Pine Cones to the Rescue

Yesterday was a bit challenging in more ways than one. Rhett and I were both in a terrible mood most of the day which resulted in much yelling, crying, complaining and grumpiness and not much patience, tolerance, kindness or even good old fashion family love. By early evening I was counting down the hours to bedtime when I could get some solace. As I was anticipating this time with a cup of hot tea, a good book and a roaring fire (it was pretty chilly out) I realized we were out of pine cones for the fireplace.

I bundled up the kids and we headed out to the streets on a pine cone hunt. Rhett and Emmie each had their own bag and I had my camera.

Is it just me or does my daughter look like a bag lady. In spite of a light sprinkle and fast approaching darkness we ended up finding more than enough pine cones for the hearth.

Although my plan on taking the kids out was more to accomplish having some quiet, cozy alone time later I learned changing scenery, getting fresh air and working on something creative together does miracles for sour attitudes. However no outing would be complete without at least one melt down. Apparently Emmie did not like the idea that she had to actually put pine cones in her bag, she preferred to keep hers empty with the exception of the one sock she tossed in it on the way out the door.

Maybe next time I won't need the motivation to get out and about and we'll do it just because...although my fire was very nice, as was my book and cup of tea too.

Rhett's World

I copied this idea from here, a blog I like to read regularly to be encouraged on the ups and downs of being a mom. So here is the world according to Rhett.

What are you good at doing? Playing with my animals.

If you had ten dollars, how would you spend it? What would I buy? yes A baby for you and dad to get pregnant.

What are you afraid of? Loud noises.

Who are your friends? Ethan

What is important to you? Jesus

What is your favorite book? I don't even know...the Mickey Mouse book that was daddy's when he was a little kid.

What is your favorite food? Probably manapua

What is your favorite thing about school? Eating

What is your favorite thing to do? Play with Emmie

How do you show your family you love them? Saying that I love them.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A cow

Why? Because I want to be an animal

What are you thankful for? Going to the zoo

Tell me something about God? Jesus

These were his responses word for word. Sounded pretty good until he said he wanted to be a cow when he grew up. And just to clarify no, I do not want to get pregnant or plan on doing so anytime in the future. At least I know now he will not need an allowance anytime soon.

An Anniversary Gift and a Healthy Dose of Self-Esteem

Today Rod and I celebrate 9 years of marriage. What a ride it has been. I would not want to do life with anyone else. Along with a sweet card and a very generous gift from my husband I also received another gift today.

Rhett came in my room awhile ago and gave me a picture and said, "this is for you and Daddy for your anniversary because I love you." Before I could say thank you he said, "I'm going to go make one for Ande and Nana now because I love them too." And then he said, "and then I'm going to make one for me because I love myself." I said, "ok Rhett, I'm glad you love yourself" and he replied, "I'm glad I love everyone else too."

Highs and Lows

update Weds. 7pm- Since this last post was written Emmie pooped in the tub once again and had quite a show at Target today....good thing the toy dept. was near the bathroom and I had plenty of wipes on hand. After returning home Rhett told me his stomach was hurting. I picked him up to give him a consoling hug and he threw up all over both of us. Oh well, at least he will hopefully get this out of his system before he starts school next Thurs. where catching new germs will be a weekly occurence. We will look forward to that.

Yesterday was one of those days. All day long I kept thinking of the depressing, complaining post I was going to write to vent to the blog world all of my misery yesterday. However this morning in a devotional I read the author always asks the reader to review the past day and our feelings, the highs and the lows. I usually reflect for a few minutes and move on. Today after doing this I realized that not only did I have some lows yesterday I also had some highs. I decided to write them down and post about that instead.

The Lows:
1. Rhett has a cough and a mild stomach thing going on
2. Emmie has a major stomach thing going on and needs a diaper changed every hour
3. I have something going on which includes nausea (no I'm not pregnant), fatigue (have not slept much in the past few nights), headache
4. Just as I was finally sitting down to have a quiet moment in front of a fan with a diet coke while the kids were in the tub Rhett screams, "MOM, Emmie pooped in the tub!" Maybe I should have known better than to put my stomach flu child in the tub. Regardless cleaning poop in the tub is one of my top five hardest things about motherhood.
5. Our house is being invaded by ants. Even as I type this I just caught one on my arm. Last night when I finally got to lay my very weary, pounding head down to rest I found scores of them traveling along the wall behind our bed. This morning they were traveling all along our sliding glass door. I HATE THEM.
6. And the one thing that makes all of the above that much worse....the HEAT. Enough Said.

The Highs
1. Yesterday morning having a great conversation with our friend from Chicago about parenting. He was giving me some really good tools on how I can be pro-active with my kids while they're home in helping them learn something in a fun way instead of just plopping them in front of the television.
2. Watching the kids play outside with the hose (after the bathtub incident)
3. Having dinner with my family last night at Macaroni Grill to celebrate my sister's birthday. If you get a chance pop over to her blog and wish her Happy Birthday for me.
4. Having a long chat with my mom last night so she could fill my husband in on her new beau.
5. The biggest high for me yesterday was after sleeping in different beds around my moms house the past few nights was laying in my own, comfy, fabulous bed with my husband next to me. There is no place like home, ants and all.

The Muppets Gone Bad

So a week ago my mom took Rhett to see Sesame Street Live. He loved the show but was confused afterwards when my mom said, "I wonder where Kermit and Miss Piggy were?" I cleared the air by enlightening my mom that she was confusing her furry, fuzzy, fictional characters and they were from the Muppets not Sesame Street. After learning there was a show out in the world with fuzzy, furry, fictional characters that Rhett had not seen yet he immediately asked if we could rent the movie soon so he could watch it. A few days later we checked out two muppet movies at the library and he has been watching them ever since.


Last week at the beach Kara suprised Rhett with a birthday present even though she was unable to come to his party since she is a GIRL and all and her only children old enough right now to enjoy a birthday party are GIRLS. If you know Rhett well you would know this is a perfect present for him.

please excuse the dirty table

I pictured hours of fun sucking up rolly polly's in the backyard. The first day we tried it we had immediate success. Two rolly polly's curled up in the vaccumn. Then came the dillema. Where do we put them. I told Rhett we could either put them back in the ground or he could do his usual bucket of dirt thing and watch the blazing sun slowly burn out the poor little fellas to their iminent death . And then I had this brilliant idea that now looking back I'm not sure was so brilliant. How about if we buy the habitat that goes along with the bug vacumn so we have a place to put the bugs he catches. We looked on line and it was affordable and pretty. We went to Target that night to purchase one since it's been a few weeks since his birthday and we still have not bought him anything so I was feeling a little guilty. To our surprise at the store the habitats were a little different from the ones on line. They were the new and improved 2 in 1 habitats. These habitats had a 2 to 4 inch plastic container in them to hold water in case we wanted to catch some small little froggies.

The next day when we opened it to begin building a home for all the rolly pollies and spiders Rhett was going to catch we thought it would be so much more fun if we filled the water parts with water. After looking at the empty water I asked Rhett if he wanted to get a little tadpole for the habitat that would later turn into a little frog. Of coarse he thought this was the greatest idea. I've seen tadpoles before in ponds, they're about the size of a needle. Seemed innocent enough. So later on during lunch Rhett told Ande and Nana about our plans to go buy a tadpole at the pet store after lunch. I had two dollars in my wallet which I thought would have more than covered it. I was even debating getting two of them in case one did not make it.
After lunch Rhett, Emmie, Nana, Ande and myself head to the aquarium to pick up our tadpole. The man shows me the tank in the store where they're at. My first glance at them and I thought they seemed on the large side but what do I know about tadpoles. This is where I really wish I could go back in time and hit myself and say, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" The man tells us there Bullfrog tadpoles. Now to those of you who actually know something about amphibians know where this story is going. I of coarse was clueless with the only knowledge of Bullfrog being the sunblock. I just thought ok whatever just another tadpole. As we were walking to the cashier I ask Rhett what he is going to name his tadpole soon to be frog? He says, "Kermit." Well that makes sense. After buying Kermit which by the way two dollars hardly covered him and food so I had to borrow money from my sister to buy a tadole I asked the clerk how big the frog will become. This is where our sweet, happy story becomes my nightmare. Since I can't show you with my hands like he did please click here to see our sweet Kermit anywhere from one month to 14 months from now.

On the way home Rhett tells me while he is a tadpole his name will be "Kermit the Greatest Tad" and after he becomes a frog his name will be "Kermit the Greatest Frog." He also asked me if he could do everything with Kermit and if Kermit could become part of our family. Meanwhile I'm trying to devise a plan in my head how to get rid of this thing. Kermit is now trying to swim in his teeny tiny 2-4 inch plastic case of water while watching the Muppets with Rhett. Something tells me when this is all said and done I'll never think of the Muppets the same again.

Here is a picture of Kermit swimming in his new habitat. That is here is a picture of of 3 inch tadpole swimming in about 3 inches of water soon to become a 8 inch frog swimming in 3 inches of water. If you know of anyone who would like a very large frog someday and might have a "normal, tiny" tadpole to trade for it please, please I beg you please help a mommy out. We just don't do large frogs around here.

Climbing, Cupcakes and More Climbing

My mind cannot think of anything very interesting to share with you other than the recent happenings of my 14 month old. For the past few weeks I've noticed my daughter is really turning into quite the climber. Now those of you with your own children may not be impressed with her new abilities however keep in mind my only previous experience with a 1 year old was almost 3 years ago and he was not a climber. He still does not prefer the activity very much and only after deep thought weighing all of the pros and cons. We are at the stage now where there is NO SAFE place for her to be. If there is something to climb on she will find it and probably soon fall off of it.

One day after noticing she had strutted out of the room (E does not walk she struts) I went to look for her. She still has this thing for splashing her hands in the toilet water so I went to the bathroom to make sure the door was shut. My fear was confirmed when I saw the open door and heard a little someone inside. To my surprise she was not playing in the toilet but doing this instead.



Thats R step stool we use to brush his teeth. When I found her she was facing the mirror with the his toothbrush in her mouth. She stopped here to pose for the camera. Since taking this picture she has already fallen off of this stool twice.

We bought E a Disney toddler bike for Christmas. She loves getting on it and pushing the buttons but has not figured out how to move it forward with her legs. She sits there and acts really frustrated like she knows there has got to be more to this thing than this. I think she has decided the whole sitting thing is overrated because now all she wants to do is stand on the thing. Today she pushed it over to this table so she could climb up and play with the candle.


I know you're thinking I'm exaggerating on the climbing thing. What's the big deal about standing on her bike or a step stool? I would tend to agree if it were not for her daily climb on to the kitchen counter top. No matter what is up there she decides at least 5 times a day she has to have it and climbs up via R arts and crafts table. The funny thing is she never does this when I'm watching. I'm so proud to say she has my sneaky DNA in her.

As nerve wracking as all of this is I can't help but enjoy it at the same time. This girl has a quirky charm to her. Every morning without fail while I'm trying to have a quiet time she struts into the room to disrupt my thoughts. My first reaction is "for crying out loud can I just have one moment to myself PLEASE." But within seconds of watching her I cannot help but laugh at whatever comical thing she is doing or expression on her face. She actually serves as a great relief to whatever may be heavy on my heart in that moment. I'm noticing a trend in my journaling of thanking God for my spunky interruption.

In case I look like a mom who plays favorites here I thought I would include a picuture of my handsome hooligan as well. We made cupcakes tonight to bring to pre-school tomorrow for his birthday. His birthday is not until the 17th but this is the last week of school so he gets to celebrate with his class early. His job was putting the sprinkles on.

While I was watching R decorate the cupcakes in the dining room little did I know the little rascal was busy in the kitchen with the second batch.

Feel free to double click on this picture and look at Ms. Tippytoes. One thing I forgot to mention about E that she enjoys doing even more than climbing......

EATING

Pure sweetness!!

My Trip To Palm Springs as Becky P. Would Tell It

Throwing up all night and feeling like I'm going to die and then driving for two hours with those feelings- $1,000,000

Baby throwing up all over car seat and clothes while we're out in the middle of nowhere- $500,000

A very tired, grumpy three year old throwing a fit not wanting to go to pre-school this morning-
$5,000

Trying to muster the energy to unpack, do laundry, clean out car and grocery shop-
$1,000

Seeing the looks on our kids faces as they ran freely through our hotel suite and played in the pool for the umpteenth time when they should have been in bed- PRICELESS

A Beautiful Day

This morning I was reading the Journey Up devotional on a love that lasts. The writer asks if we feel loved and goes on to say our doubt may be caused by accusations from without and condemnation from within. This is so true. I so often live my life controlled by my own self condemnation rather than resting in the security of Gods love. I think when we truly find this love is when we find real joy.

After thinking about this I took a moment to thank God for loving me no matter what. I thanked him for loving me even if I don't get all my housework done. I thanked him for loving me even if I don't always have the right words to say. I thanked him for loving me when I lose patience with my kids. I thanked him for loving me even if I never find my niche in this world. In that moment I found that Gods love is surprising, unconditional and joy filled.

I really wanted to hold on to the joy I was feeling through out the day and I just could not see that happening while staying home cleaning my house. Besides I just thanked God for loving me regardless of a clean house. I decided to take in his beautiful creation and go play with the kids. I'm so glad I did.

A few minutes into our car ride on the way to Balboa Park Rhett requested we hear Steve on the Journey Up cd. I put on track number one where Steve starts the song by saying "c'mon and put your hands together." In unison Rhett, Ethan and even Emmie start clapping their hands. I would have taken a picture if we were not on the freeway. During the chorus as if they were instructed Rhett and Ethan yelled "I'M FREE!" I'm sure it helps that one of these boys has been listening to his dad sing these songs 24/7 for over a month and the other boy has listened to these songs in the car non-stop for the past few weeks. Regardless it was a beautiful moment that filled me with joy. Looking back now I realize this kind of moment is so common with children. Children are so full of joy and life if we would just take the time to recognize it. Here are some fun pictures from our trip.

GOOD TIMES
THE HAT GAME

THUMB SUCKERS UNITE

LUNCH TIME

I LOVE MY FOOD

c
"MY NEW SHOES MAKE ME RUN FAST."- ETHAN DENISON

A WISE MOM ONCE TOLD ME "WEAR THEM OUT BEFORE THEY WEAR YOU OUT."

PERPLEXED PERHAPS

I LOVE THE OLD BUILDINGS AT THE PARK

ANDE TOOK A BREAK FROM WORK TO SAY HI

VERY COOL DRAGON TO PLAY ON

PROTECTIVE OLDER BROTHER

EMMIE WOULD NOT LET GO OF THAT CORN DOG IF HER LIFE DEPENDED ON IT.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY!

Ovaltine

Rhett walks into the room drinking out of one of the new sippy cups we bought at Costco yesterday.

R: "Mom, I made some Ovaltine"

Mom: "Ok, did you put the lid on?"

R: "No, but Emmie has it so she can do that."

M: "WHAT???" Running into the kitchen.........

DON'T JUDGE ME

This morning I was trying to get things together to get everybody out of the house. Emmie was being needy and wanting to be held constantly and Rod was not home. I decided to give in and let Emersen sit in the middle of the kitchen floor with my wallet. Before you judge me you try to brush your hair, brush your teeth, argue with a 3 yr. old about what he is going to wear and help him get dressed and put on his shoes and make sure he goes potty, pack enough supplies for a baby with stomach issues and pack the car with one hand. Don't worry I'm not a complete moron, I made sure Emmie was not interested in putting pennies in her mouth. I didn't take the time to remove the pennies but we had a pack she was not going to eat any. She was doing great, I was getting my stuff done and not losing my sanity.




The funny thing with kids is how they like to trick you. Just when you think you have a handle on things you turn around and realize there's always something else to prove you have no control. Or in this case just when I think Emmie is not in danger with the pennies I turn around to find she has moved on to a major appliance 2 ft away holding a very sharp cutting device.

It's a good thing I asked you not to judge me in the beginning of this story since I just showed you a picture of my 1 year old with three sharp knives at her feet.

Happy Birthday Emersen Kate

Emersen,

Happy Birthday baby girl!! One year ago today I got to meet you for the first time. The entire day was one huge blessing for me from beginning to end.

One year later you're still melting my heart each time you look at me. You're much bigger now and trying to walk all over the place. You love books, dolls, balls or whatever your brother is playing with. So far I think you enjoy this world the most by getting lots of hugs and kisses or having dessert for dinner.
Enjoy your day!
I love you,
Mommy

Dear Lord,
Thank you for using me to bring this sweet, sweet thing into the world. Thank you for the blessing of this child. Of all the people in the world I get to be her mommy. Thank you for trusting me with this responsibility. Help me to get better at it everyday. As she continues to grow please protect her from any harm or illness. I pray she would never lose her sweet disposition. Help her to be kind, tenderhearted, humble and quick to forgive. Clothe her Lord with strength and honor. I pray someday she would come to have a clear understanding of who you created her to be. Thank you for the plan you have for her life. I pray she would always feel loved and accepted and find her idenity in you. Bless her with close godly friends and role models. I pray someday you would provide the perfect husband for her and she would have the discernment to know he was hand picked from you. Thank you for this stage of her life she is in constantly learning new things and delighting in them. I pray she would always have a hunger in her for learning and growing and changing the world for the better. May she have her daddy's enthusiasm and her mommy's compassion. I pray your joy would remain in her and it would be full. I pray she would learn to trust you with all her heart and lean not on her own understanding. I pray above all else she would have a relationship with you that is more important to her than anything and all her own. Thank you for your deep love for her. Thank you again for letting me love her.
Doing the best I can by your grace,
Tara

Everybody Was Happy

Tonight for dinner we had quesadillas. I know this may not seem like ground breaking, blog worthy news but neither is my childrens poop patterns. Since Rhett is in a rather defiant mood these days I tricked him into thinking quesadillas was his idea because he picked out the olives in the grocery store yesterday and I would let him assemble his own as long as I cooked it. This worked for a short period of time until he learned that his mama was not going to let him just eat two tortillas with nothing but olives in it. He finally relented and added some cheese to his olive quesadilla. Rod's quesadilla had meat, olives and cheese. Mine had meat, cheese, olives, refried beans and garnished with lettuce, tomatoes and peach and mango salsa. Not only was mine the best tasting but it had the best presentation as well. Emmie could care less what hers contained and was just hoping she would get fed for crying out loud. It was not the healthiest dinner, actually mine kind of reminded me of Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza but at least everyone was happy!

Calgon Take Me Away

As I mentioned previously I'm still adjusting to the time change. Rhett had to go to pre-school today so we had to force ourselves out of bed at a decent hour regardless of our lack of sleep last night. I think Rhett must have conspired today to be "drive mommy crazy and want the opposite of anything she offers day."

This morning for breakfast I offered scrambled eggs, toast or yogurt. He requested pop tarts.

At pre-school his teacher reminded us this Sunday the school is singing in their church. He cried and cried saying he wanted to go to OUR church this Sunday. This is the same child that normally needs to be bribed with SunnyD from the cafe in order to actually get him to go to OUR church.

After pre-school I packed a great picnic lunch for the park. He cried to go to Target to buy a lunchable.

On the way to the park I told him just the two of us were going thinking he would enjoy the quality time one on one with me without his sister. He said he wanted his friends there. I told him Maddie and Ethan would be there. He said he wanted Marissa there.

The first hour at the park he fussed about wanting to go home. When it was time to go home he wanted to stay.

On the way home I told him we could make milkshakes at home. He started crying for a Jamba juice.

When it was time to go to Costco he wanted to stay home and play. On the way home from Costco he didn't want to go home.

I made spaghetti with homemade sauce for dinner. He wanted Chef Boyardee.

I stepped out of the kitchen for 5 minutes to change Emmie's diaper. I returned to Rhett standing on his chair pushing the ice maker in the freezer so ice would come out and spill all over the floor. When I asked him what he was doing he replied, "I'm making Iceland." I told him we can't have Iceland in our house and he said there is Iceland at Nana's house. I wanted to say, "good then, let me pack your bag for you so you can go there and stay at Iceland for a very long time" but I refrained.

To top it off I have a toothache, a cold and my husband is moping around the house because Duke lost in the first round in the NCAA tournament.

CALGON TAKE ME AWAY!!

The Lactating Days are Over

Kara has inspired me to do my own top 10 but I'm afraid she won't be very encouraged by my list as she enters this upcoming season of life. Don't worry Kara it's not that bad, in fact I cannot even think of 10 things so I'm only going to go for 5.

In the past few days I've been working on weaning Emersen from the whole nursing thing. She has been a trooper and still as delightful as ever but I know it's taking its toll. When it was time to wean Rhett it was no big deal because around 11 or 12 months he just lost interest. Emmie on the other hand is such a cuddle bug that I think if she had her way she would carry on until 2 or 3 or kindergarten.

So here it is,

TOP 5 REASONS I'M EVER SO GLAD TO STOP NURSING

5. I don't have to worry about getting mastitis therefore I don't have to walk around with hot wash cloths on my right boob. I also will not miss the fever, chills, body aches and 30$ co-pay to the doctor in addition to 15$ co-pay for antibiotics.

4. I don't have to think twice about having a babysitter at anytime of the day or night. Rod and I already have movie plans tomorrow night and it took me 1/2 of a second to agree to go.

3. I'm not planning on getting drunk anytime soon but at least I could if I wanted to. Whether it be anesthesia so I can have my wisdom teeth pulled or a margarita, after 9 months of pregnancy and 11 months of nursing it's so nice to have my body back!

2. Las Vegas celebrating Steve's birthday with close friends, no children for 3 days. Enough said!

1. Just another reminder how much I love this girl. This may sound lika a contradiction but one of the reasons I'm glad to stop nursing is that I'm going to miss it. I'm noticing a trend with my second child as opposed to my first one. With Rhett every development or milestone was long awaited and celebrated no looking back. With Emersen each one is so bittersweet. While waking up at 2 am, 4 am or 6 am to nurse her I seldom gazed down at her and thought about how much I love this child and I love these special moments I have with her. What I did think about was getting it over with as soon as possible so I could go back to my warm bed to sleep for a few more hours before she wakes me up again. However now that these moments are almost over I can appreciate them for what they are and realize although sleep deprived they go by so fast and in my case probably never to return.

Oh and one more to add without assigning a number because a top 6 list just does not sound as good.

Since I pride myself on my ability to lift up my shirt and discreetly stick her on them I tend to not hold back when and where I choose to nurse. So lastly I'm glad I will not have to endure anymore stares from shoppers at the mall, ushers at church or young children coming up to me asking questions and wanting to touch.

Emersen's Trifecta

We just got back from the doctor. Emmie has the stomach flu, an ear infection and a diaper rash.

She's on antibiotics so hopefully we're on the road to recovery.

Oh by the way guess what a side affect of her medicine is.....yep you guessed it the big doo doo. Good because we needed some more of that around here.

On a funny note while in the pharmacy waiting for the medicine I was talking on the phone and Emmie was crying non-stop. It didn't phase me much but apparently by the stares from the other customers we were a bit disturbing. Instead of waiting the usual twenty minutes after about eight minutes of her screaming one of the workers personally walked up to me and said, "Mrs. Kaya your prescription is ready you can pick it up right now at that window." My name never even came up on the screen. The moral of this story is if you need to pick up a prescription and you're in a hurry just bring a screaming child along with you.

Attention Huggie Designers

Saturday morning when I went in Emersen's room to say good morning I was greeted with a serious stench. I proceeded to change her diaper and realized this was a heavy duty, spill out of the diaper, soft, mushy, stinky mess. Her sleeper pj's, regular pj's and onsie (it gets cold in our house) were all stained a mustard yellow. I cleaned her up and changed her into a very cute pink outfit and even brushed her hair and finished it off with a pink bow. I was actually glad to have her already to go so we could do something fun together while Rod took Rhett to "He and Me Day" at pre-school. My only concern was keeping her clean through breakfast. Famous last thought.

She stayed clean through breakfast but had another similar explosion soon after that. I started thinking maybe she had a little stomach bug because her dirty diapers usually stay contained within her diaper and don't occur twice in one hour. After changing her diaper and outfit a second time she was ready for a nap at 9:30 am. This girl never falls asleep before 11am. Needless to say we stayed home so she could take a long nap and upon waking she reguritated her breakfast all over my sweatshirt. Yes it was confirmed she definitely had something. Later that evening I knew she was exhausted and going to crash early and Rhett was healthy so we went over to a friends house to watch a movie. Upon leaving their house Rhett threw up his brownie and pie all over their dining room floor. My main thoughts were not of compassion for my sick children but more dissapointment that I was going to miss the Bono interview at church the next day.

With the exception of many trips to the bathroom, Emmie screaming everytime I applied Desitin to her diaper rash and the Bears losing the Superbowl Sunday was a pretty easy day. Although I hate to see Rhett sick he is much easier to take care of this way. The only thing he wanted to do on Sunday was nap, read books and drink water. No messes (except for Emmie's diaper) to clean or food to cook. Lot's of snuggling and reading and learning the ins and outs of excessive evacuation of watery feces.

Monday morning Rhett woke up at 5:45 am starving for a piece of toast. He went back to sleep and Emersen woke up grumpy an hour later. At least her room smelled good. After consoling her for an hour or so I got her back to sleep and was about to lay back down myself when I heard Rhett rambling on and on in my bed to Rod. Apparently he was feeling better and felt the need to talk about anything and everything. This was the conversation on the first trip to the toilet of the day.

R: "mom I'm feeling better"
me: "I'm so glad, I don't like it when you're sick"
(meanwhile the evacuation process was well underway)
R: "diarrhea on the toilet is not fun, poop and pee on the toilet is fun but not diarrhea"
me: "uh huh"
R: laughing he says: "yesterday I had diarrhea on the floor and in a bowl (he actually confused the second part with vomit) and the toilet"
me: "let's try and keep it in the toilet today"
R: "I'm feeling better but Nana can still buy me an animal"
of coarse as soon as my mom heard they were sick she was on the phone with Rhett taking requests as to what would make him feel better

That was the only conversation around the toilet we had today but it was the first of many, many trips to the toilet. Basically my day today has been spent rushing Rhett to the toilet, changing Emmie's diaper thus all layers of clothing, bathing both children, feeding them, washing all the mustard clothes, drying all the mustard clothes, and doing it over and over again. At one point I was starting to change Emmie's diaper and after seeing the horror of it I yelled for Rod to help me and meet me in the bathtub because some things are way too horrific to try and clean on carpet. Rhett comes running in the bathroom saying "I want to watch, this is going to be a good show?" And yes indeed it was.

So day three of our toxic elimination is over and I'm hoping the vastness of it all goes down a least a smudge tomorrow. Tonight I'm going to bed thinking about a new invention for Huggies. Someone needs to make a diaper that rides way above the belly button and maybe even down the thighs like those bathing suits people wore in the 1930's. Sure people would only buy them when their babies were sick but maybe it could have that material that doesn't puff up in water and double as a bathing suit.

If anyone know's someone from the diaper busniess let me know, I'm off to enjoy some food and more importantly some fresh air.

Jesus Trumps Bedtime

Whenever Rod puts Rhett to bed they usually lay in bed and talk for a few minutes or longer on a variety of topics. Unfortunately for me this usually ends in frustration of Rhett falling asleep later than I would like. I've spoken to Rod about this and he feels like this is quality bonding time for the two of them. I simply told him he will need to start his bedtime bonding earlier then. It hasn't been much of a problem lately and Rhett has been falling asleep anywhere between 8 and 8:30pm.

This evening Rhett fell asleep on the way home around 5:30 or so. I knew this would create a problem with his regular bedtime and he has pre-school tomorrow but I decided to remain optimistic. So much for that. Rhett and Emmie did not even get in their bath until 8:00 or later. After taking a bath, getting on pj's, brushing teeth and reading a very, very long story about the tooth fairy (Kara, you should check it out) Rhett did not get to lights out until 9:00 or later and really was not even tired at that point. Rod layed down with him while I put Emersen to bed. I started my after kids are in bed chores like putting the rest of the toys away and wiping down the table and highchair. A decent amount of time had gone by and I realized not only was Rod still in his bedroom but I heard voices.

At this point in a matter of 5 seconds I started marching down the hall towards the bedroom already fuming with thoughts like "why does Rhett only have one sensible parent" and "does that man care at all about the well being of our children???" Just before I entered the room to put the kabosh on the late night chat I hear Rod say, "Jesus loves you very much and died for you." I stop in my tracks and decide to hold back and listen to the conversation for a moment.

Rod: "Jesus died for us Rhett."
Rhett: "Yes and Maddie is going to the park too."
Rod: "Do you know Jesus loves you Rhett."
Rhett: "yes. Jesus DIED!"
Rod: "yes Jesus died for us for all the wrong things we've done and do because he loves us."
Rhett: "Jesus DIED." "Jesus is Gods brother."
Rod: "No God is Jesus heavenly Father but Jesus is God. Just like when you pray Jesus, Lord."
Rhett: "Jesus is in heaven?"
Rod: "Yes he is in heaven and his spirit is here on earth."
Rhett: "Kurt is in heaven."
side note: This surprised Rod because Rhett has never referred to my dad before as Kurt only grandpa.
Rod: "What did you say?"
Rhett: "Kurt is in heaven."
Rod: "Yes he is, who told you that?"
Rhett: "nobody"
Rod: "did Nana tell you that?"
Rhett: "no"
Rod: "how do you know?"
Rhett: "because I see lots of pictures of him but he's not here."

Turns out my husband does care about the well being of our children. I realized although theology is a little tough for a 3 yr. old to grasp there is a truth that even my son seems to embrace...... "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
Ecclesiastes 3:11

Mother of the Year.....

Ummm no but closer than yesterday. I'm not sure my point in writing this other than I feel like I fall short in being a mom 364 days a year so on this rare occasion that I feel good about my role I feel the need to document it.

Everyone woke up this morning in good spirits (a miracle in itself) and enjoyed a nice, healthy bowl of oatmeal. I took my kids to the zoo and let them linger as much as they wanted not rushing them once. I take that back. There was a moment in the handicap stall in the restroom when Emersen was in the bjorn and Rhett and Ethan were leisurly taking their time to undress, pee, take turns flushing the toilet 5 times when only 1 time was needed and getting dressed again. Judge me if you want but had I not rushed them out of there they could have both walked away with something much worse than the common cold. After everyone except Emmie had lots of exercise and stopping by our favorite yogurt shop we went home to play. We had more oatmeal as a snack and then Rhett and I made brownies together. We sat down as a family at a reasonable hour, prayed together and ate a well balanced meal. Rhett and Emmie had a homemade dessert (brownies) and then took a bubble bath together. Rod and Rhett watched one episode of Dragon Tales and read a story while I put Emersen to bed at 7:15 pm. Rhett was asleep by 8:15pm.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY!

In case there is still someone thinking there was no point in me writing this I'll post this picture.

This picture has absolutely no connection to any part of my day today. However it is proof that my kids are happy, loved and pretty cute. Isn't that enough merit for mother of the year?

Sniffles and Shambles

Emersen is officially feeling better.

As I mentioned in a previous post she has had a terrible cold for the past few weeks. This resulted in a very fussy little girl who had to be held ALL the time. This also resulted in lots of quality time with my new best friend, the BULB SYRINGE.

By looking at her runny nose you might think she is still sick but by looking at my house you would know she is all better. While I was in the bedroom on the phone for all of fifteen minutes she had managed to pull out several books from the bookcase and even more cd's from the cd case in the living room. In the kitchen she had about fifty plastic forks and spoons on the floor along with a few pots and pans. In the play/family room she had a tub of Rhett's plastic toys pulled off the shelf spread on the floor along with two puzzles. This girl can do some damage.

Looking at the mess was kind of bittersweet. Well actually it was just plain bitter. No I take that back, the sweet part is that she is feeling well enough to ransack our house. I realized after picking up plastic silverware from the kitchen floor for the third time that my single child messy moments are over. They just doubled into a greater mess and the first messy child is in no position to relinquish his talents. If I had known life was just going to get messier maybe I would have saved myself some stress back when I could. I can only imagine what things will look like when she starts walking. If anyone reading this has two or more children older than mine and any advice for me I would greatly appreciate it.

My other observation was simply that my baby is growing up too fast for my liking. Rod and I are very happy with two children so unless something out of my control happens I'm not planning on having anymore children. I don't delight much in getting up every other hour in the middle of the night or having to nurse so often that I cannot stay away for longer than two hours. More recently I have even grown tired of having to hold my almost 10 month old all the time. So no matter how nice it is to be free from those stages I can't help but be sad at the reality of not having a baby anymore. It doesn't help the fact that Emersen usually grows out of her clothes before I even bring them home from the store. What's more depressing than your youngest child on a rapid journey towards "toddler" sizes at the Gap rather than "infant" sizes. I know little girl clothes are cute as well but it's just not the same. Kara- Please have a little girl so I can keep shopping in this department.

As predicted now that Emersen is feeling better Rhett is acting more sick. He has been tired and not eating well. I guess their rotating. This could actually work out well for me. Maybe I'll only have to wory about one child making a mess after all. At least during flu season.

A Park Trip With a Twist

We've been going to the park every Tuesday since Rhett was born. It gives Rhett a chance to play with his friends and be outside and it gives me a chance to talk to my friends and be outside. Usually we stay from about 11-2 and have a picnic lunch. I think Lauren posted a picture awhile back of the park crew.

This past Tuesday we debated not going due to the cloudy weather and light rain. My friend and I decided to bring warm clothes and go anyways. It turned out to be a perfect day for the park. It was not too cold and not too hot, just right. Some of my ususal park friends were not there but I did get to spend some time with some new friends that I have met through my park friends. Ande even made an appearance which thrilled Rhett and Emersen. One of the reasons why we leave at 2 is because my friend has to leave to pick up her daughter from school. That and 3 hrs. is generally a long enough period of time to be outside swinging, sliding and throwing sand. However this time we actually stayed longer because I ended up watching my friends kids while she was at a parent teacher conference.

It was one of those days where you just want time to stop so you can relax, enjoy the moment and not think about all the things you should be doing instead of sitting at the park doing nothing. The kids were playing well together coming up with one imaginary game after another. Emmie seemed content going from eating to sleeping to eating to sleeping. I enjoyed actually having a conversation with my friend without time limits or little ones constantly interrupting. When I first looked at my cell phone it was 3, then 4, then 5. Realizing it was going to start getting dark soon we decided to call it a day.

We were packing up our cars making plans to go to Starbucks for an early evening drink and trying to conspire how we could pick up some take out on the way home. Why ruin a perfectly great day by having to cook. Emmie was getting a little fussy so I let her hold my keys while we walked from the park to the car. As I buckled her in her seat she still had my keys. I buckled Rhett in his seat and shut the car doors. My friend and I talked a few more minutes about sharing a coupon for pizza and then it was time to hit the road. Now enter one of my biggest parental faux pas known since having children three years ago. When I went to open my car door it was locked. Yep my kids were locked in my car. Emersen who was still chewing on my keys (a problem all it's own) must have bit down on the lock button. All windows were up and there was no getting in.

I stared in the window and Emmie was already crying at this point. While my friend called AAA I tried to persuade my son to take off his harnass and seatbelt and unlock the door. He just sat there staring at me like I was crazy. Then he decided to take his gum out of his mouth and play with it while his mom was having a nervous breakdown outside of the car. AAA acted very concerned and said I should just break the window if the children are that upset. Unless seeing how far gum will stretch between your hands is a sign of being realy scared I figured I was ok for a few more minutes. My ever so happy with me husband was on his way with a spare key as well as AAA and the CHP. It was just waiting to see who would arrive first. I was hoping it would be the CHP. That way my friends kids could have some excitement since they were just sitting patiently waiting in their unlocked car while we worked on this dillema. I also thought if the CHP could beat Rod there I could at least take the gum out of Rhett's mouth. There was no escaping locking our kids in the car but he didn't have to know I also gave our son gum which is usually forbidden.

Rod ended up being the first one there and didn't even notice the gum. By this point both kids were asleep and neighbors from down the street who also go to our church had joined the watch. We made it home safe and sound. We still ended up having pizza for dinner and Rod was pretty gracious in sparing me the "don't lock our kids in the car lecture". All in all even with a significant blunder it was a pretty darn good day.