Made My Day

I love sharing a joke with older folks. We were at McDonalds for lunch today and as I was going to our table a woman was coming in the door with her bosoms overflowing her dress to say it as nice as I can. The older couple sitting by the door noticed also and I must have made a face 'cause the lady gave me a look and a wink... Just because they sell it at Wal-Mart in your size doesn't mean you should buy it! And yes, I know it came from WM since she sat in front of me with the tags sticking out the back over her strapless, useless bra...

This was after I scoured the Target baby section looking for shorts for LG that would actually cover her diaper. I ended up getting her and LB the same shorts since the boys ones come down to the knees. I feel like our country is so messed up when it comes to sexualizing our children (especially girls) at such a young age. Why does my 6 month old or 2 year old or for that matter my 5 year old or even a 13year old need low rise jeans and short shorts. Why can't they just be kids without worrying about their underwear showing, oh wait, I'm supposed to buy low rise bikini underwear for my little girls! I'm glad BG likes to wear dresses because at least we don't have to worry so much about her booty being covered! Just a little hard in the winter to find heavy enough tights. It's been a peeve of mine for a while, but more frustrating when you're shopping with 4 kids and can't find appropriate clothing for a 2 year old little girl. Luckily for BG , bermuda shorts are 'in' right now...

Maybe writing about it

will drive the funk away, 'cause I'm sick of it already. I consider myself a pretty happy, even tempered person for the most part, but this past week I've been tired, grumpy, sad, lonely, unenergetic, can't get anything done, stuck in a rut, moping about my health, funky. J's been gone for just over 2 months now and I guess it's finally sinking in he'll still be gone a lot longer! A lot of people say once you're past the first six weeks it gets easier, but I think it's the opposite for me... I can handle six weeks on my own, it's the next 12 months I don't like! But, we'll be busy this summer once I can get us going. I just have a lot to do in the next couple of weeks and the lack of energy is bringing me down. Now that I got that out here's what else has been going on around here lately:

BB is finally done with first grade! He is so happy to be done with school for a while. His report card looked pretty good with his big strength in math and reading improved a lot. Like most of the boys in my family, he excels in art! He received an award for excellence in art. I know, first grade, how good can it be? A little bit biased as his mother, but I think his drawings are awesome and always include tons of detail.

BG is still going to hourly care twice a week with the twins, so BB and I got some time together on Thursday. We went to the mall and got the van serviced at Sears so we could go play at the arcade and look at puppies and rabbits and iguanas at the pet store (don't worry, Honey, they all stayed at the store) and then we went to Friendly's for lunch which BB thought was the best meal ever. I guess they all need a little spoiling sometimes...

LG and LB have been talking a lot more the last couple of weeks. LB was funny this morning when I yelled for BG, he yelled 'Belle', and for BB he says 'Lolo' and LG is 'Sisi'. LG calls him 'Rowo' and Belle and Wowo. I'll post a little video of LG saying a few words.

On Friday night, I decided to take them all out to dinner to Ruby Tuesdays and then go buy a tent for our travels this summer (I'll detail that another day). They were great in the restaurant except for a little outburst by LB when BG wouldn't give him her toy. For the most part they got smiles from the people sitting around us, but a few folks wanted to give us the 'how dare you bring 4 children into a restaurant by yourself' look. Can I say I'm sick of fast food and eating in the car when we go out? I think I just decided I'm not waiting a whole year to eat out with my family...

I can hear the helicopters outside now for the airshow going on. We went yesterday and that actually helped improve my mood! I love airshows! I could stay all day and not get tired of the same tricks over and over! However, my children had other ideas. BB watched for a little while and then was more interested in the bounce house and wanted to check out the paintball and all the other 'activities' set up. BG could care less if there were airplanes doing cool stuff. She pulled her chair out and sat at every opportunity. LB got a little excited about the helicoptors but really wanted to run around and LG didn't like the noise at all! So after watching the 10th MTN Air Assault (made me miss the Army, more specifically Army helicoptors, for about 10 seconds) and a couple other cool stunt planes with our friends, we decided we were done. On our way out we stopped at the C-130 and the cloud that was coming towards us opened up with a huge downpour! BB and BG were inside the C-130, but I couldn't get in with the stroller so I parked it partially under the belly of the plane and the engine and the babies stayed dry. I was the only one soaked, but BB and BG thought I had left them in the plane and when the rain stopped they were with a crew member looking for me! I'm so proud they did the right thing when they thought they were lost, but sad that they thought I lost them.

So, here's a few pics from the last couple of weeks. I've been trying to get a good picture of them all together so I can make something for J, with not much luck...

Blessed...

with wonderful friends and neighbors. I miss my family a lot, but God has definetly provided for me with good friends and neighbors. It usually takes me a while to get to know people and the last two moves, God has sent friends with us. I'm so thankful that I got the opportunity to continue friendships started at the previous duty station (Shoutout to V, AC, AD, and K!). Of course, now the kids think all of our friends should move with us and I keep trying to convince my sister it would be a good idea. Who needs a steady job and retirement benefits? Oh, most of us. Anyway, just feeling thankful for friends who become like family...

On this day...

June 19, 1994 M wed J in a small back yard ceremony in Reedley, CA. Fourteen years, 4 kids, and many adventures later we're still going strong...

Fried Foods

It's probably a good thing I don't have a deep frier. We don't eat a lot of fried foods, but once I put oil in the pan, watch out! I made onion rings tonight and had some of the batter left over so thought, hhmmmm, what else can I fry while the oil is hot? I added some brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla to the batter and threw some sliced bananas and apples in there and voila! instant dessert/fruit side dish. Yummy! 4 out of 5 Adams' Apples liked them. BG the holdout, as usual, although it was a bit comical getting BB to try a bite of potato salad last night. On his knees, crocodile tears, pleading to not take one tiny bite, trying to wipe the dressing off, cup of water close by and when he finally did put it in his mouth, he made himself gag. Guess he doesn't like potato salad... After seeing that BB actually had to try his one bite, BG very smugly tried hers. The 'rule' is they have to try at least one bite of everything on their plate, which is usually done without quite so much drama...

Suspisions confirmed

Had a rough day yesterday after my visit with the rheumatologist. It seems my back pain is due to more than just 'poor posture' and I have Ankylosing Spondylitis which is arthritis or inflammation of the spine. I need to have some more tests and x-rays to confirm which type of arthritis and further treatment. I'm already taking the first line of drugs and it does seem to be helping along with exercise, so I'm hopeful that if I start taking the fully recommended dose (I tend to undermedicate) that it will help even more. Except for the pain at night, which has diminished quite a bit the last few months, and altering my routine in the morning on account of stiffness, I'm functioning pretty well physically and can do everything I need to. Mentally, I'm a little, ok maybe a lot, shaken up because I worry about 4 small children depending on me for everything right now, and I want to be 100% for them. Also, the factor of there really is something wrong and it's not all in my head (as much as I would like it to be) which is kind of the attitude I've seen from some doctors. Sometimes it sucks being right...

Anyway, if you're interested here's the quick version of the big words. If you want the long version click on the title above.

Ankylosing Spondylitis At A Glance

Ankylosing spondylitis belongs to a group of arthritis conditions which tend to cause chronic inflammation of the spine (spondyloarthropathies).
Ankylosing spondylitis affects males two to three times more commonly than females.
Ankylosing spondylitis is a cause of back pain in adolescents and young adults.
Tendency to develop ankylosing spondylitis is genetically inherited.
The HLA-B27 gene can be detected in the blood of most patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
Ankylosing spondylitis can also affect eyes, heart, lungs, and occasionally the kidneys.
The optimal treatment of ankylosing spondylitis involves medications that reduce inflammation or suppress immunity, physical therapy and exercise.

Happy Father's Day!

BB and BG's Top 10 Best Things about their Daddy:
BB:
1. He plays with me
2. He's nice to me (most of the time)
3. He plays video games with me
4. He keeps us safe
5. We go on walks in the woods
BG:
6. He talks to me
7. He lets me jump on him
8. He helps us build snow forts and takes us sledding
9. He tickles me
10. I love him and he loves me

LG and LB love that he plays with them and lets them play computer games with him and they miss sharing their food with him.

Happy Father's Day, J. You're the Best Daddy in the Whole World! We love you and miss you!

To all the other great Fathers and Grandfathers in our life, Happy Father's Day and thanks for all you do!

BG's Lunch

I was busy getting stuff ready for our yardsale yesterday and BG asked if she could make her own lunch. I'm not saying no to that! She added the apple after I suggested some fruit to go with her goldfish, turkey and yogurt... She didn't think if was quite as much fun when I asked her if she wanted to make her sister some too.

We sold some of our extra junk today during the post-wide yardsale. I don't think I'll ever do a yard sale on my own. We got so many people coming down our street that I had all my bigger stuff sold by 11:00 am and I've just got a couple of boxes in the back of my van to go to the Salvation Army. Yay! I always feel so much lighter when we get rid of a pile of stuff! A bit exhausting getting everything ready and trying to keep track of kids all at once and selling and trying to keep track of kids and putting stuff away and trying to keep track of kids... I finally strapped LB into his carseat in the van and LG into the stroller. Sometimes I wonder if I'm smarter than the average 2 year old...

Flag Day

Willem's school had a Flag Day celebration this morning. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera sitting on the charger... The students each had a flag and they made hats and wore red, white, and blue and marched in a parade to the front of the school. The principal and others thanked everyone for support throughout the year and they raised the flag (only a minor glitch) and we sang patriotic songs. Except for Isabelle complaining half way through about being hot and thirsty it was really nice. At the end they recognized all the soldiers who had been deployed or were currently deployed and then asked all the soldiers or spouses of soldiers to stand up and the students sang a nice song about heroes. What struck me is when they asked all the military folks to stand, the vast majority of the audience stood up(this is an off post school).

The past week

We've been a little bit busy this past week, when we're not out enjoying the warm weather:

BB turned 7 on the 6th! I made his favorite meal of grilled burgers and shrimp and we played outside in the pool. Then on Saturday we had a birthday party with his friends (10 boys and 1 sister and 4 lovely mommies!) at the movies where we watched Indiana Jones and then pizza and birthday cake at Pizza Hut. He had a great time, and then when we got home we stayed out late and played until dark (which is about 9:30 now!) and I got to sit around and chat with the neighbors and enjoy the great evening time.

You won't hear me complaining about the heat! I think it was just a week ago that I was tired of the cold, well the next day it jumped to 85 degrees and humid and it's been like that most of the week! I love it! I do need to get my air conditioner fixed in the van though... And BB is so ready for school to be done. It's been a long year for him (he started in August in KS) and they don't get out until June 25th here.

J sent the kids some 'presents' in the form of Big Wheels for the twins, a Wii game for BG and a little Swiss Army Knife for BB(eeek!). LG is really liking the Big Wheel and scoots around on it; LB gets frustrated because he can't reach the pedals and he really wants to pedal something! BG likes the Barbie Island Princess game, lots of problem solving and counting, but not too hard for her. BB's knife is put up until we can do his 'safety training' and rules of use...

I saw the orthopedic doc yesterday for my back. I've been having a lot of pain since LB and LG were born (almost 2 years!). Basically, he told me lots of people have bulging or herniated discs and there's not much they can do for it except what I'm already doing (exercise, lose some weight, and hope it goes away). Anyway, that part doesn't look bad. I'm also scheduled to see a rheumatologist next week for the inflammation in the same area along with recurring inflamation in my eye and an antigen in my blood that often occurs with arthritis. I'm really hoping that can be ruled out also. My pain has diminished quite a bit the last couple of months, especially since starting exercise again, but the stress of having pain and not knowing why has been wearing on me...

And finally, I skipped the gym this morning because as I was cleaning the lint trap in the dryer, LB came into the laundry room and threw something onto the top of the dryer and it went right down the lint trap! Rattle, rattle, rattle... So after clearing a space in the mountain (ok small hill) of clothes, I pulled the dryer out and took it apart. I would like to say the pencil (that LB threw) was all I found in it:



Unfortunately, the top of the dryer is just one of the areas that tends to gather clutter in our house. But, hey, nothing like taking a dryer apart and putting it back together to make you feel self-sufficient and I only had one screw left over...

Chocolate Pasta

We were at TJ Maxx the other day in their little 'gift basket' food section and BG picked up some curly noodles and said 'this looks like chocolate pasta.' Sure enough, it was. So she asked if we could get it and said she would eat all of it (she hasn't been eating any pasta for the last 6 months). I asked her what she wanted on it and the quick reply was 'chocolate syrup!' So we tried it last night, along with our regular pasta salad, with butter and a little bit of Hershey's syrup on it... It really didn't taste much like chocolate, pretty much like regular pasta with a hint of cocoa. Needless to say, BG wasn't impressed, and neither were any of the others. I think we'll stick to our plain pasta...

Fruit Salad

I mentioned to BG the other night that when I wear a fruit scented body lotion, her Daddy says I smell like fruit salad. So tonight she dumped both the Wild Watermelon and Strawberry Kiwi shampoo bottles into her bath... She said "I'm fruit salad" when I asked her how much she used. and she's really clean too...

Great Hymn Book!

Don't tell my dad, but I got him this great hymn book for FD. It has the history of each song along with the hymns. I love sitting at the keyboard and pecking out the songs and reading about how it came to be. Sometimes I'm more interested in the driving force behind the music than the music itself... For "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" it says

In a forward of a book, Luther once wrote: "Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world. It controls our thoughts, minds, hearts, and spirits....A person who....does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God....does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs."

Amen!

Scanner Working Again!

My scanner is working again. LB can reach the printer buttons and it's just one of those things I don't have the energy to mess with long enough to make a permanent fix... Here's BB'sbpicture of Pop-pop and Mom-mom's back yard. He was really impressed by how big and 'fancy' it was with the wall Pop-pop built and all the flowers and decorations.

Pringles

Pringles are especially known for their packaging, a tubular can with a foil-coated interior, and a resealable plastic lid (with the Pringles famous logo), that was invented by Fredric J. Baur. Mr. Baur was an organic chemist and food storage technician who specialized in research and development and quality control for Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Co. Mr. Baur died on May 4, 2008 at Vitas Hospice in Cincinnati. He was 89. Mr. Baur was so proud of his accomplishment that a portion of his ashes has been buried in one of the iconic Pringles cans. Baur's children said they honored his request to bury him in one of the cans by placing part of his cremated remains in a Pringles container in his grave in suburban Springfield Township. Mr. Baur's daughter, Linda Baur of Diamondhead, Mississippi has stated that the rest of his remains were placed in an urn buried along with the can, with some placed in another urn and given to a grandson. Lawrence Baur of Stevensville, Michigan, Fredric Baur's son, said Baur requested the burial arrangement because he was proud of his design of the Pringles container.

I was listening to NPR in the car and they were discussing Mr. Baur's burial and asked listeners to email what they would like to be buried in or with or wearing. So, I thought about it for a while (obviously no kids in the car so I could actually think about something for longer than 3 seconds) and couldn't come up with a single thing that I cared about enough that I would want to be buried with it. And then pondered further and decided I don't really care where I'm buried or if I'm buried or cremated or what happens to my earthly body after my soul departs to meet Jesus. This is why I try not to think very often, it often turns morbid... But, really, I've always thought cemeteries odd places and I know we should respect the dead, but I guess I feel like it's so much more important to love and respect people when they're alive and give them up to God when they are not here anymore. I want my children to remember me in so many other ways than in a hole in the ground or in a Pringles can, which is probably why I haven't visited my mom's grave yet. I would rather think of so many other memories than what she looked like in her grave and her legacy was so much bigger than anything she could have been buried with. I'm sure Mr. Baur was a pretty smart guy and designed a great product package, but to his family he was so much more than a can of Pringles. And Jesus sure doesn't care what our package looks like when we meet Him!

Spring?

Living here may force me to re-evaluate my favorite season. It used to be Spring, but if this cold, rainy, lack of sunshine, flowers not blooming, jacket wearing, heat on, hair pulling out, stay in bed all day weather continues I may have to change it to Summer or Fall or whenever the sunshine shows up around here! We had 2 weeks of gorgeous weather in early April just to tease and green things up a bit and it's been cold ever since. After the great weather in NJ last weekend, I think I was expecting to come home to the same. Sadly disappointed. So we had a pretty blah week and even more blah weekend. BB's school had a little carnival on Friday - indoors. Stayed in the house mostly except for McDonalds on Saturday evening just to get out and we went to Michaels yesterday to get a few craft supplies so we have some more cold weather activities in the house! Usually, BB doesn't care what the weather is like, but maybe it's starting to get to him too as he was content in the house...