Thursday, June 30, 2005

For my pal Mindy

Now most of you who red this blog think I am talking about Mindy Schoeb.....actually I have another friend named Mindy. Mindy Hubbard. And this blog is dedicated to her.

It has always been a struggle for me to make friends. In high school, I only had guy friends becasue the stupid, pettiness of high school girls made me crazy. I finally met my first best friend in college. Jocelyn, I love you! Man, I miss you......(she's a missionary in Bosnia.....) Anyway, since I've been married, I haven't really had any close friends. We didn't live by anybody that was close to our age, or didn't have children or we jsut didn't mesh. So when we moved back to Michigan I was praying like crazy that God would prepare someone to be my friend. A real friend. *sidenote- when I say prepare someone, I mean it. My friends need preparing to deal with me :) Ok, so I knew the youth pastor and his wife from our visits to see mom and dad. I knew she was a few years older than me. Her son Tristan is the same age as Molli and her other son Cole is a few months older than Sydney. So we had that in common. Matt and her husband Tim were instant friends. So I prayed and prayed that she would be it. And she was. We have gotten close. Real even. My dad preached on Sunday aobut relationships and friendships and that true friendships face adversity and triumph. I immediately sought her out afterwards to have our first fight!!! So this blog is in tribute to her. My friend.

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

whew

ok............it's over. I have relinquished the extra children to their parents and I can breath once again. I adore my nieces and nephews. But 8 at once......never again. I hugged my brother hello and sid, "I love your children but I won't ever volunteer to watch all of them again for any length of time!" He laughed. Last night my own four went to bed like angels and all was well.

God did teach me a couple of things, through the chaos. 1. "Whatever you do for the least of these....." My children and theirs need to see Jesus in me. YIKES! That's a tall order. Meaning that every word that comes out of my mouth has to be thought about before spoken. That I must convey love always. That I am not allowed to just lose my temper and have it spill all over them. Ok, Lord....2. That His mercies are new every morning....even when I was at my wits end at night, I went to sleep (albeit very late and I was so grouchy and angry), that when I woke up it was an entirely new day. And His mercies were new and fresh and waiting for me to grab onto. Thank the Lord!!

Meanwhile, it's still ungodly hot, the children are become more fish like every day in the pool, the family all arrives this weekend for a blow out party, and I get to see my brother for a whole week and a half. YEEHAW!

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

This is hard

This was an amazing exercise to think through.....


The top 10 songs which have affected your life literally: (not in any order)
1.) "Shout to the Lord" Darlene Zchech
2.) "I will be here" Steven Curtis Chapman
3.) "If you could see what I see" (Matt sang this to me at our reception)
4.) "Kokomo" Beach Boys (yeah I know.....)
5.) All of the Mary Poppins soundtrack
6.) "An evening in December" First Call (Tigger and I used to dance and dance to this song)
7.) "Believe" Josh Groban
8.) "Be unto your name" Robin Mark
9.) "As the Deer" ??
10.) "Much of you" Steven Curtis Chapman


The top 10 places which have affected your life literally:
1.) South Lyon, Michigan (1987-1991)
2.) Mancelona, Michigan (1991-1998)
3.) Pittsburgh, PA
4.) Cornerstone College
5.) A room at AuSable Institute
6.) Cedar Bend Farms
7.) Milford, Nebraska
8.) The interstate between Milford and Battle Creek
9.) Grandma's bedroom
10.) My loft in my dorm

the top 10 people who have affected or changed your life the most:
1.) Jocelyn Moraitis or Jocque rather
2.) Jane Destefano
3.) Mindy Hubbard
4.) Jonah, Molli, Emma and Sydney
5.) Matthew Kurtz
6.) Traver Goodrich
7.) Noah McGlynn
8.) Brynn Konopka
9.) Mike and Dodi McGlynn
10.) My siblings

The top 10 monumental moments of your life:
1.) September 1, 1993 (my entry into public school after homeschooling)
2.) March 17, 1997 (When I ran away)
3.) April 25, 1997 (when my parents brought me home)
4.) Fall of 97 (college)
5.) June 2002 (when we moved to Nebraska)
6.) August 9,1998 (wedding)
7.) July, 2000
.9.) February 18, 1999;December 3, 2000;April 21, 2002;March 4, 2004 (my kids)
10.) June 7, 1998

do you see the results of these things in your life today? incredibly so...

Monday, June 27, 2005


This is Morgan. Today has been a rough day for her. She has spent quite a bit of time in time out. This past time I snapped this shot of her being grumpy. As I was walking out of the room I heard her say, "I hate Aunt Mandi." Ah well, guess not everyone can be the favorite!

Grumpy Posted by Hello

Last night

Ugh, it's morning already.....last night was disaster. We couldn't take the kids to the pool yesterday because it kept thundering on and off. So they spent the day trapped in my litle blue house. So by evening, they were bouncing off the walls. Markus figured out the lock on the fridge and dumped syrup, butter, and mayo all over the kitchen floor. So we loaded them up and went to Grandma's just for a change of scenery. By the time we got back it was time for bed. Yeah right. At 10:30 I was still trying to get them to sleep. I removed my children and sent them to their own bed and then everyone went to sleep, at 11! I was so tired and frustrated. I tried to go to bed myself. Well I lifted up the blinds that hang on the window over our bed and they came crashing down on my head. Great ending to a crazy evening. I headed back out to the living room ,fully intending to write a scathing blog about how grouchy, tired, and cross I was after all the events of the day. INstead, I sat in the lazyboy and cried and prayed. The Lord spoke peace to my heart about the kids. They are just kids and there will be times when they need to be crazy. And that this is just temporary. And I told him that one of my greatest desires is to see the cousins be close. There is so much to gain from having close family. He brought to my mind the very special things that I have seen them do this week. LIke watching them learn to play red rover (hilarious), watching them all learn to swim and play mermaids, cuddling with Markus who still calls me Mama, and so many more. So I went to bed with a smile on my face and peace in my heart.

Isn't God awesome?

Saturday, June 25, 2005

And so it begins

Well I took Jill to the airport today. Jill is my sister-in-law. She's on her way to North Carolina to get my brother and head back up here for their final visit before moving to Alaska. So that means, from now till Tuesday, I am the mother of 8. Basically 4 sets of twins.... :)

They all get along really well. Other than bedtime, we should be fine! but pray for me if you think of it!

Onto other things, I am so tired of this heat. I finaly broke down and went out and bought a window air conditioner. We just couldn't take it anymore. Even now I think the kids will all have to sleep in the living room because it's just too hot upstairs to function. They all want to play up there so badly, but after five minutes, they come running back down with sweat just running off their little faces. Ugh. Lord, please send some relief soon!!!

Friday, June 24, 2005


these were taken this afternoon. We made all the cousins take a break from the pool. So they all came inside, protesting the whole time that they were NOT tired. five minutes later the living room looked like these pictures. Guess they were a little more tired than they thought!


and even more.... Posted by Hello

more tired ones Posted by Hello

So tired Posted by Hello

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Ok, I figured it out. What I have done are colored purple and things I'd like to do are red....



01. Been a foster or adoptive parent-no, but want to adopt
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive-does a porsche count?
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula.
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said I love you and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Done a striptease
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa- u can't walk them, but visited several times
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Touched an iceberg
20. Slept under the stars
21. Changed a baby's diaper
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
23. Watched a meteor shower
24. Gotten drunk on champagne
25. Given more than you can afford to charity
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (my wedding!)
28. Had a food fight
29. Bet on a winning horse
30. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
31. Asked out a stranger
32. Had a snowball fight
33. Danced in the rain
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
35. Held a lamb
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip
38. Taken an ice cold bath
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
40. Seen a total eclipse
41. Ridden a roller coaster
42. Hit a home run
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors That is Ireland!!!!
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
48. Had two hard drives for your computer
49. Visited all 50 states
50. Loved your job for all accounts-except for the last 6 months
51. Taken care of someone who was totally plastered
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
53. Had amazing friends-have is more accurate
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
55. Watched wild whales
56. Stolen a sign
57. Backpacked in Europe
58. Taken a road-trip
59. Rock climbing-
60. Taken pictures of complete strangers
61. Midnight walk on the beach
62. Sky diving
63. Visited Ireland-no, but I REALLY REALLY WANT to (where my ancestors are!)
64. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
65. Bought food for a stranger
66. Visited Japan
67. Benchpressed your own weight
68. Milked a goat
69. Alphabetized your records-
70. Pretended to be a superhero
71. Sung karaoke
72. Lounged around in bed all day-not by choice, LOL
73. Been in a movie
74. Tried scuba diving
75. Been to Lililth fair
76. Kissed in the rain
77. Played in the mud
78 Played in the rain
79. Gone to a drive-in theater
80. Have Regrets
81. Been to Tijuana
82. Discovered that someone whose not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better
84. Started a business
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
86. Toured ancient sites
87. Taken a martial arts class
88. Been a bully or been bullied
89. Camped out all night for a show, movie, or beanie baby
90. Gotten married
91. Been in a movie
92. Crashed a party
93. Loved someone you shouldn't have
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy
95. Gotten divorced
96. Breastfed more then a year
97. Gone without food for 5 days
98. Made cookies from scratch
99. Won first prize in a costume contest
100. Lied about your age
101. Gotten a tattoo
102. Eaten snake
103. Stayed somewhere different then what you told your parents
104. Had a poem published
105. Don't know what this one was
106. Been intimate in a public place
107. Ran a red light-still do....oops
108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug
109. Performed on stage
110. Been to Las Vegas
111. Recorded music
112. Eaten shark
113. Shoplifted
114. Gone to Thailand
115. Seen The Cranberries live
116. Bought a house
117. Been in a combat zone
118. Buried one/both of your parents
119. Read every book in the Bible
120. Been on a cruise ship
121. Spoken more than one language fluently
122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
123. Bounced a check
124. Performed in Rocky Horror
125. Read - and understood - your credit report
126. Raised children-currently raising
127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
129. Created and named your own constellation of stars
130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
132. Called or written your Congress person
133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
134. Ran in a marathon
135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge- driven it only
136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
137. Had an abortion or your female partner did
138. Had plastic surgery
139. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
.140. Wrote articles for a large publication
141. Lost over 100 pounds-my goal
142. Held someone while they were having a seizure-my husband held me, does that count?
143. Piloted an airplane-
144. Petted a stingray
145. Broken someone's heart
146. Helped an animal give birth
147. Been fired or laid off from a job
148. Won money on a T.V. game show
149. Broken a bone
150. Killed a human being
151. Gone on an African photo safari
152. Ridden a motorcycle
153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100mph
154. Sent a message in a bottle
155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
157. Ridden a horse
158. Had major surgery- LOL
159. Had s*x on a moving train
160. Had a snake as a pet- NEVER!!
161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
162. Slept through an entire flight
163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
165. Visited all 7 continents
166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
167. Eaten kangaroo meat
168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground
169. Hunted an animal
170. Eaten sushi
-171. Had your picture in the newspaper
172. Been in a car accident
173. Are an organ donor
174. Gotten someone fired for their actions
175. Gone back to school
176. Parasailed
177. Changed your name
178. Ridden an elephant
179. Eaten fried green tomatoes
180. Given gifts or notes as a secret pal
181. Met an online friend
182. Bought a homeless person a meal
183. Been to Mardi gras1
84. Taught yourself an art from scratch
185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating- does fish count?
186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
187. Skipped all your school reunions
188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
189. Been elected to public office-no, but would like to
190. Seen a dead person that you didn't know
191. Slept on the beach
192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
193. Taken in a stray animal
194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
195. Had a booth at a street fair
196: Dyed your hair
197: Been a DJ
198: Been born again
199: Watched a whole film in a foreign lanuage
200: Been arrested

Ok that took forever, and I have no one to Tag.....ah well!

A housewarming poem

Tonight we have gathered
At your new home to bless
This place to be filled with friends, family and occasionally mess. (occasionally?!?!?!) *editor side note :)

Wanting to share something
I was asked to give a "verbal gift".
the kind that costs nothing
Except my attempt at wit!

Looking up to God with
Gratitude and deep faith
He has always provided
Now a place of your own, a place to feel safe.

I give to you a sense
of friendship and understanding
Knowing life brings many things
Rewarding and demanding.

My wish for you is that
He guide your steps and days
Bringing you love, peace, joy
Along the way.

Written by Kimberly Batterson as a gift for our housewarming.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

So nice

Today was a good day. I cleaned like a mad woman all day. My house was imaculate, from top to bottom.

Tonight, our friends decided to throw us a housewarming party. It was so awesome. We crammed 25 people into our little blue house. We went all through the house and they had arranged to have specific people pray for each room, to bless it. I almost cried, it was so cool. Then we ate together and just hung out. Everyone brought gifts. It was so amazing. We have never gone to a church where we have felt so loved! And it wasn't just because my dad is the pastor.....these are our friends......so cool.

So now I have a clean house, the kids are asleep and it's cooling off. Tomorrow the cousins return........a good day.

Monday, June 20, 2005

For Kelli

Kelli oh Kelli where are you? I have missed your blogs, wondering if you've been eaten by your brood of little rabbits in your garage.....come back, Kelli.......

Monday

WEll it's Monday....sad story to tell about last night.

We celebrated Father's Day at my mom and dad's house, wonderful dinner (that I couldn't eat of course!) Then we went to a bonfire at the church. We got home around 8 PM. Matt and I put the kids to bed, I took some more medicine and I clicked on the TV. Within minutes, I was asleep. Matt came a few moments later and woke me up. He was headed to bed as he has to get up at 3AM. So we went to bed. I was dead asleep by 8:30 PM and I slept till 7 AM!!!!!!! Think I was tired???!?!?!?!?!?! I wish I could say I felt rested, but I am still under the Vicodin spell, man when will my mouth heal?? Not only that, but I now have a yeast infection from taking the heavy duty antibiotics. SO this jsut keeps gettting better and better!

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Oh man....

Ok I've decided that if I ever had something happen and I could no longer cheew, I would just end my life!!!! Ihate drinking food. There are very few options..I'm so tired of smoothies and ice cream and pudding and jello. Ick. I want a Whopper so bad!!! Anything I can chew would be good! My face feels puffy and, if my meds wear off, I can definetly feel it.

Just a sidenote, I love it when doctors tell me that I need to "take it easy...not do too much...no picking up children.....LOL. Whatever, that's all I have to say about that.

We managed to go to Wal-Mart today so that's a bonus. I do feel very tired. I hate how Vicodin makes me feel loopy. A small price to pay for no pain! Thanks again for al lthe encouragement you guys! I appreciate it!

Friday, June 17, 2005

I made it!

WEll here I am, four teeth less. My chin and lower lip feel like they stick about 18 inches from my face. No pain yet, thank goodness. I don't remember a thing about the operation besides the gas and the iv. So God is good. So far so good. We'l lsee how tomorrow goes. Thanks for all the encouragement and prayers!

Worried

WEll it's 6:30 AM on Friday morning. In about two hours I will be going to sleep for my surgery. I'm starting to get really nervous about it. Everyone keeps telling me that it's no big deal. Well, I've never had anything like this done before! Plus, Matt won't be there which makes it harder for me. Thank you Angie for giving me hope though. Maybe it won't be as completely devastating as I think it will be. I'll try and blog when I get home, depending on how I feel and if I can keep my drool off of the keyboard!

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Blogging about nothing

Truly, there is nothing of interest to blog about. Matt is home from work today and he let me sleep in till 8:30 which was so glorious. The humidity finally broke yesterday so sleeping last night was wonderful. We've literally been doing nothing today, but being together and jsut hanging out. It's great.

On a sidenote, thanks to those of you who have been praying for our friends. They met for the first time last night with my dad (he's the pastor of our church for those of you who don't know that!) and I saw her for a moment after it was over. I gave her a hug and asked how she was. She grinned at me (her old smile) and said, "Everything is really great." So praise the Lord for a small victory. I know the road to complete healing wil lbe a long one for them, but God is good and faithful. And I believe that He will honor their commitment to Him and to each other!

On yet another sidenote, I have all my wisdom teeth surgically removed on Friday. Ugh.

Monday, June 13, 2005

Tired

Yesterday was one interesting day. It started out completely normal; then general chaos of getting all of us up and ready for church. We don't have to drive there anymore of course so that saves some time! Anyway, went to church....Everything was going well. Wait, I need to give you some history first.....

Matt and I are a part of a small group. We started meeting when we were doing 40 Days of Purpose, it's been almost a year since then and we are still meeting every Sunday night. It has been so awesome to see how God has been working in our lives through this group. There are two other couples and our leader is a single guy and there's another single gal. So 8 of us total. They have proved to be so faithful to us...It's just awesome. Anyway, about 3 months ago, we were in the middle of doing a study and our leader broke down. He was really struggling with some things and needed us to listen and pray. It was kind of uncomfortable but awesome since it appeared that we were now going beneath the surface of the small group thing. Then about a month later it was my turn. You might remember my blog entry about that night at our small group meeting where God forced me to get real and share some secret struggles that I was having with my group. So God has been good, forcing us to get involved in each other's lives and help each other out. Little did we know just how deep we were going to go.

Back to present, yesterday morning. I was on the platform, getting ready to sing with the worship team. I glanced over the sanctuary looking for this gal who is our group. I spotted her husband, but didn't see her. When it was time for meet and greet, I saw her a made a beeline for her. The guy who is the leader of our group had spotted her as well and met me at her side. (He had, earlier in the week, come over and asked us to pray for her and her husband.) I could tell she had been crying so I asked, "What's going on?" She starts to cry harder. Then she shows us her ring finger, there are no wedding rings on it. He asks, "Did you lose them?" She shakes her head no. Then she says, "I'm leaving him (her husband). I have a lump in my breast and an abnormal pap smear. I think I'll be moving to Texas." WHAT?!?!??!?!? I was devastated. This dark cloud come over my heart. I have never dealt with anything like this with someone I am close to.The leader and I looked at each other. There was nothing we could say right then, we were in the middle of the church service! I asked her to come home with us after church so we could talk some more. As I climbed the platform once again, I saw her sitting down. This woman can usually be described as completely joyful. She is just constantly bubbly. Yesterday she sat there stonefaced. It was awful. After church, she came over and we spent the afternoon talking. Our leader was there and he decided that he, Matt and the other man in our group would go to this couple's house and talk with the husband. So they did that and then we all gathered at our house. It was so hard. There was this....thing, just hanging out there. Well we talked for a while, anointed them and prayed, and they decided to seek help (professional as opposed to our non professional!) So God is good once again. However, it was so uncomfortable to know very personal things about other people that you care about. But I guess that's what small groups are supposed to do. I mean we could still just be meeting every week and doing our nice bible study and going home and never getting involved in each other's lives. But, and I'll use some lyrics here, if we are the Body, why aren't His arms reaching? We are called to do life together as the body, that means the crappy stuff as well as the good. So a very tiring, but successful day.

Saturday, June 11, 2005

Heat

Oh man, it feels like we are back in Nebraska. Except, in Nebraska, we had central air. This past week has been so very hot. Our new house is wonderful but it is situated slightly weird. So we have no cross breezes which makes it even hotter. Praise the Lord that Mom and Dad have the pool or I would have gone insane! The heat alters me, it makes me short and grouchy with everyone. Grrrr.....

In other news, my kids are professional swimmers now. Jonah jumps in from the deep end and swims all the way to the shallow end. Molli isn't far behind, swimming underwater everywhere. I wonder if it's because she was born under water! Emma too is getting more and more brave, floating all over the pool in her floatie and trying to touch the bottom. Sydney has decided that she would like to be under the water at all times. She obviously doesn't know that this will result in death! She just walks right off the edge of the pool and hopes someone catches her. We have to watch her constantly, but truly, she isn't happy unless she's drowning. *sigh* They are all so tan already!! So here's to a summer spent swimming!

Thursday, June 09, 2005

So pleased

Today is Jonah's last day of kindergarten. I watched him walk into the building today, stopping as he does every morning to turn around and blow me a kiss, and thought, "Where has the year gone??" He looks so different, mature somehow. Like someone who has had a taste of the world away from mom and dad. I remember how hard I cried on the first day of school, driving away and leaving him there. I remember how hard he cried for three weeks when I would take him to school. I remember how he finally got over that and started getting excited about going to school. I remember his first school friend, Riley. I remember when he said to me, "Mom, could I walk into the school by myself today because I really am getting bigger." So it has been a year....

I have a little apprehension about next year however. At our last conference with Jonah's teacher she expressed some concern on his speed of learning. He wasn't where he needed to be, she said. So we wrestled with what to do. Do we hold him back in kindergarten when all his friends will be in first grade? Do we send him to first grade with the knowledge that he might fail????? Well after a lot of praying and waiting, I think we will send him to first grade. His last report card showed improvement and we will spend very structured time this summer working on his slower areas. It's amazing to me (a sidenote) at how vigorous kindergarten has become. It used to be like playtime and the kids didn't start learning anything serious till first grade. Now, by the end of kindergarten, they must be able to write all the letters, small words, be able to read sight words, count to 100.......just seems a little stiff for a five year old. Oh well.

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

*sniff*

Last night I watched my baby brother march down an aisle to a ridiculously overplayed song in a stunning green cap and gown. To many this would seem a joyous occasion, one for celebration and truly, it is. But I still think of my "Bubba" as twelve years old, when he thought I was so cool.

Josh is one of the most tenderhearted people I've ever known. He loves so completely, so trusting. He is brillant with my kids and they adore him. But there is a part of me that wishes he had stayed twelve. I cried as he walked across the stage and received his diploma. Just a reminder that time marches on.....

And at last, the crazy weekend of graduation is over and life goes back to normal. Now I must go and drag Jonah out of bed with the constant reminder that he only has to do this for three more days. The last week of school is entirely useless in my opinion. Ah well.....

Monday, June 06, 2005


From the left: Morgan, Jonah(in front), Molli, Emma, Sydney(infront) Myca, MacKenzi and Markus
The cousins Posted by Hello

Say Cheese! Posted by Hello

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Cousins

This weekend has reminded me of how very precious cousins are. My sister-in-law Jill and their four kids arrived on Thursday night. My kids had been counting down the days till they got here. Their four are the exact smae ages as our four, minus a few months. They all have "m" names, MacKenzi, Morgan, Myca, and Markus. They are so stinking cute. Anyway.....

MacKenzi and Morgan have been sleeping at our house. They are all sleeping in the same room, not wanting to spend a moment apart. I love to stand underneath the little vent that goes up to that room and hear them talking and giggling. It just transports me.....

My cousins, Kari and Holly and I were so close growing up, especially Kari and I. We spent almost every summer together. We'd ahve endless nights of staying up late, giggling, just loving being around each other. I see those kind of relationships developing between our kids and Tigger's. It just breaks my heart that they will be moving to Alaska in about a month, so this is really the last time that they will have to be together for a long time. But they will have the summers to look forward to.

A side note: when applying sunscreen, especially when it's 85 degrees and you are by the pool, remember to put it on your legs! I forgot this important piece of information.....I made sure the kids were coated although they still got a little pink. I made sure it was on my face, my chest and shoulders. Well I forgot my legs. Let's just say that my legs resemble a lobster's back. Ouch. The kids have spent every waking moment in the pool. Man, oh man. They sure do love to swim.

Well time to go yell at the kids to stop their giggling (although I really don't want to!)

Thursday, June 02, 2005

"those kind of kids"

So I am writing this post with the desperate hope that there is someone else out there who has had this happen to them as well.....

Before I had children, I would go into a store. Let's use a hypothetical name like Wal-Mart. Ineveitably I would spot a mother with children where the children were dirty, wearing stained clothes and had runny noses. I would think to myself, "My children will NEVER look like that." (Nose in the air, walking away)

Fast forward 6 years.....

Yesterday I had to run to Wal-Mart, again the hypothetical store, to get one lousy thing. Well I was in such a hurry that I neglected to even glance at my children before we left. In their defense, they had been playing outside all day, it was very warm. It's not their fault that their mother is totally spontaneous. Anyway, we get to the store, I get all of them into the store in one piece. As I lean down to pick up Emma to put her in the cart, I hear whispers. One woman says to the other, "Good grief, they must be poor." "She can't even afford to wash them??" I was sdesperately hoping that they were talking about someone else. That's when I finally looked at the girls. Molli had on ripped pants, a too small shirt and shoes that were two sizes too big. SHe must have been sweaty at one point because there were dirt streaks all across her face where she had swiped at it. Emma's hair was....oh my. She also had the tell tale dirt marks all over her face. She also had no shoes. Sydney must have found some Cheetos right befor we left because they were plastered to her face and outfit. At this point I burst into tears feeling like the most unfit mother ever. So right there and then I vowed to never leave the house again. Well, maybe but everyone must shower and change their clothes before we go anywhere.

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

*twidling thumbs*

Man, I wish I had something cool to blog about! Truly there is just nothing note worthy to write about. I had my teeth cleaned this morning for the first time in 9 years. They were so bad, in fact, that I have to return 2 more times to complete the cleaning process!!! So, yeah that was fun. Now I am just waiting for Matt to arrive home so I can go and clean at church. So exciting....

I was thinking however about something Misty wrote this morning. Wuoldn't it be fun to have a party and invite all the gals who blog?? Like me, Mindy, Kelli, amy, Misty, and whoever else???