Thursday, April 24, 2008

We've survived the last few days. Thomas has only managed to escape once, but was quickly discovered. I've decided to be extra nice to the neighbors, waving and smiling and calling out hello every time I catch them watching our house. They don't like it much, but too bad for them!

I have another dilemma that I desperately need some feedback on. I am absolutely stumped as to what to do. It's about my Molli. My beautiful, funny, smart, brave Molli. As the weather has gotten warmer, we've broken out the summer clothes. The girls were SO excited to see the shorts and skirts and tank tops. That is until the first time they could wear the clothes to school. All of a sudden, Molli was unwilling to wear shorts or a skirt unless it was very long. She opted twice to wear pants when it was 75 degrees out. Now, my mom's intuition is kicking in, knowing how she'd fly up the driveway after school and rush into shorts. Something was up. Well, after several morning of fighting with her and her crying about wearing shorts, the truth comes out. A boy in her class thinks her legs are fat. WHAT?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?! My brave Molli girl will not wear shorts to school because of ONE stupid boy!!!!! And no matter what I tell her, she will not hear me. She continues to be shaped by this boy's opinion of her.So what do I do?? How do I get her to understand that she is BEAUTIFUL and that she shouldn't care what other people think. And this is a concept that I think women especially deal with all the time. So, women in blogger world....HELP!

Monday, April 21, 2008

I was just visiting Angie's website and am hesitant to post this now! Ah well, you all know I'm the mother of the year anyway...

Now that the weather is warmer, we've been spending lots more time outside, naturally. Thomas, who was too little last year to remember being outside, has discovered the joy of playing outdoors. He adores his swing and just being able to go all over the yard. We have discovered however that he can "escape" the house by pushing the back door open or crawling through the slight rip in he sliding screen door. Fortunately we have caught him before any disaster has befallen. Until this morning...

I really had no idea that the back door had been left open. I was starting some laundry and picking up the bathroom when I hear a banging on the door. I darted out and there stands the neighbor lady.....pause the story.....

These neighbors have HATED us since the day we moved in. I've caught the husband WATCHING my house at night more than once. They are retired so they are home all the time and he is a FANATIC about his yard, so he is outside from dawn till dusk. And everytime we go out, he's watching us. He's vocalized more than once that he doesn't like it when we have campfires and ash blows into his yard or the fact that we have a trampoline. Back to the story...

So the neighbor lady yells, "Your kid is outside alone!" I fly into the yard and find him, playing down by the swingset. I run to retrieve him, thanking God with every step that he had gone down into the yard and not down the driveway to the road! As I come back up to the house she is standing there with her hands on her hips. "Thank you so much!", I told her. She looks at me and says, "We have seen this child outside SEVERAL times alone. If we see him out again, we are calling the police." And she huffs off. I came inside trembling. I felt so humiliated and awful. It scared me to death that Thomas had gotten out so quickly and gotten away from the house. And now here was someone telling me that they were watching for it to happen again so they could involve the police! I feel like an awful parent...

I've tried to put myself in their shoes. If I saw my neighbors 18 month old wandering out in the yard, I probably would have gone over to see if the parents knew. I'm glad that she alerted me...it could have been way worse. I just feel like they are out to get us. I've installed locks on the doors so it won't happen again and I will be way more mindful...I just can't let go of the feeling like such a failure as a parent!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Well Spring Break is officially over. I kissed Matt goodbye at 3 AM, sent the kids out to the bus, took Sydney to school and then sent Emma later on. Spring Break was great. Our trip was so fun, full of great new memories. I'm making a slide show that I'll get posted soon.

Spring is in full swing. We are loving the weather, being outside and bike riding. I am proud to announce that my Emma is now riding a two wheeler! She's doing so well, it's great to watch. A little more practice and we'll be able to head out on the road as a family.

Not too much else to report...sorry for the boring post!!

Monday, April 07, 2008




So here we are, on vacation! This is our very first trip with a laptop and Internet at the hotel, YEEHAW! We're in Indianapolis for a few days. The original plan was to come and camp all week. That plan was changed when the campground called and reports that they were under 4+ feet of water. Camping was out. We despaired for a while but then decided to come anyway, find a cheap hotel, and do the major things we had planned, hoped, dreamed for! The hotel is indeed "cheap" maybe even bordering on scary, but, thankfully, the children are unaware of such things, it has a pool! What else matters to children?? Today was our first full day which we spent at the Indianapolis Zoo. Can i just say that it is AMAZING?? We had such a wonderful time. They have dolphins and therefore there was a dolphin show. Now some of you who are seasoned Disney/Sea World travelers are like, Yeah so? Well, my children have never seen a dolphin in real life. So when the show began, everyone else was calm and quiet and my children were cheering and clapping! It was great! More pictures of that to follow! Then we went into the Oceans building. And lo and behold, they have a touch and feel shark tank. Yes, I said SHARK thank. One into which you can place your hands and feel the sharks. After a slight panic, I decided to bite the bullet and show my children that there was nothing to fear. What a rush! They are smooth and cool and it was awesome. Jonah and Molli were the only ones brave enough to try. All in all it was a pretty amazing day.

We then decided tonight to try Chick-fil-A, which until tonight I thought was pronounced Chick filluh. They had a play place, which is the real reason! But it was WONDERFUL! The food was amazing and the place was CLEAN and the staff were warm and friendly. The play structure was clean and well lit and just wonderful. Our children were thrilled and proceeded to conquer the place in their usual LOUD way. At one point we sent Jonah rushing in to save Thomas from Sydney (side note: Notice that the two parents remained seated while sending their nine year old in to care for the young one...no excuse...he's just the 5Th child after all :)) So he bellows, before entering the sound proof room, "ALRIGHT THOMAS! I'M COMING!!!!" People all over the restaurant looked over shocked. Matt looks around too and says, "My goodness! Who does that child belong to anyway?" WE cracked up as did most of the people around us....our kids rock.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Not knowing exactly how to transition from my last post, this will have to do :)


Aside from Driver's Ed, who really taught you how to drive?
My dad and Grandpa, who I tried to kill more than once in his big white station wagon!

What's the one thing you love/miss about your Grandma's cooking?
Well I don't really miss it, since we just ate there...but I love how she makes sure she has something that everyone likes to eat

If you had money to burn, what 3 charities would you donate to?
Compassion International, Heifer International, and World Vision

What "Late Night Radio" song would you request to your man/woman?
"Everything I do" Bryan Adams

What was the last high school/college project you did?
Oh brother, no idea, probably a paper for Wellness


As a kid, who was the first -famous death- you remember hearing about?
hmm,I don't really remember any till Princess Diana


What kind of music did your parent's listen to while u were growing up?
Lots of show music

Name 2 historic events that have happened in your lifetime:
Sept. 11
Watching war...seeing it so vividly on TV and knowing my brother was there


Who taught you to tie your shoes?
Mom

Where did you go on your first official date?
Oh boy, out to eat I think

When you cruised the strip... who were you usually with?
There was no strip in Mancelona, so I didn't cruise till college and then it was Joce and Matt

Who was like your second Mom or second Dad?
Grandma and Grandpa

Who is your Strangest Relative and why?
Hmm, don't want to offend anyone he he, just kidding...we are all very odd


What's your typical ice cream order at Dairy Queen?
Carmel Moolatte


Animal House or Caddyshack?
I've never seen either

Dorito's or Frito Lays?
Well since Matt works for Frito Lay...YES!

Straight-Man or Comic Relief?
huh?

Survivor Man or Man vs Wild?
Man vs. Wild, I love Bear


Casablanca or An Affair To Remember?
Oh both, love them entirely

Princess Grace or Princess Diana?
Grace

Books, Movies or TV?
Tough one, depends on the day

Marilyn Monroe or Anna Nicole Smith?
Marilyn


Playboy or Hustler?
Ok, call me naive but I have never heard of Hustler and I think Playboy is disgusting

Disneyland, Disneyworld, or Universal Studios?
Disney world, although Universal is fun too

Halloween or Christmas?
Christmas, hands down

Leading or Following?
Leading

Planes or Trains?
Planes, I'm too impatient for trains! Although going on one with Mom, Grandma and Aunt Carol was a blast!

Yesterday or Tomorrow?
Tomorrow, every day is fresh with no mistakes in it yet


Painting?
The ballerina one by Van Gogh

Museum Exhibit?
The bubble one at the children's museum

Thing to do when you're sitting home alone and the power goes out?
That is a secret and it depends on whether or not the children are in bed!


Snack/Junk Food?
Sweet stuff, and chips, and pretzels

Pet name for your significant other?
I don't think I have one

Nickname for your best friend?
Min

Revenge tactic?
For what exactly?

Song to sing in the shower?
Hot like me....LOL just kidding


Bill that you have to pay?
Cell phone

Cuss word?
I don't usually swear, but I do say screw a lot which I shouldn't


Era to read about or watch a movie in?
Well we are entrenched in the Felecity books right now so the 1700's

Poet?
e.e. cummings

Villain in a movie?
Tough one, hmmm.....I don't know

If you could know everything one person was thinking, who would it be?
No one, I think there's a reason that we don't have that ability

Topic to gab with your family about?
Church, food, weddings, babies...man just about anything, you never know what topics will come up at family dinners!


If you could have coffee with three people, living or dead, who would they be?
Grandpa(although I can't say it would be coffee, more like brown water!)My brother, and Mother Teresa

And Finally...

If you could be invisible for one day, what would you do?
Sneak into people's houses to see what they are really like when no one is watching!

Tuesday, April 01, 2008




Two years ago today, we lost this man, my grandfather. He was so many things. I wish that I had written down every memorable thing that he said to me. It hardly seems possible that it has been two years. I look at Thomas, my Thomas Michael, named for this strong,funny, loving man who blessed my life for 27 years. He would have loved to see Thomas at this age. And to rub it in my father's face that we had chosen his name instead of my dad's. It's true that grief eases with time. But there are moments, and today is a good example. Times when that grief feels so raw and new,even though it's been two years. How I wish he could have seen Thomas....seen Jonah's long hair and complain about it, seen Molli reading like a 5th grader, heard Emma and her silly sayings, seen Sydney grow and go to school....so many wishes. And yet I know that he is with our Savior, free of the pain and the compications. That's why, even today, I can grieve with hope...because we will meet again. I love you Grandpa.