"hanitizer"

Sometimes it's just too hard to say hand sanitizer.

Did you know you can bathe in it?

bonkers

 Haley has shortened days this week because of parent/teacher conferences, so we went to Wendy's for lunch.  I got my phone out to take a picture and when I looked up to tell them I was taking the pic, this is what Q was doing.  She is going to drive me completely BoNkErS!!  I don't really care that she likes to make french fry mustaches, however, I do care that when I am vacuuming one area of the house she is reorganizing another part I have already cleaned.  The following is what I found...

 Elmo actually joined us for dinner.  I was told to be quiet because her baby was sleeping.

 Olivia taking a nap (with her eyes open, always) with a burpee on the chair in my bedroom.

 It gets better.  

Breakables that were given to us moved to the ottoman.  

Toy car under the ottoman.

Thanks, Quinny!

 A barnyard on my bed with a juggling stick.

 I do not understand the obsession with the poufs, but she takes them out of every bathroom and  usually puts them in my bathroom cupboard.  Not this time.  This time she put them on the nightstand.  Way to go, Addi-Q!!

And the Pièce de résistance.

This one freaked me out a little.  Surprise!  Stuffed animals in the bathtub!  I wasn't expecting this, and I guess I was a little jumpy, because when I saw these I was startled.

I may go insane today.

It is possible.

thomas sleeping patterns, part tres.

Robyn was out!!

She slept through Quinny yelling - a lot.

She slept through kids running around her.

She slept through dinner.

She almost slept through family night, but she couldn't sleep through parents yelling wake up.

It looks like the ipad took a nap with her.

Her cold knocked her o-u-t!

sun

The Sun with loving light

Makes bright for me each day,

The soul with spirit power

Gives strength unto my limbs,

In sunlight shining clear

I revere, Oh God,

The strength of humankind,

Which Thou so graciously

Has planted in my soul,

That I with all my might,

May love to work and learn.

From Thee stream light and strength

To Thee rise love and thanks.

-Rudolf Steiner-

mon - barf, tues - sick day,wed - ok, thurs - more barf, fri - ok (fingers crossed)

I had one of those moments this week when I was picking up Haley from school.  Haley's school is very small and we all line up in our cars to pick up our kids.  One of the teachers was making her way down the line of  cars.  I saw her coming my way - closer, closer, closer.  Please don't be for me, please don't be for me I kept thinking.  She stopped right at my window to inform me that Haley was in the bathroom barfing.  I think her exact words were, "I saw Haley, and thought OH, S&$#!  Then she went in the bathroom and starting puking!"  

Super.

I took her home.

She slept the rest of the afternoon.

And the next day.

Went to school the next day.

She was fine.

Then the next day (Thursday) I got a call around 1:00pm.  

Haley is in the bathroom again hunched over the garbage can.

Again, really?

She seems to be fine today.

We'll see.

My fingers are crossed for a good day!

cross country, across the state

Haley ran in her first cross country meet this weekend.  I am so proud of her for joining the team!  It's hot out there, and she did a  really good job!

Since Haley had her meet on Saturday morning, she and I had to go a day late to the Thomas family reunion.  I missed the turnoff for the camp and ended up at the lake.  

The view was beautiful.  

Sometimes wrong turns can turn out right....

zoo

Shelle and I have been trying to clear our schedules so we can take the kids somewhere on Friday mornings.  This past Friday was the zoo.  The Phoenix zoo has a great splash pad.  Q loved it!  She also loved the carousel.  Both girls pooped out by the time we got to Chick-fil-A for lunch - fussy, fussy, fussy!

keeping tally

Maybe she got tired.

'Cause I'm

IIII IIII IIII IIII IIII IIII IIII III naw.

And Grandpa, 

you're

IIII IIII IIII IIII IIII IIII IIII IIII IIII IIII IIII IIII IIII IIII IIII III naw.

let's not call it a new low...

...let's call it being creative in the kitchen so your kid will eat.

 Q and I were reading an "Olivia" book right around lunch time today when we came across this line in the the book - "I'll make the peanut-butter-and-chocolate sandwiches," Ian offered excitedly."  Quinn immediately stopped the story to inform me (excitedly) that she, too, would like to make a peanut-butter-and-chocolate sandwich.  After thinking about it for about a half of a nanosecond, I said sure thing, coming right up.  Who am I to deny anyone chocolate?  I reluctantly admit that it is one of my main food groups.  I really hate it when women chorus out in some weird sisterhood how much they love chocolate, but I am here to say, I eat it everyday in one form or another.  It is embarrassing and true.  Sadly, it looks like I am raising a kid to love it as well.

What we did/didn't expect from our TV installation process.

1.  We did expect them to come between 1pm and 6pm.

2.  We didn't expect them to come as late as 5pm.  Stupid us.  They said as late as 6pm - duh!

3.  We DID NOT expect them to say it would take a "quick three hours".  That's right.  He said three hours.

4.  We really did not expect them to stay until 12:30AM!!  That's 7 1/2 hours folks!

5.  We did expect them to need access to various parts of the house.

6.  We did not expect them to need two different entry points to the attic.

7.  We did not expect them to be so quiet at times that one of us may have unknowingly walked into one of the rooms they were occupying, and maybe let out a fart and then realizing they were not alone hightailed it out of there.  (Tooter's name is mercifully being withheld.)

8.  I did not expect to get so tired that I left Robert to deal with the workers.  I went to sleep with Haley in her bed.

9.  And lastly, the least expected thing of all, one of them making their own entry point to the attic with their foot.  Thanks, guys!  I really wanted to get to the attic from my bed in my room.  Now all I need is a rope.

 This is insulation, even though it kinda looks like barf.

This is what we get to look at as we go to bed at night.  Oh, or I guess we could watch the TV now.  It's all hooked up!!

cookies

Baking cookies with Grammy.

Smiles don't get bigger.

lucky penny

While looking through some pictures of Robyn and Allison the other day, we discovered there were some people in the background.  Since Robyn took about a million pics, give or take, the background people would pop in and out like fun little characters.  In a few of them I wasn't quite sure who was there until we came across one and I said, "Hey look it's you, Shelle!  There's your 'lucky penny'!"

To Shelle's chagrin, we have always referred to her little round friend as where the angel kissed her.

We have now dubbed it The Lucky Penny.

It's always nice to constantly have a little luck with you!!

Maybe it's like a little Buddha and we can rub it....

addi q.

the other night, addi asked me if she could sleep in my bed.  I told her she could.  we ended up going to sleep super late. needless to say, she got a little crazy...

 and then she fell asleep and took up almost the whole bed with her 30 pound self...

 p.s. she woke me up around five in the morning, wouldn't stop talking to me, and then said she pooped.  I told her to go tell Mom.  it was a false alarm.  great job, quinny.

calling dibs

There is a kid in Robyn's class that tends to speak his mind.

Yesterday was no exception.

While talking about the benefits of marriage, he decided he needed to speak now or forever hold his peace.

So when the teacher said, 

"Eternal marriage can bring you closer to God,"

he yelled out,

"I call Robyn!"

Really, who can blame him? 

You've gotta speak up before the good ones are gone, right?

okay

Goodnight, Quinny.

Goodnight.

Even when I get mad, I still love you.

When you shower, you pretend you don't like jelly beans.

Okay.

trifecta

I live in constant fear.

OK, that's a little dramatic, 

but ever since Haley's school started and I have been driving a lot, I have been waiting for three stings.

1.  Getting stung by a scorpion.

2.  Getting a speeding ticket.

3.  Running into John.

I joke quite a bit about this trifecta of stings, which will happen first, and the chances of them happening all on one day.

Today I casually went into the yellow bathroom to do my business, looked over, and there was this guy (pictured above).  He was just a foot and a half away and ready for action.  I, however, was not.  I had to play it cool and finish what I had started, like there was not a poisonous creature right next to me.  OK, so the bathtub wall was between us and scorpions are super slow and he was very small (this picture might be enlarged to show texture).  Never the less, I hate them.  If they get in your shoes, your bed, your drawers, or your whatever, they'll get you!  And it's gonna hurt - a lot!  I won the battle today, but there are a lot more where he came from, and there is only one of me.

Sting number two - speeding ticket.  I have never had a ticket.  I speed every day.  I drive a ton.  It's going to happen.  Maybe I should just slow down.  It's something to consider....

Number three - running into John.  John is Shelle's (my sister) ex-husband.  He lives just around the corner.  We live in the same square mile.  We shop at the same stores.  His step kid goes to the same grade school as my kids.  Let's just say I'm not too sure how the encounter would play out.  It's bound to happen though.

All three of these stings would be a little painful, a little ugly, and a little unwelcome.

As I have thought about it a little, I have come to the conclusion that I need to use my knowledge that I have gained with the scorpion and the police with John.  If and when I do run into John, I just need to slow down, go about my business, act cool, and pretend there is a bathtub wall between us.  Maybe, just maybe, I will avoid that sting all together.  Another something to consider.... 

orchid

When I left Ohio, one of my dear friends adopted the only orchid that I had managed to keep alive, ever.  She is one of those rare people, irreplaceable, kind of like a rare orchid, and sometimes I wish she could adopt me along with the orchid.
(This is an absurd notion, by the way, considering her children are the same ages as mine, and I'm thirty-eight.)
Her kids don't know what that have....lucky little people.
She sent me a text yesterday along with this picture.  

It said, "Still blooming!  I hope you are too :)"

I am certainly trying.  The ground feels surprisingly hard and unfamiliar at times, but I think it is beginning to soften.

no, quinny

When I went to bed last night, everything was picked up.  

I had a wake-up call at 5:44am.  

"Mom, I'm poopy."

I changed her pull-up.

She wasn't poopy.

Just wet.

She went back to bed, sort of.

Then she got up.

Here is her typical morning while she watches a show and eats her breakfast.

The TV room.

 No, Quinny.

 Her closet.

 Please, I beg you, stop dumping out the dress-up box.

Under her bed - a menagerie of animals, books, toys, and shoes - surprise!

 On her bed - quite possibly every burpee she owns.

 In my room - counting blocks.

 On her face - a mischievous grin.

ice cream, beans, donuts

This picture is from awhile ago, but it makes me smile when I see it and think about the night we went out for ice cream.  I think this was supposed to be a silly-face pose, but Mimi and I are the only ones making the silly faces.  I think Allison sticking her finger up her nose was just luck.  

Robert ordered an enormous banana split.  I think it had brownies in it.  I am sure it had whipped cream and sprinkles.  It certainly had hot fudge and maybe strawberry sauce.  I might be making this up.  I can't remember what was in it, but it was huge!  After he devoured it, yes devoured, Quinny said, "Good job, Dad!  Now you will be sick!"

(reflection - Haley playing with her hair) Robert, Mimi, Kim, Quinny, and Allison  (reflection - Robyn taking the picture)

Here's Robynie getting ready to make some bean bags at the local cannery.  No one can rock the hair net, tie dye, cut offs, and blue gloves like Robyn.

 Here's Dr. Donuts ready to make all of your pain disappear.  You know you have bought a lot of donuts when you have to use a wheel chair to cart them around.