Sex Education

I've come up with the cure all to under-age sex.... In the schools all they need to do is show a video that goes something like this. Sex leads to babies. Babies grow into young children. Young children get sick in the middle of the night and want to tell you so they come stand by your bed - right by your face and vomit (this is where the video needs to be graphic). They throw up all over you! And then dramatically end the video showing the mother stumbling to the bathroom at 3 am covered in vomit.

Yep - it was a goooood night.

Anna's Birthday

Anna, what a beautiful young lady you are turning into. How time flies. It seems not long ago the ER doctor was racing upstairs to deliver you... now you are 6. I remember how you were when you where about 2. Very persistent. Like you would sit at the bottom of the stairs and cry for what seemed like 18 hours because you wanted me to carry you up, or how you would get out of bed 700 times a night, just to make sure we weren't sleeping. Now, that persistence has turned into a girl who can and will do anything. When you have your mind set on it - you keep trying and practicing and working on it until you have it. You are learning to read and the way you will sit and read books for hours after a full day of school astounds me. You are perhaps the most courageous person I know. When you were asked to give your first talk at church I thought, 'hmmm we'll see....' So you prepared a talk and we practiced at home the words and talking loud enough people could actually hear you. Then on Sunday you walked to the stand trembling, but all alone. Your hands were shaking and your voice was trembling and you shouted a fantastic talk! I was crying so hard and laughing hysterically at the same time that I totally ruined the spirit and mood that was there. I love you Anna. Happy Birthday.

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

OK, so there have been several incidents lately that made me ask Kaid, 'What where you thinking?' Of course this was stated accusatorily and with sarcasm. Then I started letting him tell me what he was thinking and now... I have a better understanding of boys. Some examples.

Example 1

I hear from the bedroom a pathetic cry, 'help! help! help!' and I go in and Kaid is hanging from the blind cord. Don't worry just his foot was actually stuck.

Me: what were you thinking?

Kaid: I was playing Indiana Jones

Me: OK - reasonable, let's not play Indiana Jones

Example 2

We get in the car to pick the kids up from school (I walk from one side to the other and get in- that's how long it took).

Kaid: Mom I wrote my name!

Me excited: you wrote your name!!!!! (the kid refuses to write his name. He is 4 1/2 it's time to learn, but until this incident he was allergic to pen and paper.)

Kaid: Yea, right here

Me: Right where.... the back seat of the car?

Kaid: YEAH

Me: What were you thinking?

Kaid: well, I didn't' want Bekah to sit in my spot, so I wrote my name on it.

Aside: Now every time he gets int he car he tells me, "we only write on paper - huh mom."

Example 3

I was wrapping presents and Kaid takes the brand new roll of paper into the toy room.

I follow him and see that he and Quinn are having a lovely time tearing it to shreds and ice skating on it.

Me: 'Um I needed that to wrap your Christmas present."

Kaid: 'Oh"

Me: What where you thinking?

Kaid: well, I was thinking it was a fun toy...

Example 4 - The classic Kaid

I was at the computer paying bills (Quinn and Kaid where happily playing trains). Out of nowhere WHACK! Kaid hits me - hard - it hurt!

Me: What where you thinking?

Kaid: Ummmmmm (shrugs shoulders and looks bewildered) I don't know.

Me: Well thanks for the honesty

So now it is kind of a fun game - I really am interested in knowing what he was thinking when he does something that appears to be really stupid and I am dreading the 'dumb boy teenage years' even more.

Whining Wednesday

Ok so 1st complaint. This is a hair dressers version of below the shoulders. Hmmm looks suspiciously above the shoulder to me.

On the up side - I had a very large donation for locks of love.

2nd. my toilet has over flowed -

upside - I have a toilet and it was only filled with clean unused toilet paper.

3rd. Marker all over the couch and coffee table -

up side ummmmm my couch and coffee table will be really really clean when I'm done getting the marker off.

4th. Craigs paycheck won't clear the bank and I have to make yet another trip to the bank to straighten it out. -

upside when it's cleared there will be money....

5th Quinn destroyed one of craigs palmware cd

upside- craig is married to me so he can't be mad at me forever.

6th Insurance companies YIKES the most inefficient run companies in the world!!!!!!

upside - we have health insurance.

7th it's only 9:30 in the morning.

upside - the rest of the day can only get better.

Thanks for letting me whine. I feel sooooooo much better!

I thought this was cute - just because it is a little sampling of everything that goes on around here.

Don't Watch this Video if you have less than 3 children...

OK so this started out as a video to remind Lex how much Quinn loved her as a baby and to show how much alike I think they look. But it turned into a reminder that babies really are very resilient! And there is a reason that the more babies you have the bigger they get! Anyone that has fewer than 3 children could be very scared by what they are about to witness. Those with larger families will understand.

Veteran's Day

Craig was invited into Bekah and Anna's school today for a special celebration. It started off a little rocky because Bekah wanted Craig to wear his uniform but Anna did not (she was afraid it would be against the rules). I explained that dad couldn't just wear the top half of his uniform, and he couldn't just wear the bottom half because people would really laugh at him half naked. So Bekah (who helped plan the celebration) asked her teacher if he should wear his uniform. The teacher asked, 'Can he still fit in it? Most veterans are old and can't fit in their uniforms.' Anyway, Craig got all dressed up and yes, it still fits. Kaid saw him and asked where he was flying to this time, Quinn just kept pointing to his head and grunting (he wanted Craigs hat). The neighbor told him he was dashing, and Anna's friend said, "Mr. Craig can do everything! He's a doctor, he flies airplanes, he fixes everything, and he's even a dad!" Then to top it off Craig was seated front and center! People kept asking him if they could take pictures with him and of him. Of course Craig was more than embarrassed by the attention and compliments. The funniest part of the day though is that Anna wouldn't make eye contact at the assembly (we're not sure if she was embarrassed or not), but Bekah escorted her dad into school with pride. Craig then visited the classrooms of both girls and answered questions - where he was the coolest visitor (mostly because he had been to places the kids actually knew about and he brought in his helmets and gas masks). Overall, it was great. I'm proud that Craig was able to serve our country and I have an even deeper respect for our freedoms because he has served. I am proud to know that my children also have a developing respect for our country and all that it stands for. Thanks to all those people who have helped to preserve our great nation!

OK - so I hate having something so negative as the first post people see for very long .... so I want to tell everyone how great Bekah is. First of all she is now 10 (and that is a great age for a mom with several other - smaller children). Tonight I had enrichment and Craig was working which means a family of 6 had enrichment. I told Bekah the situation and she said she would babysit the kids at church for me so I could go. What a great job she did. She packed a bag of things to play with, snacks for everyone, she took potty-breaks with the kids and played games with them, and when it was time to go she made sure the room they were in was all cleaned up and got the babies all buckled in their car seats. But the part that makes me the proudest is that she did it all on her own with a smile, and patience, and a great attitude. What an awesome daughter I have!