Merry Christmas

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

One overdue blog post.

Or something.

We are enjoying Christmas here so far. It is beautiful and snowy. Yesterday the children and I bundled ourselves up in our winter gear to play outside in the snow. We attempted to build a snowfort, but got too cold before it was even halfway done.

I am not sure if we'll play outside again today. It's colder today, but hopefully it will warm up a little.

Paul is still in bed enjoying his vacation. He doesn't go back to work until Monday. It is nice to have him at home.

I am looking forward to our new years party this year. It's almost here! And there are two new babies to meet, Anna and Ella!

And speaking of babies, Dr. Wheeler is talking about possibly inducing mid-January. I will push for holding off as long as possible.

A microcosm of life at our house

Me: what was dissecting the frog like?
Abby: It was fun!
Me: what did you like best?
Abby: the mouth, because we got to open it up and pull the tongue out.

Me (to Omi): Are you a big girl?
Omi: dah!!! (this is yes)
Me: Is Abby a big girl?
Omi: dah!!!
Me: Is Sammy a big girl?
Omi: Noooooooo!
Me: What is Sammy?
Omi: He a Sammy!

I roll over in bed and discover Isaac lying beside me.
Me: Isaac why aren't you in your bed?
Isaac: Because I'm thirsty!

At therapy with Sammy.
Sammy: I can't do it!
Lynn (the PT): Yes you can! You need to use that tummy muscle!
Sammy: Actually, it's an Ab!

email not working

Paul found out yesterday that our email is not working, and that none of the emails we've sent over the last month have actually been sent.

-- Well, at least I know why nobody has been replying to me.

Happy Birthday Shae!

May God Bless you today and everyday! I hope everyone is feeling better!

Standing in the need of Prayer

I'm still not feeling great so this is going to be a rambled and disjointed list.

-Paul's mom is battling some health concerns. She is a fairly private person so I am guessing she would rather I not share specifics, but she could certainly use your prayers. We have already seen God working a blessing, in that she her job was supposed to end this Friday, but the layoff has been temporarily rescinded so that she can keep her insurance for the time being.

-Anne's grandpa passed away this weekend. He was 88 and it was not totally unexpected. Still the family is grieving. It will be a large adjustment for Anne's grandma as they had been married 68 years.

-We are all still fighting the flu here. I was in the ER Monday morning, with severe asthma symptoms. It's definitely bronchitis, possibly pneumonia, but without a chest x-ray it's impossible to know. Paul has not been in to work this week. He is doing a bit better today. But his fever yesterday was around 103 and probably higher at other times (we seem to have lost the thermometer --Abby thinks it is under the refrigerator). All of the children are still sick to varying degrees. We seem to get better and then worse again.

-I am sick of being sick. It's been two weeks now.

-Happy Birthday to all of the Birthdays I have missed or will miss. You know who you are. We even have a present for Manda (THE BIG 30) that will hopefully be delivered sometime before Christmas.

-Thanks to all the veterans and active military. We appreciate all your sacrifices.

Anna Catharine Ciarrocchi

Leanne and Dave welcomed Anna Catharine Ciarrocchi this morning at 5:19 AM. There were some complications, but mom and baby are both doing well now. The email we received this morning did not contain weight and length of the baby, but I will post that info when I know more.

Flu

Wednesday morning the children were acting more tired and edgy than usual. Sam and Isaac both had a hard time keeping up in gymnastics. Wednesday afternoon the kids all started not feeling well, but they didn't really seem sick. A couple of neighbor girls stopped by to use the computer, they let me know that a couple of the neighbors who had come over to play a few days before had been diagnosed with H1N1.

By Thursday afternoon I was running a fever (which I've kept under control, but has not gone away since). The children, except Isaac who has asthma, are pretty much well. Isaac has a wheezy cough still. I will call the doctor's office in the morning. It is really hard to get him to take the breathing treatments that he really needs.

I am feeling a good deal better than I was, but am still sick. Paul started feeling yucky yesterday. He isn't really sick yet, so I am hopeful he won't get very ill.

We've been drinking lots of orange juice and eating lots of chicken soup.

I am just thankful it did not hit us any worse.

So that's us anyway.

I am not Super Mom

God has to keep reminding me of this, lest I get too prideful.

This afternoon, I went to get some meat out of the deep freeze to thaw for dinner. I felt the meat. It clearly did not need to be thawed. In fact none of the meat was still frozen. Fortunately it was still good. It just needed to be cooked immediately to prevent spoilage.

So I started cooking. After cooking seven pot roasts (or at least getting them started), five meatloaves, and browning four pounds of ground beef, I realized I desperately needed help. So I called my parents over. After six hours of being on my feet cooking meat, I was too worn out. So Nana and Papa finished the job for me. I do not even know how many pounds of meat we cooked.

We only had a little (ten pounds or so) that had to be thrown out. All of the organ meat (heart/liver) had to be disposed of.

Anyway, if I didn't have such wonderful parents I could not possibly have managed.

I think I am done craving beef for now.

Hopefully we will not need a new deep freeze.

Yes, we're still here

As you know I've not posted much lately. Life has been interesting. A couple weeks ago I burned my hand (second degree). It's just getting to the point that it is fully functional again.

Kathy and Don stopped by for a couple of hours yesterday on their way back to Cleveland from Granger. It was good to see them. They seem to be doing well and adjusting to married life.

Saturday my mom and I, and the girls went to a baby shower in North Manchester for my cousin Kelli. She is expecting a little girl in just a few weeks.

A couple days ago, I was leaving the Walgreens parking lot at night and forgot to turn my headlights on. I was pulled over and received a warning. I think the officer felt badly for me since I was going to a drug store to by bandages for my burn. (And the store wasn't even open so I had to drive clear across town).

Sam's therapy has been going really well. He is making good progress. He has OT, PT and speech every Tuesday afternoon.

And for those who've been asking: I have not heard any news from the Ciarrocchis. I will post an announcement as soon as I hear.

Oh?

I look down the stairs and see Sammy coloring on the floor mats with chalk.

Me: Sammy, we don't color on things with chalk! You know better.

Sammy: What am I supposed to do with chalk then?

Me: You can color on the chalkboard with it.

Sammy: Oh! (Takes chalk and runs toward chalkboard as though he has made new discovery).

Over the River and Through the Woods…

… to Grandmother’s house we go.

The morning after the wedding, we had folks over after Mass for brunch. Then we got a ride to the airport and went to Quebec by way of Montreal.

We saw a lot of pretty churches on our trip, the most notable of which was St. Anne de Beaupre, in Beaupre Quebec. It is a basilica. And it is huge. It looks like something out of Europe. According to Tradition, St. Anne is the grandmother of Jesus, the mother of Mary. The week we were there happened to be the week leading up to her feast day so there were all sorts of novena events. It was amazing to go there every day for Mass and to look around.
We also did some hiking, and got to see some whales, or baleines, as the Quebecoise say. Most of the people there speak French (Quebec style) but between the French I remembered from high school and the English of the locals we were able to muddle our way through.


We returned to the States a week later. Back to house organizing, work, and dog ownership – plenty to keep busy!

Better Late than Never

I have been meaning to post something for awhile now. Almost 2 months in fact. Shae already posted the basics of the matter – that Don and I got married (and she included some very nice pictures). Overall things went very well that day. My dress turned out nicely. The dress originally had these long puffed sleeves that were very warm so I had them shortened to cap sleeves to be more comfortable in July (not to mention it looked much nicer that way…in retrospect I should’ve gotten a picture of before the sleeves got altered to show the difference). My goddaughter who was the flower girl walked down the aisle with my youngest sister and the ring bearer (one of Don’s godsons). I’m told they got an “aww” when they went down the aisle, but I was in the back and couldn’t really see the reaction at the time. It was a happy day. I have been kidded a little because every picture of me has me smiling.

We were blessed to have help from so many different people. As Shae already mentioned, she was my hair and makeup artist. She did a super job. We had to get over to the church early and they let us use one of the meeting rooms to get ready. It was peaceful – well, peaceful for me at least, I just had to sit there. Our expert photographer took pictures of the hair and makeup process. Then we kicked him out and he went to the church to take some shots of the men only before the wedding ceremony.

We had a child-friendly day, meaning that all my cousins’ children (and the children of our friends) were invited. It was neat to see the corner of children dancing at the reception. Some didn’t want to leave at the end of the night.

I could ramble some more about the day, but I think I’ll end this for now. Next post: Quebec.

Only Once????

So we had a lovely vacation in New York last week. It was my intent to blog all about it. There are some real gems of stories. But my last few days have been a little busy.

On Monday I noticed that Sam had quite a few spots on his legs. Since we'd just been camping, I figured they were bug bites. There were a few more on Tuesday. I thought maybe it was poison ivy. So I put benadryl on them. Then I took him to his therapy evaluations at the hospital (I'll report on those later). Afterwards we went to Nana's house and I took Abby to gymnastics.

By this point Sam was covered with spots. I got online and looked at pictures of rashes. The only rash that really looked like them was chicken pox. But he'd already had chicken pox (and been vaccinated for it) so it couldn't be that.

It got bad enough that I decided to take him to Redimed (the regular doctor's office was closed by that time). After waiting for an hour and a half the doctor saw us.

He looked as Sam's rash. Then he said he was going to consult with his colleague. We waited some more. The other doctor came him. They quickly diagnosed him with chicken pox.

The worst part was when they looked at his throat. The roof of his mouth is covered with chicken pox. They say it will probably take a couple weeks for those to heal. He's eating lots of pudding and jello and not much else. And even so, his poor little mouth was bleeding today.

His ears are also covered.

His temp has been fluctuating between 99 and 101. Which is pretty high for a little guy who's normally less than 97.

Omi has three spots, and is acting a little cranky. Isaac has about a dozen spots and is acting like a crazy madman (even more hyper than usual).

Abby, is just fine, except that she has been a bit upset about not being allowed to live off of pudding and jello.

In short we could use some prayers. Especially for Sam.

Ella Rose Benik

Born August 26, at 11:02 AM.

Mother and baby are doing well.

Kelty Tioga Jr. Backpack

We ordered this really swell backpack for Abby several weeks ago. And due to some incompetent bumbling (on my part and the companies) it just arrived today. It is a cute little hiking backpack that holds 2050 cubic cm. Which makes it about half the volume of the large bags we have, I think.

Abby tried it on and says she will like hiking with it. But she was much more impressed with the wadded up papers that came in the box with it. The kids are making costumes of some sort out of these papers. It is rather heartwarming really.

Today after I picked the boys up from Science Central we went to Wendy's for lunch. I had a small chili. Sammy had 1 3/4 cheeseburgers, Omi had 1/4 cheeseburger, Isaac had chicken nuggets and we all shared some fries. I had not been to Wendy's in a rather long time. The food is basically the same, but more expensive (like everywhere). I was tempted, by the frosty mix picture that was labelled coffee/toffee. I love English Toffee flavored coffee. So I assume I would love coffee flavored ice cream with actual toffee in it.

The morning sickness has mostly dissipated. Yay! 3 months down, six to go. The next three months should be much easier. Although I do think I need a good back brace. I see my doctor next Thursday and will ask him for a script.

My brother John is in town for the next couple of weeks. We have had some interesting discussions. But for the most part we have avoided arguing.

Example:

I shared with him about our experience going to the memorial day parade. I believe such things are an important way to honor those who have fought for our country as well as to show appreciation to the families of fallen soldiers. John is concerned that military parades glamourize war and will make people want to go fight more wars.

In a discussion yesterday about Marxism and Darwinism among other things, I noted that it astounds me that so many people honor Darwin. Anyone who has read his work would be aware that the man was a racist and used his theory of evolution to justify vast imperialism. (I won't go into the rest).

Anyhow, John commented "In my line of work I read more Aristotle than Darwin." I replied "In my line of work, I read more 'Green Eggs and Ham'"

Sam has now discovered the box the backpack came in. He fits inside of it rather nicely.

breastfeeding baby doll

This toy is not one that I would purchase for my daughters. But I don't really understand why it is considered inappropriate. My children have all been introduced to breastfeeding at an early age, because I breastfeed. And when I had to pump when Sammy was little, Abby would pretend to be pumping and feeding her baby dolls. And when he had a feeding tube she gave her baby dolls tube feedings.

Most of my friends who nurse babies with older sisters report that their little girls also pretend to nurse the babies.

I really don't see how this doll would make little girls try to get pregnant sooner. And if you think it would, why wouldn't a baby doll with a bottle have the same effect.

camp week

This week Abby has science central day camp all week. Isaac and Sammy are there for three mornings. I am realizing how difficult it would be if I had to maintain this sort of schedule all the time.

Pregnancy Exhaustion + Teething one year old up at night + waking everyone up in the morning + packing lunches + getting ready + making sure there is adequate clean laundry for nice clothes for children + arriving on time for drop off and pick up + appointments + gymnastics + somehow managing to fix dinner and keep the house together.

I love homeschooling!!!! Not so much running around! No packing lunches! Children need clean clothes, but a few holes and stains don't matter. And I can stay in my jammies if I want to.

Anyway, we have had a lot of fun already this week. But I have grown an appreciation for the mothers who maintain a busy schedule all the time.

An update on us

I am not feeling so sick anymore. But I still don't feel great. I have very low energy and my body seems to be in rebellion. I am swelling a considerable amount and my weight fluctuates a lot. I had lost a lot of weight, but now I am gaining rapidly and trying to remind myself to eat the healthy things that are good for me. But my body doesn't want healthy it wants junk.

I don't mean to be a complainer. We've actually been having a lot of fun lately. Today we went to the zoo with Anne. Abby and Omi fed the giraffes, but the boys did not want to (they were scared). The animals were especially active today because it was not particularly warm and it was just a little bit rainy.

Yesterday afternoon we took the children to Science Central and had a blast. We went to a demonstration on Static Electricity. Abby, Isaac, Paul and I all got to be volunteers. Paul's hair was very nifty looking when he was touching the generator.

Last night Paul took me to go see the new Harry Potter movie. It was very good, but of course not as good as the book. I am already looking forward to the last movies. Yes MOVIES. The last book will be made into two movies.

Kathy's wedding last weekend was a lot of fun. I had never seen her so incredibly happy.

As with all weddings, the day did not go perfectly. But there weren't any major crises or anything. Paul had fun as the photographer, and he got a lot of really good pictures. He also got a lot of pictures that weren't exceptional, but that's why he took a lot of photos. I think I did a pretty good job as the "hair and make-up expert". The hair was not easy because it did not want to stay curled. Kathy's hair is so fine and so long it just doesn't like to be curly. But I defied it with lots of hair spray.

I painted her nails the night before. Paul took some pretty cool pictures of us doing nails. We were sitting around a lamp with no shade using it as light. But, as I am in those pictures and Paul doesn't like me to post pictures of our family I will not be posting those.

I should be fixing dinner now. Tacos! Yummy!

Paul and Omi went to George's to get chips and salsa. I think they are also going to the Panaderia to get some fresh bread.

Kathy's Parents

Let them eat cake?

The Happy Couple

Knowing is Easier

I had an OB visit today and an ultrasound. There will clearly only be one baby. A very small gestational sac is still visible in the ultrasound, but it appears to be collapsing.

While I am saddened about the lost twin, I still find it easier to know for sure.

The healthy baby is now about 41 mm long and is looking like a baby now. The heart rate is 178, which is on the very high end of normal. Higher heart rates often indicate a girl baby. So with that and my increased sickness, I feel fairly confident that it is a girl.

The children think we should call the baby Sarah if it's a girl. I don't know if we will use that name or not, or if we did what middle name we would use. I like the name Sarah Katherine, but I don't know how Paul would feel. I also like the name Micaiah (Mi-kay-uh) . But I believe it would not be a good middle name for Sarah. Too much "ah". But it would be a good middle name for Ruth. Sarah Ruth also wouldn't be a bad combo. But I am reluctant to use both of those names together since I might want to reserve one as a first name in case we have another girl someday. Paul and I have a harder time agreeing on girl's names he has already vetoed a couple of my favorites, and we like both of those.

All of this is just rambling. We may well choose something completely different. Or the baby might surprise us and be a boy after all.

Feeling a Little Better

The past few days I have not been quite as sick. I don't know if it's something I've been doing, or just that God has graced me with some good days. Either way I am thankful.

My brother John and his fiancee have been visiting from Champaign, IL. My Grandma Pat has been here from Kansas City. And my brother David came in from Potsdam, NY.

The reason? My father's 60th birthday. My mom had a big party for him, which was a lot of fun. And nobody teased him too much about being old. We were all afraid he would run away (as he did on his fortieth birthday).

10000 days...

... if you are counting in binary, which is something I do when I get bored at work. I would venture to say my ability to count in binary is the best it has ever been.

Tomorrow (Friday) is going to be "move as much of Kathy's stuff to Don's" day. So I am in the process of trying to figure out what I will not need for the next 2 weeks. What can I say, it is keeping life interesting.

I would write more, but I still have some organizing/packing to do before my father shows up in the morning with the minivan.

I want a cookie

I feel like I am going to puke. Thinking of food makes me feel sick. The smell of food makes me feel even more sick.

But still. I feel like I absolutely NEED a chocolate chip cookie!

morning, afternoon, evening and night

sickness.

Usually worst in the afternoon.

I'm thinking pink.

Poor Paul. I promise, I will eventually get the house clean. Really I will. I will make myself do it, somehow.

My husband is so tolerant of my clear lack of housekeeping skills.

Shroedinger's Baby

So for those of you who do not yet know, or have not yet guessed. I am pregnant, my due date by LMP is February 1st, and by ultrasound is February 8th. I forgot to ask the doctor which one we would use.

I had my first OB appointment last week. It was nice to see the OB and his staff again. They are like friends at this point. Actually when Dr. Wheeler saw me he said "At it again? This is great. You're like an annuity!"

My ultrasound showed a healthy baby with a strong heart beat. It also showed that there was a second baby, without a heartbeat who appeared to have stopped developing. There is about a 1% chance that the second baby will survive (it could just be slightly younger gestationally and the heartbeat not yet discernible). So it is fair to assume that I will only have one baby, and I am deeply grieved for the loss of its twin. But I continue to pray hard for the second baby and barely allow myself to hope.

I have been a mopey mess for the last week since the appointment. But Paul was able to make me giggle a little yesterday when I was snacking and he said "You're eating for 2, plus Shroedinger's Cat".

I think my emotions are compounded by a sort of guilty feeling. Like maybe if I had done things differently then the baby would be okay. And then the fact the I didn't particularly want twins, and feel incapable of handling them. It's strange I don't want twins, but I do now because I want both of my babies.

My next ultrasound is July 16th. Which seems like ages away. But by then it will be obvious.

Whoosh!

That's how the last few weeks have gone. We spent last week in Florida visiting Grandad (Paul's dad) and Bernice. The trip had lots of ups (the beach, the boat, etc.) and downs (bad traffic, heat, humidity etc.). But all in all it was more than worthwhile, and gave the kids a chance to get to know their grandfather a little.

I haven't posted much lately because I have news that I want to post, but I cannot yet post.

The summer looks to be very busy. We have very few unplanned weekends left.

I am feeling somewhat bummed right now. And I generally just don't feel like doing everything that needs to be done. But with children, I just don't have the option of taking time off.

finishing out the trip

On our trip home from Kansas City we took the girls to the St. Louis Zoo. Which Naomi absolutely loved. She especially loved the penguins, but she liked everything. We had to physically pry her away from several exhibits.

Then we spent the night in Terre Haute at the Days Inn which is newly refurbished. It was a really nice experience. We have spent a lot more on hotels that weren't as nice.

Then the next morning we went to Rose Hulman and walked around with Sam and Abby. First we stopped in Blumberg and Mees. Then we went to the bookstore. We were surprised to see that the WORX is now Noble Romans Pizza. Then we played pool in the game room. Which was mostly trying to teach the kids how to poke at the balls with sticks.

We walked around in the classroom buildings and Paul went to visit with professors while I bought the children a snack at the coffee shop (in Moench).

After our visit to Rose we ate at the Burger King on 46, which we were pleasantly surprised to discover has a slide.

On the way home we wanted to stop for ice cream. But that proved to be more difficult than anticipated. We first stopped at two closed ice cream shops before finding a Culver's Frozen Custard where the four of us shared a large sundae.

Then we stopped at Nana's house and got our other two children, went to dinner at Bob Evans (per Abby's request) and finally arrived home!

Our time since then has been a flurry of activity. So I don't think I'll even try to catch up, since I'm almost a month behind.

The Garage Sale

Saturday, we awoke in Kansas City and were set to enjoy the day. This started with my father and I taking the children for a walk. About half a block past Grandma's house there was a garage sale. We stopped and looked to see what they had, and I told them I would be back.

So after our walk, I grabbed some cash and went to the garage sale. I bought a grocery bag full of really nice clothes for the girls (mostly for Abby) and spent only about $2. I was so excited. So I went back to Grandma's and showed off my loot. Then Papa walked to the garage sale and purchased two large bags of stuff. And then my mother decided to go check it out, and she came back with even more stuff.

Then my dad and took a bike ride. The area was a little hilly, so I had trouble keeping up. I found that I had to be going really fast down the hills or I could never make it back up them.

Meanwhile back at the garage sale there was a tricycle, which my parents thought would be nice for Sammy. But they wanted Paul to check it out first. So Paul, after he got up, went down to the garage sale and came back with a few things, but not the trike. When he came back he alerted me to the fact that they had dishes that matched ours. So I went back and bought the dishes.

Then Papa decided to buy the trike after all. So he went back.

Then the little girl whose clothes we had just bought for Abby, came over to play.

Later that evening we went to my "cousin" Jane's house for the graduation party of my "cousin" Jordan. We had an enjoyable visit. I chatted quite a bit with my "cousin" Erin, who is close to my age but who I didn't really know before because her branch of the family doesn't come for holidays (they are JWs). And normally we only come up for holidays. Erin's two children were close in age to my four, so they had a good time playing together.

Sunday morning, Paul and my dad helped the children to make pancakes for us since it was Mother's day. I thought Grandma Pat would really appreciate it, but she seemed a little on edge about having someone else cooking in her kitchen.

The children were a little under the weather, so I decided to keep them home from church. Especially since at this point people seemed to be alarmed anytime they heard a sneeze because it could be swine flu. Grandma Pat stayed back with me, and Paul went to church with my parents at a Catholic church.

Then we had an Easter egg hunt. And after everybody was back from church we went downstairs to open the presents under the tree, which was decorated with Valentines (I guess Grandma wanted to make up for missed holidays). Then Grandma told us we needed to leave so she could get ready for the visitors who were coming later.

I didn't have a good idea for where I was supposed to take sick children on a rainy day. But we ended up taking them to McDonald's. Hopefully we didn't get anybody else sick.

Then we came back and had a lovely meal with My aunt Pegi and uncle Blaine as well as my cousin Bethany and her husband Jim. It was the first time I had seen Bethany (who is a year younger than me) since she had been married 4 years ago. Then later on my great uncle, John also came by to visit.

Then later in the evening Paul and I walked over to my great aunt Kate's house and had a nice visit with her and her daughter Kitty Lou (I am pretty sure only family calls her that). Kate was watching the Royal's game on TV when we arrived and she was complaining that the team could only play well at home and not on the road. Anyway, it was a relief to see that Kate, who is ninety, is still sharp as a tack. She has always been a very witty person, and I think it would crush me to see her lose her mental power much more than it does to see that she can barely get around.

After our visit, we went back to Grandma Pat's house and I spent the rest of the evening visiting, doing laundry, and packing.

The best laid plans (or something)

So because of the tornadoes, we decided we'd better leave in hurry. So once we got to Glenna's house we looked at the maps and made a plan. We would drive west across Arkansas and then straight north to Kansas City.

My dad had gone for an early morning swim. So as soon as he was changed and ready to go, we set off. We were not five minutes into our trip when a torrential downpour made our visibility almost zero. So we turned around and went back to Glenna's home.

She graciously fed the children oatmeal. One of their favorite foods, which they don't eat often due to it's high fiber content.

Then the children played for awhile with the few toys Glenna had. The lights flickered a few times. But we were well insulated from the storm.

Once the storm had passed, we set out again. We had the girls and were heading to Mansfield, MO to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home. Nana and Papa had the boys and were heading to Ava, MO to visit the Monastery where they had stayed on their honeymoon (long story).

Unfortunately, the diaper bag with the pull-ups and extra boys clothes was in our van, and not in Nana's car. Since the boys don't have that many accidents that didn't seem like it would be a big deal.

On the way to Mansfield, Paul's cousin, Lisa called. She was concerned since she knew we were in the area. The tornadoes had passed close enough to them that she could actually see some from their home. So it was a relief, in a way, that we had not been in Mountain Grove as planned. Her daughter was still sick with the flu, but was beginning to get better.

When we arrived in Mansfield we followed the signs to the Wilder Home. The sign on the gate said "Closed". The hours indicated it should be open. Just then a nice lady pulled up in an SUV. She got out her cell phone and called the people who run the museum and discovered that because of the storms the museum was without ALL utilities. Then she showed us around the area, and told us some stories about Laura. And she showed us the stone cottage nearby that Rose Wilder Lane had built for her parents. It turns out that this lady's mother had personally known Laura. (But her mother was ill, and not able to meet us).

Then the kind lady directed us to the Mansfield Historical Society just up the road. It was also closed, but we could see through the window some of Laura's things (a dress and such).

Then we hopped back in the car heading toward Kansas City.

Meanwhile, when Nana and Papa arrived in Ava, they discovered that both boys had wet their pull-ups. When Papa took them to the restroom he removed the pull-ups and threw them away. Leaving the boys with pants on, but no underpants. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal. But given that they had both eaten oatmeal that morning, the result was disastrous. Nana and Papa had to find a place to stop and buy them some more clothing. Oops! I felt terrible when I found out.

We drove through some interesting areas, and continued on until dinner time, where we stopped and had a picnic at Truman State Park. After dinner we walked around and picked up rocks. I taught Abby a science lesson about how rocks are formed. And we had a little nature hike. Then we left the park and went to look at the Truman Dam. There was man there who had worked on the security for the dam and he explained a little to us about how the dam worked.

Then we continued on our way, arriving at Grandma Pat's house about 10:00 PM.

Nana and Papa arrived a couple of hours later, thanks in part to the mess they had, had to deal with.

for those still interested

After exiting the cave and moving far enough away to get good reception, we talked to Nana and Papa via the cell phone which of course did not work in the cave. They relayed the information that Glenna (my grandfather's former wife), had reserved a hotel room for us near her home in Arkansas. Since we didn't have a plan, this sounded good to us. So we headed toward Arkansas. I was excited because this meant coloring in another state on my map of all the states I have been to (now if only I can find the map).

We stopped for dinner at a pizza hut in Cuba, MO. This was exciting, since there were no gluten-intolerant people with us. Isaac wanted something green on his pizza, and Sammy wanted something red. So we had a pepperoni and green pepper pizza.

And after dinner I was so excited because Sammy went #2 in the potty (which he had never done in a public toilet before).

Then we drove down into Arkansas. We had directions to drive to Ash Flat. Then about 12 miles from Ash Flat, my dad told us they were at the Walmart in Ash Flat and we were to meet them in the parking lot. Then Glenna was going to meet us there.

When we arrived at Walmart, I nearly freaked out to see that my beautiful daughters were sound asleep on the parking lot in sleeping bags. But as they seemed to be safe, I mostly bit my tongue. I hope that my father will not do this again though.

Glenna arrived shortly after we did. And we made introductions. We then followed her to the hotel in Horseshoe Bend. The hotel room was pretty average. The hotel was actually a spa with swimming pool and large hot tub (as in swimming pool-sized). We didn't get to use these at all though. There were also tennis courts and a golf course, it looked very nice. Well when we arrived it was near midnight so it just looked dark, I found the rest out in the morning.

We awoke around 7 AM. Except for Paul who continued to sleep. I got the kids dressed and van packed up. We ate breakfast from what we had packed since the hotel restaurant was still closed for the off-season. The coffee pot in the room was really neat. It had a disposable tray and a disposable cup which functioned as the pot.

Then the kids and I set off on a mission to find the ice maker. There was a map of the resort and the path to the ice maker seemed clear. So I pushed the stroller and Sam and Abby each brought a cooler. But what the map didn't show was the giant sets of stairs. So we ended up turning around, ditching the stroller and walking back.

Around 8 AM I tried to call Glenna. And I continued to try. But the phone service was really finicky. So it was 9 AM before I made successful contact. I had to stand in the middle of the parking lot.

When they arrived in the parking lot to get us, they alerted us to the fact that a tornado was on it's way.

not related to our trip

But there is something seriously wrong when you google Richard Scarry's Busy Town and it brings up near pornography.

The Cave

We arrived at the cave after driving past the place that sold unique chainsaw carvings. The park it was in was very pretty, though the river was a little muckier than I had remembered. Before we went inside the building we took the boys to the potty, and we discovered that the chocolate chips (potty rewards) were melted.

Then we went inside. There was a large building constructed over the entrance of the cave (technically I think it was a cavern, I'm not sure). Inside the building was an ice cream shop and a gift shop where they sold all kinds of interesting things including hats shaped like various animals and a large variety of toy guns. Sammy (age 4) and I had a lot of fun with the magnetic rocks.

Then there was the information desk and the ticket sales desk. The tickets were $18 per adult, but the children were free. It seemed pretty pricey, but oh well.

Sammy was pretty scared to go into the cave. He kept saying "But mommy, it's too old!" But I coaxed him in, and promised to hold his hand the entire time. He made sure that I kept the promise.

Our tour guide was a young man probably late teens or early twenties. He wasn't very professional, and he seemed mostly interested in finishing the tour so he could get off work. Including us, there were six people on the tour. He said that earlier in the day there had been a tour group of about 80, so that could explain his mannerisms a little.

The first room of the cave was humongous, it was the "ball room". It had a disco ball hung from the ceiling and a bar in. I assume people sometimes plan events like wedding receptions there. I cannot imagine having a reception in a cave, but okay.

The first several rooms did not have any formations really.

One area had a replica of Frank and Jesse James because they had hid-out in that cave. They had with the statues some of the actual tools they had left behind.

Further on was a Hollywood area where various films had been shot. They even had a picture of Lassie.

After that is got more interesting as we began to see "soda straws" hollow tubes hanging from the ceiling. Then we began to see stalactites and stalagmites. The tour guide didn't explain the difference, so I told the boys what I had learned several years ago "stalactites hang tightly to ceiling and stalagmites might reach the ceiling some day" Later in the tour Sammy pointed to a stalagmite and said "Mommy, I think it might reach the ceiling someday."

The neatest parts of the cave were the wine room and the theater room. It is really hard to describe them. The wine room had clusters that looked like grapes and a formation that looked like a table. The theater room had formations that looked like stage curtains and like a balcony.

At the end of the tour as we were exiting the boys asked "Can we go in again?" and then "Well then can we stop here again on the way back?" So the tour was obviously a success.

But to me the best part was when the other couple on the tour approached me to compliment me on my children's behavior.

I have to remember that now as two and half hours past bedtime I am still struggling to keep Isaac in bed.

Tune in next time to hear about our next adventure.

Our trip to Kansas City

Our trip went well. Things did not go as planned, but God was watching over us. Here's sort of an overview of the trip

Wednesday: My mom and dad left Fort Wayne with the two girls. They were supposed to leave around 4:30 but mom had to work late and did not get left until 6. Then I took the boys to Burger King and we waited for dh to get off work. He was supposed to get off at at 6 but actually did not until 7:00. So we arrived at our first stop around 10 PM Central time. Our first stop was at my brother's place in Champaign, IL. We had a nice visit with him While the boys slept (mostly). Then my parents arrived with the girls about an hour later (yes they left earlier).

Thursday: Isaac (age 3) awoke early. My mom awoke to hear his crying. I asked her what time it was. When she told me it was 6:30 I decided to start getting up and around since we were leaving Champaign at 8:00. Half an hour later, now that we were all up and around I realized that it was actually 6:00 because of the time change. So after the kids were all dressed, my parents took them for a walk and dh and I visited with my brother some more. Then around 7:30 CT we left Champaign (with all 4 dc) and drove to Springfield to visit my dh's grandma. She lives in retirement home in a little one bedroom apartment. The visit went very well for about an hour and a half. But it is really hard to keep 4 children age 5 and under happy in a tiny room full of breakable objects. Isaac: "Are these no-nos ?" Me: "Yes". Isaac: "Is this a no-no?" Abby (age 5): "Everything is no-nos." Around noon we left the retirement home and picked up dh's uncle (who is disabled) and took him out to lunch with us at McDonald's. My parents who had stayed longer in Champaign met us at McDonalds.

Then during lunch, we got a call from Paul's cousin Lisa whom we were planning to visit in Mountain Grove, MO. Her 4 year old daughter was exceptionally ill with influenza. So we obviously weren't going to proceed with the visit. We decided to head that direction anyway and see the Ozarks but we didn't really have a plan yet. So when we headed out of Springfiel we didn't have a plan.

My parents again took the girls and we took the boys. As we were heading out of St. Louis we began to see signs for Meramac Caverns. I remember having gone there as a child, and thought it would be a neat place to go. So we watched the billboards (there were approximately 492 of them) and went to the exit. It was about 4:30 PM by then so we were concerned about it being to late in the day. It turns out that we were in luck and there was one more cave tour of the day...

Stay tuned for the next post in which I will detail our experience in the cave.

The terrific 3s have begun again

Isaac turned 3 on Friday. We had a nice little party yesterday. It was fun. I made a cake that resembled a train for him. It was actually yummy, so that made up for the fact that it didn't quite look like a train. It's hard to believe he is actually 3 already. He is definitely my most mischevious child. He is so strong-willed. It's not that he means to be defiant, he just intends to get what he wants.

The other day I was in the restroom and because I wanted a couple of minutes of privacy (how dare I?) I locked the door. Isaac, realizing that it was locked, went and found a screwdriver to unlock it. He opened the door and said "Mommy, I unlocked it, you can come out now!" It seems he thought I was trapped inside. It was really hard to punish him when he clearly thought he was my hero.

He is also the most demonstrative of my children. He is always wanting hugs and kisses. And he loves to cuddle and sit on my lap. I love to cuddle all of my children, so I am grateful to have one who wants to cuddle.

Some interesting notes

- My children love to watch the movie version of "Click, Clack, MOO Cows that type". I am surprised they have not yet asked what a typewriter is.

- The other day we were talking about GI Joe. The children asked what that was. I said "It's like a Ken Doll, but it's a soldier." They then wondered if he had a sword and helmet. The only soldiers they really know about are apparently the ones from the Bible. I explained that he might have a gun. Abby knew what that was because Pa has a gun that he hunts with in the "Little House" books. My children are clearly sheltered, but I don't mind.

- David and Monica were here visiting for Spring Break last week. Paul and I went out with them on a double date. We played Putt Putt (I am not quite as awful as I used to be, but I still lost). Afterward we played games in the arcade. My favorite is spider stomp, but it is somewhat hard to play in flip-flops while wearing a skirt.

- One of the games I played was Pac Man. When I was a kid it seems like there was Pac Man everywhere. In gas stations, at restaurants etc. I think the Dairy Queen even had a two player Pac Man game.

- On rainy days my joints swell and I feel miserable. I think I must be getting old. I used to love rainy days.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! Christ is risen!
Now, time to get ready for morning Mass, followed by visiting relatives on "both sides" of the family.

Congratulations to Abby on her baptism day!

What He gave

For at least the last 15 years Good Friday has been a very hard day for me. Just thinking about Christ's tremendous sacrifice is overwhelming. I know that Sunday is coming. I know that he arose. If I did not know the end of the story I do not know that I good cope. I can only begin to imagine the depths of despair the Mary's must have felt. And of course, they could not truly understand the significance of the sacrifice.

This year the weight has already hit. I have been explaining Maundy Thursday and the last supper to the children. And I think about the tears that Jesus shed in the garden. And I think about the humility he expressed in washing the disciples feet.

I am humbled. I am ashamed. I see myself with dirty feet. And I think of how I fail to keep the vigil and pray. And I think of all the ways that I betray Christ by my offenses.

And I feel so black and dark inside.

But I know that Sunday is coming.

God is good!

All the time!

2

This morning Paul took Abby to Home Depot for a class to make a birdhouse. It is really cute. While he was there Nana and Papa had the younger three. This left me home alone to get a lot accomplished. I did get a lot accomplished. I accomplished reading The Secret by Beverly Lewis. I won't spoil it for anyone who may not have read it and is planning to, but I will say that I was not altogether surprised to find out what "the secret" was.

Paul bought the book for me last night on our date. We went to Family Christian to buy a Bible for Abby as a gift for her baptism. It was not as easy as I expected. We had in mind to buy a real Bible that had some pictures in it. We did not want a "Children's Bible". We were thinking along the lines of the "Third Grade Bible" that Paul has which has some line art illustrations or like the NKJV with the Precious Moments pictures that was so popular in my childhood. We ended up getting an NKJV with an illustrated concordance. I wish I had started the search sooner and then I probably would have ordered something online.

At the store I do not think the salesladies understood what I was looking for at all, since they kept directing me back to the Children's Bibles.

I am so excited about Abby's Baptism. It is such an amazing thing.

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In other notes I weighed in yesterday for the end of my three month challenge. My goal was to lose 11 pounds and I lost two. Not really great success. My new goal is to lost five pounds by Mother's day weekend. It should be a little easier now that it is warm and we can play outside.
I am praying for more self-control. It is the fruit of the spirit that I believe is least manifest in my life. But I do see it becoming more evident as I pray.

I have given up both cola and coffee for the most part (though I do drink them occasionally). It is not so hard now as it was at first. But I am painfully resistent to the mere thought of giving up tea. I know addictions are not good. I wonder if it would be easier to avoid the caffeine addiction if it were not so socially acceptable.

Another thought on the diet note is that I have cut approximately 500 calories from my daily intake so I should be losing just over one pound a week. But, since Omi is no longer nursing, I can't burn calories as easily either. I wonder how many calories I was burning a day just to make milk.

I miss nursing Omi. I really miss having a baby. That probably sounds crazy.

My children are so delightful, though, that I will just focus on enjoying them right now.

Me Me Me Me

Omi: Me me me me me

Abby: Omi, Omi, Omi

Omi: Me me me me me

Abby: You you you you you

Omi: Me me me me me

Abby: Come here Omi

Omi: Meeeeeee Meeeeee

Abby: Potty time?

Omi: Me me me me me

Abby: Come on

Omi: Meeeeeee Meeeeeee Meeeeeee

Abby and Omi take off running toward the bathroom together.

More baby news

A new Ciarrocchi is on the way.

Check it out here.

An update

Paul will not be going to CMU next year.

He is still feeling pretty disappointed about it. I think he doesn't really want to talk about it though.
If you think he should have told you himself, but he hasn't, that's probably why.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Other News:

I went to Granger to visit Loree last week. I had a fun trip. Loree and the girls seem to be doing well. Loree made rice balls for us for lunch. Abby now insists that I need to make rice balls.

Omi has decided she wants to be big girl and has been going potty on the potty. I don't think I can find panties her size though.

We are having a passover seder at church next week. The teens are hosting it (which means that I am in charge). It is a lot of work! We made Matzo Balls this past Sunday. They seemed to turn out well.

We have come up with a list of household rules:
1. Always be kind to everyone.
2. Listen and obey.
3. Ask permission before getting anything out.
4. Be quiet when an adult is talking.
5. Food stays at the table.

so far they seem to be working out.

We have paid off the mortgage and now officially own our new house.

We have a new vacuum cleaner. It's a Kirby. It works really well.

My children are all wearing dresses and hopping around the living room. Abby tells me they are Yayiba girls and live in India.

Potty Training

This puzzle was one of my favorite Christmas presents from Don. The box called it an "impossible" puzzle because the pattern repeats and there are 750 + 5 puzzle pieces, where the +5 represents extra pieces that look like they should go somewhere but don't. They are there just to fool the person doing the puzzle.

I did a lot of work on this puzzle from when I got it to when I started my new job. It was a nice distraction. The firs step was assembling the babies.

The puzzle went away for a bit, then came out later. During that time I got some of the babies to match together, and then I worked my way through the field of gray. Believe it or not, there is a slight color variation. Eventually there was enough there to go piece by piece, and having a discard box helped make sure I wasn't repeatedly trying the same piece in the same spot -- as I joked with my visitors last weekend, it kept me from saying "It didn't work the last 3 times, but, it will work this time!"

A couple I knew from college randomly called and asked to visit last weekend. They like puzzles too. With their help, we were able to complete the puzzle, with the exception of 1 piece. It appeared to be missing. I later found it hiding under the slipcover of one of the chairs around the table. We discovered one last sneaky thing about the puzzle was that the actual puzzle did not match the picture on the box! The top part was a fairly good match (which had been a great help as I began to assemble the puzzle) but the bottom part had a slight variation.

The puzzle in some ways reminded me of the wedding planning. There were times I looked at the pieces and said, "There is no way we have all the pieces." (Don had got the puzzle second-hand, so, unless I wanted to sit there and count, there was no way of knowing we had all the pieces.) But, time and time again, the pieces fit together. Not necessarily in the manner I initially thought they would or should, but in the end it all works out for the best.

Oh, and if you look closely at the flowers, you can see a train in one of them. We noticed it when we were assembling the puzzle, but I am at a loss for where it is at the moment. Maybe I'll post again later with the location.

(P.S. -- Happy Feast of St. Joseph)

Overflowing with Joy

Abby is going to be baptized on Easter Sunday. She asked Pastor Mike today if she could be baptized. YAY!!!! He asked that I would help her to come up with a testimony to share. Anyone who would like to be present for this momentous occasion is welcome to join us.



Also: The party for Kathy and Don will be May 16th. I will sound out an email invite with more details later. And we are planning on doing a group gift for anyone who is interested.

Destination: Quebec

Specifically, Saint-Ferréol-Les-Neiges, Quebec.

There is a pretty church nearby:
http://www.ssadb.qc.ca/eng/1_5_photo.htm

And, we thought it might be a good idea to head north in July.

But now time for bed. More later.

baby news

Manda and Tony are expecting. Due in mid-september. To read more about it, click on the link to Manda's blog.

Thinking about babies always makes me so excited.

Though right now. Manda and Tony are naturally concerned for a variety of reasons. So please keep them and their precious little bundle in your prayers.

Sleepy Mommy

We are all home sick this morning. I have been up since I think about 4 AM. Longing for the time when Paul wakes up well enough to watch the kiddos so I can go back to sleep. Isaac has an especially terrible cough. He also threw up all over me this morning. Fortunately it didn't get on the carpet, as clothing is much easier to wash.

I hate it when the children are ill because it exposes my weakness as a mother. No matter how hard I try there is often not much I can do to help. And it just breaks my little hard to hold them and not be helpful. At the same time, though, it is kind of an amazing thing to be able to offer them comfort just by holding them close.

Paul has not given up on CMU yet. He has one reasonable avenue for funding that he is still pursuing.

Our mortgage is almost paid off. First we had to wait for the pay-off quote to arrive. Now we have to get a cashiers check, because they will not accept a pay-off with a personal check. I suppose I could understand that if the pay-off was particularly large. But it isn't. So it would seem that the same checks from the same account I have been paying with for the last several years would be perfectly legit.

There will be a party for Kathy and Don sometime this spring. They haven't decided on a specific day yet, but it is looking like mid-May or early June. I will send out an email invite once details have been decided.

The other day I took Isaac out on a "date". When I asked him where he wanted to go he said "Walgreens". We ended up going to McDonald's, Meijer, and Salvation Army. At McDonald's there was a very sweet family with eight children. When I first came in there was a gentleman standing in line with a 7ish boy who was holding a baby. The man then proceeded to order 12 sandwiches (all from the dollar menu) 3 large fries, 4 large drinks (all drinks at McD's here are $1) and a dozen cookies. Then I looked over and saw his wife and there other six children. I wonder if we will look that someday. Anyway, I made a point of telling them that they had a lovely family, as I know a lot of large families get very negative remarks.

Isaac didn't really want to play at McD's; he was scared to play alone. But he was excited that I let him order whatever he wanted. But for him, the best part of the night was SA and the orange hat that I bought for him. He wouldn't even take the hat off to go to bed that night.

I have been taking the kids out on at a time, taking turns. Next week is supposed to be Omi's turn. So far she hasn't told me what she wants to do. (So I guess I better figure out what I want to do).

Less Time on the Computer

I have decided that during lent I will be spending less time on the computer. It is so easy to get sucked in. I haven't decided exactly, but I may make a rule that I can only "compute" between 7 and 9 PM. Unfortunately the only one to enforce the rule is me.

CMU

Paul received an acceptance letter from CMU on Saturday. The school is not offering financial assistance. So unless Paul finds some sort of corporate sponsor, he will not be going.

I don't know what the chances are that he'll find someone. But I do know that if this is God's plan, there is a 100% chance that it will happen.

And for everybody who didn't know: Free Pancakes at IHOP today.

You'd think there would be a snowbrush..

... in a rental car, in Minnesota, in February. But, alas, they must fear losing them, because we had to brush the car off with coat sleeves Saturday morning. I had the opportunity to go to Minnesota in February with two co-workers to make a visit to the company that supplies heaters for our products. As a friend said, it isn't surprising that a heater company would operate out of Minnesota.

But, I can now say I have walked the Mall of America. It was an interesting place to visit.

There wasn't that much snow on the ground -- only a few inches.

One of my co-workers has told me I should take advantage of having Project on my computer and make a Gantt Chart of everything that has to be done as far as planning my wedding goes. I haven't done so yet.

As for the wedding planning, we have found a hall/caterer, which is a huge load off my mind.

"Is naptime over yet?"

She askes for the twentieth time.

"No Abby," I respond, "for naptime to be over you have to sleep first, or at least be quiet."

Most days she doesn't nap anymore. But this is a particularly tired day. I think it's partly the weather.

Maybe I will try to nap too.

Choppy-Co Birds

Abby has been talking on and on and on about Choppy-Co Birds. At first I had no idea what she was talking about. Then I realized that she meant TROPICAL. But there is no convincing her that she has the word wrong. Finally I realized that it was a senseless argument. And I am sure that eventually she will learn that parrots are tropical and not choppy-co.

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And sense I am already posting...

One of our favorite games to play is "Duck, Duck, Goose". Omi can't really play yet. But she likes to sit in the circle with us. And we make sure to tap her on the head and say "duck". But we don't goose her. Well last night she started walking around in circles and tapping herself on the head saying "duck, duck, duck, duck" I was one of the most adorable things I have ever seen.

Right now my children have started viciously attacking each other with stuffed animals. I asked Abby what they were doing. She told me they were "being Egyptian children and fighting."

And early today Abby looked a the globe and asked "What's this big blue place?" I looked and replied "It's China." Then I looked at the tag in her shirt and showed her that it was made in China. Then we had a geography lesson about where a variety of things were made. (Bangladesh, Phillipines, Honduras, but mostly China) And the globe itself was made in the USA.

People ask me sometimes "What do you do for fun?" And then sometimes they specify "Other than taking care of your children, what do you do with yourself?" It really bothers me. I do have some hobbies. And I do love to go on dates with my wonderful husband. But none of that is nearly as fun as spending a day playing with my children. But they almost never believe that, and then they tell me that I need to get out more.

But oddly enough, when I do get out more, it usually just makes me grumpy.

"God is a turtle"

The kids and I have been doing a daily devotional. We do it after lunch and before nap. First we pray, then we practice our memory verse, then we do the lesson, then we pray, then we sing, then I read Bible stories until nap time.

Today Sammy kept saying "God is a turtle!" And I said "no God made turtles." Finally he adamantly insisted "In the book, yesterday it said that God is a turtle!!!" If you know Sammy, you know he can get pretty worked up about things.

And then I explained to him that no, the lesson yesterday said that "God is eternal". I can see how the two things can sound pretty similar. So we talked more about what eternal means.

Abby is really getting a lot out of the devotions. I am so blessed to see her learning and understanding.

She has told me she would like to be baptized. So we will have to talk to Pastor Mike about that.

And on the days when the house is a wreck and I can't find a clean pair of pants I will remind myself that we are on track where it really matters.

super bowl XLIII

GO STEELERS!

it must be the "steeler mix".

And our cute one year old who loved the terrible towel and kept taking it away.

I wish I could show you pics.

The kindness of neighbors

So much has happened in the last month. I got a job -- it is about a 1/2 hr from where I presently live, but 15 min from where I will be living after the wedding! It is a very good opportunity for me and was the first place I interviewed with, so it is very much something to thank God for.

Today, it was a crazy snowy day. I ran an errand at lunch for someone and almost got stuck in the snow a few times. Part of me says I was crazy for doing such a thing, because it had taken longer than normal to get to work.

Anyways, after I returned home from work, the plows had made the street fairly clear, but the apron of my driveway had a bunch of plowed snow. So, I parked the car on the street and started shoveling. (I had put a shovel in the car that morning.) Some time passes, with me slowly making progress with the snow, when this lady comes up and tells me she called a plow on my behalf. She lives across the street from me and said that the people here like to look out for each other and she didn't think it was right for me to spend the whole evening shoveling when I work all day and that I should go inside and have some warm soup or something. She knocked a little later in the evening to give me her name, address and telephone and told me to feel free to ask her for help anytime (and gave me an opportunity to pay her for calling the plow -- I felt that with my having a job again it was the right thing to do).

So, my driveway is fairly clear (not 100% snow gone, but at the same time more than clear enough for my little car to drive over). And, honestly, if I would've had to do it myself I might still be working on the apron, or at best some part of the driveway. Funny, how much longer things take when there aren't other family members around.

It has been an very interesting day. I have a lot for which to be thankful.

Italian Shoe

We had "old shoe" for dinner last night. For those of you unfamiliar with the backstory: When Paul and I were not yet married, I attempted to make him a special Vietnamese dinner. It was truly terrible. So at that point, we made a deal that if ever Paul was unwilling to eat something I cooked, he had to take me out to dinner. There haven't been very many times that I have cooked something so awful that Paul wouldn't eat it. But there have been a few times that I really wanted to go out. So I would take an old shoe and put in on Paul's dinner plate.

So we started calling restaurant food "old shoe". My severely burned beef shank was clearly not edible. So we went out to Casa D'angelo. Paul was brave and tried something new "Pollo Pamigiano" He usually gets the "Penne con salscilia y pepperoni". I had the "Insalate Casaburo" generally called Casa Salad.

Then we came back home to air out the house from the really burned beef smell. And we watched McGyver together.

Right now, Paul and the boys are making biscuits together. It's really cute.

Paul got up and took care of the kiddoes this morning and let me sleep in.

I love my husband!

Meandering topics

It was so warm today that I gladly bundled everybody up and went outside to play in the snow. Abby was the first to want inside. I took Naomi in when Abby wanted in, but really I think she would have been happy to stay outside longer. It was actually Omi's first time to play in the snow. She looked so cute in her little snow pants. None of my others had such little snow pants.

Today was also Naomi's first time riding in a big girl carseat. This is a milestone I am grateful for. I love the infant carrier as long as the infant is small enough to be easily carried in it. But it seems so much more roommy in the van without it.

My former high school English teacher, Mrs. Fettig, dropped by for a visit yesterday more. She had called on Monday wondering is she could stop by. I had not heard from her in years, so it was really out of the blue. We had a very nice visit. She has six grandchildren, so she was not bothered by the craziness of our household. She was also very positive about our decision to homeschool.

It gladdened me to have her approval. She was one of my very favorite teachers, so her opinion means a lot to me.

You are probably wondering why I am posting on my blog on a Friday night? Actually I dropped the kiddos off at Nana's house and am waiting for Paul to get home. I was fixing a beef shank for dinner. But I burned it. So I am not sure if we are going out or what. I almost cried when I saw what I had done. I was looking forward to having a quiet dinner with Paul.

Ooh I hear my love coming into the house!!!

!

Sammy's Birthday is past. It's hard to believe he is four years old! He is starting to read a little bit. I predict his reading will be caught up with Abby in another month or two. Although she is also progressing.

The Birthday party was a success. We did a double party with Isabell, who also just turned 4. We chose the Burger King with a playplace. Imagine nine littles ages ranging from 2 to 5 running around like mad. And then three little siblings crawling and being held. Plus two older siblings and about a dozen adults. We pretty much took over the whole play area.

Sam's Birthday always makes me a little melancholy though. He is such a miracle, and I feel like I just be totally happy. But it was such a frightening day when he was born that I have trouble looking back.

More science

If you take a cup of very hot water and fling it into very cold air. You will have snow before it reaches the ground. This was the science for this morning.

It is -13 F now, but it was -18 F when the experiment was performed. In other words "Man it's Cold".

It makes me wonder how Manda and Tony are doing. Only because it was so very cold a couple of years ago when we visited them in Chicago.

It also reminds of a story from "These Happy Golden Years" (book 8 in the Little House series). Fifteen year old Laura was teaching at a school away from home, and boarding with a very unpleasant family. Every Friday Almanzo Wilder (who was not yet her beau but would later be her husband), would drive all the way to pick her up and bring her home, and then would bring her back on Sunday afternoon. Well one Friday it was -40 F and she didn't expect him. But he came. And they had to stop every few minutes to chip the ice off of the horses noses so they could breathe. Their breath would freeze as it came out of them.

My children love the Little House books as much as I did as a child. They are often playing Little House, though they change which characters they are. Lately Abby has been Laura and Sammy has been Almanzo.

Olny the frist and lsat ltteres mtater

I raed taht as lnog as the frist and lsat letetrs are in odrer the rset dno't mttaer.

Seriously, the brain looks for groupings of letters and will read the correct words even when we type them incorrectly. I think that's an oversimplification, but still very cool.

Omi is definitely walking now. She is so cute.

I think the children are going to go play outside in the snow soon. (With Daddy). Part of me would like to go play too. But I will be able to get a lot done while they are outside.

I am actually going to post this time

It's so hard to write a complete post these days! I usually get about three or four lines in and then get interrupted, never to finish.

Paul has not been home for dinner all week. He went back to work on Monday, after having two weeks off, and I've barely seen him since.

I sometimes wish he would get to work earlier and come home earlier. The hardest part of the day is the time between nap and when daddy comes home (or bedtime, whichever comes first).

The children had a playdate with Isabell today. It mostly went well, except that the TV was on the whole time. I hate it when you go to visit someone and they don't turn their TV off. It's really distracting.

Omi has learned how to climb lately. Up that is. She will climb up onto the sofa, but she has no idea how to get down. It's really cute, actually.