protection and relaxation

Simeon asked me today if I "betect" (protect) myself. I told him daddy does. Then he says to me, "I betect you too." How sweet is that??!! He also told me today that I was a good mom. I was nice, not mean. YES!! I tell you, that boy knows how to make a girls day! Should I be worried??

Brooklyn told me today that she had a great idea. "When we move back into the house, we should have a day of relaxation and watching TV." I think everybody is ready for some space and to NOT work all day long. I am ready for a MONTH of relaxation!! Do you think that will EVER happen??? A few more weeks.....that's all.......I can stand a few more weeks!!!

Brooklyn had a bit of a rough day today. She ran in to a few challenges. As we were talking she told me that it feels like she is in a maze and can't get out. Life is like that sometimes. We just gotta keep on going to find our way to the other side. I thought her analogy was a pretty good one, especially for a nine year old to come up with!

weekday love and house update

Here are some more pictures of the progress we have made on the house.

kitchen gutted


laundry room gutted


laundry room with new back door

new back door and siding

sheetrock in laundry room

repairing sheetrock in kitchen

the mess after we scraped off the popcorn ceiling

front room, newly textured and painted walls, starting to lay floor

kitchen (notice the brand new lights....Yeah!!)

new floor being laid in dining room

new floor in kitchen, new cabinets and appliances being configured

This is a conversation Sim and I had at the dinner table the other day.

S: On Thursday, I like Daddy.

Me: Really? What about Wednesday?

S: I like you and Daddy.

Me: What about Tuesday?

S: I like Rob and Colleen and Matt (friends of ours) and Genesis, Brooklyn, and Glory

Me: What about Monday?

S: I like Matt first.

So apparently, everyone has an assigned day for Simeon's love. Except Matt Smith gets two days........lucky!

Did you know that boys have an extra challenge when they are learning to pull up their underwear on their own? (this is what I hear almost every time Simeon goes potty by himself....."Mom! My penis!" He gets his underwear twisted and it falls out the leg hole. I laugh every time!)

Did you know that Simeon almost got his head chopped off twice, when we were configuring cabinet formations? ( OK, not really, but he was playing in a cabinet that was laying on its side and the door fell on his head. Then he was playing in the dishwasher and it tipped and landed on his head. Poor baby!!)

Did you know that Genesis overextended her knee and it has been bothering her for a week? ( It doesn't help the healing process, when she plays hard outside on the trampoline!

Did you know that I don't think I've gotten a full nights rest since we started fixing up the house?

OK, either I am really retarded or this posting program is messed up. It's not doing what I want it to do!!! ARGH!!!

success!!

So Simeon has been wearing (clean/dry) underwear for 3 days now. Only one accident when he didn't pull his pants down far enough and they got wet while going in the toilet. Yay!!! So great to have no more diapers! This, by far, has been the best potty training experience in my life! I think I finally learned how to potty train......you'd think it would take less time than 9 years to learn. But alas, I (apparently) am a slow learner. We went from a little boy who couldn't care less about going in the toilet and blatantly refused to go, to a little man who hops around when I am taking too long to help him, saying, "MOM! I'm gonna pee in my pants!" literally overnight. He even stayed dry throuout the night twice in the 3 nights he was in underwear. So, how did I do it, you ask? I waited until I was positive he could do it (he is 3 after all. I mean he's practically an old man now!), and I started telling him several weeks ago (maybe a month or two) every time I changed a diaper, that when we used up the diapers he had to start wearing underwear and going in the toilet. He hated this and always told me no. He even told me a few times that he wanted to be a baby. (I tried the "you-don't-want-to-be-a-baby-and-only-babies-wear-diapers" thing....didn't work for my stubborn child). So, when we used the last of the diapers (I have an unopened package of pull-ups.....anyone want them?) he went to underwear. The first day.....not so great! He went in his underwear every time. I think we went through every pair he has. I threatened time out and made him "pracitce" going in the toilet. Nothing worked. I began to despair and wonder why I even attempted to do this when we have so many other things going on! It brought back a horrible memory of small, sweet Genesis hiding under the table at my in-laws house because she was pooping her pants and me turning into the devil and screaming at her for doing it. Then being totally humiliated that everyone in the house heard my "mother-of-the-year" moment. Potty-training does not bring out the best in me. The second day, we got new treats and that worked like a charm. He got to pick them out and immediately wanted to go in the toilet when we got home and ever since. Thank you Winco for having gummy army men and jet fighters!!

My little man is growing up.....he's a big boy now! (sigh) Hallelujah!!!

Did you know the kids helped remove the old cabinets and flooring? (Genesis is a praying mantis, in case you couldn't tell.)

Did you know I wasn't watching my kids at the store and Simeon fell off some chairs he was playing on and smacked his head on a shopping cart? (Yep....mother of the year...right here!)

Did you know I read NieNie and cry almost every time?

Did you know Brooklyn likes to give massages?

tool in the Master's hand

It is a humbling experience when you find out you have been a tool in the Master's hand. That is the experience I had today. I couldn't do my grocery shopping this afternoon, because I was waiting around for a plumber. So I went after the kids were in bed. I planned on making several stops, one of them being Winco. The Winco kept getting pushed back for one reason or another. I finally made it, started my shopping and realized I needed to use the restroom. So I trucked all the way to the bathrooms and then started my shopping again. As I picked out apples, I noticed someone across the produce section that I knew. What are the chances this person would do her late night shopping on the same night and in the same section of the store as me??!! So I delicately called across the produce (ok, it wasn't really delicate.....more like "HEY! YOU!"). After a few yells, she finally looked over and made her way over to me. We started talking and I mentioned she looked tired, and then realized it was more like upset. So I asked her if she was ok. She said no, then proceeded to tell me about her struggles. In the midst of her story, she told me she didn't know who to talk to or if she should even talk to anyone. So as she walked into Winco, she prayed and asked Heavenly Father to send someone to talk to if she was indeed supposed to talk. Lo and behold.......I came a-yellin'! It was interesting for me to look back and see His hand in my evening so I would be there for her. Quite humbling and it made me realize that He is in control....which probably is best. I am glad I was there for her, and I hope her talking about it helped some. I cried on the way home for her and her family and in gratitude for God trusting me enough to help her out.

conundrum

Why is it that good for you stuff is more expensive than the bad for you stuff?? It makes no sense to me. If you have less processing and more natural ingredients, then it should be cheaper, right?! I don't get it!! It's a conspiracy.....a conspiracy, I say! I want to eat healthier, but it gets so expensive! Especially for a family of 6! I really wish we had the time and money for a garden this year. Unfortunately all of our resources are going to home-fixin' and by the time we are back in our house, the growing season will be already started. (sigh) I guess there is always next year. You can only do what you can do, right? I am ready for "real life" to start again. I'm tired of this "limbo life" we are living. I always thought the limbo was supposed to be fun! We are slowly progressing on our house(and I mean s-l-o-w-l-y). But here are some pics of the house shortly after the flood. :0) I will post progressing pictures and then an "after" picture. I know you want to see!



Did you know:
-that my 11 yr old is catching the eyes of some of the young men from our ward???? (How can that be?? She's just a baby!)
-that Brooklyn likes to wash her face "like an Indian" (cupping water with her hands and bringing it up to her face.....I'm not sure how/why she thinks this is how the Indians wash their faces.)
-that my sweet faced Glory has a potty mouth and likes to talk about bodily functions??
-that Simeon tried to throw a big rock today and it landed on his head? (Hmmm....sounds like his mom when she was younger.)
-that I am officially the Co-President for the Orting Partnership School PTTE?(I just thought I was busy before!)

ears

We have been dealing with ear problems for YEARS now. Genesis had her first ear infection when she was 2 and it has been an up hill battle ever since, with ear drum ruptures galore and hearing problems. She has had tubes in her ears several times and the last time her eardrum was so bad, they had to put a special tube in that was shaped funny. She has had every antibiotic known to man. She had her tonsils and adenoids (whatever those are) removed. She's had allergy testing and takes 2 kinds of allergy meds now.

Doctor's appointment yesterday......

The nurse giving the tympanogram(?) test had to redo it several times. I thought, "Oh great! Here we go again!" Then they took Genesis in one last time to do it again. Ugghh!! Then the doctor came in and looked at the results and looked in Genesis's ears and asked a few questions and then the most wonderful words ever heard in a doctor's office were spoken.......

"I don't need to see you again, unless there is a problem."

I heard heavenly choirs singing and "hallelujah's" at this moment!! Oh joy of joys!
Now if I can just remember to keep up with her allergy meds, so we don't have problems.....


Did you know that we have a sleepwalker? Her name begins with "G".
Did you know that I won free pies from Shari's for a year? I have 8 months left.
Did you know that we found a frog and the girls were excited, but Simeon was wary?

armadillos and pokemon

We were working on the house and Simeon walks over and says, "Mom! Look! Armadillos!" Armadillos??? I've never seen any armadillos in Washington.....or so I thought! I looked over and he had an old ball in his hand and on top of the ball were 2 roly-poly bugs (a.k.a. potato bugs). I guess they do sort of look like armadillos with their armor-like bodies. It made me laugh! HE IS SO DANG CUTE!!

And now you are treated to a music video

Did you know that my kids cleaned up the house, bathed and put themselves to bed while Matt and I worked late on the house?

Did you know that there is a bird that sings outside our window at 1am?

Did you know I messed up my ankles/heels playing bball?