cont...

buzz is hangin' on. literally.

buzz and woody

i have never liked reptiles or amphibians. ever. i remember as a little girl, i was riding my bike home from swim team practice one morning with my friend, and two boys (one of which i had an innocent crush on) chased us down and threw a lizard at us. and wouldn't you know that the thing attached itself to my sleeve and i screamed and hollered and started flailing all over the place trying to get it off. it's a wonder i didn't fall off my bike and seriously hurt myself because of that dumb lizard and even dumber boys. all that is beside the point.

my sweet chase loves frogs. they have been his very favorite since he could talk. favorite color green...favorite animal frog. it's just always been that way. he specifically likes the red eyed tree frog. a few years back, santa did the best he could and brought chase 2 Australian tree frogs for christmas. santa didn't fully understand that the frogs would need a diet of live crickets, weekly tank cleaning, water spritzing twice daily to simulate the rain forest and serious temperature control. all of this is worth it for sweet chase of course. santa left a note that chad was going to have to be in charge of the cleaning of the tank and anything involving live crickets. chase and i could handle the spritzing. of course...it can't be tap water. we wouldn't want the frogs drinking plain tap water. even though it is good enough for us humans!! isn't that just like pet stores and their pamphlets?? uh...i mean santa?? making you feel like you need to treat the animal better than your own flesh and blood?? anyhow...the whole point is, one of the frogs is in trouble. they started out close to the same size...but now, one of them (buzz) is still tiny and one of them (woody) is obese. the tiny one (buzz) is obviously sick. he is brown and not moving hardly at all, won't eat...even when the cricket is right in front of it, and is generally not acting like a frog should act. this all happened about 7 months ago as well, and we rushed the tank into the warm laundry room and all gathered in the tiny room for a chase lead prayer service. and wouldn't you know...God performed a miracle and that little frog bounced back from near death just like chase prayed! well...this time it happened while chad was in cuba this past week and i am seriously worried. everyone has gone into high alert mode and i even called my brother over to assess the situation. yesterday, i went and got buzz a new tank, and his own water dish. they said to separate the two frogs because the obese one is probably stressing out the little one and eating all the crickets. so we have done that and moved buzz downstairs to keep a closer eye on him. i called chase in to pray for him. this time he nonchalantly prayed for buzz to "have a good day." i didn't have the heart to tell him that that ship had already sailed. i have found myself praying for another miraculous healing for this little frog many times throughout the day. i've never liked frogs. but i love chase. and chase loves frogs. so i think that me feeling so much for this little frog can be blamed on some sort of algebra equation. you know? if a + b = c, then................well...i end up loving frogs too.

a collection of kid quotes

a couple of weeks ago, chad was using the hose outside. when the hose is on outside...it sounds like a cow is dying inside. the kids and i were in the kitchen and after a while, even they were getting annoyed by the noise. all of a sudden aiden blurted out, "i wish daddy would turn that thing off...it's getting on my nerds!" i replied with, "it's getting on your what?" and she said very loud and very plainly, "MY NERDS!" then chase said, "i'll tell you something that is putting on my nerds......" at times like this...i should probably correct them, however...i didn't.

when i was cleaning the kitchen and doing the dishes, i walked away from the sink to grab a dirty dish off the cabinet. i left the water running. it was somewhat of a surprise when chase calmly told me to "please not waste the water." i was too tired to argue or defend myself...so i just said, "ok." he stood there a little longer watching me rinse the dishes and finally said, "mom...after you bathe your dishes, i want to show you something." i chuckled. to him...if there is water and soap involved...it's a bath.

a couple of days ago...i had to get out of the house. we had been couped up for days and with no end in sight...i made the call to go do something different...something we had never done before. my mom and grandmother were visiting and i thought going to a fresh fruit and vegetable farm would be fun. and the kids would see the crops and get to pick out the fresh fruits and veggies for dinner that night. surely this would sound fun to them. i stood up, and excitedly declared, "who wants to go to a farm today?" annslee looked at me with wide eyes...but my 9, 7 and 5 year old didn't even turn their heads from their ds games. i stood there a couple of seconds longer, thinking that maybe they hadn't heard what i said. that thought was interrupted by colton...head still buried in his game, saying, "yeah.....i'm not really in the "farm" mood."

we went anyway. then we cooked up a storm. then we ate, and ate, and ate to the sound of good music and lots of laughter around the table, where a.j. decided that she liked fresh sweet potatos and fresh pinto beans....and that she loved her grandaddy.

my favorite baby in her favorite pj's

who doesn't love a freshly bathed baby with a scrunchy nosed smile in cute, cuddly pajamas?

and the tiny flowers...well those are a bonus.

story random

i'm not really a big "fashion" poster. however...i have to take a moment to welcome back the best piggy tail holder ever. i have a "thing" about hair. i can't stand to not do aiden't hair. i probably come by it naturally, as my mother would NEVER let me out of the house without my hair done. i even had to sleep on those foam pink rollers. i don't make aiden do that...lucky for her, strait hair is in these days. i just have this standard for myself that, as a mom, it is my responsibility to do her hair until she can do it herself. plus...i like doing it. why send her out with stringy, tangly, unbrushed hair when it only takes a few extra minutes to fix it. and let me say here...before i get a z snap from someone...that if she had a really sensitive head or was one of those kids that wanted to fix her own hair, i would let her. but she likes for me to do it, she chooses what style she wants, and it makes her feel special and cared for. so that's what we do. a lot of our do's involve piggy tail holders and i typically use the tiniest clear ones. however, if it's holding more than the end of a braid, they generally end up loosening by the end of the day, which drives me nuts. i've often wished that they would bring back the one's my mom used in my hair because they hold tight and don't slip. AND...BONUS...they hold a ribbon in place and keep it from slipping too. so, without further ado........WELCOME BACK, CHILDHOOD FRIENDS!

if you don't want the knobs to show, just attach them under the piggy. i did that with the one straggler i had left all the way through high school dance team.

i'm not into crafts. i'm crafty...well, a little...but the end result doesn't usually make up for the mess. we did make summer bracelets though. it was pretty fun and the threatening about dropping the beads on the floor worked. sorta. chase did pick up the necklace aiden made for me before i got it tied off and about 100 beads bounced all over my kitchen...but that was after the craft was technically over. i loved how it showed their individual tastes in color. mine has a bead for each kid. black for colt (he chose); green for chase (of course); pink-ish for aiden; and purple for a.j. i don't know what's up with my hand in this picture. i look like the crazy, hulk man. note to self.....lay off the p90x. :)


this picture was to capture a favorite summer game. they love, love, love to dress up and act out a story. especially chase and aiden. i will be shocked if chase does not end up in some form of entertainment. and he can put a costume together out of just about anything. it's a real talent. and source of entertainment. here they are playing "james bond vs. the villain, punkin brewster. (the other day, my mother happen to tell chase of my deep love, and somewhat obsession over punky brewster as a child. don't ask.) so, when creating his villain...he created punkin brewster. creative........right?? colton just needed to be in the picture to show off his new glasses. boy do they make him look older.

well...that was a whole lot of story random. it's the kind i do best.

basketball, movies and the pool

i love when ordinary days turn into memories. this morning, we all went to colt's basketball game at the y. chad was asked by someone who works there if he would coach a boy's team that was without a coach. it happened to be a team of 9 year olds with 1 slot left. so...even though it's not his "turn" to play a sport...he is. i love, love, love watching chad coach. it's not just because he is my husband that i say this...everyone says it. he really is good. i always tell him that i wish he could be a coach professionally because he loves it too. this morning, one of the other moms from our team said, "you must be the coaches wife" as i carried in annslee on my hip with aiden and chase by my side. i said, "yep! how did you know?" she said, "we knew he had four kids...and no one else around here has that many kids!!" i ended up knowing her from high school, which was nifty...but that's beside the point. colton is a pretty good ball handler, and he decided to show that off today with a fancy between the legs dribbling maneuver at the top of the key. my favorite part of the game was watching chad "handle" that situation. colt sat the bench for a little bit after that. he had told me before they left for the game that he had a special surprise for me during the game...and that's what it was. after the game i whispered, "that was great...but maybe we should reserve those types of skills for when you're in high school. or on the playground."

then, colt and i decided last minute to go see the karate kid. it was a good flick...but my favorite part was when colton held my hand when we were walking into the theater. he wasn't even embarrassed...which helped me to see the little boy that is still there. and boy do i love that little boy.

then, we went swimming at the club this evening and ate dinner at the cabana there. i was trying to convince the boys to let me fly them off my shoulders...but they were too scared. so i told chad to come fly me. he did...and lets just say that my sailing through the air didn't quite have the same "flare" that it used to. my form wasn't quite what it used to be...and my swim suit placement was questionable...and i ended up with water in my nose and hair in my face...which didn't really scream "fun and games" to the kids. in fact, colt's exact words were..."that doesn't really seem safe mom." i sputtered out..."oh no...it's super fun" in between coughs and wheezes. i don't think they believed me. we didn't do that anymore. and i tried to avoid eye contact with the life guard after that.

i love it when days that start out with no plans end up being one of the most fun.

it's pouring rain...and other stuff

this afternoon, it was raining. shocker. i assumed the swim lessons would be cancelled, but it was just sort of sprinkling and passing then sprinkling again. so...none of this fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants stuff like usual; i was calling the y to get the scoop before we traipsed up there like a carnival act. (that's what i assume my brother calls me behind my back. he thinks having 4 kids is nuts and that my house is a circus.) anyway...they said that as long as it wasn't thundering that they would still have them. i called again...15 minutes before the lesson started because it was sprinkling and they said that they were. so, i went and woke up annslee from a very sound sleep and there we went. i got a chair, wiped it down, folded the towels for me to sit on, hung my purse and the diaper bag on the iron fence, got the kid's flip flops under my chair, and folder their shirts neatly in the chair next to me, got puddie's pappy out for her, and breathed a sigh of relief as the kids started towards the pool and annslee sat happily on my lap. now, when i say that all of a sudden, the sky parted and a massive down poor began in a matter of 30 seconds...i'm not exaggerating one bit. the life guard blew the whistle before the kids even got in the pool and chairs began blowing in and people started scampering everywhere. we grabbed everything is a very unorganized manor and made it inside and watched it blow over. the lesson only started 15 minutes late. at one point i think puddie asked why i woke her up for that.

we got home...(in the rain)...and colt showered while i bathed chase and aiden and then annslee. i got annslee ready for bed and fed her. then i began making dinner for the kids. they begged for pancakes, which was fine with me because chad was not coming home until late. so, i was busy making pancakes and decided to make fruit smoothies to go with them. i filled the blender with frozen fruit, vanilla yogurt and milk. aiden likes to stand on a little stool by the cabinet and watch me work. so, she was freshly bathed and in her pj's...standing there watching. i picked up the blender to go put ice in it, and i swear to you that what happened next actually happened and is not out of a hannah montanna episode. right as the blender was passing over aiden, the bottom fell off and every bit of it's contents fell out right on top of her head. sticky yogurt milk was covering her, covering the floor, covering the island, dripping all in the silverware drawer...the cabinet...into the mixing bowls and measuring cups stacked in the cabinet...the rug...etc. etc. etc. we both froze. aiden has never been in so much shock. this is where i had nothing left to do but close my eyes, look to the sky, and begin clicking my heels together. "there's no place like home...there's no place like home..." well...in my case..."there's no place like anywhere else other than my kitchen." i stopped the flooding and took aiden and bathed her again. then it took me 30 minutes or more to clean up the mess. by the time the kids sat down to eat...you can imagine my response when colton said that the smoothie didn't taste very good. as soon as i put the first bite of pancake in my mouth, chase spilled some of his smoothie. he felt really bad and kept apologizing. that's ok chase. mommy spilled a little smoothie too. i cleaned up chase's little mess and sat down to eat again. several minutes later, colton spilled his entire smoothie. i cleaned that up and then sent them all to bed. now i feel guilty. and tired.

so tell me. what do you do when you have "those kind" of days?

4th of july with uk and kansas

we have a boy scout that lives next door...so our street is lined with american flags

the perfect backdrop for our first 4th of july picture

uk and kansas brought pop pops, black cats, and sparklers

my young man is ready to play

i love when i get "that's so them" pictures
that's so chase!

sweet pea and her magic wand

due to a common spit up incident...puddie is out of her red, white, and blue...although still goes with our family color palate.

the sweetnesses with uk and kansas

sweet pea and puddin pie

annslee's 6 month picture

(actually taken closer to 7 months)

aiden's 5 year picture

sisters
(i had reservations about having their picture taken without the boys. however...i have one of the boys around the same ages that is similar that i love so much...so i decided that they could hang together and that it would be ok. and i think they will be glad they have it.)

i thought this shot was so sweet. they captured how annslee looks at her big sister with such aw and admiration...and how sweetly aiden looks at her little sister. i just love it.

*i do realize that taking pictures of pictures is kind of sketchy...but since we don't have the monetary funds to buy pictures for everyone...this is the best i can do. plus...who wouldn't want to see these sweet shots of our precious kittens?

*summer goal: get individuals of the boys and also brother shot and all four of them together. this my be more of a fall goal...shen chase turns 8 and annlsee is turning 1.

(that was more of a note to self.)

this week

it's been raining here for days. this hurricane alex fella is really making quite the impression. it directly hit mexico, and colton is quite confused on how we are getting so much rain from it. it's putting a kink in our summer schedule. we were supposed to be at the pool on tuesday...but it was cloudy and thundery. then we were supposed to be at the pool on wednesday...but it was rainy. then we were supposed to be at the pool this afternoon...but it was hurricane alexy from afar. so, i could tell the kids were getting bored when i saw colton and aiden this afternoon. i was sitting in the living room, talking to my brother on the phone when colton sneaks through...(unaware that i am even there)...in a white t-shirt, gray track pants, a black leather cowboy vest that he wore when he was 2, a blue indiana jonesish sun hat (gap; circa 1991), and a mickey mouse cell phone. i watched as he tip toed by and then did a double take when aiden shortly tip toed through after him with a kitty cat mask, black fluffy tail, while waving a sword.

i don't know.

i really wish i had it on video because it was one of those moments where i needed chad in the room so that i could ask him if i just saw that right. but...as it is, you will have to take my word for it.

speaking of video...if i could figure out how to get them to upload onto blogger (i tried multiple times earlier and i don't know why it's not working) you would see colton looking super cute in his new glasses! he just got them today and he keeps telling us what time it is. apparently, he couldn't see the clock before...something we obviously didn't know.

and lastly...but not leastly, chase learned how to ride his bike without training wheels!!!! that little love bug is pretty proud of himself. i'm not ready to turn him loose to the streets just yet. we still have to remind him to look where he's going instead of at our proud faces. :) and he really only likes to go in a straight line...so he's a one-way ride for now.

and that is this week, at a glance.

what? a peanut butter forward roll?

does anyone remember way back when i wrote about asking the kids if they wanted a peanut butter fold over and chase replying...very confusedly, "what? a peanut butter forward roll?"

well...if anyone does remember that, then you will be amused by his question to chad and i last night after chad asked him what he was learning in gymnastics:

"mommy! daddy! do you want to see me do a fold over?"

somewhat confused, we replied yes...and then watched him do a forward roll.

good grief.

on my mind on a tuesday night

the kids are back from camp. they actually came home friday afternoon after bible school. chad and i went over to my parent's house to visit at lunch time on thursday. some of the kids were getting a little home sick, so we decided to add a visit to them to our "day date." we got a flat tire the night before and our "day date" turned into "getting the truck outfitted with four new tires day" anyways. when we got there, we got to hear the cd of all the music that they had been learning all week at bible school. chase was super excited and said, "mommy!! my favorite song is let your raisins ring!!" it was really let your praises ring...but, i didn't have the heart to tell chase that he had been "accidentally" singing about raisins all week. then, they told us that they were supposed to be looking for "God sightings." (that is when they see someone showing God's love.) chase said, "remember when i was a little boy and i wanted more smoothie but there was none left, so you gave me your smoothie?" i said, "yeah. i do." then he said, "that was a God sighting." ahhhhh. it made me want to make sure they are sighting God in me more often. i mean, after all...they are looking for Him.

i've had some great expectations for the summer. one being to have friends over for supper every week. that's not happening. two being to make a double batch of dinner once a week and take dinner to someone else that night. that's not happening either. but what is happening is P90X. that's right! i am going strong and lovin it. my favorite workout, so far was today. it was an hour of kenpo. i didn't even know what kenpo was until today. it is a combination of boxing and martial arts if my calculations are correct. it was super fun...super fast...and made me feel like a super fighting stud! i'm up to 5-7 pull ups now too. (that's using a chair out in front of me to rest one foot on while doing them...which is supported by the crazy hulk man.)

yesterday was movie time monday and we watched toy story. we are gearing up for friday when we splurge and go see toy story 3 in the theater. speaking of splurge, i just ate the best piece of chocolate cake with chocolate icing with blue bell homemade vanilla ice cream. it was left over from father's day. and it was yum. and i feel ok about it because i spent an hour with the crazy hulk man today...and yesterday...and the day before...and the day before that...and will tomorrow...

well, actually tomorrow is my stretching day...and i welcome it with very sore...but opened arms.

he'll notice me. i'm sure of it.

the other night i watched the movie win a date with tad hamilton. i really watched it because it stared kate bosworth and she is one of my favie faves because of her roll in a little gem of a film called blue crush. i totally want to look like her. i think i've probably mentioned this must-see-movie-to-kick-off-the-summer before. i usually watch it at the beginning of the summer to get me in my "surfer girl" mind set...along with getting the beach blond highlights in my hair, pulling out the tank tops and mini skirts, and breaking out the beach boy's greatest hits. surfer girl, fun fun fun, surfin' safari, in my room and come go with me are my favorites...and surfin' u.s.a. is chase and aiden's. annslee loves to dance in the kitchen with me and colton moderately tolerates them...as discussed previously. :/ he does love it when i change the words to surfer girl to surfer boy and dedicate it to him and then sing totally over the top to him. at least i assume when he screams and runs away it means that he loves it.

anyway...i digress. i would like to go ahead and state here that my reason for landing on this movie had nothing to do with ole' what's-his-name...josh something or other......who is not cute at all. :)

so, as i was watching this...i was completely taken back to jr. high and early high school (i am well aware that i was a little dorky and did not grow out of the jr. high, unrealistic crush thing until a little later than most.) i was in. love. with joe mcintyre from new kids on the block. i went to every concert that they did in houston...including the one a couple of years ago...but we don't need to discuss that one. the point is that i truly thought that he was going to pick me out of the crowd and want to meet me...leading to an innocent dating relationship where he completely and hopelessly falls in love with me and wants to marry me where we live happily ever after. every concert i would get all ready, making sure my outfit, hair, and makeup was as perfect as it could be so that when he spotted me...it would be love at first sight. i don't think you understand that i really and truly thought that this scenario was a reality. well...win a date with tad hamilton would have only validated my cause had i seen it back then. i will spare you a summary.,..as it is a movie that plays out that ridiculously unrealistic scenario actually coming true for a small town girl. paaaa-leeeeeease! to think i could be so silly and naive.

my dream did end up coming true though. but instead of his name being joe, it was chad. and instead of him being on stage as a singer, he was on stage as the pastor. and instead of him picking me out of the crowd at a concert, he picked me out of the crowd at church. the similarities are astounding!!

CAMP GRAN

camp week is here! the three oldest went to camp gran this week. camp gran is a small, comfy, family camp...complete with beautiful southern lodging with great homemade meals, bible school mornings followed by special activities designed especially for colton, chase and aiden...late afternoon swimming with personal life guards, topped off with smores and home made ice cream. (doesn't it sound like a dreamy brochure that comes in the mail that you look at and think "if only..." but know that you don't have the money that it would take to actually make it there?) i know!!! so, where is this little, hidden gem of a camp, you ask???

it's a little place we like to call GRANNA and GRANDADDY'S house!! we really wanted the kids to go to vacation bible school this summer, but our church chooses to not have one. my brother and i grew up going to vbs every summer at our church and i remember it being a place where my foundation in Christ was built in a lot of ways. i still remember the sign language to the song i love you Lord that i learned at bible school in, like, 3rd grade. it typically lasts a week, and lasts until lunch time each day. you learn how to worship, bible verses and stories, make friends and crafts, and is one of the first times that i remember getting really fired up for God. we wanted our kids to have this experience this summer, so we signed them up to go at my parent's church this week. since their church is only a 2 minute drive from their house, and a 20 minute drive from ours, my mom suggested they stay the week there. when i told the kids, they immediately named the week "CAMP GRAN"...short for GRANna and GRANdaddy.

now, if any of you know my mom...you know she doesn't do anything half-way. this is one of the many things i love about her. she is the one who taught me, by example, to celebrate life and experiences in an extraordinary way...making memories that last a lifetime and making the kids feel as special as they are. so...needless to say, she has gone all out for camp gran. there are special activities planned every day, themes, special food and meaningful experiences designed especially for all three of them. we are talkin tents set up in the backyard, water guns, game days, homemade treats, movies, swimming, golf course cart riding, stories, and many more. if my experience as a kid is any indication at all...my mom and dad's presence, energy, hugs and snuggles, and ability to encourage and provide experiences is what will be most remembered from camp gran. i can't begin to thank my parents for the childhood they provided me, and the one that they are helping to provide for my kids! i'm secretly hoping to make this an annual event!!

just having puddie at home lends itself to quiet days for me, and my favorite suggestion by chad...being, "pick some restaurants that you want to go each night and take a break from making dinner." ummm...ok! i have a feeling one of them may be a little, quaint place called camp gran...where the food is great, but the company is the main attraction.

and furthermore...

so my sweety sweet friend, cara left a comment on the 9 going on 19 post that got me thinking more. (dangerous, i know...and a bummer for chad who has to entertain my rants concerning the subject when he gets home.)

maybe you didn't know that my 9 year old's favorite band is the black eyed peas. (what?? my favorite band at 9 was alvin and the chipmunks!) why, you might ask? it's a little song called boom boom pow and another called i got a feelin...and the fact that hip hop music was played all year long in his classroom at school. to his teacher's defense, i'm sure he was playing the "sensored" versions of these songs. (i think. i hope.) the last day of school, i witnessed the entire class get up and do the dance to "wobble"...which was both impressive, catchy, and a little...well...whoa-ish. colt and his friends were just kind of jumping around...and i was majorly glad that colt came out of his shell this year. (previously, he would have turned red, and hid in the corner if someone had suggested he dance.) and, i love a good hip hop dance...being on the dance team in college myself. BUT, when this promotes a love for the black eyed peas in a 9 year old boy...the red, warning light starts flashing! ummmm...no, we can't download the album for you to listen to in your room and you may absolutely NOT watch them perform on the grammys and i would be declared temporarily insane if i let you go to a concert! annnnnnd...if it comes on the radio, i will crank the volume for you and "car dance" with you, but be prepared for me to randomly turn the volume all the way down in the middle of the song and say, "oh...sorry...i thought your sister needed to tell me something."

yeah...i'm pretty sure my job as parent now includes "expert on lyrics and master of quick-as-a-cat volume control."

i'm trying to bring back the beach boys. but for my 9 going on 19 year old, they just can't compete with fergie.

*sigh*

9 is the new 19

childhood is not what it used to be. i was lucky enough to grow up in a cul-de-sac full of kids. we would play and play and play...all day and till the sun went down at night. i especially remember summers. i had to clean the kitchen after dinner and i remember thinking that i couldn't work fast enough to get back outside and join in the screams and laughter of the rest of the kids. all of the adults would bring their lawn chairs and iced teas to our driveway and sit out and talk and watch us play. we would spend the night at each other's houses sometimes. we would go to each other's houses all the time and talk and play for hours.

we don't live in a cul-de-sac filled with kids, or even on a street with a lot of kids that my kids play with. there are no kids colton or aiden's age. we do have a first grader and a fifth grader that come over regularly and i love that the kids have them to play with. i did have to have an uncomfortable conversation with the fifth grader today explaining that the conversation topics needed to stay "g" rated. i'll tell you somethin else....fifth grade ain't what it used to be either. that is one thing i've learned. today, i had to come inside to feed annslee and colton and the fifth grader were left outside on the porch swing talking. i just sat in the nursery, feeding a.j. and praying that God would protect colton's innocence and his little ears from hearing things that he wasn't ready for. i came to the realization that i can't be with him all the time shielding him and directing and steering the conversation to where i want it to go. although i would love to.

is anyone else wondering where childhood went? and how to get it back for our kids?

summer days

as i pondered how i wanted to take advantage of the sweet time with the darlins this summer, i realized that i had to take some action. my first goal is to successfully slow time down. colton is 9. that's 9. here are some stats for you. half of his time at home with us is gone. when annslee is his age, he will be driving. when aiden was annslee's age, he was 4. it feels like yesterday that i was walking chase to his first day of kindergarten. i will walk aiden to kindergarten in 2 1/2 short months. i will blink and she will be starting 2nd grade like chase and colt will be in jr. high. and so on...and so forth...

so...slowing down time is my only option. and since i am unable to do that fly-around-the-earth-backwards-superman thing, i feel that my best line of defense is to make each day count and to not pack them full of busy schedules and activities that don't build our relationships. i'm happy to not be taking jam packed trips and that things like facebook, e-mail, and the computer are an after-thought. here is a tentative plan that is on the fridge for our summer days. i am praying that it fosters growth of the spiritual, emotional, and camaraderie kind.

8:00 breakfast

followed by bible story and prayer together
chores
free time

12:00 lunch

followed by 30 minutes of reading

1:30 pool (t/w/th/f)
movie time monday (m)

3:00 snack

free time

6:00 dinner

8:00 talk time and journal

this is where chad and i will get to go room to room and spend time with them alone. tonight, for example i got to tell chase a story about a frog from when i was a little girl. he loved this. and so did i. i also got to read colt the story i wrote in my journal on his first day of kindergarten. i did this to show him how fun journaling can be when you get to look back at it years later and remember the details of what happen and how you felt. he had no idea how hard that day was because of how much i missed him. it made him feel good. i also got to read them some of my prayers from when aiden was a baby and i was praying for God to heal her reflux and they saw how He answered those prayers. it made them want to pray for God to heal annslee's reflux more.

and...possibly my favorite thing is that they each get to pick out a spiral notebook to be their journals. they will keep them in their nightstand drawers with a pencil and every night they will write in them about what they did that day, how they are feeling, or even a prayer. once a week, they will write a letter to chad or i in it and we will write them back on the back. i'm super excited about this new, little activity and really hope it sticks. can you imagine taking a box of old spiral notebooks with you to college that had entries dating all the way back to elementary school? love it.

and who better to hold me accountable to this slow paced summer day schedule other than you?

great. now i'm singing that cher song..."if i could turn back time"....in my head.

"hearing" God

today i took colton and aiden to the store with me. aiden had birthday money that she wanted to spend and on this particular day, colton needed to be anywhere that chase was not. they have been "relationally challenged" lately. and most of the time i can't pin-point who or what the problem is. i have somewhat successfully convinced myself that this is just a phase that will be outgrown as quickly as it came, but for now...separation seems to work.

aiden is starting kindergarten in the fall, so she has been promoted at church to the school age sunday school department. she gets to go in with her boys and we have been talking this up for the past several weeks. on the way home from our grocery day of separation and fun, i asked her about it. here is how the conversation went:

me: "so aiden......how did you like your new class this morning?"

aiden: "it was good. the teachers really love God."

me: "do you love God?"

aiden: "a little bit."

me: "what would make you love him more than a little bit?"

aiden: "if he would talk to me."

the conversation didn't end there, but i did appreciate her honesty. and i even wondered if sometimes i didn't feel the same.

P90crazy is what it is...

i want to work out. i really do.

i have never felt so weak and out of shape in all my life.

i know what you're going to say. "you're so skinny, mindy...you don't need to lose weight...if anything, you could stand to gain a few pounds." i have heard this time and time again. but the point is that i feel like i couldn't run down the street if someone was chasing me with a knife. my legs start burning when i carry annslee up stairs to her bed. (yes. you heard me right. puddie girl is sleeping in her bed. no applause necessary. well....if you want to clap for her, or ME...you can.) so, i just think that it's time to do something to take back my body. i have not worked out since before i was pregnant with colton. this was going on 10 years ago. i have been through 4 pregnancies, and a total of 17 weeks of bedrest (combining aiden and annslee.) so needless to say, i'm not the picture of physically fit. i think my stomach muscles left during the last pregnancy and decided to stay gone out of fear of me doing it to them a 5th time.

the other night, over a plate of fried pickles and fries, i told my family that it was time for me to start working out. my parents started with the "you-are-too-skinny-you-need-to-eat-better-and-gain-some-weight"...but when i explained myself, my dad said 6 works that have stuck with me ever since.

"you used to be so strong."

ok. i did used to be strong. i remember playing soccer, swimming competitively, and doing hours of gymnastics every week. and i remember hearing my dad tell my mom...almost in disbelief, "she's solid as a rock."

i want that again. i want to be tough. solid. strong physically. i want to think...yeah...i could pretty much pound you to the ground if you mess with me or my kid.

chad ordered P90X the other day for him. he's gonna get strong too. i decided that i would do it with him. i watched the first dvd the other night and there were all kinds of push ups and pull ups involved. the guy (who is totally hyper and annoying and hulk like) was saying "keep good form and don't worry if you can't do 30. just do what you can." i'm thinking...yeah...so what if you can only do 1/2 of 1? then what, mr. crazy man???

i answered myself. "then do 1/2."

look out people. once i can do a whole chin-up, you're not gonna want to mess with me.

you are not going to believe this...

this is one of those stories that you would only believe if you were actually there. and lucky me. i was.

lauren, one of chase's classmates, lives a couple of houses down from us. she has an older sister, alli. they come over to play in the backyard nearly every day after school. the other day, lauren and aiden found an orange, stray cat wandering around out front. aiden especially loves kitties, and it turned out that lauren was pretty enamoured by them as well. so, these two somehow coaxed it into our front yard and "mothered" it for a while. i would not let aiden do anything besides pet it's back. lauren, on the other hand was picking it up and trying to carry it everywhere with here. this is where i will tell you that i knew that this was not a good idea, but my gentle warnings were not really making any difference. the cat finally got tired of it and ran off. i had not thought about that cat again. until today.

all the kids were playing in out backyard this afternoon when lauren spotted the cat again. she came to me and asked if we could feed it. i told her that i didn't have any cat food and she said that she didn't either and that she only had dog food. i told her that maybe the cat would like her dog food. she ran home to get some and came back empty handed. "my mom said that i couldn't waste our dog food on a cat." i said, "ah...good point. maybe you could just give it some water." she said, "your water is closer than my water." aiden was begging me to come see the cat with her, so we all went to find him/her. colton and chad were at colt's baseball practice, so it was just me with the rest of the kids. chase, being allergic to cats and dogs sensed danger and immediately went inside. so, there we are...me holding annslee, lauren and aiden petting the cat, and alli and her friend watching, and chase standing in the dining room window peering at us over a small notebook with a pen in hand. the little girls really wanted to give the cat something to eat and kept asking what we could feed it. i asked our neighbor if the cat was theirs. he told me that it was not, but that it had come to their backdoor last night and they had given it some cat food. he said that his wife had checked it over and that it was declawed. that made me worry a little, because i knew that it could not protect itself without its claws and i started imagining it being lost and hungry. i turned around and looked at the dining room window and saw chase still standing there, shaking his head no...as if he already knew what i was thinking. alli's friend said that maybe her mom would let her keep it. so, i went and opened a can of tuna. the cat ate, and alli's friend called her mom. she told her she could keep it, but that she had to find a way to get it home. now, i am no cat expert, but i do know well enough to know not to put it in my car with my baby, my 5 yr old, my son...who is allergic, and the girl who's parents don't even know me. so, the girl asked alli if they had a leash. now, at this point, i did question the decision to put a cat on a leash, but this was her cat now and annslee was getting fussy and i needed to start dinner. alli came out with a huge dog leash and i watched as they tried to get it on the cat. i said, "so wait? are you gonna walk this cat home on a leash???" she said that she would try and if not, her mom would come get her. so i helped them get the leash on. this is where the story begins to take a nose dive. i say, "ok. this is your cat. congratulations. you are now in charge of it. i'm going in to start dinner." about 3 minutes later, the doorbell rings. aiden says it's lauren and i tell her to let her in. lauren is crying hysterically saying that the cat got away. i told her it was ok and that i was coming. i grabbed annslee and was followed outside by chase, aiden, lauren, alli, and alli's friend...the owner. that's when i am told that the cat started jumping all around and the new owner had let go of the leash. i said, "let me get this straight. there is a stray cat running around the neighborhood with a dog leash attached to it?" they said, "yes." i looked at the kids and thought, "ok...this is where i need to go get alli and lauren's mom. because, let's face it...clearly you need another adult to help in the decision making in this situation because the whole 'leash-on-a-cat' one was clearly a bad call." i recounted the story to their mom, and said that i thought a 'lost cat' sign would look pretty funny with a drawing of a cat with a leash hanging off of it and while doing so, it hit me. OH MY GOSH. IF THAT CAT TRIES TO JUMP A FENCE WITH THAT LEASH ON, IT COULD HANG ITSELF. we were standing there, trying to figure out what to do...annslee in my arms, aiden standing next to me, clearly worried and chase with his little notebook and pen while lauren, alli and the new owner were running through backyards trying to find it. that's when they ran to the front yard of the house where they last saw it and yelled, "IT'S STUCK ON A FENCE! IT'S STUCK ON A FENCE! IT'S HANGING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE AND WE CAN'T GET TO IT!" we needed to act fast...i knew that much. we got there and the girls started to run around the block to get to the other side of the fence. i said, "someone needs to climb the fence." at that point, the lady who lived there came out and went back there to help them. i kept the little ones in the front and waited. she finally came out and handed us the leash. i said, "what happened." she said, "that cat was almost dead. i had to pull it up by the leash so i could reach it and i got the leash off it's neck. it took off. i don't know what those girls were trying to do to that cat, but they had a leash around it's neck." i had the quick thought, "this could go one of two ways. i could admit my involvement in the ridiculous leash debacle, or i could just nod in agreement." i mumbled something about being glad the cat was ok and thanked her for her help and decided that she was really only on a need to know basis.

as i told this story to chad tonight after he got home from colt's practice, he laughed and asked, "what was chase writing in the notebook?" i realized i had never looked but imagined it went something like this........

A RECORD OF POOR DECISIONS BY MOM

by: chase clarkson

1. she let aiden pet a stray cat.

2. she fed the cat.

3. she put a leash on the cat.

4. to be continued......