Sunday, June 28, 2009

Meggy Birthday Week

My girl turned 4.

She LOVED her birthday.

She absolutely quivered with excitement at every ounce of attention she received and I loved that she loved it. It's fun to do things for someone that appreciates it.

We celebrated with dinner and presents with our family (Grandma 'Kafaleen' was visiting) on her actual birth DAY. You may remember that I'm trying to stick to each of my children's wishes when it comes to decorating the birthday cake (thus, the big buck stallion combo). Megan had a specific vision for hers. Funfetti cake, pink icing, sprinkles on top, Sleeping Beauty (blue version, please) front and center, candles all around.

Deal. (Oh, and in sparkling Megan style, she dressed up for dinner):



She got everything her heart desired (due to the desires of her heart being within the birthday budget.) It was really fun to watch her open her presents because she squealed with delight over each and every one. I was diggin the gratitude. About a week later we had a friend party for her. All of her friends dressed up and came to the backyard for games and ice cream and cake. Megan soaked in the attention and we had a good time.
Megan dressed up in the "Bumbalina" costumer Grandma Jean gave her. Running with the finish line streamer from our relay races.

Pin the bee on the flower



Caleb Squires
Darek Squires
Sydney and Gabi Harlen, Bri Squires

Sydney Rieske...who says Cinderella can't rapel?

Sammy Brown, Katelyn Young, Jake Hildebrandt and Megan (I took the battery out...they just had accepted it yet)
Laney in her bumbalina costume and taking charge of the John Deere.

Katelyn Young
A good day for my four year old.


Happy Birthday Miss Meg. I love you so much!

In your words, "Meggy, I love you. Meggy, I do-oo. Fahdder in Heaven has sent me to you-oo. When I were near you. I lub to hear you. Singing so soflty that I love you too. Meggy, I love you, I love you, I do."

You're 4!

The Sabbath

I confess.

Sunday stresses me out.

We have good intentions, but we have a hard time realizing the ideal.

This is the day of the week that I resort to giving the kids excessively long baths just for entertainment's sake. Usually our bath times are "whip em through" affairs. They barely have time to get wet and reach for a ducky before I've scrubbed their hair, rinsed them off and thrown a towel on them. I holler, "Go get your jammies on!" just as I'm grabbing the next unsuspecting kid to hose down.
On Sunday, however, they leisurely soak and we let the barbies and toy horses get in on the action while I sit on the toilet (the lid, of course) and enjoy a few moments of peace.... maybe even reading a few blogs on the laptop.

Tonight I was sitting on that very lid when Megan flew out of the tub and yelled, "Laney pooped!"

Now, we are no strangers to poop in the tub. Each of my offspring has bestowed more than one watery blessing upon me at bathtime. And I know you know what this means for me. You can't exactly let your child hop out of the tub and go her merry way while you deal with the "ramifications" of the unfortunate event. They have poo water on their legs! So you gingerly remove them from the tub and convince them to stay put (freezing! wouldn't want to get poo water on a towel) while you rinse off every single floaty toy, cup, squirty dolphin and rag (shudder...the rags are the worst because you have to ring them out). Setting them all aside to be individually disinfected at a future time....probably after they are asleep and you are really feeling the need to dive back into the poo. When you are done with the toys, then you must scrub out and rinse the actual tub. THEN you get to rebathe the children. It's a process.

Laney takes pooping in the tub to a whole new level. She has mooshy, black, softspread poop (that's what you get when blueberries become a staple of your diet). It does not stay united in log form. It spreads.

Fast.

Have you ever had the pleasure of rinsing black mooshy poop from the long flowing acrylic locks of 4 Barbies? I have. And I wouldn't wish it upon you. Not even if you were the boy who flipped my bra stap in the sixth grade (yes, you, Brent Daley).

So this whole mess took up one hour of the seven we need to fill today with Sabbath approved activities. Only six more to go.

We played a game of "Sorry!" which should actually be named "Mah-ahm! He won't stop killing me!" So that took up 45 minutes.

I went outside and stared at my garden. I did yank a couple weeds and couldn't resist digging up one of my potato plants (wicked!). I couldn't help it...it's like buried treasure.

Mathew and I read a couple chapters of "Serpents at Suppertime", a Magic Treehouse book. I'm trying to get them to read a hundred books (or chapters) during the summer break. We did okay until I realized that Mathew had walked away and I was reading aloud to myself. Oh that Jack and Annie! What crazy kids! Who needs Bronte when you can curl up with the Treehouse.

Ethan and Megan tried to build a train track together, but only got to the part where they dump the train pieces on the floor. That seemed to satisfy their need to create.

In a moment of denial, I said nothing as the children slipped out to the backyard. This is a classic example of "it's easier to punish than to deter". I paid for it later when Mathew came it to inform me that Megan had nearly stabbed Laney in the eye with a marshmallow roaster. I'm going to say that a battery powered kid vehicle, a red kid coupe and two-pronged metal spears don't make for a reverent Sunday diversion.

Ethan and Mathew discovered that the high powered sprayer I have connected to the back of our toilet (it comes in handy when spraying black mooshy poo from the diapers....yes, gasp!, I cloth diaper) makes an AWESOME water gun. I didn't discover this until I put everyone to bed and Mark found a soaked pair of boy underwear, sopping wet jean shorts and walked on a cold squishy bathroom rug. The sprayer was lying on the floor. I need to go into CSI...it took only moments to piece together the crime.

We had blender wheat pancakes and opened a can of peaches for dinner.

I don't know about you, but I feel flat out refreshed. Bring on the week!

Maybe we need to rethink the whole "no tv on Sunday" rule.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

I picked a battle.

It will go down as "The Great Pea Standoff of '09".


1. I told her she needed to eat 3 peas.
2. She ignored me.
3. I told her she needed to eat 3 peas.
4. She said "no"
5. I said "yes"
6. I reminded her that I had just shown her the hold your nose/swallow/chase it with juice technique just yesterday when we had green beans.
7. She said "peas are getscusting"
8. I told her she'd need to eat one pea before she was allowed to leave the table.
9. She threw it on the floor.
10. I made her pick it up, put in the trash and ever so calmly replaced it with a new one.
11. She zoned out.
12. Mark sang her several "Meggy pleas eat your peas" tunes, complete with guitar. Think "Eye of the Tiger".
13. I got distracted by laundry and she casually left the table to get her jammies on.
14. I considered caving for one brief moment
15. I rallied! "Meggy, up to the table and eat your pea."
16. Mark left to go to a Seminary meeting.
17. I declared, "Either eat the pea or go to bed."
18. She politely requested that I move, as I was blocking her view of the television.
19. I took her by the hand and began escorting her to her sleeping arrangements.
20. She screamed, "okay okay!"
21. She readied the juice, plugged the nose, popped in the pea.
22. A brief gag, will we be revisiting dinner?
23. She swallows it down.
24. I say, "Now, that wasn't so bad, huh?"
25. If she had known how to roll her eyes, she would have.

Signs of Summer

We have "successfully" navigated our first week of summer. We have a little to show for it:

A ROCKIN farmer's tan.


The dogs are getting more attention than they have since last October. Enjoy it while it lasts, pups.


Consumed large quantities of otter pops....
And corndogs.... (shirtless, of course)

A trip to the Tulsa Zoo with the best neighbors ever known to man...


Naps inspired by boredom...
Cruisin the backyard with a bamboo spear and a literate passenger in the bucket...
Even a 14 month old can learn to really chill out if she has enough example.


My children are life long members of the "up before dawn club". I'm happy to report that we are learning to sleep in. We even stretched it to 7:30 am once.
And my personal favorite: cooperation for the purpose of creating a mud-hole....





I am really diggin summer this year. We've been out for 13 days and I've only locked myself in the bathroom twice. I don't have a pie chart or anything, but if you compare that to last year, I'm doing a bang up job.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Mathew Graduates!

Ack! I am so behind on blogging! Since I use this blog as part scrapbook substitute, part "I'm stressed out and I need to vent" forum, I really need to get cracking on the scrapbook part so I can resume the venting.

Let's dive right in!

Mathew graduated from Kindergarten!

His teacher, Ms. Jayne (otherwise know as Mrs. Buttram.. you can see why she opted for the nickname) is English. I find this very comforting because for some reason I naturally feel that those with British accents are more intelligent than the rest of us. Also, my children come home from school saying things like 'zehbra' and 'tomahto'. It's quite charming. Unless those children have just thrown all my 'tomahtoes' against the fence. Then...less charming.

Anyway. I was thrilled to see that nobody knocked themselves out and moved the lunch tables out of the background. I really think they set that "classy, Arkansan" atmosphere, don't they?
After the ceremonies, we all went back to his classroom for a final look at the artwork and a few photos.
When I ask Mathew for a smile, he really delivers!
Congratulations, Mafs. You're a fantastic kid. We survived the biting, the biting again, the "no underwear" fiasco and you learned to read, to boot! That's what I call kindergarten success.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Ethan's Baptism


Ethan was baptized on May 31st.

Mark took the boys to the chapel early to make sure everything was ready. When I walked in and saw my son and husband all dressed in white I started with the tears and I couldn't get a hold of myself until the entire service was over.

How many bajilions of times have I had the "I can't believe how fast time is going" conversation with other moms. It's mind numbing. BUT I STILL KEEP HAVING THAT CONVERSATION. Over and over and over we stare at our kids and say "I can't believe how fast time is going..."

So now I look at him and instead of those fat cheeks I see his crazy grin full of huge adult permanent teeth mixed in with little baby teeth, empty gaps and wiggly ones that he relishes in grossing me out. He's eight and I can't believe it.

He does fractions.

He knows his baptismal covenants. Did I know my baptismal covenants back then? I kind of doubt it.

I love him so much and I can't believe how fast time is going.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

The anticipation

Warning! This post is destined to be excruciatingly boring for 99% of you. My apologies.

The babies are out!

Asparagus and green onions:




Bell Peppers:


The bean tower:

Itty bitty baby beans:

Little jalepenos:


Lovely soon-to-be juicy red tomatoes:


Blackberries:

Raspberries:

A friend to the veggies:

I find myself standing in front the garden...kind of loitering around. Then I check to see if maybe a tomato or pepper has magically ripened since the last time I checked a couple hours ago.

It could happen.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Bring it on.

Tomorrow is the last day of school.

The next day is the first day of summer.

I'm ready.



Thursday, June 4, 2009

Life lesson

Today Laney learned that my Vanilla scented deodorant smells CONSIDERABLY better than it tastes.