When I Get Big...

Tess is always talking about what she'll do/be when she gets older.

"When I get big I will be the Mommy and you will be little!" (She's pretty sure we'll switch spots some day and I'll be the kid and she'll take care of me.)

"When I get big I will drive the car."

"When I get big I won't have to go to bed."

"When I get big I will go to school, but no preschool... big school, Spencer and Josh's school."

But one of my favorites came the other night:

"When I get big then I will have blue eyes! Like you, Mommy!"

That's her "Wild Woman" look, in case you were wondering...

Anywho, she totally thought that her eyes would change color when she got older. I mean, it makes perfect (three year old) sense: I'm a girl. She's a girl. I'm big. She's little. I have blue eyes. She has brown. She knows she's going to grow up and be like Mommy, so why wouldn't she have blue eyes? It was kind of heartbreaking to tell her the truth. She wouldn't accept it at first, but she eventually came around.

Blue & Gold Banquet: Minecraft Edition

Last night was the annual Cub Scout Blue & Gold Banquet, and Josh was pretty excited. Not because he earned a bunch of awards. (Don't even GET me started on how little his pack has been doing in that area lately... Growl.) No, he was excited because his idea for the skit was chosen!

Josh could give you a MUCH more detailed explanation of the plot, but here's my mercifully condensed version:

A scout leader was playing Minecraft. This motley crew were his Minecrafter guys.

There's Josh - the one with the blue and green striped sleeves.

And then the Creeper came and killed everyone. And then they respawned. And then the Cub Scout Bear and Wolf taught them how to make weapons and take care of themselves. And then they killed the Creeper. The end.

In the tradition of Cub Scout skits, it was hard to hear, hard to understand, and took about 10 minutes long when it really could have been done in 2.

**FUTURE JOSH: I love you. So very much. But once you have your own Cub Scouts you'll understand why I say the things I say about Cub Scouts...**

Cole tried to get through the skit by drinking. Unfortunately, the water was all gone.

Yes, that is the skit going on in the upper left corner. Yes, I was paying attention. Mostly. I just found Cole to be more interesting.

He sure entertained himself with that pitcher!

Oh wait - back to the skit! Here's Josh, off to kill the Creeper.

And here's Cole with the pitcher again. In my defense, I'm pretty sure the skit was over at this point.

And here's Daddy and Tess. Having Tess at a late (for her) dinner was about as fun as you would expect.

Okay, I'm a bit snarky. But I am proud of Josh for coming up with that skit and being so excited about it!

The Lion and the Lamb

Cole has taken a liking to this little fuzzy lamb lately. It's really quite cute.

It's also really quite incongruous, given Cole's general super-grouch demeanor. (Made more so by the recent awful cold weather, making outside play non-existent. )

Exhausted Home Evening

It was a long afternoon. Lots to be done, little time to do it. Including a Minecraft head for Josh's Blue & Gold banquet on Wednesday. (More on that later, for sure.) Josh said he wanted to do the head all on his own, but what he really meant was he wanted me to do all of the cutting and gluing and he wanted to sit there and not tell me what he really wanted but certainly tell me what I was doing wrong. The child is already management material... *Ba-Dum Tssshhh!!*

Lance is at a CPR class tonight, so I was on my own for dinner and FHE. Dinner had few complaints, mainly because I deconstructed it so that each child could choose what they wanted on their plate. (It was this really yummy ham and cheese sandwich bake.) Letting them watch tv while we ate also helped.

FHE was on the restoration of the priesthood. We had a quick lesson, during which Cole tried to wrestle and pick fights with Spencer, Tess sat with a glazed "I'm still getting over a double ear infection" look on her face, and Josh kept inexplicably disappearing. They were all well-behaved for this video, though. Still, I was a bit discouraged and felt like I really hadn't gotten through to Spencer, who this lesson was really for. (Did I mention we're doing a priesthood prep lesson each month since he's turning 12 in December? Well, we are.)

Then we made no-bake cookies. They fought over who got to put the ingredients in, who got to stir, who was stirring wrong, etc. While I thought it clever, they all found it highly suspicious that the cookies needed to cool for exactly the length of time it would take for them to put their laundry away. No laundry away = no cookies. Not much weeping and wailing, but there was obnoxious gnashing of teeth. No, literally - Cole likes to snap his teeth at Tess and Josh, who then freak out and run around and yell "COLE IS GOING TO BITE ME!!!!"

The cookies were a little overdone and crumbly, but still gobbled down. Everyone ran around like crazy lunatics for a bit. I finally had enough and sent them all downstairs to play "don't step on the lava" so I could have a few minutes of peace.

And I fell onto the couch, laptop in hand, ready to blog about family home evenings that just aren't even worth all the energy. 

But then Josh left the kitchen and exclaimed "THAT was a GREAT family home evening!"

So instead, I think that family home evenings are probably always worth any amount of energy. 

Prayer

How Cold Is It?

It's so cold that as we were walking into WalMart this evening I carried Tess so we could go faster (because that girl is anything but fast), and the wind really picked up and she said into my ear (because she was snuggled up into my neck),

"It's cold! I'm going to be DEAD!!!"

Out of the mouth of babes, people.

(Just for the sake of posterity, with wind chills it was in the negative 20's today. Nasty, brutal cold.)

So, what were we doing at the WalMarts (said with a drawl) on a Thursday evening? Well, it started yesterday with Tess complaining about her ear hurting. Usually I only half listen to all of my kids' complaints about ailments, because most of them just aren't worth more than a "Oh, I'm sorry to hear your (fill in the blank) hurts." All they want/need is a little sympathy.

But ears? Ears are different. Because of the sordid history our dear Mister Cole and, indeed, yours truly, have with ear infections, pains in the ears make me pay attention.

Anywho, late afternoon yesterday she started complaining. And it was consistent. And always the same ear. So I called and talked to a nurse and she gave me a few good ideas, but really, I was pretty sure Tess would be okay. And then this morning she seemed fine; didn't mention anything until after Spencer and Josh finally went to school around 10:30. She had a very mild fever, and then I realized she hadn't really been eating and was acting kinda weird. Well, weirder than her typical 3 year old girl self. So I called the doctor and set up an appointment.

And then for the rest of the afternoon she acted perfectly normal and healthy. I even caught her jumping off the couch, something I know I don't want to do when I have an ear infection. I waffled back and forth over taking her; I came sooo close to just cancelling it. But I finally decided to just go through with it.

This kinda makes me sound like a terrible mother. But people, it was seriously SO COLD today. It was just awful, even just being outside for a few seconds. Plus, doctor's offices are swarming with germs; if she wasn't sick now, she could very well pick something else up. Plus, I didn't want to look like some paranoid N00B mom. Plus, $25 copay!

But, I'm glad we went because it turns out she has a double ear infection. Poor girl! So we were at WalMart this evening to pick up her prescription.

Only, OF COURSE the prescription wasn't ready even though they had said it would be. Even though I waited in line for 15 minutes with all four of my children. Right before dinner time. And Spencer knocked over an entire display of Carmex and the kids were sprawled on the floor trying to reach all of the ones that went under the shelves... stupid WalMart pharmacy with their amazing prizes but horrible customer service...

Anywho, what do you do when you have some time to kill before the prescription is filled and it's almost dinner time?  You do the $5 WalMart Dinner Challenge! Each kid was given $5 for anything they wanted for dinner. They were THRILLED and instead of spending a miserable 45 minutes waiting for the meds, we wandered up and down the aisles negotiating what would be bought.

There are very few times that I feel judged/worried about what's in my cart at WalMart. This was one of them.

Cole chose deli mac & cheese, a corn dog, a chocolate doughnut, and some M&Ms. The dude was happy.

Tess had the same, plus a side order of amoxacillin. Yum.

Josh had 2 doughnuts, M&Ms and Pringles. He was really nice and used some of his money to buy Spencer some M&Ms as well.

I never got a picture of Spencer for some reason. But that giant sandwich in the corner is his and cost him his whole budget. Once again, Spencer was in tears during the $5 WalMart Dinner Challenge  and I wondered just how long we're going to have to deal with moody, hormonally-challenged Spencer. (I don't want to know.) But he cheered up when Josh was so nice, and cheered up even more when Tess and Cole agreed to share their cream soda withe everyone.

Here's my healthy dinner. Notice the diet soda. Ha!

Since Lance wasn't there I let the kids choose his dinner. He got boneless BBQ chicken wings, a cup of fudge striped cookies, and a cherry pie. He seemed to like it.

A couple of other random things from today that I want to remember: as we finally got back into the car after we were done with WalMart, the original 1966 Batman theme song was playing. All four of the kids yelled "BATMAN" for the rest of the song and it was really cute and funny.

Also, on the way home we smelled a skunk and started talking about it, only to realize that Cole was laughing hysterically whenever I said the word 'skunk'. "That word is just so funny!" he claimed. So of course we kept saying it. He just about fell out of his seat he was laughing so hard. And then Spencer starting calling him Skunk Poop and it was all over, because pooping jokes are all the rage around here, especially with the 5 and under set. Skunk. Skunk. Skunk. It is a pretty funny word.

Intervention

If there's one thing I've learned as a parent, it's that you just can't - and shouldn't - intervene in every little thing goes on at home. First, there's just no way you could and still remain sane. Second, kids need to figure things out on their own, which they can't do if you're always meddling with every little event.

That said, there are also definite times when intervention is necessary. However, sometimes you can't be quite sure when/if you should jump in until you hear a few magic words.

Take, for example, the little skirmish Cole and Josh had this morning. Just guess at which point I decided to become involved.

*Cole and Josh are downstairs; I am in the kitchen checking my email and halfway listening.*

Josh: Cole!!  COLE!!!

Cole: *starts running around, giggling his evil Colie giggle*

Josh: Cole. COLE!! What are you doing?! Stop that!!

Cole: *starts running up the stairs, still giggling*

Josh: COLE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!??!??!??

Cole: *squeals a naughty Colie squeal*

Josh: COLE! PUT MY BASEBALL BAT DOWN!!  AAAAUUUUGHHHGHHHGHGH!!!

Cole: No! I want it!!

If you think I became involved after I heard the words "baseball bat", you are correct. Because nothing good can come from a five year old with a baseball bat in the basement. I briskly took the bat from the blond troublemaker, gave it to his older brother, and told both of them that it should NEVER be played with in the house. Josh went to put it away; Cole scowled and skulked after him.

A few minutes ago I caught Cole trying to sneak down to the basement, baseball bat in hand. Intervention was, once again, required.

If this keeps up and he slips my notice, I suspect medical intervention will be needed.

Valentine's Day 2015

One word for Valentine's Day 2015: COLD.

Seriously, so cold. Low low temps and 30 mph winds that make you want to die. Why would anyone go out in that kind of weather?

To see the Spongebob movie.

I know. I know. But we had promised the kids, and you know what? It actually wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. (You know, set your expectations low...) And the kids all behaved really really well. We're finally at that stage where we can do (some) things without having to worry about everyone behaving themselves. It's pretty great.

That night we had our traditional romantic Valentine's dinner, complete with heart shaped pizza, stuffed pizza, and super-fancy heart-shaped plates.

The kids were all pretty excited. They knew that after dinner they'd get new books and - most importantly to them - their candy.

This is a creepy picture of Tess. The poor girl was sick; she had thrown up earlier in the afternoon, then ran around like a lunatic for a while, and then spiked a fever.  Good times.

Here's a pretty normal picture of Spencer. Normal in that he's stuffing pizza into his mouth - he ate a good 3-4 pieces! (That's a lot for him.)

Josh was harassing Tess and she was giving as good as she got. (Hence the smile and not tears from her.)

We broke out the books and the candy, and got some of our traditional Valentine's Day video greetings. You're welcome.

Grandpa ElRay and Grandma Susie sent this wonderfully obnoxious card, which of course the kids LOVED. Over and over and over again.

Here's a video for the full effect:

Here's the last happy picture of Tess from the evening. (That's her new book - she loves it.)

Here are the books I got for the boys.

For Spencer:

For Josh:

And for Cole:

Now back to grouchy Tess. This was around the time she started losing it. It was funny and sad at the same time. I am an awesome mother.

Then Josh entertained us with his headband making skills.

I love this picture - it's quintessential Tess/Cole. Tess griping and upset about something, Cole lurking in the background, trying to act innocent but he most definitely is not.

And then Tess completely lost it. To the left.

And to the right.

Bath and bed time soon followed.

I have to give a big shout out to my awesome husband. Even though I thought we had come to an agreement that my treadmill was all the Valentine present I need, he gave me a really sweet and lovely present that involved him telling me pretty much everything he loves about me. What a lucky girl I am. I sure love that man.

Cute Little Boys

This morning Cole ignored his mother and touched the cooling iron. His poor little fingers were red but thankfully not blistered. Still, the poor kiddo cried and cried and I just knew pre-k was off the table.

Later that morning I asked him what would make him feel better, and he pathetically and so sweetly answered "McDonald's would..." as he clutched his little bag full of ice. What could a Momma do but take the boy out for a Happy Meal?

Then tonight after bringing him home from Cub Scouts Josh ran into his room and came out with a card and said to Lance and I, "I made this at school and a little at home and it's for you."

Is it not darling? I love the little hand and the cute writing and the hearts. 

Oh, the feels. 

The Great Momdini

So this just happened.

Spencer and Josh are coming upstairs and wandering around the living room because I had told them it was time to do their homework and that's what you do when it's time for homework. Wander around the living room. I'm on the couch working on a paper.

Josh: What's are those?

Me: Those what's?

Josh: Those boxes. On the floor.

Me: Oh. Those are new blinds for Tess's room.

Josh: Oh, I-

Me: DON'T step on them.

I look over and he's mid-step - literally one foot in the air over the box. He looks at me as if I just performed magic since he knows I wasn't watching him before.

Me: I know you a little better than you think, Josh.

Josh pouts and quietly leaves the room.

Why Sundays Are Hard

Sundays are hard because:

-My children seem to completely forget how to dress and get ready.

-My children also seem to be completely surprised and taken aback by the fact that we're going to church.  It's like "WHAT?! We're going where? AGAIN?! The same place we've been practically every Sunday of my life?! I am shocked."

-Certain children can't sit by each other during Sacrament meeting. And this changes on a fairly regular basis. Right now Spencer and Cole can't sit by each other. But I suspect next week it'll be Spencer and Tess.

-Sunday afternoons are the worst.  They can be sooo long. Usually all I want to do is curl up and take a nap. But if I do that I run the risk of: a) not being able to fall asleep that night, and/or b) having a child waking up mid-nap and making me very, very grouchy.

-The kids want to be entertained but not by anything Lance and I are willing to do. This leads to lots of whining and fighting and me trying (and failing) to convince them that they should take a nap.

-Sunday night bed times are always extra crazy. The kids are hooligans and I just kinda want to throw them out the window. Tonight we had the added bonus of Cole getting his runny nose all over my nice couch. The joy.

The Best Dressed Robot In The Class

Next week is "R" week in Tess's class, so the teachers asked that each child make a Robot out of Recycled materials. This is the robot Tess and I built.

Well, I did most of the building. Tess did all of the accessorizing. The robot has buttons, star glitter on the top of it's arms, puffballs on his head, and three necklaces made of rainbow hemp string that Josh bought me for my birthday about 5 years ago. (Yeah, Lance has gotten a lot better about helping the kids choose gifts for me.) ((Thank you, Amazon wish list!))

Tess would've done more decorating, but I, for once, was the one whose attention span ran short. Plus, how much bling does one robot need? (Tess's answer: More. Always more.)

Pork Chop Josh

Tonight I made pork chops for dinner, and they were excellent if I do say so myself. Dinner was notable for three reasons:

1. I rarely make meat the main dish - it's usually just a small part of something else. (Much to Lance's carnivorous dismay.)
2. Josh ACTUALLY ATE DINNER. Seriously, I can't remember the last time that child willingly ate part of the main meal. (I usually have some bread -NOT homemade- or fruit or something that I *think* he might eat.) ((*think* because what he will and will not eat changes on an hourly basis.))
3. Lance was teasing Josh a little about actually liking the pork chops. Jokingly, he put his arm around me and said to Josh, "See? Mommy can make really yummy food, can't she?" And without missing a beat Josh replied, "Oh, but she just chooses not to."

Crickets chirped for a couple of seconds before I started "HEY"ing, Lance started laughing, and Spencer said something along the lines of "BOOM!"

That boy.

THAT BOY.

All I have to say is that he's none too bright, making comments like that to the woman who has control over 95% of his food.  Grrr...

Super Bowl XLIX

So last night was the Super Bowl and even though no one in our home is a big football fan, all 6 of us are big fans of eating junk food in front of the TV together.  We had a lovely little spread of homemade sliders, a veggie tray, chips, shrimp, Oreo truffles, and mini cupcakes. If this seems an odd assortment of food, just remember what an odd assortment of children I have and then you won't wonder anymore.

The food was delicious, the game pretty exciting, and the ads were entertaining (both good and bad).

I'm pretty sure that Cole only ate chips the entire evening. Oh - and some random chocolate dipped marshmallows I had.

As we watched I realized that, besides General Conference, this is the ONLY live TV show we actually sit down to watch together as a family. Ever. How bizarre is that? As a kid the days of week were known for what was on TV that night. Friday nights were for TGIF, with Family Matters and Full House and whatnot. When I was a teenager you couldn't plan anything on Thursday nights because that NBC Must See TV, with Seinfeld, Friends, ER, etc. (Wait - was Seinfeld on Thursdays? I can't even remember anymore...)

The point is, I'm old. NO! The point is, my how times have changed! If we want to watch a show now we just stream it. Who has time to actually sit down and watch a show when it actually airs?! I don't even know if my kids realize how different this is from when I grew up. They certainly don't realize that we used to HAVE to watch commercials and we never dreamed of being able to watch shows without them. Bizzarro world.

As per usual I had a Super Bowl bet with my brother, Kevin, and as per usual I won! (Okay, not as per usual. I think we're probably about tied in that aspect. I don't really keep count. What say you, Kevin?)

I got to choose my team first this year, and the only reason I chose the Patriots was because they were listed first when I checked who was playing. Seriously. If I had waited a few days for Deflate-gate or had remembered I had bet (and won) on the Seahawks last year I would've totally gone with them. But such is the life of a once-a-year gambler.

It was a nail biter at the end. There was much rejoicing and "in-your-face"ing over FB messenger when the Pats managed not to lose. Kevin claims Pete Carroll owes me lunch, not him. And while Mr. Carroll probably did make a poor judgement call, I made the bet with Mr. Roper. You owe me lunch this summer, Kevin! And no just getting me a Slurpee this time!! (Although I truly did enjoy last year's Slurpee. Why oh why do we not have 7-11s around here?!)