Bucket Dipper

Lexi is so funny sometimes. She really "gets" things. Like.....things you'd think should fly over her 4 year old head, she understands. Here's an example. (I love this):

A couple nights ago, we got home and the girls (as usual) raced to the front door and (surprisingly) ran back to me fighting and crying. Lexi was sobbing and said "Jordyn is being a bucket dipper!!!".

"What??" I asked. What?

"Jordyn is being a bucket dipper!!!". For a moment I felt a little twilight-zone-ish. What the crap is a bucket dipper? I asked myself.

"Honey, Mommy doesn't know what that is....can you tell me?" I asked. She was saying it like I should know what she meant, but after racking my brain frantically, I still had no idea.

This frustrated her, but even through her tears, she explained "Mrs. Byrd teached us at pre-school about how someone can fill my bucket of happiness or dip into it and so Jordyn is being a BUCKET DIPPER by pushing me and hurting my feelings!!".

Oh my gosh.

(Is that deep for a four year old?)

I just smiled and gave her a hug and said "You are very right. Jordyn IS being a bucket dipper!".

Isn't that a great life-lesson to learn at pre-school? She proceeded to tell me more about it that night and the next day, giving me examples and all. She really gets it.

Way to go, Lexi! I have a new-and-improved analogy to teach these girls with!



Picture...and more about this here.

D-Day

This was me today. Thoughtful. Sad. Frozen.


You would think, after about 7 months of preparing for THIS day, I would have been totally ready for it.


Nope.


Backing up a bit.....when I was little, we moved several times. This first time I can recall was when I was 5. From the time I was 8 months old until right after my 5th birthday, we lived in Stockton, CA. During those 4+ years, we lived around the corner from my (now) oldest and dearest friend Tara and her family. My mom and her mom (Taco) instantly became close friends. Tara's family became my family, and vice versa.


So, I remember being sad when we moved from there. My mom says it was very sad for everyone and that she and Taco cried all the way to the airport, and that we all cried saying goodbye. Now, 26 years later, I've basically re-created this same thing with Beth.


As a child, my parents had many opportunities to teach me about making new friends while still embracing the old. They would sing the song "Make new friends, and keep the old....one is silver and the other gold". As a young child, I remember times when I felt like I was betraying one friend if I also became close with another. I naively thought you could only have ONE best friend, and that everyone else was "below" them.

So not true.

I've learned over and over in my life the extreme importance of all types of friends. Each one has something unique and different to offer. I feel equally close to so many of my friends, but in very different and special ways. The memories are different, the commonalities are different and the bond is different. True friendship has no jealousy involved. I'm so thankful that my mom taught me this and stressed the importance of keeping a variety of friends.


So, I was surprised that [at the age of 26] I would meet a friend that would change my life, and become so instantly bonded to. But I did, and I am eternally grateful. I don't think it's something you can really explain or make sense of...I really think there are so many things that exist on deeper spiritual level than our mortal minds can understand. But, as spiritual beings, I believe our spirits feed off other people's spirits - and I think sometimes the energy just works in a (good) way you can't completely understand. That's how it has been with Beth and I from day one. I love her kids like my own. I won't know what to do without my surrogate son, Jacob, around all the time! Beth and Dane have been the perfect companions for our crazy adventures!


It's not that I think friendships have to end - I've got many people I love from along my path of life to prove that - it's just that taking someone out of your daily existence is a death of sorts, and requires a mourning. It's really like my heart is actually physically hurting from the change. My emotions are very much at the surface, and my eyes are puffy to prove it.


I'll save my books and books of sappy feelings (yes there are a lot more) about everyone moving, all these changes and how I continue to feel about it all. But I will post some pictures of the past couple days.

WE LOVE YOU GUYS AND MISS YOU TONS ALREADY!!

Piano Recital

The girls have piano recitals twice a year. Last night was their spring recital. I always get anxiety when these sort of things come up because they have surprised me with hysterical crying or a refusal to participate in the past. So I've learned to cover all my bridges waaaayyy beforehand. I talk about it for weeks before, walk them through all the feelings, and remind them over and over about their reward (last night it was not just one, but TWO scoops of whatever ice cream they wanted to pick out). Plus they're getting older and more experienced. (I say that with crossed fingers because dance recital is next week, and that's our once a year BIG event).

Saying all that, last night went off without a hitch! They did great! They DID get nervous and said they didn't want to do it (and who wouldn't?). But they did so well! I was very proud of them and it was fun for them to be able to "show-off" what they have been working so hard on for the past six months.

Their teacher "Mr John". He's is such a fun and skilled teacher.

Jordyn played "All Alone" as her solo, and "Hippo Pianist" & "London Bridges" as class.

Doesn't mommy deserve some kind of reward for all MY hard work too? Just kidding, Baskin Robbins is good enough for me too!

Lexi played "Mary Had a Little Lamb" as her solo, and "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So" with her class.

Always fun to have Daddy there for hugs right after the performance!

Although I love being together as a family, we left Peyton home with a babysitter for this event. Which was a great choice because we got home over two hours after she went to bed! She wouldn't have enjoyed it, and neither would we! :-) Great job girls! I'm so proud of you for developing your love of music!

Health Insurance Rant

I am so frustrated. I cannot believe what the health insurance companies can do. If you are independently employed you are basically screwed in the health-care department.

I have psoriasis really bad on my scalp. You can't see it, but it is constantly irritating, itchy and causes a snowfall of dandruff if I even think about scratching it. The only thing that works is Clobex prescription shampoo. My dermatologist usually gives me tiny sample bottles, so I haven't had to buy it yet. Well I'm out of my samples and so I went to fill my prescription and...get this....a three ounce bottle comes to the grand total of $207!!!!! Are you freaking kidding me? And that is already discounted from the typical price of $285. Thanks BlueCross for the huge discount.

Now that Tucker and I have been diagnosed with psoriasis (and me with arthritis) since these are considered "incurable diseases", if we even think about switching insurances we will pay quadruple. Although, I don't know how that's possible when our medical/dental already comes to $900 per month. And it's crappy insurance. I paid $800 of my $1100 root canal, and we paid about $5500 total for Peyton to be born/pregnancy. We have $2500 deductibles and still have $35 office copays and percentages to pay. Ugh. I don't know. No wonder money feels like its disappearing lately....its because it IS.

Our insurance has doubled in the past four years. And it makes me wonder what will happen next? I know there are millions of people like us, who do not have corporate sponsored insurance plans.

OK, [jumping off my soapbox now].....so anyone have any extra Clobex they want to donate to me? :-)

Ahhh.....What a Break!

Tucker and I did a belated weekend get-away to Monterey for our anniversary. The kids were in great hands (one day at home with a family friend, and another day at Lindy's - THANKS!) and we got to just talk, breath, sit, sleep and NOT pay attention to anyone else but ourselves!
It was only two days, but it was great! There is nothing greater than contrast! I love having contrast to everyday life to help you appreciate it that much more. Our kids are so great....but they are also loud, and intense and non-stop. So the break was needed.

(loved these seals laying around on the rocks!)

(we invested in something for Tucker....a Thomas Kinkade painting of the Red Sox Stadium, World Series 2007)

I Can Hear Myself Think

Tucker and I just had these delivered by room-service (for only $50 - bargain I tell ya). The kids are sound asleep...but not with us. And we will walk on the beach tomorrow.

Tell ya 'bout it later.




(oh, and don't worry - I've already eaten six of these huge things! I know you're proud mom!)

Guess Who Peed on the Potty Today?

This kid is seriously too much sometimes. She is so funny. Lately, she's been taking her diaper off and telling me "Pee Pee Mommy", or asking to sit on the potty. But at barely 19 months old, I haven't taken it too seriously.

So tonight, she did it again. Took off her diaper, and then ran to the bathroom saying "Mommy, Pee pee!". I decided, 'what the heck', and followed after. I sat her on the potty, and low & behold, she peed! Within about 60 seconds of sitting on it, she peed! My other kids had to sit on the potty like 100 times before the pee would ever come. Not this kid.

By no means am I anxious to officially potty train........but soon I may have no choice! Good job Pey Pey!

My Gym

I sure wish there was a gym around here that had babysitting included. Instead, these videos show what I am surrounded by when I ride my recumbent bike in the living room. I usually try to do it at night when they're sleeping, but sometimes that doesn't happen.

This one captures Lexi perfectly. She is such cute girl. She's determined and opinionated, yet soft and earthy. Like right now, as I type, she is out back trying to get the birds to land on her. I think she truly believes she could be like Sleeping Beauty and dance around the forest with all sorts of animals. I love this kid. Here is her newly-learned rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game":



And Petyon. What a cute 19 month old stinker. This video is her on-the-go with frizzy-morning-hair self singing a half-hearted version of ABCs. She is quite the talker and can sing most this song usually. I think Signing Time really helps with her interest in ABCs. In general, her interest in Signing Time has not declined a single bit yet, but maybe even increased. I can't believe I didn't have these videos with my other two kids!

Date With Jo

Having three kids means I don't get much one-on-one time with each of them. Especially with the older two, it's always "girls, stop!" or "girls, come here" or "good job girls". They are lumped together because they ARE always together. But I love to get to know their unique traits and spend time with them where I'm not being the referee.

So yesterday, my cute 6 year old Jordyn and I had a little date. We went to Applebee's for lunch. She always insists on Chili's (which is usually great to me!) but I wanted to try Applebee's since Daddy wasn't with us and he WON'T go there. I assured her they had Boneless Buffalo wings, which is all she cares about. It was really fun to just talk and laugh and see her personality shine. She even asked me "Mom, why are you staring at me?". I guess she REALLY isn't used to one-on-one time with me, huh?


Jordyn LOVES buffalo wings! It's so funny! She definitely takes after mommy and daddy in this one.

I didn't get a picture of our dessert. But I gave her the choice between See's Candies or ice cream, and she chose ice cream, so we went to Cold Stone and she picked cotton candy ice cream with M&Ms (yum). She was very perplexed at how "different the M&Ms tasted" and asked why they were so hard and crunchy. I explained that's what they're like when they're frozen. She didn't like them as much as normal (neither do I, Jo).

Then we spent (too much) time at Target. She had fun the first half of our time there, but was tortured the second half. She was upset when I told her "we aren't buying Hello Kitty press on nails today". Apparently she "solved" that problem on her own because I found them zipped up in my purse when I went to pay! So, we've now had the opportunity to teach her a little more about honesty!


This is us on our way back home to the rest of the family after our fun date. Thanks Jordyn, for being a fun companion for Mom!! I love you so much sweetie!

Today I am Thankful

Today I am thankful for the beauty of this time of year. It is definitely my favorite. I guess I'm lucky then because here in CA, our spring is fairly long and has lasted from February until now. (You might not hear me sound so optimistic in a month when it's 115). I find so much joy in watching the budding trees, flowers and food. Here are a few edibles from my yard that are so cute!

Lemons

Blackberries

My first apples! (fugi)

Roma tomatoes

Mica's Wedding

This weekend Lindy and I were able to go to Mica's wedding reception in Stockton, CA. Mica is my dearest friend Tara's sister and I've known Mica her entire life. They are much more like cousins to me - and their mom, Taco, is much more like an aunt, or second mom, to me. Their house is one of only two places that have been nearly the same my entire life. I have so many memories and childhood connections there, so it was so great to be able to see them for a short time and be back "home". Mica looked absolutely beautiful and she & Matt seem very happy together.

Lindy and Mica are the same age and were our little "twin" sisters when they were little

Me and my Tara. I love Tara so much. She is a priceless friend and a fourth sister to me!

Tara and her Dad, Ron. The only thing different about Ron from 25 years ago is a little more grey hair!

My girls were fascinated by the whole "princess" feel of the reception.

And this. Oh my gosh. This spaceship Jordyn is sitting on is something Ron made form all sorts of scraps: a truck, old electrical switches, etc and I have such vivid memories of playing on this when I was her age!! Talk about nostalgia!

What a great (and too short) visit.
Was great to see all of you! xoxoxoxo

If You're Not on a Diet

Thanks to my Grandma Anderson, one of my favorite snacks is sourdough toast with lots of butter and creamy peanut butter smeared on it. Eat it right away while its hot, fresh and melty.... YUMMY! (Oh, and it goes really well with a Pepsi or Chocolate Milk, in my personal opinion)

As a kid, I'd look SO forward to the three-hour drive to her house ...maybe 3-4 times per year. I loved waking up and going into the kitchen to see what goodies Grandma had. She always had so many fun treats and yummy food. And she LOVED to feed us. So she'd immediately start making breakfast and it always included some variety of toast. I can vividly remember sitting across the bar from her and watching her spread about 5 tablespoons of butter onto each slice of toast - all the while telling me that "there's nothing better than real butter".

I recall my mom making toast a lot too - and also with lots of butter and peanut butter. I remember school mornings when I was in Jr High - filled with the chaos of five young children - my mom would frequently make a 6-slice-high tower of wheat toast. Each piece adorned with butter and peanut butter, and then sliced into four pieces. We'd all run by and grab a few pieces as we were getting ready for school.

So toast is a long-time friend of mine. And being a total bread/carb person, I live the opposite of a low carb/high protien diet. And sourdough is definitely my favorite!

Funny Friday

I really love doing Flashback Friday. But I have to admit that I'm just not always prepared for it. You see, it either means I have to dig up and scan an old picture. Which is a lot of work when you have a laptop because you actually have to GET UP and move your laptop by the scanner. And that's especially hard when you have a laptop that lasts for about 97 seconds without being plugged in (so much for the portability convenience!). OR, I have to plug in my back-up hard drive. Which can also be more work than I'm in the mood for.

So, instead of Flashback Friday, I'm sharing a funny kid moment today and making it Funny Friday. Because, let's face it, my blog [or my life] has been rather depressing lately. With all this talk about friends moving and life changing and kids fighting. Ugh. Believe me, there really are funny moments mingled in all the sadness.

So here's one:

A few days ago I picked Jordyn and Emma up from Kindergarten. I always give Emma a ride home. And every single time, she takes forever to get out of the car. Forever. She first wants to eat every crumb we have in the car, and then she asks if she can come over and play. Some days, we have dance or piano, so we can't. Other days, there are other reasons we are busy, so we just can't. But she still insists "but PLEASE, I can just play in Jordyn's room by myself!". I often have to resort to "Emma, please get out of the car. We REALLY need to go!". She's a cute little girl. Just very persistant.

Anyway, so on this particular day I said yes, so she ran in the house to ask her dad if she could come over. While she was gone, I watched her older sister rinse off paint brushes outside. So when she got back in, I asked "are you guys painting your house?".

She looked at me in amazement and said "how did you know?". Then she said "Oh, you have those mom ears and you could hear us all the way in the house, right?".

I laughed it off and said "Uh huh".

A few minutes later Jordyn - who had been quiet - sheepishly said, "Mom, does that mean you can hear when I'm on a time out in my room and I say bad words?".

I wanted to bust up laughing!!! Ha ha ha, talk about confessing! I said "well, sometimes I can honey". And she just got an embarrassed look on her face. Like she'd been caught.

OH, the power moms have. Kids really do think we are magic!

Adieu

So today was the final farewell to Kandelyn, Ashlyn, Tanner and Hayley! On so many levels, it's difficult to say goodbye to friends such as these. And then to have them move within 10 days of Dane & Beth! Ugh.

Our lives are completely intertwined on a daily basis. Between church, and Harmony, dance class, volunteering, and then just our normal trades and play dates! For the past 5 1/2 years, my kids have known no different than to see these kids several times per week, if not every day. Having them gone literally changes our life routine in so many ways. Not to mention me losing such close friends.

Tonight was really sad. We got home and as I was putting the girls to bed....something must have hit them in a way that I've not seen before. They both started crying. A lot. For probably 20 straight minutes I had to hug them and cry with them and talk them through their sadness. They are sad to lose such close friends and they are realizing the finality of it all. My heart feels a little heavy and yet I know I'm totally helpless to change a single bit of it.

We got some cute pics before they left tonight:

Tanner, Lexi and Jacob are all the same age and have been constant playmates their entire lives! (All four years old)

Ashlyn (7), Jordyn (6) and Lindsay (7) can't even remember life without eachother!

And Luke (19 mo), Peyton (19 mo) and Hayley (2 1/2) are the caboose third children to each of us and have developed cute little relationships over their little lifetimes.

And all the gang together. I can't believe we have 9 kids between us, and two more on the way! (not me!).



Myself, Beth and Kandelyn before they pulled away.



We love you and miss you guys so much already!

A Little Catch-Up

Life is always busy. But sometimes it feels a little extra busy & crazy, right? That's me lately.

Thought I'd do a catch-up journaling post so I don't forget the little things (because heaven knows things drop out of my head at lightening speed these days...).

Our spring season of Harmony is over! It was a great season. I really enjoyed the patriotic theme...and our new blue shirts.

My friends are now officially almost gone. Kandelyn will be gone tomorrow (sniff, sniff) and Beth is gone in a week (more sniff, sniff). I know a big portion of my brain has been taken up lately with dreading these moves. And my kids ask at least 5 times per day when their friends are moving (sniff, sniff, sniff).

Peyton is so dang cute. She is the friendliest little kid and loves to say hi (with a friendly wave) to everyone. She talks up a storm and loves Signing Time more than ever! She loves her "tisters" so much! One of our most recent laughs is figuring out what she was doing with our DVD player. We kept seeing her walk up and do something with her toes to it. We laughed when we realized that's how she thinks you start a DVD - with your toes - because that's how I lazily do it!

I have totally been in a mom-funk lately. I feel like I took a wrong turn somewhere and need to get back on track. I've felt grumpy and quick to get upset. I just am so exhausted of the same arguments, the same struggles and the same fights all the time. And I feel like my girls do not hear me at ALL. I've tried all sorts of incentives and consequences and can't seem to find a groove that works for them. I know these are *normal* mom frustrations, but they are just really getting to me lately. One of the frustrations I can't wait to be over is school mornings. Ugh. 85% of the time, they are a struggle and full of contention. I wake up with such good intentions for a good morning, and within 10 minutes I can be slapped in my tired face with whines, disobedience, and tears....and all the while the clock is ticking down to a tardy attendence. Can I really endure mornings for the next 20 years? BUT on a more positive note, I really love all the notes Jordyn writes and leaves around the house. Here is one of her most recent "left-overs" from a little role playing:

I cannot wait for my camera probs to be over. It's been like 2 months and now I'm awaiting my charger in the mail (from the place that fixed the camera and forgot to send it to me). I miss taking pics!!! I've been borrowing Lindy's or using my 1 megapixel cell phone.

All in a Day's Drive

Saturday was my Mom Shirl's (my paternal grandma's) 82nd birthday. We've always called her "Mom Shirl" instead of grandma. She is the cutest, sweetest lady ever. Lindy, myself and my Dad drove down to Anaheim for a nice dinner celebrating her birthday. A long day in the car, but totally worth it! And, hey, I was kid-less so I wasn't complaining!

Me and Mom Shirl

Me and cuz Kelly

My Dad, his sister's Deane and Toni and Mom Shirl

The group after dinner!

Two of my sisters, Lindy and Kristy (living in So Cal now) and I.

And then we did a quick stop at my other Grandma's house since we were 5 minutes away. I get to see my sweet grandmas so much less than I'd like to. So each minute is so precious to me, especially as they get older. She hasn't been herself lately, but somehow we caught her in a great window and she was so happy and spunky! She was dancing around with her cute canes and showing us her new shoes.

It was quite the whirlwind trip, but I'm so glad we went. As life gets busier, visits with loved ones are too few and far between. Thanks, Lindy and Dad, for going with me!