2nd time's a charm?

Yesterday morning, bright and early we headed over to the surgi-center to get Jacob's 2nd set of tubes put in his ears. The 1st pair fell out after a year and his tubes were filled with fluid again. His adenoids were pushing against his tubes so they decided they would take those out also. He was only back there about 5 minutes when they paged me and called me back. I was worried because they had told me that it would take at least 30 minutes or so for the procedure. When I got back there they told me they couldn't get his adenoids because his tonsils were so huge and they needed my permission to take them out. What was I going to say? "No, give me back my baby right now!" I signed the paper and thought, "He is not going to be happy when he wakes up." When he came out of surgery, I could him hear wailing down the hall. As soon as they laid him in my arms he looked at me with those sad blue eyes and promptly fell asleep. He was not happy with the bandaid that they put on him after they took out the I.V., but other than that there were no fits thrown.

I have to say that I have the most awesome mother-in-law. She volunteered to come up and watch Abigail and Matthew while I was at the surgi-center with Jacob. I called her the day before and told her that I had to leave the house no later than 6:45 in the morning. For her that means she would have to leave her house at around 5:00. Around 5:35 that morning we are all getting ready, the big boys are eating breakfast and waiting for their ride to seminary. All of the sudden they holler, "She's here!" I thought, "Man she is 15 minutes early! I don't even have their lunches packed yet." But no, it is not their ride. It is grandma, an hour early. As she walks in with 2 of the cousins, I look at her and ask, "I did tell you 6:45 didn't I?" Her mouth drops open and the girls wail, "Grandma!!" We all laughed, but of course, I am not the one that got up at 3:30! Bless her heart, she is an angel.

So anyway, I am not prepared to have someone on a liquid diet, so I have to stock up on icecream, popsicles, and gatoraide. He has cried off and on for a day and a half now. Anytime he wants something he pokes my shoulder and points. I have gotten pretty good and deciphering what those little points mean after 2 days. And as normal, any medicine that is supposed to make you remotely drowsy, has the opposite effect on Jacob. Yeah, fun.
Later that afternoon Gabe asked me to scratch his back. I looked at it and asked him where in the world he had gotten all those mosquito bites. It was only about 8 or so, but I figured he had rolled down the hill or something. I took Joseph to his big scout thing later that night and Joe called me and asked if I had seen Gabe's back. I told him I had and that it wasn't that bad. He said, "I am pretty sure he has chicken pox." I told him there was no way because he had a roaring case when he was 10 months old. I know this because Joseph had given them to him. It was Joseph's 2nd case. This is now Gabe's 2nd case. So I am pretty sure we have infected the entire family who came up for b-day's, the school, and the entire primary. You love us I know. : )

Our GREAT Government at work.....HA!

Last spring when I went to sign up Abigail for kindergarten, I could NOT find her birth certificate anywhere. It finally dawned on me after looking for 2 days that I didn't have it. Since she has never attended school or preschool it was never necessary for her to actually have one until now. I don't know how it slipped my mind ordering one for her after she was born, oh wait yes I do.
So all summer long, I kept thinking, "Got to get a birth certificate, need to run up to Nashville and get a birth certificate." So like a good mom, I wait until the week of registration and realize, "Oh man! I haven't gotten that birth certificate yet! School starts in 4 days!" So I hop online and see if I can get one there. Yes you can get one online, but they don't actually take orders online. But, for only a small nominal fee, you can go thru a different company online and order them. Being the frugal and thrifty (ha) person that I am, I thought, "there is no way I am spending extra money just to wait for it to get here. I will march myself right on down to the health dept. and just get it there." So while running errands, sans kids, in town yesterday, I remembered AGAIN that I still didn't have the birth certificate and thought, "Perfect! No kids to run amok in the waiting room, I will just run over there and pick it up and be on my merry way!" Yeah right.
First of all, let me preface this by saying it is hot in Tennessee. I mean REALLY hot. Like as 98 degrees hot and that is not even considering humidity. You walk outside for 5 minutes and whatever you did to your hair and makeup is instantly melted. Your clothes have stuck to you in ways that make you feel very uncomfortable.
I drive up to the HDept. and manage to snag the LAST available parking spot for 2 blocks around. I walk in and wait in line. When I get to the front I inform them that I need a birth certificate and they flatly state, "8 bucks. Cash only." Of course you only take cash. What was I thinking? That you would have actually joined the 21'st century yet? I walk outside and look around. There is no way that I am losing my parking spot so I decide to walk. I am only 2 blocks off the square where I know there is a bank, but man it's hot outside. I am perfectly capable of walking that distance, but have no desire to. The DMV is only 1 block up the road so I head up there. When I get there, the front door is locked. Wha? It's not lunch time. Then I look at the sign on the front door. It is election day here in TN. So they are closed. We could never ask a gov't worker to work on election day. Might be to strenuous or something.
Ok, plan B. On to the scary gas station with bars on the windows and doors. There is an ATM sign on the window, so I should be able to grab some cash there. I walk past all the men sitting on top of the trash cans eating their lunch and pop in the door. No ATM. "Sorry ma'm it was taken out a long time ago. Too many robberies." Ah yes, I knew I was in safe place when I spotted the bars. The attendant was very nice and ran my card thru the cash registar and gave me some money for a $2 fee. Hopefully there won't be any other charges on the card! I book it on over to the HDept, stand in line again and fill out my form. Surprisingly for how crowded the parking lot was, there are hardly any people in the waiting room.
Seeing as how I was so forgetful on getting the actual birth cert. It didn't surprise me that I forgot to bring something to read. There are no magazines, and the tv doesn't work. Actually I was quite entertained. There were some Very interesting people there. And scary. After a while though, people watching can get old. I dozed off a time or two jerking back awake hoping that I hadn't missed my name being called. After 1 1/2 hours of sitting in a very boring, albeit clean waiting room, I hear my name being called to report to window 7. I try to be as cheerful as possible and ask her how her day has been. "Our computers are down." Is her response. "You'll have to come back." SERIOUSLY?! You didn't know this when I came in an hour and a half ago?!" I tersly ask her. "Will I have to wait in this waiting room again?" She looks over her glasses at me like I have magically grown a 3rd eyeball in the middle of my forehead. "Uh, yes. But, you won't have to fill out your paper work again!" she replies. Like that is any consolation. Next time I come lady, I am going to bring all 7 of my kids and let them wreak havoc on your waiting room and then we'll see how long you make me wait. I bet I would be out of there with my form in hand in less than 20 minutes.
Now I understand why people order their forms online. One day I might learn.

You are such a Slacker!

Where to begin?
First of all, I have a good excuse. Well, for like 2 weeks anyway. The computer decided it wasn't getting enough attention and had to contract a virus, thus requiring a hospital stay and decontamination. Then my total lack of motivation kicked in, accompanied by scout camp, trips to grandma's, wrestling camp, baseball games and parties, football, scouts, and Gabe's first ever river trip that took precedence for a while. After that we actually took a family vacation that was way over due.
Sooo much to catch up on, I figure I will just do a post for each kid and call it good!

JACOB
Jacob finished up speech with Ms. Sheila and was very sad to leave her. You know a teacher loves her job when she thinks your little wildcat is the sweetest thing that ever walked thru her door and cries when he leaves her. He will get to go to developmental preschool this year everday for several hours and I think I am a little excited!
One day Jacob kept messing with his ear. Never really complained about it hurting just kept pulling on it and such. I figured he had gotten some water in there from the one (or 3 times) he went swimming and I kept forgetting to put his ear plugs in. So I took him to the doctor to get it looked at and lo and behold, no more tubes! They had already fallen out and I was not the awful mother that I thought I was! Bad news is, he cannot hear again. His ears are filled with fluid and the doctor said he may need bigger tubes. Makes a little sense of his behaviour as of late.

Jacob LOVES robots. Ask anybody in primary. His teachers who have to draw page after page of robots to keep him quiet during sharing time. His brothers who fill up pages with colorful robot drawings. The cashier at the store that he LOUDLY informs, "Mom buy me a robot for my birthday!" His mom who has finally learned how to draw primitive robots. His....well you get the idea. One day back in May I was at the store all by myself and picked up a robot mask for him for his b-day. I put it in the back of the suburban thinking, "He won't look back there." As I drove up the driveway, I had the thought to stop off at the barn and hide it away in one of the totes, but thought, "Nah, it will be fine." As soon as I opened the front door Jacob greeted me like I had been gone for 2 months and asked me if I had bought him a robot. I replied, "Um, no, but maybe for your b-day you can get one." Liar. About an hour later, he came tearing into the house while we were getting ready for supper, jumping all around and screaming, you guessed it..."MOM BOUGHT ME ROBOT! MOM BOUGHT ME ROBOT!" I then screamed, ripped the robot out of his arms and fled into my room looking for a suitable hiding place. He cried and tore my room apart looking for his robot for 3 days. It was May 13. 46 days before his actual b-day. He was either going to kill me looking for his robot or I was going to kill him keeping it away from him. The solution was to have a mock b-day for him since he really didn't have a clue as to when his actual b-day was. He. Wears. It. Everyday. I mean EVERYDAY. He sleeps in it too. Much to Parker's dismay, seeing as how he is the one that shares a bed with Jacob.
On his actual b-day a wonderful friend came over and made this masterpiece...

He was in heaven. This boy can be SO trying at times, but can melt your heart in the next second.

Friday Foto May 14, 2010

It has been a while since I have done a Friday Foto, so I had fun browsing thru pictures. We took this picture on Matthew's blessing day. Parker had just turned 14 and was ordained as a teacher at church. It has only been 2 years ago, but he has already grown SO much. He and I look eye to eye now. I know it will only be a matter of months and I will be looking up to him. When I first saw these pictures I was horrified at how I looked. I may have mentioned before, but when I was pregnant with Matthew I gained, um, well a little bit of weight. Add that on top of what I gained and didn't lose with Gabe, Abby, and Jacob, let's just say I was kinda wishin' that Matthew had been a 60# baby. But that would have been a whole other set of problems! ; ) I was all up for deleting any pictures with me in them until Joe said, "You need to keep those." Um, why? You will be glad you did. Well for starters, they document Matthew's blessing, but also your children need to see how hard it is to have a baby and all that you do to recover.
So here we all are and I have to say some of us have gotten bigger, and some of us are feeling better!

Peek-A-Boo

After school yesterday everyone was looking for an after school snack to eat. I was trying to get things done that I hadn't been able to during the day and I walked downstairs into the laundry room. I heard a strange noise and I looked over toward the washing machine and dryer and saw 2 legs sticking out of the dryer. I got a little closer and this is what I found.....



Parker, a pillow, a bottle of water, and a bag of doritoes. I am assuming he needed a little quiet time. That or he really did not want to do his after school chores!

Just a few of the things that I have heard recently

"Mom! Jacob is peeing on the cat!" -Abigail

"Mom, I sorry I pee on the cat. I get up now?" -Jacob

"Mom! Jacob is playing with a dead squirrel!" -Abigail

"Mom, I sorry I play with broken squirrel." -Jacob

"Mom! Jacob is under the porch hitting the kittens with a stick!" -Abigail

"Mom, I sorry I hit kitties with stick. I get up now?" -Jacob

Ok, I just reread this and realized that Jacob may sound a tad bit Jeffrey Dahmerish. I assure you he has nothing but extreme love for animals. He just shows his affections a little more aggresively than most. : ) and I know that doesn't sound right either

Torture Day, otherwise known as Picture Day

This morning we got up early and I cut everyone's hair in anticipation for our big day. That in and of itself takes 2 hours just to accomplish that task. We headed over to a wonderful old village by the river where we proceeded to yell, threaten, plead, and fall into the river before we even had 10 shots taken. I don't know what it is about taking my own kids pictures, but they seem to act like they just got out of the insane asylum and are trying to send me there! They act CRAZY! I could never be a professional photographer. I am pretty sure no one would hire me to yell at their kids to, "PLEASE, just stop moving for 3 seconds, and so help me if the one picture you are acting goofy in is the only picture that everybody else is normal, I am going to STRANGLE you!" I have a friend that took her kids pictures the day before at the same place. She said she bribed them with Camino Real. I wish I had been that smart. I bribed mine with tacos for supper and no beatings if they acted halfway decent!

2 seconds after this shot was taken he walked right off the rock into the water and was soaking wet for the rest of the pictures. He was not a happy camper after that!

All in all, it really wasn't that bad. We got some great pictures, had a fun time exploring and really enjoyed spending the day together. I really can only do this once a year at the most though!