Friday night, made a phone call around 1AM and hasn't been seen or heard from since. His car was found on an on ramp to the interstate, but no one knows where he is. He's an official missing person with the police department. The note went on to say that counselors are always available for the children if they need it and also a list of behaviors that's normal for children when something like this happens to someone they know or care about. That's scary. Myshel said she thought it was sad and that it must be hard for his family, but she didn't say a lot else. I chose to wait until later to talk to her about it. I noticed later when Vance wanted to go get the mail after it was dark, that she didn't want him to go. I asked her why. She said that she didn't want him to end up like her teacher and just disappear. I don't think she was overly worried about that happening, but this whole thing with her teacher has definitely made her think about things. I did sit down and talk with her then about how she was feeling about the whole thing. Mostly, it's just reminded her about the dangers out there in this world and that it can happen to anyone, which is scary. On one hand that's probably not a bad thing, because then she realizes that bad things do happen and we need to be cautious, especially in certain circumstances. On the other hand, it's very sad and scary that my children have to be so away of the evils that are out there and their childhood innocence, in that respect, is taken away from them.

Trying to do as I'm told....................

I'm trying to do as I'm told, but.....................................

I still had to

• Take McKaylie to school
• Go buy cough syrup for McKaylie
• Pick up Nutmeg's heartworm meds from the vet because I didn't do it last week
• Buy milk, bread, etc
• Drop paperwork off at the housing office about our new orders
• Go to a parent/teacher conference
• Wash Myshel's school uniform
• Go through my craft stuff and find, google eyes, felt, scrap material and old socks for McKaylie's school project today
• Take Noah to speech therapy

But I'm trying..................................

System Overload

This is a picture of my buddy Nutmeg. She was keeping me

company on the couch yesterday morning, sleeping

behind my legs.

Here's a very quick summary of how my weekend went.

Friday---In my last post, I told you about the electricty going out, well, it went out again later that afternoon. Also on Friday, I was feeling a little achy and as the day progressed and I ended up needing to go several places in the rain and that achy feeling kept spreading...............by Friday night I was aching all over, and my throat was swollen. Chad was suppose to be home around 5 or 6 that night. I was hoping I'd be able to get some extra rest so maybe I wouldn't get too sick. He ended up coming home at midnight. So much for that idea and for spending any time with him on Friday.........................

Saturday---I was sick! I knew I had strep.............AGAIN! We just can't seem to get it out of our house for good! And once again, it's the weekend, I can't go and see my regular doctor. I decided that I'd try and stick it out until Monday so that I can see my regular doctor and not have to go to the emergency room. I wasn't up to going anywhere, so we hung out at the house pretty much all day.

Sunday---I went to the emegency room................AGAIN! It was so bad in there. We had been there for a long time and not even seen the triage nurse and it was just making me feel worse and I knew it was going to take a serisouly long time. While we were sitting there and I was leaning against Chad, we could hear other people who were waiting "getting sick" and I knew that if they weren't even getting in there very fast that it was going to take all day for me to get back there and we left. I suffered through the rest of the day. It was not an enjoyable day.

Monday---Chad got underway again. (He was home3 days, one day he worked until midnight and I was sick the other 2) I went to my regular doctor, surprise, surprise, I have strep! He told me I need to give my body more time to recover, aka, more bed rest than I would usually give myself. I laughed and asked him how exactly I was suppose to do that with 4 kids and no husband. He told me to do my best.


Oh, and about my "Frustrated and Venting" post, "they" waited until 1 hour before the deadline, but we were at the emergency room, so we didn't get that call. When Chad called later and talked to them about it, we got, "oh, we'll just have to do it next week" GRRRRRRRR, we can't do it next week!!................now we'll have to wait until Easter! I wonder if they can get it done by then????? Stupid People!

I need to go visit my other blog now.................things are getting very negative around here!

A Renewed Appreciation................

Last Friday around 2AM our electricity went out. So the house was pitch black, and I was wide awake. 2 1/2 hours later, it came back on again. I don't know why it was out, but it wasn't a whole lot of fun. I'm not a big fan of the dark, really. I don't particulary like the silence that goes with the electricity being out either. You get used to all those little sounds while you sleep. The kids did stay asleep that night, so it really wasn't a problem, just frustrating.

Last night around 2AM our electricity went out again. Our house was pitch black and I was wide awake and so was Vance and McKaylie, but Chad was out cold. I woke him up and had him help me get the kids some flashlights so that they wouldn't be scared and go back to sleep. After he helped, he was out cold again and I was still wide awake, but feeling very tired. I finally started falling asleep and Noah woke up, scared. I got up and took care of him...........went back to bed, and laid there wide awake. After 2 hours, and I was finally asleep. So, of course, the electricity came back on and woke me up! It was starting to get ridiculous, but at least we have our electricity back. Chad got up and got ready for work, I went back to bed and fell asleep, ahhhhhhhhhhh, for about an hour, when the electricity went out AGAIN! I gave up. I got up, went downstairs and lit some candles and sat down there until it was time to wake Myshel up.

She was not happy about getting dressed with only a flashlight to light up her room and of course, it was cold, because the heater wasn't on. Not ooooooo I'm going to freeze to death cold, just colder than our house usually is. The other kids just took it in stride. I think they were enjoying playing around with the flashlights and having the candles lit. But, Myshel went on and on and on, using her very best "drama queen" attitude ever! It resulted in her missing the bus. I was not happy! and I still had no electricity, but I did notice on the way to taking her to school that everyone around our housing did have electricity! What is the deal???? Well, it came back on around 7:30AM. So, now I'm going about my day with a renewed appreciation for electricity and very much sleep deprived.

Surprise!!!!

Chad came home a day early! So basically we get an extra few hours with him before he gets underway again. He came yesterday around 3PM, left for work today around 5AM, he'll be home tonight around 6PM, have the weekend with us and then back to sea bright and early Monday morning! I'm still grateful for those few extra hours!

Frustrated and Venting................................

I just needed to vent a little tonight, and it will have to come out a little vague, so, I apologize in advance, but here goes.....................

I've been trying for weeks to get something done. We have a deadline. It's something that is very important to me and my family. I have to rely on other people to help me get it done and all I seem to get is the run around. I'm frustrated, I'm hurt, and a little angry. I know other people don't seem to have any trouble getting it done when they need it, but for some reason, I do, my family does. If ever I felt like I wasn't quite as important as some other people, it would be now and that makes me angry, too. Now, I don't know if I'm intentionaly getting the run around, maybe I'm not, but after 3 weeks, it definitely feels like it. I still don't know if it will get done by our deadline, I'm having my doubts. It won't be the end of the world is we miss the deadline, but if we do miss it, it will be because other people have not done their part. I guess what bothers me the most, is this is something that's really important to me and to my family. It's not a trivial, everyday thing, but it's being treated like it's no big deal. I'm sure that to them, it is no big deal, but I think, surely, that they must know how much it means to us. That's so upsetting to me, in fact, I don't think I've ever been this frustrated and hurt in this particulary setting, than I am right now. I'm sure that everything will work out and be fine in the end, I'm sure of it. It will have to be.

Family Home Evening

We were having family home evening last night. It was kind of impromtu because Noah was suppose to do the lesson and I forgot to get something prepared, plus, we were running behind last night. For our treat we were having some little candies, so I decided to combine the treats and lesson. I had the kids sit in a circle and I gave them 4 bunnies (that was the candy) to start with. I gave them certain rules that they had to obey while we were playing. If they broke one of the rules they lost a bunny. I went around the circle and asked each of them a question that was related to them specifically. For each question they answered, they got a bunny or two. They were doing great and we were having fun. They lost some bunnies here and there, but for the most part were gaining bunnies. Noah's questions were quite simple and toward the end I was getting a little hard up for questions for him. So, for his last question, I asked, "Noah, why is it important that you sleep in your own bed at night and not mine?" Kind of a goofy question, and I don't really know what I was expecting or hoping for. I think I just wanted him to think about it and that maybe there are reasons to stay in his own bed, but this was his answer, "I don't know!" I just laughed. I said, "you have your own bed to sleep in, that's just for you." His answer, "but yours is just so comfy!". I told him that I should take a bunny for that!

Take Me Back

This morning, I heard the song, Baby, Baby, by Amy Grant. I was amazed at how it took me right back to the time when I first heard it. Chad and I were newly married and living in our first apartment together. We barely had furniture and no TV (by choice). We would listen to the radio all the time, talk, read, play card games. It was a great time for us. It was a sweet time for us. We used to hear this song on the radio all the time and I loved it then and I love it now, because just hearing it again brings back all those memories like they were yesterday. I can remember how I felt then, like I'm feeling it all over again for the first time. It's amazing to me how certain memories can be tied to our senses and bring back things so clearly, whether it's sounds or smells or even tastes. There's actually several songs, and smells, that I know about, that can bring back memories very clear for me. Some are happy and some are a little sad. It truly is amazing to me how our minds and bodies work and how such a simple thing can take me back.

Another Project Complete

I'm not even going to tell you all when we started this project, because it would just be too humiliating. However, I finished it this last Saturday. This is Vance's dresser. It used to be Myshel's. And it used to be pink and white. We sanded it all down, primed it and painted it again for Vance. It hardly even looks like the same dresser.
This picture shows the top.

It's a been a great dresser for the kids and it's been around for quite awhile. It was orginally Chad's dresser when he was growing up. It's made a lot of moves with us and it's holding out really well. Vance likes how it looks and I think it turned out pretty good, too. Now, it's on to the next project................

Vance's Birthday

Happy Birthday, Vance!

Today is Vance's 12th Birthday!

I can hardly believe that it's been 12 years since he was born. I just don't even know where to start when it comes to Vance. He is a sweetheart, a peacemaker, a laugh, and all boy! He was such a mama's boy when he was little, mostly because his dad was gone so much then, I think. But I loved it. He was my buddy. He loved to be with me and he still does. My sister told me that I should appreciate him being a mama's boy, because it wouldn't last and I'm so glad that I took her advice. I tried to cherish every moment with him as my shadow. He did outgrow being a mama's boy, but he shows me everyday how much he loves me. Now he's 12 and he'll be recieving the priesthood and taking on new responsiblities. I am so grateful that I have those sweet moments to look back on and I didn't take them for granted. He's very special and I think that the Lord has big plans for him. I feel very blessed to be his mother and I'm grateful for today, his birthday, when we can celebrate him and the blessing he is to our lives. Happy Birthday Vance! We love you!

Ambitious and Cindy........not usually!

Yesterday afternoon I got really ambitious. I started with folding all the laundry (which unfortuneatly was really piling up), which led to picking up the clothes off of McKaylies floor, to helping her cleaning her room, to helping Vance and Noah clean their room, to cleaning my bedroom (the sad part was that everything I picked up in there, wasn't mine!), to sorting through toys, to cleaning the computer room and then back to finishing laundry. I even managed to cook some dinner in there somewhere! I know that to some of you out there, that would seem like a typical day, but at our house that was impressive! The best part was, I managed not to move the mess from one room to another, which means, I woke up to a clean house. Not just a half clean house or all but my bedroom. It was completely clean. I can't even begin to tell you how good that feels!

Reminders For Me

Ok, I'm sure that most, maybe not all, but most people who know me, know that I can be negative. I'm not 100% negative all the time, I just tend to think of the negative stuff first and then look to the positive, if I even get to the postive at all. However, I have been trying to work on that, especially lately with so many things not going quite the way I had hoped. So, I decided to start listing 10 positive things a day. I actaully started doing this a little while ago, but decided a couple of days ago to start keeping it on a blog, less paper to keep track of and store, kind of thing. I originally got the idea form Marie awhile back, but just started doing it recently. (by the way, I checked your M-List, tsk, tsk, tsk) I decided that since it's out there in computer land I mine as well share the fact that it's out there. I does help me think of things differently and if only for the few minutes that I'm writing it, it lightens my mood.
...........................................Reminders For Me

My Latest Project......................

We had an old table, actually it was originally a desk until we dismantled it. It was beat up and stained and scratched and we were going to throw it out with lots of other things before we move. But the other week when I was at the doctor's office (one of the many times), sitting in the waiting room, looking at magazines, I saw a picture of a card table that some lady had redone. She had taken all her old photos that she didn't really use anymore, or the extras that didn't make the scrapbook cut and she made a collage on the card table with them. And it was so cute and I thought I could do that. I could take all the extra photos we have all over the house and in drawers and I could glue them to that old table and it would be so cool..................and it is. I really like how it turned out. I glued them all on, and put about 800 coats of mod podge over them and then sealed it with clear spray paint. This "old" table is now my new scrapbook/sewing table.

We've all had fun looking at the pictures. There are pictures of all the kids from the time they were little and from Chad and I when we were dating and first married clear up until now. It just turned out to be a lot of fun.

Once again...........

I think I failed to mention this week that Chad is underway again. He hasn't gone out to sea since he came home from deployment, so I guess I shouldn't complain........................ He'll be gone for a little over 2 weeks, come home for a weekend (literally) and then leave again for 2 1/2 weeks. There's nothing like getting used to him being around and then being thrown back into seperation for a month! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh the navy! June can't come around soon enough!

(Oh yeah, Marie, I almost forgot, thhhh ththh thhththhth)

Say Good-bye to Nanny McPhee!

I know I've mentioned how terrible McKaylie's teeth are. They've been a problem since she was about 3 years old. Her two front teeth have probably been the worst and so we've been anxiously waiting for them to come out. However, as usual, her teeth had to put up a fight. Her permanent tooth came in behind the baby tooth. The dentist kept telling us to just keep wiggling and working with it and it would eventually get loose and come out. So we've been wiggling and wiggling and wiggling for at least 3 months now and that tooth just wasn't getting very loose. The permanent tooth had pushed on it, though, and was making the baby tooth stick out. So, McKaylie could have her mouth closed and her tooth would be sticking out. We told her she looked like Nanny McPhee! She was not thrilled about it, but that became the tooth's nickname, Nanny McPhee. (For those of you, who haven't seen the movie Nanny McPhee, she has a big time snaggle tooth that is sticking out when her mouth is closed)

McKaylie wouldn't "work" on her tooth by herself, though, because if it caused her even the slightest bit of pain, she didn't want to have anything to do with it. Chad and I have been determined to get it out, though, because we've paid enough to have her teeth worked on and pulled and we just didn't want to pay to have another tooth of hers pulled. So, after months of hard work and lots of tears, I, FINALLY, pulled her tooth today! Hallelujah!!!!!! No more Nanny McPhee! And even McKaylie told me she was glad that it was out.............of course she said it was because now we'd stop bothering her about her tooth! I think deep down, she's glad it's gone and her new tooth can move forward!

In the picture, you can hardly see where her "hole" is because her permanent tooth has already come in so much!

There's a New Queen in Town............

Nutmeg realized the other day that if she sits up on the back of the sectional she can look out the window. So now, this is her new favorite place to be when the kids are coming home from school.

Too Big - Too Fast

Myshel, Noah, Vance

McKaylie

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