Yeah, Um

Guys? (led by your father)

I can think of a more comfortable bed. Why are you so obsessed with pretending to sleep?

Why do you mock me?

Try, Try Again

To Grandma Gayle, who always sends a National Guard weekend box:

I tried last National Guard weekend to bring out the fireman hats. There was a HUGE fight after they ripped out the plastic form on the insides of the hats and started whacking each other with them.

So I took them away.

On second try, they were a HUGE hit.

Thank you.

I Am Thankful

No one got hurt.

A Season of Thanksgiving

To everyone that has been helping the economy and helping us with diaper disposal:

Thank you. You can stop now.

That's Funny

Even more funny?

When you finally find the baby in that picture.

The Saturday Outing: Inspiration

So if you've been over to Emily and Gracie's blog lately you know they've been decorated for Christmas since Labor Day or some such non-sense. Saturday they spread the disease by showing up at our place early and watching children while the parents went shopping and got a few things done.

And we did get a few things done.

And the kids didn't seem to mind not getting out this past Saturday.

No. We didn't get our Christmas cards done. But pretty much everything else, and we are ready to start receiving as soon as Nicholas lets go of the card holder, which he has claimed as his own.

Really. They didn't seem to mind being left at home all day.

Christmas tree with shatter proof ornaments--done.

I'm still unclear how it is that Nicholas ages five years every time he is around the Kings.

Snowmen sheets to match the bathroom of course.

I'm told they even took a nap Saturday.

And I even got a chance to do a trial run at Christmas Morning Rolls. We used Sunday School as the guinea pigs--they seem to have come out okay since there were only six of us there and this is what we brought home.

Nicholas will tell you, that's a bear.

And this is Santa Claus.

Yep, we even got the wrapping finished and assembly complete.

Now, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Snowmen!

On The Road Again

As we consider loading up the van once again and propping that knee for a long haul,

We realize we're all getting a little older.

Which means there are a few things we don't have to worry about anymore on the packing list:


Stricken: The double stroller/infant car seats

Stricken: The bigger double stroller

Stricken: Half of the house for one evening away

Stricken until you can't see it any more: Bottles

Stricken Long Ago: Pacifiers


Oh no, we're not headed out real soon. We still have to start making the list and setting things aside about a year in advance.

Peace in the Valley

There are these moments. The moments between coming home and sitting down to dinner. The moments between getting downstairs in the morning and getting in the car. The moments between needing to go to bed and getting there. These are the moments when we are loud and distracted and perhaps forget to close the refrigerator door while we're swinging wildly through the kitchen. And then there is quiet, and we think to ourselves: Yes. Yes, we will try to refrigerate the entire world.

The Saturday Outing: Take II

Take II?

That doesn't look like a Saturday outing.

Here we are Saturday early evening. Dinner was mac'n'cheese, fish sticks, broccoli. It was a little early. And, there was lots of bribing going on in our house that night. If you eat your dinner, we'll watch Iron Man. If you go potty, we'll watch Iron Man. One more thing, we need to get in your jammies. I know, and then we'll watch Iron Man. Here brush your teeth. If you brush your teeth, we'll watch Iron Man. Ring the Bell! Let's pick up our toys so we can watch Iron Man!

Okay, so we can still get away with delayed bribing in our house. And finally, we all set up to watch Iron Man. Alida was obviously on the edge of her seat.

And then a wonderful thing happened called Charity.

Charity rang our bell. The kids were beside themselves although a bit confused at why their teacher was at our house. And he and I slipped out the door into the darkness for an entire evening of adult time. I cannot explain how odd it is to be in a car after dark. I cannot explain how odd it is to be out of my house without children and without a child's errand to run.

We gleefully counted past one hand onto the second hand the number of times in more than four years we've been out for adult time as a couple. We now have Charity to thank for one more, although she's not nearly as charitable as her name suggests since she doesn't hang around just for fun. Thankfully, we have Emily's parents/grandma to thank for the lion's share of those outings, which are always charitable.

(Four years? Iraq.)

Why I Don't Take Naps

We were driving home down I-40 the other day, me in his car and him following with the van on our way to pick up the kids. Traffic was moving fine but it was clogged. It was like the first week after summer break when parents are out taking kids back to school and getting in routine. The roads are full of people who aren't quite used to driving in traffic so there is a lot of stopping and starting and a feeling of confusion.

When I do get to drive his car, I get to listen to music loud and alone, and, well, it just feels better to drive a car than it does to drive a van. Ahead there were some taillights and swerving, so I moved with the music and cars to avoid some one's lost something from the back of their car that had fallen out and was now laying in the middle of the road. I got through that and suddenly a pick-up lost an entire load of produce in front of me. I swerved again. Suddenly I was swerving to just avoid traffic as it piled up on itself, and somehow I managed to swing my way through a huge mess of fender benders and random items all over the road. I pulled over to breathe. There were wrecks in both directions as far as I could see.

I picked up the phone to make sure Patric was okay. The phone told me it was running out of battery and started trying to connect me to the Internet. I hit the phone in the palm of my hand a few times when it wouldn't do as I asked. Suddenly it rang.

"Hey. Are you alright?" I was frightened.
"I think so."
"What? What do you mean. Answer the question. Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I guess," his voice was agitated now.
"What are you talking about?"
"It's not over here. There are still trembles."
"What?"
"Where are you? We just had an earthquake."
"Oh no."

And I woke up on the floor of the boys room having a small heart attack from having just driven through the wreckage caused by and earthquake. And I looked up still in terror to see Ben's shark book was tented over his face as he snoozed and Nicholas stirred hearing me. I told him to go back to sleep, and I stumbled downstairs thinking it was an hour later than it was and saw Patric relaxed and watching football as my heart beat through my chest.

That is why I don't take naps. I sleep hard when I finally go down and getting that messed up in the head instead of refreshed is not worth it.

I know.

You could care less about my dreams.

You came here to see kids.

Here you go.

The Saturday Outing: Man That Was A Long Day

Photos in the morning. Why does it seem like we're having pictures made every other weekend?

And then on to IHOP. It is fascinating to me how we can all go into some restaurants and the staff doesn't look at us as if we are going to destroy the place, but we can walk into IHOP and nearly turn around and leave because the staff shoots daggers at us with their eyes. Funny though, I generally don't feel quite as compelled to make sure we leave things as nice in the end when you start off assuming I won't.

Dad got to do some coloring. And after we went and bought everything our little hands could reach at Sam's Club or at least it felt like that.

Tell me Benjamin, how is it that not an hour before in front of the camera you acted like a demon and now you are a super model?

Wrestling and Kisses

Randomness

This is the least likely thing to see in our house these days: feet up, remote control, and no children climbing.

Making the ghosts was far less messy than eating the ghosts.

You LOVE getting under the covers with me and hiding from everyone else for a few minutes. In turn, I love suffocating under there with you.




It is part of life. The cars will eventually fade from your silverware. I will not buy new because you say so. Let's move on.





You were very sweet to push your sister on the swing. We know that when she toppled out and got hung up and you were struggling to help her, you were still being sweet in a very stressful situation. Way to go.

You may one day have hair girl.

That morning that you refused to put on a shirt--that was frustrating not sweet.

Mom--we do have Italian Chicken Soup for Patric sometimes, don't feel bad for him.

When you enthusiastically handed out buckets of candy after trick-or-treating, you had nearly as much fun.

This was sweet.

Nicholas. We've avoided this option for a couple of years because, well, it seems gross to me. We opted for expensive lotion, prescription lotion, Neosporin, petrolium based, balms, hydrocortisone. The morning after we tried this, your thumb was nearly healed. So that is why you will now smell like you are ready for the fryer, morning and night from here on out.

Elaine. Dad has been put on notice. When he comes home with tanks, he better come home with FOUR tanks from here on out.

We're still tired. But Operation Bottle Drop is working. Girls, you no longer get bottles--ever. You fuss (cry, scream, act as if you are being stabbed) yourselves to sleep for over half an hour every night now. We no longer use a monitor. We no longer rush to help you in the night in some attempt to let the boys sleep. In fact, we no longer get out of bed at night as a rule. Six nights in, we've not heard a peep from you in the last two.

Alida. When we ask you to perform for the doctor: Where is your nose? We're not just trying to entertain her, we are trying to proove we are not liars. When you stare blankly, we look like liars.