Too Busy to Blog

What a 3 weeks it's been...

Remember this?

From August 2008

Well over the last couple of weeks we've gotten her fixed...now she looks like this...

From August 2008

and this

From August 2008

But I'm not going to show you what my kitchen looked like, because, well, it was unseemly.

While that was going on we decided to reorganize the play room and the school room...but we don't have the proper baskets yet so even with the new shelves the playroom STILL looks like this...

From 09.2008.Pics

And because he's been so busy, Bubba hasn't been able to finish my new shelf in the school room...so it looks like this...

From 09.2008.Pics

and this

From 09.2008.Pics

And so other than wanting to live in my refridgerator which is apparently the only organized place in the house...I'm a little discombobulated. I can't wait to get it all done.

Still, we have had the opportunity for a little fun.

From 09.2008.Pics

From 09.2008.Pics

And of course, life isn't really worth the living without a little bit of science...(thank heaven for other people who have time to blog, eh? "Happy Things" )

From 09.2008.Pics

From 09.2008.Pics

See ya around...

Dedicated to my darling 5 year old...

Well, it isn't her birthday and we aren't celebrating anything here. But...this has been a REALLY tough week on Bear. In light of her burning desire to interrupt, burst into tears, yell and have her way...and my absolute conviction that she SHOULD NOT EVER hit, smack, pinch, grab, toss, poke or otherwise abuse, accost, annoy, assail, attack, bother, disturb, encroach, harass, harm, interfere, misuse, tease, torment, trouble, or vex ANYONE...not to be limited to her sisters and HER MOTHER...I give you ODE TO BEAR. May it dampen my yearning to seek out Gypsies who may desire a sparkly haired 5 year old for their own purposes.





THERE! Now I feel much better.

I started writing this a few days ago...thinking that I needed a shot of cuteness to help with the stress level. What I actually needed was the time to remember. To cherish the adorable, vivacious, sarcastic, hilarious and wonderful little girl that Bear is.

For years, when I've been overwhelmed, I've written an "I love you because" list. This list comes into play whenever I'm frustrated in a relationship, ANY relationship. I sit down with a pad of paper and write down 5 things I like about the person. It usually starts with silly things, "I like your car," for instance. But, in time, when I can refocus on the things that I like/love in a person, the negative nonsense falls away and I'm left realizing we ALL have our warts, but they don't define us.

So here it is, my "I Love you Because" Ode to Bear. The tireless, energetic, precocious, sparkling JOY of my life. The pictures I've taken over the years only reflect who she is. I'm thankful that I've been right here, looking not at her reflection, but at the real her, with all her many facets. And I'm thankful to the Lord that I get to be the mother who ushers her through THIS and many other difficult times in her life. I pray that I always remember that I'm simply here to round off her edges, never to change her brilliance.

Besides, if I'm ever in a less philosophic mood, this would be a great marketing tool to send to those gypsies!

See ya around...

We're Back!!!

We got back from Colorado on Monday night. Our good friends had a new baby girl (their 4th) and we girls (Bubba couldn't make it) took off across the country on Saturday the 16th. We arrived at our destination Sunday night.

We had a lot of fun, for starters, there was a new baby to hold...
and hold and look at and hold

Then there were old friends to play with (until this new baby (we'll call her Topo) all the girls line up within 7 months of each other Beanie and Tibbie are 6 months apart, Bear and Gabbie are 4 months apart and Monkey Face and Coco are 7 months apart)...


There was a pool to play in and hours of Marco Polo with which to torture the neighbors...


And there was sitting around to do...because WOO WHEE was that pool cold...


And then there were the evenings. I brought two six packs of glow sticks for night time fun. What could be better than six little girls scampering through the grass after dark with glow sticks?? Well, an uncle who is FULL of ideas of how to capture the moment on camera, of course...I give you "Weird glow stick shots a la The Camera King" (formerly known on this and my other blog as M.F.)...

Here we have "Kids Leaping with Glow Sticks"


"Outlined Coco with a yellow glow stick"


"Spooky Fire-Starter-Lookin' Bear"


"Tibbie the Butterfly"


"Butterfly Bean"


"But I DIDN'T want Antenae"
and "I wanted Fairy Wings" (the series)

Oh and did I mention there was a baby to look at???


See ya around...

Two weeks of Grandparents

Well I haven't been blogging much...or actually ANYWHERE on line much simply because life has been rolling along here. Starting the last week in July my folks came out to play.

During that time, swim team wrapped up for the summer. Swim team made for a pretty busy couple of months because it was every week day from the second week of June until the first week of August. Beanie had a great time. FINALLY something she could play HARD and not worry about hurting herself. We'll have to see if we can continue something "watery" through the winter. Here she is with her swim team medal.


Although we've been trying to keep schooling most of the summer, we did take a bit of a break while Grandma and Papa were here. Not much though, Grandma really likes schooling with us. Bubba took the day off and we all went to the aquarium...sadly we went on a Friday so it was pretty crowded...still we got to look at a few things. Lucky for you I didn't take video, as the surroundings were less than peaceful. Still the pictures LOOK peaceful...just don't imagine ANY screaming children wrestling just out of the shot (in one of these you can see the wrestling child's feet).


I'm so proud of this shot...I waited and waited and snapped it JUST in time to catch that shark startling Bear...you can't see it in the picture but she actually GASPED...notice Monkey Face reacting to her.


Aren't Dads fun? Not only do they let you climb up on the rocks so you can see the crockil-gators being fed...but then they make the dismount funny with tickling!!


See ya around...

Didja ever wonder what kisses were for???

Now you know.

See ya around...

Sometimes they are just fun to look at...

Sometimes, when they are quiet, I find pure joy in just looking at them. Seeing the soft, slightly fuzzy cheeks. Marveling at the shiny curls. Smelling the clean hair. I pray I never forget these days.

See you around...

Tough Day at the Library

We had a bunch to do yesterday...Lots of odd chores...Swim Team in the morning...and then a major library run. Now it would seem that a day in the library would be a lovely thing, right? Well, yes and no.

See first we had to go home, gather all the books (we never have less than 50), decide what HAS to go back today, what we want
to keep, what we've already read even if it's not due, separate the piles into "stuff to go BACK" to Library A, "stuff to RE-check out" at Library A, "stuff to go BACK" to Library B and "stuff to RE-check out" at Library B. Then we have to choose who is having which color library bag (we use reusable grocery bags), gather those up, make sure every one has water for the car, get buckled and go...well get buckled and realize someone has to use the facilities...
AND then GO!

At Library A...we have to deal with snarky librarians who A.) feel that we shouldn't be allowed to check out a book more than once (???HUH???), and B.) Don't feel that it's THEIR job to check the book back in so that it can be checked out again...said librarian WOULD RATHER that we checked the books in, put in a request for them and came BACK again...(um, I live approximately 30 minutes away, my thoughts are "Sure, no problem, sweetie, I completely understand that you would rather me drive away AND drive back so that you don't have to CHANGE SCREENS on your computer"...okay really thought, "GET A GRIP").

Anyhoo, during THIS lovely transaction, the girlies were checking out a COOL fish tank (thankfully) and so were none the wiser. I DID get to recheck my library books and I DID make her go get my holds for me in the other room. After which I went to look at the fish with the girls. Bean, understandably, got a touch bored with the fish and asked if she could walk into the children's department that shared a wall with the tank...basically it was on the other side and I'd be able to see her THROUGH the fish tank. I said, "Sure, no problem"...off she went. So we stood there for 5 minutes or so, checking out the wonders that a wall-sized fish tank hold for small children. I decided it was time to go...waved to Bean and started to head out. She came along at first, BUT THEN, Bear had another question or two and Bean thought she'd head back. Well, I ANSWERED the question, grabbed Monkey Face's hand and said, "Let's go"...and we went.

This is the part that gets a little fuzzy. I counted heads...walked away from the fishtank...then outside the doors to the little "friends of the library" shelves in the hallway outside the library, but still in the building. I counted heads again. I told them I was going to see if there was anything of interest and turned to ask Bean to hold hands with Monkey Face...looked again...spun in a circle like I was chasing my tail...she was nowhere. So I dropped EVERYTHIHNG (library bags, books) grabbed the two I HAD and raced back inside...as she was RACING out. Bless her little heart, she had been feeling SO independant and then well, not so much.

I discovered as we turned BACK around, all three children firmly IN HAND, that there HAD been another kid sort of WITH me...but it was just a little girl that was the same approximate size as Beanie. At least I felt better that I wasn't losing my mind and technically we didn't LEAVE her...had she LOOKED out the door she could have seen me, but you know that sick feeling in the pit of your stomache when you think all is well and then realize that it's not...well she is still stickin' close to me today. S'okay, with me, my heart dropped a little, too.

Now that we were all together, I was able to gander through the shelves...and I did find a little gold...Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent by Bill Peet (we love Bill Peet) in hard back and My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara for a quarter each. WOO HOO. And for just a little more icing on that cake, I found out that my library is having it's BIG sale in a week or so...WOO HOO...I LOVE BOOKS! But I REALLY love CHEAP books.

Then off to Library B...where things went more smoothly with the staff, but where Bear decided that she had had ENOUGH and THEN decided that completely obnoxious was a personality she would try. When I said, "Okay, no books, we're going home", she melted down. Thankfully, I'd reserved some Strawberry Shortcake books for Monkey Face, so I didn't lose her, too.

But I've learned my lesson...this is what happens when you do a BIG library trip after lunch and it crosses that 1:00 pm hour. Now quiet time is NOT until 2:00 pm here...but apparently 1:00 has it's own special KIND of magic for little girls. Bean was just glad that they FINALLY fell asleep. :D

See ya around...