Observant?

Hailey is so funny. I know that is a broad statement but she is for so many reasons, what I'm thinking of right now is her perception. Every single time we drive by someone who is out for a run she feels the need to tell me 'mommy there's someone going on a run, like you!' Now my sweet, bright articulate child must not be too observant because I haven't gone on a run in 3 months! Every time she says it I think to myself about how I do want that to be something she associates with me, but I have yet to change that. Maybe I need to sign up for another half marathon to get myself motivated...maybe!

When did we get a dog?

No, not really! Come on people don't you know us at all? The other day I was amazed at how willingly Taylor played puppy!



Settled

I am fully aware this was my fault for leaving the temptation out and ever so, well...tempting. In the time it took me to load the washing machine the other night Hailey continued her habit of training Taylor in her way's, the speed and amount of mess she can make in a short period of time should start to feel normal to me, but I am always shocked. I know it could have been worse but seriously, my poor game!

Pardon the poo talk

I could post numerous stories about the kids and going number two, the things that they say in public and around the house everyday, numerous! But I don't, why? Cause it's gross and weird and well it's not very cute. The following is a true back and forth between me and Lincoln tonight and proves why I don't and maybe why I should more...sometimes my kids are so strange!

L:'The poop is kind of like a raincloud to me, like a slimy raincloud'
Me:Blank stare...run out to the computer to write down exactly what he said so I don't forget or change it in my mind and return to him into the bathroom. "So what do you mean Lincoln?"
L:'Oh just that some poop is like the raincloud and some is like the little slimy raindrops'
Me: "Huh"

The end

Uh mom, what's this?

For my sanity and the well being of my children Jer and I have talked about putting up a baby gate from the kitchen to the family room during meal prep times. There is a pocket door there but it's nailed shut and he have yet to free the thing. The little chairs have this magic ability to jump in front of my feet whenever I turn around even if I was just walking in that very spot moments before. Taylor and Hailey especially are obsessed with bringing their little Ikea chairs over to the counter. I've suffered many foot injuries and frustrated outbursts from these little wooden objects sudden and regular appearance.

We've had the gate for a while and gates are pretty foreign to my kids, they've seen them at other peoples houses but we've never had one up in ours. Tonight after Taylor was throwing a fit and I was on my own making dinner I decided to embrace the gate. It was a welcome help, to me at least. The little girls didn't know quite how to feel about it. Actually they were quite offended...want the proof?

Mom, I'm so thirsty! Let me in! (and not at all dramatic right?)

Hmm what do you think, can we go over?

How about under?



Needless to say there was a different sort of chaos in the air tonight. We'll refine how we do this, and everyone will learn the new setup. Don't get me wrong the kids still help me cook, they love it, there is just a time and a place and tonight? My feet were thankful.

Taylor see, Taylor do

Tonight we were all playing and Lincoln's Iron Man ensemble was the toy that landed amidst us all. First adorable little Taylor got on the glove, hand shooter thingy, and mask. She feels like such a big kid doing the things she watches the others do daily. Well then she handed it to me and so I put it on. She thought that was pretty funny, and then I started crawling toward Payden and Lincoln with the little girls in my shadow. They love getting chased and of course Lincoln jumped up to any occasion to protect his sister's from the attacker.

A short time later it was Taylor's turn again and she got on the getup and immediately got on her hands and knees at the same spot I did, and growled her way straight towards Payden and Lincoln...they weren't as threatened by her (maybe it was the adorable nightgown) and we couldn't stop giggling. That Taylor, little copycat!

Emotion!

When I work on Tuesday's Jer watches the kids which works out great, the kids get to spend scheduled time with daddy that everyone loves a lot. Well for the first time Jer is out of town and all the Grandma's, Aunts, and Uncle's are working or have school! So we had to brainstorm on what to do when it finally worked out that Steph and her boys will come have a sleepover with us Monday night and she'll watch all of our kids, this is an option that I am very excited about. It's not all that often that you get to have a sleepover with one of your bestie's once you have kids!

The dilemma for me is always when to tell the kids about something like this. How much in advance so they can look forward to it vs. how much time they will spend asking about when it will happen...it's a tricky equation with kids who lack awareness of time. Steph called tonight and we solidified plans on when she would get over here where everyone would sleep and we shared in our excitement. I had to quickly get off the phone because Hailey was being very Hailey and harassing Taylor. Before I could get to her I turned and saw and heard Payden and Lincoln jumping up and down talking at the same time. Payden was pointing at me with one hand and covering her mouth with the other. "We know what you said mom!" 'Yeah, we know what's happening' "we heard you talking to Steph" "JOEL'S GONNA HAVE A SLEEPOVER", I played into their joy exclaiming how good they are at figuring things out, they are so smart for guessing what the surprise was...and they were beaming, nearly crying they were so happy. I was happy too, it seemed like then was the perfect time to tell them.

So then I go talk with Hailey. Once that is finished I hear Lincoln start crying, I listened for a minute to see if I could tell what kind of situation I was walking into and heard all I needed to know.

I come back into the kitchen and see Lincoln weeping at the counter, well here just watch this (yes I grabbed the camrea, he had no idea)...



My son. This just breaks my heart. He feels everything so fully, with every part of who he is he feels love, joy, happiness, anger, guilt and sadness. He is much more stable now...in fact he's sleeping soundly, and is finally excited again about Joel coming over for a slumber party. I guess I over did it when I gave them credit for 'figuring out the surprise'. I pray for my wonderful son that he would feel freedom in life from claiming things that he doesn't need to own, that Jesus would get the praise for saving him and that Lincoln would run quickly into the arms of his loving Father! My sweet, sweet son, what a treasure!

My $6.27 shopping trip!

Chatterbox

Taylor is talking so much more everyday. It blows my mind. I was heating up some leftover mac and cheese for lunch today and Taylor came in pinched the tip of her nose and said 'pocorn' I looked at her trying to figure out what she was saying and she pointed to the microwave holding her nose again and said 'pocorn'. Then I smelled it too. The microwave still smelled like popcorn from our movie night. Not only is she talkative, she's observant!

New for me

I have many titles and roles in life: child of the most high God, wife, mom, daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, friend, and barista just about cover it. Some I have embodied my whole life, and others have just come about in the last year, but yesterday, for the first time, I became an aunt! Kyle and Gina were blessed by welcoming their first born son and that has changed our whole family from here on out. I have been praying for this little guys arrival and so wish I could be there to meet him, from what I've seen in pictures he has the darkest hair, and I just love him so much already! Just wanted to be a happy braggy aunt who has a picture of her new nephew as the wallpaper on her phone! Here's another one, father and son! Congrats Kyle and Gina we love you guys so much!

The milk hunt

Taylor is obsessed with her milk and if she could have it her way she'd be drinking milk all...day...long! Kind of like how I feel about coffee. This is a typical scene in our house.



Okay I will confess, I tried to re-create the crazy fast way Taylor surfs down the stairs on her belly after we retrieved her cup from her room. She wasn't interested, it annoyed her that I was delaying the enjoyment of her milk she knew was coming. I still thought it was cute enough to include.


I think what happened here is she hit her lip harder than intended when she said thank you and it took her a minute to snap out of it. Then became enamored with the idea of seeing herself on the camera screen. Silly Tay-Tay!

not surprised

Tonight we found ourselves in the ER because Hailey got knocked down in the front room and banged her head on the brick/rock stuff around the fireplace. I was in the other room finishing up clipping coupons minutes away from going and turning off the Pandora station the kids were dancing to. When I heard her start screaming. Now, Hailey has this scream that isn't abnormal but it's very dramatic and she doesn't hold back from using it in the slightest scuffle. So when she came down into the family room with a tiny bit of blood on her face I assumed it was a bloody nose because she just had one yesterday. And then she kept touching the back of her head screaming that Lincoln pushed her down and she was bleeding, and her hands turned BRIGHT red! I jumped up with a trail of blood and children behind me. I couldn't tell where or how big her cut was, but we have never had anything very serious and I assumed this would be the same, but there sure was a ton of blood. I asked Payden to get me a rag because Hailey and I were both quickly covered so my eyes spotted the wound and I couldn't believe it I was watching her head be pumped of it's blood! That may seem like a dramatic statement but it was a dramatic sight. I used my hand while I was waiting for Payden and I just about lost my dinner. My thumb found the gash and I could feel the beating pulse against my skin. Okay I'm getting grossed out thinking about it. Blech.

I know that I'm not the most useful in emergency situations and plenty of you have heard my less than heroic stories to prove my point. I carried her with the blessed rag to hold pressure to stop the bleeding up to get my phone which I tried to grab with my mouth because I was holding Hailey with one hand and the rag with the other, sure enough I pushed it too far back and had to grab it with my bloody hand. Called Tammi, the closest Grandma and burst into tears with all of these beautiful big brown eyes staring at me! Pull it together Heather. Deep breath! She said she was 15 min out but could meet me at the hospital. My child was going to bleed to death in my arms, I was sure of it! I couldn't think, my brain was boggled, my kids looked like ragamuffins in their half dress up-half pajama clad bodies and I didn't want to move my hand from her head. I hung up the phone and called my mom (breaking into blubberdome once again) to see if she could meet me or I don't' know I temporarily forgot I called Tammi, who knows what I was thinking? She said she was on her way. I called Jer who was still at work and the farthest away to be of immediate assistance, who reminded me I had no car to meet all troops I had just called in, a pretty important piece of the puzzle. I then called both moms directing them to my house one, to stay with the 3 non-injured kids and the other to take me and hole-in-the-head-Hailey in to the hospital.

So I waited.

Changed out of my pajama pants and I'm glad I did cause I hadn't realized they were inside out, and into jeans. I got informed by Payden and Lincoln that I didn't look very nice and the other told me I didn't look very pretty. I agreed but was making an exception to leave the house without makeup (something that rarely happens) to save my daughters life! Pardon the melodramatics, it is in reality how I felt at the time! Not my normal state of mind at all but you're getting a glimpse into the mind of 'freaking out' Heather. I overheard Lincoln tell Payden that he felt like he was about to cry! Which got me going again. My sweet son and the reason this was all happening in the first place, but still, my sweet son! In all of that, Jer beat us there! And that is when I finally calmed down. I think my freak out was intensified because I realized I was alone, with no way of fixing her immediately! It was terrifying! All of these pictures are from our phones because we obviously didn't think quickly enough to grab the camera. Hailey covered in blood while we were registering.
In the waiting room. She loved her anklet. We were very traumatic looking both of us covered in blood from our clothes to our skin! I can still smell it...I could never be a nurse or Dr that deals with blood regularly!

Wearing her cool 'headband' that held the topical numbing stuff (I literally can't think of what it's called right now! I guess it is 12:49AM and I worked this morning at 6) After her 'skin went to sleep' as the Dr put it, they washed out her wound and her hair. We said she looked like Ariel cause her hair was so red...she LOVED that!

All cleaned up ready for more numbing stuff, seriously why can't I think of what it's called?

When the Dr gave her the extra shot she did awesome they didn't have to strap her down or anything she got to sit on my lap the whole time and held my hand and just barely started to clench her muscles when they finished.

Three stitches later and she is all ready to go.

Later she told us that it started stinging when they did the stitches. It was a strangely fun (albeit expensive) night, Hailey with just mommy and daddy, till 11:30 when we got home. The Dr. was really sweet he said she was his best patient all night and he didn't want to discharge her because she was so delightful...we weren't surprised. It could only have gone that well with her...she is so lovely and all sowed up, good as new!

family movie night

The kids and I saw Toy Story 3 in the theaters when it came out and they received it as a gift for Christmas. I loved it and totally cried in the theater, it was an excellent movie full of heart, humor, a bittersweet story about growing up and was a great stand alone movie even though it was a sequel. Last night we watched it as a family as Jer hadn't seen it yet. It was fun just snuggling together as a family and enjoying our special movie night dinner.

I love our little family!

And for the record I totally cried while watching it again.

tickets? who needs 'em?

-I started this post a while ago and just now got it all down. I'm sure I forgot minor details I was trying really hard to remember but either way, I'm glad I have this all down.-

I love my ducks!

Our flight down to Arizona was fun and full of Duck fans, Jer started the Go Ducks cheer that we do in Autzen and a guy at the front of the plane stood up and directed the cheer, slightly unnecessary but it added to the excitement. And then when we landed someone played the fight song on their phone and we all clapped and cheered. You could feel the tension/excitement in the air.

We hit up In-N-Out on our way to Jammi's and crashed.

Waking up Sunday was delightful we enjoyed the uninterrupted nights sleep even though we went to bed late. As we drove to church in the sunshine we totally felt like we were on vacation.

Don't palm tree's just scream vacation to you? They do me!

And we got excited seeing all the Duck fans flying their flags on their cars, as well as Auburn.

They knew we were here!

After church at Open Door Fellowship(where John Lynch an author of TrueFaced go and he will be the speaker at Men's Round-Up this year) we enjoyed some delicious sandwiches and this sign they had in their shop was really funny to me.

Off we went to Scottsdale to meet up with Tammi, Cody, Aunt Paula and Steph for the pep rally. While we were waiting in line to get in we ran into Matt and Amy Augee...such a small world! There were so many people that showed up for the rally! They had to go up on the parking structure across the street to be able to see.There were performances from Sebastian Bach, and Supwitchagirl, appearances from Ahmad Rashad, Peter Jacobson, and Joey Harrington he said that he would trade all 8 years in the NFL for just one more game at Autzen! And of course there was Chip Kelly. Chip said a few classic chipisms, 'if you believe in karma you're playing in the Tostita bowl and your coaches name is Chip' 'reduckulous' and right when he walked off stage he said 'and I'm not giving any refunds'.


Sunny and beautiful and the buzz was in the air! Everyone was getting pretty antsy for it to just be game time already!
Game Day! Stephanie was wonderful and dropped us off by 11 on game day she only lives about 10 min away so that was a pretty sweet setup! We walked around, scoped out the ticket scalping area, and pretty much just got the lay of the land. Got some coffee and relaxed for a bit before going back by the scalping area some more.

You see the screen over my left shoulder with the plane on it? That is where the showed the game later and we also made it on the screen a couple times that morning!

OOOOOOOOO

The whole area was really nice, there were restaurants, fountains, sun, and lots of fans. They had a restaurant that was only for Auburn fans and one for only Oregon as well. Everything else was fair game. Except for the center of the courtyard, you had to pay twenty bucks to get in there. Hey look, there we are on the screen again! Needless to say, we enjoyed ourselves.

The last time we went by the scalping corner I was floored by how many people were there! And I witnessed an Auburn fan cough up 3800 cash for two tickets and hour before the game! That's the thing, there were tickets, it just depends on how much you wanted to spend. And we were not willing to spend that much at all!
We had a great time cheering on our Ducks. We tried our hardest to get tickets to the game but even at halftime they were asking for 1500 a piece! That's way more than Jer and I set for our limit for both tickets combined! So we cozied up at Margaritaville and watched it on the big screen just down the street from the stadium. We were surrounded by some excited but very kind Auburn fans. Obviously the outcome wasn't what we were hoping for but it was a great trip and like Jer said "we'll be back".

Scary Hippo?

Tonight we were sitting in the front room doing the bedtime routine with the kids. The rule is if you disobey after a warning you go to bed before we're done. Taylor is typically in bed before we're done. Tonight Hailey had to leave early. I cuddled with her for a bit while she tried to convince me she should stay awake. After I tucked her in and went back downstairs she cried for a little while then stopped, and was quiet for a bit. And then, all of a sudden, she started screaming and crying from her room and came to the top of the stairs. I hear her say 'mahhhhmeeeeeEEee! there was a sssscaaarrryyyyy hih hih hih hippooohhhhh' What? Payden, Lincoln, Jer and I all look at each other none more confused than the next. So off we go, big kids headed to bed and I scoop Hailey up to tuck her back in bed. Trying to figure out what she was talking about. As I tuck her in I see this book in her bed.

And she sits up frowning/pouting telling me the scary hippo was in here. I asked her to show me. So she starts flipping through looking up nervously at me after every page. Until we get here. She says 'mommy see the scary hippo?' Yep I see it!

Boom

No wonder she was freaked out to the point of tears in her dark room by herself...that is one scary hippo! So I explained that hippo's aren't anywhere near us and then we prayed and now she's sleeping soundly. I'm just not sure how I'll sleep, that thing is frightening!

Thirty

There goes my husband into his thirties! Crazy. I've known this handsome guy for nine of those thirty years and only really well for the last seven but who's counting? I look forward to the day the scales tip and I've known him for more than half his life. But this I'm sure of, he's my favorite person! We had a fun day, birthday boy had to work but his meetings he'd been in were around our neighborhood and ended right around lunch. So for the first time in a long while we got to spend a workday lunch together...that was probably my favorite part of the day, I just love him. Then we picked him up from work at the end of the day since we only have one car, headed out for pizza (something he'd been wanting for a while) and then home for a scavenger hunt of cards from the kids and Grandma Kari that ended with caramel corn they made specially for daddy. I don't know who was funnier to watch through the hunt, Jer or Payden! That girl loves surprises and couldn't contain her constant giddiness...it was perfect. And then we all enjoyed some Red Velvet (Jer's favorite) Cake Balls!

I thought I would compile a list of thirty things I love about my husband, in no particular order.
So pardon my gushing.
1. His love for the Lord
2. How he enjoys the pool/all things sunny
3. His smile
4. That deep from within belly laugh he gets that's super contagious, it doesn't show up constantly but when it does you can't help but laugh with him and then you don't know if you're laughing at what was initially funny, or his laugh.
5. His care for our kids
6. His loyalty
7. His leadership in all areas -I could break this down to so many categories but that would take up reasons!
8. His rear! What? I do!
9. His storytelling
10. How when he's focused on something he's working on the tip of his tongue sticks out
11. His penmanship
12. The way he looks at me
13. His attention to details
14. His romanticality :)
15. His cleanliness (even though I lack in that area often)
16. His mild OCD tendencies
17. His appreciation for food
18. His love for a good deal
19. How he thinks I'm funny
20. His hugs -he gives the best hugs
21. His love for his family
22. His gift of financial organization
23. His creativity
24. His constant G207, okay this might fit in slight OCD tendencies but whatever
25. His enjoyment of the Discovery and History channels even though I don't particularly love them myself
26. How he loves Disneyland as much as I do!
27. How he paces when he's on the phone, or has to go to the bathroom
28. That he's gifted in decorating
29. How he cares for people that are hurting
30. His passion for speaking the gospel to people.

That is far from an exhaustive list and I don't want to go over it too much because then I'll get overwhelmed at what I want to include instead of the things that came to mind. So there you have it. Happy Birthday to my wonderful Jeremy John!

Blank

On our flight down to Arizona for the BCS National Championship game I sat between my handsome husband and Matt Zaffino! Yep, our local KGW Chanel 8 weatherman! As I sat down I looked at Jer with wide eyes as if saying 'do you see who I'm sitting next to?' and he just chuckled silently with such amusement, probably thinking 'my wife is so strange'.

I get ridiculously starstruck whenever I see someone famous whether at a distance or face to face and this was no exception. I know, I know, local weatherman, it's not like he's in the tabloids or anything, it doesn't matter. From the moment I saw he was sitting right next to me I was trying to think of something clever, or funny, or memorable to say...why? 'Cause, Jer's right, I am strange and care for some reason! Even when, eventually, my eyes couldn't stay open due to the Dramamine I took for motion sickness, I couldn't let myself fall asleep. What if I snored or drooled or touched him on accident? Unacceptable! Our flight was two and a half hours long and we only chit chatted (if you can call it that) for a total of probably 8 min, if that. He was in debate on whether to take a nap or methodically read his newspapers, open and shake/flick it at the spine and fold it back in quarters, one quarter at a time until he finished. And that was the flight.

Jer and I got on the plane at different times, I was finishing dinner in the airport and he got on the plane. I didn't find out till later that, apparently, he doesn't care or recognize a "famous" person, and I use the term loosely, when he sees one! It only came out after they were chatting about if Mr. Zaffino was neutral about the game because Jer noticed that he was the only person on the plane not broadcasting their Duckcitement. :) Eventually he put it together and vocalized (something I struggled with so badly) that he looked familiar. All in all I felt like it was a pretty good story! I sat next to Matt Zaffino and helped him make the ever important decision of whether or not to wait for the beverage cart to go by to use the lavatory, look at me being helpful to a famous person!

Smart girls

Jer and I had such a great time in Arizona but we sure missed the kids while we were gone! Driving home with them from my parents house we went by a tiny bit of construction on a side road and the workers had their slow signs down as we creeped by the cones and trucks. The questions started flying as to how I knew when I could go, why I was driving in the other lane, why I waved at the guy holding the sign, and all of them came at once I'm not sure who said what. After I finished explaining that they were there to tell me the new rule on when to go Payden killed me. The seriousness on her face was like none I've seen before as she formed her thought "mom...so, here, a thought just came into my head! Do you want to know what it is? Okay it's this, I think that you and me are very smart!" 'Oh yeah?' "Yeah, do you want to know why?" (Yes she often starts her stories or comments with questions, we're trying to break her of that habit) 'Why?' "Because I figured out that when police lights are going off it's cause they're letting people know they are coming to help them, and you figured out that new rule!"

I have been soaking them all in. Their expressions the look in their eyes, their observations, their explanations, everything, I have missed my kids! Life is good!

Oh and more posts to come from the weekend, we couldn't get the internet working at Jammi's house but I've got some started from my phone, we'll see when I can get them finished...probably after bedtime!

Batman starts with a B

Jer thought it would be fun to expose Lincoln to the wonderful world of the oldschool Batman show. And he was right, Lincoln loved it. This morning I was sitting with Taylor and when the 'BAM' "POW" "WHACK" fight scene came up Lincoln got into it like I've never seen. I apologize for the poor lighting in this video. I, of course, didn't grab my phone soon enough for you to see him cheering on batman like he was ready to pounce, you get the idea but he was too funny!

She's more like Hailey than I thought!

The kids were playing upstairs...a normal occurrence in this house, while I was in the kitchen. And then I heard it, a boom, and not a boom I've heard before, then she started crying and I went sprinting upstairs. Wondering where could she have fallen from that made such a loud noise?

The ladder to the loft. My poor baby was crying laying on the ground by the ladder! As I scooped her up in my arms Payden informed me loudly and urgently that none of them did anything but Taylor's hands were on the carpet at the loft at the TOP OF THE LADDER!!!!!!!!! It still makes me sick thinking about it as I'm typing this, maybe I should have waited a few days gotten a little separation. I can't believe it! I had the cuddliest baby ever though for the rest of the night and you better believe I cuddled the snot right out of her. And snot she had cause we're a big snotty congested mess in this house but I gave her all the snuggles she wanted.

Ah I still can't believe it. She has no limits to what she'll do trying to be with the big kids. My sweet bold Taylor Jo has a bruise on her right thigh, her right ankle and a scrape in the crook of her neck on the right side of her face. Ugh, just awful. So awful. Tonight when Payden was recounting for Jer what happened she said 'mommy came so fast, but not fast enough cause she didn't catch her' then Lincoln 'mommy you didn't' catch her'. It was one of those many moments I wish I had a super power of speed or going back in time to save her from the pain. I know it will not be the last time one of my children feels pain, but I think about how fantastic it would be to save them from pain, and not just the physical. It is scary to think about the trials in life they will face that I can't shield them from or simply take on so they don't have to. So it is a reminder to me to continue to cover my children in prayer and snuggle the snot out of them when they need it.

The sticker says it all

There are plenty of times since I've been a parent that I don't know how badly my kids are hurt. When Lincoln fell the other day and hurt his hand I didn't know it was serious until I saw how swollen his fingers were. We finally decided to take him in and get an x-ray just because it was swollen and we had know way of knowing (even though it was unlikely) if it was broken and I couldn't for the life of me remember if his finger always looked crooked or that was a recent development. So long story short and a few hours later he's in the clear. He did awesome and was absolutely stoked to get a picture of his bones.

Perfectly perfect and not broken

D is for dinosaur...showing off the hat he made at school.

Got a cool sticker along the way

That glowed in the dark like his x-ray! He was so proud.

Last night when he was going to bed he prayed and it was so funny. "Father God, help me not have bad dreams. It was really cool getting to see my bones today. I've never got to see my bones and I really like to see my bones, thank you for letting me see my bones, I didn't know what my bones looked like and it made me happy to see get to see my bones. Amen"

Silly question

My mom came over this afternoon so I could run to the store.

After she left I asked the kids "did you guys have fun with Grandma?"
Payden's quick and cheerful response, 'How could we ever not?'

Well silly me!

Why I don't talk on the phone much

It is hard for me to have a phone conversation when the kids are awake. They sense my lack of attention as soon as they hear the phone ring and it tends to be an uphill battle from there. Trying to parent and be a good conversationalist, talk about an oxymoron. I know every mom out there knows what I'm talking about, kids have a sixth sense when it comes to mommies on the phone.

Tonight my mom called and within a minute I was giggling at the utter chaos that engulfed me. Granted, it didn't help that when she called I had just gotten rashy bottom Taylor out of the tub and was trying to keep her in the bathroom to air out her toosh without making a mess on the carpet. Also trying to multitask and clean the bathroom while the three big kids were running around the house playing together...yeah that didn't last long. Lincoln fell on his hand, I assumed he was tired, he cries easily when he's tired. So the phone rings, about a minute into the conversation I'm trying to hear my mom over Lincoln's whimpers at my feet.

Here is a glimpse of my, oh I would say minute and a half, case and point as to why I don't talk on the phone much. Yes I added to the hullabaloo by taking pictures while on the phone...this silly blog runs through my mind especially when I question if this is really happening to me.

Where I started the conversation. 5:27pm I turn and see Taylor has escaped, as she looks to the ground I realize she's about to foil my plan for keeping the carpets clean I scoop her up and plop her on the toilet...she was only interested and no she didn't use it. But we tried 3 different times. And here comes 'Blow horn' doing who knows what with that cord...but I don't like that look in her eye. Actually, I kind of love it but sometimes it does scare me. Go put your pants on! Oh were you running from climber girl with her own look in her eye? Lincoln was no longer at my feet so I walk in to see how he's doing and he looks pitiful (and not at all appriciative of having his picture taken) because he can't use his hands to build with the Lego's...after all was said and done I really think he sprained it to some degree. Payden caught on to the fact that I was taking pictures and decided to add to the variety and climb and cheese at me.
And Hailey was convinced that she suddenly lost the ability to put on her own pants.
5:29pmAnd this is tame, I just happened to be in the middle of it, usually they go silent and conspire against me with some mess somewhere. Tonight it was just a bit of chaos. Sorry Mom if I seemed distracted...I know that you of all people totally understand :)

Did you know I love God?

Lincoln is not the big talker in our family but when you get him alone he has a lot to say, there just isn't anyone racing or competing to be heard because when that happens he usually takes a back seat and let's Payden talk away. My handsome son woke up first from nap today and came down to chat. The hard part for me is changing my pace of interaction with him, when I remember to do that he says some of the most amazing things.

L: Mom, do you know I love God?
Me: I do actually Lincoln
L: *heartfelt smile
Me: What do you love about Him?
L: That he saved us. (pause) That Jesus died for us. (pause) And that he made the whole world. (pause) (pause) (pause) And that he made food!!! (long pause/content smile) Did God make food with sugar?
Me: *unsure nod not knowing where he was going with this
L: (enthusiastically and like he's in on a secret) But sugar is not healthy for us!

He has been obsessed with knowing what has sugar in it lately and I love how everything he thinks about goes back to God. This boy is something special, and I just adore him!

Really?

I have gotten really into the whole couponing thing as I have mentioned before, but with the holidays and everything I really was slacking on my commitment. Well this week I bought a bunch of papers because we were promised lots of coupons and I got them all clipped and organized before dinner Sunday night, I must say it's a new record for me. When I clip coupons I'm not a 'clip everything just in case' kind of girl, or even 'save the whole insert just in case' kind of girl...which means that I miss some deals because the things I throw away end up being pretty worthwhile. Which brings me to this post and why I felt the need to preface it with that little explanation.

I get online this morning to check and see if there are any creative ways to use my coupons and sure enough there is a fantastic deal on dishwasher detergent and even more perfect I threw those 6 coupons I had for it in the recycling last night...naturally. Sigh, I'm such a dork. And wouldn't you know it Jer was on top of being wonderful and remembered to take the garbage and recycling out because today happens to be our garbage day. Oh the dilemma...do I dig through my own recycling (at least it's not the garbage right? right!) to save a buck (more like 11.25, but who's counting?), or let it go because we don't NEED dishwasher detergent right now. I debated with myself for probably over an hour assuming that the recycling guy came already and not wanting to be seen by the neighbors rifling through my own trash.

Callie came by to pick up her pack 'n play and said she wouldn't judge me...yet still I resisted. After she left I figured, I might as well just check and see if he came or not. So I bundle up because it is literally freezing outside and lift the lid. Jackpot, still there all my couponing remains scattered nicely on top of flattened cardboard...too bad my stumpy legs wont allow my equally short arms to reach in swiftly and rescue my precious savings. Internal debate...do I bring my step stool out to the curb? What if they come while I'm out here...that would be just too embarrassing. So I wheel the massive container into the garage and grab my handy stepladder and look through the pages 6 at a time. A minute or two in I hear it...the rumbling of the trucks...but how far away are they? There's no way to tell....faster Heather, faster! Am I seriously doing this? What is wrong with me? Well I'm committed now! And around the corner it comes...are you kidding me?! At least I had the forethought to face the back of the bin to the street and prop the lid up so it blocks what I'm doing but sure enough right when I find my treasure I peek up through the crease of the lid and see he's already past us...drats! I run inside to call and recount my story to Callie (hands still fuh-reezing cold) when I realize it in fact was not the recycling man but the garbage...fantastic, I can't describe the weird sense of relief I felt. I hang up the phone and calmly, the couponing freak I now realize I am, walk my recycling back outside and then bring in my empty garbage can like a totally normal person.

I went on to get the deal .75 per container! And I was 'that person' who cleaned out the store's stock. So after I get the two coupons that should be coming my way I wont have to buy dishwasher detergent for over a year!

In a Galaxy Far Far Away

That's right Star Wars. Lincoln has been obsessed with Star Wars, or what he knows of it, for about a year now. His friend Elijah has watched it and has toys and knows the names of all the characters so Lincoln has picked most of his knowledge up there. Darth Vader is Varth Bader to my dear son. Until tonight. We have promised the watching of Star Wars for when he's older and I thought I would be the one embarking on that journey with him because of Jer's extreme dislike or lack of appreciation for the whole science fiction genre as a whole. Well tonight...right now actually, after borrowing all the movies from Cody, Jer sits on the couch about 20 minutes into the story, and Lincoln is convinced Luke is really Anakin and they're just pretending his name is Luke, we'll see how much he really follows it I guess. But I was shocked when Jer told me he wanted to watch them together...Payden and Hailey are riveted too...I never would have guessed. I have to say I'm enjoying it too cause I haven't watched the older ones in a long time. One thing is for sure, this daddy loves his kids something fierce!

2010 In Review

Well in saying goodbye to 2010 I thought it would be fun to review it in pictures. Here are some, and certainly not all, of the things that happened this last year.

My last baby crawled right on out of babyhood and straight into toddler hood!It's okay though because a few friends had babies of their own! Peter and April welcomed Benjamin Daniel.Spent time with friends I cherish! (Not all are pictured here ;))Took unseasonably warm walks for the last time around camp as residents there :(I got crafty making tutu's for the girls...and flower hair clippies.Chris and Sharon welcomed Gavriel ZionNathan and Alissa were blessed with the beautiful Zoe JoyWe lounged our last at our house at TadmorThe kids helped lead worship for the first time on Mother's DayI discovered I really like making cool birthday cakes for my kids.

photo by Gobias Media http://www.gobiasmedia.com/

My baby turned 1!We moved our fridge...and everything else. Bought our first house!Ken and Linsea welcomed Johnny Danger

We had our first pool party.

Hailey found out Uncle Kyle and Aunt Gina are going to have a baby!

Lincoln found out Uncle Kyle is going to be a daddy!

Markie graduated High School

We slept at Tadmor as guests not residents

The big kids went to their first broadway show...The Lion King

Uncle Kyle and Aunt Gina came to visit

The kids experienced Trails End for the first time...and couldn't get enough!I did my first team triathlon.

Most of the family was together!

I went to Women's Camp as a camper.And we did everything campers do and loved it.

Uncle Kyle couldn't get enough of the kids so he came back! Or it was for his 10 year High School reunion.

The kids that could write their name got their first library cards.

Payden and Lincoln started pre-school... And then went and turned 5
I completed my first half-marathon!

We cheered our Ducks into the National Championship!The kids went trick-or-treating for the first time! Amy and Chris got married!Missy came and visited...twice :)I got to spend Thanksgiving with my Grandma for the first time in my life. Hailey Bean turned 3
And we spent our first Christmas in our new house.

Other key moments, Jer turned 29, I ran my first 5k, I turned 27, and we celebrated 6 wonderful life-changing years of marriage.

Every year I'm blown away at how fast it went by and at how much life happened. This coming year I'm looking forward to becoming an Aunt for the first time and going to the National Championship game, and that's about as far ahead as I can think right now. But I know that in this seemingly ordinary life, Christ makes it anything but that. We want to continue to live out life loving our God and his people and we get blessed along the way by being a part of His plan. I know that the most mundane things can be used beautifully and radically so it is with excitement that I look forward to all the life we will get to live this year.