Been a while!

So, in the past week, I've had two kids throw up, and all three with fevers. But, it hasn't been all bad. I got some extra cuddles with Ruby out of it all! =)

Last Monday morning, I had to take Ruby and Isaac to their "exercise doctor". I was running later than I would have liked, and in my hurry, I was trying to think of things I could cut out so that I would still make the appointment on time. I decided that fully packing the diaper bag was the place to cut some time out. I knew I had changes of pants in there for all 3 kids, but no shirts. I reasoned that that was fine, because I was only going to need changes of clothes if we had a potty accident. Then, suddenly, I (or was it God?) thought that I had better throw in some shirts, too, in case someone threw up (we live in curvy roads and in the past month, Ruby and Jadelyn got carsick, and made a MESS). So, I hurriedly grabbed some shirts and stuffed them in the bag. I (or was it God, again?) also had the thought that I should put the spray bottle with vinegar water in the van so I could clean out the car seat if the need arose. But I forgot that one. =O I loaded up my 3 children into the van and began the over hour trip to Shriner's. Less than 20 minutes into the trip, Jadelyn was overcome by the curvy roads and lost her breakfast. Now, I have one of the weakest stomachs of anyone I know. And my kids have gotten sick a LOT, but normally David is there to help me out (or should I say, to do the majority of the clean up while I cover my nose and do what I can manage with). I started looking for a place to pull over to clean up the mess, but there just wasn't many places and when I found them, I was too far past to pull in. So, thinking it over, I figured it might be best to continue on the trip (with my window down - FRESH AIR!!! Oh, and it had been raining earlier, but by the time this happened, it had stopped...so I wasn't getting wet) so that if Lynnie got sick again, I wouldn't be out of clothes, and so I wouldn't have to put her back into the nasty car seat with her clean clothes on (because I had forgotten the vinegar water =O). So, we continued on. We got to the appointment around 15 minutes early, which left me just enough time to get Jadelyn changed, wipe out her car seat with some paper towels (though I felt sick a little, with a few breaks of looking out away from the van, I was able to keep my breakfast down!), and get into the hospital. I feel that God must have been prompting me that morning, and if so, this is the first experience I can remember of recognizing His voice. (Though I might not have recognized until it was in hindsight). Now...certainly if God cares about a little throw-up and making sure that my daughter is clothed when we're out and about, why can't I remember that He cares about EVERYTHING? Everything that I struggle with. Everything I don't understand. Everything that perplexes me. Everything. Wow. What a God!

So, that was the story of Jadelyn's throw-up. Isaac got sick the next morning (or maybe that night) because he's a stubborn fella, and didn't like the food I served him on Monday, so he hardly ate anything. Then, he was so weak at breakfast on Tuesday that I was feeding him. And then he threw it all up. Sigh. But then, he picked back up on the eating and kept it down! =) Oh, and Ruby is so super sweet when Isaac is sick. Just wish she was that sweet all the time! =)

Ruby got a weird fever on Friday. Like she wasn't really showing any symptoms. Well, she didn't want to eat much at ALL, so was at the breakfast table until 10am. Then, she was just laying more than usual, though she was still singing/humming much of the time. Sweet Ruby! I didn't know what was going on until I kissed her head at one point, and yikes! It was hot! Got to over 103. But Motrin brought it down. Lovely Motrin. Then, today, it was Jadelyn and Isaac with fevers. Jadelyn is like Ruby was - still playing and not letting on that she is sick, other than not eating much. Isaac, however, just wanted to lay down. So we brought a sleeping bag outside and he and Alpine bonded in the shade all morning. We're supposed to head back to the exercise doctor's tomorrow, so we'll see if everyone is feeling well enough for that! =O

Today out in the yard, the robins who have a nest in the apple tree were squawking up a storm, and when I looked over, I saw that a baby robin was hopping around on the ground. And then saw Alpine stalking the bird. So, I ran at her, with mud flinging off my garden shoes. It was very valiant, let me assure you. =) Anyways, when I got over there, the adult robins were still squawking like crazy, and when I looked over, I saw the BIGGEST snake I have ever seen in the wild. IN MY YARD!!! =O Yowzers. It was 4-5 feet long, and slithered quickly into the mulch under the blackberries. Now I'm a little afraid to garden - be weeding along and grab out a SNAKE? Yikes. Anyways, I pointed the snake out to the kids, and Alpine kept an eye on it for her entire attention span, which seems to be 2 minutes? Ha. Anyways, we kept an eye on the baby robin for the remainder of our time outside, and tonight, I think I saw it out in the road, so I sure hope it makes it. Hopping and hopping and hopping...and when do they learn to fly, anyways?

After lunch, I noticed Hickory barking out in his "cage", and then noticed him jumping back from something. I wondered if it was a snake again, so ran out, and sure enough. It was poised like it might strike. Too bad I didn't have Tom and Tina's phone number, or I would've called 'em to see if they wanted to come shoot the thing for me. I had the foreign thought when it was in the mulch that if I had a hoe, I could probably whack it. I never thought I'd be capable of it before, and who knows if I really would be or not, but man...I don't like snakes. And not in my yard, for sure. Then I read that that kind of snake (or at least the kind I think it is), can climb trees and barn rafters and such. Lovely. =O Good thing was that David mowed yesterday so I could see the thing. Now, if it stays a good distance away from all of us, we might make it....maybe we moved too far south, though....=)

Speaking of the barn, at the end of last week, David asked me if the barn was normally so covered by a tree. I wasn't sure at first (aren't we observant? =O), but we looked and sure enough, it was not normally covered so much. Wind (I'm assuming) blew the tree down. So, David invested in a chain saw, and on Sunday went to work. Tom and Tina came over and helped him get the big part down. They are the best neighbors ever. On Sabbath, we found Hickory with a pair of Ms. Tina's shoes. Not good. And one of them was ruined a bit. Bad. So, we returned the shoes with $20 and some strawberries from the garden. On Sunday, when they came to help with the tree, Ms. Tina brought back the $20. And brought us some Chex Mix. She had duct-taped the back of her shoe where Hickory had ruined it. That lady. Then, when she was helping with the tree, she fell over into some thorns and tore her leg up. No complaint. Then, she was hauling a bucket with chain back to their truck, when she laughingly asked David to carry it for her. It was HEAVY, and she had carried it over half the way without showing any signs of trouble. Then, she got stuck when trying to back out of the pasture area, so she finally gunned it, and when she hit the road, she was squealing for all she was worth. Cracked me up. THEN! They came to look at our backyard, and gave us gardening advice. Like telling me that I should move the mulch away from the berries QUICK, 'cause that's probably what's killing it. And making the Rhubarb not so great. I need to get on that. Oh! And she mentioned that it looked like they might need to come over and help us mow. =O Yeah, we've been a bit behind on that, and the Mayfields (the previous owners of our abode) were really neat and had things" "just so". And now poor Tom and Tina are stuck looking at us trying to get things under control. =O Anyways, if there was a "neighbor-of-the-year" award, I'd appoint them. Or whatever the right word is.

Oh! And this morning, the kids were playing church and Sabbath School, with Ruby as the ringleader. It was the sweetest. I wish I had a video. They were all singing "Jesus Loves Me", and Jadelyn was doing so well that I wish I had it videoed. Then, there were times to stand up and sit down, and a nonsense sermon and a Children's story and I think prayer, and a time when Ruby was playing the piano and singing and Isaac joined her for a while before fervently playing the pedals for her. Precious. What a nice time!

Okay, that's probably enough rambling for now.

Funny quote I heard on Sunday. I guess David was telling the kids that he was going to play with some tools (maybe his chain saw?). Ruby told David that he couldn't play with tools, but he COULD play with some toys. I think there was a short period of silence before Isaac broke in and told Ruby that "when you play with tools, it's called work". I love that kid.

Catching up....

Let's see...Tuesday we headed to Shriner's for Ruby and Isaac's PT evaluation. I thought maybe we wouldn't get any services when one of the PT's met us in the waiting room and almost immediately commented on how good the kids were doing. Because they're walking or something. Helloooo...they're almost 4 and a half. They SHOULD be walking. Along with a bunch of other stuff that they can't do well. =P Anyways, they qualified, and we'll be heading over an hour one way, one day a week, for at least 12 weeks. But alas, they have no therapy pool, as it is leaking badly. Sigh. =( Also, the kids have been put on a RIGOROUS home therapy program. As in it takes me almost an hour and a half a day to do it. Yikes. Right when spring/summer is here and I have so much work to do. I hope I can get it all fit in. =/ I mentioned to the kids how the PT's must think I have nothing else to do, and Isaac has since asked me several times, "why do they think that you have no work to do?" Ooops...guess I better be more careful what I say, 'cause if that got back to the PT's, I'd be embarrassed. =O Anyways, after we were done at Shriners, we headed over to the church for lunch and naps so I could work more on the wall mural. I wonder if it'll EVER get finished. Yikes. Then, we loaded up and headed off to Wal-Mart and made it home for a late supper and then beddie-bye. =)

Yesterday was an INSANE day. At one point, I thought of how I always thought that Jadelyn hit her "terrible twos" at age 15 months, but now it looks like she was just gearing up for her REAL "terrible twos". Oh, boy. The kids were fighting and screaming and on and on and on and on....it was terrible. At one point I locked myself in my room for some "time with Jesus", 'cause I was just mad. And frustrated. And overwhelmed. You get the idea. While I was in there, the fight of all fights broke out, and I had to emerge long enough to tell the kids that Satan was really working hard, and we all needed a break. Kids were placed in their individual beds, and I retreated back to my room. Yikes. Glad not all days are like that. When David got home, supper was not ready (Jadelyn woke up with a temper that took a while to tend to), and so I mixed up pancakes and David cooked 'em up and sent me on a walk. It was lovely. And peaceful. And good for the soul. Thanks, Buddy! Some funny quotes from yesterday: David: "I want you guys to be nice and quiet while I go potty". Ruby: "what's that?" Ai yai, yai. And then, later, David was letting Isaac know that he was going to have to have a consequence for not obeying, so Isaac threatened to run away (who knew it started so young? =O), and then Ruby piped in, "I betcha that they'll catch ya!" Ha. At least I was cracked up some today. =)

Today is our NINE year anniversary! Crazy. The kids and I got outside for a little (really the first time all week, it's been rainy, cold, and overall nasty), so that was nice. We found that some critter has been enjoying bites out of our strawberries. Booger. Tonight, David and I are going on a date, and the kids (at least the older two) are getting excited about meeting their babysitter. I'm a bit nervous, as I've never met her before, but David says I have to "trust him". Okay. I will. But probably only because I want a break so bad! How terrible. =O

Just another day.....

I didn't get as much sleep as I require last night, and just felt today like I might not have the amount of patience needed for the kids. Jadelyn in particular was super cranky this morning. Praise God, He saw me through!!! =)

Today, Jadelyn was really wanting a "Bible", so I got her a Children's Bible. She wasn't about it. She wanted Ruby or Isaac's Bible. Then, I saw Ruby talking quietly with Jadelyn, explaining that the Bible's pages were "delicate" before handing over her Bible to Jadelyn. My sweet Ruby was here for much of today. I so appreciate that!

The kids were all about riding the tricycle again today. They took turns, though when it was Jadelyn's turn to get off the bike, she would get off, and throw herself on the ground screaming. Eventually, she stopped doing that. I doubt it was my disciplines that got through to her...maybe just the act of doing it again and again and seeing that she got a turn later? I don't know. Jadelyn did matter-of-factly rescue Isaac on two separate occasions when the bike tipped over on him. She would go over and quickly set it back up, freeing her brother.

After lunch, Ruby wanted to know if we were going to have time for "3 stories", as when we're running late for lunch (like last week 'cause we stayed outside late), we only have time for 1 story. I told her that yes, we had time for 3 stories. Then she wanted to know if they would have time to wash their own dishes. Bless her heart. Yup. We had time. So while I was reading to 2 kids, 1 was washing dishes. Except Jadelyn. I didn't give her that privilege yet, though I'm sure she wants it! =) Soon enough, Lynnie. =)

Tonight after supper, we all headed out to pick strawberries. Okay, the girls and the parents did. Isaac stayed in the sandbox. ;) The girls did some, too, but eventually meandered out to us. We were out for nearly 40 minutes, but got about 4.5 gallon bags of strawberries. Yee-haw! I'm glad they're doing so well. And the onions and green beans are popping up, too. I do so love me some garden food! =)

Well, tomorrow it's off to Shriner's for PT evaluations for Ruby and Isaac and then over to the church to paint on the mural and then home for supper. Could be a crazy day, or hopefully just a fun-filled-full day. I gotta get me some sleep. Adios.

Why yes I did!

pull our van and trailer out of the pasture today with our lawnmower. 'Cause David asked me to and hooked it up for me. And 'cause we're redneck like that. It was extra nice that I got to drive through part of the barn, 'cause then nobody could see how pitiful we are, getting our van stuck in the pasture. Okay, David did it. But it was only 'cause he was gettin' stuff done! ;)

I spent the majority of today doing spring "organizing". Didn't quite get to the "cleaning" part, but I did get me some organizing done! David fixed Jadelyn's closet which had an unfortunate accident around 6 months ago =O, and built me a new shelf in the laundry room, so I could get stuff put away better there, too. Lovely. Just lovely. I do so love more organized rooms!

Hmmmm...David was putting some stuff up in the 4-foot-across rafters today. He was standing with one foot on one rafter, and one on the other. Ruby was standing directly under him, and all he could think was that if he fell, he was really gonna hurt the kids, who were completely oblivious to any danger. David asked Ruby if she was scared, and she, grinning up at him said, "no." David asked, "why not?" to which she responded, "because I love you!" There is trust at it's finest, 'eh?

David also said that Jadelyn was holding a rattle today (we use it like a maraca, so we keep it around), and then she whacked Ruby over the head for no apparent reason. That kid is getting aggressive. =P

Jadelyn is going through a somewhat lengthy "I-don't-like-Isaac-phase", which results in ear-splitting screaming if she sees him coming. Today, David was working on unpacking the garage some (yeah, well, we've ONLY lived here for almost 8 months =P), and found Jadelyn's tricycle. It was brought inside, as it was nasty outside, and wouldn't probably work that well in the gravel anyways, and Jadelyn tried it out. She wasn't getting the peddling idea and crashed it over two times. Finally, she gave up and was pushing it around. Which was all dandy until Isaac started sweetly offering to show her how to peddle it (and yes, he was DYING to ride it). She screamed. Then she got it stuck on the endtable. Isaac offered to help her and tried to do so. She screamed. It wasn't lovely at all. Finally, I suggested to Jadelyn that she let Isaac ride and she push the tricycle, to which she surprisingly assented. It went lovely! They were both happy as clams. Eventually, Jadelyn just ran around without holding onto the tricycle, and Isaac pedaled away. What fun they had! Then after supper, David had Ruby and Isaac taking turns by setting a 2 minute beeper, and every time the beeper went off, they switched off without a hitch. Which is nice. I love happy play times instead of screaming ones!

On a side note, (oh wait, these are ALL side notes, 'eh? =O) Jadelyn is having a rough time at the table lately. Not wanting her food and screaming for different food. She normally comes around and finally eats her food, but good grief. I hope she ends this phase and the "I-don't-like-Isaac-phase" soon.

Okay, it's late, this is getting LONG again, and I need to get to bed.

Quick notes before hitting the hay....

Today at Sabbath school, Miss Angel was telling about Daniel and the lions. She was at the part of the story when the bad guys caught Daniel praying to God, and she asked the kids what the bad guys did next. Ruby exclaimed, "threw him to the dandelions!" (not intending to be funny), which was quickly parroted by my little parrot Isaac, "threw him to the dandelions!" They so had no clue that they just said that the bad guys threw Daniel to some flowers. =)

Tonight, we went to a baptism. Near the end, Miss Hannah was singing a special music. A song I have never heard before, so I'm pretty sure Isaac hasn't heard it, either. But. That child stood next to David, and softly sang along with Miss Hannah...like he often sings with Ruby when she's making up songs. He's more than a parrot, he's a predictor parrot - able to guess what people are going to say, even! Ha! He was singing so sweetly that I wanted to watch him, 'cause he gets so intent and stuff, but I didn't want him to see me and get all crazy and goofy. What a singer, that fella is. After the baptism, we were outside talking to some church members and Ruby fell in slow motion down the step and hit her head on the brick stairs. Because there was an audience she didn't cry. Maybe I need to hire an audience to stay around our house? =P Jadelyn also got a good whack under her chin. No crying that time, either. Hmmm....anyone want to come be our audience? =P

On the way home from the baptism, we took some back roads for fun. A "cow trail" is what David likes to call it now, I guess. Anyways, we were almost home when Jadelyn suddenly let out a little cry. I figured maybe she had been sleeping and just woke up (as she does this cry at times like that). Less than a minute later, Ruby started crying. Isaac asked her, "what happened?" but she kept crying. I then asked her what happened, and she finally answered that she threw up. Lovely. The return of car sickness is upon us. =O Then, I said to David, "I wonder if Jadelyn threw up, too". So I checked. And she had. 2 nasty kids and carseats and blankets and clothes. Man, am I ever glad that David can handle puke. I spent the remainder of our ride home with my head sticking out the window so I wouldn't smell the nastiness coming from the back seat. Well, seats. But you get the idea. Ruby was milking this for all it was worth, crying the rest of the way home. Crying when she was stripped of her clothes. Crying when getting wiped up. Crying until she was again fully clothed in "warm" clothes. Then, she wanted to cuddle on the couch with Mommy with a bowl close by just in case she threw up. And eat "sick crackers", which Isaac quickly fetched for her. =) Oh, the drama! So, I was asking her why she had been crying, and she informed me that "I just thought that I was gonna burp", but then she threw up. Scary, traumatic stuff, you know. Isaac informed me while he was still in the van that he thought he might throw up while we were driving, but he just drank water and it pushed the throw up down. I think we'll skip the "cow trail" in the future. Yuck. Oh, at one point, I was covering my nose with my shirt while taking care of the dirty clothes, and Isaac asked me why. I informed him it was because I get sick when I smell throw up. We were talking as I loaded the washing machine (on a side note, I LOVE washing machines =D), and when I was finishing up with this job, and our discussion of throw up was winding down, Isaac announced cheerfully, "I'm gonna go make popcorn now!" Maybe he won't be grossed out by puke, either, so he can clean up when David's not around! =)

Oh, another Isaac story. Well, two. David filled the holes around our metal roof with foam spray a couple weeks ago so the birds and bees (ha ha. But seriously.) can't get in our attic. So, Isaac noticed today that the holes at the base of our metal exterior walls are not filled and informed David that he needed to fill those holes, too. That kid is a THINKER! Then, tonight, David and I were sitting on the back porch after putting the kids to bed when David noticed that there is a rope tied up to our propane tank. Apparently the other day when Isaac wanted to come inside so he could lay down on a soft place, but when that wasn't allowed, settled on laying on the double stroller? Well, he made sure that the rope tied to the stroller (David had given the kids a ride in it by pulling it behind the lawn mower at one point - safe, I know.) was also tied to the propane tank. To avoid rolling down the steep embankment directly beyond the stroller? I'll have to ask Isaac that question sometime. For now? It's WAAAAY past my bedtime. Night!

P.S. Wasn't this supposed to be a "quick post"? =P

Ahhhh....relief!!!!! =)

Finally, a good day! And oh, what a good day! This morning, the kids were all up for over an hour before the first fight, I think. That is basically unheard of. Really. They're normally fighting within a minute or two of the time they get up. Why they can get along just fine in bed (even when they're not sleeping) but can't seem to help themselves from fighting when they're officially allowed to be awake is beyond me. =P Guess I should just count my blessings that they at least get along when they're in bed! =O The fact that this is the 3rd day running that David has tried bribing (or offering an incentive to, as I'm sure he would prefer that I call it) the kids with a "big sucker" for not fighting may or may not have played into today's loveliness. Maybe the kids are really feeling a hankering for a "big sucker". Ha.

Anyways, this morning, after getting all ready for the day, Ruby and Isaac sat on the couch reading a book. Ruby was a doctor, but was functioning more as a teacher, though she DID have her play stethoscope hung about her neck. =) They sat on the couch for around 30 minutes. With no fighting! Although the realization that Ruby would be a really bad speech therapist right now was displayed at one point when she was getting angry that Isaac was not saying "volcano" right. Ha. =) Anyways, they had a lovely time. Jadelyn joined them near the end. After they were done with the book, they played some more, but I think that ended when Ruby and Jadelyn wanted to color. Isaac helped me clean the bathrooms by scrubbing each of the toilets a LOT. Maybe 5 times a piece? I don't know...I was too busy scrubbing the tub for all I was worth before my lovely day ended. Ha! Then Ruby put a box of diapers away, Isaac unloaded the dryer and cleaned the lint trip, and then it was Isaac's turn to help me make supper (or Sabbath lunch, in this case. Friday is our leftover night.) That went pretty smoothly, minus Isaac making a bad step and falling off the chair - squashed in between the cupboards and the chair. While I was hugging him, Ruby remarked, "I can imagine that hurt" (or something to that effect). Well...maybe this is the beginning of empathy. Guess we'll have to work on that a little more. =/

Then, we FINALLY got to head outside, where we worked on planting the garden. Near the end of our time outside, it got cooler, the sky was dark, and it was thundering. The kids hurried up and picked up the toys that have been scattered throughout the yard and I finished the section of the garden that I've been working ALL WEEK on planting. Then it started raining. Ruby and I fed Hickory quick, and Isaac and Ruby fed a burnt egg to the chickens. Yeah, the chickens eat their own egg. Why does that gross me out a little? Okay, I don't think it grosses me out anymore. But it used to. But I digress. When they came back from feeding the chickens, I said something about the kids being chicken feeders, and Isaac agreed with me and then pointed out how I am NOT a chicken feeder. True. Since the mice started showing up, I stay outta there. But I digress again. Anyways, at that point, I told the kids they could go inside if they wanted, since it was raining, and I would be in soon after watering the plants in our greenhouse. Mind you, Isaac had been DYING to go inside for around half an hour, but nope. Didn't want to go inside now. They all decided to stay with me. And that's just fine with me. =) It was also fine with me that they didn't completely freak out when we were hearing the thunder. Ruby and Isaac normally do.

Now the kids are napping. I hope. I assume. Their rooms are cooler today, and I haven't been hearing anything. Lovely. Keep up the naps, kiddos! =)

Okay, some random notes now...

David read my blog from yesterday and said that it was funny that Isaac doesn't like picking up bugs, but he totally picked up the head of a mouse (yes, a HEAD of a mouse...how GROSS!!!) while wearing a thin latex glove last night. The kids are completely enamored with this part of farm life. Catching and burying mice. So gross. I stay out of that job. =P Hence the not-feeding-chickens part in the above paragraph. =) Ruby found 2 dead mice in the yard yesterday (hey, maybe the cat that came with this house really DOES catch mice, after all!), so they were adding them to their incredibly large collection of dead mice. =P Oh, and then at breakfast today, Isaac asked me if I knew why he jumped up from laying in the grass yesterday. I had not witnessed this phenomenon, so I told him I didn't know. He then informed me it was because of an ant. So much for him not being worried about bugs, 'eh? Ha!

Isaac and I were talking yesterday about how there are bunches of bugs in our house. Isaac then informed me that our house is like a zoo. Crazy kid.

Jadelyn likes to climb up behind me on my chair at the dining room table when she's done eating. Some days I don't like this, 'cause I just want to eat in peace (how selfish of me, huh? =P), but today I thoroughly enjoyed this special time. What a goofy gal.

And with that random note, I will leave. I have ironing to do, and naptime won't last forever!

Really?

Yikes. This morning started off a lot like yesterday. Except the fighting didn't start AS soon. Just a bunch of craziness around worship time, but really, I guess it cooled down quickly. Then, as I was working on my "to-do list", the craziness began again. In 30 minutes or so, I had a one or two minute break from disciplining. At one point, all 3 kids were serving their time. Isaac was walking laps around the garden, Jadelyn was in the corner, and Ruby was stuck in my lap learning to listen. Yikes. I felt like crying. Mothering can sure be overwhelming at times. As I sat on the couch with Ruby, I mentally claimed the promise of "cast all your cares on God" or "burdens", or whatever. I had a lot of cares and burdens at that moment. I'm glad He is able to sustain me through times like that! So....I gave up on completing all I wanted to and we went outside, 'cause it was time for that. Got some more of the garden planted, and kept the kids busy by having them water our transplanted sunflowers with cups that they filled up from the kiddie pool. That took 'em a while and I got some more stuff planted. Bless those cups! =) Then, near the end of our time outside, Isaac pronounced himself "starving" and laid down in the grass in the shade to rest. It was quite cute. Then, Jadelyn sat next to him and started hitting him, so around the garden she went. Isaac enjoyed watching a blue jay from his spot in the grass. I love that he just laid in the grass instead of worrying about bugs. He's not all about bugs, that one. Well, he likes 'em and likes to watch them and collect them (with his sister's help. This started in March when Grandpa was visiting and brought in some huge beetles for the kids to look at.), but he doesn't like bugs crawling on him. Speaking about bugs...well, ants, really...they are here in crazy amounts. The window sill under the air conditioner in the kitchen is L.O.A.D.E.D of ants and the poison I'm feeding them. =O The kids call them their "ant collection". Hope that collection disappears soon.

Ruby's strange Caymanian accent that is really just her using her "a's" funny is on day 3 and going strong. No signs of leaving, either.

The yard is going jungley on us. Well, the woods, I guess....going down the trail to the creek last night was beautiful. There are vines full of white flowers on both sides of the path going way up over our heads. Lovely. And they smell SO good!

Okay, much to do...I should get going. Adios!

P.S. While proofreading this, I heard the older two. This is the 3rd day in a row of troubled naps. NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ay yai yai. What a morning. It started approximately 45 seconds after David got the kids up. Except I don't know if they were even out of their beds before they started the arguing. About what? Who knows. But I'm pretty sure it wasn't important. =P This has continued all. morning. long. Good grief. Okay, okay. There were breaks in the mayhem. Mostly when Isaac was banished to his bed or Ruby was out walking laps around the garden. WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO THESE KIDS?!?!?! Don't they realize it's summer and lovely outside and blah, blah, blah? =P And then, to top it all off, I spent about 30 minutes getting the kids slathered in sunscreen, getting their sunhats, sunglasses, water bottles, and arm floaties so they could go swimming in their kiddie pool. We go outside and Ruby has such an attitude that I didn't allow her to go in the pool at all. Isaac got in so briefly that I didn't even see him in it, and Jadelyn just walked around playing but wouldn't let me take her arm floaties off. Ha. About the Jadelyn part. Forget the pool this afternoon unless Daddy wants to mess with it. =P Man. It's naptime now, and they'd BETTER be sleeping. I can't hear good 'cause the air conditioners are roaring. =) Maybe I should check. But Ruby and Isaac's door is SO incredibly squeaky. Maybe I'll go outside and peek in their window. That'd be a good option.

More crazy kid stuff I want to remember

When I was putting Jadelyn down for her nap today, she laid there cheezing like an insanely cheezy girl while I gave her her baby, doggie, monkey, bunny, and covered her with her two blankets. That girl is REALLY starting to flaunt her crazy personality. And her sweet personality. After naptime today, she cuddled on my lap, whispering "Mama" or "Mommy" or "Mom" (I don't remember! =O) and then I would whisper "Lynnie" or "Jadelyn" (again...I don't remember. See how bad my memory is? That's why I had to start blogging! =O) back to her, and on and on and on it went. Then, instead of screaming when getting her diaper changed, we had a nice conversation about where her eyes, nose, ears, lips, tongue, mouth, teeth, hair, head, arms, elbows, hands, fingers, knees, legs, feet, toes, and belly were. Some she knew, and some she's still learning. =) Then, I think she was telling me about cutting fingernails or something. She was pulling on my fingernails in an uncomfortable way as she was talking. Yup.

In unrelated news, Ruby and Isaac had a TERRIBLE time going to sleep for naptime today. I hope that it's because their room is HOT and NOT because they're getting ready to give up naps. Please, no!!!! Maybe in ANOTHER 4 1/2 years I'll be ready for that. Or not. =P

More unrelated news: Ruby gets filled up with kisses from Hickory. When we're outside with him, she follows him around with her flat hand held out asking for kisses. Then she "keeps track" (but not really) how many kisses he gives her, and then she divides those kisses in two to know how many kisses she can give David and I. Tonight, we were planting the garden, so Hickory remained in his fence, so she had no kisses to give David and I tonight. Sigh. =P The good news is that she never runs out of hugs, because they come up from her feet. Isaac can only be filled up with kisses from Gram, so it's high time we visit her...he's been out for a while.

Tonight, Isaac declared that he was "full" after eating his partial leftover-from-lunch sandwich in an attempt to avoid supper food, which he doesn't like. Poor kid...his parents didn't fall for that one. =P Ruby declared she was full because she ate a "whole" 1/4 apple and then half of a 1/4 apple. She had more apple to eat, so I don't think she was trying to avoid supper food. =P Why I bother making supper is beyond me! Seriously, it's kinda a waste of my time. But I do like eating, and so does David (and tonight, Jadelyn did, too), so well...guess I should keep on making supper. In other news, I should keep on doing laundry, too...so off I go.

Well, this is it!

Yeah, I finally decided to start a blog. Too much stuff to share on Facebook, and really, I share to help me remember things. Plus this is a WAY easier way of keeping track of it all. So, without further adieu, let me share about today. So far.

Let's see....this morning, I got most of my to-do list knocked right out. Which is good. Then, we headed outside to start planting the garden. 2 hours later, we had 2 rows planted. Of oh, 30 or so rows? Good grief. This could be a l-o-n-g process. Hope the kids are enjoying it. =) I must admit, I do find it incredibly gratifying to watch my kids walking through the garden and yard barefooted, slightly dirty, and ready to help. All 3 kids worked on planting onions, and did a mighty fine job. I was so proud! Ruby and Isaac are getting big enough that I think one of their new jobs will be to pick the strawberries. This is great for me. One, because they love strawberries, so they'll be motivated to do this job, and two, well...it will save my back. Look at me "use" my kids! Ha.

Ruby helped me haul some cages from the barn up to the garden, which is quite a trek, and Isaac? Well, he was going to, but then settled on getting the cages out of the place we keep them in the barn so Ruby and I could haul them. =) On the way to go get some more cages, Ruby wanted to hold my hand, so I (very happily) obliged. I squeezed her hand to give her a "secret message" (I love you), and we talked and had a nice little walk. Then, she got her cage which was about halfway on my trip to the barn, so she picked up her cage and started heading back to the garden, while I continued to the barn. After a little while, Ruby called to me to let me know that she had "caught my message". I hope she always know that I love her, even if her "catching" is a bit delayed. =)

I find it amusing that Isaac uses his sisters to pick up the worms that he wants to collect. They're too wiggly or tickley or something for him. Good thing the girls don't mind helping him out.

Ruby's out-of-the-blue Cayman accent today cracks me up. She's pronouncing her "a"'s funny. Where in the world did this come from, anyways? I love that girl. And her crazy accents. Before, she's only done a southern accent, and then today the Cayman one popped up. What a gal.

At lunch today, Isaac and Ruby were having Jadelyn say different words. This is how it went:

I: "Can you say 'flower'?"
J: "Bowo. (screaming crazy laugh here)"
I: "Can you say 'plate'?"
J: "Pate. (screaming crazy laugh here)"
I: "Can you say 'cup'?"
J "(screaming crazy laugh here)"

Or something like that. You get the picture. Wish I would've gotten it videotaped! Crazy stuff happens at lunchtime, I tell you. Then, when it was time to head off for naptime, Jadelyn was sitting on the couch with the ends of some sunglasses stuck up her nose. That girl is something else.

And one final random note? Isaac is completely random. And I love it. That kid comes up with the most off the wall ideas...and tells them with such an expressive face. Adorable. I love my kids. Wish they weren't so into fighting right now. But this too shall pass??? That's what I try to tell myself, anyways. =P