Marshmallow Wig and Hammers

Calvy was wacking a pillow with a plastic bat the other day. While hitting it he turns and says to me...

C: "Mom, one day we should get a hammer, like a judge, and we should use it to hit the pillows on the tables. But I don't want one of those marshmallow hats. It would just look funny on me."

So I am assuming the marshmallow hat he is talking about it a white wig that the judges in old movies or in Europe, wear. Maybe it's not that funny, but I was dying laughing. I made Alan write it down right away so I wouldn't forget.

I know he has had many more, but I am tired and am dreading the inevitable trip to the bathroom I must make. Ohhh, poor me. ;0)

-Keara

"There's a storm in my closet"

Singing on the coffee table, because there is no other proper place.

Ellie was getting in trouble a lot again this morning so I thought she might need a time out with Mommy, just to talk. She came over to the couch where I was laying, rubbing the tears out of her eyes, and I pulled her up onto myself and let her lay with me. I asked her why she bit Calvy and we talked about why that's not ok and that if she is upset about something she needs to come talk to me instead. She was pouty and I realized the time. I told her it might be time to take a nap, and she responded by saying "no!" and tried to scramble off my lap. I held her a little tighter as to not let her get down and told her that I loved her and Daddy loved her and we weren't mad at her.

M: "I think a binkie and a blankie sound good. Don't you think a pinkie and blankie sound good, and you can lay in your bed and take a little nap?"

E: "But there's a storm in my closet."

M: "A storm?"

E: "Ya, there's a storm in my closet. and it scares me"

M: Why do you think there is a storm in your closet?"

E: "It's noisy and loud, and it scares me."

M: "Oh, no baby, that is just our neighbors upstairs. They are moving chairs and playing"

E: "It's just ____ and her mommy and daddy?"

M: "Yah, there's no storm."

E: "Storms live outside. The storm scared Calvy and ripped his shirt."

M: "He ripped his shirt?"

E: "No, the storm is not a boy."

M: "Oh, the storm ripped his shirt. Is the storm a girl?"

E: "No. It's just a storm. Storms are not boys or girls or babies."

This little girls vocabulary keeps growing. She is so smart as so sweet, we are learning so much being her parents. She went with her Daddy, and even Calvy offered to help, to look for a storm in her closet before she took a nap.

"It's notta Tumah!"-Arnold Swarts-it-what's his name

Warning: the author is under the influence of pain medication for extreme pain, be aware that it may not make sense and there may be typos. Thank you!

So I am sitting on the couch in a cast up to my knee, resting my poor sore foot. I had no idea what I was getting myself into by having this surgery.

About a year ago that I started feeling this uncomfortable little spot on my toe, it felt like I had a little pebble in it. As months went by it started to get bigger, and bigger to the point that I couldn't wear shoes anymore. Then while Alan was out of town of week, it got really bad, and started to get a head on it. I kept telling Alan that it felt like it was trying to come to the surface. I talked to a med student friend of ours and he said that if it were him he would just lance it himself, so I did. If you don't know this about me already, I do NOT like to wait, and I did not want to wait for a doctor or Alan. So that night I went home and soaked my Exacto knife in alcohol for 5 minutes, then I burned it under a flame(which I think actually dulled it a little) and Then rubbed alcohol and peroxide on my toe and fingers. I tried to be a clean as possible, I did not want an infection and I definitely did not want to be on any antibiotics. Because of where the pimple-like bump was it was callused so I had to kind of stab it then pulled up on it to make a hole big enough for all the "junk" to come out. This hurt, but it also felt so good because squeezing all that "junk" out relieved a LOT of pressure and I was able to sleep that night. Long story short, that did not fix the problem. I went Dr. L (seriously, he is Dr L, I am not copying Nie Nie (0:) He told me it looked like a cyst. A few months later I am walking into the operating room with 3 extra holes in me because they could not find a vein(never Ever happened to me before...it hurt!). I lay down on the bed I am shaking because I am nervous and freezing because I am naked under a little gown that for some reason has a pocket type thingy in it, right where my "bottles" for my son are, and for some reason my "bottles" want to be seen, so they keep peeking out, seriously can I get a new gown, a blanket, anything! ;0) The nurses and Dr L were great, the next thing I new I was waking up with a sore throat and a very sore toe. I'm pretty sure I told my nurse about our neighbors smoking weed and Calvy's story about wanting a hammer like a judge but not one of their marshmallow hats, because it would look funny on him. I remember thinking, "This will b really funny, I'll make all of them laugh if I tell them this story about Calvy and the judge". I believer these are the words that came out of my mouth....my eyes are closed telling her this too, just for visual effect. "My son told me he wanted a hammer like a judge but not a marshmallow hat." I waited for them to laugh, but it didn't happen. I'll tell you the real story of the hammer and wig later, along with a funny story from sweet Ellie about a storm in her closet.

Alan came to pick me up and I don't think I was very nice to him, I remember saying to him, when he was trying to tell me about his day, to let it be about me just for a minute. Sorry babe! Alan has been working like a dog, though I don't quite understand that expression because my dog is sprawled out on the couch at my feet and has been for the last few hours. Either way, he has been a champion! He has fed and washed the kids, played with them, tried to keep up with the house work, cloth diapers, laundry, dishes dishes and more dishes. He has made us meals and filled my water bottle up for me over and over again. I also have the best friends in the world, watching my kids for me when Alan has to go down to the clinic for patients. It really has been a great recovery, minus the pain, I broke down today, I decided I couldn't take the pain any more and I took a pain pill. I was trying to hold off because I can not nurse while taking them. The Tylenol wasn't cutting it. So as of a few hours ago I am taking a break from nursing. Caleb is almost a year old, so I am not too worried, I just love nursing and want to keep doing it until we are both sick of it, or until he's 2, which ever comes first. ;0)

So for right now, I am alone in my house, waiting and wanting to be a mommy and wife again.

I hope you all are having a fabulous Summer Vacation. Swimming lessons start soon!!!! Yaya!

-Keara

Last but NOT least

Oh, such a hard life. I know you all know this already, but this boy is priceless. The things that come out of this kids mouth are hilarious.He was such a trooper through the whole thing. You can see you was totally loving it.

I did have so much fun with him. I kept asking him to do things, but when he would just do his own thing is when I loved the pictures the most. Just so you know this boy doesn't like anything outdoors....grass, bushes, bugs anything that's "scratchy" or itchy. Getting him to sit in the grass or stand next to our vines was quite the accomplishment for him, so kudos to Calvy!

Seriously, where is my spread in...some really cool magazine? Hahaha! I L.O.V.E this picture.

He likes to tilt his head. you should see the other shots I got. I will shop some more and put them up periodically. Fun fun boy!

We love you Calvy!

Squirrel Tacos

After F.H.E. lesson about "soft response" from June issue of The Friend, we decided to go out back and play some Lawn Darts or Jarts for our family activity. The second we got outside Nixon ran after a squirrel, which is usual, what was unusual was Calvin's response.

D: Nixon ran after a squirrel, he almost got him too.

C: Nixon's going to catch us a squirrel so we can eat it.

M: You want to eat a squirrel?

C: No no, we'll cut all his fur off and put him in the oven and bake him, then eat him.

M: You want to eat a squirrel????

He is definitely a man, hunter gatherer. Lets hope this is as far as it goes.

We are working with Ellie and her "soft response" skills. She is quite the screamer and scratcher and yeller and pretty much anything that will give her instant gratification when she is angry. We cut her fingernails SUPER short and took her pretty pink nail polish off as a consequence to scratching Caleb and Calvy on their faces, enough to draw blood and leave nasty scab. We also took her binky privileges away for the night for yelling at Mommy and saying/screaming, "I don't like you anymore!" After crying in bed for a few minutes I went in and scooped her up and took her to the big blue chair in my room, and we cuddled. This poor girl, I know she is crying out for something, but we are having a hard time figuring it out. I want to be a good Mommy, today I could have been better. What do I do with my high spirited child?

Ellie got eaten up by misquotes the other night. This is after they have healed a bit, they were HUGE!

Daddy playing toss on the dining room floor. They are SO glad when Daddy comes home.

Alan had Cub Scout Day Camp all day today, I had a pre-operation appointment, blood work down at the hospital at 8 AM, YES 8! My wonderful friend took my kids and fed them an changed their diapers so that I could go. I am having a minor surgery on my big toe on my left foot, to remove a cyst that has been annoying me and oozing and hurting my for almost a year now. I am nervous, to say the least, Alan made me feel much better when he explained to me that being under anesthetic is being very close to death, let alone the fact that I have to be on crutches for a week post surgery. Bleh. Oh well, I am going to get some super sweet rags to put under my armpits, like everyone else in grade school would do when they were lucky enough to break their leg and be on crutches, maybe I'll even decoupage my crutches and be super cool limpy gimpy.

-Keara

Have you laughed today?

I walked into the dining room and smelt something stinky, like really stinky.

M: Did someone poop?

C: No. That's just the smell of my hands.

C: Hey, these aren't spicy any more. That's means I'm a grown-up now!

I wish I could remember all the others, I think you'd all die laughing.

Where's my Laughing Cow commercial?

-Keara

My Sweet, Sensitive Little Boy

During family prayer this evening I heard Calvy make a little peep. I opened my eyes to see his very sad looking face, and he started to cry. After Alan closed the prayer I asked Calvy why he was crying, "Because I'm so happy" He said. "Why are you so happy?" I inquired, "I don't know". I picked him up and sat him on my lap and gave him a big squeeze. I asked him why he was crying if he was so happy, he said "sometimes when people get so happy, they cry."

My children are my life. Where would I be without such pleasures as these?

Happy Father's Day to all you Daddy's and Daddy's to be and all those who wish they could be.

Enjoy your children!

Father's Day Breakfast!

I want to do that too sometimes.

This too.

A Woman With Her Own Ambition

This little girl was so cute during the whole thing. She wanted to be in all of Caleb's pictures. She was just sweet and would sit there quietly, and if he cried she tried to console him. She's precious beyond belief. She has a heart of gold and Spirit of fire. She will not be stopped. We love her lively spirited self, we know she is going places. She is a little princess, we even had a wardrobe change.

She likes what she likes, wants what she wants and nothing else.

Love this Ellie.

A Seriously Cute Boy

I am definitely one of those mothers that thinks that her kids are the cutest kids alive. Nothing gives me more joy than to see my children happy and healthy. I was sitting in the family room enjoying the sight and feeling of my children playing sweetly together. It made me want 20 more children. Then there are also times like this morning where Ellie tells me to "leave her alone" and has to be put into time out. Either way I do love being a mother, even if I have to remind myself.
It was past bed time so Caleb and Ellie were well behaved, Calvin went with Alan to Cub Scouts. they really were, they were tired enough that they just let me do what I wanted. It was nice. The lighting was perfect, the weather was nice. I am so happy I FINALLY got out and did it.

I told you...a seriously cute boy.

Calvin

(Watching "Sword in the Stone" with his friend yesterday)

My son is hilarious, in fact I do believe he is the funniest kid alive, then again he is my son.

D: Calvy, do your jambes need to go in the dirty laundry?

C: Okay Dad.

D: I was asking. Do they?

C: Okay sure Dad. Sure Dad.

D: Are they dirty?

C: This is just a brown shirt......

C: Mom, the constructions say, these are supposed to stand. But they don't now.

M: Can I take your picture tonight?

C: Ya.

M: You'll let me take pictures of you? And pick out what I want you to wear?

C: Ya. Can you pick out what I wanna wear?

M: Maybe.

C: Can you!?

M: :0)

C: Can you?!!

Calvin's prayer the other night.

"Please help us to iron our clothes and help me to grow-up right now and use paint spray."

Amen.

Summer is HERE!

Ellie:

"I turned four! I'm the box!"

"I wanna pin(spin) like a pwincess."

M: "Don't stand on that wipey box."

E: "I need seen(sing)!"

M: "Ellie honey, we need to go inside, it's hot."

E: "I needa seen in the gwass!"

M: "Okay, go ahead."

E: "Laaaalaaaaaa, lalaaaaalalaaaaa! My life begiiiiiiiin!"

Calvy:

M: "Calvy do you want to do Tae Kwon Do or sports with balls?"

C: "What's Qui Bon Doe?"

Ellie: "Why you are you going to school?"

Daddy: "I have to go to school."

Calvy: "But, if you go to school you won't be able to go to the YMCA and cheer me on."

Daddy: "You're right, I won't be able today, but when I know your schedule I will be there."

Calvy: "You'll sneak out of your school?!"

Daddy: "Yes, I will!"

Mornings in our house are so fun....and sometimes busy! Ellie has brought me 5 shirts and every time I tell her she already has a shirt on, she needs to find pants/skirt/shorts, and every time she comes back with another shirt. Calvy's complaining about his shoes hurting his feet, asking me if they're on the right feet, which they are. Looks like new tennis shoes for Calvy.

Alan is calling me into the kitchen to eat breakfast right now, I keep forgetting to eat lately, I always seem to be running out the door or I just don't feel like eating anything and then around 11:00 I start feeling really yucky and I realize it's because I haven't eaten. I started packing snacks in my purse, just in case.

His face, all year round, 365 days.

I can see where he gets it.

The children are signed up for all their summer programs. Calvy is doing sport shorts, Ellie is doing tumbling and all three are signed up for swim lessons. I'm pretty excited to see how they like them. I think it will be beneficial all around, they will have fun , make new friends, have something that is just theirs and get some energy out. ;0) No more hearing "I'm bored!"...maybe. Calvy keeps telling Ellie, "I'm in a big hurry. I really am. And I need to be ready." Seriously this kid take things very seriously. He wants to make sure all of us will be there to watch and cheer him on. Precious.

Here's to a grrrrrreat summer!

-Keara

This is Me

This is me today. Alan came home for lunch today, and after my kiss he asked me if I had brushed my teeth yet, which I had not, so I thanked him for telling me I had bad breath. I then informed him that not only had I not brushed my teeth yet, I ate a piece of cheese a few minutes before. ;)

I am sitting here listening to Alan and Calvin talked about baking boogers and hiding them. I have just finished the task of cleaning my kitchen and dining room. For some reason it tool me about 4 hours. Not because I had a huge mess to clean up, I didn't. It is all because I have 3 beautiful children who for some reason need a Mommy and feel they need to ask her questions every five minutes, or if your name is Ellie, feel you have to fall off of something every 10 minutes, and she would not waste her time falling off of things if she wasn't going to bleed, so there is always some blood to clean up....which in the end takes me away from my cleaning the kitchen. Hmmm.

I feel I need to describe my attitude toward this, I don't want you to misconceive the utter enjoyment I get out of being a mother and cleaning up after them and feeding them and cleaning up their bloody mouths. I enjoy it, it is what makes me happy. I would rather have this to do than search the internet all day and go to bed feeling blah, instead of the way I usually feel which is...exhausted. I love my calling, I love being a mother and I love my husband, he is my closest confidant and friend.

I am now going to go figure out what that rank smell is coming from my bathroom and get to the 7 text messages I have in my phone and maybe make some time to be just Keara for and hour or so. I also like being Keara, the girl who loves interior design, loves to organize, take pictures, read design magazines and craft. If only I had time. ;0)

C 'est la vie.

In other news alan and I will be looking for a new car pretty soon. Our poor Trooper is on it's last leg. We just found out it will be a measly....everyone put your pinky to your mouth when you say this... $4,000, to fix it. We have decided to let him go without treatment and see how long he lasts. The Doctor(Dave & Sam's autoshop) said we have a few months left with him. We will try to make the most of it. It the meantime he continues to spew all the transmission fluid all over our driveway, and we keep filling it up. It's a sad thing to say good-bye to something that has served you so well for such a long time, but we know we will be blessed with another car that will suit us just fine.

Choose to have a great day today....I'm am.....trying. No, I am!!!!!!

-Keara

I just sneezed and now my tailbone hurts....what's up with that?

I don't know if I ever adjust to life, I think I go through life with some really good weeks and some really bad days, but I don't know that I ever get to the point where I ever get over those bad days. Do you know what I mean? It's like no matter how organized I am, how much I am accomplishing and I am happy and have a lot of energy, I always seem to end those high cycles with a low cycle. I wonder if life will always be like this, or maybe I just need to do better during the low cycles and then I won't have them any more....ever again. Hmmm.

I found myself inadvertently complimenting my neighbor today, which wouldn't be so weird if it weren't a guy from Alan's school, and if I weren't complimenting his looks. This is how our conversation went...I was trying to end the conversation, but he is one of those people that don't easily get the hint or have the ability themselves to just end it. Anyway, so it went something like this.

We'll call him boy.

Boy: I'll be going to visit my family this summer in Hawaii.

Me: Really? I'm jealous, that's awesome.

Boy: Ya.

Me: So did you guys get a garden started over there?

Boy: Ya, I planted some watermelon, cucumbers....etc.

Me: Nice. Well...

Boy: Ya, we'll see if they grow, they take kind of a long time.

Me: Ya that'll be cool to see.

Boy: ya.

Me: Well, it was good to see you, you look good. (what?! why did I just say that?!)

Boy: Ya thanks, I've been working out a lot, getting ready for Hawaii.

Me: Oh ya that's right.

Boy: Ya, I've been trying to lay out too, but my skin is so fare I'm still white.

Me: Ya, I like white skin, I think it's good. (Really?!)

Boy: Ya. :0)

There was more to this conversation but I will spare you the rest. Seriously, in what world is it ok for a married woman with three kids, who were sitting right next to her while she was talking this said boy, to talk like that?! It was like word puke, yes that is a real thing, I proved it today. It was almost an out of body experience. I knew I shouldn't say stuff like that but it's like my brain couldn't keep up with my motor mouth. Seriously, I ran straight in to tell Alan, and he just laughed at me, and said that I should just go over to his house and make out with him. He probably thinks I want to. Ugh, I just want to crawl in a hole and eat Oreos.

We don't have a ton to talk about, I feel like I kinda lost my urge, my writing bug. I don't feel too inspired or creative, I just seem to want to spend my time being a wife and mommy and not so much writing about it. I guess it's a good thing, but I miss all the nice comments from all my peeps. We walked into the museum the other day and we saw some friends and Ellie came up to me and said "these are my people!"

On another note, we are moving in, get this, 6 months!!!!! Holy cow, I think I might have one. We have so much to do around the house, like packing and organizing a garage sale and figuring out where we are even moving. Instead I choose to move my furniture around and play with different objects and accessories by moving them to new places.

When it got warm enough and the garage sale signs came out I got a mini panic attack, I love them so much and I always find WAY too many good things. So when Alan told me I can't, or rather said it might be best not to go to them, I found it liberating. Now when I see a sign for a sale I can totally ignore it and not stress over what I could be finding if I would just go to it.

We have new neighbors moving in upstairs. I don't think they are more than 18 years old, maybe 19. It is a guy and his girl. and he called her, and their daughter. I have not yet met the "girl" and daughter, but I'm sure they will be great neighbors. I am thankful for this house and this situation it puts us in, having to kid of stretch every time we get a new neighbor. I am actually thankful for how many neighbors we have gone through. Though most of the time it is extremely stressful and hard for me, probably because it is unknown and I have ZERO control over it.

Alan got the slide put up on the treehouse today and the kids begged to be able to play on it after dinner. Dinner started at 5:15 and ender at 5:30. Not kidding. alan felt a sense of accomplishment and extreme happiness, after all that is why we do what we do.

I love seeing my children happy. I love to sit down to a meal I created and just watch them eat, I LOVE when they like what I made and they eat it so fast I don't think they even tasted it. I really do love to feed my family. Tonight it was vegetarian taco soup, delish. My kids love anything they are allowed to put toppings on.

I do love my life, I am extremely blessed to have the friends and family that I have. There is so much love in my life I don't know why I ever feel sad.

Have a great day! And be careful what you say to your neighbors.

-Keara

Ellie on Memorial Day, we played outside ALL day! Thank you Veterans!!!!!!!! We love you and you families! You are amazing men and women!

On our way to Visiting Teaching appointments.

"Mom. Did you get me?!"

Beautiful flowers, full of beautiful ants. Yuck! So sad to throw them out, they smelt so good and were so beautiful.

Caleb helping Mommy cook dinner.