Sunday, October 28, 2007

snakes and snails and puppy dog tails....

thats what little boys are made of.


it's inevitable. your son brings home a wild animal and insists to harbour it. we actually found a nest of snakes in our back yard. harry caught one on thursday, and the other two today. 3 three snakes. kinda like my three sons.



meet reggie

stumpy and freddie

and this is what reggie does late at night, when i accidentally leave the aquarium lid open.

i'm okay with it. as long as they don't get out, and i don't have to touch them.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

harry's story

Once upon a time there was a family. And the name of the family was THE FLAKES. One day they finally decided that they wanted a pumpkin. So they went shopping for some seeds.

They bought some pumpkin seeds and went home and planted them in the garden. They did NOT know that there was going to be a crowd around the pumpkin in the future.

after a few days a little plant started to grow. The Flakes were so happy that they jumped for joy.

Then they turned on the t.v. and flipped threw the channels until they found the news.

“There is going to be a storm tonight. and tomorrow it’s going to be a bright sunny day!” Said the weather man. The Flakes’ smiles went away as fast as a race car. Then they were deep in thought. Their question was “how are we going to protect the pumpkin plant?” They thought for almost an hour!

Then a boy named Jack said “I have an idea! We can put a box over it and keep the flaps out and then we can put very heavy stuff on top and put two boards together shaped like a roof and drill it on!”
“Is that it?” Asked the mom of the Flakes.

“Yes!” Said Jack. “That is it mom!”

The Flakes got to work. They just got done when all the Flakes felt a little rain drop.
“We better get inside!” said a boy named George.
So the flakes went inside. It was night so they all fell asleep except for one Flake. Jack was wondering if his plan would work. But to his great surprise it worked! It was almost like a miracle to Jack. Because two things happened . Number 1: it was safe through a big heavy storm. And number 2: It grew even bigger!
And since a box is not very warm, they put a blanket on the pumpkin plant. All the Flakes took turns hugging the pumpkin plant softly.

They made a chart of who would watch the pumpkin on each day. The first person was Jack. When he was done he fed it and gave it water. He then hugged it softly. That night, it grew even bigger. In the morning all the Flakes were surprised. It grew so big, it was the size of a baseball.
And the next person was George. He did the same thing as Jack. All the Flakes loved the little pumpkin. It grew the size of a football.

And after all the Flakes had watched the pumpkin, it was the size of a chair. It kept growing and growing and growing.

Then it was the day before Halloween. People walking by noticed the big pumpkin. The people were really amazed, because the pumpkin was HUGE! It was as big as a train car. Pretty soon there was a crowd of people taking pictures. The Flakes were proud of growing a big pumpkin.

Half the town, including the Flakes, carried the pumpkin to an old lighthouse tower that didn’t have a light inside anymore.

Then all the town came and carved a picture in the pumpkin. They took out all the seeds, and guts. Seeds and guts were everywhere. Then all the people took turns getting inside the pumpkin.

It was so big that 50 people could fit inside. It was so strong that 15 really fat guys could sit on it, without it getting squashed. Then they got a big lighthouse light bulb from the lighthouse store and put it in the pumpkin. Then the dad Flake lit it up.

The sailors out at sea saw spooky pictures on the rocks made by the lit up pumpkin. They said “I’ve never seen that before!”

The next day was Halloween, and all the trick-or-treaters went out to go trick or treating. They didn’t need flashlights because the pumpkin was so bright.

The whole town decided they wanted a pumpkin like the Flakes’ grew. So they all decided to plant seeds, including the Flakes. The people loved their pumpkins, just like the Flakes did. So take care of your pumpkins that you grow. Give them lots of love.
The End

(written by my 2nd grader...cute huh?)

unsolicited advice, or what your mother never told you...

about having a kid.

my niece is expecting. she's about half way done gestating. i'm really excited for her. she has always been the mothering type. she is a great babysitter. she's been married for a couple of years, she has a nice home, i think it's great timing. it hit me as odd that i'm going to be a great aunt. weird. even weirder, my mom is going to be a great grandma.

She is 22 years old, the same age i was when i had harry. it struck me how much 7 years can change someone. i am not the same person i was back then. not only do i have 3 kids, no job (or real sanity). my ideas about raising kids has drastically changed. i'm sure i'm not the mother that i told myself i was going to be.

so here goes
1. obvious...your body will never ever be the same again.
yes, just by being pregnant means your wonderful rack, will heretofore be deflated. not immediately, no. first they are going to swell to the size of footballs. and they are going to hurt. there is much pain involved with this. like as if someone shoved rocks under your skin (it will look that way too) heavy and cumbersome. and if you are like me, then you will feed your baby with these wonderfully huge footballs.

that isn't the only place your body will change. your rear also either deflates into flat, or inflates to bubble. your hips, once petite, swell and spread to provide ample room to evacuate and balance. and then there is your tummy. i had fair warning for everything but this. squishy belly. extra skin. gross. for YEARS i didn't let big d even see, much less handle my lovely midsection. i had no idea the damage that came from birthing. it's a good thing too, or i might not have ever had kids.

2. your marital relations.
a nooner will no longer reference anything to do with your spouse. a nooner is what happens when you find yourself waking from an unintentional nap while praying the baby takes a nap. if you are lucky the baby will have napped, and maybe, just maybe, you will have the energy for post baby relations. it is rare though, especially with subsequent children.

your sweet spouse is himself exhausted. this i do not understand. while i am the one getting up every night, multiple times, my dear sweetheart hubby is sleeping. yet in the morning, he can claim that he is tired as well. yeah, i did see you during the night, only you were sleeping!

besides the lack of sleep, there will be the fear of spawning another. that right there can be effective for several months.

3. laundry.
i'm throwing this out there, because a strange phenomenon happens when you bring a small little baby home. your laundry triples. how this happens when they only wear little clothes is beyond me. are the onesies mating in there? and then try to match up all those baby socks! you think too, that you have to wash their clothes in special detergent that overwhelms baby into not sleeping. it smells so sweet, only babies seem to come allergic to that sweetness and prefer the smell of sour milk. at least we know why there is so much laundry. or it could be...

4. diapers.
is there anything that strikes fear into the soul of first time parents. they get their bundle home, only to find out, it isn't too bad. and then the kid will poo every 10 minutes one week, and then not for days the next. but when he goes, try to hold him over the sink. if you have kids, you know why. for real, i'm not making this up (why would i?).

diapers are pretty much all the same. ask anybody what kind they use and why and you will get different answers based on fit and "leak proof ability". it doesn't matter. they all do the same thing. go cheapest, unless someone else is buying. if you do waste your money (rationalizing) on the spendy brands, understand that they do size them 3 sizes too small.
meaning the playground gossiping of "what size is he in?" means nothing. your newborn could fit into size 3's.

5.nursing.
it's about the most wonderful experience. but it is hard. n i p p l e s take the beating for the first 6 weeks. don't give up before then. and don't cave into the formula marketing. i never regretted nursing, but i know plenty of mother who regretted not. it isn't natural, and it does take time. you are tied to the baby more, but isn't that why you had a baby?

6. they do grow up.
fast. those first 6 weeks are hellish and long, the next 6 are gone in a blink. the first year is full of firsts and new experiences and fun memories, the subsequent speed right by. you alternate between "why did i do this" and "stop growing, i want this to last forever". take comfort that it doesn't last forever on those days when she won't sleep-you've got laundry piled up from diaper blowouts-you're tired and all you want is a nap without holding anybody. but it sucks when she smiles for the first time. or when she does fall asleep snuggled in your arms with sweet baby breath on your face.

i promise it is the hardest work i've ever done. not a day goes by when i wish i had time for me. not only do i worry, i clean, i fix wounds, i nag, i threaten, i play, i rock, i wipe, i feed. days melt into each other and thursday turns into monday, saturday disappeared, and wednesday is always laundry day.

it gives me a purpose. it has made me who i am. i'm no longer what i wanted to be, i can't be that perfect mother. i'm real, saggy and all. i'm a mommy.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

isn't this a desert state?

utah. where i live?

because for the past 4 or 5 saturdays it has rained. i've run in the rain much more than i ever thought i would. some sadistic part of me likes running in the rain. like it shouts to the world how dedicated i am. mostly though, i make it home, sopping wet, ready for a hot bath to warm me up.

am i crazy?

my thoughts exactly. i know i am when it started hailing, and i thought to "just push on through". crazy as beans. of course talk to big d on the days that i don't get to run, and he'll tell you THAT'S when i am crazy.

for the life of me though, i don't remember a wetter october. hopefully mother nature will get it out of her system soon, so we can be dry old deseret again. i'm a little tired of the storms.

Monday, October 15, 2007

fighting for computer time

it's good for me. my kids have discovered the wonders of the computer. they beg to be on it all day. from harry typing up his stories, to chilly playing on pbs kids. even when the internet is out, they still fight over playing games. so take that into consideration. we have one computer, and as much as i would love my own laptop, that aint happening. so i am just an infrequent visiter now.

if chilly see's me park it in front of the computer, he starts in for Super Why. and i'm a terrible mother because 1, i don't even know who that is, and 2, i'd rather just let him and not fight about it. if harry is home (which he will be for the next 3 weeks of off track time) there's no way i can spend a peaceful moment with mofs.

it comes down to after bedtime. to be honest, my neurons don't fire well after 8 pm. i'm not witty, or clever. just tired from a hard day of being the mommy. and i'm probably nursing fussy, typing one handed as i am now.

there ya go. my reasons for not blogging much. not that really anyone but me cares. i'm the only one who reads this blog.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

whose kids are these?







oh yeah, they're mine. can you tell they are excited for halloween? can you tell they love a mom with costume makeup? can you tell i love halloween?
alright then, as long as you can tell.

Friday, October 05, 2007

playing catch up


while my internet has been out...again. i need to mention all the amazing things that have happened.

so here are some pictures of my kids, because thats what i've been doing. taking care of kids.

i've also:

reaaranged my furniture

tried to get internet working

swapped out the summer clothes for winter clothes for all 3 boys

tried to get internet working

deep cleaned most of my house

called stupid internet people and tried to get it working

endless loads of laundry

played with friends

tried to get internet working

ran

grocery shopping

sat at the computer and mourned the loss of my internet

other shopping

made breakfasts, lunches, and dinners

wished my internet was working

so that is pretty much it. now my internet IS working, of course i don't know for how long.

my baby

fussy. did you know he's 8 months old? yep, he is. it seems really crazy, and i kinda feel badly, but i LOVE that he is older. i mean, he was cute as a newborn, and fun to look at, but everyday he seems to get more fun.

he isn't crawling yet, or doing much besides sitting and eating. that seems weird to me because both my older boys were very active by this time. harry was actually walking at 8 months. of course he was my first, so really he didn't seem that different. fussy seems like he would like to crawl, but then he decides he's perfectly happy in my arms.

the third time around is a lot different, at least for me. it seems to go faster. i am so much busier now that i have school kids, playdates, soccer, baseball....it's hard to remember what it was like when i just had harry. i am definantly not as stressed out this time.

yeah, pretty random. it's just been on my mind lately, how different it seems now, how quickly he is growing up, and the fact that i'm not terribly sad by that. in fact i'm pretty excited about it. crawling walking, getting into things. first words, hugs and kisses. being the mom is a lot of work, but i think getting to watch somebody grow firsthand is pretty amazing.