Gifting sisters

After Abigail opened the cool slap bracelet watch that she wanted because all the counselors at Cedar Lake Camp had them, she asked Anna where she got it.  Anna replies, "The cash register". 

Gross talk at the table

Yesterday, we were eating lunch after Louis got home from a meeting. While we were sitting and eating, Abigail goes to the kitchen and comes back with ketchup.  After she declared they were for her chips, she asked if Daddy would like to try the combo. 

"That's absolutely GROSS"...then everyone agrees and laughs. 

She says my famous, "Don't knock until you try it". 

He says, "I don't have to try it to know that's just not good". 

So then everyone kinda starts in about weird eating combos of our family members that just don't seem good.   I comment that Louis' and the girls maple syrup and scrambled eggs looks yuck.  Then some interject, "No that's good!!!" 

In between all of us playfully arguing with each other and laughing back and forth, Adalyn leans over and licks Louis' arm two seperate times.  ???!!!!???

Everyone laughs and yells, "That's gross".  

In a whisper- "Ha-Ha-Ha"...she's got her tongue out and she's panting like a puppy. 

She cracked us all up.  In her own way, she's participating in our conversation the whole time...as she puts her hands over her mouth and laughs out loud at things we say (that aren't really funny)...just so she can get a laugh in too, with all of us.  Then we laughed at her for laughing at us.  It was a fun time, to say the least!

I'm always drilling about table etiquette and yesterday we broke all the rules.  It was fun to be a little crazy for a day.  I know I'll be working on table manners with them FOREVER, it seems!

Lost

I had a terrible dream.  We were all at this HUGE Discovery Center on  multiple levels and Adalyn got seperated from us.  As we were frantically trying to find her, the others got seperated from us.  We went up to a desk and reported our missing, and they made an announcement over the intercom and walky-talkies, but it was so loud and full of kiddos and parents, that no one seemed to hear the news.  We looked in nooks, crannies, under staircases, in little play houses, down twisty slides, and tunnels.  Feeling hopeful that they couldn't get outside and we were bound to find them eventually, we then discovered water slide tunnels on every level that went out from the building down to the very bottom.  There were so many water slides and ladders, it reminded me of the game Chutes and Ladders. We kept looking, and searching. We started shouting their names.  Parents started helping us.  After being inside started making me panic in fear that they had gotten out by way of the water slide, a new fear came. What if Adalyn got out and went down the slide and drowned?  So, out we both went down water slides. As I rode down the twisty slide, I looked out at the stairs leading back to the top.

I woke up hearing Alivia squirming. But I had to find my girls. I fell back asleep and the search was on again. 

I was imagining them not even realizing they were lost.  Just bouncing around from one slide to another, from one playhouse to another.  They would be having the time of their lives and have no clue that they were being sought after.  There were all these dangers going through my head as we searched.  They could fall, get taken, they could drown. Maybe they were aware that we weren't with them, and they were walking around crying, "Mama.  Daddy."

I went down a slide and passed Louis walking up a set of steps.  I didn't want to lose him. At least I had my cell phone.  I'm on the water slide- it won't work now.  I need to find my girls.

I woke.  They're here.
I fell fast asleep.  I need to find them. 
I can't find them.

Then Alivia.
They're here.
They're here.
It's just a dream.  A bad dream.

Shop til it drops

I spent 30 minutes at Aldi today...grocery shopping with me, myself, and Alivia.  I dropped Louis and the older girls off to eat while I hit the store.  We were kind of killing 2 birds with one stone (hungry kids, kitchen needing restocking) in a limited amount of time.

I love Aldi.  It's clean.  It's inexpensive- where else can you get a fresh pineapple for $0.99?  It's quirky (pay for your cart, bring your own shopping bags).  It's the ONLY store I can get in and out of in 30-45 minutes...even with kiddos!!!

I buzzed around the store checking off my grocery list.  Since our home has been infested with sickness for a month and I have not been to the store, our staples have become depleted.

Then I went to pay.  I pulled out my debit card to use and since I didn't know pin number, I asked him to run it as credit.

Forgetful moment #8,452: Aldi doesn't take credit.  Or checks.
Embarrassing moment #15,623: My cart sits there and I walk out without my grub.
Frustrating moment #7,201: I'm completely out of time to even run to get some cash from the bank.

Pretty bummed out, we return home to get everyone to play practice on time.

The girls came home.  "What's for dinner?"

 If there's anything more frustrating than going for groceries and returning with none, it's hearing that question when there's jelly but no bread.  And cereal but no milk.  Or you could make a can of soup for one person, scrambled eggs for two, and oatmeal for two.  But then that's too much work, haha. 

So we loaded up the van and headed up to Albany and hit the Save-A-Lot 45 minutes before closing time.  We got everything on my list (and then some) because you all know when Daddy goes, more food hops in. 

Everyone tries to help so much, it's so sweet.  One wants to help push the carts (well, they all do, really).  One reads the list.  One fetches the food from the shelves.  One picks up things to make suggestions.  One is in the seat part of the cart trying to reach out for things on the shelves as we pass by.  I'm scanning the shelves for any good deals that aren't on my list.  The cart inches forward down the aisle.  All of a sudden, "Crash, crash, crash". A million A1 Steak Sauce bottles crash onto the floor because the cart ran into one of those cardboard display 'cases' that was sitting in the aisle!!!

Embarassing moment # 15,624: Steak sauce covers the floor, and even splashed up onto boxes on shelves. It even goes under the shelves into the next aisle.  There's broken glass everywhere and you can't even tell exactly how many bottles were busted because of the thickness of steak sauce and the aroma that causes you to need to blink your eyes over and over.

Miscommunication with a 2-year-old

Adalyn was standing in the kitchen this morning and asked me, "What's this?" I looked at her and she was holding a metal hanger that was holding a life jacket (that had fallen to the floor).  I told her it was a hanger.

"I wanna wear the hanger".  She picked up the life jacket and brought it towards me.

"No, that's a life jacket".

A little while later, we asked the girls to get their jackets on so we could leave.

I buzz around getting some things together and notice Adalyn waiting at the front door all ready to go...wearing her life jacket. 

The unknown

After reading a story in her reader, Anna gets to the Comprehension Check.  She asks me, " Mama, why was the kitten in the woods?" 
Me: "I don't know"
Anna: "Me neither".

She MAY need to read that story again.

Of Mice and Moles

Last year sometime, our girls were REALLY wanting a dog.  Okay, let me rephrase that.  For a few years now, our girls have REALLY been wanting a dog.  My biggest counter to that, has been they shed and they chew.  Our girls leave toys, shoes, and small things around the house daily.  'Nuff said. 

Well, about a month before Alivia was due, Louis came to me in a whisper and told me to "Come here".  We live in a house that's surrounded by woods on two sides, and a horse pasture on the other side.  He's said those exact words when showing me creatures that have made their way to our yard (or deck).  Ya know: opossums, deer, turkeys, raccoons, foxes, and snakes.  So my heart always starts racing a bit when I wonder what it could be.  I followed him out the back door to our deck and he brings me this black kitten.

You can imagine my response.  Well, maybe you can't if you're an avid animal lover.  We are very busy between church and homeschooling activities/field trips.    There's not a lot of time or energy I have to care for a pet right now.  Maybe in the future, I will be convinced, but not at that moment.   (8 months pregnant, slap worn out, and could hardly bend, let alone to clean a litter box- which I shouldn't be doing anyway.)  Why would Louis be approaching me with such a daunting proposal? Plus- I thought he was a dog lover!

His confession:
A man met Louis at the end of our driveway with this little black kitten.  His case was legitimate, it really was.  The ole' tail (yes, that's a pun) of "We have a litter of kittens and need to get rid of them because we can't feed them anymore" got Louis' emotions stirred up a little. 

My confession:
Don't ever get a bowl of milk for a starving kitty.  It thinks it belongs.

We spent the next two days under the impression it was a he.  Then I looked at his belly and saw little nipples, so thought our "he" was a "she".  SO, the girls changed his name.  (I can't remember to what).  Then we had friends come over, and the girls introduced them to _____, and said it was a "she".  After affectionate observation on their part, our friends told us, it's a HE....so then her name reverted back to his name of "Rascal".  It's still Rascal to this day, thankfully.  I had a hard enough time remembering to do simple things like unload the van of groceries and remember what I went in a room to do, let alone trying to keep up with the current name change of the new outdoor kitten. 

The poor cat should have left the moment he arrived but I guess he didn't know what was good for him.  When Adalyn met Rascal, there became a relentless attachment that couldn't be reckoned with. Afterall, she is two.  And terrible is an understatement.  I do love her though! 

She has choked him, dragged him out from under the van by his tail, and has thrown him from higher places.  I wish I could have kept count of the times we said "Easy, Adalyn".  That month with that kitten before Alivia arrived, kept me more stressed out than you could imagine.  Everytime we went outside to load up in the van, the girls went looking for Rascal.  And a holler from the driveway can't be heard if you're in the backyard.  Or at least that's their defense.  So pregnant Momma Hen would have to traipse all over the yard collecting little chicks.  And you KNOW how clumsy you become when you're THAT pregnant.  Twigs, leaves, hillside.  'Nuff said. 

Of course, when we were indoors, you'd think there'd be no problems.  But Adalyn loved sneaking out of the house to play with Rascal.  Well, they all did at first.  I'd be downstairs doing laundry or schooling one of them, then return upstairs to find a missing child. The adrenaline rush of having a missing child is pretty intense and you would think it was enough to send me into labor at any moment.  But it didn't; I went a week overdue.

The good that came from Rascal's arrival:
Adalyn got a crash course in learning how to handle something delicate.  By the time Alivia was born, she knew what "Easy, Adalyn" meant.  Knock on wood- she has not choked Alivia, carried her upside down, pulled her off of something by a leg, or pulled her ear.  Now, if we can just keep her from trying to put food in Alivia's mouth, we'll be doing good. 

It's also been fun watching Rascal earn his keep.  He catches critters!!!!  Hallelujah!!  We are surrounded by woods on two sides, and a horse pasture on one side.  'Nuff said.  It's been fun watching Rascal play with a mole he's caught, or throw a mouse up in the air by its tail.  Even lizards are eliminated!

Yesterday, we needed to be at CBS (Community Bible Study) earlier than normal, because I was helping in the Children's Department.  We NEEDED to be there NO LATER than 9:15.  Getting 5 girls ready to go someplace is no easy task, but it might go smoother because one was staying home.  While our older girls help out a ton, which I am very thankful for, there's still the occasional drama between them.  Anyway, we were doing super well with time yesterday.  Everyone rose on time, got dressed on time.  No catastrophe with outfit selections.  No spilled milk at breakfast.  No poopy blowouts with Alivia.  Backpacks were ready.  The girls were politely quizzing each other on their bible verses. Smooth sailing. 

Our older girls will often go ahead and open the front door to take things out to the van for me while I finish getting ready.

The discovery:
A dead bird on our front step. 

The sound:
Shrilling squeals.

I run quietly from our bathroom (Louis is laying in bed with Aliza, who we don't want to wake because she's sick and won't be gong to CBS) to find out what's going on. 

The prediction:
"He must have flown into the door and died".

It's never enough to discover something on your own.  You MUST go tell ALL your sisters in a beaming voice.  Even the sick and sleeping one has to know.  It's also never enough to just observe something from behind a window.  You MUST step over the thing, freak yourself out because it moves, then repeatedly scream, "It's STILL ALIVE" and wake up the neighbors while you're at it.  Then the toddler sister HAS to be out there too, because she feels left out.   

So I'm yelling through the storm door window, "Don't touch it, come inside", while keeping a screaming toddler at bay and from escaping.  So, the older two finally burst in and run to tell their daddy...who already is well aware of the situation because he can hear the chaos.  And guess who is woken up also?  And guess who wants to go to CBS?  And guess what she does when she finds out she can't go?  And guess who was doing good on time, but now is not?

It wasn't a huge setback, yet.  With everyone back inside again and Abigail guarding the front door,  I ran back to the bathroom to finish getting ready.  Aliza is crying heavily at this point and Louis is trying to calm her down.  Tick-tock, tick-tock...I hear the clock in my head because I know that minutes count.  After I bust up my gums from the fastest teethbrushing ever, I stop by our bed to calm down Aliza and love on her for a quick sec.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh nooooooooooooooo", I hear.  It's Anna now who's screaming and crying uncontrollably.  I run back out to the foyer to investigate.  Alivia is now crying because she got scared.  Adalyn is crying because Abigail is holding her away from the front door because she keeps trying to run out. 

Anna is crying because the cat ran off with the half-dead bird. 

Trying to stay calm, rather unsuccessfully I might add, I'm scooping up Alivia who's thankfully already in her carseat, grabbing my keys and suggesting we leave.  Abigail never wants to be late (and neither do I) so she's getting upset because she senses we are running late AND SHE'S RIGHT!  I get Alivia loaded and the pressure builds.  I realize I left my phone in the house!!!  So, I dart passed Anna and Adalyn on the porch to go track down my phone.  I shouldn't look at the clock, but I do.

Fretting more, I find my phone.  I run through the house slamming down light switches on my way to the door.  I jump up into my seat in the van, and do a roll call, "Everyone buckled?"  Abigail says no. "Get buckled".  She says she is.  "Okay?"  I turn around to discover two kiddos are missing in action.  "WHERE ARE YOUR SISTERS?"  Abigail, just as frustrated as I am, replies that they are out in the yard looking for Rascal.  Seriously?

It's 9 a.m.  It takes me 25-30 minutes to get from our driveway to the perfect spot at Community Bible Study.  The spot I always choose is just a little wider than the rest of the parking spots.  It accommodates our big van very nicely without having to do a million reparks.  Then it takes me a couple minutes for us to unload and get everyone to their classes.  I'm not forgetting that I have to be in the library at 9:15 to be assigned to a children's class in which to help. 

It's 9 a.m.
And two kiddos are in the yard. 
Somewhere. 
Looking for a cat. 
Who got the bird.
That nearly killed himself while flying into our storm door glass.
Who caused so much commotion at our house.
Which caused us to be late. 
All because of a cat named Rascal.  WHO IS INDEED A RASCAL.
Who was delivered to us 2 months ago.
Who was kept because Of Mice and Moles.

Toddler Talk with Adalyn

"wee wee"- movie
"Pee pets"- Wonder Pets
"A-we-wu"- Alivia
"No jokin' guys"
"You trouble?"- Do you want to be in trouble?
"A off, Mom?"-Turn it on, Mom.
"Peace?"- Please
"Gank You"- Thank you
"Wuv you"- Love you.
"A more"- Love you more.
"I baked it"- I broke it
"Oh, Sigh. Sigh"- Oh sorry. Sorry.

Bedrest & Worship

The day of my due date: Thursday, September 6, 2012
Louis and I agreed that if Alivia wasn't born that day, then she needed to wait until after September 9 (which was our church's annual Lakeside Service)...also the day 4 baptisms were scheduled, including Abigail's.

Thursday came and went and Friday morning I was still pregnant.  So Louis put me on complete bedrest Friday and Saturday. I often thought that bedrest would be awesome...just to be able to rest all the time. The first day was! How often does a mom of 4 get to just lay in bed all day and not be sick? Being sick ruins the privilege!!

The next day, Saturday, Louis took all four with him to get groceries. He's such a great dad! This day was a long day and I started realizing bedrest longer than a couple of days would really be difficult. Just hearing voices throughout the house and not tending to needs, helping Louis out, and doing my routine of 1-2 loads of laundry daily was making me anxious to get up and do something. The contractions I had been having the week before came to a hault.  I had 2 contractions total on Friday and 3 total on Saturday. "Good", Louis said. 

We made it to Sunday, and the service was awesome!!!  It was so worth resting over the weekend to make it to that day!  I was so thankful to Louis for commanding giving me time to rest. 

Here's Louis playing his guitar for Worship the first time.  he did SO well, as did Pam, our pianist.  The duo was uplifting!

Such a precious, precious moment.

 

 

The Worship Service and time of fellowship was so special.  The Lord takes care of everything for us.  He had something big planned and he cared for me in seeing that HIS plans were carried out.  We serve a mighty God who always looks out for us and ALWAYS plans BIGGER and BETTER than we ever could. 

Monday, Louis was back to himself, eager to hear about contractions and wanting things to progress!!

The delegates

2 weeks before my due date:

• Louis programmed his cell phone number into the cordless phone at home.
•  He delegated responsibilities to Abigail, Anna, and Aliza for the time I either went into labor or my water broke. 
• Abigail was in charge of calling Daddy to tell him to get home.
• Anna was in charge of getting me to the blue van to wait.
• Aliza was in charge of collecting things from the house I asked for.

For 3 weeks he rehearsed the drill with the girls before he left the house. Part of me is sad that the girls didn't get to fulfill their jobs. They really took pride in having their delegated responsibilities.

Long overdue

You've heard it said, "I'm long overdue for a haircut." Or "The van's long overdue for an oil change". And by the way, both of these statements are true around here most of the time!

Well, I'm long overdue for a baby. Not really long overdue, just overdue.  Doctor had me due on Sept. 6.  So I'm a little past that. 

I've gotten some unique advice to induce labor and thought I'd share:

1. Eat some spicy food. 

With Abigail, this worked. 

We had Mexican food last week and in the pico de gallo on my plate were sliced green chillies (my mouth fired up 3 times).  It didn't induce labor.  It gave me severe heartburn though.

Louis picked me up from CBS and had a special treat waiting for me- fried pickles from Tennessee BBQ.  If I've craved much this pregnancy, it's been for those.  Well, if you've had theirs, you know they can light up your mouth too.  I ate nearly all of them myself. 

Today I saw where you could get a Blooming Onion for free at Outback.  It was tempting to drive there and eat one to see if that would stir things up.  Something about the hour drive didn't appeal to me though!

2. Get down on your hands and knees and scrub your floors.

I got down on my hands and knees in the driveway and scrubbed the brake dust from the van wheels.  I'm glad no one saw me sprawled out in the driveway.

I got down and cleaned behind the toilet today.  It was work that needed to be done and when I went to stand up, I kind of got dizzy and lost my balance.  I don't recommend that when you're 40+ weeks pregnant.

3. Ride the lawnmower around.

Seeing as how this is kind of embarrassing to just ride around on the mower and not be mowing, I grabbed Adalyn to sit with me so it looked like I was giving her a ride.  Ya know, in case the neighbors saw me.  Well, when your belly is big and you have to hold on to a 2-year old with one hand, it's kind of tricky maneuvering curves on a hillside.   

4. Just pig out.

Well, this was fun.  I heaped food on my plate at the lunch we had at church yesterday then got full before I could finish because our 2-year old kept raiding the food table for more food.  She really needs to be in a high chair wherever she goes so she's not constantly on the go, and I can finish a meal. 

5. Do power walks. 

We went last night to local park with this huge track that goes around the whole park (including ball fields and basketball courts.  Abigail and I walked it and by the end, I was pretty worn out. 

Louis has had me walking to the mailbox and back several times.  I actually carried two pieces of mail down and dropped them in the mailbox individually so that if anyone saw me, they'd assume I was taking mail to the mailbox and not think I was walking to induce labor. 

6. Climb stairs.

I probably make 20 trips a day up the steps here at the house because our laundry room, home school room, and family room are downstairs.  I feel the most out of breath when I'm about 5 steps away from the top.  Kind of like you feel when you're in labor.  But then I remind myself, I'm climbing steps.

7.  A good scare

Louis has tried this several times.  The. funny. guy. 

Tonight, as I was typing this, he fell asleep stretched out at the foot of the bed because our night owl FINALLY fell asleep on his side of the bed. Well, I finished my jug of water then put an ice cube in my mouth and chomped.  My recuperating-from-back-surgery-husband yelled out in a fast wakefulness and fell out of bed onto the floor.  I'm totally in huge freak-out mode thinking he has disrupted his whole back in such a terrible way.  So I jerk up out of bed to check on him (even turning on the lamp and risking waking up our night owl who we plan to put to bed in a few minutes).  He rolls over and says, "Did that make you have a contraction?"  That about sent me into outer space...better yet- him to outer space!  It was pretty funny though and we both laughed pretty hard. 

However, about a week back, I was getting the van loaded. I started the van and air conditioning.  Then I asked Anna to track down her sisters in the yard and have them get in the van.  I was about 3 steps behind them, gathering a couple things, the diaper bag, etc. when I had this terrible thought of Adalyn getting in the driver's seat while the van was running and driving through the garage door.  Then I'd run out in front of it to stop it (like some superwoman) and being ran over.  Well, call it intuition, the next thing I hear is the van rev up.  I RUN out of the house to see Adalyn standing in front of the steering wheel and Aliza in the driver's seat.  They said they were trying to get into the van.  For the next 30 minutes following that, I had 3 contractions.  So it's possible scare tactics do induce labor.


8. Eat Eggplant Parmesan

Considering I probably gagged myself into sickness as a child eating eggplant, I think it's possible that the same could be said if I tried that now.  Although I will say that my tastes have changed considerably since I've grown up.  So maybe a trip to Olive Garden is in order. 

9. Get an hour long foot massage

I can totally go for this.  Even if it didn't induce labor, it'd be time well spent! 

The things I haven't tried:
Riding some bumpy hills on a 4-wheeler, going horseback riding, and going tubing out on the lake. All of these suggestions came from church friends who graciously offered the experiences to me.

All of these tips seem WAY better than pitocin.  I'm all for hanging out without the Pitocin stuff and just going in naturally! 

Dream results in some action!

About 3 weeks ago, I had this dream that I went in to labor and we weren't ready. So I made myself a "To-Do" list of about 5 things:

1. Clean out the deep freezer, then stock it with easy meals for when Alivia arrives.
2. Pack the diaper bag and our hospital bag.
3. Have groceries available here for our girls and their caretakers while we are in the hospital.
4. Clean the van.
5. Do some deep cleaning of the house and get all the laundry caught up.

• The first thing we did, was got the diaper bag all packed. There's nothing more fun than washing clothing for the one that's not here yet. It stays clean!!! Then we packed our hospital bag. I originally packed a summer dress to come home in.  then I changed my mind,  have you ever tried to nurse while wearing a dress?  It's been about 7 months since I've had to think about that.   So we bought me a pair of drawstring capris because I couldn't pack up a pair of maternity pants and not have use of them for so long. Both bags, and the car seat have been in Louis' van for 2 weeks.
• We then hit the grocery store. Twice. One night for dry goods as we passed through Albany to Somerset to go to Bob Evans to eat. We always forget they are an hour ahead of us. We pulled in the parking lot 15 minutes before they closed at 9 (their time) and you should have seen the looks I got from the employees when I walked in to ask their closing time. We drove all that way for Bob Evans, and by goodness, we were gonna eat at Bob Evans. Louis' comment made me change my mind, and so we headed to find another place. I was sure Frisch's wouldn't spit in our food because they closed an hour later.
• The next day, I had to pick up donuts, and so I hit Save-A-Lot in Albany again for all the cold stuff. It helped my legs to break up the shopping like that. And pyschologically, it felt like I spent less. My receipt total was $77 for the first night and $140 the next day. Not bad. (I would have felt bad if I saw the total at $217.00). Hehe.
• As we unloaded all the groceries, I had to kind of rearrange cabinets to accomodate everything.  I made special food baskets for the girls that has been off limits until Alivia is born.  For a few days they were saying, "I can't wait til Alivia is born so I can eat that food".  It's fun kid food like ravioli, spaghetti-os, fruit snacks, pudding cups, and pop-tarts.  Not stuff we generally buy, but stuff that would be easy for someone to get out for them.  I have no worries, that Abigail and Anna will go for that as soon as we head to the hospital. 
• Then I had a cook day (that lasted 2 days because I ran out of energy).  Abigail and Anna helped me clean out both freezers.
• After spending two days in the kitchen, I turned around to notice our house was turned upside down.  So when Monday rolled around we spent about 3 hours cleaning.  I made out a game board for them that had tasks written out above circles that led to a Game Over box at the bottom.  Once they completed their tasks, they could color in the circles that were below the written tasks.  They loved that game.  Then when they all got to the Game Over, they got to eat popsicles outside and play for 30 minutes,  Then I painted all their nails after their baths.  At the end of the day, we had our clean house again.
• A few days later, we had a "Sure" Day (where I just said "sure" to the girls' requests.  One of their requests was to wash the van in their bathing suits.  Cool...it'd check off part of my list. 



Below the microwave are the 2 red food baskets.   Our older 3 girls are very proud of them and super protective of them.  Adalyn discovered them Thursday and helped herself to some of the fruit snacks.  You've never seen more upset sisters! 

So it took about a week to check off the 5 things.  But it felt good.  I felt like THEN we could go in to the hospital and have a baby because all of that was done!  The fridge and freezer were stocked, the bags and carseat loaded, the house was clean and the laundry was caught up.  These days, I feel like we're gonna eat through our stock and by the time we finally have this girl, the house will be a wreck and the laundry will be piled high. 

Cook Day

When we were preparing for the birth of Adalyn, I had a mega cook day.  My mom and I prepared a bunch of meals for the freezer.  Then later on I tried the 30-meals-in-a-day mega cook day.  That was fun...long hours, but a time-saver during the week for SURE!!!
2 Fridays ago, I had a mega cook day.  Then Saturday I finished it. By the end of 8 hours, I had 16 meals ready to go in the freezer.  Ahh, accomplishment.  I then talked to my sister-in-law who said you can freeze lasagna noodles uncooked by adding water to the sauce.  That would have saved me 2 hours in the prep!!!  I can't wait to try that next time. 

These are individual helpings of sloppy joes.  For the times when the girls just want cereal for lunch or pb&js and Louis and I want something heavier.  I got the idea from a Quick Cooking Magazine a few years back.  You line a muffin pan with wax paper or plastic wrap.  Then use 1/2 measuring cup of prepared sloppy joe filling to fill each section of the muffin pan.  Freeze for 30 minutes.  Then plop out the servings and put them in freezer bags or containers.  When you want to eat them, defrost them in the microwave in a bowl, then heat.

These are hot dog buns-turned garlic bread.  Cheap!  I like to make our garlic bread like this and fry them buttered side down in a skillet.  So I thought I'd try making them ahead and freezing them like you can buy in the store. 

Our other meals included 4 pans of lasagna, many bowls of chili, vegetable soup, prepared taco fillings, prepared enchilada fillings, fried sausage to go in gravy, and several servings of spaghetti sauce.  It's taken me 12 years to be able to make buttermilk biscuits from scratch and I really want to try to do freezer biscuits but haven't tried out a recipe yet.  There are so many with varying ingredients. If you have a tried and true, by all means, please share!! 

 

 

 

Being productive

Last night:

• I pulled off the off-white blanket from our bed and washed it.
• I disassembled and vacuumed out a picture frame.  
• I pulled Adalyn out of the tub and she went poop on the potty chair!!! 

Because...

• Adalyn spilled her grape juice on the blanket.
• Trying to get her basketball, Anna stepped on a picture frame out in the garage (doesn't everyone store those on the floor when you're going through a box of frames?).
• I noticed a floater in the tub among the bath toy Adalyn was playing with.  If she'd had her whole basket of toys in there, I probably wouldn't have noticed the thing.  Love draining a tub, cleaning the whole thing out, then putting your kiddo back in the tub for the rest of her bath.

Breaking News

Our girls hate tomatoes.  They don't want them on their salad, in their chili, or in their spaghetti sauce. Last night at dinner, the girls asked what ketchup is made from.  We had to break it to them, and yes we were blunt. 

Davis Academy resumes

This year, I typed out a school supply list for each of our students. With homeschooling, communal supplies is really all that's necessary, but I wanted to give each of them their own list so they could shop and have their own school boxes of supplies. (And give them some accountability to taking care of their things, like putting lids on markers).  It was fun watching our 3rd Grader, 2nd Grader, and Pre-Ker in the aisles  with Daddy, picking out their things and checking them off their lists.   

Here they stand last night after we got home and everyone got their things organized into their own bags to be labeled today.  They are so excited to get back into "schoolwork", even though learning happens at the Davis home year round.

FYI:
DID YOU KNOW WATERCOLORS COME IN 16 COLORS NOW? Where were the geniuses when I was in school, back when there were only 8 to a little white case?

Sweet tea afterthoughts

Today I fixed a big 'White Castle' cup full of sweet tea to drink on as we headed over to check on a friend's chickens and cat.  Tasted as refreshing as I thought it would until Louis asked what was in the bottom of the cup.  Upon my investigation, I realized it was the cup we used last week to rinse paint brushes in.  The dried white paint blended right in with the white cup bottom!  It must have gotten loaded into the dishwasher and put into the cabinet (thanks to my sweet helpers around here).  Sorry Dollar General for using your parking lot to dispose of the liquid.

Last week, Anna so sweetly fixed Louis a big cup of sweet tea with lots of ice.  He politely brought it to me as he's been trying to stick with water only.  It was refreshing.  I got up from the table and headed to the kitchen where I discovered red dirt all over the handles of the freezer and refrigerator.  Anna was being so thoughtful, she didn't remember to wash her hands BEFORE fixing the tea.

New baby background and the countdown begins!

I'm 34 weeks today.  There's 6 weeks left of this hot summer (because I'm sure that once I deliver, I will feel 20 degrees cooler and it won't feel like summer anymore) and we will celebrate our newest addition.  We can hardly wait!  It's been so special having each of our daughters connect with their sister-in-the-works in their own ways. 

Aliza seems to have had a special longing to be with her so she can hold her.  She's always asking me, "How's Alivia today, Mama?".  Many times she's just passing by me and asking on her way to some other place.  Or she'll ask us how much longer til she can come out.  At times, she's been genuinely upset and in tears that she's not with us right now.

Adalyn is quite funny.  She can be sweet with tummy pats and kisses, and the next moment just belt me a good one.  After delivery, she may be a little confused that "Baby" will have features of a real baby and will no longer mean my poked out belly button. 

Anna has this Human Body book and her favorite thing to do is to go to the Reproduction Pages where there's a little spinner diagram showing what a baby in the womb looks like at different stages in pregnancy.  She's also been the one who has prodded about how the baby comes out.  She's not accepting the "She's just born" answer like the others.  Ahh, our little science girl. 

Abigail has been a huge help to me...she's always looking out for me.  "I'll get it Mom" have become the sweetest words to hear.  She's processing alot. Like..."If you eat peanut butter, will it hurt the baby?".  Girls squeal and scream.  It's like part of what makes them a girl...ya know- sugar and spice, and everything nice.  Squeals and screams and all in between.  So then Abigail will ask, "Can Alivia hear us?"  She's been concerned with me eating,  "Does Alivia need to eat?" 

One of Louis' rules is that he ALWAYS lets me choose where we go out to eat when I'm pregnant.   Abigail and Anna even say it now, "Pregnant Mommy gets to decide".  Well, the other day we were trying to decide on a place in Lebanon.  It needed to be quick because we were anxious to get home during a huge lightning show.  It needed to be fairly inexpensive because we had already eaten lunch out in Lebanon earlier.  Anna kept pleading to go to Chinese, and we kept telling her we wouldn't go this time.  Finally, she throws her last card in, "ALIVIA WANTS CHINESE".  We all laughed pretty hard.  She was still moping a little as we pulled through the drive-thru at White Castle.

Slumber party

...with no slumbering. 

Telling it like it is

Of all the things strangers have said to me while I've ever been pregnant, I heard a new one today.  A lady said I'm 'adequately blossoming'  or maybe she said 'blossoming adequately'.  Either way, it kind of sounded nicer than, "It looks like you're ready to pop" or "How much longer do you have?" (with surprised eyes that convey they thought I should be due any day).

Parting gifts

We told the girls yesterday morning that I would be going on a short trip. I would be heading with a friend from church to a Women's Christian Mission Study in Murfreesboro for two nights.  There were wimpers, pleads for me not to go, and lots of hugs. That SURE does a momma's heart mighty good to be loved on so much all at once!

    They all gathered things to "remember them by" and brought them to me last night for my suitcase.  The notes say "Rember all of us" and "I love you Mama", which was Adalyn's message to that Anna wrote out for me to take along too. 

Anna ran off to gather my slippers.  Abigail brought me her glass candle holder she made.  I hated to tell her I shouldn't take it because it might get broken. 

Then Aliza asked me if I would be eating there and offered to pack my "handitizer" for me. 

Got a long hug from Aliza, whose tears just broke my heart, as everyone was getting ready for bed.  Times like these make you really feel loved!!!

In the line of defense

2-year old with water hose.

Pre-schooler defends herself.

Pre-schooler flees.

Gracefully staying alive with #5

Surviving summer while pregnant:
Drink water.
Drink water.
Drink more water.

And the mildly inconvenient results:
Bathroom trip.
Bathroom trip.
Bathroom trip.

Today has been unseasonably hot.  I had a quick (unaccompanied) trip to make to church to get something.  I had a great idea!  Rather than refill my huge mug with water and ice (that always seems to fall on the floor, which I have to bend down to retrieve to avoid the puddles), I'd just stay cool on the short drive with a popsicle and eat it....shhh, don't tell any of the girls...IN THE CAR.  So I headed out to the van.

Within a minute, no joke, my homemade popsicle on this little plastic holder was streaming white grape juice all down my arm.  DO YOU KNOW HOW STICKY WHITE GRAPE JUICE IS????  Luckily, I had come to the end of my road, and could stop.  I had been eating it with my right hand.  So I had to put my pospicle in my left hand to put the van into park and unbuckle...which got stickiness on the shift bar and seatbelt.  Meanwhile, I tried eating it faster as it continued to melt and at the same time lean sideways back to my right to get the wipes out of the diaper bag.  Thinking I'm a pretty good multi-tasker at this point, I suddenly lose my balance (pregnancy perk #74) and so have to grab the steering wheel immediately with my left hand.  Do you remember which hand was holding my popsicle?   I spent some time at the stop sign at the end of my road finishing my slush, and wiping down my arms, fingers, chin, the steering wheel, seatbelt, and shift bar.  Then I drove to church. 

Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be mean childbirth instructors

Before one can achieve the parenting status of "veteran", "seasoned", or "old pro", (I'm really none of those, honestly, but when I was pregnant with Abigail, I looked at friends of mine who had older children as such) you are a newby, AKA first-timer.  When I was expecting Abigail, we, like most other newbies, attended childbirth classes.  Ours were held one night a week for about 4 weeks. 

During those 4 weeks, Ms. I'm-Here-To-Educate-All-You-First-Timers-Who Don't-Know-Anything, Meanie Childbirth Instructor did her job in scaring educating all the couples.  Each week, we covered all the topics from Labor, Lamaze breathing, to Delivery.

As newbies, Ms. Meanie had us SCARED TO DEATH as we were in class.  She threatened,  "Don't come in here with your make-up on, a big smile on your face, and say you're in labor".  I will send your happy self home!"  And she meant it.  I had no idea WHAT a contraction would feel like.  Her only description was, "True, active labor, is when you are having contractions you can't walk or talk through.  You should not be able to stand up straight when you arrive to Labor & Delivery".  Then she added that if our (remember, we are in childbirth classes) water broke, then we are to come to Labor & Delivery and we'd have our baby before being sent home.  I'm glad she covered that, because I wouldn't DARE ask Ms. Meanie any questions on my own.

So Louis and I just prayed that my water would break so we wouldn't have to face her for an evaluation.  I knew if I had any twinge that could be thought of as a contraction, that make-up was coming off and I would NOT be smiling when I reported to Labor & Delivery!!! 

We soon graduated from Childbirth Class, and went on with our lives with the small thought in the back of our minds of maybe changing hospitals at that point or maybe opting to hold out as long as possible even if it meant delivering at home or en route to the hospital.  We just couldn't bear the thought of having to face her and being scolded for arriving too soon.

Father's Day came and I gave Louis his first Father's Day gift...a baby blue polo shirt. That afternoon after church we went to some church friends' for dinner.  Our good friend Henry had grilled some polish sausages and hot sausages.  Somehow a hot sausage got mixed in with the poilsh sausages and who but me, would discover that? 
My mouth was on fire and I had heartburn the rest of the day.

The next morning, around 5 a.m. my water broke.  Hallelujah for a possible easy excuse to go on in to Labor & Delivery!!!  I didn't know for sure though, because when I stood up out of bed, it stopped. 

So we called the birthing ceneter and they told me to make an appointment with my O.B. doctor as soon as I could.  So, around 8:30, we went on to our appointment and the nurse practitioner explained that I could be leaking urine as I discussed what was going on.  So after the test strip results came in, we heard an "Ah, yes".  Louis and I exchanged glances and the same "What?" came out of our mouths.  "Was it urine or was it amniotic fluid?" 

This was the moment that would make or break us!!!!  A deep sigh of relief came over us as she said, "Oh yes, it's amniotic fluid!  You need to go on to the birthing center".  We almost skipped as we walked out of there.  Yes, we were excited about meeting Abigail 15 days earlier than expected, but I think I was just as eager to walk in to L&D with a big smile on my face, standing up straight sporting some make-up to say to Ms. Meanie, "My water broke" followed by my best "Nah-Nah-Nah-Nah-Nah" playground schoolgirl voice! 

Around 12 hours later this happened: 

And I'm gonna raise her to be nice to first time moms who have no idea what labor will be like, especially if she's ever a childbirth instructor! 

This happened 9 years ago, and I remember it as if it happened yesterday!!!  She's worth every feeling of insecurity I had as a newby.  I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing sometimes.

Taking requests

Our older 3 girls tend to disagree about which cd to listen to in the van or if the back a.c. should be on high or off altogether.  Tonight as we were leaving the grocery store, Aliza asked me to turn the mood lights on and after we turned them on, Adalyn said "Lights off?"  I turned around and asked her why she wanted them off.  "Cuz", she said. 

Eeeeeeeeewwww.

Yesterday was a rough day.  I've been tired this week, and crankiness goes with tired.  A lack of patience goes with crankiness.  I didn't say to the person taking my order in the morning, "Yes, I'd like a lack of patience, and some exhaustion.  Can you add crankiness to that, please?".  And they didn't say, "Would you like 4 girls to go with that?"  But that's what it felt like.  It was the combo you just wouldn't order for yourself.

The girls had been at each other alot, and they hadn't followed any directions without complaining. 

Last night, after we loaded up into the car, I asked one to buckle up her sister.  She huffed, got up, stomped to the back and did it.  I said, "You know, your attitudes today just stink". 

Adalyn breaks the tension immediately by saying,  "Eeeeeeewwwwwwww."  We all laugh and head home.  She probably knew mine stunk too!   Isn't it neat how God uses the smallest people (or things) to change our attitudes?  He's just great like that!

Sunday's Sermon

First I'll tell you about coming home. Then later, I'll fill you in on being there.
Louis had to preach this past Sunday, so we got up at 3 a.m. (our time) in Pigeon Forge to load 4 sleeping girls, their blankets, Pillow Pets, our cooler and food basket. The rest of our luggage and stuff was loaded the night before.

I put the cold stuff in the cooler, and do the final run around upstairs in our part of the cabin ( you know, the last check for a sock under the bed, etc.) Meanwhile, I hear him start the van. My confiscated loot included Louis' wallet, my cell phone charger, his tablet charger and our huge trash bag of dirty clothes. Goodness, I'm GLAD I made that "last check".

By the time I haul down the goods and take them out to the van, it's not running. Louis denied turning off the van. We knew we had a problem.

The problem actually began the night before. As we were leaving Dollywood (more on that later), the van started acting funny and the gas gauge was registering empty where it had just been 1/4 of a tank. We thought maybe the gas gauge had messed up and we were on the last drop of gas when we thought we had more. We stopped at Walgreens so I COULD ASK FOR DIRECTIONS to the nearest gas station and then to a Sam's Club so we could fill up with gas. We love our Sam's Card and cheap gas! Louis turned off the van as I walked in. Strike 1. There's ONE person working with a line of about 7 tourists. Not getting help anytime soon there. Strike 2. So I walk over to an Italian restaurant next door with a pit stop by the van to pick up Aliza who by this point needs to use the restroom. Nearest Sam's is in Knoxville. Strike 3. At least I know where the nearest gas station is though. The van s-p-p-p-u-u-u-ttttters and won't start. 3 strikes, we're out. Thank goodness for Redbox on the Walgreens sidewalk. Louis walks up to the couple checking out movies to see if they can jump start the van. Score. We make it to the gas station and fill up. We make it back to the cabin while the van still acts kind of funky.

Back to Sunday morning, it's nearly 4 a.m. and the van has shut off. I have to go wake up my poor sister to get her keys so we can jump off the van. It works, so I run the keys back in, hop in the van and off we go up this huge hill to get out of the cul de sac where the cabin sits.

Halfway up, the van dies. So Louis and I exchange opinions. He's rational, I'm not. I adamantly threw a tantrum saying something like, "We are leaving this van here, taking our girls back to bed and you can steal Julie's car and drive it to Byrdstown. Dad and I can get the van looked at and drive Julie to Cookeville to meet you to get her car back". Those may not have been my exact words, but the tantrum was accurate. It's a wonder they let pregnant women out at all!

Louis reminded me that the van was parked (love those emergency brakes) halfway up a hill in the middle of the road. "They can drive around it" I said. I WASN'T GETTING BACK IN THAT VAN!! Louis pleaded with me to try to jump it off again. I walk down the hill (highly put out that my idea of leaving the van sit where it was didn't win out.) I mean who is going to hit a huge red van, nor care if it's sitting in the middle of the road parked up a hill?  I'd just say, "Hey, it died, and we had 4 kids in the van". Easy as that.

I got Julie's car, drove it up the hill and Louis tried jumping off the van again. Nothing. It's still dark. We can hardly see and we are trying NOT to disturb the cabin that we are in front of. So his plan? He coasts it backwards down the hill to our cabin while I drive Julie's car down. I couldn't have ridden with him, nor coasted backwards like he did. He did, and I'm thankful God knew what He was doing when he paired us together. He knew how big of a chicken I was!!! We thanked God that the brakes worked!

So, Louis drove Julie's car to Wal-Mart to buy a new battery. I'm thankful that when Sam Walton's crew sat around that big table to discuss being open for 24 hours, they thought of people like us- preachers needing to get back for church who have car troubles the morning they leave. I'm also thankful for all the people who don't say to us, "Why in the world did you wait to leave Sunday morning?" Thank you and I call you people friends!

While Louis was gone, I sat in the car with my sleeping kiddos researching the van manual on how to remove a battery/install a new one and how to idle your vehicle in different ways so the computers, for lack of a better word, get rebooted. Louis returned within 45 minutes and started the process of putting in the new battery. He started the van, we waited a bit, and off we went. Finally! We were so glad we woke at 3!!!

We drive with NO problems until we get off the bypass in Livingston and turn onto 111 towards Byrdstown. At this point, we have about a 20- minute drive ahead of us to get to church. The gauges start going haywire, the automatic door locks start showing off all by themselves and the speedometer reads "0" mph_ and we are in motion. We press on until the engine finally shuts off as we approach the bridge over the lake at the entrance to Sunset Marina. We coast into the gravel on the side of the road. We are 2 minutes (by vehicle) from church. We basically got from Pigeon Forge to this point 2 minutes from church on the new battery and what power it had been given at the time it was manufactured. We later realized the alternator had gone out and so wasn't charging this new battery up at all. Talk about feeling like the Lord was with you!

A good Samaritan couple stop and jump us off and we got to church....by 8:30!!!! 30 minutes later than we planned to get there, but 30 minutes before Worship started. Louis got so many comments on how nice he looked that day. He did later tell them during the service that he actually got dressed on the side of the road as we waited with our dead van while Louis called a friends from church to come help us.

 Louis was able to use the whole experience for his Children's Message. "You must be connected to the power source...and that's Jesus Christ. You can't rely on your own strength." Anyone who says that God doesn't give ministers the words they preach on sure hasn't left Pigeon Forge on a Sunday morning and had car trouble on the way to church! God gives the Word, and LEADS the way, caring for his children the whole time!

Monkey see, Monkey Do

I just put on Toy Story 2  for Adalyn.  We're sitting here in bed

together as she's watching.

Have you ever noticed the cute little desk lamp that takes the place of the "I" in "PIXAR" introducing the start of the movie?

I've never paid much attention to it, either...

...until Adalyn stands up, starts jumping and giggling as she's watching the TV.

I look over at the TV, and see Cute Little Desk Lamp jumping in place making the cutest little bouncing noises. 

When Little Desk Lamp is done jumping, so is Adalyn. She plunges back down into her spot covering up to watch the movie. 

Love notes

Our girls have gotten pretty sweet about writing us little notes and leaving them for either me or Louis.  Last night, Louis was gone with a church member and as we were getting into bed, Abigail wrote him a note, "For you Dad", and another one, "I love you" and left it next to a big glass of sweet tea for him.  She turned on the porch light for him, left the door unlocked, and I turned out the main kitchen light (we always leave on the low stove light).
She pleaded we leave it on, "So Daddy can find his tea when he gets home". 

This morning, Anna has this waiting for me:

Oats, butter, cinnamon, and later we added the brown sugar to the countertop mix, which was new and wasn't where we normally keep it so she couldn't find it to set it out.  Do you see the little sticky note attached to the oatmeal container?  It says, "Please Mommy".

Doesn't her face and folded hands look like a convincing request is being made?

So then she asked that I sit down on the couch, as she got everything started (I could get used to this).  I showed her how to figure out which burner to turn on, and it's getting ready as I type! 

On Valentine's Day, Louis wrote me a note with dry erase marker
on our bathroom mirror. 

It was sweeter than chocolate.

I'm loving these love notes. 

Dead battery

Well, another thing Louis would do is jump off a car battery.  The Lord is teaching me to be more independent, I just KNOW it!  The propane guy came to haul away the tank today, and asked me to move the blue van so he could get his truck in there.  Sure!  I go out to start it, and nothing.  DEAD!

So I think, "When's the last time I drove it?"

Oh. it was last Friday...

...when I moved it from the driveway to the water hose so we could wash both vehicles.  I parked it back on the driveway just in time for it to get rained on.

So I am the last one who used it...and I probably didn't get the door closed all the way.  Just another one of my contributions to making Louis feel like he's needed.  See, I did it for him.  

In my defense, my brain probably wasn't functioning completely at the time I didn't get the door sealed shut.  Afterall, Louis reminds me that while pregnant, my brain shrinks 3-5%.  That's love.  He's really just reminding me that it's not all my fault. 

Now this:

it's what happened while I was caring for our patient the DAY BEFORE we washed the vehicles. 
Yes, our little zebra used a big, fat, permanent marker. 

So in my mad dash to park the vans back, before the rain came, and to BE SURE no one was getting into mischief while I was doing so...I didn't seal the door completely.

 Now see- that changes everything, doesn't it?

There's this guy...

...who does a lot more around here than I realize, like: 

• mowing the lawn.
• taking out the trash.
• hauling off the garbage to the dump.
• making sure all the lights are always turned off in rooms we aren't in.
• going around and checking all the doors to be sure they are locked before bedtime.
• killing a spider crawling on the ceiling.
• catching a toddler from falling off the barstool, and then lifting her back up to sit again.
• getting glue traps disposed of when they have 2 salamanders stuck to them in the basement (I have allowed a mouse to have free reign because I can't even bring myself to set out a glue trap to catch the crazy thing.  WHO WOULD THROW THAT LIVE SQUIRMY MOUSE STUCK TO A GLUE TRAP AWAY?  "Not I", said the scaredy cat. 
• tickling, and letting the girls climb all over him right before bedtime, which always seems to make sleep come sooner!
• making his own bowls of cereal and getting his own drinks.  You'll never believe how many times I've checked on this poor guy and offered to fix him something then got distracted by one of the girls needing something, and forgot all about what I was supposed to do for our patient. 
• unloading all the groceries from the car.    
• filling up the gas tank.  I guess I'm just spoiled, but Louis ALWAYS pumps the gas.
• driving out to pick up whatever is needed if I'm in my pjs (which is 75% of the time).
• driving out to get dinner if there's a hankering for something specific (like the cheeseburgers tonight).
• running downstairs to check on crying (sister mediation v. an accident). 
• just being an extra set of hands, feet, eyes, muscles, etc.

These are just things I've discovered in the past 5 days!

To those who don't know, Louis had back surgery Wednesday.  He can't drive, do steps, reach too high, twist his back, lift more than a gallon of milk, and can't really get in and out of bed on his own without feeling pain.  Most importantly though, he can't bend down to pick up a glue trap to throw it out for me. 

We really need you around here, Louis...despite what you may think.  I couldn't run this household without you.  I know that now.

February meet Snow.

I love this springtime weather!  I feel the Lord blesses us daily with all kinds of sweet surprises, and this Spring weather is no different.  These beautiful days have had our windows open for two days now. 

February, this is Snow.  Snow- meet February.  Here's to getting aquainted:  

And here's to all the fun we could have once your relationship is established:

Yes, those are icicles Anna collected.

  

There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch

Well, it all started with free tickets to the movies.  We thought we'd go Saturday night so I made our older 3 daughters lists to help around the house Saturday morning.  And their reward?  Their own bag/bucket/box of popcorn when we went to see Alvin & the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.  {insert their screams here}.

As we worked, I was just super proud.  We were working together, gonna get out together for super cheap, and all was wonderful.  We anxiously plugged through the day.  We got baths early, dressed, got our chore lists done, school completed,  fixed 3 heads of their hair, fixed an early supper, cleaned up, and bounced into the van to go.  We made good time, arriving in Jamestown 30 minutes before the movie would start to hear the dreaded words, "SOLD OUT".  Whaaaaat? 

I walked back to the van to meet my crew who had dropped me at the ticket window just minutes before.  What in the world do you do for your super helpful kiddos who you promised their OWN BAG OF POPCORN to? 

Louis and I quickly strategized (I'm thinking we must have looked like coaches, laying out a quick plan for the team).  We were loud enough that one caught the details of what happened, whined about it, and then spread the horrible rumor through the whole van.  They all were whining in their best girly voices of their disappointment.  We were then quiet enough to plan the "official play" that hopefully would save the night and we'd come out winning afterall. 

$100 later, we walked out of Wal-Mart with 3 movies, chips & the makings for Mexican cheese dip, and other necessities, like light bulbs.  We got to the van, and waited for all to buckle up.  A woman walked over to the driver's side, and Louis rolled down the window.  "Would you like a free puppy?"  I'm thinking, "She didn't just say that loud enough for all to hear!!"  Then the little "Yeahs, and Please, can we have a puppy?" pleads filtered up from the back of the van.  Louis politely apologized we couldn 't take it right now.  Then he went to roll the window up.  It didn't budge.  The button didn't even make a sound like it usually does.  Dead.  And it's cold.  And we're in Jamestown (always a 35 or longer drive home with all the windy, curvy roads).   

We pulled through the Long John Silvers drive-thru and ordered their $15 Family Pack.  If we're gonna be cold on the drive home, it's better that the girls are distracted.  The more they had in their mouth, the less they could complain of being cold, and my theory was correct!    Louis did do a hero number and shut the door over his coat which broke the wind a lot.  The sound we heard all the way home was of whipping coat and snaps slapping the window behind the driver's side.   

We got home, unloaded the van and all got into their jammies ready to watch, "Dolphin Tale".  What a night. 

We went with free movie tickets.  We returned with $115 (+tax) less money, and a costly car repair to make.  Hmm, the statement Dad used to tell me in high school rings true, "There's no such thing as a free lunch."  Thanks Dad, for always being right. 

Our Christmas Tradition

When I was little, our Christmas Eve tradition was to eat mac n' cheese and hot dogs, go to a Christmas Eve Service at a local church, and drive around and look at Christmas lights.  One of my favorite parts of the night was pulling up in our driveway afterwards to see all the lights on our house (Dad was a pro at decorating) and knowing I was that much closer to going to bed and then waking in the wee hours of the night at a reasonable hour to open gifts.  As a parent, I realize how difficult it is to develop a tradition and keep it up annually, especially since we are in ministry and we never know when something may come up.  But here is the ONE thing we always do:  

Yep, cuz it's just not Christmastime if we don't go!  It's something Louis and I have done since our dating days back in 1995, well actually since 1997 when I was old enough to go out on dates! 

Some other traditions we do around our house at Christmastime:

•  Wait until the last possible minute to Go Christmas Shopping
• Make cookies with Christmas cookie cutters, and Halloween, Easter, and every other cutter they just "have" to try.
• Go Christmas caroling at the nursing home
• Help with the Angel Tree that our church hosts
• Lead the Christmas Eve service at church
• Stress about the lack of time we have (even though it always falls on the same day, EVERY YEAR
• Talk about and celebrate the birth of Christ, which really is the most perfect and only important gift there is!

For the first time since Abigail was a baby, we got out a wedding present.  Not a set of china, or crystal...but our Nativity Set.  We got it from my grandparents as a wedding gift in May 2000 and at the time of our first Christmas as Mr. & Mrs., we didn't have any other Christmas things to our name.  It was VERY special to us.  This year, it was so special to get it out (now that we have room for it) to share it with our girls.  It's ceramic and delicate, two factors that make it kid-friendly (NOT).  But it's large and so the girls were able to see it very well on the table we stored it on all of Christmas.  The girls never messed with it.  However...I'm not too sure how the Barrel of Monkeys monkeys were dangling from the roof one day.   I know who did it....her name begins with "A".