Tutored

The Far Side by Gary Larson. Classic.

Overheard Surrounding the Recent Event
of Having Our Two Kittens "Tutored" and Declawed

8 yr. old - "...so they rearranged her mommy parts so she won't have babies."

Clinton to Jen - "Should we keep them separated for a few more days? He's acting a little frisky." 10 & 5 year old eavesdroppers replied, "What does frisky mean?"

5 yr. old on the way to pick up the cats from the vet - "I can't wait to see what they look like without their paws."

Happy Day

Ok. I know. Two posts in one day. Can you handle it? I had to show you my cake and share a couple more of my cards. Like this one from Mr. Smartypants Clinton and the girls. "You're in Our Thoughts at This Sad Time. Beyond the darkness, light...Beyond the sorrow, peace. At this time of loss, please know that we're thinking of you and holding you close to our hearts." And then he writes "We mourn the loss of your youth along with you." And has all the girls sign it. Cute.

And Virginia gave me her card. I have to share it just as she wrote it. I love it. "Happy Birthday MOM! You are the best...gratest funest Mom ever in my life (thanks for being so great!) Happy St. Patrics Day 2! love you Virginia."

Back to the cake. We had dinner. The kids had their baths. The girls had decorated the dining room for dinner and we all gathered there again for "no dessert." They had been trying to keep the cake a secret. They stink at keeping secrets. It was especially hard on them because all evening Abigail would wail, "Where's da cake!?" And all three of the girls would feel obligated to shush her and say in their loud whispers "remember we're having the cake later..."

Ok. I'll be done now. But there is more. Maybe on the family blog tomorrow.

happy birthday to me

Happy Birthday To Me

Before my eyes were completely open I had a large construction paper card thrust in my hands. It said, "Happy Birthday Mom! I 'heart' U Mom! Happy Birthday Mom 'Smiley Face' To: Mom Love: Anna" It made my sleepy heart warm.

Lily made me a card too. Well, the oldest helped quite a lot I was informed. Still, Lily is in kindergarten. The effort was lovely and so was seeing her little signature. Just looking at it makes me happy.

My Sweetie made a me a wonderful cup of coffee and was just about to bring it to me but I shuffled into the kitchen before he could.

It seemed I had at least 35 kisses - ahem. thirty-five. - before the 3 older girls twirled out the door to school.

My in-laws called last night with birthday wishes, wanting to be sure not to miss me today.

My grandparents, in their beautifully sweet 83 year old voices just called me and sang Happy Birthday. Tradition.

And my day is still beginning.

I feel old. But I feel very loved.

Talk about irrational love - my girls demonstrate that to me so often. Some days I peck at them fiercely like a mother hen. "Peck-peck-peck-up your clothes. Stop peck-peck-pecking your nose. If I have to peck-peck-peck-up your shoes one more time.... NO! You can't have it, stop peck-peck-pecking at me!" (Use your best shrill, chickeny voice when you read those.)

So, with all that pecking, sometimes it amazes me when they fly freely to wrap their arms tightly around me with an I-love-you and today, Happy-Birthday, Momma.

I guess 35 isn't so bad. It's just a number, right? Although it is a half-way kind of number. Half-way to 40. Truth be told, just saying 40 gives me a cold chill. I don't feel 35. Most days I don't even feel 30. Maybe it's all the little people around me and especially all the love, sometimes irrational, that makes me feel so young. So, Happy Birthday to me. sigh.

**unrelated: For my family blog readers...there are some new posts up. ;-)**

New Blogger & Long-time/Far-away Friend

Technology often amazes me and sometimes it thrills me. Each time I am able to re-connect with and keep in better touch with a friend, new or old, I am thrilled. Recently my friend, Betsy, invited me to her new blog, My Five Men.

There are so many things about Betsy that I admire. She is one of my heroes.

She has a killer decorating style. You can see a bit of it in the many photos that she posts such as here and here.

She can bake like nobody I know. She isn't afraid to play with or display her food. (Tiff, it's Betsy who is responsible for that cookie recipe that Tim loves so much!)

Oh, and she makes and sells these great vintage charm bracelets too!

Here is where she ranks as a hero with me. All her gifts, even her decorating/own personal style, she uses as ways to express her love for God, her husband, her teenage son and her 3 boys who have autism. This is a particularly poignant and wise post.

So, check out My Five Men for inspiration, thoughts to reflect upon and often a good drool.

Home

We left on the 15th for my brother & sister-in-law's with the plan of hanging out, shopping in the big city, and eating in the big city until my Dad returned on the 18th. Then we would travel home on the 19th. As we headed out the door we got word that he would be in on the 16th! That was an amazing surprise. It gave us 2 more days with him. And we still got to eat and eat and eat and eat in the big city.

His trip went really well. Thanks to all of you who were praying for his safe return.


Waiting.















Mob hugs.

















Home.
This is one of the few shots where his eyes are open. He had been up for about 24 hours.















More pictures and more of a post up soon over at our family blog.

happy happy

"We cough because we can't help it,
but others do it on purpose."
~ Mignon McLaughlin

So many of the people I love are sick. I know it doesn't seem like it now but, you will get better.


We are better here. Mostly. And gearing up for a trip to Virginia where we will be welcoming home my dad! This time next week and he will have been home for two days. The girls are beside themselves with excitement. Not only is PopPop coming home but they will be spending 4 days with their beloved cousin. There isn't much normalcy around here right now. Mostly a lot of spinning about like tops. And add to it all a snow day. Oh, and Valentine's Day parties tomorrow. Can this week get any better?

In which we find Quotations about Feeling Terrible, Sad and Pathetic

" 'And how are you?' said Winnie-the-Pooh. Eeyore shook his head from side to side. 'Not very how,' he said. 'I don't seem to have felt at all how for a long time.' " - A.A. Milne ~ Winnie-the-Pooh

I just got a nudge from Anna, she commented on my last post and began it with, "I think this blog post has been up long enough for table talk...."

Well, Anna. I sat down here yesterday and only managed to read a couple of posts and comment on one, on your blog. Then the earth opened and swallowed me whole.

Actually, it all began 10 days ago on Jan. 27. Early that morning, both daughters 1 and 3 were looking quite peaked and one eventually began a fever, then the other. We couldn't have known it then but it takes about 5-7 days for this to run it course. In the coming days we fell, one by one. The smallest was the next to fall. "My eyeballs hwrt, momma." Then daughter 2 and I found ourselves sprawled on the living room couches this past Friday. My Sweetie seemed unscathed until last night. Poor guy has been trying to keep up with work, take care of us and all of this on very little sleep. He's off working today and we are praying that he will be spared the worst.

This has been unlike any flu I've ever had. On Friday I could only lay on the couch and grunt at the kids. Sometimes I could wiggle a finger for emphasis. It felt as if I was giving a fat man a ride on my shoulders. And I was lying down. Once the fat man left it was like something evil was trying to escape from my insides and wanted to go through my back and shoulders. Sunday was better. I really thought I was on the mend. Monday the fat man was back and this time he was plugging my nose as he rode. I hate mouth-breathing and I'm such a wuss. By Monday night I just wanted to die. I was a mess of chills, aches, congestion and had jello for muscles. Tears of self-pity really don't help the whole congestion thing, ya know. This morning was better. The fat man was gone and I could breathe a little better but a crippling headache had been brewing. Thankfully, I was able to sleep a little this morning while PBS babysat so the headache is gone. I really do feel as if I'm getting better. I was able to make lunch without wanting to curl up on the kitchen floor. Progress.

I'd love to draw some wonderful spiritual analogy or share some snippet of insight that I gained through all of this. I got nothin'. Perhaps He will enlighten me upon a more distant reflection. I'll have to leave that up to Him because for now this is going down in family history as 10+ days of misery and it ain't over yet.

Oh, I would be remiss if I didn't share a few rays of sunshine through this whole ordeal. My friend Ruth called yesterday and said, "Can I bring you dinner?" Um, YES. I hung up my phone and cried. And, on very many of these days I had committed my time to my friend, Tiff, for babysitting. She has been so gracious and so flexible. More crying. At the beginning of the last 10 days my mom was here and kept me company. And yesterday she brought us some groceries. Chicken noodle soup even. :0) Thanks, Mom.

"...Piglet explained to Tigger that he mustn't mind what Eeyore said because he was always gloomy; and Eeyore explained to Piglet that, on the contrary, he was feeling particularly cheerful this morning."
- A.A. Milne ~ The House at Pooh Corner