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Friday, September 28, 2007

Hey God...

A couple weeks ago, when we said the prayer for dinner, Brent prayed and had a LONG list of things he was praying for. We absolutely love his prayers and enjoy being able to 'see' into his mind and heart through his prayers. But this night, he apparently forgot something (I honestly don't remember now what it was, but it must have been important at the time...).

So after the Amen, Clayton pipes up and says, "Oh, we forgot...."

Dad says, "Okay, Clayton, go ahead and say it then..."

Clayton: "Hey God, we're back....we forgot to tell you...."

LOL I just about snorted in the middle of his sweet prayer! :) I truly love the 'open' relationship my boys have with the Lord through their prayers!

Kids say...

...the funniest things! Okay, most people around us know the boys have been wanting a pet (mainly, a dog) in the worst way for the last 6 months or so. Well, a couple days ago and dog (we assumed was stray) came over to the house while I was out getting the mail one evening. She had obviously just had puppies in the last couple of weeks, as she was 'sagging' considerably. LOL Anyway, she is your basic 'mutt'...her feet look like a BIG dog (lab or Rottweiler?), her coat is short and black/brown with white peppery mix. She actually looks like she might have some heeler in her. Well, she went away after that first day, but the boys saw her from the window.

Last night, we got home from TKD and the boys were outside riding their bikes and again here comes this same dog. Brent gets completely freaked out by her and stands UP in a chair we have out there and won't let her near him. Clayton just took to her and started petting her.

Terry got up and got a nerf football and threw it for her...she took off after it like most dogs will. But she was such a tease...she'd come back to him and then duck her head with the ball in her mouth and kept turning her head so he couldn't get the ball. After about 5 minutes of this, with the boys saying, "Here doggie...let me have the ball....", she took off down the hill around the house and Brent went chasing after her. All we heard from the side of the house was "DOG! Give me back my BALL!!!!" We just rolled with laughter.

A bit later, she starts off again with the ball in her mouth and went running around the van. Clayton says, "DOG! Hey, Mister....You in the black.....bring the ball here!" You in the black??? LOL

We just had to laugh at it all. She finally left when her owner stopped and picked her up (we didn't know at that point she even had an owner....). But now after seeing the light in their eyes, we're gonna have to do something about the pet situation in our house!

Funny thing is, it almost seemed to me that Terry really enjoyed the time as well. He had a 'fun' spark in his eyes that hasn't been there in a long time.....

Who knows what the next couple of months will bring....

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Hungry Hippos

We decided to play some games this morning (really I was having trouble motivating!) and C chose Hungry Hungry Hippos. So after setting it all up and getting the 11 balls ready (instead of the 20 we are supposed to use...wonder where those balls are???) we all popped them out and C said, "Okay...MUNCH!" and we all started chomping away.

Well, on the second round of the game, one of the balls was flung out of the 'rink' and all I hear is, "PAUSE!" ....in goes the missing ball....."MUNCH!" and we continue chomping.

Chomp, chomp, chomp...

"PAUSE!"

In goes the ball that committed Harey Carey....

"MUNCH!"

More chomping....

A ball inadvertently gets popped back into the start position....

"PAUSE!"

Flip the little button that pops the ball back into play...

"MUNCH!"

and we chomp again!

And on and on it went. We continued like this for about 30 minutes until my hand couldn't munch anymore!

:)

Where exactly is the brain?

While doing school today, I received a phone call from Leaps and Bounds in St Louis. They are a therapy place that works with kids who have processing disorders. (I had written them after hearing them speak at convention this year and asked them to call me.) Anyway, when I get off the phone, the boys of course ask who it was. So I tell them that it was someone who might be able to help us with teaching Clayton and helping him understand things. Clayton said, "Yeah, cuz I don't do things good." (break my heart!)

So I pulled him on my lap and we started talking about that it isn't him that does things wrong, it's that his brain has had trouble figuring things out. I logged on the Internet and showed them a virtual brain and we talked about the corpus callosum and how it works to keep things communicating between both sides of the brain. (So cool to have your 5 and 6 year-old talking about the corpus callosum! LOL) Clayton got very excited when he thought there might be someone out there who could help him work through all of this.

Anyway, Brent starts talking about how since Clayton is young his brain is way down here (pointing to his waist) and that the older you get and the more you learn it starts to grow up to here (pointing to the chest) and then when you're a teenager it gets to here (the neck) and when you're an adult it finally gets up to here (the head). Now, I had to chuckle a bit at this explanation...but he kept on. He told Clayton that since he was having trouble, his brain was still probably down around his waist instead of nearing his chest like it was supposed to be. LOL I just had to laugh. Where do they get this stuff????

Well, it gets better! Then Clayton starts playing with this little guts and brain person that we got at the dollar store (I think) and the internal organs can be removed and you can see through the 'skin'...pretty cool. Well, based on Brent's description of where the brain starts out when you're little, Clayton looks at the toy's guts and intestines and says, "Hey, Mom, if this is where the brain is, does that mean that this is where our peepee brain is?" LOL I just had to sit there and chuckle....I didn't mean to laugh at him...but for many men that IS where the brain is located! LOL

All in a day of homeschooling!

Friday, September 21, 2007

Busted! (Twice)

Well, it's been a slower week this week than we've had. Thank the GOOD Lord for that! :) Janice was transferred to a rehab facility closer to home and she's much happier being there. So since she's happier, her rehab will go much smoother, we believe. We're just glad to have her out of Barnes.

The other night, I was fixing supper (which was late as usual!) and C kept saying, "Mom, I'm just soooooo hungry!" I kept having to tell him it was cooking and we'd eat soon. Well, while I was cleaning up the kitchen (while water boiled), I was going to put up the peanut butter (still out and open from lunch...oy) and thought, 'hmmm, a spoonful of pb sounds good...'. So, I grabbed a spoon and licked it clean, put the lid on and put the pb up. While the rest of supper finished, I walked to the living room to cuddle with the boys and C (who was sitting by me) says, "Mmmmm, I smell peanuts! Where are the peanuts??" GUILTY! LOL I just said, "Don't know...." Busted, first time.

Well, yesterday afternoon, we went shopping for groceries. B was so concerned that we were low on syrup (even though we haven't had pancakes in several weeks!) and make sure to find the syrup at WM. See, they like Mrs. Butterworths (at least, they like the bottle) and always want that. Well, I refuse to continue paying that price for basic syrup and have just been refilling the bottle we have with Great Value brand. So, B walks up to me in the store with a Mrs BW bottle and I say, "Oh, please go put that back...I'll take care of picking out the syrup." So when I walk by that part of the aisle, I grab the GV brand and stick it in the cart. So later last night, I have the non perishables on the island (just never made it to the pantry) and B sees the new bottle of GV brand on the counter and says, "OH, MOM! You got the wrong one!!" Busted, again!

Just goes to prove that I can't outsmart my kids anymore. Gone are the days when I can sneak one over on them. Gone are the days when I can grab a snack when my sugar gets low without them catching me and then wanting something themselves...normally something unhealthy. Those days are GONE, my friends...and GONE forever!!! :-(

Oh, well. Probably better for me anyway. LOL

We're home this weekend for a much needed rest and relaxing time to get things done here that have been neglected. I know, doesn't sound very relaxing. But believe me, it will be. :)

Better hit the sack!

Monday, September 17, 2007

Hospitals are crazy!

I just don't understand how hospitals get such good reviews....someone is lining someone else's pockets! Poor J has NOT been receiving good care at Barnes and we're very unhappy about it. She had to ask for over 2 hours just to get some sort of pain medication yesterday. The day before, she asked for a bedpan and they didn't bring her one...so she had to just go in her bed. She sat in p**p for 45 minutes before they came to bring her a bedpan...by then it was too late and they just had to clean her up. Grr....

The dr's and nurses say she's doing better and they are talking of transferring her to rehab tomorrow. But I'm going up there tonight to see for myself how she is doing. I want to know that she's okay for transfer. It's been a week since I've seen her and if I don't go and something happens, I would regret it. I feel like I need to see her.

Other than that, the boys and I are working on getting the house cleaned up and some schoolwork done. It's so hard and stressful...my mind is just not there.

Better go...have hungry children! :)

Friday, September 14, 2007

Things are slowly improving...

For one, the maggots are GONE! :) I worked really hard on Wednesday to get the kitchen cleaned up and get all of them out of the house that I could see. Now, granted, I didn't move the refrigerator or the stove, but I moved everything else that was moveable and swept them all up and got them outside for trash day on Thursday. Time will tell in a few days if we start seeing hoards of flies in the house...then we'll know I didn't get them all! LOL Oh well....lessoned learned. A HARD lesson learned. I still have this smell in my kitcehn (which permeates the rest of the house) that is just an old, dirty, icky smell. I have cleaned everything I can find that might be the source to no avail. I've burned candles and incense and it's still there. I'm wondering if it will just take time and lots of candles to get completely rid of it. I'm also thinking that we will open the windows this weekend and air out the house with the attic fan. Perhaps that will help.

T's mom is doing much better. Her kidney levels are coming down and she's sounding more and more like herself. She still has a long way to go to get out of the hospital and then even longer with rehab. But at least her rehab is supposed to be closer to home (30 minutes from home for her as opposed to 3 hours) and will make her feel better. We're so thankful that things are turning back in the right direction for her.

We had TKD last night, after a VERY long and eventful day yesterday. The boys got to spar for the second time and they really like it. They just love the opportunity to hit and kick one another and it be okay.... LOL.

C also started his last year of Thursday School yesterday morning. He has been so excited about going back to TS and really had a great day yesterday. While he was in TS, B got to start doing a state study with our homeschool group. One of the moms has volunteered to teach it to several of the kids and we're going to be doing one state per week. It's so neat to learn little tidbits about the states...the flower, the bird, the motto, population, etc. She's really put alot of effort into ths and we're so thankful! :)

Well, I need to clean our schoolroom and get somethings done before the day totally gets away from me. The boys want to play outside too....fine with me....I get to read more when they play outside! LOL

Happy Friday!

Monday, September 10, 2007

When it rains it pours...

Well, we've had some eventful days~

We had our annual family 'camp-out', which ended up being a 'camp-in' this year!, in Branson. What fun we had! We spent the entire weekend playing games, watching the kids play and visiting. No one got sick. No one got hurt! (I think that's a first for our little family in a while! LOL)

But we're home now and trying to get things back in order.

On our way home, we went up to St. Louis to see J in the hospital and she's just not doing well at all. She's completely bruised up from the accident, but her kidney's are the biggest concern. She's talking out of her head and that just isn't like her. We're hoping it's only from the kidney failure and that that will get better in a couple days.

Then when we were almost home, we got a phone call the Brother Dale had passed away. We're so sad, but rejoicing at the same time. He's been suffering from cancer for so long now, and we know he's finally at peace and with his Father. The boys and I went to the funeral home this afternoon (along with mom) and the family seems to be handling it well. I think the saddest part of it all is that Dale will not be able to see all the new grand babies he has coming in March. But the Lord knows best....the families are all taken care of and that is what he would have wanted. We're convinced that was what he was waiting for.

Of course, then this morning, I'm sitting down at the table to have a bowl of cereal and get half way through my bowl, when I see this little white worm crawling across my table! Ewwww! We had a smell when we came in last night, but it was late and I didn't feel like dealing with it. I just figured it was the bad tomatoes we had on the counter from the weekend. But the more I get looking and cleaning this morning, I realize that it was from a bag of deli meat that had been left on the table ALL weekend long....and what I had were maggots. (shivering and gagging as I'm typing this!) So, I spent the next hour taking out the offending bag, cleaning up the kitchen, lighting candles, and picking maggots up off the floor (with napkins, of course!). Then I get home from the funeral home, and there are MORE of them crawling across my floor! Ugh! So now, I know I'm gonna have an infestation of flies in a few days and I'm just gonna have to deal with it, cuz I have no one to blame for all this but myself. I was the one that left the deli meat out and didn't get it in the trash on trash day. Ugh. Just more frustration for the week, I guess.

Ho hum.....

I will go for now...have to get the boys ready for TKD...they have some sort of weird energy they need to get rid of....where they get it all after the weekend we've had, I'll never know. LOL

Tuesday, September 04, 2007