Just a Snapshot for me to Remember...

Lincoln has walking issues. He trips, and trips, and trips, and trips some more. He also has a BIG head. Often when he trips his head is so big he can't fight the force pulling it down to the ground and thump it hits. Every time we see him going it's like a slow motion train wreck...try as you might there's nothing you can do to stop it.

Yesterday Stephen was changing the fuel filter on the truck while Lincoln was messing around on the driveway. Next thing I know, Gabriel comes tearing through the house saying, "Dad says come quick!" I was up to my elbows in Lynneah's poopy diaper and couldn't go. I finished as fast as I could and came out to a screeching Lincoln with an ice pack on his forehead. He'd hit the driveway HARD. (have a picture but the computers are still messed up so maybe later) After he'd settled down and we were finished icing it he came back and wanted ice again ie it hurt bad. Poor kid must have had an awful headache and fussed and cried the rest of the day.

Later that night Stephen asked, "Did you get an owie?"

Lincoln responded, "Yeah! I got SUPER bonk!"

A while ago the big boys were really into sharks for a couple of days. We were all loading up in the van while Stephen was talking to Garrett about sharks. Next thing I hear from Stephen is, "Huh, Gabriel, sharks have armpits under their fins." Gabriel looked at him with a glint in his eye and said, "NOOO (with all the 'come on you should know this stuff' he could muster) they have finpits!" Garrett jumped in with a "yeah finpits!" And it was settled Dad was wrong and Gabriel and Garrett were right...

Lynneah is SO hard to get feeding figured out for. Every time I get her up to eating food three times a day she starts puking. So I take her back to plain milk till she stops flinging puke all over my house, then try it again. I can handle poop, pee, spit up, and blood, I even have to pull the teeth, but puke is just something I don't do well with...ever. I'm still pumping for her because it's the one thing that's guaranteed to go down and stay down. I can't even begin to describe how tired of pumping I am. She's 8 months old now, that's a looooong time to have a pump fed baby. I just want to quit some days but then what would I do when she starts puking again. Just a few more months till she's one. That's the deadline for her coming to grips with eating something with a bit of body to it. She's getting cut off on her 1st birthday. Hopefully the GI will have some ideas at her upcoming follow up.

She's an official sitter now, and so much happier being able to play that way. She even plays on her tummy now for more than 2 seconds. I've caught her pushing up or all the way up on her knees trying to figure out how to go forward. She wants to crawl and be mobile something fierce! Rolling, on the other hand, is not something she'll even attempt to do. She prefers laying on the floor crying her eyes out till someone finally gives in and turns her over.

Stubborn that girl is...I'm pretty sure it's from her Daddy. Stubborn is good too because that's what kept her fighting for every breath till we clued in to the fact that something was very wrong. She wants to be held ALL DAY, but NOT cuddle, just be held. We've got our work cut out for us with her. Good thing she's so darn cute.

Something I was never going to do was let myself go. Well lemme tell ya I'm one let go, tired, hag now. Anytime I'm even a little bit dressed up Garrett comes in and says, "Wow! Mommy I love yours beautiful clothes!" It's sweet. 95% of my wardrobe consists of solid, dark colored tops and slacks that go with them for work. B O R I N G ! So if I come out in something that's printed he's even more excited. Someday when I have a closet big enough for a work wardrobe and a "fits my personality" wardrobe he's gonna be one happy boy every time I get ready.

He's in kinder camp this summer. A professor of early literacy is running it. I like her and he likes it a lot. The first session ended today. She sent home a little evaluation thing. Apparently he's got an extensive vocabulary that's being interpreted as "snotty" by the other kids. She mentioned tact is a very difficult thing to teach and learn but critical to social development. Awesome. I've got the beginnings of an intellectual snob. I totally agree that tact is hard to learn and critical, so I'll get more specifics and we'll start working on it. No intellectual snobs allowed. You can be a genius but by dang better not make others feel less because of it. She did say in general he's well liked by the others in class. I asked him if he talks nice to his friends in class. He said, "Yeah, but sometimes I fall in love with Angelina." That boy had the biggest goofy smile on his face ever while he talked about her. He's talking more and more about the stuff they're learning every day. As long as he's kept busy he's happy and well behaved. The second he gets bored is when he comes up with something to keep himself busy with...

According to Boys

Narrated over two dinosaurs facing each other:

"She's being resurrected so she can't die anymore!"

It's a start...

Family Sunday...

Sunday mornings, if he's home, Stephen has meetings till church starts. Then after church he has a whole lotta other stuff to do. That means I'm on my own...and...I'm a wuss! It drives me crazy that I'm such a weenie.

Last Sunday was "Family Sunday" *meaning* NO meetings before church. Sometimes "Family Sunday" falls on a day that Stephen has to work. I usually have a little pity party because I don't get to take advantage of having him home. Yeah I know wah wah wah....

Well, last Sunday he was home ALL morning long. I basked in his company, especially because I didn't wake up with the fight in me to get everyone ready on time. It was fabulous getting to take full advantage of a "Family Sunday". We even went to church IN THE SAME CAR. I loved the whole 10 minute ride. Going in the same car was kinda dangerous because there is always stuff to do after church whether it's "Family Sunday" or not. But by some miracle he managed to get out of the after church stuff . We all drove home IN THE SAME CAR too. Magnificent.

Ahhh....It was like a breath of fresh air. I didn't yell all day...Stephen did. J/K That was a major accomplishment! I was born and bred by a long line of yellers; I'm definitely a product of my yelling heritage.

I have great sympathy for the wives of the guys with the really time involved callings. They are a really special group of women. I sure hope they know how great they are...

Overheard at work...

Pacific Islander to a practicing Muslim: "So, what did you do for Easter?"

Muslim: "Uhhh, I don't..."

Pacific Islander: "Oh!"

This one made me giggle...never know what I'm gonna hear.

America's "Funniest" Home Videos

A little known fact about that sweet husband of mine is he LOVES watching America's Funniest Home Videos. He introduced the boys to the show a little while ago. They also love watching and laughing hysterically at the misfortune of others. I watch it and see my own kids getting BAD ideas.

Two weeks ago they were watching it while I was a work. That afternoon Lincoln climbed out of his crib. Stephen put him back in and out he came again. (He's the only one that's ever climbed out of the crib.) After a few days of his new found freedom during nap time Stephen came in and said, "You know America's Funniest Home Videos had a clip with a kid climbing out of the crib and now Lincoln won't stay in his crib. I think he learned it from there." I smiled sweetly, or not so sweetly, (while screaming in my head "I TOLD YOU NOT TO LET THEM SEE THAT!") and replied, "Can we ban that show from the house now before we have any broken bones from playing Funniest Videos?" After all, these kids do have half of their coordination, or mainly lack thereof, from me. He agreed that he'll have to be sneakier about watching it.

I was going to just lower the side down so he could climb in and out easier with less neck breaking potential but our crib was on one of the recall lists. They sent us these little things that made it a permanent, up all the time, side. Now I don't know what to do with the kid. I really really really want to delay adding him to the mayhem of Gabriel and Garrett's room for as long as I can. The toddler bed is ready and waiting for him, but I'm a chicken and don't want to move him yet.

This was a really long way of saying that darn show has been banned from the Monkey house.

*6 months ago, today, and on a Wednesday our Lynneah came into the world. I still haven't even written up her story...sigh... First I have to see if this dinosaur computer can even handle pictures. I promise we love you too Lynneah, even if there's no evidence to prove it.

Don't you hate it when every computer in the house breaks at the same time? I've found it rather annoying and VERY inconvenient! This one works intermittently at best....I'll take advantage.

Other news of the kid sort...

Gabriel: I continue to work through the acceptance that he will be repeating 1st grade. I struggle with my contribution to his educational falling apart by continuing to work and not doing better in the months after Lynneah's birth. I continue to be amazed how fast I get thrown back to just before he turned 2 and the process of "I think something's wrong...yes something's wrong...here's the hill you have to climb to fix it." I have to always remind myself denial never fixes anything. He's in basketball now and truly seems to get it. He's a rebounding monster and shows some real potential. I'm glad, he needs something to excel at and feel good about. He is very good at art and told me he wants to be a map artist when he grows up.

Garrett: Came apart at the seems in the months following Lynneah's birth. Again, I'm struggling with this one too. He wants to be a happy boy, but is miserable most of the time. He's really entrenched in that 2 year old stage of magnificent, body flinging, tantrum stage. He's getting big enough now that it's dangerous to those around him in public...not to mention the looks I get from people. I really really want to help him without breaking his spirit. He turned 5 and announced the next he was off to kindergarten. Poor kid is now asking if summer is over yet nearly everyday. He's in soccer and practice and games are pure bliss for him. His coach is very sweet about his inattentive bouncing on the field. He feels special there, wish we could manage that feeling for him more.

Lincoln: Has embraced all that being 2 entails. He's still our little "blonde sheep". He's talking like crazy! One afternoon he was sitting on my lap and gently took my chin in his hand and turning my head said, "Look at me." "You understand?" "Really!?!" Then jumped off and ran off to play. He's still a Momma's boy. He LOVES suckers, balls, and trying to be one of the "big boys". He falls ALL THE TIME. He's a perpetual bruise. He comes in now tells me "bunk", gets ice, holds it on his head for a second, then keeps going.

Lynneah: Is finally more like a normal baby. The pulmonologist said her lungs now sound the same. We haven't done any imaging but sounding the same is good. She continues on her cocktail of acid controllers but if it's working I'm not messing with it. Food introductions will be a slow careful process. The GI gave me some good ideas if food is not going well. Her kidney is still swollen but slowly going down. I hope it'll be normal size soon. We're anxiously awaiting the day she begins sleeping through the night. I love her laugh! Her brothers love her too...to the point of making her cry several times a day. :)

Stephen: Continues his "booter" year in his new job. He likes it. He's a busy guy and I'm grateful he puts up with the unbalanced, crazy life his wife causes most of the time. He's a quiet guy, but I know when something's up. They made a couple changes at work and my Stephen came back. I was happy to see him again.

Me: I'm working 2 days a week. The more I cut back on work the fatter (if I'm working I can't be eating) and busier I get. We continue getting medical bills on top of digging out of the unemployed hole we were in, so I keep working. I've decided for each year you free fall financially it takes 2 to recover. Our little house if feeling a bit claustrophobic with all the kids and noise. My mom fed the missionaries over here a while ago. They walked in to me holding a baby, then the big boys came banging in, then Lincoln came running in tripped, fell and proceeded to cry. One of them said, "Wow, kids everywhere." I'm running out of places to put kids down for quiet time that has them separated from each other. This may be a long summer.

In short ANY time we're all in public it's a full on embarrassing circus.

Dear Wisconsin,

Keep your dang Snowbirds! I hear Florida likes 'em, send them there.

You know that saying about visitors and fish stinking after 3 days? Change the days to months and it about sums it up. Every year you taint the few months of decent weather we have by clogging our streets, doubling our commutes, giving our kids dirty looks, running us over and off the streets, and being all around annoying. We know many of you are no longer allowed to drive in your home states, yet you come here and blatantly disregard the the restriction...NOT ok.

Really?!? Was it necessary to park 1 inch from my bumper? It took all I had in me to not scratch the crap out of that shiny Buick hood while putting the big ol' stroller in my trunk. Yes, this one happen to be from Wisconsin, but my disdain is equally shared for Snowbirds from Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, etc.

The day drastically improved after this little incident with a luke-warm date (kids were in tow) to Sam's Club and Cold Stone later. I'm so addicted to the Founder's Favorite with just a little caramel and lots of the fudge. My sweet Stephen humors me with a date at least twice a month. Have I mentioned how glad I am that he has a job again and we can do that? My mouth watered every time we drove by a Cold Stone, and I knew we couldn't stop, during our broke years.