Things I am Thankful For

Occasionally I have been known to have a pessimistic attitude about life. This is not always the happiest way to look at things so I am trying to better. I have many things to be thankful for, but sometimes my hardships or problems seem so big I can't see the forest for the trees. To help remind myself of my many blessings I will list a few things I am thankful for.

1. Our Wednesday at the Zoo and Tracy Aviary. Now as a family we try to get out and do things together. This is not always easy for Matthew since he does not enjoy crowds or anything that is not in his regular routine. It is rare we can do any of these activities without a meltdown or screaming of some sort. I must say Wednesday he did terrific. We had no meltdowns and not very much screaming which made the day even better. I can mostly handle the bad days if there are a few days of exceptional goodness sprinkled in between. The hard days really make me appreciate the really good days that much more.

2. I am thankful for the funny things my kids say at times. We have been trying to teach our heathen kids manners especially around the table for dinner. It sometimes hard to say we don't burp or toot at the table and maintain a straight face. Last Wednesday over lunch we had a good discussion on proper table manners in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner as so we would not offend anyone with out bad manners. One of the key points was we don't burp at the table. Well during Thanksgiving dinner the next day Josh was eating and then burped very loudly. He thought by just saying excuse me it would make it ok. After he said excuse me I reminded him about our discussion the day before trying not to mention any specifics. Daniel thought he would help things out by yelling to Josh with a very full mouthful of chewed up turkey where bits of it fell out while he was speaking, "REMEMBER, WE DON'T BURP AT THE TABLE, JOSH!" Good thing Daniel is there to remind us all of our manners even though he is one of the worst offenders.

Daniel can be a little forgetful at times. He has been known to forget to wipe after using the bathroom. Sorry if that is a little too much information. He told Aaron and me tonight that when he forgets to wipe it makes his bum sour. Aaron tried to ask/correct him, "It makes your bum sore?" Daniel just said, "Nope, it just makes it sour Dad." It was hard to keep a straight face.

3. I am thankful for Aaron's job and that we have enough money to meet our needs--maybe not all our wants, but at least our needs are met.

4. I am thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who does know me and care about me. Even though I have pity parties for myself occasionally, I know this is just part of life and I need to be learning something. I guess He is trying to teach this old dog some new tricks even though I am pretty determined not to learn anything and think my way is best. I eventually find out I am terribly wrong and then see the light or so to say.

5. I am thankful for a good family who tries to support us through our trials. Even if it is just a word of encouragement it is still appreciated and sometimes just what I need to hear. We are trying our best with the hand we have been dealt, but sometimes things don't work out according to plan.

6. I am thankful for a good husband who is truly my best friend and confidant. He has really been a rock lately since with this pregnancy I seem to fall apart at the drop of a hat. He is getting really good about dealing with a shoulder sopping wet from a very tearful wife. Even a song or a sweet poem can bring tears to my eyes. This is so not like me so he has to just roll his eyes, be ready with a tissue and let me cry. It is going to be a long pregnancy.

7. I am thankful for the chance to have children. They teach me a lot about patience--even more than I care to learn. It makes me even more excited for Aaron's sister Jill who just found out she is pregnant with her first baby after her third round of invitro fertilization. We found out this week and are so excited for her. Children really are a blessing. I do love my children even though sometimes they can push me to my limit.

8. Cheesecake--'nuff said.
9. Bubble baths
10. Good Books

Thanksgiving and Black Friday (The Other Holiday)

For Thanksgiving this year we headed to G&G T's house along with my brother and his family and my own G&G (my mom's parents). G&G T were gracious enough to make a Daniel friendly turkey which was a good thing since he ate a ton of it and not much of anything else. Daniel is definitely a carnivore!! I got to bring the "smashed" potatoes and a dessert for Daniel. Grandma T made a few dishes just for Daniel so he could enjoy Thanksgiving, but they didn't compare to the turkey in Daniel's eyes. Dinner was delicious. Grandma T even set up a craft for the kids to do which kept them busy for a little bit. Then after a few meltdowns and some broken toys that afternoon we decided it was time for us to come home. Before we left we did get a picture with Great G&G Gee. When we got home I got out my Black Friday ads and called my sister when we made up our game plan. I was rather disappointed in what the sales were this year so I just planned to go to be moral support and an extra pair of hands for my sister. Fortunately or unfortunately--depending on how you look at it--I didn't remain empty handed. I came home spending a lot more than I had planned on, but at least Aaron and my Christmas is now done. I guess that's a good thing. I thought everyone else's Christmas was taken care of as well until we went to visit Santa tonight. The kids all had turns on Santa's lap and told him all different things than what they had told us. Seeing as Santa had already gotten what they had originally asked for and had never heard of any of the new stuff, I think I will be planting quiet suggestions of what they really want to help them really make up their minds. We saw Santa at the Christmas Tree Jubilee in Ogden. It is a mini charity like Festival of the Trees benefiting special needs kids in the area. We love going to this every year and this year was no different. Sarah didn't care for Santa, but the rest of the kids loved telling him all the things they wanted and getting their picture taken.

Free Day at the Zoo

Wednesday the zoo had a free day and all the kids were out of school so I thought why not. I was even more excited when Aaron decided to take the day off to go with us. It was nice because I really needed the help. It was a clear day, but very cold when we got there. It warmed up a few degrees, but winter is officially here I am afraid to say. We got to see most of the animals, but since we got there first thing in the morning some of them were still in their enclosures where the public couldn't see them. We got to the monkeys (all different species), elephant including the baby elephant, giraffes, etc. We were a little sad to find out the lion had passed away a few years ago so we didn't get to see any lions. The kids fit right in with all the wild animals since they were pretty crazy, too. After grabbing a quick lunch we then headed over to the Tracy Aviary to check out the different birds. I have had a pass there for awhile and have yet to make it there so we decided to check it out. It was nice because we were the only ones there. Josh and Daniel kept themselves busy by chasing the peacocks all over the place. They never caught up to them, but it got some of their energy out. It was fun day.

What are We Thinking?

Sometimes, well often times, I wonder what goes through my kids' minds and I am sure people wonder what goes through my mind. Here are some examples: Thursday morning Josh woke up early of course, but good thing for him he obeys and stays in his room until it is time for breakfast. I was up pretty early because I can't sleep so I was listening to them play. I heard Josh cough a few times, but didn't worry about it. When it reached the right time for breakfast Josh came upstairs and said, "Mom, I just ate a button." I guess that is what caused the coughing I had heard earlier. Now this stands to reason--why did you eat a button. I asked him, but he just looked at me blankly and didn't have any reason. Wonder what it tasted like, but not enough to try one myself. I do feed my kids honest!! I don't know why he felt the need to eat a button. I have heard of pica, but what nutrient could possibly be missing from his diet to drive him to eat plastic buttons?

Another example happened just this morning. Josh and Daniel took a shower and while in the shower they stopped up the tub to get a few inches in the bottom of the tub to play with. Usually this isn't too much of a problem because they keep the shower curtain closed which contains most of the water. After their shower Daniel came downstairs saying Josh was washing his clothes. Fearing the worst and needing more details Aaron called Josh downstairs to see what was going on. I guess Josh felt the need to "wash" the towel in the nasty post shower water in the stopped up tub to get it "clean". He then shoved the newly "cleaned" towel in the dirty clothes hamper while being sopping wet. Awesome! I guess we will be doing a load of laundry today, Sunday, of all days. We are trying not to let Josh see us laugh, but we can't help, but wonder: Honestly, what was he thinking?

Another example happened yesterday. Josh and Daniel had a shower in the morning and my kids are not picky about what they wear. Aaron or I usually just pick something out and put it in the hallway for them to get dressed in when they finish their shower. Josh and Daniel got out and dressed. It wasn't until the afternoon that Aaron went upstairs and found some underwear laying in the hallway that suspiciously looked like the pair he had given Daniel to put on that morning. He asked Daniel if he was wearing underwear and Daniel swore he was wearing underwear so we believed him and went about our business wondering where the suspicious pair of underwear came from. It wasn't until Daniel decided to go potty later in the afternoon--the kind where you sit down--when he yelled, "Dad, I don't have any underwear on." I would think that would be uncomfortable while wearing jeans, but I guess it wasn't that bad for Daniel at least because he went for most of the day like that.

People are going to be wondering what I was thinking when they drive past our house. We decided to put up our Christmas decorations yesterday. I know it's before Thanksgiving, but Christmas takes so much work to set up I want to get my maximum amount of enjoyment from it. That way by the time New Years comes I am more than ready to get everything back to normal. Here's a picture of part of the living room. Last night we all went to a rodeo. We won some tickets from a radio station and decided to go because, hey, it was free. We had a few strikes against us, though. One strike was it started after my kids' bedtime. On the drive to the rodeo all the kids, except Matthew, fell asleep in the car and some of them are not fun to wake up--the biggest offender would be Daniel. He takes after Aaron in that department. We stayed as long as the kids were good and left when we couldn't stand to hear the whininess anymore. It was a fun thing to do and I think the kids liked it, but they would have had more fun if they weren't asked to stay up so late--9:30pm. That's when you know you have little kids vs. big kids because my kids still like to go to bed early unlike the tweens/teenagers that can stay up all hours of the night. I like this age, though despite the late night whininess.

Good Things Come In Threes?

I had an OB doctor's appointment this morning. This one we had been anticipating since our baby is far enough along in the pregnancy we should be able to tell what the sex of the baby is for sure. As the doctor was measuring the baby he saved the best for last--the gender. We were pretty sure it was a girl so we didn't expect anything else. BOY were we wrong!! It appears as if our little fetus girl has sprouted a third appendage between her legs and is really a BOY!!! I have keep telling myself good things come in threes as in three legs over and over again because I still don't believe it. We were so shocked. It was just two weeks ago the doctor told us he thought it was a girl. The doctor did ask us before he checked what we thought it was and we said a girl without a doubt. When he found the gender part he just sat there, "Hmmm"--I think he was trying not to laugh. I made him check again and then asked him how sure he was it was a boy. He just looked at me with a look like are you serious? and said, "Um, I think this is a sure thing." Here is the proof of that third appendage in between the legs in the second picture:

Now we are going have to try and figure out sleeping arrangements and a name for the new little boy since we had everything set up for a girl in our minds. This baby has been nothing short of surprises from the beginning! All I can say is poor Sarah--however, this will guarantee her to be majorly spoiled, but well protected with four boys looking out for her.

In other things Josh had red ribbon (aka drug prevention) week about a month ago at his school. For fun they had a drawing where everyone in the school got their name put in the bucket. The prize was 3 students got to eat lunch with the DARE officer at a local restaurant. They even got transported to the restaurant in the DARE patrol car to and from the restaurant. Josh happened to be one of the three lucky winners. However, when the day came for the lunch the school cancelled and rescheduled for later in the week. They then cancelled that and we never heard anything more about the lunch so I tried to help Josh forget about it since he was so disappointed. Well come to find out they rescheduled for yesterday and Josh was able to go. He thought it was great to ride in the DARE car with the police officer and the other two students to Sonic Drive-in. He enjoyed the whole thing and hasn't stopped talking about it since. I am glad it was a good experience and that he was finally able to go.

Orange and Sarah

Daniel had another belt test for karate last Thursday. He did well and moved on up from a yellow belt to an orange belt. He is pretty excited. He has been doing his karate moves all night after receiving his new belt at the belt ceremony today in karate. His Sensei said Daniel would be the first student possible to smile his opponent to death. He is a little bit of a ham, but I still love the little "Hi Mom!" waves throughout his karate class. The video is a small clip of the actual belt test. I am glad they make some allowances for the younger students since they don't have the greatest attention spans.Sarah had her 15 month check up today. She is doing great--she still isn't talking much, but at least she is using sign language to communicate her basic needs. Her stats are 21.6 pounds (25th percentile), length 31 inches (25th percentile), head circumference 45 cm (just under 50th percentile). She is growing, learning and is developing a sweet personality when she isn't showing her stubborn streak. She hates milk, but loves juice so I am trying to think of ways to incorporate the milk fat back into her diet since she refuses to drink it. Man, I wish I had that problem of needing more fat in my diet instead of the opposite!!

The Crystal Ball Says...Surgery

There will be surgery in Aaron's future as well as lack of dollar signs in both our futures. Such is life :). He went to the Orthopedist today and it looks like a right lateral meniscus tear in his knee--which of course, according to our luck, needs surgery to correct. He has an MRI on Thursday morning to make sure that's the proper diagnosis. From there it is a follow up appointment to discuss the MRI results and to plan the surgery. I am hoping to drag it out until our flex spending account starts up again in January, but we'll see how fast things get moving. The sad thing is he doesn't even have a good story like he did it skiing or something else--he did it while playing volleyball of all things and that's kind of funny to tease him about. Anyway, I would rather have him get the surgery sooner than later since the longer he waits the more pregnant I will be and we can't have both of us out of commission at the same time. It also isn't very fun chasing after kids while being hugely pregnant so I am hoping Aaron will be able to run after the kids before long. After the surgery there will be about a four month rehab--yup, I said a four month rehab--including physical therapy and crutches hopefully graduating into a huge brace sooner than later. What a way to kick off the New Year right?!?

Sarah is starting to turn into a girly girl and I LOVE IT!! She loves to dress herself even if she can only drape the clothes around her neck as in the video clip. She will pick up any piece of clothing and try to put it on anytime. She must be a fashion diva. She also loves putting her shoes on, and after a few minutes taking them off as well.

She also loves to pose for the camera. In this picture she was crying right before I brought out the camera and once she saw it she immediately stopped crying and started posing and smiling. What a ham! She even has started letting me do her hair for longer periods of time and it's fun. I love having a girl and hopefully by the end of the week I can definitely say I will be having two girls!!! YAY!

Volleyball a Contact Sport?

Aaron's work allows them to have exercise time. That means they get to work out for 3 hours a week during work hours. Aaron works with a bunch of guys and they usually like to play basketball, racquetball or volleyball together. This last Thursday they went and played volleyball and I didn't think that could get too dangerous--well I was wrong. Aaron was at the front of the net with his leg sticking out when another guy went to jump to spike the ball. On the way down from the other guy's jump he landed right on Aaron's knee forcing it to bend backwards pretty far. Ever since then Aaron has been hobbling around not being able to put much weight on it. We have nicknamed him Gimp. Walking has gotten a little easier over the weekend, but he still has a hard time. He went and saw an Instacare physician Thursday night, but that was not very effective since the doctor was an idiot just told him, "Yep it's swollen." All I could think was I just paid $35 for that great piece of advice and knowledge. No offense to all those super smart doctors in our families because they aren't idiots like that! Anyway, after wasting our time there Thursday night, he has an appointment with an orthopedist on Monday. In the meantime he can't straighten out his leg because it will bend backwards, it is still hugely swollen, it will occasionally it lock up where he can't bend it, and when he can move it, it clicks all the time. I am hoping it will just heal on its own, but I am fearing this might need a surgery to fix it. I guess we will find out tomorrow--send healing vibes our way please because I don't want to have him go through surgery!!

In other happenings Josh lost a tooth and took a page out of Matthew's book. He lost the tooth and then he actually misplaced it. He had to write the Tooth Fairy a letter to let her know what had happened. The sign says, "I lost a tooth by Josh" with a nice picture of a tooth drawn below. Josh set out two papers with the same message out to make sure it wouldn't be missed. He was also hoping to double dip, but we told him that wouldn't work that the Tooth Fairy was smarter than that--at least I hope so. Anyway, I thought Josh would be excited the next morning to see some money. He instead came upstairs and said, "All I got was a freakin' dollar." I told him with an attitude like that he won't have to worry about any more freakin' dollars maybe next time it I will tell the Tooth Fairy to bring just be a freakin' penny for his tooth! Geez, what a kid!

Matthew earned his Bobcat in scouts and received the award at Pack Meeting last Tuesday. I for some reason didn't take any pictures, but he is pretty proud. I got to paint some stuff on his face and he got to paint some stuff on my face--I will admit I was a little worried about that one, but it turned out ok. Now I have to figure out how to sew the award on his shirt without sewing his pocket closed. Any advice would be appreciated!!

Parent Teachers and Disabilities

This week has been early out for Josh and Matthew to accommodate parent teacher conferences. They have been a little restless, but only two more days plus the weekend and things will be back to normal. We got to meet with Josh's teachers Tuesday afternoon. I didn't ask anyone to watch the kids because I thought Aaron and I could handle it. I was a little on the WRONG side with that assumption. I ended up meeting with the teachers while Aaron chased Sarah all around. He got to listen to bits and pieces of the conversations, but Sarah was not very cooperative. It sounds like Josh had a hard time adjusting to all day school in the beginning of the year, but now he is doing great. He is very attentive and a "very smart boy" to quote his teachers. I am one proud Momma! As we were walking out to the car, we noticed Sarah was tightly holding in her hand a handful of tokens and had some decorations she ripped off the wall. She is a pretty headstrong little girl that refused to be held or put in the stroller! At least she was able to keep herself entertained I guess. Maybe next time I will see about getting someone to watch them instead.

Wednesday we got to meet with Matthew's teacher. Now I was dreading this meeting for a few reasons. One is Matthew on a good day has at least 1 hour of homework a day, but on most days it ends up turning into about 90 minutes to two hours. Now this wouldn't be that bad if he could do it without someone sitting right next to him helping him almost the whole time, but that doesn't happen. After one particularly difficult day of homework where it took us two hours to complete just one assignment (I don't believe in doing the child's work for them) and he still had two more to do that we didn't get to, I finally emailed the teacher and said I couldn't do this much homework a night anymore. Between different kids' interruptions, trying to clean up the house, trying to help Josh with his homework, and trying to fix dinner it was getting to be too much. She emailed me back the next day and basically told me her and Matthew were able to complete all of his homework in class in about 30 minutes. WHAT?!? I was wondering if we were talking about the same child. Well since I didn't get much support from the teacher and the homework just kept coming, I tried to help Matthew complete as much as he could and the rest just didn't get finished. After a few days of this the teacher sent me a nasty note saying that ALL his homework needs to be done EVERY night. I have to say I am really not a slacker Mom and I think homework is important, but when it comes to the point that it sucks up all of Matthew's time where he does not even get a chance to do anything fun because there is no free time I do have a problem with that. That is a little background of why I was dreading this parent teacher meeting. I did make Aaron come with me because I had him help Matthew with his homework a few times and he absolutely agreed with me. One of my friends offered to watch Josh and Daniel for me (thanks April) which helped a ton so we only had to take Matthew and Sarah. We sat down and talked with his teacher and finally came to the agreement that if Matthew didn't finish his all his homework in 30-45 minutes every night he would have to stay in for morning recess to finish the rest at school the next day. I am hoping this will give Matthew the incentive to stay on task and complete his homework at home. I am keeping my fingers crossed. If this works I don't know what I will do with all my free time :). The rest of his parent teacher conference was discussing Matthew's progress. Matthew has done really well up until the end of last year when he started falling behind his grade level. We knew this is something that would very likely happen, but it is still hard to hear. The differences with Matthew and his peers in social skills and integrating with people is widening as well and it becomes very apparent at any social gathering like church, scouts, school, family gatherings, etc. However, there is nothing we can do about it--it's all part of his "disability" as the teacher calls it. Matthew has been diagnosed with autism for 6 years now, but to hear it referred to as a disability is still really hard for me to hear. I don't think of him as disabled, but from a school standpoint that's what they consider autism. I just consider him as a quirky and smart 8 year old little boy that just needs a little extra help. Anyway, he is still doing great on what he is doing for now, but time will tell what will happen in the future. As for now I am trying to concentrate on the positives and help where I can (except for two hours of homework a night!!). We do try our best, but time will tell with Matthew. The future is so uncertain for Matthew and us--we don't know how much help he'll need as an adult or if he will be able to ever be independent of us. These are some pretty weighty matters we always have in the back of our minds. Aaron has to keep reminding me to live in the present and not worry about the future since I can't do anything about it now. I am trying to take this advice to heart...trying, anyway, since I have cried off and on for about two days about it now. Daniel keeps asking me, "Why do you look like that Mom?" since my face turns red and splotchy when I cry. There's nothing that a good cry can't solve, right?!?

Nightgowns and Calculators

Last night Sarah wore a nightgown for the second time. I guess the boys didn't notice it the first time because they were asking all kinds of questions this morning about it. Matthew first asked me if it was a swimming suit then Josh asked if it was a dress. I don't think they quite understand the concept of nightgowns since all I wear to bed is scrubs or pajama pants and a T-shirt. Sarah does not enjoy them too much because she ends up tripping over the bottom of the nightgown which slows her down from going to where she needs to go. She can get pretty frustrated as you can see in the pictures of her trying to walk and falling.

We had an old calculator just laying around when Josh found it the other day. He picked it up and started playing with it. He then came over to me excited and wide eyed and said, "Mom, this can do math!!!" He kept asking me math problems and then checking my answer against the calculator--talk about pressure. Good thing they were simple ones I can still do in my head without writing things down. Speaking of the calculator, I haven't seen it around for a few days. I hope Josh hasn't taken it to school to "help" him with his math. I will have to ask him about it later.

ONE LONG WEEK

This week Aaron has been working some crazy overtime hours. So by the end of the week I had had enough. I was about to run away just for some quiet hours ALONE, however, I never got the chance. Here's one of many reasons why I wanted to run away: Thursday morning I hopped in the shower while the kids were occupied playing. I thought I was fast, but not fast enough as I found out later. I got dressed and went on about my day when Daniel told me about an hour after I had gotten dressed that someone had come to the door while I was in the shower. I thought I had taught my kids never to answer the phone or the door when I am otherwise indisposed. I guess that lesson never sunk in for Daniel. This is how our conversation went:

Daniel "Someone came to the door while you were in the shower."

Me "Did you answer the door?"

Daniel "Yes."

Me "Who was it?"--hoping against hope it was someone I knew

Daniel "It was a guy."

Me "Who was it?"

Daniel "It was a worker."

Me "What did you tell him?"

Daniel "That you were in the shower."

I am totally clueless on who it was and what they wanted I am just glad they didn't come in and rob me blind or anything worse. I can now say Daniel knows not to do that anymore--at least I hope so. Kids you got to love them. Today at church Aaron grabbed a water cup for Sarah, but Josh didn't see. Josh went ahead and grabbed yet another one for her as the tray went by. This caused the bench behind us (the very last bench) to be short one sacrament cup. Nice! At least the people behind us thought it was pretty funny. One more reason for running away is when we got home from church today Sarah decided to empty her whole entire gastrointestinal tract (or so it seemed) into her diaper which consequently leaked out of her diaper all over her tights, onesie, carpet and dress. While I was undressing her to take a shower it spilled out all over the bathroom rug. Awesome! I would just make Aaron take care of it, but he is currently counting up tithing and fast offerings (since our Fast Sunday ended up being today due to Stake Conference) at the church so I am solo once again...this week just will never end!!

Anyway I needed to have a fun weekend. After cleaning the house in the morning we went out for some geocaching. Unfortunately, the geocaches we went to find ended up being repeats at a park we had been to before. For some reason we hadn't crossed them off our list. Oh well the kids got to play at the park for awhile. We were fine until Sarah discovered the slide. She would not take no for an answer either. She would come scream at your feet and sign "more" until you put her up there to slide down over and over and over again. How can you say no to that? Sarah has also now learned the sign language sign for "candy". So now if she really wants something she will sign "more" and "candy" in order to get it.

Earlier in the week I was having some pregnancy complications which also added to my "fun" week. Everything seems to be ok now, but I was worried earlier in the week. Since my OB doctor's office will not allow any children in the office during the flu season my wonderful sister-in-law came at very short notice to watch Daniel and Sarah--THANK YOU!! They did an ultrasound the make sure the baby was ok--which it was. It looks like a small part of the placenta has pulled away from the uterus wall and there is a little placenta previa, but it should correct itself as the pregnancy continues. However we did get a glimpse at the sex. The doctor wasn't 100% sure only about 80% sure, but for right now it looks like it's another....

GIRL!

YAY! We should find out for sure next week. Seeing the ultrasound of a healthy baby with the hiccups really makes everything worth it, though. Hopefully, I will have a better week next week--even though it's parent teacher conferences and early out all week as well as Aaron working crazy overtime again. I will start my mantra now to prepare myself:

I love my kids, I love my kids, I love my kids, I love my kids, I love my kids...

The Really Lost Tooth

In the morning my kids tend to get up way too early like 5 am-ish. I finally made a rule that they can't come out of their rooms until 6:30 am. They have plenty of toys and books in their room to keep them occupied for a while so it isn't too bad. Unfortunately they can get pretty restless and noisy in their rooms, but at least they are contained. This morning when it hit 6:30 am on the dot Matthew came running into my room and said, "Mom, I lost a tooth!" I had him show me where he lost it from and it was a tooth that had been loose for awhile. He said he worked on it while he was awake in his room this morning. He then started talking about how the Tooth Fairy was going to come from his school and give him some money so he could go to the store--I don't know how he comes up with some of the conclusions he does sometimes. I then asked him where the actual tooth was and he just looked at me blankly. I asked where the tooth was again and he said it's in my bed. I asked him to go and get it. He went to look for it, but it has been hopelessly lost among the sheets, pillow, blankets, etc. He couldn't find it. I tried to look for it and I couldn't find it either. Hopefully, the Tooth Fairy will be able to come for the "really lost" tooth. Matthew's still pretty excited, though. Since we don't have the actual tooth he pointed the missing spot in his mouth instead while trying to pull a silly face.

Honesty Not Always the Best Policy

Lately I haven't been doing very well in the cooking daily dinner department so I am trying to do better. I thought I would try a new recipe yesterday--Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese. I found a good recipe and made my own adjustments and 5 out of the 6 of us seemed to like it--I saved out some plain noodles for Daniel and put spaghetti sauce on them so that's why Daniel liked it. Josh was rather contrary. He was just biding his time because he knew after dinner they would be able to pick out a few Halloween treats to eat for dessert. He was not very happy when I told him if he wasn't hungry for dinner then he couldn't possibly be hungry for treats--meaning no dinner no treats. He then managed to choke down 5 big bites and a few more when we weren't looking so he could at least pick out one treat. After dinner he came over to me and in a conversational, matter of fact voice he said, "Mom, I really hated that dinner." What do I say? Do I say thanks for the feedback or thanks for being honest or do I just nod and smile and try not to cry seeing as that comes pretty easily to me nowadays? Anyway here's the recipe if anyone's interested. It got a thumbs up from Aaron who usually likes the real home made stuff and Matthew who's mister picky so that's pretty good in my book:

Slow Cooked Mac 'N' Cheese (my version)
2 (13.25oz) packages of high fiber shell noodles
1/2 cup margarine
3 eggs, beaten
1 can (12 oz) of evaporated milk
2 cans of condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
1 cup milk
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook shells until almost done, but still chewy (about 6 minutes); drain. Place in a 6 quart crock pot with the sides sprayed with Pam; add margarine to the noodles and stir until melted. In a separate bowl beat the three eggs, then add the evaporated milk, soup, milk and only 3 cups of the shredded cheese. Pour mixture over shells and stir to coat. Sprinkle the last remaining cup of shredded cheese over the top and cover. Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

It Takes Some Serious Concentration

Yesterday we got the Big Toy Book from Toys-R-Us in the newspaper. The kids each got their own because I get 5 Sunday newspapers which was great. We started out having Josh and Daniel share, but there was way too much fighting. We gave them a pen and let them circle all the toys they liked. That seriously kept them busy the WHOLE day. Looking at the toy book now I can see why it took all day--every toy is circled. I asked why Daniel circled so many dolls. He said because he knew Sarah would like them so much so he circled them for her. The first picture is Daniel placing the pen studiously behind his ear. Where do kids pick these things up? Since her brothers were all busy and not wanting to play Sarah went and put herself to sleep perched right in the middle of the stairs.

Halloween

For Halloween this year I found an awesome deal on costumes online so I ordered some for Josh, Matthew and Daniel. When they came in I looked at them, but I really didn't try them on the kids I just assumed they would fit and left it at that. I was fine until they went to put them on yesterday and Daniel's and Josh's were way too small even though I ordered their right size. I had to go rummage around the old costume closet to see what we could come up with in time for Halloween. Josh graciously decided to be a pirate instead of the Black Spiderman. Daniel graciously decided to be a bat instead of a pirate. Luckily, Matthew's and Sarah's costumes fit just right. Matthew was a vampire and Sarah was a butterfly. I loved the back of her costume so I included a pic of that as well.

The local grocery store by us had a mini trick-or-treat around the store so after fixing the wardrobe malfunction of the ill fitting costumes we headed out. The kids got loaded up with their own trick-or-treating bucket, apples, chocolate milks, juice, donuts, Rice Krispie Treats, juice boxes, etc. After that Aaron had a leadership meeting he had to go to so I decided not to push my luck alone and took the kids home before I lost one of them--see previous post. After dinner Aaron took the kids out trick-or-treating. Daniel lasted about half as long as Matthew and Josh, but he still had to keep going because they were pretty far away from our house. They were all pretty tired by the time they got home. The only casualty was Daniel's arm and face was covered in hives from reaching into all the candy bowls filled with the forbidden Daniel treats. Nothing a dose of Benadryl didn't cure. In this picture Matthew and Daniel decided they wanted vampire teeth so that's why they have their mouths open in order to show off their brightly colored teeth. They had fun.