Waikiki, Oklahoma

Mason's 5th b-day party today was a wild and crazy, great time! The kids got to swim and play on the slip and slide for awhile before the lightning and thunder started. It never rained, but we stayed out of the pool anyway - safety first! Both sides of the family were able to come, which is rare. And lots of Mason's little friends were there to help wish him a happy birthday. I overcame my fear of children in wet swimsuits running wild through my house - it was fun - loud, but fun. Pictures: Our family, silly kids diving into cupcakes, Mason and Zach, Carter and Cooper, Carter and Aunt Jessica (AND his little cousin who has yet to make an arrival).

11 Years and Counting

I thought I'd post before and after pictures of Jas and me - before and after 11 years of marriage, but I can only find a 'before' pic. We'll have to take the 'after' picture this weekend on our big date.

When it Rains, it POURS

A Few of my Least Favorite Things:
1. Stomach flu (especially the one that keeps coming back to my house)
2. Poopy diapers (the ones that come from the stomach flu)
3. Laundry (also goes with the flu - all moms will understand)
4. Transmission problems (that MAY cost $4000 at some point, but just $350 today)
5. Ruined vacation plans (thanks to all of the above)
6. Leaky toilets (couldn't have anything to do with the handle I replaced myself)
7. Rattling pipes (that no plumber seems to be able to help)
8. Lost jewelry (actually my wedding ring, but I'm sure it will turn up)

On the bright side, the flat tire I had fixed today (on the OTHER car) was free! And they didn't even make me pay for the poster Carter tore off of the wall or the fan that worked when we came in, but didn't when we left. Tomorrow is another day (hopefully a better one).

Interesting Day

• I know - dryers are dangerous and kids shouldn't play around them. That being said, it sure is funny when a baby crawls in all by himself for no reason.

• We started off down the highway this afternoon headed for Gigi and Grandad's house in Texas (Gigi and me in the car with the kids - no male present - important fact for later in the story). I'm typing at my house in Oklahoma, so what happened? Still not sure, but the Odyssey was letting off a little smoke and wouldn't accelerate. Luckily Gigi had prayed for angels to surround us, and God sent a tall, blond, and handsome one to help us at the Phillips 66 station in Stroud, OK. Seriously! After I won a fight with a trucker (much less eventful than it sounds) out of nowhere this guy appears and offers to help. He was dressed for the office and admitted he knew nothing about cars, but he had enough phones, BlackBerrys, and connections to call half the state asking for opinions about what to do. He also knew a family we grew up with in Texas - had actually been to Borger for a wedding - so we knew he probably wasn't a Ted Bundy wannabe. We ended up driving home slowly (to avoid the $300 tow fee) with Brandon (the angel) following us. HUGE praise - thank you Lord, we made it back! We may rent a car and go tomorrow - not sure - we'll see.

My Top 10

1. Mason has been sick in bed for a couple of days - poor little guy. He's actually starting to feel better now. But it's amazing how much time I've had to catch up on stuff while he's been sleeping - especially during Carter's nap. I've also had time to think 'deep thoughts.' I came up with a list of things I want to do before I die. Here they are:
   
   10. Spend a day with Angelina and Brad - they fascinate me!
   9. Work up the nerve to go to the super cool sushi restaurant at Riverwalk crossing - Tsunami
   8. Start playing tennis again - teach my kids to play
   7. Get a bigger house and all new furniture (not all at once)
   6. Catch up with friends I haven't seen in a long time - too many to mention by name
   5. Be a public speaker - Christian women's groups
   4. Go on family vacations to Niagra Falls, New York, D.C.
   3. Take my kids on at least one mission trip in a foreign country
   2. Take a romantic trip to the Greek Isles with my husband
   1. Publish my book(s)

WWSPD

I've never worried much about my weight - I just try to eat a moderate amount and not be a couch potato. Regular exercise has been difficult to fit into my life the past few years, so I've pretty much dropped it altogether. I have noticed my clothes don't fit quite as well as they used to, but I like to blame that on the dryer. Then one day a few weeks ago, I had to go to the doctor for a sinus infection. When they made me step on the scale, I was SHOCKED at the number. I've gained a good 20 pounds since I quit nursing Carter. SO now, for the first ever, I'm working on getting back to the smaller version of me.

I have a 2 part plan so far:
1. Exercise videos during Carter's nap or after the kids go to bed
2. The WWSPD theory of eating habits - What Would Skinny People Do

We'll see how it works!

Dreams

I don't know if everyone dreams regularly, but I have dreams every night. I'm realizing that I have definite categories of dreams.
1. Nostalgic Dreams - Sometimes takes place in my grandparents' old house...usually involves meeting someone I haven't thought about in years
2.Stress Dreams - Usually involves packing for a trip...I used to miss the plane, but in recent dreams I make the trip, but am unprepared...sometimes stuck in an airport trying to get something from home I forgot
3. Tornado Dreams - Used to be scary, running from a tornado...Now just anxious feeling as I try to find the safest place to hide (sometimes it's not a dream - there really IS a tornado :-)
4. Grocery Store or Church Dreams - This dream has the same frustrated feeling whether it takes place in a church or a store...always a strange place that I'm trying to navigate...church dream always involves the choir, like I'm supposed to sing in the choir, but I'm late or missed it somehow (also a real life event at times!)...lately the grocery store one involves trying to corral children while in the store (gee, I wonder why i would dream that?!?!)

I think there are a couple more, but I can't think of them at the moment. There are a few categories that I used to have and don't anymore - like the weird baby dreams I had when I was pregnant.

Places I found Carter (17 months) today:
-sitting on the edge of the kitchen table...tile floor below :0
-standing on the Mason's bed reaching for the fish bowl on his dresser
-sitting on his floor playing with the nightlight bulb
-sitting on the living room floor playing with the electric power strip

I see a trip to the ER with this kid in our future.

VBS

I'm helping with Vacation Bible School for the first time in years. Actually, I've only helped in the nursery in the past, and that was when I was a teenager. So teaching third grade vbs'ers is a new experience for me. The kickoff was last night, and it went really well. Only 5 more night to go! Mason isn't enjoying his VBS experience as much as I'd hoped he would. I think he has a slight personality conflict with the male teacher in the room. Nothing is ever easy with kids - not even sending them to Bible school.

Speaking of not easy, Carter's sleeping habits are going to drive me insane. We stuck to a plan from day one with Mason, and we didn't ever really have problems with his sleep routine. Carter, on the other hand, has been one step forward and two steps back since last fall. We're almost back to square one at this point - really frustrating because just last week he was going to bed fine and sleeping all night. I'm trying to remember 'this, too, shall end,' but it really feels like I'll be getting up with Carter in the middle of the night when he's a teenager. If that happens, we're calling Dr. Phil.

Slacker Mom Friday

It's 9:30 a.m. I have one child eating leftover Sonic ice cream for breakfast and another playing with the Cheezits AND the Cheese Nips on the living room floor - all while I type at the computer. Oh well - it's Friday.

Carter speaks monkey language - specifically, Curious George dialect. His brother started saying 'ooh ooh ahh ahh' to be silly when he was saying goodbye. Carter adopted that as his official 'goodbye' statement. He also goes around singing his version of Old McDonald - 'eeyi eeyi eeyohhh...eeyii eeyi eeyohhh' with emphasis on the last 'ohhh' sound. He's very talented.

I finished ch 4 of the book I'm writing. I had hoped to be on ch 7 or 8 by now, but I'm not as disciplined as I would like to be. I never thought of myself as a writer, so it's weird that I enjoy it so much. I find myself crying while I'm typing the sad parts, just like I would if I were reading a real book. Maybe someday it will be a real book. I just have to focus and quit planning the next book I'm going to write, which is going to be even better, by the way. Now if I can just find a publisher!

Is today the 4th?

Mason has been asking if it's almost the 4th of July since July 5th last year. He's still asleep, but I'm so excited to be able to tell him that THE day is finally here. He might actually watch the fireworks without bursting into terrified tears this year - so far so good with the early neighborhood fireworks, anyway. He still keeps his hands over his ears, but I'd say we're making progress. Carter liked them from day one. He jumps when there's a big noise, but then smiles and claps.

Yesterday's pool adventure in BA was a huge success! Community pools have improved greatly since the last time I visited one - probably 20 or 25 years ago. There were a lot of people, but there were plenty of rules and procedures to keep the riff raff in check. The pool was huge - not to mention the cool baby pool (with turtle slide and mushroom fountain) and splash pad. Mason wasn't ready to brave one of the twisting water slides or diving boards, but he doggie-paddled his little heart out all over that pool. Carter loved it, too - surprise, surprise. If our community pool is that fabulous, we'll be joining next year for sure!

Celebrate Freedom

Today's Bible study quote: "Living for Christ brings true freedom." Living in a free country is a blessing, but it is a waste if we forget where true freedom really comes from. I'm thankful today for having the freedom to safely take my kids swimming, play with them at the park, worship with friends and family at church, share my faith without persecution, a variety of other privileges that other people around the world would give anything to have. Just being a woman in this time and place in history, rather than in most other time periods and countries, is something we all (all the girls) should be thankful for every day. Have you noticed how women have been treated in just about every other society on earth? I'm not a feminist, but I do have the sense to realize that it's a blessing to be treated as a viable contributor to society rather than a piece of property.

On a lighter note, we went to the splash park yesterday. Mason LOVED it, which is a miracle considering he hated it last summer and, until very recently, freaked out when water got near his eyes. He even stood under the buckets of water and let them dump on his head. He only went to wipe his eyes on the towel every 10 seconds or so. Carter wasn't thrilled about all the water flying around. He preferred watching from a distance. We're going to a community pool with the Drake clan today - we'll see how my kids handle massive amounts of water + tons of screaming, splashing kids.