Stuberstuff

Saturday Uncle Brian and Aunt Lori stopped into Memphis to buy a car, have dinner, chat a little and be on their way early the next morning. It was a busy weekend and we barely had time to take out the camera.

Saturday night Nicholas threw a fever and wasn't feeling his usual charming self early Sunday when it was time to say goodbye.

And then the visit was over, and we were left with a day of chaos. Not really interesting chaos. Just general mayhem. This week Patric and I are taking some time off work and crossing our fingers that everyone stays well so that we can enjoy our house in a little quiet for the first time in over a year--at least during the day. All was well Monday morning and the cherubs were off to daycare, and we spent an uninterrupted two hours at Target laughing at all the crying babies that were not ours.

Statements of the Obvious

Every Week:
"That's a lot of milk," says the person checking my groceries.
"Yep. I've got a lot of kids."

Couldn't Tell You

What the splotch is on his head, but it looks like it hurt. Dad thinks it happened at home this week, but he wasn't sure what happened. It's been a crazy week so far, and we're looking forward to the weekend and catching our breath and seeing Uncle Brian and Aunt Lori.

Monday: Take girls to daycare in the morning, rip heart out of chest and leave it with them to fight over. Run home, take boys to the dentist with their dad (Nicholas was excellent; Benjamin not so cooperative.) Jump in the car, get some food and head for the airport. I take off for Orlando. Dad spends the rest of the day with the boys and picks up the girls that evening. And BIG star to dad. After the dentist eyed the tell-tale signs of a pacifier addiction and told us we really should be getting rid of them, dad just took them away and has dealt with that conversation all week.

"Gaggee?"

"They're bad for your teeth son."

"Gaggee bad for teeth."

"That's Right!"

"Okay." sniffle

Tuesday: Dad is on parent duty; I'm learning about export duty in Florida.

Wednesday: I'm home in the evening to our first high daycare temperature, some happy boys and lots of chaos.

Today: Alida is home with dad beating the fever. I took the others to daycare. Elaine has made a big stride forward. She did not cry at all as we entered her room and was quiet, yet skeptical, as we greeted the morning staff. She didn't cry during the hand off and only went crazy once she had been transferred. That is better, and we hope it continues in that direction. Not sure how Elaine managed to get away without a spiked fever, so we're waiting by our phones today for a call.

That might get in the way of our plans for a kid free week at home together next week while we both take some vacation time. Oh how vacations have changed.

Well Forget That

We decided to reward the post-nap crazies on Sunday with a trip for ice cream.

Gucky

No ice cream and no pic-pic!

The ladies weren't delighted but they at least sucked down the ice cream.

Daycare

Last Friday we began daycare yet again in the Stuber house. The kids have been fortunate enough to stay home with Jenny this past first year, and it is a little heart-wrenching as we transition to the new daytime routine.

Friday morning we were out the door about five minutes after they woke up because the boys were running around screaming to go to school from the moment they got up. So we essentially got dressed, brushed teeth and took off. We were able to both be there for drop off number one, which was a good thing because I may have just sat down and stayed with the girls all day if Patric had not been there to guide me out the door. They hate it, and they cry, and it kills me. But then we drop the boys off at their room, and they barely wave good-bye as they take off for all things new and shiny. And their confidence makes me proud and gives me confidence in turn that the ladies will be served well by this experience. I look forward to the day they confidently barrel ahead for new adventures. Right now, it's heart wrenching.

Day one pick up was an opposite experience. The ladies were playing quietly when we peeked in the door. And when they saw us their little smiles lit up the room and they came straight for us knocking everything else out of the way. And that is a pretty fabulous feeling. The boys, on the other hand, were a bit more difficult. We were pretty encouraged when they saw us out the gymnastics room window and started waving and smiling. Their teacher gave them their day sheets, and they came running to hand us their reports. Then. Then they ran straight back for the gymnastics room. They ran in the other direction really, anywhere but into our arms where they correctly sensed we were going to snatch them away from this place. And they were drug crying and fighting the whole way.

So on the way in we leave upset one-year-olds and on the way out we are dragging upset two-year-olds. And we look a wreck coming and going. And as with most things, we guess it will even out in time. Right now, we are a drama.

Free Indoor Fun

Saturday morning

we hit the mall.

And had never realized how fun that could be

for the little munchkins.

Things Too Aggravating To Grab the Camera During: Green Goo

Hidden down in this package of shark joy were some cupcakes. The kind of cupcakes that have as much frosting as cake. Bright green frosting. Let me just pause to say thanks Jen. Thanks so much.

I happened to be smart enough to see those cupcakes and rescue them before the big unveil. They sat high on the counter as the maniacs dug in to their new fishy toys.

Don't think those girls just sat back and watched either.


And joy filled Stuberville.

And then dad needed a break for a few minutes. In our house sometimes a parent just needs to step away for a minute or two. It becomes Parent B's duty to preferably provide Parent A with a moment where they do not have to hear screaming in the background--for just five minutes please. One good trick: The Big Chase. The Big Chase goes something like this: run around the house and chase boys until you catch them and then turn around and run from the boys until they catch you. The girls are generally amused enough to watch a whirl of three come flying through the room a couple times a minute as we make the round track through living room, the slippery tile floor of the kitchen, navigate the dining room furniture, and round the corner back to the living room. Parent B can generally break free and head for the laundry room to hide and catch her breath for a few minutes while the boys figure out that mom is missing and go find her. Then I jump out at them. Screams of delight ensue and the chase is on again.

Two nights ago I ran for the laundry room and crouched behind the dryer, panting and suppressing my giggles at this part of the game. "MOMMY!" They were on to me, I had disappeared. I had only a few moments before a timid head would peer around the dryer and find me out.

Nothing.

Surely they didn't forget the hiding place? But catching my breath and crouching in the dark was so peaceful that I waited. Quiet. (I know, I know. Quiet is not good in our house. When will I learn that?) Eventually, I peeked out. Down the hall in the kitchen I saw the children huddled. This wasn't good. Reluctantly I left the haven of the laundry room to see what was so interesting. The closer I came, the more I noticed the frenzy of activity. Oh, they are playing feeding frenzy. They saw it on shark week. How cute.

No.

They were playing everyone-work-together-to-rip-the-cupcake-container-apart. I had made it in time though and snatched it out of eight little hands. Screams of delight turned into screams of terror. So I decided to let them have cupcakes after scraping most of the pile of green frosting off. Children were sat down at the table and given cupcakes. They played with them for a minute, whimpering.

"Gucky."

Alright, get down. We're not doing this. I took the cupcakes away and screaming began once again. Dad showed up and they ran to him to plead their case--before I could wipe the remnants of green frosting off of their little hands. Not knowing the whole story, he let them run chaotic. We now have green walls in the living room in places, and it just doesn't go with our color scheme.