A Few Ramblings

Bryn and Lydia survived the first 5 days of school without any problems.  The other day, I overheard B say to L, “Lydia, show me that you’re listening” which I’m sure they hear throughout the day from their teacher.  They are also picking up new little songs like this (sung to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”):  “We do not interrupt.  We do not interrupt.  When someone else is talking we do not interrupt.”  Lydia was thrilled that she got to be the “special student” on Tuesday which meant she got to wear a crown all day and had some other privileges and the next day Bryn had a turn at being “special student.”

Ellie and I have been having fun together.  I took her grocery shopping with me one day which was fun and EASY!!  I gave her a little pack of goldfish and she was happy as could be the whole time.

Two lowlights from the week:

1.  I was at work on Tuesday and I got a phone call from the school at 3;30 saying, “We have two leftover little girls here who didn’t get picked up.”  My heart started to race and I said (in a not so calm voice), “MY HUSBAND WAS SUPPOSED TO GET THEM!  I’M GONNA SHOOT HIM!”  I then called my dear husband who promptly, very promptly, dropped everything to run and get our little girls who were patiently waiting for him in the school office.  It’s a good thing I didn’t get home from work for another 2 hours so I had time to calm down before I had to see him.  That will NOT happen again.  Actually, I understand how it can happen, so I can’t be too hard on him.  He was in the middle of an important phone call and lost track of time.  But still. . .

2.  Bryn came home on Wednesday and said 2 little boys were pointing at her and laughing on the playground.  That was hard to hear.  Makes me want to pull them out and homeschool them for the rest of their lives, but I won’t.  I asked her how she felt about that and she said, “It made me feel sad and nervous.”  I don’t know what else to say about that other than that’s the hard part of watching your kids grow up.  It has prompted me to fervently pray that all my girls would feel secure about who they are in Jesus and how much they are loved by Him and us.  To be honest, she really didn’t seem all that bothered by it.  She was happy to go back to school the next day and hasn’t mentioned it again.  It was probably harder on me than it was on her.

My family is coming for Labor Day Weekend so it will be a busy one. . .

Here’s one of my favorite pictures of Ellie, it totally captures her personality:

Here they are: my two big kindergarteners in their favorite Disney princess t-shirts. That’s Lydia on the left and Bryn on the right (clutching her backpack like her life depends on it).

We survived the first day of school with just a few tears from me and a little anxiety from them. . .all in all a good day. They can’t wait to go back (I guess that’s a good sign!).

And here’s a picture of Ellie just because she’s cute:

Mini Golfing with 3 Kids and Other Things I Could Live Without

It’s amazing how when you’re mini-golfing with 3 little kids, actually getting the ball into the hole becomes a very secondary thing.  Really, just surviving the experience and the migraine that comes with it is the main priority.   We went last night as an end of summer family thing. . .it started out as a really good idea.  The first hole was fine, but it went down hill from there.  Ellie was extremely grumpy and was not one bit happy about being restrained in her stroller while the rest of us got to hit colorful balls into a hole. Finally we decided to let her out.  I probably don’t need to describe the scene that took place next, but for those of you yet to be blessed with these pains-in-the-neck we call kids, I will:  The older 2 finally hit their ball (a fiasco in and of itself) to the right area of the green (and I use the term “right” very loosely).  Then Ellie would chase down the ball with this delightful little laugh, then pick it up and drop it in the hole.  Conrad and I were getting great entertainment out of this little game our youngest little princess was playing but B and L weren’t nearly as tolerant.   “ELLIE NO!  MOMMY SHE TOOK MY BALL AND I LIKED IT RIGHT WHERE IT WAS!”  Then the ball was grabbed from Ellie’s very tight fist which created great hysteria from her but made the older one happy, all while Conrad and I are saying, “Hey!  Careful!  Put the club down!  Watch her head!” and other parental gibberish that went unnoticed.  This was repeated at most of the greens we played on (of the 18 holes we decided to hit only the really cool ones and they were looking less and less cool as the evening wore on. . .I think we only played about 10).  We came home and I had a headache from H-E-Double Hockey Sticks.  We put the kids to bed only to be awakened in the middle of the night by an asthma attack from Lydia (her 3rd one this week).  Ahhh, yes, the joys of parenthood. . .

In other news, I got the mail today and there were postcards addressed to B and L from their teacher. . .”Dear Lydia, Welcome to Kindergarten.  We will have a super year together, can’t wait to meet you at Open House on Tuesday. . .etc.”  I stood on my porch and cried.  Yes, I did.

Answer Me This. . .

I love my husband, I really, truly do.  Early on in my marriage, I made a commitment to speak about him in an honorable way, whether he’s around to hear it or not.  So, please don’t take what I’m about to say as anything other than an innocent question.

I did laundry on Saturday.  Today is Wednesday.  I woke up to an overflowing laundry basket and decided I better do laundry again.  I just finished folding the last load.  Here’s my question:  How did my husband manage to go through 15 t-shirts (yes, 15, I double checked my count!), 11 pairs of socks, and numerous pairs of shorts and underwear all in only 3 DAYS!!!  How, I ask you, HOW????

I’m a weeping mess!

Every year, about this time, several people from our church go through the local schools and pray.  We pray for the teachers, administrators, and students at the school, and we spend extra time praying for any of the kids from our church who will be attending that school.  This past Wednesday night, we went to North Elementary (where B and L will be starting in 11 days. . .).  I was totally fine before we got there.  In fact, I had had a very busy day and hadn’t given the prayer meeting much thought.  We were running around the house trying to get supper cleaned up, the kids in presentable condition, and get out of the house in time to get to the meeting.  I walked in the school, still a bit distracted and not at all emotional, and the principle told us he had unlocked Mrs. Trout’s room so we could go in there and pray if we wanted to.  We said thanks, and headed up the stairs with all 3 girls in tow.  I turned the corner, saw Mrs. Trout’s room, and promptly burst into tears!  WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME???  I don’t know what came over me!  It was a mixture of, “I can’t believe I’m sending my babies off to school!” and “This room looks like the most fun place on earth and I’m so grateful they have a FABULOUS teacher!”  The room is decorated in a Hawaiian theme and I noticed a box of leis on the teacher’s desk.  There was a palm tree in one corner, exotic birds hanging from the ceiling, and on one wall it said, “We’re Diving into Kindergarten” and there were all these colorful fish and underwater things. . .so much fun!  And, of course, B and L were beside themselves with excitement.  At one point, Bryn looked at me and said, “Mommy, I want to meet some new friends in kindergarten and that’s why I don’t want to sit next to Lydia.”  Yikes.  I hope Lydia is okay with that!  Needless to say, Conrad did most of the praying, because I was an emotional train wreck and couldn’t get a word out to save my life.   It was a neat experience, despite my blubbering, to sit in their kindergarten room and pray together for their teacher, new friends, etc.

So, the back packs arrived in the mail, the Wal-Mart list is checked off (markers, crayons, tissues, pencils, etc.), and the back-to-school clothes are purchased.  Now, I’m down to my last 11 days of being at home with my little flock of pre-schoolers and I find myself trying to cram them full of any last moral values and lessons I can possibly fit in.   God help us all when I actually have to drop them off at the front doors of that school and then drive away!

In other news, I am on my 4th toothbrush in only 10 days thanks to Ellie who keeps finding my toothbrush, sucking all over it, then leaving it some place that remains a mystery to me. . .

Early Morning Thoughts. . .

Lydia woke me up at 5:00 this morning because she was having a bad dream and after that I couldn’t go back to sleep.  Finally around 5:45 I got up, read the paper from yesterday, fixed coffee and peanut butter toast, emptied the dishwasher, then sat down and spent some time reading my bible and praying.  Now it’s 7:30 and the house is still quiet but that will soon come to an end.

Yesterday morning I got a phone call saying an old friend and 2nd cousin of mine was in town visiting family and wanted to get together.  So, I spent most of the day making my house presentable and then I made a peach cobbler and a pot of coffee in time for their arrival at 7:00.  The cobbler was still very warm when they got here, and I have to say, it was downright delicious!  We’ve been eating peaches galore these days. . .I don’t get tired of them.  Anyway, this dear friend of mine is a newlywed and right before his wedding he was diagnosed with cancer.  I guess it started as skin cancer and spread to his lymph nodes.  He had surgery to remove some lymph nodes, underwent treatment, got married as planned, and within a few weeks of completing treatment he found more lumps in his neck.  He had a full body scan which revealed the cancer was back and it had spread to his abdomen.  So now they have diagnosed him with stage 4 cancer.  But, we are praying for a miracle, and hoping that God spares his life and gives him the opportunity to see his children’s children.

Yesterday morning when I was taking my shower, Ellie kept pulling back the curtain and dropping stuff in the tub. . .toys, her pacifier, 2 pens, a ball.  Then, when I stepped out of the shower, she greeted me with my toothbrush in her mouth, and a big grin.  Yuck.  I decided, of course, that I wouldn’t be using that toothbrush anymore, and it’s a good thing because about an hour later I found that same toothbrush in the bottom of an empty milk carton.  Hmmm.  Also, while I was cleaning my bathrooms yesterday, she kept dropping things into my cleaning bucket and the toilet.  Why do I bother to try to get anything done under those circumstances??

We have a busy weekend planned.  Dinner with some friends tonight and then Conrad’s parents are coming late tonight on their way to Kansas.  They will stay just for breakfast  tomorrow then continue on their way.

Kids are still quiet so I think I’ll try to catch the headlines on CNN while I have the chance. . .