Tonight I'm brushing Jack's teeth before bed and he keeps looking at me funny - - finally I ask "okay dude, WHAT are you looking at?" He responds "You have some funny black stuff under your eye." So I start wiping, thinking it's day-old mascara and he says "nope. still there - all around your eye." At which point Mark starts laughing and says "Jack, there's nothing there - that's what happens to mommy's eyes when she gets tired." NICE. Nice. Guess I've been a little too busy. Or not getting enough sleep. Or I need to invest in a different brand of eye cream. Or all of the above. At least from here on out, I can count on Jack to point out the various flaws on my face. 'Cause I was worried I wouldn't have anyone to do that. Whew.
And here's Noah's latest funny - last night part of our devotional was about Adam and Eve, and how God created Eve from Adam's rib so that he would have a helper and wouldn't be alone, etc. At the end, one of the review questions asked "Why did God create Eve?" and Noah says "Because Adam needed a servant!!!" Oh. Oh my. I was concerned for a brief second until he dissolved into laughter. Thinkin' he was funnn-ny.
The devotion ended with Adam and Eve getting booted out of the garden. Noah then proceeded to inquire why we didn't cover the part where an angel guarded the garden on the east side with a flaming sword so no one could get to the tree. Huh? "Read it." he says. I keep reading and sure enough - somehow I've never read that part before, or have long since forgotten.
Oh what you can learn from kids. Wow. That they are able to teach/remind us about things in the bible amazes me. The black stuff around my eyes . . . umm, not so much.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Bunkbed Resolution!
I know you've all been anxiously waiting. This is totally riveting stuff. Something to occupy the brain during these long winter days . . . what are those Happy Campers going to do about the bunkbed question???
Let's end the suspense.
We're getting the bunkbeds. Coya, we went with a solution close to what you suggested - thank you, dear! The bunkbeds are going in Jack's room - he has better walls for the arrangement. Twin on top for Jack, full on bottom for Noah. However, we ALSO got a full size bed for Noah's room, for those days when they are on each other's last nerve, for when one of them is sick, etc. This also provides another bed for guests, so we feel like we found a win-win situation. Whew. Crisis averted.
Now, however, I need to do a major reorganization of their bedrooms before the new furniture arrives. Uggh. It's long overdue, though. We have a ton of stuff that needs to GO, so in the end this will be a good thing. I just need to get myself fired up . . .
We had a great Valentine's Day weekend - starting with helping out at the party in the kids classroom on Friday. These kids are a riot. It was great. That would be Noah in front with the carrot sticking out of his mouth. I've obviously taught the kid good manners.
Let's end the suspense.
We're getting the bunkbeds. Coya, we went with a solution close to what you suggested - thank you, dear! The bunkbeds are going in Jack's room - he has better walls for the arrangement. Twin on top for Jack, full on bottom for Noah. However, we ALSO got a full size bed for Noah's room, for those days when they are on each other's last nerve, for when one of them is sick, etc. This also provides another bed for guests, so we feel like we found a win-win situation. Whew. Crisis averted.
Now, however, I need to do a major reorganization of their bedrooms before the new furniture arrives. Uggh. It's long overdue, though. We have a ton of stuff that needs to GO, so in the end this will be a good thing. I just need to get myself fired up . . .
We had a great Valentine's Day weekend - starting with helping out at the party in the kids classroom on Friday. These kids are a riot. It was great. That would be Noah in front with the carrot sticking out of his mouth. I've obviously taught the kid good manners.
Friday night we went the boys' basketball game - 2nd one of the season. We are totally hooked. It is SO fun to watch these kids - they have two FANTASTIC coaches and a neat group of kids. It's just totally entertaining.
That's Noah with the ball. Our guys won the game with a shot that only happens in the movies. At the every end of the game, we were down by 1 point and one of our guys launched the ball right at the buzzer . . . and made the shot. We were on our feet going nuts when we realized we were the only parents standing. Ooops. Guess we've become "those" parents. It was just so stinkin' fun we couldn't stop ourselves.
Saturday we went bunkbed shopping and then the 4 of us spent the evening bowling on the Wii. I smoked 'em all. Yep - a 238, people. Drove Jack and Noah nuts that their mom beat them. Ha. Anyway. It wasn't a traditional romantic evening with my husband, but I was totally happy spending Valentine's Day with all 3 of my boys, my 3 favorite people on the planet.
Next up: The Four Happy Campers are currently camper-less. More on that later . . . . .Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The Bunkbed Dilemma
So our 74-pound 7 year old has grown out of his twin bed. That would be Noah. If we were dealing with his size alone, it may not be a problem, but his 74 pounds cover every square inch of his bed at some point every night. I go in and check on him a couple times during the evening before I go to bed, and EVERY time I have to pull his extremities, his head, or entire upper or lower body back onto the bed, and get him turned anywhere from 90 to 180 degrees back into normal sleeping position. Not an easy nightly task, my friends. So we figure it's time to get him into a double bed. (By the way, Jack is 57 pounds. That would be a 17 pound difference. And they are twins. But in birthdate alone.)
Due to the fact that they are twins, in the interest of fairness, we told Jack we'd get him the bigger bed too. So off we go, furniture shopping last weekend. Somewhere in the midst of this, these two yay-hoos decide they want BUNKBEDS. Jack in the twin size one on top, and Noah in the full size on bottom - they agreed on this arrangement on their own. Now I know this doesn't sound all that abnormal - they are kids, and what kid doesn't want a bunkbed at some point? The abnormal part is that they currently have their own rooms. Since they were one and a half. Now they want to share a room. ?? At least they keep things interesting around here.
We were speaking with a nice saleslady at one of the furniture stores in town while the kids had camped out on THEIR prospective bunkbed, and she commented about how functional bunkbeds are when dealing with a limited amount of space, yada yada yada. I laughed and explained noooo, that wasn't an issue, our kids actually have their own bedrooms. And they now want to move in together. You should have seen the look she gave us. Total confusion. Amen sister.
So, as parents, we don't know what to do. They are so stinkin' cute, having worked all this out on their own - and actually WANTING to be together. Jack got big tears in his eyes when it was sounding like we were going to say no. We even offered him a VERY cool bedroom set and he said no, he'd take the cheap bunkbed because he just wants to be with Noah. You have no idea how confounded we are by this. On the flipside, we're fairly certain that after a few weeks of bunkbed bliss, they'll be ready to go back to their separate spaces. I don't know what we'll do. We'll keep ya posted. I know you'll be waiting on pins and needles. The suspense of it all. Try to refrain from checking this on an hourly basis.
Due to the fact that they are twins, in the interest of fairness, we told Jack we'd get him the bigger bed too. So off we go, furniture shopping last weekend. Somewhere in the midst of this, these two yay-hoos decide they want BUNKBEDS. Jack in the twin size one on top, and Noah in the full size on bottom - they agreed on this arrangement on their own. Now I know this doesn't sound all that abnormal - they are kids, and what kid doesn't want a bunkbed at some point? The abnormal part is that they currently have their own rooms. Since they were one and a half. Now they want to share a room. ?? At least they keep things interesting around here.
We were speaking with a nice saleslady at one of the furniture stores in town while the kids had camped out on THEIR prospective bunkbed, and she commented about how functional bunkbeds are when dealing with a limited amount of space, yada yada yada. I laughed and explained noooo, that wasn't an issue, our kids actually have their own bedrooms. And they now want to move in together. You should have seen the look she gave us. Total confusion. Amen sister.
So, as parents, we don't know what to do. They are so stinkin' cute, having worked all this out on their own - and actually WANTING to be together. Jack got big tears in his eyes when it was sounding like we were going to say no. We even offered him a VERY cool bedroom set and he said no, he'd take the cheap bunkbed because he just wants to be with Noah. You have no idea how confounded we are by this. On the flipside, we're fairly certain that after a few weeks of bunkbed bliss, they'll be ready to go back to their separate spaces. I don't know what we'll do. We'll keep ya posted. I know you'll be waiting on pins and needles. The suspense of it all. Try to refrain from checking this on an hourly basis.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Gladys
Okay, this is just the funniest stinkin' thing I have seen in a while. I'm not a huge fan of Ellen, but this is just funny. It takes approx. 6 minutes, so sit back and enjoy. It's hilarious. I'm thinking I might adopt Gladys for a grandma!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Post-Vacation Blues
Yep, we're home, and nope, I'm not happy about it. I've been putting off doing a post since we got back because when I actually have to put in writing that the vacation is over, it makes it more real, and I like practicing avoidance. Uggh. I have no idea how it is that 7 days can feel like 7 minutes. Leaves one a bit shell-shocked. I definitely needed another week. :) I would move there in a heartbeat. Mark, however, won't go along with that plan.
Mark and his mom . . . .
I'm so hooked - Sanibel is just everything I LOVE. That total island-y feel, the fact that it's small, quaint, picturesque - even the parking lots are beautiful, for pete's sake. There are no national chains allowed on the island, everything is local, the food is fantastic, it's not touristy, there are as many bike trails as streets, the beach is like a drug for the soul, and though there are no "attractions" there, we stay plenty busy with our bikes, the pool, the beach, shelling, playing cards, and we NEVER get bored. The kids even stay "busy" sitting out on the lanai just looking at the ocean. We didn't turn on the TV or a video game all week (okay except once - Jack and Noah watched one Scooby Doo episode).
I won't bore you with ALL the details, but I will, of course, bore you with some photos.
Mark and his mom . . . .This was cool - we watched the sunset one evening . . . . .
. . . and then saw it come up the next morning. (My clock was off on my camera, so disregard the date)
My dad and Noah out shelling bright and early. Noah was HOOKED, I tell you, HOOKED. Found some good ones too. I'll post pictures of those later.
This is what much of the beach looks like -
Ready to head home . . one last walk on the beach. Goodbye Sanibel . . . .
One of the best parts of the week was that Jack and Noah had BOTH sets of Grandparents right next door, at their beck and call all week. They'll remember it forever.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Hello from Sunny Florida!!
Oh, how I love this place!!! We had a perfectly smooth trip down here on Saturday - no hitches whatsoever, and we are now having the BEST vacation. This is our 6th time here (Sanibel Island) and I fall more in love with this place each time we come. It feels like home. It's beautiful, tranquil, unpopulated, unspoiled, uncommercialized, has the total "beachy" feel, and is SO relaxing. Just amazing. And the weather has cooperated PERFECTLY. Clear and sunny and 80 each day. And no wind. None. Now THAT is awesome. I'm definitely not missing the wind.
Here we are on a 5 mile bike ride - hard to see, but there's a "Caution: Alligators" sign above Jack and Noah's heads - - sure enough, we saw two down this path.
HARD to get a picture of them, but here's one - the thing out in the water.
And Jack:
And I'll leave you with some gratuitous pics of our favorite vacation destination:
(This is my dad and his best buddy of 40 (?) years who joined us for a few days - more on that later)
Jack and Noah in a dead run at 7:00 a.m. -
Have I mentioned I love this place?
Even better is watching Jack and Noah fall in love with this place too. They can't get enough - always ready to do the NEXT thing. Each day, we've gotten up early to go "shelling" - a total adventure in itself (I could do 3 posts on that topic alone); we go biking on the bike trails; we sit by the pool; we play tennis; we sit on the lanai and chat; and we have been eating some really yummy seafood. Right now at 10:30 p.m. I'm sitting outside - it's 68 degrees - listening to the waves crash on the beach and feeling the ocean air on my face. Doesn't get better than this.
Here we are on a 5 mile bike ride - hard to see, but there's a "Caution: Alligators" sign above Jack and Noah's heads - - sure enough, we saw two down this path.HARD to get a picture of them, but here's one - the thing out in the water.We'd been here less than 24 hours when Grandpa started in on Ocean Creatures 101. We're eating breakfast our first morning when Grandpa shows up with an octopus. Yep, the 8-legged kind. He was a resident in a shell that my dad had picked up, and dad didn't realize the shell was occupied until he came back from the beach. He also brought back some starfish. Jack and Noah were excited to have a pet octopus for a day. (We released him safely back to the ocean at the end of the day. I'm told dead octopus stink. I didn't care to find out).
(He's in the shell):
The next day, Grandpa showed up with a hermit crab. Jack didn't like him. We didn't keep him for a pet.
Here we are SHELLING. This is a totally addictive activity. Sanibel is known as the 3rd best shelling beach in the world and it certainly lives up to it's reputation. You can find TONS here, and you can find some real beauties if you put a little effort into it. Meaning: searching at the time of low tide, no matter when that may be (my dad has been known to go in the middle of the night - luckily this week, it's been between 7 and 8 a.m.); wading around in freezing cold water; straining your eyes and neck continuously to catch a glimpse of the prizes concealed by the sand; stooping over at the waist for hours, resulting in back pain and muscle tension; and yet it's so much fun. My dad is an expert, and we've all had fun learning from him. Noah has competely been bitten by the bug, attaching himself to my dad's side, hoping to learn from the master. It couldn't be cuter.
(He's in the shell): The next day, Grandpa showed up with a hermit crab. Jack didn't like him. We didn't keep him for a pet. Here we are SHELLING. This is a totally addictive activity. Sanibel is known as the 3rd best shelling beach in the world and it certainly lives up to it's reputation. You can find TONS here, and you can find some real beauties if you put a little effort into it. Meaning: searching at the time of low tide, no matter when that may be (my dad has been known to go in the middle of the night - luckily this week, it's been between 7 and 8 a.m.); wading around in freezing cold water; straining your eyes and neck continuously to catch a glimpse of the prizes concealed by the sand; stooping over at the waist for hours, resulting in back pain and muscle tension; and yet it's so much fun. My dad is an expert, and we've all had fun learning from him. Noah has competely been bitten by the bug, attaching himself to my dad's side, hoping to learn from the master. It couldn't be cuter.(This is at 7:00 a.m.!!!)
There's a stance people use here called the "Sanibel Stoop" - everyone at the beach is always bent over at the waist in search of treasures, and as you can see, we do it well:
Noah - 
And Jack:And I'll leave you with some gratuitous pics of our favorite vacation destination: (This is my dad and his best buddy of 40 (?) years who joined us for a few days - more on that later) Jack and Noah in a dead run at 7:00 a.m. - Have I mentioned I love this place?
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Random Ramblings . . .
What a week! We have had SO many things going on lately, my head is spinning half the time. Updates:
Last Weekend
Uncle Josh and Aunt Marcy graciously invited Jack and Noah to come have a "date" with them on Friday night. They were SO excited, and had a blast of course. Bowling, pizza, Monopoly, staying up late - perfect! And it was so funny, when we went to pick them up on Saturday, Jack had tears in his eyes - when I asked why, he said he didn't want to come home. I didn't take offense - I was just glad he obviously had a MARVELOUS time. :)
Meanwhile, Mark and I had our own date! First to Red Lobster for dinner, and then to Marley and Me. I didn't want to go because I kept hearing about how SAD it was, but I was pleasantly surprised. VERY cute movie - and sad, yes, but not unbearable. I highly recommend it.
Single Moms
I have a new appreciation for them. Mark was gone on a business trip Sun. night and I was miserable. The house seems very big and empty without him here - even with the kids. And of course, wouldn't you know, we had the worst wind we've ever had that night. I laid in bed awake until 1 a.m. worrying about the stupid picture window and the roof. The NOISE also contributed to my insomnia. Uggh. It really is unbelievable. Plus I made the mistake of letting Noah sleep with me - I woke up at 5 a.m. with his feet on my pillow up against my cheek - ?!? We have a king size bed for crying out loud. The child always manages to sleep perpendicular. And I didn't sleep much again after that. I sleep better knowing there's someone in the house to take care of all of us, I guess. I also admire you military moms - you guys rock and are stronger women than I.
A Sad Goodbye
Our friend from church passed away last Thursday (I talked about him a few posts back - the young guy with brain cancer). I attended the funeral on Monday, and it was heartbreaking. Quite literally. Absolutely beautiful and touching, but so, so very sad. I think my heart will always carry a bruised spot for his mom. The amount of grief she has endured in the past several years is totally unimaginable. But yet this woman RADIATES Jesus. She is always smiling. Always. She always has the most kind, positive things to say, and she is always full of HOPE. No matter what her circumstances are. I came home and smothered Jack and Noah in hugs and kisses and wondered why it is I am blessed with two amazing kids and a loving husband, and she has been left alone. One thing I do know, when this woman gets to heaven, her crown will be one of the most glorious there.
Cub Scouts
Not sure if I've ever mentioned the boys are in Cub Scouts this year. They earned a badge on Tuesday night, so I had to post a few pics of them looking adorable in their uniforms:
The Inauguration
Umm, yeah. Maybe it would be better if I kept my mouth shut on this one. Let's just say after watching a small amount of it yesterday, I felt like vomiting. I will say this - I wanted to cry as I watched President Bush's plane take off and leave for Texas. I wanted to scream "don't go!!" I just kept thinking - now THERE was a great man. Wasn't in the office to be popular, just tried to do what was right for our country. And he protected us for 8 years. We'll just see how long Mr. Obama is able to do that.
Last Weekend
Uncle Josh and Aunt Marcy graciously invited Jack and Noah to come have a "date" with them on Friday night. They were SO excited, and had a blast of course. Bowling, pizza, Monopoly, staying up late - perfect! And it was so funny, when we went to pick them up on Saturday, Jack had tears in his eyes - when I asked why, he said he didn't want to come home. I didn't take offense - I was just glad he obviously had a MARVELOUS time. :)
Meanwhile, Mark and I had our own date! First to Red Lobster for dinner, and then to Marley and Me. I didn't want to go because I kept hearing about how SAD it was, but I was pleasantly surprised. VERY cute movie - and sad, yes, but not unbearable. I highly recommend it.
Single Moms
I have a new appreciation for them. Mark was gone on a business trip Sun. night and I was miserable. The house seems very big and empty without him here - even with the kids. And of course, wouldn't you know, we had the worst wind we've ever had that night. I laid in bed awake until 1 a.m. worrying about the stupid picture window and the roof. The NOISE also contributed to my insomnia. Uggh. It really is unbelievable. Plus I made the mistake of letting Noah sleep with me - I woke up at 5 a.m. with his feet on my pillow up against my cheek - ?!? We have a king size bed for crying out loud. The child always manages to sleep perpendicular. And I didn't sleep much again after that. I sleep better knowing there's someone in the house to take care of all of us, I guess. I also admire you military moms - you guys rock and are stronger women than I.
A Sad Goodbye
Our friend from church passed away last Thursday (I talked about him a few posts back - the young guy with brain cancer). I attended the funeral on Monday, and it was heartbreaking. Quite literally. Absolutely beautiful and touching, but so, so very sad. I think my heart will always carry a bruised spot for his mom. The amount of grief she has endured in the past several years is totally unimaginable. But yet this woman RADIATES Jesus. She is always smiling. Always. She always has the most kind, positive things to say, and she is always full of HOPE. No matter what her circumstances are. I came home and smothered Jack and Noah in hugs and kisses and wondered why it is I am blessed with two amazing kids and a loving husband, and she has been left alone. One thing I do know, when this woman gets to heaven, her crown will be one of the most glorious there.
Cub Scouts
Not sure if I've ever mentioned the boys are in Cub Scouts this year. They earned a badge on Tuesday night, so I had to post a few pics of them looking adorable in their uniforms:
The InaugurationUmm, yeah. Maybe it would be better if I kept my mouth shut on this one. Let's just say after watching a small amount of it yesterday, I felt like vomiting. I will say this - I wanted to cry as I watched President Bush's plane take off and leave for Texas. I wanted to scream "don't go!!" I just kept thinking - now THERE was a great man. Wasn't in the office to be popular, just tried to do what was right for our country. And he protected us for 8 years. We'll just see how long Mr. Obama is able to do that.
Our Weather
Despite all the wind, here's one of the reasons I love it here - you can clean your garage in the middle of January. And that's exactly what I did today. It was 65 and BEAUTIFUL. Once I was done with the garage I was so motivated I then cleaned the Suburban. And loved every minute of it because I was outside in a tshirt. Gotta love January in SD.
VACATION!!
As much as we like the weather here, we are heading for "greener pastures," so to speak, on Saturday a.m. The beach on Sanibel Island, FL awaits us. We'll spend a week there with both sets of our parents. WE CAN'T WAIT. I've been losing my mind trying to keep us all healthy. I'll let you know how that works out for us. :)
The Stock Market
Mark's losing HIS mind again. The poor guy is really taking a beating at work. Wells Fargo stock tanked. Yikes. Keep him in your prayers.
I just keep reminding him that Obama will fix it.
Right?!?
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