TGIF

Tuesday Morning: Speeding ticket two miles from J’s school.

Wednesday Morning: And so continues our troubles with transportation. Mario's truck has decided not be reliable. At the risk of sounding a bit spoiled, can I just say that week two of sharing a vehicle has been a bit of an inconvenience? Not to mention a strain on the pocket book. Ouch.

Add dropping off my husband at his office to my list of usual morning stops…oh, and picking up too. Okay, so it IS fun to visit and have the extra time together but I feel like I have been in the car long enough every morning that I should be pulling in to a beach somewhere. With the backpacks, diaper bags, changes of clothes, and computer bags piled up in the back…we certainly would have enough luggage to be checking in somewhere.

One morning en route, Mario looked at the clock and said, Have we SERIOUSLY been in the car for an hour??

Welcome to my world, Dear!

Thursday: Complete blur….I can’t even remember.

Friday Morning: After dropping J & M both off, I looked forward to spending some time with Jeryn and getting a few things done. I returned some movies to Hastings two weeks ago, but this week they called to give me a friendly reminder that I had kept one of the movies out longer than expected. Not that I would EVER do that :) I called and explained that I had returned both at the same and asked that they look into it further because I was certain that it had been returned. They promised a call back which I never received, so I thought I would run in and make sure they had found it. Thankfully they had. And then J wanted to rent The Black Stallion. We spent way too long looking for it and when we arrived at the checkout, the sweet little girl working told me that they had it for sale for $3.99. So off we went to spend way too much time looking for it again. In the used section, I found two more movies about black stallions for $3.99. One was a movie we once had, but watched so much it skipped. I decided this was a justifiable purchase and made my way back to the checkout counter.

Again, the sweet little girl was trying to help and said, “You know that if you buy three from the used section, you get a fourth for a dollar.”

I didn’t want a fourth, but I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. She was extra helpful and friendly. So off we went and pretended to look even though we returned to the counter empty handed. By the time I got out of there, it was almost time for the consignment shop to open. I had spent a few hours cleaning our closet last week and had sorted the stuff for good will and a few things for consignment.

It turned out to be more of a hassle than it was worth.

Sometimes you will get a really nice one that will check everything in and if it doesn’t sell, you never really know it. But at least you don’t get your feelings hurt in the drop off line. This time I was lucky enough to get the consignment chief of police.

“This one has two small stains.”
“This one is too heavy for spring and summer.”
“This one appears to have a water stain.”
“This one has a hanger crease.”
“This one has a few knobbies on it.”
“You MIGHT could get this spot out with some club soda and then bring it back and try me.”

In between those kind gestures were remarks like these:

“Your son is climbing on our fence.”
“Your son is about to knock our fence down AGAIN.”
“Your son is taking the toys out of the kid section.”

I smiled and apologized multiple times, but I was really thinking, “If you think that’s bad lady, you should smell him right now.” On one trip to peel him off of the wooden fence around the play area, I realized what he had been hiding in the doll house and doing.
Meanwhile, he moved both chairs to the counter and tried to climb up on it.

I was afraid the growing line behind me would get a whiff, so I carried him back to the play area, made threats, and muttered something about feeling like I was “about to go crazy” under my breath. No sooner had it came out of my mouth and the nice lady behind me said, “I thought I recognized you two!”

I was unsure of what that could mean. Did that mean that she was used to seeing me chase my son and make threats? Did that mean that she had seen me in the tacky clothes I was trying to resell??

It probably didn’t mean anything other than a friendly hello. Her child attends Jaiden’s school and she is quite possibly the sweetest parent of any child there. Embarrassed and still a bit flustered, we talked and my mind drifted to wondering if she had a keen sense of smell.

I drug my bag of clothes back out the door, along with Jeryn, who by this point had said, “I smell something yuck.”

This was beginning to look like a repeat of last Friday in the parking lot of a local restaurant. I realize this is gross, AND that this is the www. I also realize that you probably don’t care to read this. But for my own sake, I’m venting: One bad diaper, exploding all the way to the tag of his shirt. Three wet wipes left in the box. And NO extra clothes. Oh wait…I bought his Easter outfit earlier that morning! Let’s wear our Easter outfit into a casual restaurant on a Friday night when the rest of my family look like bums! You do what you have to.

Where was I?? Oh, the consignment shop...Friday morning. I changed him in the car the best you can change a “bull in a china closet”, and gasped when I looked down in the floorboard to see Esther feasting on the dirty diaper.

As I looked up, sweetest woman in the world from Jaiden’s school was waving as she drove off. Maybe she didn’t see our dog eating the diaper. Maybe she did. At any rate, TGIF.

See How They Grow

A couple of weeks ago I picked up these little nifty bags for the kiddos.   

  

Thought they would have fun planting and watching them grow.

         

They did have fun planting. 

I did not have fun cleaning up the mess. 

Soaking peat pots in water is not for little boys between two and three.  I couldn’t get a picture of the mess..it had to be promptly tended to.

We put them in the window and waited for them to grow.  I begged my family to keep the door to this room closed because a certain dog likes playing in dirt.  And a certain little boy likes playing in dirt.  And eating seeds.

But somehow this little monster kept sneaking pots out.  We started with a dozen and are down to nine.  She also knocked some off of the ledge and the stickers/labels fell off, so I’m not sure what is in each pot.

But I do know that these are Bubby’s baby watermelons… YAY!Not sure what these are but they sort of look like the same thing… if not, they are sunflowers…And these are sis’s tomato plants… YAY!

I am glancing over my shoulder right now and noticing how much they’ve grown even just today.  (These pictures were taken a few days ago).  They are screaming my name to water them so I had better do that now!

On Globes, Teeth, and Feeling Under the Weather

Mo & Grandad got J a globe for her birthday.  I used to love looking at my mom’s globe, so when mom told me she had one ordered for J, I was excited!

I knew she would love it.  Added cool points for lighting up.

We turned the lights off in the living room and sat by her globe for a long time talking about different places.  I love the soft glow it puts off. 

We decided that we would pick a place each week and then do a little research together on that place to learn about it.  She chose Italy for this week.

   And last but not least…look what we lost last night!!!!  I was glad Mo found the tooth because it fell out in her sleep.  We had a rough couple of days.  On Monday, I took Jeryn to the doctor and he had a positive strep test.  He’s on an antibiotic for ten days.  He just finished one in February for an ear infection :(  Yesterday morning around 5 a.m. Jaiden woke up vomiting with a bad stomach bug.  She was sick the whole day but finally started feeling better about bedtime.

Thankfully they are both feeling better!

Oh My Sweetie!

Six years ago, my life changed forever in a wonderful way.  The feeling that I had the first time I laid eyes on this girl was like none that I had ever felt before.  Scared too death, I actually asked to stay an extra night in the hospital because I was so afraid I wouldn’t know what to do.  The same little girl I had talked to, played music to, prayed over and dreamed about was finally in my arms!  

She was perfect.  She was sweet.  She was precious.  She was beautiful. 

She brought joy in a time of grief.  

We couldn’t take our eyes off of her.

PaPa tried to make her watch basketball while she was still at the hospital.

Family and friends made special trips to see and hold her. 

She brought smiles to our faces and love to our lives.

I think these guys were even spotted running across the hospital parking lot when they returned from a mission trip the day after her arrival.

She grew so fast…

And changed so often…

 

 

  She went with me EVERYWHERE.

  

All of a sudden she was talking up a storm…

Sweet Little Jaiden from In the Army of the Living God on Vimeo.

 

2006

She was a daddy’s girl…

With vibrant personality!

And style.

2007

I wondered how she would adjust to being a big sister….

as she had us all to herself for the last few days before her baby brother came…

   but I should’ve known…

that it would be totally fine…

   

Being a big sister is one of the things she does best!!!!!

It seemed like once she became a big sister, the time sped up.  Overnight she just had a different look about her.  She was a big girl now!  She was getting to be more and more independent….

 

She got big enough to ride a pony and have long talks…

Big enough to make friends and go to class…

 

2008

She is as sweet as she was the moment I first saw her.  What a blessing she is!

2009

    She is still my baby…she’s just a little heavier to hold.

She  wants to be a “cowgirl and an artist” when she grows up.  She can read and write.  She is thoughtful and kind hearted.  She is a FUN kid!  She’s my sweetie.

 

She is six years old today.  Happy Birthday to our sweet Jaiden.  May the Lord bless you today and always!