Random notecards...Dating back a LONG time....

So...I have these notecards on the side of my fridge.  Some are probably over a year old.  Yup.  I'm good like that.  So, I'll do my best to remember what in tarnation they're about.  And if I don't know?  Well, you might just get the snippet that I managed to scribble down.

Jadelyn quote: "Maybe a horsey talking.  Maybe not."  I'd go with the "not" option myself.

Ruby, upon getting up from a nap asked for "just a little after nap cuddle".  Oh, how I love those.  And how I miss those.  Now, she mostly just gets up looking tired and goes about life.  I do sometimes still get the cuddles, but not often.

Ruby, while eating a baked potato with sour cream told us that she'd just gotten a big bite of "Potato cream".  Yumminess!

Ruby has renamed "zerberts".  "Deserberts" they are called. 

David and I were wrestling, and often if I get stuck, I yell for Isaac's help, 'cause he's a good helper for his Mommy like that.  One day, upon coming on the scene, he commanded David, "LET GO OF MY GIRL!!!"  He's such a little hero, that one.  I love you, I-see.

When Isaac grows up, he longs to eat dog food.  Maybe that's where Jadelyn gets her animal food cravings from?

After our vacation in Gatlinburg over 2 years ago, Jadelyn would periodically talk about the trip.  There was a trail we hiked that had a sign about being careful to stay away from the drop-offs on the side of the trail.  Jadelyn's recollection of the sign goes something like this: "People fall off cliff, say, "DANGER!  DANGER!  And the bears run away."  Interesting.

Jadelyn, presumably while acting as the "Mom" to her two older siblings exclaimed, "My kids are so funny I can't even stand them!"  I KNOW THE FEELING!  =)

I think I wrote about this before, but in case I didn't....Isaac was talking to me but I wasn't listening, and had to confess that "my brain was turned off".  Isaac knew just what to say to make me feel better: "That's what I do sometimes!!!"  And now I don't feel so alone.

Jadelyn was having a phone conversation with herself, I believe, when she informed the "party" on the other line something like this: "my husband watns to go on a date, so I can't go to Russia today".  Like it was totally normal to just jet off to Russia any day of the week.  Crazy traveller.

Isaac asked me, "are you older than a million????"  Way to make me feel young, little whippersnapper.  Way to make me feel young.

Jadelyn had a dream that she had to get 59 stitches.  Glad that wasn't reality!  OUCH!!!  =O

One day, Jadelyn asked if she could ride her bike without her helmet.  I foolishly said she could, but only if she rode SLOW and CAREFUL.  She promised she would.  Silly me.  =P  I looked out the window to see that "cautious" and "careful" child popping wheelies and riding like an overall lunatic.  Yai yai yai.  Helmets are back in full swing.
When Jadelyn really likes something, she'll say "I love it to loves".  Just a great little Jadelynism that David and I use for fun, now, too.  "Oh, that food is so yummy, I just love it to loves!"  Ha.

Jadelyn calls bangs "Ruffles".  She likes "Ruffles" and girls with "Ruffles."  Doesn't matter that she's been told that they're "bangs", she likes to call 'em "Ruffles."

In April, I think, we went to a follow-up doctor's appointment for Ruby's hips.  I wasn't happy with the doctor, who didn't want to answer my specific questions, even telling me that "those are just big words" that I was using.  Well, you see, I've become educated through Ruby's whole hip mess.  I told him that I've been blown off by lots of doctors and that I start getting upset when I feel like I'm getting blown off.  He assured me he wasn't blowing me off, and then finally showed us her new x-rays and measured her acetabular indices, which were WORSE than he promised they would be.  Still not horrible, but you know.  I think we'll be finding a new doctor.  I miss our KY doctor, who we had an understanding with - we were done fighting with her.  She understood where we were coming from, saw that we weren't crazy make-up-what-we-think-is-wrong-with-our-child kind of people.  Mutual trust, you know.  =P  Anyways, the night before we went to the appointment, we stayed in a hotel to go swimming.  It was in Phoenix.  But the high was only 60 some degress that day.  I think it was probably the coldest day all year.  ;P  The pool was COLD and the hot tub was out of order.  But, we were there to swim, so swim we did!!!  Crazy northerners.  We also went to Olive Garden.  This is newsworthy because we avoid sit-down-restaurants pretty well.  But the kids did LOVELY.  Just lovely.  Sweet kiddos.  And then after the apointment we went camping.  It was FREEZING.  David was whining about wanting his winter camping honor after suffering through 3 FREEZING nights.  Anyways, there was some good hiking there.  The kids did their longest hike to date - about 7 miles!  Took us hours and hours, but it was lovely.  Crossed a stream over 20 times, I think - so that added to the excitement enough to keep the kiddos going.  They were REALLY tired by the end, but it was hours past lunch time and into naptime, so it all made sense.  But they MADE IT!!!  I was so proud.  I see many good, long hikes in my future!  =) 

In good 'ole Arizona, there just don't be much grass.  But Isaac has a really rare talent.  For, you see, that kid can get grass stains on his pants.  In the desert.  Where from?  Who knows!!!  Maybe they're weed stains.  Or scrub brush stains.  Hmmm....

After Easter, Ruby decided to sell her easter candy to get money to help homeless people.  And so she did.  She made $13 or so.  I was so proud of her.  For not eating her candy, but mostly for wanting to help others and finding a way to do it.  I just LOVE that kid!!!  (She has more candy to sell, if anyone's interested....)

The kids were begging David for some salt water the other day.  Because doesn't EVERYONE enjoy a refreshing glass of salt water?  Anyways, he obliged them.  And then they proceeded to announce how YUMMY it was as they drank it right down.  Where did they come from anyways?!?!?!

Ruby had to have two teeth pulled because she has the Verbrigghe curse and her mouth is too small.  LOUD as all get out, but too small.  So, I sent David with her.  For I was scared that I might get sick.  For I'm a wimp like that.  I was also scared that her threats of screaming and screaming would come true.  (She also threatened to get up at 3am and hide in Hickory's dog house.  Or across the road.)  You see, the dentist said he thought she'd handle it fine, since she was so "mature".  I assured him that's not the case so much when she knows pain will be involved.  He told me that I didn't probably really need to prepare her at all.  But alas, I had told her stories before of when I got teeth pulled, and alas, Ruby has a really good  memory....hence all the threats...=O  Anyways, she settled on dressing up as Isaac to throw the dentist off.  So, she wore Isaac's clothes, put on a bandana to cover her hair up, and right before the dentist came in, she stuck on a fake mustache.  He LOVED it.  So much so that he took a picture of it so he could show his wife.  He e-mailed the picture to David 'cause it is so like David to ask someone he doesn't really know to e-mail him a picture of his own kid!  ;)  The dentist said that Ruby is one of his favorite patients 'cause she's got such personality.  And he only knows a little TEENY part of it!  =)  Anyways, I was totally expecting Ruby to come through the door shortly after her appointment time with all teeth intact, 'cause the dentist had said that if she was upset, they'd just stop.  But no, she came through the door with gauze hanging out of her mouth, looking pale and out of it.  I was honestly shocked.  She couldn't remember if the dentist had given her shots (which was the part she was scared about.)  David said they tried to give her laughing gas, but she started feeling sick right away, so they stopped that.  They just numbed her gums real good, and then the dentist kept the needle so close to Ruby that she never saw it as he gave her like 7 shots.  Crazy kid.  She felt nauseous for a while, but then she was fine.  The next day or so, she spent some time in the 1st through 4th grade class at the school David works at, and met a girl who has to have some teeth pulled and is scared, so Ruby got to reassure her that it's not that bad - just make sure you get the numbing cream - that's some good stuff!!! =)

And the final story!  This morning we were talking at breakfast.  I can't remember what about.  But I CAN remember it had nothing to do with rattlesnakes.  Ruby busted out with, "just wait 'til we're bit by a rattlesnake.  That won't be fun."  Okay, then!!! 

Adios!

VACATION!!!!

Around the middle of March, we went on a "just-us-family" vacation to the Smokies. It was lovely. We took a 12 mile bike ride around Cades Cove that nearly killed David and I (his bike is a TANK and with the 2 kids on it, it was TERRIBLE, and well, we both crashed it one time a piece. When I crashed, it was hard enough that it broke the straps on Jadelyn's seat, and later she was falling asleep and almost fell out of her seat so I had to wake her up, and it got to the point I was having a hard time holding the bike up when I was pushing it. Yeah...I'm out of shape. And that bike is a BEAST. When I had my own bike with just Ruby on it, things were smooth sailing! Mostly. So, we will be needing to buy a new bike and bike seat(s) before our next big excursion. Yai.) Oh, on that bike ride we saw two deer. Ruby, who was on my bike, said something about, "now we just have to look for a bear....................or more deers. I like deers." That kid cracks me up. And no, we didn't see any bears on our vacation, though they got talked about a LOT. =) Really, that crazy bike trip where David was CRANKY and I was tired out was my favorite part of the vacation. Beautiful views, tired patooshies, and kids enjoying the trip. Lovely.

We hiked to 3 waterfalls. The kids are getting to be pretty good hikers! 'Tis sad that with Ruby's surgery, casting, and recovery, it could very well be a year before we hike again. =(

We played in the hot tub at the cabin like loonies. We rode the alpine chalet thingy, watched ice skaters (including the kid who Isaac named the "little man". =D), we rode the carousel over and over and ate ice cream and pretzels and pizza and other not-good-for-you-food. We went to the overcrowded aquarium and a crazy breakfast at Smith's family breakfast where we got charged way more than we thought we would and where people dressed in character outfits kept interrupting our meal. We enjoyed church in Sevierville, and as we were leaving our lovely vacation, David and the kids went on a 1-2 minute helicopter ride. (There were only 4 seats for passengers...and you know...couldn't just leave Jadelyn with a stranger!)

It was such a lovely, relaxing, un-harried week that I just loved it. It is so nice to spend time with the family away from the "to-do list". I was really having a hard time leaving, but you know...real life calls. =P