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May 29, 2006, 5:21 pm Okay, so my camera is still not fixed, but as I was cleaning my office today, I came across my old Nikon point & shoot. It is not working properly (it's old and has been used LOTS and the Iraqi sand was the last thing it could take). Anyway, I managed to get it to work enough to take a few photos of the pets. I'll try to get some of Jacob after he takes his nap. I'm going to ship my nice camera to Canon tomorrow so I will hopefully have it back by next week (these last two weeks were just too busy for hitting the UPS store). Introducing...
May 29, 2006 Happy birthday to my sister, Marci!!! :) I hope everyone has had a good Memorial Day weekend. I know some of you have received the form letters from Andrew, but I wanted to include this paragraph from his last letter that I thought was so good and so moving... "While we are on the topic of dying over here, if I'm killed over here let no one say I died in vain or that President Bush killed me. Nothing would dishonor me more. I strongly believe in what we are doing here and for all those out there who say you support the troops but not the war; you are just fooling yourself. There is no difference. We take pride in what we are doing here and I would dare say that there is nothing more honorable or noble than to give one's life for one's country. And make no mistake about it; we are here in defense of our country . We have captured two Al Qaeda operatives in our AO alone so don't tell me there are no terrorist's in Iraq. If you still need further motivation then I challenge you to watch the footage of the attacks on 9/11. Watch the innocent men and women jump from the towers. Listen to the cell phone calls caught on tape as thousands of fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters died at the hands of terrorists. I miss my family more than anything but there is no place I'd rather be right now than here; and no job that I'd rather be doing than the one I'm doing now, ensuring that family I miss so much, has a safer future." I have not lost a loved one for the sake of our country, which is why we celebrate Memorial Day - to honor those men and women who so valiantly died for our freedom. If anything, God forbid, should happen to my husband while he's over there, though, I will proudly hold my head up high in the knowledge that he was such a patriot! While you are barbecuing this afternoon or hanging out at the pool, take a few minutes to remember and honor those who have given their lives for your safety and freedom! I leave you with a few "Memorial Day quotes"... "And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier's tomb, and beauty weeps the brave." ~Joseph Drake "The patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree." ~Thomas Campbell "All we have of freedom, all we use or know - "Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations, that we have forgotten, as a people, the cost of a free and undivided Republic." ~John A. Logan "We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them." ~Francis A. Walker "It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" --Patrick Henry March 23,1775
May 28, 2006 Happy 80th Birthday to Papa (Andy's grandfather)
Papa (a.k.a. Odis) is one of the best men I have ever known. When Andrew and I lived in Springfield, TN, we had the privilege of living in the same apartment complex as Papa for about 4 1/2 years. During that time, we saw Papa nearly every day. The kids and I really got to know him and as much as we hated that apartment, we wouldn't trade living there because of how much we got to see Papa! Jarvis was born while we lived there, and once he started to run and talk, whenever anyone knocked on the door, Jarvis would run to the door yelling "Papa! Papa!" I think Papa is probably my favorite relative of all mine and Andy's relatives combined, and that says a great deal about what kind of man he is - as there are a LOT of relatives between us. He is kind, generous, patient, and loving. He's 80 years old today and still running and kicking like he's 25! Happy birthday, Papa! We love you!!!
May 28, 2006, 12:10 am House stuff, Bunnies, Hannah, Church, Quotes... I ended up totally rearranging mine and Andrew's bedroom today. I like it a lot better. And I actually hung some things on the wall. We've had bare white walls in there since we moved in a year and a half ago so it's nice to finally have something up! Still need to find some good art to go in there though. I still have two walls with nothing on them. The lady that was going to take the bunnies the other day didn't, so we have someone else that is supposed to come get them tomorrow. Of course, by now, I've bonded with the bunnies so I will be a little sad to see them go (they come up to me and lick my fingers now - it's cute). But like I said before, the amount of work involved with them just isn't worth it. Maybe if I had some shade in the yard and we could keep them outside, but the inside cage is just too much to keep up with (they poop about a hundred times an hour!). They do use the cat litter when they are out of their cage. But I don't want them just hopping around the house freely all the time, so the cage gets messy, and quick! Hannah is doing well. Although she is regressing a bit on the housebreaking. I think that's more to do with people not taking her outside when she tells them though, not her forgetting where she's supposed to go. She's still a chewing maniac, but she's starting to learn what she can and what she cannot chew. For some reason, she is madly in love with me and wants to be with me every second, which is okay, but sometimes I need my space, you know? :) I guess I should start heading for bed since I have to get everyone up at 7:30 to get ready for church. I still don't put Jacob in the nursery, and he does pretty well in the church service, but he usually disrupts Sunday School and I have to go in the next room with him (I can still hear from there though). I guess one of these days I'll break down and start putting him in the nursery, but I'm just not ready for that yet. A couple of fun quotes I've come across in recent weeks. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. I can really relate to the first one!! (I love Erma Bombeck - she's so funny. I also hate ironing and making bunk beds!!!) :) "My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint." - Erma Bombeck "Money’s a horrid thing to follow, but a charming thing to meet." - Henry James "Why is there so much month left at the end of money?" - Anonymous May 27, 2006, 2:17 pm Hangin' around the house... This is the first day in what seems like forever that we don't have to go anywhere. I'm determined we are staying home all day and getting things done (I'm taking a lunch break right now and the kids are taking an outside play break). Of course, I just realized while preparing my lunch that we are out of bread and almost out of milk. But I don't care. I'm NOT going anywhere!!! :) With all our running around I feel like I'm so behind in everything at home. Hopefully we can get a lot done around here this week. Of course, now that school is out (we aren't through - we still have another week or two of work), the neighborhood children will be ringing our doorbell every five seconds asking if my kids can come out. Jacob is taking a nap in his crib for the first time. I got it put together last week but I have no bumper pads so I hadn't put him in there yet. Hopefully he won't wake up and start flipping over and hit his head on the bars! I need to get some bumper pads soon. I've given up on finding plain colored ones. I'm just going to have to get something with animals on it since that seems to be all there is! I'm sure everyone is interested. :) Josh, my brother, decided to contribute to my 'camcorder fund' after I posted the other day that I wanted one! Isn't that nice?! I'm still trying to figure out the best one for the best deal, but hopefully I'll have one by the end of the week! I'm so excited!!! :) I got to chat with Andy the last two days. It was so nice talking to him. I really miss him like crazy! He's back out on patrols though, so now I have to wait a few days before we can talk again. Well, laundry is calling my name, unfortunately (along with a million other things around here). But fortunately, the caffeine from my tea is kicking in! :) May 25, 2006, 7:20 pm Andy, come home! Housework. It's not that I hate it, I actually enjoy cleaning. But when it's more than I can keep up with, it gets a little old. 1 parent, 5 children, 1 puppy, 1 kitten, 2 bunnies... something just doesn't add up here. The bunnies are being picked up tonight by someone who is just dying to have them, so that'll be a relief. Actually, we enjoyed the bunnies, and watching the kitten chase the bunnies is quite amusing! But two weeks was enough. The novelty is about worn off... time for the bunnies to pack up and move on. I have dreams of about 20 years from now... a spotless house, plenty of time on my hands, traveling, going on as many dates with Andrew as we want... of course we'll most likely have grandchildren by then, but we can just spoil and love on them and then send them home to their parents. That'll be FUN! :) I guess what I really need right now is for my husband to come home! I can't wait. October seems a lifetime away. Hopefully it'll fly by! Everything seems so much easier when he's home. Just his presence relaxes me. Five more months... Species confused... Oh, kind of funny, but weird too... Ashley (the kitten) thinks that Hannah (the puppy) is her mother. She keeps trying to nurse on her? Hannah does NOT like this, but she just lies there while Ashley tries to latch on and Hannah will just look at me and whine until I come get Ashley off of her! So the kitten thinks that the bunnies are her siblings and that the dog is her mother. If there was such a thing as an animal therapist, they could make a good living off our kitten!!! Haha! :) May 24, 2006, 11:52 am Seatbelts... Let me just say for the record that I think the 'seatbelt law' is ridiculous. How is it that it is legal for me to smoke, drink as much liquor as I want, and do various other self-damaging activities, but I am not allowed to get in my car without putting on a seatbelt? Okay, safety schmafety - I know why we HAVE seatbelts, and I wear mine - I would wear it even if it was NOT the law, but that's just it. It should be MY choice! I was stopped at a red light on the way home from the dentist on post this morning and a DoD cop motioned for me to roll down my window. He was angry. He was seething. You would have thought I had just crashed into his precious little police car. But no. It was nothing like that. He said, "Your son is not wearing his seatbelt properly." The guy could barely get the sentence out without screaming and yelling. He was MAD! I quickly turn around thinking that maybe Jarvis was wandering around the van not in his seat or something of the like. But the cop goes, "NO! THIS ONE UP HERE!" I look over at Justice in the front passenger seat. The cop said "he was wearing it like this" and he proceeded to demonstrate that Justice had had the top part of the seatbelt behind him instead of in front of him. Let me just note right here that Justice is not allowed to sit in the front seat if he can't remember to wear his seatbelt properly. He had "forgotten". So I tell the cop something along the lines of how I didn't realize he didn't have the seatbelt on right and how he knew he was supposed to wear it right. So then the cop decided that wasn't enough. He goes "Is your airbag turned off?!", "No sir" (it doesn't TURN off even if I wanted to), "How old is he?", "Ten", "How much does your son weigh", "Um... 50 pounds?" (Justice later informed me he weighs 64 - yeah I can't keep up with how much each of my children weighs!!!), "Well, you need to check into the legal limits of if he is even supposed to be in the front seat" (obviously he didn't know that off-hand or I'm sure it would have been included in the lecture). So I said, "yes sir, thank you" and he muttered "you're welcome" and thank GOODNESS the light turned green!! I can usually keep my cool. But oh man, I really wanted to just go off on the cop. But I didn't. I was respectful and went on my merry way. But let me tell you it took restraint (and it wasn't the fact that the cop pointed out that Justice wasn't wearing his seatbelt properly; it was the fact that the cop was sooooooooooooooo angry about it. Hello?! 'Don't you have crimes to attend to???'). And Justice will pay attention to whether or not his seatbelt is on properly from now on! He did NOT like being the object of the policeman's anger. Back to the law. Shouldn't it be MY responsibility if my children are or are not wearing their seatbelts? It's not the government's problem! I hate laws that invade my privacy and that invade my personal family. I think this is one of those laws. Next, they'll have cops patrolling house to house checking to see if my baby is in his high chair properly. Or if I'm keeping the side up on my baby's crib. Or knocking on my door if my son isn't wearing his bicycle helmet... Oh wait, they've already DONE that. Only that cop wasn't as lucky to get me - Andy answered THAT door. Haha! :) Don't even get me started on how it is not a law to have medical insurance (something I actually USE), but it IS a law to have car insurance. That makes NO sense to me! How much money have I sent to the garbage can on car insurance that I never have to use because I drive carefully?! Ugh. Insurance should not be a law, just like seatbelts should not be a law. The government is just saying, "we don't think you are being responsible enough on your own, so we're going to MAKE you live the way we think you should live". AUGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Okay, I'm done with my rant. Just thought maybe someone reading might share in my thinking here. :) May 23, 2006, 3:44 pm Vacation, anyone? What a busy week. Sunday night the boys had their recognition service at church for R.A.'s (royal ambassadors). Last night Justice had his soccer party at CiCi's Pizza while Jarvis had his last practice. Britt went to Justice's party with him, and the rest of us went to Jarvis' practice where the parents played soccer against the kids (yes, I played). This morning, we spent 4 hours at the dentist office while Brittany had the top brackets of her braces put on and spacers put in. She goes back next week to get the bottom brackets on, and then she'll get the wires. Oh, and I cut a foot off of her hair yesterday for her to donate to 'Locks of Love', a place that makes wigs for child cancer patients (her idea). She looks very cute with her short hair (shoulder length) and braces (photos will hopefully be coming soon). :) We're about to leave for Jarvis' soccer game. Tomorrow, both boys get their teeth cleaned at the dentist, we're spending the afternoon at a friend's house, and Justice has his final game (to which I'm bringing the snacks). Thursday, Jarvis has his final game. Friday, Jarvis has his soccer party. Add in trips to the grocery store, post office, and various other places, plus household chores, taking care of 4 pets, and trying to wrap up the school year. Next week, we have no soccer, but we have two more dental appointments (one for Jarvis to get a filling and one for Britt's braces), Jacob has his 4 month well baby exam and shots, and Hannah has to go get her final puppy shots at the vet. Meanwhile, I might possibly be allergic to the kitten (but I'm hoping it's just seasonal allergies). I'm tired. I'm very, very tired. (but it's okay - I knew all this stuff came with the territory of having so many kids - I'll make it through) :) May 21, 2006, 12:59 pm Odds and ends... grrrr... my camera... film... videos... back in shape... microwaves... coming soon ... May 20, 2006, 10:36 pm The ER... Okay, so I'm not a fan of going to the Emergency Room. And I'm especially not a fan of going to the only ER on an overly crowded military base that's always crowded and backed up - on a weekend! However, I just returned home from there and I have to say, it was my most pleasant and quick ER experience (and with 5 kids, I've had quite a few over the years)! :) I showed up and saw the waiting room was full, as expected, and told Jarvis "we'll be waiting a while son - we should have brought books!" I waited my turn at the red line and the lady behind the counter did not look friendly. She looked like she was ready to go home. I thought "great!" She calls me up and says "what's the problem?" I say "Uh... my son has a Nerd stuck in his ear?" And do you know what happened next? In all my ER experiences, I never thought this COULD happen. She LAUGHED! Then, she said, come around here and let me see if we can just pop that bad boy out. :) So we go. But, alas, Jarvis has chosen the biggest Nerd out of the box to get stuck in his ear, and it was hurting him. She said, "Come on, follow me - maybe we can lay him down and you won't even have to deal with signing in". Huh?!?! How wonderful is THIS?!?!?! I don't have to wait????? She finds a male nurse (who looks like he belongs in a biker bar but in a friendly sort of way?) and she says to him "we've got a Nerd stuck in an ear" and he chuckles and says to me "follow me." We go to a triage area and after trying several tools, he can't get it out and Jarvis is crying because it hurts. So he decides he's going to "melt it out". Jarvis doesn't like the sound of that, but there's not much he can do at this point. After all, he DID put the Nerd in his ear in the first place! Meanwhile, the stroller starts to shake as Jacob is waking up and is kicking like a madman. The other kids had talked me into letting them stay home. Brittany is mature and she has proved herself in babysitting lately. She said "we don't want to sit in the waiting room" and Darby said "and I don't want to watch Jarvis scream" and Justice said "I'm too tired to go", so I let them stay and they promised to just sit and watch a movie (which they did). The biker nurse was squirting warm water in Jarvis' ear trying to get the Nerd to dissolve since the thing just would not budge. Jacob was being carried around the ER by a Paramedic lady - and he was grinning from ear to ear at his new surroundings (he was very popular!). Finally, the Nerd dissolved enough for the nurse to get it out (and Jarvis didn't mind the water too much - it was much better than the tools!). A doctor came to say hello to Jacob. The doctor was probably 6 1/2 feet tall and Jacob's eyes got very wide and his mouth opened as he looked up at him like "wow" - remember, I'm usually the tallest person Jacob sees so this guy probably seemed like a total GIANT to him - haha! So the nurse said "hey doc, come take a look at this ear real quick - if it's okay then this nice lady won't even need to do any paperwork". So the dr. starts chatting with me about how he has a baby one day younger than Jacob, checks Jarvis' ear out and says there's nothing there but a little Nerd debris and it might be a little sore, but nothing Tylenol shouldn't cure. The nurse and paramedic chick joke about how I was able to avoid the abyss of the waiting room, and we were OUT of there in less than an hour without ever even having to sign in!!! Can you believe it? The nurse did tell Jarvis that the only thing he could put in his ear from now on was his elbow. To which Jarvis said "it won't fit" so the nurse said "well then, I guess nothing can go in there, huh?" :) Before the ER... We went to the ice-cream place we discovered last week (or was it just a few days ago?). It's called Mr. Snow and it was just as good the second time, then we stopped by the gas station to get a bag of contraband candy to smuggle inside the diaper bag into the movie theater and we saw Over the Hedge, which was very cute and we all thoroughly enjoyed it (except for the fact that Jarvis got a Nerd stuck in his ear!). :) I also was able to chat with Andy today on the instant messenger, and that was VERY nice as we haven't been able to talk much the last few weeks (I love him!). And the boys both played well in their soccer games today, even though I had to miss most of Justice's game because their games overlapped. I used my zoom lens to watch Justice from Jarvis' game field though, during times that Jarvis was on the bench or they had a break. :) One more week of soccer, then it'll be Darby's turn to do gymnastics. And I think Brittany has decided she wants to take an art class. She's been painting a lot lately. She's very creative and loves anything that has to do with arts and crafts. :) p.s. And Kendra - I don't want to hear you yelling at me about our ice-cream and candy day. Kids need those now and then, even if they do end up at the ER! :D :D :D May 18, 2006, 9:45 pm Zoo, Panera, Soccer... We went to the Waco zoo today. It was fun. The zoo in Waco is not large by any stretch of the imagination, but that's OKAY seeing as how it was 97 degrees today! After the zoo, we went to Panera Bread - my favorite restaurant - since there isn't one here in Killeen and the one in Waco is the closest. Then we made it home in time to bring Rhonda (my friend who lives down the street and goes to my church whose husband is also deployed) some soup (she had never heard of Panera so I had to bring her some broccoli cheddar so she could see the wonder that is Panera! She loved it, by the way). Then it was off to drop off Jarvis and Brittany at Jarvis' soccer practice so me and the two little ones could go to Justice's game. What a whirlwind day! My friend, Donna, who we went to the zoo with (along with her three children), took a few photos with her digital camera since I was stuck using 35mm again (no, my digital camera still is not repaired). Here is one she took that she titled 'thewaltons' when she emailed it to me. Ha! :) I took more photos with my film camera and will try to get those developed and up on ofoto in the next few days.
Animals... Okay, so the kitten (Ashley - named by Justice, which, fyi, Justice's name was going to be Ashley had he been a girl) thinks she is a bunny! When it's time for the bunnies to be out of their cage and wander around, the kitten climbs in their cage and harrasses them. The bunnies don't seem to mind too much until Ashley starts to swat at their noses with her little paw. Did you see Ice Age 2, where the mammoth thinks she is an oppossum? Well, that's what the kids and I talk about because the kitten thinks she is one of the bunnies. Hannah, the dog, is still scared of Ashley, but she does venture a little closer. She is very curious, but extremely cautious. Actually, she's just a big whiny baby when it comes to the other animals. Ha! :) All smiles... During my pregnancy with Jacob, I prayed daily that my baby would be three things: healthy, happy, and easy. God answered my prayers. This baby is THE happiest baby in the world! He smiles constantly. Big, gummy grins from little ear to little ear fill my day and it is so sweet! He can be a cranky pants when he's tired, as he hates to go to sleep (he thinks he might miss something), but that's no big deal and easily dealt with (a little rocking and singing does the trick, and when all else fails, nursing works every time!). He is so easy and happy... and healthy! :) I just love him. He is SUCH a joy in my life and he could not have come at a more perfect time. I hate that Andrew has to miss so much of Jacob, but at the same time I'm so thankful that Jacob came while Andrew is gone because he makes the time go by faster and really makes me not dwell on our separation so much. God knows what He's doing, huh? :) May 17, 2006, 12:43 pm HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEBI! :) 9 things that are just way too much of a hassle
Tell me something (on the comments page) that you wish would just get done by itself. :) May 16, 2006, 11:36 am This and that... I figured I'd update my blog while I'm waiting on hold to make Jacob a well baby appointment. Okay, I only typed one sentence when they answered the phone. I've been trying to change his doctor to one I liked, and thought that I DID after spending an afternoon at the Tricare office (military insurance). Apparently it didn't go through so now I have to go back down there. Ugh. I did manage to make his appointment just now with a different doctor, but still not the one I want. At least it's not with the mean woman he saw last time!!! :) Anyway, Jacob was 4 months old two days ago, which I can hardly believe, and his checkup will be a couple of weeks late (and that bothers my OCD, but I'll make it). :) Justice is laid up on the couch today after sustaining some injuries at soccer practice last night. He's got a slight sprain in his knee, some bruises on his leg, and I think he may have pulled a muscle or something in his pec. Needless to say, he puts his entire body into the sports and games that he plays. I'm amazed he hasn't done worse. He's just hoping he is doing better by Thursday, since we have a zoo trip planned for that day, and he has a game that evening! He hates having to stay down, but his leg hurts him too much to walk on it. If he isn't doing better by morning, I guess I'll take him to the clinic and have them look at it. Hannah is a wild woman. She jumps and chews and refuses to calm down! I am making her spend more time outside in the yard because she's a maniac in the house. We still love her, but wow - the 'puppy stage' needs to start wearing off soon! :) I think we have decided we really aren't bunny people. I mean, let's face it, bunnies are pretty pointless as pets. They aren't very interactive, and when we let them out to hop around the living room (which is actually pretty cute) we have to move and throw tons of furniture around in order to catch them to put them back in their cage! Anyway, since Justice got his kitten, I've gotten a lot of "I want to give my bunny away and get a kitten" from both the girls! haha! Well, we had never done the bunny thing before and we probably never will again. Oh, and fyi for anyone thinking of having a bunny as an indoor pet... if you don't clean out their cage at LEAST every other day then your entire house smells like rabbit poop! :-| Well, I am off to put Jacob's crib together and Jarvis' dresser together, right after I run to the post office to mail some snacks to Andy. :) I hope everyone has a great day!!! May 14, 2006 Happy Mother's Day to all my favorite Moms... Candy Trish Marci, Timberly, Carolyn, Theresa Grandma W., Aunt Gail, Aunt Cherry, Aunt Glenda, Aunt Esther Kendra, Laura, Ali, Robyn, Adina, Stephanie (L. and S.), Debi, Mindy, Shannon, Vicki, Lisa, Rhonda, Tina, Donna, Ruthe, Sara, Jodi, Rebecca, Stacey I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Mother's Day. And all the other Moms out there too!!! :) p.s. I received 'form letter from Iraq #3' from Andrew on Saturday. If you have not received any or all of these letters and are interested in seeing them, please let me know and I will email them to you (and I assure you that Andrew means to leave no one out - he just has difficulty keeping track of who he has and has not sent them to, which is why I'm posting this paragraph on here). I think these letters are wonderful and I'm thankful to Andy for sending them. The media is so good at distorting the truth, so it's nice to hear from someone who knows what's going on. Andrew - I love you and miss you!!! May 13, 2006, 7:12 pm What's life without a little chaos? I did manage to take a little nap this morning, which I'm glad for, because I've been going like a maniac since noon. Jarvis' team tied 1-1 at their soccer game. Jarvis is so cute playing soccer. It was our day to bring the snack so it was fun transporting a cooler along with the stroller, 4 kids (Justice is gone today, remember?), and 3 chairs. It all worked out though (as it always does). Then we went on the hunt for a dresser for Jarvis and a crib mattress for Jacob. I did manage to get a dresser, finally, at Wally World (one I have to put together - ugh!). I didn't find a crib mattress (I have to go to the other Wal-Mart tonight anyway so I'm hoping they aren't out of the cheaper ones like this afternoon's Wal-Mart was because I'm not paying 80 bucks for a crib mattress!!!). I did, however, come home with something else. Please don't send a Psych unit to my house... I came home with a kitten. Some lady was giving away the most adorable litter of kittens outside Circuit City (which we had to pass on the way to Target). I wanted to take all five of them home, but I showed a little, tiny bit of self control and only took one. After all, since the bunnies, everyone had a pet except Justice. And he was asking for a kitten. So I figured it would be better if the puppy, the bunnies, and the kitten all grew up together, right? :) Do you like my rationalization there? Justice is going to be so excited when he comes home tonight and finds out he has a kitten!!! If anything, I win the Mom-of-the-year Award in giving the kids all these baby animals!!! :) :) :) We introduced everyone when we got home. Hannah (the puppy) hadn't met the bunnies yet - just sniffed at their cage on her way outside. So we put all the animals in the living room. The teeny-tiny kitten got all riled up and hissed at Hannah, which scared Hannah (she is scared of all animals even though she is about a million times bigger than the kitten!). Sally, the white bunny, took a liking to the kitten and started grooming her. It was very cute. If only my camera worked. Zilla just hid under the couch - it was waaaaay too much for her! lol I just got two fence posts hammered back up (they kept falling down - I put enough nails in them now they aren't going anywhere!). Now I've got to go finish putting groceries away, get some cleaning done, go BACK to Wal-Mart, get the kids bathed, pick out tomorrow's church clothes for the younger ones and myself, pick up Justice at 11:30, and um... let's see, did I eat dinner?! I don't think I remembered to do that. Maybe I should start with eating - we stopped by my friend, Rhonda's, house on the way home and she gave me some yummy Mexican food that she had cooked too much of tonight. I got so busy with animals and fence posts that I forgot to eat it! Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze a shower in for myself at some point before going to bed (which HAS to be by 1 am if there is any hope at all of me getting up in time to get everyone to Sunday School in the morning!). eta: Brittany just called me to "come quick". The kitten climbed in the bunny cage and the three of them were playing. The kitten is like half the size of the bunnies. Sooooo cute!!! :) May 13, 2006, 8:39 am (that's right - 8:39 AM!) So I should not be allowed to drive in the early morning. Especially after just a few hours of sleep?! I dropped Justice off for a soccer field trip this morning, and was sitting at the red light ready to turn onto the main road. I was like "WHY isn't this light turning green?!?!" and a lady pulled up beside me and rolled her window down - she was like "um... you are in the oncoming traffic lane?". Wow. What can I say to that? She was speaking slowly to me like I was retarded, but can I blame her?! On the way home, I drove past a couple of yard sales, since it is a RARE occasion that I am actually OUT at 8 am on a Saturday, but the few yard sales I came across had nothing. I was hoping to spot a dresser for Jarvis, but no such luck. Poor kid has his clothes in piles on the floor in the corner of his room right now, since I gave his dresser to Jacob with promises of getting him a new one. I think I'll look at a few stores today and see if I can find a decent one for a decent price (yeah right!). I need to go get a crib mattress for Jacob anyway - he is outgrowing his bassinet. Okay, I really think it's time for a little nap before Jarvis' soccer game. Darby and Jacob are the only ones awake (I left Britt and Jarvis in my bed asleep when I took Justice - I managed to wake Britt up enough to let her know she was there with Jarvis). Jacob is ready for his nap, so we may just go kick Brittany back out of my bed, and let Darby watch a movie! :) I'm soooooooo not a morning person. Maybe if I had gotten more than a few hours sleep last night. :) May 12, 2006, 1:34 am First of all... HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOEL!!! Sorry I didn't get a chance to update ON the 11th, but Happy Birthday a day late. I hope you had a GREAT 42nd birthday. :) :) :) Bunnies... Well, we did it. We got the bunnies. My digital camera is still not repaired (when do I have time to take it in?!), but I found two similar looking bunnies online so you guys can see what they basically look like (because I know you all are DYING to see them!). Please don't have a heart attack, Andy... we only plan on adding a kitten to the mix, so you will just be coming home to four new animals. :D :D :D x
So now Justice is the only one without a pet (well, and Jacob, but he isn't complaining). Justice wants a kitten, and I'm finding that, alas, I do think I like cats the best out of all the furry pets. Who knew? I do like the other pets though - I just really love cats (and especially kittens!). So I guess a kitten for Justice is next on the list of animals we may acquire. Um, yeah. I'm absolutely NUTS! :) :) :) May 9, 2006, 12:55 pm and wuv, twue wuv... (the above is referencing 'The Princess Bride' for those who think I may have just acquired a speech impediment) :) I was able to talk to Andrew a little the last two days. He's back out on patrols now and I won't hear from him for four more days. The last couple of weeks, we hadn't been able to communicate much at all because their phones/internet have been down (they shut communications down when someone is killed, until the families are notified). So it was nice being able to talk on Sunday and Monday. I really miss him a lot. We have such a wonderful relationship; it's amazing how God has worked in our marriage. Who knew we would/could end up so incredibly happy (after all we've been through), even from different sides of the world. We have about 5 1/2 months to go, and I can't wait! Our marriage is pretty much perfect. I can't imagine how it could get better (aside from actually physically being together and not in separate countries!). :) sports and mud... The boys are really enjoying soccer. We've had several games postponed due to rain, so that hasn't been fun for them (we've had lots of practices and no games for the last couple weeks), but it's still been fun. Hopefully we'll be able to make up the games soon. We have had a million storms here lately, which means lots of MUD in my dirt-filled yard (there is grass here and there, but mostly it's just dirt and weeds, which makes for a really gorgeous lawn - lol). Hannah the dog, who has to use the yard as a bathroom, ends up with dirt and mud all over her feet since it's been so wet. Ugh. (mopping is one of my least favorite chores!) am i insane?!... Speaking of animals... um... someone at church called yesterday and offered me a cage and two dwarf bunnies free of charge? Uh... I said yes?! For some reason I just can't resist baby animals. Even if it is bunnies (which I have never owned). So they are supposed to get back with me today on when I can come pick them up. They also said they have the other kind of bunnies as well if we want some. Where in the heck am I going to put a cage full of bunnies?!?!?! Brittany said "they can go in my room!"... um, no... no animals upstairs! I do draw the line there. I hope Hannah doesn't eat the bunnies. (poor Andy - he's going to come home to a ZOO!). :) May 6 2006, 2:23 pm I thought I would share some verses that I thought were good. I hope someone else can use them. If not, I was able to read them again as I posted them, so definitely no harm done. :) 8)Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; May 5, 2006, 7:51 pm I was going through some old CDs and came across a folder full of old newspaper scans. These two made me laugh and I thought at the very least a couple of my siblings and cousins who read my blog might be amused at them... :) The following are postcards that were sent from my mother (the bottom one) and her sister, my Aunt Gail (the top one) to their parents when they and their brother, my Uncle Duane, went to visit relatives one summer. The card from Aunt Gail is just simple, we made it here, kind of stuff. I find the card from my mother hilarious! It's just one complaint after another. LOL (I'll transcribe them below the scan)...
Bottom card: Dear Mom and Dad, Duane wasn't too good on the bus. He thinks he can do anything he wants. I feel okay now. In Chicago I didn't. [Our] suitcases didn't come yet. It's awful hot here. We got to eat now. Love, Candy For some reason, that just totally cracks me up. :) The following is a newspaper article covering my mother's ONLY car accident, ever. The woman has had like one ticket and one wreck in her life. That's it. The fact that she landed her car in a pond when she was 16 is funny to me... :)
It really is not 'pick on your mom' day. I just came across these and thought they were funny (and you all know how I enjoy a good laugh). I love you mom!!! :) May 3, 2006, 11:15 pm Organization... I spent the last two days with a migraine (just LOVE those - ugh). This evening, I was feeling better and got some energy so after making and eating dinner, I went nuts (nothing new). I decided it was time to rearrange the dining room/office and reorganize all the books and the contents of my office. So now I sit in a rearranged office with piles of junk everywhere that I still need to go through. The dining room is filled with books because putting them according to category takes a while when you have as many books as we do. They started out according to category when we moved in, but we have lived here for a year and a half so they have gotten messed up. I wonder if Andy will notice if I get rid of some?! (just kidding babe - I'm not throwing away your books - calm down!!!) :D I'm hoping this energy sticks around because it's already 11 at night (and I will stay up until the energy is gone, because that's just what I do - but I know I won't be finished before I get tired). I'm combining the rearranging and organization with dusting, polishing furniture, and scrubbing the floor (especially areas that had been underneath bookcases for 1 1/2 years [gross!]). I wish I had energy like this all the time - my house would never have a speck of dust in it. Maybe that's why God gave me health problems - it forces me to relax!!! I love to get things done though! :) Andrew... I got to chat with Andy on the instant messenger for a few minutes today. I hadn't talked to him in a few days. He has been sick with a bad stomach virus, but has to go back out on patrols now. He said he was feeling a bit better, but please pray that he regains all of his strength soon! I'm sure being ill in a nasty, dirty, foreign country is NOT fun. I can't wait until October! (have I mentioned that?!) Good times...
Oh yeah! While looking for some fun "gaucho" photos, I came across this baby. Remember 'Jams'? If not, they were these crazy patterned walking shorts that came out in the mid-80s. These were the more modest version that Timberly and I are wearing. Wow! Sexy!!! Okay, a few comments from me - feel free to make your own on the comments page. :)
{p.s. I mean NO offense. The comments are all in good fun. :)} May 2, 2006, 7:38 pm The tooth monster... Jacob had been pretty fussy the last day or two, always wanting to be held, and I was thinking "man this kid is getting spoiled rotten". Um... tonight at soccer practice, I realized he wasn't being spoiled - he was TEETHING. A tiny little tooth has poked through his bottom gum. He was fussing about being in his stroller and I thought he just wanted to be held. Um... I put some teething lotion on him and he magically stopped crying and went to sleep. I felt so bad for not attending to it sooner. None of my other children got teeth this young, so I just was not expecting it. But really, all the signs were there - he didn't want his pacifier (a.k.a. my finger) anymore, he was chewing on his hands constantly and the drool was out of control! So now I know what it is and he is medicated and happy. :) (and his little tooth is very cute even though it is almost microscopic in size). Something that makes me go "why?"... Gauchos - The appeal of this article of clothing eluded me in the 80's, and now that I am seeing them everywhere, their appeal eludes me once again. Do people buy and wear them because they actually like them? Are they just buying them because their latest issue of "In Style" told them to do so? I don't get it. I will not ever own another pair of these things (I say 'another', not because I have any NOW, but I had them in the 80's when I was allowed to wear only gauchos, cullottes, or dresses). Let me just give all you gaucho-lovers a tidbit of info; use it how you wish... Gauchos are not sexy. They do not make you look more attractive. They do not make you look thinner. Gauchos are ugly. Just FYI. If you responded to the above question about people liking gauchos with "I love them", then by all means keep wearing them (I certainly meant you no offense, and maybe you can explain what their appeal is to me), however, I will not be joining you on that fashion adventure. :) Real simple... I love the magazine Real Simple. Once again, they have led me down the right path. Sometimes they help me with organization problems, sometimes it's a good recipe to try, sometimes it's a new decorating idea. This time, the path led me to good hair. My hair issues include an oily scalp, dry, split ends, frizzy fly-aways, and no body unless I use the curling iron. Real Simple recommended a shampoo to me in their latest issue (or was it the issue before - sometimes it takes me three months to read one issue - something about having five children and a dog). They said that for an oily scalp and dry ends, use Aussie's new Dual Personality shampoo. Heck, I can actually AFFORD that! My latest trek to Wally World ended with the purchase of the shampoo, conditioner and gel combo/leave-in conditioner (at $2.38 a pop, I could afford to get all three!). Well, guess what?! It works! I was able to SKIP a day washing my hair (something my oily scalp has never allowed me to do without looking like a grease pit, which in turn makes my ends even more dry), AND I have no frizzies, and my ends look smooth! So far so good. If, like me, you suffer from a crazy combination of hair issues... I extend to you Real Simple's recommendation of Aussie's Dual Personality! :)May 1, 2006, 4:00 pm I took the photo of the lilies in my May banner with my new camera - the one that is still broken (yes, it's under warranty - I just haven't had the time to deal with it yet). :-| I can't wait until it is fixed - I can't stand to go a day without using my baby!!! :) I know, I am pathetic. But I love taking pictures, and my new camera makes photo taking so much more fun than it already was! :) I can't believe May is already here. That's just crazy to me. Where did March and April go? At least time is flying by while Andrew is gone, although in that respect it sometimes seems like time is just CRAWLING. October cannot get here soon enough! (It always blows my mind how time can simultaneously seem to fly and crawl!) :) I hope everyone is enjoying the last month of spring. Take some time to stop and smell the flowers. :) |
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