outdid, outdone, ouch

Last night Ryan told me he signed up for the biggest guns competition at work. Coffee with cream came out my nose, I laughed so hard. Thing is, he was serious. Sorry honey:)

So, after making corn chowder, bbq pork chops and homemade french bread for supper tonight. I thought it time to start the 200 sit up challenge. So I put down the extra large coffee cup and had the girls sit on my feet and the big kids count. I made it to 30 before I felt like passing out.

The nine year old decides she wants to try. She got her second wind around 80 and completed a whopping 106 on her first try. SHEESH. I think she is adopted. For the record, wanna be big guns made it to 60. Not bad for a thirty something man who weighs a buck eighty soaking wet. Love you, honey:)

At this exact moment he is bench pressing my 35 pound babies.

Dare I dream of the 100 push ups ?

UPDATE: She is currently in the 200's on lunges. Ryan told her to stop at 200 and she said, "I'll stop when it hurts."

Great Expectations

Seven days and counting.

Yesterday in a whirlwind of appointments during my 'I only get to the big town once a month I better get everything done' day, I met with the travel agent to finalize all the details of our Hawaii trip. We had a few last minute changes since our island airline is no longer servicing planes. Alas, all is well and we are anticipating a nice vacation.

The hubby and I actually snuck away on Sunday afternoon, too. We caught a cheap movie and had theater popcorn and snacks for supper. It was good to get some alone time.

I was thinking about how much I am longing for a nice vacation. I worry to much about what ifs and it would be so nice to just be able to sit back and relax.

Reminds me of the promise of God's goodness.

Isaiah 30:18 And therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him!

Things may not always turn out the way you want them to, but even in disappointing times there is still reason to HOPE!

SNOW DAY!

#3 was up bright and early today so I spent a little time surfing the net.

When I got off the computer I noticed it was snowing and I checked the local new station to find out school was canceled because of snow.

What do the kids want to do on a snow day?
Swim in the bathtub with their suits on, of course.

Dad stood at the door and in his eyes was that dreamy look from when he was a single, kidless man who went 4x4 baha-ing on snow days...

I went to work baking. My favorite snow day past time. I finally got a chance to make the sour cream cinnamon rolls that a friend sent me the recipe for. We are having stuffed manicotti rolls for supper, YUM!

The kids and dad went to work on an igloo this afternoon. They are about half way finished.

It turned out to be a pretty awesome snow day. Thank you Lord, for days like this.

Things to do...

so far this morning I have;

called to replace the glass windshield in two vehicles and repair the third

got show and tell ready for the kindergartener

committed to a substitute job

organized the game closet

bathed a 5 month old

made breakfast for the crew

paid some bills online

ordered some things online

ordered new insurance cards

talked to my mother on the phone

AND it's barely 9 am.

Sunny delight

It's just cold today. The kids have been playing outside the last couple of days because of the warm weather (temps in the 40s+). Today they were out again early this morning and I caved. I gave them their Easter presents, tennis shoes with removable wheels so they could ride across the street at the church parking lot. It was too cold by mid morning for the baby to be out so we stayed here and watched from the window. It's really awful being tempted with that gorgeous sunshiny warm stuff only to feel the last wrath of winter a day or two later.

If I wasn't used to the roller coaster weather here in South Dakota I'd blame it on global warming that we are going to get more snow in the next few days. Last year we had a HUGE snowstorm in March, the kids dug forts in the backyard. Hard to imagine since most of the snow is gone now.

I gotta go turn the fireplace on. It's chilly in here...

Mahalo very much to the hospital previously know as Sioux Valley

Once upon a time, my dh won a trip from his employer.

After much deliberation and research we have finally decided to use the 'gift' he received and take an anniversary trip to Hawaii.

We leave April 22nd and make a quick stop in Oakland, CA to watch the Twins play. Then it's off to Hawaii to see a couple of islands and we return home on the 30th.


This should be an exciting time, right? I mean I just bought the tickets for the game and I should be feeling little butterflies of anticipation in my tummy, but I am not.

All I can think about is the kids. We went back and forth and sideways trying to figure out what to do and where to go and whether we should take the kids. Finally, we decided that after 10 years we really "needed" a little husband and wife time. It has been a crazy couple of years and our life has been turned completely upside down. My dh is really excited and he keeps saying, " I wish we could leave today..." I just smile and sigh. I hope that in 50 days I can really walk away and feel like I am going to be able to relax and enjoy the special time with my best friend whom I haven't really talked to in ages. What on earth are we going to talk about for 8 days?

I just can't stop thinking about who is going to sing to the baby when she is getting her diaper changed and who is going to gently remove the booger from her nose when she has one. Who is going to rock a bye her at night when she can't get herself back to sleep. It's eight days and I keep thinking she is not going to remember me when I get back. Who's gonna rub her gums and put a cold apple slice in her mouth to help her teethe? Who's gonna make sure the 7 folds of skin under her chin are clean? I worry about the fact that I wash her sheets every night and make sure she has a dry bib on every few hours. I worry about the fact that my son likes to snack every other hours and he loves a nutritious lunch of cheese tacos and apple slices. I worry about who is going to check off the tooth brushing chart for my kindergartner and who is going to read to the kids for 20 minutes a day. And how am I going to remember to tell whoever we convince to take over that the baby loves to watch her older siblings wrestle in the living room. It's the only time she laughs out loud. Will I remember to tell the sitter to lay her down on her back but tilt her slightly to the left or right, alternating sides so she doesn't have a flat head? Will I remember to tell the sitter that when my son says he wants to wear his "handsome clothes" he means his suit and tie? Will whomever we get to watch the kids have the patience to play connect four and trouble for 3 hours straight without a break? Will the sitter have the patience to sit at the computer and play Webkins with the oldest because she can't quite read yet? I know you think I am going crazy but this is just the beginning. I have to remember to tell them that if #1 doesn't leave by 8:10 she will miss morning recess and on gym days she likes to wear short sleeves and a hoodie so she can take it off when she gets overheated. Oh, and the preschooler loves to wait outside the elementary school door until both lights turn green so he can open it himself before preschool. After school can be really stressful if you don't have snack ready and supper is best when planned early because it seems like between 3:30 and 6 time ticks twice as fast. If I miss bedtime by less than 30 minutes the morning routine is extremely difficult. Who is going to put #1 back to bed when she is sleep walking or calm her down when she has night tremors and rub #2's legs when he has growing pains at 3am? Do I write a book and hope that the sitter has a few days to read it or just let her fend for herself? A baby can change so much in a week, maybe she will need to start eating veggies or go up in a diaper size? ARRGH!

So do you see now why it's not really a vacation? It's a lot more work. I love you, honey, but is it really worth it?

the old grind...

*sigh*

Things are looking as close to normal as possible here at the homestead.

Dad works three day shifts this week and has already picked up two shifts this weekend.

Gotta dig up something for sharing at Kindergarten on Wednesday and that same day the boy brings snack for preschool.

#3 has a check up on Thursday and so does the boy. There is no school on Friday so I scheduled an appointment to seal #1's teeth.

So, when my surgeon's nurse called this morning and asked if Thursday morning worked for me to get the port REMOVED I didn't hesitate a bit and said, "Sure!" Right after his morning heart surgery he will reopen my incision, clip the stitches and remove it and I should be outta there by noon.

Sure hope the hubby doesn't mind running the kids to their check ups...perhaps I should have asked him first...

I should probably find another thing or two to add to the planner this week, eh?

Countdown to PET scan...

Been sick with something all weekend. My throat is sore, I am snotting on everything and I have had fevers off and on and the cough oh the cough... and to top it all off it looks like I messed up my countdown widget. I am too tired to change it so I just deleted it. PET is scheduled for next Wed. the 27th, 'till then I am trying to recover from whatever hit me this week..

So far I am the only one in the house exhibiting symptoms...

the baby in the river

Last night my dh came home late from work, again. Even though it was well past his bedtime, #2 was still awake in his bed. He was reading. Dh checked on him and when he came down to see me he said, "#2 knows almost all the stories in that book." Hard to believe since neither of us have read to him in weeks. (Bad mom, bad dad). #2 loves his children's Bible. He reads it all the time. I mean, he looks at the pictures and he tells the story through those... I have read him a few stories and he picks up the rest through Sunday school and the Veggie Tales.

This morning, when #2 was climbing out of bed he said, "mom, dad couldn't find the story about the baby in the river, he needs to read his kids' Bible more"

"So do I, son." I said.

missing...one tooth

and she did it all by herself,

and school starts next week,

I might as well be planning her wedding....sniff, sniff

gotta lotta squash?

Thanks to a great friend I found this site with extremely simple instructions (including pictures)! http://www.pickyourown.org/freezing_summer_squash.htm

How to Freeze Summer Squash (Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Crookneck, Pattypan, Straightneck, White Scallop, etc.)

If you like frozen squash in the winter, just imagine how good it would taste if you had picked a firm, fresh squashs yourself and then quickly froze them at home! It is also one of the simplest ways to put up a vegetable for the winter. Here's how to do it, complete instructions in easy steps and completely illustrated. The squash will taste MUCH better than anything you've ever had from a store.

Good Luck!

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary...

Contrary to say the least. I believe we planted seeds in the garden in May and then completely forgot about that little patch of land until just recently when we had to TILL the weeds. AMAZINGLY enough, my dd took these shots of the lettuce and carrots just this morning. Talk about miracles...

Trying to understand my purpose...

Last night my dm (dear mother) dropped off a copy of Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life. It is a daily devotional that you read a chapter a day in for 40 days. The study is entitled, What on Earth Am I Here For? I want my dh to do it with me. The author encourages you to do it with a partner. I am excited and I hope I can stay motivated for the next 40 days to complete this spiritual journey. The first seven chapters are online. You can find them HERE. If you try it let me know how it goes for you.

another dose of logic from the kids

this was the talk at the table today while I was preparing lunch;

ds "daddy forgot to sleep, so he is sleeping for a long time now"

dd "no, he works at night so that is why he is tired from helping the sick people"

ds "where does he sleep at work?"

dd "he doesn't sleep at work, he is busy, that is why he gets so tired and crabby at home"

ds "but where does daddy sleep when it is dark out?"

dd "daddy doesn't sleep when it's dark, he sleeps when it's light out."

ds "silly daddy forgot to sleep so he is tired now"

dd rolls her eyes and says..."whatever"

A lesson in patience, I think.

If I was still on my treatment schedule I would have had chemo this week. I have been trying to evaluate myself to see if I feel any different. The truth? Nope. Not yet. I have a feeling it might be awhile. I haven't been feeling that terribly bad anyway, but I think a lot of that is just knowing I don't have to go back. I do notice my hands and feet are still numb and sore and much dryer than usually. My hands feel swollen and it hurts to type or write. I think that that has a bit to do with the time of year, although I haven't really experienced it this bad before. I know my immune system is still a little weak. I can't seem to shake this stuffy nose and congestion. But I can deal with it. For about a week or maybe a little longer I stopped taking my vitamins and that was not the right thing to do, so now I am back on track with that and I am using the hot house and chi machine daily. Supposedly the chi also helps with appetite suppression I will put that to the test I am sure... One thing that has slowed down the last couple of weeks is the hair loss, or maybe I just don't notice it when my hair is this short. It almost feels like my scalp is shrinking. Before, my head was so sensitive and sore. It feel better now. That's a good thing, I think. Maybe I'll start growing back the hair I lost and look like a human chia pet. (Only I don't need water to grow, just chocolate...good luck chi machine.)I really do want to get my port removed. Yet, part of me doesn't want to jump the gun. My PET scan isn't until late March and wouldn't it be awful if...well I just don't want to have have another surgery to put it back in. Part of my frugal nature just thinks that would be a waste of money. I could use a lesson in patience. Maybe this is how God will teach me to wait. Good things come...right?

It takes for a long time.

Lately, everything we do is measured in moments of time. Trying to explain time to a three year old and an almost five year old is next to impossible. So, we a lot of things like; when it get's dark out, after daddy get's home,and when the snow comes. My ds has already figured out what takes for a long time and what takes for a short time and that is how he chooses to measure everything that happens..."Mom, does it take for a long time to go to the ball game?" As much as I would like to say I was more patient than a three year old, I can't. Everytime someone asks me how it's going I feel like saying, "It takes for a long time." Yesterday the kids and I laid down for an afternoon snooze and two and a half hours later my daughter was shaking me to get up saying, "nap time is over, I need snack." I choose these moments to try and remind her I am sick and I don't feel good and I need to rest a little while longer. She sighs and says, "it takes for a long time for you to get better mom." I know honey, believe me, I know.