July 18 Finally Friday

Not that it being Friday made it any less nutty. We all had dental appointmnets in the morning. After this we set out on a grand adventure to find the art studio where the girls made glass fusion rings the weekend before. Both Stacey and I had deleted the info from our emails and the GS council office wasn't helpful. I knew the cross streets and Elle said she would recognize the building so off we went. Over the river (literally), onto two freeways, around the college, and through several nice and not so nice neighborhoods. Why can't I remember that streets do not ever go all the way through around here? Growing up in LA and living in Europe have honed my sense of direction and ability to modify on the go. We did find it, got the rings, and took a different route home. Turns out the studio was a few blocks from where our puppy got spayed, I had no trouble finding my way out of there. Thank God it was daylight. And thank my Mom for passing on her photographic memory when it comes to driving. If I have been there once I will find it again.

After our adventures we had lunch, I picked up the house, and tried to get baby to nap, ha ha. Then the real fun began. I demanded that Stacey bring me her four kids and go home and nap after a week of VBS with all of them (plus another 2 she was taking=8 kids & 1 mom) or go on a date with her husband.

Elle made an enormous fort and all 7 of them played in it. I'm telling you, the more of them there are the better entertained they keep themeselves. I ordered pizza fro dinner and got a great laugh out of that. Seven kids, two in high chairs, around my table, a sight I don't think my husband or I want to see permanently. Here it is...
The older kids were all laughing at the babies, Bekah and her raspberries, and Cody taking the food out of his mouth and giving it to them. The babies...

The evening was interesting after dinner. A brief nap for Bekah, some diaper changes, cat vomit, a dog eating pizza out of the trash, and a cranky seven year old boy having his umpteenth meltdown of the day. I finally gave up and we went on a walk. The fresh air helped, the boys got to run, and the girls chased after Cody who was determined to pick every dandelion in the neighborhood.

What a great time! Thanks Stacey for letting me keep your babies! They are wonderful to have around.

VBS pictures

Another thing I never want to let go of. Bekah has learned to give kisses. Elle doesn't like the slobber that comes with them.

The girls before the closing
Waiting for the kids to come in
Watching the kids come in
Lifting up his voice

Root beer floats, yummm
Sisters
"That's my hair!"
Bekah likes root beer floats

07-17 Summer with a sense of humor

My girlfriend Stacey and I have been heading up outings to the movie theatre for the summer movie program. The first week we had 16 kids and no other adults with us and we all had a blast. But it seems like every week there is some kind of drama. This week's movie was Nim's Island and we all got there a bit later than we wanted so we all would up sitting apart. One mom with her 3 kids, another with her two boys and Jake, Stacey's 2 girls and Elle with one of the other mom's 3-year-old in her lap, and me and Stacey with our infants...on the floor in the aisle next to the girls. I promptly knocked over my stroller, and spilled my popcorn, when I took Bekah's infant seat out, Stacey's 14 month old kept trying to walk across the front of the theatre, and we very quickly discovered that the carpet along the wall was wet. But hey, the movie was good, the kids had a good time, and at least the floor wasn't sticky. We had a good laugh throughout the movie.

After the movie I was forced to go to the 10th circle of Hell, I mean Wal-Mart. I needed to find some baskets for a friend that I only find there and a three other household things that I looked all over town for and couldn't find. I would have even been willing to pay the extra to not have to go in this store. After that I ran to Lowe's to see about replacing the missing screw from my lawnmower. They conveniently sell a two pack of the knob and screw sets, this is so common.

We met a friend for lunch, another deployment gal. After we ran to our favorite second hand store, met Stacey to give her Jake (Elle had a game), then headed home for naps. A short while later another lovely midwestern storm rolled in. No game for Elle.

This turned out to be a good thing as we were able to get to the VBS closing on time. In fact we got there just in time to find Jake and his buddy in a time out in the lobby instead of with their group. It was a good thing it the last night. So we all gathered in the Sanctuary and they did a (very loud) review of the theme and daily lessons, then all the kids got up on the stage and sang and danced to some songs they learned this week. It was a really large VBS undertaking and the kids had a great time. After they had root beer floats, yum. Jake kept begging me for the companion cd so they could have the songs so I bought it (it was only $5) and they sang to it the whole way home. Worth every penny.

Thank you so much Stacey for involving my kids and taking them with you. You are my superhero!

Deplyment perks addition

My Sarah added to the list and reminded me of a HUGE perk that I completely overlooked.

10. Your weekly laundry goes down by half! It's not just uniforms, it's PT gear, and t shirts and socks and uniforms that smell like airplane, plus his regular clothes.

Ahhh, how could I ever overlook this perk?

Halfway there...

So that nuttly week got us to the halfway point of this deplyment (roughly). Over the hump. And boy did it feel like it took forever to get over that hump, for both of us. Even though deployments are tough, there are some perks to it. No, I am not crazy. Yes, I would rather have my love here with me. But until he retires in 8 years, the military can still send him when and where they please so I, instead, will focus on something positive. Here it is

1. Tax free income. This is good because I am not giving birth to any more deductions.
2. Some credit card companies will give the military member a super low APR, thank you USAA.
3. Some cell phone providers will suspend the regular charges on the military member's phone. If the military member's phone is the primary line and the second line is free, this means you are only paying insurance and taxes (and for the text msgs your 17 year old sister insists on sending), thank you Sprint.
4. These money saving bonuses will pay off the 'necesseties' your husband had to have to survive this deployment.
5. Family support sends you an invitaion to the USO Sesame Street Live experience and you get VIP seating. (Ben should be home for this and HE is really excited. Elle has declared she hopes no one sees her).
6. The USPS will send you free packing materials to send your loved one care packages (1-800-CARE-4-KIT).
7. You get a free oil change.
8. You don't have to shave your legs unless you want to.
9. You get to build really great arm and back muscles mowing your jungle, I mean lawn.

So there it is. Things I focus on to keep my snaity when my husband gets orders. To my military sisters-feel free to add your own.

07-16 Peek-a-boo

This greeted me after nap time...




Can I keep this forever?

July 16 I am taking back my house!

A lot of mess has threatened to overtake it. I made laundry soap so I could do laundry. I washed all the small appliances it takes to make laundry soap and baby food. I cleaned all the pots and pans I used to make baby food and dinner the night before. Pick up toys, not sure who has more out, the baby or the dog. Rescue half the couch from three loads of laundry, the other half from mail and other junk. Vacuum. Wash and put away baby's laundry. I think I may have washed every towel I own. Watch Bekah have a very intense conversation with the vacuum. Vacuum some more.

Baby actually played near me while I cleaned. Then we spent a quiet evening together, had dinner, read Sunday's paper. I am still not accomplishing things at the speed I did before baby, but oh well. She is only this small for such a short time. I know it will be over too quickly.

And sadly, staying home and cleaning was less tiring that all the running around is.

VBS stuff

Out of the mouth of Jacob...

"There was this blind man and Jesus took dirt and spit in it to make mud and then he threw the mud on his eyes, the blind man's eyes, then Jesus told him to wash it off and he wasn't blind anymore"

Elle had sardines and loved them. For some reason she brought me home a fish spine.

July 14-15 A Break in the schedule? Yeah right.

After our crazy few days we needed some down time. We got Monday. Only Monday. The kids played and read then went to VBS. Baby wanted a lot of attention and nursing, so I didn't accomplish much. After the kis went to VBS I went to see a brand new baby from our church. Bekah was very intrigued to see someone smaller than her.

Then came Tuesday.

Running out of cereal, GRRR, I just went to the comm
Piano lessons
Target has cereal on sale, hooray, I don't have to go to the comm
Gift's for asst. coaches also found at Target, I don't have to go to the sporting goods store
Blockbuster, use coupon for free game rental before it expires.
Exchange Jake for Peyton again
Learn that they have added THREE extra games to the end of our season
Make dinner for family with new baby
Pack a picnic dinner and extra drinks for between games and baby's dinner
Pack game stuff and team snacks
Load truck
Take dinner to family, help unpack kitchen (did I mention they just moved?)
Get more ice for coolers
Go back to friend's house, forgot Bekah's wubby
Game time. Learn the reason for extra games. The coaches involved in the fight last week have been thrown out of the league. They have apparently taken their team with them so we are filling in so that the other teams still get to play their scheduled games.
It is really hot and humid even in the shade
Did I mention that we found out these games didn't count due to the team dropping out?
Umps called game early due to mercy rule and heat, our team won 17-7 and still had an inning left to bat
Dinner between games
Storm on the horizon
Girls played an awesome second game
Game called early due to lightning
Movie theatre to purchase tickets for Thursday's movie
Storm moving in quickly, lightning very close, it looks ugly
Church where Jake was at VBS lost power
They barely beat the storm home, it was ugly
Super quick baths for all, settle in with the electricity flickering
10 minutes of heavy rain, strong wind = water pouring in the basement window that got fixed last week
Almost got baby to sleep when older siblings woke her up, (take a deep breath mom)

My husband loves storms. I miss him when it is storming.

???

What did blogger do to my post? The type A/Monk in me is freaking out. Where are my clean lines??? And order? The picture label is nowhere near the picture!

Okay, rant over. Moving on...

July 13, Still no rest

Baby was up at 2-something and 0630 again only this time she was not in a good mood. I wish that tooth would hurry up.







Wake up tired, cranky kids, get them dressed and fed







Make beef enchilada casserole for fellowship







Shower and dress self and baby
What Beks thought of the sermon





Church and fellowship






In the fellowship hall










































After fellowship...

Michael's

Home, basement finally dry

Sweep again

Lay rugs back down

Re-arange furniture

Reconnect all electronics

Sort out how to keep wires, cables off floor, just in case

Kids of to VBS with John and Stacey and kids

Baby up from nap screaming

Mom got nothing else accomplished for the rest of the day

*Sigh*

T-ball cupcake cake

My decorator broke and I forgot to take pictures until after these had been in the sun. Not as cute as a Holly creation, but they tasted good and the kids loved them.

July 12, Super Saturday

Today was as busy as promised. The highlights...

Baby up at 0645 and ready to play

Boys awake at 0700 wanting waffles

Shower after baby goes back to sleep 20 minutes later

Get Jake to find ball uniform for pictures

Decorate 2 cupcake cakes

Broke Pampered Chef decorator halgway through first cake, WAAAA!

Make turkey wraps

Pack food and kids and head for the ball fields

Team pictures

Potluck Ball game-Jake's team vs. parents & siblings. Jake played catcher.


Yes, I played ball. In flip flops.
After party-trade boys for girls, take them to Girl Scout pool party

Home, clean kitchen, nurse baby, take a breath

Go to Creative Memories social

Pick up girls from camp

Stacey's for dinner, kids played in water and sand

Home, baths, bed for kids. Mom got to stay up to bake for fellowship the next day and somehow burned my hand on one of the coils in my oven. Ouch. Thanks for leaving your ice packs here Mom, they wrapped nicely around my hand. I love Neosporin.

Long, long day...

Yummy!

Raspberries

July 11, Who's the adult here?

Elle's team had pictures at 5:30 before their game at 6:30. After pictures the girls just hung out and watched the game before theirs. At the conclusion of said game, one of the parents made some ugly comment about the other team. So what did their coach do? With all her maturity and wisdom, she came over to the other team's bench and got in his face. He got right back in hers. Then her husband came over all bent out of shape. All this in front of the girls who were good gaming eachother. To give credit, the coach from the first team did try to stop it. They were getting very loud, the woman coach included, when the teenage umps put themselves in the middle of it and diffused the situation. They could be heard very clearly informing them all that this league was about the girl's, this was their game time, and none of their behavior was accceptable. The head ump, a 5' nothing teenage girl, forced the first guy off the field while the other coaches husband is still calling him out, trying to egg him on. The other umps finally pushed him and his wife back over to their team. So I ask again, who is the adult here? Why do parents get so psychotic about their children's sporting events? These are recreational leagues for little kids, they are supposed to be fun and a time to learn. There will not be any pro scouts there and what kind of an example of sportsmanship are you setting? Well, the umps at least set a good example for the younger girls. Those teenage girls behaved with way more maturity than the adults were displaying.

Luckily, at the start of all this, one of the other parents on our team coralled our girls and moved them away to warm up. Only one noticed the fight at all. And the girl's played an awesome game. Elle played catcher again and caught a foul ball for the third out with bases loaded. Then she got hit in the shins by her teammate's hit while she was on deck. But she rallied and got her first base hit. Here is Elle on first, still nursing a bruised shin. I thought it was funny.

I am very proud of this little girl. She knew nothing about softball at the start of this season, but she stuck it out, and has blossomed. She has managed to shake off errors and (minor) injuries and be a contributing member of her team. Never once has she given up and I love seeing the self-confidence she has gained by working hard and not giving up. I look foward to many more seasons.

Where's Waldo?

Can you see the bathing suit in this picture?

As Elle was packing for all of her activities, she tells me she can't find her bathing suit. Okay, when was the last time you wore it, which bathroom did you shower in, where do you think you last saw it, etc, etc. I search for a few minutes in her room before seeing it and inform her that I will not tell her where it is. She searched for it for about 15 minutes total before finding it.

Ah, the fun of being a mom sometimes.

July 11, After the Zoo

Commissary-needed stuff for Jake's team party, fellowship Sunday, and snacks for Elle's team next week. All the things I forgot the last two times I went in there.

Home, unload, lunch

Three loads of laundry (including the uniform needed that evening)

Baked 48 cupcakes

Put together flyer for Elle's team party

Packed for ball game

Elle packed for game, sleepover, girl scout art program, and girl scout pool party

Go to pool to fill out paperwork for team party

Pick up Elle's friend Peyton, head to ball fields

Team pictures and game

Grab McDonalds

Go back to ball fields to watch Peyton's younger sister's 8:30 pm make-up game (?)

Swap kids so Stacey can take the girls to their first girl scout thing in the morning. I got the boys.

Home way to late, all in bed, big thunderstorm, full, full day

July 11, The zoo

Yes, we did make it to the zoo. Here are some shots of the day.
The very pregnant aardvark, who is due this month, nesting in her 'den'

The new baby springhaus. What is that anyway?
See the peahen...
See the children freaked out by the peahen pecking for their snack. Yes this is how they ate their snack. BTW-those who like fruit roll ups said mine were okay. Jake ate 3 slices.
Go away peahen.
The wearing o' the babies

Quietly observing the butterflies
The big girls
Elle butterfly
We went down and around the new butterfly and insect pavillion and discovered this. Those very interesting bees they have inside, behind glass, building their honeycomb come out here, above that ledge. If you have a bee allergy, avoid this side of the pavillion.

The touch tank

Apparently, Stacey and I inherited an extra kid.
Our kids
Fun day at the zoo. Sorry Grandma T, we didn't make it to the gorillas this time.