Pink and Sparkly...What more could a girl want?

After being prisoners in our house for the past 2 days, I decided the children needed to get out for awhile. Not just out in our yard, but out OUT. Ok, ok, so maybe I needed to get out just as badly. So we headed over to Mamaw's house to visit the new puppies.  I am IN LOVE with these puppies, especially Lucy...mostly because of her sweet, cool name! Lemme tell ya, it was a great morning/afternoon to just relax with my mom and search online for birthday party ideas for Hayden. Yes, you saw that correctly...and yes, her birthday isn't until October:)

Now, check out Hayden's new awesome shoes! Absolutely in love with these shoes...even though they are pink and sparkly...Hayden picked them out:)

 And below would be a pic of my Mr. Stud Muffin

 

One of THOSE days

Is it bedtime yet? The clock is telling me one thing and my children are telling me a different thing. Wowzers has it just been "one of those days!" Not a bad day, or a pull-out-my-hair day....just one-of-those-days.
You know, the kind where your child cries for her daddy, grandma, and even her aunt all morning...forgetting that you have been with her the last 48 hours straight and taking care of her every need being her playmate.
OR the kind where your son thinks he is helping you by "sweeping" with the broom, but in all reality he is hitting his sister with his every move because it is about 3 feet taller than him and knocking over anything that is on a desk, table, or end table that he goes by.
OR the kind where your daughter comes in looking so proud saying, "mom, I peed o'er there!" while pointing to the bathroom and when you go look you almost fall on your butt because she meant "over there on the floor" and now she has created a slip-in-slide in the hallway.
OR the kind where your dog thinks it would make your day by taking a squat on your just-shampooed carpet after being outside for about an hour...seriously?
OR the kind where you make your CLEAN bed and can't figure out why there are chocolate handprints all over the side of the bedspread but then find your son with an Oreo in his hand.
OR the kind where you are SO proud of yourself for making a new recipe for dinner, only to find out that you forgot the 3 cloves of garlic that took you 15 minutes to mince is sitting on the counter and your chicken is already in the oven.
OR the kind where you are so busy typing this blog post and look up to see this...

Although it was "one of those" days, I am thankful for every second I got to spend with my babies and wouldn't trade a second of it:)
Here is something to make you smile:

Stop Cryin'!

Moment of the Day:
I was trying to hold back tears from something that happened. Hayden wanted me to play with her little magnet book so I was trying to just look down so she wouldn't see tears forming in my eyes. Hayden tapped me on the shoulder, made me look at her, and this is what she said, "Mom, stop that cryin' and play with me." I have such a little compassionate daughter!

A Perfect Sunday

So, last night before I closed my eyes to go to sleep, I couldn't help but thank God over and OVER for the blessings he has placed in our lives. Yesterday was just one of those days that was just "perfect". Not because of anything huge happening, but just because we were together as a whole family. So, this, my friends, is what my perfect Sunday consisted of:

Going to church...as a family:) Our church has started Life Groups, and ours meets at 10:30. So...we go to first service and then our group. I was SO nervous how the kids would handle this change...usually they start the meltdowns RIGHT after the service while we are walking out the door. Sundays mean up earlier than usual for them and I just wasn't sure how they would hold up for 3+ hours. But..they did amazingly well! No meltdowns at all and they even handled between services excellent. Hayden had her daddy and that is all she cared about. 

Eating lunch...as a family. Nic grilled some pork chops that were heavenly:) 

Nap time...as a family.This never happens so it was a very special treat. If you have kids, you know what I mean! Of course both of the kids were exhausted after the full morning they had, so we put them down. And get this...Hayden slept in her OWN bed for naptime. This is the first time in over a month that we have even gotten her to sleep in her own room. I kept waiting for the screaming to and fits to start...but they didn't! 

Grocery store...as a family. Ok, so maybe this shouldn't be part of a "perfect day". But oh well...we did it so I have to write it:) I am finding it more difficult to talk both kids to the grocery store with me, so we waited until Nic could go with us.

Campsite...as a family. Different times this summer we have ventured to the campsite that our friends have been at all summer. We enjoyed a huge dinner, playing on the playground, real live movie popcorn, and just being outside. 

To most of you, this is just a normal day. But not for us. So this was my perfect Sunday!

A Park, A Meal, and A Lawn

Boy, today was quite a day. Not because it was busy busy busy, but it was just...a day. A good day, a crazy day, a day of a first (I will get back to that later).
Last night Nic, the kids, and I went to Chili's with my parents and Sarah for our last dinner together before she leaves us for college...boo:( After dinner, which, I have decided I am no longer going out to eat with both kids until they are 10 years old, Sarah came back to our house and spent the night. I am going to miss that.
Anyways, my kids so happily woke their Aunt Rara up by being their loud selves. I think she wasn't ready to get up:) But, we got ready and parted ways as Rara went home and the kids and I headed to Tara's house. We were wanting to take all four kids somewhere fun, and of course, free. The Splash Park thingy in Elkhart doesn't open until 1 pm, so we decided to do something in Mishawaka. As we were driving, we came across a little water splash thing next to Twin Branch. It was a great little park containing the splash pad, picnic tables, and a little playground. Lemme tell ya, the kids LOVED the water!! I couldn't believe how Colton and Hayden were jumping through the water like they did. I think since they watched Alex enjoying it so much, they knew they would be just fine! Hannah wasn't sure about it at first, but she eventually warmed up. She never cried or anything, she just kept walking away, which was cracking me up! After awhile, we ate our little packed lunches and played on the playground for a little bit before returning to the water. The kids were all perfect and it was just the perfect early afternoon activity. The best part was that it wore the kids out and had a GREAT, LONG nap! (I have little videos, but the recorder thing is in the car and Nic took the car.
I knew things had to get done, like the never ending laundry and dishes, so I did one load and then the dishes (I REALLY miss my dishwasher...like REALLY!!!). While waiting for the laundry to get done, I decided that I was going to try to do YOGA...this is where you can laugh at me. I honestly wish I could have video taped me doing this because I will tell ya this, I was NOT made to do yoga. I think I was falling on the ground more than being in one of those positions...like the upward dog and downward dog, and those other funny names. After about 25 minutes of that, I was done, done, done. Especially after I did something to the muscle behind my leg. Ha. Let's just say I am in a lot of pain right now:)
When the kids woke up, we played, read books, chased each other around the house, of course had to drag all toys out of the playroom and throw them throughout the house, and played some more.
Now, this next little blabbling part is something I have been thinking about doing for a long time. It has taken planning, research, and just a lot of time. A long time ago, I read one of my friend's blogs about freezer cooking. She made meals for a whole month and then would freeze them. I always thought that was such a great idea, but didn't think I would ever have the dedication. Plus, I don't know how to cook a whole lot of meals. But, the more I have been thinking about it, the more I have come to want to do it more and more.
Soooo...the past couple of weeks I have been researching how to freeze different kinds of foods and what foods freeze the best. I also researched different websites with freezer cooking recipes. Of course, I had to find the easiest recipes that consisted of simple ingredients:) Cause that's how I roll! I came across this awesome website where I got most of my recipes. I also got a lot of recipes from Kelsey's blog from above.
Ok, so back to my point, I knew that I wasn't going to get a WHOLE day to cook like most people advise, so I thought I would split it up. Tonight I started making some meals to freeze while making dinner as well. Of course, I had the help of my kiddos so it was quite the task. BUT I did get 2 meals done and put one in the freezer and one in the fridge for tomorrow night. I know, I know, nowhere near the whole months worth of meals...oh well!
Nic was finally home in time for dinner. We ate, and then he left again for softball games. And that is when I looked at my kitchen. Seriously? All that for about 15 minutes? At this point, I am almost in tears missing my dishwasher again. Oh well! So as I hosed my kids down from dinner and cleaned all the dishes, we headed for the bath....because...well...Colton was covered in his meal:)
Colt went down pretty early, so Hayden and I went outside and I thought I would do something I have never done before...mow the lawn. Wait, I have mowed before, when I was younger. It was my first and last time because my dad didn't like the designs in the yard. Anyways, the yard was starting to look like a jungle and I knew Nic wouldn't be able to do it tomorrow or during the weekend, so I thought I would give it a whirl. Not only am I sitting here with a hurting leg, but my shoulders hurt, my elbow hurts, and I have blisters on my hand. Wanna know why??? I didn't know until I was halfway done that there was a lever I could pull where it became self-propelled. I know, I am retarded. But hey, the yard is done, not very straight, but it is done.
That, my friends, is a huge accomplishment for me:)
Ok, now that I went on and on, I must go to sleep. I might be sore tomorrow:)

Mind Boggling

Do you ever feel like you have so much to say but you don't know how to communicate it? Like all these crazy thoughts running through your head and you don't even know how to make sense of it all? Maybe if I just "list" some of the things my head will start to clear a little bit??

*My heart is broken from hearing about the guy that stabbed 7 people, killing 4, blowing up a house, and then blowing up his car while he was driving in Elkhart. I guess I can't imagine what kind of hate would have to be in someone's heart to do that....to totally rip apart families that way. Nic and I passed the house that he blew up and there were still people just looking at it, standing on the sidewalks. I know this happens all around, but I just don't understand this kind of hatred. I don't even know what to say about it. I just don't understand.

*Hayden is still not sleeping in her room. We let her cry...and she will SCREAM for an hour and a half without giving up. We tried putting Colt in with her. We tried having her sleep in Colt's room. I am out of ideas. I have prayed for her and with her over and over. It is hard being the mother and having absolutely NO idea what to do. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I just want her to be able to feel safe in her room and be able to fall asleep without Nic and I.

*As mentioned in previous posts, Nic has started a new job. I am so thankful to God for this. With summer coming to an end and not having any extra kids in the house due to school starting, I feel like we are going to be able to fall into a routine. I like routine. My kids like routine. I am excited for this. Today was the first day, and I believe that we did quite well. We even got to take Nic lunch to his new office:) 

*As much as I hate to admit it, I have been watching the Bachelor Pad. Tonight will be the last night I watch that show. It has been on for a couple weeks now, and I just can't believe what people will do to win or in some instances just to feel better about themselves. Backstabbing, lying, manipulating...all to win money. I think the thing that has disturbed me the most was last week's challenge. All the guys stood in a line, with targets on their back and the girls had to throw eggs with paint in them at the boy that best answers the questions. The questions were, "who do you find the least attractive?" "who do you think should go home next?" and so on. Seriously?? How wrong is that? I just can't get over the fact that people have to tear others so low. It makes me sick to my stomach. Originally I thought, "ok, so this show has drama, but I am still going to watch." The truth is, I seriously cannot watch another minute of that show. 

*Most of these points come done to this...what kind of world are we living in? It is sick. It is a time like this that I am so grateful for being a child of God and having hope....to know that my identity is in Christ. I am thankful to be surrounded by people who lift me up, not tear me down and manipulate me. I am thankful for knowing that my Lord is faithful.

I know a lot of this probably doesn't make much sense, but that's ok, because it doesn't make sense to me:) Just needed to clear my head a little bit. 

A Week at the Lake

As I sit here, I cannot believe the one week that I have been waiting for a long time is already over. I won't bore you with all the details so I will just a quick rundown of the week at the lake:

1. As mentioned in last post, both children broke out in Rosiola (still don't know how to spell it). This made for a miserable couple of days for them in which I felt like crying with them (I hate when they don't feel good). They spots are almost gone now and I feel that it is all over with. I even brought the kids home one night since they weren't sleeping good and Hayden and I slept for 12 hours and Colt slept for 14 hours:) Needless to say, the next day was very much enjoyable!

 Her poor little face got it bad:(

You can kind of see the spots on Colt's back

2. We had lots of visitors up that included Tara and Steve, Taryn and Reagan, Grandma, some of Kristen's friends and lots of Sarah's friends.

This pic makes me smile because Colt was totally Rex's buddy

3. It was gorgeous every single day except today, when it decided to be poopy...but we DID get in a lot of tubing this morning.

4. Lots and lots of tubing, wave runners, and laying out on the rafts...the first 2 resulted in complete soreness that I haven't experienced in a LONG time which confirmed that I really am getting older. But it was too much fun to stop! (Pictures will be added soon...they are on Sarah's camera!)

5. Campfires...well...little smoke pile:) It was great for s'more making though!

6. Lots of games of Skip-Bo...SOOO much fun! (except when I am losing terribly)

 Allison didn't feel like smiling:)

7. Movies almost every night with the family.

8. Lots of food and laughter.

9. Evening ride on the pontoon...the neighbors were even nice enough to shoot off fireworks for us!

Hayden doesn't do well with flashes:)

10. Lots of time just playing around the yard and in the water!

 Believe it or not, Hayden was NOT mad in this pic...this is how she says "cheese":) Oh, and she absolutely adores her auntie Tissy

 Hayden wanted to wear mommy's suit

 It was so neat to see my two babies interact this week...SOO sweet!

11. Nic had his first full week at his "new"job and absolutely loves it. It makes me smile listening him talk about it:) Also, his new office is HUGE! I am trying to talk him into letting me decorate it!

THANKS MOM AND DAD FOR MAKING THIS A MEMORABLE WEEK (even though ALL the memories weren't too good:))

Don't even know what to label this!

Ok, so is it bad that I am gaining great anxiety over the fact that I haven't blogged for almost a week and afraid if I don't do it this second, I am going to forget everything that has happened in the past week? Goodness gracious!

Not that any of you care about the little trivial happenings around here, but I do:)

So...here it goes. I didn't write about this last week because, well, it was a busy week. You see, my other half, Nic, left for the entire week for the SRO school that was 2 1/2 hours away. I didn't write about it because frankly I don't know who the heck reads this and I didn't want any creepers to know that he was gone at the time. Anyways, it was just me and my babies for the week....and the dog. But we survived and I had amazing bonding times with both my children...complete with doing crafts with Hayden (painting frames and then making creations with scrap paper to frame), completely moving around both the kids' rooms (thanks to Reagan and Taryn), lots of snuggle time with Hayden since we are trying to get over the whole "scared of the room" thing, lots of laughs, many trips to McDonald's for their ice cream cones, trips to my parents (thank you for everything by the way!!), and many more memories. We certainly did miss the man of the house though. Hayden would break down in tears at times screaming for "DADDY!!!!" Nights were long thinking that EVERY sound was someone trying to break in and steal us. But, no one did! That is a good thing for Nic:) I definitely missed my best friend. I missed just being with him.

Then Friday finally came...it was a little hectic now that I think about it. I had all 7 kids until 1:30. At that time 3 of them left, so 4 remained. I packed all 4 in the car, headed to my parents, played with the kids awhile there, kissed my babies goodbye, left them with their grandparents (where they stayed the entire weekend), packed up the last 2 children, headed back home, waited for their mom to pull in, watched Nic and their mom pull in the exact same time, said goodbye to the 2 girls, packed up the car for our car trip, and left for our supposed to be 4 hours, which was only 3 hours:)

Nic's softball team played at the State Tournament this weekend in Bloomington. Everyone got there Friday night and just hung out since the tourney didn't start until Saturday. We hung out outside the hotel and played cards, washers, and just talked. Saturday we got to sleep in (well, us wives anyways). It was so weird because all summer we have all been hit and miss at the games because we all have kids. In case you don't know what that means, it means that we don't ever get to really talk or watch the games. This weekend, there were NO kids...can you say "wha????" Back to sleeping in...it was wonderful. When we were all ready, us wives headed out to the games...they won their first which have us a couple hours to relax. We grilled out in the parking lot and then the wives headed back to lay by the pool for awhile. It was a great time to just really get to know them a little more even though some of them I have known before marriage and before kids. Ok, enough rambling. We headed back to the games, which we were late to AGAIN. I forget how the rest of the games played out but I know they lost their next one and then won a whole bunch of them before losing the last game of the day:( It was a long day, but fun. We did plan on all going out to eat at a nice restaurant but by the time we all got back and showered it was around 9:30 and so we ended up some place that we sat outside and got rained on:)

We stayed up super late hanging out and playing cards but we got to sleep in on Sunday!! It was a wonderful weekend with my hubby and I am so thankful for that time to get away, even if there was softball involved!

Mom and dad-THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, for taking such amazing care of my babies!!! You are amazing and I am just so grateful for you! I know that the kids absolutely adore you, Tissy, and Rara!!!

After getting ready on Sunday morning, we headed back to our kiddies. My parents' friends let our family use their house for the entire week, which happens to be on our favorite lake, so that is where we headed!! It is such a beautiful house and they are such gracious people! We spent the evening playing cards and spending time outside. There is just something about a lake that is just so relaxing.

We headed home when bedtime was coming....BUT we were right back here in the morning!!! My lucky mom and dad!! 

I only had 2 extra kids today so I just brought them up. They had a blast and I am worn out! Random insert-Colton and Hayden all of the sudden broke out in all these dots, in which my dad diagnosed as Rosiola (don't know spelling). I thought they were chicken pox but I guess they aren't. They are covered from head to toe in these red dots....poor babies. They don't seemed bothered by it though. It was a beautiful day so we were outside the entire day. Grandma was here for the day, which was a blessing! Tara and Steve came up for the evening for a cookout and some INSANE wave runner time complete with a bonfire. Let's just say I made myself completely sick! All worth it though.

Ok, these blabberings are getting out of hand I believe because it is 11 at night and I am WORN out! Just wanted to record everything before I forgot!!

It's Official!

IT IS OFFICIAL!! I can finally say that we are now going to have half of a normal life as a family!!! Can you tell my excitement?:) For the last 5 years, we have adjusted to the life of a Police Officer. SWAT callouts, different shift hours, over time, security jobs, fair hours, trainings...everything that comes with the job...which eventually becomes a lifestyle. Please, I am NOT complaining at ALL about the last 5 years, or the job. Like I said, we just adjusted. That's what had to be done. We have made the most of it and looked on the positive side. Through these years I have watched all the ups and downs of this job and the toll it can take on any family but also how rewarding it can be. My husband is good at his job and I am one proud wife. But sometimes this job was hard. It was hard to go to church every Sunday without my husband, to go to family gatherings alone, not having him home for holidays. It was hard to figure out schedules and days off, especially with that beeper he carries around on that stinkin' hip (most of the time I wanted to chuck it in the creek...but then thought maybe that wouldn't be the best way to handle it).
Starting this school year, Nic will be the SRO (Student Resource Officer) at Concord. WHICH MEANS...WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS OFF! We get to go to church as a family! WOO HOO! Every time I think about this, I smile. He will have school hours and his own office. I know that he is excited for this, which makes me happy. I want him to be happy.
I am not saying that EVERYTHING is going to change. I know there will be call outs. I know that there will be trainings. I know there will still be ups and downs and that this job change will make everything perfect...I am no dummy...despite what most think:)
But for right now, rejoice with me!

That Kind of Moment

Today I had a moment. This moment was 20-minutes long. This moment was pure embarrassment. This moment is something every mom dreads. This moment made my face turn a dark tint of red, made the heat creep up my neck, made my heart rate speed up. 

Rewind to the morning...

Every Sunday morning we wake up and go to church. Now, my kids usually sleep until 9 but seeing as the service starts at 8:30, that meant I have to wake my sleeping child. That, my friends, is never a good thing. Sooooo...for the first time in who knows long, my husband FINALLY got to come to church with me since he didn't have to work. You have NO idea how amazing it felt to walk into church with my husband. Today, I didn't look like a complete idiot trying to get both of my kids into the building by myself! It was wonderful. Anyway, back to the story. Every Sunday when I pick the kids up from their classes, melt down mode starts to go into effect. I swear it is like some switch or something. Well, Hayden was completely glued to her Mama (grandma) that she even asked to go home with her and demanded to have her car seat. Mama invited her over so we let her go. On the way home Nic told me he had to mow the grass. I thought this would be the perfect time to go to the store since I knew this week would be chaos. As I was dropping him off at the house, he asked me, "don't you want Colt to take a nap first before you go?" Me in all my wisdom said, "oh no...this will be perfect. I will get the groceries and then he will be ready to sleep well when we get back. Plus it is only one child, so we will be fine."

Stupid me.

Here comes that moment.

I carry Colt into the store with his sippy cup and blankie. Put him in the cart. Walk through the automatic sliding doors. Then it was like someone had called "ACTION". Let the screaming begin. If you have ever heard my Colt scream, you would know that when he screams, nothing calms him down, and it is the LOUDEST scream ever. And by loudest, I mean that high-pitched SCREAM that sounds like should be coming from an adult and not a toddler. Then the tears began. I tried to just ignore it and go about gathering my groceries. Then I noticed every head was turning towards me and then looked at Colt. I tried to calm him. Nothing worked. Then the throwing of his cup and blankie began. I saw a box of crackers, so again, in all my wisdom I thought, "oh, I will just get him to eat these crackers and everything will be splendid." Again, stupid me. He started throwing the crackers, and then the whole box. By now I have my cart starting to fill but couldn't concentrate on what I really needed. 

As we go down aisle by aisle, the child is still SCREAMING. It got to the point that I knew I was screwed and it was just a battle I wasn't going to win. I knew it was bad, not by everyone looking at me, but when my ears started to hurt and I thought my face was going to explode from embarrassment. 

Now, I know every kid has their little "fits" and that is normal. But this, my dears, was NOT normal. He was kicking, he was screaming, he was throwing, he was NOT happy...and he was not going to stop anytime soon. 

I finally just left the entire cart of groceries in the middle of an aisle, grabbed my screaming child and the opened box of crackers, and headed for the check out line. As I was waiting in one of the lines, every head was turned staring at me and my child. Some in disgust, some with pitty, most with annoyance. I wanted to scream, "WHAT? HAVEN'T ANY OF YOU EVER SEEN A CHILD THROW A 20 MINUTE FIT AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS???? STOP LOOKING AT ME OR I WILL PUNCH YOU AND MAKE YOU CRY LIKE MY CHILD." But, I refrained. After all, I had just gone to church:) The cashier lady finally looked at me and said, go over to the next line. He can take you. Oh dear, bless this guy's heart. He had no idea what to say to me but, "I'm sorry your shopping experience wasn't the greatest." I just stared at him. By this time I was SO over this "shopping experience" I couldn't even wait for the bag boy to bag my crackers or to put my debit card back into my wallet. I just grabbed it and walked very fast to my car. 

Then something happened...the moment we walked out the door, Colt stopped the curdling scream, and then smiled at me. SERIOUSLY???????

Guess what happened next...

He was asleep by the time I got to the first light. Darnit...my husband was right. Bleh.

It's late, I can't sleep, So this is what you get!

Rundown of the week...

1. Lots of playing outside thanks to the cooler weather. Played with chalk, played down by the creek, played on the slip n' slide, played in the toy cars, played with rocks, played with water, and even tried playing with play-doh with 7 children outside. Probably not the best idea that I ever had.

2. Built a "pillow floor" in which we gathered EVERY pillow in the house and put them on the floor, covered them with blankets, and then jumped from the couch onto the pillows...fun? OF COURSE! Bad habit forming? MAYBE! Oh well, it was worth it to see Hayden teach Colt how to jump. Well, he got the whole standing thing down and the whole falling thing down, just not the jumping part:) Needless to say, we have to watch him every.single.time he is on the couch...or he just belly flops to the floor...oops.

3. Watched Nic play softball with Jas as Whit and I ate ice cream with the kids. And then of course got a stuck in a downpour in which Whit was with 2-2 year olds who weren't so happy about it. I found that it is not easy and quick to pack 2 kids, a diaper bag, balls, a double stroller, and other items into the car without getting soaked. It makes me laugh to look back on it...ha. 

4. Hayden learned the song, "Clean up, Clean up"...you know, the one from Barney. The best part is, she actually CLEANS up when she is singing it! She cleaned up ever block, lego, stuffed animal, and dinosaur all by her lonesome while she sang the song today. It was a beautiful sight:)

5. Colton has learned how to say "cheese" while smiling into a camera. It sounds more like "eese" but still cut none the less. BUT you have to have a phone or a camera while asking him to say "cheese" or he knows it isn't real:)

6. I decided since I couldn't take 4 kids to the Salon to get our hair done and mani's and pedi's, that I would bring it to our house...complete with hair brushes, all sorts of clips, hair bands, nail polish, hand messages with lotion, a bowl of warm water (because that is what they have at the real places, although I am not sure why), nail clippers (although for some reason none of the girls liked that part), the thingy that cleans under nails (also not a big fan pleaser). The girls loved it, I loved it, my scalp didn't. The best part of this was when I got all done with Reagan's nails and did the whole sha-bang, I asked her why she was just staring at her nails. She then goes on to tell me, "Well, I don't like nail polish." Me-"why did you have me paint your nails then and not tell me to?" R (with a weird look on her face)-"I was bored". Awesome. 

7. Nic started Insanity this week. I must admit...I am extremely proud of him. He is doing a great job. The only problem with this is, he does it when Colt and Hayden are around so they end up hanging all over him which results in tripping and colliding...yikes.

8. Hayden has finally learned how to peddle her bike. She loves it!

9. I realized that some days I feel like I should be wearing a black and white shirt with a whistle around my neck. 

10. Spent time at the good ol' parents' house.

11. Learned that my daughter can tell us how to get home from my parent's house...she knew where to tell us to turn. Weird. She even told me how to get home from McDonald's after we treated ourselves to ice cream thanks to Reagan's birthday. She was upset because I went right instead of left. I hate turning left out of places so I turned right and went the back roads. She didn't like that at ALL.

12. Hayden is having a hard time sleeping in her room due to "the sounds" in the corner of her room. Creepy? Totally. So we are trying to figure out what is going on there. She told my parents that she "cies (cries) at night and mommy has to come get me. I wash (watch) Mickey Mouse so I don't hear the sounds." Not cool one bit.

13. Nic worked tonight so I watched a movie with Tara and Steve. I am pretty sure Steve wanted to punch us girls in the face for talking so much:) hehe.

14. Tried a new kind of wine this week which was SUPER amazing, because, well I only like one kind of wine...but I forget what it is called. 

15. I haven't been able to fall asleep at night. Like at all. Thus I turn to my friend....the good ole' blog. It seems that after I spill my guts to my faithful blog, I am tired enough to close my eyes. 

16. Remember back when there were good shows on? Wholesome, funny, appropriate shows where parents loved their children and even their spouses? You know, Full House, Family Matters? Well, Sarah found Boy Meets World and got 5 seasons of the show. She has let me borrow some so when I need some sound on in the background or can't sleep, like right now, I just turn it on. I love that show:)

17. Nic and I took the 4 kids to Ox Bow Park for the first time this summer. We packed a lunch and ate it by a playground. The kids loved running around and going down the big slides. We then walked over to the "canoe launch" where we allowed the children to splash around for a bit...even though the sign said 'NO SWIMMING'. But technically, they weren't swimming, they were just splashing around. Hayden learned how to go to the bathroom in the woods. I am pretty sure we should have been kicked out of the park...we are such rebels. The only problem with teaching her this is- later that evening while we were outside in the back yard she told us that she had to go potty. We told her to go inside and go. Instead, she promptly started taking off her shorts and squatting...she just assumed she should go outside again. Again...bad habit? By the way, this should be like number 11, but I don't feel like changing all the numbers. I'm lazy. 

I admit it...I am CRAZY:)

Today I realized something. I am crazy. I like my house clean and picked up. I like every toy in it's place...in the right basket or cubby or bin so it fits perfectly (I know that is insane because they are toys...meant to be played with). I like my family room clear of toys. I can't stand to have the dryer full of clean clothes for long periods of time....but I can't stand to fold them and have them sit anywhere either...but I can't find the time to be constantly putting laundry away. I like the kids bedrooms spotless. I like Hayden's books put away according to the size of the book. I like my dishes clean and put away. I like our dresser and hope chest completely cleared off except for the lamp and little box thingy my brother and sis-in-law got us. I like looking out a window...a clear, clean window. I like clean toilets...that are flushed. I like my closets organized. I like my kleenex box to contain kleenex.
This crazy OCD thing, or whatever it is causes great anxiety within me and I start to panic watching all these things not keeping up to my expectation especially with having up to 8 kids to help this panic set in.
Like...
Going into the bathroom to see my son has thrown the whole roll of toilet paper in the toilet and then looking the other side of him only to notice that my daughter tried emptying her own toddler toilet but didn't make it into the big toilet, which results in poop and pee all over the floor.
OR
Walking into Hayden's room to see that the nice, neat books are now spread over the floor as well as EVERY blanket pulled from the drawer, and every piece of clothing from the lower half of her closet now spread on the floor with hangers thrown every which way because heaven forbid she stay in the one outfit that she had on at the beginning of the day.
OR
Noticing the spilled milk/juice on the "just swept" kitchen floor as well as dog hair flying across the floor  that now is sticking to the floor because of the juice.
OR
Finding that the play doh that is definitely now stuck into the area rug.
OR
Seeing handprints/footprints/faceprints that are now smeared over every window, door, TV, or anything that is touched.
OR
Looking at the folded clothes that have not found their homes for going on 4 days and are just sitting in the hamper, on the dresser, or on the bed.
OR
Walking by the playroom to see that EVERY toy is out of the basket, bin, cubby and is covering every square inch of the playroom.
But I have also realized something. If I keep going at the pace I am doing what I am doing, I am going to miss out. I am going to miss out on spending time with my babies, I need to take every single moment and remember it. Not a memory that brings on the stinkin' anxiety that makes me want to cry, but as a memory that made my children smile. Although I want to just scream and go around picking up every single thing that is out of place, I need to just relax and take those moments to enjoy WITH them. Those little footprints, faceprints, fingerprints won't always be there....I need to remember those little smudges. Instead of watching every toy being brought out to play with, I need to just sit with them and play with them, and then use it as a learning time to show how to clean up with their toys when they are finished. Instead of going crazy making sure everything is spotless, I need to just hold my babies and love on them. Because the truth is, my house will never be clean or spotless for another 18 years or so why panic over it?  It's amazing how time and children change things...in a good way:):)
My babies are only going to be this little for so long. I want to take every moment and cherish it...every smile, giggle, everything. But I need this panic stuff to go away:) So here is my first step-instead of picking up all the misplaced toys right now, I am going to snuggle with my sleeping baby girl that is laying on my lap! Goodnight!