More turtle adventures....

The turtle adventure continues. Today, the kids had the turtle, in it's basket, up on the desk watching a slideshow of pictures with them. When I asked Isaac to take him off the desk, Isaac informed me that if he did, the turtle couldn't see the pictures. Ah-ha! So THAT'S what he was doing up there! =) Last night, David brought the Rabbit cage up to the house, so the turtle has got some more stretching room when we're outside or when the kids are sleeping. I feel bad for the little guy (girl?). It really just wants to GO. It's planned departure from our family is tonight. I hope it all goes well.

Jadelyn is sick. She was acting perfectly normal all morning...well, I guess she wasn't screaming as much as usual...=O...but, well, she felt hot. So I finally got her temperature taken just before naptime and it's 100.9. She got her medicine, which she LOVES. Where does that child get her love of medicine from? Not from her Mommy, you can be sure.

Jadelyn is now praying by herself. It normally goes something like this: "Thank you fooorrr.....turtle, Didic, Wooby, Mama, Daddy, Lynnie, Wooby, Mama, Lynnie, Wooby, Didic, Daddy, Wooby, food...Amen". Crazy gal.

Man, they age QUICK!

Ruby used the word "opportunity" twice in her morning worship prayer. Correctly, even. Wow.

Today, all three kids have been having way too much fun with the turtle that again came into our lives. We set it free once. It's back. David found it under the grape vines yesterday. We can tell it's the same one, 'cause there's a big 'ole dent/chunk-taken-out-of it's shell. It's not afraid of us anymore. It keeps it's head and legs out all the time. Even when the kids are shrieking with delight (or another sort of shrieking, I'm assuming, though I haven't watched the turtle during those times), or when they are petting it's head/legs, and even when they pick it up. During the latter mentioned time, in fact, it stretches out it's oh-so-long (and purple stained neck (from the berry it ate this morning)) neck like it's trying to stroke their arms with it's head. Precious. As long as it doesn't poop again. 'Cause that STUNK. I digress. Today the turtle has been carried around the house - in a basket, as well as in hands. It has sat on a chair at the dining room table for both meals (in a basket). It's been transferred back and forth and forth and back and back and forth, and...you get the idea...from the big bin to the little basket. It has played in water in the new garbage pail outside, went for several walks in the grass, had several rides in the wheelbarrow, been jumped over (I put a kabosh on that one), was about to go down the slide (yes, I also put the kabosh on that one), has been in the sandbox, and oh, boy, I'm sure I missed some. Oh, yeah. It got hit. Jadelyn had to take a trip around the garden for that one. Oh, and it MAY have gotten it's legs pulled. For which Ruby has lost turtle privileges until Daddy gets home. Isaac thinks that it's a good thing that Daddy gave him the turtle, 'cause he takes good care of it, and the girls are mean to it. Isaac also thinks we should always keep the turtle 'cause it kept them from getting out too many toys this morning, hence making their pick-up time easier. =)

The kids normally play that they are Mommy and Daddy and Baby. But today, suddenly, Ruby and Isaac were "Grandma" and "Grandpa". My, how they age!

Isaac's birthday presents...

Isaac informed us at lunch today that he will have all he wants by the time he is 7...or 8. Because he thought of one more thing today that he wants. You see, Isaac has his birthday presents all figured out until he's that age. When he turns 5, he wants a garden sprayer. You know, like the ones you use to kill weeds with. He plans on using it as a water bottle. When he turns 6, he wants the sprinkler with the arms that flap around. Though it will be "cold". At age 7, he desires a big black canning pot, because what kid wouldn't want one of those? =) And at age 8, he wants a "slide". I think he's talking about the inflatable pool with inflatable slide that he saw at Wal-Mart today. Kid cracks me up. What other kid desires weed sprayers and canning pots? Well, Ruby wants a garden sprayer now, too. There you have it.

Garage Sale-ing AGAIN! =)

This morning, the kids and I headed out garage sale-ing. We were gone for about 2 and a half hours, and only hit two garage sales. But we hit it BIG. Good prices, great clothes in awesome condition, and helpful kids! =) The kids took turns taking our finds up to the tables at the garage sales. What helpers! And it was really nice that they didn't get in to much at all. The guy at the first place commented (after we were there an hour? or so) that I had done a really good job. Thanks, sir! Comments like that from strangers are few and far between, and I really appreciate it. What a happy time we had! But BOY, was it ever HOT!!! =O

Why is it?

That when one sees a sleeping baby, the instinct is to leave it sleeping and admire their angelicness, but when Mommy tries to sleep (or even pretend sleeps), and kids come upon it, their instinct is to try to wake the Mommy up? Just wondering.

Garden of Eden?

Last night, we were out picking berries. By "we", I mean mostly David and I...and Jadelyn helped quite a bit. Ruby and Isaac probably helped some, too, but they were pretty busy tunneling under the blackberries, and running down the "aisle" between the blackberries and raspberries - giggling and crashing like crazies on the ground (staining up their clothes good in the process, I might add. Mostly Ruby. We talked about that today. Because I have problems with things like that. =P) Anyways, there are these HUGE beetle things that buzz at our heads and such as we pick the berries. They like to eat the berries, those beetles do. Good thing they share - like 4 or 5 of those nasty boogers on a berry. 'Cause if they went around sucking juices out of more berries instead of sharing, I would REALLY dislike them. (Side note...a positive thing about the beetles is that they are so big that they create wind when flying away from the berries. And when it's hot, that breeze is nice. You wanna take some beetles home with you to cut down on your air-conditioning bills now, don'tcha? =D) Anyways, this was David's first experience with the beetles. I'm quite sure he screamed (high-pitched and everything) when some came at him. He said he couldn't handle being in the army, 'cause it was stressful enough with the beetles attacking him. Or something like that. And he wasn't impressed with the sun shining in his eyes, either. =P Well, we were working along, when all the sudden, my complaining husband commented that it was peaceful looking for berries - in the evening, and with the giggling kids, it was like "the Garden of Eden". Huh. With buzzing beetles divebombing our heads and giggling children added? That guy is crazy.

Oh! Another random Isaac note. I think it was at lunch yesterday, and Ruby was telling me how she can't marry Isaac because they're brother and sister, and it's against the "law". She wanted to know why. Ever tried to explain genetics and such in 4-year-old language that won't present itself wrongly in a public setting later when they feel like sharing their grand knowledge? =P Anyways, then they were talking about if they wanted kids. And out of the blue, Isaac starts talking about sprinklers that we saw at Dollar General the other day. It looks like a bug, and the water squirts out of it's floppy hands. The kid is so random. And I love him. Still. =)

Weekend visitors! And other stuff...

This weekend, Ardi, Philip, and Hughes came to visit. I much enjoyed myself! Probably too much. I didn't get much sleep. ;P Anyways, it was just lovely. I am so very blessed to have such wonderful friends. Friends that you can pick right up with right where you left off last time you saw them. Friends that encourage you and point you Upward. Friends that my kids LOVE. =) Ruby pretty much sat on Hughes' lap any time she could: at church, during worship, after Ruby was done eating...you get the point. And Isaac sat on Ardi's lap as much as his "shyness" would allow. I loved watching them. My kids have good taste in making friends, you know!

After they all left yesterday morning, we headed to the lake to swim. The water was lovely, there were only two other people at the beach most of our time there, and it was just nice and relaxing. Ahhh...I do so love swimming!

Today it was back to the "exercise doctor". I'm still alive. The car ride is just long and the kids tend to get cranky in public restrooms. Rats. =P At least they were only cranky in ONE today instead of the lately TWO. =P

And Ruby was sucking her thumb so loudly at naptime that I thought she and Isaac were in there partying. But no. When I swung the door open expecting to find two sheepish faces pointing at each other in blame, I instead found two sleeping angels. That tricker!

Oh! And our Sabbath School lesson is about Little Maid, who was a happy helper. So we're trying to keep track of the "happy helper" times the kids have. The great thing is that for some reason, this motivates the kids, so they're being nicer. As long as this doesn't turn into a competition - "I have more things written on my sheet of paper than you do!" =O