"Cuz I've. Had. The Time Of My Li-i-ife..."

Scotty,
Congrats on getting your Masters. You have worked SO hard and we wish we could be there for your graduation ceremony to celebrate with you and congratulate you in person. You are very smart and funny, and talented and dedicated, and it is evident that this is what you were meant to do with your brilliant, creative mind. Congratulations, Mr and Mrs. Architect. We are so very proud of you. Enjoy a moment in the spotlight, it is well earned.
You are a great brother.

Love and Miss You Both,
-Little (though not so little right now) Sister

Decisions

The children are asleep.
The house is clean (enough).
The washer is running.
Do I take a nap and enjoy the short lived silence, pre-pay bills so I won't have to worry about them for awhile, or spot clean/pretreat the carpet and then do a million squats and try to get labor going?

At this point, all three tasks are about the same amount of work.
But still...Hmmm....

Nap.

No! Ice cream. THEN nap.

"When The Lights Go Down In The City..."

On Being Prepared: May

During the ice storms back in February we had a few brief power outages, and we've had the lights flicker off several times in the past few weeks during some crazy thunderstorms.

Question:
How is it so impossible to find an operating flashlight when you really need one?!
I felt like an idiot, burning my fingers with a stupid tea light candle (spilling wax on my shirt and having to listen to Reese reminding me of the rule: "not to touch the candles 'cuz you'll get burned") and rifling through a whole dang closet full of food storage until I'd retrieved the perfectly organized and labeled BOX of flashlights (you know, in case of an emergency?) only to discover we had ZERO batteries that size in the house. SO prepared!

We had some of those wind up flashlights, but they really only do last about a year, and are now left with no life in them....I'm not completely sold. Maybe it was the particular brand we purchased. But the whole WIND UP idea in general has not impressed me so far.

Last spring, we had a little tornado scare that resulted in my family, and a family we were meeting for the first time (I filled in temporarily on a babysitting job for a few weeks when a friend -the regular babysitter- had her baby) all hunkering down in my bathroom to wait out a storm. Anyway, here we are all crammed into my tiny ugly (pre remodel..I should let them know that babysitting those kids payed for that remodel!) bathroom and the mom is FREAKING out about the storm..because they have one of those bomb shelter rooms down in their basement.

To give her some piece of mind, I pulled out the emergency package that I store under the bathroom cabinet (for occasions such as this) full of toys for the kids, water bottles, fruity snacks, and a wind up weather radio. We've never used it before, so I started winding and after a few seconds, stopped to find a station so I'd be able to tell when I'd wound the thing up long enough.

The reception was fuzzy, and the mom was growing antsy and impatient. She took the radio from me and started winding it frantically and broke the handle right off. Now it is useless. In her defense...I really think the wimpy handle SHOULD have been built a little stronger. Most people USING a wind up emergency weather radio ARE using it because it is an emergency, and probably are a little shaky or upset. So before tornado/severe thunderstorm season is in full swing, I need to purchase a new emergency radio. AND some more flashlights.

For now, I've settled on re-chargable batteries for the flashlight situation. We are blessed to have the fireplace as a heat source to keep us warm, and in the event of power loss our biggest inconveniences are light and not having power in the kitchen.

Luckily, the power was back on around the same time that the novelty of having a tent in the living room wore off. I discovered that more important than batteries would be a wind-up TV. I can live without light, man...but when real emergencies strike, I realize more then, than ever that we need some Dora up in here!

May=Power Outage Preparedness Month

-Store batteries for the 15 empty flashlights in the emergency preparedness bin.
-Store matches WITH the box of tea lights.
-Fill propane tank for gas grill and finally install the burner element on the grill so we could boil things easily.
-split and stack more firewood.
-restock the bin in the bathroom with new water bottles, fruity snacks, toys, a flashlight, and a new weather radio) yeah it's been a year and I haven't done that yet. The 72 hour kits are finished though!
-purchase a new wind up weather radio. This time I'd like to get one of the radios that has a little alarm that beeps even when it's turned off when you are in a tornado watch.

By the way...have you tried those Lithium batteries? Those suckers last FOREVER!

"How Long How Lo-o-ong...?"

"Any day now...You're definitely getting close"

I don't know if believe it any more.
I AM making progress.
I can FEEL the progress...about every 15 minutes.
But I was at nearly 2cm and 70% at my last appointment.

That was two weeks ago.

Today, I'm at 3cm (whoopee! At least that means I won't have to wait around for an epidural when I decide I am ready for one) and 80%.

Doc says that if I'm at 4 at my next appt, he'll just send me over to the hospital, but estimates a 50/50 that I'll even make it to my next appt.

Can I last another week? He'd induce me now, but TECHNICALLY if you go by original due date...I'm only 37 weeks today, so we don't want to force progress prematurely. If Baby W isn't done cookin'...he just isn't done cookin'. But it got me thinking....

It's TRUE! I AM the hostess with the most-est!
That's why he doesn't want to leave. It's too cozy in there.
Or too scary out here...

Take your time, Baby. I will wait.
Just try not to enjoy the pudding pops as much as I have been. The thought of birthing a 10 lb bruiser makes me nauseous. Ok, I'm a wimp...I'll admit it. For me, even a 7 pounder would probably qualify as a bruiser. Maybe I'll step away from the Sonic Blasts (have you tried the Snickers Blast?! Goodness me...I had them make it with chocolate soft serve instead of vanilla....WOW! An addiction was born.) for just a few days.

All I know is, that if I'm still pregnant on Thursday night, "we" will be lying on a table getting a professional massage.

Ok, that's the last of the "whiny whiny I'm still pregnant" posts.

At least until tomorrow.

"And I Do Appreciate You Being Rou-u-und..."

I feel like I owe my friends a big Thank You. I have thanked everyone individually, but it doesn't seem like enough. I could go down the list and name everyone and thank them specifically for what they've done, but I'd be certain to leave someone out and feeling unappreciated. I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for all the good deeds being done for us lately!

I've had friends watch my kids during doctor's appointments like crazy lately, bring treats by (because Fat Meg is so much more fun), fix our laptop, offer to help me finish up house projects, pick up Reese and take her to preschool to save me a trip, paint my toes because I can't reach them anymore, bring me good music and other fun homemade things. And just when I can't believe how blessed I am, someone calls and offers to come by the house and steam clean my carpets tomorrow. (yes, they're that dirty).
Thanks to everyone who's made the past two weeks fly by because they were filled with joy and unexpected service that I totally don't deserve.
Y'alls know you ya are.
You are awesome.

You've earned your wings for sure.

Thanks.

"For-e-e-e-ver Be You And Me..."

Pieces,
How is it that you have grown from my tiny 6 lb 4 oz baby into a little girl?! You are almost 4 and 1/2 now, and you have just as much spunk and attitude as the day you were born. Even the nurses commented on how long you stayed awake after delivery. The world was a bright, exciting place and you didn't want to miss out on anything! You stared at me for nearly 4 hours that day. I remember looking back at your perfect, tiny, beautiful face and thinking about the changes to come. No more full time school. No more full time work at the preschool. No more student teaching. We were moving across the country from Idaho to Wisconsin in 14 days, and the only person we would know there is Daddy. I would go from running from job to class to job to just being at home with you while Dad went to work. Just you and me.

Those days were precious. Some of those first few mornings in WI, it was -10 degrees outside and I would stay in bed until 11am if I wanted, with you in my arms watching The Price is Right. It was a hard transition for me, adjusting to staying home all day, operating on someone else's sleeping schedule. But I wouldn't trade in that time I had just the two of us for anything. You became my little side-kick. It's no wonder your personality is so similar to mine!

I feel bad that your sister and your brother don't have the opportunity for the same one on one time with Mom that you did. Then I think about MY childhood. I was the youngest of FIVE children, and was constantly surrounded by an older sibling who would hold me or spoil me. Attention was not something I ever lacked, and I know your little sister and soon to be baby brother are and will continue to be showered with your love and affection.

Reese, I think you might be just as excited about this little baby as I am. You are an excellent big sister and Quincy's very best friend. I love you and am thankful for all you do to help her and set a good example for her. You are becoming such a darling little kid.

Today you got to stay awake and have "quiet time" while Quincy took a nap. It was just you and me in a quiet house all over again. This time, we snuggled for a bit, then played, unloaded dishes together, colored, ate lunch, did your very first dot-to-dot picture, talked about what to name Baby Brother, changed the bedding on my bed (you stuffed the pillows into their shams like a champ) and washed the patio furniture. There was no The Price is Right this time, and mommy didn't stay in her pajamas until 11am this time, either. I've come a long way, and I'm glad you've been patient with me as I learn how to be your mother. I'm doing my very best and I love you so much.

You are a great little sidekick.
I loved our You and Me time today.
Love you to Pieces.

"Mother Dear I Love You So..."

Mom,
Happy Mother's Day.
You are Awesome.
Thank you for all that you have taught me.
I am so blessed to have you for a mother, and my dearest friend.

Thank you for teaching me to appreciate my charmed life and laugh and find joy in the little things...

...like the fact that Quincy's Mother's Day card to me was written all over her body in hot pink marker and black ball point pen that she found in the desk drawer (when she stripped naked 5 minutes before church), and that Reese downright refused to go sing the sweet little "Mother's Day Medley" with the primary kids today, but was more than willing to belt a Killers song at the top of her lungs on the way home from church...followed by, "aren't I such a good singer, Mom? This is just for you, I hope you are listening to my beautiful Mothers Day Song. Hey stop talking to Dad, I'm singin' a song here...why are you laughing?..."

And THAT was followed by the "Happy Birthday" song from Quincy.

I know that my appreciation for the divine role I play, and my gratitude for the precious gift of my children comes from the wonderful example of selfless love and service you have given to all of your children over the years. You've made each of us feel loved and special and of great worth.
I am grateful to have been given the gift of YOU.

You are a wonderful mother.
Love you. Miss you.
-Meg