Mental Health Day

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone could call in a "Mental Health Day" whenever they just really needed a break? Just like a time out from life. I'm pretty sure that some moms do get this luxury, but I'm am not one of them. Sure, I have very supportive friends and family that are always willing to lend a hand. My mom and my mother in law will usually watch my kids at the drop of a hat, if I need them to. However, calling in the troops to help take care of your kids also invokes a certain amount of guilt. Guilt that you can't hang tough with your kids, guilt that you're asking already busy people to come and take care of your children, and guilt that you really just need a break from your usually great kids.

Mothering is about the same thing everyday. Day in and day out; no matter your mood, or what happened the night before, or what's going to happen next week. Your kids need you to be some sort of normal consistent person everyday. That is a really hard thing to do some days!! I think with any job some days seem to click, you get a lot accomplished, your in high spirits, and a great deal of satisfaction comes from that. Other days, you just can't seem to focus, or have a hard time getting the job done. Usually there is some easy way to fake it thru a 9-5, you can get by until you get home...where you can zone out in front of the tv with a cold beverage and a pan of brownies. But, when you're the mom, it's not like that. You don't just need to make it thru the day to get home to relax. The kids need you to be awake and alert and ready to care for them, no matter what. For working moms I'm sure it's really hard to have a bad day at work and then come home to make dinner, do the laundry, and get the kids a bath and off to bed. For stay at home moms it's just as hard...because, your kids were there for the bad day too. They were there when you let cleaning up the lunch mess slide because you were having a bad day. They were there when you scolded too roughly for a small offense because you were just too tired to deal with one more whining moment. They say that parenting is a series of tiny moments lined up to make a childhood for your kids. The scary thing is, you don't know if you're creating enough of those small happy moments to cancel out the bad grumpy moments, and sometimes you can only take it one moment at a time.

Mermaids

Drew, Lily and I went to the pool today and we had so much fun!! Drew took a bit to warm up, but about 30 minutes in, he was cool with hanging out in the water. He even blew a few bubbles! Lily, on the other hand, took no warming up!! She hopped right in and just had a wonderful time. She was swimming all over the place!! She was working on her kicks, and going really far under water and even practiced touching the bottom of the pool with her hands! She was also doing cannon balls off the side of the pool and zooming down the water slide.

At one point she asked me if mermaids have lungs or gills. I told her that I thought that they had both. That their gills were in their tail. She thought about it, and told me that she'd like to have gills, too. She started feeling around on the sides of her chest and said, "Oh, I feel my lungs....oh!! and my gills are right here under my lungs!!" I thought it was so funny. Then later I was showing her how she could go faster if she made small fast kicks with her feet and she told me, "You're a good swimmer, Mom!" I was just in heaven watching her being so excited to learn and share with me. What fun!

I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't beside myself with joy that Lily was having so much fun in the water. She definitely has a love of the water and learning to swim. On one hand it makes me happy that she is enjoying something that I love so much, and on the other hand, I'm just so thrilled that she found SOMETHING that she loves so much!! I know some parents that push their kids to learn their strokes early and have them diving in the pool at 3 or 4 years old. But, to be honest, that's not my dream for Lily. My dream is that she finds something that she's passionate about and my job as a parent is to support her goals. She may not be the next Dara Torres or Janet Evans, but, she's the only Lily Stivers...and that's enough for me!

Lily at her first swimming lessons without Mommy one year ago.

She has come so far since then.

Who needs SpongeBob?

I don't really let my kids watch a lot of television. It's not a punishment really, it's just that I'd like to see my kids busy with other things. They do a wonderful job of entertaining themselves without the aide of electronics. It's not really against the rules, they do watch a bit, but basically we are busy doing other things and most of the time it's not an issue.

One way I keep them busy is putting them in charge of watering my flowers. I'm terrible about doing it, and they love to spray the hose and get everything wet. It's a perfect morning activity. Recently, our neighbors moved away and they left behind a HUGE pot with a dying flower in it. She really did give it to me as a gift. How Lovely. Thanks. Anyway, a couple of mornings ago when the kids were out doing the watering, the huge pot became a swimming pool. They had a great time climbing in and out of the thing. It was a total mess, but a good time none the less!! Who needs Sponge Bob when you've got a giant pot of mud?!

Turtle Torture

We found a turtle on the beach today. I'd never seen one out there before, so it was a nice surprise and a handy science lesson. :) Lily held the turtle and told me all about it (Cautious Carl would have no part in the turtle activity.)

In the video you can hear me telling Lily that the turtle is probably done playing with her. However, she wasn't ready to stop exploring. After consulting my friend Myca, we decided that we had also caught and played with turtles as children and surely it was an okay activity. So, off Lily went with a baby turtle and a bucket. Next thing I know, I hear someone say that Lily is standing and pottying in the bucket with the turtle in it. Sure enough, there she was standing over the bucket GOING TO THE BATHROOM!!! Does anyone else know a 4 year old that is constantly pottying on stuff that she knows is not a good idea?!? I've said it before, what would make her think that this is okay??!! Shock is what i felt, but really, why would this make me shocked? If you've been reading for any length of time you know that Lily's been going to the bathroom in various places lately for no reason at all. Once again, what's the proper reaction?? SOmeone please tell me!! I dumped the bucket out and told her to let the poor turtle go.

Later, (she was still playing with the turtle, follow thru sometimes is a weakness of mine. Sometimes i get distracted, other times I just don't want to fight a happy child.) Anyway, later she had the turtle out in the water but she was holding him close to her. He got his revenge. He must have been a baby snapping turtle...because he snapped her good!! Go Turtle!! Lily learned a lovely lesson of consequences today. Be nice to creatures, you never know when they may get you back!!

Smooth Operator

We have been making fruit smoothies at our house lately. They are so easy to make and so good for you, too! The kids eat them up, I'm pretty sure they think it's ice cream. They take less than 5 minutes to prepare and so sweet that after I had mine this morning, I didn't crave my morning Mt Dew. That is a very good thing!! I've been trying to eat a little healthier these days. My days of nursing Julianna with the excuse of needing extra calories are numbered. It's time to get active and be conscious of what I'm eating.

Drew ate his smoothie so fast this morning that he asked me to kiss his tongue.

Ah-ha!!

I have ADHD. I was diagnosed 2 years ago and it made a lot of things in my life make sense. It answered the question as to why I got bored with jobs after just a few months, why I was a terrible roommate in college, why i have a problem with interrupting, and staying organized, and my ability to follow thru is so small that I don't even remember to shut the van door when I leave the van!! :) The list could go on and on and on!!

I do my best, but sometimes the ADHD gets the best of me. Having three children has made it glaringly obvious that I have trouble with inattentiveness and organization. It's a wonder sometimes that my children and I can make it from place to place in one piece and fully dressed! Anyway, I've been really hard on myself these last few months adjusting to three children. When I had one child it was mostly pretty easy to hold it together. I was messy and disorganized, but I could fake it enough that no one really knew! With two children, my house was a total wreck a lot of the time, but out and about I was organized enough to pack the diaper bag and get us places on time. Now since Julianna was born that has all gone out the window. Shoes?? Where?? Keys?? Who Knows!! 10 minutes late to everything? Oh, that's me!!

So, I've been researching some strategies to help make life easier around here (the problem with the strategies is IF THEY WERE EASY TO DO, I WOULD ALREADY BE DOING THEM!!! sorry, tangent!) Anyway, I found an interesting tid bit that I had never read before- Pregnancy relieves some of the symptoms of ADHD!! I suppose all those hormones help your brain to focus to prepare for the new baby. No wonder I've had so much trouble adjusting after each baby is born! I get used to being pretty organized for 9 months, and then BAM!! I'm back to crazy inattentive mom. So, as I try to juggle these three children, without the possibility of any future pregnancies, wish me luck!

Freezing Hot

Lily walked outside this afternoon and exclaimed, "It's freezing hot out here!!"

TOM

Today is Father's Day and I thought I would dedicate this post to Tom. He's a great dad and we appreciate all that he does for us. I was a single mom when Tom and I started dating and shortly there after got married. Lily was 8 months old and I'm sure it was quite a shock for Tom going from living on the road to having a wife and baby all in one swoop. He never missed a beat though. He was Daddy from the start. He was up in the night with Lily and even sometimes changed poopy diapers (probably more than he does now! :))

Tom has always been nothing but supportive of my desire to stay home with the kids. He has always made me feel like my job was as important, or more important than his. I have always felt like Tom and I were members of the same team and equal partners in parenting. Tom works very hard at his job and many long hours, but when he is home he is always asking which child he can take with him to do weekend chores, or he's building me a patio in our backyard, or getting me caught up on laundry. I guess what I'm trying to say is: Tom you're a pretty amazing dad and we love you!

I'm back

Sorry to all 5 of my faithful readers. :) I recently became consumed by a book, My Sister's Keeper, which is much too deep and politically sensitive to write about on a blog about poop and parenting. Anyway, every free moment I've had for the last three days have been dedicated to that book. This is why I have to limit myself to reading only one book every few months because I would be neglecting my children if I didn't!

We usually go to the pool on Saturdays but today it rained all day. So the kids put on their swimming suits and played outside in the rain. They had a good time and burned off some energy that way. Then, for lunch we had some yummy comfort food from Taco Hut. After that EVERYONE took a nap but me. This is unheard of in our house. Lily never takes a nap...and usually Tom never sits long enough to rest. I enjoyed the quiet and that's how I managed to finish my book.

Lily and Drew dancing in the rain.

Posing for their crazy mother.

In other news, Drew has been discovering all sorts of new things. I had no idea how much he wasn't seeing, and neither did he! In the last couple of days he's discovered bugs and grass and dirt and all sorts of fun things! He also caught a ball for the first time ever yesterday. I never really thought about it, but we used to toss the ball at him and he would just stand there grinning and let the ball bounce off his tummy. He thought it was a great time and would run around chasing the ball after it would bounce off of him. He never once reached out his hands to catch it. Then yesterday, it happened. He saw the ball and was able to reach out a grab it. I'm so glad that we took him to the doctor! It is going to make learning so much easier for him. My sister in law, Amy, pointed out that that is maybe why Drew has always had such a large vocabulary, because he was doing all of his learning with his ears.

....I can see clearly now.....

I really have no reason as to why I've always been convinced Drew couldn't see. He has really given no signal to the fact. Last year I heard of a program through a local eye doctor called the See to Learn program, where they give free eye exams to kids 1 to 3 years old. I thought it was worth a shot to take Drew and Lily just to make sure. I've had problems with my eyes my whole life, so chances were that one of my children may also have trouble. At the time Drew was only about 18 months old and they told me that they would like to see him back in a year.

Fast forward a year. Drew is now nearly 2 1/2 and still doesn't pay much attention to the television, was having trouble learning colors, and didn't really like to sit and be read to. So, we made another appointment last week to take him in to the eye doctor. Sure enough, he can't see. At the time I didn't ask his specific prescription, the doctor just said, "He's not really seeing a whole lot." :( Poor guy!! Who knows how much learning he'd been missing out on because he couldn't see!!So, we went right away to find a pair of glasses. We found the smallest pair and got them ordered...it was going to take a week for them to come in!!

Today we got the call that they were ready. My friend Myca offered to watch Lily after lunch so that we could go right down to pick them up. He had no idea what was really going to happen, but I was very excited for him!! When we got there they explained to me that Drew would be all about checking himself out in the mirror for a few days. He said that with vision impairment this significant, the kids have really never seen themselves before. WHAT!?! "How significant is it?" i asked. They said that when the usually fit kids for glasses when they are farsighted (like Drew) their correction is usually plus about .5o to .75, but for Drew his correction was plus 5.25!!!! I was just shocked. I mean I know the doctor had told me that he wasn't seeing, but I had no idea!! I don't have very good vision, really blind if you were ask my husband...but Drew was WAY worse!! It almost made me cry watching them put those glasses on him. He just got this sweet smile on his face and he just looked and looked at himself. He couldn't wipe that smile off his face. He was seeing himself for the first time!! I'm tearing up writing this.

So, they got them fitted and took a few minutes to look over a storybook (considering he'd never really seen one before!!) And then we headed out to pick up Lily. Now, Drew is my sweet, easy going kid, I was just sure that he was going to leave those glasses alone. I. Was. Wrong. We had not been driving for more than FIVE MINUTES when Drew took those glasses off and bent them the wrong direction!!! Seriously, the ear piece was pointing 90 degrees the wrong way!! I had to turn the car right around and head back to the store! Obviously he wasn't ready to be just let loose with these things!! We got them fixed and the glasses rode home in the case. I decided that maybe we would practice at home with Mommy right there before we wear them in the car again.

this is what drew managed to do to his glasses in about 2.5 seconds!!

Cautious Carl

I often refer to Drew as "Cautious Carl" because he is nervous around strangers of any kind, slow to warm up and generally cautious about everything. I'm actually grateful for this personality trait sometimes, because when we are out and about he stays close to me. And he doesn't generally throw public temper tantrums because someone he doesn't know might look at him. :)

Yesterday we were at the lake and David and Niki brought their dogs Zoey and Daisy. It would be an understatement to say that Drew is just cautious around these dogs. He's downright freaked out!! When the dogs arrived and were running all around, Drew looked at me and said, "I don't want that dog to eat me." He was completely serious. I assured him that the dogs were nice and that they most definitely would not be eating him.

Later I had the kids down on the beach to go for a swim and Zoey came to join us. Drew never left my side, but he was not screaming, so that's progress!! Anyway, I started playing fetch with Zoey and slowly but surely, Drew decided he might want to throw that stick for Zoey. We ended up having a good time with the dog and Drew later pointed at Zoey and said, "I like that dog!" Pretty good for him to go from worrying about the dog eating him to playing fetch! Good job, Drew! You're growing up kid!

Lily Interview

A few months ago these are a few questions I asked Lily and recorded her answers. It makes me laugh. She is such a creative child!!

1. What is something mom always says to you?no thank you.

2. What makes mom happy?listening/following directions.

3. What makes mom sad?not following directions.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?making funny faces

5. What was your mom like as a child?like a bunny

6. How old is your mom?5

7. How tall is your mom?very very tall

8. What is her favorite thing to do?play with candyland

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?play with Drewby

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?to be pretty

11. What is your mom really good at?at playin, at jumpin

12. What is your mom not very good at?playing light bulb dance.

13. What does your mom do for her job?you do exercise

14. What is your mom's favorite food?peanut butter and jelly

15. What makes you proud of your mom?jump rope

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?a hee haw (has long ears, long feet, and boots on. it just has a big mouth, like some bats)

17. What do you and your mom do together?"play and do jumpin rope sometimes. Do you have a jumpin rope??"

18. How are you and your mom the same?because we have long hair together.

19. How are you and your mom different?because you have short hair and i have long hair. because you big and i 4.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?because i nice. because i love you too!!21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?i don't know. at work??

Stormy Weather

We had a storm last night with 90 mph Kansas winds. The wind and rain were so bad that the sounded the tornado sirens to send everyone to the basement. The kids went to bed about 7:30, and the really bad part of the storm reached our house at about 7:50. Drew was still awake laying quietly in his bed with his eyes as big as saucers. Lily, however, had gone to bed with her earmuffs on. Magically she was already asleep and never woke when we transferred her to our bed in the basement. What a blessing!!

After the storm blew through, Tom and I headed out to check out the damage. There was very little at our house. Our huge grill blew over and we lost a giant limb left hanging out of a tree by the driveway, thus blocking the van in. Tom went out and cleared it as best he could so that the kids and I could leave the house this morning. Thanks Tom!

While Tom was clearing the limbs, I was cleaning out the van. Why, you might be asking, would I be cleaning out the van at night, in the rain, with the mosquitoes buzzing. Well, earlier in the evening when we got home from swimming at Grandma's house, everyone had their hands full going in the house. Lily told me that she couldn't get the door to the van shut, and I told her I would get it in a minute. Those of you that know me well, know that I never got back to closing the van door. Never thought of it again. Not until Tom and I were surveying the damage from the storm and Tom spotted it. So, that huge wind and rain storm? It landed in the back seat of my van. Everything in the van was soaked. Grrrr!!!

View from the street.

View from the front door.

Lily sleeping with her earmuffs on.

Honest

*Disclaimer* POOP AHEAD

Let's just be honest. For one entire blog post. Parenting is hard. Really really hard. No one can really explain it to you until your in the thick of it; and by that point there is no turning back.

Today started like any other day. Early. That was okay though, because everyone was in a pretty good mood to start out. Both Lily and Drew had classes at the rec center today (which is a great resource, that I will tell you all about in a later post) Anyway, days that we have fun things to do generally go better than not.

I'm pretty rigid with the schedule around here. Every expert says that children thrive one a schedule. I have to have one so that I can have some organization to my day. My brain is pretty chaotic, so the schedule helps to keep everyone grounded. So, today, like every other day of basically their entire lives; after lunch is quiet time. It has been for as long as any of them can remember.

However, I've come to dread this once great hour of peaceful and quiet bliss in the middle of my hectic days. It is now such an hour of torture, that I'm not sure what to do with myself. Since Lily is older and dropped her nap many, many moons ago; she is just required to stay in her room to play quietly for an hour or so. Drew is to take a nap (which has started to become more of an issue recently.)

Today right after lunch I sent Lily to her room (what a joke, right?) Drew claimed to have to go to the bathroom in the toilet. He's been known to have some success, so I do my best effort to give him as long as he needs in the bathroom. He came out of the bathroom with the toilet empty and looking for a clean diaper, so off to bed he went.

Meanwhile, Lily came out of her room at least 8 times in 15 minutes. "I have a red spot in my mouth." "I have to go potty." "I need to find _______." "My hair fell out of the hair tie." "My leg hurts." You get the idea. I have no idea how to keep her in her room for just a little bit of time. I've tried taking every toy she owns. I've tried rewarding her with stickers, where when she gets 5 stickers she gets a special treat. I've tried candy, special time with mommy, yelling, screaming, dragging her back to her room repeatedly. Nothing seems to get it thought her head that mommy needs a little break.

So, while all of this is going on I hear Drew yelling from his room something about poop. Now, he's been known to use poop as the excuse to get up from his nap. Recently, however, he's been known to drop logs in his bed. Today was one of those days. Today I opened his bedroom door to a horrible stench and this:






So, for all of you childless people out there: Don't let all those cheery sweet parents who tell you it's great and sweet and the best thing ever fool you. Parenting is the most difficult thing you could live through. Nothing is really easy about it. Through all the giggles and grins, sweet bathtub pictures, and lessons on life. There is POOP and lots of it. Poop and tantrums, Vomit, and sleepless nights, Boogers, and crayon on the wall. It's hard work.

Everyday is completely different and painfully the same. I love being a mom more than any job I've ever had (yes, it is most definitely a job.) My kids are smart and funny and well worth the effort....but heaven help me make it through just one more day!!

Are They Kidding Me with their Cuteness!?

I love, love, love this picture!!! Why can't the look this sweet all the time?

My Baby is Growing Up

It's true. The baby of the family, Julianna, is growing up. She started eating rice cereal a few days ago. She is nearly six months old so she went at it like a pro. We started feeding her cereal a little later than most because the doctor told me that she needed her calories from the breast milk instead. She's tiny for her age, just 12 lbs 3 oz. at her 5 month weight check. However, I'm pretty sure she just had a growth spurt this week. :)

She has been sleeping through the night for awhile now so it was quite a shock when she was up 3 times in the night last night!! Although, I think I figured out why- she can roll over from her back to her tummy now!! She figured it out at about 2 o'clock this morning. I came in to find her wide awake and on her tummy! Good for her! I just wish she would have found the time to work on this skill during the daytime hours.

Fancy Handsome

I was going to share a picture of the outfit the Lily picked out for Tom this morning. I snapped a picture and everything. However, Tom threatened to hack into my blog and tear the picture down. He told me that the picture better not show up ANYWHERE on the Internet. He must know me well because I was already formulating the blog post in my head. :) The cutest thing she said to him was, "Oh, Daddy! You look so fancy handsome in the clothes I picked out for you."

Lily is always asking to pick out an outfit for EVERYONE. Everytime she tries to pick out my outfit, she picks the lovely red dress above. Below that is a picture of Julianna in a Lily creation. I wonder sometimes what Lily will grow up to be. However, based on her current passion, I would say stylist, fashion designer, or an artist!

Vacuum

I'm just going to be honest and share that I don't like to clean under any circumstances. I have a really hard time keeping up with the mess that gathers under the kitchen table on a daily basis. Especially with two small children feeding themselves! That coupled with dirt being tracked into the house with the kids going in and out all day, I couldn't keep up!!

Enter Electrolux vacuum!!


I love my new toy!! It was worth every penny. It is so much easier than pushing the dirt around with a broom. It's small and easy to use. So easy, in fact, my children are fighting over who gets to vacuum. That is a great problem to have.


Here is Drew taking care of business with the cool new vacuum. There is nothing better. Really.

Tutu

In honor of the title, I thought I would share these pictures of Lily in her new and very fancy tutu.

What was she thinking?

The kids needed a bath this morning. After breakfast Lily stripped down and headed to the bathroom while I helped Drew with his diaper. THEN, Drew and I walked into the bathroom to find Lily going POTTY IN THE BATHTUB!!!!!!!

How is one to handle such a situation? I stood there with my mouth gaping open. Shocked. She immediately started saying, "It was an accident Mommy!" over and over again. Really? I highly doubt that my potty trained for a year, whom hasn't had an accident in months, FOUR year old ACCIDENTALLY got in the bathtub and starting URINATING on her toys!

I swear she gets away with stuff sometimes because she does the most shocking things. I just have no idea how to discipline such behavior. I just had her get out of the tub, I washed it with some sort of cleaner, and took away all the toys. Hasn't seem to phase her one bit.

Banana Burritos

Drew after he enjoyed a yummy banana burrito

This picture looks pretty gross now that i have it posted on the blog! :)


Sometimes when I don't feel like making dinner, or I'm out of bread to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, I make banana burritos. My kids love them and they are pretty healthy, too!

Banana Burritos

1 tortilla
2 T peanut butter
1 banana
drizzle of honey

Warm the tortilla in the microwave for a few seconds. Spread a layer of peanut butter over the tortilla. Place a banana in the middle and drizzle whole thing with honey. Roll it up like a burrito and ENJOY!!

Blogger Block

It's true. I have a bit of a block when I sit down to write a post. I think it has something to do with my wondering exactly who is reading this blog!! I only told a few people about it, but I know they have told people, who have told people. And pretty soon, I'm blogging to my second-cousin's, husband's, grandma's girlfriend. :) Anyway, this has been giving me a bit of blogging anxiety!!

Also, I have been contemplating exactly what direction I want to take this blog. Do I really just want to report what happens with my kids day in a day out? I know there are some sweet stories to tell, and funny ones, too. But, I have considered using my blog as a journal about how it is for me as a mom, wife, sister, friend and member of the human race. However, the problem with that format would mean I would be sharing some pretty personal stuff with my second-cousin's, husband's, grandma's, girlfriend. And I'm not sure I really want them to know anything quite so personal about me. So, I guess we'll wait and see if I can muster up the courage to blog about the real life stuff that happens here at the Stivers' household. Stay tuned...

Cookie Flop and Other Important Lessons

In the last few days I've learned a few things and I thought I would share.

1. Never substitute olive oil for vegetable oil when baking cookies. The picture above shows Lily cracking the eggs for a batch of cookies that turned out terrible because we were out of vegetable oil.

2. There have been important people in my life, that without knowing it, made it okay to be me.

3. I learned that even though I've left the supposed rat race of a professional job, I have not left the competitive nature of life. Stay-at-home parents are a competitive group of people! But, mostly I learned that I've got to do what's right for my family and not worry about what works for other people.

4. Sometimes there is nothing better than a long lunch with good friends over a cheeseburger and fries.

busy busy busy

This is Lily with her friend Abby. They are going to be getting together once a week this summer to do artwork with Lily's Mimi and Abby's Grandma. Sounds like a perfect deal to me!

This is the table full of children on a recent trip to the pizza buffet. We had one 4 year old, three 3 year olds, two 2 year olds, a one year old and 3 babies! Are we crazy? :)

Julianna at 5 mths. She's ready for a swim.

Drew with Grandma one day at the lake last weekend.

We had a very busy weekend last weekend. In fact, I'm not sure that Lily was out of her swimming suit the entire weekend. She told me that she'd like to be a mermaid and live in the water. I guess the swimming thing runs in her blood, no pressure! Anyway, we stayed so busy that I just know that they were exhausted.

So, to recover from the weekend, I thought it would be a good idea to hang out at home ALL DAY Monday. Boy was I wrong!! What a good parenting theory. Staying home so that the kids get some time to be home and to play with their toys. In practice, I'm not sure it's such a good idea. We did hang out here all day, but it turned into one very long day of fighting, temper tantrums, and yelling. (My worst parenting flaw, that has become a much too frequent, and unnerving part of me since I now have to try and take care of 3 at once)

So, based on that experience....we have kept busy and out of the house since! Tuesday morning we spent at the free water park here in Hutchinson. It's really a great place with water toys and a wading pool. We also had our lunch there (which is a great way to avoid cleaning your kitchen mid-day!) Wednesday morning the kids rode their bikes while I mowed the front lawn. And, today, we spent the morning at Jumping Js (which is a building full of inflatable jumping thingies) followed by a pizza buffet lunch. Tomorrow we are spending the morning at the library. They are having special activities for the kids; like face painting, arts and crafts, and games. I love going; and the kids are excited because Lily remembers going last year.

These busy summer days are the kind of days I was imagining when I dreamed of being a stay at home mom. As long as we are staying busy, everyone is having a good time and getting along. I can't imagine doing anything else. From what I can tell, as long as we are keeping busy, this summer is going to fly by! And so are their childhoods. But, I will avoid thinking about that for now.

Funny Things

Poor Julianna was sleeping in the picture. She is such a good sleeper that when I moved her back into the bed the right way, she never even opened her eyes!

I thought I would also share some funny things Drew and Lily say when they aren't intending to be funny.

Ring around the rosey. Pocket full of posies. Ash-ley Ash-ley. We all fall down!!!

Lily asked Grandma if she could go for a ride in her hamper. (She meant Camper!)

I think Lily had a boy in her class this year named Colton. I'm pretty sure she's mixing that in her head with her term cannon ball from jumping in the lake last summer. Because now when she's practicing jumping in the water she yells, "COLTON BALL!!!!"

One day, Drew was asking for a poptart...it came out "top card"

One day at Grandma's house, when I was pregnant with Julianna, Lily told Grandma that her heart was burning. Grandma offered her some crackers to eat and Lily told her that no, when her heart was burning, she could only eat chocolate.

One day after a get together at Mimi's house, Mimi noticed that Lily wasn't wearing any underwear. The conversation went something like this:

Mimi: "Lily, what happened to your big girl panties??"

Lily: "Uh oh!! I think my bottom got hungry and ate my big girl panties!!!"