All the Way Home

7 thoughts with neither intro nor outro

2011-11-22T13:38:00.012-06:00

1. Just so you know, Phoebe is the cutest thing that has happened to the history of humanity. Here's one of many proofs. Her word for "meat"? "Meep". Boom. I win.

2. I hate talking on cell phones. First of all, I don't like things that give me cancer. Secondly, the delay is terribly awkward. Also awkward, the breaking up of the line while someone is pouring out their heart to you. It's so terribly uncomfortable to interrupt your friend's tears with, "Hey, San...Sandy?...Yeah...I can totally understand, but...Sandy...San...I-I-I'm sooooo sorry, but I honestly am not really catching all your words. Like, I get the gist that you're totally depressed and feel like you are one the edge and I want to talk about this more, but I'm missing every fourth word. Let me call you back when I'm not on Marshall Ave, k?"

"Oh. Can you hear me now?"

"Yes....But, I always hear when people ask that. I probably won't hear you if you actually start talking again."

I admit that my honesty in these situations makes things a bit more awkward.

3. I recently wrote a post about dyeing my hair. I think it's not relevant to enough readers to publish. What do you think? Should I rework and post or just let it RIP in my drafts cemetery?

4. I haven't picked up One Thousand Gifts since my last post. Somebody make me do it. Vanessa, did you finish it?

5. I think best while driving or while showering. And my synapses are way quicker in the morning.* When do you think best? When are you most likely to be inspired?

6. This past weekend, I was getting Jillian ready for a holiday boutique (aka "craft fair") outing. It was special because it was just the two of us. But, as usual, Jillian was melting down. She doesn't like to get her hair done. She doesn't like to get dressed. She doesn't like to wear her coat or her shoes. I had one of those moments of motherly psycho-clarity. That term has never occurred to me before now, but I think it fits well. I knelt down, put my hands on her shoulders and said firmly, "You will let me do your hair, because you are going to look pretty. And I'm going to look pretty. And we are going to look at pretty things. And we are going to have a pretty day. Do you understand?!" And she nodded her head "yes" and that was the beginning of a beautiful day. Strange.

7. I grabbed a shower between items 5 and 6. That's how I remembered my story about Jillian. No joke. Also, I had a great idea for a book and I'm not even a writer. Would a dry erase board work in a shower? just wondering... (Does anyone else think I sound like I'm on cocaine? I'm not, but sheesh...sloooow doooown, jenna)

*I totally googled "synapse in a sentence" because I have no confidence when using words that are medical, legal, literary, etc. This was no help. I just want to be straight up with you about my literary dumbness. I can't believe I was worried about this when in the same sentence I used, "way quicker." Awesome.

brain dumps are where it's at. who knew?

2011-11-12T20:29:00.004-06:00

I have recently been told by more than one person (read: two) that they like my random blog posts. You know the ones that are basically a list of random things I'm thinking? I have always felt so guilty that the only time I really enjoy writing, is when I pulled together a brain dump and hit "publish". And all this time, all two of you actually appreciated this.

Figures. Figures that what feels most natural is what I should have been doing all along. I've often thought that I should just change my blog title to Brain Dump (or something like it), instead of entertaining myself with an obscure reference to Spinal Tap ("All the Way Home" is the first song that Nigel and David wrote together.) Maybe I'll do that. It would take some consistent writing on my part to earn the reward of a new name. (Also, there's a good chance that "Brain Dump" is already a super popular blog that I've never heard of.)

And now I will commence with a brain dump of epic proportions. (Not really, but I just want to incorporate "epic proportions" more in my life.)

1. I should save the best for last, but I can't. I need to tell you of a conversation Avery and I had yesterday. I ventured out to the grocery store--on a SATURDAY! which means that I must love my family very much. Avery noticed right away that his favorite snack was among the goods. He didn't want to draw any sibling attention to this bag of original Lay's chips. So this conversation ensued in whispers:

Avery: Mom, can I have some chips.
Me (mouthing quietly): A few.
Avery: What?
Me (more clearly, but just as quietly mouthing): A few!
Avery: What?! Oh....I thought you were saying f u!

As I type this, I'm in a public place and I can't help laughing.

2. I'm reading four books right now. Not like I normally read four books, which means that I started four books, but abandoned every one and I'm in denial that I'm never going to read them again. I'm actually actively reading all of them. This is a big deal. Because EVEN IN COLLEGE I've only ever read one book at at time (if I was reading at all...). You really want to know what I'm reading, don't you? I'll tell you, but I'd like to give a line item for each book. Cool? cool.

3. One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. All the Christian ladies be all up in this book right nah. And for good reason. It's very good. I want to give a short description, but I'll assume you know how to get to Amazon to read about it. I'm a little stuck right now because her writing is so super poetic and I've left her as she's chasing the moon. I just couldn't connect with that part. So many times I think, "Man the moon is bright tonight." And then when I take a closer look, it's just a street light. City living. Anyway, I'll skim and get back into it. It hasn't been that long since I cracked it. Just a few days. Honest, I'm gonna finish it.

4. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. It's probably the reason I'm even writing right now. I've been feeling blocked creatively for a few months and I have a great friend who is a beautiful writer who understood this block better than I did and is making me read it. I'm so grateful to her and to this book. I feel like I'm already reaping benefits from it. Again, you can read more about it on Amazon. (No, I don't get any credit through my links. So, maybe go link through someone else's blog to give them a little tip.)

5. Bossypants by Tina Fey. I'm reading it for book club. Very funny memoir. (Heads up: It's a bit crude. You should have guessed though.) I'm grateful to have an easy read for book club, because I haven't finished the last four or more books.

6. Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas. Just started it. Already loving it. It's not a manual on parenting, which I happen to be very averse to. If I attempt someone's "tried and true" parenting style, I find that I'm unable to do it consistently and then feel like a failure and then struggle with anger. So, I've been avoiding parenting books for a few years. Lately, I've felt I need a recharge in this area. I'm so thankful that a friend just happened to recommend it. And then a week later, an acquaintance mentioned that she had just finished it and loved it. So, go check it out if you're a parent or want to be one.

7. This is getting long, so I'll wrap it up. I hope to write consistently. If I don't, consider this one of those random long-distance catch up calls with an old friend. It's long, your ear is sweaty, but it was just good to touch base...even if you didn't get to tell them that you're moving across the country and had another baby because your friend just blabbed on and on about the books she was reading and about the time her eleven year old son thought she was saying "F U!" in response to his request for chips.

am i april ludgate?

2011-10-11T12:01:00.004-05:00

This morning, I realized that I look at my eleven-year-old son as if he's my mockumentary camera. That's love.

a note on each kid

2011-09-25T20:53:00.003-05:00

after jillian's first day of preschool, she had three pieces of art in her hand. i asked her, "are these for me?" and she said, "yes!...NO! they are for becky!" (she must be saving the good ones for me, right?)

earlier this week, avery asked me if i was wearing a bra. (um...i was...)

miles is in third grade, but in fourth grade math. he IS the absent-minded professor. he lost his homework somewhere between the dining room table and his math class ev.er.y day last week. (oh.my.gawsh! this is SO frustrating...to us! not him. he's not fazed.)

if you ask phoebe, "who made the sun?" she answers, "me!!!" (this is a little digression from when the boys were toddlers and knew their catechism and could recite the books of the Bible...)

i love me some state fair

2011-08-28T22:31:00.003-05:00

We have recently returned from the wonderful Minnesota State Fair. Here are some reflections:

Some people have really, really dumb tatoos. I can't help but try to imagine the thought process one has before choosing a hideous cartoon frog which looks like it came straight out of a generic coloring book.

If you bike to the fair, you will feel guilt-free about every morsel you eat.

It's pretty amazing that some folks carry around ginormous stuffed animals all day...only to realize there's no good place for it at home either.

Anyone else wonder why the heck is there not a Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar RIGHT NEXT TO the All The Milk You Can Drink stand??!!

Is there anything better than showing your toddler a REAL cow after reading Big Red Barn for almost two years?

The San Filipe grande fish taco is well worth the long line and $8.

I pretty much smell like a rose garden after a long day at the fair.

One day at the fair isn't enough. Momma wants to go back. Without kids :)

what to do, what to do...

2011-07-22T18:58:00.010-05:00

Last summer, I learned the hard way that it is imperative that Avery has a plan for each day. It doesn't have to encompass the whole day, but there has to be something to accomplish or look forward to. Despite my not-so-structured nature, I've been able to accommodate that need better this summer, but...

With the last minute nature of Miles' surgery, I really didn't have much of a plan for how to deal with the rest of the kids. Within a few hours, Avery was driving me NUTS because he didn't have any structure. He had read all of his library books. He didn't have Miles to play with. We don't have video games. He I couldn't host a friend. What could he do???

Ever since our trip to Dick's sporting goods the other day, Avery has been perseverating on the idea of getting catcher's equipment. So, I made the mistake of letting him look for a set on Amazon and he became quickly obsessed with saving up for it. I'm all for safety in baseball, hard work and saving up, but did I really have capacity to deal with this??? It takes a lot of work to put your kids to work.

Out of sheer necessity to preserve my sanity, I put Avery to work this morning to clean up our construction site/family room. He worked his tail off and organized, moved tools, swept and vacuumed it up. Ch-ching. He made bank.

But, he wanted more work... (ugh...)

I got out a ladder and had him work on pulling off a rotten board from our garage. He worked on it for awhile, but then determined he needed a saws-all to finish the job. Okay...but I couldn't devote time and attention to overseeing that project. Ch-ching. He made a little bit for good effort.

But, he still needed more to do... (oh.my.word.)

So...after thinking for a few moments, I figured now would be a good time for him to learn how to cut-in and roll-on paint. He's 10, right?! But, first he had to sand and prep the walls (just a little bit). And then he had to remove the switch plate and railing (yay for getting to use tools!). He's really focused and loving his job. Ch-CHING! He's definitely gonna earn a good wage for this one!

Here he is working on the stairway down to our basement. We've needed to paint it for five years. I think I like having an eager 10-year-old!!!

You might wonder why I didn't have him unload the dishwasher or do laundry. Well, he has to do those things on an almost daily basis. Pro bono. That comes with the territory of being in our family.

all in a day's work

2011-07-19T13:52:00.005-05:00

People ask what life is like with four kids. First of all, I LOVE being a mother and I LOVE my kids. But, to answer their question, I tell them that it's manageable, but that us + anything else is hard. Here's a debrief of the last 24 hours:

1. Drywall went up in the family room. Thanks, Dan! (He doesn't read this blog. Just thought I'd give a subtle clue that we didn't do it. very subtle.)
2. The house still stunk yesterday. Thanks, Dead Animal! You smell bigger than you probably are!
3. Took the kids to Dick's sporting goods and was tempted to buy catcher's equipment to protect my kids from further injury...read on...
4. Called Miles' pediatrician because he took a baseball to the face three weeks ago (freak accident) and now that the swelling and discoloration are gone, it appears his nose is crooked. Was referred to ENT. (BTW, I had taken him to the ER when he was injured and they thought everything was absolutely fine. bastards.)
5. ENT wanted to see Miles yesterday, so we went.
6. Within 20 minutes of the appointment, we were scheduling Miles for surgery for tomorrow to correct broken nose. (No, they are not going to re-break it.) None of us have ever been put under anesthesia. Pray for Miles.
7. Avery's team played in ridiculously uncomfortable heat. And there were biting bugs. They lost in extra innings.
8. After the game, I hung out with good buddies Kari and Megan and had much needed laughs and heart-to-hearts.
9. Got a text while there from Brent that read verbatim: "Does Phoebe have any diapers? She's wearing a a hybrid cloth duct tape concoction right now!" I thought he was serious. Laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. He had actually put her in a rarely used cloth diaper.
10. Came home and talked until midnight-ish.
11. Woke up at 5am with killer low back pain. Fell back asleep at 6am.
12. Woke up again at 8, needing to get a shower, get everyone fed, dressed and out the door by 8:45. (I seriously hadn't brushed my hair since Saturday. I had taken a shower, but we've been going at such a frenetic pace that I'm pretty sure there was no time for a luxury such as brushing ones hair.)
13. Upon waking up, Jillian said she needed to throw up. She didn't. She was just tired, I think.
14. Phoebe pooped in that cloth diaper. I was going to try to clean it, but I tossed that Bum Genius away after gagging at the smell.
15. My low back was throbbing with pain. I got a deep tissue massage. psych.
16. Avery took antibiotics, because, of course he was diagnosed with Strep a few days ago.
17. Somehow we all got on the road by 9:03am. Only 18 minutes behind schedule...
18. Jillian went to camp.
19. Miles went to his pre-op appointment. Cleared.
20. Cold press coffee at Caribou. finally.
21. Costco trip. Bought a month's supply of diapers, bread and frozen pizza.
22. DQ drive-thru for the boys' lunch.
23. Picked up Jillian from camp while ominous clouds formed overhead.
24. McD's drive-thru for Jillian's and Phoebe's lunch. Torrential downpour ensued during this time.
25. Got to garage, but stayed there to watch golf-ball sized hail crashing down. Very cool.
26. Our house still stinks.
27. Gotta figure out dinner, clean up, do laundry, put stuff away and get Avery back to the fields by 4:30.

i'm so good at keeping the blog updated. (and has anyone seen my camera?)

2011-07-17T22:38:00.005-05:00

I'm terribly inconsistent. I had a gentle reminder that it would appear Avery never came home from camp. Let's try to give some updates, shall we?

1. Avery loved camp. I'll be honest. It wasn't SO bad while he was gone. The best part about his absence was that he's a pseudo-picky eater. So, even though he will actually eat a wide variety of foods, he complains and makes a stink about veggies on pizza and having to go to Chipotle (what?!) and having spaghetti sauce (but he likes lasagna, people!). The worst part about him being gone was just not knowing what he was doing. But, then I would remember what camp was like for me and knew he was having a blast. Getting that first hug from him after nearly a week made me cry. And, he was so excited --or maybe relieved--to see Miles when we finally got home. But he's so subtle, I might have been the only one who noticed.

2. Oh, by the way, my parents were here from Romania and I just LOVED visiting with them. They were so helpful and gracious and I'm looking forward to them swinging through the Twin Cities in August before they head back to the other side of the world!

3. Did you know MN government is shutdown? Pretty much going about as usual. SO grateful our libraries were not closed. Bummer for those crazy folks who like to camp though. State parks are closed down. In one of the few months it's actually possible to camp in Minnesota. Crazy. Also, no building inspectors or regulation spies are lurking about the city. Ah, Minneapolis feels safer somehow.

4. This past week, Jillian went to her first summer camp. While she was at her camp, the boys were at their camp. While the boys were at their camp, Phoebe was napping. If you do the math, you'll notice that I had no children saying "mommymommymommy" for about 2 hours (for two days anyway). I had complete thoughts. It gave me hope for what my brain might be like in a few years.

5. A few days ago, I smelled a vague offensive odor near our living room (which is filled with our family room furniture). The next day, I came home and immediately asked the babysitter if Phoebe was poopy. Nope. It definitely smelled like something was rotting in the trash, but it wasn't. It was emanating from the fireplace. What was it? Not sure exactly, but I this helpful information:

The animal falls or climbs down the chimney but can’t get back up the chimney. The poor guy meets a slow death. The story does not end here. As the body decomposes, maggots and flies develop. Soon the decaying animal body begins to stink and flies enter your home. This usually only lasts a month or two. The best way to solve this issue is to have a brave chimney technician remove your damper and reach up inside the fireplace and remove the decaying animal body. Don’t forget your gloves! (via)

ugh. Thanks to friendly advice on Facebook, Brent sealed up the fireplace with some poly sheeting and I'll get a chimney guru out asap.

6. Did I mention that it was like 90million degrees yesterday. And that there was something dead in our house. Cool. K.

7. Avery (and his entourage, aka the rest of the family) are immersed in tournament baseball for about 10 days. He just played in state with his team and did a fairly good job, but got knocked out by the team that took first place. He literally played 5 games in 24 hours. (Three of those game were shortened to 4 innings) He continues the momentum tonight and will play through Sunday (if they keep winning). During this time, I will make three balanced meals a day and shop frugally and keep our house clean and remember to apply sunscreen on everyone. ;)

8. We're trying to encourage Jillian to eat healthy food. It's hard when she's practically being raised on concession stand fare. Today I told her she needed to eat fruit instead of candy. She tried to convince me that candy IS a fruit. I think she actually believed this. And the candy was not even Skittles; it was a Charleston Chew.

9. Phoebe refuses to talk. She'll say a few words, but if we ask her to say something new, she bats her eyes and shakes her head, "no." It's adorable.

10. I end with a picture. I think it was about a month ago, that Avery's team won a tournament. He is seen here receiving his trophy and about to shake hands with a player from the team who took second.

camp

2011-06-20T22:58:00.003-05:00

yesterday we took avery to camp.

my son is two hours away (driving with a lead foot anyway).

miles asked on the way home, "how long would this journey be on foot?" that's so miles.

i thought i'd bawl my eyes out on the way home, but i was too happy for him. and, at the time, thursday seemed so soon. now, a day later, and thursday feels so far away.

i'm dying to know how he's doing. does he have a lot of mosquito bites? has he brushed his teeth since we dropped him off? is he starting to miss us?

i let him pack his own suitcase. i'm pretty sure he did a mostly great job. (i didn't double check.) but, i noticed today while doing laundry that he didn't pack any swim trunks!!! good thing he's a boy and can just wear shorts.

it's nice being able to lavish miles with affirmation without worry. usually there's an older brother who interprets affirmation for anyone else as a criticism for himself.

ugh...i just want to see a picture of him or get a text. it's crazy having no contact with my boy. i can't believe some sons go off to war and their moms can't comfort themselves with mental pictures of zip lines and camp songs. oh lord, how will i survive the ache of being a mother?

i heard today that avery's team won their game last night (with no avery!). they are now in first place in their league. i want to tell him about it. he'd be so excited.

on one hand, i miss the living daylights out of him. on the other, i keep thinking about how much we could get done if they were all at camp...

9 thoughts on my parents (who read this blog and live in romania)

2011-06-08T20:43:00.003-05:00

1. I haven't been able to erase their old American cell phone numbers from my contacts. The thought of it bums me out.

2. Speaking of cell phones, I wish I could text them pictures and random updates.

3. I'm really excited to see them in a few short days!

4. My kids are even more excited. I never really experienced grandparent love as a child. It melts me.

5. I love who I'm connected to through my parents. My aunts and uncles and cousins, Eastern Europeans, my best friend in Pennsylvania...

6. I wish my house was in better order for their visit.

7. I think about holding my mom's hand a lot. I miss holding her hand so much.

8. My Dad is better than yours. He might not be able beat yours up, but he could beat him at everything else.

9. As a parent, I want my children to know how much I love them just because they are my children. As a child, I want my parents to know how much I love them just because they are my parents.

20 things from today

2011-06-03T21:31:00.006-05:00

1. Brent took the day off to work on our family room remodel.
2. I took the boys to school and barely made it to the gas station. The gas light had been on awhile.
3. While I was pumping gas, my delightful doppelganger, Jenny Wilson, called because she did in fact, run out of gas. (We even have the same car.)
4. I ate several dark chocolate peanut butter cups from Trader Joes.
5. The Pella rep finally called me back about an estimate. We played phone tag. It was pretty awesome.
6. Jillian changed her clothes four times. Maybe seven.
7. I got visits from Becky, Jenny Rigney, Jenny and Matt Wilson and the Misners!
8. Phoebe pooped all over herself promptly after waking up and sometime before we got her out of her crib.
9. Rachel stopped by to borrow sewing supplies. I'm glad somebody is using them!!!
10. I found out, after the fact, that Miles recited a poem at school in front of the whole school today.
11. I went to sleep today. That's how late I was up last night. I was up until today.
12. I got a call from my lovely Japanese daughter, Youki, to let me know she is graduating on Sunday and that she would like to see us today or tomorrow. (We opted for tomorrow. And I HOPE we can go to the graduation!)
13. Avery played in his first tournament of the season. They lost 3 - 1.
14. Phoebe peed through a cloth diaper. We discovered this right when we got to the game.
15. I fixed Jillian's bike chain that had been falling off every few seconds...for the past six weeks.
16. Jillian and I planted the pots on the front porch.
17. Jillian and I painted with water colors on the back deck.
18. I felt badly because I felt like I ignored Jillian, but now I'm thinking I didn't do such a bad job.
19. We did laundry. (Just in case you thought we could go a day without it. Uniform and Phoebe's bedding.)
20. Finally sold some furniture on Craigslist. They came, they bought, they sauntered. Or rather, it took them quite awhile to pack up their minivan. Like a really long time. But, no big deal. Just notable.

right now being me looks like 20 things

2011-05-26T12:11:00.003-05:00

1. It looks like scrambling to make a medieval costume for my eight-year-old.
2. It also looks like scrambling to fulfill my obligation of providing cooked and cubed chicken and 30 cut up apples for said medieval feast.
3. It looks like putting away about three tons of winter clothes. (Some of which are baby clothes...for the last time....sniff.)
4. It looks like loving on a new neighbor who is fabulous and wonderful and broken and doesn't know Jesus.
5. It looks like hauling little girls to Home Depot, Dept of Labor and Industry, BMO, Menards, Minneapolis Permits and Licensing place (whatever that's called).
6. I would say it looks like a tornado has hit my home, but now that I've seen pictures of real tornado damage, it looks more like it's just been ransacked. By toddlers.
7. It looks like a new kind of growing up as I try to be stronger in my home while my husband adjusts to a new job. (No more, "PLEASE come home ASAP!!!")
8. It looks like baseball games. Lots of them.
9. It looks like singing new songs with Jillian. Even if she makes them up, I try to sing along. It looks kinda like this:

10. It looks like demolition of windows and walls and dust everywhere.
11. It looks like boxes of kleenexes everywhere.
12. It looks like laundry at every stage. Dirty, washing, drying, waiting, partially folded, almost put away and some in the drawers. All the time.
13. It looks like nobody wants to cook. Lots and lots of pizza these days.
14. It looks like letting Miles stay up a little later, because that's really the only time he wants to talk.
15. It looks like milk spilled. Everyday. Because Phoebe feeds herself cereal and ain't nobody gonna take her spoon.
16. It looks like mama's not gardening this year.
17. It looks like coupons and board books.
18. It looks like Danskos have made a place in my heart and on my feet.
19. It looks like...I actually made the bed today.
20. It looks like...um...well...it looks like I better go make that chicken!!!

a guest post from a little birdie

2011-05-07T21:21:00.002-05:00

My parents call my sister, Neely, "Bird." The following is her tribute to our mom on Mother's Day.

Because...

...she'll pack a picnic for anything including the time she drove with me to jefferson city so that i could take a licensing exam.

...she'll buy you a commercial-sized air conditioner if you need a fan.

...she's madly intentional about some things in her life and maddeningly unintentional about others. it makes me feel normal.

...she let me drink NA beer* in high school and would occasionally buy six packs of the NA beer for me because i really preferred the taste of beer over soda. Still do.

...she threw caution in the wind and encouraged me to travel to foreign lands in high school and college. now we get to trust in the Lord as she lives overseas.

...she allowed us to watch the best of the 80s movies: Annie, Private Eyes, Mr. Mom, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Working Woman, Baby Boom, Trading Places; name it, we watched it, and we still quote it.

...she always, always believed in my ability to be a tiger lady at the office, but listens to me cry on my worst days without judgment in the path chosen for me in corporate life.

...she loves well her three, very different, daughters, differently.

...she loves our dad and you can still see that i-treasure-you-twinkle in her blue eyes when she looks at him.**

...she love her Lord, Jesus Christ, above all things.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom-A-La!

*for those of you wondering what NA beer is, it's non-alcoholic!
** yes!!! good call, neely!

to mom from #3

2011-05-07T19:50:00.003-05:00

Mom,

With each year that I get to enjoy the blessing of being a mother, my respect for you grows and my heart is humbled. Here are some things for which I am so grateful.

You are a mom I could share anything with. You told me the truth and I told you the truth. We weren't afraid of being real with each other. I felt like the only girl with a mom like you.

You didn't have all the Bible studies under your belt in the 80s that you do now, but you had rock solid faith. You taught us with confidence that God has a good plan even when we go through hard circumstances. I remember vividly these lessons.

I was mesmerized by you as a child. You were so funny. Your spontaneous dancing and general silliness shaped me. (I think Avery looks at me the same way I looked at you.) All my friends loved your laugh. The burst of a howl followed by the unselfconscious hoo hoo hee hee ha ha made us giggle.

You are so comfortable to be with. We don't need a plan. We just plop down on the couch and share our hearts over hazelnut coffee. I love that.

You always give all you have. You give yourself. Growing up, I watched you give time, rides, money, groceries, hugs, smiles, encouragement, gifts...all.the.time.
You have the patience of Job. I didn't really know how self-centered I was as a child until I was an adult. One day you and Dad said, "Oh, Jenna, we are so relieved to see how sensitive you are to other people. You were the MOST self-centered child of the bunch." You didn't immortalize my weaknesses by pointing them out and trying to root them out of my life at a young age. You lived by example and waited patiently for the Lord to work in my heart. I find this extremely encouraging as a parent.

You were adventurous. You even tried to home school me. We lasted a good semester. Honestly, though, it was the best semester of my life. I loved being with you!

You valued arts and cultural experiences and thus made sure we had season tickets to the St. Louis Repertory Theater. I still remember Conversations With My Father, Fences, The Merry Wives of Windsor, A Christmas Carol, A Little Night Music, etc.... Maybe, this was a tiny influence on me ;)

You concocted and carried out some of the most hair-brained ideas, which turned out to make hilarious memories. My favorite was the time we got tired of the ducks. We'd acquired them on a whim at some rural county fair. For whatever reason, they became a nuisance and you decided that they belonged at someone else's farm. This didn't mean that you'd pick up the phone and find a new home for them. No, you spotted a good pond on someone else's property and didn't need to consult them. The plan we carried out was that when it got dark, we'd each hold onto a duck and lay low in the back of the pick-up while Dad drove. Then, when he stopped by the pond, we threw them over the fence as their feathers flew and they were quackin' at the moon. You're the only person I've ever thrown a duck with. I love you for that memory.

You are the best mother in the world for me. Happy Mother's Day!

Today's Top Five Things on My Mind

2011-05-06T16:21:00.003-05:00

1. Just got a new roof today. Not for the whole house. Just the addition that someone put on like 40 years ago. It leaked for years, but not every time it rained. It was so tricky. It would either pour in or not leak at all! We kept trying to patch it, but to no avail. Now we have new roof and mama so happy.

2. SOoO...Now, that the leak is fixed, we are ready to FINALLY remodel our family room. We're gonna knock out walls and build stuff and put in a new floor. Also, we're gonna finally say goodbye to the early 90s linoleum in our kitchen! I'm so excited!!!

3. I love Becky Laparra. She babysits my kids once a week, so that means I get to see her at least once a week. Basically, I'm hiring her to be my friend. And to keep me sane.

4. Baseball season is upon us. Little league, that is. I LOVE it. It completely messes up our eating, sleeping and everything else schedules, but who needs normalcy? calories? rest?? Avery was starting pitcher in the first game of the season. My eyes welled up with proud tears the first time I heard the ump utter "strike."

5. Laundry. If baseball is on one end of the happiness spectrum, then laundry is on the other end. It's all I do.

May the Fourth Be With You

2011-05-04T17:04:00.003-05:00

I wonder if Miles knows that it's Star Wars Day. He's obsessed. The other day, it occurred to me that his friend's Dad is indirectly raising our son. Or, at the very least, he's raising his Star Wars awareness. Miles has learned Weird Al's song and various trivia from ~~him~~ his son.

It seemed appropriate that Miles would say the following quote today. This should offer a glimpse into daily ~~obsession~~ life with Miles.

Miles looked into the mirror and asked with great hope, Does this [chocolate milk mustache] make me look like Lando Calrissian?

Yes, he said his last name. No, I didn't know Lando had a last name. I most definitely Googled it to figure out the spelling.

Would you like one more? Here's a conversation Brent relayed to me a few weeks ago:

Miles: Dad, can you understand R2D2 when he speaks?
Brent: No.
Miles: Sometimes, I really think I can.

And in the off chance that you haven't seen this public service announcement...

happy birthday, jenny rigney

2011-04-24T23:14:00.007-05:00

Almost a month ago, I celebrated my 34th birthday. My friend Jenny wrote the nicest post that I could ever have imagined. It made me cry. Since she's the easiest person in the world to affirm, and since today is her birthday, I thought I'd write a post just for her.

Here are 29 things I love about Jenny Rigney on her 29th birthday!

1. I have Jenny on a culinary pedestal. Best pasta, best salsa, best sweet potato casserole, etc. In my book, she wins the blue ribbon for every single thing she makes. (And if she needs a judge or taste tester, I would oblige her every time.)

2. Jenny encourages me by her example to be tender towards my children.

3. Jenny is wise beyond her years. (Of course, in my mind she'll always be 25ish and thus will always seem so.) She is sensitive to the truth and unwilling to compromise it.

4. She's slightly intentional when it comes to teaching her first born. At 22 months, he can identify all the letters in the alphabet, he knows his left from his right and he knows a little catechism too.

5. She has modeled to me serving while suffering. While she endured years of infertility, she served friends in need who were mothers.

6. She honors her mother and her father. And makes me cry in the process.

7. She makes the ~~most~~ best lists!

8. She shares her brilliant ideas and recipes.

9. She says she's picky, but she really isn't. For example, if she doesn't like a certain vegetable, she'll find a recipe that makes it palatable. (Most people who actually are picky, don't admit it. boo.)

10. She fights for her faith. She hasn't surrendered to doubt even when the storms have come.

11. She has a beautiful smile. See?!

12. I love how Jenny often asks me, "What are the top five things on your mind?" or "What are the top three things that stir your affections for Christ?" She wants to have meaningful conversation. She's not interested in killing time.

13. She has mad interior design skillz. She (and Joe!) took on a quite the project when they bought their home (just two blocks away from me!!!). It had been uninhabited for two years. It had a ton of potential, but it basically looked like a crack house. And now, it's pretty much the CUTEST house on the block. I love her ability to make a beautiful yet very comfortable environment.

14. She has THE most hilarious stories.

15. My favorite comedy moment with her was documented on her blog. It STILL makes me laugh OUT loud when I think of it. Last October, she went to Old Navy and Target several times to pick a costume for her son Sam. She kept telling me about this banana costume at Old Navy. Finally, one day we met up at Old Navy and sure enough she tried that banana costume on Sam again, but it just didn't seem right...even though the label said it went up to 50 lbs (what?). As we were waiting in line, I saw the costume again and something caught my eye that took my breath away as I laughed hysterically. Apparently, Sam had been trying on a banana costume for a dog all this time.

16. Oh, by the way, she also makes me laugh on purpose. She is so stinkin' funny!

17. Jen challenges me to be a more thoughtful wife to my husband. When our husbands first heard about the flag football league at our church, she said, "I'll do anything I can to make sure he can play! He really needs an athletic outlet." Wow. I usually think, "I'll do anything I can to make sure my husband doesn't break a limb. I really need him to do a lot of things around the house." But, she was right! (And they both play flag football, btw!)

18. She gives. Salsa. Time. Her heart. Her tears. Oh man, Jenny gives!

19. She loves organization. Exhibit A (that's her pantry!)

But she's not obsessed. Exhibit B (that's her toddler after dumping out a container of sprinkles!)

20. I can trust her because she loves Jesus more than she loves me.

21. She's spontaneous. Most times when we hang out it's not planned at all.

22. She loves. She truly loves her friends. She loves people. She loves her family.

23. Jen is ALWAYS thinking of ways to serve others. The most unlikely word in the world I would use to describe her is "self-serving."

24. Jen is a praying friend. She talks to God. And she prays for me and my family.

25. She has taken the most amazing pictures of my family. I absolutely LOVE her photography. I don't understand the craft at all. I know people think that the camera deserves the credit. Well, I have definitely proved them wrong. I have taken pictures with her camera and they were HORRIBLE!!!! She's a wonderful photographer!

26. She's happy. She's joyful. There is nothing Debby Downer about her. When her toddler messes up her home, she laughs. She has a sparkly kind of smile.

27. She gave me Loving the Little Years for no particular reason. Did I mention that she gives?

28. She teaches without giving you the impression that she's teaching. And maybe because she's not. She's just sharing. But, because she is so reflective and thoughtful and wanting to practically apply all things she's learning, I'm learning right along with her.

29. Jen dances in public. No matter how pregnant she is. I love her for that.

Jen, I really could keep going, because you are an amazing person. I am incredibly glad to call you friend and neighbor and sister in Christ.

If you'd like to add to the list, please do! Tell Jenny what YOU love about her!

loving my kids

2011-04-13T22:46:00.005-05:00

My friend, Jenny, is doing a book giveaway on her blog. All you have to do to enter the contest is leave a comment about what you love about your children.

I love Jenny for making me do this exercise. Here's what I wrote:

i love avery (10 yrs) for being my little man who helps me get his baby sister in her car seat when we are running late. i love the way he hums a tune when he's eating a favorite meal. i love how he beat-boxes like a champ. i love watching him play baseball.

i love miles (8 yrs) for engaging his imagination 150% of the time. and i love listening to him use big words. i love that he's the most natural snuggler in all the universe.

i love jillian (3 yrs) for her laugh, her expressive eyes, her tenderness that doesn't let me off the hook when i use a harsh word. i love that she knows the lyrics to more songs than i do.

i love phoebe (1 yr) for melting my heart every time i look at her. i love, love, love to feel her two chubby hands with slightly sharp fingernails (because it's really hard to keep everyone's nails trimmed all the time!) grab my chin to turn my head to look at her. i love her stinky morning breath and the way she laughs and says "mama!" when it's just been too long since we've seen each other.

Now, if you've got some kiddos (or grandkids? or nieces or nephews?), go check out her blog and leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of Loving The Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches! I know if I don't win a copy, I'll be borrowing hers!!!

Up Next, After the Antique Road Show!

2011-04-11T22:33:00.005-05:00

What were you up to while I was putting the girls to bed?

Watching a PBS documentary on the Russian Famine.

What happened?

It was really sad. It started with a drought. They didn't have any food. Finally, Americans sent corn, milk and potatoes. But not before the starving people dug up graves and ate the flesh of the dead. Ten butcher shops were shut down for selling human meat.

Sweet dreams buddy!

just to clarify...this was a conversation between Brent and Miles.

my landline went dead and i didn't know what to do, so i went to the website and opted for a chat. this is the conversation that ensued.

2011-03-29T17:40:00.003-05:00

Thank you for contacting Qwest. My name is Nicole R. . How may I help you today?

jenna: hey great. um. my landline appears to not be working. no line. how can i get help for that.

Nicole R. : I am sorry we cannot arrange to conduct a conference call with our repair department, but let me provide the number for you to contact them at your earliest convenience. To request repair, please dial 1-877-348-9007 from any working phone. Phone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Or, please click here to log in to your MyAccount. Click on the Help tab to open a repair ticket under "My Phone Service". I apologize for any inconvenience.

jenna: awesome. thanks. technology has made me dumb and i couldn't even remember how to get help.

Nicole R. : Oh no problem

Nicole R. : Is there anything else that I can help you with today?

jenna: not really. wanted to make a bad joke about helping me order pizza, but no. thanks. really. you've already gone above the call of duty. lates.

i may or may not have...

2011-03-18T17:25:00.004-05:00

...gone to Walmart today.

...bought a Miley Cyrus brand shirt. For myself.

...showed this video to Avery. And Jillian.

...made hot breakfast for the first half of the week due to a major cereal shortage in our home.

...and maybe even heated up a hotdish and put it in thermos containers for the boys' lunches.

...bought Shamrock shakes for me and the kids. (Even Phoebe may have partaken of the Shamrock.)

why i don't take, post or print pictures of my children at this stage in my life

2011-03-16T13:56:00.006-05:00

Jillian: "Mah-um...Mah-um...can I take the picture?"
Me: "No, no honey. Let me get one of you and Phoebe in your cute dresses."

Me: "Honey, can you two scoot back??"

Phoebe: "Wah!!!!!!! Wah!!!!!!!" (translated: I want to look at the picture you're looking at in the camera!!!)

Me: "Hold on. I gotta turn off the flash. k. Phoebe! PEEK-a-boo! Be still one moment...."

Me: "PEEK-a-boo!!! Look at mommy :D!!!"

Me: "Fine...here you go, Jillian."
Jillian: "say cheese!!!!!!!!!!"
Me: "cheese."
Phoebe: "uh. uh. WAH!"

Jillian: "Phoebe, say 'cheese'!!!"
Phoebe: "WAHHHHHH!!!" (translated: I'm about to go ninja on you if you don't give me that frip-frappin camera!!!!!!!!!!!!")

update: my friend, babysitter and the first commenter on this post, becky, had the same idea earlier in the day...with a tad more success.

I imagine Becky was all, "Okay, Phoebe, try to look emo....good girl!"

"Okay, Phoebe, now look totally spaced out while I pull off looking cuter than a baby! sweet. Good job!"

showcase showdown. winner revealed!

2011-03-14T08:48:00.005-05:00

And because you've been DYING to know what the actual re-re-re-retail value is...

I think it's safe to say, we were pretty amazed at the price tags on some useless, beaten up items.

In honor of Kim and Graham's big win, here's a video of a Kim who did not win...twice.

Kim and Graham, I think you're gonna have to arm wrestle over who getsta get the Starbucks bev!!

The Price Is Right, double date edition

2011-03-11T08:13:00.003-06:00

Guess the price! Nearest bidder (to the penny!) without going over get's a $4.98 gift card to Starbucks!

double date

2011-03-10T22:08:00.008-06:00

So we got to go on a double date with our super fun friends, Molly and Abraham. What do four parents of a combined eight children do on a Friday night?

First stop: Savers
Mission: Find "The Best" item. Such a loose category. Could be anything really.

Like...

...a classic Cosby sweater or a HUGE pair of underwear. What makes that cane qualify for the best?

yeah...It said something like, "since you have become so old and decrepit..." nice.

Brent found a great pair of women's pants. I got The Best of Shalamar. (I also found an Arlo Guthrie record that WAS pretty awesome. Alice's Restaurant, people? I know. so cool.)

After ~~I clearly~~ nobody won our contest, we made our way to the books and media section. Naturally. We found some books that you might want to run out and get before they sell out of them!!!

Then, we played "who can find a John Piper book first." I was sure I would find The Passion of Jesus Christ. I just had to zone in on the color scheme I knew so well. And it paid off! Ironically, Abraham picked up a book right between these two...I think it was a Tripp book. Ha! Paul David TRIPPED him up. yesssss! I win ~~again~~!

I wish we played a game that resulted in this picture. Molly wins. I can't look at this without my eyes watering.

Molly also found this gem.

hmmm...if I just put some circles next to it...yup, that looks just barely bootlegged. (and, thank you, abraham for photo-bombing. nice work.)

So, after a bunch of laughs, we headed out to THE best pizza place in town, Parkway Pizza!!

Here's a very tired looking me and my wonderful husband.

And there's the happy couple. Silly, really.

My guess is that my sister would bet that it was ME who kept slicing a piece of pizza into smaller and smaller bites, but I don't think I was working alone here. Apparently, there are others who have the "just one more sliver" tendency!!!

Best part about this picture? Mollly's toes. Too cute!

Thanks M & A for the fun adventure!!!

a tender moment

2011-02-04T11:54:00.002-06:00

Our children adore their father. Since today is Brent's birthday, I thought I'd post this just for him.

favorites from the Christmas photo shoot

2011-01-02T12:40:00.003-06:00

photographer: jenny rigney
location: rigney's backyard
temperature: eh...15 degrees?
photo shoot time: 20 minutes max.
fun fact: brent & jillian actually had a short photo shoot the following day because it was just too cold to make a three-year-old smile on day 1

amazed. we are all looking in one direction.

yep. those are my handsome boys.

oh.my.phoebe. i LOVE this face!

the twins. seriously.

this pictures is healing for me. first one of us together that doesn't totally suck. i actually like it. a lot.

thanks, jenny, for working wonders!

taking christmas card pictures in the cold = this beaut

2010-12-30T21:00:00.003-06:00

photo courtesy of jenny rigney, of course!

do video games kill imagination?

2010-12-20T09:34:00.005-06:00

Miles was scheming this morning, desperate to get a Wii in our house.

I denied him yet again. Even told him that maybe we should cancel Christmas gifts altogether because his disappointment at not getting a Wii would be very depressing for his parents. (Avery very quickly made it clear that he would NOT be disappointed in anything!)

I told him that he need to be using his imagination. "What would you be doing or thinking if you weren't obsessing about a Wii," I asked him.

"I don't have an imagination anymore," he said.

"Why don't you go write a story about your imagination. Where did it go? How did you lose it? Your quest to find it...What has it been up to?"

"Okay."

He returned with this limerick:

I lost my imagination
I think it went on vacation
It didn't like me
I played too much Wii
And it's learning multiplication

He explained to me that if he still had his imagination, it would be learning plutification which requires imagination, but instead it's just learning math facts.

I think he's brilliant. But, of course, I'm his mom.

why we don't have a video game system in our house (yet?)

2010-12-20T09:00:00.003-06:00

It's Christmas time. The time when those of us in the No Video Game Camp start to question how dedicated we are to saying NO to Wii, XBox, PS3 and a DS. I really don't mind if my kids play these at your house. I just don't want them in mine. I often run through this list mentally to remind myself why I fight the temptation to upgrade my coolness status with my boys.

1. Video games take over your thoughts. I know what it's like to be sitting in class and wishing I could just stop thinking about fitting Tetris pieces together.

2. Video games give you a false sense of accomplishment. I could place Sonic the Hedgehog with my eyes closed in high school. I'm not even exaggerating. Also, hearing my boys regale eachother with stories of conquering levels at the dinner table drives me nuts. I have no context to even feign interest. It's isolating.

3. Video games take away time that you could be making a real memory that's worth sharing or writing about some day. (I'm feeling the irony here, but this is cautionary, not inspiring!)

4. Video games kill imagination (because of their thought domination!). Now, I have to say the lack of video games has inspired video-game-like imaginations. My boys used to pretend to be in a video game while we drove around town.

5. Video games would be the FIRST thing I would take away if I were going to discipline my kids. I don't want to give my kids a gift that I KNOW I would take away almost daily. (I feel the same way even if they were to invest in it themselves. So I've squashed the idea of saving for it.)

To be perfectly clear, my kids have played plenty of Webkinz and computer-based video games. But, because it's on my computer, it's very limited compared to what it would be if they had their own system.

Which brings me to number...

6. If they DID have their own system, I wouldn't regulate it enough. I would SOOOO enjoy the peace and quiet it would bring that they'd play it forever (when they weren't grounded from it, of course).

related post to follow shortly...

what DO you give the little boy who donates a dollar?

2010-11-19T20:25:00.004-06:00

So, Miles and I were at the grocery store the other day. As we exited, there was a table we passed accepting donations for disabled veterans. Almost too late, I realized that I actually had a tiny bit of cash on me (very rare!), and sent Miles back to donate a dollar as I waited on the sidewalk.

The last thing I expected was to be given anything in return for our meager donation.

But, no, they were ready to thank my eight-year-old with a small gift:

From the back cover...
"After Hudson Savage betrayed her, Dana Cardwell hoped never again to lay eyes on the seductive cowboy..."

yeee-ep.

last of the (super long overdue) chicago pictures

2010-11-14T06:57:00.005-06:00

Over a month ago, I wrote, "More on the trip soon." Fail. If I've learned anything about myself, it's that if I commit to doing anything on my blog, I don't do it. So, with that in mind, I will never post all our stops we made on our summer vacation.

A few thoughts on Chicago. I'm SO glad we had to travel through it twice (on the way out and on the way back to Minneapolis). I love this hub of the midwest for the people, the memories we've made there over the years and for all that it offers in terms of food and entertainment. At this stage in life, it's more about the people and the food.

We stayed with the Vander Griends. I met Kim in college and have already written a bit about her here and there. She's hilarious and intense. Her husband is also hilarious and intense, but in complimentary ways. They are so comfortable to be around. Even before they had children, they were really cool with ours. Kim has a very enchanting way with kiddos.

Our girls are very close in age. Lucy and Jillian are a few days apart. Lila and Phoebe are three months apart. I was a little obsessed with matching them. But getting a picture was tricky! It's hard enough to get ONE kid to look at a camera, let alone FOUR!!!

Kim reading to the girls.

The Dads took out the kids to Millennium Park (as I wrote SO long ago).

And we took out the babies. I have one request when I visit Chicago: cupcakes. If you're ever in Lincoln Park (am I right, Kim?), Go to Sweet Mandy B's. Get yourself a vanilla cupcake. (And then get another for the road.) It's AH-mazing. I have become a bit of a cupcake connoisseur over the years. I have not found a cupcake that competes with Sweet Mandy B's. (Okay, now I'm salivating. Cannot write about this anymore!!!)

next stop, OHIO. (but i will NOT post about it...reverse psychology works, right??!!)

I is for Isaac. J is for Jillian.

2010-11-12T23:01:00.003-06:00

My little preschooler is learning a lot this year. This is her buddy, Isaac. She talks about him all the time. And according to her, I is always for Isaac. (By the way, Isaac's mommy took this super great picture!)

one of my favorite parenting tips

2010-11-11T20:34:00.004-06:00

The further into this journey of parenting I go, the more grace I need. I need it from the Lord obviously. And I need it from my friends. Here's a quote from a friend that I've been noodling on for awhile.

"Someone recently asked me for parenting advice and I told them, 'Surround yourself with friends who don't judge you or your parenting.'" (That was Sarah T, for the locals.)

Sure, I was as guilty as any other person pre-children. Even when the boys were still kinda little, I said things like "My kid will never ____."

One way God humbled me was to bless me with four children. I don't know an honest Christian mother who doesn't think that God is using motherhood to sanctify her. Holy Moly. I am constantly being humbled by saying things I never thought I'd say. I've turned a blind eye to behavior I never thought I'd permit. I struggle with anger more than I ever could have imagined. And, strangely, my children are not the perfect robot angels that I once knew they'd be. (But, they are pretty great!!!)

With all my failures in mind, it makes a WORLD of difference when I know I'm in the company of those who have grace for me. They have love and grace for me despite my flawed parenting. They have love and grace for my sinful children. Quite honestly, a friend's judgment on top of the failure does nothing if it doesn't make me a worse parent. It's burdensome.

What I need is understanding. I need encouragement. I need patience.

(And friends who are being judgmental need understanding and patience too! Bear with them and love them! And trust that God will humble them in His time! :D)

No need to affirm my stupid parenting moments. I don't need someone to tell me that my anger or my inconsistent parenting is inspiring. I need to know they love me anyway and that they'll be praying for me. I need to know they'll pray for my kids.

And, by God's grace, that's what I have. I am so blessed to be surrounded by friends who aren't judging me. I feel safe to confess my shortcomings and walk in the light and come away refreshed and ready to be a better mom.

the problem with juice boxes and other thoughts

2010-11-09T20:50:00.004-06:00

1. The problem with juice boxes is that they are 6.75 ounces. I need a good 12 or more ounces to quench my thirst. Alas!! The only non-water beverages we have currently are juice boxes. I guess I could drink three.

update: I had a dream last night in which I enjoyed a juice box the size of a cereal box. if only...

2. Did I ever mention here that my parents moved to Romania? Yes? Okay. Well, I miss them. Christmas decorations are out and that makes me all nostalgic for the Christmases of yore with my Mom and Dad, aka Mommala and DaddyO.

3. Speaking of Christmas, when do you get a tree (if you get a live one). We've cut one down for the last three years, and I'm getting super excited to do this again. I'm thinking we might have to get one kinda early this year. Do you think it will last? Do you have any great tricks to keep your tree alive??

4. Let this be a warning to you.

Never loan me a book. This stack here is OPERATION BOOK RETURN. seriously. (But, Meg, I'm keeping Future Grace for a bit because I'm actually reading that one right now. Oh...and Jenny, this reminds me! I keep meaning to bring you Planet Earth!!) Of all these books, I've read only THREE from cover to cover. Can you guess which ones??

5. Jillian saw this picture in a Target ad.

The one on the left? "This one is my DADDY!!!" The one on the right? "This one is like MOMMY!" wha?? Okay, I'll take it. At least she thought of me at all!

6. What's up with all the Mormon propaganda? Have you noticed this? What's particularly noteable in my opinion is that there is no message of hope. It's totally like, "Hey, all KINDS of people is Mormons, yo. Artists, surfers, businessmen. So like, you could be one too if you wanted. I'm sure you were just hung up on the fact that you thought we were weird. So, yeah. Be cool. Be Mormon." psh.

7. I'm in one of the biggest cooking slumps of my life. It started in the summer when I had no time to cook between having all the kids home and carting them to baseball and soccer pretty much during the dinner hour. And then when I tried to cook, it was fail-time. I totally lost my touch. The kids would say things like, "This doesn't taste like your cooking" or "This is yucky." Brent would say, "It's alright" or "Not your best." And I could hardly disagree with them. I stopped improvising any recipes because I just couldn't trust my instincts. That helped. But now I just dread menu planning and cooking. Please tell me this slump will end soon.

8. If you can't promise me that the cooking slump will end soon, can you please send gift cards for restaurants? I'm kidding. I'm done. WAIT. No. Speaking of restaurants, I recently left my credit card at a Chili's. I got it back and all seemed fine until we got a little call-e-o from the fraud department of Visa. And do you want to know what some pork-knucker ordered with our stolen credit card information? A subscription to World of Warcraft magazine. People are dumb.

9. Uh-oh. I think this calls for a little Antoine Dodson! Fuh ree-ahl.

trick or treat

2010-11-01T23:14:00.007-05:00

i LLLLLOVE making costumes. i welcome the challenge of creativity under pressure with limited resources. so, despite all the reasons to ignore Halloween, i welcome it with open arms, a box cutter, and a needle and thread (and, to be totally honest, one store-bought costume)

First of all, our Avery said that he thinks at the ripe old age of 10, he's getting to old for Halloween. Really? He didn't linger here as he realized that not dressing up and not trick-or-treating would result in not having candy. So, he decided to be a baseball player. Again. (He's been a baseball player at least three times.) But that's cool. I encourage kids to come up with their own costumes. Here he is with his little buddy, Sam Rigney.

When I asked Miles a few weeks ago what he wanted to be, he answered, "A box." I just checked that off my list immediately knowing that we could postpone it for awhile. Then about two hours before go time, we stacked a few boxes together and voila! It was quite brilliant, actually. Watching him glide from house to house was so entertaining. He was quite the crowd pleaser.

Next to "Miles the Moving Boxes" is our Flower Princess, Jillian. Now, to be quite honest, I made her a Little Red Riding Hood costume. I followed the pattern best I could, but I chose a fabric that was just not right. In my opinion, the LRRH costume looked more like Little Red Riding Druid. Not what I was going for. So, we opted for this. She was happy. So was Old Navy. They like the business.

I had to save the best for last (for the few of you left who have yet to see!). A few days ago, my friend Jenny made me promise that I'd make a costume to go along with her little Sam's costume. Jenny hand-made an awesome Nacho Libre costume and I likewise made an Encarnacion costume. The awesome results:

Jenny and I with our Nacho and Encarnacion! Go to Jenny's blog for a very entertaining post and way more pictures.

Me with the cutest little nun I ever did see!

She's One

2010-10-22T10:20:00.006-05:00

She says, "Hazah?" Translated: "What's that??"

Like her sister was, she is pretty adventurous for her age.

Like her brother Miles, she has beautiful blue eyes that get lost in thought.

Like Avery, she looks like me. (Okay. waaaay self-centered.) Trying again. Likes Avery. She REALLY likes Avery. But, Avery likes her more. Loves her to pieces, he does.

Like her Mommy, she secretly likes dress-up. (Here's hoping...)

She likes to wave "Hello" and "Good-bye".

Watch out. She puts everything in her mouth. She's been affectionately referred to as Lint Trap.

Thanks to my photographer and friend, Jenny Rigney, who knows her way around a camera!

one bus i probably wouldn't hop on

2010-10-09T12:24:00.002-05:00

can you see why?

must.have.pop.culture.reference!

2010-09-30T21:10:00.001-05:00

I wish I wasn't so incredibly reliant on pop culture references, but the truth is while you might have been reading, say, Little Women I was watching Facts of Life. (FYI, I did eventually read Little Women two years ago and it was kinda boring after the first 200 pages.)

One result of this is that while you can relate to some character of Jane Austen's or Fyodor Dostoevsky's, I can relate to...Chris Farley.

I think this scene in Tommy Boy pretty much sums up how I feel about my ability to screw up at least 50% of my first impressions. I reference it often. You see, I love getting to know people. I'm mostly an extrovert. But, I have no go-to way to handle a first meeting. My nerves get the best of me and I say totally awkward things and then I go into disclaimer-overload and then I make a drug reference or something, I start sweating and then it ends somehow. I feel like this:

Movie Videos & Movie Scenes at MOVIECLIPS.com
How much do you rely on pop culture references?

quick confession

2010-09-28T14:37:00.001-05:00

The first few times I saw someone do this on Facebook, I thought it was a bikini top and I just couldn't figure out WHY someone would type it.

<3

Am I alone on this one?

yup, it was millenium park

2010-09-26T21:30:00.006-05:00

What I really wanted to do, was follow up the last post with a "That's-RIGHT-it's-Chicago!" post, but then I got sick. Whenever I'm sick, I totally forget what it's like to be healthy. I can't possibly fathom being productive or cooking for my family ever again. And then when I start feeling better, I'm AMAZED at my new super powers. After I emerged from the rubble of illness this past week, I completely cleaned my hoarder-looking basement. It was simply amazing. For two days, my life was all about decluttering my basement.

And then I remembered the internet. And my blog and stuff.

I'm back. More on the trip soon.

In the meantime, I'll give you this menu item to noodle on. Seriously? I'm an adventurous eater, but this just does not sound appealing to me. You?

three pictures from day two of the east coast tour

2010-09-17T07:53:00.004-05:00

Can you guess where we were for the first two nights? No guesses from the natives! That would be cheating!

Clue #1
This doesn't help you much, unless you can recognize those legs pushing the stroller! There are at least two cool things about this picture. One, we were walking to church. I wish I could walk to church from our home. Two, the pastor of this particular church went to our church here in Minneapolis for a short while! Oh, duh! Three cool things: look at the sweet stroller!

Clue #2
Look familiar? Been here? Or, should I say BEAN here?

Clue #3
Total giveaway for many of you, I'm sure!

three reasons i shouldn't make coffee cake at noon

2010-09-16T16:42:00.001-05:00

I had no idea that I doomed myself to many failures when I made this delicious Cranberry Upside Down Coffee Cake.

1. I hadn't eaten lunch, so the coffee cake said, "Hey, why don't you just enjoy me for lunch and forget fruits and veggies." So, I totally obeyed the coffee cake.

2. With no boys or Brent around, it was just sitting there on the counter taunting me with its crooked edges. No matter how much I tried to cut straight lines, it would crumble here (with help) or have a jagged pecan there (darn). It said, "please, could you do me a solid and straighten out my edges? thanks, babe."

3. After consuming a revolting amount of coffee cake (nearly a fourth), I lost any motivation to make dinner. Although the coffee cake serenaded me and whispered sweet nothings in my ear, I refused to serve it for dinner. Also, I wanted to take a nap. At 6pm.

three pictures from day one of the east coast tour

2010-09-16T14:18:00.003-05:00

First stop: Ella's Deli in Madison, WI

This is Miles in front of some miniature carnival looking thing. The entire restaurant is packed with antique animated toy decor. It feels like the catch-all for all the retired toys from Santa's workshop.

Jillian had just ridden on the carousel they have out front. Ice cream + carousel = pre-meltdown joy!

See that milkshake? It was good, but it wasn't served with extra milkshake in a stainless steel cup. And it was almost $6, if I remember correctly. So, that was a disappointment, but nothing could really bring us down this early on in the trip.

three (more or less) trips

2010-09-14T04:56:00.004-05:00

Okay, so it's quite ridiculous that I haven't written about the summer at all. Well, it would be except for the fact that the summer was so incredibly insane that there was no spare minute to just sit and reflect or share or anything. So, I'll have to backtrack...

1. [attempted] Trip to St. Louis #1. We were all going to drive down together to pillage my parents' home because they were moving (and now have moved) to Romania. But, the day before we were to leave, Jillian started ralphing all over the place. Within the first two hours of spewing, we changed plans and the next day Brent flew there with our brother-in-law, Steve. They had a great albeit short visit with my folks and brought back a big honkin' truckload of furniture. Neely and I were especially interested in furniture that our Dad made so it was pretty sweet that our husbands made the haul!

2. East Coast Whirlwind Tour!! We roadtripped it hard in August. All I'm going to say right now is that we drove over 3500 miles in two weeks. We covered 15 states (I think) in 15 days. And we saw LOTS of friends and family. I told Brent last night that I wish we could do the whole trip again, but with double the time. I simply LOVED it. I'll write more about it soon!

3. We arrived home from the East coast trip late on a Saturday night. The following Friday, my parents had a Bon Voyage party in St. Louis. Having just missed two weeks, Brent could not go. And I did not trust myself to drive all four kids to St. Louis. With Miles and Jillian farmed out to loving friends, Phoebe, Avery and I piled back in the van (which had not been de-vacationed) to bring love and well wishes from the north. We will miss my folks immensely, but we trust the Lord is in charge and knows best.

So, there's a little of what we did. What did YOU do this summer? I want to know three things!

three things i'm doing

2010-09-13T20:42:00.004-05:00

When it gets to be a month between blog posts, I forget how to gather my thoughts. I have no idea where to start. I can hardly type. I can't remember where we left off. And, quite honestly, I haven't written a blog post for MONTHS. The last month and a half of posts were all set up one night when I was feeling prolific or something.

So, in an effort to make posting less Mount Everestish to me, I'll limit myself to three things. I'm going to try this little exercise everyday for a week. (And announcing that I'm setting out to do this simple task will sufficiently cause me to fail. Commitment issues and what not.)

Here goes nothin'...

1. I'm getting ready for a garage sale. I could say so many things about how elusive this garage sale fantasy is (I've been talking about it for MONTHS) or how purging your house makes you ~~realize~~ wonder if you're a hoarder (seriously!) or how I have such admiration for people who can whip out a garage sale like it's a boxed cake or something (it's flippin' hard!), but I don't have much time (I have a GARAGE SALE TO PLAN, yo!). So, I'll just say this: throwing a garage sale makes me feel vulnerable because people can come by and look at the stuff that I've lived with for all these years or clothes that I've worn (or maybe I didn't...) and it's like WAY marked down and they can still just totally reject me it. (And already I'm thinking defensively, "But, this is the stuff that I DON'T want! It's like the OPPOSITE of me!!") I'm just saying that this is an exercise in humility. So, basically I'm doing it to humble myself. And get rid of stuff. And get some greenbacks. Or not. Can we call this $anctification?

2. Second thing I'm doing? I'm pretty much soaking in every minute that I can of having an infant. Phoebe turns one in a month and that depresses me. (Being pregnant with another would depress me more, so don't get any ideas!) She's changing FAST. She loves to say "da da" and "sss" and she points and stands and dances (avery taught her!) and spits on cue (avery taught her that too!) and sometimes says "ma ma" and crawls so fast and shakes her head "no" and nods to say "yes" and signs and screams (really, really loud.). Oh, and her hair has gone from black to light.

See?

And look at her dancing!

3. This is cheap, but the third thing I'm doing is getting to bed earlier these days. Like, much earlier. So, with that said...Goodnight stars. Goodnight air. Goodnight noises everywhere.

the good the bad and the ugly pavlova

2010-08-10T01:06:00.001-05:00

the good. (i think i baked this one a little longer)

the bad (real ugly)

they both tasted fine with whipped cream and strawberries. mm-mm-mmmm.

if you've never made pavlova, do yourself a favor and get on it! goes very well with summer strawberries! and i've heard it's good with kiwi. (is there a season for kiwi?)

held

2010-08-08T00:57:00.000-05:00

This picture was taken Easter morning.

avery's declaration of independence?

2010-08-06T00:42:00.002-05:00

In late spring, Avery did a report on Thomas Jefferson. He and his class dressed in costume for a living museum. I was so proud of...myself. I'm kidding...kind of. But, he and his classmates really did do a great job!

pink and white

2010-08-04T00:35:00.000-05:00

view from the kitchen

2010-08-02T00:22:00.001-05:00

Avery and Jillian talking about who-knows-what. Sweet.

weathered (p)leather

2010-07-31T00:03:00.001-05:00

I was grateful that Avery's belt lasted the entire school year. Kind of.

But, his shoes needed to be replaced before school let out.

all ages show

2010-07-29T00:12:00.000-05:00

an entertaining tantrum (if you are able to find such things entertaining)

2010-07-27T01:04:00.000-05:00

a theory on why i never sucked my thumb

2010-07-25T22:54:00.001-05:00

I remember being read this book as a child.

It included the story of the Thumb-sucker.

"Konrad!" cried his mamma dear,
"I'll go out, but you stay here,
Try how pretty you can be
Till I come again," said she.
"Docile be, and good and mild,
Pray don't suck your thumb, my child,
For if you do, the tailor'll come
And bring his shears and snip your thumb
From off your hand as clear and clean
As if paper it had been."

Before she'd turned the south,
He'd got his thumbkin in his mouth!

Bang! here goes the door ker-slam!
Whoop! the tailor lands ker-blam!
Waves his shears, the heartless grub,
and calls for Dawmen-lutscher-bub.
Claps his weapon to the thumb,
Snips it square as head of grum,
While that lad his tongue unfurled
And fired a yell heard 'round the world.

Who can tell mother's sorrow
When she saw her boy the morrow!
There he stood all steeped in shame,
And not a thumbkin to his name.

note: before anyone should judge my parents, judge me! i liked this book and i believe it's pretty classic german fare. all of us have spoken german at some point. (i am the only one in my family that has not been to germany.) i have both a german and english version of this book floating around my bookshelves.

our first thumbsucker

2010-07-24T00:51:00.001-05:00

this was really early on. i was obsessed. back then, i hadn't noticed that she only sucks her left thumb. i'm still in love with her little habit.

he takes the mound

2010-07-23T10:16:00.006-05:00

Just when you think baseball season is over...

...the league throws together a tournament team and your son pitches for the first time ever.

so long, old timer

2010-07-22T00:39:00.001-05:00

This carseat brought home all four of our children from the hospital.

sniff. thanks for the memories.

wha???

2010-07-20T00:25:00.001-05:00

i came across these and was totally baffled. my handwriting and doodling, yes, but i couldn't make sense of it. i think it has something to do with a human trafficking. but, still. would i really have taken such weird notes on such a horrifying subject? what IS that thing next to the word "spy"?

and apparently, i didn't know how to spell camouflage? what is lucrative camouflage????

carpool crew on the last day of school (which was quite awhile ago actually)

2010-07-18T00:15:00.001-05:00

Remember this?

And what about those future scholars on the end? Class of 2025, I think...yikes.

she turned "free" in july

2010-07-16T00:09:00.002-05:00

The other day Brent said, "Mommy loves you and Daddy loves you and..."

"My BIRTHDAY loves me!" Jillian finished.

little drummer boy?

2010-07-15T00:00:00.002-05:00

Recent find while cleaning up:

my drug of choice

2010-07-14T13:14:00.002-05:00

I decided yesterday that if they could encapsulate the hormone which causes nesting--that wonderfully productive urge to clean and organize your entire house 26 hours a day--I would take that pill. Indeed, I would.

thoughts on my earlier post, blogging in general and the pitfall of narcissism

2010-07-13T12:40:00.004-05:00

Last night when I wrote about my kids, I was pretty aware that I was gushing over them. Maybe a little too much. And I realize that I gush over Brent whenever I write about him (because he's awesome...).

This morning I reflected on a brief conversation that Brent and I had about narcissism. I had read an interview with Angelina Jolie and immediately thought, narcissist. I need to admit that's not a good habit, diagnosing people you're reading about in the paper or on a blog. But it got me thinking about how our look-at-me, read-about-me, watch-my-youtube culture seems like a petri dish for narcissism.

On one hand, I don't want to be guilty of showcasing only the positive side. On the other hand, I want to be cautious as I write about my family. I should say only positive things about my kids or my husband on a blog. If they want to be vulnerable about their weaknesses, I'll let them do that.

So, if you're reading along and find yourself thinking, "Wow! Jenna's kids are the most amazing kids ever," or "Dang, Jenna, you are a deluded child-worshipper," just keep in mind that I'm trying to be respectful of them by leaving out the bad stuff.

trying to prove a point

2010-07-13T01:10:00.006-05:00

me and phoebe

me and phoebe

me

and phoebe

it's really hard to write anymore

2010-07-12T14:09:00.004-05:00

If I could write a brain dump, I'd tell you about...

1. How time-consuming and thought-consuming it is to have four kids home all the time. I do NOT know how homeschoolers do this. Or daycare providers. Or...anyone. It's been hard.

2. I'd tell you about how Phoebe changed in her seventh month of life. She was a quiet, immobile, toothless baby with dark, dark hair. Between seven and eight months old, she started crawling and sitting and grew two teeth. Her hair lightened up significantly. (We all knew that was going to happen, right? The blonde eyebrows at birth...) She says "da-da" and makes cute noises. And not so cute noises. Downright scary shrilling noises that make you freeze and drop your fork at dinner sometimes.

3. I'd tell you how Avery's playing little league for the first time this year. He's amazing. So coachable. So focused. When I watch my son play baseball, I'm watching a young man. And when I watch him play, I forget about mortgages and meal planning and failures. That's not why I love his games. It's just something I noticed. I don't want to miss him make a double play or a diving catch. I love watching him do things I can't. And I love watching him pat his fellow players on the back and cheer for them. I love seeing that he does indeed have a passion.

4. I'd tell you how Miles is hands-down the best soccer player I've ever seen. (I didn't watch the World Cup!) No. Really, it's amazing to watch him channel his seemingly endless supply of energy and use his usually annoying skill of weaving in and out of people to totally dominate the field. He isn't timid. He's focused and he charges the ball (and hogs it). He scores lots of goals (and he misses a lot). We encourage him to be a team player and pass, but since he doesn't read this blog, I can say he could pretty much take on the other team by himself.

5. I'd tell you a thousand things about Jillian, too, because her personality just tickles me so. I'm especially fascinated with her different relationships in the family. When she puts on a pretty dress, she announces, "I'm cute," and then immediately runs to Brent for approval. She and Miles play all the time. Avery reads her books and she loves to climb up to his bunk...and steal his gum, which really annoys him! She has about 25 nicknames for Phoebe. I love to hear her say, "Oh Phoeb!" or "Phoby" or "Phlubz".

6. I'd tell you about how I stopped using Twitter and deactivated my Facebook account so that I could think more clearly again. Too. much. information.

7. I'd tell you so many more things. But, in the meantime, I think I'll share pictures that I've just found on my camera. Until tonight, I hadn't uploaded pictures for months. It was interesting. "What I found on my camera" posts to follow...

we interrupt this silence to bring attention to a good friend

2010-06-09T17:58:00.003-05:00

I don't know why, but all of the sudden I feel like writing a post about Jenny Wilson.

I think it's because I realized that today marks the fifty-billionth time I've blurted out to my husband, "I just love Jenny Wilson." I have to say Wilson, because I love Jenny Rigney oh-so-much, too, and that could get confusing for a husband.

So Brent asked, "What makes you say that...this time?" (And try to read that as inquisitive and not annoyed, even though the wording suggests annoyed. Definitely not annoyed.)

I attempted to explain. "She says stuff and I understand...She gets me...I don't feel self-conscious around her." I realize that's so vague. I could say that about all my friends. But, today I need to bring your attention to Jenny flippin' Wilson.

Here's some things I admire:

She has made the best carne asada, the best chocolate bread pudding and the best chicken pot pie I have ever had.

She does a lot of thrifting and always looks like a million bucks. I wish she (and Tiffany) would be my personal shoppers, but alas.

When she is in a situation where she could worry and hem and haw, she doesn't worry like the world. She preaches to herself and she waits. It's encouraging to my soul.

She taught me how to coupon, and is always there for my coupon-obsessed calls, texts and emails.

She is sympathetic.

She is self-aware in a way that has been so freeing to me. For example, years ago, she said, "I'm a phase girl. I've been crunchy, I've been into running, etc..." I can't remember all her examples, but her point was, I can get into something like organic foods and not feel like I'm locked in for life. She's committed to her family and most definitely to her relationship with Jesus and she has a healthy perspective on the rest. (I'm a phase girl, too! Like, for example...blogging?!)

She sets me straight. Like a few weeks ago, when I told her that I'd rather die a slow and painful death so I could make sure I'm right with God. And she said in a sing-songy voice, "Jenna...you know that justification comes by faith and not works, right?..." yee-ep.

She can throw a playdate or a meal together in two seconds flat. One time we walked to the park with a picnic lunch she made in no time and for drinks? We didn't have bottled water, so we carried a pitcher of water. I love that. Practical.

She's practical. Did I mention that?

She makes a fantastic latte.

She's honest about what's on her mind, what's in her heart. And, she isn't weirded out by me being too honest. For example, when her daughter got into the school I really wanted my kids to get into, I admitted, "I'm kind of jealous." And, then approximately seven minutes later, I was fine and could tell her that, too. (And then, my kids got into that school the next year. And, really, I was over it in seven minutes! don't judge me. Jenny didn't.)

She drives my kids home in the afternoons (and doesn't complain about them).

She's so stinkin' fun.

Okay. That's it. Jenny Wilson, you are the bomb diggety. And I'm glad that God would see fit to make you my neighbor, fellow carpooler, coupon mentor and friend.

phoebe's dedication

2010-05-10T15:04:00.004-05:00

"Together with your parents who love you dearly

And this people who care about the
outcome of your faith, I dedicate you to God,

Surrendering together with them all
worldly claim upon your life

In the hope that you will belong wholly to the Lord,
forever."

many thanks to jenny rigney for taking these pictures.

tea for two (nostrils)

2010-04-23T10:58:00.004-05:00

This morning, I used the neti pot for the first time in awhile. Jillian was fascinated and said in her typical sing-songy fashion, "You have a tea party in your nose, Mama?"

Jillian donning her swimsuit (aka "swimsoup") and froggy galoshes.

conversation worth blogging (in my humble opinion)

2010-04-22T16:07:00.002-05:00

The setting: Jillian had just used the facilities while I was welcoming the boys home from school. You read that right. The two-and-a-half-year-old is officially potty trained.

Jillian: I flush da toilet.
Me: Oh, good! Let's wash your hands.
Jillian: I washed my hands.
Me: Oh, really? In the bathroom sink?
Jillian: No. In da toilet.

scrumdiddlyumpscious toes

2010-04-22T12:46:00.005-05:00

six months old

a typical photo shoot

2010-04-04T17:38:00.007-05:00

playing with a magnifying glass before bed

2010-03-26T14:49:00.000-05:00

actually a small part of my birthday (formerly and inaccurately entitled: what i obsessed about on my birthday)

2010-03-25T14:01:00.007-05:00

So, yeah, I had a birthday on Monday. It was great, thanks for asking. What would have been a drawback, except for the presence of a dear friend who was in the same boat, was that it was time to get my license renewed. This is a big deal, because I have ~~loved~~ LOVED my old license picture. See?

It's, like, better than my wedding pictures, for goodness sakes. Who knows how terribly accurate this next license picture will be? I like looking better on my license than I do in reality. Ironic much? Because, QUESTION: when do I ever show my license when I'm NOT there to give testament to the fact that it's a charitable depiction of me? ummm, wait...ANSWER: now.

In similar news, why does Sam's even have a pixilated ID picture on their membership cards? It never even looks remotely like the cardholder.

i simply love this little one

2010-03-21T22:59:00.003-05:00

five things that make me feel like i'm doing something, when in reality, there are 50 more important things for me to do

2010-03-09T13:48:00.007-06:00

1. Deleting messages from my spambox

2. eating

3. checking my mailbox (the real one)

4. throwing dirty clothes in the basement (not sorting or washing)

5. writing a blog post

dear mom, i'm sorry i haven't even posted pictures...

2010-03-02T15:34:00.005-06:00

I was going to post some pictures just now. But, I opened my "Family 2010" picture folder, and there was virtually nothing there. Okay, there were two bad pictures of my kids. The other 800 pictures are still on my camera.

I know that I dropped off the face of the blogosphere. (I hate that term, but whatever.) Anyway, there's lots of good reasons:

1. Romeo and Juliet and their thirty-some cohorts needed costumes. done.

2. The power cord from my computer won't stay put, so it doesn't charge...or give power when my battery isn't charged. So, the laptop is usually out of commission. I think it's time we get a new computer. I could use advice. I'm very indecisive and take a LONG time to make biggish decisions.

3. I want to make the most of the little time I have left with my kids. It hit me recently that Avery is halfway to 18 years old. The first nine years went by too fast. I want to savor the vapor of this life.

So, if I have time, power (battery or AC, of course) and no major projects, I'll check-in here. At the very least, I hope to get some pictures up for the kids' biggest fans (aka Grandparents).

football much?

2010-02-12T23:18:00.002-06:00

Overheard during carpool this morning...

Ava: Corene, this looks like an "M"
Miles: M for MILES!!!
Ava and Corene: NO! It looks like an "N".
Miles: Oh! N for Notre Dame!!
Ava: And this looks like a "V"!!!
Miles: Oh, you mean "V" as in "Visa Halftime Report"?!

my kids like dat boom boom pow

2010-02-10T17:02:00.005-06:00

I think I can speak with limited authority when I say that kids are taught to not like hip hop. We listen to EVERY kind of music in our home. We listen to classical music in our home WAY more than we listen to hip hop. But, all my kids prefer hip hop over every other genre of music. They love it. It makes them dance.

So, my theory? People naturally like hip hop if given the chance. Or, rather, MY people prefer hip hop.

What do you think? What's your experience?

three things jllian does which drive me nuts

2010-02-05T16:53:00.002-06:00

1. Skips naps. This week, she only napped once, which was today. You know what happened on day four of no nap? swear words. (To be clear, not said to Jillian.)

2. Packs bags. If she gets her hands on a gift bag, grocery bag, backpack, or the like, she will fill it to the brim with random stuff from around the house.

3. Fakes inability. For instance, she acts like she can't get her boots on. Mind you, she wears the same boots she wore last year when she was one and a half and used to put them on ALL the time. In fact, this Summer, I had to hide them because she insisted on wearing them. And now???? faker.

googling toe pain and what not

2010-01-31T20:53:00.006-06:00

1. Hey peeps! My left toe hurts. In 2010, you never call a doctor first. You Google. Can I get an amen? But, until Google can give shots, prescribe meds, and do physical therapy, I'm still gonna have to go to the doctor's office.

2. People keep asking if our family is better (healthy). Yes...for about 48 hours. And then Jillian got a cold. And now Phoebe has one. That's just how it is these days. Oh well.

3. "What's shakin'??" you ask. Well, currently I'm helping out at the boys' school with costumes for a play that they are not in. If you don't have kids in school yet, let me give you unsolicited advice: Do not let them know that you have ANY skills whatsoever. I don't actually have skills. I did theater in college. I basically taught myself to sew. Now I'm touted as the costume designer. hoo hoo! hee..heh..ha...wha???

4. Remember when I posted the pictures from Christmas Eve? What you didn't see was what Brent and I were wearing. You'll never see what I was wearing because no one took pictures of me (thanks be to God!!). But, this is what the boys picked out for Brent:

This Hefner-ish looking blazer is something that I think was in style when I was in high school. I can't be sure, but I know I bought it from the Limited. It's just so hard to believe that this looked cool on me at one time.

Okay. That's a wrap, people. More later. Enjoy being freaked out that it's already February.

why PBS has been on for three hours this morning, plus bonus footage of jillian

2010-01-21T10:58:00.005-06:00

So...

We've had a stomach bug going through our family. Phoebe and I have formed an alliance and have avoided getting any of the major sicknesses that have threatened our well-being since mid-October.

Last week my Facebook status described a phenomenal five minutes, in which a glass jar of marinara exploded in our kitchen. It didn't fail to splatter our white walls or land in shoes and briefcases. It was amazing. Ninety seconds into cleaning that up, I heard a cough behind me. Mind you, it was 10:30 p.m. Our oldest had thrown up IN HIS SLEEP. He was covered in the puke version of tomato bisque. (The bisque has been taken off the rotation until next winter, I can assure you.) This meant that there was a twin-sized mattress amount of vomit waiting for us in his room. Thanks to my sacrificial husband, I was able to stay focused on the marinara and kid care while he dealt with the real mess.

About a week later, it was Jillian's turn. Because of my volunteer commitments at school, I missed most of her puking spells. (Thank you, Jesus.)

Yesterday, I called Brent at work and it went straight to voicemail. Hm. "...I am ill and will be out indefinitely..." Oh. He stumbled through the door and headed for bed only to eek out in a whisper, "pajamas."

A few hours later, the boys came home from school. Avery announced that Miles was sick. Miles insisted, "I'm not sick. I don't have a temperature." To which I asked, "Do you feel achy?" "yes." "Does your stomach hurt?" "yes." hm. "You're sick, Miles." He didn't say much, but I won that argument when I found him hurling on the carpet an hour later. Good thing we STILL haven't replaced the orange, commercial-grade carpet from 1962 in the family room. I just had to ask, "Did you eat your carrots at lunch." Clueless of the irony, he answered, "yes."

"I know," I said as I cleaned up the puke version of carrots.

One of the perks of puking in our family, is the refreshment of Gatorade. We had one 32 ounce bottle. Liquid gold, you could call it. Jillian found it and poured half onto the floor. (You can pick her up at the pound.)

i'm kidding.

Avery thought this was a good time to ask, "Can I have some Gatorade?" "No." "But, I didn't get any when I was sick." "That's because we didn't have any."

rummage, rummage, rummage.

His search paid off. He found a who-knows-how-old package of MIXADE (that's right. the generic of Kool-aid...because real Kool-aid is so expensive, right?) "Can you make this?" "Fine." So Mixade became the backpay for lack of Gatorade. Jillian found that this morning and poured half of the Mixade on the floor.

It was PBS or the pound for Jillian. I chose PBS. I guess Jesus DOES love her...

adding another baby to our family means more nails to trim

2010-01-17T21:21:00.003-06:00

Ever since Phoebe was born, I've been weirded out by the fact that, together, our family has 120 digits.

i'm married to a beautiful man

2010-01-13T08:58:00.005-06:00

Jillian this morning:

"Wha you doin' Daddy? You shavin'? Ooohhh...you booootiful, Daddy. Your face ih boootiful."

didn't think i'd ever put those words together...

2010-01-11T12:07:00.003-06:00

Oftentimes, parents have to say things that they never really anticipated. One of my favorite quotes (not mine) was, "No, we do NOT color marker on our privates."

Today's, wasn't quite as hilarious. Just unanticipated.

Me to Jillian during our tea party: "Can I bring my real coffee and pretend it's pretend?"

There's a ton, but if I try to remember them, I'll never get to posting this. And, really, I want to hear yours!!!

it probably went something like this...

2010-01-05T14:11:00.003-06:00

Desperate Photographer: "Dude, I'll pay you if you pose for a photo shoot. You've got that "every guy" kinda look that sells."

Unassuming Friend: "Huh? Like, model? You mean, with my clothes on, right?!"

D.P.: Yeah, of course. It will only take an hour of your day and you'll get paid a one time fee.

U.F.: Sounds great!!

And then years later, Unassuming Friend is this guy....

thoughts on fear, eternity and whatnot

2010-01-04T14:26:00.005-06:00

The past two days I've been thinking about heaven in terms of what won't be around the corner.

I have four healthy children...today. I have no cancer (that I know of)...today. My bills are paid...today. But, people, I'm quite honestly afraid of what can happen in this life.

I get sovereignty. I understand there is design in trials. I know that trials shake us like you'd shake off a welcome mat to get the dirt out. I need to be shaken...I know that. But grief and pain totally suck and I don't look forward to it. I'm afraid of fiery trials and deep waters.

They will come. He will carry me.

I'm just thinking about how awesome it will be in heaven where trials and fear are far, far behind.

just sew you know

2010-01-02T15:32:00.003-06:00

I updated that blog that gets no lovin' from me. Why did I ever think I could maintain more than one blog??? Oh well. If I post six times a year on the sewing blog, I'll consider its purpose served.

Oh! And Happy New Year!!! Any resolutions out there? I think my resolution is to change the resolution on my digital camera.

i get rather excited about little successes

2009-12-27T22:52:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, I re-taught myself how to use a serger. I hadn't used one since college. For those of you who don't know, it's that machine that has four big spools of thread on the back. It looks like this:

I told Brent I felt like this:

yeah. I know. It's so appropriate for the moment, right?

How we were rollin' on Christmas Eve...

2009-12-24T23:48:00.009-06:00

Costumes (Avery's idea), carols (Brent's idea) and the story of Christ's birth (God's idea) made for a perfect Christmas Eve.

Hoping you have a blessed Christmas!!!

perhaps i'm raising a little dwight schrute (yes, i just changed the title)

2009-12-21T21:53:00.003-06:00

Me: Avery, you need to stop tattling on everyone in the family. You're like the gestapo.

Avery: I'll take that as a compliment.

three movies, without which, i don't know what my childhood might have been like...

2009-12-19T13:38:00.008-06:00

We loved these movies. We quoted these movies. It wasn't the mark of our family but it was a mark. And I can't help but think that knowing these movies inside and out and quoting them at just the right moment bonded us together.

Did you grow up on movies? Which ones?

Am I the only one COMPLETELY FREAKED OUT that Christmas is in, like, a week?!!

2009-12-17T14:23:00.003-06:00

that's it. just freaked out. not ready. but, i WILL say that as i'm feeling the anxiety levels rise, i'm reminding myself that JESUS came to be THE LAMB OF GOD. so, so, SO thankful for christmas. i DESPERATELY need a Savior.

i probably would have rebuked me

2009-12-14T20:30:00.003-06:00

Today, I felt loved when Brent listened to me talk about how (irrationally) angry I was without trying to correct my thinking. Love is patient.

one of my favorite pictures of aunt annie and uncle wayne...and...brent, is that you?

2009-12-12T20:28:00.008-06:00

*because you must know...This picture was taken in 2001 with regular SLR camera...NOT digital. His prank was discovered after my Aunt Karla had her pictures developed. Brent doesn't limit this little prank to family, he loves to jump into the background of strangers' pictures as well.

three reasons i'm surprised this book has survived on our shelf

2009-12-11T08:00:00.003-06:00

Here's the culprit. Looks innocent enough.

1.

Huh. At the very least, this feels awkward to read.

2.

This picture upsets me. The flame is DEFINITELY consuming the bush. Charring the bush pretty much takes away much of the miraculousness of the event.

3.

Really? I'm not saying it's not important, but hm...I think I'll take God's FREE GIFT of ETERNAL LIFE over the law, thanks.

I doubt I'm the only one who cringes at many Bible-like children's books. The worst one ever was called Waldo the Whale and was all about Waldo's self-esteem issues, until God had mercy on the whale and gave him a sense of purpose by giving him the task of--you guessed it--swallowing Jonah. Yep. And, at the end, God thanks Waldo.

But, don't worry folks! We've got some great Bible storybooks for the kiddos, too!

three closing lines for emails

2009-12-10T10:32:00.002-06:00

1. A version of a typical closing line from ministry leaders at my church:

"Looking forward to glorifying God with you for the joy of all peoples through this ministry,
jenna"

2. The way I sign off most of my emails:

"Blessings,
jenna"

3. A version of how I might sign off with close friends:

"Apathetically, you greasy hoser,
j-dawg"

How do you sign off on emails? Always the same? Or do you change it up?

three shows i'm watching these days...in addition to "the office", of course

2009-12-09T18:13:00.001-06:00

I'm not proud of the fact that I'm keeping up with at least four shows this season. I usually watch one or none. But, thanks to Hulu (until 2010), I've been laughing along with Brent watching these comedies:

1. gLee Why is this show so addictive? Is it the musical numbers or the teen drama? I'm embarrassed. Let's move on.
2. Modern Family Two characters make this show for me: Cam and Phil.
3. Community The dialogue has gotten so tight on this show. Sometimes, the lines are so funny that I'm not even laughing. Instead, I'm jealous that I didn't write them! Ridiculously quirky characters. Probably my favorite on this list.

What are you watching? Be honest. You love gLee, don't you?!

three favorite toddler words + one more for good measure

2009-12-08T15:22:00.003-06:00

1. Avery said Dobba-Duba for Bob the Builder.

2. Miles said chep-up for ketchup.

3. Jillian says, sim-soup for swim suit.

Do you know any words that you said when you were a tot? Or, what are your favorites that you've heard over the years?

...one more...my nephew, Samuel, said a-dodo-bo for adorable. love that one!

three questions...forcing myself to blog #2

2009-12-07T15:00:00.003-06:00

I think I'm going to try this all week....short little posts.

1. Do you have a favorite Christmas gift from your childhood? I think mine was a three story Barbie house with an elevator. Not electric. It was manual. But, I loved it. My parents had a tradition of always giving a big non-wrapped gift. It was pretty magical to walk downstairs and see the huge display of gifts and lights and my super rad Barbie mansion.

2. Are you going to do a Christmas card this year? I really want to because I LOVE getting Christmas cards. And I really enjoy composing a Christmas letter and reading our friends' updates. But, how am I going to have the time to gather, address and stamp those cards? And WHEN am I going to get a picture with all of us? I know it's not realistic for me to get one done this year, but I'm still holding out hope. It sure would be fun to exchange Christmas cards with some of my blogging friends, too. dang...still hoping....

3. Do your kids believe in Santa Clause? I don't think ours do. We've pretty much never really gotten into it. I don't remember believing in Santa, and feel like it doesn't enhance Christmas necessarily. I'm not super opinionated about this, though. How do you handle this? And is there anyone out there who caved after their kids reported that the kids at school informed them that Santa is not real. Our kids fully believed in the tooth fairy until recently. Kids at school gave Avery the scoop and we initially did not confirm or deny those allegations. But, within 24 hours, he was informed that WE were the tooth fairy. He was so bummed and--because he is so frugal--tried to give the money back to Brent!