It's Time

The "Quiet" Game

2010-10-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

Driving in the car to pick up Brent from work.

Logan: Let's play the quiet game. 1-2-3, Go!.......Time out, I mean everyone is playing. Go!......

Avery: Mom! Logan's pointing at me!

Logan: That's how I win. Okay, go!....

Avery: Mom! Logan's saying I pinched him, but I didn't. It was Ellie.

Ellie: Nah-uh.

Avery: Yah-huh. You reached over me and you pinched him.

Ellie: (Guilty as charged)Okay. And go!....

Dad enters the car.

Logan: Time out. Hi, Dad! We're playing the quiet game.

Mom snorts.

Dad: Sounds like fun.

Logan: Okay, go!

Ellie: Dad,(something about school). Okay, go!....

No one ever wins this game.

Ellie Graduates

2010-07-30T09:55:00.000-07:00

I know I posted last year about Ellie graduating from pre-school. Actually she was just moving to a new pre-school/day care. So this time she really did graduate and she's moving on to kindergarten this fall. Here are some pics.

This was our favorite teacher, Dan.

Trip to Idaho (Warning: Long Post)

2010-07-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

So this trip marks the first vacation we've taken in three years (thank you nursing school). The trip started off with a 24 hour drive straight through the night and next day to Idaho from Illinois. I'd worked night shift the night before, so after sleeping all day we loaded the kids in the car around 7pm and off we went. I thought for sure they would all sleep with a bed made up in the back. Oh no! Not my kids! "She's got her feet on me." "He won't share the blanket." Etc, etc. Brent, who doesn't sleep well in the car anyway, gave it up around 2am and played video games for a couple of hours. I put on my headphones and rocked out for 12 hours.

Leaving Illinois the temp was in the 90s. Arriving in Idaho we found we had packed the wrong clothes. The temp was often in the 60s and occasionally hit 70s. It rained for the first three days we were there, then we made up for lost time.

We went to the Zoo in town.

We went to a hot springs followed by a riverside picnic.

Another day we saw some waterfalls and had another picnic. Logan really liked the falls.

On our way to the first set of falls we passed a sign directing to a hidden falls. Pam and Brent said they'd never been, so we went to find them on our way home. They were far off the beaten path. We saw a bear on the road ahead of us, but by the time we caught up, the bear was nowhere to be found. The kids had a great time hiking the trail and touching the water along the raging river.

I made them pose for pictures on some rocks.

Logan found that he could milk money out of Gramma and Grampa by doing some chores. So he did the dishes and learned to mow the lawn.

Cousins came to visit and we hit some more sites. Craters of the Moon was our first stop- an expansive lava bed full of craters and caves. It was REALLY windy out there.

We hiked a butte.

Our favorite activity was going to an amusement park. Brent and Logan went on every rollercoaster they could. Avery barely made the height requirement, but she wasn't as psyched as Logan. Ellie was still too small, but she and I had some fun together. I got lots of video, which I'm not posting. Apparently I only got pics of the carousel.

And that was our vacation! Whew, I'm tired, I need a vacation at home.

Easter

2010-04-30T16:25:00.001-07:00

Avery greeted me at the door on Easter morning as I returned home from work and fretfully informed me that the Easter Bunny had not delivered. I handed her the letter I had found taped to the door. According to the letter, rather than hiding eggs this year, E. Bunny, had hidden their baskets instead. He included their first clue, and they were off.

The kids took turns reading the clues and seeking out the next one. Eventually they found their way to the basement where the baskets had been laid out. Happy Easter!

Pinewood Derby

2010-04-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

Please do not get me started on the inequality in our church in regards to girls and boys activities. That said, here are pictures from the Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby. This was Logan's first, he named his car "Pitch Black".

Brent and I felt that it was unfair for only the boys to do the Pinewood Derby, so our girls made a car too and they raced it against Logan's after the derby was over. Logan won.

Baby Logan turns 9

2010-04-30T16:14:00.001-07:00

When we were shopping for his sisters' presents Logan spotted this football and Brent went back to the store for it. They've had so much fun playing catch.

Clothes, yeah he's so excited!

I asked Logan what kind of a cake he wanted for his birthday. Because we'd just had so much fun decorating pinewood derby cars he said "Flames". I did the best I could.

Avery's 7!

2010-04-30T16:09:00.001-07:00

My Avery loves her Hello Kitty gear.

New sheets, not very fun, but her princess sheets were so faded and these look really cute on her bed.

My Ellie really knows how to dress for a party!

Ellie's 5th Birthday

2010-04-30T16:00:00.000-07:00

We didn't do a big party for birthdays this year. Every child chose what we would have for dinner and dessert that night and we just celebrated as a family.

Opening presents.

For every grandchild's 5th birthday Grandma Hart makes a special birthday quilt. This was Ellie's.

Wearing her new clothes.

Christmas

2010-01-23T14:53:00.000-08:00

Somehow I managed to schedule myself to work the three days leading up to Christmas. This included Christmas Eve which meant I didn't get home until 7:30 Christmas morning. We didn't get very many pictures because I was passed out through the afternoon, but we did get some.

You know there are too many presents when halfway through opening them Avery quits and goes to the table to play with what she's already got.
Ellie didn't feel the same way though. When everything was opened she looked under the tree and, finding nothing left, stomped her foot and began to pout.

Pop Pop and Logan decided to have a Nerf gun battle while the rest of us chatted and ate oh so many DELICIOUS things that my mommy made.

Santa really came through this year and the girls got plenty of makeup and nail polish. The Hart cousins gave each other silly socks and books.

The Princess and the Pea

2010-01-23T14:47:00.000-08:00

This is what Ellie does when her brother and sister are at school.

Tongue Twisters

2010-01-23T14:39:00.000-08:00

On our drive to church one Sunday we decided to say tongue twisters. We broke out the great ones: Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers, Sally Sells Seashells, How Much Wood Could A Woodchuck Chuck, etc.

Me: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?

Silence

Avery: 7.
Me: What?!
Avery: 7.
Me: How do you know that?
Avery: I saw it on Dora.

Fun at the Fair

2009-10-09T17:52:00.001-07:00

It had been a very long time since I had been to the county fair. So, when it came to town this summer I jumped on the opportunity to take the kids. Oh boy did we have fun. We spent lots of money and only a couple of hours. We rode the medium sized ferris wheel, went through the lousy fun house (a couple of warped mirrors, a noisy step, and some ropes to walk through-boring!). The best part was the bumper cars, we rode on them twice. The worst part was the tilt-a-whirl. I'd sworn off of them years ago, but I was foolish enough to get back on. All three kids and I piled into one car and the controller proceeded to spin us so fast that poor little Ellie couldn't even move her head. We won't go back next year, but at least the kids have had a chance to experience a fair, every kid should.

Board Exams

2009-07-13T09:42:00.001-07:00

I PASSED!!!!

Trucks! Trucks! Trucks!

2009-06-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

Our town has a wonderful park district. They make sure that we not only have many and varied parks to play in, but inexpensive or free activities to participate in all year round. Every spring they put on Touch a Truck day. This event brings together firetrucks, semis, ice cream trucks, race cars, S.W.A.T. vehicles, etc., etc. Every kid has a chance to climb in, out, and all over these vehicles. There's free soda and ice cream and plenty of LOUD horns to honk. I took Logan and Avery to one about 5 years ago. Ellie wasn't even a bun in the oven at that time, so it was her turn. Brent had the day off and it was nice to spend some time with him and only have to keep track of one child. Of all the trucks there were to see, Ellie had the most fun in the bounce house, of course.

Baptism

2009-06-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

Our church believes that children are not accountable for their actions until they reach the age of eight and so they are not baptized until that time. Logan turned 8 this year and we postponed his baptism to coincide with my graduation from nursing school so Brent's parents would only have to make one trip.

I had such grand ideas for preparing Logan for this special day, but school and my own laziness got in the way. Regardless, Brent and I did speak with him about it, as did his primary teachers and grandparents. I don't think he fully understands what it all means, but neither did I at that age. Logan asks very deep questions sometimes and is quite perceptive, so I know he'll make sense of it all some day.

Brent's mom, Pam, makes great cookies and as her husband and oldest son are well known for their love of cookies, she always makes a batch when she visits.

Little Maroons Preschool

2009-06-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

We have had the wonderful opportunity to have had all three of our children participate in the Little Maroons Preschool. The kids go three days a week for only $20 a month. It's run by the Child Development teacher at Central High School and her students. The little kids all have at least one "big friend" that caters to their every need.

This young man was Ellie's favorite "big friend" and I often found her sitting in his lap listening to a story when I came to pick her up.

Ms. Yago is the Child Development teacher and does a wonderful job of managing the little kids and the big kids too.

The kids performed several songs for us as part of their "graduation".

Caroline is Ellie's best friend. We met her family at church and because the preschool is so fun and inexpensive, it is highly populated with Latter-day Saint families.

Dress Up

2009-06-02T13:49:00.001-07:00

The sister's-in-law on the Hart side participate in a wonderful clothing exchange with each other. Since our kids are all around the same age it's easy just to pass on our outgrown clothes to the next cousin in line. Avery gets so excited when her "new" clothes arrive. Such a box of treasures came this spring, only better. In addition to summer clothes came many, many tap costumes. FABULOUS! The girls had sooooo much fun playing dress up and immediately demanded that they have a picture taken for every outfit. Thanks Lily and Aunt Beth!

Easter

2009-06-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

What is it about Easter that makes us think, "Oh, colored eggs hidden around the yard. Yeah, that's a great way to remember the sacrifice of Jesus!"? Well, whatever the inspiration, we celebrated the same as most others, a basket full of sugar to begin the day, afternoon church, and more sugar found in plastic eggs to end the evening. I don't need to go on, you've all met my kids, you know what kind of a day I had. It is awfully fun to make them so happy though.

Bowling

2009-06-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

What's up with bowling shoes? I mean I get that they have to have a super soft sole so they don't scratch up the floor, but why do they have to be so ugly? I almost want a pair to wear as regular shoes just for the conversation starter I'd have.

A while back Illinois passed a law that you can't smoke in a public building. The fumes were what kept us out of the bowling alley in the first place, so since the air had cleared we finally decided we would take the kids for a fun afternoon. Fifty bucks later we had rented 5 pairs of shoes, 2 lanes and only played 2 games. Good Gravy! You know, considering it's just rolling a heavy ball and knocking things over, bowling is RIDICULOUSLY expensive. We won't be bowling again anytime soon, but we did get some cute pictures.

Look at that form. He'll either be a great bowler or a champion figure skater.

Avery got pretty good at the Granny bowling.

This is how Ellie had to bowl because the ball was just too big and heavy for her to handle on her own. She obviously gets her cute butt from her dad ;0)

And speaking of Brent...he's very athletic and quite good at the sports he plays. Sadly, bowling is not his forte. Our first year of marriage I learned I was way better at Monopoly than he was and now I can add bowling to the list as well. Which is saying something, because I'm really bad at bowling. Hee, hee, hee! He was a gracious loser and it was nice of him to let me gloat.

Logan's Birthday

2009-06-02T12:43:00.001-07:00

Okay, I know Logan's Birthday was April 1st, but I've been busy. Here begins my blogging bonanza as I try to catch everyone up on the last two months of our lives.

Logan, like the girls, got to go on a shopping spree at the store. Because he'd been to both Toys 'R' Us and Walmart with his sisters, he knew exactly where he wanted to go and exactly what he wanted to get, Bakugan. I'm sure you're all thinking, "What on earth is a Bakugan?". Good question. A Bakugan is a small plastic toy in the form of a ball. Much like a transformer, these balls can be manipulated to resemble some mechanical space creature. Blessedly they do not require a doctorate degree in engineering to be able to take them from one form to the other, like you need with Transformers. All you have to do is affix them to some metal surface and the magnet inside releases the movable parts. Logan pretty much cleaned out the aisle of Bakugan there at Walmart. He also got a new bicycle because he outgrew his old one. Woo Hoo!

The kids also got to choose the restaurant that we went to for their birthday dinner and Logan chose Red Lobster of all places. My kids aren't much for fish. I did manage to get them to eat catfish once, but I think it was a fluke. Thankfully every restaurant known to man serves chicken strips, so the girls were happy. Logan, however, ordered crab legs. ??????? Huh. He did eat them, but I think he had the most fun just trying to get the meat out. He said he wanted to take one of the claws home as a souvenir, but I explained that I did not want that smell to permeate my house and he relented.

Oh, and Logan's hair was his idea. He begged me for a mohawk, but I told him a fauxhawk was just as cool and more church friendly. He's worn me down though, and I told him that we would give him a real mohawk this summer, after Nana's family pictures.

Happy, Happy! Joy, Joy!

2009-04-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

I got a job! I will be starting as an RN July 22, on the night shift. It is on the StepDown unit where I already work as a health care technician. I am so excited! Many students are still without jobs so this is a very wonderful thing for me.

In unrelated news, Sophie killed a garder(sp) snake today. I looked out the window to see her rolling on it and flipping it into the air. She looked confused when it no longer tried to escape. A quick call to the vet reassured me that she would not be harmed if she consumed it. I took it away, though. She was very disappointed.

Poser

2009-03-24T13:28:00.001-07:00

This is just a random bunch of pictures of Ellie. She was wearing this cute hooded cape that Aunt Beth made and only her underwear underneath. She decided that she had to do several poses if I was going to take pictures of her.

The Party

2009-03-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

We used to have one big party to celebrate the kids' birthdays since they're so close together (March 9, March 19, and April 1). A couple of years ago, though, the boy and girls decided they wanted separate parties. Due to my obnoxious schedule I didn't have time for numerous parties. I begged the kids to let me do just one and they gave in.

We have a children's museum in town that's located inside the old Orpheum Theater. The architecture inside is beautiful. There are exhibits set up all around that capture the kids interest and are designed for learning too. I was thrilled when I found out that you can have a party there, so that's what we did. The kids all played with their friends and later we went to a separate room for cake and ice cream. That was the easiest birthday party I've ever done!

At the gym?

2009-03-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

As a Christmas present I bought memberships for Brent and I to a local gym. During my winter vacation I found numerous opportunities to go to classes or just workout on my own. Now that school is back in full swing and I'm working more at the hospital, I can't seem to find the time/motivation to go. However, Brent has been there several times a week. He is beginning to look quite svelte, not that he was hard to look at before ;)

The gym has a small daycare center where you can drop off your kids during your workout for just a couple of dollars. This has been great! Brent frequently takes the kids with him so I can have an hour's worth of quiet to study or chill. The ladies that work there have mastered the art of entertaining my children. On one of the most recent visits they did face painting. Ellie was a "scary bear" and she had the growl to go with the face. It took a few days for Logan's ninja paint to wash off, he looked like he was really tired with dark paint circles under his eyes. Avery, of course, flower child that she is, only wanted hearts on her cheeks and a rainbow on her chin, lovely.

Avery's Birthday

2009-03-23T17:45:00.001-07:00

Avery's birthday shopping spree was a little more coordinated than Ellie's. She decided to go to Wal-Mart instead of Toys 'R' Us. It was difficult to keep the siblings from sharing what they wanted Avery to get. Nevertheless, she got some things that she's quite happy with.

For Ellie's b-day we went out to Perkin's for dinner because she wanted pancakes and I didn't want to cook. Avery requested McDonald's despite Mom and Dad's repeated requests for something a little tastier.

He's a Thesbian!

2009-03-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

My boy Logan was in a school play. A musical, no less. The production was the story of "The Tortoise and The Hare" set to music. It was absolutely adorable. The little girl who played the Hare absolutely has a future in stage acting, she was fabulous.

All of the children in the 2nd grade class were to wear black pants and white T-shirts. Those in the background made hats depicting various woodland creatures. The birds were my favorite. They all had feather boas or wings and crowns. They danced around and did most of the narrating. Logan was a fox. He made the hat himself. Most of the time he sang background, but because he's such a great singer, he had a solo too.

Ellie's Birthday

2009-03-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

Due to Brent and I's ridiculously busy schedules I decided we would take the kids to pick out their own presents rather than spend the time choosing what to get them and wrapping everything. Yes, this was a lazy decision, but I'm stressed out. So, did this lessen the stress you ask? Hah!!! Imagine a 4-year-old let loose in Toys 'R' Us...I lived it!

Ellie had so much fun. She grabbed the first things she saw and chucked them in the cart. She did have a spending limit, but that only made sense to Mom and Dad. By the time we'd made it through the store, the cart was overflowing and we were WAY over budget. We took everything out of the cart, laid it on the ground, and made her choose her favorites.

She was thrilled with her presents, as evidenced by the photos. Avery's maniacal smile has to do with the fact that her shopping spree was on it's way in 10 days.

Spring Break!

2009-03-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

I've never been one to care very much about spring break. Sure I like having a week off from whatever schooling I'm doing at the time, but I've never looked forward to it quite so much as I have this year. It's hard to believe I only have about 6 weeks left of school. This has been the longest two years of my life! Anyway, with my "free" time this week I'm going to catch up on some postings, as well as housework, but the postings are way more fun.

Potty Talk

2009-02-17T18:44:00.001-08:00

Ellie has decided that she is incapable of wiping her bottom when she goes poo. She will announce her needs by yelling from the bathroom for Mom/Dad to come wipe her bum. When we go into the bathroom she is standing with her backside to the door grabbing her ankles.

This morning I was on the phone with my mother when Ellie announced her need for assistance. As I'm helping I relate to my mother Brent's feelings on the matter. He says "It's like a big brown eye staring me in the face". After I say this Ellie looks between her legs at me and says, "Mom, I have blue eyes, not brown ones".

Music Appreciation

2009-01-21T07:57:00.000-08:00

Ellie: (singing)Lead me, lead me, guide me, help me, help me...Help your friends. You have to help your friends when they need help. Help me, lead me, guide me, lead me, lead me.
Ellie: (exasperated) Mom! I finished my song!
Mom: Okay, sweetie.
Ellie: (still exasperated) Mom! You have to clap when I'm finished.
Mom: (applause, applause)
Ellie: (self-satisfied smirk now fixed in place)

Funny Names and Misinterpretations

2009-01-15T18:43:00.000-08:00

Narbles: Ellie's word for marbles
Nerbles: Logan's word (when he was younger) for those little bean toys
Moogies: Logan's word for movies when he was 2
Pillie, Milkie, Juicie, Mrs. Stewartie, etc.: Avery's endearing names for EVERYTHING including her teacher
Tatie: Ellie's name for my sister Katie
Tormadoes: Logan's word for tornadoes when he was little (he loved watching "Twister")
Eeeeee Yah: Logan's name for "Toy Story" when he was little, interpretation: "To infinity and beyond" (it took us a LONG time to figure this one out)
Cheese Toasties: A.K.A. grilled cheese sandwiches
Daddy's Cereal: Honey Bunches of Oats, the kids ask for Daddy's cereal rather than by name brand
Iego: Ellie uses this to refer to a specific Diego episode and not the show in general, it also took a while to figure out exactly what she wanted
Penglins: Ellie's word for penguins
Door Knocks: Ellie's name for door knobs
Affcan: Logan's name for his afghan that Nana gave him

Logan had made me angry (not hard to do) and I was explaining to him (lecturing him) about how he should act and what he was never to do. I made a statement ending with "never again in my presence" and the lecture continued. When my tirade was over Logan thoughtfully asked, "Presents? What presents?"

Obviously I use very final terms in my lectures because Ellie has begun using the same terms in her everyday conversations. Ex.: "Mom, I love you forever." "Dad, I'll never pour water on my food ever again." "Mom, I'm never going to get in Sammy's face anymore." These would all be fine and good if she didn't go back on her word within seconds of her proclamations.

Several years ago I got ambitious and thought I'd start up Family Home Evening. I planned a great lesson for little Logan and Avery. I decided we'd talk about Noah and the Ark. We pretended to be different animals and had each other guess which animal we were. I also put on a production of the story of Noah's Ark with finger puppets. The story went through how Noah was told to build the ark and all the townspeople told him he was stupid, but they were sorry when they found out he was right. At the end of the lesson I asked Logan what he had learned. He picked up the finger puppets of Noah and the townspeople and shouted, "Noah, you're stupid!" Family Home Evening has failed many times since.

I'm not boring!

2009-01-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

I'd posted previously about my Sunday school class full of teenage boys (since the New Year I now have 1 girl as well). As I'm walking out of sacrament meeting this morning the mother of a young man in my class stopped me. She told me that her teenage son had confessed to her that he really liked his new Sunday school teacher. My jaw dropped. She said that he'd told her he liked the way I taught and that "She's not boring at all". Good, I've overcome that obstacle. Now that I'm entertaining enough to keep their attention, what on earth do I do with it?

Christmas

2008-12-28T17:44:00.000-08:00

Christmas came suddenly and without much enthusiasm for me. I've been so preoccupied with school that I forgot how much I enjoy this season.

As Christmas neared and the pile of presents under the tree grew larger, it seemed the children became naughtier. On Christmas Eve morning I'd finally had enough of the fighting and carrying on by the children that I told them Christmas was canceled. Logan sobbed and the girls screamed at me, still I would not relent. I told them that their presents would all be taken back to the store and I was phoning Santa to make sure he had them on the naughty list. (I know, feel free to gasp in horror.)

Well, I was relating this story to my friend Andrea just a few hours ago and her children were in the room. Her son looked at me with shock and fear in his eyes and asked in an awed whisper "You canceled Christmas?" Yes I did, I told him. His older sister replied with "You're the Grinch". Yes, I said ashamed, I am. Obviously Christmas was not canceled (Brent talked me out of it) and the children smell worse than they did before (they're spoiled, get it? Ha, ha, ha).

My New Year's resolution (among others) is to take the time to remember Christmas next year, and learn patience in the meantime so I won't be the Grinch anymore. My heart will grow three sizes by this time next year!

Marie

2008-12-18T14:46:00.000-08:00

My niece, Marie, passed away this week. She was such a wonderful, happy girl. She loved to sing, she loved purple, and she loved to smile. I'm so grateful to have had her in my life.

Marie was handicapped both physically and mentally. Heavenly Father didn't need to put her sweet spirit into a perfect body. She's such a faithful soul that He knew she could live with limitations and still shine through.

I know her time on this earth was finished; she was ready to move on. It's difficult to be left without her, though. I'm grateful to my God and his infinite wisdom in sending her to touch so many peoples' hearts. I can hardly wait to see her again, what a beautiful angel she is.

Reading

2008-12-04T13:13:00.000-08:00

I love to read. I can get so absorbed in a book that the world around me disappears and my children can tear the house down without me knowing. I love to read in the bathtub, don't know why, I think it's because it's a soothing environment and most of the time free of distraction.

Today Logan came home from school with a book in his hands. He didn't put it down until he was finished. I'm so excited about this new development. Logan's been reading for a while, and he reads very well, but he's never shown such an interest until now. I've been waiting so long to share chapter books with him. Books I think he'd really enjoy because of his fabulous imagination. He told me his teacher let him borrow the book.

I'm thankful for teachers that inspire and allow a mother to experience the joy of a child who is quietly reading, and loving it.

Sunday School Miracles

2008-11-17T11:14:00.000-08:00

I was finally released as Primary Chorister after three long years and they called me instead to teach the 14-15 yr old Sunday School class. As it turns out, the 16-17 yr olds don't have a teacher so I get them too. This was okay until the first day when I saw that my class was all teenage boys, about 8 of them, and they're all taller than me. Nevertheless, I have waded right in and done my best not to make a fool of myself. I gave them a disclaimer that first day and let them know I was learning right along with them and told them to speak up as often as they felt like it to prove me wrong (one of them has taken this to heart).

Anyway, this Sunday our lesson covered miracles and how they continue today, not just when Jesus was on the earth. So the discussion went something like this:

Me: What are some miracles we know of?
Boy #1: Anything Jesus did in the New Testament. (Nice broad answer, but I'm not going to let them off that easy)
Me: Okay, New Testament, what else?
Boy #2: The earth.
Me: Absolutely.
Boy #3: Food.
Me: Yeah, I like food.
Boy #4: Girls.
Me: (Chuckle) Yep, girls are a miracle.

Funny Things

2008-11-05T07:29:00.000-08:00

My mother told me to write down the funny things my kids do and say, but did I, no. Here are the few I've remembered thus far; not everyone will think these are funny, but I do.

Avery was teasing Logan the other day by singing a song about he and his friend...
Avery: Logan and Jacob sitting in a tree, l-m-t-p-e-e-g (we're working on spelling)
Logan: Avery and Christina sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g
Mom: Cut it out, both of you
Sometime later...
Ellie: Logan and Jacob sitting in a tree, m-l-m-l-n-n-p (she's three)
Mom: Ellie, I asked Logan and Avery to stop that, now you stop it too. That is not a nice song.
Ellie: (still singing) Logan and Jacob are NOT sitting in a tree...

Out of the blue...
Ellie: Dad, I don't think you're stupid.
Dad: Uh, thanks, Ellie.

Avery: Logan, do you think I'm weird?
Logan: Yes you are.
Avery: That's okay, I think you're stupid.

In reference to something he finds amazing...
Logan: It's changing my mind!

Long story short, Avery had a primary lesson about sins and the teacher gave each child a bag of rocks to represent sins. Upon arriving home from church Logan swiped the bag and Avery exclaimed...
Avery: Give me my sins back!!

Funny Story...This actually happened about 3 years ago, but I'm still laughing about it.
I'm watching television in my room and I hear a commotion coming from the kitchen. I look down the hallway to see tiny Avery with a terrified/gleeful expression on her face running/waddling down the hallway at her top speed. In her chubby fist is the last Reese's Peanut Butter cup from the refrigerator. Now, close on her tail is Logan, crawling on hands and knees because he sprained his ankle playing at the mall. He has tears streaming down his face as he tries to catch up, something he's normally able to do within seconds. I am laughing so hard at this scene that I can't even stand up. Avery runs to me for safety and Logan sobs out the story. He had crawled off the couch and into the kitchen. He'd opened the fridge and was about to get the candy when little Avery, seeing the only chance she would ever have in her life to beat Logan, hurried around him and snatched the candy from the shelf before he could. Then it hit her what she'd done and she fled for her life. Triumph battled with extreme fear as the impossible happened and she outran her brother. In the end Logan got the candy, Avery got a hug, and I got blackmail material.

Halloween

2008-11-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

Halloween is a big deal for our kids, as I'm sure it is for most. Logan wanted to decorate the house so much, but there just never seemed to be any time. I did manage to put a plastic orange pumpkin on our porch light and hang a bat on Halloween morning, but that was it.

Avery was determined to be a princess this year, again, so she was picking out all the princess costumes at the store. I told her if she wanted to be a princess we had the costumes at home already. But it's not fun if you can't get a NEW costume. So, Ellie chose to wear the Snow White costume we had at home and Avery bought Snow White's wicked Step-Mother's costume and went as that. Logan was discouraged that I wouldn't let him be a Power Ranger for a third time (he'd already been the red one and the blue one), but he happily settled for a ninja costume we found.

As far as costumes go, last year was awesome for our family. Logan was a Ninja Turtle, Avery was a fairy, Ellie was a Care Bear, I was a chicken, and Brent wore a T-shirt that says, "I Don't Do Costumes".

Someday I dream of our entire family dressing up with the same theme. We did it once, before the kids were old enough to complain, but I'm all to aware of how individual they are. It's not a bad thing, in fact it's one of my favorite things about them.

Sophie

2008-10-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

For my birthday this year we got a cat. Well, no, we got a dog, but
I swear she's got jungle cat somewhere in her genetic make up. Sophie is half lab, half pit bull, she's not quite a year old yet and she's very spunky.

Sophie doesn't walk, she stalks. As she prowls through the back yard every sinew is poised and ready to strike should some defenseless squirrel cross her path (we've already had a fatality, Logan thought it was hilarious).

We have an older dog, Sam, and he's become her favorite chew toy.
At every opportunity she's biting his neck, his legs, his tail, anything directly accessible. Sophie knows exactly where to latch on that will most effectively bring her opponent down. As Sam trots down off the deck to the back yard Sophie lunges after him, wraps her wolf-like jaws around his back leg and holds on tight. She hasn't drawn blood yet so I think she's just playing, but I can't help but be reminded of a lion taking down a gazelle every time she does this.

Sophie also likes to dig, tear, chew, and destroy. "Is this puppy or pit bull?", I ask myself. She has chewed through the upholstery on the front of our sofa (thanks Mom for the rapid re-upholstery job), dug at least a dozen holes in Brent's hard earned perfect grass, dug through our mattress (it's been duck taped), destroyed Sam's pillow bed (stuffing was everywhere), and dismembered/maimed almost every Barbie, pony, and baby doll we had (there were quite a few). I offer her rawhides to chew on, normal dogs might take all day or at least a few hours to get through one, she's devoured several by the time Sam has finished his first.

Sophie must also have housecat in her. So often I find her perched on the sofa looking out the window, watching the world go by. She curls up just like a cat too, tail twitching, head and feet touching.

She's also very good at catching flies; she may have learned this from Sam. Sam caught a bee this summer; it was buzzing around his head and the next thing we know we hear this SNAP and SLURP and the bee is gone and Sam is licking his lips.

It's possible that Sophie is also part pig. I have never seen a dog use her snout for nuzzling the way she does. It's like she's looking for truffles the way she roots around with that nose in armpits, crotches, anywhere that suits her fancy. She really has no manners at all.

The children adore her, Brent loves how tough she is, I just think she's funny.

The Haircut

2008-10-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Brent and I were enjoying a few rare minutes of quiet. We were using those minutes to watch T.V. in our room. Now, while quiet is a welcome thing in our home, it is more frequently a warning sign of terrible things to come.

At some point Brent saw Ellie run into our room and then out again very quickly. It took a moment to register, but he knew something was amiss. He went into the hallway and came back, eyes wide with fear. I caught his gaze and thought the one thing all mother's think at least once during the day, "What now?!".

I stepped cautiously into the hallway, composing myself, and I see Ellie, her beautiful hair hanging in tatters, what's left of it that is. Then I see Avery at the end of the hall, scissors in hand. As soon as her frightened eyes meet my blazing pair she drops the scissors and runs out the back door. I quickly grab up the scissors and I am holding them like a weapon. I point them at Brent then out the back door and I say, "Destroy her before I do". He runs to his duty (actually he was trying to spare her my wrath).

I calm myself, I know this could be funny if it weren't so awful right now. So I document it, I take pictures, and then Ellie and I make a hurried trip to the mall to get it fixed. At the mall, the hairstylists all giggle and share stories of their own sibling stylists experimenting with them. I continue to tell myself that this will be funny, but it's not yet.

Once home, Avery walks warily around me and Ellie flaunts her short locks. The next day we are at the shoe store. Ellie has on Logan's Batman pajama top and blue jeans. Despite the fact that I am buying pink ballet slippers the salesclerk tears off a dozen Spiderman stickers, thrusts them at Ellie and says, "Here you go big guy". Ugh, the final blow.

Weeks later I have become accustomed to Ellie's hairstyle, everyone at church thought it was adorable. It's a good thing she's so cute, not everyone could pull off that style and maintain such a high level of cuteness.

Adventures in Nursing

2008-10-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

Tuesday evening I was at yet another clinical. This time I was on the Mental Health floor. I'd been waiting for a couple of weeks to sit in on a patient admit which is really just an interview with a new patient to get background information. I'm standing by the nurses' station and my teacher points out a woman in a white jacket and says "Holly, go with her". I think, "Yeah, an admit" and off we go down 5 flights of stairs. I notice that this woman is hurrying, then all of a sudden she's running and I'm completely confused. An admit is not an emergency situation. "Maybe she just doesn't like to waste time," I think. We turn the final corner and the woman I'm with ushers me into the back corner of a surgical suite.

In this room are about twelve people. Half of them are wearing lead vests. In the center of the room is a table and on top of the table are two people. One is lying flat with a large blue drape over her and the other is a nurse pushing very hard on the chest of the first. A light bulb goes off and I know why the room is so full of people, this is a code.

As it happened, the woman on the table was there to have a cardiac procedure done. During the procedure she threw a clot (a blood clot) and it sent her into cardiac arrest. When a code is called nurses from the ER and the Critical Care Unit rush in to help. The six in the vests were the original cardiac team who are now standing back until the woman is brought back.

The CPR wasn't working so they needed to shock her. She already had the pads attached (this is standard procedure) so they charged it up and shocked her. I was stunned. Her back arched off the table, just like on T.V. Now she had a rhythm, but she wasn't breathing well, so they had to intubate her (this is where they put a tube down a patient's throat and have a machine breathe for the patient). The doctor put a scope in her mouth and proceeded to feed the tube down her throat. This is not a smooth procedure. There were times I heard scraping sounds and my throat burned in response.

Now that her vitals are under control, the emergency team goes back to their units and the cardiac team is ready to continue. I'm sent to the viewing room adjacent to the suite. Through a window I can see the procure, on the monitor I can see the patient's heart. Amazing. As dye is pushed through her arteries they light up on the screen. The technician rewinds the tape and I can see exactly where the original problem was, where the clots formed, and when they dislodged. All of this is made possible because the cardiologist has fed a scope up through an artery in the woman's groin and up to her heart.

The procedure will continue for at least another hour and the emergency has passed so I am taken back up to the Mental Health floor. My instructor greets me and laughs because my eyes are as big as dinner plates. She asks, "How was it?". I respond, "Crazy cool". She laughs again, and I am hooked. This is the drug of choice for me, adrenaline. I want to be an ER nurse.

The title of my blog

2008-09-30T07:52:00.000-07:00

I have titled my blog "It's Time" because in my world it's always time for something.
-It's time to get up (ugh)
-It's time to get the kids up (what am I talking about, they've been up for an hour, miserable little...)
-It's time for breakfast (wait, not for me, I don't have time for breakfast)
-It's time for school (not just the kids, ALL of us)
-It's time to sit in lecture for four hours (Yeah! I get to sit down! And now my butt's asleep)
-It's time for clinical (Oh gosh, just let me do better than yesterday)
-It's time for lab (for the record, I do not like working with manequins, they are NOTHING like real patients)
-It's time to pick up the kids (while an hour at the park after school may be rejuvinating for them it's time for me to get eaten alive by these horrid tiny black bugs)
-It's time for chores (not mine, the kids', yes they do them now, yipee!)
-It's time for dinner (finally, dinner, I'm so hungry. What do you mean I have to cook?!)
-It's time for homework, class, clinical, soccer practice, and anything else we can fit into the next 2-3 hours before bed)
-It's time for the kids to go to bed (the hallelujah chorus plays loud and clear)
-It's lazy time (this is the time after the children are asleep when Brent and I watch T.V. and/or read for recreation, however there are dozens of other things we should be doing)
-It's time for me to go to bed (Brent doesn't have a bed time, I go to sleep around 10, I don't know when he goes to sleep, at some point during the night I notice the fan's been turned off, the windows are shut and it's become very hot in our room- then I know Brent must have gone to sleep)
-It's time to do it all again!! (Now you hear me crying)

Yesterday

2008-09-30T07:36:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was one of those days. I began the morning on very little sleep (not uncommon, but still unpleasant). As you may know I am in nursing school. This semester my Mondays start bright and early with a clinical on a post-operation floor. This Monday started as any other until medication time. As a nursing student I am authorized to give meds to patients as long as my instructor oversees the entire process. There I am in the med room, I have a vial of medication in one hand and I am filling it with a little air from a syringe in my other hand. As I'm applying pressure to the plunger of the syringe my instructor tells me to draw it out. I think she's referring to the needle (she wasn't) so without releasing pressure (Pam I know you're cringing right now) I pull out the needle and medication sprays all over the front of me. Strike one.

Now I am in a patient's room. I am attempting to flush her g-tube (a tube for feeding and med administration that's inserted into her digestive tract through her abdomen). I have filled a needleless syringe with water, but there's too much air inside. I did the right thing, I turned away from the patient, but I applied too much force and shot water at her grandfather. Strike two.

I'm desperately trying not to die of embarrassment. I have attached the syringe to the g-tube port and I am beginning to flush the tube with water. Again, I apply too much pressure, and now the patient and I are drenched. Strike three, you're out.

Miserable and wet I finish my task and walk out into the hall where my instructor gives me a hug and a pep talk and sends me off to do paperwork.

Blogging

2008-09-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

I've done it. I have become one of the many that are boldly going where all new e-journalists go. I am a blogger. The definition of blog is an online journal. The definition of blogger is a keeper of a blog. I am Holly, keeper of this blog, hear me complain.

It's Time

The "Quiet" Game

Ellie Graduates

Trip to Idaho (Warning: Long Post)

Easter

Pinewood Derby

Baby Logan turns 9

Avery's 7!

Ellie's 5th Birthday

Christmas

The Princess and the Pea

Tongue Twisters

Fun at the Fair

Board Exams

Trucks! Trucks! Trucks!

Baptism

Little Maroons Preschool

Dress Up

Easter

Bowling

Logan's Birthday

Happy, Happy! Joy, Joy!

Poser

The Party

At the gym?

Avery's Birthday

He's a Thesbian!

Ellie's Birthday

Spring Break!

Potty Talk

Music Appreciation

More Funny Stories

Funny Names and Misinterpretations

I'm not boring!

Christmas

Marie

Reading

Sunday School Miracles

Funny Things

Halloween

Sophie

The Haircut

Adventures in Nursing

The title of my blog

Yesterday

Blogging