Keri Lynn without braces! So pretty! She's learning how to talk with her retainers. It brings back memories! Now, we have one set of braces down, and only five to go!
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2 years ago
Monday, January 29, 2007
One down, five to go!
Keri Lynn without braces! So pretty! She's learning how to talk with her retainers. It brings back memories! Now, we have one set of braces down, and only five to go!Laid Off
Keith went to work on Friday with two jobs and came home with one. He was laid off from his second job, the dock job, along with four other part-time guys, because there isn't enough work for everyone right now. So that means part-timers get the ax first. He gets to keep his work ID and will likely be called back in July when work starts to pick up again. In the meantime, July is -- um -- SIX MONTHS AWAY!
The positive part of Keith not working that second job is that for now we'll get to see him again throughout the week. He's missed not being with his family and we have missed not having husband and daddy around.
Today, Keri Lynn and I are suffering from colds again. Keri Lynn has been sick since returning from California. And I've been sick on again/off again for the last few weeks. I've got a big of a headache and I'm all stuffed up. I announced clean-up time for a half hour after lunch and have holed up in my warm bedroom to play on the computer for a while. Meanwhile, the mess still sits stubbornly all around the house, refusing to disappear all by itself.
It's been COLD this week. Most days, it's been in the 30s and 40s. Our house keeps bedrooms toasty warm, but the big common rooms get chilly.
We're going to have a family picture done by Olan Mills this weekend as part of our church's pictorial directory. I'm just imagining how very pathetic we're all going to look if we don't start feeling better. I've got to get on the ball, too, and cut hair. I haven't cut boys' hair in a long time. Kristofer is hoping that I'll forget, since he likes his long curly locks, but he's in for a rude surprise. Kade looks okay, but needs a little trim. It's Konner that still looks awful from a horrendous haircut Keith gave him a few months ago.
The positive part of Keith not working that second job is that for now we'll get to see him again throughout the week. He's missed not being with his family and we have missed not having husband and daddy around.
Today, Keri Lynn and I are suffering from colds again. Keri Lynn has been sick since returning from California. And I've been sick on again/off again for the last few weeks. I've got a big of a headache and I'm all stuffed up. I announced clean-up time for a half hour after lunch and have holed up in my warm bedroom to play on the computer for a while. Meanwhile, the mess still sits stubbornly all around the house, refusing to disappear all by itself.
It's been COLD this week. Most days, it's been in the 30s and 40s. Our house keeps bedrooms toasty warm, but the big common rooms get chilly.
We're going to have a family picture done by Olan Mills this weekend as part of our church's pictorial directory. I'm just imagining how very pathetic we're all going to look if we don't start feeling better. I've got to get on the ball, too, and cut hair. I haven't cut boys' hair in a long time. Kristofer is hoping that I'll forget, since he likes his long curly locks, but he's in for a rude surprise. Kade looks okay, but needs a little trim. It's Konner that still looks awful from a horrendous haircut Keith gave him a few months ago.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Happy birthday, Grandma!
For those of you who've never met my Grandmother, let me describe her to you. She is a petite woman, slim and highly energetic. She can out-talk anyone. She has three children, eight grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren.
Some of my earliest memories are going up the path through the ivy to visit Grandma and Grandaddy. Their house was always warm and inviting. Warm yellows and browns. Lots of pictures. A chalkboard in the hall. Carpet everywhere.
From Grandma, I learned the fine points of table manners and place settings. She often cooked us Chicken Divan served with buttered sourdough toast. I made this meal often when I was first married and I still serve it regularly today.
She often mended things for my family while I was growing up. She also had clothes that she'd get from people who were getting rid of their old things and we'd go through those to see what we could use. She taught us how to put outfits together. For instance, when you're going to go buy something, you need to ask yourself if there are other things that go with it. Make sure that you can make at least three different outfits with one article of clothing. She sewed and enjoyed crafty things and home decor.
I think that's why I like crochet so much.
When she sold her home after Granddaddy died, she moved to her condo and decorated it in blue and rose. Those were my favorite colors for years and years. A lot of how I decorate my home today is because of Grandma.
When I came over for a few days, I'd be tucked into the hide-a-bed in the living room and Grandma would do what she'd done all my life whenever I slept over. She'd talked to me until it was all I could do to keep my eyes open. Oh, how she'd talk! She'd talk about the people that she knew, past and present, about church and missionaries and ministry, about books she'd read, and about God. Always about God. And then she'd pray for me and I'd go gratefully to sleep!
Grandma is 90 now. She lives in a retirement center where she has downsized to a room, alcove area, bathroom and a big closet. She has long since given up driving, but her computer keeps humming while she works on her memoirs. She emails everybody every day. She holds a Bible study and has many visitors. Because she has a hole in her heart, a problem that she's had since birth, she now rides the halls to the dining hall in her motorized "car".
My college days weren't too long ago. It wasn't too long ago when she was driving me from Biola to downtown Los Angeles, where I worked at a Korean church. She gave up her Sunday mornings at her own beloved church to take me to teach Sunday School to Korean kids. She zipped around in her car just like she walks -- FAST! And she'd attend the Korean service for the adults while I worked with the kids and then we'd zip on back to Biola. We took those times to pray together and catch up with what was going on.
I introduced her to my boyfriend at that time and held my breath while they talked together. Keith is a talker and Grandma is a talker. Right away, they had some pretty serious theology discussions. They both survived them and Keith got the stamp of approval from Grandma. I married him three years later.
Grandma has always been involved in some kind of ministry for the Kingdom. She has always talked about the Lord's return. May it come quickly. Although there are many times when I would think, "Lord, maybe not THAT quickly," like when I was about to get married, or when I was going to have a baby, or when we were about to buy our new house! Grandma, a dyed in the wool, pre-trib rapture believer! Still, I can't fault her for her yearning to some day see the Lord face to face. I imagine that even a new husband, baby or house could even remotely compare to THAT!
She has always been involved in some kind of ministry. She was saved as a young wife and mother. Granddaddy went to jail once a week to minister to the people there. Grandma was involved in Bible study and helping missionaries. One day, her oldest daughter, my mother, became a missionary in Central America and eventually I came on the scene as a MK. Grandma and Granddaddy came for visits to Guatemala and Honduras and we would come home on furlough to freeways, houses with carpeted floors, fast food, English, and Grandma and Granddaddy's house!
She became involved in women's Bible study, and then later, when she became a widow, helped other widows. She also counseled women in their marriages. Her Bible is tattered from use. She's always clipping articles and putting them together in care packages for her loved ones. Every once in a while, even way off in Georgia, I'll get a pile of recipes, articles, puzzles, etc. from Grandma. She got us a subscription for Citizen Magazine for Christmas.
Most of all, I can't remember a time I have not gone for a visit and not been introduced to anyone in the vicinity by a proud Grandma. "So-and-so (it didn't matter who it was -- pastor -- janitor -- neighbor -- stranger off the street), this is my OLDEST granddaughter . . . " and then would follow a list of my latest accomplishments, however embellished by a proud grandparent they were. I'd nod and smile with the full knowledge of family pride and hope that the person at the other end understood that I was truly a regular human being and that my Grandmother was proud of me!
And so I nearly burst with pride myself when I see my Grandmother take Keri Lynn by the arm to thrust her proudly before whoever happens to be around, "So-and-so, I'd like you to meet my GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER . . . "
So, Grandma, this is for you. Thank you for the loving Christian heritage you've given to me and my family. Thank you for your support over so many years. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for teaching me through example. If I can be half as tech-savvy, half as well-dressed, half as hard-working as you when and if I should reach 90, then I'll be a happy woman. May God bless you as you enter into another decade! Happy birthday!
Love,
Jackie
Some of my earliest memories are going up the path through the ivy to visit Grandma and Grandaddy. Their house was always warm and inviting. Warm yellows and browns. Lots of pictures. A chalkboard in the hall. Carpet everywhere.
From Grandma, I learned the fine points of table manners and place settings. She often cooked us Chicken Divan served with buttered sourdough toast. I made this meal often when I was first married and I still serve it regularly today.
She often mended things for my family while I was growing up. She also had clothes that she'd get from people who were getting rid of their old things and we'd go through those to see what we could use. She taught us how to put outfits together. For instance, when you're going to go buy something, you need to ask yourself if there are other things that go with it. Make sure that you can make at least three different outfits with one article of clothing. She sewed and enjoyed crafty things and home decor.
I think that's why I like crochet so much.
When she sold her home after Granddaddy died, she moved to her condo and decorated it in blue and rose. Those were my favorite colors for years and years. A lot of how I decorate my home today is because of Grandma.
When I came over for a few days, I'd be tucked into the hide-a-bed in the living room and Grandma would do what she'd done all my life whenever I slept over. She'd talked to me until it was all I could do to keep my eyes open. Oh, how she'd talk! She'd talk about the people that she knew, past and present, about church and missionaries and ministry, about books she'd read, and about God. Always about God. And then she'd pray for me and I'd go gratefully to sleep!
Grandma is 90 now. She lives in a retirement center where she has downsized to a room, alcove area, bathroom and a big closet. She has long since given up driving, but her computer keeps humming while she works on her memoirs. She emails everybody every day. She holds a Bible study and has many visitors. Because she has a hole in her heart, a problem that she's had since birth, she now rides the halls to the dining hall in her motorized "car".
My college days weren't too long ago. It wasn't too long ago when she was driving me from Biola to downtown Los Angeles, where I worked at a Korean church. She gave up her Sunday mornings at her own beloved church to take me to teach Sunday School to Korean kids. She zipped around in her car just like she walks -- FAST! And she'd attend the Korean service for the adults while I worked with the kids and then we'd zip on back to Biola. We took those times to pray together and catch up with what was going on.
I introduced her to my boyfriend at that time and held my breath while they talked together. Keith is a talker and Grandma is a talker. Right away, they had some pretty serious theology discussions. They both survived them and Keith got the stamp of approval from Grandma. I married him three years later.
Grandma has always been involved in some kind of ministry for the Kingdom. She has always talked about the Lord's return. May it come quickly. Although there are many times when I would think, "Lord, maybe not THAT quickly," like when I was about to get married, or when I was going to have a baby, or when we were about to buy our new house! Grandma, a dyed in the wool, pre-trib rapture believer! Still, I can't fault her for her yearning to some day see the Lord face to face. I imagine that even a new husband, baby or house could even remotely compare to THAT!
She has always been involved in some kind of ministry. She was saved as a young wife and mother. Granddaddy went to jail once a week to minister to the people there. Grandma was involved in Bible study and helping missionaries. One day, her oldest daughter, my mother, became a missionary in Central America and eventually I came on the scene as a MK. Grandma and Granddaddy came for visits to Guatemala and Honduras and we would come home on furlough to freeways, houses with carpeted floors, fast food, English, and Grandma and Granddaddy's house!
She became involved in women's Bible study, and then later, when she became a widow, helped other widows. She also counseled women in their marriages. Her Bible is tattered from use. She's always clipping articles and putting them together in care packages for her loved ones. Every once in a while, even way off in Georgia, I'll get a pile of recipes, articles, puzzles, etc. from Grandma. She got us a subscription for Citizen Magazine for Christmas.
Most of all, I can't remember a time I have not gone for a visit and not been introduced to anyone in the vicinity by a proud Grandma. "So-and-so (it didn't matter who it was -- pastor -- janitor -- neighbor -- stranger off the street), this is my OLDEST granddaughter . . . " and then would follow a list of my latest accomplishments, however embellished by a proud grandparent they were. I'd nod and smile with the full knowledge of family pride and hope that the person at the other end understood that I was truly a regular human being and that my Grandmother was proud of me!
And so I nearly burst with pride myself when I see my Grandmother take Keri Lynn by the arm to thrust her proudly before whoever happens to be around, "So-and-so, I'd like you to meet my GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER . . . "
So, Grandma, this is for you. Thank you for the loving Christian heritage you've given to me and my family. Thank you for your support over so many years. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for teaching me through example. If I can be half as tech-savvy, half as well-dressed, half as hard-working as you when and if I should reach 90, then I'll be a happy woman. May God bless you as you enter into another decade! Happy birthday!
Love,
Jackie
Chills and Fever
Oh, boy! Had some fun yesterday.
Wednesday afternoon, I started feeling like I was starting to catch a cold. By evening, I was feeling feverish and having trouble getting to sleep. So I wasn't surprised when I woke up Thursday morning feeling completely exhausted, cold and weak. I decided to work through the yuckiness and see if it was just early morning I-don't-want-to-wake-up feelings, or if I was really sick. So I put Keva on the bus, read the local paper (This takes about 15 minutes), listened to the kids rustle around the kitchen getting their breakfast, and then went on back to bed where I stayed wrapped up in my comforter for nearly four hours.
I woke up hungry and hot. Not feverish, just hot, as in I've-just-woken-up-in-the-middle-of-the-day hot. Normal. What a relief! I was still tired, but not sick and weak. I made myself some breakfast while the kids rummaged around the kitchen finding food for lunch. I was so relieved to have the big kids back to help the little kids while I took care of myself.
We all got comfortable in the family room and watched one of our Netflix movies The End of the Spear. If you haven't gotten a chance to see this movie in theaters or as a rental, I highly recommend it. It's based on the book Through Gates of Splendor. I had to fast forward through some of the more violent parts for the sake of the little kids, and then when they left to go play outside, the rest of us watched the whole thing again. I cried through it twice. There's a particularly sweet scene where one of the tribe members who escaped the violence of her people to live with the missionaries boldly tells her murderous brother the truths of John 3:16 using the imagery of their culture. There's no getting around the grace of Jesus, even for a murderous tribesman.
I ordered pizza for dinner. Thank you, Dominos, for returning the 5-5-5 deal! Two pepperoni, one sausage/olive, one ham/pineapple. Since the kids had essentially fed themselves all day, they were STARVING by dinner time. Kade was doing his impression of The Starving Boy by clenching his empty stomach and moaning. This irritates me so much! Especially since he's got these big meaty arms and chubby rosy cheeks. It didn't help that Dominos was taking an hour and 45 minutes to deliver the pizza. And it was no surprise that the pizza came a little on the cold side. Frankly, I didn't care, because I didn't have to cook! The pizza guy got a nice tip and we commenced eating.
Dinner became a contest. Who could eat the most pizza slices. And then there were arguments about who ate more than the other. Kristofer, for example, ate five slices but didn't eat the crusts. Konner ate two slices in, I'm pretty sure, 30 seconds. Kade ate the crusts, declaring, with his mouth full, "I LOVE the crusts, Mom!" Kathleen was trying to eat demurely, but told Kristofer that, since he wasn't eating the crusts, he wasn't eating as much as she was.
I served the pizza on our "fancy plates". Fancy plates are paper towel strips. No fuss. No mess. (Have I mentioned how much I love pizza?) The big family joke is that everyone needs to take good care of the fancy plates. When company comes over and we're having pizza or sandwiches or hot dogs -- whatever strictly doesn't need a plate -- we break out the fancy plates and tell our company to be careful with them.
Well, this time, Konner TORE his fancy plate. Kristofer and Kathleen set up a court session to determine Konner's guilt or innocence. (This is how I can call this rather pathetic day a school day!) We had the defendant, the judge, the prosecuting attorney, the defense attorney, and a witness. Then, of course, because the American legal system is just, Konner was declared guilty and sent off for a tickle torture. They all thought the court great fun and proceeded to run about a dozen trials right there at the table.
Once the younger kids were down, Keri Lynn and Kristofer joined me for another movie. We watched the first of three discs of Dune. It's the most recent version of Dune that has William Hurt in it. Anyway, I spent most of the movie time worrying about whether or not Keri Lynn and Kristofer should watch it with me. Kristofer thought it was the best movie ever since it has all kinds of great special effects and fight scenes and mammoth worms. Kristofer was ready to go right off to the post office to put the disc back in the mail so that we can get the next one that much quicker. Good grief!
I'm not sure how this day is going to turn out. It' 9:26, and I haven't seen The Big Three up yet. Kathleen is probably sick with the thing that took me down yesterday. When I woke her up to take the dog out, she said it was too cold to get up. So I let her sleep. If they others are down with the same thing, I may need to keep us all home from the homeschool park day that we attend every other Friday. I hate to miss it. Today, Keri Lynn is supposed to meet with another homeschooled 15-year-old girl, but I don't think the girl is going to appreciate a little flu bug.
Ah, the joys of a large family.
Wednesday afternoon, I started feeling like I was starting to catch a cold. By evening, I was feeling feverish and having trouble getting to sleep. So I wasn't surprised when I woke up Thursday morning feeling completely exhausted, cold and weak. I decided to work through the yuckiness and see if it was just early morning I-don't-want-to-wake-up feelings, or if I was really sick. So I put Keva on the bus, read the local paper (This takes about 15 minutes), listened to the kids rustle around the kitchen getting their breakfast, and then went on back to bed where I stayed wrapped up in my comforter for nearly four hours.
I woke up hungry and hot. Not feverish, just hot, as in I've-just-woken-up-in-the-middle-of-the-day hot. Normal. What a relief! I was still tired, but not sick and weak. I made myself some breakfast while the kids rummaged around the kitchen finding food for lunch. I was so relieved to have the big kids back to help the little kids while I took care of myself.
We all got comfortable in the family room and watched one of our Netflix movies The End of the Spear. If you haven't gotten a chance to see this movie in theaters or as a rental, I highly recommend it. It's based on the book Through Gates of Splendor. I had to fast forward through some of the more violent parts for the sake of the little kids, and then when they left to go play outside, the rest of us watched the whole thing again. I cried through it twice. There's a particularly sweet scene where one of the tribe members who escaped the violence of her people to live with the missionaries boldly tells her murderous brother the truths of John 3:16 using the imagery of their culture. There's no getting around the grace of Jesus, even for a murderous tribesman.
I ordered pizza for dinner. Thank you, Dominos, for returning the 5-5-5 deal! Two pepperoni, one sausage/olive, one ham/pineapple. Since the kids had essentially fed themselves all day, they were STARVING by dinner time. Kade was doing his impression of The Starving Boy by clenching his empty stomach and moaning. This irritates me so much! Especially since he's got these big meaty arms and chubby rosy cheeks. It didn't help that Dominos was taking an hour and 45 minutes to deliver the pizza. And it was no surprise that the pizza came a little on the cold side. Frankly, I didn't care, because I didn't have to cook! The pizza guy got a nice tip and we commenced eating.
Dinner became a contest. Who could eat the most pizza slices. And then there were arguments about who ate more than the other. Kristofer, for example, ate five slices but didn't eat the crusts. Konner ate two slices in, I'm pretty sure, 30 seconds. Kade ate the crusts, declaring, with his mouth full, "I LOVE the crusts, Mom!" Kathleen was trying to eat demurely, but told Kristofer that, since he wasn't eating the crusts, he wasn't eating as much as she was.
I served the pizza on our "fancy plates". Fancy plates are paper towel strips. No fuss. No mess. (Have I mentioned how much I love pizza?) The big family joke is that everyone needs to take good care of the fancy plates. When company comes over and we're having pizza or sandwiches or hot dogs -- whatever strictly doesn't need a plate -- we break out the fancy plates and tell our company to be careful with them.
Well, this time, Konner TORE his fancy plate. Kristofer and Kathleen set up a court session to determine Konner's guilt or innocence. (This is how I can call this rather pathetic day a school day!) We had the defendant, the judge, the prosecuting attorney, the defense attorney, and a witness. Then, of course, because the American legal system is just, Konner was declared guilty and sent off for a tickle torture. They all thought the court great fun and proceeded to run about a dozen trials right there at the table.
Once the younger kids were down, Keri Lynn and Kristofer joined me for another movie. We watched the first of three discs of Dune. It's the most recent version of Dune that has William Hurt in it. Anyway, I spent most of the movie time worrying about whether or not Keri Lynn and Kristofer should watch it with me. Kristofer thought it was the best movie ever since it has all kinds of great special effects and fight scenes and mammoth worms. Kristofer was ready to go right off to the post office to put the disc back in the mail so that we can get the next one that much quicker. Good grief!
I'm not sure how this day is going to turn out. It' 9:26, and I haven't seen The Big Three up yet. Kathleen is probably sick with the thing that took me down yesterday. When I woke her up to take the dog out, she said it was too cold to get up. So I let her sleep. If they others are down with the same thing, I may need to keep us all home from the homeschool park day that we attend every other Friday. I hate to miss it. Today, Keri Lynn is supposed to meet with another homeschooled 15-year-old girl, but I don't think the girl is going to appreciate a little flu bug.
Ah, the joys of a large family.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
The Return of the Big Three
I've been a little off all week. The Big Three (Keri Lynn, Kristofer and Kathleen) have been off to California since Sunday, and the rest of us chickens have been basically sitting around "taking it easy." I've been off in my own little world, reading and/or watching TV while the little kids raise havoc.
At first, things were going pretty well. I thought, "Wow, isn't it sweet just to have the little kids. They're playing together SO NICELY! Ahhh, they want to sleep in the same bedroom tonight because they miss the big kids. Isn't that precious!"
I go off to my room to do some work on the computer . . .
I return to (I'm not making ANY of this stuff up!) Kody chewing on yet another discarded used diaper from the trash, Kylie having broken one of the lights in the hanging light fixture by throwing a ball, Kade STANDING on the mantle, Konner hanging off the TV stand, the TV up to deafening volume . . .
All I needed were a few monkeys screeching and hanging from the aforementioned light fixture.
Hmp!
Needless to say, I've pretty much abandoned the computer for the rest of the week except for when the kids have been asleep and the dog safely locked in his crate.
I'm gathering up Kylie, Kade and Konner to take them the airport to pick up the Big Three in 26 minutes. I'm not counting down. Really, I'm not.
While we're near the airport, I'm to deliver a belt to Keith's work. He apparently is going to get some co-workers back in order? Actually, he just forgot to pack it with his clothes for his second job.
Then, hopefully, the kids will be able to get off the plane and meet me in baggage claim without me having to take the rest of the crew off to the gate to meet them there. Keri Lynn has my cell phone number in case there's any trouble. Thank God for cell phones.
Then, we'll probably swing by Taco Bell, as is tradition after a flight, to feed the starving minions and, God willing, be back in time to get Keva from the bus.
That is probably the ONE thing I didn't miss about having the Big Three gone. I didn't have to feed the equivalent of a small country. In fact, cooking was a breeze this week. I made macaroni and cheese and nobody complained. Last night, we had pork and beans . . . .mmmmmm. But tonight, it will be back to serious food. No mamby-pandying around. MEAT. Rice AND potatoes. And a few veggies to make the health-nuts feel better about themselves.
At first, things were going pretty well. I thought, "Wow, isn't it sweet just to have the little kids. They're playing together SO NICELY! Ahhh, they want to sleep in the same bedroom tonight because they miss the big kids. Isn't that precious!"
I go off to my room to do some work on the computer . . .
I return to (I'm not making ANY of this stuff up!) Kody chewing on yet another discarded used diaper from the trash, Kylie having broken one of the lights in the hanging light fixture by throwing a ball, Kade STANDING on the mantle, Konner hanging off the TV stand, the TV up to deafening volume . . .
All I needed were a few monkeys screeching and hanging from the aforementioned light fixture.
Hmp!
Needless to say, I've pretty much abandoned the computer for the rest of the week except for when the kids have been asleep and the dog safely locked in his crate.
I'm gathering up Kylie, Kade and Konner to take them the airport to pick up the Big Three in 26 minutes. I'm not counting down. Really, I'm not.
While we're near the airport, I'm to deliver a belt to Keith's work. He apparently is going to get some co-workers back in order? Actually, he just forgot to pack it with his clothes for his second job.
Then, hopefully, the kids will be able to get off the plane and meet me in baggage claim without me having to take the rest of the crew off to the gate to meet them there. Keri Lynn has my cell phone number in case there's any trouble. Thank God for cell phones.
Then, we'll probably swing by Taco Bell, as is tradition after a flight, to feed the starving minions and, God willing, be back in time to get Keva from the bus.
That is probably the ONE thing I didn't miss about having the Big Three gone. I didn't have to feed the equivalent of a small country. In fact, cooking was a breeze this week. I made macaroni and cheese and nobody complained. Last night, we had pork and beans . . . .mmmmmm. But tonight, it will be back to serious food. No mamby-pandying around. MEAT. Rice AND potatoes. And a few veggies to make the health-nuts feel better about themselves.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Good-bye, HGTV
Does anyone else think January is flying by? It's all I can do to get used to writing "January", let alone "2007".
I'm taking a quick break before I go crack the whip to get our house back in order. The carpet needs to be majorly attacked by the steam cleaner. There are funky smells emanating from just about every corner. However, I'm in a hum-drum lazy mood. I really need to get back on my game.
At least this morning we got a few things done. We all went to JC Penney's and got a nice white blouse for Keri Lynn to wear to choir festival. It had the kind of cute sleeves and collar that she likes. She was very disconcerted to get the medium instead of the small. She said, "Why can't they make a size in between small and medium? This shirt is just a little too big!" Oh, the trials of teenage life! I felt really sorry for her . . . I did!
It turns out that Kristofer had a white shirt already. I just about fell over when I realized that he did. No stains, no rips . . . and it even fit. He also packed this morning instead of waiting the 15 minutes before we walked out the door. What is becoming of this world?
We got gas for $1.96 a gallon.
Then, it was off to downsize our cable. I've been meaning to get just the basic channels and save us about $34 a month, but to do so meant to disconnect the digital box and connection cable and to physically get the equipment to the office myself. And, not wanting to part with my HGTV, Discovery Channel and TLC, I was finding one excuse after another to postpone the trip. Today became the day. Now we have a mere 20 channels for our viewing pleasure. In reality, we'll probably find a lot more time in our day than we had before. I've found that I really don't watch that much TV these days anyway.
However, it was still emotionally difficult to say good-bye to some 200 other channels. So I took us all off to Taco Bell for lunch and we all felt better. : )
Now, I've got to figure out how to get Kylie to a doctor's appointment at 3:00 -- I think she has pink eye. I need to stop by an ATM to get money for the two going to festival. I've got to drop off Keri Lynn and Kristofer at 4:00 and simultaneously pick up Keva from the bus at 4:00 back at home. Um. Think I'm going to have to rework the schedule. That, and Keri Lynn really needs to get her learner's permit so that she can be on her way to driving her own car. Won't THAT be weird!
Jackie
I'm taking a quick break before I go crack the whip to get our house back in order. The carpet needs to be majorly attacked by the steam cleaner. There are funky smells emanating from just about every corner. However, I'm in a hum-drum lazy mood. I really need to get back on my game.
At least this morning we got a few things done. We all went to JC Penney's and got a nice white blouse for Keri Lynn to wear to choir festival. It had the kind of cute sleeves and collar that she likes. She was very disconcerted to get the medium instead of the small. She said, "Why can't they make a size in between small and medium? This shirt is just a little too big!" Oh, the trials of teenage life! I felt really sorry for her . . . I did!
It turns out that Kristofer had a white shirt already. I just about fell over when I realized that he did. No stains, no rips . . . and it even fit. He also packed this morning instead of waiting the 15 minutes before we walked out the door. What is becoming of this world?
We got gas for $1.96 a gallon.
Then, it was off to downsize our cable. I've been meaning to get just the basic channels and save us about $34 a month, but to do so meant to disconnect the digital box and connection cable and to physically get the equipment to the office myself. And, not wanting to part with my HGTV, Discovery Channel and TLC, I was finding one excuse after another to postpone the trip. Today became the day. Now we have a mere 20 channels for our viewing pleasure. In reality, we'll probably find a lot more time in our day than we had before. I've found that I really don't watch that much TV these days anyway.
However, it was still emotionally difficult to say good-bye to some 200 other channels. So I took us all off to Taco Bell for lunch and we all felt better. : )
Now, I've got to figure out how to get Kylie to a doctor's appointment at 3:00 -- I think she has pink eye. I need to stop by an ATM to get money for the two going to festival. I've got to drop off Keri Lynn and Kristofer at 4:00 and simultaneously pick up Keva from the bus at 4:00 back at home. Um. Think I'm going to have to rework the schedule. That, and Keri Lynn really needs to get her learner's permit so that she can be on her way to driving her own car. Won't THAT be weird!
Jackie
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Playing Catch-up
I will attempt to make this short. Having a three-day weekend can really mess up a school week. I'm still playing catch-up today. Thursdays are typically difficult anyway, as we are all recuperating from Wednesdays (our busiest day of the week).
First of all, last weekend was a lot of fun. We had Kent and Kradan and their kids, Jordan and Logan, over on Saturday. They live a little north of Atlanta -- a good hour's drive from Newnan. We provided lunch and they brought a delicious dinner. In between time we played about a hundred rounds of Ponce -- a card game that can best be described as Group Solitaire. We hadn't played it in a long time, so it was a lot of fun. The first game involved nearly all of our kids. We all crammed around the table and slammed cards down left and right. Then, we shooed the kids away and played just the adults. By the time we were done, my head was swimming with dancing cards.
Meanwhile, Kathleen and Jordan, thick as thieves, plotted a sleepover. We invited Jordan to sleep over here and Kade and Konner got to go sleep over at Logan's house. Hmm. Who got the better bargain? Let's just say it was A LOT quieter at our house than it may have been at Kent and Kradan's. Jordan went to church with us and fit in nicely in the general chaos of our household. Kathleen and Jordan TRIED to arrange yet another flip sleep over, where Kathleen stayed with Jordan and Logan stayed with us, but -- ALAS! -- the adults all felt that we were done. The girls have decided to write to each other in the meantime.
It was so nice to have Keith home for a three-day weekend. As it turns out, he was able to get time off from both of his jobs for MLK. We mostly just took it easy on Monday. Keith worked out in the backyard a little and I tried to get a jump start on the laundry. Ha! You'd never know it by the way the whole house looks today.
Keri Lynn finished Algebra I this week. She's started in on finishing her science course. She's trying very hard to finish the last of her curriculum for ninth grade and then will jump into tenth grade work -- hopefully by March. We're always playing catch-up, it seems. But this year has been a turn-around for us in that we've completed more of the school work for the year than we ever have before. Working on one or two subjects at a time works well for us, I think. And A Beka continues to be good steady curriculum.
Today, we'll make our weekly trek to the library. Our favorite librarian always works the counter and lovingly gives us a hard time about the number of items we check out. I always try to get some kids' books for history that corresponds with wherever we are in our group history session. Then, Kylie gets the latest American Girl book. Kathleen gets a couple of those books written like diaries of various girls in various historical eras. (She'll talk you to death about whatever book she's reading.) Keri Lynn is reading a lot of historical romances right now in the Christan genre. Kristofer likes books about dragons and adventures, of which there appears to be a lot, but it's still tricky to find appropriate ones. After a lot of urging from me, he finally got into the book Hans and the Silver Skates where there are absolutely no dragons. He absolutely loved it and said, "Mom, you always know which books to pick out for me!" Kade and Konner get books about motorcycles, jets, tractors, etc. then they go play games on the library computers.
Connie, one of the ladies that watched Keva on Wednesday nights last year, but then went on to work with Junior High kids was telling me how much she likes Kristofer. She said, "I think I just might have a little crush on that boy . . . " and then proceeded to tell me how sweet he was. She just joined the Bible study that I rejoined on Wednesday nights. It will be a good opportunity to get to know her better.
Kristofer reported after Impact, the Wednesday night youth group, that he has been nicknamed "Trigger". He has been learning the ropes as part of the tech team, but has itchy fingers when it comes to flipping the slides and turning on/off lights. So the youth pastor renamed him "Trigger" for "trigger-happy." Kristofer was pleased beyond measure and was grinning about it again this morning.
Tomorrow, Keri Lynn and Kristofer head off to McDonough, Georgia for a choir festival. They'll return on Saturday in time to attend a meeting to get to know the new youth pastor candidate. Sunday morning, they'll be off again, along with Kathleen to go to California to 1) celebrate their Great-Grandma's 90th birthday and 2) for Keri Lynn to get her braces off! A very exciting trip all the way around. They're scheduled to return home on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Time to get going!
First of all, last weekend was a lot of fun. We had Kent and Kradan and their kids, Jordan and Logan, over on Saturday. They live a little north of Atlanta -- a good hour's drive from Newnan. We provided lunch and they brought a delicious dinner. In between time we played about a hundred rounds of Ponce -- a card game that can best be described as Group Solitaire. We hadn't played it in a long time, so it was a lot of fun. The first game involved nearly all of our kids. We all crammed around the table and slammed cards down left and right. Then, we shooed the kids away and played just the adults. By the time we were done, my head was swimming with dancing cards.
Meanwhile, Kathleen and Jordan, thick as thieves, plotted a sleepover. We invited Jordan to sleep over here and Kade and Konner got to go sleep over at Logan's house. Hmm. Who got the better bargain? Let's just say it was A LOT quieter at our house than it may have been at Kent and Kradan's. Jordan went to church with us and fit in nicely in the general chaos of our household. Kathleen and Jordan TRIED to arrange yet another flip sleep over, where Kathleen stayed with Jordan and Logan stayed with us, but -- ALAS! -- the adults all felt that we were done. The girls have decided to write to each other in the meantime.
It was so nice to have Keith home for a three-day weekend. As it turns out, he was able to get time off from both of his jobs for MLK. We mostly just took it easy on Monday. Keith worked out in the backyard a little and I tried to get a jump start on the laundry. Ha! You'd never know it by the way the whole house looks today.
Keri Lynn finished Algebra I this week. She's started in on finishing her science course. She's trying very hard to finish the last of her curriculum for ninth grade and then will jump into tenth grade work -- hopefully by March. We're always playing catch-up, it seems. But this year has been a turn-around for us in that we've completed more of the school work for the year than we ever have before. Working on one or two subjects at a time works well for us, I think. And A Beka continues to be good steady curriculum.
Today, we'll make our weekly trek to the library. Our favorite librarian always works the counter and lovingly gives us a hard time about the number of items we check out. I always try to get some kids' books for history that corresponds with wherever we are in our group history session. Then, Kylie gets the latest American Girl book. Kathleen gets a couple of those books written like diaries of various girls in various historical eras. (She'll talk you to death about whatever book she's reading.) Keri Lynn is reading a lot of historical romances right now in the Christan genre. Kristofer likes books about dragons and adventures, of which there appears to be a lot, but it's still tricky to find appropriate ones. After a lot of urging from me, he finally got into the book Hans and the Silver Skates where there are absolutely no dragons. He absolutely loved it and said, "Mom, you always know which books to pick out for me!" Kade and Konner get books about motorcycles, jets, tractors, etc. then they go play games on the library computers.
Connie, one of the ladies that watched Keva on Wednesday nights last year, but then went on to work with Junior High kids was telling me how much she likes Kristofer. She said, "I think I just might have a little crush on that boy . . . " and then proceeded to tell me how sweet he was. She just joined the Bible study that I rejoined on Wednesday nights. It will be a good opportunity to get to know her better.
Kristofer reported after Impact, the Wednesday night youth group, that he has been nicknamed "Trigger". He has been learning the ropes as part of the tech team, but has itchy fingers when it comes to flipping the slides and turning on/off lights. So the youth pastor renamed him "Trigger" for "trigger-happy." Kristofer was pleased beyond measure and was grinning about it again this morning.
Tomorrow, Keri Lynn and Kristofer head off to McDonough, Georgia for a choir festival. They'll return on Saturday in time to attend a meeting to get to know the new youth pastor candidate. Sunday morning, they'll be off again, along with Kathleen to go to California to 1) celebrate their Great-Grandma's 90th birthday and 2) for Keri Lynn to get her braces off! A very exciting trip all the way around. They're scheduled to return home on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Time to get going!
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Martin Luther King, Jr.: I Have a Dream
" . . . not judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Wow!
It's worth listening to this powerful speech again.
Friday, January 12, 2007
The Grocery Event
I don't usually blog twice in one day, but I wanted to jot down a little tidbit about my trip to the grocery store.
Each trip to the grocery store is an event. These days, I go once a week. I spend about $150 to $250 each visit, depending on whether it's a week that we're low on the high budget items like laundry detergent, shampoos, diapers, etc.
EVERY time I go to the grocery store, I always get some kind of comment, like, "Wow! How long is this all going to last," or "Someone sure is hungry!" or something like that.
This week, I came up to the check-out with a full grocery cart. The guy who bags at the end gaped at me with a dropped jaw, "That's ALL yours?"
A checker happened to be walking by and said, "Oh, that's NOTHING! She usually gets more than that."
"That's right," I said, "I'm coming to leave this cart here and grab a second cart."
The bagger was clearly stunned, and I was wondering if there were not other people in all the world that got enough groceries to fill one cart, or was I the only one?
When I came back with my second cart some 30 minutes later, the checker at the line that I was pointing my second cart mimed, "Go to THAT line. Please, go to THAT line," and pointed desperately to the other open lane.
I mouthed back, "You're MEAN!"
He just grinned.
When I returned to retrieve my second cart, the mean checker eagerly came to help me push the second cart into the other line.
I then said, "Why, THANK YOU, so much. You are so kind!"
He laughed at that one.
Have I mentioned how old I feel when I go to the grocery store? Each visit, I feel older and older, particularly when I go on a Friday night when the grocery store employs all of their low-seniority employees. The high school students and fresh-out-of-high-school kids who need to work whenever they can get the hours. They were out in force tonight and all wondering why a woman would buy so many pickin' groceries!
The bagger in the second line asked me, "Will all of this last you for a month?!"
"A week."
"No way!"
"Yep. I just make a big pile and I get my big shovel and just shovel it in," and I then demonstrated my technique with pantomime.
"You must have pigs at home," he commented. This comment, when I relayed it to the kids later on, insulted them to no end.
However, I answered, "Feels like it sometimes."
Then, when all of the items were at last scanned, we all stood around the register monitor and watched agog as the grocery card was scanned and all of the Kroger discounts were ticked off of the grand total. It was a bigger total than usual.
"Thank you, ma'am," says the 19 year old checker, "You've saved $69.23 by using your Kroger card. Thank you for shopping at Kroger."
My groceries didn't fit into the two original carts. Apparently, once they were bagged, they expanded and had to be put in three carts. I got the usual help hauling my loot to my van.
And thus ended yet another grocery visit. Thank goodness!
Each trip to the grocery store is an event. These days, I go once a week. I spend about $150 to $250 each visit, depending on whether it's a week that we're low on the high budget items like laundry detergent, shampoos, diapers, etc.
EVERY time I go to the grocery store, I always get some kind of comment, like, "Wow! How long is this all going to last," or "Someone sure is hungry!" or something like that.
This week, I came up to the check-out with a full grocery cart. The guy who bags at the end gaped at me with a dropped jaw, "That's ALL yours?"
A checker happened to be walking by and said, "Oh, that's NOTHING! She usually gets more than that."
"That's right," I said, "I'm coming to leave this cart here and grab a second cart."
The bagger was clearly stunned, and I was wondering if there were not other people in all the world that got enough groceries to fill one cart, or was I the only one?
When I came back with my second cart some 30 minutes later, the checker at the line that I was pointing my second cart mimed, "Go to THAT line. Please, go to THAT line," and pointed desperately to the other open lane.
I mouthed back, "You're MEAN!"
He just grinned.
When I returned to retrieve my second cart, the mean checker eagerly came to help me push the second cart into the other line.
I then said, "Why, THANK YOU, so much. You are so kind!"
He laughed at that one.
Have I mentioned how old I feel when I go to the grocery store? Each visit, I feel older and older, particularly when I go on a Friday night when the grocery store employs all of their low-seniority employees. The high school students and fresh-out-of-high-school kids who need to work whenever they can get the hours. They were out in force tonight and all wondering why a woman would buy so many pickin' groceries!
The bagger in the second line asked me, "Will all of this last you for a month?!"
"A week."
"No way!"
"Yep. I just make a big pile and I get my big shovel and just shovel it in," and I then demonstrated my technique with pantomime.
"You must have pigs at home," he commented. This comment, when I relayed it to the kids later on, insulted them to no end.
However, I answered, "Feels like it sometimes."
Then, when all of the items were at last scanned, we all stood around the register monitor and watched agog as the grocery card was scanned and all of the Kroger discounts were ticked off of the grand total. It was a bigger total than usual.
"Thank you, ma'am," says the 19 year old checker, "You've saved $69.23 by using your Kroger card. Thank you for shopping at Kroger."
My groceries didn't fit into the two original carts. Apparently, once they were bagged, they expanded and had to be put in three carts. I got the usual help hauling my loot to my van.
And thus ended yet another grocery visit. Thank goodness!
Teen Dating
Happy birthday to my sister Beth! I hope your day today was extra special! I've been thinking about you.
Today, we went to the park to meet with some homeschool families. That was a very nice treat. I miss the homeschool community in California very much. I guess I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and get us enrolled in some of the activities at the homeschool group here. I've enjoyed the freedom of less responsibility in not being involved in a co-op, but I'm missing the camaraderie.
I got a chance to talk to one of the moms at the park about how they handle teen dating. Essentially, their 15-year-old daughter will not date while they have the care of her. She can go out in a group setting, but no one-on-one dating. This is essentially what we do with Keri Lynn. She is not allowed to date. In fact, we are encouraging her to wait to date anyone until she and the young man are ready for marriage. This means that even through college, she needs to be concentrating on school, getting through those studies, before she gets involved with a guy. We also want to be a big part of getting to know said young man and his family.
She is the only one that we know of in her youth group with such strict rules. The youth group is packed with dating kids, from junior high through high school. There are two couples joined at the hip, and there's a lot of general looseness as far as what the kids wear and how they act around each other that is disheartening, to say the least. Keri Lynn and I both wonder, as we talk about these issues, if we're the only ones that feel so strongly about maintaining purity at this important stage of life.
It is my heart's prayer that our Christian youth will experience a renewal of their love for Christ, and in so doing, change a lot of their behaviors that so easily pull them away from obedience to God. It may have to start with the adults. Gulp.
Today, we went to the park to meet with some homeschool families. That was a very nice treat. I miss the homeschool community in California very much. I guess I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and get us enrolled in some of the activities at the homeschool group here. I've enjoyed the freedom of less responsibility in not being involved in a co-op, but I'm missing the camaraderie.
I got a chance to talk to one of the moms at the park about how they handle teen dating. Essentially, their 15-year-old daughter will not date while they have the care of her. She can go out in a group setting, but no one-on-one dating. This is essentially what we do with Keri Lynn. She is not allowed to date. In fact, we are encouraging her to wait to date anyone until she and the young man are ready for marriage. This means that even through college, she needs to be concentrating on school, getting through those studies, before she gets involved with a guy. We also want to be a big part of getting to know said young man and his family.
She is the only one that we know of in her youth group with such strict rules. The youth group is packed with dating kids, from junior high through high school. There are two couples joined at the hip, and there's a lot of general looseness as far as what the kids wear and how they act around each other that is disheartening, to say the least. Keri Lynn and I both wonder, as we talk about these issues, if we're the only ones that feel so strongly about maintaining purity at this important stage of life.
It is my heart's prayer that our Christian youth will experience a renewal of their love for Christ, and in so doing, change a lot of their behaviors that so easily pull them away from obedience to God. It may have to start with the adults. Gulp.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
January Tornados
Keith called me from home late afternoon Sunday as I was coming home from picking up Keri Lynn from choir practice.
"Umm, how far away are you?"
"On my way home. Why?"
"Weather's not good. Make your way home as soon as you can."
I looked out the window and just saw a lot of murky weather. Everything was calm and quiet, but warmer than it should have been for that time of evening, which started making me feel a little nervous. Still, we got home just fine and tuned into the weather channel. The front was coming our way.
We're too far from town to hear any tornado warning sirens, but the local news and weather channel was extremely accurate about when to take ourselves down to the basement. It turns out that there was a F-2 tornado that touched down for about four minutes somewhere northeast of us. It was enough time to completely demolish one house and tear down lots of trees, sheds, detached garages and such.
I'd still pick tornadoes over earthquakes any day. At least there's a little warning. Maybe not too much at all in some cases, but some.
We hung out in our basement under the staircase and decided we should probably get a first-aid kit packed down there, along with blankets and water, and maybe some chairs to make us all a little more comfortable. We went down to the basement twice for about 15 minutes at a time before the storm blew over.
The kids were kind of jittery, but we explained to them that we were just being careful. Kody thought it was all great fun that we were all joining him in the basement where he ends up being placed at mealtimes.
Now that the storm has passed, the weather has turned a lot colder. All of a sudden, we're all wearing jackets again. The kids are going outside with long pants and shoes instead of shorts and bare feet (except Konner, of course). It's been so warm for the last two weeks that the flowers were starting to bloom and people were getting hay fever. Now, maybe plants and trees will close up again as we go back to winter.
A good freeze would be nice, too, to keep down the mosquito population in the summer. But only for a week. We'll see.
"Umm, how far away are you?"
"On my way home. Why?"
"Weather's not good. Make your way home as soon as you can."
I looked out the window and just saw a lot of murky weather. Everything was calm and quiet, but warmer than it should have been for that time of evening, which started making me feel a little nervous. Still, we got home just fine and tuned into the weather channel. The front was coming our way.
We're too far from town to hear any tornado warning sirens, but the local news and weather channel was extremely accurate about when to take ourselves down to the basement. It turns out that there was a F-2 tornado that touched down for about four minutes somewhere northeast of us. It was enough time to completely demolish one house and tear down lots of trees, sheds, detached garages and such.
I'd still pick tornadoes over earthquakes any day. At least there's a little warning. Maybe not too much at all in some cases, but some.
We hung out in our basement under the staircase and decided we should probably get a first-aid kit packed down there, along with blankets and water, and maybe some chairs to make us all a little more comfortable. We went down to the basement twice for about 15 minutes at a time before the storm blew over.
The kids were kind of jittery, but we explained to them that we were just being careful. Kody thought it was all great fun that we were all joining him in the basement where he ends up being placed at mealtimes.
Now that the storm has passed, the weather has turned a lot colder. All of a sudden, we're all wearing jackets again. The kids are going outside with long pants and shoes instead of shorts and bare feet (except Konner, of course). It's been so warm for the last two weeks that the flowers were starting to bloom and people were getting hay fever. Now, maybe plants and trees will close up again as we go back to winter.
A good freeze would be nice, too, to keep down the mosquito population in the summer. But only for a week. We'll see.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
A Birthday Letter to Konner
A birthday letter to my son, Konner . . .Dear Konner,
Today you are six years old. My baby is getting bigger, taller, faster every day.
Let me make a list of your current ailments:
1) You've got a yucky cough. I'm going to need to take you to the doctor tomorrow because your ears are starting to bother you. Today, I gave you Tylenol twice, bubblegum chewables, four instead of three because you're six now. Your nose is very goopy.
2) Your middle toe on your left foot hurts sometimes. You dislocated it last month. How does someone dislocate a middle toe? I don't know, but you figured out how.
3) The side of your face is scabbed over from a burn you received from fireworks from New Year's Eve. You were walking past Keri Lynn's sparkler and burning ash fell on your face. I think you'll heal just fine, but you look like you had an argument with the mean side of some asphalt and the asphalt won.
4) You've got some more scabs on your hand from a fall.
5) Dirt is forever swirling around you -- like Pig Pen in the Peanuts comic strip.
In short, you look like an orphan.
When I tease you about it, you roll your eyes and say, "Mo-om!"
But you really do look like an orphan. You didn't wear underwear for most of the day because it was too much of a bother to find some. Thank goodness modesty has kicked in so that you at least had pants on! I'm lucky if I can get shoes on you before you go play outside. It could be near freezing, and there you are barefoot playing in the mud in the back, snot stuck all around your face along with all of the dirt, scabs and bruises all over your body. A true boy.
Konner, you are such a sweet boy. I have always been able to count on you for the sweetest kisses on both my cheeks, snot and all. I can even get you to sit on my lap and cuddle, but I've noticed that it's a little less as the weeks and months go by. Too soon those precious little boy times will be over, but I'll have to get used to that because that means that you're growing up to be the man you're supposed to be.
You are a loner. You are independent. If you want to do something your way, you'll go ahead and do it no matter what anyone else says. If someone can't hear you, you get REALLY loud. Otherwise, you don't say much of anything at all. Kade does enough talking for the both of you, and that's fine with you, as long as you go along with it.
We have a joke, you and I. When everyone piles into the car, I count heads. When I get to you, I say, "Is Konner here?"
And you say, "I'm not here! I'm in the house watching TV!" or you'll come up with some other activity, "I'm not here! I'm playing in the back!"
We both think it's so funny!
You are the only one left in our family who has not made a formal commitment to the Lord, but you're young yet. It will come in due time. But when you pray, your heart seeks the Lord. You pray for "the whole wide world" so that you don't forget anything.
I've been studying the book of Daniel lately, so my prayer for you, Konner, is that the Lord will see you, like Daniel, as "a man of high esteem." What better commendation could there be than for God Almighty to think highly of His servant. May the Lord look on you, Konner, as you learn and grow, and see a man of high esteem.
With Love,
Mommy
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
A Sad Day
This afternoon, I was working on-line with The Dreaded Bills, when I heard Kylie wailing a death song.
Kody, Black Death, came and chewed up all of her Polly Pockets, most of which she had just received for Christmas. There were little arms and legs scattered everywhere. Polly Pocket Holocaust.
Later, Kathleen told me that they took the beloved pieces out to the backyard for burial. Fellow Polly Pocket owners came to support their friends in the loss. They buried the torsos in one place and the arms and legs in another. They were very sad, and Kody was not on the Most Favorite Dog List today.
Kody, Black Death, came and chewed up all of her Polly Pockets, most of which she had just received for Christmas. There were little arms and legs scattered everywhere. Polly Pocket Holocaust.
Later, Kathleen told me that they took the beloved pieces out to the backyard for burial. Fellow Polly Pocket owners came to support their friends in the loss. They buried the torsos in one place and the arms and legs in another. They were very sad, and Kody was not on the Most Favorite Dog List today.
Coughs and Bills
I took myself off to the doctor this morning because my blood pressure is still too high (not terrible, but not controlled either) and I've been battling a wicked little cough. The combination is wiping me out. So the doctor whisked into the room and out in about five minutes. I've learned to spit out my complaints quickly and ask questions in between breaths! I like this doctor, but he's got too many patients, I guess.
So now I'm home with antibiotics and cough relief meds of some kind AND another blood pressure medication. I used to take three blood pressure meds, all low doses, but spread throughout the day for better medication. I was doing so well early last year, that the doctor took me off one of them. Now, I think, over time and because I've probably (gulp) gained some weight back, I need that third medication again. Sigh. Once my cough is better, it will be nose to the grindstone again for me! Time to put my Get Health Plan into action!
Meanwhile, we're all enjoying the last day of Christmas vacation. We'll start back to school tomorrow. The bus will come for Keva at the wee hours of the morning and we'll get back to regular business.
Our tree is still up, although Keva has depleted most of its bulbs. It looks like we just took down all the decorations and left the lights on, but actually it's just that Keva broke most of the bulbs. I think we'll take it down this weekend and turn it in to a facility in downtown Newnan. It's called "Take one for the Chipper." : )
I started a load of laundry to put a dent in the mountain in the laundry room. My main motivation is to have clean clothes for Keva to wear to school!
I also need to pay a bunch of bills. I wish I could hire my own accountant! I hate to pay bills. I think it has something to do with adding up all the stuff we have to pay out and make it equal to or even less (ha!) than the stuff we take in!
Konner's burn on his cheek is looking much better. Thank God! It's now a couple of scabs on his cheek. It looks like his face met the pavement in one of his many accidents. That kid will be lucky to make it to adulthood. He's on his way, though! Tomorrow, my baby will be SIX! I feel like I've got to go hug him and smooch him now while I still can!
So now I'm home with antibiotics and cough relief meds of some kind AND another blood pressure medication. I used to take three blood pressure meds, all low doses, but spread throughout the day for better medication. I was doing so well early last year, that the doctor took me off one of them. Now, I think, over time and because I've probably (gulp) gained some weight back, I need that third medication again. Sigh. Once my cough is better, it will be nose to the grindstone again for me! Time to put my Get Health Plan into action!
Meanwhile, we're all enjoying the last day of Christmas vacation. We'll start back to school tomorrow. The bus will come for Keva at the wee hours of the morning and we'll get back to regular business.
Our tree is still up, although Keva has depleted most of its bulbs. It looks like we just took down all the decorations and left the lights on, but actually it's just that Keva broke most of the bulbs. I think we'll take it down this weekend and turn it in to a facility in downtown Newnan. It's called "Take one for the Chipper." : )
I started a load of laundry to put a dent in the mountain in the laundry room. My main motivation is to have clean clothes for Keva to wear to school!
I also need to pay a bunch of bills. I wish I could hire my own accountant! I hate to pay bills. I think it has something to do with adding up all the stuff we have to pay out and make it equal to or even less (ha!) than the stuff we take in!
Konner's burn on his cheek is looking much better. Thank God! It's now a couple of scabs on his cheek. It looks like his face met the pavement in one of his many accidents. That kid will be lucky to make it to adulthood. He's on his way, though! Tomorrow, my baby will be SIX! I feel like I've got to go hug him and smooch him now while I still can!
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
The demise of the Christmas tree
Mom: And what is this mess in the dining room? More bulbs broken! Keva! Kody!"
What is left of the Christmas tree decorations. Pretty pathetic.
Keva, taking on an innocent posture, chewing on a dining room napkin. Hmmmm.Happy 2007!
Happy New Year! Wow! 2007! How did that happen?!?
I've always enjoyed Mondays for a new start, so I really enjoy the new year. When I was a girl, I always started my diary first thing on New Year's morning. I was telling my own kids how much I enjoyed keeping a diary when I was a kid. So, Keri Lynn and Kathleen were both writing down their dearest thoughts while we all sat around the family room watching football and Biggest Looser marathon. I got to thinking that I still like to write in my diary, but now it's called a BLOG!
May I say at this moment that I love to watch The Biggest Looser, but I hate to miss episodes and not know the people involved. So I'd rather watch it in one big swipe. And that's exactly what I (mostly) did. Nearly 13 hours straight of Biggest Looser, only interrupted (ironically) when Keith took me to lunch for ribs! We also stopped by Michaels for yarn that I needed and hhgreggs to check out the new dishwashers on sale.
Since Ginny's visit last week, I've been busy working on crochet projects, too. She always inspires me to get back into crochet, so there I was, sitting on the couch, crocheting the cutest capelette and matching hat (two sets) and watching people lose hundreds of thousands of pounds while I digested ribs!
It did have an impact on me, though. I am going to lose weight this year. My habits needs some tweaking! More on that later . . .
Christmas went by in a bit of a blur.
Just to illustrate how much of a procrastinator I am, I'll tell you all about what happened two days before Christmas.
I went Christmas shopping.
I had already bought and sent gifts to family in California, but I had not gotten a thing for any of my kids yet. Part of the reason of why I waited was that I thought Keith might want to go with me to get the gifts, but when the day came when we had both money and time at the same time, he was wiped out. So I took myself off to Target and then to Michaels TWO days before Christmas. I've always been a procrastinator before, and sometimes it causes pain, but other times it's not so bad. This time, fortunately, it wasn't too bad.
I got some things that were the last things available -- the last two laser guns for the little boys, the very last remote control car for Kristofer, and a lot of things on sale. So I greedily held on to the cart while traveling around Target in quick fashion. Halfway through, I had to go to the bathroom VERY BADLY. But I couldn't chance someone taking my cart of toys that I had so carefully picked out. So I waited until I got to Michaels, a few stores down.
I got into Michaels with the express purpose of finding a restroom AND QUICK. I knew where the restrooms were at other Michaels stores, and essentially traversed the whole store twice before I finally found an employee to ask, "Please TELL. ME. WHERE. THE. RESTROOM. IS!" Never have I been so relieved (so to speak!)
Once I was back to relative sanity, I went back to the task at hand and got cross-stitch projects for Keri Lynn and Kathleen, a neat book on making your own machines for Kristofer . . . and then I was on to much more "important" things. Crochet projects for ME! Yippee! The total time I took looking through crochet books, studying yarns, picking out yarns, putting yarns back, etc. easily exceeded the time actually spent Christmas shopping for the kids. (Sad, very sad.) I wanted to make an afghan, but couldn't find one that was perfect, and -- in the long run -- finally decided I really didn't have the time to make one anyway. There were only a few days of actual vacation left!
So anyway, I got home late, and went to bed even later. This only began a vicious cycle.
"Very late to bed, semi-late to rise makes a homemaker . . . grumpy!"
Christmas Eve evening, I came home from getting much needed groceries, and Keith came home from helping in the Christmas Eve service (which the rest of us stayed home from because we were tired), and we opened up Grandpa Stan's Christmas present to all of us -- two new Veggie Tale videos and The Pirates of Caribbean 2. Once the kids were in bed, Keith watched the Pirates while I wrapped presents. Wrapping ALWAYS takes so much longer than I anticipate. You'd think I'd learn to give it more time! So it was another late night.
Christmas Day, Keith and I awoke to seven giddy kids. We took pictures and prolonged the agony as much as possible -- that's the job of the parent, you know, to prolong agony. We opened up gifts from family and the kids opened up the gifts we'd gotten them. It was a lot of fun. Even Kody got a couple of presents this year! Thank you so much to Mom and Rich, Dan and Jessica, Stan, Alice -- for adding an extra special bit of Christmas for us! Keri Lynn bought presents for her brothers and sisters with her own babysitting money. She gave Keith and I cold hard cash for a date night -- isn't that sweet! Hmm. Who are we going to get to babysit?
Later that evening, we broke out the Monopoly Here and Now version that Grandma Alice gave us. That was fun. There are airports instead of railroads. You get two million dollars instead of two hundred dollars for passing "Go". The tokens that go around the board are things like a cell phone or laptop.
By then, I was EXHAUSTED. This vacation time can be really tiring!
The day after Christmas became a mad rush to put things in order for house guests. I steam cleaned the chairs and carpets. Kids cleaned up rooms.
Ginny came with her kids on Tuesday and stayed through Saturday morning. The kids completely entertained themselves. We all got to bed late every single night, but also got to sleep in a bit, too.
We pretty much stayed close to home except for a trip to the dollar theater in Fayeteville where we went to go see Facing the Giants. Our family had not gone to see it yet, but Ginny and kids had seen in a couple of times at least. I'm planning to get it when it comes out on DVD. It was a very powerful movie and I highly recommend it.
Ginny and I also went out a few times shopping at Michaels and Goodwill. We also had dinner at Panera Bread. Ginny had been there before, but I hadn't. WOW! Talk about flavor. Panera Bread specializes in bread -- shocking, huh! -- but it also has some amazing salads, sandwiches, soups and baked goods. It's an Italian Bistro of sorts with Wii connectors and other yuppy-type delights. I felt very chic eating there and knew I would never be able to get Keith to set foot in such a place! But it is perfect for girlfriends. So we sat and gabbed and ate food bursting with flavor.
At home, we ate pretty well, too. We made a couple of batches of that easy fudge and then I tried to make some divinity. The divinity was tricky because you really need a candy thermometer to make it come out just right. I don't think I let the sugar dissolve enough, though, so it was a little on the gooey side. Ginny taught me how to make fried cheese toast, and I will never think of cheese and bread in the same way again -- Mmmmm-mmmmm!
All in all, it was a successful time together. The kids are already planning the next get-together. We think we're going to have the Kings over again for a few days in the summer, then make a kid swap where Ginny takes the girls back to her house and I'll keep the boys. Then, we'll come down to Florida to visit with them for a few more days and swap back kids again.
We don't start back to school until this Thursday. I'm thankful for a little longer reprieve as we adjust back to real life. Eating too much, watching too much TV, not exercising, going to bed too late and getting up too late can be REALLY EXHAUSTING!
Next on the agenda is Konner's birthday. He turns SIX on January 4. He's really excited.
Keith shot off fireworks for the New Year, and Konner had a encounter with one of them. But it wasn't one of the big bad fireworks that got him, but the kind that you hold like sparklers. The burning ash got on his cheek and took off a layer of skin. We hope he doesn't scar. It hurt him initially, but it hasn't bothered him much since except for itching. It's kind of like getting sunburned, I think. We'll have to keep an eye on it.
I have not gotten even close to sending out our Christmas letters. This is a BAD sign for me. If I don't even have the letter ready to be printed out after the New Year, it usually doesn't get done at all. My biggest motivation, though, is to get people to go to my blog and find out about how we're doing that way. By next year, I may be at the point where I'm just sending out postcards saying "Go to blog" and just be done with it. However, there are still plenty of people on my Christmas letter list that don't have much to do with computers, so I don't know if I'll really do that or if perhaps I'll just curtail the list. I really enjoy the letters that I get from everyone else, but that's been dwindling, too, with the onset of digital pictures and web pages.
I've always enjoyed Mondays for a new start, so I really enjoy the new year. When I was a girl, I always started my diary first thing on New Year's morning. I was telling my own kids how much I enjoyed keeping a diary when I was a kid. So, Keri Lynn and Kathleen were both writing down their dearest thoughts while we all sat around the family room watching football and Biggest Looser marathon. I got to thinking that I still like to write in my diary, but now it's called a BLOG!
May I say at this moment that I love to watch The Biggest Looser, but I hate to miss episodes and not know the people involved. So I'd rather watch it in one big swipe. And that's exactly what I (mostly) did. Nearly 13 hours straight of Biggest Looser, only interrupted (ironically) when Keith took me to lunch for ribs! We also stopped by Michaels for yarn that I needed and hhgreggs to check out the new dishwashers on sale.
Since Ginny's visit last week, I've been busy working on crochet projects, too. She always inspires me to get back into crochet, so there I was, sitting on the couch, crocheting the cutest capelette and matching hat (two sets) and watching people lose hundreds of thousands of pounds while I digested ribs!
It did have an impact on me, though. I am going to lose weight this year. My habits needs some tweaking! More on that later . . .
Christmas went by in a bit of a blur.
Just to illustrate how much of a procrastinator I am, I'll tell you all about what happened two days before Christmas.
I went Christmas shopping.
I had already bought and sent gifts to family in California, but I had not gotten a thing for any of my kids yet. Part of the reason of why I waited was that I thought Keith might want to go with me to get the gifts, but when the day came when we had both money and time at the same time, he was wiped out. So I took myself off to Target and then to Michaels TWO days before Christmas. I've always been a procrastinator before, and sometimes it causes pain, but other times it's not so bad. This time, fortunately, it wasn't too bad.
I got some things that were the last things available -- the last two laser guns for the little boys, the very last remote control car for Kristofer, and a lot of things on sale. So I greedily held on to the cart while traveling around Target in quick fashion. Halfway through, I had to go to the bathroom VERY BADLY. But I couldn't chance someone taking my cart of toys that I had so carefully picked out. So I waited until I got to Michaels, a few stores down.
I got into Michaels with the express purpose of finding a restroom AND QUICK. I knew where the restrooms were at other Michaels stores, and essentially traversed the whole store twice before I finally found an employee to ask, "Please TELL. ME. WHERE. THE. RESTROOM. IS!" Never have I been so relieved (so to speak!)
Once I was back to relative sanity, I went back to the task at hand and got cross-stitch projects for Keri Lynn and Kathleen, a neat book on making your own machines for Kristofer . . . and then I was on to much more "important" things. Crochet projects for ME! Yippee! The total time I took looking through crochet books, studying yarns, picking out yarns, putting yarns back, etc. easily exceeded the time actually spent Christmas shopping for the kids. (Sad, very sad.) I wanted to make an afghan, but couldn't find one that was perfect, and -- in the long run -- finally decided I really didn't have the time to make one anyway. There were only a few days of actual vacation left!
So anyway, I got home late, and went to bed even later. This only began a vicious cycle.
"Very late to bed, semi-late to rise makes a homemaker . . . grumpy!"
Christmas Eve evening, I came home from getting much needed groceries, and Keith came home from helping in the Christmas Eve service (which the rest of us stayed home from because we were tired), and we opened up Grandpa Stan's Christmas present to all of us -- two new Veggie Tale videos and The Pirates of Caribbean 2. Once the kids were in bed, Keith watched the Pirates while I wrapped presents. Wrapping ALWAYS takes so much longer than I anticipate. You'd think I'd learn to give it more time! So it was another late night.
Christmas Day, Keith and I awoke to seven giddy kids. We took pictures and prolonged the agony as much as possible -- that's the job of the parent, you know, to prolong agony. We opened up gifts from family and the kids opened up the gifts we'd gotten them. It was a lot of fun. Even Kody got a couple of presents this year! Thank you so much to Mom and Rich, Dan and Jessica, Stan, Alice -- for adding an extra special bit of Christmas for us! Keri Lynn bought presents for her brothers and sisters with her own babysitting money. She gave Keith and I cold hard cash for a date night -- isn't that sweet! Hmm. Who are we going to get to babysit?
Later that evening, we broke out the Monopoly Here and Now version that Grandma Alice gave us. That was fun. There are airports instead of railroads. You get two million dollars instead of two hundred dollars for passing "Go". The tokens that go around the board are things like a cell phone or laptop.
By then, I was EXHAUSTED. This vacation time can be really tiring!
The day after Christmas became a mad rush to put things in order for house guests. I steam cleaned the chairs and carpets. Kids cleaned up rooms.
Ginny came with her kids on Tuesday and stayed through Saturday morning. The kids completely entertained themselves. We all got to bed late every single night, but also got to sleep in a bit, too.
We pretty much stayed close to home except for a trip to the dollar theater in Fayeteville where we went to go see Facing the Giants. Our family had not gone to see it yet, but Ginny and kids had seen in a couple of times at least. I'm planning to get it when it comes out on DVD. It was a very powerful movie and I highly recommend it.
Ginny and I also went out a few times shopping at Michaels and Goodwill. We also had dinner at Panera Bread. Ginny had been there before, but I hadn't. WOW! Talk about flavor. Panera Bread specializes in bread -- shocking, huh! -- but it also has some amazing salads, sandwiches, soups and baked goods. It's an Italian Bistro of sorts with Wii connectors and other yuppy-type delights. I felt very chic eating there and knew I would never be able to get Keith to set foot in such a place! But it is perfect for girlfriends. So we sat and gabbed and ate food bursting with flavor.
At home, we ate pretty well, too. We made a couple of batches of that easy fudge and then I tried to make some divinity. The divinity was tricky because you really need a candy thermometer to make it come out just right. I don't think I let the sugar dissolve enough, though, so it was a little on the gooey side. Ginny taught me how to make fried cheese toast, and I will never think of cheese and bread in the same way again -- Mmmmm-mmmmm!
All in all, it was a successful time together. The kids are already planning the next get-together. We think we're going to have the Kings over again for a few days in the summer, then make a kid swap where Ginny takes the girls back to her house and I'll keep the boys. Then, we'll come down to Florida to visit with them for a few more days and swap back kids again.
We don't start back to school until this Thursday. I'm thankful for a little longer reprieve as we adjust back to real life. Eating too much, watching too much TV, not exercising, going to bed too late and getting up too late can be REALLY EXHAUSTING!
Next on the agenda is Konner's birthday. He turns SIX on January 4. He's really excited.
Keith shot off fireworks for the New Year, and Konner had a encounter with one of them. But it wasn't one of the big bad fireworks that got him, but the kind that you hold like sparklers. The burning ash got on his cheek and took off a layer of skin. We hope he doesn't scar. It hurt him initially, but it hasn't bothered him much since except for itching. It's kind of like getting sunburned, I think. We'll have to keep an eye on it.
I have not gotten even close to sending out our Christmas letters. This is a BAD sign for me. If I don't even have the letter ready to be printed out after the New Year, it usually doesn't get done at all. My biggest motivation, though, is to get people to go to my blog and find out about how we're doing that way. By next year, I may be at the point where I'm just sending out postcards saying "Go to blog" and just be done with it. However, there are still plenty of people on my Christmas letter list that don't have much to do with computers, so I don't know if I'll really do that or if perhaps I'll just curtail the list. I really enjoy the letters that I get from everyone else, but that's been dwindling, too, with the onset of digital pictures and web pages.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Christmas Eve
On Christmas Eve, we let the kids open a gift that we got from Papa Stan -- two Veggie Tale movies and Pirates of the Caribbean II.
The kids also opened a beautiful Christmas basket from Mac's family, chalk full of candy, soda and other goodies.
Keri Lynn is pleased with the newest DVD aquisition. I'm sure it would have nothing to do with the fact that Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom are in it.
We enjoyed our movie night by eating scads of popcorn with special flavoring we got from Grandma Waynel and Grandpa Rich. Nothing goes better with a movie than popcorn.
Kylie shows off a present in front of our beverage of choice -- Hot Cocoa in big red mugs!
Keith was the first to discover Veggie Tales at a homeschool convention back in 1996. He's a pioneer of sorts.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
The Christmas Tree
We went to Home Depot again to search for a tree. This year, though, we came a couple of weeks later. The pickin's were slim, but we found one tree that would do the job.
"Love, true love . . . Marriage, that blessed arrangement . . . A dream within a dream . . . " Who can tell me where that quote comes from? : )
Trees are way cheaper in Georgia than in California! It so happens that our tree was supposed to be out of stock, but we found one anyway! It was a few feet shorter than last year's tree, but it was a lot easier to drag into the house!
"Oh, look at this cute tree. I wonder how much it is!"
"And another tree! This one is a sturdy one!"
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Keva absolutely LOVES the tree. She hovered around it adoringly as we decorated it. It is all we can do now to keep her from removing every last bulb. Just like last year, she loves to take the bulbs and smash them to smithereens on the floor. And now Kody has found this a fun new activity as well. I think he's swallowed a few bulbs whole. If he survives Christmas, it will be a miracle.
Keith strung the lights, the kids put up the bulbs, and I "supervised". You can kind of see Keva in the background sitting on the floor gazing at the tree.
It was Kade's turn to put the star on the top of the tree. I love the tree topper. We bought it last year. It's a star shaped with thorns.
Kade was very relieved to finish his job because the ladder is pretty high!Tuesday, December 19, 2006
A Letter to Kade
To my son,
Congratulations, Kade! You made it to your seventh birthday. It was a little touch-and-go there for a few years, what with the many times you tried to kill yourself and the many times I felt like killing you myself. Incidents involving toilet paper, baby wipes, diaper ointment, Epsom salt, Tums . . .
But, Oh! When it came right down to it, and I'd look into your sweet brown eyes, murderous intentions seeped out of my soul and I'd give you a great big hug instead.
Today, I got the chance to give you another great big hug and sing you happy birthday.
You are now in first grade. I teach you and Konner at the breakfast table each school day, or at least whenever I get to it. You can count to 100. You struggle with your alphabet. You really don't appreciate the fine art of penmanship. Sitting still for family Bible time is torture. Still, when you're in the scholastic mood, you'll write your name in cursive and you'll write out your own math problems.
Kade, you are such a pleaser. You'll come home with big tears in your eyes when a friend has said something mean, and the next day (or even the next hour) there you'll be playing with that same friend as if nothing had happened. You like to pick the same kinds of clothes, food, toys as the others, so you can be alike. You tell stories with such drama. You love to say, "That's awesome!" and you call everybody "Dude."
You love to watch Pixar movies. You and Konner take them up to your room and watch them so many times that you memorize the lines. Lately, it's been the movie Cars.
For your birthday, you got $34. And from your birthday party two days ago until we finally got in the van to go to Target today, that money was all you talked about. What would you get? "I know! I'm going to get a nerf gun like Kristofer's!" "No, I'm going to get a car set!" "Mommy, which one should I get?!" "When are we going to go SHOPPING?!"
I was pretty sure we'd be stuck at Target for days as you wandered the aisles. But actually, you cataloged all of the possible items very carefully in your brain. I helped you add up the money and figure out various combinations of prized toys. You settled on a skateboard (assuring me that you had the elbow/knee pads at home), a dart board (just like Ryan and Brandon's!) and a set of Hot Wheels. Life is good!
There are certain things that I always want to remember about you, Kade. One of them is that you are always hungry. There is not a day that goes by where you don't think you might die of starvation. However, I will never allow you to eat two bowls of chili again. You are lethal with two bowls of chili.
You're very strong. You're built like a brick. Where Konner is taller and leaner, you're solid. You're not fat at all, but you're not skinny either. You outweigh Kylie by a couple of pounds, even though you're a little shorter than she is and a year and a half younger! You were in a contest in RAs a few months back to see who could hold their hands up in front of them the longest. You won for your age group and came in second for all the boys up to fifth grade. You were very proud of this accomplishment! When we got into the car, you played this game of fortitude with all of your brothers and sisters and you beat them easily!
Kade, my prayer for you is that the Lord will grasp you by your heart and never let go. May He always be at the very center of your life.
I had a vision about you, once, when you were just a baby. You had a very hot fever. I was really worried. I held you to me and kept a cool washcloth to your head and body, praying that you would be okay. I saw a glimpse into your future. You were a pastor. You were married. There was pain in your life, people had hurt you, but you were a stronger, more godly person because of it. And I knew you would be okay. I knew I could trust the Lord to care for you far more than I ever could.
Whether it was a vision from God or just a hope, I don't know. I won't know until you're grown up. In the meantime, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord's face shine upon you until He comes. Amen.
Love,
Your Mom
Congratulations, Kade! You made it to your seventh birthday. It was a little touch-and-go there for a few years, what with the many times you tried to kill yourself and the many times I felt like killing you myself. Incidents involving toilet paper, baby wipes, diaper ointment, Epsom salt, Tums . . .
But, Oh! When it came right down to it, and I'd look into your sweet brown eyes, murderous intentions seeped out of my soul and I'd give you a great big hug instead.
Today, I got the chance to give you another great big hug and sing you happy birthday.
You are now in first grade. I teach you and Konner at the breakfast table each school day, or at least whenever I get to it. You can count to 100. You struggle with your alphabet. You really don't appreciate the fine art of penmanship. Sitting still for family Bible time is torture. Still, when you're in the scholastic mood, you'll write your name in cursive and you'll write out your own math problems.
Kade, you are such a pleaser. You'll come home with big tears in your eyes when a friend has said something mean, and the next day (or even the next hour) there you'll be playing with that same friend as if nothing had happened. You like to pick the same kinds of clothes, food, toys as the others, so you can be alike. You tell stories with such drama. You love to say, "That's awesome!" and you call everybody "Dude."
You love to watch Pixar movies. You and Konner take them up to your room and watch them so many times that you memorize the lines. Lately, it's been the movie Cars.
For your birthday, you got $34. And from your birthday party two days ago until we finally got in the van to go to Target today, that money was all you talked about. What would you get? "I know! I'm going to get a nerf gun like Kristofer's!" "No, I'm going to get a car set!" "Mommy, which one should I get?!" "When are we going to go SHOPPING?!"
I was pretty sure we'd be stuck at Target for days as you wandered the aisles. But actually, you cataloged all of the possible items very carefully in your brain. I helped you add up the money and figure out various combinations of prized toys. You settled on a skateboard (assuring me that you had the elbow/knee pads at home), a dart board (just like Ryan and Brandon's!) and a set of Hot Wheels. Life is good!
There are certain things that I always want to remember about you, Kade. One of them is that you are always hungry. There is not a day that goes by where you don't think you might die of starvation. However, I will never allow you to eat two bowls of chili again. You are lethal with two bowls of chili.
You're very strong. You're built like a brick. Where Konner is taller and leaner, you're solid. You're not fat at all, but you're not skinny either. You outweigh Kylie by a couple of pounds, even though you're a little shorter than she is and a year and a half younger! You were in a contest in RAs a few months back to see who could hold their hands up in front of them the longest. You won for your age group and came in second for all the boys up to fifth grade. You were very proud of this accomplishment! When we got into the car, you played this game of fortitude with all of your brothers and sisters and you beat them easily!
Kade, my prayer for you is that the Lord will grasp you by your heart and never let go. May He always be at the very center of your life.
I had a vision about you, once, when you were just a baby. You had a very hot fever. I was really worried. I held you to me and kept a cool washcloth to your head and body, praying that you would be okay. I saw a glimpse into your future. You were a pastor. You were married. There was pain in your life, people had hurt you, but you were a stronger, more godly person because of it. And I knew you would be okay. I knew I could trust the Lord to care for you far more than I ever could.
Whether it was a vision from God or just a hope, I don't know. I won't know until you're grown up. In the meantime, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord's face shine upon you until He comes. Amen.
Love,
Your Mom
Monday, December 18, 2006
Kade turns seven!
We played games in the backyard -- Survivor! -- Here they are seeing who can hold their arms out in front for the longest. We also had a foot race, obstacle course, paper airplane toss, the mandatory "fork and spoon" game, and more!
Here are some of Kade's guests. Kristofer is part of the action, of course.
Kade, picking the candles and decorations from his cake. Keri Lynn and Kathleen helped me bake a checkered three-layer cake. We served Lifesaver icecream with it. It was a big hit.
"Happy birthday to you, Kade!"
He's so proud of himself!
This was Kody's first Johnson birthday bash, so we gave him a medal for being such a well-mannered dog.
Present time! Very exciting!
Kade gets a tool set so that now he can help Daddy with projects around the house.They're running amuck!
The kids are being allowed to run amuck today, as I try to figure out where I misplaced any sense of discipline. We are supposed to have two more days of school before vacation officially starts. Um. Maybe we'll "unofficially" start today. Shhhhh.
Yesterday, we had Kade's birthday party. There were about six neighbor kids, plus Kade's own brothers and sisters, a sister's friend, and two neighbors' little sisters with their moms. I ran a bunch of games in the backyard, followed by a bunch of games in the living room, before we had birthday cake and sent all of the guests home in a sugar-induced coma. I think everyone had a nice time, and now I've got to figure out when to take Kade to go spend his birthday money that is burning a hole in his britches -- The kid is loaded with $24, and he's got BIG plans.
Saturday was clean-up for party day, a trip to get a Christmas tree, Keith put up lights outside the house, followed by an evening wedding over at our church.
The wedding was SO ELEGANT! Absolutely beautiful. I take back EVERYTHING I said about the insanity of having a wedding at Christmas. Beautiful music, candles everywhere, the bride (from my Bible study group) was gorgeous, the groom looked like he was about 17 (but in love, nevertheless!) Eight bridesmaids and eight groomsmen. I kept thinking about my own kids a few short years from now. I've always told them, "You'll be able to recognize me right away. I'll be the mom bawling in the front row!"
One of the pieces played at the wedding was Claire de Lune which was the theme music for Kiera Knightly's version of Pride and Prejudice. So beautiful (have I said that already?) and romantic. I think I'm going to try to get ahold of that music.
Speaking of music, I highly recommend anything by the Annie Moses Band. You can get it through Amazon. They are incredible. They came to our church last month and played some of their Christmas selections. Six siblings plus parents and about three others that do bass, drums and sound. Lots and lots of talent. Anyway, we have their Christmas CD Bethlehem, House of Bread. It is a joy to listen to. It features violin. Annie Moses, the lead vocal, sounds like a cross between Twila Paris and Evie. Listening to the Bethlehem CD will probably become a Christmas tradition.
Yesterday, we had Kade's birthday party. There were about six neighbor kids, plus Kade's own brothers and sisters, a sister's friend, and two neighbors' little sisters with their moms. I ran a bunch of games in the backyard, followed by a bunch of games in the living room, before we had birthday cake and sent all of the guests home in a sugar-induced coma. I think everyone had a nice time, and now I've got to figure out when to take Kade to go spend his birthday money that is burning a hole in his britches -- The kid is loaded with $24, and he's got BIG plans.
Saturday was clean-up for party day, a trip to get a Christmas tree, Keith put up lights outside the house, followed by an evening wedding over at our church.
The wedding was SO ELEGANT! Absolutely beautiful. I take back EVERYTHING I said about the insanity of having a wedding at Christmas. Beautiful music, candles everywhere, the bride (from my Bible study group) was gorgeous, the groom looked like he was about 17 (but in love, nevertheless!) Eight bridesmaids and eight groomsmen. I kept thinking about my own kids a few short years from now. I've always told them, "You'll be able to recognize me right away. I'll be the mom bawling in the front row!"
One of the pieces played at the wedding was Claire de Lune which was the theme music for Kiera Knightly's version of Pride and Prejudice. So beautiful (have I said that already?) and romantic. I think I'm going to try to get ahold of that music.
Speaking of music, I highly recommend anything by the Annie Moses Band. You can get it through Amazon. They are incredible. They came to our church last month and played some of their Christmas selections. Six siblings plus parents and about three others that do bass, drums and sound. Lots and lots of talent. Anyway, we have their Christmas CD Bethlehem, House of Bread. It is a joy to listen to. It features violin. Annie Moses, the lead vocal, sounds like a cross between Twila Paris and Evie. Listening to the Bethlehem CD will probably become a Christmas tradition.
Friday, December 15, 2006
A to Z
A - Available/Single?
Um, no.
B - Best Friend?
My Sweetie-pie. One of the things I enjoy most about Keith is that we can talk about anything. When there is something troubling me, he's the one I'll want to talk to first. I love you, Keith!
C- Cake or Pie?
Cake, particularly wedding cake, with that glorious frosting!
D - Drink Of Choice?
Forget coffee. Cold caffeinated soda at breakfast. Currently, cherry-flavored cola. (I know, I know -- SO HEALTHY!)
E - Essential Item You Use Everyday?
My walkman that plays my books on tape. I LOVE that thing. I spend a lot of time trying to figure out where I put it down last? At the computer? By the phone? Where I keep my purse? Argh! Misplaced it again!
F - Favorite Color?
Blue
G - Gummy Bears or Worms?
That's a toughie. Bears, I guess.
H - Hometown?
I grew up as a missionary kid, so I never lived in one place for longer than two years. Even going through high school, college and early married life, I was always moving. The longest I've ever been in one place is our L.A. house for seven years, by far, the longest stay yet. Let's see what the Lord has in store for us here in Newnan!
I - Indulgence?
A massage. A pedicure. Dinner and a movie with Keith. Hours alone at the library. (It's so remarkably quiet there!)
J - January or February?
January, for the same reason I like Mondays -- a fresh start.
K - Kids?
Seven kids that teach me a lot about myself. Especially how selfish and obnoxious I can be when they mirror things that I do. Eek!
L - Life Is Incomplete Without?
God. The I AM.
M - Marriage Date?
July 16, 1988. Why does that sound like Ancient Times?
N- Number Of Siblings?
Two brothers, two sisters -- all of whom I beg to read this blog!
O - Oranges or Apples?
Oranges
P - Phobias/Fears?
Being trapped in an earthquake and having a fire start and not be able to get to my kids. (Had to really hand that one over to the Lord, and thankfully, He took it!)
Q - Favorite Quote?
"Behold, I make all things new!"
R - Reason to Smile?
My family.
S - Season?
Spring
T – Tag?
Whoever wants to answer these questions.
U - Unknown Fact about Me?
Good grief! I talk about everything going on about me ad naseum.
V - Vegetable you don't like?
Beets (except cold in a salad -- then they're pretty and okay to eat), peas, lima beans, and (if too bitter) brussel sprouts.
W - Worst Habit?
Yelling at the kids when I'm the one who needs to go take a nap.
X - X-rays You've Had?
This question might explain a lot about me! 1) Brain for some weird thing I had as a child 2) Lungs (for possible pneumonia/bronchitis) 3) Breast (for what turned out to be a benign lump when I was 22), 4) broken middle finger 5) NECK (cracked vertebra -- that's right -- I technically broke my neck)
Y - Your Favorite Food?
Currently, El Charro #44, with the chips and salsa.
Z - Zodiac Sign?
What a waste of time! I'd rather study signs, wonders, prophecies in scripture.
Um, no.
B - Best Friend?
My Sweetie-pie. One of the things I enjoy most about Keith is that we can talk about anything. When there is something troubling me, he's the one I'll want to talk to first. I love you, Keith!
C- Cake or Pie?
Cake, particularly wedding cake, with that glorious frosting!
D - Drink Of Choice?
Forget coffee. Cold caffeinated soda at breakfast. Currently, cherry-flavored cola. (I know, I know -- SO HEALTHY!)
E - Essential Item You Use Everyday?
My walkman that plays my books on tape. I LOVE that thing. I spend a lot of time trying to figure out where I put it down last? At the computer? By the phone? Where I keep my purse? Argh! Misplaced it again!
F - Favorite Color?
Blue
G - Gummy Bears or Worms?
That's a toughie. Bears, I guess.
H - Hometown?
I grew up as a missionary kid, so I never lived in one place for longer than two years. Even going through high school, college and early married life, I was always moving. The longest I've ever been in one place is our L.A. house for seven years, by far, the longest stay yet. Let's see what the Lord has in store for us here in Newnan!
I - Indulgence?
A massage. A pedicure. Dinner and a movie with Keith. Hours alone at the library. (It's so remarkably quiet there!)
J - January or February?
January, for the same reason I like Mondays -- a fresh start.
K - Kids?
Seven kids that teach me a lot about myself. Especially how selfish and obnoxious I can be when they mirror things that I do. Eek!
L - Life Is Incomplete Without?
God. The I AM.
M - Marriage Date?
July 16, 1988. Why does that sound like Ancient Times?
N- Number Of Siblings?
Two brothers, two sisters -- all of whom I beg to read this blog!
O - Oranges or Apples?
Oranges
P - Phobias/Fears?
Being trapped in an earthquake and having a fire start and not be able to get to my kids. (Had to really hand that one over to the Lord, and thankfully, He took it!)
Q - Favorite Quote?
"Behold, I make all things new!"
R - Reason to Smile?
My family.
S - Season?
Spring
T – Tag?
Whoever wants to answer these questions.
U - Unknown Fact about Me?
Good grief! I talk about everything going on about me ad naseum.
V - Vegetable you don't like?
Beets (except cold in a salad -- then they're pretty and okay to eat), peas, lima beans, and (if too bitter) brussel sprouts.
W - Worst Habit?
Yelling at the kids when I'm the one who needs to go take a nap.
X - X-rays You've Had?
This question might explain a lot about me! 1) Brain for some weird thing I had as a child 2) Lungs (for possible pneumonia/bronchitis) 3) Breast (for what turned out to be a benign lump when I was 22), 4) broken middle finger 5) NECK (cracked vertebra -- that's right -- I technically broke my neck)
Y - Your Favorite Food?
Currently, El Charro #44, with the chips and salsa.
Z - Zodiac Sign?
What a waste of time! I'd rather study signs, wonders, prophecies in scripture.
Friday Afternoon
Kody poses with Keri Lynn for ANOTHER picture.
Kody is tired of posing for pictures . . . wants to go sit on my feet instead.
Keva is home from a "grueling" school schedule. She had her class Christmas party and the class went bowling, too! I sent her on the bus today with 1) Christmas mugs for the teacher/aides 2) a platter of my famous fudge for their party 3) a picture book for the student gift exchange 4) $ for bowling 5) two wire trees with candy for sweet bus driver and bus aide. Whew!
Come on, smile Keva . . .
There we go!
Who's been messing around in MY kitchen?
It's tough being a short cook.Bump on a Log
I've been such a bump on a log lately, and having a hard time just getting the regular things done. I think mostly I'm just worried about my health. My blood pressure has been up. My weight does not go down. I need to start walking again and eating better . . . tomorrow . . . That's my trouble. I don't WANT to do any of that responsible stuff. I want to do FUN stuff and I want to EAT FUN stuff.
At any rate, I'm starting to formulate a plan for getting serious about getting healthy. More later . . .
I started working on the Christmas letter today. I think I'll address envelopes tonight while we watch the Christmas Story on TV. I know it sounds kind of dorky, but I actually love addressing envelopes. I always write the addresses out by hand and I get to think about each addressee and I feel glad that I'm sending them a little piece of Christmas, however small. But by the time I've gotten to the folding, stuffing and stamping, and Christmas is ever looming (or worse -- PAST!), that's when I get stressed out. Ugh!
I finally figured out what to do about Kade's birthday party. We'll have it on Sunday afternoon at 2:00. That's a nice time of day and not near meal time. It's not that I don't want to feed kids a meal at the birthday party. It's just next to impossible to sit six and seven-year-olds down to actually eat something. I told Kade The Plan, and he did a little jig. (He's so easy to please!)
Every year, I tell myself that I'm going to need to plan a party for Kade earlier in the month so that it's not so close to Christmas. His actual birthday is on the 19th -- poor guy. But then early in the month is probably even busier than around the 19th because of all of the Christmas parties and shopping.
Last year, the only neighbor we knew was Mac -- bless his heart! We had only been in our house for about five or six weeks. Mac was the sole guest of honor at both Kade and Konner's parties. Happily, he's coming this year, too, but won't be the only one. I'll be taking pictures and putting it on the blog which has turned into my new scrapbook.
At any rate, I'm starting to formulate a plan for getting serious about getting healthy. More later . . .
I started working on the Christmas letter today. I think I'll address envelopes tonight while we watch the Christmas Story on TV. I know it sounds kind of dorky, but I actually love addressing envelopes. I always write the addresses out by hand and I get to think about each addressee and I feel glad that I'm sending them a little piece of Christmas, however small. But by the time I've gotten to the folding, stuffing and stamping, and Christmas is ever looming (or worse -- PAST!), that's when I get stressed out. Ugh!
I finally figured out what to do about Kade's birthday party. We'll have it on Sunday afternoon at 2:00. That's a nice time of day and not near meal time. It's not that I don't want to feed kids a meal at the birthday party. It's just next to impossible to sit six and seven-year-olds down to actually eat something. I told Kade The Plan, and he did a little jig. (He's so easy to please!)
Every year, I tell myself that I'm going to need to plan a party for Kade earlier in the month so that it's not so close to Christmas. His actual birthday is on the 19th -- poor guy. But then early in the month is probably even busier than around the 19th because of all of the Christmas parties and shopping.
Last year, the only neighbor we knew was Mac -- bless his heart! We had only been in our house for about five or six weeks. Mac was the sole guest of honor at both Kade and Konner's parties. Happily, he's coming this year, too, but won't be the only one. I'll be taking pictures and putting it on the blog which has turned into my new scrapbook.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
More Pictures
Kathleen in her now-famous curls. She twists a lock of hair and then rolls it up for the night and comes out looking like Cover Girl.
Konner's poor toe
Kylie is working on a Strawberry Shortcake puzzle she borrowed from the library. We are missing a piece that unfortunately got lost in the car when she opened the box on the way home from the library.
Kristofer with Kody. I just love Kristofer's sweet profile in this picture.
"Mama, don't let your sons grow up to be cowboys!"
Kody puts up with a lot of "attention" from the shorter people of the family.
Kade got this nasty scrape at the tip of his nose. When asked how he got it, he shrugs, "I don't know!"Konner's Disclocated Middle Toe
Whew! I'm glad it's today and not yesterday.
Yesterday, I got up at 5:15 (having gone to bed after midnight -- I'm such an idiot!) and took Keri Lynn to the airport for her ortho visit to California. When I got home, I got Keva ready for school, prepared Keith's lunch, sent Keith on his way to work, made sure all kids were properly fed and Kody taken out to do his business before announcing:
"MOMMY IS GOING TO TAKE A NAP! NO ONE BOTHER ME UNLESS THERE IS BLOOD!"
About 90 minutes into a semi-good nap, I heard Konner screaming a high pitched "this really hurts!" cry. So up I dragged myself out of bed where Konner was waiting for me at my bedroom door. Kristofer was supporting him and I looked down at his left foot middle toe that looked oddly askew.
"Ewwww!" was my first reply. I had a momentary impulse to just kind of shove the little piggy right back into its socket, but was not sure if it was merely dislocated or possibly broken. So, I ordered Kristofer to take him back to the couch while I made the necessary calls.
First we went to the pediatrician who then referred us for X-rays and an orthopedic doctor. Konner's toe had been injured at about 10:45, but by the time we finally got to see the orthopedist, it was nearly 3:00. He took one look at the toe and said, "Oh yeah, that's dislocated. Has he had anything to eat lately?"
"Ah, no . . . "
"Can't give him general anesthesia then. How does he feel about shots?"
"Well, he's pretty stoic, really. He'll do fine."
And he did. I sat next to Konner while he got a numbing shot in his foot. That was the worst part. Then the doctor just snapped the toe back into place in about THREE SECONDS, and then we got another X-ray to make sure all was right with the world, and we were free to go home.
Konner is supposed to be sure to wear shoes for the next two weeks and keep the toe strapped to another toe for support. Hmmm. So far, not so good. He's my nature boy. Even clothes are a real bother, and shoes more so. He's a tough little guy, though. Hardly complained through the whole ordeal. Laughed at the doctor's jokes. Took the teasing by the security guard, nurses and doctors all in stride.
How does one dislocate a middle toe anyway? I'm really wondering. Konner ran into Kylie in the hallway and that's how it happened for him. But still -- HOW?!? She must have stepped on JUST that toe and Konner twisted away just so. Ewwww!
Anyway, we'll be getting Keri Lynn from the airport tonight after Wednesday night supper at church and all-church Christmas caroling. I sent Keri Lynn off with all of the California Christmas presents and she's coming back with Christmas presents for us! Fun! We've been getting packages in the mail, too.
I need to get going on my Christmas letter, but I feel like it's just going to be re-run stuff for most people because of the group e-mail and blog! I do feel like it's an opportunity to get the word out that I do have a blog going now, especially since I figured out how to link video from VideoTube! Ha! I'm so pleased with myself about that.
Yesterday, I got up at 5:15 (having gone to bed after midnight -- I'm such an idiot!) and took Keri Lynn to the airport for her ortho visit to California. When I got home, I got Keva ready for school, prepared Keith's lunch, sent Keith on his way to work, made sure all kids were properly fed and Kody taken out to do his business before announcing:
"MOMMY IS GOING TO TAKE A NAP! NO ONE BOTHER ME UNLESS THERE IS BLOOD!"
About 90 minutes into a semi-good nap, I heard Konner screaming a high pitched "this really hurts!" cry. So up I dragged myself out of bed where Konner was waiting for me at my bedroom door. Kristofer was supporting him and I looked down at his left foot middle toe that looked oddly askew.
"Ewwww!" was my first reply. I had a momentary impulse to just kind of shove the little piggy right back into its socket, but was not sure if it was merely dislocated or possibly broken. So, I ordered Kristofer to take him back to the couch while I made the necessary calls.
First we went to the pediatrician who then referred us for X-rays and an orthopedic doctor. Konner's toe had been injured at about 10:45, but by the time we finally got to see the orthopedist, it was nearly 3:00. He took one look at the toe and said, "Oh yeah, that's dislocated. Has he had anything to eat lately?"
"Ah, no . . . "
"Can't give him general anesthesia then. How does he feel about shots?"
"Well, he's pretty stoic, really. He'll do fine."
And he did. I sat next to Konner while he got a numbing shot in his foot. That was the worst part. Then the doctor just snapped the toe back into place in about THREE SECONDS, and then we got another X-ray to make sure all was right with the world, and we were free to go home.
Konner is supposed to be sure to wear shoes for the next two weeks and keep the toe strapped to another toe for support. Hmmm. So far, not so good. He's my nature boy. Even clothes are a real bother, and shoes more so. He's a tough little guy, though. Hardly complained through the whole ordeal. Laughed at the doctor's jokes. Took the teasing by the security guard, nurses and doctors all in stride.
How does one dislocate a middle toe anyway? I'm really wondering. Konner ran into Kylie in the hallway and that's how it happened for him. But still -- HOW?!? She must have stepped on JUST that toe and Konner twisted away just so. Ewwww!
Anyway, we'll be getting Keri Lynn from the airport tonight after Wednesday night supper at church and all-church Christmas caroling. I sent Keri Lynn off with all of the California Christmas presents and she's coming back with Christmas presents for us! Fun! We've been getting packages in the mail, too.
I need to get going on my Christmas letter, but I feel like it's just going to be re-run stuff for most people because of the group e-mail and blog! I do feel like it's an opportunity to get the word out that I do have a blog going now, especially since I figured out how to link video from VideoTube! Ha! I'm so pleased with myself about that.
Monday, December 11, 2006
"For whom the bell tolls . . . "
We're worried about Kody.
For the last few months, he's been limping, and even from the first, Keith noticed that he didn't sit correctly. He'd kind of slump to one side and then eventually slide into a laying position every time he was told to sit. In the last few weeks, the limping has gotten really bad, and we're suspecting hip dysplasia. Keith thinks we may have to put him down, since we don't have the kind of money it takes for surgery.
Now, if Keith had suggested such a thing a while back, I would have gladly said, "Where do I sign?!!"
But I have to say, Kody has grown on me. For all of the poop, pee and vomit, for all of the dog hair caught up in the vacuum and steam cleaner, for all of the dog farts (and, boy, does he make some doozies!), for all the arguments about whose turn it is to pick up the poop, and for all the general dog smell (especially when he gets wet) . . . . he's still awfully cute and sweet. I cried yesterday when Keith told me that we'd probably have to put him down. Fortunately, no one saw me, since I broke down while doing dishes, except Kade who came in from playing outside to get a drink of water. (Little kids never notice a bawling mother -- I think it's how children don't get scarred for life having a mother going through the hormones of pregnancy and parenthood!)
Then, today, I went searching on the Internet and saw that it's quite common for large breed dogs to have limping problems at Kody's age. They grow too fast for their bones to keep up with them. So, to help him, we are to feed him less protein, not allow him to jump up (to keep strain off his hind leg joints), and not let him get fat. He still needs to exercise to strengthen all of his muscles, and, if he's in pain, he should take Ibuprofen! Eventually, we do need to take him to a vet and find out more about his condition, but for now I've got some hope that we won't have to put him down after all. We'll know more after Christmas when we can afford to take him to the vet.
Meanwhile, Kody is blissfully unaware of any tides of change in his life.
I stayed home from church yesterday with Keva when she woke up vomiting. Fortunately, she just needed a little rest, so it was just Kody and me hanging out in the family room. At first, Kody thought that he was being abandoned once again to those "holy roller" church kids going off to church AGAIN! The nerve of them! I watched as he sat in the hallway, staring at the closed door, hearing the van engine turn on in the garage, hearing the van pull away, and the reverberating death knell of the garage door coming down, signaling his doom at being left Home Alone once again.
Then, I said, "Kody!" and he turned around and looked at me in complete surprise and bounded over to me in utter joy and abandon! At least one family member had not left him and it was The One. The One who makes sure someone feeds him. The One who makes sure someone takes him out to go potty. Once he settled down, he made himself comfortable around my feet and we watched TV together with complete contentment.
So, you see, Kody can't be put down. I love him!
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