Reality

It can indeed be stranger than fiction. I have a forever long story I have to type up, but first I need to do laundry (including switching out winter and summer clothes - FINALLY!), clean the rental, and clean the kitchen. I really hope to type it up tonight, but with my class, it might not happen. But it involves lots of pictures, because these things have to be documented, right? I'm hoping if people know I have this really long post to type, it will motivate me to do it sooner...



Here is a hint:

No, seriously!

If you have girls, or you are looking for cute baby gifts, check out Robyn's giveaway blog. These are so dang cute! For anyone reading this who may be so interested (MOM!), C does not have a massive investment in hair accessories yet, so feel free to add to her wardrobe. She'll get hair someday!

Buzz buzz

It must be warming up here because we are all covered with mosquito bites. Time to bust out the bug spray!



And some pix for fun!

Making choices

I was inspired while catching up on Kari's blog the other day. I thought I'd let you know what D picked out to wear to school the other day.

Red Cars shirt with blue sleeves
Orange OSU windbreaker pants
white and green socks
1 Thomas shoe
1 Cars shoe

I know he loves his orange pants, so I didn't even go there, but I did casually mention that his shoes didn't match. He then informed me, "That's the way I want it." Alrighty then. Wish we weren't running late or I would have grabbed my camera.

D is quite a determined guy, so I try to pick my battles with him. This wasn't a battle I was willing to fight. So, off to school he went.

Adoption

I spent a couple of hours yesterday looking at an international adoption blog. This lady Jill knows adopted 2 boys, one Ukraine the other Uzbekistan. All I can say is, WHAT A WOMAN! Wow. The things she went through, the hoops she jumped through, the highs and lows. Wow. Speechless. She has nerves of steel. I am embarrassed to admit that my fragile stress level could not endure a tenth of what she dealt with and still deals with. I got stressed just reading about it! Just reading about these beautiful children, struggling and sometimes suffering in an orphanage, broke my heart. I feel so helpless in these situations. While I would love to one day open my home to an adopted child, the bureaucracy of it is mind numbing to me. But I'm not entirely helpless. I really would love to do what I can to help these beautiful children of God. Having said that, Jill and her husband are in the process of adopting adorable twins from the Ukraine. They have the patience and the big hearts it will take to get these children into a stable home and avoid a lifetime of being institutionalized. I may not be at a place in my life where I can make the sacrifices necessary to give these children a permanent home, but I can surely help others to do it. Any financial contribution you can make will greatly be appreciated by the Pierce family. They are so excited to bring home their children and shower them with the love and attention they have been denied. I'm honestly not trying to pressure anyone into something they aren't comfortable with, but if you are looking for a great way to spend some extra money from tax returns or what have you, why not get a warm fuzzy feeling at the same time? It will make such a difference in the lives of these children to have a forever home.

Wherefore art thou Spring?

We woke up to snow on the ground. Sick and wrong I tell you. It was a light dusting and it is already melted, but it didn't help my Spring mentality. Thank heavens we made it through Spring Break (that didn't feel very Springy) during one of Brad's busiest weeks to date. It is just too bad that both happened the same week. I am SOOOO excited for school to start tomorrow! Time to get back to a schedule.

I am sad

If you know me well, you know I'm a addicted to the show Monk. I'm a true Monkie Junkie. I was so sad to read that Dr. Kroger (Stanley Kamel) just died. I loved Dr. Kroger. He had the patience of a saint. I hope that Monk's new doctor is just as good. Sniff sniff.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24033500/?GT1=43001

Spring has sprung!

I am so excited! Brad opened the door to our bedroom's deck last night, and we heard frogs croaking. YEAH! It is lovely weather we are having these days. I just love it. It is about time I might add. : )

C is officially Cherokee now. We got her Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood and her Cherokee Nation card yesterday in the mail. Brad called her his Indian Princess. Awww. Cute.

We got the massive tree stumps ground down yesterday. That was way cool to watch. It looked like lots of hammer heads on this rotating blade, but of course, I didn't get very close. Wood chips were flying everywhere!

Last night at dinner, instead of doing Hi/Low, we got pretty goofy. C was sticking out her tongue and we couldn't believe how long it was. We decided that was a Jones trait as I can touch my nose with my tongue. So can some of my siblings. At least I think some of them can. I know for sure Jeremy can, but the others, I can't really recall. Lovely, huh. And J started doing my trademark alternating eyebrow lift. Brad can't do either trick, not that you would want to. I guess they did get some traits from my side! I tried to get it on video last night before FHE, but as soon as they see a camera, my kids refuse to perform. Also a Jones trait I might add...

It's chili, I mean chilly

It's been a busy day. I listed some free wood on Craigslist and it has been crazy ever since. I can't believe how many people wanted it and how fast they came! I had another pick up today as well. The lady was deaf. She came to the door and said, "Sorry, I'm deaf, I can't talk." I signed to her that it was fine and I knew some sign. She was pretty shocked. That's always fun. Wish you were there to help me though, Kate. I can't believe I've forgotten so much! Will you sign with me so I can hone my skills?

If you have seen my kitchen, you would know that I'm obsessed with chili peppers. Love 'em. I got this sign for my kitchen the other day. hee hee And I got a new keychain too.

Yikes!

I am so not ready for Spring Break! It doesn't even feel like Spring yet here. I still have my portable heater near my bed. Tonight is the first night of the break, and the kids are already driving me insane. Not a good start...

New give away

There is some super cute stuff being given away at Robyn's blog. Check the link!

I'm glad we are getting rain instead of snow. For now...

Additions

I cannot believe that it snowed so much right before Easter! I was out there snow blowing the driveway the day before Easter! What a crazy place this is!

We dropped 5 more trees this weekend. Our yard is such a mess! It's a good thing we don't have any grass to mess up!

I added videos and pictures of coloring eggs and the trees/backyard if you want to check out the links on the side.

And be sure to check out Robyn's give-away link. It is an awesome vinyl lettering product. I would love to have one of these!

After getting all the kids lunch, I left C in her chair while I did dishes. J came running down saying he needed help getting his ball. I asked him to wait a minute and he said it couldn't wait. He is usually a pretty patient kid, so I said, and I quote, "I'm only getting it down for you one time J. You can't throw it on top of things." "That's not the problem, mommy." I get up to C room, and the vent cover was up. That's not a good sign. I couldn't see it with a flashlight, and couldn't reach it. I told them it was gone. Oh the wailing that ensued! They were just distraught. J asked me where it went and I said tube goes to the furnace. He made me show him the furnace. After seeing the vent and the ducts, he composed himself and said that it would be okay, because it wasn't possible for it to roll that far without a hill. Are you sure you are 6?! Brad and I needed to get the vents cleaned anyway since it is a foreclosure and probably hasn't been done in the 3 yrs it was abandoned, so we made an appointment for Monday. Brad was the hero and tonight reached it himself. We are still getting the vents cleaned. :)

Our dinner

I usually make green food for St Patricks day. Appetizing, huh. :)

Hi grandma!

I have a really cool link that I'm adding to my blog. It is Brad's mom on her local news station. Next to the article (above her picture) is a video of the interview. At the end of the article, it mentions that she wears feathers in her hair (she is Cherokee). All this time I've been married to Brad, I didn't know it was to honor her mother. You learn something new everyday! It was also fun seeing the Indian Head penny she always wears. I should ask her what that is representing. We sure love her and miss her lots.

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=8000218

More Monster fun

Today was rough. D doesn't have school due to parent/teacher conferences. J woke up complaining of a sore throat. I asked him to drink some milk. Still hurt. I asked if he wanted to go to the doctor or school and he chose doctor. That's a first. So, I figured I should keep him home. It wasn't a good day for it though.

C had her 15 mo appointment this morning. I had scheduled it for today thinking both boys would be in school. No such luck. It was harder than the dentist episode last week. I told the doctor she needed to get a baby run (similar to a dog run) so babies walk around all they want. Seriously, she was so hard to contain. She kept running off in her diaper. Cute, but not a good idea. It didn't help that the boys kept opening the door, fighting over toys, and in general making my life difficult. In between discipling boys, the doctor, who I really love, and I were able to talk about C. She is 31.3 in long which is 75% up from 30.5 in and 77%. Her head is 47 cm and 79% up from 46.4 cm and 69%. And finally,the much anticipated weight. She was 22 lb 15 oz and 52%. Last month she was 22 lb 8 oz and 53%. She has only gained 1 pound (exactly) since her 9 month appointment. Wow. But, the last few months, she's been holding steady around the 53%, so I'm finally going to stop worrying about that. We also talked about her 3 day Captain Crunch obsesession. She said that as long as over time, C has a healthy diet, not to worry about some glitches like that. I'm glad I didn't panic!

End of the story

Just because I'm sure you are all dying to know what happened with C and her Captain Crunch addiction, I thought I'd share. I kept doing the same thing I had been doing. Offering her what we were having. Having her refuse it and scream at me until I made her say please and she got her Captain Crunch. And guess what, she got over it herself. She didn't even ask for any today. She probably got sick of it. hahaha Anyway, she is back to eating table food with us. I appreciate all of the comments and thoughts though. She got over it all on her own. For the record though, I am a mom who gives my kids sugar cereals. I know I won't win any parent awards for that, but I'm not ashamed of it either. My kids do a great job of eating their vegetables (really, I'm not lying) and they also enjoy a variety of ethnic foods most kids aren't even exposed to. With all of my fears and concerns about my children and their health and well-being, giving them cereal in the morning isn't making my short list. I'm sure at some point, when I manage my sleep better and get up early enough to cook a breakfast, that will change. But now isn't that time for me. I hope it is some day soon, but I'm not holding my breath.

C

After Brad got home and we ate dinner, we all went on a walk. It was quite cold, but we all had fun. The boys drove a Jeep. They put their webkinz they got for J's bday in the trunk. When we had driven for a little while, they stopped and switched places (without our suggestion), and switched the animals in the truck as well. It was so adorable.

C has an addiction to Captain Crunch. I'm not even kidding. She goes crazy for them. I can't get her to eat anything else. I might consider just letting her get hungry until she eats whatever I give her, but I'm already uncomfortable with her dropping from the 95% to 53%. How tough should I get with her? I'll give her a grilled cheese sandwich and she'll scream. I get her out of her high chair and she'll run over to the Crunch and cry and cry until she gets it. With her lack of weight gain I'm scared to get into a huge food fight with her. Do I just wait for her to get over this addiction?

Dental happenings

Oh what a day.

We woke up to more snow, probably a few inches, but of course, no school delays. After taking the boys to school, C and I headed over to Meijer to get some stuff. I have a baby shower to attend and J's school party coming up. Yipes! C was not happy to be at the store. Oh was she hollering! The stares we were getting! I would let her walk around for a little while. She looked at the fish while I bought clothes for the shower. It freaked a lady out because she didn't see me. I had to get C when she wouldn't leave the dog biscuits alone. Yum. So, when I could, I would let her wander around. Someone asked how old she is and when I said 15 months, she said, "Wow, she is so small!" I don't think any of my kids have ever been called small.

After much screaming and what felt like years, we made it through Meijer. I went home and unloaded the van. I left C in her car seat since I was outside with her anyway. Then, with her still in the car seat, I cleared off the driveway with the snow blower. I can't believe how much faster that is! It is remarkable! We should have bought one sooner! I got 3/4 of the way done when the 1st snow blower died. Presumably out of gas. I got out the second and didn't get much further before it also died. Oops. I'll need to learn how to add gas soon. I finished the little remaining with a shovel and did the renters walkway. Our road was plowed... the whole thing. I don't know who did it. The county? Did our neighbors pay someone? Don't know, but I'm grateful. By the time I got done (10 minutes?) C was asleep in the van. We got J, I came home and put the groceries away and shoveled the front walk.

After getting D and Brittany we came home for a little while. Then, about 10 minutes before 1, I remember that Jaden has a dentist appointment at 1. Talk about a HLM (hand of the Lord moment). I wouldn't have just remembered that out of the blue. Thankfully, we got there in time (it is super close to our house). J was as jumpy and anxious as ever to have his teeth cleaned. He asked me to go in with him. Yeah, with D and C. Stressful! C won't sit still and D hasn't mastered that either. Then, because they had a cancellation, we did D too. He was much less nervous, but he has never had traumatic dental experiences either. All in all, it wasn't as bad as it could have been considering we had 3 kids in a small room with lots of equipment and wires. There were no cavities in either boy. J has about 4 teeth in various stages of looseness. He has 2 of his 6 yr molars in. My baby is growing so fast!

Brad was on call last night and didn't make it home until close to 1 am. Poor guy. This is his last week of surgery, then it is Cardiology for 4 weeks.

TOFW

Oh, there is so much to update!

Friday it was snowing. A lot. Syd got stuck and couldn't make it to Time Out For Women. We were soooo bummed. We started driving to Chicago and saw probably 15 cars off the road. The tow truck guys must have been so thrilled. On the way, we stopped at a chocolate shop. They sold truffles. I bought dark chocolate/mint. Heaven. We also stopped at Applebee's for lunch. They let me have 2 George of the Jungle cups for free. The boys were thrilled when I brought them home. Between driving slow for the snow, the insane Chicago traffic, and the food stops, we got there a later than planned. Because we had some people who couldn't make it, we cancelled one of the rooms. It was nice that they let us. I was stressed about that! We got settled into the rooms, and went for dinner. I had gotten sick from reading maps and all the traffic, so I didn't eat much. Then we went over for the night program. I was able to sell Syd's ticket out front. I was pretty lucky, there was a lady next to me giving hers away. But a group of 3 gals came up each needing a ticket. Worked out well!


That night we gathered in one of the rooms and played Apples to Apples and Perudo. We were up past midnight and got up at 6. We were a little tired. The next day we checked out and had breakfast before the talks. Merrilee Boyack gave an amazing talk on service. I loved it. Then we heard from Camille Fronk Olson. The singers, Cherie Call and Hilary Weeks did a great job too. We had lunch and then heard from Dean Hughes, Jane Clayson Johnson, and Carolyn Rasmus. I got a great book at the store. It is "The Ten Virgins" which is my favorite parable. And the pictures are done by Simon Dewey, who is phenomenal. It is a gorgeous book. I love the pictures. I got the CD that goes with it (there is a musical you can do with it) but the wrong CD was in the case. How weird is that?! I've never had that happen before. They are sending me a new one.

After it was all over, we went to a place called Smoque for some seriously yummy BBQ. Oh my! It was great! Definitely worth the trip. We got home around 11. It was a fun weekend. I'm so glad I went. The women all seemed to really enjoy it.