What I learned this Christmas...

I know, it is Christmas, I should post a mushy sentimental post, but sorry, not in the mood!

These are not in any particular order.

1. Moon Sand: messy yes, but I have to confess, I think I prefer it to Play Doh! I didn't have to pick it out of any one's shoes or hair and Millie spit it out instead of chewing it! I think I will like it even more once all the colors are mushed together so I don't have to keep hearing "No Abby! Keep the green with the green and the blue with the blue!"

2. When the kids wake up at 4:30, sending them back to bed just won't work on Christmas! They don't go back to sleep, thus we don't go back to sleep! We did manage to prolong it to about 5:45, but that was as long as we could hold them off AND still maintain the spirit of Christmas!

3. I have been saying for at least two years now "This will be Rudy's last Christmas" but this year is. He is tired and his health is rapidly catching up with him.

4. My mom is highly unlikely to go to the ER when she slices her finger with a knife, so why would I even bother to argue with her about it when she slices it on Christmas day! Being the retired RN that she is, she just steri stripped it with some bandage tape, wrapped it up and suffered, true Nikki style!

5. Never try new recipes on a holiday. That recipe in allrecipes.com that has raving reviews and is even titled "Awesome Broccoli Casserole" is sure to not be all that awesome if tried for the first time on a holiday!

6. Arriving at church, on Christmas Eve, 10 minutes late leaves you with the only row of six open seats being in the front row. Not good for parental nerves, but provides a good laugh for the pastor.

7. I have yet to figure out just how Millie unfastens my nursing bra from the outside of my shirt, but some who she kept doing it in church last night, in the front row where it is impossible to fasten it discretely.

8. This is the only year Millie will look out the car windows after dark and sound so excited when she exclaims "Leelee Lighs" for all of the "Christ-Mas-Lights" she sees. Can I hold on to that little voice in my head forever, please?

9. Christmas is a good time to see just how well you are doing, as a parent, at building those ever important 'character' traits in your kids. Example: Harrison got a cool huge dune buggy type RC car. Nana comes over with a very cute RC My Little Pony thing for Abby, leaving Nick out of the RC races. He handled it very well, stepping back and watching the other kids (a little pouty, but no crying or tantrums) and they handled it very well by handing over the remotes with out parental nudging and sharing the fun!

10. Not everything has to be equal, life is full of times when things are not equal. Nick and Abby both had bigger gifts this year that were not wrapped: Abby got a Little Tykes vanity and Nick got a Home Depot work bench. Harrison immediately took note and commented upon walking into the living room this morning, but then moved on, acknowledging that he got a new bike last year and the twins did not.

11. All three of our older kids this year knew the true meaning of Christmas and were excited about Jesus having a birthday. Makes a Mommy proud.

12. Never write a note from Santa in normal handwriting, for when they are seven and older and wiser, they will pull that note out of their secret hiding place and show it off. This year Santa took a second to email Mrs Clause from our house, and in the process, he typed up a quick thank you for the fudge and carrots, even left a fudgy thumb print on the note!

13. Feeding Elbert a feast of Christmas dinner left overs makes for a very stinky dog later in the evening!

Walmart is good for the soul

So, Harrison has a potluck at school tomorrow with his class. I decided I would make a HUGE batch of spaghetti and sauce tonight, for our dinner and then make a big container to take to the potluck. I needed pretty much all of the ingredients for my sauce, and we also needed a bag of Pedigree for my overly sensitive dog (long story) So, Walmart was the obvious choice because I could get everything in one place at a reasonable price (dog food at the grocery? forget it!)

I have been blessed with the sanity and clarity to know that Walmart is cheap on some items but you pay for it in others. I have been shopping at Smith's for a long time now, for the fuel rewards and also because they kick some back to our school. It is smaller, just groceries, and "normal" if you know what I mean.

I pull into Walmart his afternoon, approximately 3:45pm. I drove around the parking lot, hoping to get a decent spot. I think driving around the parking lot is one of the most frustrating parts of Walmart because you have to dodge the loose children, the seniors who just put the car in reverse but lack the range of motion to look over the shoulder to see if it is clear, and then there are the 'wrong way' parkers who grab the spots up. I don't like to park too far away at Walmart because A) a few years ago my purse was stolen in their parking lot and B) with four kids and all of the reasons I hate their lot listed above, it is just dangerous to try to walk them too far in the lot, you just never know!

Once we arrived near the front door and secured a cart, the twins climbed into the back and Millie also sat in the back with them. She is too much of a big girl now to ride in the " baby seat" up front and has to stand in the back. I choose to avoid the screaming and allow her the simple indulgence. Yes, the twins are old enough to walk in the store, but it IS Walmart a week before Christmas, so it is easier to just have them ride so no one gets lost or run over by the previously mentioned senior shopper.

Wouldn't you know it, my cart has a bum wheel and is pulling, horribly, to the left. Fun. We head to the sketti section and get what I need, head to the produce to get salad makings for dinner tonight (wow, cukes for .77 each, at Smith's they were .99 each!) Harrison hiccuped and decided to be dramatic and tell me he thought he was going to throw up and needed to go to the bathroom. Personally the public bathroom here would make me want to throw up, not a place I would WANT to go. I stalled and he was fine, but we still had to walk in that direction to get the dog food for Elbert, so he ran over and went to the bathroom. No, I did not discart all three other kids, he went by himself. After getting nasty looks for stopping in Walmart, while waiting for him, we finally started my work out as we headed back to the dog food. Harrison wanted to go see the Christmas decorations in the green house area, but, due to the cart misbehaving, we headed to the check out.

Score! One cart in front of me! She has a fair amount, but only one cart! The kids are getting antsy, but there is only one cart in front of me. Oh great, she is asking for subtotals part way through, then counting her cash, green light and the scanning continues, but then something rang up wrong.... fixed and it continues. She is scowling at us, the happy Mom behind her, because my toddler his throwing her shoes out, twin A has to pee, twin B is getting squished by toddler and Child #1 wants goldfish for everyone. I can remedy twin A and the pee, and Child #1 and his needs by sending him as an escort to the ladies bathroom, to guard the stall of Twin A (safety in numbers) and it was right across from the end of our check out late. I am the second cart because, there is only one cart in front of me. Yes, if it had been Twin B who had to pee, I could have told him to hold it and he would have waited a full 24 hours to relieve himself. Child #1 and Twin A are not like that, they wait until the last minute and if you deny them, Twin A will just go and not tell you (in her pants) and Child #1 will eventually start to dance and almost cry and on rare occasion has peed his pants in the car. So, they are not the ones to mess around with!

I am unloading the cart, finally, and realize Crazy Toddler has stepped on the .77 cukes and we will now be eating all three for dinner because they are squished. Oh well. She reaches up and grabs the cart in front of us, and makes the other lady bitter because OMG, a 20 month old precious screaming baby touched her cart! Well, Lady, you are at Walmart.

We FINALLY finish and head out, I go to pull the dog food out from under the cart and realize when the checker pulled it out aggressively because I was lazy and didn't put it on the belt for her, she ripped it. Thankfully it was salvageable because I think if the car waiting for my spot had seen me leave the car to go back in, would have pulled a Towanda and smashed my car!

Did I mention that I had scored a prime first slot spot? So it was worth waiting for while I unloaded the groceries, Crazy Toddler and corralled Child #1 and Twins A and B.

So, how does this all amount to "Walmart is good for the soul" you might ask? It makes me realize that I am "normal" because Walmart frustrates me. It is a reminder that I have options and choices and even though Walmart is closest to my house and I can get it all in one stop, I choose to go to Costco for diapers and wipes, and dog food when not in a crisis, Smiths for groceries, the toy store for toys, the clothing stores for clothes etc.

Humor is also good for our souls. Last week Tom emailed me the "Walmart Bingo" card which made me laugh and then I put it out of my mind until I was walking to the entrance today and found my first chip spot! "Child with out shoes" but then, after simply turning my head, I saw another "someone missing a limb" then "someone using an oxygen tank" the list goes on. If anyone wants the file, I'll forward it to you, it is good for a laugh!

Dog food crisis? I decided to buy the bigger bag of the Costco brand and sent Elbert's digestive system into a tail spin, literally! He has been living on white rice for three days now and was finally ready to transition back to Pedigree. For years we fed our dogs Natures Recipe and Nutro only to find Elbert on a dirt road and learn the hard way that all this dog can tolerate is Pedigree!

Let it Snow!

Last night we went to bed thinking the kids were on a 2 hour delay at school, there were about 2 inches of snow on the ground. This morning that delay had turned into the entire day off, with probably about four inches on the ground. My kids started at approximately 7:30, asking when they could go out and play in the snow. By 8:15 Harrison had three piles in the living room, of snow pants/coats/hats/mittens and all of the necessities, waiting for the whistle to blow so they could hurry to be the first kid in the snow! I was mean and made them wait until about 9am. By the time I gave in and dressed Millie to take her out, the twins we coming in as I was going out.

Harrison, being the amazing kid that he is, was across the street shoveling his Nana's driveway, her neighbor, Margaret's driveway and was all ready to help Mr Martinez with his, but he came out to do his own and ended up helping Harrison with Margaret's. But still, how many 7 year old boys set out on a mission to help others when the snow is white and calling their names! Unfortunately I did not get any pictures, good grief, what kind of a scrapbooker am I!

Millie had fun playing in the snow while I shoveled our driveway. I know 4 inches isn't a lot and yes, it would have all melted by tomorrow I am sure, but our driveway doesn't get much sun this time of year, and when the rest of the neighborhood has thawed, ours will still be solid ice, so I shoveled!

After coming inside and everyone getting dry clothes on, I decided to take the kids to McDonald's to play before they drove me nuts, being cooped up inside. My mom went along with us for a change of scenery.

Enjoy the pictures!

The view from our back yard this morning, with the snow on the mountains

Millie's footprint in the first dusting of snow

Millie hangin' out, eating some snow

Elbert's huge foot print

Nana let Millie walk around with her ice cream while Mommy get a refill. It was so much fun and sticky, right down to the shoe lace!

Can you find the monkey's in the maze? They were all hiding from the camera except Millie, you can see her little head

Nicholas and Millie, enjoying some ice cream together

Farting dogs

So, as many of you know, I have had Rudy, my three legged wonder mutt, longer than I have 'had' my husband. I got Rudy from the shelter about 3 months before I 'got' Tom from bachelor land. So, that said, in the 10 years + that Tom and I have known each other, there has always been at least one dog in the picture, almost always more. So, that said, it really is a known fact that if you change the dogs food, you always take a few days to mix it about 50/50 with there old food.

Well, I was at Costco Friday and decided to try something different. We still had about a weeks worth of their usual food, so what the heck, right? I poured the big bag of new food into the food container, tipping it first so all the old food was on one side, so it would be easier to mix the foods at meals. All was great last night, their first 'meal' with their new mixture. Tom fed the dogs both of their meals today, acknowledging the new food but deciding not to acknowledge the necessity of the change over period.

Now, needless to say, Elbert will be sleeping in the sun room, in his crate for the night. We'll be sure not to strike any matches near him because gas fumes are combustible!

Yet another birthday

It is funny how as kids, a birthday is like the bestest day of the year! You look forward to it for 364 days, it is magical the actual day of your birthday and you really think the world just revolves around you! People make a big deal about it, decorate the house, shower you with a special breakfast, treats at school, a party, gifts, smiles and free passes when you are a stinker.

Then you grow up. Yesterday was my birthday. I officially have started the slippery slope toward the big Four-O. I turned 35, so it is all down hill from here? Nah, not really. I had a good day. I got up in the morning and went through my normal morning routine, then when I walked out of my bedroom to wake the kids up for school, Abby sat right up on bed and with her face beaming, she said "Mommy!!! Today is your birfday!" She was SO excited! We spent the day with her reminding me and checking in, to make sure it was still my 'birfday' and yep, it was all day! My coffee bean grinder stopped grinding, about 1/4 of the way through my morning dose of coffee, so I had to go with out caffeine all day! I was picking up our trashed house when my friend Laurie stopped in to wish me Happy Birthday and bring me the most scrumptious chocolate cake! I don't know if I'll ever be able to eat a cake from a box again! For most people I would have been horrified that they saw my house in the shape it was yesterday, but I know Laurie won't hold it against me!

Harrison was excited when I picked him up from school, he couldn't wait to find out what we had done all day long to celebrate my birfday. Tom came home and we went out to dinner. The Flying Star. Nothing over the top excited, but it was good food! Two of the kids got free meals since it was their "kids eat free on Thursday" and it is just a kid friendly restaurant. I had the NM enchiladas with chicken and green chili. Boy, that did wonders for the sinus crud we have all had lately! Nothing like a good dose of green chili to clear things out!

Then we came home and had the chocolate cake from Laurie and off to bed the kids went! I laid down with Millie to nurse her to sleep and fell asleep at about 9pm. I haven't done that in ages, must have been a sugar coma from the cake!

Where did that come from?

I am a few days late in posting this, but all last week Millie had been just a grouch. She was bitter, and grouchy, not sleeping well, had awful poop thus an awful bottom. I noticed she was teething her incisors, which historically have been rough for the Lyman kids, then make it all four at once and I suddenly had my reason for such a miserable baby.

Fast forward to Wednesday night, Millie spiked a fever in the middle of the night, approx 2am to be exact. I head off giving her Tylenol because it makes her loopy, but when it was clear that she was only getting hotter and was not going back to sleep, I gave in and dosed her up. Then I listened to her play in the bedroom for the next 2 hours until she finally crawled back into bed and went back to sleep. Through out the day, the fever visited every four hours as the Tylenol wore off, then through the night again too.

My rule is that I will do about three sleepless nights before it is time to see Dr Crago. Well, two nights put us at Friday, which of course is a do or die day. If I don't take her in on Friday, then I either have to weather it all weekend, or end up at Urgent Care for hours on the weekend. Thankfully the doctor had an appointment and we hustled in to see her. I gave the symptoms, explained that I thought it was just the teeth but then she started say "Ouch" when she would nurse on her right side and would put her hand up to that side of her head. Viola! It's gotta be her ears! Nope, ears checked out fine. Then Dr checked in her mouth and we had our answer: Coxsackievirus, aka Hand-Foot-Mouth disease. I had noticed, earlier in the week, the rash on her thigh and belly but the spots on her hands flew under the radar until, of course, Dr looked at her hands!

Then it started: I talked to my mom and heard "Where did she get that? Have you been to a McDonalds playground lately? You don't go to MOPS anymore, couldn't be from there, what about the play place at the mall? You know, you don't use that Floppy Seat like you used to with Harrison." Then I talked to Tom "I wonder where she got that from" Four kids into the journey, I have given up the urge to analyze and disect activities to figure out exactly where each virus comes from. I mean, what's the point? Will it keep us from ever visiting a McDonald's again? Unfortunately no. Will it keep me from ever putting her in a grocery cart again? No. Will we feel better about them being sick if we know right where they picked it up? Probably not. Just too much energy to try to trace footsteps of the week or two before symptoms to try to see exactly where it came from. With three other kids in school, it could have come home on one of them!

The Little Things

Sometime I get so caught up in the big picture that I really don't see the little things in the day hustle of having four kids. So, I have been paying attention today so I just wanted to share a few that I paused to notice, mainly because I was trying to rush someone along and they made me wait, because they were caught up in a little thing.

This morning Abby was taking a shower, around 10am, for some reason. I had gone in a few times to check on her and she was just about ready to get out but was looking at the soap bubbles on the shower door. My "hurry up" mode was to just get in, get out and be done, but we waited, looking at the bubbles. To me, they were bubbles that would then dry there and have to be cleaned off later, to Abby it was a road runner that morphed into a quail, with a poofy cloud over it and a flower beside it.

Rudy barks, all the time. We have a kids book called "Why Benny Barks" and it sums up Rudy. No one knows why Rudy barks, perhaps because the sky is blue? Who knows. Most of the time it is horribly annoying. We can't put him outside for any amount of time beyond a potty break, because he barks. We bring him inside and he barks out the front door, barks at the cats, barks at the other dogs. We put him back in our bedroom when the kids are eating something or whatever, and he barks. Lately he hasn't been feeling well though. He has cancer and it is catching up with him. I have had him for almost 11 years now, longer than I have had Tom ;) So, even though his barking often is the straw that breaks this camels back, Rudy's barking is a reminder that he is here still.

Today Harrison had a half day of school, so he is off in the afternoon while the twins are in preschool. Sometimes we go do something fun, today we just came home for the few hours. I can't even count the number of times I heard "I'm bored..." "Can I...." "Will you...." "Can we..." Although it was, and is, annoying, it means he is still little enough to think Mommy is cool and Mommy is fun to do things with. He still wants me to peel his orange, check his homework, explain his book report and scratch his back.

Millie has horrible 'fire butt' from her 'stealth poops' that l ive up to their name: the poops that you just don't notice immediately because they are low and not stinky, but they are so acidic her butt just gets eaten up! We have learned over the course of four kids, that these are almost always related to teething. Sure enough, today as she layed on the diaper changer, before I decided to just put her in the tub instead of torture her with the wipes, I noticed all four incisors are coming in at the same time, One has broken through, the others are right there. The little thing? She is still my little thing! She is still the baby, still in diapers and still needs Mommy! Nursing makes the pain all better, or atleast makes her not so all alone in it. Although at times I feel sad that we will never have another 'baby' in the house, Millie will never get to adore a baby sibling as hers adore her, she is still little enough to have a diaper rash!

Nick, the goofball. He is trying very hard to hide behind Abby in his big adventure of preschool, yet trying hard to step out and be his own little man. Today on the way home, I asked *Nick* about one thing he did at school today, so naturally Abigail jumps in and starts with her story of what *they* did. I had to shush her for a second so I could get Nicks side of the story. He jumped right in and said "Abby, Mommy said NICK! It is my turn to tell about MY day!" Although yes, that is rude and we shouldn't talk to others like that, Nick is normally so content to be in the shadows and fly under the radar! It made my heart happy to hear him speak up!

Ok, there you go, a "little thing" from each of the kids who hold on to my heart each day!

Day of Thanksgiving

I am sure there will be a million blog posts today, all about what we are thankful for, the bounty in our lives, the food we will eat later etc. So, in the spirit of conformity, I decided to do the same. I pulled each of our family members into the room, one by one, and asked them all the same question: If you could tell God "Thank you" for something in your life, what would it be?" This question of course is a bit harder for the twins to grasp, but they still did pretty well with it. I know for Tom and I, this year will have some very basic necessities on the list as there are so many families who are having to find their way this year, with out the certainty of the necessities.

Harrison was the first to visit for his interview. He answered this same question Tuesday at school, I will have to save his answer so his brother and sisters some day can give him a hard time that the family dogs were listed first while they were at the bottom, maybe it had been one of those mornings? Harrison said this morning he is thankful for "My family, my toys, my food, school and my friends" Really, in the grand scheme, those are all necessities and basics of living for a 7 year old boy!

Nick had a very quick answer, which was totally a Nick answer: Noodles, just noodles (or, as Nick would say: Noonas, just noonas"

Abby was a little embarrassed and put on the spot: "I am thankful for my pets, Nana, Grandma Kay and our whole family, all our cousins and friends and "stuff."

Millie has a very limited vocabulary this year, but I know those wheels are turning more than we would ever know right now. I could tell she wanted to spout off some profound speech about all the blessings in her life, instead she tried to climb up my shirt to nurse, so, I think it is safe to say that Millie is thankful for the boob.

Tom: "I am thankful for my family and for the angels among us."

So, in closing, I would like to say that I am thankful for the fact that we made it to another Thanksgiving, healthy, blessed and content with all God has given us. It is easy to look around and see people who have more, who have a bigger house, drive a nice car, have more wiggle room in their budgets, but they have their own struggles, ones we may never know and ones we may never want! I am thankful for the opportunity I have to stay home on a daily basis and be the Mom to my kids that I want to be. I am thankful that I am the one who is there when the get out of school, wake up from a nap, spill their milk at lunch, scrape their knee while playing at the park or just need a hug. I am thankful for my husband, who is willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make that dream happen for me, and our family. I am thankful for my mom: she lives right across the street and plays a daily role in the kids lives. I am thankful that despite her health, she is still here with us. Thank you Lord for the time we have with her, it is truly a blessing and one we probably take for granted too often. I am thankful for our 'necessities' and the fact that we have a roof over our head, we have cars we can rely on to get us where we need to be, for food in our pantry and freezer, clean running water that we can drink or bathe in, and the safety and security that our country offers. I am thankful for our pets, although they do drive all of us nuts sometimes, I think our children will grow up to be better adults, more compassionate and whole for having the opportunity to share their childhoods with the dogs and cats, someone to snuggle up to when they are in time out, someone to play ball with them when no one else wants to go outside and play, someone to teach them about forgiveness when they snatch the last cookie out of their unsuspecting hands.

The list goes on, and on. Right now I need to practice my thankfulness and go be thankful for the shower and for my roaster oven, in other words, I need to take a shower and cook the turkey!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, maybe your bellies be full and your hearts be warm!

Some early Christmas Cheer

Each year Tom's company buys all the makings for 300 boxes for the Operation Christmas Child program and then on a Saturday morning, invites employees and their families to help assemble and stuff the boxes. We decided it would be a great way for the kids to get in the spirit of Christmas and remind them, early in the season, that it isn't all about them and it certainly is not all about gifts they receive. The three older kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves and worked very hard to stuff the boxes and get them ready for their journey. I over heard Abigail having a discussion with one of the teddy bears, telling him that someone far away was going to love him! One aspect of Tom's company that I really like is their generosity and also the openness of the faith of the owner of the company. There aren't too many companies where you could attend an event like this and be able to open in prayer and not worry about who was going to be offended.

Harrison, Abigail,Nicholas and Millie, standing by all the boxes of shoe boxes that every one packed today

Nick packing one of the boxes, he really enjoyed himself!

Abigail inspecting some of the candy options that some little girl would be enjoying far away!

Harrison packing one of the boxes, he was a packing machine!

After leaving Summit, we attended the first annual Parade of Trees to benefit the Carrie Tingley Children's Hospital. It is a free event to the public, and the kids really enjoyed seeing all the different trees and the themes that people used to decorate them. Harrison's favorite was the "money tree", gee, can't deny he is Tom's son, a young Alex P Keaton in the making! Santa made the rounds, handing out candy canes.

My mom had a four page grocery list for her employer, so after we were done with "family time" Tom dropped me off at the store where I met up with Mom and helped her find all the things on the list, only after we went to lunch though! A nice, quiet lunch at Applebee's, with out any kids! Mom's employers are very generous and one of the errands Mom had to run for them today was to go to Keller's and buy a turkey for each of the ladies who helps take care of her patient. Move over Butterball, we get the free range organic Turkey Lurkey this year :)

Do you believe in Fairies?

I grew up believing in the tooth fairy, my kids now believe in the tooth fairy. When I was a nanny in Boston, we went on vacation to Monhegan Island off the coast of Maine and visited Cathedral Woods and built woodland fairy houses. They were adorable and imaginative and just really cool. The rule was you had to use all 'naturally occurring' items: sea shells, twigs, leaves, rocks, sea glass etc. Fairies like that and that is who/what they are. The kids and I had fun building them, making walk ways out of stones, fences out of twigs etc. The hike through the woods was also amazing because people really went all out in trying to find the perfect location to build their home. Of course the logical side of any adult makes you roll your eyes and think 'pshaw!' But, there is always that part that makes you wonder... "What if...." Enjoy the very grainy pictures, taken in July '93, then read below for where I am going with this!

So, lately I have been wondering if perhaps there is a Laundry Fairy, or a troop of them, that sneaks in and magically does your laundry. I decided to put my wonder to the test and held off doing laundry for a week. Last Wednesday night I had the laundry completely caught up and we could actually see the laundry room floor and the kids got to enjoy one of their favorite things: coloring on the concrete laundry room floor with chalk, always great fun! Thursday and Friday I actually felt like I needed to seek out laundry just to justify doing a load for the day. Well, Friday I did the last load. By Tuesday of this week, Tom had asked me if I could please do a load of work clothes, which I needed to toss in some jeans for Harrison because he currently does not like to wear anything other than jeans to school. That same day I also did two loads of kids bedding because we had two wet beds in one morning. Tonight I am needing to do laundry for myself as well as everyone else! The drawers are getting empty! In case you ever wondered just how much laundry a family of six can generate in a week, minus a few loads:

Millie's Zoo

Millie has reached the age where she really loves her pets and loves interacting with them, and being fascinated by their goofy antics, anticipating their next move etc. I think it is funny how all of our kids have learned very quickly that if you have food in your hand, the dogs will take it, so you have to keep it out of their reach. So, the logical way to do that when you are 3 ft tall? Hold it over your head. Millie will walk into a room with her cracker in hand, yell at the dogs to announce she has something they will want "Eh!" (said in her authoritative stern voice) and then promptly hold it up on her head.

Rudy loves all of his kids, but in his old age he has adopted the "I'm old and entitled" attitude that we watched Yeller adopt when he got old and moldy. Rudy will now not only try to take the food, but will get the entire hand in his mouth and hold it there until the angry crying child submisses and lets go, about the same time the Mama Bear flies across the room to intervene and throw him outside for a while!

Corsi is an opportunist, always has been and always will be. She will wait for someone to get out of their seat and then jump into it, because it is pre-warmed. She waits for the kids to go to bed so she can go snuggle with one, then the next, then the next. She waits for Millie to let her guard down and take the replacement cookie off of her head (remember, Rudy took the first one) then she will globber on it with her nasty huge tongue and take it, but quickly get back into her sloth like state before anyone knows why the baby is crying.

Elbert is still in his "I am a lab and need to please" mode and is pretty polite and will usually wait until Millie sticks the cracker in his face before he'll take it. Of course she isn't sticking it in his face to offer it to him, it is more of the "lookey what I have, and you don't!" stick, but tell that to a lab and his never full stomach!

Last night she climbed onto a kitchen chair that the kids had parked in the 'big kids room' and enjoyed watching Toto the Turtle eat his food. She was fascinated and would yell "Hey!" each time he opened wide to take a bite. He isn't a typical turtle and isn't shy, in fact it seems as though he quite likes the audience the kids provide!

She adored Putter when he was with us briefly. She seemed to love the idea of having something that was small and fun, just like her! Too bad Mommy didn't adore cleaning up after him, see ya Putter!

SO, she is a little Dr Doolittle in training, just like her Mom!"Hey Rudy, what'cha dreamin' about? I can hang my head off too, see!" "You gonna eat that tomato Toto?"

Millie and Putter (former foster dog) watching the big kids play outside

Millie and Elbert, snoozing

"Is that food in your hand for me? Huh? Is it? Huh?"

Bathtub Assembly Line

Perhaps that sounds like a place that assembles bath tubs.. one makes the huge tub, the next cuts the holes for the drain/faucet etc, polish and shine etc...

For those of you who have more than one or two kids, it has an entirely different meaning, much like it does at our house!

Tonight: dinner goes in the oven, set time for 30 minutes. Run down the hall, start filling tub, undress #4 and plop her in. The other kids have now heard the water and are stripping in the hallway. #1 jumps in, with #4, #2 and #3 are queued up in the hall. #1 gets scrubbed, hair washed, rinsed, out to dry off, pj's, mean time, #3 jumps in, same as #1, # 3 gets out, #4 jumps in, same as #1 except he gets soap in his eyes for not waiting for me to start the faucet to rinse his hair. Out with #3, scrub/rinse #4 while the water goes out, rinse tub, rinse #4, out with #4, diaper, diaper cream for blazing red butt (from what????) pj's, done! Run down the hall, 9 minutes left on dinner time!

It is a science people, only the experienced and determined can ever perfect it!

Because some nights I just don't want to do it this way:

The Booger Dilema

This is the time of year that all mother's have to ask: Do I send them or keep them home? We have all had a cold for over a week now but it seems to be at the end, when everyone is just drippy and coughing. I kept the twins home from preschool Monday, not as much for the cold as the kids had locked my keys in my car so I took the opportunity to be lazy all day and stay home! So, then today they both have running noses and Nick's is a pleasant shade of green. So, do I send them or keep them home? They are otherwise fine, definitely could benefit from three structured hours of play and learning, or perhaps I can benefit from their three hours of structured play and learning!

I think all Mom's have that fear of being "The mom who sends kids with boogers" and makes the entire class sick. But, I think all Mom's also have that desire to accidentally not see the boogers and naively send them anyway!

The Pros: If I send them, I get three hours of them at school. They burn off some energy. They come home fully enlightened and brilliant and stimulated (ok, exaggeration!) All the other kids probably have the same cold, so what's the difference? If I keep them home, I would save gas from the trips to and from preschool. If I send them, I'll be able to go to the grocery with just Harrison and Millie.

The Cons: All the other kids might be healthy and have good mom's who don't send them sick, and my kids will make all of them sick. Harrison has a half day, so I won't have time to myself anyway, so sending them with boogers won't really win me any time in the end. I will become the Mom who is scowled at after Nick sneezes and has big boogers shoot out his nose, right as the kids are all walking into class, so ALL the other parents see him! Fighting: if we skip, then that is three extra hours for the kids to fight all afternoon and drive me nuts!

What to do, what to do!

A History of Nick's Head

Poor Nicholas. He has always had a huge head, it has always been in the 95th percentile, usually over 100%. He sat up later than most of his peers which we always attributed to his head being so big, same with crawling and most other early gross motor skills.

He has two spots on his forehead that are probably permanant scars, from always hitting it in the same spot. He and Abby were wrestling once and she body slammed him into the wall and something that was hanging on the wall fell off and hit his forehead, four stitches and three hours in the ER later....He has bashed it when falling from his scooter, while runnign in the house and falling against something etc. His head really just seems too big for his body, it throws off his balance and just pulls him around. I am having a bad Mom moment, I cannot find any pictures on the computer of the stitches! Good thing I have already scrapbooked it!

Well, tonight it happened again. He was spinning in circles in the living room, he and Millie, I was in the kitchen cooking and Tom was off doing something. I heard this gynormous thud and waited, as Mom's know to do, but it actually took a few seconds for the crying to start. He was spinning and spinning and lost his balance in a dizzy stagger, and whacked his head into the wall. I probably wouldn't have thought much of it, except as I sat on the couch comforting him, I noticed that he left a DENT in the wall! It was one of those moments as parents where you know you just cannot laugh, but you just can't help it! No, Nick did not know we were laughing at him, his head was burried in my shoulder, trying to get over the embarrassment! The poor thing!

Icing the head after one of the many injuries

This one, the injury was not in the usual spot, but it still counts! Even better, we had their 18 month pictures the next day!

The damage to the wall from tonight's incident! Ouch!

Dog Park

OK, I know some of you have had to hear me ramble about the dog park, which really just says I need to get a life. So, let me explain: Elbert is a great dog, his downfalls are a) he is huge b) he is a young lab. I had quit taking him on a weekly romp at the dog park because we had Putter for a while, Putter was a wonderful way to control and direct Elbert's extra energy, unfortunately that didn't count enough in my book after cleaning up the presents left on the floor from him. So, now that Putter is gone, I have been trying to take Elbert to the dog park on Sunday afternoons. It is kind of nice because Tom is home to watch the kids, so I get out of the house and get some quiet time in which I am not rushing through the grocery, or doing something else 'house' related.

The dog park normally is a rewarding experience. Elbert gets to run and run and play and I get either some quiet time or some adult conversation, depending if there are other dogs there or not. Normally the people are all dog people, most are considered "regulars" and "know" each other from the dog park. Occasionally you get Joe Idiot who decides to bring their dog and that is when it gets annoying and sometimes just plain dangerous.

This afternoon Elbert and I pulled up around 3pm and there was no one else there. So, I just got out, made myself comfy with a magazine at a picnic table and let Elbert do this thing. After a while, a few "regulars" started to straggle in which was nice, gave Elbert someone to play with and burn off some energy. Most of the "regulars" know that the dogs humping is just something they do to work things out, their barking and growling at first is just their way of saying "I am in charge here, we can play but know that I am better than you" and then they run and play and have fun. Elbert is always a sissy and very submissive so I never have to worry about him. Then, after a while, in walks a family with three kids and a clearly unsocialized dog. My kids know, if on the rare occasion they go with me to the dog park, that it is a DOG park and if there are dogs other than Elbert, they are to sit on the picnic table and just be bored, they don't interact with the other dogs, they don't run and play with them or with Elbert and it is boring, so they don't like to go. Everyone also knows when you go to the dog park, you take your dog off leash before entering the second gate, because if the dog is connected to you by leash, that tells the dog that they are to protect you and guard you and be "on duty" and it causes resource guarding. So, this family walks in with a gomer of a boy, about 12 years old, a girl about 10 and then a little one about 2 1/2 who, coincidentally, was afraid of dogs. They leave their dog on the leash and then get all freaked out when she growled at Elbert when he said "hi" and sniffed her butt. This went on as each of the dogs approached to introduce themselves to their dog, and the little girl freaked out when a husky jumped up on the table to say hi. So, then the gomer of a boy decided he was going to "walk" his dog around the parameters of the dog park, on leash, to get her away from the other dogs. Dog people who are reading this, know what a brilliant idea this is. As he is walking, the dog stops to growl at other dogs, because as she sees it, she is protecting her kid. Finally one of the "regulars", tells the family/kid that the dog needs to be taken off the leash or she is going to cause a fight, points to the rule board where it states that all dogs are to be off leash.

Elbert and I finally left. It was just getting ridiculous. If you are going to take your dog to the dog park, let her be a dog! You wouldn't take your kid to the kid park and make them sit on your lap the whole time?

Harrison Brian Lyman

Last week, Friday, Harrison brought home a note that he had been chosen to be the Star Student for the class. We had to make a poster all about Harrison: his family, things he likes to do, etc. He and I worked on it together over the weekend and had fun, and made a pretty good poster! He took it to school Monday and it has been on display all week in his classroom.

Yesterday was Parent/Teacher conference day for Harrison. Of course she pretty much old us everything we already knew, that he is a bright wonderful little boy! He is doing well in all subjects at school and is also one of only two honor roll students in the class! She talked about what a wonderful boy he is, how helpful he is with the other students, he is a good friend, kind and courteous, and bright. She also mentioned that she is going to be recommending that he be tested for the gifted program, testing in the spring for the program starting in the fall.

Needless to say, Tom and I couldn't be prouder! He is such a good boy and we are truely blessed to have him in our lives!

Thanks Harrison for making Mommy smile! I love you!

Roasted pumpkin seeds

So, everyone, what is your favorite way to roast pumpkin seeds? Leave a comment and let me know, we are always needing new ideas! Last year (or the year before?) Tom wanted me to roast them with some cinnamon and sugar, not too good! I think it was his plan to get to eat all of the seeds himself (insert his maniacal laugh here) This year, as usual, I just baked them at about 425 and sprinkled them with some Lawry's season salt. Yum!

Preschool Halloween Day

So, even though the twins attend a preschool that is through Parks and Rec, I guess there is a bit more freedom in what they observe, compared to the public schools, and today the kids had their Halloween party and then went on parade at the neighboring nursing home. Harrison had a half day since it is Wednesday and they were very welcoming to siblings, so Harrison and Millie got to participate in all of the events of the day (and Mommy too!)

We started out having play time at school, then a potluck lunch for everyone. A couple parents stayed for the festivities, most of the kids were in costume. My boys decided they did not want to be in costume, but I brought Nicks just in case he changed his mind, which he did later. Harrison also did later but I had not brought his costume, so he was out of luck, or so I thought. Seeing as we were in a preschool room, there was plenty of dress up items in the room so he got to borrow the police uniform for our parade to the nursing home.

The home is immediately next door, so we just walked over. It was really nice to see the residents light up when all the kids walked up to them. Nicholas became Mr Social and loved walking into rooms and saying "Happy Halloween" which was a total surprise to me! Abby was more apt to stay in the group of kids and do as they did. She did get pulled aside by one resident and hugged for a few minutes while the resident talked to her. Abby did very well and was fine with it. All in all the kids did very well!

A few pictures, I am just putting the ones in that mainly contain my kids as I don't want to post pictures of other peoples kiddos with out their permission!

We just have the Harvest Party for Harrison's class on Friday and then trick or treating, then we are officially DONE!

Dr Abby, reading the New England Journal of Medicine, board book edition


Nick, hanging out before going into the nursing home

Policeman Harrison, keeping track of all the kiddos on the walk to the home

Abigail having a chat with one of the residents and getting a hug from her

below: Millie doing smooshy face on the glass of the aviary in the nursing home

Carving Pumpkins Mommy's Way

Well, as you might have already read, we grabbed our pumpkins for the year this past weekend, at the patch. So, the much anticipated carving had to happen before Friday, right? Tom has been dreading it, I don't really mind it, and the kids have been beside themselves, wondering when it would happen! Abby had the great idea that they could all wear their pumpkin shirts again

"I know, we tould all wear our Pumptin shirts and look Halloweeny!"

This afternoon we got home from school at 3:20, Harrison did his homework right away and was outside playing by 3:30. I called Tom to see if he wanted to participate in the annual carving or if I could go ahead and get started with out him. See, Tom dreads the carving. It brings out the best of his Type A personality. He gets all uptight, his face turns red, he starts to sweat as he takes the spoon and attempts to get the inside of the pumpkin clean enough to pass the white glove test. Usually be the time the first pumpkin is clean, the kids are crying and so over it, Tom is so frustrated he is bugged with everyone and at this point, it is just no fun for anyone. It only gets worse once the ruler comes out to draw the faces and then the total perfection begins.

I was hoping he would say to go ahead and start, and he did, I think I actually heard him jumping up and down in his cubicle at work! We had four pumpkins cleaned and carved in under an hour, not bad considering I had four kids helping me!

The lesson of the night: four kids are happy with pumpkins carved, they don't notice if the eyes are not perfectly even, if the candle is a bit off center in the middle, or if there is a spot near the face because the pumpkins were all attacked in hail storm. Chill out, relax and have fun with it! Soon enough they won't want to carve pumpkins because it won't be cool!

'Twas the weekend before Halloween...(loooong)

Friday night was our first ever Harvest Festival at Harrison's school! I attended many of these (too many?) at Corrales Elem when I was a nanny, taking my charges, doing cake walks, anxiously wanting to go back and be "off duty" for the night. I grew to dread these each year! I have to admit though, as a parent, the event was different. It was one of the two nights a year that Tom has to work until about midnight, doing inventory, so I took the kids by myself. They had fun 'games' at different parts of the campus, pizza, cotton candy, face painting (stitches, scars, black eyes, gauze bandage etc at the Hawk Hospital) The kids all had a good time! I expected to get there and be done in about an hour, but over 2 hours later, I was having to bribe the kids to leave peacefully!

Pirate Harrison, Fireman Nick and Dr Abby (Millie wouldn't join the picture)

Bumble Bee Millie finally joined in the on picture taking!
Harrison doing the ring toss

Spooky story time in the newly remodeled library.

Mrs Estala (Harrison's teacher) doing the Haunted Hula

Yesterday we decided to have a family day and go to the pumpkin patch. Typically this means our annual trek over the river and through the woods, to the east mountains to McCalls. However, this year a little birdy told me about a great one in Albuquerque that has fun things for the kids and all of the money benefits a great cause! So, my arm was twisted.

We took the kids to the Galluping Grace Pumpkin Patch,(http://www.gallopinggraceyouthranch.blogspot.com/) located in Albuquerque. The kids all had so much fun and it only took about 20 minutes to get there, instead of the 1 1/2 hour minimum to get to Moriarty to go to McCalls. Millie and Nick loved the corn box, Harrison had fun in the hay bale maze, Abby has been asking for months now about when she will get to ride a horse, so that need was also met! The people were all so great and Tom's favorite part, all you pay for is the price of the pumpkin! When it was all said and done, a trip to Sweet Tomatoes was required :)

I tried to get a picture of all four kids, but Nick was having a moment, so 3/4 of the kids isn't bad, right?

Abigail after reaching the end of the Hay Maze, isn't she cute!?


Must be the Cornhusker in the genes, all of the kids loved the corn pit!


Cowboy Harrison roped this cow so well it's head fell off!

Abby riding the horse, she LOVED it!

Nick riding Blacky

Yes Millie, you can even nurse at the pumpkin patch!

Millie was too little to ride the horses, but she did great riding the steer